LIBRARY 
Cheological ἘΠ 


PRINCETON. N. J. 
No. “Case, - Diviste ἊΝ pen aiesse ποσοςισς 
ὙΠ Shelf SPS εν ὍΣ 


—— 


Mi 


Ξ i; 
᾿ "i - 4 
ἀπ φ a a g 7 
UN (AY, να, 2 a) Cae GC Cele 2 775 Tes 5 Bee ihe 
/ 


a 


τ᾿ ἷ a 48 , 
Lie 7 Ὁ τ oh gag oT 
CoE EMRE AN Pe Zen Oo kand ΦΩ͂Σ biaarn ον “AC prellilee Gan “a4 


/ ᾿ 
ς 23: 4 
Cw 9 a N14 & ew 2 thera Fi ED Ger Voss aun, ¥ ash 


Z ; 
( " γε-π - ΄ ) 7 
ξεν ὡς 9 ore |G Ae Cea ON EEL ΞΕ NEES AGC, Lup ee 


Z ¢ 7 
Ae EI ον τ Oy 70) ce " ae OO « A ¢ a ΄ 
( 7, Ί x "0 LAT rLW¢ 
Cc 


THE 


NEW TESTAMENT 


OF OUR 


.LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. 


THE TEXT 


CAREFULLY PRINTED FROM THE MOST CORRECT COPIES OF THE PRESENT 
AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION, 


INCLUDING THE 


MARGINAL READINGS AND PARALLEL TEXTS: 


WITH 


A COMMENTARY AND CRITICAL NOTES; 


DESIGNED AS A HELP TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SACRED WRITINGS: 


BY ADAM CLARKE, LL.D. F.S.A, &c. 


A NEW EDITION, WITH THE AUTHOR’S FINAL CORRECTIONS. 


FOR WHATSOEVER THINGS WERE WRITTEN AFORETIME WERE WRITTEN FOR OUR LEARNING; THAT WE, THROUGH 
PATIENCE AND COMFORT OF THE SCRIPTURES, MIGHT HAVE HOPE.—Rom. xy. 4 


VOLUME I——-MATTHEW TO THE ‘ACTS. 


LIBRARY OF PRINCETON 


OCT 0 3 2807 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY G. LANE ἃ C. B TIPPETT, THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 


FOR THE METHODIST BPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OFFICE, 200 MULBERRY-STREET 


JOSEPH LONGKING, PRINTER 
1846. 


ΣΦ te) 
τ ὦν 


A COLLECTION 


or 


VarR WevU S°2R'E A DLN GSS 
FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT; 


MADE FROM ANCIENT GREEK MANUSCRIPTS. 


Some years ago a well-written MS. fell into my hands, containing a collection of various readings, taxen 
from several ancient MSS. of the Greek Testament. It appears to have been made with great care and ac- 
curacy; and judging it worthy to be appended to the notes on the New Testament, I have caused it to be 
printed, so as to be easily bound up with the last volume of this Work. 

Of this collection I know not the author, (it was once in the possession of Dr. T'’homas Mangey, but is not 
in his handwriting,) nor do I know what manuscripts they are that are thus collated, as no description of them 
appears in any part of these sheets. The collector was greatly attached to the Latin version, as in almost 
every case he prefers those readings which agree with the VutearTe. 

When it was made, or where, is as difficult to be determined. 'The water-mark of some of the sheets is the 
arms of the Seven United Provinces : a large shield, surmounted with a crown; in the centre a lion rampant, 
holding in his left paw a sceptre, and in the right a bundle of arrows: on the side of the throne or bench on 
which he stands is the word VRYHEYT, and round the shield, PRO PATRIA EJUSQUE LIBERTATE. 
In other sheets, a female figure with a helmet on her head, and a sceptre in her hand, before a lion rampant, 
with a drawn sword in one paw, anda bundle of arrows inthe other. Both figures seem inclosed in a palisado, 
and just before the sceptre are the words PRO PATRIA. On other sheets, probably the right folio, there is 
a small circle or shield including a crown, and the letters G. R. - : 

The book of the Acts and the Epistle to the Romans are expressly declared to be from the collation of 
EIGHT ancient manuscripts, and the Apocalypse from Four ancient manuscripts : but there are two other MSS. 
quoted in several of the books; so that it appears on the whole that eight Greek MSS. were collated in every 
verse, and two others occasionally. 

A copy of the printed text (probably that of 1624, by the Elzevirs) appears to have been used by this un- 
known collector, with which the MSS. mentioned above were collated. Many of the readings preferred in 
this are preferred by Griesbach, and received into the text. On the whole, I thought this collection too 
valuable to be confined to a private MS., and thus to be in danger of being lost to the world. 

The collection might have been made either in England or Holland, about one hundred years ago, in the 
reign of George I. 

Some part of the beginning appears to have been lost, as these collations commence with Matt. xxiv. 2. 


MATTHAI. 


The figure or figures under the head MSS. denote the number of Manuscripts in which the approved reading 
was found by the unknown collator. 


CAP. XXIV. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS 26. 2. τοῖς μαϑηταῖς αὐτου, cum Vulg. 
2. 3. βλεπετε ταυτα παντα, cum Vulg. 28. 1. τοῦτο εστι τὸ αἷμα pov. 
6. 1. αλλ᾽ οὐκ evbews το τελος. 39. 60. καὶ προσελϑων μικρον. 
14. 2. καὶ κηρυχϑῆσεται ro ευαγγελιον. 48. ponatur in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10 (ὁ de παρα- 
18. 1. μη επιστρεψατω apa, cum’Vulg. διδους.) 
25. 1. προειρῆκα ὑμιν παντα. ὅ0. 4. ε ὁ παρει, cum Vulg.. 
32. 8. εκφυῃ. 82. 1, εν μαχαίρᾳ ἀπολουνταῖ, cum Vulg. . 
306. 4. εἰ μη ὁ Πατηρ μονος, cum Vulg. + 59. 1. non legit, καὶ οἱ πρεσβυτεροι, cum Vulg. 
45. 1. emt τῆς οἰκετιας αὑτῶν. , 
49, legatur in Tex. cum MSS. 7 (εσθιῃ de καὶ CAP. XXVII. 
πινῃ,)}) cum Vulg. ue: 4. κορβωναν, ut Vulg. 
. 1. περιεθηκαν ext τῆς κεφαλῆς avTov. 
CAP. XXV. 35. in Textu ἀπο τίς celue ad verba 1118, ἕνα 
185. 3. non habent verba illa (ev ἢ ὁ ὕτος Tov ανϑρω- πληρωϑῃ τὸ ῥηϑεν, &c., usque ad finem 
“mov epxerat,) cum Vulg. versus ; cum in MSS. 10 non legantur. 
16. 1. καὶ exepdyoev αλλα, cum Vulg. 59. 2. ev owdov, cum Vulg. 
a 8. καὶ ὁ exet, αρϑησεται. 64. 3. non addunt, νυκτος, cum Vulg. 
- ΤΟ καὶ παντες of αγγελοι, cum Vulg. CAP. XXVIIL 
= XXVI- 2. 3. azo τῆς ϑυρας Tov μνημείου. 
3. 2. non legunt, kav of γραμματεῖς, cum Vulg, 8. 3. non legunt verba ifta ὡς δὲ exopevovro anayyes 
26. 5. καὶ εὐχαριστῆσας exAace. t Rat τοις μαϑηταις avrov,) cum Vulg, 


ili 


Ver. 
1. 


14, 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


ponatur in Tex. ut 7 MSS. legunt ζαλλοι de 
ελεγον, ὁτι λιας.) cum Vulg. 

Ιωαννην, avtog ἡγερϑήῆ, cum Vulg. 

τῳ Ἡρωδῃ, οὐκ εξεστι σοι, cum Vulg. 

καὶ ἀκουων αὐτου. 

6 εαν pe αἰτησῇῃς. 

ponatur in Tex. ut MSS. 10 legunt (εν μνημείῳ.) 

παντα boa εποιησαν, cum Vulg. 

kat ἑπεγνωσαν πολλοι, cum Vulg. 

non legit (καὶ ηλϑον προς avtov) cum Vulg. 

ἀγορασωσιν ἑαυτοῖς, τι φαγωσιν. 

kat δωσομεν αὐτοῖς, cum Vulg, 

και Lowy avTouc, cum Vulg. 

non legit (καὶ εϑαυμαζον) cum Vulg. 


CAP. VII. 


kat exepwTwow αὐτον, cum Vulg. 

αλλα κοιναῖς χερσιν, cum Vulg. 

καὶ προσκαλεσαμενος παλιν Tov οχλον, cum Vulg. 

οἱ μαθηται αὐτου τὴν παραβολην, cum Vulg. 

ponatur in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 10 (καὶ ελ- 
θων εἰς οἰκίαν.) 

αλλ᾽ ευθυς ἀκουσασα γυνη, cum Vulg. 

ponatur in Textu, sicut MSS. 10 legunt (το 
ϑυγατριον αὐτῆς TvEevua.) 

Συροφοινικισσα. 

ek των ὁρίων Τυρου nate δια Σιδωνος προς, utVulg, 

κωφον Kat μογίλαλον, cum Vulg. 

και α απολαβομενος. 


CAP. VIII. 


παλιν πολλου οχλου οντος, cum Vulg. (MS. 1 
oxAov ελϑοντος.) 

scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS, 7 (waxpo. 
θεν ἡκουσι.) 

και ταυτα ευλογησας εἰπε, cum Vulg. 

καὶ avacrevatac τῳ πνευματι Aeyer, cum Vulg. 

εἰς TO TAOLOY. 

πως OUTW GUVLETE 5 

και egyovrat εἰς By. cum Vulg. 

τας χείρας αὐτου, cum Vulg. 

αὐτου, καὶ διεβλεψεν. 

και ἐνεβλεπε τηλαυγως ἅπαντα, cum Vulg. 

εἰ τις ϑελει οπίσω μου, cum Vulg. 

του ευαγγελιου, σωσει αὐτὴν, cum Vulg. 

legatur in Tex. ut Jegunt MSS. 10 (ωφελησει 
ανϑρωπον.) 


CAP. IX. 
ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10 (exdofor.; 
καϑὼς γεγραπται. 
ponatur in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10. (καὶ εἰς 
ὕδατα, Wa) cum Vulg. 
avu7w, εἰ δυνασαι. 
Aca τι ἥμεις, cum Vulg. 
ἐπι TW ονοματι cov, cum Vulg. 
non legit (drt axoAovbet ἡμιν.) 
Ka? ἥμων ὑπερ ἥμων. 
ἕνα τῶν μικρων τουτῶν των, cum Vulg. 


CAP. X. 
tn¢ lovdacac repay Tov lopdavov (MS. 1 καίπεραν." 
ponaturin Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10 (ὁ Θεὸς ἕνεκεν 
τουτου) cum Vulg. 
προσδραμὼν εἷς. 
non legit (ᾳρας τον σταυρονὴ cum Vulg. 
τῆς pagidog διελϑειν, cum Vulg. 
Tpoayav QuTouc. 
7 To Βαπτισμα, cum Vulg. 
ovk οὕτως de ἐστι, cum Vulg. 
ev ὑμιν εἰναι πρωτος, cum Vulg. 
ὁ ὑιος Tiyatov. MSS. 6 legunt Βαρτιμαιο 
avarndnoac nase, cum Vulg. 
ponatur in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 8 (και ηκολουθες 


MARCI. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Mss 15. 
1. καϑὼως γεγραπται ev τῷ προφητῃ, cum Vulg. 16. 1 
1. καὶ of Ἱεροσολυμιται παντες, και εβαπτιζοντο yg 7 
ὑπ’ αὐτου ev τῳ, cum Vulg. δῦ: 2. 
1. και qv εν τῃ ἐρήμῳ, cum Vulg. 53. 8 
1. καὶ παράγων παρα τὴν ϑαλασσαν, cum Vulg. 59. ς 
1. Aeyov, τί ἧμιν καὶ σοι, cum Vulg. 4 are wo 
8. συζητειν προς ἑαυτους, cum Vulg.; et scriben- 33. 9. 
dum in Tex. (προς αὑτους.) 33, 1 
3. και κατεδιωξεν, cum Vulg, 36. Ἶ 
4. εληλυϑα, cum Vulg. 37. i. 
ponatur in Textu; utlegunt MSS.10(aA2’ εξω 8 1 
ev ἐρήμοις) cum Vulg. 51. 1. 
CAP. II. 
2. Kar συνήχϑησαν πολλοι, cum Vulg. 5 1 
bk. ὁτι οὕτως διαλογίζονται, cum Vulg. ἘΝ, 
1. kat of φαρισαιοι νηστευοντες, cum Vulg. 14, L 
1. ουδεις επιβλημα, cum Vulg. 17. 2 
3. τὸ πληρωμα απ’ αὐτου, cum Vulg. 94. ῷ 
CAP. III. 
95. 1 
1. σωσαι ἡ ἀπολεσαι, cum Vulg. 95 
1. non legit (ύγιης ὡς ἡ αλλη) cum Vulg. 
1. πως avrov ἀαπολεσωσι, cum Vulg. 98 3 
1. τον Καναναίον. a. Tl, 
1. αἰωνίου ἁμαρτηματος, cum Vulg. οὶ ἢ 
1. καὶ epyovtat οἱ αδελφοι, cum Vulg. 53 δ᾿ 
1. και λεγουσιν αὐτῳ, δου, cum Vulg. ἧ j 
2. non habent (και ai αδελφαι cov) cum Vulg. 
4. ἡ μητηρ μου Kat οἱ ἀδελφοι μου, cum Vulg. τς oh 
CAP. IV. 3 
expungatur e Textu vox illa (eupayae) que 
deest in MSS. 10 impressicum Vulg.legunt| 7, 9, 
(τα πετεινα TOV ουρανου.) 1s Te 
ponatur in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10 (ἐν τρία-} 13, 4. 
κοντα, kat ἕν ξ. καὶ ἕν p.) 17, 2. 
impressi cum Vulg. legunt (ἕν Δ. καὶ ἕν & kav] 95. 1, 
ἕν ῥ. 93. 2. 
1. καὶ αλλοι εἰσιν of εἰς τας ἀκανϑας, cum Vulg. | 25. 1. 
1. non legit (rovrov) cum Vulg. Ome abs 
2. αντιμετρηϑήσεται, cum Vulg. ovis 
1, non habet (rove ἀκουουσιν) cum Vulg. 85. 9, 
legatur in Tex. (ὡς κοκκον) ut MSS. 7. cum] 36, 
Vulg. 
2. παντατα πετεῖνα. 
2, πλοία nv, cuin Vulg. 
1. τι δειλοι ἐστε ; ουπω exete πιστίν, cum Vulg. 6. 
CAP. V. 1 = 
1. tov Τερασηνων. 
1, αλυσεσιν οὐκ ett ovdete. 935 42: 
1. εἰς τὴν ϑαλασσαν ὡς δισχίλιοι, cum Vulg. 98: 9: 
ponatur in Tex. ut MSS. 6. legunt ησαν dz ὡς 38. 2. 
δισχιλιοι. OTE bs 
1. οἱ de βοσκοντες avtove, cum Vulg. 40. 4. 
1. καθημενον, ἱματίσμενον, cum Vulg. 42. 3. 
1. avrov ὁ ιαϑεις. 
1. non habet ἐδου cum Vulg. 
3. καὶ γυνή ovea, cum Vulg. 1. 1’ 
1. τοῦ ἱματιου, cum Vulg. 6. 
Ἷ. ὁ de ἴησους παρακουσας. 
1. και epyovrat, cum Vulg. 17 Uh 
CAP. VI. ἘΣ ἢ 
1. Και οἱ πολλοι. 32. 8. 
2. ὅτι καὶ Δυναμεις τοιαυται. Cre al 
1, desunt verba illa (αμην Aeyo ὑμῖν, avextorepov| 43. 1. 
εσται Lodopotc ἡ Touoppore ev ἥμερᾳ Kpicewc,| 44. 1. 
ἢ τῇ πολει εκείνῃ, (Vulgata etiam hoc loco] 46. 2. 
ea non legit, sed videntur irrepsisse in Tex.| 50. 1. 
Gr. ex 10 Matth. 52. 
1. Ιωαννης ὁ Βαπτιστης. 


iy 


τῳ Ἰησου,) cum Vulg. 
1 


VARLE LECTIONES. 


CAP. XI. Ver. MSS 
Ver. MSS. 12. 2. ἑτοιμάσωμεν σοι dayew το, cum Vulg. 
2. 3. ef dv ove ουδεις, cum Vulg. 19. 2. non legunt (και αλλος, μητι eyw) cum Vulg. 
2. 1. Avoare avrov και φερετε. 22. 1. AaBere- rovro ἐστι, cum Vulg. 
6. 1. everetAaro αὐτοῖς ὁ ἴησους. 27. 7. non habent (ev LOL EV TH νυκτὶ TAUTH.) 
10. 1. ευλογημενὴ ἡ Βασιλεια του πατρος ἧμων Δαβιδ. | 29. scribendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 9 (πρὸ 
11, 8. καὶ εἰς τὸ lepov. as ὑμας.) 
11. 1. και περιβλεψαμενος παντας. 29. 9. non legunt, ev σοι. 
23. 1. non legit ὁ eav evry, cum Vulg. 31. 1. ὁ de ex περισσου ελαλει, eav pe. 
CAP. XII. 34. legendum in Textu, ut MSS. 10 (καὶ Τρηγορειτε 
4. 2. kaKewov εκεφαλαίωσαν, cun Vul Ka bs el Y cose 
ἘΣ 1 oar «ὥσαν; ἕν 1 45. 8. χαιρε ῥαββι ῥαββι. 
. - τὴν παραβολὴν ταυτὴν εἰπεν, cum Vulg. 51. 1. non legit (οἱ νεανίσκοι) cum Vulg. 
27 legendum in Tex. ut MSS.10 habent (ove ἐστιν [6] 1 zon Θεὸν τοῦ evdoyntov, cum Vulg. 
ὁ Θεὸς vexpov,) cum Vulg. 64. 1. τας βλασφημιας. 
39. 1. Kepioe ὁ θεος ὑμων. 70. 1. non habetur καὶ ἡ λαλία cov ὁμοιαζει, cum Vulg. 
31. 2. ἡ devrepa ὁμοια avrg, cum Vulg. 72. 2. Kat εὐθὺς ex devrepov, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XIII. CAP. Xv. 
3. 3. ov μὴ agedy ὧδε. Ε 
8. 1. καὶ ἐσονται λιμοι" apyat ὠδίνων ταυτα, cum Vulg. 3. tollendum e Tex. quod deest in MSS. 9 (avrog 
11. 2. τι AaAnonze- aA?’ ὃ eav, cum Vulg. de ovdev απεκρινατο,) cum Vulg. 
14 1 non legit (ro ῥηϑεν ὑπο Δανιηλ του προφητου) 8. 1. καὶ avaBag ὁ οχλος, cum Vulg. 
et videntur huc irrepsisse ex cap. Matt. 24, |11. 1. ανεπεισαν τὸν oyAov. 
32. ponendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 7 (exewye, 18. expungendum e ‘Tex. quod 8 MSS. non habent 
7 opac) cum Vulg, (και Aeyery,) cum Vulg. 
37. 2. ὁ de ὑμιν, cum Vulg. CAP. XVI. 
CAP. XIV. 5. 2. και ελθουσαι. 
2. 1. eheyov yap. 8. 2. eye yap avrac, cum Vulg. 
2. 1. opuBoc γενηται, cum Vulg. 16. scribendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 10 (ὁ πισ- 
δ 3. τοῦτο To μυρον xpadyvar, cum Vulg. τευσας kat βαπτισθεις,) cum Vulg. 
LUC. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 22. 1. non addit (λεγουσαν) cum Vulg, - 
11. scribatur in Textu, ut lezunt MSS. 10 (Ηλιοι.) 
18. 4. ayyedov πὼς εσται τουτο. CAP. Iv. 
35. scribatur in Textu ut lerunt MSS. 10 (καὶ το] 1. 1. ev τῇ ἐρήμῳ. 
γεννωμενον aren) 4. 1. nonest (λεγων) cum Vulg. 
35." impressi cum Vulg. legunt, καὶ τὸ γεννωμενον͵ 7. 1. εαν πέσων προσκυνησῃς. 
εκ σου ἁγίον. 8. 1. non addit (ὑπαγε οπίσω μου, Satava) cum Vulg. 
36. 1. καὶ αὑτὴ συνειληφ, cum Vulg. 9. ponatur in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10 (ex υἷος ec 
39. 1. εἰς tay πολιν. του Θεου.) 
49. 1. μεγαλα ὁ Δυνατος, cum Vulg. 834. 1. οιδα ὁτι σὺ εἰ ὁ υἱος του Θεου. 
ὅ0. 3. εἰς γενεαν καὶ γενεαν. MS. 1 εἰς γενεας και] 42. legendum in Textu, ut est in MSS. 7 (επεζητουν 
yeveac. avrov,) cum Vulg. 
51. 3. Διανοίας. 43. 1. και ἕτεραις πολεσιν. 
64, tollenda e Textu vox illa, qaam MSS. 10 non 
habent (δεηρθρωθη,} cum Vulg. CAP. V. 
66. 1. Kas yap xetp Κυριου, cum Vulg. 2. 1. επλυνον ra δικτυα, cum Vulg. 
75. 2. πασαῖς ταις ἡμεραις ἡμων, cum Vulg. 6. 1. addit ro δικτυον αὐτων (Gore μὴ δυνασθαι ava- 
CAP. II yayew αὐτο.) 
ae 15. 3. non legunt (ὑπ᾽ avtov,) cum Vulg. 
8. scribendum in Textu, ut MSS. 10 legunt (καὶ [19. 6. πὼς evceveykwow avTov. 
φυλασσοντες φυλακας.) 19. 6. εμπροσθεν παντων. 
192. 2. Kat κείμενον ev φατνῃ, cum Vulg. 33. 2. καὶ τῶν Φαρισαίων, cum Vulg. 
15. 1. kat οἱ ποιμενες ελαλουν προς, cum Vulg. 30. 1. azo ἱματιου καινου σχίσας επιβαλλει. 
30. ponatur in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 10 (και 
ὑπεστρεψαν.) CAP. VI. 
21. 3. τοῦ περίτεμειν τὸ παιδιον, cum Vulg. 1. 1. non addit δευτεροπρωτῳ. 
99. scribatur in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10 (τοῦ xaf-| 1. 1. αὑτοῦ σταχνας. 
ἀρισμου avTwv.) 2. 1. ὁ ουκ εξεστιν ev τοις σαββασιν, cum Vulg. 
22. impressi cum Vulg. legunt (του καθαρισμου] 4. 1. και edwxe τοις μετ' αὐτου, cum Vulg. 
av7nc.) 6. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7 (καὶ εν 
40. 1. non addit (πνευματι) cum Vulg. ἕτερῳ σαββατῳ,) cum Vulg. 
43. 1. καὶ οὐκ ἐγνωσαν οἱ yovere αὐτου, cum Vulg. ib ponendum in Tex. ut est in MSS. 10 (ϑεραπευ- 
45. 1. και μη edpovtec ὑπεστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ava- cet, iva,) cum Vulg. 
ζητουντες avrov, cum Vulg. 9. 1. σωσαι, ἡ απολεσαι, cum Vulg. 
10. 1. παντας αὑὐτους εν opyn εἰπεν avTy. 
CAP. III. 10. 6. ὁ de εποιῆσεν, και αποκατεσταθὴ 7. 
. scribatur in Textu, ut est in MSS. 10 ἐπ᾿ 10. 1. non addit (ύγιης ὡς ἡ αλλη) cum Vulg. 
ἀρχίερεως. 106. 1. ὁς eyevero προδοτης, cum Vulg. 
2. impressi cum Vulg. ἐπὶ apytepewy. 18. 1. ακαϑαρτων εϑεραπευοντο, cum Vulg. 
4. 1. deest vox (λέγοντος) cum Vulg. 23. 1. οἱ πατερες ὑμων. 
18. 1. τῷ λαῳ 36. 2. ὑμας παντες οἱ ανϑρωποι. 


1 


v 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


vi 


Ne ΒΕ: : ἘΝ in MSS. 10 ( Ver. MSS. 
5 egendum in Textu, ut est in . καὶ λεια σου. ἡ 
ares ἴα ees vated υ. TOV APTOV ἡμων τον επιουσίον, CUM 
89. 1. εἰπε δὲ καὶ παραβολην, cum Vulg. 4. 1. καὶ γαρ καὶ αὐτοῖ αφιεμεν, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VIL Zh 1 nop ΘΝ aie ῥυσαι ἧμας απο του πονηρουὴ 
4. 3. ᾧ παρεξῃ τουτο, cum Vulg. 5. 2 2 
11. scribendum in Textu, ut MSS. 6 (καὶ ἐγένετο ev ὃ 7.8 nope = Shane 
τῳ εξης,) cum Vulg. ΠΡ ἢ Ξ : 
1: 1. non est ἱκανοι, cum Vulg. Pen Beat ime SOTA Oe 
. 2 καὶ αὐτὴ nv xnpa, cum Vulg. 11. Ἔ ἴῃ I i 
28. 2. non legunt vocem (προφητῆς.) ie nce ce aoe legatun, (ἢ at 
31. expungenda sunt e Tex. verba illa (eure δὲ ὁ) 15. 2. τῷ ἀρχοντι mae 
_ Κυριορ) desunt enim in MSS. 10. 95. Ἢ: ἘΣΘ περ είτε GE 
31. 1. impressi, et Vulgata Lat. legunt (eve δὲ 6Kv-|29. 1. ἡ yevea αὐτὴ ΕΣ pi eee Vlg 
ae ἘΠ eS), 32. corrigendum in Tex. Regie, et legendum (érz 
μηϑῆὴ ἢ σοῴ, petevoncar) ut Vulg., et MSS. 10 
37. 2. καὶ ἰδου γυνὴ ἧτις ἣν ev Ty πολει ἁμαρτωλος,} 34. 2. εστιν ὁ οφθαῦμος cov um V ] in 
ie cum Vulg. 34. 6. και ὅλον τὸ fois cov ‘ "ες 
- 2 τις ovy αὐτῶν πλείον ἀγαπήσει AUTOD ; a 3. καὶ τὸ σωμα cov σκοτεινον ἔσται, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VIII. . 2. ταῦτα de ede, cum Vulg. 
44 1 i in 
Mie i eee Ξ PES in Tex. ut est in MSS.9 (καὶ of ανϑρω- 
3. 8. dinkovovy αὐτοις 0. la CN at 
ἢ ΟΣ ΩΣ eum Yulee ale τὸ Sev aro καταβ. cum Vulg. 
Ge 1 soniect (Aeyovren) au Vile: Pai τ ue υσιαστηρίου καὶ TOV vaov, cum Vulg. 
Bil 1 non habst cosemu(eyeeran) cum Vale. = . dewocexyew. MSS.7, δεινως evexer, cum Vulg. 
24. 9. επιστατα, ἐπίστατα, απολλυμεϑα. τ Ὁ ἈΠ Ιατοστο ea χαῦνον του"; 
26. 1. τῶν Τερασηνων, cum Vulg. 
31. 2. καὶ παρεκάλουν avrov, cum Vulg. OES at 
34. ponatur in Textu, ut est in MSS. 9 (οἱ βοσκον- 8. ponendumin Tex.utlegunt MSS. 10 (ὁμολογησεὶ 
τες TO γεγενημενον, εφυγον, Kat ἀπηγγειλαν,) εν QUTY. 
cum Vulg. 11. 1. εἰσφερωσιν ὑμας. 
Ae 1: ae τῆς TOAEWC καὶ TEPLYWpOV. 14. 1. κατεστῆσε κριτῆν. 
ἃ . ὁ δὲ εἰπεν αὐτῃ" Ovyarnp, &c., cum Vulg. 21. και μὴ εις Θεον πλουτων (MSS. 3 addunt, ταυτα 
51. legatur in Textu, ut habent MSS. 9, cum Vulg. Aeyov εφωνει. 6 ἐχων WTA ακουειν axovera.) 
(ελθων δὲ εἰς την.) 30. 1. χρῇζετε τουτων ἁπαντων. 
51. 1. εἰσελϑειν συν avtw ovdeva, cum Vulg. 406. 2. μετα τῶν ὑποκ, 
ort g μ ὑποκριτῶν ϑησει. 
Ὁ . αὕὔτος δὲ κρατησας τῆς χειρος αὐυτης, cum Vulg. 48. 2. TEPLOOOTEPOY απαιτησουσιν AUTOV. 
CAP. IX. 
3. 1. pare ῥαβδον, cum Vulg. Ss 
12. 1. ἀπολύσον ποὺς oxdove, cum Vulg. 4. 2. δοκεῖτε, ὅτι αὐτοι οφειλεται, cum Vulg. 
17. 1. και pay to περισσευσαν avrole. 15. 4. ὑποκριτα, ἕκαστος ὑμων. 
23. 9. καὶ apatw τον σταυρον αὐτου, Kat ακολ. 24. 1. στενης ϑυρας. 
31. 9. ελεγον τῆν δοξαν αὐτου. 25. 1. Κυριε, ἀνοιξον ἧμιν, cum Vulg. 
47. 2. εἰδὼς τον διαλογισμον της καρ. 832. 1. καὶ τῇ τριτῃ ἡμερᾳ, cum Vulg. 
48. 1. οὗτος εστι peyac, cum Vulg. 34. ponatur in Tex. ut habent MSS. 6 (dv τοροπν 
49, ponatur in Textu, ut habent MSS. 10 (εκβαλ- ΟΡ ΓΟ ΤΗΝ ἑαυτης,) cum Vulg. 
λοντα δαιμονια.) 34. 1. και οὐκ ηϑελησας, cum Vulg. 
50. 3. καϑ' ὕμων, ὑπερ ὑμων ἐστιν, cum Vulg. 35. 5. non legunt ἔρημος. 
52. 1. εἰς πολιν Σαμαρείτων, cum Vulg. 
54. 1. non legit (ὡς καὶ Hvac ἐποίησεν) cum Vulg. CAP. XIV. 
Bx a non addit (ὑμεῖς) cum Vulg. 5 8. υἷος ἡ Bove 
59. . καὶ εἐπετιμῆσεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐπορευϑησαν. } ὃ fe 
ae i: deest (Kupie) cum Vulg. Saar 2 7 rer ee 
aan = ‘ ‘ 3 : 
: . αποταξασϑε πασι τοις εἰς τον. 2]. 1. 6 δουλος απηγγειλε, cum Vulg. 
ἶ CAP. x. 94, 4. ἐν Ὁ Spa πολλοι yap εἰσι KAnTOL, OAL 
. 1. ἑβδομηκοντα δυο, cum Vulg. ΙΣ ἢ name 
11. 1. addit (ex της πολεως ὑμων τ get go Bee ϑελῶν; οὔτι Nes 
12 Rede i ὩΣ Vale. εἰς τοὺς ποδας.) 85. 1. aAW εξω βαλλουσιν, cum Vulg. 
. 1. ἕως ddov καταδυσῃ, cum Vulg. 
17. 1. of ἐβδομηκοντα δυο, cum vale ΟΑΈΣΣΥ. 
19. 1. δου, δεδωκα ὑμῖν, cum Vulg. 17. 1. Amo ὧδε ἀπολλυμαι, cum Vulg. 
91. 1. τῷ Πνευματι τῳ ‘Aye ὁ ἴησους, cum Vulg. 19. 8. οὐκετι εἰμι αξιος, cum Vulg. 
22. 8. addunt (καὶ orpadere προς τους μαϑητας εἰπε" 38. 1. roxy ἐξενέγκατε, cum Vulg. 
Παντα μοι.) 29. 3. τῷ πατρι αὐτου, cum Vulg. 
23. 1. non legit (κατ᾽ ἐδιαν) cum Vulg. 
25: ΤΙ πειράζων αὐτον, cum Vulg. CAP. XVI. 
μ . τοῦτο ποίει, καὶ σωζῃ. MS. 1, καὶ σωσῃ. 4, rao ὃ 
30. 3. αἱ και εξεδυσαν αὑτον, cum Vulg. cane 3 δε: a MES. 1, Crater ὅσες 
35. 1. nae exe aig avpiov exBarov εὗωκε δυο dyvapia| 6. 1. éxarov καδους, cum Vulg. 
τῷ Tavdoxel, καὶ εἰπεν, ἐπιμελ. cum Vulg. 15. scribendum in Tex. ut ] 
= 1. παρα τους ποδας του Κυριου, cum Vulg. β του Ev.) νος ὉΠ a 
41. 1. εἰπεν αὐτῃ ὁ Kupioc, cum Vulg. 15. 3. tov Θεοῦ εστιν, cum Vulg. 
CAP. ΧΙ. 18: 1. καὶ ὁ Gro  λυμευπυ: cum Vulg. 
z. 1. Πάτερ, ἁγιασϑήτω 70 ονομα σου, ελϑετω ἡ Bact Pla ὅτι ἀεέλαβες τὰ co ave Na 


μηδὲ exevdev προς ἧμας, cum Vulg. 
1 


VARLE LECTIONES 


CAP. XXI. 


post εβαλον, addunt ταὐτὰ λεγὼν edwvet, ὁ ἔχων 
OTA AKOVELV, ακουξτω. Και τινων. 

κτήσεσθε τας ψυχας, cum Vulg. 

αποψυχουντων. 

legendum in Tex. ut habent MSS. 10 (ών 
ἐπερχομενὼν Ty οἰκουμενῃ,) cum Vulg. 

ὁτι eyyuc To Vepoc, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XXII. 


αὑτὸν an’ oxAov, cum Vulg. 

ov μη φαγω αὐτο, cum Vulg, 

OV μη πίω ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ατὸ του. 

ext τῆς τραπεζης μου, Kat καϑισεσθε. 

πολησατω τὸ ἱματιον αὑτου κα ιαγοράσατω, curr 
Vulg. 

mapeveyke TO ποτήηρίον, cum Vulg. 

τῶν δωδεκα mponyev αὐτους. 

ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἀρχίερεις. 

Kat περικαθισαντων, cum Vulg. 

ὁ de npvncaro λεγων. 

φωνῆσαι σήμερον, ἀπαρν. 

και ἀνήγαγον avrTov. 

eav δὲ επερωτῆσω. 

απο τοῦ vuv de εσται, cum Vulg, 


CAP. XXIII. 
το εθνος ἥμων, cum Vulg. 
καὶ λέγοντα, cum Vulg. 
εξ ἱκανου ypovov, cum Vulg. 
corrigendum mendum in Reg., et legendum ut 
MSS. 10, καὶ ηλπιζε τι σημείον. 
ὡς διαστρεφοντα τον λαον. 
προσεφωνησεν αὑτοῖς, cum Vulg. 
deest vox (καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερεων,) cum Vulg, 
εκόπτοντο, cum Vulg. 
ἐξεμυκτηριζον de avrov και, cum Vulg. 
Kat nv ἡδη ὧσει Opa ἑκτη. 
παρατιθεμαι To πν., cum Vulg. 


CAP. XXIV. 


non est (καὶ τίνες συν avraic) cum Vulg. 

ev ἐσθητι ἀστραπτουσῃ, cum Vulg. 

ληρος τὰ ῥηματα ταυτα, cum Vulg. 

προσεποιήσατο, cum Vulg. 

και κεκλικὲν 707 ἡ ἦμ. 

scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 9 (λαλουν- 
των, αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησους,} cum Vulg. 

ev τῇ πόλει, Ewe του, cum Vulg. 


scribendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 8 (ότι ετιὶ 
TeTpaunvoc,) cum Vulg. 

ponendum in Tex. ut MSS. 10 legunt (εἐπιστευ- 
σαν δια Tov Aoyov αὐτου.) 

impressi et Vulgata Lat. legunt (ἐπίστευσαν εἰς 
avrov δια.) 

non addit, ὁ Χριστος, cum Vulg. 

corrigendus error in Regia, ut legatur (καὶ cacy- 
Tat αὐτου τον viov) cum MSS. 10, et Vulg. 


CAP. V. 
Ἕβραϊστι Βηθσαιδα, cum Vulg. 
ayyezoc yap Kupiov, cum Vulg. 
ev τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ, cum Vulg. 
non addit, πατρος, cum Vulg. 


CAP: VI. 
averecov ovy οἱ ανϑρωποι. avdpec. 
ἔλαβεν ουν τοὺς aptouc ὁ Incove, καὶ ευχαριστη- 
σας διεδωκε τοις ἀνακείμενοις, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XVII. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 

4. 9. επιστρεψῃ λεγων. A oS: 

7. 1. ὃς ελϑοντι ex του aypov, cum Vulg. 

7. 2. ερει avtw ευθεως, cum Vulg. 194 1’ 
12. 1. of ἀνεστησαν πορῥωθεν. διὸν I: 
10. 1. ευχαρίστων τῳ Oey, 26. 

22. scribendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 10 (εἰπε 
de προς τους μαθητας,) cum Vulg. (Sic et im-| 39. 1. 
pressi.) 
28. 1. ὁμοιως καθὼς eyevero ev ταῖς, cum Vulg. 
33. 2. ζωοποιῆσει avrov. eh REGS Re 
36. 9. desunt verba illa: δυο ἐσονται ev τῷ aypy, ὁ ig) yg. 
παραληφθησεται, και ὁ ἕτερος αφεθησεται. 18. 2. 
37. 2. ὅπου το πτωμα. 30. 8. 
CAP. XVIII. 36, 3. 

1. 6. προσεύχεσθαι avzove. 

4. 3. τὰ oun ἡδελοῦ ext χρόνον, cum Vulg. 42. 5. 

7. 1. την exdtxnow των βοωντων. 41. 3. 

7. 1. και μακροθυμεῖ ex’ avrote. 52. 7. 

8. ponendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 10 (λεγω] ὅ5. 1. 

ὑμῖν 6rt,) cum Vulg. 57. me 

9. 1. καὶ εξουθενουντας Tove πολλους. 61. 2. 
14. corrigendus error in Tex. Regie et legend. (7 66. 6. 

exetvoc.) 68. 1. 
14. 1. αὐτου παρ᾽ ἐκεῖνον, cum Vulg. 69. 1. 
15. 1. επετίμὼν αὐτοῖς, cum Vulg. 
99. 1. και δὸς πτωχοῖς, cum Vulg. 
25. 1. ῥαφιδος διελθειν, cum Vulg. a eo: 
CAP. XIX. 2 ii 
2. 1. ονοματι Ζακχαῖος, cum Vulg. 8. 
4. ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 9 (καὶ προ- 
δραμὼν.) cum Vulg. 14 3) 
4 corrigendus error in Tex. Regiw. et legendum,|99 ~—‘, 
ὁτι OV εκεινης. Og? hr i 
15 ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 9 (καὶ εἰπὲ | 97, 1. 
φωνηθηναι,) cum Vulg. On 
23. ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 9 (ro apyv-| 44. 1. 
plov μου ἔπι τραπεζαν,) cum Vulg. 48. 9: 
34. 3. οἱ de εἰπον, ὅτι ὁ Κυριος, cum Vulg. 
4060 2. γεγραπταῖι, ὅτι οἰκος μου, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XX. it Bt 
19. 4. και εφοβηθησαν τον Aaov: ἐγνωσαν yap,cumVulg.| 4. 1. 
20. 4. avrov λογον. ἘΠ alle 
94. 3. δηναριον. οἱ de εδειξαν. και εἰπεν, τινος exet, ἕο. | 28° 1. 
28. 1. ατεκνος ῃ, cum Vulg. 29... V1. 
33. 3. τινος αὐτῶν εσται γυνη, cum Vulg. 36. 
35. 8. ουτε εκγαμιζονται. 
46 1. και τῶν ϑελοντων. 400 aL 
JOANNIS. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS 35. 
10. 1. dre ex του πληρωματος. 
28. 1. ταῦτα εν Βεθαβαρᾳ. 41. 
41. scribendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 10, μεθερ- 
μηνευομενος Χριστος. Al. 
42. 1. ουτος zpwrov τον, cum Vulg. ὩΣ 1 
CAP. II. 47. 
12. 1. pera ταυτα κατεβη. 
17. 1. κατεφαγε με, cum Vulg. 
22. ponendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 10 (rovro 
ελεγεν" Kat ἐπιστευσαν,) cum Vulg. 2. 1. 
24. 3. yivwokew παντα. : τ 
CAP. ΠῚ. S0.. OL: 
25. 9. μετα Ἰουδαιου. 
CAP. IV. 10. “a: 

1. 9. eyva ὁ Κυριος, ὅτι. 110.» ae 

3. 9. και απηλθεν εἰς τὴν Ταλιλαιαν 
97. 1. και εϑαυμαζον, ὁτι, cum Vulg 14. Ὁ 


ἁ exoince σημεια. 
vii 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


Ver MSS. 
15. 4. βασιλεα, avexwpnoer. 
22. 1. evdov, ὁτι πλοιάριον, cum Vulg. 3 
22. 1. non legit verba illa (exewvo, εἰς ὁ ενεβησαν οἱ 
μαθηται avrov,) cum Vulg. 
28. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 9 {τὶ ποιω- 
pev) cum Vulg. 
45. 4. ac ὁ axovoac παρα Tov Πατρος, cum Vulg. 
51. 1. σαρξ μου εστιν ὑπερ τῆς του κοσμου Cone, cum 
Vulg. 
Bor Lay, δῆτα αὐτου gaye, cum Vulg. 
55. 1. αληϑὴς εστι βρωσις, και To αἷμα μου αληθῆς εστι 
ποσις. 
58. 2. ὁ τρώγων μου τουτον τον ἄρτον. 
68. 1. d eyo λελαληκα Yur, cum Vulg. 
69. 1. dre σὺ εἰ ὁ ἁγιος Tov Θεου. 
CAP. VII. 
22. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10, ex τοῦ 
Μῶωσεως εστιν. 
26. 6. dru οὗτος ἐστιν αληϑὼως ὁ Χριστος. 
31. 7. σημεια τουτων ποιησει. 
39. 1. ην Πνεῦμα 'Ἅγιον δεδομενον, cum Vulg. 
40. 2. ακουσαντες τον λογον τουτον, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VIII. 
Duo Codd. pretermittunt undecim integros 
versus Vili capitis, videlicet ab illis verbis, 
Ιησους δὲ επορευθη, usque ad illa, aro τοῦ νυν 
μήκετι ἁμαρτανε. : 
9. 1. ορθρου de παλιν βαϑεος λϑεν ὁ Ἰησους εἰς τὸ 
iepov, καὶ mag ὁ οχλος ρχ- 
3. 3. ayovor δε οἱ Φαρισαιοι γυναίκα. 
4. 3. Aeyovow αὐτου πειράζοντες, διδασκαλε. 
αὑτη ἡ γυνη εἰληπται ev αὐτοφωρῳ μοιχευομενη. 
5. 4. εν de τῳ νόμῳ Μωσῆς ἐνετείλατο ἧμιν τας τοιαυ- 
τας λιθαζειν, cum Vulg. 
6. 3. ἕνα σχωσι κατηγ, cum Vulg. 
6. 2. κατεγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. 
6. 5. desunt verba illa (μη προσποιουμενος) cum Vuig. 
7. 2. επερωτωντες. 
7. 1. αναβλεψας evrev αὐτοις. 
9. 4. non legunt verba illa (καὶ ὑπο τὴς συνειδήσεως 
eheyyouevot,) cum Vulg. 
9. 2. non legunt (ἕως τῶν ἐσχατων) cum Vulg. 
10. 4. non addunt, καὶ μηδενα ϑεάασαμενος πλὴν τῆς 
yuvatkoc, cum Vulg. 
10. 5. evmev αὐτῃ, γυναι, που εἰσιν of κατήγοροι σου, cum 
Vulg. 
11. 2. εἰπε de 6 ἴησους, οὐδὲ eyw σε κρίνω. TOpEevov, Kat 
μηκετι ἅμαρτανε. 
14. 4. 7 mov ὑπαγω. 
21. 1. και ζητησετε με, και οὐχ εὑρησετε με, καὶ εν τῇ ἀμ. 
23. 1. και ελεγεν αὐτοῖς" ὕὑμεις, cum Vulg. 
26. 3. ταῦτα λαλω εἰς τον κοσμον, cum Vulg. 
42. scribendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 7 (εεπεν 
ovy αὐτοῖς ὁ Incovc) cum Vulg. 
ΠΣ scribendum in Textu, ut MSS. 7 {τινα ceavtov 
movecc) cum Vulg. 
57. 1. τεσσεράκοντα etn. 
59. 1. omittit illa postrema verba (διελθων dia μεσου 
αὐτων, καὶ παρηγεν οὕτως) cum Vulg. 
CAP. IX. 
9. 1. αλλοι de ovyt, a7? ὁμοιος αὐτῳ eazy, cum Vulg. 
11. 1. 6 ανθρωπος λεγόμενος, cum Vulg. 
16. 1. καὶ σχίσματα ἣν ev αὐτοις. 
26. 1. εἰπον ουν avtw, τι ἐποίησε σοι, cum Vulg. 
98 ponendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 10, (Ao 
δορησαν avTov.) 
28. in impressis et Vulg. Lat. legitur, ελοιδορησαν 
ovy avTov. 
CAP. X. 
8. 4. παντες ὅσοι ηλθον προ ἐμου, κλεπται. 
14, 1. καὶ γινώσκω τα ἐμα, καὶ γινωσκουσι μὲ τὰ ἐμ, CUM 
ΠῚ 
34. 1. ὑτὶ rye aire, ϑεοι ἐστε, cum Vulg. 


vill 


Ver. MSS. 
38. 1. κᾳγω ev τῳ ἸΙατρι, cum Vulg. 
39. 1. ek τῶν χείρων αὐτων, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XI. 
19. ponendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 10, [προς 
τας περι Μαρθαν και.) 
31. 2. δοξαντες, ὁτι ὑπαγει. 
41. 1. non legit (οὐ qv τεθνηκὼς κειμενος) cum Vulg. 
45. scribendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 9, (καὶ 
θεασαμενοι ἁ εποιησεν,) cum Vulg, 
CAP. XII. 
5. 1. διακοσίων. 
6. 1. εχὼν ta βαλλομενα eBac. cum Vulg. 
7. 1 ia ete τὴν ἥμεραν Tov εἐνταφιασμου μου τηρήσῃ 
αὐτο, cum Vulg. 
19. 1. ὅτι οὐκ ὠφελει οὐδεν, cum Vulg. 
31. ponendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 10, νυν 
κρισις ἐστι TOV κοσμου τουτου. 
31. impressi et Vulg. Lat. legunt, τοῦ κοσμου, nee 
addunt τουτου. 
35. 1. το φως ev ὑμιν ἐστι, cum Vulg. 
41. 1. τῶν ῥηματων, καὶ μη φυλαξῃ, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XIII. 
2. 1. εἰς τὴν καρδιαν, ἵνα παραδῳ avtov Ιουδας Σι- 
μωνος Ἰσκαριωτης, cum Vulg. 
24. 1. Σιμὼν Merpoc, καὶ Aeyer avtw. εἰπε, τις ἐστιν 
περι οὗ λεγει. 
95. 5. εκεινος οὕτως ext To στηϑος. 
31. 1. dre ουν εξηλϑε, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XIV. 
2. 1. dre πορεύομαι, cum Vulg. 
12. 3. προς τον Ilarepa πορεύομαι, cum Vulg. 
17. 92. dre ev Huy μενει, Kat ev ὑμιν ἐστι. 
22. 1. Κύριε, τι yeyovev, cum Vulg. 
28. 1. εχαρητε av, ὅτι πορευομαι προς τον Πατερα" été 
ὁ Πατὴρ pov, &c., cum Vulg. 
CAP. XV. 
6. 2. καὶ cvvayovow αὐτο, cum Vulg. 
8. 3. Kae γενησϑε ezor μαϑηται, cum Vulg. 
11. 1. ἡ εμὴ ev jw ῃ, cum Vulg. 
183. 1. 7 iva τις τὴν ψυχῆν. 
14. 1. ὁ εγω εντελλομαι ὑμιν. 
15. 1. dca ηκουσα παρα, cum Vulg. 
20. 1. τοῦ λογου μου, οὗ eyo, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XVI. 
3. legendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 10, (καὶ 
ταυτα ποιησουσιυ, ὁτι ovk,) cum Vulg. 
3. impressi cum Vulg. Lat. legunt, ποιηουσιν ὕμιν, 
ὅτι. 
9. 1. ὅτι οὐκ extorevoar εἰς gue, cum Vulg. 
10. 1. προς τον Πατερα ixayo, cum Vulg. 
93. 1. av τι αἰτήσητε Tov Πατερα, δωσει ὑμιν. 
95. 1. ὕμιν. ἐρχεται dpa, cum Vulg. 
CAP. XVII. 
1. 1. ἕνα ὁ υἷος cov δοξασῃ ce, cum Vulg. 
11. 9. ev τῷ ονοματι cov, ᾧ δεδωκας μοι. 
11. 3. καϑῶς καὶ ἡμεις, cum Vulg. Ξ 
17. 1. εν τὴ αληθειᾳ᾿ ὁ λογος, cum Vulg, 
CAP. XVIII. 
2. Δ. συνηχϑὴ και ὁ Ἰησους. 
6. 2. avrore, eyo εἰμί, cum Vulg. 
11. 8. τὴν μαχαιραν εἰς τὴν ϑ. 
14. 1. ανϑρωπον ἀποϑανειν ὑπερ Tov Aaov, cum Vulg 
15. 1. και αλλος μαϑητης. 
18. 1. ἣν δὲ καὶ ὁ ἹΤετρος μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἑστως και, cum 
Vulg. 
20. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 10, ev ovva- 
yoyn kat ev Tw Ἵερῳ. 
95. 2. ηρνήσατο exervoc, καὶ εἰπεν, cum Vulg. 
99. 2. ὁ Πίλατος προς αὐτους efw, καὶ, cum Vulg. 
40. 1. expavyacay ovy παντες. ᾿ 


1 


VARL4 LECTIONES. 


CAP. XIX. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 36. 5. ov συντριβησεται avrov. 
3. 2. Kat ήρχοντο προς avrov, kat eAeyov, xatpe ὁ, cum 38. 2. pera de ravra ηρωτ., cum Vulg, 
Vulg. 39. 1. ἔλιγμα σμυρνης. 
11. 1. εξουσιαν κατ᾽ enon, et. 
11. 1. 6 παραδους με σοι, cum Vulg. CAP. XX. 
13. 9. rovrwy τῶν λογων. 14. 2. ταῦτα ειπουσα ἐστραφη, cum Vulg. 
15. 1. οἱ de expavyafov λεγοντες, ᾳρον. 
27. legendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 8, (eAaBev CAP. XXI. 
ὁ μαϑητης αὐτὴν εἰς τα Wra,) cum Vulg. 1. 1. τοις μαθηταῖς αὐτου ext τῆς. 
28. 4. ιδὼν ὁ Ἰησους. 3. 1. εἰς τὸ πλοιον, και εν exewy, cum Vulg. 
29. 1. μεστον. σπόγγον ovy μεστὸν tov ofove ὑσσωπῳ! θ. 1. ἕλκυσαι ἰσχυον, cum Vulg. 
περιϑεντες, cum Vulg. 13. 1. καὶ epyerar ὁ Inoovg, cum Vuig. 
31. 4.  exewov του σαββατου. 15. 1. Σιμὼν Ιωαννου, cum Vulg. 
35. 1. iva και dere πιστευητε, cum Vulg. 25. 1. ἁ εποιῆσεν ὁ Ἰησους, cum Vulg. 
ACTA APOSTOLORUM. 
Ex Collectione Codicum Manuscriptorum viii. antiquorum. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 25. 2. τοῦ παιδὸς cov ev Πνευματιε 'Άγιῳ evar. 
10. 1. εν εσθησεσι λευκαῖς, cum Vulg. 27. 3. ew αληθειας ev τῃ πολει ταυτῃ ext τον, cum Vulg. 
19. 1. ὑπεστρεψαν οἱ αποστολοι εἰς ἱερους. 30. 8. εκτεινείν ce εἰς acl. 
14. 1. τῃ προσευχῃ συν γυναιξι και Mpls cum Vulg. 
15. 9. ev μεσῳ τῶν αδελφων εἰπεν, cum Vulg. CAP. V. 
LG eR τι ον γραφην, nv προεῖπε, cum Vulg. 1. 5. συν Σαπφειρᾳ. 
ΟῚ: ἣν ev ἧμιν, cum Vulg. 15. 2. Gore καὶ εἰς τας πλατείας. 
90. 2. ἡ επαυλις αὐτων, cum Vulg. 15. 1. ext κλιναρίων και, cum Vulg. 
23. 1. Ιωσην τον καλούμενον. 16. 1. πολεων Ἱερουσαλὴμ, cum Vulg. 
25. 1. τον torov τῆς διακονι. cum Vulg. 23. legendum in Tex. ut MSS.7 (ev πασῃ αἀσφαλειᾳ.) 
26. 1. κληρους αὐτοῖς, cum Vulg. 24. 1. τουςλογους τουτους ὁ τε στρατηγος τοῦ Lepov, cum 
CAP. If. 25. legatur in Tex. ut habent MSS. 7, (αυτοις ὅτι 
7. 1. εξισταντο δὲ παντες και εθ. cum Vulg. ἐδου,) cum Vulg. 
10. 8. της Λιβυης. 28. 1. λεγων: παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγ. cum Vulg. 
17. 5. ενυπνία ενυπνιασθησονται, cum Vulg. 84. 1. βραχὺ τι τους ανϑρωπους ποίησαι, cum Vulg 
23. 1. εκδοτον δια χείρων, cum Vulg. 36. 4. ἕαυτον ᾧ, cum Vulg. 
830, 1. non addit (το κατα capka avactycew τον Xpic-| 36. 1. ᾧ προσεκολληθη. 
Tov) cum Vulg. 37. 1. Aaov οπισω, cum Vulg. 
31. 1. dre ovre ἐγκατελειφθη εἰς ddov, cum Vulg. 39. 5. ov δυνήσεσϑε καταλυσαι αὐτους. MS. 1, αὐτο, 
33. 1. ὁ ὕμεις και βλεπετε Kat αἀκουετε. eum Vulg. 
38. 2. Πᾶετρος de προς avrove, cum Vulg. 42. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 legunt, (ovx 
41. 1. of μεν ουν ἀποδεξαμενοι, cum Vulg. emavovTo διδασκοντες, καὶ ευαγγελίζομενοι TOV 
42. 1. και τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῃ κλασει. Χριστον Ἰησουν,) cum Vulg. 
44 1. παντες de οἱ πιστευσαντες ext TO αὐτο ξειχον. Ξ 
47. 1. καθ᾽ ἡἥμεραν ext το αὐτο, cum Vulg. CAP. VI. 
1 1. εν de ταῖς jepate εκειναις, cum Vulg. 
CAP. III. 7. 1. πολὺς te οχλος τῶν Ιουδαιων. 
1. 1. Terpog δὲ καὶ Ἰωαννὴης ἀνεβαινον, cum Vulg. 8. 2. πληρῆς χαριτος και δυνάμεως, cum Vulg. 3 
2. 1. προς την πυλὴν tov lepov, cum Vulg. 8. 1. addit, ev τῷ λαῳ δια Tov ονοματὸς του Κυριου 
3. 2. ελεημοσυνην AaBew, cum Vulg. Incov Χριστου. 
7. 1. χειρος nyetpev avrov, cum Vulg. 13. 1. ov xaverar ῥηματα λαλὼν κατα Tov τόπου, cum 
11. 1. κρατουντος de αὐτου τὸν Ietpov καὶ τὸν Ιωαννῆν, Vulg. 
com ΨΈΙΕ: CAP. VII 
13. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7, (dv tere J ᾽ ; 
μὲν παρεδωκατε,) cum Vulg. 11. 1. εφ᾽ ὅλην τὴν Αἰγυπτον καὶ Χανααν, cum Vulg. 
13. 1 και ηρνήσασθε κατα προσωπον, cum Vulg. 12. 1. ORT OUT ν πενς 
18. 1. τῶν προφητων παθεὶιν tov Χριστον αὐτου, cum | 17. 1. ἧς ὦμολογησεν ὁ Θεος, cum Vulg. 
Vulg. 18. 2. ἕτερος ex’ Αἰγυπτον ὃς, cum Vulg. 
21. 1. δια στόματος των ἁγίων, των am’ αἰωνος αὑτου a i. prise de αὐτοῦ SHEET, at cum Vulg. 
πεν, 6 ᾿ . αδελφοι εστε. iva τι, t 
+a lal Moone μεν εἰπεν, ὁτε mpod. cum Si) 1 αὐ εῖος ἐν daeye wiaog)p: cum Vulg. 
26. - eva ὗ 34. 1. καὶ Tove στεναγμους. 
Ἔθος, 2s 9 aimee Sus καὶ ἀγιαζοντε, 35. 1. συν yetpe ayyedov, cum Vulg. 
CAP. IV. 37. 2. ὑμων ὡς eye. αὐτου ακουσεσθε. ουτος, cum Vulg 
ial 4, ἔν τ τῇ Πρ \ ate 44, 1. Tov μαρτυριου nv τοις πατρασιν ἥμων. 
ΠῚ. hae εθεντο patio ἦς ἕξεις cum ΜΕ 49, 1. της καταπαύσεως pov ἐστιν, cum Vulg. 
3. 7. εν Ἱερουσαλημ. 51. 1. καὶ απεριτμῆτοι καρδιαις Kat, cum Vulg 
ll. 2.. ὁ εξουϑενωϑεις. 58. 1. καὶ εκβαλοντες avrov εξω, cum Vulg. 
12. ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7, (ev αλλῳ CAP. VIIL. 
ovdevi,) cum Vulg.; mox scribendum pari- 
terin Tex., ut MSS. 6 (ουδὲ yap ovoua) cum} 1. 6. πάντες de διεσπαρ. MSS. 2, καὶ παντες, cum 
Vulg. Vulg. 
p17. 3. μηδενὶ ανθρωπων, cum Vulg. 10. 1. του Θεοῦ ἡ καλουμενὴ μεγαλη, cum Vulg. 
1 ix 


VARILZ LECTIONES. 


Ver. MSS. 

13. 1. θεωρων τὰ σήμεια, και dvvaperc μεγαλας γιγ- 
νομενας. 

25. 1. ὑπεστρεφον εἰς Ἱερουσαλημ, πολλας τε κω. τῶν 
Say. ευηγγελίζοντο, cum Vulg. 

28. legendum in ‘Textu ut habent MSS. 8, (καὶ ave- 
γινωσκε Tov προφητην Ho.,) cum Vulg. 

37. scribatur in Tex. cum appositione obeli, ut est 
in Regio Codice, Versum hunc integrum 
MSS. 8 non legunt, idcirco obelus in Tex. 
appositus est. 

CAP. IX. 
5. 1. ὅδε, eyw εἰμι Τησους, cum Vulg. 

5, 6. yerba, quibus in Regio Codice obelus affixus est, 
cum obelo pariter notentur. 

5, 6. in MSS. 8 desunt verba illa, quibus in Regio 
Codice prefixus est obelus ; propterea in hoc 
etiam Textu obelum apponi monuimus. 

11. 1. avacra, πορευθητι ext τὴν p. cum Vulg. 

19. 2. avrw χειρας, cum Vulg. 

18. 1. ανεβλεψε τε, και avaorac εβ. cum Vulg. 

19. 1. eyeveto de μετὰ των ev Δαμασ. cum Vulg. 

20. 2. εκηρυσσε τον ἴησουν, cum Vulg. 

22. ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 8 (και cve- 
uve τοὺς Ἰουδαιους.) 

20. 1. παραγενόμενος δὲ εἰς Ἱερουσαλημ, exerpate κολ- 
λασθαι, cum Vulg. 

28. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (εισπορευομενος 
καιεκπο ρευομενος ev Ἱερονσαλημ,) cum Vulg. 

31. 1. 7 jev ουν ἐκκλησία, et deinceps omnia singulari 
numero, ut Vulg. 

35. 6. τον Accapwrva. MS. 1, τον Σαρωνα. 

38. 1. μη oxvyone διελϑειν Ewe ἥμων, cum Vulg. 

CAP. X. 

2. 1. ποιωὼν edenuoovvac, cum Vulg. 

3, 2. doe περι wpav ενατην. 

5, 5. Σιμωνα, ὃς ert. 

6. 7. παρα θαλασσαν. ὡς de απηλθεν. MS. 1, παρα 
ϑαλασσαν ὡς λαλησει ῥηματα προς ce, ev οἷς 
σωθησῃ συ Kat Tac 6 οἰκος σου. 

7. 2 ὁ λαλὼων avtw, cum Vulg. 

11. 1. και καταβαινον σκεῦος, ὡς 08. ey. τεσσαρσιν ap- 
χαις καθιεμενον ext τῆς γῆς. 

12. 1. παντα τὰ τετραποδα καὶ ἑἕρπετα τῆς γῆς, Και 
metewva, &c., cum Vulg. 

16. 1. καὶ εὐθὺς ἀανεληφϑὴ το cKevoc, cum Vulg. 

17. 1. «δου οἱ ανδρες οἷ, cum Vulg. 

17. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 8, (διερω- 
τησαντες THY οἰκίαν.) cum Vulg. 

19. 7. δου avdpec ζητουσι ce. 

21. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (προς τοὺς avdpac 
εἰπεν" (δου ey εἰμι,} cum Vulg. 

22. corrigendum in Textu mendum Regie (ὑπὸ 
ὅλου του εθνους Tov) ut MSS. 8, et Vulg. 

23. 1. τῃ de exavpiov avacrag εξηλϑε, cum Vulg. 

23. 3. τῃ de επαυριον εἰσηλθεν. 

25. 4. eyeveto τοῦ εἰσελθειν τον πετ. cum Vulg. 

30. 1. ημην τὴν ἐννατὴν ὧραν προσευχομενος, cum Vulg. 

32 1. desunt verba illa, (6¢ παραγενόμενος λαλήσει σοι,) 
cum Vulg. 

45. 1. πίστοι of συνηλθον, cum Vulg. 

48 2. εν τῷ ονοματι Ijcov Xpt. MSS. 2, ev τῷ ονομα- 
τι Tov Κυριου. 

CAP. ΧΙ. 

τί 1. de καὶ φωνης, cum Vulg. 

18. 4. amnyyetde δε, cum Vulg. 

13. legendum in Textu, ut MSS. 5, (eve Ἰοππὴν καὶ 
μεταπεμψαι,} cum Vulg. 

17. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (eyo τὶς ἡμῆν,) 
cum Vulg. 

21: legendum ut MSS 8. in Tex. (μετ᾽ avtwy πολὺς 
Te apvduoc,) cum Vulg. 

92. legendumin Tex. ut MSS. 8, (deAPew ἑως ντι- 
oxvevac,) cum Vulg. 

93. 1. mpoomever ev τῷ Κυρίῳ, eum Vulg. 

26. 3. ηγαγεν εἰς Αντιοχειαν, cum Vulg. 


x 


CAP. XII. 
Ver. MSS. 
ὅ. 1. exrevog ywouevn, cum Vulg. 
12. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (συνηϑροισμενς. 
καὶ προσευχομενοι,}) cum Vulg. 
25. 2. ὑπεστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πληρωσαντες. 
95. 2. ὑὕπεστρεψεν εἰς Ἀντιοχείαν. 
25. 1. ὑὕπεστρ. απο Ἱερουσαλημ, πληρ. cum Vulg. 


ΠΥ] 
δ᾽. 9: 
6. 3. 
10. 2. 
15. 1. 
ile ih 
ie ike 
17. 
10. ΤᾺ 
23. 
23. 5 
26. 6 
33. 1. 
34. 
41. 
41. 3. 
42. 2. 
2. ile 
45. 2. 
51. 2. 
52. 2. 
9. 3: 
8. ls 
10. 
10. 2. 
15. us 
17. 9: 
18, 4. 
25. 1. 
28. 1. 
δ) 


cs 
Pern 


17. 

18. 
19. 
Ὁ ueeks 
ΠΡ 
24, 

24. 1 
24, 1 
29. 

29. 

30. 2. 
33. 1. 
36. 38. 
397. 2. 


CAP. XIII. 


noav de ev Ἀντιοχείᾳ, cum Vulg. 

de ὅλην τὴν νῆσον, cum Vulg. 

εὗρον avdpa τινα μεγαν ψευδοπροῴ. 

ov παυῃ διαστρεφων, cum Vulg. 

εἰ τις ἐστι λογος ev ὑμῖν, cum Vulg. 

ὁ Θεος του λαου τουτοῦυ εξελεξατο. 

ὁ Θεὸς του Aaov του IopanA εξ. cum Vulg. 

legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ὑψωσεν ev τῇ 
παροικίᾳ ev yn Αἰγυπτῳ,) cum Vulg. 

κατεκληρονομῆσεν avTOLC. 

legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (jyaye Tw Iopana,) 
eum Vulg. 

σωτηρίαν, ἴησουν. 

εξαπεσταλη. 

τοις TEKVOLE ἥμων, αναστησας, cum Vul¢g. 

legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ὑποστρεφειν εἰς 
διαφϑοραν,}) cum Vulg. 

ponendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5 (καὶ ϑαυμασατε, 
Kat adavicbnre.) 

kat ϑαυμασατε, kal εἐπιβλεψατε, Kat αφανισθητε. 

εξιοντων δὲ αὐτων εἰς To μεταξὺ σαββατον, ηξιουν 
τα εθνη. 

παρεκαλουν λαληθηναι αὐτοῖς τα ῥηματα ταῦτα. 

λεγομένοις βλασφημουντες, cum Vulg. 

τῶν Todwy ex’ αὐτους, cum Vulg. 

οἱ τε μαθηται ἐπληρουντο, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XIV. 


οἱ δὲ ἀπειϑησαντες, cum Vulg. 
ητρος αὐτου, ὁς ουδεποτε, cum Vulg. 

egendum in ‘Tex. ut MSS. 6, (ry dary αναστῆ- 
θι ext Tove ποδας cov,) cum Vulg. 

Ty φωνῃ, σοι AEyw EV τῷ ονοματι TOV Κυρίου Ιησου 
Χριστου αναστ. 

ὁ τε ἱερευς του Διος, cum Vulg. 

andthe αὐτοις, αλλα πορευεσθαι ἕκαστον εἰς τα 
iva. 

non legunt, (διατριίβοντων de αὐτων, Kar διδασ. 
κοντων,) cum Vulg. 

τον λογον του Κυρίου, κατεβ, cum Vulg. 

διετριβον de χρονον, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XV. 


και ζητησεως οὐκ OALYNC. 

συνηχϑῆσαν τε οἱ αποστολοι, cum Vulg. 

λαον τῳ ονοματι αὑτου, cum Vulg. 

και Ta κατεστραμμενα, cum Vulg. 

ὁ ποίων TavTa, cum Vulg. 

ὁ ποίων TavTa γνωστα az’ αἰωνος. dio εγω, &e. 

ponendum in Tex.ut MSS. 7, (γνωστα απ’ αἰωνος 
ἐστι τῳ Θεῳ παντα Ta Epya avTou,) cum Vulg. 

ἃ ἐστι γνώστα απ’ αἰωνος αὐτῳ. 

δια χειρος αὐτων" οἱ ἀπόστολοι, cum Vulg. 

καὶ οἱ πρεσβυτεροι ἀδελῴοι τοις, cum Vuls. 

legendum in Tex. ut habent MSS. 7 (dre τινες 
εξ jay εξελθοντες,) cum Vulg. 

ὅτι τινες εξελθοντες. 

non legit (λεγοντες περιτεμνεσθαι, καὶ τηρεῖν 
τον vowov) cum Vulg. 

expungenda e Tex. verba hee, 4185 in nullis 
MSS. leguntur, (καὶ doa μη θελετε Eavtase 
yweobat, Erepote un ποιειτε,) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (ev zpagere,) cum 
Vulg. 

κατηῖθον εἰς Ἀντίοχ, cum Vulg. 

προς τους αποστειλαντας avTovc, cum Vulg 

τοὺς αδελῴους κατα πασαν, cum Vulg. 

τον ἐπικαλουμενον Μαρκον, cum Vulg. 


VARLE LECTIONES. 


CAP. XVI. 


Ver. MSS. 
legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (καὶ ἐδου μαθητὴς 40. 


7. 
7. 


pwr w 


rier Pewee 


FS) 


ao = 


wo Peat a RO eee yet ye μος 9 


"μὰ μὰ μὰ μα 


por 


τις ἣν exet,) cum Vulg. 

ελθοντες de κατα τὴν Μυσι. cum Vulg. 

εἰς τὴν Βιθυνίαν ropevecbat, cum Vulg. 

Kat παρακαλὼν αὐτον Kat, cum Vulg. 

ἡμας ὁ Θεος, cum Vulg. MS. 1, ευαγγελισασϑαι 
avroic, cum Vulg. 

τον Θεον, ἤκουσεν, cum Vulg. 

τῳ Παυλῳ καὶ τῳ Σιλᾳ. MS. 1 addit, και ἡμιν. 

καταγγελλουσιν ὑμῖν, cum Vulg. 

του Κυρίου συν πασι, cum Vulg. 

ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 8, (και of av- 
Tov παντὲς Tapaypnua,) cum Vulg. 


CAP. XVII. 

ζηλώσαντες σε οἱ απειϑουντες Ἰουδαίοι, Kat προσ- 
λαβομενοι των ἀγοραίων τινας. 

ζηλώσαντες δε οἱ Ἰουδαιοι, καὶ προσλαβομενοι των 
ἀγοραίων τινας, cum Vulg. 

προαγαγεῖν εἰς τὸν δημον, cum Vulg. 

jegendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ἕτερον εἰναι 
Inoovy,) cum Vulg. 

legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (τον τε Παυλον 
και. 

ὐδιἵ in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (ευγενεστεροι των 
ev Θεσσαλονικῃ.) 

σαλευοντες Kal ταρασσοντες τοὺς οχλοῦς, cum 
Vulg. 

ἕως ext τὴν ϑαλασσαν, cum Vulg. 

ευηγγελίζετο αὐτοῖς, cum Vulg. 

χείρων avépwrwor, cum Vulg. 

και πνοὴν καὶ Ta TavTa: εποιῆσε τε εξ ἕνος παν 
εθνος av., cum Vulg. 

ζητεῖν τὸν Θεον, εἰ apaye, cum Vulg. 

legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (καὶ ye ov μακραν.) 

τανυν ἀπαγγελλει τοις ανϑρωποις παντας παντα- 
Nov μετανοεῖν" καϑοτι ἐστῆσεν, cum Vulg. 

Kat ἕτεροι πολλοι συν αὐτῳ. 


CAP. XVIII. 


συνείχετο τῳ Aoyw ὁ ἸΤαυλος, cum Vulg. 

τοις Ἰουδαίοις εἰναι τὸν Χριστον Ἰησουν, cum 
Vulg. 

τα ἱματια adrov, cum Vulg. 

Τίτου loverov, cum Vulg. 

exafice de eviavrov, cum Vulg. 

ζητηματα εστι, cum Vulg. 

κριτὴς eyo TovTwy, cum Vulg, 

παντες Σωσθενην, cum Vulg. 

διελέγετο τοῖς lovd. cum Vulg. 

αλλ᾽ ἀποταξαμενος, καὶ εἰπων, παλιν ανακαμψω 
προς vac, Tov Θεου θελοντος, ανηχϑὴ απο. 
cum Vulg. 

seribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (Απολλως ovo- 
ματι) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5 (τα περι rov In- 
cov) cum Vulg. 

Ta περι Tov Κυριου. 


CAP. XIX. 


και εὑρειν, &c., et ver. 2, εἰπε de zpoc, cum Vulg. 

ὁ de εἰπεν" εἰς τι ovv, cum Vulg. 

τουτεστιν εἰς Tov Ιησουν, cum Vulg. 

kat πειθων περι της Βασιλειας, cum Vulg. 

τὴν ddov του Θεου ενωπίιον. 

Tupavvov, nec addit τινος. 

ὁρκιζὼω ὑμας, cum Vulg. 

noav de τινος vio. 

και κατακυριευσας ἀμφοτερων ἰσχυσεν, cum Vulg. 

τας ἁμαρτιας αὑτων. 

ἡ εὐπορία ἧμιν ἐστι, cum Vulg. 

λογισθησεται, cum Vulg. 

legendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 8 (ὅλη τῆς 
συγχύσεως.) 

κατασεισας Tp χείρι, cum Vulg, 

ανθρωπων, dc, cum Vulg. 


της μεγαλης Apreuidoc, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut legunt MSS, 7, (aro 
dovvat Aoyov,) cum Vulg. 

περι THE συστροφῆς ταυτῆς. 


CAP. XX. 


Kal παρακαλεσας ἀσπασάμενος τε εξηλϑε πορευ- 
εσθαι εἰς Maxed. cum Vulg. 

συνείπετο δὲ αὐτῳ Σωπατρος. 

συν δὲ avt@ Σωπατρος πυρῥ. Beppotatoc, cum Vulg. 

ponendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 5, (οὗτοι 
προελῆοντες,) cum Vulg. 

οὗτοι προσελθοντες. 

συνηγμενὼν ἥμων κλασαι, cum Vulg. 

εἰς τὴν ϑασον. 

τῇ Te ἑτερᾳ ἐπεβαλλομεν, cum Vulg. 

εἰς Σαμον" καὶ Ty exouevy nAfouev εἰς Μιλητον, 
cum Vuls. 

ev στρογγυλεῳ. 

κεκρικε yap ὁ Tavdoc, cum Vulg. 

ὡς de mapeyevovto ὁμοθυμαδὸν προς avrov, cum 
Vulg. 

ἥμερας, ἧς ἐπεβην, cum Vulg. 

ταπεινοφροσυνῆς καὶ dakpvov, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7, ἐπ πισ- 
τιν τὴν εἰς τὸν Kup., &e.) 

αλλ᾽ ovdevoc τουτων λογον, cum Vulg. 

τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν. 

non addunt μετὰ yapac, cum Vulg. 

Kadapoc εἰμι azo Tov, cum Vulg. 

προσεχετε éav7orc, cum Vulg. 

eyo oida, ὅτι εἰσελ. cum Vulg. 

νουϑετὼν ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμων, cum Vulg. 

deest vox (αδελῴοι) cum Vulg. 

τῳ δυναμενῳ ὑμας εποικοδομησαι. 

μνημονεύειν τε Tov λογου, &c., cum Vulg. 


CAP. ΧΧΙ. 
avadavevrec de τὴν. MS. 1, adevrec. 
Kat κατηλϑομεν εἰς Tupov. 
avevpovtec de τους μαθητας. 
εξελθοντες οἱ περι Tov ἸΤαυλον ηλθομεν εἰς 
δησας ἑαυτου τους ποδας. 
Tore ἀπεκριθὴ ὁ Παυλος τι. 
tore απεκριϑὴ ὁ ἸΤαυλος, και εἰπε" τι. cum Vulg. 
παρασκευασάμενοι ἀνεβαινομεν, cum Vulg. 
ἄσμενὼς ἀπεδεξαντο. 
μυριαδες εἰσιν εν τοις Τουδαιοις, cum Vulg. 
desunt hee verba (μηδὲν τοιουτον τηρεῖν αὐτοὺς 
et un) cum Vulg. 
Tore εγγισας ὁ χιλιαρχος, cum Vulg. 
εξεστι μοι εἰπεῖν TL προς σε; 
τ χειρὶ Tov λαον. 
προσεόωνει τῃ Ἕβραϊδι. 


CAP. XXII. 


ponendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 8 (ὡς καὶ 6 
apXLepeue μοι.) 

impressi cum Vulg. ὡς ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς μοι. 

non legit, (καὶ ἐμῴοβοι ἐγενοντο,) cum Vulg. 

avnp ευσεβης κατα τον. 

μαρτυρ αὐτου, cum Vulg. 

70 ονομα αὐτου, cum Vulg. 

Στεφανου Tov μαρτυρος cov, cum Vulg. 

non legit (τῇ avatpecec αὐτου) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 6 (κραυ- 
γαζοντων de αὐτων.) 

εἰσαγεσϑαι εἰς τὴν παρεμβ. cum Vulg. 

λεγων, τι μελλεις ποίειν, cum Vulg. 

legendum in Textu, ut MSS. 5, (ec συ Ῥωμαίος 
et,) cum Vulg. 

deest vox, (azo των δεσμων,) cum Vulg. 

και εκελευσε συνελϑειν Tove ἀρχίερεις, Kat παν 
το συνεδριον, και καταγαγ. cum Vulg. 


CAP. XXIII. 


Ver. MSS. 
35. 3. 
40. δ; 
Veo pists 
As ds 
ἄς eS: 
Ly 
peach 
ee ee 
13. Ὁ; 
Τ᾿. 1 
Lose 9. 
15 1 
16x 2: 
18; ers 
15. 33 
195 Ἃ}0 
21. 
24., 1. 
94. 2s 
DF eed 
Pie 2s 
285 sell: 
309. he 
ain Fy 9] 
33. Ἵ. 
ao, ΠΣ 
35. A: 
Sit eh 
3 tL) 
ἄς, τῶν 
8: “9 
1 BP 
135 2) 
ike ik 
iy ah 
Le Ss 
205 aI: 
O55 als 
3,5: “ὁ 
aie 4. 
AD. 2: 
40. 4, 
ΤῊ 
5. 
gh 
ion ar 
ΤῊ ae 
Ps 
ὉΠ As 
20. 1 
23. 
A 9} 
96: 9. 
27. 
30: 118 
30. 3. 
Gy wht 


υἷος Φαρισαίων, cum Vulg. 
xi 


VARL® LECTIONES. 


BrEvoovy eYW πονῆρων. 
Vulg. 

εἰς THY περι τουτων ζητησιν. 

ακουσαι" αὔριον, φησιν, axovon, &c., cum Vulg. 

eyo de κατελαβομην, cum Vulg. 

αὐτου δὲ τουτου, cum Vulg. 

πεμπειν. περι οὗ, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XXVI. 


καὶ ζητημάτων επισταμενοζ. 

δεομαι, μακροϑυμως, cum Vulg. 

ἐγκαλουμαι. ὑπο Ἰουδαίων, Βασιλευ, cum Vulg. 

πατερας ἡμων ἐπαγγελίας, cum Vulg. 

ev οἷς πορευομενον, cum Vulg. 

παντων Te καταπ., cum Vulg. 

λαλουσαν μοι Ty Ἕβραϊδι διαλ., cum Vulg. 

ὁ δὲ Κυριος evxev’ Ey εἰμι, cum Vulg. 

αἀπαγγελλω μετανοειν. 

συλλαβομενοι μὲ ovTa εν τῷ ἱερῳ. 

scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7, (μαρτυρ- 
μενος μικρῳ τε, &e.,) cum Vulg. : 

ὁ de Mavdoc, Ov μαίνομαι, φησι, cum Vulg. 

6 de Παυλος, Ἐυξαιμην av, cum Vulg. 

και εν ολίγῳ, Kat εν μεγαλῳ, cum Vulg. 

Kat aveotn ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ 6, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XXVII. 

Ατραμυτηνῳ. 

μελλοντι πλειν. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ry te érepa,) 
cum Vulg. f 

κατηλθομεν εἰς Mupa. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (βούλην avay- 
Syvar exeHev,) cum Vulg. 


MS. 1, πονηρᾶν, cum 


πολλῆς τε acittac, cum Vulg. 

οἱ vavTat Tpocavexely τινα. 

scribendum in Textu, ut MSS. 8 (μεταλαβειν 
τροφης.) 

απο της κεφαλὴης απολειται, cum Vulg. 

εἰς ὃν εβουλευοντο, εἰ δυναιντο, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (αυτους tov 
βουληματος.) 


CAP. XXVIII. 


Tore ἐπέγνωμεν, Ort, cum Vulg. 

φρυγανων τι πληθος, cum Vulg. 

καθηψατο τῆς χειρος αὐτου. 

και extbere τας χειρας, cum Vulg. 

bre δὲ ηλθομεν εἰς Ῥωμην, exetparn τῷ ἸΙαυλῳ 
μενεῖν καθ᾽ ἑαυτον, &c., cum Vulg. 

συγκαλεσασθαι αὐτον τους οντας. 

πειϑὼων τε αὐτοὺς περι του ἴησου, cum Vulg. 

τουτο TO σωτήριον του Θεου, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7 (ev éav- 
τοις συζητησιν.) 


scribendnm in Textu ut MSS. 8 (καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν 
ζητουσι.) 

et de συ Ἰουδαιος, cum Vulg. 

corrigendum in Regia mendum, et seribendum 
ut MSS. 8, καὶ kavyacat ev Θεῳ. 


CAP. III. 


πρῶτον μεν ὅτι excor., cum Vulg. 
ὁτι οὐκ ἐστι δικαιος, cum Vulg. 
λογιζομεϑα yap, cum Vulg. 


CAP. IV. 
To ἑαυτοῦ σωμα νενεκρώμενον, CUIN Valg. 


Ver MSS. Ver. MSS. 

9. 2. καὶ ἄνασταντες τινες Tov γραμματέων Tov μερους 18. 2. 

των Φαρισαίων. 

9. 1. non legit (μη θεομαχωμενὴ cum Vulg. 20. J. 
11. 1. θαρσει, nec addit, Παυλε, eum Vulg. 225) 1: 
15. 2. ὅπως καταγαγῃ avrov; cum Vulg. 95. 2. 
17. legendum in Textu, ut MSS. 8 (τον veaviay | 25. 2. 

tovrov) cum Vuig. 25. 2. 
22. corrigendum in Regia mendum, et legendum, 
(χιλίαρχος ἀπελυσε Tov veaviay,) cum Vulg. 
23. 1. στρατιωτας evorAove διακοσίους, cum Vulg. Shs 
27. 2. εξειλομην μαθων, cum Vulg. 53 ΟΣ 
28. 9. βουλομενος τε επιγνωναι, cum Vulg. ΠΣ 
30. 9. εἰς τὸν ανδρα εἐσεσθαι εξ αὐτῶν, εξ. oy 4 
34. 2. avayvoug δὲ kat επερωτησας, cum Vulg. 2 = 
CAP. XXIV. 10, a 

1. 3. μετα πρεσβυτέρων τινων καὶ ῥητορος, cum Vulg. 15. 3. 

3. 2. και διορϑωματων γινομένων, cum Vulg. 20. 5. 

5. 2. στασεις πασι, cum Vulg. pile = ie 

7. 3. μετα πολλης Brag εκ τῶν χειρῶν ἥμων απηαγε, | 22. 

κελευσας Tove κατηγοροὺυς αὐτου ἐρχεσθαι emt 
σου" παρ᾽ ov. 25. 2. 
10. 6. κριτὴν δικαιον τῳ εθνει. BE), dle 
13. 9. δυνανταῖ σοι περι Ov., cum Vulg. 29. 1. 
15. 3. εσεσϑαι δικαίων Te καὶ αδικων, cum Vulg. 30. 1. 
16. 4. ev τουτῳ Kat avtoc ackw, cum Vulg. 
16. 2. συνειδησιν exer, cum Vulg. 
16. ponendum in Textu ut legitur in MSS. 8, (ae Ὁ ὃς 
τους ανθρωπους δια παντος,) cum Vulg. 2. 3. 
19. 3. τινες de απὸ τῆς Ao:., cum Vulg. 3. 
19. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (οὖς eder exe 
tov,) cum Vulg. 5. OO. 
22. 2 ανεβαλετο de αὐτοις ὁ Φηλιξ, axpy3., cum Vulg. | 12. 
23. 2. τηρεισθαι avrov, cum Vulg. 
23. 2. ὑπηρετεῖν αὐτῳ, ἢ προσ. 21. 2. 
26. 2. non legunt, (πως λυσῃ av7ov,) cum Vulg. a 1. 
CAP. XXV. : 
2. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (οἱ ἀρχίερεις καὶ | 34. 1. 
οἱ xpwrot των,) cum Vulg. 395. 9: 

2. 2 46, Te apylepeve καὶ οἱ πρωτοι. 43. 

5. 2. εν tw ανδρι ατοπον, cum Vulg. 

5. 5. ev tw avdpt τουτῳ, κατηγορείιτωσαν. 

6. 2. ἡμερας ov πλείους oKTw ἢ dexa, cum Vulg. 

6. 5. ἥμερας πλειους ἡ deka. ΠῚ 51: 

7. 2. περιεστησαν avrov οἱ απο., cum Vulg. a AL: 

We legendum in Tex. Gr. ut MSS. 6 (αιτιαματα.) | 8. 4. 

7. 1. αἰτιαματα καταφεροντες, ἃ οὐκ, cum Vulg. Bh UG 

8. 1. τοῦ Παυλου ἀπολογουμένου, 671, cum Vulg. Tea 

8. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ουτε εἰς Καίσαρα 

ἡμαρτον,) cum Vulg. ifs 2B 

8. 1. ovre eve Καίσαρα ἥμαρτον. Os, ΟΣ, 
15. 2. κατ᾽ αὐτου καταδικην, cum Vulg. ΒΗ ΤΣ 
16. 1. ανθρωπον, πριν 7 ὁ. 29. 

17 9. συνελθοντων ovy evSade, cum Vulg. 
EPIST. AD ROMANOS, 
Ex Collatione Codicum Manuscriptorum viii. antiquorum. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver, MSS. 7. 
4. 1. tov προορίσθεντος, cum Vulg. 
13. scribendum in Textu ut lecunt MSS. 8, (σχωκαι | 17. 
ev ὑμιν,)} cum Vulg. 17. 
16. 1. το ευαγγελίον: δυναμις yap, cum Vulg. 
16. 1. [ουδαίῳ τε Kar Ἕλληνι. 
24. 1. διο παρεδωκεν avrovc, cum Vulg. 
32. 2. τοῦ Θεου επιγινωσκοντες. 9 4 
$2. 1. ov μονον αὐτὰ ποιουντες, αλλα καὶ συνευδοκουν- 10. 3. 
τες τοῖς. ma ἢ 
CAP. II. 
2. 1. οιδαμεν yap, ὁτι το, cum Vulg. 
5. 1. καιαποκαλυψεως δικαιοκρισιας του Oeov,cumVulg, | 16. 1. 


ΧΙ 


VARL4 LECTIONES. 


CAP. XI. 


Ver. MSS. 


2. 
3. 
6. 


20. 


SS 


1. 
1, 
1. 


σι 


rope μ 


kata του Ἰσραηλ. Κύριε, τους, cum Vulg. 
Ta θυσιαστηρια σου κατεσκ., cum Vulg. 
εἰ δὲ εξ ἐεργων οὐκετι χαρις" ἔπει TO ἐργον οὐκετι 


ἐστι χαρις. 
CAP. XII. 
a2)! cav πεινᾳ ὁ eySp., cum Vulg. 


CAP. XIII. 
αἱ de ovaat ὑπο του Oeov Teray., cum Vulg. 
φοβος τῳ ἀγαθῳ Epyw, αλλα τῷ κακῳ. 
scribendum in ‘Tex. ut MSS. 7, (το. yap, Ov 
μοιχεύσεις, ov φονευσεις, ov κλεψεις, ov ψευδο- 
ἀρτυρησεις, οὐκ επιθυμησεις,) cum Vulg. 
seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (κακὸν οὐκ epya- 
ζεται.) 
κακον ov κατεργάζεται. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (νυν yap eyyv 
Tepov,) cum Vulg. 


CAP. XIV. 

non legit (καὶ ὁ μη φρονων τὴν ἥμεραν Κυρίῳ ov 
φρονει,} cum Vul 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (παν γονυ, και 
πασα γλωσσα, &c.,) cum Vulg. 

τῳ αδελφῳ εἰς σκανδαλον. 

ev Κυρίῳ Ι͂ησοῦυ, cum Vulg. 

et yap δια βρωμα, cum Vulg. 

ὁ yap ev τουτῳ δουλευων, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XV. 

doa yap eypadn, παντα εἰς τὴν ἥμετεραν διδασ. 
καλιαν eypadn. 

Aeyo yap, cum Vulg. 

και αλληλους νουθετεῖν, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8(ra προς τον Θεον.) 

ov yap τολμω τι λαλειν, cum Vulg. 

legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (evar, Aoyw 
Kat epyw,) cum Vulg. 

πνευματος. OOTE με. 

obra δὲ φιλοτιμουμαι. 

non legit (ελευσομαι προς duac,) cum Vulg. 

εὐλογίας Χριστου ελευσομαι. 

και ἡ δωροφορια μου ἡ ev Ἱερουσαλημ, cum Vulg 


CAP. XVI. 


Πρισκαν kar, cum Vulg. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (Νηρεα καὶ την. 
αἱ εκκλησιαι xacat Tov Xptorov, cum Vulg. 


EPIST. I. AD CORINTHIOS. 


CAP. V. 
Vor. MSS, 
2. 1. εσχηκαμεν εἰς τὴν yap ταυτην, 
6. 1. εἰγε Χριστος οντων ἡμων. 
11. 4. αλλα και καυχωμεϑα εν τῳ, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VI. 
19. 2. εἰς ro ὑπακουειν ταῖς επιϑυμιαις αὐτου, cum Vulg. 
17. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ὑπηκουσατε de 
ex kapdtac,) cum Vulg. 
CAP. VII. 
4. 1. εἰς τὸ γενεσθαι ὑμας érepw τῷ εκ, cum Vulg, 
7. 6. ερουμεν ; ὁ νομὸς ἁμαρτία, cum Vulg. 
9. scribendum in Tex, ut MSS. 8, (ἡ ἁμαρτια ave- 
ζησεν,) cum Vulg. 
20. 4. εἰ δὲ ὁ ov ϑελω, Tovto row, cum Vulg. 
22. 1. τῷ νόμῳ Tov voor κατα. 
25. 1. yapic rw Oew δια Incov Χριστου. 
25. 1. yaptc de te Oey. 
CAP. VILE. 
6. scribendum in ‘Tex. ut MSS. 8 (ro yap φρονημα 
της.) 
τις soribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (δια τὸ ενοι- 
κουν αὐτου IIvevya ev ὑμιν,) cum Vulg. 
11. 1. δια του ἐνοικουντὸς αὐτου ἸΪνευματος ev ὑμιν. 
23. 1. καὶ avroe ev ἑαυτοις συστενάζομεν. 
23. 1. orevafouev, cum Vulg. 
26. 1. τῃ ἀσθενείᾳ ἥμων, cum Vulg. 
28. 1. συνεργεῖ ὁ Θεος εἰς ἀγαθον. 
834. 1. Χριστος ἴησους ὁ ἀαποϑανων, cum Vulg. 
34. 1. μαλλον de eyepiece. 
34. 1. ὃς εστιν ev δεξιᾳ του Θεου, cum Vulg. 
CAP. ΙΧ. 
4. 1. και ἡ διαϑηκη, cum Vulg. 
923. 1. ἕνα γνωρίζῃ τον πλουτον, cum Vulg. 
23. scrivendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, («ac καϑὼως 
προειρηκεν Hoaiac,) cum Vulg. 
32. 1. a@AW ὡς εξ epywv" προσεκοψαν yap, cum Vulg. 
CAP. X. 
1. 1. ὑπερ αὐτῶν εἰς σωτηριαν, cum Vulg. 
8. 1. και τὴν ἰδιαν ζητουντες στησαι, cum Vulg. 
5. 1. ζησεται εν αὐτῃ, cum Vulg. 
8. 1. adda τι λεγει ἡ Τραφη ; Eyyve σου, cum Vulg. 
11. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ἡ Τραφη. Ilac 
ὁ πιστευων,) cum Vulg. 
17. 1. δια ῥηματος Xpiorov, cum Vulg. 
CAP. I. 
Ver. MSS. 
ὃ ponendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 8, (του Υἱου 
αὐτου Incov Χριστου tov Κυρίου juwy,) cum 
ulg. 
18. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (6 λογος yap ὁ 
του oTavpov.) 
22. 2. σημεια αἰτουσι, cum Vulg, 
CAP. II. 
2. 2. ὑμιν to μυστηριον του Θεου. 
4. 4. ουκ εν πειθοι. 
9. 1. dca ἡτοιμασεν ὁ Θεος. 
11. 2. και τὰ του Θεοὺυ οὐδεὶς eyvax. 
18. 61 ουκ εν διδακτικοίς. et mox, αλλ᾽ εν διδακτικοις. 
15...9 ΩΣ διδακτοις πνευματος, πνευματικοις, Cum 
ulg. 
13. 1. πνευματίκως πνευματικα. 
CAP. Ill. 
= a Kat ερις, ουχι σαρκικοῖ ἐστε; cum Vulg, 


οὐχί ἀνθρωποι ἐστε; cum Vulg, 
1 


Ver. MSS. 
5. 1. te ovv ἐστιν Ἀπολλως; te de eats Παυλος; Ava 
κονοι, δι᾽ ὧν. 
183. 2. το πὺρ αὐτο δοκιμασει. 
CAP. IV. 
6. 1. ὑπερ ἁ γεγραπται 
11. 2. τας εν Χριστῳ Inoov, cum Vulg. 
CAP. V. 
1. 1. ovde ev τοις εθνεσιν, ὦστε, cum Vulg. 
2. 2. iva αρϑῃ ex. 
3. 1. eyo μεν ὡς απων. 
7. 1. εκκαθαρατε την παλαίαν ζυμ., cum Vulg 
10. 1. ουπαντῶων τοῖς πορνοίς, cum Vulg. 
τι. ponendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (7 πορνος, 
πλεονεκτης, ἢ εἰδωλολατρῆς, ἡ λοιδορος, ἡ μὲ 
ϑύυσος, ἡ ἁρπαξ,) cum Vulg. 
12. 1. τι yap μοι τους εξω κρι., cum Vulg. 
13. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ὁ Θεὸς xpives) 
cum Vulg. 
13. 2. εξαρατε τον πονῆρον, cum Vulg. 


xu 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


CAP. VI. CAP. XII. 
Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. 
2. 2. ῃ οὐκ oiare, ὁτι, cum Vulg., iidem MSS., κοι- } 2. 1. ὡς avnyecbe aray., cum Vulg. 
γνουσι. 3. 1. αναθεμα ἴησους, et mox, Κύριος Ιησους, cum Vulg. 
2 A ὕὑμων ney a lag 9. 1. “ἑτέρῳ gan ev Te conn Vulg. mox, ἑαματων ev 
5 . Kal τουτὸ αδελφους, cul ᾿ τῳ ἕνι πνε., cum Vulg. 
14. 1. και mac εξηγείρε δια. 13. 1. και παντες ἕν πνευμα εποτισθ. 
20. 1. non legit, (Kae ev τῳ πνευματι ὑὕμων, ἅτινα ἐστι [24. 1. τῳ ὑστερουμένῳ τι περισσοτερον δους. 
του Θεου,) cum Vulg. 81, 1. τα χαρίσματα τα μείζονα. 
CAP. VII. CAP. XIIT. 
3. 1. τὴν οφειλην αποδιδοτω, cum Vulg. 4. 1. ἡ αγαπη ov ζηλοι, ov περπερευεται, cum Vulg. 
5. 1. επὶ το αὐτοτε, iva. 5 scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (ov ζητεῖ τὸ 
14. 1. ἡ γυνη ἡ απιστος ev τῳ αδελφῳ. ἑαυτης.) 
17. 1. ἑκαστῳ ὡς εμερίσεν ὁ Θεος. δ. 1. ov ζητει τὰ ἑαυτης, cum Vulg. 
38. 1. ry γυναικι, καὶ μεμερισται, cum Vulg. 5. 1. ov ζητει το μὴ ἑαυτης. 
35. 5. προς To ευσχημον και evmpocedpov. 9. 1. εκ μερους yap yuv., cum Vulg. 
37. 2. ev ry καρδιᾳ αὕὑτου, μη. cum Vulg. 10. 1. το τελείον, To ex μερους, cum Vulg, 
38. 1. dore και ὁ γαμίζων την πάαρθενον éavtov, καλως | 12 1. αρτι ὡς δι᾿ ἐσοπτρου. 
ποιήσει καὶ ὁ μη γαμίζων, κρεισσον ποιησει. 
39. 1. δέδεται ed’ ὄσον. CAP. XIV. 
40. 2 doxw yap κᾳγω. 7. 1. διαστολὴν φϑογγου pn. 
CAP. VIII. 10. 1. καὶ οὐδὲν agwvov, cum Vulg. 
; ᾿ 19. 2. Aoyove τῳ νοὶ μου λαλησαι, cum Vulg. 
4. 1. και ὅτι ουδεις Θεος εἰ μη εἷς, cum Vulg. 21. 1. yevdeow érepwv. Ξ 
7. 1. tm Used του ειἰδωλου. ΜΗ. 1, τινες yap ™/95. Ὁ ἥαντων. τα κρυπτα τῆς καρὸ., cum Vulg. 
συνηύειᾳ. 29. ponendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (προφηται de δυο 
CAP. IX. 7 Tpetc,) cum Vulg. 
8. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (ταῦτα 20203) 31. legendum in Texte ut uss 8, (καθ᾽ ἕνα παν- 
10. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (οφειλει ὁ ἀροτρι- 39. 1 παῖς EAT νειν) cum Yulg. 
ὧν...) cum Vulg. a τ κῶς TE TAT ἘΠ 
10. 1. καὶ ὁ αλοων er’ ελπιδι Tov μετεχείν, cum Vulg, 39. πο EE UL OLR EC LEU ATICLC | CURL AE Ee : 
4 5 scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 5, (ώστε 
13. 1. τα ex tov lepov εσϑιουσιν, cum Vulg. “4 5 
τὰ oS 3 5 2 αδελφοι ζηλουτε,)} cum Vulg. 
18. 1. το ευαγγελιον, εἰς το py KaTay., cum Vulg. 0 1 eeNeanchcs se at Vule 
21. 2. τοῖς ὑπο νομὸν ὡς ὕπο νομον, μη wv αὐτος ὑπο τ Sear AUS εὐσχημονώρ τὸ ταὶ δε 
νομον, ἵνα τους, cum Vulg. 
23. 9. παντα de row δια το, cum Vulg. CAP. XV. 
stad δ: 1. ἘΠῚ ue ὌΠ ἐπ 
CAP. Χ. ᾿ egendum in Tex, u 3S.5 (ὥσπερει τῳ ek- 
ἼΣ scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (ὁ λαος φαγειν A τρωματι.) 
και πίειν.) 8. 9. ὡσπερει τῳ εκτρ. 
11. 93. παντα τυπίκῶς συνεβαινον, eum Vulg. 10. 1. αλλ᾽ ἡ χαρις Tov Θεου σὺν euor, cum Vulg. 
13. 3. δυνατος δε ὁ Θεος, ὁς οὐκ. 15. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (de και ψευδο- 
14, scribendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 5, (diomep μαρτυρες Tov Oeov,) cum Vulg. 
ἀγαπητοι pov,) cum Vulg. 20. 1. non legit, (eyevero,) eum Vulg. 
16. 1. το ποτήριον της ευχαριστιας. 31. 2. ΜΡ HME αδελῴοι ἦν, cum Vulg. 
106. 1. ovyt κοινωνία Tov Χριστου ἐστιν ; et Mox, ovye 34. 2. ὑμῶν λαλω. 
κοινωνία του Χριστου tar. 44. 1. εἰ ἐστι σωμα ψυχικον, ἐστι καὶ πνευματικον, Cu 
19. 1. dre εἰδωλοθυτον τι ἐστιν, ἡ ὅτι εἰδωλον τι ἐστιν ; _ , Vulg. 
cum Vulg. 47. 1. ὁ δευτερος ανϑρωπος εξ ovpavov. 
28. 1. τοῦτο ἱεροθυτον εστι- 49. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (φορεσωμεν 
98. 1. non addit, (του yap Κυρίου ἡ yn, καὶ To πληρωμα kat,) cum Vulg. 
av77e,) cum Vulg. 55. 1. ποὺ cov, Oavate, τονικος; Tov cov, Θανατε, TO 
30. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (e ey χαριτι,) κέντρον, cum Vulg. 
cum Vulg. 
CAP. XVI. 
CAP. XI. 2. 1. κατα wav caBBarov, cum Vulg. 
4. 1. καλυμμα κατα κεφαλῆς εχων. 2. 1. ὁ, τὶ αν ευοδωθῃ. 
14. 1. ουδὲ ἡ φυσις αὐτὴ διδασκει, cum Vulg. 3. 1. παραγενωμαι προς ὕὑμας, οὗς. 
22, 1. επαινω tac εν τουτῳ, cum Vulg. Ἵ. 1. ελπιζω yap χρονον, cum Vulg. 
26. 1. Kat to ποτήριον πινῆτε, cum Vulg. 22. 3. τὸν Κυριον ἥμων ἴησουν Χρίστον, et mox, τοῦ 
31. 1. εἰ δὲ ἑαυτους, cum Vulg. Κυριου ὑμων, cum Vulg. 
EPIST. AD II. CORINTHIOS. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 17. 2. τοῦτο ουν βουλομενος, cum Vulg. 
5. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (dca του Xpio-]18. 1. ὁ προς ὑμας ἐξά τάξας Seite he 
του.) 30. 1. εν αὐτῷ to ναι" διο καὶ δι’ αὐτου To ἀμὴν τῷ Θεῳ, 
8. 1. τῆς γενομενῆς ev Ty Ἀσίᾳ, cum Vulg. cum Vulg. S 
12. 1. και οὐκ ev σοφιᾳ, cum Vulg. 
15. 2. ἕνα devtepav yapav exnte. MS. 1, iva και dev- CAP. II 
τεραν χαριν exnTe. πὰ: 
16. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (διελθεῖν εἰς} 3. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (iva un ελθων Ave 


Makedoviav,) cum Vulg. 
xiv 


THY EXW αφ᾽.) 
1 


VARL& LECTIONES. 


Ver. MSS. 


3. 


impressi et Vulg. legunt (lva μὴ ελϑὼν λυπὴν 
ext λυπῃ oxo.) 


τὴν ὑπερ ἥμων προς ἡμας. 
τὴν σπουδὴν ἧμων τὴν ὑπὲρ ὕμων προς ὑμας. 
ev αληϑειᾳ eyevnOn. 

CAP. VIII. 


non legunt, (δεξασϑαι juac,) cum Vulg. 

καθὸ eav ἔχῃ, εὐυπροσδεκτος, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (οὐ 6 exawvoc ev 
τῷ evayy-) 

εν τῇ χαριτι ταυτῃ Ty. 

προνοουμεν yap καλα, cum Vulg. 

πεποιϑήσει δὲ πολλῃ Ty. 

ὑπερ ὑμων, ενδειξασϑε εἰς. 


CAP. IX. 


non addit, (της Kavynoewc,) cum Vulg. 

τὴν προεπηγγελμενην, cum Vulg. 

χορηγήσει, Kat πληθυνει τὸν oropov ὑμῶν, Kas 
αὐξησει, cum Vulg. 

χαρις τῳ Θεῳ, cum Vulg. 


CAP. X. 


εἰ τις δοκει πεποιϑεναι. 

παλιν ed’ ἑαυτου, cum Vulg. 

legendum in Textu ut MSS. 7 (iva μη δοξω.) 
iva de μη δοξω, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XI. 
φανερωσαντες. 
scribendum in Textuut MSS. 8 (apevdarooroAot.) 
του Κυρίου ἡμων Ἰησου, cum Vulg. 
non addit, ϑελων, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XII. 


ov συμφερον μεν, ελευσομαι δὲ καὶ εἰς. 

non addit, καυχώμενος, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (κατειργασθη ev.) 

ἐδου τριτον ἑτοιμως. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (καὶ ov κατα- 
vapkyow ὑμων,) cam Vulg. 


CAP. XIII. 
τρίτον ἐρχομαι προς ὑμας. 
καὶ ἀπὼν νυν τοις προημαρτήκοσι, cum Vulg. 
kat yap και ἡμεις ἀσθενουμεν, cum Vulg. 
non addit, εἰς vac. 
εἰ μὴ TL αδοκιμοι. 
χαιρομεν᾽ yap, ὁτι, cum Vul 


Ver. MSS. 
Be 1. 
ΠΡ als 
HAR νῷ; 
Ae eS, 
12) 1.0 
18. 
ΠΝ τ 
ἈΠ 1. 
Ὁ Me 
24. #1. 
a 2: 
by Ἢ" 
10 .1- 
15: 1: 
ΤΩ ΕἾ 
Tom el: 
9. 
SE al 
Grd 
13. 
Sle: 
ὍΣ 1: 
Pett 
1 1 
19. 
TAs 5: 
14, 
. 4, 
Qi ls 
An Ns 
ἅν Ἢ 
5. 6. 
Se 1. 
af le 


legendum in Textu ut MSS. 7 (καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς 
ἀγαπῆς Kat εἰρηνης.) 


EPIST. AD GALAT. 


16. 2. εκ Oavarov εἰς ϑανατον, mox, εκ ζωης εἰς ζωὴν" 
17. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (ov yap ἐσμεν, 
ὡς of moAAot,) cum Vulg. 
CAP. III. 
1. 2. προς ὑμας ἢ εξ ὑμων; ἡ στα Ae Vulg. 
4, 1 xkaeeyye evn ov μελανι, cum Vulg. 
9. Gebeodeat to Textu ut MSS. 6, (περισσευει ἡ 
diakovia,) cum Vulg. 
14. 1. aype yap της σημερον ἡμερας To αὐτο, cum Vulg. 
CAP. IV. 
6. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 6, (εικὼν tov Θεου. 
ov yap ἑαυτους,) cum Vulg. 
10. 2. την vexpwow του ἴησου, cum Vulg. 
14. 1. ὁ eyetpag τον ἴησουν, cum Vulg. 
14. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (δία Inoov eye- 
pet,) cum Vulg. 
16. 5. αλλ' ὁ ἐσωϑεν ανακαινουταῖι. 
CAP. V. 
5. 9. ὁ dove ἡμιν τον, cum Vulg. 
10. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (ἕκαστος τὰ δια 
τοὺ σωματος.) 
10. impressi οἵ Vulg. Lat. legunt, ra ἰδία tov σωματος. 
12, legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (καυχηματος 
ὑπερ ἡμων.) 
15. 2. τῷ ὑπὲρ παντὼν αποθᾶνοντι. MS. 1, τῳ ὑπερ 
αὐτῶν παντων. 
16. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (αλλα νυν ovxere 
γινωσκομεν,} cum Vulg. 
19. 9. ὡς dre ὁ Θεος nr. 
CAP. VI. 
1. 2 συνεργουντες de παρακαλουμεν, cum Vulg. 
11. 1. ἡ yap καρδια ἡμων. 
14. 1. η τις κοινωνία φωτί, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VII. 
8. 1. εἰ de καὶ μετεμελομην, βλεπω, ὅτι, K.T.A. 
11. scribendum in Textu ut logunt MSS. 7 (κατειρ- 
γασατο ὑμιν.) 
11. 1. κατείργασατο ev ὑμιν, cum Vulg. 
11. 9. dyvove εἰναι τῷ πραγματι, cum Vulg. 
12. scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 7, (τὴν 
σπουδὴν ὕμων τὴν ὑπερ ἥμων ενωπιον Tov 
Qeov,) cum Vulg. 
CAP. I. 
er. MSS. 
4. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (ὑπερ των ἁμαρ- 
τίων ἡμων,) cum Vulg. 
9. 6. etic ὑμας ευαγγελίζεται. 
10. 1. εἰ ete ανθρωποις ἡρεσκον, cum Vulg. 
11. 1. γνωριζω yap ὑμιν, cum Vulg. 
15. 1. ευδοκησεν ὁ αφορισας με, cum Vulg. 
17. 1. ουδὲ απηλϑον εἰς Ἵερ. 
18. 1. ἱστορησαι Κηφαν. 
21. 1. dre ηλθον εἰς τα κλιματα. 
CAP. II. 
6. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ανϑρωποῦυ ov 
AauBavet,) cum Vulg, 
163 legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (Ilerpoc τῆς 
περιτομῆς.) 
10. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (μονον τῶν πτωχων.) 
11. 2. ὅτε de ηλϑε Κηφας. 
18. 1. avry οἱ λοιποι ἰουδαιοι, cum Vulg. 
13. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ὥστε καὶ Βαρνα- 
Bag,) cum Vulg. 
4. 1, 


eirov Ta Knog ἐμπροσϑεν, cum Vulg, 
1 


Ver. MSS. 
106. 1. εἰδοτες de, ὁτι ov δικαιουται, cum Vulg. 
CAP. III. 
1. 3. εβασκηνε ty αληϑειᾳ μη. 
tte scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (dre de ev νομῷ 
ovdetc.) 
12. 1. avra ζησεται, cum Vulg. 
15. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (adeAdor κατα 
ανϑρωπον Aeya,) cum Vulg. 
16. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ov Aeyet, καὶ 
Tole σπερμασιν,) cum wel 
16. legendum in Textu, ut MSS. 8, [καὶ τῷ σπερ- 
ματι cov, dc,) cum Vulg, 
17. 2 nonaddunt εἰς Χρίστον, cum Vulg. 
19. 1. χαριν ετεθη, cum Vulg. 
21. 1. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ov7we ἂν ex vo- 
μου nv,) cum Vulg. 
22. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (ἢ γραφὴ τα 
παντα.) 
23. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (προ τοῦ de ede 
ϑειν την,) cum Vulg. 
26. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (παντες yap vioe, 


XV 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


Ver. MSS. 


29 


Ver. MSS. 


o ie 

6. 
20. 
20. 


μα 


μιὰ μὸ μὰ 


μι μι oll) 


SSIES) 


3S 


he 


legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ει de tyere Xpio- 
του,) cum Vulg. 


CAP. IV. 


corrigendum in Tex. mendum Regie, et scriben- 
dum ut MSS. 8, (γενομενος ὑπο νομον,) cum 
Vulg. 

eeebondea in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ὁτε de ἐστε 
viot,) cum Vulg. , 

και κληρονομος δια Ocov, cum Vulg. 

και Tov πειρασμον ὑμων εν Ty σαρκὶ μου, cum Vulg. 

που οὐν nv, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (iva αὐτοὺς 
ζηλουτε.) 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (αλλ᾽ ὁ μεν εκ,) 
cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS.8 (αὗται yap εἰσι 
δυο διαθηκαι.) 


Ver. MSS. 
25. 3. to de Ayap Σινα. 
26. 1. μητῆρ ἥμων, cum Vulg. 
CAP. V. 
3. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (τον νομὸν ro 
noat,) cum Vulg. 
3. 1. τον νομὸν TAnpacat. 
14. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (ὡς σεαυτον,) 
cum Vulg. 
18. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ovx ἐστε ὑπο 
vouov,) cum Vulg. 
21. legendum in Textu ut MSS, 8, (ἁ mpodeyo ὑμιν,) 
cum Vulg. 
26. 9. προκαλουμενοῖ, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VI. 
1: scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (εαν καὶ πρὸ 
ληφθῃ,) cum Vulg. 
2. 1. αναπληρωσετε, cum Vulg. 


EPIST. AD EPHES. 


CAP. I. 


τοις ἁγίοις πασι τοις, cum Vulg. 

ἧς ἐχαριτωσεν. 

και καϑισας ev δεξιᾳ αὑτου εν τοις ovpavotc. 

και καϑισας avtov ev δεξιᾳ ἑαυτου εν τοῖς ETOUp. 


CAP. II. 


τοις παραπτωμασι Kat ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. 

ται Eevor τῶν ἐεπαγγελίων της διαϑηκὴης, ελπιδα. 

και εἰρηνην τοις εγγυς, cum Vulg. 

αλλ᾽ ἐστε συμπολιται των, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (ev ᾧ πασα 
οἰκοδομὴ.) 

CAP. III. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (ὑπερ tyuav 
TOV πίστονν 

seribendum in Textu ut MSS. 6, (ev πνευματι. 
εἰναι Ta,) cum Vulg. 

od eyevounv eye Lak. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (παντων 
ἁγίων εδοθη,)} cum Vulg. 

εν ουρανῳ και ETL. 

iva πληρωθῃ παν τὸ πληρωμα. 

και ev Χριστῳ ἴησου, cum Vulg. 


CAP. IV. 
καθως εκληϑητε, cum Vulg. 


Ver. MSS. 
6. 1. καὶ δια παντων ev πασιν. ἕνι de. 
7. 3. εδοθη χαρις. 
27. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (μηδὲ didore.) 
28. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (ro ayadov ταις 
χερσιν.) 
28. 1. το αγαθον ταῖς ιδιαις χερσιν. 
32. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (καθὼς καὶ ὁ 
Θεὸς ev Xpiotw ἐχαρίσατο ἧμιν,) cum Vulg. 
CAP. V. 
5. corrigendum in Tex. ex MSS. 3, cum Vulg. 
(τουτο yap Lore γινωσκοντες.) 
5. 3. 6 eotw ειδωλολατρης, cum Vulg. 
9. 1. 6 yap καρπος Tov φωτος, cum Vulg. 
15. 2. βλεπετε ουν ἀκριβως πὼς περιπατεῖτε. 
23. 1. τῆς εκκλησιας, αὐτος, Σωτὴρ του σωματος, cum 
Vulg. 
28. 1. οὕτως οφειλουσι και of avdpec, cum Vulg. 
29. 2. καϑως και ὁ Χριστος την, cum Vulg. 
CAP. VI. 
2. 1. και τὴν μήτερα cov, cum Vulg. 
9. legatur in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (ὁτε καὶ μων αὐτῶν 
ὁ Κυριος.) 
9. 1. ὅτι και ὑμων και αὐτων ὁ Κυριος, cum Vulg. 
16. 9. εν πασιν αναλαβοντες, cum Vulg. 


EPIST. AD PHILIPP. 


CAP. I. 


μάρτυς yap μοι εστιν 6, cum Vulg. 

δικαιοσυνης δια Inoov Χριστου, cum Vulg. 

αφοβως τον λογον λαλειν. 

πολλῳ yap κρεισσον. ΜΆ. 1, πολλῳ yap μαλλον 
κρεισσον. 

ὑμων περισσευσῃ εν. 


CAP. II. 


ἕκαστος σκοπουντος, αλλα Kat Ta ἕτερων. 

φρονεῖτε εν ὑμιν, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ὑπηκουσατε, 
μη ὡς ev TH παρουσίᾳ μου μονον, αλλα νυν 
πολλῳ μαλλον,) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (χωρις γογγυσ- 
μὼν και διαλογισμων,) cum Vulg. 

Xvi 


| Ver. MSS. 
10. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ἕνα kayo ευψυ- 
xo,) cum Vulg. 
26. 3. παντας ὕμας ew. 
CAP. III. 
3. 1. of πνευματι Θεῳ λατρευοντες, cum Vulg. 
11. 9. εἰ τὴν εξαναστασιν τὴν εκ νεκρων, cum Vulg. 
12. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ὑπερ τοῦ 
Χριστου Ἰησου,) cum Vulg. 
13. δ. ovmw λογίζομαι κατειλ. 
CAP. IV. 
3 scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (vac epwra καὶ 
ce,) cum Vulg. 
13. 1. ev tw ενδυναμουντι με. πλην, cum Vulg. 
23. 1. Χριστου peta τοῦ πνευματος ὑμων. aunv, cum 


Vulg. 
1 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


EPIST. AD COLOSS. 


CAP. I. ae Ae CAP. II. 
Ver. MSS. oh ἥ 
2. 4. τοις ev Κολασσαις. 3; 1: σι 8. canbe cum Vulg. 
τ scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7 (καϑὼως καὶ} 1.7 7" aes oa Πατρος τοῦ Χριστου. 
ἐμαθετε.) x - ev τῇ ἀπεκδυσει Tov σωματος τῆς σαρκος, cumVulg 
13. 1. συνεζωοποιῆσεν συν αὐτῳ, cum Vulg. 
Ἴ. 1. καϑὼς εἐμαϑετε. 15. 1. θριαμβευσας avrac εν. 
10. 5. τῷ επιγνώσει Tov Θεου. 21. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (μη ἅψῃ, unde 
12. 1. τῷ καλεσαντι ἡμας. MS.1, ty καλεσαντι Kat γευσῃ, unde θιγῃς,) cum Vulg 
ἱκανωσαντι. : ; 3 
14, scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (την απολυτρω- CAP. III. 
σιν δια τοῦ αἵματος αὐτου, τὴν ἀφεσιν,) cum] 13, 1, καὶ ὁ Kuptoc eyapioato, eum Vulg. 
Vulg. 15. 1. και ἡ etpnvn tov Xpiorov, cum Vulg. 
15. 1. πρωτοτοκος τῆς κτίσεως. 106. 1. εν ταῖς καρδιαις ὑμων τῳ Θεῳ, cum Vulg. 
18. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (καὶ αὐτὸς ἐστιν 18. 6. τοῖς ἰδιοις ανδρασιν. 
ἡ es Ae 21. 1. οἱ πατερες un παροργίζετε τα. 
90. scribendum in Textu ut MSS.8 (αποκαταλλαξαι | 34. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (evdorec, ὅτι 
τα παντα.) aro Kupiov,) cum Vulg. 
26. 2. yevewr, ὁ νυν εφανερωθη. 24. 5. ληψεσϑε την ανταποδοσιν. 
27. corrigendum in Tex. Regia mendum, et legen- 
dum (του μυστήριου rovrov) ut MSS. 8. CAP. IV. 
18. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (καὶ διδάσκοντες] 1. 1. Κυύυριον ev ovpavw, cum Vulg. 
παντα avépwrov ev macy σοφιᾳ, ἵνα παραστη-] 3. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ανοιξῃ ἦμιν 
σωμὲν παντα avdpwrov τελείον ev Χριστῳ ϑύυραν,) cum Vulg. 
Incov,) cum Vulg. 12. 1. τελειοι kat πεπληροφορημενοι 
ἘΡΙΞΤ. I. AD THESSALON. 
CAP. I. CAP. IV. 
Ver. MSS. * | Ver. MSS. 
7. 1. τυπον πασι, cum Vulg. 1. 2. ἕνα kaduc παρελαβετε, &c., περισσευητε μαλλον 
7. seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (και ev τῇ ᾿ 9, 1. ov χρειαν ee γραφειν, ean Viele τ 
Axaig,) cum Vulg. 11. 2. rate χερσιν tov, cum Vulg. 
CAP. II 18: 2. περι τῶν κοιμωμενων. 
5 τ' ο τ' : 
8. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (αγαπητοι : ΤΟΣ Το SAN NE ματος 
ἡμιν,) cum Vulg. CAP. V. 
12. 3. εἰς To περιπατειν ὑμας. i 
15. 1. ανϑρωποις εναντιουμενων, cum Vulg. 1. 2. παντες yap ὕμεις υἷοι φωτος, cum Vulg. 
90. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (ἡ doa ἡμων 15. 1. διώκετε εἰς αλληλοὺυς καὶ εἰς, cum Vulg. 
και ἡ χαρα.) 21. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (παντα de doxe 
afere,) cum Vulg. 
CAP. III. 24. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (ὅς καὶ ποιήσει 
3. 1. τοῦ μῆδενα σαίνεσθαι, cum Vulg. adeAgor προσευχεσϑε,) cum Vulg. 


EPIST. Il. AD THESSALON. 


CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. ry 3. tov Θεου καϑισαι. 
Ξ scribendum in Tex. ut MSS, 8, (καὶ dove παρα 
8. 1. ev φλογι πυρος, cum Vulg. κλησιν αἰωνιαν,) cum Vulg. Ἶ 
CAP. Π. CAP. ΠΙ. 
2. 2. ἡ ἡμερα του Κυριου, cum Vulg. 4. 1. και εποιῆσατε και ποιήσετε. 
EPIST. I. AD TIM. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 16. seribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (πρωτῷ ev 
1. 3. κατ᾽ ἐπιταγὴν Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμων, και Κυριου δειξηται,) cum Vulg. 
Inoov Xpiorov. 
1. 2. κατ᾽ extrayny του Σωτῆρος ἥμων Θεου και. 5 Berihentiuas paige MSS. 4, (ανϑρωπος 
2 2. ano Θεοῦ ΠΙατρος, και Χρίστου Ἰησου του, cum Χριστος ἴησους,) cum Vul si : id 
Vulg. 9 scribendum in Tex. ut MSS-7 εν πλεγ, 
9. οὐ τε πον ς ut MSS. 6 (πατραλοιαις και ow, ἡ Xpvow,) cum Vulg 2 i dats a 
12. seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (rw εἐνδυναμω- CAP. III. 
σαντι we Χριστῳ Ἰησου,) cum Vulg. 12, 1. τεκνων καλων. 


Vou. I. ( B 4 xvil 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


CAP. IV. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 14, seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6 (βουλομαι de 
ἡ, cum Vulg, νεωτερας γαμειν.) 
ee τε τὰς ee ππι 
CAP. VI. 
CAP. V. 12. 3. εἰς ἦν Kat εκληθῆς, και. 
4 seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (rovro yap εστιν | 16, scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (@ tin καὶ 
αποδεκτον,) cum Vulg. κρατος,) cum Vulg. 


EPIST. II. AD TIM. 


CAP. 1. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 14. 2. ev οἷς ἐμαθες Kat οἷς επιστευϑης, cum Vulg. 
4. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6 (iva χαρας πλη- 1106. 1. ϑεοπνευστος εστιν ὠφελιμος, cum Vulg. 
pala.) 17. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (εξηρτίσμενος,) 
CAP. II. canal: 
“4. 1. ενωπίον Tov Θεου. CAP. IV. 
CAP. III. 13. 2. μαλιστα de τας μεμβρανας, cum Vulg. 
9 scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (αλλ᾽ ov προ- 19. scribendum in Textu ut MSS, 5, (Πρισκαν καὶ 
κοψουσιν ἐπι πλειον,) cum Vulg, Ακυλαν,) cum Vulg. 


EPIST. AD TIT. 


CAP. I. 
Ver. MSS. 
10. 2. εἰσι yap TOAAOL ανυποτακτοι. 


EPIST. AD PHILEM. 


Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. 
6. 5. ev επιγνωσεὶ πᾶντος ayatou. 11. 1. νυνι de καὶ σοι καὶ euor evyp., cum Vulg. 
τῷ scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7 (χαριν yap | 23. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 6, (6 ow 
ἔχομεν.) αἰχμάλωτος μου εν Xptot~ ἴησου,) cuns 
7. 1. χαραν yap εχομεν, cum Vulg. Vulg. 


EPIST. AD HEBR. 


CAP. I. CAP. VII. 
Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. 
2 scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (er ἐσχατου} 1. apponendus articulus in Tex. ut MSS. 8 τον 
Tov ἡμερων,) cum Vulg. Ocov του ὑψιστου.) 
3. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (εν δεξιᾳ της 17. 2. μαρτυρειται yap. 
μεγαλωσυνης,) cum Vulg. 25. legendum in Tex. ut MSS, 8 (εἰς τὸ ἐντυγχαν- 


εἰν ὑπερ αὐτων.) 


CAP. I. 27. 1. ἑἕαυτον mpoceveyKac. 
7. 7. desunt hee verba (και κατεστῆσας αὐτὸν emt Ta 
ἔργα TOV χείρων σου.) CAP. VIII. 
6. seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (rerevye λει- 
Ε : eats Til: Toupylac, ὅσῳ Kat KpeltTovoc,) cum Vulg. 
10. seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (και εἶπον, aev.) | 47, scribendum in Tex. ut legunt MSS. 5, (éxaorog 
CAP. IV. se i Tov πλησιον αὕτου, kat ἑκαστος,) on Vulg. 
Re scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (καϑαπερ 2. Re τον SCORE CY οὐ μη μνησθῶ ΕΘΝ 
Kaxevvol,) cum Vulg. & 
7. 2. καθὼς προειρῆκεν, σήμερον, ear. CAP. IX. 
5 corrigendum in Textu ut legunt MSS, 8, (μετὰ Σ x 
TavTa ἡμερας,) cum Vulg. 1. 2. εἰχε μὲν οὖν ἡ πρωτῆ σκηνη. 
1. 2. εἰχε μὲν ουν ἡ πρωτὴ δικαιωματα. 
CAP. V. 1, 1. eye μεν οὖν ἡ πρωτη διαθηκη. 
4 4. aid ὁ καλουμενος ὑπο του Θεου, cum Vulg. 8. emendandum in Tex., et legendum (μήπω πεφαν- 
12 1. γαλακτος; ov στερεᾶς τροφῆς, cum Vulg. epwcdar) ut MSS. 8. 
9. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (εἰς τὸν Karpor 


CAP. VI. Tov evectnkora,) cum Vulg, 
7 2. τον ex αὐτὴν πολλακις. 11, 1. τῶν γενομένων ἀγαθων. 
1 xviii (- Bey) 


cor 


one 


2 


RoR 


tN ταὶ τ 


"μι 


veiw 


wo 


Ver. MSS. 


VARL42: LECTIONES. 


: “be δια Πνευματος ‘Ayiov, cum Vulg. 
corrigendum in Textu cum artic., (παντὶ τῷ 


Ray,) ut MSS. 8. 1. 
εἰς τα ἁγια των ἁγιὼν κατ’ ενιαυτον. 29. 
απεκδεχομενοις δια πίστεως εἰς Σωτήριαν. 39. 

CAP. X. 1 


ἐπεὶ Kav ἐπαύσαντο. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (τοῦ ποιῆσαι 1 9 
ὁ Θεὸς To ϑελημα cov. avaiper To,) cum Vulg.| 5. 

ἐσμεν δια τῆς προσφορας, cum Vulg. 

ὕστερον λεγει. Kal των ἁμαρτίων, καὶ των. 7 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (ὁπου de age- | 13° 
σις τουτων,) cum Vulg. . 

της πιστεὼς AKAN. 18 

τὴν συναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν, cum Vulg. 95, 

ev ἑαυτοις κρείττονα. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (εἰς περίποι- 


now ψυχης,) cum Vulg. 9. 
CAP. XI. 12. 
ett λαλεῖ, cum Vulg. 14. 


scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (διοτι μετεθηκεν.) 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS.8 {εξελϑειν εἰς τον | 21. 
TOTOV.) 


' Ver. MSS 
9. 


scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (πίστει παρῳ- 
κῆσεν εἰς ynv τῆς,) cum Vulg. 
Kat αὐτὴ Lappa δυναμιν εἰς. 
οἱ Αἰγυπτιοι κατεποντισθησαν. 
τας ἐπαγγελίας. 
CAP. XII. 


scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (καὶ τὴν εὐπε- 
ρίστατον ἁμαρτιαν.) 

ev δεξιᾳ Te του Θεου. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (αναλογισασ- 
Ge yap Tov,) cum Vulg. 

εἰς παιδειαν ὑπομενετε. 

legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (καὶ τροχίας op- 
θας,) cum Vulg. 

Kat γνοῴῳ, Kat Coda, και ϑυελλῃ. 

οἱ τὸν ar’ ovpaver αποστρεφομενοι, cum Vulg. 

CAP. XIII. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (uy παραφε- 
ρεσθε,}) cum Vulg. 

εξω THC πολεως erable. 

corrigendum in Textu juxta MSS. 8, (αλλα 
τὴν μελλουσαν επιζητουμεν,) cum Vulg. 

addendum in Textu, ut legunt MSS. 7, (εἰς τους 
αἰωνας τῶν αἰωνων. aunr,) cum Vulg 


JACOBI EPIST. CATHOL. 


CAP. I. 


MSS. 17. 


To dokystov ὕμων Katepyaterat. 

ἀπαρχὴν Tov αὐτου κτισματων. 18. 
tore αδελφοι μου ayar., cum Vulg, 

ecto de rac avOpwroc, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (ev πρᾳῦὔτητι.) 
ἀκροατῆς νομοῦ εστι. 

και παραμεινας, οὐκ ἀκροατής. 


ϑρησκος εἰναι, un Yarivay., cum Vulg. a 
CAP. II. 12. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 6, (ov διεκριθητε | 13. 
ev éavtotc,) cum Vulg. [14. 
ὅλον Tov νομὸν τελεσει. 14. 


eheov κρισεως. 

κατακαυχαταῖι δὲ ελεος, cum Vulg. 

δειξον μοι THY πίστιν GOV χωρις των εργων, κᾷγω 
δειξω σοι εκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστιν, cum| 4. 
Vulg. 


PRA 


Ver. MSS. 


scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 6, (ελεους και 
καρπων ayabwr,) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (καρπος de δικαι 
οσυνης.) 


CAP. IV. 


scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (6 Θεὸς ὑπερη- 
φανοις αντιτασσεταιῖ,) eum Vulg. 

αδελφου, ἡ κρινων, cum Vulg. 

ὁ νομοθετης kat κριτης ὁ δυναμ., cum Vulg. 

τις εἰ ὁ κρινων Tov πλησίον ; cum Vulg. 

σήμερον ἢ αὔριον, cum Vulg. 

ατμις yap ἐστιν ἡ προς ολιγον φαινομενη. 

ἔπειτα de αφανιζομενη. MS. 1, ὑπειται και 
εφανιζ. 

CAP. V. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (τὰς χωρας ὕμων, 
απεστερημενος.) 

εϑρεψατε τας σαρκας ὑμων. 

ὕμων εν ἥμερᾳ σφαγης, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5 (αδελφοι τῆς 
KakorraGetac. ) 

seribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (ev τῷ ονομα- 
τι Κυριου,) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (προσκαλεσασθω 
rove.) 

αφεϑησονται αὐτῳ, cum Vulg. 

αδελφοι μου, eav τις, cum Vulg. 

σωσεὶ THY ψυχην αὑτου εκ ϑανατου. 


CAP. II. 


épare, ὅτι εξ, cum Vulg. Be lls 
CAP. III. ἜΣ Ξ 
δυνάμενος χαλιναγ. 
δου ἡλικον πυρ, cum Vulg. 10. 
της αδικιας. ἡ γλωσσα καθίσταται, cum Vulg. 
scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (ov χρη αδελ- 14. 
got μου TavTa,) cum Vulg, 
οὕτως οὐδὲ μια πηγή. Τῆνω 1 
legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (τὶς σοῴος καὶ [19. 2. 
ἐπιστημῶν ev ὑμιν,) cum Vulg. 20. 2 
PETRI EPIST. CATHOL. I. 
CAP. I. 
Ver. MSS, 


scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (προμαρτυρο | 24. 
μενον.) 2 


2. ὑμας ΤΙνευματι ‘Ayiw, cum Vulg. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (ἅγιοι yuveo$e.) | 5. 
6 


ἅγιοι ἐσεσθε, ὅτι, cum Vulg. 
τῆς αληθειας εἰς φιλαδελφιαν, 
1 


le 


2. δοξα αὐτῆς ὡς ανθος, cum Vulg. 


scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7, (αυξηθητε εἰς 
σωτηρίαν.) cum Vulg, 
εἰς ἱερατευμα ἁγιον. 
scribendum in Textu ut MSS, 5 (διοτι περιέχει 
ἡ γραφη,) cum Vulg. 
xix 


VARLZ LECTIONES. 


Ver. MSS. CAP. IV. 
. 1. απίστουντες, εἰς ὁ kat, cum Vulg. Ver. MSS. ; 
9. 2 τας aperag εξαγγελλητε, cum Vulg. 1, scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 6 (67: 6 παθων 
12. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8, (ev @ καταλαλ- oapkt.) 
ovow,) cum Vulg. 1. 2. ὁτι ὁ παθὼν ev σαρκι. 
16. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (αλλ᾽ ὡς δουλοι)] 1. 1. πεπαῦται ἁμαρτιαις. 
Θεου.) 3. 3. αρκετος yap ὁ παρεληλυϑως, cum Vulg. 
17. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS.8(rqv adeAgorgra| 8. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS, 8, (καλυπτει πλη- 
ἀγαπησατε.) ϑος,}) cum Vulg. 
19. 1. τοῦτο yap χαρις παρα Θεῳ. 9. 1. κατα ἀνθρωπον σαρκι. 
19. 1. εἰ δια συνειδησιν αγαϑην ὑποφ. 11. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (ἧς χορηγεῖ ὁ Θεος,) 
21. 5. εἰς rovto yap kat εκληθητε. cum Vulg. 
94, 2. ov τῳ μωλωπι ιαθητε, cum Vulg. 14, 2. ὅτι τὸ τῆς δοξης καὶ δυναμεως Kat τὸ του Θεου 
Πνευμα εφ᾽ ὑμας αναπανυεταῖι, cum Vulg. 
CAP. III. 16. 2. τον Θεὸν εν Tw ονοματι TovTw, cum Vulg. 
6. 1. ὑπήκουε τῳ Αβρααμ, cum Vulg. 19. 1. εν αγαϑοποῖαις, cum Vulg. 
7. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 6, (χάριτος ζωης,) 
cum Vulg. CAP. V. 
U6 scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (εἰς to μη] 5. 1. αλληλοις τὴν ταπεινοφροσυνην, cum Vulg. 
ἐγκοπτεσθαι,) cum Vulg. 5. legendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (εγκομβωσασθε.) 
9. 1. va εὐυλογιας κληρονομ. 8. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (érz ὁ αντιδ. 
15. 1. adda μετα πρᾳῦτητος και φοβου, cum Vulg. κος ὕμων,) cum Vulg. 
106. 2. tp ayady ev Χριστω αναστροφῃ. 8. 4. περίερχεται ζητων, cum Vulg. 
21. scribendum in Tex. ut MS. 1, (ὁ αντιτυπονὶ 8. 4. τινα καταπιειν. 
νυν,) cum Vulg. 2. εἰς ἦν στητε. 
2] 1. δι ὕδατος και ὑμας αντιτυπον νυν σώζει βαπτισμα.] 14. 1. εν φιληματι ἁγιῳ, cum Vulg. 
PETRI EPIST. CATHOL. II. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 14. 1. και axataravorov duaptiac, cum Vulg. 
here ess 0 15. 2. Βαλααμ του Βεωρ. 
δ , HERI STDS: 17. 2. και ὁμιχλαι ὑπο λαιλαπος ελαυνο͵ 
5. 4. και avto de τουτο. 17 3} ΠΣ ἘΣ ἘΣ pata (po 
i). 1 σπουδάσατε, iva δια τῶν καλων εργων βεβαιαν 17% 1 τονε ΤΡΊΤΟΣ οἰαοῖ ν, τ᾿ 
ὑμων την, cum Vulg. 18 {Rend winilan ποσίν ἘΡΜΘΕ a λ 
11 scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 5, (του Κυρίου | ~~~ woe ee ee Bsa CS GPR 
¢ yevac,) cum Vulg. 
ἥμων Kat Σωτηρος Inoov Xp.,) cum Vulg. 18. 5 MS.1 
16. 1. ada’ αὐτοπται γενήθεντες. 5 . τοὺς wes cg one aes . 1, αποφευγοντας, 
21. 1. ελαλησαν απο Θεου avbpwrot. bent 
CAP. II. 3 9 ΦᾺΣ; τὸ 
: . ἐν ἐμπαιγμονῃ ἐμπαικταί, cum Vulg. 
2. 4. dv ἃς ἡ ὁδος της αληϑειας. 5. 4. και δι᾽ ὕδατος συνεστωτα. 
3. 5. ov νυσταξει. 10. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (καὶ στοιχεια 
4, 11. εἰς κρισιν κολαζομενοὺυς τηρεῖν, cum Vulg. καυσουμενα THKETAL.) 
9. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (ex πειρασμου | 10. impressi cum Vulg., oroyera de καυσουμενα Av- 
ῥυεσϑαι,) cum Vulg. ϑησονται. 
10. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (καὶ Κυριοτη- [16. 9, εν αἷς ἐστι δυσνοητα. 
τος καταφρονουντας,) cum Vulg. 3 scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (καὶ νυν, καὶ 
13. 1. (εντρυφωντες ev ταις ayarace αὑτων,) cum Vulg. εἰς ἥμεραν atwvoc,) cum Vulg. 
JOHANNIS EPIST. CATHOL. I. 
CAP. I. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. Ω7. 1. aA ὡς To αὐτο Τνευμα. 
3 corrigendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 8, (απαγ- 31. 1. αλλ᾽ ὡς τὸ αὑτοῦ χρίσμα, cum Vulg. 
γελλομεν ὑμιν,) cum Vulg. Py Pee εδιδαξεν ὑμας, μένετε εν αὐτῷ, cum Vulg. 
8. 1. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία ἡ ἡμετερα, cum Vulg 29. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (εξ αὐτου γεγεν- 
5. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 7, (καὶ ἐστιν adrn νηται,) cum Vulg. 
ἡ dyyeda,) cum Vulg. CAP. IIL 
CAP. II. 1, 2. κληϑωμεν και ἐσμεν. 
0. 2. και avtog περιπατεῖν, cum Vulg. 5. 9. bva τας ἁμαρτίας app. 
7. 2. ayarnrol, οὐκ ἐντολὴν καίνην, cum Vulg. 14. 1. ὁ μη ἀγαπῶν μενεῖ ev τῳ θανατῳ, cum Vulg. 
7. 2. dv nkovoate: παλιν ἐντολην, cum Vulg. 16. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (ev τούτῳ eyve- 
12. 3. εργαψα ὑμιν radia. καμεν THY ἀγαπην, OTL εκεινος.) 
13. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (ὅτε εγνωκατε 16. impressi cum Vulg., τὴν ἀγάπην Tov Θεοῦ, ὅτι. 
tov Ilarepa.) 17. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 5, (ra σπλαγχνα 
13. impressi cum Vulg., drt eyywxate Tov ar’ apyne. αὑτου an’ avrov,) cum Vulg. 
13. vocem ypagw mutandum in epyawa, juxta MSS.8. | 23. 1. iva πιστευωμεν τῳ Yio avtov Ἰησου Χριστῳ. 
23. 2. ουδὲ tov Marepa exer. ὁ ὁμολογων τον Yiov, και 1 33. 2. εντολην jucr, cum Vulg. 
tov ILarepa exer. ὑμεις 6 ἡκουσατε, cum Vulg, | 24. corrigendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (καὶ adroc ev 
27. 1. am’ αὐτου, μενετω ev tui, cum Vulg. αὑτῳ. καὶ evs) cum Vulg. 


xx 


VARL LECTIONES. 


CAP, IV. Ver. MSS. 
Ver. MSS. 5 sanctis Ἐκεῖδυα, tum ante Arianorum 
ὙΠ ἘΠ Ss. empora a S. Cypriano, quem etiam citat 
3. ὡς ἡ ραν εϑωαιδο ΜΒΒ: Βύκαι τοῦτο core Fulgentius, lib. Contra Arianos ad 10 objec- 
6. 1. ev τουτῷ γινώσκομεν τὸ πνευμα, cum Vulg. tiones eorumdem, libro de Unitate Ecclesia 
9. scribondum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (απεσταλκεν ὁ alg po big Et iterum de Patre, 
; et Filio, et Spiritu Sanctu, scriptum est, et 
16. eee τον ex. ut MSS. 6, (και ὁ Θεὸς εν hi tres unum sunt; tum furente passim, et 
aury’ ev τουτῳ,) cum Vulg. devastante omnia Arianorum heresi, a Sanc. 
19. 1. ἡμεις ἀγαπωμεν τον Θεον, ὁτι ὁ Θεος πρωτος, &e., to Athanasio in opusculo, cui prenotatus est 
cum Vulg. titulus, Disputatio cum Ario Nicww habita ; 
his verbis: πρὸς de tovrotg πασιν Ιωαννης 
CAP. V. es. eae οἱ ge Ὡς ἐν εἰσιν, hoc Ἧ: 
reter hec omnia Johannes inquit; et ht 
2. 1. και τας ἐντολας αὐτου ποίωμεν, cum Vulg. tres unum sunt; οἵ sumit hee rh ex. 7. 
6. 1. τις ἐστι de ὁ νικων. non 8. versu, cum expresse agat de Consub- 
6. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8 (αλλ᾽ ev to stantialitate Trium Divinarum Personarum : 
ὕδατι καὶ τῳ aluatt.) idcirco versus integer in Textu Greco relic. 
7. 8. dre τρεῖς εἰσιν of μαρτύρουντες, To πνευμα, και TO tus est, juxta veritatem Lat. Vulg, editionis, 
ὕδωρ και To alua Kat οἱ τρεις εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν. et impressos etiam Codd. Grecos. 
Eu. 13. 2. ταῦτα εγραψα ὑμιν, iva evdyre. 
7. 8. Porro totus septimus versus hujus Capitis desi- | 20. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 7 (iva γινωσκωμεν 
deratur in 8 MSS. Cod. Grecis, scilicet, dru tov AAnSivov" Kat ἐσμεν.) 
τρεις εἰσιν of μαρτυρουντες ev Tw ovpavy, ὁ] 20. 1. τὸν Αληϑινον Θεον" Kat ἐσμεν. 
Tlarnp, καὶ 6 Λογος, καὶ τὸ 'ίἍγιον Πνευμα" | 20. scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 8 (και ἡ Can ἡ ate 
καὶ ol τρεις εἰς To ἑν εἰσι. Sed quia citatur ὠνιίος.) 
JOHANNIS EPIST. II. 
Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. 
7. 3. εἔξηλϑον εἰς τον κοσμον, cum Vulg, 19. 1. ελπιζω yap ελϑειν προς ὑμας, cum Vulg. 
8 3. ἕνα μὴ απολεσητε ἁ εἰργασασθε, αλλα μισθον πλη- 12. 1. ἕνα ἡ xapa ὕμων, cum Vulg. 
φῆ αἀπολαβητε, cum Vulg. 
JOHANNIS EPIST. III. 
Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. 
5 μειζοτεραν ταυτῆς οὐκ. 10. corrigendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 8, (υποὸ 
5. μισθον ποιεις, ὁ eav. μνησω αὐτου Ta,) cum Vulg. 
5. 2. και rovto ξενους, cum Vulg. 12. 3. Kae οιδας drt,cum Vulg. MS. 1, και οἰδαμεν dr 
7. 1. απο των εθνικων. 15. 1. ασπαζου τους αδελφους κατ᾽. 
JUD EPIST. CATHOL. 
Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. 
1. 2. Πατρι ηγαπημενοις, cum Vulg. 15. 1. καὶ εξελεγξαι. 
3. 2. περι τῆς κοινῆς ἡμων σωτηριας. ς 15. 3. rove ἀσεβεις περι παντων, cum Vulg. 
3. ae extu ut MSS. 8 (ry ἁπαξ παρα-[ 18. 9. ex’ ecyarov του Xpovov ελευσονταῖ ἐμπαικταῖ, 
joveton. cum Vulg. 
4. 3. καὶ τς Ae eae kat Κυριον ἥμων Ἰησουν 22,23.1. καὶ οὖς μεν ελεγχετε διακρινομενους, οὗς δὲ σω- 
ρ. Ἑ- - ζετε, ex πυρος ἁρπ., cum Vulg. 
4, 5. καιτον μονον Δεσποτῆν, Θεον, kat Κυριον ju., &e. 23, 2. addunt, οὖς δὲ ελεειτε εν φοβῳ, μισουντες καὶ 
5. 1. εἰδοτας ἁπαξ τουτο, ὁτι. MS. 1, εἰδοτας ἁπαξ 5 Ἵ ΣΝ Vul ΟΡ εχ, 
παντα ὅτι Ἰησους λαον, cum Vulg. g- : 
9. 1. ὅτε Μιχαηλ 6 apyayyehoc τῳ διαβολῳ, cum Vulg.|25- 2: μόνῳ Θεῳ Lurnpe ἥμων δια Ἰησου Xp, Κυριοῦ 
12. scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 8, (συνευωχου- ἥμων δοξα kat, cum Vulg. 
μενοι αφοβως,) cum Vulg. 25. 1. doga και μεγαλοπρεπεια, cum Vulg. 
APOCALYPSIS, 
Ex Collatione Codicum Manuscriptorum iv. antiquorum. 
CAP. I. CAP. IL 
Ver. MSS. Ver. MSS. Ξ ᾿ 
1. 1. non legit verba hee, (καὶ ἁτινα εἰσι, καὶ d χρη | 1. legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (τῷ ἀγγελω τῆς εν 
γενεσθαι μετα ταυτα,} cum Vulg. Ἑφεσῳ εκκλησιας ypayov,) cum Vulg. 
a yee 7. 1. ὁ εστιν ev τῳ παραδεισῳ του Θεου μου, cum Vulg 


ὁ αναγινωσκὼν και akovwy τους, cum Vulg. 
1 


Χχιὶ 


Ver. MSS 
Be De 

15i 9. 

liek 

17. 

QO: rk 

Pa 

Db wks 
Ay oil 
% v1. 
a, aolk 

12. 

1839: 

185 (Qt 

205 1 
35, Ἢ 
4: 2. 
6. 

a et 
GE BL 

10. 

11. 
22 
ee 
6. 

6. 
6. 
7,8. 

10. 

ete 1 
1. 9. 
ΞΡ. ΠΤ 
τ ΡΝ 
“8: 2. 
See: 
Gyo τ: 

11: 

1. «#1. 

1. 
1 0; 
3. 
Hh ΘᾺ 
9. 
17. 
17. 


VARLE LECTIONES. 


ek τῶν λεγοντων Τουδαιους εἰναι, cum Vulg. Ver 
των Νικολαΐτων ὁμοίως" μετανοῆσον ovy, cum} 7, 
Vulg. 
δώσω αὐτῳ Tov μαννα see ae ae cum Vulg. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (6 οὐδεὶς order, | 19, 
et un 6,) cum Vulg. 
aAW exw κατα σου πολὺ, drt, cum Vulg. 13. 
ek τῶν epyov αὐτῶν, cum Vulg. 
axpic ob ανοιξω. 13. 
CAP. III. 
οἱ οὐκ ἐμολυναν, cum Vulg. 4. 
και ουδεις κλεισει" και ὁ κλείων, και ουδεις ανοιξει. 
ὁ ανοιγων, kat ουδεις κλεισει αὐτὴν, εἰ μη ὁ avol-| 5, 
yov" Kat κλείων, καὶ ουδεις ἀνοίξει. 
seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (καὶ γραψω ἐπ᾿) 5, 
αὐτὸν TO ονομα.) 5. 
καὶ μη φανερωθῃ ἡ αἰσχυνη, cum Vulg. 6. 
Kat κολλουριον, iva ἐγχρισῃ τους οφϑαλ. 
τὴν θυραν εἰισελευσομαι προς, cum Vulg. 7. 
CAP. IV. 9 
ὁρασις σμαραγδινων. 10. 
και emt τους θρονους εἰκοσι τεσσαρας πρεσβυτερους, 
cum Vulg. 19. 
scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 3 (ὑαλινη.) iv, 
εχον προσωπον ανθρωπου. igs 
Aeyovrec, ἁγιος, &c. MSS. 2, ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἁγι- 
oc, Kuptoc, cum Vulg. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS, 4 (καὶ βαλουσι 
τους στεφανους.) ile 
scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 4 (ησαν, καὶ ex-| 4, 
τισθησαν.) (6 
CAP. V. 9. 
ev φωνῃ μεγαλῃ. 
ὁ ανοιγων το βιβλιον, και τας ἑπτα. 
seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (και εἰδον ev 1. 
μέσῳ του Opovov.) 
impressi cum Vulg. καὶ εἰδον, καὶ ἰδου ev μεσῳ 2. 
Tov Opovov. 5. 
corrigendum in Tex. mendum, et legendum 8. 
cum MSS. 4 (ὡς ἐσφαγμενον.) 
legendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (exe tov Opovov. 
καὶ 6Te ελαβε το βιβλιον.) 10 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 3 (και βασιλευσου- 1. 
σιν emt τῆς γῆς.) 
καὶ παντα τα εν αὐτοῖς, παντας ἡκουσα. 7 
CAP. VI. 15 
epxov, kat We. Και ἰδου ἵππος Aevkoc. i 
epyou καὶ we. Καὶ εξηλθεν αλλος ἵππος, cum 17 
Vulg. 17. 
epyou και We. Kar ἰδου ἵππος μελας, cum Vulg. ; 
qkovoa Tov TeTapTov ζωου λεγοντος, Epyou καὶ 
we. kat Wov ἵππος. 1 
kat ὁ ἄδης ἡκολουθει αὐτῷ, cum Vulg. 1. 
τας ψυχας Tov ἐσφαγμενων, cum Vulg. a 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (καὶ edo8y av-| —~ 
τοῖς ἑκαστῳ στολὴ λευκη, Kat ἐρῥεϑὴ avTo.c,| 6, 
ἵνα αναπαυσωνταῖι ett χρονον, ἕως οὗ πληρω-] ἢ 
σωσι καὶ ol,) cum Vulg. 7. 
kat εἰδον, dre ἡνοιξε την, cum Vulg. ἃ 
CAP. VII. 8 
βοτίροη σι in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (καὶ μετα τουτο] 45° 
εἰδον. 
μῆτε ert ) devdpov, cum Vulg. 19 
corrigendum in Textu ut legunt MSS. 5 (un : 
αδικησητε.) 
ἕστωτας ενωπίον τοῦ θρονοῦυ. mox, περιβεβλη- 6. 
μενους. 6. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (καὶ φοίνικας ev 
ταις. 8. 
seribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (ποιμαίνει av- 
τους, Kat ὁδηγει avTove.) 
impressi cum Vulg., ποίμανει avtove, καὶ ddnyn-| 1. 
σει avToue. 3. 


xxii 


Rw 


ee 


oR) 


Tee 5 


pat) 


μ 


pon 


CAP. VIII. 


. MSS. 


scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (κατεκαη, καὶ 
To τριτον τῶν δενδρων κατεκαῆ, καὶ Tag χορ 
τος, cum Vulg. 

TO τρίτον αὐτῶν, καὶ TO τρίτον αὐτῶν μὴ φανῃ; ἥ 
ἥμερα, και ἡ νυξ ὁμοιως. 

και εἰδον, καὶ ἡκουσα ἕνος ayyeAov πετομένου, Ae 
γοντος. 

φωνῃ μεγαλῃ, Ova, &c., cum Vulg: 


CAP. IX. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (καὶ eppeby 
avraic.) 
scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 4 (aA? lva 
βασανισθωσι. 


impressi et Vulgata, aA’ iva βασανισωσι. 

ὁταν παισῃ ανϑρωπον. 

corrigendum in Tex. ut MSS. 2, (ζητησουσιν οἱ 
αἀνϑρωποι Tov Savarov,) cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (ἡτοιμασμενοις 
εἰς.) cum Vulg. 

ἁρματων πολλων. 

και κεντρα εν ταις ovpate αὐτων" efovoray ἔχου 
σι, cum Vulg. 

ετι δυο ovat. Kat pera ravra kat ὁ ἕκτος ἀγγελος. 

εν τῳ ποταμῳ, cum Vulg. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 4, (εις τὴν ὧραν, 
και εἰς THY ἥμεραν, καὶ μηνα,) cum Vulg. 


CAP. X. 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4 (και ἡ «pic emt.) 
Bpovrat: και μη αὐτὰ γραψῃς, cum Vulg. 
kat ετελεσϑη TO μυστηριον του Θεου, ὡς ευηγγεῖ- 
σεν τους. 
λεγων avtw, δουναι μοι To βιβλιον, cum Vulg. 
CAP. ΧΙ. 
non legunt illas voces, (και εἱστηκει 6 ayyedoc,) 
cum Vulg. 
exBade εξω, Kal μη αὑτὴν μετρησῃς. 
και εἰτις αὐτους ϑελει αποκτειναῖι, οὑτως JEL αυτον. 
ξασει ἐπι της πλατείας τῆς TOA. 


CAP. XII. 
Ore εβληθη ὁ KaTnyopoc. 
τῆς μαρτυρίας αὐτου, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XIII. 
ἐπι Tacav φυλην, καὶ λαον, καὶ γλωσσαν, Kat, 
cum Vulg. 


scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 4, (καὶ ποιήσῃ ὅσοι 
αν μη Tpockvyyowot TH εἰκονι,) cum Vulg. 

To χάραγμα, TO ονομα του ϑηριου. 

To χαραγμα Tov θηρίου, ἡ Tov ἀριθμον. 


CAP. XIV. 


και εἰδον, Kat ἰδου TO ἀρνίον. 

και μετ’ αὐτου αριθμος ἑκατον. 

scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 4, (ὁπου αν ὑπα- 
yn») cum Vulg. 

kat eldov αγγελον πετόμενον. 

φοβηϑητε tov Κυριον, καὶ δοτε, cum Vulg. 

και προσκυνησατὲ AVTOV τον ποιήσαντα τον ουραν.» 
cum Vulg. 

ἧς πεποτικε TAVTA TA εϑνή. 

και λαμβανει To χαραγμα. 

τῶν ἁγίων ἐστιν, οἱ τηρουντες τας ἐντολας, eum 
Vulg 

εἰς τὴν Anvoy THY μεγαλὴν Tov θυμοῦ Tov. 


CAP. XV. 
τας ἑπτα πληγας εκ Tov vaov, οἱ yoav, cum Vulg. 
scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 4 (λίνον καϑα- 
pov, λαμπρον, Kat.) 
αἱ ἑπτα πληγαι των ἕπτα ἀγγελων, cura Vulg, 


CAP. XVI. 
ὕπαγετε, καὶ exyeate, cum Vulg, 
kat πασα ψυχη απεθανεν. 


VARLE LECTIONES. 


και ὁ τρίτος efexee, cum Vulg. 
Kat εἰς τας πηγας τὼν ὕδατων, cum Vulg. 


scribendum in Textu ut MSS. 4 (καὶ ηκουσα 17. 


Tov θυσιαστηρίου λεγοντος.) 
impressi, καὶ ἤκουσα ex του θυσιαστηρίου, λεγον- 
τος. 
εἰσι yap πνευματα δαιμονίων, cum Vulg. 
μαγεδων. 


Ver MSS. 

gD) 

ἃς, 58. 

ve 

ide 
14.2. 
20: Te 
51.5.1: 


ἐθ 89 


μεγαλη ταλαντιαια. 


CAP. XVII. 


τῶν Topyvav καὶ τῶν βδελυγματων της. 
οἱ κατοικουντὲς τὴν γὴν, cum Vulg. 
και οὐκ ἐστι, καὶ παρεστιν. 

Kat τοῦτο ογδοος ἐστι. 

ἄχρι τελεσθωσιν ol, cum Vulg. 


CAP. XVIII. 


πεπωκασι παντα τὰ εθνη, cum Vulg. 
καὶ διπλωσατε τα διπλα, ὡς Kat αὐτη, καὶ κατα 
Ta epya αὑτῆς. 


βασανισμον Kat πενθος. ὅτι, cum Vulg. 
Kat κλαυσουσι, kat πενϑησουσιν en’ avty ol Bas 
και Tag ὁ ert TOTWY πλεων, και. 


CAP. XIX. 
Kat κεκλῆται τὸ ονομα αὐτου. 


CAP. XX. 
ὃς ἐστι διαβολος Kat Σατανας. 
μετὰ του Χριστου τα χιλια ery. 


CAP. ΧΧΙ. 


ἁ ἐστιν ονοματα τῶν δωδεκα φυλων, cum Vulg, 
scribendum in Tex. ut MSS. 3, (ὁ ἐνδεκατος 
ὑακινθος,) cum Vulg. 


CAP. XXII. 


ποταμον ὕδατος, cum Vulg, 
καὶ παν καταθεμα οὐκ ἔσται ett, cum Vulg. 


Ver. MSS. 
(Oo, δὲ 
Of): 

2. 

13: 9. 
ΡῈ τοὶ 
ἄς Ὁ; 

1 Ὁ; 

20. 
11 
3: ol; 
Fie lis 


καὶ (δου ἐρχομαι ταχυ" μακαριος, cum Vulg. 


ue ean 


τρια 
, fete Eos 7m ht] 
vis Baas Pal ALL 


! 
oer th 
ah a , ἈΝ ΔΝ δ εἸρι κ' ὅτ ὦ 
χαυῦ ΡΨ. ea αἱ Ho Regal ys 
ΣΥΝ ΡΝ ΡΥ 


TERR TR: 


᾿ υ 
Ἢ 
ue 
[ “4 
ἵ ν 
b 4 
δ 


αἴ aM  ὧό ye ete 


yy tire \ 
SVE LAD 
ee 0th ὧν otto 


a 


GENERAL INDEX 


TO THE 


NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


N.B. In principio refers to the observations at the beginning, and in fine to those at the end, of the chapter. 


Ab, one of the supreme officers in the Jewish sanhedrin, 
Matt. xx. 21; xxiii. 9. 

Abba, import of this Syriac word, Mark xiv. 36. In what 
it differs from Abbi, wid. Slaves were not permitted 
to use the term Abba in accosting their masters, Rom. 
viii. 15. 

Abilene, a province of Syria, Luke iii. 1. 

Abrech, Pas, probable conjecture relative to its import, 
Matt. iii., in fine. 

Academics, a sect of Greek philosophers founded by the 
celebrated Plato, Acts xvii. 18. 

Acanthus, or Bear’s-foot, Pliny’s account of the, Matt. 
xxvii. 29; Mark xv. 17. The acanthine crown, which 
the Jews in derision put on the head of our Lord, 
supposed by Michaelis and Bishop Pearce to have been 
formed of this herb, iid. 

Ane hicifolius, some account of this plant, Mark 
xv. 17. 

Accusation of the criminal who was crucified affixed to 
the cross, Matt. xxvii. 37. Exhibition of our Lord’s 
accusation in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, as it was 
oe written by the command of Pilate, ἐδώ. ; 

ohn xix. 19. 

Accuser of the Israelites, an appellation of Satan exceed- 
ingly frequent in rabhiaival writings, Rev. xii. 10. 

Aceldama, a word not of Hebrew, but of Chaldaio-Syriac 
origin, Actsi. 19. Its import, iid. 

Achlus, ayAve, a species of ophthalmia, Acts xiii. 11. 

Acropolis, some account of the, Acts xvii. 15. 

Acts of the Apostles, the first history of the Christian 
Church on record, Preface to the Acts. By whom 
written, iid. General observations on this book of the 
sacred canon, Aets xxviii., in fine. 

Adam, difference of import between TO1N Adam, and 
wis Enosh, Heb. ii. 6. 

Additions to the commonly received Greek text, Luke 
vi. 4; John vi.56; Acts v. 17; x. 25; xi. 3; xvi. 35, 38; 
Heb. xi. 23, 31; Rev. viii. 7. 

Adieu, its derivation and import, Acts xv. 29. 

Adjuration, form of, according to Homer, used in the 
Tatification of the covenant made between the Greeks 
and the Trojans, when the throats of the lambs were 
cut, and their blood poured out, Matt. xxvi. 28. 

Admael, the angel of the earth, according to the rabbins, 
Rew xvi. 5. 

Adonai, *}18%, the Jews always substitute this word for 
Jehovah, 7)", whenever they meet with it in their 
reading of the law and the prophets, 2 Cor. xii. 4; 
Rey. xix. 12. 

Adoption, nature of the act of, so frequent among the 
ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, Rom. viii. 15. 

Adria, an ancient appellation for the Sicilian Sea, Acts 
xxvii. 17, 27. 

Adulteresses, punishment of, among the ancient Germans, 
1 Cor. xi. 2 

Adversary, the Greek word so rendered a forensic term, 
Matt. v. 25. 

1 


4ineas, Homer’s description of the last office performed 
by this Trojan for his friend Pallas, Rom. ix., in fine. 

4Enon, where situated, John iii. 23. 

as of the Gnostics, some accounts of the, Preface to 

ohn. 

Aepa δερειν, to beat the air. Kypke’s observations on the 
three different ways in ΠΕ the combatants in the 
ancient games were said to beat the air, 1 Cor. ix. 26. 

ray ba citation of a passage of great sublimity relative 
to the Supreme Being, 1 Tim. vi. 15. 

Ethiopic Version, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, 


male 

Je erred of @ Quaker in a court of judicature, thoughts 
concerning the, 2 Cor. i., in fine. Form of the affir- 
mation as required by stat. 7 and 8 W. 3., cap. 34. § 1, 
res Hora of it as finally settled by 8 Geo. 2., c. 24, 

, bid. 

Agabus, account of the famine foretold by this prophet, 
Matt. xxiv. 7; Acts xi. 28. Α 

Ἄγαπαι, Lovefeasts, in use of the primitive Church till 
the middle of the fourth century, Jnde 12. Lately re- 
vived among the Moravians and Methodists, ibid. At 
what times originally celebrated, iid. 

Ayaraw, import of this word, John xxi. 15. In what it 
differs from φιλεω, wid. 

Ayarn, definition of this word by the author of a MS, 
lexicon in the late French king’s library, Matt. xxii. 
37; 1 Cor. xiii.1. Of what words supposed to be com- 
pounded, zid. 

Agdistis, an object of idolatrous worship among the an- 
cient Galate, Preface to Galatians. 

Ayeveadoynroc, without descent, in what sense this term is 
applied to Melehizedek, Heb. vii. 3. ‘ 

Aytafw, an important meaning of this word pointed out, 
John xvii. 19. 

ATNQSTQ OEQ, To the Unknown God, remarks upon 
this ancient inscription which St. Paul made the basis 
of his celebrated sermon at Athens, Acts xvii. 23. Ci- 
tations from Lucian, Philostratus, Pausanias, Minutius 
Felix, and Tertullian, in which there is an allusion to 
the ancient heathen custom of dedicating altars to the 
unknown divinity, iid. 

Agony of our Lord in Gethsemane, thoughts concern- 
ing the cause of the, Luke xxii., in fine. - ᾿ 

Αγοραίοι, definition of this word by Hesychius, Acts xvii. 
5. Import of it among the rabbins when written in 
Chaldee characters, iid. ᾿ 

Agree to ask, the original so translated, a beautiful meta- 
phor from a number of musical instruments set to the 
same key, and playing the same tune, Matt. xviii. 19.. 

Awa, a frequent acceptation of this word in classic 
writers pointed out, Acts xvii. 26. Ἷ 

Atov, inquiry into the proper meaning of this term, Matt. 
xxv. 46; 1Cor. x. 11; 2 Cor. iv. 18; Heb. vii. 28, 
Whence derived, according to Aristotle, Matt. vi. 13; 
xxiv. 3; John xvii. 3; Acts iii. 21. 

Aisar, 30°}, its import among the rabbins, Matt. x. 29. 


xxv 


" 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


AISION, one of the six Ephesian characters, Acts xix. 
19. Its import, according to Hesychius, zid. 

Ajaeeb al Makhlookat, description of a beautiful painting 
in this work, Acts ii. 3. 

Alabaster-box, various conjectures concerning the import 
of the Greek word so translated, Mark xiv. 3. 

Alcemaon, remarkable anecdote concerning, Luke vi. 38. 

Alexandria, some account of this celebrated city of Egypt, 
Acts xviii. 24. 

Αλεξικακος, The Dispeller of Evil, an epithet given by the 
ancient inhabitants of Malta to Hercules, Acts xxviii. 6. 

Αλληλουῖα, the Hebrew words 7° 195m hallelu Yah, in 
Greek characters, Rev. xix. 1. Its import, zjid. The 
ελελεὺυ in of the peans a manifest corruption of αλλη- 
Aovia, ibid. 

Allegory, derivation and definition of this word, Gal. iv. 
24. ‘The rabbinical writings full of allegories, ibid. 
Examples from heathen writers, id. Dr. Lowth’s 
account of the three species of allegory to be met with 
in the sacred writings, Gal. iv., in fine. The very in- 
judicious method of allegorizing among Jews and 
Christians has been of great disservice to the cause of 
religion, Gal. iv. 24. 

Almah, 7795; its derivation and import, Matt. i. 23. 
This term, in its most obvious and literal acceptation, 
applicable to the mother of our Lord till she had 
brought forth her first-born Son, Matt. i. 23. The 
house of David could not fail till the almah or virgin 
had both conceived and brought forth her Son, ibid. 
The destruction of the Jewish polity and genealogical 
registers in the apostolic age an irrefragable demon- 
stration that the miraculous conception spoken of by 
the prophet had already taken place, id. This great 
Offspring of Jehovah emphatically named from this 
circumstance, THe Son or GOD, shown to be no other 
than Jesus the Christ, zbid. 

Almsgiving, Pharisaic doctrine of the meritoriousness of, 
Matt. vi. 1. 

Alpha and Omega, import of this phraseology, Rev. i. 8. 

Ἅμαρτια, reference to a great number of passages in the 
Septuagint where NNUNM or NNUN, sin-offering, is so 
translated, 2 Cor. v. 21. 

Apaptwdoc, sinner, a word signifying ὦ heathen through- 
out the gospels, and in some other parts of the New 
Testament, Matt. ix. 10; Mark ii. 16; Luke vii. 37; 
xiii. 4; xv. 1; xxiv. 7; Gal. ii. 15. 

Amen, its import, Matt. vi. 13; John x. 1. Whence de- 
rived according to some, Matt. vi. 13. This response 
considered by the ancient Jews of the highest authority 
and merit, 1 Cor. xiv. 16. The repetition of this word 
among the Jewish writers thought to be of equal im- 
port with the most solemn oath, John iii. 3; xxi. 25. 

Amethyst, account of this precious stone, Rey. xxi. 20. 

Amphipolis, a city of Macedonia, by whom built, and 
why so named, Acts xvii. 1. 

AvarAnpovrat, a very important meaning of this Greek 
word, which is generally overlooked, Matt. xiii. 14. 
Αναστασις, and Ἐξαναστασίς, in what these words proba- 

bly differ in import, Phil. iii. 11. 

ἄναθεμα of the same import with the DIN cherem of the 
rabbins, Rom. ix. 3; 1 Cor. xvi. 22. See Cherem. 

Avnp xpodntne, a Hebraism for προφητῆς, according to 
some, Luke xxiv. 19. A more probable meaning of 
this phrase proposed, and illustrated by several exam- 
ples from sacred and profane writers, aid. 

Avnp διψυχος, the man of two souls, import of this He- 
braism, James i. 8. 

Angari, the messengers or posts among the ancient Per- 
sians, Matt. v.41. Their modern appellation, ibid. 
Angel of death, how represented by the Jews, 1 Cor. xv. 

55. Jewish fables concerning, Heb. ii. 14. 

Angelic ministry, doctrine of, defended, Matt. xviii. 10. 

Angels, strange opinions of the rabbins relative to the 
formation of, Heb. i. 7. 

Anglo-Saxon Version, Introduction to the Gospels and 

cts, p. 20. 

Animals that had been employed for agricultural pur- 
poses not offered in sacrifice by the Hebrews, Greeks, 
Romans, nor Egyptians, Mark xi. 2. 

Annihilation of the wicked, doctrine of the, considered, 
Matt. xxv. 46; xxvi. 24. 

xxvi 


Anointing the head with oil, very frequent among the 
ancient Jews, Luke vii. 46. 

Anointing the sick, a ceremony frequent among the an- 
cient Jews, Mark vi. 13. 

Anointing of owr Lord, Bishop Newcome’s account of 
the, Matt. xxv., in fine. 

Antehieronymian Versions of the Scriptures, some account 
of the, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 19. 

Anthologia, citation of a passage from the, in which the 
hen’s affection for her brood is very beautifully de- 
scribed, Matt. xxiii. 27. 

BoSpegeen ἥμερα, a frequent import of this phrase, 1 Cot 
iv. 3. 


Ανϑρωπος, examples produced in which this word is ap- 
parently used as an expletive, Acts vii. 2. Derivation 
of ne word, according to the best etymologists, 1 Pet. 
111. 4. 

Antichrist, who or what, in the apostolic sense of the 
word, 1 John ii. 18. 

Avrdikoc, rendered adversary, a forensic term, Matt. v.25. 

Antinomianism, a very dangerous heresy, against which 
the Church of Christ should be always on its guard, 
Rom. iii., in fine; 1 Cor. iii. 15; Heb. iii. 1; James v., 
in fine. 

Antioch, a city of Syria, by whom built, and where situ- 
ated, Acts xi. 19. The disciples of our Lord first 
called Christians in this city, Acts xi. 26. 

Antioch in Pisidia, analysis of St. Paul’s sermon at this 
place, Acts xiii. 52. 

Antioch, several cities of this name, Acts xiii. 14. 

Antiochus Epiphanes, account of his defiling the temple, 
John x. 22. 

Antipas, a martyr of the primitive Christian Church, 
very uncertain who, Rev. ii. 13. A work still extant, 
professing to give an account of this man, a most ma- 
nifest forgery, Rev. ii. 13. 

Antipatris, where situated, Acts xxiii. 31. Why so 
named, ibid. Anciently called Capharsaba; and sup- 
posed to be the same with the Capharsalama, or Ca- 
pharsaluma, of the Apocrypha, 2id. 

Antonia, description of the castle of, by Josephus, Acts 
xxi. 31. Built by John Hyrcanus, and was the royal 
residence of the Asmonean pee as long as they 
ΤΟ ΕἸΙα in Jerusalem, ibid. Its original appellation, 
ibid. 

Antoninus, (Marcus) very remarkable saying of this 
Roman emperor, when speaking of Nature, whom he 
addresses as God, Rom. xi. 35. 

Aratup, aunrop, without father, without mother, shown to 
be a Jewish phrase, importing that the name of the 
father or mother was not entered in the public genea- 
logical registers, Heb. vii. 3. 

Aravyaoua, Synonymous with 7Alov φεγγος, according to 
Hesychius, Heb. i. 3. In what ἀπαυγασμα differs in 
import from avyacua, ibid. : 

Adedpwv, rendered draught, what it properly imports, 
Matt. xv. 17. : 

Apion, very fanciful reason given by this ancient gram- 
marian why Homer commenced his Iliad with the 
word μηνιν, Rev. xiii. 18. 7 ; 

Apis, the white bull appointed to be sacrificed to this 
Egyptian idol must be without blemish, John vi. 27. 
Account by Herodotus of the curious mode adopted by 
the Egyptians of ascertaining whether the animal were 
proper for sacrifice, ibzd. 

Apocalypse, see Revelation. i i 

Αποκρισις, inquiry into the import of this term, Luke ii. 47. 

Αποκαϑιστανειν, different acceptations of this word, Acts 
Gs 

Apollonia, a ay of Macedonia, Acts xvii. 1. 

Apollos, remarkable that a Jew should have been so 
named, Acts xviii. 24. How this circumstance may 
be accounted for, ibid. ate , 

Apologies of the primitive Christians, brief account of the, 
2 Tim. iv., in fine. F 

Apology, ancient and modern acceptations of this word, 
Acts xxii. 1; 2 Tim. iv. 16. Ψ 

Apostasy, five degrees of, pointed out, Heb. iii. 12. Ἢ 

Apostasy of the latter times, Bishop Newton’s observations 
on St. Paul’s prophecy concerning the, 1 Trm. iv., ™ 


jine. i 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Apostle, derivation and import of this word, Matt. x. 2; 
Rom. i. 1. Απόστολοι, apostles, and κηρυκες, heralds, 
used synonymously by Herodotus, ibid, Essential to 
the character of an apostle that he had seen and con- 
versed with Christ, 1 Cor. ix. 1; xv. 8, 

Aageale to the emperor, ancient Roman laws respecting, 

cts xxv. 1], 

Appit Forum, a town about 52 miles from Rome, now 
called Cesarilla de S. Maria, Acts xxviii. 15. 

Arabic Versions, short account of the, Introduction to the 
Gospels and Acts, p. 16. 

Arabon, })7y, rendered pledge, inquiry into its import, 
2 Cor. i. 22. 

Araboth, N)17y, the seventh heaven, according to the 
rabbins, 2 Cor. xii. 2. 

Araspes, very remarkable anecdote concerning, related 
by Xenophon, in his Life of Cyrus, Rom. vii. 20. 

Aratus, St. Paul’s citation from the phenomena of, in his 
celebrated sermon at Athens, Acts xvii. 28. 

Archangel, this word not found in the sacred writings in 
the plural number, and why, Jude 9. 

Apyeovar, extensive import of this word in the sacred 
canon, John xiii. 5. 

Archimedes, how this celebrated mathematician destroyed 
the Roman fleet, and thus prolonged for a short time 
the political existence of Syracuse, Acts xxviii. 12. 

Architriclinus, original acceptation of this word, John ii. 
8. What it afterward imported, wid. 

Areopagus, a hill not far from the Acropolis, where the 
supreme court of justice of the Athenians was held, 
one of the most sacred and reputable courts in the 
whole Gentile world, Acts xvii. 19. Poetic fiction 
from which this Athenian court obtained its name, 
wid. Proverbial impartiality of the judges of the Are- 
opagus, hid. Time of their sitting, great solemnity of 
pee deliberations, and their mode of giving decisions, 

id. 

Arianism, probable origin of, Heb. i., in fine. 

Aristides, the author of an Apology for the Christians, 
long since lost, 2 Tim. iv., in fine. 

Ἄριστον, what among the Jews, Luke xi. 37; John xxi. 
12. The legal hour of the apicrov on the Sabbath, ac- 
cording to Josephus, Luke xi. 37. 

Armageddon, the original of this word variously formed, 
and variously translated, Rev. xvi. 16. 

Armenian Version of the New Testament, account of the, 
Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 18. 

Armour, offensive and defensive, of the ancients, particu- 
lar description of the, Eph. vi. 13. 

Arms of the first inhabitants of the earth, as described by 
Lucretius, Eph. vi. 13. 

Aprayyoc, inquiry into the import of this term, Phil. ii. 6. 

Appev, why this appellation was given to the spirit of 
man, James i. 1 a ae an 

Ἄρτεμων, improperly translated mainsail, Acts xxvii. 40. 

As of the “Sine wae Matt. x. 29. 

Asia, different acceptations of this word in ancient and 
modern writers, 1 Pet. i. 1. 

Asiarchs, those to whom the regulation of the public 
games was intrusted, Acts xix. 31. 

Asipairavana, what, Matt. viii. 12. 

AZKION, an Ephesian character or amulet, Acts xix. 19. 
Its import, wid. ' 

Ασπις, the clypeus or shield, account of this species of de- 
fensive armour among the ancients, Eph. vi. 13. 

Ass, speech of, to Balaam, as given in the Targums of 
Jonathan ben Uzziel and Jerusalem, 2 Pet. ii. 16. 

Assarius, the twenty-fourth part of a silver penny, Mark 
xiii. 41 

Assos, a maritime town of Asia Minor, called also Apol- 
lonia, Acts xx. 13. 

Astronomical phenomena very difficult to be accounted 
for upon natural principles, and strong evidences of 
the being and continual agency of God, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Athenagoras, a Christian apologist of the second century, 
whose work is still extant, 2 Tim. iv., in fine. 

Athenodorus, remarkable anecdote concerning, Matt. 
vi. 15. 

Athenians, a people formerly grossly superstitious, Acts 
xvii. 16. Citations from Pausanius and Petronius in 

1 


illustration of this cireumstance, ibid. Passages from 
Demosthenes and Thucydides which concur in the 
Statement of St. Luke that the Athenians spent theit 
ume in nothing else but either to tell or to es some 
new thing, Acts xvii. 21. Foolish notion of the Athe- 
nians that they were self-produced finely ridiculed by 
Lucian, Acts xvii. 26. Observations on the religious 
disposition of the Athenians, Acts xvii., in Sine. 

Athens, a very celebrated city of antiquity, by whom 
founded, Acts xvii. 15. Its ancient appellation, iid. 
On what account it obtained its present name, ibid. 
Now under the power of the Turks, who have turned 
the celebrated Parthenon into a mosque, ibid. 

Atonement or expiation of sin, necessity of, inculcated 
throughout the Mosaic economy, Luke xviii. 13. 

Arrixot, Attics, in what they differed from Αττικισται, 
Atticists, Acts vi. 1. ; 

Attraction, or gravity, thoughts on this astonishing influ- 
ence, which has been lately demonstrated to pervade 
the material universe, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Atush perest, or worshipper of fire, a name given by way 
of derision, in Mohammedan countries, to a Christian 
monk, Matt. ii. 1. 

Avyaoua, see Aravyacua. 

Augustine, a Manichean till the thirty-second year of 
his age, Rom. xiii., in fine. History of his conversion 
to the faith of Christ, wid. 

Augustus, Cohort of, see Cohort. 

Aune, an ancient king of Sweden, remarkable for having 
offered up to Woden his nine sons to obtain the pro- 
longation of his life, Rom. ix., in fine. 

Aurea Legenda, character of this papistical work, 1 Tim. 
iv. 7. 

Aurichaleum, a famous factitious metal of antiquity, 
Rev. i. 15. 

Auricular Confession, such as is prescribed by the Romish 
Church, cannot be supported by the precept of St. 
James relative to confession, James v. 16. 

Aval, 5}, different acceptations of this word, Matt. xi., 
tn fine. 

Avarice, observations on this vice, when covered with 
the veil of religion, Matt. xxi. 12; John vi., in fine. 

Avatars, of the Hindoos, what, Acts xiv. 11. 

Ave Maria, that this salutation was given in a dream or 
vision, as some have stated, highly improbable, 
Luke i. 28. 

Agivn, or common battle-axe, a sort of military weapon 
among the ancients, Eph. vi. 13. 

Azotus of the New Testament the same with the Ashdod 
of the Old, Acts viii. 40. 


Babbler, original acceptation of the Greek word so trans- 
lated, Acts xvii. 18. 

Balnjlonish captivity, enumeration of the classes of per- 
sons who returned from the, according to the Talmud, 
Matt. i. 8. 

Bacchus, young women formerly scourged to death by 
the Spartans and Arcadians, in order to appease the 
wrath of this divinity, Rom. ix., in fine. 

Backbone, singular opinion of the Jews respecting the 
lower joint of the, 1 Cor. xv. 44. Ἢ 
Backsliders, awful condition of, Heb. iii. 12; 2 Pet. i. 9. 
Balaam, the Hebrew word py>a Balaam, and the 
Greek word Νικολαος, Nicolaus, of the same import, 

Introduction to 2 Peter. ’ 

Bale, bishop of Ossory, account of this commentator, 
Preface to the Revelation. § 

Bails, thoughts on their ruinous tendency, Matt. xiv. 12. 

Bumbukholasi, see Hierapolis. 

Band, σπειρα, cohort or regiment, see Acts x. 1. 

Baptism, a rite among the ancient Jews, by which pro- 
selytes were received into the full enjoyment of the 
Jewish privileges, John i. 25._How baptism was ad- 
ministered by the primitive Christians, Matt. iii. 6; 
xxviii. 19; Mark xvi., in fine. Copious extract from 
Dr. Lightfoot relative to the nature and importance 
of baptism, Mark xvi., in fine. Baptism of water not 
superseded by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. This 
clearly proved in the case of the first Gentile converts, 
all of whom had received the Holy Ghost previously 

ΧΧΥΪῚ 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


to their baptism by water, Acts x. 47,48. The itera- 
tion of baptism, after it has been once essentially 
performed, a profanation of this sacred rite, Acts 
xix. 5. 

Baptism of fire, strange trifling of the primitive professors 
of Christianity relative to the import of this phrase, 
Matt. iii. 11. 

Baptismal registers in churches, origin of, Rev. iii. 5. 

Bar, import of this Syriac word, Mark x. 46. 

Barabbas, very remarkable reading in a Vatican manu- 
script relative to the name of this murderer, Matt. 
xxvii. 16. 

Barbarian, Barbarus, Βαρβαρος, what anciently intended 
by this term, Acts xxviii. 2; Rom.i. 14. Its etymo- 
logy, according to Bishop Pearce, wid. 

Barbarous nations, dreadful violence of their irruptions 
into the Roman dominions in the fifth century, as de- 
scribed by Drs. Mosheim and Robertson, Rey. xii. 15. 


Barchochab, an impostor in the reign of Adrian, John 
iv. 29. On what account put to death, iid. 

Barley, considered a very mean fare in the east, John 
vi. 9. This illustrated by a quotation from Plutarch, 
ibid. 

Barnabas, Chrysostom’s conjecture why the Lycaonians 
took this Christian minister for a manifestation of their 
supreme divinity, Acts xiv. 12. 

Bar Naphli, an appellation of the Messiah among the 
rabbins, Acts xv. 16. 

Bartholomew, conjecture concerning the real name of 
this apostle, Matt. x. 4. 

Βασιλεὺς των αἰωνων, import of this remarkable apostoli- 
cal expression, 1 Tim. i. 17. 

Baskets and hay, why carried by the Jews when travel- 
ling in Gentile countries, Matt. xiv. 20. Quotations 
from Sidonius Apollinaris and Juvenal, in which there 
is allusion to this custom, ibid. 

Bastard wheat, what, Matt. xiii. 25. 

Bastinado, short account of the, by J. Antes, Heb. xi., 
in fine. 

Bath, some account of this Hebrew measure of capacity, 
Luke xvi. 6. 

Beating the air, see Apa depew. 

BeBydoc, profane, whence derived, Heb. xii. 16. An 
epithet given by the ancient Greeks to any person or 
thing not consecrated to the gods, ibid. 

Beelzebul, or Beelzebub, import of this word, Matt. x. 25. 
Dr. Lightfoot’s very judicious observations, showing 
in what the horrid blasphemy of the Jews consisted 
wee they gave the name of Beelzebul to our Lord, 
abid. 

Beith, Γ᾽, a frequent acceptation of this word, 2 Cor. 
v. 2. 

Bedoc, a word signifying any kind of military missile, 
Eph. vi. 16. 

Benedictus, Wakefield’s criticism on a remarkable ex- 
pression in the, Luke i. 76. 

Beneficiarii, among the Romans, who, Luke xxii. 5. 

Bequests of lands, &c., to Churches or religious uses ex- 
ceedingly common before the Reformation, Matt. xv. 5. 
A frequent form of these instruments, ibid. 

Berea, a city of Macedonia, near Pella, Acts xvii. 10. 

Berenge-arook, among the Hindoos, what, 1 Cor. vii., 
in fine. 

Berenice, or Bernice, sister of Agrippa, character of, 
Acts xxv. 13. 

Bethesda, why probably so named, John v. 2. 

Beth-lehem, two cities of this name in the Promised Land, 
Matt. ii. 1. Derivation and import of the name, did. 
Appositeness of this appellation to the place of our 
Lord’s birth, izd. 

Bethphage, where situated, and why probably so named 
Matt. xxi. 1. 

Bhargas, Sir William Jones’ remarks upon this Hindoo 
word, John i. 9. 

Bigotry, reflections on the spirit of, which is manifested 
Ee professing Christians, Mark ix. 39; 2 Pet. 
i 


Binding and loosing, a mode of expression frequently 
used by the Jews, Matt. xvi. 19. Its import, ibid. 
Xviii. 18. 

Birthday of a monarch either meant the day on which 

XXVvili 


he was born, or on which he commenced his reign, 
Matt. xiv. 6. 

Bishop, derivation and import of this word, 1 Tim. iii. 2. 
ae qualifications of a Christian bishop, 1 Tim. iii. 


Bishop of Rome, Grenville Sharp’s observations on the 
pretended supremacy of the, Luke ix., im fine. 

Bismillahi Arrahmant Arraheemi, “Yn the name of the 
most merciful and compassionate God,” a sentence 
in very frequent use among the Mohammedans in’ 
matters sacred and profane, Col. iv. 17. 

Bithynia, boundaries of this ancient kingdom of Asia, 
1 Pet. 1.1. Its various appellations, ibid. Now under 
the domination of the Turks, ibid. 

Bituminous Salt, a species of salt generated at the lake 
Asphaltites, easily rendered vapid, Matt. v. 13. 

Black Robes of Christian ministers, thoughts concerning 
the, Matt. xxviii. 3. 

Βλασφημια, Bachem, its import when used in reference 
to God, Matt. ix. 3; xv. 19; John x. 33; Acts vi. 11; 
1 Cor. iv. 12; 2 Tim. iii. 2: when applied to man, iid. 
Among the Jews all who heard a blasphemous speech 
were obliged to rend their clothes, and never to sew 
them up again, Matt. xxvi. 65. 

Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, inquiry into the mean- 
ing of this expression, Matt. xii. 31, 32. Dr. Light- 
foot’s vindication of this phrase and its context from a 
false gloss of some commentators by numerous cita- 
tions from rabbinical writers, Matt. xii. 32. 

Blessing, Jewish form of, before and after meat, Matt. 
xiv. 19; xxvi. 26. The Mohammedan form of, Matt. 
XXvi. 26. 

Blindness, remarkable cure of, by Cheselden, John ix. 32, 

Blood, the eating of, forbidden by the law of Moses, 
Acts xv., in fine. 

Bloody sweat, instance of a, as related by De Thou, Luke 
xxii. 44. 

Blotting out of the book of God, what meant by this phrase, 
Luke x, 20. 

Boanerges, inquiry into the derivation of this word, 
Mark iii. 17. Why, in the opinion of some, this sur- 
name was given to the sons of Zebedee, ibid. 

Board, account of the, borne by the criminal in China, 
to which the accusation is affixed, Matt. xxvii. 37. 

Bohemian Version of the Scriptures, short account of 
the, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 18. 

Boiga, copious extract relative to this serpent from Ce- 
pede’s History of Oviparous Quadrupeds and Ser- 
pents, Matt. x. 16. 

Boldon Book, account of the, Matt. xxi. 34; I Cor. vii., 
in fine. 

Boot abe} a name of the Deity among the Hindoos, Luke 
i. 68. 

Borrowing and lending, Christian precept concerning, 
Matt. v. 42. 

Bosc, (Peter du,) account of this French Protestant di- 
vine, 1 Cor. ii. 3. 

Βοσκεω, in what this word differs in import from ποιμαι- 
vew, John xxi. 15. 

Bottles of the ancients ordinarily made of goat’s skin, 
Matt. ix. 17; Luke v. 37. 

Bounarbachi, a village on the site of which the ancient 
city of Troy is supposed to have stood, Acts xvi. 8. 

Boxing match between Entellus and Dares, Virgil’s 
description of the, 1 Cor. ix. 26. 

Boyd, (H. S.,) observations by this Greek critic on two 
remarkable laws to which the Greek article is univer- 
sally subjected, Eph. vi., im fine. The influence of 
these rules on certain passages in the Septuagint Ver- 
sion, and also in the New Testament, shown to bea 
very powerful auxiliary evidence in favour of an es- 
sential article of the Christian religion, viz., the Divie 
nity of Jesus Christ, ibid. 

Boyle, anecdote relative to his great reverence for the 
name of God, 2 Cor. xii. 4. 

Βραβευτης, the person who awarded the prize to the vic- 
tor in the ancient Grecian games, 1 Cor. ix. 27. 

Brahma, the Hindoo deity in his creative quality, Luke 
i. 68; John i. 14. 

Branches of Supplication, ἱκετηρίας ϑαλλοι, import of this 
phrase as used by Herodian and others, Heb, v. 7. 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Breakung of the bread, essential in the right administra- 
tion of the Lord’s Supper, Matt. xxvi. 26. 

Bride, how long a woman was considered among the 
Jews to be a, after marriage, Matt. ix. 15. 

British and Foreign Bible Society, great extent of its 
operations, Rev. xiv. 6. 

Brute creation, doctrine of the restoration of the, to a 
state of happiness considered, Rom. viii., im fine. The 
sacred canon totally silent upon this subject, id. Se- 
vera! reasons produced to show that this doctrine is not 
destitute of probability, iid. 

Burying in towns, churches, and chapels, observations 
on the great impropriety of, Luke vii. 12. 


Caduceus, the peculiar badge or ensign of the ancient 
heralds, Matt. iii., in fine. The Caduceus, or rod of 
Mercury, evidently borrowed from the Scripture ac- 
count of the rod of Moses, Matt. iii., in fine. 

Cesar, remarkable saying of, respecting his mutinous 
soldiers, Tit. i. 16. 

Casarea Philippi, where situated, Matt. xvi. 13. 115 an- 
cient names, iid. 

Caftans, among the Asiatics, what, Matt. xxii. 11. To 
refuse to accept or wear the caftan deemed the highest 
insult, ibid. 

Caiaphas, the high priest, some account of, Matt. xxvi. 3. 

Caius Caligula, remarkable saying of Tiberius Cesar 
concerning, Luke iii. 1. 

Calendar of the ancient Romans, in which are incorpo- 
rated the festivals, &c., of the present Romish Church, 
Rom. xvi., in fine. 

Calvary, the place of our Lord’s crucifixion, why proba- 
bly so named, Matt. xxvii. 33. 

Camel passing through the eye of a needle, a proverbial 
form of expression among the ancients, Matt. xix. 24. 
Examples produced, ibid. 

Cana of Galilee, its situation, John ii. 1. 

Candace, Bruce’s observations respecting the territory 
under the subjection of this queen, Acts viii. 27. 
Strabo’s account of a queen of the Ethiopians of this 
name who reigned before the commencement of the 
Christian era, wid. Candace a common name of the 
queens of Ethiopia, according to Pliny, ibid. 

Candia, how the island of Crete obtained this appellation, 
Preface to Titus. 

Candles, always lighted by the Jews at the commence- 
ment of their Sabbath, Luke xxiii. 54. Solemn pre- 
cept to this effect, ibid. 

Caoinan, particular description of this funeral solemnity 
of the Irish, Matt. ix. 32. 

Capernaum, situation of this famous city of antiquity, 
Matt. iv. 13; John vi. 17. 

Carabas, Philo’s account of this man’s being invested by 
the inhabitants of Alexandria with the mock ensigns 
of royalty in derision of Agrippa, whom Caligula had 
go tetrarch, Matt. xxvii. 29. 

Carthaginian ambassadors, very humiliating manner of 
their snpplicating the Romans for peace, as related 
by Polybius, Luke vii. 38. 

Castor and Pollux, fable concerning, Acts xxviii. 11. 

Catholic, reason given by C&cumenius why this epithet 
was given to the epistles of James, Peter, John, and 
Jude, Preface to James. A more probable conjecture 
proposed, tid. 

Cauponari bellum, import of this phrase, 2 Cor. ii. 17. 

Cedron, situation of this very small rivulet, John xviii. 1. 

beri has no countenance in the sacred oracles, Heb. 
Xu. 4. 

bite situation of this sea-port, Acts xviii. 18; Rom. 
xvi. 1. 

Census of the Romans, by whom instituted, Luke ii. 3. 
Account of its institution by Dionysius of Halicarnas- 
sus, iid. In what a Roman census consisted, zbid. 
This census probably similar to that made in England 
in the reign of William the Conqueror, did. 

Centaur, the name of a vessel mentioned by Virgil, 
Acts xxviii. 11. 

Centwrion, derivation and import of this word, Matt. 
xxvii. 54; Acts x. 1. 

Certificate, form of the, anni Saxon ancestors, of 
a man’s having purchased his own freedom, with an 

- = 1 


English translation. 1 Cor. vii., rd i Form of the 
certificate of one having purchased the liberty of ano- 
ther, id. Form of the certificate of redemption in 
behalf of one departed, ἡ id. Form of the certificate 
of a manumitted to pe devoted to the service of 
God, ibid. 


Chacham, one of the supreme officers in the Jewish 
sanhedrin, Matt. xx. 21. 

Chalcedon™. account of four species of this semipellucid 
gem, Rev. xxi. 19. 

Χαλκὸς nywv, sounding brass, a figure of speech for a 
trumpet, 1 Cor. xiii. 1. Citations from Homer and 
Virgil in illustration of this sense of the phrase, ibid. 

Chanderaym, account of this Hindoo fast, Matt. ix., in 


ne. 

Chappars, the posts or messengers of the Persian mo- 
narchs, Matt. v.41. Have the royal authority for press- 
ing horses, ships, and even men, to assist them in the 
business in which they are employed, hid. 

Charger, ancient acceptation of this word, Matt. xiv. 8. 

Χαρις, twelve acceptations of this word in the Scriptures 

ointed out, Rom. i. 7. 

Charity, inquiry into the derivation and original accep- 
tation of this term, 1 Cor. xiii. 1. 

Chazan, an officer in the Jewish synagogue, Matt. ix. 18. 

Xeupidec, gawntlets, account of this species of defensive 
armour, Eph. vi. 13. 

he reas among the primitive Christians, what, Acts 
xiv. 23. 

Chel, the wall that separated the court of Israel from the 
court of the Gentiles, Eph. ii. 14. 

Xnpa, translated widow, probably sometimes used as the 
name of an office, 1 Tim. v. 10. 

Cherem, translation of a form of the, from Buxtorf’s Tal- 
mudical Lexicon, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 

Chief priests, among the Jews, who, Matt. ii. 4. 

Child of God, who properly so called, Matt. v. 45. 

Children, among the ὑπὸ frequently employed in pub- 
lie acclamations, Matt. xxi. 16. 

Children of the bridegroom, who, among the Jews, Matt. 
ix 15; 

Chimera, the name of a vessel mentioned by Virgil, Acts 
xxviii. 14. 

Chios, an island famous in antiquity for its extraordinary 
wines, Acts xx. 15. 

Χίτων, Bishop Pearce’s observations on the import of this 
word, Luke vi. 29. In what it differed from the ἐματίον, 
ibid. 

Chonos, see Konos. 

Chopping off the different members of the body seriatim, 
first the feet, then the legs, arms, and head, an ancient 
mode of punishment, still in use among the Chinese, 
Matt. xxiv. 50. 

Chotham, TIN, a frequent sense of this word in rabbi- 
nical writings, Rom. iv. 11. 

Xpeva, Bishop Pearce’s remark on the import of this 
word, Luke x. 42. 

Χρησϑαι Κρητίσμῳ, how these words came to import, to 
deceive, Tit. 1. 11. ᾿ 
Chrestus, mentioned by Suetonius in his life of Claudius, 

very uncertain who, Acts xviii. 2. _ 8 

Christ, of the same import with Messich, Luke ii. 11. 
Should always have the demonstrative article + ance 
Matt. i. 16. The rectilinear ancestors of Jesus the 
Christ among the most illustrious of the human race, 
Matt. i. 1. The commonly received Greek text of 
Matthew, which contains an account of Christ’s gene- 
alogy, most evidently defective, Matt. i. 11. This 
deficiency supplied, and the sacred text rendered per- 
fectly consistent with itself, by means of a very impor- 
tant various reading which is supported by many ma- 
nuscripts, iid. List, in collateral columns, of the three 
times fourteen generations from Abraham to Christ. 
as corrected by these manuscripts, iid. Consideration= 

‘on the best mode of reconciling and explaining the 
accounts of the genealogy of our Lord, as given by 
Matthew and Luke, Luke iii., in fine. The three offices 
of prophet, priest, and king, never united except in the 
person of Christ, Matt. i. 1,16. What probaly gave 
the first idea to the ancient painters of representing 
Christ in the manger, with a glory surrounding his 

ΧΧΙΧ 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


head, Matt. ii. 9. Sturm’s reflections on the place of | Coals of fire, heaping of, upon the head, a metaphor taken 


Christ’s nativity, Matt. ii., in fine. Thoughts on the 
temptation of Christ in the wilderness by a corres- 
pondent, Matt. iv., im fine Reflections on Christ’s last 
journey to Jerusalem, a circumstance narrated by all 
the Evangelists, Matt xxi., in fine. Bishop Newcome’s 
critical remarks on the anointing of Christ as recorded 
by Matthew, Mark, and John, Matt. xxvi., in fine. The 
question whether Christ ate the passover ith his dis- 
ciples before he suffered, largely considered, ibid. In- 
quiry into the Janguage of Christ’s exclamation on the 
eross, as related by Matthew and Mark, Matt. xxvii. 
46. The doctrine of the two natures in Christ, the 
human and the Divine, the only ground on which the 
Scriptures which speak of him, either in the Old or 
New Testament, can be rationally explained, John xii. 
34. Bishop Pearce’s enumeration of the several ap- 
pearances of Christ during the forty days which elapsed 
between his resurrection and ascension, John xxi. 14; 
Acts i. 3. 

Christianity, observations on the manner of its propaga- 
tion, Acts xviii., in fine. 

Christians, remarks on the origin of this appellative of 
the disciples of the Lord, Acts xi., in fine. 

Chronological Tables. Tables extending from A. M. 
3999 to A. D. 100, in which the years of the reigns of 
contemporary kings and rulers are reduced to the years 
of thirteen different eras, to which are added the years 
of the principal ecclesiastical cycles, with other nota- 
tions of time, Tables I. and II. atthe end of Acts. Ta- 
ble of remarkable events from B.C. 6, to A. Ὁ. 100, 
in which the year of the world, the year from the 
building of Rome, and the year before or after the 
birth of Christ of each event, are carefully noted, Ta- 
ble IIL., at the end of Acts. 

Chronus, a divinity of the Carthaginians, to whom they 
sacrificed many of their children, Rom. ix., im fine. 
Horrible mode in which these children were put to 
death, zbid. 

Chrysolite, some account of this precious stone, Rev. 
xxi. 20. 

Chrysoprasus, a variety of the chrysolite, Rev. xxi. 20. 

Chrysostom, extract from his fifth homily, Περι Ακατα- 
Ankrov, (translated by H. 8. Boyd,) concerning the Di- 
vinity of Jesus Christ, Eph. vi., a jine. 

Church, derivation of the word, Matt. xvi., in fine. De- 
finition of the word according to the nineteenth article 
of the Church of England, i4id. What is implied in 
its construction and edification, Acts ix. 31. The cry 
of ‘‘the Church is in danger,” by whom generally 
echoed, Acts xix., in fine. 

Circulation of the blood in the animal system, probably 
not unknown to the great apostle of the Gentiles, Eph. 
iv. 16. Account of some wonderful phenomena in the 
animal system with which the circulation of the blood 
is accompanied, Heb. xi., in fine. Astonishing influ- 
ence which angry or irritating language has on the 
circulation of the blood, James iii. 6. 

a what constituted a, among the Jews, Matt. 
iv. 13. 

Clauda, an island near Crete, now called Gozo, Acts 
XxXxvii. 18. 

Claude’s excellent remarks on the subjects treated of in 
the second chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Luke ii., im fine. 

Cleanthes, citation of a passage from this writer, in his 
hymn to Jupiter, almost in the same words with that 
which St. Paul most probably quoted from the Pheno- 
mena of Aratus in his celebrated sermon at Athens, 
Acts xvii. 28. 

ee of Oxenford, Chaucer's character of the, 1 Tim. 
iii 


Clitophon, remarkable saying of, on having received a let- 
ter from Leucippe, 1 Cor. ix. 22. 

Clothed with a person, import of this Greek phraseology, 
illustrated by citations from Chrysostom, Dionysius 
of Halicarnassus, and Eusebius, Rom. xiii. 14; I Pet. 


v. 5. 
ioud, employed metaphorically by the ancients to de- 
note a great number, Heb. xii. 1. 
Clypeus, see σπις. 
Cnidus, where situated, Acts xxvii. 7. 
XXX 


from smelting metals, Rom. xii. 20. Its import, ibid. 

Cohort, among the Romans, what, Acts x. 1. Account 
of the Italian band or cohort, with an ancient inscrip- 
tion given by Gruter, relative to it, zd. The cohort 
of Augustus mentioned by Suetonius, and its name 
found by Lipsius on an ancient marble, Acts xxvii. 1. 

Colony, SEE Κολωνία, Jewish definition of this term, 
Acts xvi. 12. 

Colosse, or Colassa, where formerly situated, Preface tc 
Colossians. Brief sketch ofits revolutions, iid. The 
ancient city destroyed by an earthquake in the reign 
of Nero, ibid. 

Colossians, Epistle to the, when written, Preface to the 
Epistle. Style of this apostolical letter, ibid. 

Colossus of Rhodes, account of this very celebrated statue 
of antiquity, Acts xxi. 1. 

Columella’s advice to the ploughman respecting the use 
of the goad, Acts ix. 5. 

Coming of Christ, various acceptations of this phrase in 
the sacred writings, Preface to the Second Epistle to 
the Thessalonians. 

Coming in the name of another, import of this phrase as 
used by the rabbins, John v. 43. 

Common swearing, ancient Jews notoriously guilty of, as 
shown by numerous extracts from their own writings, 
Matt. v. 37; James v. 12. 

Compassion, its powerful effect upon the animal system, 
Matt. ix. 36. 

Conclamatio, and Conclamatum est, what the Romans 
meant by these words when employed in their funeral 
solemnities, Matt. ix. 32. 

Condemnation, apostolic doctrine of, John xx. 23. 

Conscience, the question, ‘‘ What is conscience ?” largely 
considered, Heb. xiii., in fine. 

Consolation of Israel, a name among the Jews for the 
Messiah, Luke ii. 25; Acts xiii. 15. Frequently used 
in the form of an oath, Luke ii. 25. 

Constantia, see Salamis. 

Constantine the Great, conversion of, and the amazing 
influence of this event on the whole Roman world, 
Rey. vi. 12-17; xii. 4, &e. 

Conversation, very remarkable, between a white man and 
a negro, Mark x. 50. 

Conversation, derivation and import of the original term 
thus translated, 2 Cor. i. 12. 

Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, in the opinion of Lord 
Lyttleton, an illustrious proof of the truth of Chris- 
tianity, Acts ix. 16. 

Coos, an island of the Grecian archipelago, formerly 
famous for the worship of Esculapius and Juno, and 
for being the birthplace of Hippocrates and Appelles, 
Acts xxi. 1. 

Coptic Version, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, 


Cor, the largest measure of capacity among the Hebrews, 
whether for solids or liquids, Luke xvi. 7. 

Corinth, a celebrated city, formerly the capital of all 
Achaia, or Peloponessus, Acts xviii. 1. Greatly cele- 
brated for its statues of Venus, the Sun, Neptune and 
Amphitrite, Diana, Apollo, Jupiter, Minerva, &c., 
Preface to the first Epistle to the Corinthians. Why 
this city was called by Cicero Totius Lwmen Gracia, 
“ The Eye of all Greece,” ibid. Corinth destroyed by 
the Romans under Mummius, iid. Rebuilt by Julius 
Cesar, and again became an important city, id. Now 
under the domination of the Turks, iid. 

Corinthians, in their pagan condition, excessively disso- 
lute, public prostitution forming a considerable part of 
their religion, and the multiplication of prostitutes 
being a constant subject of prayer to their idols, Pre- 
face to the First Epistle to the Corinthians. 

Corinthians, First Epistle to the, its authenticity demon- 
strated by Dr. Paley, Introduction to the Epistle. Ana- 
lysis of this Epistle, Preface to the Epistle. The thir- 
teenth chapter from an ancient manuscript, (containing 
the first English translation of it known to exist,) 
with all its peculiar orthography, points, and lines, 
1 Cor. xiii. 1. General observations on this apostolic 
letter, 1 Cor. xvi., in fine. Η 

Corinthians, Second Epistle to the, its authenticity de- 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


monstrated by Dr. Paley, Introduction to the Epistle. 
Substance of 1 Dr. Lightfoot’s observations relative to 
the date of this Epistle, id. Dr. Whitby’s remarks 
upon the same point, Preface to the Epistle. General 
analysis of this apostolic letter, ibid. 

Cornelius, remarks on the wonderful circumstances with 
which the conversion of this Roman centurion was 
accompanied, Acts x., in fine. 

Cornelius Gallus, sentiment attributed to, very similar to 
a passage in the Apocalypse, Rev. ix. 6. 

Courts = judicature among the Jews, Dr. Lightfoot’s 
observations on the legal proceedings in the, Matt. v., 
in fine. 

Covenants, inquiry into the practices of the ancier_ts in the 
formation of, Matt. xxvi. 28. 

Cranache’s remarkable reply, when asked why he put no 
wound on either side of his figure of Christ crucified, 
John xix. 34. 

Creare, ‘‘to create,’ several citations produced to show 
that the Romans employed this term when speaking 
of the appointment of magistrates, 1 Pet. ii. 13. 

Creeshna, an incarnation of the Supreme Being, accord- 
ing to the theology of the ancient Hindoos, John i. 11, 
14. Remarkable words of, as related in the Bhagvat 
Geeta, Matt. iii. 15; John i. 11, 14, xii. 26, xv. 5, 7. 

Crete, sketch of the revolutions of this island from its 
first mention in history to the present time, Preface to 
Titus. Homer’s description of its ancient condition, 
ibid. Various names by which it was formerly known, 
tid. Now called Candia, ibid. 

Criminal code published by Joseph II., late emperor of 
Germany, remarkable character of the, Matt. v. 21. 

Criminals punished by the Jews at the times of the pub- 
lic festivals, Matt.xxvi.5. A constant practice among 
the Romans to oblige criminals to bear their cross 
to the place of execution, Matt. xxvii. 32. This illus- 
trated by a quotation from Plutarch, ibid. Raiment 
of the criminals claimed by the executioners both in 
ancient and modern times, Matt. xxvii.34. Criminals 
frequently offered up in sacrifice to the gods, Rom. ix., 
in fine. 

Crown of thorns, the Greek words so translated more pro- 
bably mean the acanthine crown, or crown formed of 
the herb acanthus, Matt. xxvii. 29. 

Crowns worn by the victors in the Olympic, Pythian, 
Nemean, and Isthmian games, of what constructed, 
1 Cor. ix. 25. 

Crucifixion, particular description of this very ancient 
mode of punishment, Matt. xxvii.35. Formerly very 
common among the Syrians, Egyptians, Persians, 
Greeks, Romans, and the ancient Hindoos, iid. Still 
in use among the Chinese, iid. Crucifixion proba- 
bly introduced among the Jews by the Romans, wid. 
Considered the most shameful of all punishments, ibid. 
Citations from Horace, in which there is allusion to 
this punishment, ibid. 

Cup, observations on the denial of the, to the laity by 
the Romanists in their administration of the Eucharist, 
Matt. xxvi. 27; 1 Cor. xi., in fine. 

Cup of trembling, probably an allusion to the ancient me- 
thod of taking off criminals by a cup of poison, Matt. 
xxvi. 39; Heb. ii. 9. 

Cupid and Psyché, an ancient allegory by which mar- 
riage is happily illustrated, Matt. xix. 6. Particular 
description of the very beautiful allegorical repre- 
Sentation of the marriage union on an antique gem 
ceptable the marriage of Cupid and Psyché, Matt. 


xix. 6, 

Curtvus, (M.) history of his devoting himself to death 
for the welfare of the Roman state, Rom. ix., in fine. 
Cutting in tivo, an ancient mode of punishment, men- 
tioned by sacred and profane writers, Matt. xxiv. 50. 
Cutting off the hair, a sign of great distress, and prac- 

tised on the death of near relatives, 1 Cor. xi.5. ο- 
men, when reduced to a state of slavery, had their hair 
eut off, did. 
Cycles, Ecclesiastical, account of some of the most re- 
markable, Preface to Matthew. 
, description of this ancient musical instrument, 
1Cor. xiii.1. Winged cymbal, a periphrastical expres- 


Cyrene, where situated, Actsii.10. When built, accord- 
me to Eusebius, Acts xi. 20. Its present appellation, 


Daily bread, see Extovowov. 

Aaimov, never used by the inspired writers in a good 
sense, Luke iv. 33. “Remarkable passage in Herodo- 
tus in which this term is exible in a similar man- 
ner to that in the New Testament, Luke ix. 39. Dis- 
tinction made by heathen writers between δαίμων and 
Geoc, Acts xvii. 18, 

Damascus, how it could be said to have been under the 

‘overnment of an Arabian king in the time of St. Paul, 
2 Cor. xi. 32. 

Damnameneus, AAMNAMENEYS, one of the six Ephe- 
sian characters, Acts xix. 19. Its import according to 
Hesychius, ibid. 

Damordara, or Darmadévé, the Indian god of virtue, 
Luke i. 68; John i. 14. 

Darkness at the time of owr Lord’s crucifixion, observations 
concerning the, Matt. xxvii. 45, Citations from an- 
cient writers in which it is supposed there is an allu- 
sion to this preternatural darkness, iid. 

David, in what sense those scriptures are to be under- 
stood which state David to have been ὦ man after God’s 
own heart, Acts xiii. 22. 

Day, Jewish division of the, Matt. xxviii. 1. 

Day of judgment, various acceptations of this phrase in 
the sacred canon, Matt. xi. 24. 

Dayspring from the sky, ἀνατολὴ εξ ὕψους, Wakefield’s 
criticism on this remarkable passage in the Benedictus, 
Luke i. 76. A more probable view of this portion of 
holy writ, Rev. vii. 2. 

Deacon, the lowest ecclesiastical officer in the apostolic 
age, Matt. xx. 26. Account of the office of deacon in 
the Romish and English Churches, Acts vi. 4. 

Dead, rabbinical notions relative to the mode in which 
God will raise the, 1 Cor. xv. 52. 

Dead body, binding a, to a living man, (who was obliged 
to carry it about till the contagion from the putrid mass 
took away his life,) a mode of punishment among 
some ancient tyrants, Rom. vii. 24. Citation from 
Virgil, in which this punishment is painted in all its 
horrors, id. Remark of Servius on this passage in 
Virgil, ibid. 

Death, three kinds of, mentioned in the Scriptures, John 
v.25. Thoughts on all mankind having fallen under 
the empire of death through the original transgression, 
Rom. v., in fine. Beautiful personification of death by 
St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv.54. The destruction of death pre- 
dicted by Isaiah and Hosea necessarily implies the re- 
Vivification of all that have ever been subjected to his 
ee hence the doctrine of a GENERAL resurrection, 
1 Cor. xv. 26, 54. How death is usually represented 
in ancient paintings, 1 Cor. xv. 55. 

Death of Christ shown to be an atonement, or expiation, 
for the sins of the world, Rom. iv., in fine. 

Debtors, Insolvent, see Insolvent Debtors. 

Decapolis, where this country was situated, Matt. iv. 25. 
Why so named, ibid. 

Dire a, God, thoughts concerning the nature of the, 

cts zs 

Dedication, feast of the, why instituted, John x. 22. Time 
of its celebration, id. 

Defensive armour of the ancients, particular description 
of the, Eph. vi. 13. 

Aeurvov, supper, the principal meal among the ancient 
Jews, Greeks, and Romans, Luke xi. 37. 

Δεισιδαιμονεστερος, probably used by St. Paul in a good 
sense, Acts xvii., in fine. Its derivation, iid. 

Δεισιδαιμονια, synonymous with φοβοθεια, according to 
Hesychius, Acts xvii., in fine. Definition by Suldas 
to the same import, ibid. This word similarly em- 
ployed by Herodotus and Josephus, i#id. See also Acts 
xxv. 19. ; 

Delaney, copious extract from this writer, respecting the 
unlawfulness of eating blood, Acts xv., τὴ ἤπιε. 

Demoniacs, the plain and obvious meaning of this term, 
Matt. iv. 24. Reason given by Dr. Lightfoot why Ju- 
dea, in our Lord’s time, abounded with demoniacs, 


sion among the Hebrews for the Egyptian sistrum, δά, Matt. viii. 16. 


1 


XXX1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Demonism, notion of some that this was a vulgar error 
current in our Lord’s time and in that of his apostles, 
considered, Matt. viii. 16, xii. 43; Mark ix. 25; Luke 
ix. 1; Acts xix. 12. Silly trifling of some commenta- 
tors on the cases of demonism recorded by the evan- 
gelists, Matt. viii. 34; Mark v. 4, 9; Luke viii. 33; 
Acts viii. 7, xvi. 18. ‘ 

Demons, material, of the Chaldaic philosophy, account of 
the, by Psellus, Luke viii. 31. 

Denarius of the Romans, what, Matt. x. 29, xviii. 28, xx. 
2; Luke x. 35; John vi. 7, xii. 5. ᾿ 

Devil, whence this word is derived, Matt. iv. 24. The 
name of this apostate spirit nearly the same in most 
European languages, ibid. : 

Δίαβολος, Devil, not found in any part of the sacred wri- 
tings in the plural number when speaking of evil spi- 
rits, and why, Matt. iv. 24; Jude 9. Derivation of 
the word, Matt. iv. 24, xiii. 19. This word some- 
times imports a calumniator, talebearer, whisperer, or 
backbiter, Eph. iv. 27; 1 Tim. iii. 11; 2 Tim. in. 3; 
Tit. iii. 3. 

Diana, temple of, at Ephesus, its former magnificence 
and dimensions, Acts xix. 24. Reduced to ashes by 
Erostrates on the same night in which Alexander the 
Great was born, isid. Afterwards rebuilt and adorned, 
ibid. Now a Turkish mosque, ibid. Account of a 
beautiful representation of this temple on a medal en- 
grayed by Montfaucon, iid. Medals of this descrip- 
tion thought by some to be what is meant by the 
silver shrines which Demetrius made for Diana, iid. 
These silver shrines more probably small portable 
representations of the temple of Diana, bought by 
strangers as matters of curiosity, and for purposes of 
devotion, zbid. 

Diana of Ephesus, an ancient object of idolatry widely 
different from Diana the huntress, Acts xix. 27. Ge- 
neral description of the statues of this goddess which 
still remain, ibid. Reasons for believing that, by the 
statue of the great goddess Diana, the pagans intended 
to represent “ Nature full of varied creatures, and mo- 
ther of all things,” aid. 

Διαϑηκη, derivation and import of this word, Preface to 
Matthew, p. 27. Dr. Macknight’s observations, Heb. 
ix., in fine. 

Didrachma, what, Matt. xvii. 24. 

Didymus, import of this name, John xi. 16. 

Dii Majores, among the Greeks and Romans, their num- 
ber and names, Acts xix. 27. 

Dii Manes, customary among the ancient heathens, in 
the time of any plague or public calamity, to sacrifice 
one of the lowest or most execrable of the people to 
these infernal] géds, Rom. ix. 3. 

Dii Minores, among the heathen, who, Acts xix. 27. 

Δικαίοω, seven acceptations of this word in the New Tes- 
tament pointed out, Rom. i. 1% 

Δικαιοσυνὴ, ten acceptations of this word in the New Tes- 
tament, Rom. i. 17. 

Atxacra, why heathen judges were so named, 1 Cor. 
vi. 1. 

Δικη, Diké, Justice, personified by Hesiod, and repre- 
sented as a goddess, Acts xxviii. 4. The ancient Mal- 

« tese seem to have had a similar idea, izd. 

Awoxew, rendered to persecute, a forensic term, Matt. 
ie WUE 

Dionysian period, account of this very celebrated eccle- 
siastical cycle, Preface to Matthew, p. 34. 

Dionysius the Areopagite, saying attributed to this man 
which is supposed to have an allusion to the preterna- 
tural darkness at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion, 
Matt. xxvii. 45. 

Disciple, import of the original word so translated, Matt. 
v. 1, x. 24. 

Discipline, absolute necessity of, in the Christian Church, 
1 Cor. v., in fine. 

Dispositions, four kinds of, as stated in the Midrash Ha- 
naalam, James i. 19. 

Divine inspiration, Dr. Whitby’s observations on the va- 
rious manners in which it was granted to the sacred 
writers, Introduction to the Gospels aa Acts, § I. 

Divinity of Christ demonstrated, Matt. xii.6, H, xv. 30, 
Xviii, 20, xxviii. 18; Luke v. 21, xxii. 43; John i, 1, 

ΧΧΧΙΪ 


ii. 24, iii. 18, v. 8,19, 20,21-Οϑ, xviii.6, xxi.28; Acts 
vii. 59; Rom. ix. 5; Eph. iv. 7; Col. i. 16, 17, iii. 11; 
Tit. ii., in fine; Heb. i. 3, &c., et im fine; 111. 4; 2 Pet. 
i. 1; Rev. v. 13; xxii. 16. 

Divorce, doctrines of the two great schools at Shammai 
and of Hillel respecting, Matt. xix. 3. 

Divorcement, form of a bill of, among the Jews, Matt. v. 
31; 1 Cor. vii. 10. 

Dobe sacred animal among the ancient Egyptians, Rom. 
i. 23. 

Deg eyes on and original import of this term, Acts 
xvi. 4. 

Aoxew, various acceptations of this word, Luke viii 
18; 1 Cor. vii. 40, x. 12. Often an expletive, Luke 
viii. 18. 

Dominus, a title refused by the emperors Augustus and 
Tiberius, Acts xxv. 26. Affected by some of the suc- 
ceeding emperors, ibid. Celebrated saying of Tiberius 
relative to this title, ibid. 

Doob, among the Hindoos a species of small salad, 1 Cor. 
Vii., in fine. Its mystical import when employed in the 
ceremony of the manumission of a slave, ibid. 

Door, metaphorical acceptation of this term among the 
rabbins, Rev. iii. 20. 

Dorcas, import of this name, Acts ix. 36. 

Δωρον, 31717, its different acceptations, Matt. v. 24. 

Aopv or Lance, account of this military weapon of the 
ancient Greeks, Eph. vi. 13. 

Δοσις and Δωρημα, indifferently translated in our version 
gift, distinction between, James i., in fine. 

Δουλεια and Aazpeca explained, see Rom. xii. 1. 

Aovdoc, inquiry into the import of this term, Rom. i. 1, 


vi. 16. 

Doxology of the Lord’s Prayer, rejected by Griesbach, 
Wetstein, and the most eminent Greek critics, Matt. 
vi. 18. Variously writtea in the manuscripts, iid. 
Certainly very ancient, and probably genuine, ibid. 

Drachma of the Greeks of about the same value as the 
Roman denarius, Luke xv. 8. 

Drag-net, the proper meaning of caynvn, Matt. xiii. 47. 

Dragon, when this military standard was introduced 
among the Romans, Rev. xii.2. The standard, and 
me image of the dragon itself, of a purple or redcolour, 
ibid. 

Draught, see Adedpov. 

Drawing nigh to God, a phrase of very frequent occur- 
rence, in the sacred writings, whence it originated, 
Matt. xxvii. 6. 

Dress, Rev. J. Wesley’s remarks on, 1 Tim. ii., im fine. 

Dropsy, why this disorder is so named, Luke xiv. 2. 

Drowning with a great weight hung on the neck, an an- 
cient mode of punishing criminals, Matt. xviii. 6; 
Luke xvii. 2. 

Drusilla, wife of Felix, some account of, Acts xxiv. 24. 

Dust, shaking off the, from the clothes or feet, what this 
symbolical action imported among the ancient Jews, 
Matt. x. 14; Acts xiii. 51. 

Dust, throwing of, into the air, a mark among the an- 
cients of the greatest contempt, Acts xxii. 23. 

Dying daily, citations from Philo, Libanius, and Livy, 
to show that this is an ancient form of speech for con- 
tinual exposure to a violent death, 1 Cor. xv. 31. 


Eagle, fhe, was the Roman ensign, Matt. xxiv 78; Rev. 
xii. 12. 

Ear, consecrated by the ancients to Memory, Matt. 
xvii. 14. 

Earth, notions of the ancients respecting its origin and 
formation, 2 Pet. iii. 5. The earth’s rotation round 
its axis the cause of the regular succession of da and 
night, Heb. xi., in fine. Its spheroidal figure, 2 Pet. 
111. 5: 

East, opinion predominant throughout the, about the 
time of our Lord’s nativity, that some great personage 
would soon make his appearance for the deliverance 
of Israel, and obtain universal empire, Matt. ii. 3. 
Gieaons from Suetonius and Tacitus to this effect, 
thid. 

Easter, Christian, rules by which the time of this move- 
able festival is ascertained, Acts xii. 4. 

East Indian ink, how made, Col, ii. 14. The whole of 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


it readily discharged from the paper by the application 
of a wet sponge, wid. 

Ecclesiastical works, alphabetical list of, referred to in 
the various readings quoted occasionally in these notes, 
with the times in which they are supposed to have been 
aa Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, pp. 25, 

Eyecy, citations from classical writers to show that this 
word, without the negative particle, is synonymous 
with οἱ πλουσιοι, the rich, and vice versa, Matt. xiii. 12. 

Eclipse of the sun by the interposition of the moon, shown 
not to have been the cause of the darkness over the 
land of Judea at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion, 
Matt. xxvii. 45. 

Lr οἰκονομία, definition of, by Dr. Macknight, Eph. 
i. 10. 


Eden, its derivation and import, Luke xxiii. 43. 

Eyyvoc, surety, in what it differs from μεσίτης, mediator, 

eb. vii., in fine. 

Fey, boundaries of this extensive country of Africa, 

ets li. 10. 

Egyptian, Josephus’s account of a commotion occasioned 
by an, in the apostolic age, Acts xxi. 38. Great dis- 
crepancy in the numbers stated by St. Luke and Jose- 
phus to have been assembled on this occasion, how 
accounted for by Dean Aldridge, wid. Another mode 
of solving the difficulty,. id. 

Egyptians, formerly a settled be ief among these people 
that their gods, in the likeness of men or animals, oc- 
casionally descended to the earth, and travelled through 
different provinces, to punish, reward, and protect, 
Acts xiv. 11. 

Ex, Thou art, a word above the door of the ancient tem- 
ple of Delphos, on which Plutarch has written an ex- 
press treatise, 2 Tim. ii. 19. 

EvAkpwvera, and EvAccpwne, derivation and import of 
these words, 2 Cor. i. 12. 

Evpnvn, nine acceptations of this word in the New Tes- 
tament pointed out, Rom. i. 7. 

Εἰς τὸν ovpavoy, a Jewish phrase for εἰς τον Θεον, Luke 
xv. 18. 

Exyew and Exyva, used in the Septuagint in a sacrificial 
sense, Matt. xxvi. 28. 

ExxAnoca, this word, generally translated church, means 
an assembly of any kind, good or bad, lawful or un- 
lawful, Acts xix. 32. 

Ἐλαχίστοτερος, observations on this singular expression 
of St. Paul, Eph. iii. 8. b 

Eleazar, manner in which this Jew of the apostolic age 
is said to have ejected demons, as related by Josephus, 
Acts xix. 14. ᾿ 

Election and Reprobation, unconditional, doctrine of, 
considered, Rom. ix., in fine; 1 Thess. i. 4; Heb. iii. 
10; 1 Pet. i. 2. rnd 

Electorates of the holy Roman empire, period of their in- 
stitution involved in great uncertainty, Rev. xvii. 9. 
Their original number, wid. Brief sketch of the very 
great influence of the sovereigns of these states before 
and at the period of the Reformation, wid. 

Ἔλεγχος, demonstration, logical definition of this word, 
Heb. xi. 1. Aristotle’s definition, ibid. 

Ἐλελευ τη. words with which the pans, or hymns in ho- 
nour of Apollo, commenced and terminated, a manifest 
corruption of the Hebrew 1957 jallelu Yah, Rev. 
xix. 1: 

Ἑλευϑερος, translated freeman, properly imports freedman, 

Cor. vii., in fine. Synonymous with libertus among 
the Romans, ἐτά. 

Ηλικία, its import, Matt. vi. 27. 

Elizabeth, import of this name, Luke i. 60. 

Ἕλληνες, Greeks, very extensive meaning of this word 
among the ancient Jews, Mark vii. 26. In what ‘E/- 
Anvec, differs from Ἕλληνισται, Acts vi. 1. 

Ellipsis, or oval, the figure of every planetary orbit hi- 
therto discovered, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Elymas, inquiry into the import of this name, Acts 
xiii. 8. 

Huepa often has the import of judgment, for which some 
examples are produced, 1 Cor. iv. 3. ‘ 

Emerald, account of this precious stone, Rev. xxi. 19. 

Emperors of Germany, ST revolutions in the kind of 

( 


Vou. I. 


power appertaining to ine, from the ninth to the four- 
teenth century, Rev. xvii. 9. 


Ἐμπλησθηναι sometimes imports to be satisfied, lobe grati- 


fied, and to enjoy, Rom. xv. 24. Citations from AS lian, 
Maximus Tyrius, and Homer, in which this word is 
to be thus understood, ibid. 


Enchus, Eyxve, or spear, form of the, among the ancient 


Greeks, Eph. vi. 13. 

Engrafting, mode of, among the Romans, according to 
Virgil, Rom. xi. 22. 

Engraved stones, sometimes placed over the principal 
gates of cities and fortresses, in ΠΡ πο ποίει coun- 
tries, specifying the date of erection, repairs, &c., and 
containing some religious sentiment or verse from the 
Koran, 2 Tim. ii., in fine. 

Enigma attributed to Lactantius, Matt. xxiii. 33. 

Ensigns, different sorts of, among the ancient Romans, 
Rev. xii. 14. 

Entellus and Dares, Virgil’s account of the boxing match 
between, 1 Cor. ix. 26. 

Envy, beautiful personification of this vice by Ovid, with 
Addison’s elegant and nervous translation, Rom. i. 29. 

Edeoia ypaupata, Ephesian characters, account of these 
amulets by Suidas, Hesychius, and Clemens Alexan- 
drinus, Acts xix. 19. 

Ephesians, very corrupt state of this people in the apos- 
tolic age, Eph. v. 7. 

Ephesians, Epistle to the, demons'rated by Dr. Paley to 
be an authentic letter of St. Pz a, Introduction to the 
Epistle, pp. 421-426. Consid ration of the disputed 
point, whether this apostolica: letter was written to 
the Ephesians or to the Laodiceans, Preface to the 
Epistle, pp. 427-429. 

Ephesus, an ancient city of great celebrity, in which was 
the famous temple of Diana, Acts xviii. 19. Chan- 
dler’s very impressive description of the ancient and 
modern condition of Ephesus, iid. The illustrious 
title of Neocorus said to have been first assumed by this 
city, Acts xix. 35. : 

Ephraim, Ephrem, Ephram, or Ephratha, where situated, 
according to Jerome and Eusebius, John xi. 54. 

Epicureans, a famous sect of ancient philosophers, Acts 
xvii. 18. Brief sketch of their doctrines, wid. Why 
so named, ibid. 

Epicurus, a celebrated Greek philosopher, when and 
where born, Acts xvii. 18. 

Epimenides, an ancient Greek poet, a hexameter line 
from whom is cited by St. Paul, Tit.i. 12. Reputed 
a prophet by the Cretans, iid, Citations to this effect 
from Plato, Diogenes Laertes, and Cicero, iid. 

Ἑπιουσιον, a word which has greatly perplexed critics 
and commentators, Matt. vi. 11. Origen’s conjecture 
concerning its origin, zid. The interpretation of 
this word given by Theophylact the most probable 
of any, ibid. Wakefield’s conjecture, δά. ‘To what 
custom this word has probably an allusion, according 
to Harmer, tid. 

Ἐπίσκοπος, bishop, its derivation, Acts i. 20. What the 
office of ἐπίσκοπος was in the primitive Christian 
Church, ibid. 

Ἐπιϑύυμεω, in what sense used by our Lord, Matt. v. 28.. 

Ἐπίτροπος, various acceptations of this word, Luke viii: 
3. What meant by this word in the rabbinical wri- 
tings, when written in Chaldaic characters, iid. 


Equal areas in equal times, description of, a law to which 
every primary and secondary planet in the solar sys- 
tem is subjected, and probably every other body in the 
whole material universe, Heb. xi., in fine. This law 
the necessary consequence ofa universal and continu- 
ally operating influence diffused throughout nature, 
which philosophers term gravity or attraction, wid. 

Equinumeral verses of Leonidas of Alexandria, three 
curious examples from this poet, Rey. xiii. 18, Ac- 
count given by Aulus Gellius, of equinumeral verses 
in the Niad and Odyssey, iid. 

Eras of the world, short account of the Usherian, Alex- 
andrian, Antiochian, and Constantinopolitan, Preface 
to Matthew, p. 4. ᾿ : 

Eso, an object of idolatrous worship among the ancient 
Gauls, to whom human victims were offered, Rom. ix., 
in fine. Ἧ 

xxxill 1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Ἐσοπτρου ev αἰνίγμασι, inquiry into the import of this 
remarkable expression of St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Espousal, the, among the Jews, though the marriage had 
not been consummated, considered as binding on both 
sides, Matt. i. 18. A breach of this contract deemed a 
case of adultery, and punished as such, ibid. The 
contract could only be legally dissolved by a regular 
divorce, tid. 

Essenes, some account of this Jewish sect, Matt. xix. 12. 

Eternal filiation of the Son of God, remarks on the doc- 
trine of the, Luke i. 35; Acts xiii. 33; Heb. i., in fine. 

Eternity of rewards and punishments, in_a future state, 
shown to be a doctrine of Scripture, Matt. xxv. 46; 
xxvi. 24; Mark ix. 48-50; John iii. 36; 2 Thess. i. 9. 

eee beautiful saying of Plutarch relative to, 2 Pet. 
iii. 8. 

Ἐθελω, in what sense this verb is frequently used in the 
Septuagint, Matt. xxvii. 43. 

Eucharist, observations on the institution of the, Matt. 
xxvi. 26. Harmonized view of the account given 
of this ordinance in three gospels and one epistle, ibid. 

Hvayyedov, Gospel, shown to signify the reward which 
the bringer of good tidings is entitled to receive, Pre- 
face to Matthew, pp. 30,31. Other acceptations of 
this term, Preface to Matthew, p. 31. 

Evepyeota, Dr. Macknight’s observations on the meaning 
of this word, 1 Tim. vi. 2. 

Euphorbus, death of, as related in the Iliad, cited to show 
how the ancient Greeks plaited and adorned their hair, 
1 Tim. ii. 9. 

Euripides, extract from the Alcestis of, very similar to a 
saying of St. Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 8. 

Ewroclydon, in the opinion of Dr. Shaw, one of those 
tempestuous winds now called levanters, Acts xxvii. 
14. Derivation of the word, iid. 

Ewer and ever, ἃ very happy rendering of εἰς τοὺς atwvac, 
Matt. vi. 13. 

Evermore, import of this term, Matt. vi. 13. 

Evil, thoughts on the origin of, Matt. xiii. 36. Reflec- 
tions on the mysterious permission of this principle in 
the world for so many ages, wid. 

Evil communications corrupt good manners, a saying of 
St. Paul which, it is generally supposed, he cited from 
Menander’s lost comedy of Thais, 1 Cor. xv.33. Quo- 
tations from /Eschylus, Diodorus Siculus, and The- 
ognis, of similar import, <id. 

Ewnuchs, various kinds of, Matt. xix. 12. 

Ἑξαναστασις, in what this word probably differs in import 
from avacracic, Phil. iii. 11. 

Excommunication, description of the three kinds of, 
among the Jews, the niddui, 11), the cherem, ON; 
and the shammatha, snw, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 

Exorcisms very frequent in the primitive Church, Acts 
xix. 17. The name of Jesus was that alone used in 
the adjuration, ibid. The adjuration commonly made 
over the catechumens before they were admitted to 
baptism, zbid. 

Exorcists among the Jews adjured by the name of Solo- 
mon, according to Josephus, Acts xix. 14. Exorcists 
a distinct class in the primitive Christian Church, 
Acts xix. 17. 

Efovara, a what this word differs in import from δυναμις, 
Acts'i. 8. 

Ἐξουθενήμενος, why this epithet was given to the lowest 
bench of justice among the Jews, 1 Cor. vi. 4. 

Extreme Unction of the Romish Church shown to be 
widely different from the anointing mentioned by St. 
James, James v. 14. 


Fables of the ancients, reasons for believing that some 
of these have arisen out of the names of ships, Acts 
xxviii. 11. 

Faith, the crace by which it is produced, and the acr of, 
demonstrated to be essentially distinct things, without 
the harmonious union of which no man ever was or 
ever can be saved, Eph. ii. 8. 

Faith, hope, and love, observations on, in reference to a 
future world, 1 Cor. xiii., in fine. 


Faithfulness of God, a favourite expression among the 


the rabbins in illustration of this attribute of the Divine 
nature, iid. 

Falarica, see Phalarica. 

Fall, metaphorical import of this term, Rom. v., im fine. 

Falling stars have been deemed by the common people 
an omen of evil times, Matt. xxiv. 29. Examples pro- 
duced, ibid. 

False Christs, some account of the, who appeared before 
the destruction of the Jewish polity by the Romans, 
Matt. xxiy. 5. 

Famines, account of four, in the reign of Claudius the 
Roman emperor, Acts xi. 28. 

Farewell, an old English form of expressing good wishes 
ae good will, Acts xv. 29. Derivation of the word, 
bid. 

Farthing, a corruption of fourthing, Luke xxi. 2. Why 
so named, ibid. 

Fasting, general observations on, Matt. ix., in fine. 
Considered by the Mohammedans as an essential part 
of piety, iid. 

Fasts of the Pharisees, many of them very supersti- 
tious, Matt. ix. 14. Particular description of the 
twelve kinds of fasts among the Hindoos, Matt. ix., 
in fine. 

Father, curious note in a Bible published by Edmund 
Becke, relative to the title of father given to the pope, 
Matt. xxiii., in fine. The four things which, among 
the ancient Jews, every father was bound to do for his 
son, Mark vi. 3. He who acted a kind, instructing, 
and indulgent part to another, was styled the father of 
such a one, Rom. xvi. 13. This sense of the word 
illustrated by a citation from Terence, ibid.; 1 Cor. 
iv. 15. 

Fearful portents that immediately preceded the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem by the Romans, Mait. xxiv. 7. 

Feasts of Charity, in the primitive Christian Church, see 
Ayarat. 

Felix, account of this Roman governor by Tacitus and 
Suetonius, Acts xxiii. 24. 

Female dancers, the people of the East from time imme- 
morial very extravagant in their testimony of respect 
to, Mark vi. 23. A remarkable example produced, iid. 

Feudal system, brief sketch of the, as it prevailed in Eu- 
rope, before the Reformation, Rev. xvii. 9. 

Final perseverance of the saints, doctrine of the, consi- 
dered, John x. 28; Acts ii. 47, xi. 23; 1 Cor. x. 12; 
Heb. iii. 7, vi. 6. 

First Cause, general definition of the Great, John iv. 24. 

Flesh and blood, a Hebrew periphrasis for man in his 
present state of infirmity and decay, Matt. xvi. 17; 
1 Cor. xv. 50; Gal. i. 16; Eph. vi. 12. 

Flux and refluz of the ocean, phenomena and cause of 
the, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Fool, the original word so rendered, implied the highest 
enormity and most aggravated guilt, Matt. v.22. How 
such an expression, opprobriously applied, was pu- 
nished among the Gentoos, ibid. 

Forehead consecrated by the ancients to Genius, Matt. 
xvii. 14. 

Foreknowledge of God, observations on the, Acts ii., in fine. 

Form of doctrine, the original words so rendered a figu- 
rative expression taken from the melting of metals. 
Rom. vi. 17. 

Form of God, μορφη Θεου, substance of Dr. Whitby’s ob- 
servations on this remarkable expression of St. Paul, 
Phil. ii. 6. 

Forms of government of the ancient Latins and Romans, 
enumeration of the, in their chronological order, Rev. 
xii. 3, xiii. 1, xvii. 10. 

Foul, whence this word is probably derived, John iii. 20. 

Four which have principality in this world, according 
to the rabbins, Rev. iv. 8. 

Franks, a general appellation in Asiatic countries for 
the inhabitants of Europe, Acts xi. 20. 

Free agency of man demonstrated, Eph. ii. 8; Phil. ii. 18. 

Friend, Aristotle’s very remarkable definition of a, Acts 
iv. 32. 

Friend of the bridegroom, or paranymph, observations on 
the office of the, John iii., 7m fine. 


ancient Jews, 1 Cor. i.9. Two anecdotes related by | Friendship, remarkable instances of, John xv. 13. 


XXXIV 


Cx) 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Frivolous questions, and the answers given to them, by 
the wisest and most reputable of the Jewish rabbins, 
Tit iii. 9. 

Ful, whence this Saxon word is probably derived, John 


iii. 20. 

Funeral banquets to commemorate the dead, and comfort 
the surviving relatives, common among the ancients, 
Matt. ix. 32. 

Fur, how this Latin word has been applied by the ancient 
Romans, Tit. ii. 10. 


Gadarenes, see Gergasenes. 

Gaius, the Greek mode of writing the Roman name 
Caius, 3 John 1. 

Galate or Galatians, the tribes into which these people 
were divided, with the number of their tetrarchies and 
cantons, according to Strabo and Pliny, Preface to Ga- 
latians. Religion and personal appearance of the an- 
cient Galate, iid. 

Galatia, where situated, and why so named, Preface to 
Galatians. When reduced into the form of a Roman 
colony, iid. Boundaries of Galatia, id. Under the 
Christian emperors divided into two provinces, Galatia 
Prima, and Galatia Secunda, iid. 

Galatians, authenticity of the Epistle to the, ably vindi- 
cated by Dr. Paley, Introduction to the Epistle. In- 

uiry into the date of this epistle, Preface to the Epistle. 
Se of the arguments employed in this apostolic 
letter to prove the truth of the ἐπ πε religion, ibid. 
Observations on the great similarity between St. Paul’s 
Epistle to the Galatians and his Epistle to the Romans, 
Gal. vi., in fine. 

Galilee, its boundaries, Matt. iv. 3. Singular tradition 
among the ancient Jews that the Messiah should begin 
his ministry in this country, Matt. iv. 15. 

Galilee, sea of, or lake of Tiberias, Jewish tradition 
qoanye to the right of fishing in this water, Matt. 
iv. 18. Ε 

Gall of bitterness, import of this Hebraism, Acts viii. 23. 

Gallio, some account of this Roman deputy or proconsul, 
Acts xviii. 12. A passage in the life of this man ge- 
nerally misunderstood, Acts xviii. 17. 

Gamaliel, some account of this very celebrated doctor of 
the law among the Pharisees, Acts v. 34. 

Gaoler, among the Romans, responsible for his prisoner, 
under the same penalty to which the prisoner himself 
was exposed, Acts xvi. 27. 

Garment, some account of the rough, of the ancient pro- 
phets, Heb. xi. 37. 

Gate, its metaphorical acceptation among the Jews, Matt. 
viii. 14. 

Gates of hell or of Hades, import of this figurative expres- 
sion, Matt. xvi. 18. 

Gaza, why so named, and where situated, Acts viii. 26. 

Γῃ, aterm by which the land of Judea is not unfrequently 
expressed, Luke ii. 1; Rev. ix. 7. 

Gemarists, citation of very remarkable passages from the, 
in which open confession is made that the birth of the 
Messiah had taken place long before their times, Matt. 
ii. 5. 

Gemonie Scale, a place at Rome where criminals were 
executed, Matt. xxvii. 33. 

fevea, a general acceptation of this word in the evangel- 
ists, Matt. xi. 16, xii. 39, xxiii. 36, xxiv. 34; Mark 
xiii. 30. 

Γυνεαλογητος, he whose stock and descent is entered on 
record, Heb. vii. 3. 

Genealogical tables of the Jews, thoughts on their total 
destruction in the apostolic age, 1 Tim. i. 4. 

Genealogy of our ΠΣ ΣᾺ considerations on the best mode 
of reconciling and explaining the, as given by St. Mat- 
thew and St. Luke, chiefly extracted from the Prole- 
gomena of the Rev. Dr. Barrett’s fac-simile of a frag- 
ment of the Gospel of St. Matthew, from a manuscript 
in Tuinity college, Dublin, Luke iii., in fine. 

General council, authority of a, declared at the synods of 
Constance and Basil to be superior to that of the pope, 
Rev. xvii. 9. 

Gennesaret, where this country was situated, Mark vii. 59, 
Why possibly so named, ibid. 

Gennesaret, lake of, its length and breadth, according to 
Josephus, Luke vy, 1. 

1 


Gentile world, reflections on the dreadful state of the, as 
described by St. Paul, Rom. i., in fine. 

Gentiles, citation from Virgil to show that in their 
sacrifices they fed on the slain beasts, and ate and 
drank in honour of the gods, 1 Cor. x. 21. General 
observations on the calling of the Gentiles, Rom. xvi., 
in fine. 

George IIT., tribute of praise to the character and con- 
duct of this British king, Rom. xiii. 1. 

Gergasenes, Gergesenes, Gerasenes, Gadarenes, Gergesians, 
or Gersedonians, who, Matt. viii. 28. 

Germany, very singular constitution of the late empire 
of, Rev. xvii. 9. 

Teppwv, or Teppa, the gerron, a species of shield first used 
by the Persians, Eph. vi. 13. 

Gethsemane, a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, 
Matt, xxvi. 36. Conjecture concerning the derivation 
of the name, iid. 

Ghost, to Give up the, an act properly attributable to Jesus 
Christ alone, Matt. xxvi. 50. 

Gifts of the Holy Ghost, Dr. Lightfoot’s remarks on these 
being thrice summed up by the apostle in his First 
Epistle to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. xii., in fine. 

Gifts from Jove not to be despised, a aoa expression 
among the heathens, 1 Tim. iv. 4. 

Girding up of the loins, what meant by this phrase among 
the ancients, 1 Pet. i. 13. 

Gleucus, TAevkoc, what, according to Hesychius and 
Suidas, Acts ii. 13. 

Τλωσσοκομον, import of this word, as given by Pollux, in 
his Onomasticon, John xii. 6. What the Talmudists 
meant by this word, when written in Chaldaic charae- 
ters, wid. 

Glories, round the heads of Chinese, Hindoo, and Chris- 
tian saints, real or supposed, what intended to import, 
Acts ii. 3. 

Glory, poven degrees of, according to the rabbins, 1 Cor. 
xv. 42. 

Gnostic theology, some account of the, Preface to the 
Gospel of John; Preface to the First Episile of John. 
Goatherds represented by Homer as being so well ac- 
quainted with their own flocks, as easily to distinguish 

them, though intermixed with others, John x. 14. 

God, proofs 4 priori and 4@ posteriori, of the being of a, 
Heb. xi., in fine. A notion prevalent among the ancient 
Jews and heathens, that if any man saw God, or his 
representative angel, he must surely die, Luke v. 8. 

God of this world, exceedingly likely that by this expres- 
sion St. Paul means the TruE God, 2 Cor. iv. 4. Ire- 
neus, Tertullian, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Photius, 
Theophylact, and Augustine, entertained this opinion, 
ibid. 

Gods, occasional appearing of, in the sumilitude of men, or 
animals, a notion entertained by the heathens, Acts 
xiv. 11, 15. Citations from Homer and Ovid to this 
effect, ibid. 

Gods, carrying of the, to battle, cuswumary among most 
nations, Acts vii. 43. 

Gog, various conjectures concerning the person or peo- 
ple intended by this name, Rev. xx. 8. 

Going to law, observations on this practice of some pro- 
fessing Christianity, Matt. v. 40; 1 Cor. vi., passim. 
Gold, observations on the curious properties of, 1 Pet. i., 
in fine. Saying of a Scottish poet respecting the bale- 

ful effects of the love of gold, 1 Tim. v., in fine. 

Gold coin, of the Great Mogul Shah Jean very circum- 
stantially described, 2 Tim. ii., in fine. 

Golden Bull of Charles IV., emperor of Germany, cita- 
tion of a very remarkable passage from the, Rev. 
xiii. 6. 

Golden chain of Jupiter, beautiful fable of the, with its 
most excellent moral, John xii. 32. 

Golden chain of justice among the ancients, what, John 
xii. 32. Description of one belonging to Jehengeer 
Nameh, ibid. eh 

Golgotha, the place of our Lord’s crucifixion, why pro- 
bably so named, Matt. xxvii. 32. The same with 
Calvary, ibid. Not unlikely that this was the place of 
public execution near Jerusalem similar to the Gemo- 
niz Scale at Rome, iid. 

Good news, when unexpected, its general effect upon the 
animal system, Matt. xxviii. 8, 

XXXV 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Gospel, inquiry into the derivation and import of this 
word, Preface to Matthew. Dr. Whitby’s enumera- 
tion of the particulars in which the superiority of the 
Gospel dispensation over the law consists, 2 Cor. iii., 
an fine. 5 

Gospel of the Infancy, character of this apocryphal work, 
Matt. ii. 13. 

Gospels, harmonized Tables of Contents of the, by Dr. 
Marsh, John xxi., in fine. 

Gothic Version of the New Testament, some account of 
the, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts. 

Grace, see Xaptc. 

Grace before and after meat, see Blessing. 

Grain of wheat, death of the, what implied by this phrase, 
John xii. 94. A most philosophical verity beautifully 
illustrative of the resurrection of the body, aid. ; 1 
Cor. xv. 36. 

Great fish that swallowed up Jonah, strange trifling of 
ancient and modern commentators relative to this sub- 
ject, Matt. xii. 40. 

Gravitation, remarks on this wonderful influence which 
is diffused throughout the material universe, Heb. xi., 
in fine. Two remarkable laws that necessarily result 
from this all-pervading and continued energy, and 
from which its existence has been demonstrated, ibid. 

Grecian armies, customary with the, before engage- 
ment to offer prayers to the gods for their success, Eph. 
vi. 18. 

Grecian games of antiquity, general observations on the, 
1 Cor. ix., in fine. 

Greece, why the Roman deputy in this country was 
named the proconsul of Achaia, Acts xviii. 12. 

Greek article, H. S. Boyd’s observations on a very re- 
markable rule to which it is universally subjected, 
Eph. vi., ix fine. This rule illustrated by a vast va- 
riety of citations from the New Testament; and also 
from Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzen, Basil, Lucian, 
Xenophon, Adschylus, Heliodorus, Methodius, Justin 
Martyr, Sophocles, Eusebius, Theodoret, Irenzus, 
Ignatius, and Cantacuzen, ibid. Remarks by the same 
Greek critic on another law to which this article is 
subjected, Heb. i., a fine. This rule illustrated by 
several examples, zbid. 

Greeks, this appellative not unfrequently synonymous 
with Gentile, Acts xi., 20. 

Gregory, (Josiah) remarkable saying of this illiterate 
collier of Somersetshire, 1 Cor. xiii. 1. 

Gregory VII, (surnamed Hildebrand,) ambitious charac- 
ter of this pontiff, Rev. xiii. 15. 

Guardian angels, opinions of the Jews and Romanists 
concerning, Acts xii. 15. 

Τύυμνος, naked, often signifies the absence of the upper 
garment only, John xxi. 7. Some examples produced, 
wid. 


Hades, whence derived, and its import, Matt. xi. 23; 
Acts ii. 27. 

Hades, beautiful personification of, 1 Cor. xv. 55. 

Hadley’s Hindostan Dialogues, citation from, in illustra- 
tion of our Lord’s parable of the unjust steward, Luke 
xvi. 7. 

Hagiographa, what books of Holy Writ were known 
among the Jews by this name, Luke xxiv. 44. 

Hail of God, import of this Hebraism, Luke vi. 12. 

Hair of the ancient Grecian and Roman women often 
erisped and curled in the most variegated and complex 
manner, 1 Tim. ii. 9; 1 Pet. iii. 3. 

Happy man, Virgil’s definition of a, Matt. v. 3. 

Huppy are the dead, a proverb of frequent occurrence in 
the Greek and Roman poets, Rev. xiv. 13. Two ex- 
amples produced, aid. 

Harmosyni, a sort of magistrates among the Lacedzemo- 
nians, 2 Cor. xi.2. The nature of their employment, 

2a. 

Hastati, who, among the Romans, Matt. viii. 9. 

Hatem Tai Nameh, very instructive anecdote from the, 
1 Thess. iv. 12. 

Heads of married and single women, how distinguished 
in monuments of antiquity, 1 Pet. iii. 3. 

Health, description of, by Maximus Tyrius, Heb. iv. 2. 

Heathen, state of the, who have no opportunity of know- 

XXXVI 


ing how to escape from their corruption and misery, 
Rom. v., 7 fine. 

Heathenism, brief sketch of the rapid decline of, in the 
Roman world, in the fourth century, Rev. xii. 9. 

Heathen names, great impropriety of the use of, in Chris- 
tian countries, Acts xxviii. 11. 

Heathens, when about to perform some very sacred rites, 
were accustomed to command the irreligious to keep 
at a distance, 1 Tim. i. 9. Citations from Orpheus 
and Virgil in illustration of this circumstance, ibid. 

Heavens, seven in number, according to the rabbins, 2 
Cor. xii. 2. Their names, ibid. The number of hea- 
vens that can be legitimately deduced from the sacred 
records are only three, ibid. Their names, ibid. 

Hebrew Scriptures, how divided by the ancient Jews. 
Matt. xvii. 9; Luke xxiv. 44. 

Hebrews, Epistle to the, Dr. Lardner’s inquiry to whom 
it was written; in what language, by whom, and the 
time and place of writing it, Introduction to the Epis- 
tle. Mr. Thomas Oliver’s observations relative to the 
occasion and design of this epistle, ibid. This letter 
by far the most important and useful of all the apos- 
tolie writings, Preface to Hebrews. General plan and 
analysis of this epistle, 2bid. 

Hebron, where situated, Luke i. 39. 

Hell, whence derived, and what it now imports, Matt. xi. 
23. This place or state of torment as describéd by two 
of our greatest poets, Matt. viii. 12. 

Hellenists, who, Acts vi. 1, xi. 20. 

Hen, citation from the Anthologia, ir. which the strong 
affection of this animal for her brood is very beauti- 
fully deseribed, Matt. xxiii. 37. 

Henry IV., remarkable passage in the life of this empe- 
ror of Germany, Rev. xiii. 15. 

Herald, copious disquisition concerning the office of, 
among the ancients, Matt. iii., in fine. Various con- 
jectures respecting the derivation of the word, ibid. 
she herald acts an important part in all heroic history, 

id. 

Herbert, advice of, respecting the spirit in which reli- 
gious disputation should be always conducted, Rom. 
Xv., in fine. ; James iii. 14, 

Hercules, worshipped by the ancient Maltese, to whom 
they gave the epithet of ἀλεξικακος, Acts xxviii. 6. 
Heresy, ancient and modern acceptations of this word, 

Acts v. 17, xxiv. 5, 14. 

Hermes, his very reverential epithets of the Supreme 
Governor of heaven and earth, 2 Cor. xii. 4. 

Herod Agrippa, very tragical end of, as related by St. 
Luke and Josephus, Acts xii. 21. 

Herodians, account of this Jewish sect, Matt. xvi. 1. 

Herodotus, citation of a very remarkable passage of this 
author respecting demonism, Luke ix. 39. 

Herods, list of the family of the, with their genealogy, 
Matt. ii. 1. 

Hiceteria, a branch of olive, rolled round with wool, 
which suppliants were accustomed to deposit in some 
place, or to carry in their hands, Heb. v. 7. 

Mera picra, Ἵερα πίκρα, some account of this modern 
quack medicine, Eph. iv. 31. 

Hierapolis, a town of Phrygia, famous for its hot baths, 
now called Bambukholasi, Col. ii. 1. 

Hillel of the Jews, what, Matt. xxvi. 30. 

Hindoos, great hospitality of, to travellers, Matt. x. 42. 
Citation of a beautiful passage from their ancient 
scriptures, John i. 9. 

Hinnom, valley of the son of, the rites of Moloch said to 
have been performed here, Matt. v. 22. 

History; derivation and original import of this word, Gal. 
i. 18. 

Holiness unto the Lord, observations on this inscription, 
upon the high priest’s forehead, 2 Tim. ii. 19. 

Holy Ghost, sin against the, Matt. xii. 31,50; Acts v. 3. 

Holy Roman empire, why the late Germanic empire was 
so named, according to Leibnitz, Rev. xiii. 1. 

Holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, account of the destruction 
of the, in 1808, John xix., an fine. 

Homage, eastern modes of, Matt. ii. 2. 

Hope, comparison of, to an anchor, frequent in ancient 
heathen writers, Heb. vi. 19. 

Horace, epistle of, to Tiberius, in behalf of Septimius, 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


exhibiting a fine model of recommending a friend to 
the attention of a great man, Philem. 17. Successful 
issue of this letter of Horace, Philem., in fine. 

Horn, Bruce's description of that worn by the Abyssinian 
chiefs, Luke i. 69. Horn filled with various fruits, 
the emblem of abundance among the ancients, iid. 

Horns, why the heathen god Apollo was represented with, 
Lukei.69. Horns frequently blown by the derveeshes 
when any thing is given to them, in honour of the 
donor, Matt. vi. 2. 

Hosanna, and Hosanna Rabba, import of these terms, 
Matt. xxi. 9; John vii. 2. 

Hospitality, observations on the duty of, Heb. xiii., in 

ne. 


Hot iron, conscience seared with a, to what custom the 
apostle alluded when he used this expression, 1 Tim. 
iv.2. A saying of Claudian very similar to this of 
St. Paul, tid. y 

Hours, Jewish day divided into, John i. 39. The an- 
cients divided the time from sunrise to sunset into 
twelve equal parts or hours, which were longer or 
shorter according to the different seasons of the year, 
John i. 39, xi. 9. 

Houses in the East, how generally constructed, Mark 
ii. 4. 

Human prudence, in what it generally consists, 1 Cor. 
iv., in fine. 

Human victims offered, on extraordinary occasions, by 
almost all nations to their gods, Rom. ix., in fine; 1 
Cor. iv. 13. Account of the human victims which 
‘Themistocles was obliged to offer up to Bacchus, Rom. 
ix., in fine. 

Humiliation of Jesus Christ, thoughts concerning this 
great and unfathomable subject, Phil., in jine. 

Hunger and thirst, what metaphorically represented by, 
Matt. v. 6. 

Husband, its derivation and original import, Matt. xix. 9. 

Hydyogen, a constituent part of water, 2 Pet. iii. 10. 

Hyle, vin, what the ancients intended by this term, 2 Pet. 
iii. 5. 

Hyperbole, definition of the, John xxi. 25. This figure 
of speeca abounds in oriental writings, ibid. Several 
examples produced, ibid. ; Rev. xiv. 20. 

Hupocrite, description of the, in the Scripture sense of the 
term, Matt. vi. 5. 


Iconvum, where situated, according to Strabo, Acts xiii. 
51, xiv. 6. Its present appellation, Acts xiii. 51. 
Why, not called by St. Luke a city of Lycaonia, Acts 
xiv. 6. 

Idleness, its ruinous tendency, Matt. xiii. 55; Rom. 
xii. 11. 

Ignorance, plea of, Will be of no avail to any who has the 
book of God within his reach, and lives in a country 
blessed with the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 
Luke xii., in fine. 

Ἱκετηρια, and Ἵκετης, definition of these words by Suidas, 
with an account of the ancient custom to which they 
have an allusion, Heb. v. 7. 

Pack or lAackouat, inquiry into the import of this term, 
Luke xviii. 13. 

Milud inexprimabila an epithet given by Cicero to the 
Supreme Being of heaven and earth, 2 Cor. xii. 4. 
Illyricum, Illyria, [llyrica, Illyris, or Illyrium, Pliny’s 
account of the extent of the country known by these 

names, Rom. xv. 19. 

Image worship, consideration of a passage of Scripture 
which the Romanists allege in favour of, Heb. xi. 21. 

Image of Adam in his heavenly or paradisaical state, rab- 
binical notions concerning the, 1 Cor. xv. 49. 

Image of God, what.is meant by man being made in this 
similitude, Heb. ii. 7. 

Images said to have fallen from Jupiter, Acts xix. 35. 

Images of the gods, account of several ancient Egyptian 
images of Isis, Osiris, Anubis, &c., in the author’s pos- 
session, Rev. xix. 16. 

Ἱματιον, import of this word, Matt. v. 40; Luke vi. 29. 
In what it differed from the χίτων, ibid. 

Imma, mother, slaves were not permitted to use this term, 
when addressing their mistresses, Rom. viii. 15. 

Inmanuel, a name given to the Messiah, Matt. i. 23. Its 


derivation and import, iid. Could not be applied te 
jesus Christ, unless he were truly and moneda Gop, 
id. 

Immersion, baptism, in the apostolic age, not always 
administered by, Acts xvi. δ. 

Imposition of hands, inquiry into the nature of this rite in 
the primitive Christian Church, Acts vi. 6, xiv. 23. 
Imputed righteousness of Christ, doctrine of the, consi- 

dered, Rom. iv., in fine. 

Inebriating liquors, three species of, according to the In- 
stitutes of Menu, Luke i. 15. 

Infallibility of the Romish Church, observations on this 
papistical doctrine, 2 Pet. iii. 16. 

Infant baptism, Dr. Lightfoot’s observations concerning, 
Mark xvi., im fine. 

Infants, state of, who die before they are capable of hear- 
ing the Gospel, considered, Rom. v., in fine. 

Influence of the Spirit of God, necessity of the, in both 
reachers and hearers, John v. 4; Acts xi. 21, xiii. 1; 
om. viii. 26; 1 Cor. xii. 3; Phil. iii., in fine. 

Inheritance, an immemorial custom in the Kast for sons 
to demand and receive their portion of the, during their 
father’s lifetime, Luke xv. 12. Gentvo law in case of 
the irreproachable character of the father, and the 
profligacy of his son, ibid. 

Inner man, import of this phrase, 1 Pet. iii. 4. 

Innocence, primitive age of, succeeded by the age of de- 
pravity, as described by Spencer, Heb. i. 11. 

Innocents, murder of the, modern objection against the 
evangelical history respecting the, (founded on the 
statement of St. Luke that our Lord’s thirtieth year 
coincided with the fifteenth of the reign of Tiberius,) 
demonstrated to be wholly destitute of foundation, Ad- 
vertisement to the Chronological Tables placed at the 
end of the Acts. 

Inns, striking contrast between those of ancient and mo- 
dern times, Luke ii. 7. 

Inscriptions on a gold circular coin of the Great Mogul 
Shah Jehan, struck at Delhi, A. D. 1651, 2 Tim. ii., 
in fine. 

Inscriptions, eastern, frequently found on the images of 
the ancient deities, princes, victors at public games, 
&e., Rev. xix. 16. Several instances produced from 
Herodotus, Dempster, Montfaucon, and Gruter, ibid. 
Description of eight ancient images with inscriptions 
in the author’s possession, ibid. 

Insolvent debtors, thoughts on the manner of their treat- 
ment in this country, Matt. xviii., in fine. 

Inspiration, see Divine Inspiration. 

Instructer, Chrysostom’s excellent remark on the prero- 
gative of an, Actsi. 8. 

Intercession of Christ, doctrine of the, Luke xxiii. 42; 
Heb. v. 7. 

Treland, inhabitants of, reason for the supposition that 
these people received the Christian religion, not from 
the popes of Rome, but through the means of Asiatic 
missionaries, Matt. i. 18. 

Tron, ready method of gilding this metal, 1 Pet. i., in fine. 

Isaiah, rabbinical tradition concerning the manner of his 
death, Heb. xi. 37. 

Iscariot, Lightfoot’s conjecture why this surname was 
given to one of the twelve apostles, Matt. x. 4. Obser- 
vations on the death and final state of Judas Iscariot 
Acts i., in fine. 

Isis, description of five images of this Egyptian idol in 
the author’s possession, Rev. xix. 16. 

Ισοψηφια of the ancients, what, Rev. xiii. 18. 

Iorne, critical observations on Greek words terminating 
in, Acts vi. 1. 

Isthmian games, account of the, 1 Cor. ix. 24. Celebrated 
every fifth year, wid. The crown won by the victor 
in these games made of the pine, 1 Cor. ix. 25. 

Itala, or Antehieronymian versions, some account of the, 
Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 19. 

Italian band, or cohort, see Cohort. 

Itwrea, where situated, Luke iii. 1. 


Jacinth, account of this precious stone, Rey. xxi. 20, 

Jacob’s Weli, Maundrell’s account of, John iv. 6. 

Jailer, see Gaoler. 

James, the writer of one of the Books of the New Testa- 
XXXVil 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


ment Scriptures,very uncertain who, Preface to James. 
Opinion of Drs. Lardner and Macknight, ibid.; and 
see James v., in fine. Martin Luther’s singular say- 
ing relative to the Epistle of James, chap. ii. 14. How 
James the apostle is represented in ancient paintings, 
Mark vi. 8. 

Jasper, some account of this precious stone, Rev. xxi. 18. 

Jehangeer Nameh, curious account of the golden chain 
of justice belonging to this eastern monarch, John 
xii. 32. 

Jehovah, observations upon this appellative of the Divine 
Being, Luke ii. 11. Great reverence of the Jews for 
this name, which they never venture to pronounce; 
‘198 Adonai being always substituted whenever they 
meet with it in their reading of the Law and the Pro- 
phets, 2 Cor. xii. 4; Rev. xix. 12. 

Jeopardy, a word of French origin, derived from the ex- 
clamation of a disappointed gamester, Luke viii. 23. 
Jerusalem, the inhabitants of this city did not let out their 
houses to those who came to the annual feasts, but af- 
forded all accommodations of this kind gratis, Matt. 

xxvi. 17; Acts ii. 44. 

Jesus, of the same import as Joshua, Matt. i. 21; Heb. 
iv.8. Dr. Lightfoot’s judicious remark why this name 
was given to the Messiah, ἐδώ. Professor Schulten’s 
excellent observations respecting the origin of this 
name, John i. 17. 

Jesus, very remarkable cry of a Jew of this name against 
Jerusalem and the temple, Matt. χχῖν. 7. Manner of 
his death, ibid. 

Jewish benches of judicature, account of the, 1 Cor. vi. 4. 

Jewish colonies, remarkable passage from Philo respect- 
ing the great number of, in heathen countries in his 
time, Acts ii. 11. 

Jewish commonwealth, collection of passages in the Old 
Testament that seem to point out a restoration of the, 
toa higher degree of excellence than it has yet attained, 
Rom. xi. 27. 

Jewish priesthood, great corruption of the, in the apostolic 
age, Rom. ii. 21. 

Jewish registers, thoughts on the total destruction of these 
documents in the first and second centuries of the 
Christian era, Matt. xxii. 42. 

Jewish women, names of the, sometimes taken from 
Bowers and trees, Acts xii. 13. Instances produced, 
ibid. 

Jews, when and how the Jews lost their power of life 
and death, according to Lightfoot, John xviii., in fine. 
Enumeration by Josephus of the Jews who perished in 
their final conflict with the Romans, Matt. xxiv. 31. 

Jochanan ben Zachai, very affecting and instructive 
remarks of this rabbin, as reported in the Talmud, 
Matt. xxv. 6. 

John, this name of Hebrew origin, Mark i. 4. Conjec- 
ture why given to the harbinger of the Messiah, idzd. ; 
Luke i. 60. 

John, the son of Zebedee, some account of this evangelist 
and apostle, Preface to John. Various opinions re- 
specting the motive which influenced this aposile to 
write his Gospel, ibzd. 

John, First Epistle of, inquiry of Michaelis to whom it 
was written, Preface to the Epistle. Dr. Macknight’s 
observations on the authenticity of this epistle, iid. 
Whether the term Epistle be properly applicable to this 
work of St. John, iid. 

John, Second and Third Epistles of, inquiry into their 
authenticity, Preface to the Second Epistle. Very un- 
certain when written, iid. 

Josephus, substance of his history relative to the destruc- 
tion of the Jewish polity by the Romans, Matt. xxiv. 
Judah Hakkodesh, very remarkable saying of this rabbi 
concerning the death and resurrection of the Messiah, 

Matt. xxviii. 17. 

Judas of Galilee, mentioned by St. Luke, uncertain who, 
Acts v. 37. 

Judas Iscariot, remarks on the manner of his death, Matt. 
xxvii. 5. Dr. Lightfoot’s singular opinion on this sub- 
ject, zbid. See Iscariot. 

Jude, canonical authority of the Epistle ascribed to, ex- 
tremely dubious, in the opinion of Michaelis, Preface 

XXXViili 


to Jude. Great uncertainty as to the persons to whom, 
and the time when, it was written, iid. 

Judgment day, Scripture doctrine concerning the, Matt. 
xxv. 31; John iii. 19; Acts xvii. 31; Rom. ii. 11; 
1 Cor. vi. 2; 1 Thess. v., in fine; 2 Pet. iii. 10. 

Julian Period, account of this very celebrated factitious 
era, Preface to Matthew. 

Juliopolis, why the city of Tarsus was so named, Acts 
XXii. 28. 

Julius César, three hundred senators and knights said 
to have been sacrificed to the divinity of this emperor 
on the ides of March, Rom. ix., in fine. 

Jupiler, whence the name of this divinity is said to have 
been derived, Acts xiv. 13. Sublime address to Jupi- 
ter ae from the Antigone of Sophocles, 1 Tim. 
vi. 16. 

Jupiter Custos, or Jupiter Propuleius, description of a 
fine eee of this heathen deity in Gruter, Acts 
xiv. 13. 

Just persons, a phrase sometimes used in contradistinc- 
tion from taxgatherers and heathens, Luke xv. 7. 

Justification by faith, without any merit of works, shown 
to be a doctrine of Seripture, Rom. iv., in fine; Eph. 
ii. 8; 2 Tim.i.9; James ii. 

Justin Martyr, the author of two very important Apolo- 
gies for Christianity, almost the whole of which has 
come down to us entire, 2 Tim. iv., in fine. 

Juvenal, beautiful passage of, against false witness, Matt. 
x. 39. Citation in which there is an allusion to Nero’s 
horrible persecution of the Christians, 2 Tim. iv. 16. 


Καλον ayor, a phrase used among the Greeks to express 
a contest of the most honourable kind, 2 Tim. iv. 8. 
This illustrated by a citation from the Alcestis of Eu. 
ripides, ibid. 

Καπηλευοντες, the import of this term illustrated by cita- 
tions from Herodian and Aristophanes, 2 Cor. ii. 17. 
Karaites, among the ancient Jews, who, Matt. xxvi., in 

πε; 1 Cor. viii. 1. 

Καρδιογνηστος Θεος, an epithet of the Divine Being, Acts 
i. 24, xv. 8. 

pbs definition of this word by Hesychius, Matt, 
vii. 3. 

Kararavore and Σαββατισμος, indifferently rendered rest 
in our version, not absolutely synonymous, Heb. iv. 9. 

Kataskion, KATASKION, an Ephesian amulet, Acts xix. 
19. Its import, according to Hesychius, ibid. 

Karaorodn, probably the same with the palliwm, or man- 
tle, worn by the ancient Roman and Grecian ladies, 
1 Tim. ii. 9. 

Κατηγωρ, accuser, an appellative of Satan found in rab- 
binical writings in Hebrew characters, Rev. xii. 10. 
Κατεχω, definition of this word by Hesychins, Rom. i. 18, 

Kafaiperv, sometimes imports to prune, John xv. 2. 

Kaficravew, import of this word, when the preposition 
aro is prefixed, Acts iii. 21. 

Καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολην, Chrysostom’s explanation 
of this very stong expression of St. Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 17. 

Kenchrea, see Cenchrea. 

Kevoc καρπος, how this phrase is used by Lucian, Mark 
iv. 28. 

Kepler, account of a wonderful law regulating the mo- 
tions of the planets, first discovered by this philosopher, 
and afterwards demonstrated by Sir Isaac Newton, 
Heb. xi., in fine. 

Kepatia, rendered husks, in the opinion of Bochart 
means the fruit of the ceratonia, or charub tree, Luke 
xv. 16. 

Keys, the four, which, according to the rabbins, God 
never trusts to angel or seraph, Rev. i. 18. 

Keys of the kingdom of heaven, meaning of this phrase, 
Matt. xvi. 19. 

Kicking against the goad, a proverbial expression among 
the ancients, Acts ix.5. Several examples produced, 
ibid. 

Kimchi, (Rabbi David) quotation from this writer very 
similar to our Lord’s parable of the ten virgins, Matt, 
xxv. 1. One of his parables very like that of the un- 
just steward, Luke xvi. 1. ; 4 

King, remarkable saying of a, to his particular friend 
Matt. vi. 33. 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


King’s Gallery, Στοα Bact2ixn, account of this part of 
the temple by Josephus, Matt. iy. 5. 

Kingdom of heaven, two acceptations of this term in Serip- 
ture, according to Lightfoot, Luke xvii. 20. 

Kiss anciently used as the emblem of love, religious 
reverence, subjection, and supplication, Luke vii. 38. 
Used by the primitive Christians in their public assem- 
blies as well as in their occasional meetings, Rom xvi. 
16. Afterwards discontinued, and shaking of hands 
substituted, iid. ; 1 Cor. xvi. 20. 

Kissing the feet, a heathen expression for subjection οἵ 
spirit and earnest supplication, Luke vii. 38, This il- 
lustrated by aremarkable passage from Polybius, iid. 

Kierrye, in what it differs from λήστης, John x. 8. 

Knatchbull’s remarks upon the statement of St. Paul that 
God gave the Hebrews judges for the space of four 
hundred and fifty years, Acts xiii. 20. 

Κνημιδες, greaves, account of this ancient species of de- 
fensive armour, Eph. vi. 13. 

eee consecrated by the ancients to Mercy, Matt. xvii. 

Knowledge, four things easily distinguishable in, James 
1, ὃ, 

Kodrantes, Kodpavrye, the smallest coin among the Ro- 
mans, Matt. v. 26. 

Κολπος, this word shown to have sometimes the signifi- 
cation of lap, and why, Luke vi. 38. This sense of the 
word illustrated by a remarkable passage from Hero- 
dotus, ibid, 

Κωμοπολεις, what meant by this word, Mark i. 38. 

Konos or Chonos, a city possessing the site of the ancient 
Colosse, Preface to Collossians; and see Col. i. 2. 

Korban, import of this word, Matt. xv. 5. 

Kopi iia xopn, why this phrase was used by the Greeks 
for a common prostitute, Preface to the First Epistle to 
the Corinthians. 

Κορινϑίιαζεσθαι, to Corinthize, how it came to be synony- 
mous with to act the prostitute, Preface to the First 
Epistle to the Corinthians. 

Κορυνη, a military weapon used by the ancient Greeks 
and Persians, Eph. vi. 13. 

Kocuoc, a frequent acceptation of this word, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 
vi. 2. Pliny’s definition, Heb. ix. 1. In what it differs 
from ay, according to Lightfoot, Luke xii. 30. Dis- 
tinction between κοσμὸς and οἰκουμένη, Heb. i. 6. 

Κρητιίζειν, imports to lie, and why, Tit. i. 12. 

Kpwo, rendered in our Version to judge, sometimes im- 
ports to punish, and why, Acts vii. 7. 

Κυλλος, meaning of this word according to Wetstein, 
Kypke, and Wakefield, Matt. xv. 30. 

Κυριε, often improperly translated Lord, Matt. xxvii. 63. 

Kuptoc, derivation of this word, according to Hesychius, 
Luke ii. 11. This lexicographer states it to be a proper 
rendering of 717’, Jehovah, zid. 


Laal-koner, her great influence with the Mogul emperor, 
Maaz-eddin, Mark vi. 23. 

Labarum, what, Rev. xii. 10. 

Lacedemonian women, usual sayings of the, when they 
pees the shields to their sons going to battle, Heb. 
τ 920. 

Lactantius, enigma attributed to, Matt. xxiii. 33. 

Lis, some account of this celebrated Corinthian prosti- 
tute, Preface to the First Epistle to the Corinthians. 
Aaicniov, the Laseion, a species of shield, covered with 
rough hides or skins with the hair on, Eph. vi. 13. 

Lamentations, days of, among the Jews, John xi. 31. 

Lamps of Israel, a term given by the Jews to their emi- 
nent doctors, John v. 35. 

Lamps of the East, some account of the, Matt. xxv. 7. 

Laodicea, a city of Asia Minor on the borders of Caria, 
Phrygia, and Lydia, Col. ii. 1; Rev.i.11. Originally 
named Diospolis, ibid. Afterwards called Rhoas, Col. 
ii. 1. How it obtained the appellation of Laodicea, ibid. 
Its present name, iid. 

Laodiceans, apocryphal epistle to the, given at full length, 
(from the best Latin copies,) with an English transla- 
tion, Col. iv., in fine. Character of this spurious pro- 
duction, ibid. 

Latin Church, Ἢ Λατινίκὴ ἐκκλησία. a name given by the 


| Latins, supreme forms of government of these ancient 


people, Rev. xvii. 10. 

Λατρεια and Δουλεία explained, see Rom. xii. 1. 

Law, remarkable saying of Rabbi Chanina, why the 
words of the, are likened to water, Matt. v. 3. 
zarus, import of this name, Luke xvi. 20. 

Learning, remarks on that species of, which may be a 
useful handmaid to religion, in the ministry of the 
Gospel, 1 ‘Tim. vi., in fine. 

Lechewm, situation of this seaport, Rom. xvi. 1. 

Left hand, its metaphorical acceptation among the rab- 

ins, Matt. xxv. 33. 

Legion, a grand division of a Roman army, Matt. xxvi. 
53. Contained different numbers at different times, ibid. 
The legionary soldiers were not permitted to engage 
in husbandry, merchandise, or any thing inconsistent 
with their employment, 2 Tim. ii. 4. 

Lent, why this annual fast is so named, Matt. ix. 15. 

Leonidas of Alexandria, account of the equinumerai dis- 
tichs of this Greek poet, Rev. xiii. 18. Three examples 
produced, ibid. 

Leprosy, description of this terrible disorder, Matt. viii. 2. 
Dr. Mead’s relation of a remarkable case, which came 
under his own observation, Matt. viii. 2. Herodotus 
mentions this disorder as existing among the Persians, 
who considered it as a punishment from their great 
god, the sun, ibid. This malady a most expressive 
emblem of the pollution of the soul of man by sin, iid. 

Lepton, the same with the prutah, which see. 

Λῃστης. See Κλεπτῆς. 

Let, siepen and import of this old English word, Rom. 
i. 13. 

Letters of the alphabet used by the ancients for numbers, 
Rey. xiii. 18. 

Levanters, Dr. Shaw’s account of these tempestuous winds, 
Acts xxvii. 14. Customary among the Mohammedans, 
during these levanters, to tie to the mast, or ensign 
Staff, some apposite passage from the Koran; then to 
collect money, sailkilies a sheep, and throw them both 
into the sea, ibid. 

Libertines, Bishop Pearce’s observations concerning that 
portion of the Jewish people formerly so named, Acts 
vi. 9. 

Lictors, who, among the ancient Romans, Acts xvi. 35. 

Light, its immense diffusion and extreme velocity, 1 
John i. 5. 

Light of the world, a title anciently given to the mos! 
eminent rabbins, Matt. v. 14. 

Lightfoot, (Dr. John) his very ingenious solution of the 
difficulty existing in the Gospel of St. Matthew respect- 
ing the writer of the prophecy concerning the thirty 

ieces of silver for which our Lord was betrayed, 
att. xxvii. 9. 

Liturgy, derivation and import of this term, Acts xiii. 2. 

Living stones, the import of this apostolic metaphor 
largely considered, 1 Pet. ii. 5. 

Living waters, what meant by this phrase among the an- 
cients, John iv. 10; Rev. vii. 17. ' 

Liz, AlZ,an Ephesian character or amulet, Acts xix. 19. 
Its import, according to Hesychius, ibid. 

Loan, in what respects better than a gift, Matt. v. 42. 

Logos, or Word, remarks upon this appellative of the 
Divine Being who was incarnated for the redemption 
of man, John i. 1. Testimonies concerning the Logos 
from the Chaldee Targums, Johni., in fine. Testimo- 
nies concerning the person#lity, attributes, and influ- 
ence of the Word of God, taken from the Zend Avesta 
and other writings attributed to Zoroaster, ibid. Tes- 
timonies concerning the Logos from Philo the Jew, 
ibid. List of some of the particular terms and doctrines 
found in Philo, with parallel passages from the New 
Testament, ibid. Chinese testimonies concerning the 
Logos, ibid. St. John the only New Testament writer 
who has used this word in a personal sense, Heb. 
iv. 12. : 

Aouzoc, how figuratively used by the ancients, Acts xxiv. 5. 

Lord’s Prayer, form of, collected by our Lord from the 
Jewish Euchologies, according to Gregory, who gives 
us the whole form, Matt. vi. 13, 

Lord’s Supper, see Eucharist. 


Greeks of the Lower Empire to that of Rome, and why, | Love, inquiry into the import of this term, Matt. xxii. 37, 
i 


Rev. xiii. 1. 
1 


A word of Anglo-Saxon, or perhaps of Teutonic or 
XXXIX 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


gin, 1 Cor. xiii. 1. Apostolic definition of the Greek 
word so translated, in which are sixteen particulars, 
1 Cor. xiii. 4-8. 

Love-feasts of the primitive Christians, see Ayarat. 

Love of enemies, Christian precept concerning, Matt. v. 
42; John xiii. 34; Rom. v. 6, 10. 

Love of God, Matt. xxii. 36-40; Luke vii. 47; John iii. 
16, xv. 12,13; Eph. iii. 18; Tit. iii. 4; 1 John iv. 8, 
v. 18. 

Love of neighbour, Scripture precept concerning, Matt. 
xxii. 39; Col. 111. 14. 

Inke, some account of this evangelist, Preface to Luke. 
Five classes or sections into which some critics have 
divided his history, ibid. Facts and circumstances re- 
lated at large by Luke, which are either not mentioned 
at all, or but very transiently, by the other evangelists, 
Luke xxiv., in fine. From what epoch Luke computed 
the years of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, Advertise- 
ment to the Chronological Tables at the end of Acts. 

mee observations on the cause of this disorder, Matt. 
iv. 24. 

Avzpa, definition of, by Suidas, Rom. ii. 24. 

Avzpov, its import, Matt. xx. 28; Luke i. 68; 1 Tim. ii. 6. 

Injcaonia, account of, by Strabo, Acts xiii. 51. Jablon- 
ski’s remarks upon the language probably spoken in 
this district in the time of St. Luke, Acts xiv.11. How 
Lycaonia is said to have obtained its name, Acts xiv. 15. 

Injdda, situation of this town, Acts ix. 32, 

Instra, a city of Lycaonia, Acts xiv.6. Reputed to have 
been under the guardianship of Jupiter Propuleius, or 
Jupiter Custos, ibid. 


Mayarpa, a species of sword frequently used by the an- 
cient gladiators, or in single combat, Eph. vi. 13. 

Macrobius, citation of a remarkable passage from this 
Roman writer relative to the slaughter of the innocents 
by Herod, Matt. ii. 16. 

Magdala, the name of a city and country, where situated, 
according to Whitby, Matt. xv. 39. 

Magdalene hospitals, great impropriety of this appellation 
for the receptacles of penitent prostitutes, Luke viii. 2. 

Magi, some account of the, Matt. ii. 1. Whence the name 
is derived, zhid. 

Magicians among the Jews, why named ἘΞ). Ὁ} baaley- 
shem, “‘masters of the name,” Acts xix. 14. 

Magnificat, observations on this very sublime specimen 
of Greek poetry, Luke i. 46, &c. 

Mahesa, among the Hindoos, the Deity in his destroying 
quality, Luke i. 68; John i. 14. 

Makap, and Makapcoc, derivation and import of these 
words, Matt. v. 3. Μακαρ and ϑνηῆτος used antitheti- 
cally by Homer, tid. 

Malta, see Melita. 

Mammon, inquiry into the derivation and import of this 
word, Matt. vi. 24. An idol of this name mentioned in 
Kircher’s Gidipus Egyptiaeus, iid. 

Man, beautiful passage in a heathen poet relative to the 
formation of, 1 Pet. iii. 4. 

Man of sin, Bishop Newton’s and Dr. Macknight’s obser- 
vations on St. Paul’s prophecy concerning the, 2 Thess. 
ii., in fine. 

Mancipium, why a prisoner was so named by the Romans, 
2 Pet. ii. 19. 

Mania, children sacrificed to this divinity by the Romans 
in the first ages of their republic, Rom. ix., in fine. 
Manipulus, a subdivision “of the Roman infantry, Matt. 

vill. 9. 

Mankind, curious rabbinical division of, with respect to 
their moral character, Rom. v. 7; Heb. xii. 23. 

Manumission of slaves, three modes in which this was 
performed by the ancient Romans, 1 Cor. vii., in fine. 
Various accounts on which these manumissions were 
granted among our Saxon ancestors, iiid. Particular 
description of the manumission of a slave among the 
Gentoos, with an explanation of the mystical ceremo- 
nies, ibid. See Certificate, form of the. 

Manuscripts of the Greek Testament, classification of the, 
by Griesbach and Michaelis, Introduction to the Gos- 
pels and Acts, p. 15. Account of the manuscripts of 
the Gospels Sunes referred to by the letters ABCD, 
ἄς, ibid., xiii., Ke. 

xl 


Maranatha, import of this Syriac phrase, 1 Cor. xvi.22, 

ude 15. 

Marcus Minucius Feliz, Dr. Lardner’s character of his 
Apology tor the Christian religion, 2 Tim. iv., in fine. 

Mark, some account of this evangelist, Preface to Mark. 
Thought by many of the primitive fathers to have 
been merely the amanuensis of St. Peter, z4id. Other 
opinions, id. The original language of Mark’s Gos- 
pel most certainly the Greek, though some have con- 
tended for the Latin, bid. List of circumstances omit- 
ted by Mark in the beginning of his Gospel, which are 
mentioned by Matthew and Luke, did. 

Marriage, Dr. Macknight’s observations on the mystery 
of marriage, Eph. v., in fine. General observations cn 
marriage, 1 Cor. vii., in fine. Citations from Menan- 
der and Metellus Numidicus concerning the general 
expediency of marriage, 1 Cor. vii.1. Laws of Lyeur- 
gus relative to marriage, 7/id. Singular opinion of the 
ancient Jews respecting those who would not enter into 
this state, zbid., and ver. 6. 

Marriage-feasts, duration of, among the Jews, Matt. ix. 
15; John ii. 1. Times of extraordinary festivity, and 
even of riot, among several people of the East, Matt. 
ix. 15. Formerly customary for the ruler of the feast 
to procure suitable raiment for accidental guests on 
such occasions, Matt. xxii. 11. 

Mary I., queen of England, number of bishops, clergy- 
men, lay-gentlemen, tradesmen, husbandmen, women, 
and children, burnt to death in this reign on account 
of their religious principles, James iii. 16. 

Mary Magdalene, conjecture why so named, Matt. xxvii. 
56. The common opinion concerning this woman 
most probably erroneous, Luke viii. 2. 

Mass, sacrifice of the, Dr. Macknight’s judicious observa- 
tions on the antichristian character of this Romish 
ceremony, Heb. x. 18. 

Materiality of the human soul, a doctrine which has ne 
place in the sacred records, Luke xxiv. 3. 

Matthew the Evangelist, some account of, Preface to Mat- 
thew. The original language of his Gospel most pro- 
bably the Hebrew, ibid. Critical remarks on the list 
given by this evangelist of our Lord’s rectilinear an- 
cestors, Matt. i. 8-12. General observations on the 
Gospel of Matthew, chap. xxviii., in fine. 

Mecon, })313, the sixth heaven, according to the rabbins, 
2Cor. xii. 2, 

Media, where formerly situated, Acts ii. 9. 

Mediator and Surety, distinction between, Heb. vii., iz 
fine. 

Meek, derivation and import of this word, Matt. v. 5. 

Melchisedek, king of Salem, derivation and import of his 
name, Heb. vii. 1. This Canaanitish prince an illus- 
trious type of Christ, ibid. Heb. v. 10, 11, vii. 1, ἄς. 

Melita, or Malta, a celebrated island in the Mediterra- 
nean, between Sicily and Africa, Acts xxviii.l. Con- 
jectures why so named, ibid. Sketch of 1ts revolutions 
from its first mention in history to the present period, 
wid. The modern language of the Maltese bears a 
strong resemblance to the ancient Punic, ibid. 

Melita, an island in the Adriatic Gulf, or Gulf of Ve- 
nice, near Epidaurus, Acts xxviii.1. Several reasons 
to show that St. Paul was not wrecked at this island, 
but at another of the same name, now called Malta, 
ibid. 

Members, cutting off, from the Christian Church, manner 
and spirit in which this should be done, 2 Cor. ii., in 
πε; 1 Tim. v. 2. 

Mendicant friars, amazing influence of the, during the 
three centuries that immediately preceded the Re- 
formation, Rev. xiii. 12. 

Menenius Agrippa, famous apologue of, as related by 
Livy, and the effect it had upon the Roman peopic, 
1 Cor. xii. 21. 

Menu, fine saying of this heathen lawgiver respeeting 
the only means by which man ean arrive at beatitude, 
John xiii.17. Another on the true knowledge of one 
supreme God, John xvii. 3. 

Meon, }\), the fifth heaven, according to the rabbins, 
2 Cor. xii. 2. 

Mercury, a heathen deity to whom the gift of great elo- 
quence was attributed, Acts xiv. 12. 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Mercy, ditferent acceptations of this word, Matt. v. 7. 
Elegant and nervous saying of one of our best poets 
on the subject of mercy, iid. 

Mepiuva, its import, Matt. vi. 25, xiii. 22. 

Merit of works, doctrine of the, in the Romish Church 
reprobated, Matt. vi. 20. ‘ 

Meroe, why so named, according to Diodorus Siculus, 
Acts viii. 27. . 

ϊεσιτης, mediator, what signified by this term, 1 Tim. 

ii. 5. Synonymous with εἰρηνηποίος, peacemaker, ac- 
cording to Suidas, iid. In what it differs from eyyvoe, 
Heb. vii., im fine. 

Mesopotamia, its modern appellation, Acts ii. 9. 

Messiah, citation of very remarkable passages from the 
Talmudists and Gemarists relative to the birth of the 
Messiah, Matt. ii. 5. Curious rabbinical saying re- 

ecting the cessation of all sacrifices in the days of 
the Messiah except the sacrifice of praise, Heb. xiii. 15. 
Strange rabbinical story about the ass on which the 
Messiah was to ride, Matt. xxi. 8. Childish notion 
of the rabbins relative to two Messiahs, Messiah ben 
David, who should reign, conquer, and triumph; and 
Messiah ben Ephraim, who should suffer and be put to 
death, Acts xxvi. 23. Remarkable saying of Judah 
Hakkodesh relative to the resurrection of the Mes- 
siah, Matt. xxviii. 7. 

Metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls, a doctrine 
credited by the Pharisees, Matt. xvi. 1,13; John ix. 2. 
The Hindoos still hold this doctrine, and profess to 
tell the sin which a person committed in another body 
by the nature of his present afflictions, John ix. 2. 

Mevuckw and Μεϑνω, what these words import, John ii. 8. 

Metretes, an ancient measure of capacity, John ii. 6. 

Mezpov, as used by St. Paul, an agonistical expression, 
2 Cor. x. 13. 

Michael, apparent import of this name, Jude 9. The 
rabbinical writings abound in allusions to this person- 
age, ibid. Considered the advocate of Israel, in con- 
tradistinction to Sammael, who was reputed their 
enemy, wid. 

Midrash Shochar, curious story in, where Korah is re- 
presented as showing the oppressive nature of the law, 
and avarice of its priests, in justification of his rebel- 
lion, Acts xv. 10. 

Mile, among the Jews, of what length, John xi. 18. 

Miletus, a city of Caria, famous for being the birthplace 
of Thales and Anaximander, Acts xx.15. Its modern 
appellation, ibid. 

Militia, manner of raising the, among the Romans, 
Matt. xx. 18, xxii. 14. 

Milk, metaphorically used by sacred and profane writers 
to express the first principles of religion and science, 
Heb. v. 12. 

Millenary of the world, reflections upon our Saviour’s 
being born at the termination of the fourth, Tit. ii. 11. 

Millennium, thought concerning the duration of the, 
Matt. xix. 28; Rev. xx. 4. 

Mina, what, Luke xix. 13. 

Minister, anecdote of a, Matt. xxi. 13. 

Ministry, Divine call to the, and directions for the pro- 
per discharge of the ministerial office, Matt. iv. 18, 
Vii. 28, viii. 21, ix.9, 18, x.1,5,8,10, xi. 7,8, xiii. 1, 
52, xv. 24, xvii. 20, xix. 20, xxiv. 45; Mark iii. 15, 
iv. 29,33; Luke iii. 23, v. 16, xxii. 2; John x. 1,2, 10, 
xv.17; Actsiv., in fine; xiii.47; Rom. xi. 13; 1 Cor. iv., 
in fine; 2 Cor. x., in fine; Tit.i., in fine; 1 Pet. v.3. 

Mirrors of brass, steel, tin, copper, and silver, in use 
among the ancients, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Micew, an important meaning of this word generally 
overlooked, Luke xiv. 26. ; 

Missionary, very remarkable providence in behalf of a, 
Luke iv. 30. 

Mite, a word derived from the French, Mark xiii. 41; 
Luke xxi.2. Its import, ibid. 

Mithras, human victims offered by the ancient Sabian 
idolaters in Persia to this idol, Rom. ix., in fine. 

Mitylene, where situated, Acts xx. 14. 

Moderation, definition of this word by Dr. Macknight, 
Phil. iv. 5. 

Μοδιος, Modius, what, among the Greeks and Romans, 
Matt. v. 15. 

1 


Mohammed, manner of his death as related by Al Kodai, 
Abul Feda, and Al Janabi, Mark xvi. 18. 

Moon, her motion round the earth of a very intricate 
character, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Μῶωρος, definition of this word in the Etymologicon, 
Matt. xxv. 2. 

Morosycus, why this tree is so named, Luke xvii. 6. 

Mosaic pavement, some account of the, John xix. 13. 

Most High, thoughts on the very mysterious character of 
the counsels and purposes of the, Rom. xi., in fine. 

Motions of the planets, reflections on their wonderful 
harmony, Heb. xi., im fine. 

Mount of Beatitudes, Maundrell’s account of this small 
elevation, Matt. v. 14. 

Mountain of the precipitation, Maundrell’s description 
of the, Luke iv. 29. 

Mountain of God, import of this Hebraism, Luke vi. 12. 

Mourning among the Jews, how long it generally lasted, 
John xi, 19. Manner of it, as described by Lightfoot, 
ibid. 

Mourning women, account of the, among the ancients, 
who were hired to make lamentations for the dead, 
Matt. ix. 32. 

Multimammia, a name of Diana of Ephesus, Acts xix. 27. 

Mustard-plant, astonishing size to which this herb at- 
tains in eastern countries, Matt. xiii. 32. 

Mundus, world, Pliny’s definition of this Latin word, 
Heb. ix. 1. 

Murder, the only crime for which a human being should 
be punished with death, Matt. v. 20. 

Murderer, who reputed a, among the ancient Jews, 
Mark iii. 4. 

Music, those skilled in it seldom remarkable for piety, 
1 Cor. xiv. 15. 

Mutadbility of human affairs, thoughts concerning the, 
James i., in jine. 

Myra, a city of Lycia, supposed by Grotius to be the 
same with Limyra, Acts xxvii. 5. 

Myriad, Μυριας, the highest number known in Greek 
arithmetical notation, Matt. xviii. 24. Amount in 
British sterling of a myriad of gold and silver talents, 
ibid. This word often used by the Greeks for any in- 
definite multitude, 1 Cor. iv. 15. 

Mysia, its boundaries, Acts xvi. 7. 


Nain, where situated, according to Eusebius, Luke vii. 11. 

Name of the owner anciently stamped with a hot iron 
upon the forehead or shoulder of his slave, Rev. vii. 3. 

Names given in derision to the people of God often be- 
come the general appellatives of religious bodies, 
Mark xvi. 6. Instances produced, ἐδώ. Names of 
the Jewish ancestors formerly continued among their 
descendants, and why, Lukei.61. Calmet’s judicious 
remarks on the difference of names, which so fre- 
quently occur in the sacred canon, Acts ix. 33. 
Representation of names by the numbers contained in 
them, an ancient custom, Rev. xiii. 18. 

Naplouse, the ancient Shechem or Sychar, Matt. x.5; 
John iv. 5. 

Nard, Calmet’s description of this Indian plant, Mark 
xiv. 3. 

Nasi, the supreme officer in the Jewish sanhedrin, 
Matt. xx. 21, xxiii. 9. 

Nathanael, reasons for supposing this apostle to have 
been the same with Bartholomew, John i. 45. 

Nativity of our blessed Lord, vast variety of conjectures 
respecting the period of the, Luke ii. 8. Very un- 
likely that it took place in the month of December, 
ibid. Julius I. fixed it on the 25th of December, the 
very day on which the ancient Romans celebrated the 
feast of their goddess Bruma, i#Jid. What might have 
moved the pontiff thus to alter the festival of the na- 
tivity, id. 
Nativity, account of vulgar era of the, Preface to 
Matthew. ’ j 
Nazarene, what meant by this word in its application to 
our Lord, Matt. ii. 23. f 

Nazareth, where situated, Matt. iv, 13. 

Neapolis, see Naplouse. 

Neighbour, what the original word so rendered imported 
among the Jews, Matt. v.43; Luke x. 29. 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Nemean games, crown won by the victor in the, made of 
parsley, 1 Cor. ix. 25. 

Neocorus, Newxopoc, rendered worshipper, originally im- 
ported the sweeper of the temple, Acts xix. 35. After- 
wards, a title of great distinction assumed by whole 
cities, ibid. 

Nesiim, ww), among the Jews, who, Eph.i. 21. 

Νηστις implies a total abstinence from food, Matt. vi. 16. 

New Birth, doctrine of the, considered, John iii. 10. 

New Covenant, or New Testament, why this appellation 
is given to that portion of the sacred canon written in 
the Greek language, Preface to Matthew; Matt. xxvi. 
28. Dr. Lardner’s observations on the credibility of 
the Gospel history, Acts xxviii., in fine. Chronologi- 
cal arrangement of the books of the New Testament, 
with the places where written according to Lardner, 
and the number of chapters and verses in each book, 
Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p.28. 

New Moon, method adopted by the ancient Jews of 
ascertaining the day of the new moon, Matt. xxvi., 
im fine. 

wee (Sir Isaac) epigram on this great mathema- 
tician aud philosopher, by one of our best poets, 1 Cor. 
Sn 

Nicanor’s gate, the east gate of the court where the 
women were placed for purification after delivery, 
Luke ii. 22. 

Nicias, remarkable passage in Thucydides which gives 
an account of the total overthrow of this Athenian 
general, Eph. iv., a fine. . 

Nicolaitans, account of the doctrines of the, Introduction 
to the Second Epistle of Peter; Rev. ii.6. Criticism 
of Michaelis on the name of these people, Introduction 
to the Second Epistle of Peter. 

Nicopolis, situation of two towns of this name, Tit. iii. 10. 

Nidui, or Niddui, 173, the less excommunication among 
the Jews, John ix. 22; 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 

Nisus and Ewuryalus, affecting account of the friendship 
of, as given by Virgil, John xv. 13. 

Northern nations, grand transmigration of, into the Ro- 
man territories in the fifth century, Rom. xii. 15. 

Nococ, import of this word, Matt. iv. 23. In what it dif- 
fers from μαλακία, ibid. 

Nullis majoribus orti, “ sprung from no ancestors,” im- 
port of this phrase in Horace, Heb. vii. 3. 

Number of the beast, conjectures respecting the import 
of this hieroglyphical prophecy, Rev. xiii. 18. he 
name of the power or being to which this number has 
apparently an illusion still involved in the greatest 
uncertainty, Rev. xi. 7. 

Numbered, observations on the Greek word thus ren- 
dered, and the ancient custom to which it has an allu- 
sion, Acts i. 26. 

Numbers, how represented con the Arundelian marbles, 
Rev. xiii. 16. 

Nunc dimittis, Claude’s remarks on this beautiful song, 
Luke ii., in fine. 

Nuptial solemnities of the ancients, account of the, 
Matt. viii. 12. 


Oath, inquiry into the spirit and essence of an, 2 Cor. i., 
in fine. 

Oynua ψυχῆς, and Oynua ootpakwov, what, among the 
Platonists, 2 Cor. iv. 7. 

Offend, critical inquiry into the import of the Greek 
word thus rendered in our version, Matt. v. 29, xi. 6. 
Offensive armour of the ancients, particular description 

of the, Eph. vi. 13. 

Otxovouoc, or steward, who, among the ancients, 1 Cor. 
iv. 1. 

Οἰκουμενή, a term by which the land of Judea was com- 
monly expressed, Luke ii. 1. Difference in import 
between ovcouwery and κοσμος, Heb. i. 6. 

Oil, sanative properties of, James v. 14. 

Oil, anointing with, an ancient method of installation to 
particular offices, Luke ii. 11. 

Olam, 177)’, inquiry into its general import, 1 Cor.i.20, 
11.6: 2 Tim. ἵν. 10; Heb. ii. 5. 

xiii 


xan cody olam haba, the world to come, a phrase ap- 
plied by the Jews to the days of the Messiah, Heb. ii.5, 

Old wine, what so named among the rabbins, Luke v.39. 

Olive tree, account of the, Rom. xi. 24. 

Olympiads, account of the very celebrated ancient era 
of the, Preface to Matthew. 

Olympic games, description by Epictetus and Horace of 
the painful preparations those were obliged to go 
through who contended in these exercises, 1 Cor.ix.25. 
The crown won by the victor in these games made of 
the wild olive, zid. 

ΟΝ, ἃ wystic emblem of the Deity among the Hindoos, 
forbidden to be pronounced but in silence, Luke i. 68; 
John 1.14. How this emblem is formed, did. Of the 
same import among the Hindoos as ΠῚ Yehevar 
among the Hebrews, bid. 

ομόθυμαθου! critical remarks on this Greek word, Acts 
iil 

On, or Aven, the famous Heliopolis, three men said to 
have been sacrificed in this city every day to Juno, 
Rom. ix., im fine. 

One accord, amazing expressiveness of the Greek word 
thus rendered, Actsii. 1. 

One jot or one tittle, a proverbial expression among the 
Jews, Matt. v.18. Its import illustrated by numerous 
extracts from rabbinical writers, 2bid. 

One thing needful, a phrase in St. Luke’s Gospel gene- 
rally misunderstood, Luke x. 42. 

Οφειλεται, meaning of this word among the Jews, Luke 
xiii.4. In what it differs from ἅμαρτωλοι, aid. 

Opprobrious expressions, how punished among the Gen- 
toos, Matt. v. 22. 

Owe, import of this word illustrated by quotations from 
classical writers, Matt. xxviii. 1. 

Oracles of the heathens, the credit given to, formerly so 
very great that, in all doubts and disputes, their deter- 
minations were held sacred and inviolable, Heb. v. 12. 

Oral law of the Jews, what, Matt. xv.2. Finally digest- 
ed and collected into the book called the Mishneh, idzd. 

Orbits of the primary and secondary planets not cireu- 
lar, but elliptical, Heb. xi., in fine. The areas which 
the radius vector of a planet describes being equal in 
equal times, though the portions of the periphery of 
its orbit moved through in the same times be wnequal, 
a very plain demonstration of the principle of univer- 
sal gravitation, wid. Great advantage which the 
northern hemisphere of the earth derives from the 
higher apsis of the terrestrial orbit being placed near 
the summer solstice, Heb. xi., im jine. 

Ordained, inquiry into the import of the original term 
thus rendered, Acts xiv. 23. 

Opyvia, definition of, by the Etymologicon, Acts xxvii.28. 
About the quantity of our fathom, did. 

Original sin, doctrine of, Rom. v. 1-21, et in fine. 

Ormusd, the supreme divinity of the ancient Persians, 
John i., in fine. 

Opéavoc, orplan, derivation of the word, according to 
Mintert and others, John xiv. 18. 

Orphic demonology, classes into which evil spirits were 
divided, according to the, Matt. xii. 43. 

Os Coxendicis, or lower joint uf the backbone, singular 
opinion of the Jews respecting the, 1 Cor. xv. 44. 

Osiris, description of a beautiful marble figure of, in the 
author’s possession, Rev. xix. 16. 

Oth, Ns, translated sign, inquiry into its import, Rom. 
iv. 11. 

Ort has sometimes the import of διοτι, Luke vii. 47. 

Ov zac a Hebraism for οὐδεὶς, Matt. vii. 21. Examples 
of a similar idiom in Roman writers, iid. 

Outer darkness, its literal and metaphorical acceptations, 
Matt. viii. 12 

Outer man, import of this phrase, 1 Pet. iii. 4. 

Ovens in the East heated with dry straw, withered herbs, 
and stubble. Matt. vi. 30. 

Ox-coad of Palestine and Syria, description of the, 
Jude. iii., in fine; Actsix.5. The ox-goad appears to 
have been known in the time of Homer, 7hid. 

Oxygen, a constituent part of water, 2 Pet. 11]. 10. In 
what proportion oxyzen exists in water a3 to 105 
weight and volwme, ibid. 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Paganism, brief sketch of the rapid decline of, in the 
Roman empire in the fourth century, Rey. xii. 9. 

Thayic, signification of this word, 1 Tim. vi. 9. 

Παιδαγωγος, Pedagogue, who among the ancient Greeks, 
1Cor.iv.15. In what the παιδαγωγος, pedagogue, dif- 
fered from the διδασκαλος, teacher, ibid. 

Yacdta, a term of familiarity and affectionate kindness, 
John xxi. 5. 

Tlafeww, import of this word, as used by the apostle, 
WGor: x1. ni 

Παλιγγενέσια, import of this term in the Pythagorean 
philosophy, Matt. xix. 28. 

Palinwrus, death of, as related by Virgil, a very remark- 
able example, showing the notions the heathens enter- 
tained respecting vicarious atonement, John xi. 51. 

Paisy, definition of this disorder, Matt. iv.24. In gene- 
ral incurable, except in its slighter stages, wid. 

Pamphilia, the same with the modern Caramania, Acts 
ii. 10 

Panegyric, ἸΠανηγυρίκος λογος, origin of this phrase, 
Heb. xii. 23. 

Papal power, brief sketch of the amazing extent of the, 
before the Reformation, Rev. xiii. 15. 

Paphos, account of, Acts xiii. 6. 

Tlapa τοὺς ποδας, at the feet, several quotations from 
classic writers to show that this phrase is often used 
in the sense of πλησίον, near, Acts xxii. 3. 

Parable, its derivation and general definition, Matt. xiii. 3. 
In what parable differs from fable and similitude, Matt. 
xiii., in fine. 

Parabolic writing, dissertation on the nature and use of, 
Matt. xiii., in fine. 

Paradise, its derivation and import, Luke xxiii. 43. No- 
Hons, of the Mohammedans respecting paradise, 2 Cor. 
xii. 4. 

Tlapaxe?ew, derivation and import of this term, Matt. ν. 4. 

IlapakAnroc, Paraciete, why this name is given to the 
Holy Ghost, John xiv. 16. 

Parallax, the import of this astronomical term, illus- 
trated by a diagram, James i., in fine. 

Paranymph, observations on the office of the, John iii., 
um jine. 

Parents laying up property for their offspring, under 


what limitations this is proper among those professing |. 


Christianity, 2 Cor. xii. 15. 

Parnas, 0179, a sort of deacon in the Jewish Church, 
Acts vi.4. Derivation of the word, ibid. 

Paronomasia, or play upon words, instances of, Acts 
xvii. 23; 1 Cor. νἱ. 1; Philem. 2. 

Παρθενος, rendered virgin, signified among the Greeks 
an unmarried person of either sex, 1 Cor. vii. 25. 

Parthia, where situated, Acts 11. 9. 

Πασχα, a very improper rendering of this word pointed 
out, Acts xii. 4. 

Paschal Cycle, or Dionysian Period, account of the, Pre- 
face to Matthew. 

Passover, a Jewish festival, whence so named, Matt. 
xxvi. 2. The question considered whether our Lord 
ate the passover before he suffered, Matt. xxvi., in fine. 
Citation from the tract Pesachim to show that the 
Jews, in eating the passover, did it to represent the 
sufferings of the Messiah, Luke xxii. 19. 

Patara, a seaport of Syria, Acts xxi. 1. 

Patmos, account of this island of the Aigean sea, Rev. 
i.9. Its present appellation, ibid. 

Πατραλφης, derivation and import of this word, 1Tim.i.9. 

Tlatptepyne, patriarch, two etymologies of this word, 
Heb. vii. 4. 

Patriciate of the Romans, what, Rev. xvii. 10. 

Paul, Τίαυλος, whence this name of the great apostle of 
the Gentiles is derived, according to Jerome and He- 
sychius, Acts xiii.9. Another conjecture, ibid. Re- 
marks on the method adopted by St. Paul of quoting 
Scripture, Rom. x., in fine. Citations from Nicepho- 
rus and others respecting the personal appearance of 
this apostle, 2Cor. x.10. Observations on the very 
extraordinary circumstances with which his conver- 
sion was accompanied, Acts ix., in fine. Manner of 


be depended upon, idid. Eminent men who were con- 
temporary with St. Paul, Chronological Notes at the 
commencement of 2 Corinthians. 

Peace, remarkable saying of the rabbins relative to, 
Matt. x. 12. Very extensive meaning of the Hebrew 
word thus rendered, isid. Its definition and various 
significations, Rom. i. 7. 

Πειρασμος, its derivation and import, Matt. vi. 13, 

Πελεκυς, or Bipen, a sort of battle-axe, with double face, 
one opposite to the other, Eph. vi. 13. 

Pella, remarkable for being the place whither the Chris- 
tians retired from the desolating sword of the Roman 
army, Matt. xxiv. 13, 16,20; 1 Pet. iv.18. Citation 
from Eusebius and Epiphanius, in which this wonder- 
ful interposition of Providence in behalf of the primi- 
tive Christians is stated, Heb. x., in fine. 

Pelta, Τελτη, account of this species of shield used by 
the ancients, Eph. vi. 13. 

Penal wheel of the Greeks, account of the, James iii. 6. 

Penny, the daily wages in this country, in the fourteenth 
century, of cornweeders or haymakers, without meat, 
drink, or other courtesy, demanded, Matt. xx. 2. 

Pentecost, feast of, why instituted, Acts ii. 1. 

Perdition, or destruction, personified, John xvii. 12 
Terrible description of perdition by one of our best 
poets, Matt. viii. 12. 

Perfection, Christian, doctrine of, stated and defended, 
Matt. v.48, vi. 10; Luke xvii. 10; Heb. vi. 1. 

Pergamos, account of this ancient town of Mysia, Rev. 
veg iE 

Περικεφαλαια, the helmet, some account of this species of 
armour among the ancients, Eph. vi. 13. 

Peripatetics, a very famous sect of philosophers, found- 
ed by Aristotle, Acts xvii. 18. 

Περίψημα, this word improperly rendered in our version, 
1Cor.iv.13. Heathen custom to which the apostle 
alluded in applying this term to himself and his fellow 
labourers, iid. 

Peroun, or The Thunderer, a divinity of the ancient 
Slavi, to whom human victims were offered, Rom. ix., 
wm june. 

ss versions of the Gospels, account of the, Intro- 
tion to the Gospels and Acts, p. 20., ἅς. Some quo- 
tations from the Persian version in the London Poly- 
glot to show its Catholic origin, zd. 

Perverse, Kypke’s definition of the original term thus 
rendered, Matt. xvii. 17. 

Peshito, the, some account of this celebrated Syriac ver- 
sion of the New Testament, Introduction to the Gospels 
and Acts, p. 22. 

Pestis, how figuratively used by the ancients, Acts xxiv. 5. 

Peter, import of this name, Matt. xvi. 18; Luke ix., m 
fine; John i. 42. Peter’s denial and fall illustrated by 
a fact in the English martyrology, John xiii., in fine. 
Farther observations on Peter’s denial of our Lord, 
John xviii. 27. Thoughts on the prevarication of 
Peter, mentioned by the aoe Paul, Gal. ii., in fine. 
Biographical sketch of this apostle, Preface to the 
Epistles of Peter. 

Peter, Epistles of, inquiry into their authenticity, Pre- 
face to the Epistles. Mr. Hallet’s arguments to show 
that these apostolical letters were addressed to Gentile 
converts, and not to the Jews, wid. The Babylon 
mentioned at the close of the First ot to be lite- 
rally, and not mystically, understood, wid. 

Peter’s supremacy, Romish doctrine of, a fable, Matt. 
xvi. 18. 

Petronius Arbiter, citation from, very similar to a pas- 
sage in Isaiah and the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 
1 Cor. xv. 32. 

Phalarica or Falarica, why so named, Eph. vi. 16. 

Pharisaic pride, genuine specimen of, Luke xviii. 12. 

Pharisees, some account of this ancient Jewish sect, 
Matt. iii. 7, xvi.1. Derivation of the name, ibid. 

éarnv, meaning of this word according to Wetstein, 
Luke ii. 7. 

Φελωνης, rendered cloak, probably means ἃ éag or port- 
manteau, 2 Tim. iv. 13. 

Phenomena, Astronomical, see Astronomical Phenomena. 


his death extremely uncertain, Acts xxviii.31. What] Phetirath Mosheh, substance of a very ridiculous legend 


is said by Eusebius and others upon this subject not to 
i 


in the, relative to the dispute of Michael and th- 
xiii 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


devily, concerning the great Jewish lawgiver, Preface 

to Jude. 

Philadelphia, a city of Natolia, now called Alahshekir, 
Rev. i. 11. 

Philemon, Epistle to, rzason which moved the apostle to 
write this letter, Preface to Philemon. General ob- 
servations on the great excellences of this epistle, 
Philem., in fine. 

Philip the apostle, some account of, John i. 43. 
Philippi, a town of Macedonia, remarkable for two 
great battles, Acts xvi.12. Preface to Philippians. 
Philippians, Epistle to the, when it was written, Preface 

to the Epistle. Style of the epistle, ibid. 

Φιλοσοῴος, probable origin of this word, Eph. v. 15. 

Philoxian version, some account of this translation of 
the New Testament into the Syriac tongue, Introduc- 
tion to the Gospels and Acts, p. 22. 

Phlegon, citation from this writer, in which it is thought 
there is an allusion to the preternatural darkness at 
the time of our Lord’s crucifixion, Matt. xxvii. 45. 

Phocion, remarkable saying of the wife of this cele- 
brated Athenian general on receiving a visit from a 
lady who was elegantly adorned with gold and jewels, 
and her hair with pearls, 1 Pet. iii. 4. 

Phenicians and Canaanites, these names frequently con- 
founded in the Septuagint, Matt. xv. 22. 

Φυσει, rendered by nature, according to Suicer frequent- 
ly imports certainly, truly, Rom. ii.16. It also fre- 
quently signifies the natural birth, family, or nation, 
of a man, a sense of the word illustrated by citations 
from Josephus, Chrysostom, and others, Gal. ii. 15. 
Dr. Macknight’s observations on the various accepta- 
‘ions of this word, Eph. ii. 3. 

Phylacteries, particular account of the, Matt. xxiii. 5. 
Description of one in the author’s possession, ibid. 

Physiognomist, remarkable anecdote of a, 1 John iii. 9. 

Pillar and ground of the truth, variety of opinions rela- 
tive Ἢ the import of this apostolical expression, 2 Tim. 
Ill. Lo. 

Pillars of the world, men of great eminence and import- 
ance were so named among the Jews, Gal. ii. 9. 

Πινακιδίον, meaning of this word illustrated by a passage 
from Shaw’s Travels, Luke i. 63. 

Pipes anciently used by the Jews in times of calamity, 
Matt. ix. 32. 

Πίπτω, quotations from Homer, in which this word im- 
ports to be slain, Rom. xi. 12. 

Pipublasara of the Islandic, who, Matt. ix. 32. 

Pisidia, situation of this province of Asia Minor, Acts 
xiii. 14. Four languages anciently spoken in this dis- 
trict according to Strabo, viz., the Pisidian, the Soly- 
man, the Greek, and the Lydian, Acts xiv. 15. 

Piaiting the hair, observations on the manner of, among 
the ancients, 1 Pet. iii. 3. 
latina, the heaviest of all the metals, 1 Pet. i., in fine. 
But recently known to Europeans, aid. Its specific 
gravity, ibid. 

Plautus, citation from, very similar to a saying of our 
Lord, Luke xii. 34. 

Pleasure-takers and voluptuaries, saying of Seneca re- 
specting, 1 Tim. i. 6. 

Πλησίον, its meaning among the Hellenistic Jews, Matt. 
v.43; Luke x. 29. 

Pliny, epistle of, to his friend Sabinianus, in behalf of 
his manumitted slave who had offended him, Philem., 
in fine. Pliny’s second letter to Sabinianus, in which 
he expresses his obligation for the successful issue of 
the preceding, ibid. 

Plutarch, remarkable passage in the Conjugalia Pre- 
aoe of, very similar to a saying of St. Peter, 1 Pet. 
111, ὦ. 

Tivew, a frequent acceptation of this word in classical 
writers, Acts ix. 1. 

Πνευμα, in what this word differs in import from ψυχή, 
1 Thess. v. 23. 

Πολιτευμα, rendered conversation, properly signifies citi- 
zenship or civil rights, Phil. iii. 20. 

Πολυμαστος, an epithet of the Ephesian Diana, Acts 
xix. 27. 

Pompey, how he was enabled to take Jerusalem, Matt. 
xii. 2, 

Σὰν 


Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea in the Teign 
of Tiberius, Matt. xxvii.2. Depased by the emperor 
on account of his great cruelties to the Samaritans, 
and banished to Vienne in Dauphiny, ibid. His tra- 
gical end, ibid. 

Pontus, formerly a very powerful kingdom of Asia, 
Actsii.9. Its boundaries, iid. 

Popish bishops, remarkable saying of the, in the time of 
Mary I., queen of England, respecting the then recent 
art of printing, Acts v. 40. 

Popliteal artery, great weight raised by the action of the, 
Heb. xi., in fine. 

Popular fame, remarkable example of the great fickle- 
ness of, Acts xiv. 19. 

Porch or portico of Solomon, account of the, John x. 23. 

Portents, fearful, see Fearful portents. 

Pound, great impropriety of thus rendering the original 
word, pointed out, Luke xix. 13. 

Power, might, and energy, in what these words differ in 
import, Eph.i. 19. 

Pratorium, a place of judicature among the Romans, 
why so named, Matt. xxvii. 27; John xviii. 28. 

Praise, ascription of seven species of, to the Lamb, a 
rabbinism, Rev. v.12. This illustrated by a remark- 
able passage in the Sephir Rasael, idid. Seven kinds 
of praise ascribed to God, which are nearly the same 
with those ascribed to the Lamb, and a very illustrious 
proof of the essential Divinity of Jesus Christ, Rev. 
v. 12, vii. 12. 

Prayer, observations on, Matt. vi.5, vii. 8, ix. 18, xiv. 23, 
Xv. 22, xviii.19, xx.33; John xi.5, xii.32; Actsi.14, 
iv. 31, x. 2; Rom. viii. 27; 1 Tim. 11. 8; Heb. x.19. 
Jewish superstition relative to the place or places 
where prayer could be legally offered, 1 Tim.ii.8. In 
what light prayer to God is viewed by the Moham- 
medans, Matt. vi.16. Distinction between prayer and 
supplication, Actsi. 14. 

Prayer for all secular governors the constant practice of 
Christians, 1 Tim. ii.2. Sayings of Cyprian, Tertul- 
lian, and Origen on this subject, 77d. 

Prayers, hours of, among the Jews, Acts iii.1. By whom 
appointed, in the opinion of the rabbins, ibid. 

Predestination, unconditional, to eternal life and to eter- 
nal death, cannot be supported by the example of God’s 
dealings with Jacob and Esau, or their posterity, Matt. 
vi. 24; Rom. ix. 12, &c., et in fine; Heb. xii.17. See 
also, upon the doctrine of unconditional predestina- 
tion, Acts xiii. 48; Rom. viii., i fine; 2 Cor. ii. 16; 
Eph. i. 5; 1 Thess. i. 4; Heb. iv.6; 1 Pet. i.2; 1 John 
ii. 2. 

Prefect, or overseer, of the mountain of the temple, plain 
allusion to the office of the, Rev. xvi. 15. 

Preference given to one thing beyond another usually 
expressed in the sacred canon by an affirmation of 
that which is preferred, and a negation of that which 
is contrary to it, 1 Cor.i.17. An example produced, 
ibid. 

Preparation for the Sabbath, when it commenced, John 
xix. 31. 

Presbyters or elders of the primitive Chnstian Church, 
who, Actsxx.17. The ἐπίσκοποι or bishops anciently 
selected from the presbyters, zbid. ἢ 

Presbytery, UpecPutepiov, all who held offices in the 
Christian Church at Lystra collectively so named, 
ΤΠ το, το 17. 

Presumption, observations on this vice, Matt. xxvi. 33. 

Presumption on a precarious life, curious rabbinical re- 
lation in which this is very strongly reproved, James 
iv.13. Another anecdote to the same effect from the 
Gulistan of Saady, James iv., in fine. ν 

Prices of \abour, provisions, and clothing, in this country 
in the fourteenth century, Matt. xx. 2. 

Pride, nothing more hateful in the sight of God, Matt. 
xxiil. 12. 

Priest, derivation and original acceptation of this term, 
Acts xx. 17. ἢ 

Priestley (Rev. Dr.) his observations on the genuineness 
of the Apocalypse, Rev. xxii., in fine. , 

Priests, customary among the Jewish, according to the 
Talmud, to divide the different functions of the sacer 
dotal office by lot, Luke i. 9. 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Primitive fathers, alphabetical list of the, referred to in 
the various readings quoted occasionally in these 
notes, with the times in which they were born, flou- 
= hy or died, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, 

. 25., ἄς. 

rine eniture, rights generally eden to have been 
attached to, in ancient times, Heb. xii. 16. 

Principes, who, among the Romans, Matt. viii. 9. 

Principles which the author of this Commentary, on 
carefully reading and studying the sacred writings, 
finds unequivocally revealed there, Conclusion of the 
Notes on the New Testament. 

Proconsul, see Propretor. 

Prodigal Son, Quesnel’s reflections on the parable of the, 
Luke xv., in fine. 

ΠΠροδρομος occurs only once in the New Testament, Heb. 
vi. 20. Its import, ibid. 

Profane, whence derived, 1 Tim. i.9; Heb. xii. 16. 

Projectile forces of the planets, satellites, and comets, 
what, Heb. xi., in fine. The harmonious adjustment 
of the projectile force of a planet to its gravitation, or 
the sun’s attraction; or, in other words, the balancing 
of the centrifugal and centripetal forces in such a man- 
ner as to cause the planet to describe an ellipse little 
differing from a circle; a very strong evidence of the 
being of a God, ibid. Quantities of projectile force ne- 
cessary to be impressed on a planet, or other celestial 
body, to cause it to move in a circle, ellipsis, parabola, 
and hyperbola, did. 

Prophecies of Enoch, this work a most manifest forgery, 
Preface to Jude. See also Jude 14. 

Prophet, what this word imports in different parts of the 
orien oracles, Matt. x. 41; Luke i. 67, ii. 36; Rom. 
xii. 6. 

Προφητεια, Prophecy, apostolic definition of this Greek 
word, 1 Cor. xiv. 3. 

pad alee and Proconsul, distinction between the, Acts 
Xu. 1. 

Tlpocayopevouat synonymous with aprafouat, according 
to Hesychius, Heb. v. 9. 

Proselytism, four conditions of, among the ancient Jews, 
Mark viii. 34. 

Sruae among the Jews, what, Acts xvi. 13, xvii. 1, 
23 obs), 

Προσευχη, derivation and import of this word, Matt. vi. 5. 
In what it differs from deyaic, Acts i. 14; Eph. vi. 18. 

Προσευχὴ του Ocov, the import of this phrase illustrated 
by numerous citations from sacred and profane writers, 
Luke vi. 12. 

Prostapheresis Orbis of Ptolemy, what, James i. in fine. 

Prostration on a religious account, and before great men, 
how performed in Hindostan, Matt. ii.2. Prostrations 
to superiors common in all Asiatic countries, Acts x. 
25; Rev. xix. 10. Reason why the act of prostration 
was refused by the angel of the Apocalypse, Rev. xix. 
10, xxii. 8. 

Πρωτος, Chief, the title of the Roman governor of the 
ancient Maltese, Acts xxviii. 7. 

Providence, general and particular, doctrine of Matt. x. 
29, 30; John iv., in fine. A popular saying of one of 
our best poets upon this subject shown to be a direct 
contradiction to the words of our Saviour, Matt. x. 30. 
Observations on the economy of Divine Providence, 
Acts x. 17, xiv. 17, xxiii.,in fine., xxvii. 31. 

Prudence, definition of, by Sir William Temple, Eph.i.8. 

Prutah, the smallest coin among the Jews, Matt. v. 26; 
Mark xii. 42. Its weight, Matt. v. 26. 

ψηλαφωμενον opoc, import of this phrase, Heb. xii. 18. 

Ψηόος λευκὴ, and ψηφος μελαινη, of the ancients, what, 
Rev. ii. 17. 

Yvyn, in what this word differs in import from rvevua, 

_1 Thess. v. 23. 

Ptolemais, a seaport of Galilee, Acts xxi. 7. Its ancient 
appellation, zid. 
zwyoc, dertvation of this word, Matt. v. 3. 

Public worship, times of, among the Turks, proclaimed 
from the housetops, Matt. x. 27. Observations on the 
great importance of a strict attendance to public wor- 
ship among Christians, Luke iv. 16; John xx. 24; 
Heb. x., in fine. 

Publicans, who, among the Jews, Matt. v. 46. Their 

1 


character, ibid. Remarkable saying of Theocritus re 
specting these Roman officers, wid. 

Pulsation of the heart, natural cause of the, unknown, 
Heb. xi., in fine. 

Punic language, remarkable specimen of the, as copied 
from a square stone discovered in Malta in the last 
century; with Sir W. Drummond’s translation, Acts 
xxviii. 1. 

Purgare, a peculiar meaning of this word in Horace, 
John xv. 2. 

Purgation of the Temple by our Lord, whether performed 
once or twice, John ii. 14. 

Purgatory, doctrine of, in the Romish Church, whence 
it originated, Matt. iii. 11. Inquiry into the import of 
a saying of St. Paul, which the Romanists have ap- 
plied to the fire of purgatory, 1 Cor. iii. 15. 

Πύυρουσϑαι, import of this word illustrated by a curious 
story from the rabbinical tract Kiddushin, 1 Cor. vii. 9. 

Purple Island, citation of a very remarkable passage 
from this poem of Phineas Fletcher respecting the 
conversion of a soul to God, John viii. 12. 

Puteoli, a town of Naples, now called Pozzuoli, Acts 
xxviii. 13. Two etymologies of its name given by 
Varro, ibid. Famous for the temple of Jupiter Serapis, 
and for the remains of Cicero’s Villa, wid. Present 
condition of Puteoli, iid. 

Πυϑαγορειοι, Pythagoreans, in what they differed from 
Πυϑαγορισται, Pythagorists, Acts vi. 1. 

Pythian games, crown won by the victor in the, made of 
laurel, 1 Cor. ix. 25. : 

Pythius, why this epithet was given to Apollo, Acts xvi. 
16 


Pytho, in the heathen mythology, what, Acts xvi. 16. 


Quadragesima, different opinions concerning the mean- 
ing of this word, Matt. ix. 15. 

Quadrans, the fourth part of the Roman as, Luke xxi, 2. 
In Plutarch’s time the smallest piece of brass coin in 
use among the Romans, 7id. 

Quadratus, a Christian apologist of the second century, 
2 Tim. iv., in fine. 

Quaker, thoughts concerning the affirmation of a, ina 
court of judicature, 2 Cor. i., in fine. ᾿ 

Quarles’s homely rhymes on the wife’s usurpation of the 
authority of her husband, Eph. vi. 22. 

Quaternion, what, Acts xii. 4. 

Quick, derivation and import of this Old English word, 
Acts x. 42. 

Quotations, how made in the New Testament from the 
Old, according to Surenhusius, Gusset, Wolf, Rosen- 
miiller, and others, Matt. ii. 23. 


Rabbi, a title of dignity among the Jews, Matt. xxiii. 7. 
In what it differs from Rabh, and Rabban, wid. 

Raca, its derivation and import, Matt. v.22. Citations 
from rabbinical writers to show how this word was 
used by the ancient Jews, Matt. v., in fine. 

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, 
explanation of this very elegant metaphor, Jude 13. 
Rahab, the angel of the sea, according to the rabbins, 

Rev. xvi. 5. 

Raiment, shaking of the, what it imported among the an- 
cient Jews, Matt. x. 14; Acts xviii. 6. 

Rain, times of the former and latter, Luke iv. 26. 

Rakia, 3), translated firmament, the second heaven, ac- 
cording to the rabbins, 2 Cor. xii. 2. The lowest of 
the three heavens that can be legitimately deduced from 
the sacred records, ibid. 

Ramayuna, account of this sacred book of the Hindoos, 
Rom. ix., in fine. Ν 
Raphael’s cartoon of Paul preaching at Athens, particu- 
lar description of, by Mr. Thomas Holloway, Acts xvii., 

in fine. 

Reapers, an appellation given by the Jews to their rab- 
bins, Matt. ix. 37. . ; 
Receipt of custom, the place where the taxes levied by the 

Romans of the Jews were collected, Matt. ix. 9. 

Reconciliation, 2postolic doctrine of, John xx. 23. 

Regular clergy, astonishing influence of this branch of 
the papal hierarchy in the dark ages, Rev. xiii, 12. 

Relics, Romish doctrine concerning, Acts v. 15. 

xlv 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Religion, defiuition of, by Cicero and Lactantius, James 
i. 27. Distinction between religion and superstition, 
wid. Definition of true religion, James i. 27. 

Religious persecution, very sensible observations of Dr. 
Dodd on the absurdity and wickedness of, Luke xiv., 
um fine. : μ ht 

Remphan, or Rephan, conjectures concerning this ancient 
object of idolatry, Acts vii. 43. 5 ; 

Rents of a farm, payment of the, in kind, an ancient cus- 
tom in most nations, and still prevailing in the High- 
lands of Scotland, and in some other places, Matt. xxi. 
94. 

Repentance, genuine, what essential to, Matt. iii. 6. 

Repetitions in civil and religious supplications common 
among the ancient Greeks and Romans, and even 
among the primitive Christians, Matt. vi. 7. The Mo- 
hammedans also remarkable for vain repetitions, of 
which an example is produced, ibid. Citation from 
the Heautontimorumenos of Terence in which this 
heathen practice is very strongly ridiculed, iid. 

Represent, or signify, this expressed in the Hebrew, Chal- 
dee, and Chald#o-Syriac languages by the substantive 
verb, Matt. xxvi. 26. 

Rzprobation, unconditional, doctrine of, demonstrated to 
be a lie against all the attributes of Deity, Matt. vii. 11, 
xxii. 12; John x. 27, xi. 33, xii. 39; 2 Cor. ii. 16, xiii. 
5: LU Pet iit 155 2)Pet. ΜΝ 9) 

Reshith Chocmah, citation of a passage from this treatise 
very similar to our Lord’s parable of the ten virgins, 
Matt. xxv. 1. 

Resipiscentia, why repentance was so named by the Ro- 
mans, Matt. iii. 2. 

Respect of persons, good rabbinical saying concerning, 
Eph. vi. 9. 

Restitution of all things, inquiry into the import of this 
phrase as employed by St. Peter, Acts iii. 21. This 
phrase, as used by our Lord, gives not the least coun- 
tenance to the doctrine entertained by some that the 
punishment of the wicked in a future state of existence 
shall be of a limited duration, Matt. xvii. 11. 

Resurrection of the dead, doctrine of the, a popular and 
common doctrine among the Jews long before the ad- 
vent of our Lord, Matt. xiv.2; Luke xx. 38, et in fine; 
John xi. 34; 2 Tim. i. 10. Analysis of St. Paul’s ar- 
gument relative to the doctrine of a general resurrec- 
tion, 1 Cor. xv., in principio. 

Revelation, or Apocalypse, Dr. Lardner’s inquiry into the 
authenticity of this book of the sacred canon, Introduc- 
tion to the Revelation. Various opinions concerning 
the time in which it was written, wid. Great uncer- 
tainty as to the writer of the Apocalypse; and the ar- 
guments of Dr. Lardner, who defends the generally 
received opinion of the Church, not satisfactory, ibid. 
The very elevated style of this book, so totally dissi- 
milar from that of St. John’s aceredited works, a sufli- 
cient demonstration that it is not the production of this 
apostle, unless we could suppose that the words as well 
as the malter were inspired, a point which we have not 
conceded in examining the claims to authenticity of 
any of the other books of holy writ, iid. But its want 
of authenticity of no consequence to the Church pro- 
vided its genuineness b2 admitted, Preface to the Reve- 
lation. Different plans upon which the Revelation has 
been attempted to be explained, did. The scheme of 
Signor Pastorini, zhid. ; of Wetstein, iid. ; and of Pro- 
testants in general, id. Hichorn’s singular scheme, 
tbid. Mr. Lowman’s scheme and order of the Apoca- 
lyptic visions, Rev. xxii., in fine. Conjecture concern- 
ing the design of the Apocalypse, Preface to the Reve- 
lation. Rabbinical character of its phraseology and 
imagery, Rey. iv. 8. Observations of Graserus on the 
insuperable difficulties which present themselves in 
this book of sacred hieroglyphics, a sentiment in which 
the writer of this commentary most heartily concurs, 
Preface to the Revelation. A most solemn and awful 
warning relative to the words of the prophecy of this 
book. If any man have an ear, let him hear, Rev. 
xxii. 18, 19. 

Revolutions, periodic and sidereal, of the sun, moon, and 
planets. Observations on Kepler’s famous discovery 
that the meaz. distances of the planets from the sun are 


τινὶ 


in subsesquialteral geometrical proportion to their pe- 
riodic revolutions, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Rhegiwm, a city and promontory in Italy, now called 
Reggio, Acts xxviii. 13. Why so denominated, aid. 

Rhodes, an island of the Mediterranean, Acts xxi. 1. 

Rich man, in the apostolic sense of the term, 1 Tim. vi. 9. 
Sense in which our Lord is to be understood when he 
asserted the extreme difficulty of a rich man’s entering 
into the kingdom of heaven, Matt. xix. 25. 

Right hand consecrated by the ancients to Faith, Matt. 
xvii. 14. Metaphorical acceptation of this term among 
the rabbins, Matt. xxv. 33. Giving the right hand to 
another formerly a mark of confidence, friendship, and 
fellowship, Gal. ii. 9. In eastern countries the highest 
favourite of the king sits on the right hand of the 
throne, Heb. i. 3. 

Righteousness of God, God’s method of saving sinners by 
taith in Christ, see Rom. iii. 20-26. 

Rights of God and Caesar defined, Matt. xxij. 16-21. 

Roman armies, how anciently recruited, Matt. xx. 16. 

Roman calendar, observations on the progressive improve- 
ment of the, from the days of Romulus, about 730 years 
before Christ, to the present time, Rom. xvi., in Jine. 

Roman Catholic monarchies, enumeration of the, at the 
commencement of the Reformation, Rey. xvii. 16. 

Roman census, see Census of the Romans. 

Roman citizen, great privileges of a, in the apostolic age, 
Acts xvi. 37, xxii. 29, xxv. 11. 

Roman consuls, table of, for one hundred and seven years 
(from B. C. 6 to A. D. 100,) with the times in which 
these magistrates ruled, reduced to the years of seven 
different epochs, Table II. at the end of the Acts. 

Roman infantry, how divided and subdivided, Matt. viii. 9. 

Roman law and government, remarks on the grand prin- 
ciple of the, “to condemn no man unheard, and to con- 
front the accusers with the accused,” Acts xxv. 16, et 
in fine. 

Roman women, Tertullian’s description of their supersti- 
tious and idolatrous practices during pregnancy, 1 Cor. 
vii. 14. 

Romans very jealous of their national worship, Acts xvi. 

1. 


Romans, Epistle of Paul to the, its object excellently shown 
by Dr. Paley to be, to place the Gentile convert upon 
a parity of situation with the Jewish, in respect of his 
religious condition, and his rank in the Divine favour, 
Preface to Romans. Various opinions respecting the 
language in which this epistle was originally written, 
wid. Copious extract from Dr. Taylor’s Key to the 
Apostolic Writings, in which St. Paul’s principal de- 
sign in writing his Epistle to the Romans is very lumi- 
nously set forth, did. In this extract the following 
subjects are discussed:—The original and nature of 
the Jewish constitution of religion. The peculiar 
honours and privileges of the Jewish nation, while 
they were the peculiar people of God, with an explica- 
tion of the terms by which these honours are expressed. 
Reflections on the Jewish privileges and honours. The 
Jewish peculiarity not prejudicial to the rest of man- 
kind, the Jewish economy being established for the 
benefit of the world in general. The Jewish pecu- 
liarity to receive its perfection from the Gospel. The 
particular honours and privileges of Christians, with 
an explanation of the terms by which they are express- 
ed. Reflections on the honours and privileges of the 
Christian Church. All the grace of the Gospel is dis- 
pensed to us by, im, or through Christ. Irresistible 
conclusion from an harmonious union of all the argn- 
ments employed in the discussion of the preceding 
topics. General survey of the Epistle to the Romans. 
The three grand divisions into which the Epistle to 
the Romans is naturally divisible, the Preface, the 
Tractation, and the Peroration or Epilogue, Rom. i., 
in principio. 

Rome at present exhibits but a very faint image of its 
former magnificence, Acts xxviii. 14. Its population 
in 1709; and the number of bishops, priests, monks, 
nuns, courtezans, Jews, and Moors, at the time of that 
census, aid. 

Romish Church, observations relative to the doctrines of 
the, Rom. xvi., in fine; 2 Pet. iii. 16, 

1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Romash hierarchy, amazing influence of the, in the dark 
ages, Rev. xiii. 12. Account of its two grand divisions, 
the regular and secular clergy, wid. 

Root of bitterness, a Hebraism for @ poisonous plant, 
Heb. xii. 15. 

Rough garments of the ancient prophets, some account of 
the, Heb. xi. 37. 

Ruler of the Jews, a member of the grand Sanhedrin was 
usually so named, John iii. 1. 

Russian or Slavonic version of the New Testament, account 
of the, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 22. 


Sabbath, observations on the institution of the, Matt. xii. 
7,8; Mark ii. 28. Rigorous observances of this day 
by the ancient Jews, Matt. xii.2. The coming in of 
the Sabbath formerly announced by the minister of the 
synagogue with a trumpet sounded six times from the 
roof of a very high house, Matt. x. 27. 

Sabbath-day’s journey, what, Acts 1. 12. 

Σαββατον devteporpwrov and LaBBarov δευτεροδευτερον, 
Lightfoot’s observations on the import of these Greek 
phrases, Matt. xii. 1, Dr. Whitby’s and Wotton’s ob- 
servations, Luke vi. 1. 

Sacerdotal absolution, doctrine of, held among the ancient 
Jews as well as modern papists, Acts xxiii. 12. <A re- 
markable instance produced, ibid. 

Sacramental cup, observations on the denial of the, to the 
laity by the Romanists, Matt. xxvi. 27. 

Sacrifices formerly not unfrequently sent by the Gentiles 
to the temple at Jerusalem, John xi. 20. 

Sacrum Romanum Imperium, or Holy Roman Empire, 
origin of this appellative of the late Germanic empire, 
Rev. xiii. 1. 

Sadducees, some account of this famous Jewish sect, Matt. 
iii. 7, xvi. 1; Acts xxiii. 8. 

Szhidic Version of the New Testament, account of the, 
Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 21 

Sekar, \Dv, according to Jerome, any inebriating liquor, 
Luke i. 15. 

Salaam, sacredness of this word of salutation among the 
Arabs, 2 John 10. 

Salamis, the capital of Cyprus, afterwards called Con- 
stantia, Acts xiii. 5. Its present appellation, ibid. 

Salmone, Sammon, or Samonium, a promontory on the 
eastern coast of Crete; now called Cape Solomon or 
Salamina, Acts xxvii. 7. 

Salonichi, the ancient Thessalonica, Acts xvii. 1. 

Salutations, Harmer’s observations on the manner of 
giving and receiving, in eastern countries, Matt. v. 47. 

Salvation browght by Jesus Christ, in what it consists, 
Luke i. 74. 

Salvation From sin, the spirit and design of the Gospel, 
Rom. vi., passim. 

Samandraki, the ancient Samothracia, Acts xvi. 11. 

Samaritans, account of the, Matt. x. 5. 

Sammael, Jewish fable concerning, John xii. 31. 

Sanctification, Scripture doctrine of, John xvii. 17; Acts 
x.43; Rom. iii., im fine; 2 Cor. vii.1, xi. 30; 1 Thess. 
v. 23; James iv. 8. 

Sandal, what, among the ancients, Mark vi. 9. 

Sanhedrin, account of this famous Jewish council, Matt. 
ν. 22. Its supreme officers, Matt. xx. 24. 

Saphet, supposed to be the same with the ancient Bethu- 
lia, Matt. v. 14. 

Sapphire, description of this precious stone, Rey. xxi. 19. 

Sarcasm, remarkable example of this figure of speech, 
Rev. xvi. 6. 

Sardis, an ancient city of Asia Minor, now called Sardo 
and Sart, Rev. i. 11. 

Sardius, description of this precious stone, Rev. xxi. 20. 

Sardonyx, account of this precious stone, Rev. xxi. 20. 

Sarepta or Zarephath, where situated, Luke iv. 26. 

Saron, situation of this country, Acts ix. 35. 

Satan, delivering over to, what meant by this phrase, 
John xx. 23; 1 Cor. v.5, A species of power never 
committed to any but the apostles, ibid. 

Saul, import of his name, Acts xiii. 9. 

Saxon or Anglo-Saxon version of Holy Writ, some ac- 
count of the, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 22. 

Scelus ineredibile et inauditum, “an incredible and un- 
i δ wickedness,” what so styled by Cicero, 1 Cor. 
v. 1 

1 


Scorpion, a military weapon among the Romans, why so 
named, Rev. ix. 5. 

Σκορπίος, whence derived, according to the Greek ety- 
mologists, Luke xi. 12, 

Scourging, great severity of this punishment among the 
Romans, Matt. xxvii. 26. The criminal was some- 
times scourged to death, ibid. How the punishment of 
eeouretng was performed among the Jews, 2 Cor, 
xi. 24. 

Scribes, who, among the Jews, Matt. ii.4. How the Greek 
word so translated is used in the Septuagint, wid. 

Scriptures, remarkable passage in the Talmudical Tract 
Shabbath relative to the study of the, John v. 39. Exa- 
mination of a passage of Scripture which the Rornan- 
ists allege in favour of their doctrine that the Oracles 
of God cannot be understood without the help of an 
authorized expositor, Acts viii. 31. Observations on 
the papistical doctrine that the Holy Ghost has consti- 
tuted the Romish hierarchy the only infallible interpret- 
ers of the Holy Scriptures, 2 Pet. iii. 16. 

Scuta, see Oupeoc. 

Seal, formerly customary for a purchaser to mark his 
goods with a, that he might be able to distinguish and 
claim them, if mixed with others, Eph. i. 13. 

Seal, setting of a, upon the victim, see Victim. 

Seals of the Apocalypse, their import, according to Wet- 
stein, Preface to the Revelation. Mr. Lowman’s scheme 
of interpretation, Rev. xxii., in fine. 

Seamless garment of owr Lord, observations concerning 
the, John xix. 23. Description of it by Josephus, wid. 

Seasons, method of dividing the, among the Jews, John 
iv. 35. 

Σεβαστος, a term usually translated Augustus, appears to 
be used by St. Paul as simply synonymous with βασι- 
λεὺς or emperor, Acts xxv. 21. 

Second death, a Jewish phrase for the punishment of hell 
in a future life, Rev. 11. 11. 

Selaa, the same with the shekel, Matt. xxvi. 15. Thirty 
selain, py, of pure silver, the standard price of a 
slave, according to the rabbins, id. Amount of this 
in British sterling, ibid. 

Seleucia of Pieria, where situated, Acts xiii. 4. 

Scleucide, era of the, or era of Alexander, account of the, 
Preface to Matthew. 

Self-love, what, in the only proper Scriptural sense of the 
term, Matt. xix. 19. 

Semiramis, account by Diodorus Siculus of the marches 
of this monarch into Media and Persia, Matt. iii. 3. 
Sepher Toledoth, nydin 350, a phrase of frequent occur- 
See in the Jewish writings, Matt.i.1. Its import, 

ibid. 

Septuagint version, great importance of, to every minis- 
ter of the word of God, Heb. i. 6. 

Serpent, Lucan’s account of the terrible effects of the bite 
of a, Acts xxviii. 6. See Boiga. 

Servant, this word shown not fully to express the sense 
of the original, Rom. i. 1. 

Servus and Fur, frequently used synonymously, and why 
Tit. ii. 10. 

Seven, a number of perfection or completion among the 
Hebrews, Matt. xii. 45. 

Seven Churches of Asia Minor, Rev. David Lindsay’s ac- 
count of their present condition, Rev. iii., in fine. 

Seven things created before the foundation of the world, ac- 
cording to the rabbins, Matt. xxv. 34. 

Shabbath, relation in this Talmudical tract very similar 
to our Lord’s parable of the merchantmen seeking 
goodly pearls, Matt. xiii. 45. 

Shadow of death, ΤΥ Sx, Σκία Oavarov, observations on 
this remarkably energetic expression, which is of fre- 
quent occurrence in the sacred Scriptures, Matt. iv. 16. 

Shah Jehan, circumstantial description of a gold circular 
coin of this great Mogul prince, 2 Tim. ii., in fine. 

Shalom, a term frequent in Hebrew salutations, its im- 
port, Matt. x. 12, 34. 

Shammatha, ΔΓ), the most dreadful of all the Jewish 
CxCOMUEA AE, 1Cor. xvi. 22. Some account of 
it, iid. 

Shark, the original word κητὸς should rather be under 
stood of a species of this fish than of the whale, and 
why, Matt, xii. 40, 

Σὶν 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Sharp, (Granville) his remarks on the pretended supre- 
macy of the bishop of Rome, Luke ix., in fine. 
Shechakim, Ὁ ΌΤΙ, the third heaven, according to the 


tabbins, 2 Cor. xii. 2. 

Sheep, an ancient custom in eastern countries for the 
shepherd to go at the head of his, and they to follow 
him from pasture to pasture, John x.4. A circum- 
stance of this kind witnessed by the author on the ex- 
tensive downs in the western parts of England, ἐδώ. 

Shepherds of the people, ποιμενες λαου, a title given by the 
ancient Greeks to sovereign princes, Matt. ii. 6. 

Shewbread, why probably so named, Matt. xii.4. Park- 
hurst’s thoughts on its typical import, iid. 

Shibta, SN.W, among the rabbins, the name of an evil 
spirit, Matt. xv. 2. 

Shields, account of the different sorts of, employed by 
the ancients, Eph. vi. 13. 

Ship, the original word thus rendered more frequently 
means a fishing-boat, Matt. iv. 22. 

Shoe of the ancients, properly only a sole tied round the 
foot and ankle with strings or thongs, Marki. 7. 

Shoes, putting on, taking off, and carrying the, of their 
masters, the work of the vilest slaves among the Jews, 
Greeks, and Romans, Matt. iii. 11. 

Shopher, 12\w, a term applied by the rabbins to the hole 
in the public alms-chest, Matt. vi. 2. 

Showing good works, or good things, a Hebraism, John 
x. 32. Its import, iid. 

Shrine of owr lady of Loretto, supposed by the Italian 
papists to have been a Divine gift to their country, 
Acts xix. 35. 

Sicarii, Σικαριοι, why assassins were so named, accord- 
ing to Josephus, Acis xxi. 38. 

Signs of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, obser- 
vations on the, contained in our Lord’s prophecy to 
his disciples, Matt. xxiv. 1-7. 

Sikkir, the same with the σίκερα of the Greeks, Luke i. 15. 
How made, according to the Hedaya, aid. One of 
the four prohibited liquors among the East Indian 
Moslimans, iid. 

Silence in heaven for the space of half an hour, Sir Isaac 
Newton’s very beautiful explanation of this phrase, 
Rev. viii. 3. 

Siloam, pool of, where situated, Johnix.7. The Turks 
have this fountain in great veneration, ibid. Thought 
by Calmet to be the same with En-rogel, or Fiuller’s 
Fountain, mentioned in the Old Testament, zid. 

Simeon, Claude’s remarks on the song and prophecy of 
this holy man, Luke ii., in fine. 

Simikinthia, Σιμικινϑια, what, Acts xix. 12. 

Simon Magus, various opinions and legends concerning 
the heresy of this man, Acts viii. 9,24. Very remark- 
able various readings in the Scripture account of 
Simon Magus, Acts viii. 10, 24. 

Sin, motions of, irritated by the law, Rom. vii. 8, &c. 
Citations from Livy, Horace, and Ovid, in which this 
evil propensity in man is acknowledged, ἐῤῥά. 

Sin unto death, and sin not wnto death, import of these 
Jewish phrases, 1 John v. 16. 

Singing, remarks on the use and abuse of, in the Church 
of God, 1 Cor. xiv. 15. 

Singular number, the ancient Hebrews not unfrequently 
substituted the plural for the, Matt. xxvi.8; xxvii. 44. 

Sinners. See 'Αμαρτωλοι. 

Sin-offering. See Ἅμαρτια. 

Sitting, the general posture of the ancient Jews when 
commenting on the sacred Scriptures, or the traditions 
of the elders, Luke iv. 16. 

Sitting at the feet of the rabbi said to be the usual posture 
of a Jewish scholar while listening to his instructions, 
Luke x. 39. This statement controverted by Vitringa, 
Acts xxii. 3. 

Siz hundred and sixty-six, see number of the beast. 

Σκανδαληϑρα, explanation of this word by Suidas, Matt. 
v. 29. 

Σκευη οστρακινα and Ykevn κεραμεῶς, distinction between, 
according to Chrysostom, 2 Cor. iv. 7. 

Sxevoc ἐκλογῆς, import of this Hebraism, Acts ix. 15. 

Σκηνωποῖος, various conjectures concerning the nature 


of the employment intended by this term, Acts xviii. 3. ὁ 


xlviii 


Slavery, among the ancients, as described by Dr. John 
Taylor, 1 Cor. vii., in fine. 

Slaves, ceremonies observed by our Saxon ancestors in 
the enfranchisement of slaves, 1 Cor. vii., in fine. 

Slavonian or Russian version of the New Testament, ac- 
eon of the, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, 
p. 22. 

Sleep, common metaphor among the Jews for death, 
John xi. 11. Probably used by them to signify their 
belief in the immateriality of the soul and the resur- 
rection of the body, John xi.11. Saying of Menander 
respecting the beneficial effects of sleep, John xi. 12. 

Sleep of the soul, from the moment of the death of the 
body till the resurrection, a doctrine which cannot be 
legitimately deduced from the sacred oracles, 2 Cor. v.6. 

Smyrna, some account of this ancient city, Rev. i. 11. 
Its present appellation, ibzd. 

Social worship among Christians, thoughts respecting, 
Heb. x. 25. 

Socrates, remarkable passage in the last conversation of 
this great philosopher with his friends, 2 Pet. i. 15. 

Sohar Chadash, citation from, similar to our Lord’s 
parable of the talents, Matt. xxv. 15. 

Solea, among the Romans, what, Mark vi. 9. 

Son, in the Jewish phraseology, a man who has any 
good or bad quality is called the son or child of that 
quality, Luke x.6. A person is sometimes called the 
son or child of what he is doomed to, 77d. Examples 
of these different acceptations, ibid. 

Son of David, an appellation of the Messiah among the 
Jews, Matt. ix. 27. 

Son of God, when applied to the Messiah, points out his 
miraculous conception in the womb of the virgin, Mark 
i. 1. This appellation not given to the Divine nature 
of Christ, but to that holy person born of the virgin by 
the energy of the Holy Ghost, Luke i. 35; Heb. i. 5. 
Essential absurdity of the contrary doctrine, ibid. ; 
Acts xiii. 33. Remarks on that passage in Mark’s 
Gospel which states the Son of God to have been igno- 
rant of the time in which the Jewish polity should be 
destroyed by the Romans, Mark xiii. 32. 

Song of the blessed virgin, parts into which this inimita- 
ble piece of poetry is obviously divisible, Luke i. 54. 

Sons of thunder, import of this Hebraism, Mark iii. 17. 

Sons of Zebedee, probable import of the very extraordina- 
ry petition of the mother of these apostles to our Lord, 
Matt. xx. 21. 

Soothsayer, derivation and import ofthis word, Acts xvi.16. 

Sorcerer, a word of French origin, Acts viii. 9. 

Σωτηρ, definition of this word by Minteri, Luke ii. 11. 
Incove and σωτὴρ nearly of the same import, John i. 17; 
Acts v. 28. 

Soul, doctrine of the materiality of the, has no place in 
the sacred records, Matt. x. 28; Acts vii. 59. 

Sound eye, οφϑαλμος ἀπλους, a very elegant and expres- 
sive metaphor employed by our Lord for that simplici- 
ty of intention and purity of affection with which the 
supreme good should be pursued, Matt. vi. 22. 

Spaces fallen through by bodies, in their descent to the 
earth, (no matter what their surfaces, volumes, masses, 
or specific gravities, provided they are weighty enough 
not to be sensibly affected by the action of the atmos- 
phere,) being as the squares of the times of falling; or 
in other words, the velocities being as the square roots 
of the spaces fallen through ; a very plain demonstra- 
tion of the attraction of the earth, Heb. xi., im fine. 
The periodic times of the planets being in sesquialte- 
ral geometrical proportion to their mean distances from 
the sun, a most manifest evidence that the influence 
of the earth on falling bodies is precisely of the same 
nature with that which emanates from the sun, and re- 
tains the planets in their orbits, ἐδὲώ. 

Σπαταλωσα, the meaning of this word illustrated by a re- 
markable passage from an epistle of Thuanus to Eu- 
bulus, 1 Tim. v. 6. 

Spell, derivation and import of this word, Preface to 
Matthew. : 

Σῴραγις, or Seal, among the ancients, a figure cut ina 
stone, and that set in a ring, by which letters of cree 
dence and authority were stamped, 1 Cor. ix. 2. 

Spira, according to some the same with the Roman co 


1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT 


hort, John xviii. 3. The fortieth part of a legion, ac- 
cording to Raphelius, ibid. 

irit, existence of an immaterial and immortal, in man, 
elon Matt. x. 28; Luke xxiii. 43, 46, xxiv. 
7. 


Spirit of God, office of this person of the holy Trinity in 
the work of man’s redemption, Matt. iii. 11; John iii. 5. 

Spirits in prison, observations on this remarkable expres- 
sion attributed to St. Peter, 1 Pet. iii. 19. Various 
readings of this passage in the manuscripts and ver- 
sions, wid. 

Σπλαγχνίζομαι, Mintert’s definition of this word, Matt. ix. 
36. 


Splinter, a more proper rendering of καρῴος than that 
contained in our common English version, Matt. vii. 3. 
Spring Fast, or Lent, the only annual fast observed in 
the primitive Church, Matt. ix.15. Keptin commem- 
oration of the time the body of our Saviour lay in the 
grave, ibid. Discordant opinions among ancients and 
moderns relative to the duration of this fast, ἐδὲώ, 
Teocepaxooryn and Quadragesima, the Greek and Latin 
names for this fast, shown to have originally meant a 
ae of the duration of forty ours, and not of forty Days, 
id. 

Squares of the periodic times of the planets being to each 
other as the cubes of the semimajor axes of their orbits, 
or, which is the same thing, as the cubes of their mean 
distances from the sun, a wonderful law by which the 
whole solar system is governed, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Stadium, a measure of length among the Romans, Luke 
xxiv. 13. Arbuthnot’s statement of the number of 
yards in the stadium, iid. 

Standards, different sorts of, among the ancient Romans, 
Rev. xii. 14. 

Standing, the posture of the Jews when reading either 
the law or prophets, Luke iv. 16. 

Slar which guided the magi to the place of our Lord’s 
nativity, probably a simple meteor provided for the oc- 
easion, Matt. ii. 2, 9. 

Stars, fixed, Table of the most remarkable fixed stars 
from the first to the sixth magnitude, 1 Cor. xv., in fine. 

Stars, falling, see Falling stars. 

Slater, value of this ancient piece of money, Matt. xvii. 
27, xxvi. 15. 

Stature, judicious criticism of a very learned writer on 
the original word thus rendered in our common ver- 
sion, Matt. vi. 27. 

Steel, method of gilding, 1 Pet. i., in fine. 

Στεόανος axavidwoc, see Crown of thorns. 

Steward of the household, who, Luke viii. 3. Derivation 
of the word steward, according to Junius, ibid. 

Stibium, or Antimony, employed in Asiatic countries 
to the present day in staining the eyes, 1 Tim. ii. 10. 

Stocks, description of this ancient mode of punishment, 
Acts xvi. 24, 

Stoics, a very remarkable sect of ancient philosophers 
founded by Zeno, Acts xvii. 18. Why so named, ibid. 
Brief sketch of their doctrines, ibid. 

Stola, Στολη, particular description of this part of the dress 
of the ancient Greek and Roman ladies, 1 Tim. ii. 9. 

Stoning, Dr. Lightfoot’s observations on the punishment 
of, among the Jews, Acts vii., in fine. 

Strait Gate, Ἢ στενὴ πυλη, to what our Lord probably 
alluded in his use of this phrase, Matt. vii. 13. Ob- 
servations on a very remarkable various reading of τὶ 
orevn ἡ πυλη, Matt. vii. 14. 

Strangers, hospitality to, a duty strongly inculcated in the 
Scriptures, Heb. xiii., in fine. The heathen considered 
those who entertained strangers to be under the pecu- 
liar protection of Jupiter, iid. This sentiment very 
beautifully and forcibly expressed in the Odyssey, ibid. 

Strato’s Tower, the same with Cesarea of Palestine, 
Acts x. 1. 

Στρατοπεδαργης, inquiry into the import of this word, 
Acts xxviii. 16. 

Strymon, sacrifice of white horses to this river by the 
magi, Rom. ix., in fine. 

Στυγεω implies to shiver with horror, and why, Tit. iii. 3. 

Stupifying potions usually administered by the ancients 
to condemned malefactors to assuage their pains, Matt. 
xxvii. 34. Of what ingredients composed, according 

Vou. 1. (opt yD 


to the rabbins, ibid. Michaelis’s critical in.uiry into 
the kind of potion offered to our Lord while hanging 
on the cross, ibid. Dr. Marsh’s sensible remarks upon 
this subject, ibid. 

Styx, according to the heathen mythology, the river of 

ell, by which, if any of the gods swore falsely, he was 
fora certain time expelled from their society, ‘Tit. iii. 3. 

Subordination to the civil powers, great political question 
of, discussed, Rom. xiii. 1, et in fine. 

Substantive verb, a very frequent acceptation of the, in the 
Hebrew, Chaldee, and Chaldwo-Syriae languages, 
Matt. xxvi. 26; Rev. v. 8. 

Suetovid, the god of war among the ancient Slavi, to whom 
a great number of prisoners were annually presented 
as a burnt-offering, Rom. ix., in fine. Supposed resi- 
dence of this divinity, 2id. 

Συγκαταψηφιζω, inquiry into the derivation and import of 
this word, Acts 1. 26. 

Suicide, a very frequent preventive of, finely expressed 
by one of our best poets, Heb. ii. 15. 

Συμφῴυτα, Dr. Taylor’s definition of this term, Rom. i. 5. 

Sun, standing still of the sun and moon at the command 
of Joshua explained agreeably to the Newtonian system 
of the universe, Matt. viii. 26. Method by which the 
distance and magnitude of the sun have been ascer- 
tained, James i., in fine. 

Superstitio, Superstition, origin of this word according to 
Cicero, Jamesi. 27. Its definition by Lactantius, ibid. 
Distinction between religion and superstition, tbid. 

Supremacy of the bishop of Rome, observations on this 
papistical tenet, Luke ix., in fine. 

Supreme Being, very remarkable invocation of the, (trans- 
lated from the original Sanscrit by Dr. C. Wilkins,) 
still existing on a stone in a cave near the ancient city 
of Gya in the East Indies, Luke i. 68. 

Surety and Mediator, inquiry into the import of the Greek 
words eyyvog and μεσιτὴς So translated, Heb. vii., in fine. 

Swathing of the corpse, manner of the, among the Jews, 
John xi. 44. 

Sweat of blood, Galen’s statement of its cause, Luke xxii. 
44, An instance of bloody sweat related by Thuanus, 
ibid. 

Swineherd, no character meaner in the sight of a Jew than 
that of a, Luke xv. 15. Not permitted by the Egyptians 
to mingle with civil society, nor to appear in the wor- 
ship of the gods, zed. 

Sword by which a Jewish criminal was beheaded, why 
buried with him in the same grave, Acts viii. 2. 

Sycamine, probably the same with the sycamore, Luke 
Xvii. 6. 

Sychar, situation of this city, John iv. 5. The same with 
Shechem of the Old Testament, ibid. Its present appel- 
lation, iid. 

Sycophant, Potter’s account of the origin of this word, 
Luke xix. 8. 

Synagogue, what number of persons considered necessary 
to compose a synagogue, Matt. iv. 23. Great number 
of synagogues in Jerusalem in the apostolic age, ibid. 
Enumeration of the chief things belonging to a syna- 
gogue, ibid. The Jewish place of worship governed by 
a council, over whom was a president, called the ruler 
of the synagogue, ibid. Times at which Divine service 
was performed by the Jews, ibid. Four kinds of men 
who enter the synagogues, according to the rabbins, 
James i. 25. In ancient times, petty courts of judica- 
ture were held in the synagogues, James ii. 2. 

Synesius, two passages from the third hymn of this Greek 
poet on the mode of the Divine existence, the sentiment 
of Which was probably borrowed from St. Paul, 1 Tim. 
vi. 10, 

Syracuse, account of the temporary preservation of this 
city by Archimedes, Acts xxviii.12. Present condition 
of Syracuse, iid. 

Syriac version, account of the Syriac versions of the 
New Testament, Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, 


Syrtis Major, and Syrtis Minor, two quicksands near the 
African coast, Acts xxvii. 17. 


Taberna, rendered tavern, its general import, Acts 
xxviii. 15. 
xlix 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Tabernacle, description of the, Heb. ix.2. Typical im- 
port of the tabernacle and its contents, according to 
Cyril, Heb. ix. 5. 

Tabernacles, Feast of, how celebrated, John vii. 2. 

Tabitha, import of this name, Acts ix. 36. 

Tacitus, citation from his Roman history relative to the 
crucifixion of Christ and the horrible persecution of 
his followers, Matt. xxvii. 26. 

Talent of gold, amount, in British sterling, of ten thousand 
talents of gold and silver, Matt. xviii. 24. 

Talmud of Babylon, account of the, Matt. xv. 2. 

Talmud of Jerusalem, account of the, Matt. xv. 2. 

Tamisra, what, Matt. viii. 12. 

Tanchwm, remarkable saying of this rabbin respecting 
the importance and excellence of implicit faith in the 
testimony of God, John xxi. 29. 

Tarassa, the ancient Tarsus, Acts ix. 11. 

Targum Yerushlemey, singular comment in, relative to 
ithe two great lights of heaven, 1 Tim. i. 7. ἵ 
Tarsus, a city formerly the capital of all Cilicia, Acts ix. 

11. In what manner the inhabitants obtained the pri- 
vilege of Roman citizens, iid., xxii. 28. Citations 
from Xenophon, Josephus, and Ammianus Marcelli- 
nus, in attestation of the great respectability of this 

city, Acts xxi. 39. 

Tartarus, or hell, opinion of the ancients respecting, 2 
Pet. ii. 4. 

Taxgatherers, or publicans, two classes of, in the land of 
Judea in the apostolic age, Matt. v. 46. 

Tectosagi, a tribe of the ancient Galate, Preface to Ga- 
latians. 

Texvia, a word frequently used by St. John, the whole 
force of which is not expressed in our English version, 
John xiii. 33. Anecdote related by Jerome respecting 
the frequent repetition of this word by the apostle to 
his flocks in his old age, John xv. 12. 

Τελειίωσις, a word importing, among the primitive Chris- 
tians, martyrdom, Phil. iti. 12. This shown by cita- 
tions from Clemens Alexandrinus, Basil Magnus, 
Gcumeneus, Balsamon, and Eusebius, διά. 

Tempest, superstitious practices of the ancient sailors du- 
ring a, Acts xxvii. 14. The tempest supposed by the 
heathens to be occasioned by evil spirits, ibid. Sir 
George Taunton’s account of similar superstitions 
among the Chinese, tid. 

Temple, which gate of the, was probably called Ὡραία, or 
Beautiful, Acts 111. 2. 

Temptation, the Greek word πείρασμος not fully express- 
ed by this term, Matt. vi. 13. How the petition in the 
Lord’s Prayer, in which this word is contained, was 
understood by several of the primitive fathers, 2bid. 
The usual process of temptation pointed out, ibid. 
Observations on the THREE forms under which Satan 
tempts the human race, 2 Cor. xi. 14. 

Temptation of Christ in the wilderness, ingenious theory 
of a correspondent relative to the, Matt. iv., im fine. 
Tempter, ‘O Πειραζων, apparent allusion of St. Paul to 

this appellative of Satan, Matt. iv. 11. 

Tertullian, the author of an apology for the Christians, 
still extant, 2 Tim. iv., in fine. 

Tertuilus, observations on the oration of, against St. Paul, 
Acts xxiv. 2, 8. 

Tessere of the ancients, what, and why so named, Rev. 
ii. 17. 

Tetragrammaton, an appellation of ΤΠ), Jehovah, on 
account of the number of letters it contains, 2 Cor. xii. 
4; Rey. xix. 12. See Jehovah and Adonai. 

Tetrarch. meaning of this word, Matt. xiv.1; Luke iii. 1. 

Tetrax, TETPA®, one of the six Ephesian characters, 
Acts xix.19. Its import, according to Hesychius, ibid. 

Teutate, an object of idolatrous worship among the an- 
cient Gauls, to whom human victims were offered, Rom. 
ix., in fine. 

Thallus, citation from this writer, in which it is supposed 
by some there is an allusion to the preternatural dark- 
ness at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion, Matt. xxvii. 45. 

Theatres often used by the ancients for popular assem- 
blies and public deliberations, especially in matters 
which regarded the safety of the state, Acts xix. 29, 

Θελω, in what sense this verb is frequently used in the 
Septuagint, Matt, xxvii. 43. 

1 


ι 


Θηλυ, this appellation given by the ancients to the soul, 
which they considered the seat of the appetites and pas- 
sions, and why, James i. 15. 

Geog, several citations from the Septuagint in which this 
word with the article prefixed has the import of Θεε, 
O God, Heb. i., in fine. 

Θεὸς εφανερωϑῃ ev σαρκι, ‘God was manifested in the 
flesh,” inquiry whether these words were originally in 
St. Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy, 1 Tim. iii. 16, 

Geog and Δαιίμων, distinction between, in heathen authors, 
Acts xvii. 18. 

Therapeutics of the ancient Jewish physicians in refer- 
ence to hemorrhages, Mark y. 26. 

Thessalonians, First Epistle to the, generally believed ta 
be the first letter which St. Paul addressed to any of 
the churches of Jesus Christ, Preface to the Epistle. 

Thessalonians, Second Epistle to the, what principally 
moved the apostle to write this letter, Preface to the 
Epistle. Parts into which it naturally dividesitself, vid. 

Thessalonica, a celebrated city of Macedonia, situated on 
what was formerly called the Thermaic Gulf, Acts 
xvii. 1. Different opinions concerning the origin of 
its name, zbid. Its present appellation, ibid. See also 
the Preface to the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. 

Theudas mentioned by St. Luke, very uncertain who, 
Acts v. 36. 

Third hour, remarks on this hour being stated by St. 
Mark to have been the period of the day in which our 
Lord’s crucifixion commenced, Mark xv. 25. 

Third ae arabbinism for a considerable number, Rev. 
viii. 8. 

Thirty pieces of silver, various readings of the passage 
of Scripture thus rendered, Matt. xxvi. 15. 

Thomas, import of this name, John xi. 16. Observationson 
the very remarkable exclamation of Thomas Didymus, 
when he first saw Christ after his resurrection, John xxi. 
28. Strange trifling ofsome of the ancients and moderns 
relative to the import of this exclamation, zbid. 

Thomas de Cantelupo, extract from a letter which Ed- 
ward I. wrote, at the instigation of his clergy, to Pope 
Clement V. relative to this bishop of Hereford, in whicl 
the gross superstition of that age is very conspicuous 
1 Tim. iv. 2. 

Θωραξ, or Breastplate, account of this ancient species of 
defensive armour, Eph. vi. 13. 

Thorn in the flesh with which St. Paul was afflicted, va- 
rious conjectures concerning the, 2 Cor. xii. 7. The 
false apostle at Corinth most probably intended by this 
phrase, zbid. 

Thought, the import of the original term μεριμνα not fully 
expressed by this word, Matt. vi. 25. 

Thousand, very probably the name of a division of a Jew- 
ish tribe, in the same manner as certain divisions of 
our English counties are called hundreds, Matt. ii. 6. 

Thousand years, a mystical number among the rabbins, 
Rey. xx.4. A famous number in heathen authors, ibid. 

Three heavenly witnesses, passages in St. John’s First 
Epistle relative to the, most evidently spurious, 1 John 
v. 7, et in fine. Fac-simile of this disputed passage, 
and its context, from the Codex Montfortii in Trinity 
College, Dublin, 1 John v. 7. Fac-simile from the 
Editio Princeps of the Greek Testament printed at 
Complutum, iid. 

Three days and three nights, what meant by this phrase, 
according to the Jewish mode of reckoning, Matt. xii. 
40. Illustrated by some extracts from rabbinical wri- 
ters, ibid. 

Three taverns, a place about thirty-three miles from Rome, 
in the Appian-way, Acts xxviii. 15. Quotations from 
Cicero and Zozimus in which this place is mentioned, 
ibid. 

Three years and six months, the duration of the great 
famine in the time of Ahab, according to Luke and 
James, how reconcileable with an apparently different 
statement in the First Book of Kings, Luke iv., in fine. 

Θρήσκυειν, to worship, origin of this word, according to 
Suidas, James i. 26. Indifferently applied to true re- 
ligion and superstition, ibid. 

Thunders of the Apocalypse, very probable conjecture why 
seven in number, Rev. x.3. Import of each of these 
thunders professed to be ε΄ by some expositors, 

(a 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


though the writer of the Apocalypse was not permitted 
to reveal what they uttered! Preface to the Revelation, 
and see chap. x. 3. 

Θυρα, a metaphorical acceptation of this word, illustrated 
by quotations from Cicero and Ovid, Col. iv. 3. 

Ovpeoc, or Scuta, some account of this oblong shield of 
the ancients, Eph. vi. 13. 

Tiyatira, a city of Natolia, in Asia Minor, now called 
Akissat, and Akkissar, Rev. i. 11. 

Thyne, Thyin, or Thyine, a tree mentioned by Homer, 

heophrastus, and Pliny, Rev. xviii. 12. 

Tiberias, sea of, its length and breadth according to Jo- 
sephus and Pliny, John vi. 19. 

Tiberius Cesar, character of this Roman emperor, Luke 
iii. 1. 

Tides, phenomena and cause of the, Heb. xi., in fine. 

Tiger, a vessel so named, according to Virgil, Acts 
xxviii. 11. 

Tigranes, remarkable anecdote respecting, John xv. 13. 

Tin frequently signifies a pecuniary recompense, or pre- 
sent, Acts xxviii. 10. Scveral examples produced, ibid. ; 
1 Tim. v. 18. 

Timothy, biographical sketch of this minister of Jesus 
Christ, to whom two apostolical letters in the sacred 
canon are addressed, Preface to the First Epistle. 

Timothy, First Epistle to, the time when, and the place 
from which, it was probably written, discussed at con- 
siderable length, Preface to the Epistle. This aposto- 
lical letter of great use to every minister of the Gospel, 
tid. 

Timothy, Second Epistle to, observations of Dr. Paley 
and Lewis Capellus relative to the date of this aposto- 
lical letter, Preface to the Epistle. 

Tippoo Sultan, remarkable form of prayer used by, 
Matt. vi. 7. 

Titan, Τειταν, a name famous for containing the Apoca- 
lyptic number 666, a number supposed by Wetstein and 
pais to have an allusion to the name of the Roman 
emperor Titus, who was an instrument in the hand of 
God of dissolving the whole Jewish polity, Preface to 
the Revelation. Without the last letter the name con- 
tains 616, a various reading of the number of the beast 
supported by some very respectable manuscripts, ibid. 

Τιθεναι twa εἰς τι, a phrase frequent among the purest 
Greek writers, 1 Pet. ii. 8. Its import, idid. 

Titles, Dr. Taylor’s observations on the titles bestowed 
on Christians in the New Testament, 1 John ii., in fine. 

Titus, inscription in honour of, extracted from Gruter’s 
work, Matt. xxiv. 34. 

Titus, Triumphal Arch of, on what account erected, Matt. 
xxiv. 3. Still exists in the Via Sacra, leading from 
the forum to the amphitheatre, iid. Particular de- 
scription of the devices and inscription on this arch, 
Matt. xxiv. 34. 

Titus, biographical sketch of this frequent companion of 
St. Paul, Preface to Titus. 

Titus, Epistle to, great affinity between this apostolical 
letter and St. Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy, Preface 
to Titus. 

Tolistoboii, a tribe of the ancient Galate, Preface to Ga- 
latians. 

Tombs of the dead, why the Jewish tombs were white- 
washed, Matt. xxiii. 27. 

Tongue, curious rabbinical saying relative to the, James 
iii. 10. 

Tongue of fire, a Hebraism, Acts ii. 3, Its import, iid. 
Examples of a similar Hebraism, ibid. 

Tongue of: the heart, what has been so denominated, Matt. 
vu. a 

Topaz, description of this precious stone, Rev. xxi. 20. 

Τόπος, a very frequent import of this term in the sacred 
and apocryphal writings, John xi. 48. 

Tormentors, delivering over to the, Asiatic custom to which 
these words have an allusion, Matt. xviii. 34. 

Tormil, Vn, in what sense this word is used by the 
rabbins, Matt. x. 10. 

Tortures of a very cruel description among the Asiatics 
to induce confession, Matt. xviii. 34. 

Tesora bow, a military weapon of the ancients, Eph. 
vi. 13. 

Τραχηλιζω, inquiry into the import of this word, Heb. iv, 13. 

1 


Trachonitis, where situated, Luke iii. 1. 

Traditionists, a Jewish sect, who interpreted the Divine 
testimonies agreeably to the decisions of the elders, 
1 Cor. viii. 1. 

Traditions of the Jewish elders, remarks upon the, Matt. 
Xv. 2, et in fine. 

Transfiguration of owr Lord, impious trifling of some of 
the foreign critics on the Scripture account of the, 
Matt. xvii., in fine. 

Transmigration of souls, ἃ Pythagorean doctrine. See 
Metempsychosis. 

Transposition in the Greek text, Matt. vii. 6. 

Transpositions in the Hebrew text, some instances of, 
Matt. vii. 6. 

Transubstantiation, doctrine of, shown to be in direct op- 
eta to the plain tenor of Holy Writ, Matt. xxvi. 
26. When this doctrine was first advanced among the 
Romanists, Rev. xiii. 6. Date of its full reception as 
an article of the Roman Catholic faith, ibid. 

Treasure, Hebrew and Greek words so translated import 
any kind of store or collection, Rom. ii. 5. 

Treasure hid in a field, a phrase very generally misun- 
derstood, Matt. xiii. 44. 

Treasure, laying up of, how far this is consistent with the 
Christian character and profession, Matt. vi. 19. 

Trees of God, import of this Hebraism, Luke vi. 12. 

Trespasses, remarkable difference in import between 
παραπτωματα, Which is thus rendered in our common 
version, and ode:Anuara, translated by the same word 
in the Book of Common Prayer, Matt. vi. 15. 

Triarii, who, among the Romans, Matt. viii. 9. 

Tribute, supposed amount of the Jewish, paid into the 
imperial exchequer after the destruction of the temple, 
Matt. xxii. 21. 

Tribute money, the ra διδραχμα thus rendered in our com- 
mon version alludes not to a tax to be paid to the Ro- 
man government, but to a tax for the support of the 
temple, Matt. xvii. 24. 

Trinity, doctrine of the, shown to be a doctrine of Scrip- 
ture, Matt. iii. 16, xix. 17, xxviii. 19; John i., in fine; 
2 Cor. xiii. 14; Eph. ii. 18. 

Trinity of the Hindoos, account of the, Luke i. 68. 

Triumph, particular description of this public and solemn 
honour conferred by the ancient Romans on a victo- 
rious general, 2 Cor. ii. 14. 

Trocmi, a tribe of the ancient Galate, Preface to Gala- 
tians. 

Troy, supposed situation of, Acts xvi. 8. 

Trumpet-holes, ΓΞ), shopheroth, what, Matt. vi. 2. 

Trumpets of the Apocalypse, what they import, according 
to Wetstein, Preface to the Revelation. Mr. Lowman’s 
scheme of interpretation, Rev. xxii., in fine. 

Truth was of small account among many even of the best 
heathens, Eph. iv. 25. Dr. Whitby’s collection of some 
of their maxims on this subject, 27d. 

Tsidekah, or Tsidekath, NpTs, acommon word among 
the Jews for aims, Matt. vi. 1. Striking contrast be- 
tween the ancient and modern acceptations of this 
word, zbid. 

Tuisco, an object of idolatrous worship among the ancien 
Germans, Rom. ix., im jine. 

Tunicatus Popellus, why the common people of Rome 
were so named, Luke vi. 29. 

Turoc διδαχης, import of this figurative expression, Rom. 
vi. 17. 

Tutelary deity, image of the, was placed at the entrance 
of the city to signify that he was the guardian and pro- 
tector, Acts xiv. 13. 

Twelve years, the age at which, according to the Jewish 
canons, a child was obliged to begin to learn a trade, 
Luke ii. 41. 

Twice born, a term used by the Brahmins in the same 
sense as born again among the Christians, Luke i. 15. 

Twice dead, how this phrase is to be understood, Jude 12. 

Twilight, rules by which it was distinguished by the 
rabbins, Mark xvi. 2. 

Twin, a word of Saxon origin, John xi. 16. 


Yioc Geov and Ὁ Ὑἱος του Θεου, critical observation on the 
difference of import between these two Scripture 
phrases, Matt. xiv. 33. 

li 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Vlaloo, or Ullaloo, particular description of, Matt. ix. 32. 

Undelief, good saying of Quesnel respecting, Matt. xiii. 58, 

Unam sanctam, citation from this celebrated papal docu- 
ment, Rev. xiii. 15. 

Uncircumcision, different species of, as enumerated by 
Rabbi Seira, Acts vii. 51. 

Unction, prophets, priests, and kings, among the Jews, 
consecrated by, in order that they might legitimately 
exercise their respective offices, Matt. i. 16; Luke ii. 
11. What unction considered an emblem of, ibid. 
Inderstanding, general definition of this term, Rom. vili. 
16; Eph. i. 18. Philo’s definition of the Greek word 
vouc, which is sometimes thus rendered, Eph. i. 18. 


Uninterrupted succession boasted of in the Romish Church, 
shown to be a mere fable, Rom. xvi. 15; Heb. v. 4. 

Universal restoration, remarks on this antiscriptural tenet, 
Matt. v. 26. 

Unleavened bread shown to be necessary in the proper 
administration of the Lord’s Supper, Matt. xxvi. 26. 
Unregenerate mind, apostolic doctrine of the perpetual 
struggles of two opposite principles in the, when en- 
lightened by natural or revealed religion, Rom. vii. 
15, &e. Citations from Ovid, Terence, Horace, Ar- 
rian, and Euripides, in which these two opposing 
principles in man are acknowledged, and very forcibly 
expressed, i/id. Relation of a very remarkable anec- 
dote by Xenophon in his life of Cyrus, which is strongly 

illustrative of this doctrine, Rom. vii. 20. 

Ὑπηρετης, imports of this word, 1 Cor. iv. 1. 

Ὑποκριτης, hypocrite, derivation and import of this word, 
Matt. vi. 5. 

Ὕποστασις, hypostasis, meaning of this term, Heb. xi. 1. 

Upper rooms in private houses formerly used by the Jews 
for the purposes of devotion, Acts i. 13. The wpper 
room in which the apostles with some others were 
assembled after the ascension of our Lord, and at the 
election of Matthias, probably an apartment of the tem- 
ple, ibid. , 

Uro, citations from Terence and Virgil to show that 
this word sometimes imports to vex or trouble, 1 Cor. 
vii. 9. 

Ushwamedha, er sclemn sacrifice of the white horse, de- 
sciption of this very remarkable Hindoo ceremony, 
Rom. ix., in fine. 

Uttermost farthing, Ὁ ἔσχατος κοδραντης, import of this 
phrase, Matt. v.26. This expression as figuratively 
used by our Lord, wher considered in connection with 
its context, gives not the least support to the doctrines 
of purgatory and universal restoration, wbid. 


Vagabond, ancient and modern acceptations of this word, 
cts xix. 13. 

Vain repetitions, see Repetitions. 

Valley of Salt, Maundrell’s description of the, Matt. v. 13. 

Various readings in the Scriptures, thoughts on the, with 
an enumeration of the sources whence almost the 
whole of them have sprung, Introduction to the Gos- 

els and Acts, p. 11, ὥς. Excellent remark of Dr. 
Mil on their immense number, idid., p.12. A collec- 
tion of, for the New Testament, made from ancient 
Greek MSS.., see end of the New Testament. 

Vates and Poeta, synonymous terms among the Romans, 
Rit. 1. 19. 

Veeshnoo, among the Hindoos, the Deity in his preserving 
quality, Luke i. 68; John i. 14. ‘ 

Veil of the temple, typical import of the rendering of the, 
at the time of our Lord’s dismissing his spirit, Matt. 
xxvii. 51. 

Velum, or curtain, nm, the first of the seven heavens, 
according to the rabbins, 2 Cor. xii. 2. 

Verbs which express the accomplishment of a thing often 
to be understood as only signifying the beginning of 
that accomplishment, Luke v. 6. An example pro- 
duced, ibid. ΑΝ 

Verriculwm, definition of this word by Martinius, Matt. 
xiii. 47. 

Versions of the New Testament, short account of the, In- 
troduction to the Gospels and Acts, p. 17, ἄς. 

Vespasian, description of the coin struck by this emperor 
at the capture of Jerusalem, Matt. xxiv. 34. 


li 


Vessels of earth and silver, very interesting and instruc- 
tive sayings of the rabbins relative to, 2 Cor. iv. 7. 

Vials of the Apocalypse, their import, according to Wet- 
stein, Preface to the Revelation. Lowman’s scheme 
of interpretation, Rev. xxii., in πο. Mr. Robert 
Fleming’s very remarkable explanation of the hiero- 
glyphie of an angel pouring out his vial upon the sun, 
Rev. xvi. 8. 

Vicarious sacrifices, after the similitude of the Jewish 
scape-goat, have been common among most ancient 
nations, Matt. xx. 28; John xi. 51; Rom. ix., in fine, 
1 Cor, iv. 13. 

Victim of the heathens, an ancient custom to set a sea. 
upon. that deemed proper for sacrifice, John vi. 27, 
This illustrated by a quotation from Herodotus, ibid. 
How the ancient heathens adorned their sacrificial 
victims, Acts xiv. 13. This illustrated by citations 
from Ovid and Virgil, bed. 

Vile, whence this name is probably derived, John iii. 20. 

Villani, among our Saxon ancestors, who, 1 Cor. vii., 
um june. 

Vinegar, whence this word is derived, Matt. xxvii. 34. 
aE common drink of the Roman soldiers, Luke xxiii. 


Virginity of Mary, previously to the birth of our Lord, 
an article of the utmost consequence to the Christian 
system, Matt. i. 25. The doctrine of her perpetual 
virginity, so much insisted on by the Romanists, a 
ai chimera, Matt. i. 25, xii. 46, xiii. 55; John 
vii. 3. 

Volumen, Volume, why the Romans gave this appellation 
to a book, Heb. x. 7. 

Vulgate, or Latin version of the Scriptures by Jerome, 
some account of the, Introduction to the Gospels and 
Acts, p. 22. 


Wages of a Roman soldier per diem, Luke iii. 14. 

Waking, or watching of the dead, practised among the 
ancient Greeks, Acts ix. 37. A similar custom stil) 
observed among the native Irish, zed. 

Wandering stars, Actepec πλανηται, why this phrase 
should not be understood of the planets, but rather of 
the ignes fatui, Jude 13. 

Washing the corpse before interment, and before it was 
laid out to lie in state, a custom of very remote anti- 
quity, Acts ix. 37. 

Washing the feet of a superior, a custom observed by the 
Hindoos, Luke vii. 44. The office of the meanest 
slaves, John xiii. 5, 

Washing the hands, a religious ceremony among Jews 
and Mohammedans, Mark vii.3. Washing the hands 
in token of innocence an ancient rite among the He- 
brews, Greeks, and Romans, Matt. xxvii. 24. 

Watches, into how many the night was divided, Matt 
xiv. 25; Mark xv. 95. 

Watchmen in the temple, on constant duty, Luke xxii. 4, 

Water, constituent parts of, 2 Pet. iii. 10. 

Water baptism, see Baptism. 

Water drinking, saying cf Libanius respecting, 1 Tim, 
V. 23. 

Watson, (Dr.) late bishop of Llandaff, character of his 
Apology for the Bible, 2 Tim. iv., im fine. 

Wazx-board or cloth, employed by the ancients to write 
upon, Luke i. 63. 

Weather, signs of fair and foul, according to the Jews 
and Romans, Matt. xvi. 2, 3. 

Wedding, account of the celebration of a, in Persia, as 
given in the Zend Avesta, Matt. xxv. 7. 

Weeping, days of, what, among the Jews, John xi. 31 
On what account they were succeeded by the seven 
days of lamentation, ibid. 

Wells in the East, some of the Indian devotees accus- 
tomed to stand with a girbah to give drink to weary 
travellers, Matt. x. 42. ae 

Whale, a very improper rendering of κητος, Matt. xii. 40. 

What have we to do with thee? import of this Jewish 
phrase, which is of frequent occurrence in the sacred 
oracles, Matt. viii. 29. 

Whited sepulchres or whitewashed tombs, see Tombs. ὁ 

White bulls without blemish offered in sacrifice to Apis 
by the ancient Egyptians, John vi. 27. Curious mode 


1 


INDEX TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


a as by the Egyptians to ascertain whether the ani- 

mal was proper for sacrifice, ibid. 

Whoredom, the only case in which the Author of the 
Christian religion admits of divorce, Matt. v.32. The 
idolatries of the Jews very frequently termed whore- 

in the prophetical writings, Rev. xvii. 1. 

Wicked one, Ὁ πονηρος, derivation and import of this 
appellative of the great adversary of mankind, Matt. 
vi. 13, xiii. 19. Aro tov rovnpov, in the Lord’s 
Prayer, should be rendered from the wicked one, and not 
as in our common version, Matt. vi. 13. See also 
1 John ν. 19. 

Widow's son of Nain, reflections on the resurrection of 
the, Luke vii., in fine. 

Will, observations on the freedom of the, Matt, vi. 10; 
Phil. ii. 13. 

Will worship, Ἐθελοθρησκεια, observations on the mean- 
ing of this word, as used by the apostle, Col. ii. 23. 

Wind of God, import of this Hebraism, Luke vi. 12. 

Wine, laws among the ancient Greeks and Romans, 
meladye to the drinking of, mized and wnmixed, 1. Tim. 
v. 23. 

Wine of three leaves, what meant by this phrase among 
the rabbins, Luke v. 39. 

Wisdom, definition of, by Sir W. Temple, Eph. i. 8. 
The wisdom that is from above, ΩΡ mdN chocmah 
aliona, a very favourite expression among the rabbins, 
of which some examples are produced, James iil., in 
Jjine. Dr. Lightfoot’s observations on a fowrfold wis- 
dom mentioned by St. Paul, 1 Cor. ii. 6. 

Woden, a principal divinity of the ancient Swedes, to 
whom human victims were mary frequently offered, 
Rom. ix., im fine. Account of the grand festival for- 
merly celebrated every ninth year to this idol, wid. A 
similar abomination practised by the ancient Danes 
and Norwegians, ibid. 

Wo wnto thee, the original words ova coz, thus rendered, 
to be understood rather as an exclamation of pity, than 
a denunciation of judgment, Matt. xi. 21, xviii. 7. 

Woman taken in adultery, account of this circumstance 
in St. John’s Gospel, translated from the Codex Beze 
and other MSS., John vii., in fine. 

Women employed in eastern countries in grinding the 
corn, Matt. xxiv. 40,41. Political condition of woman 
under the ancient Roman government, 1 Tim. ii. 12. 
Their state under the British laws, wid. Women, 
especially those advanced in years, employed by the 
ancients as porters, John xviii. 17. Examples pro- 
duced, ibid. Ancient method of purifying women who 
were appointed to be consorts to kings, Eph. v. 26. 

Works, beautiful personification of, Rev. xiv. 13. 

World, this word sometimes used for land or country, 
Matt. iv. 8, xxvii. 45; Luke ii. 1. Destruction of the 
world by fire, an ancient opinion among the heathens, 
2 Pet. iii. 12. Notions of the ancients respecting the 
origin and formation of the world, 2 Pet. iii. 5. Very 
affecting apostolical account of the moral condition of 
the world, 1 John v. 19. ’ 

Wormwood, supposed import of the Apocalyptic hierogly- 
phic of a star so named, which fell from heaven upon 
the third part of the rivers and fountains of water, Rev. 
viii. 12. 

1 


Worship, reflections upon that species of, which can alone 
be acceptable in the sight of God, Matt. xv. 9. 

Worshipping of images, consideration of a passage of 
Scripture which the Romanists allege in favour of, 
Heb. xi. 21. 

Wotteth, its derivation and import, Acts iii. 17. 

Writing of divorcement, see Divorce. 

Writing-table, or little board, Dr. Shaw’s description of 
the, used by the boys in Barbary, and also by the Jew- 
ish children, Luke i. 63. 


Ξιφος, a sort of ancient sword originally made of brass, 
Eph. vi. 13. 


Yacoub, ibn Leits Saffer, remarkable anecdote respecting, 
Luke xiv. 1. 

Ye ho wah, import of this phrase used by the Indians of 
North America in their religious worship, Rey. xix. 1. 

Yod and point, see One jot and tittle. 

Yoke, formerly acustom at Rome to put the necks of those 
to be crucified into a yoke, and to stretch out their 
hands and fasten them to the end of it; and having 
thus led them through the city, to carry them to the 
place of execution, John xxi. 18. How the word yp 
aval, rendered yoke, has been figuratively employed by 
the Jews, Matt. xi., in fine. 

Yom, Ὁ", examples in which this word is taken in the 
sense of judgment, 1 Cor. iv. 3. 

Yuchanan, parable of this rabbi similar to that of our 
Ter concerning the wise and foolish virgins, Matt. 
xxv. 1. 


Zacharias or Zechariah, import of this name, Luke i. 60. 

Zaleucus, law of, against the drinking of unmixed wine, 
unless prescribed by a physician, 1 Tim. v. 23. 

Zarphon, remarkable saying of this rabbi, Matt. vii. 5. 

Zeal, description of that species of, which every minister 
of Jesus Christ should possess, 1 Cor. iv.,in fine. Re- 
markable saying of a pious papist respecting that spe- 
cies of zeal which prompts to the extirpation of here- 
ties and wicked men, Matt. xiii. 29. 

Zebul, 9)31, the fourth heaven of the rabbins, 2 Cor. xii. 
2. Synz zebul, dung, or dunghill, a very common 
Jewish appellation of an zdol or an idol temple, Matt. 
x. 25. 


Zebulun, situation of the country of the descendants of 
this patriarch, Matt. iv. 15. 

Ζηλος, Zeal, derivation and import of this Greek word, 
Acts v. 17. ‘ 

Zelotes, a surname given by the Jews to certain persons, 
and why, Luke vi. 15. 

Zend Avesta, citation from this work in which is con- 
tained an account of the celebration of a wedding in 
Persia, Matt. xxv. 7. 

Zeno, the founder of the Stoic sect, when and where born, 
Acts xvii. 18. ah 

Ζιζανια, inquiry into the import of this word, Matt. xiii. 25. 

Ζωα, very improperly rendered deasts in our version, 
Rev. iv. 6. i 

Zaua or girdle, account of this species of defensive 81- 
mour among ancients and moderns, Eph. vi. 13. 

li 6 


ἴω ὦ ΤῸ pita eae i 
a) Peek it Yaliat Se 
— } de ey jek wa 
i ἫΝ ME 7. 


ve al’ sigh Do ay, er i, ae 
δι . Ps ἀν 
) 


aes “ἢ δὰ <i ΜᾺ of ; ᾿ mes) 


et Ρ zs 
i= Bis ἢ 
swine ses ip aig 
aad a bh * 
‘ ἣν Τὴν 


ry he winy yen ὯΝ 
ti aay ΤΩΣ ἢ ᾿ 


eT Bi) 
aimpretey bite? δὲ vir! 19 
ye - ite 


all 
ry Ἂ» “eve © Ain ᾿ 
ἣν ᾿ ΝΎ ΩΝ εἶς i . 


ψφοινῖ teh VA nie ! 


AN 


INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUR GOSPELS, 


AND TO THE 
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


CONTAINING 


INFORMATION NECESSARY TO A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE VARIOUS 
REFERENCES FOUND IN THE NOTES ON THESE BOOKS 


4 8 introduction, so long promised, giving an account of the manuscripts, versions, &c., referred 
to in this work, is at last before my readers; and could not, with any propriety, have been 
published sooner, as the Gospel history could not be considered complete till the book of the Acts was 
finished. As the chronology of the New Testament ends with the two years’ imprisonment of 
Paul at Rome, it may be thought needless to carry it any farther down: but as there is some 
reason to believe that he visited Rome a second time, and suffered martyrdom there about A. D. 64 
or 65; and as Jearned men have agreed that the Apocalypse, which completes the canon of the 
New Testament, was not written till about the year 96; I have thought it necessary to carry down 
the chronology through the whole of the first century of the Christian era ; that, if I should not have 
health or life to proceed any farther in this work, that important part should be left in a state 
of tolerable perfection. I haye proceeded on the same plan with the four gospels, and the book of 
the Acts, as I have done with the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua; and have reason to thank 
God that he has spared me to go through (in the manner I first proposed) with these two most 
important parts of that revelation which his mercy has granted to man. In the first, (the 
Pentateuch and the book of Joshua,) the history of the world and its original inhabitants, and the 
history of the Church, are brought down from the creation to the final settlement of the 
Israelites in the promised land. In the second, (the four gospels and book of Acts,) I have deduced 
the important events of the Christian dispensation from six years before the vulgar era, down to 
the year 100. This chronology is as rich in the necessary eras as that which is attached to the 
book of Deuteronomy, and has, I hope, left nothing unnoticed that belongs to such a work. The 
account of MSS.., versions, &c., is necessarily short : I could not proceed farther in this description, 
without involving much of that sort of Biblical criticism which could not be advantageous to general 
readers. I have, therefore, only introduced what I deemed necessary for a proper understanding 
of the references to be found in the commentary itself. 

I have purposely avoided the question concerning the authenticity of the sacred writings in 
general. Ona thorough conviction, I assume the fact, that they are a Divine record, a revelation 
from God. This has been so amply proved that the Christian cause has had a complete triumph. 
I consider, therefore, the question to be for ever at rest. As to the particular books, scriptures, or 
Scripture facts, to which objections have been made, I have carefully considered them as they 
occur in their respective places ; and I hope I have fully removed every such objection, and have 
exhibited the doctrines of the Gospel, and the facts of the evangelical history, in their own certain 
and steady light: at least, I have carefully laboured to do it; and, like the woman in the Gospel, I 
have done what I could. 

When the great difficulty of my work is considered, no one will suppose that mistakes were 
avoidable ; general consistency and correctness are all that candour can require. I have met with 
difficulties in every part of my undertaking, such as a commentator only can feel and estimate. 
On the Acts of the Apostles alone I have spent many months of almost incessant labour. 
Difficulties occurred in every page ; and I could not proceed till I had made the way plain before 
me, and left it open to those who might come after. This alone is sufficient to account for the 
delay in this part, and for any casual mistakes into which I may have fallen: mistakes, if such 

1 7 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


there be, over which the candid reader will find little difficulty gently to draw the pen of correction 
remembering that it is much more easy to find faults than to mend them. 


§ 1. Concerning the MANNER in which Divine INsPIRATION was granted io the sacred writers. 


The manner in which the Divine inspiration has been granted to the sacred writers, is a question 
of more than mere curiosity. As every work of God is done in an orderly, rational manner, st 
must this also; but we must take heed not to confine him to one particular form, and say, it must 
be thus and thus, or not at all. God is sovereign of his own ways, and so does his wondrous works 
that they may be had in everlasting remembrance. As he has spoken at sundry times to our 
fathers and predecessors, by the prophets and other inspired men; so has he done this in divers 
manners ; ever adapting the manner to time, place, circumstance, &c. Hence we are not to look for 
a uniformity in the manner of communicating his inspirations, any more than we are to look for 
identity of time, place, and persons. He has done great things; and he has done all things wet. 
On the inspiration of the Scriptures themselves, ἢ must therefore refer my readers to those who have 
written professedly on the subject ; but, on the mode of communicating that inspiration, I beg leave to 
make a few extracts from Dr. Whitby, who has written excellently on this point. After asserting 
that the apostles and evangelists indited these Scriptures by the assistance of the Holy Ghost ; and 
that as the immediate succeeding ages did, so we at present securely may, rely upon them as a rule 
of faith, he proceeds to show :— 

“1, How this assistance may fitly be explained. 

“For explication of this Divine assistance, let it be considered, 

“1. That prophecy is sometimes represented as the word of the Lord, and he is said to speak to 
the prophet ; and, suitably to this metaphor, some illustration of the assistance of the Holy Spirit 
may be made from the analogy it bears to human conversation; thus, that as we convey our 
thoughts one to another by such words as, by the organs of hearing, make such a motion on their 
brain to whom we speak as gives them an idea of the words we utter, and by them of the things 
which by those words are signified, and so it is the impression made upon the brain which doth 
communicate our thoughts to them; so, when it pleased God to reveal his will to any person, it 
seems only necessary that he talk inwardly with them, that is, that he make such a motion on their 
brain as gives them a deep and clear idea of that which he intended to make known unto them: 
only the impression must then be made in such a manner and degree, and with such circumstances, 
as may make it certain to the inspired person that it derives from God. Now seeing, when we hear 
the voice of any one, or receive a letter from him, we may be certain from the knowledge we have 
of his voice, or his handwriting, that it is he indeed who speaks or writes to us; we may very 
well conceive that God can easily give such distinctive marks of what he inwardly speaks to us, or 
writes upon the tables of our hearts, as shall enable us to discern what he imprints upon them from,any 
impression that shall otherwise be made upon them. 

“2. Sometimes the prophet is in Scripture styled a seer, and his word a vision; and then the 
parallel, or the analogy, runs thus: As we see, by virtue of a light reflecting the species of things 
upon the retina of the eye, and thence deriving a peculiar motion to, and making a distinct impres- 
sion on, the brain; so may the prophet be supposed to see what God reveals unto him, by a like 
motion of the Holy Spirit made upon his brain concerning it. And, as it is as easy to propose a 
material object to the view as to describe it by our words, so must it be as easy for God to dart 
such an impression or inward light upon the brain of the prophet, or spiritual man, as shall give 
him a more bright and sensible idea of things than if he did perceive them by the ear, or even 
view them by the eye. And as we more exactly discern a sensible object by the view than we 
know it by a description of it without that view, so the Jews say that prophecy ΤΣ 23 in vision is 
more excellent than that which comes only nisna by dream, or in a dream, in which we seem to 
hear one talking with us. 

“ Now though this impression may be sufficient to convince the prophet and inspired person that 
his revelation did indeed derive from God ; yet, since this revelation was intended not for himself, 
but for the use of others, he, with the revelation, must be enabled, by some convincing proof, to 
evidence to those who were concerned to embrace it that he was sent indeed by God with such a 
message tothem. Now of this they only could be satisfied by some outward marks or notes, of 
which they, by their senses, were enabled to judge, viz. The miracles wrought for confirmation of 
his testimony, or some prophetical prediction of something future and contingent, exactly verified 
in the event. And thus, says the apostle, was their preaching confirmed to the world ; God bearin 
witness to them, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, 
according to his will, Heb. ii. 4. 

“The ways of prophecy, under the Old Testament, seem to be comprehended under these four 
heads, viz. Either the prophets received their revelation in a dream or trance, or in a vision, or by a 
voice from heaven, or by the secret suggestions of the Holy Ghost. 

“ Now some of the apostles had their visions, ist. Either by pay, as Peter ; for an ecstasy fell 

8 1 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


upon him, and he saw the heavens opened, and he heard a voice saying unto him, Arise, Peter, kill 
and eat, Acts x. 11. And this is called ὅραμα, a vision, ver. 17. And by this, saith he, God taught 
me to call no man common or unclean, yer. 28. Or by nicur: Thus a vision of the night was 
seen by Paul, and a man speaking to him, in the vision of the night, Acts xvi. 9. 2dly. They had 
also the Spirit speaking to them; for the Spirit said to Peter, Behold, three men seek thee: arise, 
therefore, and go with them, nothing doubting, for I have sent them, Acts x. 20, 21. 3dly. And 
sometimes they had visions and revelations of the Lord, either by way of rapture to them, 2 Cor. 
xii. 2, or of conversation with them; as when Christ said to St. Paul, My grace is sufficient for 
thee, ver. 9. Here then are three kinds of revelation granted to the apostles ; but then these things 
were mostly occasional, and accidental to them, in respect of their apostolical functions. 

“ Only the case of the Apostle Paul must here admit of an exception ; for it being necessary for 
an apostle, that is, a witness of Christ’s resurrection, to have seen the Lord risen from the dead, 
according to those words, Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen the Lord? 1 Cor. ix. 1; and 
for an apostle, not of man, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, Gal. i. 1; to receive his message 
immediately from the Lord Jesus; Christ speaks thus to him, I have appeared unto thee for this pur- 
pose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of those things which thou hast seen, and of those 
things in the which I will appear unto thee, Acts xxvi. 16. Which words contain a promise of an 
immediate instruction from Christ in his apostolical function. Whence this apostle declares, confirm- 
ing that his declaration with an oath, the Gospel which was preached by me was not after man: for I 
neither received it of man, neither was I taught, (by man,) but (only) by the revelation of Jesus Christ, 
Gal. i. 11, 12. He therefore had his message from Christ, as Moses had from God, Christ speak- 
ing to him mouth to mouth, &c. See Num. xii. 7. 

“But yet, that which enabled them for the inditing of these writings, as a rule of faith to all 
succeeding ages, was the internal and powerful assistance of the Holy Spirit. 

“To proceed then to the consideration of the distinction made by some, viz. Of inspiration by 
suggestion, and inspiration of direction only: I say, then, 

“First, Where there is no antecedent idea or knowledge of the things written for the good of 
others to be obtained from reason, or a former revelation, there, an inspiration of suggestion must 
be vouchsafed to the apostles, to enable them to make them known unto the world. But where there 
is an antecedent knowledge of the things to be indited, it can only be necessary that God should, 
either immediately, or by some special occasions, excite them to indite those things, and should so 
carefully preside over and direct their minds, whilst writing, as to suggest, or bring into their 
memories, such things as his wisdom thought fit to be written ; and should not suffer them to err in the 
delivery of what was thus indited in his name, or which they had written as apostles of God the 
Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

“Secondly, In all their revelations of mysteries, or things which could not otherwise be made 
known to them, either by natural reason or antecedent revelation, they must be acknowledged to 
have had them by an immediate suggestion of the Holy Spirit. Hence, of these things, the apos- 
tle says, negatively, that the natural man (who only judges of things by his natural reason) cannot 
know them, because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14, ἡ. e., they, being mysteries, can only 
be discerned by the revelation of the Spirit ; and positively, that they spake the wisdom of God in 
a mystery, even the wisdom hid from former ages, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor had it 
entered into the heart of man to conceive, 1 Cor. ii. 7. And that because God had revealed these 
things to them by his Spirit, ver. 9, they having received the Spirit of God that they might know the 
things which are freely given to us of God, ver. 10. Thus was the mystery of the calling of the 
Gentiles into an equality of privileges with the believing Jews made known unto them; for God by 
revelation, saith St. Paul, made known to me the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made 
known, as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should 
be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ, by the Gospel, Eph. iii. 
3, 4,5, 6; chap. i. 9; vi. 19; Col. i. 26,27; ii. 2; iv. 3,4. So they knew the mystery of the recall- 
ing of the Jews, Rom, xi. 25, 26. The mystery of the resurrection, 7. 6.. the quality of the bodies 
to be raised, and the order of it, with all the other special circumstances mentioned, 1 Cor. xv ; 
1 Thess. iv. ; and the apostasy of the latter times ; for the Spirit speaketh expressly, saith the apostle, 
that in the latter days men shall depart from the faith, 1 Tim. iv. 1. This inspiration of suggestion 
must also be allowed to St. John, the author of the Revelation; for he, speaking only what was 
represented to him in visions, or by angelical discourses, or apparitions, must have that assistance 
which suggested these ideas to him. 

“Thirdly, As for those things which they did know already, either by natural reason, education, 
or antecedent revelation, they needed only such an assistance, or direction in them, as would secure 
them from error in their reasonings, or in their confirmation of their doctrines by passages contained 
in the Old Testament ; and, therefore, a continual suggestion must be here unnecessary. And, indeed, 
one great work they had upon their hands, both in preaching the Gospel, and writing these gospels 
and epistles, being to convince the unbelieving Jew, or to confirm the wavering Jew, or rectify the 

l 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


errors of the Judaizing Christian, the gift of knowledge of the scriptures of the Old Testament was 
very necessary for them, and therefore is deservedly reckoned among the primary gifts of the Holy 
Ghost; and, being so, we have reason to believe that either the Holy Ghost suggested to their 
memory those scriptures which they used in these sacred writings to convince them; or else presided se 
over them as not to suffer them to make any inferences from them which were not agreeable to the 
true intent and meaning of them; though, at this distance of time, we may not always be able to 
discern the strength and clearness of the consequence. 


«Fourthly, In writing the historical parts of the New Testament, or matters of fact relating to 
themselves, or others, it is only necessary that what is there delivered as matter of fact should be 
truly performed, as it is said to have been done: but it is not necessary that they should be related 
in that order of time in which they were performed, unless that also be affirmed of them; for this 
must be sufficient to assure us of the truth of what they thus delivered. 

«‘ Moreover, in writing the discourses contained in these books, it is not necessary that the very 
words should be suggested, or recorded, in which they were first spoken, but only that the true zntent 
and meaning of them should be related, though in diversity of words. Though the promise made 
to the apostles by our Lord, that the Holy Spirit should bring to their remembrance, παντα, all things 
which he had said unto them, John xiv. 20, doth fairly plead for this exactness in what they have 
delivered of our Saviour’s sermons ; it being scarcely imaginable that their memory, without Divine 
assistance, should exactly give us all that was spoken in such long discourses. 

« And hence we may account for the objections against this Divine assistance, arising from the 
viith of Acts ; for, though I have showed, inthe note on ver. 15,16, that there is no real mistake 
in the words of the protomartyr; yet, were it granted that there is an error in his account of the 
sepulchres of the patriarchs, that affects not the authority of St. Luke at all, provided he have 
exactly related what was then said by St. Stephen, who was not chosen to be a penman of the 
Holy Scriptures. 

“ Lastly, From what is thus discoursed, it may appear that I contend only for such an inspira- 
tion, or Divine assistance of the sacred writers of the New Testament, as will assure us of the truth 
of what they wrote, whether by inspiration of suggestion, or direction only ; but not for such an 
inspiration as implies that even their words were dictated, or their phrases suggested to them by the 
Holy Ghost: this, in some matters of great moment, might be so; St. Paul declaring that they 
spake the things which were given them of God in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, 1 Cor. il. 
13, if that relate not to what the Holy Ghost had taught them out of the Old Testament. But that 
it was not always so is evident, both from the consideration that they were hagiographers, who are 
supposed to be left to the use of their own words, and from the variety of the style in which they 
write, and from the solecisms which are sometimes visible in their compositions ; and more espe- 
cially from their own words, which manifestly show that, in some cases, they had had no such sug- 
gestion from the Holy Ghost as doth imply that He had dictated those words unto them. For 
instance, when St. Paul declares his will or purpose to do what he was hindered by the providence 
of God from doing ; as, when he says to the Romans, When I go into Spain, I will come to you, 
chap. xv. 24; Iwill come by you into Spain, ver. 28. For though he might, after his enlargement, 
go into the west, where St. Clement (Ep. ad, Cor. § 6,) says he preached; and even into Spazn, as 
Cyril, (Catechis. 17, p. 204. C.,) Epiphanius, (Her. 27, p. 107. C.,) and Theodoret (in 2 Tim. iy. 
17, and Priefat. in Psalm cxvi.,) says he did; yet it is certain he did not designedly go to Rome, in 
order to an intended journey into Spain: and when he says to the Corinthians, I will come to you, 
when I pass through Macedonia, 1 Cor. xvi. 5, and yet confesses in his second epistle, 2 Cor. 1. 15, 
16, 17, that he did not perform that journey ; for it is not to be thought that the Holy Ghost shoula 
incite him to promise, or even to purpose, what He knew he would not perform. ‘This also we learn 
from all those places in which they do express their ignorance or doubtfulness of that which they are 
speaking of ; as when St. Paul says, I know not whether I baptized any other, 1 Cor.i. 16. And again, 
τυχὸν παραμενω, Perhaps I will abide, yea, and winter with you, 1 Cor. xvi. 6. And when St. Peter 
saith, By Sylvanus, a faithful brother as I suppose, have I written to you, 1 Pet. ν. 12: for these 
words plainly show that, in all these things, they had no inspiration, or Divine assistance. This, 
lastly, may be gathered from all those places in which they only do express their hope, and that con- 
ditionally, of doing this or that; asin these words, I hope to see you in my journey, Rom. xv. 24. 
I will come unto you quickly, if the Lord will, 1 Cor. iv. 19. I hope to stay some time with you, if the 
Lord permit, 1 Cor. xvi. 7. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy quickly to you, Phil. ii. 19, 23. 
And I trust that I myself also shall come quickly, ver. 24. These things I write, hoping to eome to thee 
quickly, but, if T should tarry, that thou mayest know how to behave thyself in the Church of God, 1 Tim. 
ili. 14,15. Ihope, by your prayers, to be given to you, Philem. 22. This will we do, if the Lord 
permit, Heb. vi. 3. I hope to come to you, St. John, 2 Ep. ver. 12; 3 Ep. ver. 14. For, spes est 
incert@ rei nomen, the word hope implies an uncertainty, whereas the Holy Spirit cannot be uncertain 
of any thing: nor can we think he would inspire men to speak so uncertainly. And (2) ‘There 

10 1 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


can be no necessity, or even use, of a Divine assistance to enable a man to express his hopes, seeing 
all men do, by natural reflection, know them. 

“II. Having thus premised these things, for the right stating and explication of the controversy, 
T proceed to lay down the arguments, which prove that in these writings the apostles were assisted 
and preserved from error by the Spirit of God; and therefore were enabled to deliver to us an 
unerring rule of faith. 

« And, 1st. I argue for the Divine assistance of the inditers of these sacred records, from what 
they do assert concerning their own writings ; and what they say touching the declarations made, 
the doctrines delivered, and the directions given in them. 

“As for the writers of the gospel, St. Luke declares he writes his gospel to Theophilus, that he 
might know the certainty of those things in which he had been instructed ; and St. John declares his 
gospel was written that they might believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Now it is plain, 
that neither Theophilus could be certain of the truth of what he had been taught by any writing 
which was not absolutely certain in itself; nor could others be induced, by what St. John had writ- 
ten, to believe that Jesus was the Christ, unless they could be certain that he spake the truth through- 
out his gospel. Now, if we do consider how many things contained in the beginning of St. Luke’s 
gospel he must have by hearsay, and how many long discourses both he, St. Matthew, and St. John, 
deliver as spoken by our Lord and others, of which we can have no assurance, after so many years 
before the writing of them, on the mere strength of human memory, so as to ground an article of 
Divine faith upon the very words in which they were delivered, we must be forced to conclude that, 
upon this account, we cannot depend upon the very letter and minute circumstances of every dis- 
course related by them, unless, according to Christ’s promise, they had the assistance of the Holy 
Ghost, to bring these things to their remembrance: wherefore this promise is made to them in very 
general and comprehensive terms—viz., the Holy Ghost shall bring all things to your remembrance, 
whatsoever I have said unto you, John xiv. 26. And then there being nothing considerable in St. 
Mark, which is not also in St. Matthew or St. Luke, or both, the certainty of all that is contained in 
them must make us also certain of the truth of what St. Mark delivers in his gospel. Moreover, 
the word spoken and indited by them is styled the worp of Gop: men, saith the apostle, could not 
believe the Gospel unless they heard it preached to them; nor could they hear it preached unless 
some were commissioned to preach the Gospel ; for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word 
of God, Rom. x. 14,15, 16,17. And, for this cause, says he, thank we God without ceasing, because, 
when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as 
it is, in truth, the word of God, 1 Thess. ii. 13. I am made a minister of Christ, saith he, according 
to the dispensation of God, which is given to me, to fulfil (i. e., fully to preach) the word of God, 
Col. i. 25. (2) It is called the commanpMeNT or Gon; for my Gospel, says St. Paul, and the 
preaching of Jesus Christ, is made manifest, and, according to the commandment of the everlasting 
God, made known unto you for the obedience of faith, Rom. xiv. 25, 26; which faith is always 
built on a Divine testimony. And again, If any man be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge 
that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord, 1 Cor. xiv. 37. (3) It is declared 
to be the wispom of Gop, 1 Cor. i. 24. For, we preach Christ, to you that are called, both Jews and 
Greeks, the power of God, and the wisdom of God ; we speak the wisdom of Godin a mystery, even that 
wisdom which God has revealed to us by his Spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 7,10. (4) It is the resrmrony of God, 
for I came not to you, saith he, in excellency of speech, declaring to you the testimony, 1 Cor. ii. 1. 
(5) It is the Gosret of Gon: for St. Paul styles himself the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gen- 
tiles, ministering the Gospel of God to them, Rom. xy. 16. We preach, says he, the Gospel of God 
freely, 2 Cor. xi. 7. We were bold to preach to you the Gospel of God; we were willing to have 
imparted to you not the Gospel of God only, but also our own lives, 1 Thess. ii. 2, 8, 9. Even the 
glorious Gospel of the blessed God committed to my trust, 1 Tim. i. 10. (6) Itis the GosreL or 
Curtsr; for I came, says he, to Troas, to preach Christ's Gospel, 2 Cor. ii. 12. We sent Timotheus, 
our fellow labourer in the Gospel of Christ, 1 Thess. iii. 2. (7) It is the mystery of his wir, Eph. 
i. 9. The mystery of God the Father and of Christ, Col. ii. 2. The mindof Christ made known 
to the apostles, 1 Cor. ii. 16. And the word of Christ which must dwell richly in believers, Col. 
iii. 16. 

“ Now, certainly it cannot rationally be conceived that the apostles should be ignorant of that 
assistance by which they were enabled to indite these records; if then they were assured of that 
assistance of the Holy Spirit which they challenged, then must the Gospel, which they both preached 
and indited, be received as the word of God and Christ, the mind of Christ, the Gospel of God and 
Christ, the mystery of God the Father, and of Christ, the commandment and testimony of God, which is 
the thing I am concerned to make good; and then it highly must concern all persons to be mindful 
of the commandments of the apostles of our Lord and Saviour, 2 Peter iii. 2. If they had no such 
assurance of the assistance of the Holy Spirit, they did grossly impose upon the world, in thus 
pretending that they preached the Gospel by the assistance of the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. 
If they were not assured that, in those writings, they delivered only those doctrines which God 

1 il 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


required all men to believe, those precepts he required them to do, they must be very confident in 
daring to make this the preface to some of their epistles, Paul an apostle, according to the will and 
the commandment of God, 1 Cor. i. 1; 2 Cor. i. 1; Eph. 1. 1; Col. i. 1; 2 Tim. 1. 1; and saying, 
with so much assurance, If any be a prophet, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are 
the commandments of God, 1 Cor. xiv. 37; and much more, in declaring to all Christians thus :— 
We are of God ; he that knoweth God, heareth us ; he that is not of God, heareth not us ; by this we 
know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, 1 John iv. 6. For this seems equal to what their 
Master himself said in the like words, Why do you not believe me? He that is of God, heareth the 
words of God ; you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God, John viii. 46, 47. Yea, they 
must be false witnesses of God, by styling human writings the word, the Gospel, the command, the 
testimony, the mind, the mystery of God and Christ ; and by requiring others to receive it not as the 
word of man, but as the word of God, even that word by which they must be judged at the last day, 
Rom. 11. 16 ; which again runs as high as those words of Christ : The word that Ihave spoken shall 
judge him that believes it not at the last day, John xii. 48. 

“2dly, They who, when they indited these writings, were assisted by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit 
of truth, indited these records by Divine assistance ; for the things God spake to his servants the 
prophets are styled, the things which I commanded, ev πνευματι pov, by my Spirit, Zech. i. 6: but the 
apostles were thus assisted ; this they in terms, or by just consequence, assert. For St. Peter says 
of them all, in general, that they preached the Gospel by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, 
1 Peter i. 12. And is not this as much as he said of the prophets of the Old Testament, when he 
declares they spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost? 2 Peter i. 1. St. Paul asserts, in the 
same general expression, that those great things belonging to the Gospel which neither eye had seen, 
nor ear had heard, nor heart was able to conceive, God had revealed to them by the Spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 
10; that they had received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that they might 
know the things which were freely given to Christians of God ; and that these things they taught, not 
in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things 
with spiritual, verses 12,13. In which place the very design of the apostle is to prove, against the 
Greek philosophers, how unreasonable it was to reject the Gospel, because it came not in the way 
of demonstration to human reason, but by way of revelation from God ; and so required faith, as 
of necessity it must do, since it contained such things concerning the design of Christ’s salutary 
passion, his resurrection, ascension, and a future judgment at the general resurrection, which no 
natural man could know by the utmost improvement of his human reason; and such discoveries 
of the counsel of God, concerning man’s justification, which depended upon his good pleasure ; 
which was known only to that Holy Spirit which searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. 
It is this Spirit, says he, that we have received, and by this Spirit hath God revealed these things 
unto us ; and we accordingly do teach them to the world, not in the words which human wisdom 
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing the revelations made to us by the Spirit with 
the revelations made to the prophets in the Old Testament, by the same Spirit, and finding that the 
revelations made to us do far exceed what was discovered to them; for, what the eye of those 
prophets had not seen in vision, or their ear heard in dreams, nor can the heart of man conceive, 
without a revelation, even these things hath God revealed to us by his Spirit. Thus did they 
speak the word of God in demonstration of the Spirit : whence he declares that, if any man despise 
their testimony or instructions, he despised not man only, but God also, who had given them his 
Spirit, 1 Thess. iv. 8, they being not sufficient for this work of themselves, but their sufficiency was 
of God, who, by this ministration of the Spirit, had made them able ministers of the New Testament, 
2 Cor. iii. 5,6. And thus, says he, that God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, (and 
who illuminated the prophets by shining upon their imagination and their understanding,) hath 
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, 
2 Cor. iv. 5. In his Epistle to the Ephesians, he declares that the mystery of Christ was made 
known to him by immediate revelation, and not to him only, but to the rest of the apostles and 
prophets of the New Testament ; for God, says he, hath made known this revelation to us, the apostles 
and prophets, by the Spirit, Eph. ii. 8,5. And hence he speaks to the Corinthians in this language, 
If any man be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the 
commandments of God, 1 Cor. xiv. 37. Here then the argument runs thus :— 

“They who had a like assistance to that of the prophets under the Old Testament, must write py 
the direction of the Holy Ghost: for holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost ; 
and the scriptures they indited were of Divine inspiration ; and their words are cited, in the New 
Testament, as spoken by the Holy Ghost. But the apostles had a like assistance ; for, in the words 
now cited, they style themselves apostles and prophets ; they challenge a like illumination, or shining 
of God upon their hearts, a like revelation of their Gospel by the Holy Spirit; and they pretend 
fo teach it to others, in words taught them by the Holy Ghost. In all which sayings, they must be 
guilty of a false testimony concerning God, and must impose upon the Church of Christ, if no such 
assistance of the Holy Ghost was imparted to them. 

12 τ 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


“3dly. These sacred records, which were indited to be a standing rule of faith to Christians 
throughout all ages of the world, the Gospel contained in these Scriptures being made known to all 
nations for the obedience of faith, Rom. vi. 26, they must, in all things propounded in them to our 
faith, contain a Divine testimony, or a revelation of the will of God. For, as human faith depends 
upon the testimony of man, so Divine faith is that which depends upon the testimony of God. And, 
as obedience to men consists in doing the will of men, so our obedience to God consists in conformity to 
the will of God. Again, If we must all be judged by this law of liberty, James ii. 12; if Christ, at 
the last day, will judge the secrets of men’s hearts according to the Gospel of St. Paul, Rom. ii. 16 - 
if he will come in flaming fire, talking vengeance of all that obey not his Gospel, then must this Gospel. 
and this law of liberty, be arule of faith until Christ’s second coming; for upon that account alone 
can men be bound, under this dreadful penalty, to yield obedience to it, and be judged by it.” 

The whole of Dr. Whitby’s important general preface, from which the above is extracted, is well 
worth the attention of the reader. 


§ I. Of varrous reapryes in the Scriptures, and the sources whence they sprung. 


Before I proceed to give an account of the principal manuscripts, ancient versions, and eccle- 
siastical writers, frequently referred to in this work, it may be necessary to say a little on the 
various readings of the Old and New Testaments in general, and the manner in which they origi- 
nated ; as several of my readers may not have had the opportunity of acquainting themselves with 
that branch of Biblical criticism in which this subject is particularly discussed. 

By a various reading, [mean a word existing either in the ancient versions, or in ancient MSS., 
or in both, different from the word in the commonly received and printed text, whether of the Old 
or the New Testament. The sources whence these are derived are those ancient versions and MSS.., 
the chief of which are enumerated and described in the following lists. 

But it may be asked of what authority are these versions and manuscripts? And why appeal to 
them from and sometimes against the commonly received text? 

Into the discussion of this question, I cannot minutely enter ; it is not the province of a comment- 
ator. But, lest it should be supposed that I wished to elude it, I would simply observe, 1. That, 
before the invention of printing, the whole of the sacred writings, both of the Old and New Testa- 
ments, must have existed either in MS. or by oral tradition. 2. If they existed originally by oral 
tradition, they must have been, at one time or other, reduced from that into a MS. or written form. 
3. As these records were considered of general importance, being a revelation from God to man, 
concerning his salyation, manuscripts would be multiplied, as the people increased who professed to 
believe that these writings were divinely inspired. 4. Wherever the Jews were dispersed, they car- 
ried copies of the law and the prophets with them; and the Christians did the same with the gos- 
pels, epistles, &c. And as these copies were formed by skilful or unskilful hands, so they would 
be less or more accurate in reference to the originals, from which they were taken. If a MS. 
which had been carelessly copied became the source whence others were taken, they could not be 
expected to express a better teat than was found in that from which they were copied. 6. When 
such a MS. was collated with others more carefully copied, various readings, or differences between 
such MSS. would necessarily appear. 7. As some of these readings would appear irreconcilable 
or contradictory, subsequent scribes would alter or amend from conjecture, where they could not have 
access to the original MSS., and this would give birth to another class of various readings. 
8. When, after the invention of printing, the sacred writings were multiplied by means of the press, 
the copy, thus prepared, must be one of those MSS. or one containing a collation of various MSS., 
and the printed edition must, of course, give the text of one only MS. or a text formed from the various 
readings of several. 9. As, at the epoch of the invention of printing, great ignorance prevailed 
both in literature and religion, it was not likely that the best helps, even had they been at hand, 
would have been critically used ; and therefore those primitive editions must necessarily have been. 
in many respects, imperfect ; and these imperfections could only be removed, in subsequent editions, 
by a careful collation of the most ancient, most authentic, and most correctly written MSS. 10. As 
such MSS. exist in different places, widely remote from each other, in various parts of Europe, Asia, 
and Africa, it must be a work of considerable time to find them out, collate and extract their various 
readings ; communicate them to the public in separate editions, or in critical dissertations ; and 
much time must necessarily elapse before the public would feel the necessity of having one authentic 
edition of the original texts formed from such separate editions and critical dissertations. 11. All 
versions, or translations of the Scriptures into the language of the different nations which had 
received the word of God as the rule of their faith and practice, must have been made, previously 
to the invention of printing, from a MS. or MSS., such as the translator had at hand; therefore, 
such versions could be no more than a faithful translation of such MS. or MSS. 12. As the MSS. 
differ among themselves, from the reasons assigned above, so that different MSS. would exhibit 
different readings in certain cases, though the text in ihe main was the same in all, so the vERsIons 
must differ among themselves, according to the particular MSS. from which they were taken. 

1 19 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


fHlence both the MSS. and the versions would necessarily contain various readings; and these 
readings must be important and valuable in proportion to their agreement with the autograph from 
which they were all originally derived ; and, upon the whole, the most ancient and carefully written 
MS. might be considered as containing the purest text. 19. All the versions of all countries differ, 
less or more, among themselves; which is a proof that they were formed from different MSS., and 
that those versions exhibited the readings which were contained in those MSS. 14. And it may 
be added, that the most ancient versions were likely to contain the purest text, because made frora 
the most ancient MSS., which, we may fairly presume, were the most accurate copies of the original ; 
as, in that case, the stream could not be rendered turbid by a long and circuitous flow from the 
fountain. This the reader may conceive to have been the origin of various readings, both in the 
manuscripts, and ancient versions, previously to the invention of printing. 

Most copies of the Hebrew Bible have been taken from the same MSS., as the subsequent editions 
have generally copied the preceding ones, with very little alteration in any thing that could be 
considered essential to the text. The first editions of the Greek Testament, viz., the Complutensian 
and the first of Erasmus, were taken from different MSS. ; but these sources were in general not the 
most pure and correct, as the text formed from them sufficiently proves ; and hence, most succeeding 
editors have found it necessary to make a variety of alterations and amendments, in the editions 
which they have published, from such MSS. as they had the opportunity of collating. Hence very 
few of these editions agree perfectly among themselves ; consequently, the necessity of forming one 
general and authentic edition, from a careful, judicious, and conscientious collation of all the ancient 
MSS. and versions known to exist. Preparations for such an edition of the Hesrew Brete have 
been made by Kennicott, and De Rossi. For the Srrruacrnr, by Wechel, (i. e., in the edition 
printed by him,) Lambert Bos, Dr. Holmes, and his present continuators at Oxford. For the Grerk 
Testament, by Robert Stephens, Bp. Fell, Dr. Mill, Bengel, Wetstein, Birch, Alter, Matthai, and 
Griesbach. We therefore possess, at present, materials, from which nearly immaculate editions of 
the sacred writings may be formed; so that the Hebrew and Greek originals, and, indeed, all 
versions faithfully deduced from them, may appear in all their simplicity, energy, and splendour. 
It is to these materials, as they exist in the above collections, that [ am indebted for the various 
readings of Hebrew and Greek MSS., supported by the ancient versions, which I have introduced 
in these notes. 


Notwithstanding all the helps which the various MSS. and ancient versions afford for 
the illustration of the sacred text, the reader must not imagine that, in those MSS. and 
versions which do contain the whole of the sacred text, there is any essential defect in matters 
that relate to the faith and practice, and consequently to the salvation, of the Christian :— 
There is no such MS., there is no such version. So has the Divine Providence ordered it, that, 
although a number of mistakes have been committed by careless copyists, as well as by careless 
printers, not one essential truth of God has been injured or suppressed. In this respect, all is perfect , 
and the way of the Most High is made so plain, even in the poorest copies, that the wayfaring man 
though a fool, utterly destitute of deep learning and critical abilities, need not err therein. 

All the omrssrons of the ancient manuscripts put together would not countenance the omission of 
one essential doctrine of the Gospel, relative to faith or morals : and all the apprrtons countenanced 
by the whole mass of MSS. already collated do not introduce a single point essential either to faith 
or manners, beyond what may be found in the most imperfect editions, from the Complutensian 
editors down to the Elzevirs. And though, for the beauty, emphasis, and critical perfection of the 
letter of the New Testament, a new edition of the Greek Testament, formed on such a plan as that 
of Professor Griesbach, is greatly to be desired, yet from such a one infidelity can expect no help ; 
false doctrine no support; and even true religion no accession to its excellence ; though a few 
beams may be thus added to its lustre. 


The multitude of various readings found in MSS. should no more weaken any man’s faith in the 
Divine word, than the multitude of typographical errors found in printed editions of the Scriptures. 
Nor indeed can it be otherwise, unless God were to interpose, and miraculously prevent every 
scribe from making a false letter, and every compositor from mistaking a word in the text he was 
copying. It is enough that God absolutely preserves the whole truth, in such a way as is consistent 
with his moral government of the world. The preservation of the jots and the tittles in every 
transcriber’s copy, and in every printer’s form, by a miraculous act of almighty power, is not 
to be expected; and is not necessary to the accomplishment of the purposes of providence and 
erace. 
~ On this subject the intelligent reader will be pleased with the opinion of that very eminent critic, 
Dr. Bentley. Speaking in referer_e to those who were needlessly alarmed at the multitude of 
various readings collected by Dr. Mill, and said to amount to 30,000, he says: “ Not frighted 
with the present 30,000 various readings, I, for my own part, and as I believe many others, would 
not lament if. out of the old MSS. yet untouched, 10,000 more were faithfully collected: some of 
which, without question, would render the text more beautiful, just, and ewact, though of no 

14 1 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


consequence to the Main of religion: nay, perhaps, wholly synonymous in the view of common readers, 
and quite insensible in any modern version.” Philaleuth. Lipsiens. p. 90. 

After such a testimony as this, from one of the greatest scholars and critics of his age, it is 
hoped that no minor person will hazard a contrary assertion; and that prejudices against the 
collation of MSS. and collections of various readings will not be entertained by the honest and well 
meaning ; as such may see, at once, both the propriety and necessity of such measures. 

In the MSS. of the Greek Testament, critics have noticed several which have an affinity to each 
other. This affinity has been denominated familia, family, by Bengel, recensio, revision, by 
Griesbach ; and edition, by Michaelis. These editions depend on the diversity of time and place, 
and are divided by Griesbach into three :— 

1. The western edition, or that formerly used where the Latin language was spoken : with this 
agree the old Itala, the Vulgate, and the quotations found in the Latin fathers. 

2. The Atexanprine, or Egyptian edition: with this agree the quotations found in the works 
of Origen, and the Coptic version. 

3. The Byzantine, or EASTERN edition: that in general use at Constantinople, after this city had 
become the capital of the eastern empire. The greater number of the many MSS. written by the 
monks on Mount Athos are evidently of this edition. To this edition may be referred the quotations 
found in St. Chrysostom, St. Theophylact, bishop of Bulgaria, and the Slavonic or Russian 
version. The readings of this edition are those which are generally found in the printed text of the 
Greek Testament. All these recensiones, or editions, belong to ages prior to the eighth century, 
according to Griesbach. 

To these Michaelis adds a fourth, called— 

4. The Eprssenx edition, which comprehends those MSS. from which the Peshito or otd Syriac 
version was made, though no MS. of this edition now remains. The Philoxenian Syriac version 
was corrected from MSS. found in the library at Alexandria. Any reading supported by the 
authority of these different editions possesses the highest degree of probability, and may be, in 
general, fairly taken for the word written by the inspired penman. This is a general rule, to 
which there will be found very few exceptions. 

The propriety of this classification is questioned in a very able pamphlet just published, by Dr. 
Richard Laurence, intituled, Remarks on the Systematical Classification of MSS. adopted by 
Griesbach, in his edition of the Greek Testament. 8vo. Oxford, 1814. To this pamphlet I must refer 
the critical reader. 

I shall now proceed to give an account of the most ancient manuscripts and versions which have 
been collated for the four gospels and Acts of the Apostles. 


§ ΤΠ. Account of Manuscripts in uncial characters, referred to by the letters ABCD, &c., in this Work. 


A. The Codex Alexandrinus, now in the British Museum, sent, in 1628, from Cyril Lucaris. 
patriarch of Constantinople, by Sir Thomas Roe, as a present to Charles I. It is one of the most 
reputable MSS. known to exist ; and is stated to have been written so early as the fourth century ; 
though others assign it a much later date, and bring it so low as the seventh. Besides the New 
Testament, it contains the Septuagint version of the Old, formerly edited by Dr. Grabe. A fac- 
simile of the New Testament part has been published by Dr. Woide: London, 1784, fol. And 
lately a fac-simile of the Psalms, by the Rev. H. H. Baber, of the British Museum, fol. 1812, who 
has since published the Pentateuch, and is now preparing the whole for the press. 

It is worthy of remark that this MS. follows in the gospels the Byzantine edition : in the epistles 
of St. Paul, the Alexandrine : and in the Acts, and catholic epistles, the Western edition. With 
this MS. the Syriac, Coptic, and thiopic versions have a remarkable coincidence. 

B. The Codex Vaticanus, No. 1209, containing the Greek version of the Septuagint, which was 
published at Rome by Cardinal Caraffa, fol. 1587. The second volume of this MS. contains the 
New Testament. It is a most ancient and valuable MS., and is supposed to be older than the 
Codex Alexandrinus ; and to have been written some time in the fourth century, and before the time 
of St. Jerome: others refer it to the fifth or sixth century. There is a remarkable agreement 
between this MS. and the Codices D. and L. and it is supposed, as a whole, to be the most correct 
MS. we have. Michaelis prefers it greatly to the Codex Alexandrinus. 

C. The Codex Ephraim. A MS. in the Royal Library in Paris, numbered formerly 1905, at 
present 9. The first part of it contains some of the smallest Greek works of St. Ephraim Syrus, 
under which was originally written the whole of the Greek Bible. In the New Testament part, it is 
mutilated in a great variety of places, which may be seen in Michaelis’ Lectures, vol. ii., p. 258. The’ 
Greek version of the Bible which occupied the first part of this MS. has been, as far as was possible, 
wiped out with a sponge, to make way for Ephraim’s works: a frequent custom where parchment 
was scarce and dear. It is supposed by Wetstein to have been written early in the sixth century. 
It is an invaluable MS., but is, through its great age and bad preservation, almost illegible. See P. 

D. The Codex Beze, or Codex Cantabrigiensis. It contains the Greek text of the four gospels 

1 15 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


aud Acts of the Apostles, with the old Itala, or Antehieronymian Latin version. Wetstein thinks 
that it is the very copy from which Thomas Charkel, or Heraclius, under the auspices of Philoxenius, 
formed the later Syriac version, commonly called the Philoxenian; but this is a groundless 
supposition. ‘This MS. is supposed by Wetstein to be of the fifth century: others think it two 
centuries earlier. A splendid and correct fac-simile of the MS. has been printed at Cambridge, bv 
Dr. Kipling, 1793, 2 vols. royal fol. 

The readings in this MS. frequently agree with the Latin versions before the time of St. Jerome 
and with the Vulgate. Some have argued that it has been altered from those Latin versions : bu 
Semler, Michaelis, Griesbach, and Dr. Herbert Marsh, have amply refuted all those arguments. [τ 
is one of the oldest MSS. extant ; many of the readings by which it is distinguished are found in 
the Syriac, Coptic, Sahidic, and margin of the Philoxenian Syriac version. In the main, this is 
the most important MS. we have of the gospels and Acts; and though it has been written at 
different times, by different hands, yet the original parts may be safely supposed to exhibit the 
genuine readings of the evangelic and apostolic text, in a larger proportion than in any other MS. 
extant. I have myself examined this MS. in the public library, at Cambridge ; and am convinced, 
not only of its very high antiquity, but of its great excellency. Everywhere in my notes, I have 
endeavoured to pay particular attention to the readings of this MS. Whiston, in his primitive 
New Testament, Stamford and London, 8vo. 1745, has translated the four gospels and Acts literally 
from the Codex Bez. 

(D.) In St. Paul’s epistles, signifies the famous Codex Claromontanus ; it was written in the 
sixth or seventh century, and has the Itala version, as well as the Greek text. 

E. Codex Basiliensis, Num. B. VI. A MS. of the ninth century. It contains the four gospels 

(E.) In the Acts of the Apostles, signifies the famous Laud MS. No. 3, preserved in the Bodleian 
Library. It has both the Greek and Latin text ; the Latin evidently altered to make it correspond 
to the Greek. This MS. was printed by Hearne, 8vo. Oxon, 1715. Wetstein supposed it to have 
been written in Sardinia, about the seventh century. The MS. is written in two columns; the 
Latin text first ; each line is composed of one word, very rarely of two; and the Latin and Greek 
words are always opposite to each other, which shows that it was written for the use of a person 
little skilled in either language. 

F. Codex Boreeli. This MS., which contains the four gospels, formerly belonged to Sir John 
Boreel, Dutch ambassador at the court of King James I. Where it now is cannot be ascertained. 

(F.) Is one of the Coislinian MSS. No. 1. It contains the Septuagint version of the Octateuch ; 
and verses 24 and 25, of Acts, chap. ix. It was written in the eighth century. 

F. In the epistles of St. Paul, denotes the Codex Augiensis, written about the ninth century, 
and now in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. 

G. Codex Wolfius A. This is now one of the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum; and is 
marked 5684. It contains the four evangelists, and was probably written before the tenth century. 
It is a correct and valuable MS. 

G. Codex Boernerianus, in the Electoral Library at Dresden.—It has the Itala version interlined 
with the Greek text. 

(G.) In the Acts, &c., signifies a MS. in the library of the Augustin friars at Rome. It has been 
only partially collated by Blanchini and Birch. 

H. Codex Wolfius B. This MS. is very similar to the preceding ; and was probably written in 
the same century. It also contains the four evangelists. 

H. Codex Coislinianus, No. ccrt. consists only of fifteen leaves containing some fragments of St. 
Paul’s epistles. It was written in the fifth or sixth century. 

I. Codex Cottonianus. This MS. contains only four leaves, in which a few fragments of Matthew 
and John are found. ΤῈ is written on Egyptian paper of a purple colour ; and is among the Cotton 
MSS. in the British Museum, and is marked Titus C. 15. 

K. Codex Cyprius, so called because brought from the island of Cyprus. It is at present in the 
Royal Library at Paris. It contains the four evangelists ; agrees in its various readings with A. B 
C.D. Montfaucon supposed it to be of the eighth century; Father Simon, of the ninth. 

L. Codex Regius, 62. This very valuable MS. was one of those used by R. Stephens, for his 
edition of the Greek Testament, fol. 1550, in which it is marked 7. It is in the Royal Library at 
Paris, No, 62, and was probably written in the eighth or ninth century. The various readings 
of this MS. are of great importance ; and it is judged by Michaelis to be one of the most valuab" 
MSS. we possess. 

M. Codex Regius. This MS. contains the four gospels; belongs to the Royal Library, Paris, 
numbered 48 ; and was written in the tenth century. 

N. Codex Vindobonensis, 2. One of the Vienna MSS. It contains only fragments of the book 
of Genesis, and of Luke, chap. xxiv. vy. 13-21, 39-49, and was written in the seventh century. 

O. A small fragment of some other MS. and contains the parable of the Pharisee and publican 

P. Codex Guelpherbytanus, A. One of the duke of Wolfenbuttle’s MSS. It is what is called 

16 1 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


a codex rescriptus, i. e., a book the original writing of which has been spunged out, to make way 
for some other works ; which in this case happen to be the works of Isidorus Hispalensis. It con- 
tains fragments of the four evangelists, and was written about the sixth century. See under C. 

Q. Codex Guelpherbytanus, B. Another of the Wolfenbuttle MSS., containing fragments of 
Luke and John, written in the sixth century. Itis a codex rescriptus, like the former ; the original 
writing being spunged out, to make way for the works of Isidorus Hispalensis, as in Codex P. 

R. Tubinginse Fragmentum. This MS., which is preserved at Tubing, contains only a fragment 
of the first chapter of John. 

S. Codex Vaticanus, No. 354. One of the Vatican MSS. written in the year 949. 

T. Fragmentum Borgianum. It consists of about twelve leaves; begins with John vi. 28, and 
ends with vii. 28. It is divided into two columns: the first contains the Greek text, the second the 
Coptic or Sahidic ; and is supposed, by Georgi, who has published a large quarto volume on it, to 
have been written in the fourth century. This fragment is a valuable specimen of the Alexandrian 
edition. 

U. Codex Equitis Nanii Venetiis. This is one of the MSS. collated by Birch for his edition of 
the Greek Testament. It was written in the tenth or eleventh century. 

X. A MS. in the public library of Ingolstad; this is in uncial characters, and has a commentary 
in small letters. It appears to have been written in the eleventh century. 

These are all the Greek MSS. in square or uncial characters which are referred to in Wetstein 
and Griesbach ; and which are quoted in these notes on the four gospels and Acts. Where any of 
these letters appear with an asterisk, as C*, it signifies that the reading there quoted exists not in 
the text, but in the margin of that manuscript. The MSS. marked A. B. C. Ὁ. E. Ἐς G. K. and 
L. are probably, upon the whole, the best, and their readings the most authentic, of all the 
uncial MSS. 

There are many other MSS. written in small letters, and quoted by Griesbach and others, by 
Arabie numerals, viz., 1, 2, 8, &c., which, though not equally ancient with several of those in uncial 
characters, are of great value and importance, and exhibit readings of equal worth with those in 
the preceding MSS. These, however, I have rarely mentioned by name in my notes, and only 
refer to them in this way: 6. g. Acts xvii. 26: “ ABDE. and more than forty others.” Ib. xx. 24: 
* ABD. some others,” &c., &c. I thought it was unnecessary to be more particular; as those 
who could profit most by such information would naturally have Griesbach at hand ; and by referring 
to him, would be able to obtain much more satisfaction on the point than the plan on which my 
notes were constructed could possibly afford. It is necessary just to state, that both Wetstein and 
Griesbach, by quoting different MSS. by the same letter, in the four parts into which they have 
divided the New Testament—viz., the four gospels, the Acts and catholic epistles, the epistles of 
St. Paul, and the Apocalypse, have produced strange and needless confusion : in each of those parts 
we find a distinct notation of MSS. On this subject Michaelis has justly observed, that “ Wetstein 
has made it very difficult to remember his notation of MSS. by not retaining the same marks 
throughout the whole work; for his letters and figures have a different meaning in the epistles of 
St. Paul from that which they have in the four evangelists; a still different meaning in the catholic 
epistles, and Acts of the Apostles ; and, lastly, they are taken in a fourth sense in the book of the 
Revelation.”—Lectures, vol. ii, p. 185,6. This perplexity may appear evident, even in the 
uncial MSS., and much more in the others, 6. g., D., which means the Coder Beze in the gospels 
and Acts, means the Clermont MS. in the epistles of St. Paul; and B. the Codex Vaticanus, 1209, 
in the gospels, Acts, and epistles, is the Codex Monachorum, Sti. Basilii, No. 105, in the Apocalypse ; 
and so of others. 

Farther information on this subject belongs more properly to the editor of a Greek Testament 
than to the province of a commentator. Those who wish to examine this branch of Biblical 
criticism at large, must consult Mill, Wetstein, Griesbach, Michaelis, and Dr. Herbert Marsh, 
vishop of Peterborough 


A short account of the different verstons of the New Testament cited in this work—viz. The 
Ethiopic, Arabic, Armenian, Bohemian, Coptic, Gothic, Itala, Persian, Sahidic, Saxon or Anglo- 
Saxon, Slavonic or Russian, Syriac, and Vulgate; not in the order of the different ages in which 
these versions were made, but in the order of the alphabet. 


THE ETHIOPIC. 


It is generally supposed that the Christian religion was planted in Ethiopia or Abyssinia, so early 
as the times of the apostles ; but when the Scriptures were translated into the Ethiopic language is 
not certainly known. We have the whole of the New Testament in that language ; and it is 
supposed that this version was made by Frumentius, a Christian bishop in the fourth century. It 

Vat. I. Ge 0) 17 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


38, in very many respects, an important version; and seems to haye been made immediately from 
the Greek text. Its various readings agree with the (A.) the Codex Alexandrinus, and with Origen. 
Several MSS. of this language in the Amharic and Tigra dialects, as well as the Ethiopic itself, 
existing in the royal library of Paris, the library of the British and Foreign Bible Society of 
London, with some account of those in the Vatican at Rome, may be seen in the catalogue published 
by T. Pell Platt, B. A., 4to., London, 1823. 


THE ARABIC. 


There are different Arabic versions of the New Testament, and they were, probably, as Dr. Marsh 
conjectures, derived from these four sources :—1. Some from the Syriac; 2. some from the Coptic , 
3. some from the Greek; 4. and some from the Vulgate. When this version was made cannot be 
determined ; but it is generally allowed that there was no Arabic version of the New Testament 
before the time of Mohammed, i. e. A. D. 620; and that the oldest versions we have of that 
language were made between the seventh and tenth centuries. But, if this were really so, how can 


we well account for the knowledge which Mohammed had of the gospels, which he terms hs 
Anjeel, from Evangelium, in different parts of the Koran; see particularly surat iii. v. 3, which 


Anjeel he there mentions as having come down from God, as well as the Eye toorat Nn the law, 
and his own Koran; and in this same surat, and many others, he makes several quotations from the 
gospels: and, though he models them, to cause them to suit his own purpose, yet his quotations 
afford a presumptive evidence that the gospels did exist in Arabic before his time; unless we could 
suppose he read them in Greek, Syriac, or Latin; and none, even of his own partial followers, have 
pretended that he understood those languages. As to the story of his having an apostate Christian 
monk, called Sergius, with him, who might have supplied him with such quotations, it remains yet 
to be proved. ΤῸ me, it seems probable, that a version of the gospels, at least, did exist before the 
time of Mohammed; as Christianity did undoubtedly make its way into Arabia, even in the days of 
the apostles, as may be gathered from the Acts of the Apostles, chap. ii., and from yarious other 
testimonies. Whosoever reads the Koran carefully over, in reference to this point, will probably 
find reason to draw the same conclusion. 

There are three principal editions of the Arabic, to which reference is made by Griesbach, and in 
these notes: 1. That printed at Rome, fol. 1591, which was probably made from the Greek. 2. The 
version printed in the Paris and London Polyglotts ; but in the latter with additions and corrections. 
This also was made from the Greek, and not from the Syriac or Coptic, as some haye supposed. 
3. The edition printed by Erpen, Lugd. Bat. 1616, 4to., taken from two MSS., one of the gospels, 
written about A. D. 1271, and another of the Acts, Epistles, and Revelation, dated A. D. 1342. 
See Dr. Marsh’s notes to Michaelis, vol. iii. p. 603. This version is supposed to haye been formed 
immediately from the Greek ; but interpolated in many places from the Syriac. ‘This of Erpen is 
the most valuable and genuine edition of the Arabic Testament. These three editions are quotec 
in Griesbach, and in the following notes. The first Ar. Rom. the Arabic gospels, printed at Rome 
in 1591. 2. Ar. Pol. the Arabic, printed in the London Polyglott, 1657. 3. Erp. the Arabic 
New Testament, printed by Erpen in 1616. When ail these editions agree in the same reading, 
Griesbach signifies it by Arr. and I mean the same, in these notes, when I say all the Arabic. 


THE ARMENIAN. 


This version was probably made in the fifth century, or about the year 410, according to the 
Armenians themselves. The author is universally allowed to have been Miesrob, the same who 
invented the Armenian alphabet. It appears to have been first made from the Syriac; but, having 
been twice translated from that language, it was last of all translated from the Greek. This is 
allowed by learned men to be a very valuable version; and contains various readings of great 
importance: but it has not, as yet, been accurately collated. 


THE BOHEMIAN. 


The sacred writings were translated into the Bohemian language by eight Bohemian doctors, 
who had been sent to Wittemberg and Basil to study the original languages for this purpose. This 
translation was printed in Moravia, in the year 1539. I know nothing of the merit of this version : 
Griesbach has given a few readings from it, which he received from Professor Dobrowsky, of 
Moscow. 


THE COPTIC. 
The Coptic was the common language of Egypt before the invasion of the Saracens; it 1s a 


mixture of the Old Egyptian and the Greek. Into this language the Scriptures appear to have 
18 πὸ 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


been translated at a very early period ; probably between the third and fifth centuries. The readings 
of this version are allowed to have a striking affinity to those of the Latin version ; and sometimes 
to those of the Codex Beze ; and, according to Wetstein, with Origen, Eusebius, Cyril, and the 
Alexandrian MS, See Sanrpic. And let it be noted that the Coptic and Sahidic are two different 
versions. 


THE GOTHIC. 


The people to whom the version called Gothic belonged had their ancient habitation to the east of 
the Borysthenes ; but, wandering westward, they settled in Wallachia. Ulphilas, a Cappadocian 
by birth, who lived under the Emperors Valens and Valentinian, made this translation immediately 
from the Greek (though occasionally in reference to the Latin versions) about the middle of the 
fourth century. Of this version only a mutilated copy of the four gospels, and a few chapters of 
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, remain. This MS., which was all written in silver letters, and 
hence called Codex Argenteus, was first discovered in the abbey of Werden in Westphalia; it got 
afterwards to Sweden, then to the Netherlands, and is now in the university of Upsal. <A fine 
edition of the Gothic gospels was published by Marshall, together with the Anglo-Saxon, at Dort, 
1665, 4to., with a glossary, by Junius; but a better edition was published by Dr. E. Lye, Oxon. 
1750, 4to. The fragments of the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth chapters to 
the Romans, edited by Anittel, from the Wolfenbuttle MS., may be found at the end of vol. ii. of 
Dr. Lye’s Saxon, Gothic, and Latin dictionary. 


THE ITALA, or AnTrEHIERONYMIAN. 


Previously to the time of St. Jerome, a great variety of Latin versions, of parts or the whole ot 
both the Old and New Testaments, had been made by different persons for their own use ; and these 
appear to have been as various as the skill and talents of the translators. As none of these had 
been received into public use in the Church, so it is not likely that they had any particular name : 
but modern times have given the title of Italac, Itala, or Antehieronymian, to all such Latin versions. 
Though the word Itala be of the most dubious authority, yet all allow that, by 7, a very ancient 
Latin translation is intended ; but how such a translation became thus denominated no person can 
tell; if, indeed, it have had any such title in ancient times. ‘This title is supposed to be mentioned 
by St. Augustin, where, speaking of the great variety of Latin versions in early use, he says: In 
ipsis autem interpretationibus Itala, ceteris preferatur ; nam est verborum tenacior cum perspicuitate 
sententi@. “Among the versions, the Jtala is to be preferred, as being more literal, and more 
perspicuous.” De Doctr. Christ, lib. ii. cap. 11. Dr. Lardner supposes that Itala, here, is a mistake 
for et illa, and reads the passage thus: “ And, among the translations, let that be preferred which 
is most literal and most perspicuous.” Dr. Bentley, and some others, were nearly of the same mind. 
Potter thinks that Itala is an early mistake for usitata, which mistake may be accounted for thus: 
in ancient times, when MSS. were written in uncial characters, without distinction of words or 
sentences, a copyist having written— 
IyresIsaAUTEMINTERPRETATIONIBUSUSITATACAETERISPRAEFERATURNAMESTVERBORUMTEN ACIORCUMPE 
RSPICUITATESENTENTIAE ; took the first syllable of usitata, on returning to his MS., for the last 
syllable of the word interpretationibus, which he had just written, and of course read the word itata, 
which he concluded to be an error for itala ; and hence came the present spurious reading. See 
Dr. Marsh’s notes to Michaelis. This is the most likely of all the conjectural emendations of St. 
Augustin’s text yet made. This ancient Latin version, by whatever name it is called, is supposed 
to be the same which is annexed to the Greek text in the Codex Boernerianus, Claromontanus, ana : 
Cantabrigiensis. But, besides these, there are more than twenty others which Griesbach has noted 
in his Greek Testament, which contain the same version, or rather a version or versions made before 
the time of St. Jerome. See the catalogue of them in Griesbach’s Testament, vol. i. Prolegom. 
p- xevii. All these I have quoted under the general name Itala, or Antehieronymian, without 
specifying the different MSS. in which the reading is contained: e. g. Six copies of the Itala— 
several copies of the Itala—all the Itala, &c. The principal fragments of this version which still 
remain have been carefully collected by Sabatier, in his Bibliorum Sacrorum Latine Versiones 
Antique, fol. Rom. 1743, three vols. ; and by Blanchini, in his Evangeliorum Quadruplex Latine 
Versionis Antiqua, seu Italic, fol. Rom. 1749, four vols. The various readings of these versions, 
both in the MSS. edited by these learned men, and in the writings of the Latin fathers, are of great 
utility in ascertaining the readings of the ancient Greek text, from which they were made; for many 
excellent readings abound in these versions, which agree not only with the most ancient Greek MSS. 
but also with the best versions, particularly the Syriac andthe Coptic. It was out of these versions 
that St. Jerome formed the Vulgate. See Vuneare. 

1 19 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


THE PERSIAN. 


‘We have no very ancient version of the New Testament in Persian. Hitherto we have had only 
the four gospels in this language, which are printed with the Latin translation of Dr. Samuel 
Clarke, in the fifth vol. of the London Polyglot. This translation was finished about the year 
1341, by Simon ibn Yuseph ibn Abraheem al Tabreezy ; who is said to have taken it immediately 
from the Syriac. This version was made, most evidently, by a Christian of the Roman Catholic 
persuasion, who acted under the most predominating influence of his own peculiar creed; for it is 
not only interpolated with readings from the Vulgate, but with readings from rituals and legends 
The Persian gospels do not appear to have been carefully collated by Mill, Wetstein, or Griesbach ; 
scarcely any of the many peculiarities of this version haying been noticed. ΤῸ satisfy myself of its 
nature and origin, I have read the whole of it over twice; and shall extract from the remarks I then 
made, such proofs as appeared to me to warrant its Catholic origin; and how little the translator 
regarded the text on which he formed his version; 6. g. 

Mitigation of the punishment promised to Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment. 

Now I say unto you, O cities, that in the day of judgment, to Tyre and Sidon ASL νὼ 
there shall be πΈΡοβε, which shall not be to you. Matt. xi. 22. 

The supremacy of Peter most formally asserted, and the text corrupted to support it: And I say 


unto thee, δῦ πὸ Cols Py tro lu sly 9 Shin PY ot UP <i. Thouart the 
ROCK OF MY RELIGION, (that is, a stone,) and the rounDAaTION oF My Cuvurcu shall be a building 
upon thee. Matt. xvi. 18. 

To weaken the reproof given by our Lord to Peter, which the translator probably thought too 
degrading, the offensive epithet Satan is omitted. Matt. xvi. 23. 


Jesus turned back, and said unto Peter, Get behind me, οἷο & O thou unbeliever ! 
Popish saying about hell, Mark ix. 46, for, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, 


Al Tabreezy translates Clawad οἷο» L=ut 53 gin, 2S Because, from thence liberation is 


impossible. 4 

And in verse 48, he translates the same passage, ols vats > y 3S From whence thou 
shalt never find redemption. i 

In Luke ii. 7, the blessed virgin is called SL (=>° Mareem pak, Sarvr Mary. 

The title to the paragraph, Luke v. 18, &c., is “ The raising of that paralytic person, who had 
lain thirty-two years, QwgesdgRS$ (sold aS whose name was Alekudemus.”’ 

Luke vii. 12. Prayer for the dead. And when he approached the gate, he saw a dead man, 


whom they were carrying out, 59 jl with prayer and lamentation. 

Doctrine of the merit of good works and repentance, for the purchase of the remission of sins. 
And I say unto thee, that as a RECOMPENSE (yays awaz) for what she has done, her sins, which are 
many, are forgiven; for that very cause, that she was worthy of much, or has much merit. 


tb οἴ) κως But little shall be forgiven to him who has litile merit. Luke vii. 47. The same 
doctrine is taught chap. xvi. 9. 

The doctrine of supererogation is glanced at, Luke xix. 9. Jesus said to the multitude, and to his 
disciples, To-day indeed there is a great salvation to this house, because this man is of the sons of 
Abraham. That is, he is saved through Abraham’s merit, and his own almsgiving: so I under 
stand the intention of the original. 

There is a remarkable addition, Matt. xxvi. 75, which is found in no other version, nor in any 
MS., and is not noticed by Griesbach. And he (Peter) went out from thence, and wept bitterly, 
gts οἱ lS 2. and his sin was forgiven him. 

Matthew xxvil. 52, is thus rendered: And the graves were opened, and the rocks rent, 
Nog ΩΣ dues aT and the bodies of many saints, WHO HAD SUFFERED MARTYRDOM, rose from 
their graves. All these examples (and their number might be easily increased) show the family 
whence this version sprang ; and how little regard, in all these cases, was paid to the Syriac, from 
which it is said to have been taken; or indeed to any other version: for these, and such like 
renderings, are evidently made to serve a party, and support a creed. From all this it appears that 
much dependence cannot be safely placed on this version; and that its various readings, except 
when they agree with more authentic versions, are worthy of little credit. 

There is a second Persian version of the four gospels, which Mr. Abraham Wheeloc, professor 
of Arabic in the university of Cambridge, translated into Latin, and prepared for the press, and 
actually began to print in 1652; but dying shortly after, it was patronized by Thomas Adams, 
lord mayor of London, and finished under the care of Mr. Pierson, at the press of J. Flesher, 1657, 
fol. It seems that Mr. Wheeloc had designed to affix critical notes to each chapter ; and this we 
find done to the end of the seventeenth chapter of Matthew, about which time it is likely he died ; 

20 1 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


for Mr. Pierson, the continuator of his work, says, ΓΝΊΤΙΟ operis, prematurd morte ereptus: death 
snatched him away at the commencement of his work. And as the regular comment of Mr. 
Wheeloc appears to have been prepared no farther than to the seventeenth chapter of Matthew, the 
notes which the continuator found after the close of that chapter, and which most probably Wheeloc 
designed to be the foundation of more diffuse observations, are all printed at the conclusion of the 
work. 

It appears that neither Wheeloc nor Walton knew of more than three MSS. of the Persian 
gospels ; one of Oxford, one of Cambridge, and one belonging to Dr, Pocock. It has been supposed, 
Uthink without sufficient evidence, that Wheeloc compiled his Persian text from these three MSS. 
After carefully collating both this and Walton’s edition, in many places, I think I may safely state, that 
Wheeloc printed his edition from the Oxford MS., as Walton printed his from that of Pocock. Ina 
few cases, he introduces in brackels, or with an asterisk, a various reading from the Cambridge 
MS., rarely from that of Pocock: but in his comment or critical notes, he refers often to both these 
MSS., giving the most remarkable readings where they differ from the Oxford MS., which he has 
most evidently followed as his text. That the MS. of Pocock, from which Mr. Wheeloc gives the 
principal various readings, was the same which Walton printed in the fifth volume of the Polyglott, 
is demonstrable from a collation of those various readings extracted by Wheeloc from the Pocock 
MS., which are found to be precisely the same with those in the text and rubrics of that printed in 
the Polyglott. And that Wheeloc took the Oxford MS. for his text is evident from this, that his 
various readings are extracted only from the Cambridge and Pocock MSS., collated with that 
of Oxford. 'The text therefore of Wheeloc is not a corrupted text, or one made up from different 
MSS. _ It is much more simple and much purer than that in the Polyglott, and appears to have been 
made by one not warped by any religious system, as Al Tabreezy certainly was; and by one who 
better understood the genius and composition of the Persian language. As far as I have had the 
opportunity of examining this version, it appears to me to be taken verbatim from the Latin 
Vulgate ; and not from the Greek, as some, or the Syriac, as others, have supposed. 

Jeronymo Xavier, missionary to the Indians, was commanded, by the Emperor Akbar, to translate 
the four gospels into Persian, that he might examine their importance as a system of religion, 
Xavier drew up what he called a Life or History of our Lord in Portuguese, which was translated 
into Persian by a Mohammedan, a native of Lahoor, called Moulanee Abdoos Sitar, or Senurin Kaslon. 
This work was under the title of The History of Christ, compiled out of the gospels, and from Popish 
legends, and was presented to the emperor in 1602, who is said to have smiled at it; and well he 
might, as the genuine history was disgraced with fables. 'The MS. formed for the emperor’s use is 
now before me; but such a version can be of no importance in Biblical criticism. The work of 
Xavier was published with a translation and notes by L. De Dieu. 


THE SAHIDIC. 


Urrer Egypt, or the part that lies between Cahira and Assuan, had a particular dialect, which 
in many respects differed from that spoken in Lower Egypt. As this Upper Egypt was called in 
Arabic απ saced, the dialect has been called Sahidic. See Michaelis. At a very early period, 
a translation of the New Testament was made into this dialect ; but the remains of this venerable 
version have long been confined to perishing MSS., till Miinter published some fragments of the 
Epistles of Paul to Timothy, 4to., Hafniz, 1789. And Georgius, in the same year, printed at Rome 
a fragment of the gospel of John in the same dialect ; which the reader will find described under 
Codex T. in the account of the MSS. in uncial characters. 

Dr. Woide, late of the British Museum, had prepared an edition of several fragments, containing 
about one-third of the New Testament, which he did not live to finish: but the task has been ably 
executed by Dr. Ford, of Oxford, who has printed it at the Clarendon press, 1799, fol. as an Appendix 
to the Codex Alexandrinus, by Dr. Woide. This work, which is done with elegance and correctness, 
has three copperplates, on which there are nineteen fac-similes of the MSS. from which Dr. Ford 
has printed these fragments. In carefully considering this venerable version, there appear to be 
arguments to prove its very high antiquity, which Dr. Woide refers even to the beginning of the 
second century! The parts already published exhibit some invaluable readings; and these prove 
that it has a striking affinity to the Codex Beze. It is doubtless one of the oldest versions in 
existence ; and it is to be hoped that every fragment of it will be collected and published, till, if 
possible, we get the whole of the New Testament in this most ancient and valuable version. The 
Coptic and Sahidic are independent versions, both made from the Greek, and probably at different 
times ; and both contain different readings. The Rev. T. Tattum, M. A., rector of St. Cuthbert’s, 
Bedford, and author of a Grammar of the Egyptian language lately published, has been for a 
considerable time deeply engaged in collating various MSS. of the Coptic and Sahidie dialects, in 
reference to a complete edition of the Holy Scriptures, in the ancient Coptic language ; and his 
{egyptian Grammar proves him to be well qualified for the undertaking. For his success every 
Biblical critic should devoutly pray. See Corrie. 

1 21 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, 


THE SAXON, OR ANGLO-SAXON. 


It is said that Alfred the Great translated the greater part of the New Testament into the Anglo 
Saxon. The four gospels in this language were published under the direction of Abp. Parker, with 
a dedication to Queen Elizabeth, by Mr. John Fox, the Martyrologist, 4to., Lond., 1571. William 
Lisle published fragments of the Old and New Testament, London, 4to.,1638. Mr. T. Marshall 
published the gospels with the Meso-Gothic version, Dodrecht, 4to., 1665, which was reprinted at 
Amsterdam in 1684. See Gornic. The Saxon version appears to have been made from MSS. of 
the old Jtala version, (see Irana,) some time in the seventh or eighth century. See the account 
in the General Preface to the Book of Genesis. From this version | have made many extracts in 
these notes ; as may be seen in different parts of the four gospels. The use I have made of T’hwaites’ 
Octateuch may be seen in the notes on the five books of Moses. No part of the New Testament, 
besides the four gospels, has been published in this language. 


THE SLAVONIAN, OR RUSSIAN. 


This version, the importance of which, in the criticism of the New Testament, has been but lately 
known, was made in the ninth century, by two brothers, Methodius and Cyril, natives of Thessalonica, 
and apostles of the Slavonians. It was taken immediately from the Greek, of which it is a literal 
version, and first printed in 1581. In the catholic epistles, and in the Apocalypse, it agrees generally 
with the Codex Alexandrinus. It is remarkable that, of the readings which Griesbach has adopted 
in his edition of the Greek Testament, the Slavonian version has at least three-fourths. Where the 
united evidence of ancient MSS. is against a common reading, the S/avonian agrees with these MSS. 
There is ample proof that it has not been altered from either the Vulgate, or any other version. 
The learned Dobrowsky has given an excellent description of this version, an extract from which 
may be seen in Dr. Marsh’s notes to Michaelis, vol. ili. p. 634. As it appears that this version 
has been taken from ancient and valuable Greek MSS., it deserves to be better known, and more 
carefully collated. 


THE SYRIAC. 


There are two principal versions which go under this name. 1. The Peshito, which signifies 
literal or correct, and is the most ancient, and the most important. 2.'That which is called Philoxenian, 
from Philoxenus, bishop of Hierapolis, or Mabug; who employed Polycarp, his rural bishop, to 
make this version, which he finished A. D. 508. 

The Peshito was first known in Europe by Moses of Mardin ; who was sent by Ignatius, Patriarch 
of the Maronite Christians, in the year 1552, to Pope Julius III. to acknowledge, in the name of the 
Syrian Church, the supremacy of the Roman pontiff; and to have the New Testament printed in 
Europe. The emperor Ferdinand I. bore the expense of the impression ; and Albert Widmanstad, in 
conjunction with Moses and Postell, edited the work; which was printed at Vienna, 1555, 4to. 
This edition, from which all succeeding editions have been taken, contains the four gospels, the Acts, 
all St. Paul’s epistles, the first Epistle of John, the first of Peter, and the Epistle of James. The 
second and third of John are wanting ; the second of Peter, the Epistle of Jude, and the Revelation. 
None of these is acknowledged by any copy of the ancient Syriac version. This version was made 
probably between the second and third centuries. 

The Philoxenian we have seen was made in the beginning of the sixth century by Polyearp, the 
rural bishop of Philoxenus, or Xenyas, bishop of Mabug ; and we find that Thomas of Charkel, or 
Heraclea, about the year 616, corrected this version, and compared it with some principal MSS. in 
the Alexandrian Library , hence it has been called the Heraclean, as well as the Philoxenian version. 
This version has been printed from Dr. Ridley’s MSS., by Dr. White, of Oxford, 4to., 1778, &c. 
The Philoxenian version contains all the canonical books of the New Testament, even those 
omitted by the Peshito version; from which it differs, not only in the language, but in many other 
respects. Those who wish for farther information on this point, must consult Michaelis’ Lectures, 
vol. ii. p. 1, &c., and the notes of his learned annotator, Dr. Herbert Marsh, bp. of Peterborough 


THE VULGATE. 


We have already seen, under the article Ivara, that in the earliest ages of Christianity the New 
Testament had been often translated into Latin. These translations were very numerous; and 
having been made by a variety of hands, some learned, and others not so, they not only disagreed 
among themselves, but appeared, in certain cases, to contradict each other. This induced Pope 
Damasus to employ St. Jerome, one of the most learned of the primitive Latin fathers, to correct 

22 1 


AND ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


the ancient Itala. Though, in the old Testament, he is supposed simply to have collated the Itala 
with the Hebrew, yet, in the New, he asserts, Novum Testamentum Grace fidei reddidi. «1 have 
translated the New Testament according to the original Greek.” However, it appears that, in many 
cases, he altered the Jtala for the worse, as the remaining fragments of that version sufficiently 
testify. This important work, which, in process of time, supplanted the Jtala, was finished A. D. 
384, and was called Versio Vulgata, the VunGarr, or Common version, because received into general 
use. No version of the sacred writings was more generally received than this; and copies of it 
were multiplied beyond calculation. And perhaps scarcely any book has been more corrupted, by 
frequent and careless transcription, than the Vulgate, from the year 384 till the invention of printing, 
about the middle of the fifteenth century. The first edition of this version was printed by 
Guttenburg and Fust, at Mayence, in large fol. sine titulo, et sine ulla nota, somewhere between 1450 
and 1457. By the order of Pope Sixtus Quintus, a complete edition of the Vulgate was printed at 
Rome in 1588, but not published till 1593. This, though stamped with the infallible authority of the 
pope, apostolica nobis ἃ Domino, tradita auctoritate ; to be the authentic Vulgate, which he styles 
perpetuo valituram constitutionem, a decree that shall for ever remain in force ; yet, on examination, 
it was found to be so excessively erroneous and self-contradictory, that another edition was undertaken 
by the authority of Pope Clement VIII., widely differing from that of Sixtus. This is the edition 
from which all those were formed which are now in common use. 

I have already stated that copies of this version have been often corruptly transcribed ; and hence 
the amazing disagreement between different MSS. The version being so much in request, and so 
many persons being copiers by trade, in order to save time and vellum, they wrote the words in 
contractions, wherever it was possible ; and, by this means, the original reading, in various instances, 
was lost. All these causes conspired, with the ignorance of the original tongues, which almost 
universally prevailed in the middle ages, in the Latin Church, to bring this venerable version into a 
state of great imperfection ; from which it has not, as yet, wholly emerged. 

I have several MSS. of this work, written from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, which are 
exceedingly discordant among themselves. Pope Clement VIII. has certainly done much to restore 
it to primitive purity ; but much still remains to be done. The text should be settled by a farther 
collation of the most ancient MSS. When this is done, the Latin Church may be vindicated in that 
boasting in the Vulgate, which, at present, is but incautiously applied to this version. 

I have often quoted this Version, which I consider to be equal to a MS. of the fourth century. 
{ must, however, add, that with all its imperfections, there is nothing essential to the faith or practice 
of a genuine Christian that may not be proved by it ; but it certainly can never come into competition 
with the original Greek text; nor indeed with several of the ancient versions. 

An account of the versions, as far as they concern the Old Testament, may be seen in the general 
preface to the Book of Genesis. I have sometimes quoted these versions collectively, with VV., by 
which I mean the versions in general. 

I 23 


ate ear Γ9} “er 
ce ed ah feepagiay T Moa 
rr be! bin, Ἦν erg ν sehen 
> ww yd M at ω roll! ἘΝ inetd μ᾽ δ: ΠῚ 
; Seber μετ τοι ar Ὁ 


πο τὰν δ᾽ το Ὁ | 
σὲ οὐ Wee δ τὺ an en ; 
. δὲ tte ta Ovi bar et Ve with 9: ΝΕ wart mae 

inde ivy 1 Sanh valor Oe ee sata Mlb: delhi ; 
᾿ Pe ae  } δν adie a Bers ἿΝ ret 
| 

᾿ 

; 

; 


συ eaMtrye, ὁ peut wl στ δ ἐὰ Wb) siete 
“Ὁ a να} Naa ee la nate fe), hwy 

By μα ΑΨ ΗΝ Gee Fahd 0 εἴτις Coipplaiics ἐδ ἢ 
7 ‘ ary. | fh Ah) ΠΝ whistles δι ῳ ths eset 
ΓΟ" sal un Mrs εν Sor Vee i ge ae vee 
ee GO dae: ol gigi oA Wat μὰν 
posal wre aati etna ee Sve! 


initia SAP αἱ εἰ ΓῚ ee? Oe tall Ap aN | 
ἐν ay ' ir ἔν ὶ ip Ht Ν᾽ a 4 vt 


gabe Pi a Ab Νὰ re 


δὲ ite, αἱ αίμμμμι. y sles Sih “Νὰ ire wines 


seePshies of ra ἢ die ἜΜ ἀν Hh ay ag Ὁ ὁ δας te 

taroile doual iy ἱνώ sth cae Va Selig μὲ pr sige, 

eine laeie'e ONY + Ὧν ἯΙ μδλ μι! (iia οὶ pars ἱ Ἢ ΠΝ 
iat Ths a A ea Pip 


" ἡ Te 5 να ie ne ἣ gat a diilaye a nnd ἀμ 


nd Σ 
τ "MT; As ἢ 3.8) 7. aah Yih pes 
| ΩΝ" 
ce 


fi vd bal * Mian My ἐκ} hen “wi 
bau) οὐ δ βαύνενν εὐ νὰν MP Bat ih ᾿ ΠΑΝ, 
τὰν 


7 ak οὐδε ὄνων Mate hal ae oor hind 
gue al me (iy 2 eb Tapa at ὺ 4 κω δον.) 

ites ato Δαν ie) Soh μι aie eremtaien. τα 

ΝΣ ti il Vuk pit ἢ OT 1S Ba 


᾿ δ “πε ἴα i Les ὙΠ} 
π᾿ 
Ww? fs) we lee ἢ “elie eli ΠΥ} ΠΝ] 


io” ᾿ lng 4 
; i 
Ἂ τ 
ν᾿ δια" f ἫΝ 
Ι ‘ 
pole pt % Ἢ 1), 
᾿ Ν ᾿ ἐνὸν 
; a ᾿ 
᾿ ἢ 
τ 
4 
= _ es 
ΕῚ "“" 
pu. 
᾿ “ὼς νυ 
Ἶ 
| eae «. a 
= oan νη} 
ἡ ἃ 


AN ALPHABETICAL LIST 


OF THE 
PRIMITIVE FATHERS, AND ECCLESIASTICAL WORKS 


REFERRED TO 


IN THE VARIOUS READINGS QUOTED OCCASIONALLY IN THESE NOTES 


Amprostvs, archbishop of Milan, born A. D. 340; died A. D. 397. 

Amprosius, deacon of Alexandria, and intimate friend of Origen, died A. D. 250. 

AnprostasTer : this writer is supposed to be author of a Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistles ; and 
to have flourished about A. D. 354, 

Aruanastivs, was bishop of Alexandria, A. D. 326; died in 375. 

Arnenacoras, a Christian philosopher of Athens, flourished in A. D. 178. 


Basix the Great, bishop of Cwsarea, born in Cappadocia, A. D. 329; died 379. 
Bast, bishop of Seleucia, flourished in 450. 
Bepe, the Venerable, born at Wearmouth, in the diocess of Durham, A. D. 673. 


Cremens Atrxanprinvs, Clement of Alexandria, the preceptor of Origen, died A. D. 220, 

Ciemens Romanvs, Clement of Rome, supposed to have been fellow labourer with Peter and Paul, 
and bishop of Rome, A. D. 91. 

Curomartius, bishop of Aquileia, and friend of St. Jerome, flourished about A. Ὁ. 370. 

Curonicon Pascate, the Paschal Chronicle: this Chronicle extends from the creation to the 
twentieth year of Heraclius, A. D. 630. 

Curysosrom, bishop of Constantinople, born A. D. 344; died 407. 

ConsTITUTIONs OF THE AposTLEs, certain canons for the government of the Christian Church, 
formed at different times, and certainly long posterior to the times of the apostles. 

Cyrrtan, Bishop of Carthage, in 248; was martyred, A. D. 258. 

Cyrutus Atexanprinus. This Cyril was patriarch of Alexandria A. Ὁ. 412; died 444. 

Cyruius Hierosotymiranvs, Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, was born A. D. 315 ; died 386. 


Damascenvs Joannes, John of Damascus, born about A. D. 676. 
Dionystus Atexanprinvs, Dionysius, patriarch of Alexandria, flourished in 247. 
Dionystus Argoracira, Dionysius the Areopagite, falsely so called, flourished about A. D. 490. 


Eruram Syrus, Ephraim the Syrian, was deacon of Edessa ; and died about A. Ὁ. 379. 

Erresanivs, bishop of Salamis, born about A. D. 320. 

Evsesivs, bishop of Antioch, flourished in 331. 

Evruauivs: this writer flourished about A. D. 458, and wrote a critical work on the Acts of the 
Apostles. He is supposed to have been bishop of Sulca, in Egypt. 

Evraymius Z1caBenvs, a monk who flourished in the twelfth century. 


Gavpentivs, bishop of Brescia, flourished in 410. 

Grecory the Great, bishop of Rome, flourished in 590. 

Grecory THaumaTurRcus, was a disciple of Origen, and bishop of Neocesarea in 240. 
Grecory Nazranzen, born A. D. 328; died 389. 

Grecory Nyssen, born in Cappadocia A. D. 331; died 396. 


Hieronymus. See Jerome. 
Hiary Proravensis, Hilary, bishop of Poictiers, flourished A. Ὁ, 350. 
Hiprotyrvs, a Christian bishop, flourished A. Ὁ. 230. 


Jzrome, one of the most eminent of the Latin fathers ; author of the translation of the Scriptures 
called the Vulgate; born about A. D. 342, and died in 420. 
Icnartivs, bishop of Antioch, was martyred about A. Ὁ. 107. 
lxenzvs, disciple of Polycarp ; born in Greece about A. Ὁ. 130; martyred 202, 
1 25 


INTRODUCTION ΤῸ THE GOSPELS, ETC. 


Istpore, of Peivustum, flourished in 431. 


Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher, martyred A. D. 167. 
Juvencus, one of the first Christian poets, flourished about A. D. 329. 


Lucirer Catarrranus, Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari, in Sardinia; died A. D. 370. 


Macarius, an Egyptian monk, born at Alexandria, A. 1). 800. 
Maximus, a native of Constantinople: he died about A. D. 652. 
Maximus Taurrnensis, Maximus of Touars, died A. D. 662. 


Nonnvs, flourished in A. D. 410, and wrote a paraphrase of St. John’s gospel in Greek hexameters 


Opus Inrrrrectum, an ancient unfinished commentary on St. Matthew’s gospel, written about 
A. D. 560. 
OrIGEN, one of the most eminent of the Greek fathers, born at Alexandria, A. D. 185. 


Pactanvs, bishop of Barcelona, died A. D. 390. 

Puxsapius, or Prxeaprius, was of the province of Aquitain, of which he was bishop: he 
dourished about A. Ὁ. 359. 

Prorrvus, patriarch of Constantinople, A. D. 857. 

Prupentivus (Clemens Aurelius) of Saragossa, in Spain, flourished about A. D. 405. 


Rurinus, presbyter of Aquileia, an eminent translator of Greek authors into Latin: he died 
A. Ὁ. 410. 


Scrotra, or Schoriastx, marginal notes in some ancient MSS., &c. 


TrERTULLIAN, a most eminent Latin father, died about A. D. 216. 

TuEopuitvs, bishop of Antioch, flourished about A. D. 180. 

Turornyzact, archbishop of Acris, in Bulgaria, died A. Ὁ. 1100. 

Turopnanes Crramevs, bishop of Tauromine, in Sicily, flourished in the eleventh century. 
Tirus Bosrrensts : he was bishop of Bostria some time in the fourth century. ι 


Vicror Antriocuenvs, flourished about A. D. 400: he wrote on St. Mark’s gospel, and on the 
catholic epistles. 

Vicror Tununensts, bishop of Tunis, in Africa, flourished about 555. 

Vicrorinus Arer (C. M.) was an African, and flourished in A. D. 360. 

Viertvus Tapsensis, bishop of Tapsum, in Africa, flourished about A. D. 484, 


For farther information concerning these, and other writers mentioned in the work, see Cave s 
Historia Literaria, and Dr. Lardner’s Works ; and see a work entitled “ The Succession of Sacred 
Literature, from the Invention of Alphabetical Characters down to the 15th Century ;” brought 
down to A. D. 345 by myself, and continued to A. D. 1414 by my son, the Rev. J. B. B. Clarke, 
A. M., of Trinity College, Cambridge: 2 vols. 8vo. London: 1831. 

26 1 


INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS, ETC. 


GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 


Tue above writers are only referred to for the quotations from the sacred writings found in there 
works. The Latin fathers, before the time of Jerome, i. e., before the fourth century, quote from 
the Jtala version. ‘Those after his time generally make their quotations from the Vulgate. The 
Greek fathers quote from the different editions of the Greek text in their respective countries. 
Ephraim Syrus, and probably some others, from the ancient Syriac version. 

Of the fathers in general it may be said, they often quote from memory; not giving the exact 
words of the sacred writers, but the sense ; and often rendering a word by another equivalent to it, 
in the same language. ‘This sort of quotation has given rise to a vast number of various readings, 
which should never encumber the margins of our critical editions of the Greek text ; though many 
of them may be of use, as fixing the sense in which the writers understood the original text. 
Those fathers who comment on the sacred writings are most valuable, such as Origen, Ambrosiaster, 
Euthalius, Chrysostom, Jerome, Theophylact, &c., because it may be always supposed they had 
the copies before them from which they quoted ; and that these copies were such as were held to be 
authentic in the Churches to which they respectively belonged. But even here we find the same 
father inconsistent with himself, in repeated quotations of the same words ; which is perhaps not so 
much to be attributed to quoting from memory, as to mistakes made by succeeding copyists of the works 
of these authors. The different MSS. of the Greek and Latin fathers stand as much in need of 
collation as any other works ; and some of them need this as much as the Greek text itself. 

In quoting the Greek text, I have generally followed the second edition of Griesbach, occasionally 
consulting Mill, Wetstein, and Bengel: for the different versions, as far as they are extant in it, I 
have followed the London Polyglott, occasionally consulting both the Complutensian, Antwerp, and 
Paris editions. The Coptic, Gothic, Sahidic, Philoxenian, Syriac, and Anglo-Saxon, which are not 
in the Polyglotts, I have consulted in the editions to which they are confined. ‘The Vulgate I have 
frequently consulted in my own MSS. of that version. The Codex Alewandrinus and the Codex 
Beza, | have often quoted from the editions of Woide and Kipling. I have taken a few readings 
from some fragments of St. Matthew’s gospel, engraved and published from a codew rescriptus in 
Trinity College, Dublin, by the very learned Dr. Barrett, vice provost and librarian of that 
university. This MS., written in uncial letters, and perhaps one of the oldest extant, [ have not 
mentioned among the MSS, described p. xii. &c., because it has not been quoted by Griesbach, not 
being published when the first volume of his Testament went to the press. ‘The work in which Dr. 
Barrett has described this, I have quoted largely in the notes on the genealogy of our Lord, at the 
end of Luke, chap. iil. 

Eyery Biblical student, in consulting the sacred writings of the New Testament, should have at 
hand, if possible, the second edition of Griesbach; I mean that printed at Halle, two volumes 8yo. 
1796, &c. On the late London edition of that work, equal dependence cannot be placed. A 
learned American clergyman, the Rey. Samuel F. Jarvis, rector of St. Michael’s, &c., New York 
has published proposals for a new, and, as far as I can learn from the prospectus, &c., an improved 
edition of Griesbach’s work : and in so important and useful an undertaking, it is to be hoped he 
will meet with due encouragement.* 

Those who have not a Polyglott, to refer to the Syriac version, will find Schaaf’s edition to 
answer every purpose: it is generally very correct, and very valuable. A new edition of the 
Syriac Testament has been lately published at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society, first under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Claudius Buchanan, who had made this text his 
particular study, and had brought from the east some valuable MSS. of this important and ancient 
version ; and has been finished under the superintendence of the Rey. S. Lee, Arabic professor in 
the university of Cambridge. 

While the critical inquirer is availing himself of every help within his reach, let him not forget 
humbly and fervently to implore the help and teaching of Almighty God; without whom nothing is 
wise, nothing strong. It is only when He opens our eyes, that we behold wonders in his law. He 
who does not pray, is not humble ; and an unhumbled searcher after truth never yet found it to the 
salvation of his soul. In such a work, the following inimitable prayer cannot be used in vain. 
« Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning ; grant that we 
may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, by patience and 
comfort of thy holy word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, 
which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Amen. 

Collect for the second Sunday of Advent. 
London, Nov. 30, 1831. 


*It has not yet been published, (1831,) as far as I can learn. —A. C. 
1 27 


Chronological Arrangement of the Books of the New Testament, the Places where written, 
according to Dr. Lardner ; and the enumeration of all the Books, Chapters, and Verses. 


Number of Books, Chapters, and Verses in 
the New Testament. THE GOSPELS. 


Name and Number of Books. | Chapters. | Verses. Books. Places where written. Time when written. 
Matthew 28 1071 || Matthew Judea A. Ὁ. 64 
Mark 16 678 || Mark Rome 64 
Luke 24 1151 || Luke Greece 63 or 64 
John Phat el 880 || John Ephesus 68 
Acts : __28 1006 || Acts Greece 63 or 64 
Romans AG 434 
1 Corinthians 16 437 ST. PAUL’S EPISTLES. 
2 Corinthians 13 256 || 1 Thessalonians] Corinth 52 
Galatians 6 149 || 2 Thessalonians} Corinth 52 
Ephesians 6 155 || Galatians Corinth, or Ephesus 52 or 53 
Philippians 4 104 || 1 Corinthians Ephesus beginning of 56 
Colossians 4 95 1 Timothy Macedonia 56 
1 Thessalonians 5 89 || Titus Macedonia, or near it before end of 56 
2 Thessalonians 3 47 || 2 Corinthians Macedonia October 57 
1 Timothy 6 113 || Romans Corinth February 58 
2 Timothy 4. 83 || Ephesians Rome April 61 
Titus 3 46 || 2 Timothy Rome May 61 
Philemon 1 25 || Philippians Rome end of 62 
Hebrews 13 303 || Colossians Rome end of 62 
James 10 5 108 || Philemon Rome end of 62 
1 Peter 5 105 || Hebrews Rome, or Italy spring of 63 
2 Peter 3 61 
1 John 5 105 THE CATHOLIC EPISTLES. 
2 John 1 13 || James Judea 61 or 62 
3 John 1 15 || 1 and 2 Peter Rome 64 
Jude 1 95 1 John Ephesus 80 
Apocalypse 22 405 || 2 and 3 John Ephesus between 80 and 90 
a Jude Unknown 64 or 65 
ΓΌΩΝ. oo g RN || 2a) 7959 || Apocalypse Patmos, or Ephesus 95 or 96 


[i> The reader, who is acquainted with the subject, and attends to the dates of the several Introductions 
and Parts, as they were penned and published, will readily apply the remarks of the venerable author, where 
he speaks of a ‘“ delay” in the publication of the work, exclusively to the first edition, which was sixteen years 
in passing through the press; as he will with equal readiness, refer the “ mistakes,” supposed to exist, notwith- 
standing the care taken to avoid them, to the same edition—such mistakes supplying, by the way, a standing 
zeason for each succeeding edition, as published from the corrected copy. But the publisher, being aware 
that the remarks refer only to a matter of fact—that they contain some account of the progressive history of 
the work, and involve no errors of criticism on the sacred text, and being anxious withal to preserve the 
work entire, has preferred a seeming incongruity to the altering or expunging any information which the 
doctor has furnished on the subject of his hopes, his fears, and his labours.— Publisher of Seconn Eprrion.} 

28 1 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL 


OF 


ST. MATTHEW 


PP HE general title of this latter collection of sacred books, which, as well as the former, all 

Christians acknowledge to have been given by immediate inspiration from God, is in the Greek 
H ΚΑΙΝῊ AIAOHKH, which we translate Taz NEW TESTAMENT: but which should rather be 
translated Tar NEW COVENANT; or, if it were lawful to use ἃ periphrasis, the New Covenant, 
including a Testamentary Declaration and Bequest: for this is precisely the meaning of this system 
of justice, holiness, goodness, and truth. St. Paul, 2 Cor. iii. 14, calls the sacred books before the 
time of Christ, H ΠΑΛΑΙᾺ AIAOHKH, Tas OLD COVENANT; which is a very proper and 
descriptive title of the grand subject of those books. This apostle evidently considers the Old 
Testaments and the New, as two covenants, Gal. iv. 24; and, in comparing these two together, he 
calls one παλαιαν διαθηκην, the old covenant, the other καίνην, the new ; one πρώτην, the first, the other 
veav, that which is recent ; in opposition to the old covenant, which was to terminate in the new, he 
calls this κρείττονα, better, more excellent, Heb. vii. 22; viii. 6 ; and αἰώνιον, everlasting, Heb. xiii. 20, 
because it is never to be changed, nor terminate in any other ; and to endure endlessly itself. The 
word covenant, from con together, and venio, I come, signifies a contract or agreement made between 
two parties ; to fulfil the conditions of which, they are mutually bound. The old covenant, in its 
essential parts, was very simple. I witn spe vour GOD. Ye saatt se my PEOPLE—the spirit 
of which was never changed. ‘The people were to take Jehovah as the sole object of their religious 
worship ; put their whole trust and confidence in him ; serve him in his own way, according to the 
prescribed forms which he should lay before them. This was their part. On his side, God was to 
accept them as his people, give them his Spirit to guide them, his mercy to pardon them, his 
providence to support them, and his grace to preserve them unto eternal life. But all this was 
connected with the strict observance of a great variety of rites and ceremonies, at once expressive 
of the holiness of God, the purity of the Divine justice, and the exceeding sinfulness and utter 
helpless state of man. A great part of the four latter books of Moses is employed in prescribing 
and illustrating these rites and ceremonies ; and what is called the new covenant is the complement 
and perfection of the whole. 

The word Διαθηκη, from dea and τιθημι, I lay down, signifies not only a covenant agreement, but 
also that disposal which a man makes of his secular matters during his life, which is to take place 
after his death. It answers to the Hebrew n712 berith, from 73 bar, to purify, because, in making 
covenants, a sacrifice was usually offered to God, for the purification of the contracting parties ; 
and hence the word ΠΡ berith is frequently used to express not only the covenant itself, but also 
the sacrifice offered on the occasion. See below under Gospet ; and see the notes on Gen. vi. 18; 
xy. 18; Exod. xxix. 45; Lev. xxvi. 15; and Deut. xxix. 12, where every thing relative to this 
subject is minutely considered. 

The term new covenant, as used here, seems to mean that grand plan of agreement or 
-econciliation which God made between himself and mankind, by the death of Jesus Christ; in 
consequence of which, all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe in the great atoning 
sacrifice, are purified from their sins, and united to God. Christ is called τῆς Διαθηκῆς καινῆς μεσιτῆς, 
the Mediator of the new covenant, Heb. ix. 15. And referring to the ratification of this new- 
covenant or agreement, by means of his own death, in the celebration of his last supper, Christ calls 
the cup, to ποτερίον ἢ καινὴ Διαθηκὴ ev τῳ αἰματι μου, this cup is the new covenant in my blood : i. 6. an 
emblem or representation of the new covenant ratified by his blood. See Luke xxii. 20. And 
from these expressions, and their obvious meaning, the whole Christian Scriptures have obtained 
this title, Tae New Testament, on Covenant, ΟΕ ovr Lorp anp Saviour Jesus Curist 

1 29 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW. 


Those writings, and the grand subject of them, which, previously to the New Testament times, 
were termed simply THE covenant ; were, afier the incarnation, called the ox covenant, as we have 
already seen, to distinguish them from the Christian Scriptures, and their grand subject. which 
were called the New covenant ; not so much because it was a new agreement, but rather a renewal 
of the old, in which the spirit, object, and design of that primitive covenant were more clearly and 
fully manifested. ἡ 

The particular title to each of the four following books, in most Greek MSS. and printed 
editions, is EYATTEAION xara MATOAION—MAPKON—AOYKAN—IOANNHN, which we translate, the 
Gospel according to Matthew—Mark—Luke—John ; i. e. the gospel or history of our blessed Lord, 
as written and transmitted to posterity by each of these writers. Our word cospeL, which should 
be always written godspel, or godespel, comes from the Anglo-Saxon gobypel, and is compounded 
of god, good, and ypel, history, narrative, doctrine, mystery, or secret ; and was applied by our ancestors 
to signify the revelation of that glorious system of truth, which had been, in a great measure, hidden 
or kept secret from the foundation of the world. d 

Among Saxon scholars, the word cospr has been variously explained. Mr. Somner, who writes 
it god-ppell, explains it thus, Sermo Det mysticus; Dei historia. “'The mystic word of God; the 
history of God, or God’s history.” But he supposes that it may be compounded of zo», good, and 
ypell, a message ; and very properly observes, that godypellian signifies, not only to preach, or proclaim 
the Gospel; but also to foretell, or predict ; to prophesy, to divine: and in this latter sense the word 
ypell spell was anciently used among us, and still signifies an incantation, or a charm ; which implies 
a peculiar collocation and repetition of certain words, which were supposed to produce supernatural 
effects by means of spiritual influence or agency ; which agency was always attracted and excited by 
such words, through some supposed correspondency between the words, and the spiritual agency to 
xe employed. The word, in this sense, occurs in King Alfred’s Saxon translation of Boethius, De 
Consolatione Philosophie, chap. 38. Da ongzunnon leaye men pyjican ppell, Then deceitful men bezan to 
practise incantations. It is possible that our ancestors gave this title to the preaching of Christ 
crucified, from observing the astonishing effects produced by it, in changing the hearts and lives 
of simmers. And very innocently might they denominate the pure powerful preaching of the death 
and resurrection of Christ, God’s charm: that wonderful word, which, accompanied with the 
demonstration and power of the Holy Ghost, produced such miraculous effects among men. 

As the word ypeliian spellian signifies to teach or instruct, hence our word to spell, i. 6. to teach 
a person, by uniting vowels and consonants, to enunciate words; and thus learn to read. And 
hence the book out of which the first rudiments of language are learned is termed a spelling book, 
exactly answering to the ypell-boc spell-book of our ancestors, which signified a book of homilies, or 
plain discourses, tor the instruction of the common people. We may see (note on Gen, i. 1) that 
god among our ancestors, not only signified Gop, the supreme Being ; but also good or goodness, 
which is his nature : godypen godspell, therefore, is not only God’s history, doctrine, or plan of teaching ; 
but also the good history, the good doctrine; and hence ypellian, to preach or proclaim this doctrine ; 
ypell-boc, the sermons that contained the rudiments of it, for the instruction of men; and ypel-boda 
spel-boda, the orator, messenger, or ambassador, that announced it. 

The Greek word Evayyediov, from ev good, and ἀγγελία a message, signifies good news, or glad 
tidings in general; and is evidently intended to point out, in this place, the good message or the 
glad tidings of great joy which God has sent to all mankind, preaching peace and reconciliation by 

Yhrist Jesus, who is Lord of all: proclaiming that he, as the promised Messiah, has, by the grace 
of God, tasted death for every man—for he has died for their offences, and risen again for their 
justification ; and that, through his grace, every sinner under the whole heaven, may turn to God, 
and find mercy. This is good news, glad tidings, a joyful message ; and it is such to all mankind, 
as in it every human spirit is interested. 

It is used in this sense by Achilles Tatius, lib. v. 6. 12, Tavta axovoac ὁ Σατυρος. mpootpexer ποος 
τὴν Μελίττὴν evayyedva φερων. Having heard these things, Satyrus ran to Melitta, bringing the 
good news. 

But, besides this general meaning, the word Ἐυαγγελίον, has other acceptations in the New 
Testament, and in the Greek writers, which may be consulted here with great propriety and effect. 

1. It signifies the reward given to those who brought good news. ‘Thus Homer represents the 
disguised Ulysses claiming a reward εναγγελίον, a vest and mantle, should he verify to Eumeus the 
glad tidings of his master’s safety. Ἐυαγγελίον de wor ecw. Let me have a reward for my good news. 
Odyss. xiy. y. 152. 

To which Eumeus, who despaired of his master’s return, replied,— 


Q yepov, ovr? ap’ εγων EvayyeAcov τοῦδε τίσω, 
Ov?’ Odvaceve ett olkov ελευσεται. Ib. v. 266. 


Old friend! nor cloak nor yest thy gladsome news 
Will ever earn : Ulysses comes no more! CowPER. 
30 1 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW. 


And on the word, as thus used, Eustathius gives the following comment : Evayyedsov 3 dapov uma 
ἀγαθης ευαγγελιας. “ Euangelion signifies the reward given for bringing good news.” 

St. Chrysostom, in his xixth Homily on the Acts, gives this as a common meaning of the word. 
* The Gospel is this: Thou shalt receive good things: as men are accustomed in their common 
conversation to say to each other, τὶ μοὲ των evayyeAr ov; What reward wilt thou give me for my 
good news ? &c.” It is used in the same sense by the Septuagint. 2 Sam. iv. 10. When one told 
me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took him and slew him in 
Ziglag, who thought ὦ eder μὲ δουναι Evayy dca, that I would have given him a rewarv for his tidings. 
Cicero uses it in the same sense; see his epistles to Atticus, lib. 2. ep. 3. Ὁ suaves epistolas 
tuas uno tempore mihi datas duas : quibus Evayyedva que reddam nescio, deberi quidem, plané fateor. 
“Ὁ, how delightful are your epistles! two of which I have received at one time, for which [ know 
not what recompense to make: but, that 1 am your debtor, I candidly confess.” 

2. It is used also to signify the prayers, thanksgivings, and sacrifices offered on the arrival of 
good news. So Aristophanes, Moe doxec——Evayyedca Ove, ἑκατὸν Bove, τη θεω, I think I should 
SACRIFICE A HECATOMB fo the goddess for this intelligence, Aristoru. in Equit. v. 653. 

Isocrares (Areopag. initio) is supposed to use the word in the sense of supplication, Ext rocavraic 
πραξεσιν Evayyedca μὲν dic ηδη TeOvkaev—* relative to these transactions, we have purposed to make 
supplication twice.” Xenophon uses it to denote a eucharistic offering made on account of 
receiving good news. Eéve ra Evayyedca. See Hist. Gr. i. 6, 27. It seems to be used in a 
similar sense by the Septuagint in 2 Sam. xviii. 20, 27. 

Other examples might be produced in which the word is used in all the above senses; but these 
may be deemed sufficient. I would not have been so copious, had not a certain great man denied 
that the word had the above meanings. 

3. However illustrative the above acceptations of Ἐναγγελίον, among the Greek writers, may be 
of the word in relation to the great doctrine of the new covenant ; yet, among the sacred writers, 
it is restricted to express the glad tidings of the coming of the Messiah, for the reasons mentioned 
above. See Luke ii. 10. 

4. The whole doctrine of Jesus Christ, comprised in the history of his incarnation, preaching, 
miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, and the mission of the Holy Spirit, by which 
salvation was procured for a lost world, is expressed by the word Evayyedsov, as well as by the 
general title; Καινη Διαθηκη. Rom. i. 1, 3, 9; Matt. iv. 23; ix. 35; xxiv.14; Marki. 14. But 
the sacred writers use it with a variety of epithets which it may be necessary to mention. 

Ist, It is sometimes termed, The Gospel of God concerning his Son. Rom. i. 1, 3. 2dly, The 
Gospel of the Son of God. Rom. i. 9. 3dly, The Gospel of the kingdom of God. Matt. iv. 23; ix. 
35; xxiv. 14; Mark i. 14. 4thly, Sometimes it is simply called THE GOSPEL. Mark xiii. 10; 
xvi. 15. 5thly, The word or doctrine (Aoyoc) of the Gospel. Acts xv. 7. 6thly, The Gospel of 
peace. Eph. vi. 15. 7thly, The Gospel of glory, το Evayyedtov τῆς δοξης. 1 Tim. i. 11.  8thly, 
The Gospel of salvation, το Evayyedtov τῆς cwrnprac. Eph. 1. 13. 

5. In 1 Cor. ix. 23, it means the blessings and privileges promised in the New Testament. 

6. It means the public profession of the doctrine taught by Christ, Mark viii. 835; x. 29; 2 Tim. 
i. 8; Philem. ver. 13. ἢ 
fi 7. But in Gal. i. 6, 8, 9, the word Ἐναγγελίον seems to mean any new doctrine, whether true or 
alse. 

Many MSS. have To κατα Mar@atov ayvov Ἐνυαγγελιον, which is generally rendered, The Gospel 
according to Saint Matthew. But the word αγίον, saint, or holy, should be here applied to the Gospel, 
with which it properly agrees ; and then the title would run, The holy Gospel according to Matthew ; 
that is, the account of this holy dispensation according to the narrative composed by Matthew, an 
eye witness of all the transactions he relates. But anciently the word holy was neither applied to 
the narrative nor to the narrator, the title being simply, The Gospel according to Matthew, and so 
of the others. 

1 31 


Δ "otal bath hie 


i 


ἐν 


ἀπ ν..».., porpetialh yah 


carotid, “Al oT Baten? 


Ι 
ἌΝ. ΠῚ 


Heed ow ψνιδρομδννεμε μὰ Δ ταὶ 


‘eng ag 


“a ὁ ἀκα el whe ὃ πον οὐ υμαχοναν μαννα 
Lem «ἢ ᾿»» pel : ΨΥ ΡΝ ὙΜΩ͂Ν, ty? iy Ol li fr thy of ron οἷο 
“IRMA Es Yoel im ᾿ ἂν an oe εν: 1.) νὰ ὑμρκ να θυ 
oe \ ae re: ἐν Wat #7 : a 7 |} cokers: 
μι. nan i) et we 849 opal + 
καλ. οὐ MAL aye oe hoe ggetalaiAy, 
fs. ae aa Κλ re ee Wh ee 
Age | be oar a a mf ἡ) wil ὧν arcane θὲ 
μον NRA νον ἃ ‘ge dt . 
- é nig wrt ΠΣ Lie ἐν ΤΥ 
ate ὦ a ἡ eps εἰμ dud ὁ paws 
bt ‘ ol Fick op ale να να! ἃ δ' Wiaga 
tl \ ῳ» 84 Nomis bi ont 
At ὲ διυνγὲ weds aL barn okt ud 
aT me ὰ ai ‘ft wht, Sa [atts We (οὐ ἐσίνδα ier 
"ἀβρνὶ ἴω» HP eh, φβαίηα Ὁ. νων μὰ oa al mana 
LS Ἰνὼ ’ rn @liewalh.o8 ie degrade ie ΜᾺ 
itd dna i b tan Eh af vt Mens ““ ait aes woes DS 
Uy MG iting venryre wna wars 6m 
ape’ ! δὰ αὐ uct oh WA adli doakw, μὲ hevasivrgs po of ΓΙ a, qa 
Lary Ἃ πιά ιννύδην να whet ὧν δ dese Loar ho δὰ καὶ are μ 
retina salle eal re Μόν 
Lees “ Lae ° opel bal een, cecil wlll woah hw ant 
wratiw ἱ ‘iy rae ὃν ant Ἦ vv lily, hodery WAR ot’ + 
ει Hew yet J 70 8 U ᾽ με ψήκει ah) ἐφ payee OF ὃ mat 
| ἐὰν ἂν (at lee 
ae ulveys Hel i Podblirliay aL, Oveieine ΝῊ } φιεφῖ, ἂν milf any , 
Bis sah Cm ie Siege ἡ ὼν nl ae a ἐπ] «δ ϑ"' ine 
At wi eae eee ee μ...00» rip .ν P 
Te δὰ, τ ὧδ ἐκ See Le) ee eee ἡτι, H 
δ ree) Wore bu ᾿ eirviaias pind eit ῥιῴώμέω 1! game nie ’ 
OE he, πεν A ΤῊΝ Ae Ye να «ΔΎ, here ana 
a! ι wariehd oh) wi &t ἐπῶν. i beagrethn ged | 
ὦ 0 ΑἸ δὼ alee he napetet | ΑΜ Bt eee 
᾿ Se. « ae nee oe ed 


+ evi | 


ae et ee a Le we 


ἀπ, ἡ 


δ δ oem det ὁ 
© (arg Care Al. 
ΨΩ] ΡΥ 
au ἣν b hes 
του ΒΘ 
Η aL 
4 
a 


A hes of ay Jeowy ὧν: ἐψυγεαγμι 
ὄψα ἐγ ν!, tal “εάν ἢ or do 
is nd ον ἐνὶ φρὴν oo eater. od ni 
~ oi B) ἡ 
Ὅν ον rm wake ye one wa a Aidt 
ἤ Γ ! _ Υ͂ 
dit. eq bye ner aki 3 
Ἷ tz oll Δ oth Gali bys γ συ my near ᾿ 
ἢ +) δ. ; nha’ Ἰὼ deveiet im sy | 
I { Ἢ PH oies an με ay) ab), liaise 
ih paid alti) web edarrnae all 04. eer 
ee Mh »" ee 
of 
iL . ad 
7 al 
αι) pier | 
rr 
= Ja 
jab: 


SOME ACCOUNT OF MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST. 


ATTHEW, supposed to be the same who is also called Levi, son of Alpheus, was by birth a Jew. 

As to his office, he appears to have been a tax-gatherer, under the Romans. He was a native of 

Galilee, as the rest of Christ’s apostles were; but of what city in that country, or of which tribe 
of the people of Israel, is not known. 

As he sat at the custom house, by the seaside, in or near the city of Capernaum, Jesus called 
him ; and as soon as he could make up his accompts with those by whom he had been employed and 
intrusted, he became a willing, faithful disciple of Christ. After this, St. Mark tells us, he made 
an entertainment in his own house, where Christ and several of his disciples were present, together 
with many tax-gatherers, and others, of no very respectable character, in the sight of the Pharisees. 

Ii is probable that Matthew took this occasion of calling together his relatives and acquaintances, 
that he might take a friendly farewell of them ; and give them the opportunity of seeing and hearing 
that Divine Person, whose words he had already found to be spirit and life to his own soul, and to 
whose service he had now solemnly dedicated himself. 

He was placed by our Lord in the number of his apostles, and continued with him during his life. 
After the ascension of Christ, he was at Jerusalem, and received the Holy Ghost with the rest of 
the disciples on the day of pentecost. 

Matthew, with Andrew, Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, are the only disciples whose call is 
particularly mentioned. It is uncertain when, where, or how he died. There does not appear to be 
any clear evidence, in the writings of the primitive fathers, that he suffered martyrdom. 

St. Matthew’s gospel is generally allowed to be the most ancient part of the writings of the New 
Covenant. Many modern critics contend that it was written about the year of our Lord 61, or 
between this and 65. Others, that it was written so early as 41, or about the eighth year after the 
ascension ; and this is supported by the subscriptions at the end of this gospel in many MSS. ; but 
it must be observed, that all these MSS. are posterior to the 10th century. Michaelis has adopted 
a middle way, which carries much of the appearance of probability with it, viz.: that Matthew 
wrote his gospel in Hebrew about the 8th year after the ascension of our Lord, or A. D. 41; and 
that the translation of it into Greek was made about A. D. 61, or later. 

Whether this gospel were written originally in Hebrew or Greek, is a question by which the 
most eminent critics have been greatly puzzled and divided. ‘The balance, however, is clearly in 
favour of a Hebrew original. The present Greek text was doubtless published at a very early 
period ; who the translator was, cannot, at this distance of time, be determined ; probably it was 
the evangelist himself. 

As Matthew was one of the twelve disciples, his history is an account of what he heard and saw, 
being a constant attendant on our blessed Lord. ‘This consideration, of itself, would prove that, 
allowing him only to be a man of integrity, he would make no mistakes in his narrative. Add to 
this, the influence and superintendence of the Holy Spirit, under which he constantly acted, and 
which our Lord had promised to his disciples, to guide them into all truth, and bring whatsoever he 
had spoken to them, into remembrance, John xiy. 26. These two considerations stamp the narrative 
with the utmost degree of credibility. 

Vou. I. & 3) 33 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


Ir may be necessary to say a few words in explanation of the different eras introduced at the 
eommencement of the gospels. 1. By the Usherian year of the World, the reader is te under- 
stand the chronological computation of Archbishop Usher ; who supposed that 4000 years exactly 
had elapsed from the creation of the world till the birth of Christ. 2. The Alexandrian era is 
that chronological computation which was used by the people of Alexandria ; who began their reck- 
ming 5502 before the vulgar year of Christ 1. 3. The Antiochian era is a correction of the pre- 
ceding, 1 in the 4th century, by Pandorus, an Egyptian monk, and used by the people of Antioch; 
it differs only from the Alexandrian by subtracting ten years. 4. The Constantinopolitan era is 
that still in use in the Greek Church, which reckons 5508 before the year 1 of the Incarnation, 
according to the vulgar era. 5. The Julian Period is a factitious era, conceived by Joseph 
Scaliger, to facilitate the reduction of the years of any given epoch to that of another. This Period 
is the result of the Zunar and Solar Cycles, and the Indictions, multiplied by each other. Thus. 
multiply 19 the Zunar Cycle, by 28 the Solar Cycle, and the product will be 532; multiply this 
sum by 15, the Cycle of the Indictions, and you will have 7980 years, which constitute the Julian 
Period. The first year of the vulgar era is placed in the 4714th year of the Julian Period: 
whence it follows, that to find any year of our Lord in this period, 4713 years must be added to 
that year: e. g., to find the year of this period, answering to the present year of our Lord 1812, 
add 4713, and you will have 6525, which is the year of the Julian Period sought. 6. The era of 
the Seleucide, sometimes improperly called the era of Alexander, commenced 12 years after the 
death of Alexander the Great, 312 before the Incarnation, according to the vulgar reckoning, and 
was properly the first year of the Syro-Macedonian empire. 7. By the year before the vulgar era 
of Christ, is meant that correct chronological reckoning which showed that the vulzar or common 
reckoning of the A. D. or year of our Lord, is deficient not less than four years: so that the 
present year, 1812, should be, according to strict chronological precision, 1816. 8. The mode of 
computing by Olympiads derived its origin from the institution of the Olympic Games, which were 
celebrated every four years, for five successive days, at the time of the first full moon, after the 
summer’s solstice. ‘They were held on the banks of the river Alpheus, near Olympia, a city of Elis, 
from which they derived their name. The first Olympiad commenced 776 before the Incarnation 
of our Lord. It need scarcely be added, that each Olympiad consists of fowr years; hence the 
first, second, third, or fourth year of any particular Olympiad. 9. The year of the building of Rome 
is an important era among the Roman historians: it commenced 753 years before the birth of 
Christ. 10. The year of Augustus, or years after the battle of Actium, is the computation of timc 
from the commencement of the Roman emprre, which took place after the battle of Actium, 27 years 
before our Lord: from this time Augustus became sole governor. 11. The Cycles introduced 
require little explanation. The Solar Cycle is a revolution consisting of 28 years; the Lunar © 
Cycle of 19; and the Paschal Cycle or Dionysian Period, is compounded of both, thus: The Solar 
Cycle of 28, and the Lunar of 19, multiplied by each other, produce 532, which constitutes a 
third Cycle, called the Paschal Cycle, because in that period the Christian Passover, or Easter, a 
moveable feast, has gone through all possible variations, and the Solar and Lunar Cycles, Domi- 
ee Letters, Paschal term, Epacts, New Moons, &c., &c., all recommence exactly 532 years before. 

. The Cesarean era of Antioch was a monte which the city of Antioch erected to the 
nonour of Julius Cesar, in commemoration of his victory at Pharsalia. This was obtained 48 
years before the commencement of the Christian era. 18. The Spanish era: this was kept in 
commemoration of the entire subduction of Spain, by Augustus Cesar, which took place in the 
year of Rome 715, or 39 years before the vulgar era of Christ. 14. The Julian era, or as if 
is sometimes called, the era of Julius Cesar: this had for its foundation the reformation of the 
Roman Calendar by Julius Cewsar: and the change was made 45 years before the birth of Christ. 
Other eras might have been noticed, but those mentioned above were judged to be the most 
important. 

For farther particulars relative to the history of the gospels, see the Grnrrat Prerace to the 
New ΤΈΒΤΑΜΕΝΥ. 

34 3" ὴ 


aa = ~*~, Φ ΒΝ 
.» 
μ" “Ὁ oe a So * eS Ww 5 
4 υ 
' a ae ‘ eso = 
. — ag . 5 
bn + Se ee 4 . - vw ao τ» 
wes ᾿ } me ete} 3 ’ 
4 Ἢ ᾿ 
ἣ »ῃ" J OE so Beets : eee 


Φ 


Foldout 


Here 
δ & 
> 


THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


BS Tie ΡΈΕΙ. BW 


Ussherian year of the World, 4000.—Alexandrian year of the World, 5498.—Antiochian year of the Wi ld, 
5488.—Constantinopolitan Aira of the World, 5504.—Year of the Julian Period, 4709.—JEra of the 
Seleucide, 308.—Year before the vulgar Aira of Christ, 5.—Year of the CXCIII. Olympiad, 4.—Year 
of the building of Rome, 749.—Year of the Emperor Augustus, 7. e. from the battle of Actium, 26.— 
Consuls, Augustus XII. and Lucius Cornelius Sulla.—Year of the Paschal Cycle or Dionysian Period, 
530.—Year of the Solar Cycle, 5.—Year of the Lunar Cycle, 13.—Dominical Letters, B A. 


CHAPTER I. 


The genealogy of Christ dwided into three classes of fourteen generations each: The first fourteen, from 
Abraham to David, 2-6. The second fourteen, from Solomon to Jechonias, 7-10. The third fourteen, 
from Jechonias to Christ, 11-16. The sum of these generations, 17. Christ is conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary, when she was espoused to Joseph, 18. Joseph's anxiety and doubts 
are removed by the ministry of an Angel, 19, 20; by whom the child is named Jesus, 21. The fulfilment 
of the prophecy of Isaiah relative to this, 22, 23. 


born, 24, 25. 


Joseph takes home his wife, Mary, and Christ is 


A. M. 4000. a ; a : A. Μ. 4000. 
ἜΘΗ THE book of the * generation of} 2 ‘Abraham begat Isaac; and aa 


An. Olymp. Jesus Christ, » the son of Da- 
———— _ γιά, © the son of Abraham. 
4 Luke iii. 23 ——» Psa. exxxii. 11; Isa. xi. 1; Jer. xxiii. 5; xxii. 


2; John vii. 42; Acts ii. 30; xiii. 23; Rom. i. 3. 


NOTES ON CHAP. I. 

Verse 1. The book of the generation of Jesus 
Christ] I suppose these words to have been the ori- 
ginal title to this Gospel; and that they signify, ac- 
cording to the Hebrew phraseology, not only the 
account of the genealogy of Christ, as detailed below, 
but the history of his birth, acts, sufferings, death, 
resurrection, and ascension. 

The phrase, book of the generation, ninyin 732 
sepher toledoth, is frequent in the Jewish writings, and 
is translated by the Septuagint, βιβλοῷ yevecewc, as 
here, by the evangelist; and regularly conveys the 
meaning given to it above; e.g. This is the book of 
the generations of Adam, Gen. v. 1. That is, the 
account of the life of Adam and certain of his imme- 
diate descendants. Again. These are the genera- 

_ trons of Jacob, Gen. xxxvii. 2. That is, the account 
or history of Jacob, his son Joseph, and the other re- 
markable branches of the family. Andagain. These 
ure tne generations of Aaron and Moses, Num. iii. 1. 
That is, the history of the life ahd acts of these per- 
sons, and some of their immediate descendants. The 
same form of expression is also used, Gen. ii. 4, when 

1 


°Tsaac begat Jacob; and ‘ Jacob An. Olymp. 
ἼΧΟΠΙ. 4 


begat Judas and his brethren ; ee 


© Gen. xii. 3; xxii. 18; Gal. iii. 16. 4 Gen. xxi. 2, 3. 
xxv. 26.—S Gen. xxix. 35. 


© Gen. 


giving the history of the creation of heaven and 
earth. 

Some have translated βιβλος yeveceac, The book oy 
the genealogy ; and consider it the ¢itle of this chap- 
ter only ; but the former opinion seems better founded. 

Jesus Christ] See on verses 16 and 21. 

The son of David, the son of Abraham| No per- 
son ever born could boast, in a direct line, a more 
illustrious ancestry than Jesus Christ. Among his 
progenitors, the regal, sacerdotal, and prophetic offices, 
existed in all their glory and splendour. Davin, the 
most renowned of sovereigns, was king and prophet: 
Axpranam, the most perfect character in all antiquity 
whether sacred or profane, was priest and prophet: 
but the ¢hree offices were never united except in the 
person of Christ; he alone was prophet, priest, and 
king ; and possessed and executed these offices in 
such a supereminent degree as no human being ever 
did, or ever could do. As the principal business of 
the prophet was to make known the will of God to 
men, according to certain partial communications re- 
ceived from Heaven; so Jesus, who lay in\ ~ bosom 
of the Father, and who was intimately and th ‘ouzaly 

35 <i 


The genealogy of 


A-M-4000. 8. And * Judas begat Phares and 
An. Olymp. Zara of Thamar; and ἢ Phares be- 
CXCIIL 4 


gat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram ; 
4 And Aram begat Aminadab ; and Amina- 
dab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Sal- 
mon ; 
5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab ; and 
Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat 


Jesse ; 
pabeeielt Pie Cree 2 ee ee 
5 Gen. xxxvill. 27——) Ruth iv. 18, &c.; 1 Chron. 11. 


5, 9, &c. 


acquainted with all the mysteries of the eternal world, 
come to declare the Divine nature and its counsels to 
mankind; see John ji. 18. As the business of the 
priest was to offer sacrifices to God, to make atone- 
ment for the sins of the people; so Christ was con- 
stituted a high priest, to make, by the sacrifice of him- 
self, an atonement for the sins of the whole world; 
see 1 John ii. 2, and the whole Epistle to the He- 
brews. As the office of king was to reign over, protect, 
and defend the people committed to his care by the 
Divine Providence; so Christ is set as a king upon 
Sion, having the heathen for his inheritance, and the 
uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, Psa. 
ii. 6, 8, ἄς. Of the righteousness, peace, and in- 
crease of whose government, there shall be no end, 
Isa. ix. 7. This three-fold office, Christ executes 
not only in a general sense, in the world at large; 
but, in a particular sense, in every Christian soul. 
He is first a prophet, to teach the heart of man the 
will of God; to convict the conscience of sin, right- 
eousness, and judgment ; and fully to illustrate the way 
of salvation. He is next a priest, to apply that atone- 
ment to the guilty conscience, the necessity of which, 
as a prophet, he had previously made known. And 
lastly, as a ‘ing, he leads captivity captive, binds and 
casts out the strong man armed, spoils his goods, ex- 
tends the sway of the sceptre of righteousness, sub- 
dues and destroys sin, and reigns Lord over all the 
powers and faculties of the human soul; so éhat as 
sin reigned unto death, EVEN so does grace reign 
through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Rom. v. 21. 

It is remarkable, that the evangelist names David 
before Abraham, though the latter was many genera- 
tions older: the reason seems to be this, that David 
was not only the most illustrious of our Lord’s prede- 
cessors, as being both king and prophet; but because 
thar promise, which at first was given to Abraham, 
and afterwards, through successive generations, con- 
firmed to the Jewish people, was at last determined 
and restricted to the family of David. Son of David, 
was an epithet by which the Messiah was afterwards 
known among the Jews; and, under this title, they 
were led to expect him by prophetie authority. See 
Psa. lxxxix. 3,4; exxxii. 10, 11, compared with Acts 
xiii. 24, and Isa. xi. 1; Jer. xxiii. 5. Christ was 
prophesied of under the very name of David. See 
Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24; xxxvii. 24, 25. 

Verse 3. Abraham begat Isaac] In this genea- 
.ogy, those persons only, among the ancestors of 

36 


ST. MATTHEW. 


| 


Jesus Christ 


6 And ‘Jesse begat David the ΑΝ 1000. 
king; and * David the king begat An. Olymp. 
Solomon of her that had sp the 15: 
wife οἵ Urias ; 

7 And ‘Solomon begat Roboam; and 
Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa ; 

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Jo 
saphat begat Joram; and Joram begat 
Ozias , 


11 Sam. xvi. 1; xvii. 12——*2 Sam. xii. 2411 Chron. 
iii. 10, &e 


Christ, which formed the direct line, as specified : 
henee no mention is made of Ishmael, the son of 
Abraham, nor of Hsau, the son of Isaac; and of all 
the twelve patriarchs, or sons of Jacob, Judah alone 
is mentioned. 

Verse 3. Phares and Zara} The remarkable his- 
tory of these twins may be seen, Gen. xxxvili. Some 
of the ancients were of opinion, that the evangelist 
refers to the mystery of the youngest being preferred 
to the eldest, as prefiguring the exaltation of the 
Christian Church over the synagogue. Concerning 
the women whose names are recorded in this genealo- 
gy, see the note at the end of the chapter. 

Verse 8. Joram begat Ozias] This is the Uzziah, 
king “οἵ Judah, who was struck with the leprosy for 
his presumption in entering the temple to offer incense 
before the Lord. See 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, &e. Ovzzas 
was not the immediate son of Joram: there were 
three kings between them, Ahaziah, Joash, and Ama- 
ziah, which swell the fourteen generations to seven- 
teen: but it is observed that omissions of this kind 
are not uncommon in the Jewish genealogies. In 
Ezra vii. 3, Azariah is called the son of Merajoth, 
although it is evident, from 1 Chron. vi. 7—9, that 
there were sv descendants between them. This cir- 
eumstance the evangelist was probably aware of; but 
did not see “t proper to attempt to correct what he 
found in the public aceredited genealogical tables ; as he 
knew it to be of no consequence to his argument, 
which was merely to show that Jesus Christ as surely 
descended, in an uninterrupted line from David, as 
David did from Abraham. And this he has dene i2 
the most satisfactory manner; nor did any person 13 
those days pretend to detect any inaccuracy in his state- 
ment; though the account was published among those 
very people whose interest it was to expose the falla- 
ey, in vindication of their own obstinate rejection 
of the Messiah, if any such fallacy could have been 
proved. But as they were silent, modern and com- 
paratively modern unbelievers may for ever hold their 
peace. The objections raised on this head are worthy of 
no regard ; yet the following statement deserves notice 

St. Matthew took up the genealogies just as he 
found them in the public Jewish records, which, though 
they were in the main correct, yet were deficient in 
many particulars. The Jews themselves give us suf- 
ficient proof of this. The Talmud, title Kiddushim, 
mentions fen classes 6f persons who returned from the 
Babylonish captivity: I. 373 coHaney, priests. 11. 
5 Levey, Levites. III. ὉΝΎΦ᾽ visuraen, Israelites 

1 


The genealogy of 


A.M. 4000. 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and 

B. C. 5. 

An, Olymp. Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz 
begat Ezekias ; 

10 And ™Ezekias begat Manasses; and 
Manasses begat Amon ; and Amon begat Jo- 
sias ; 

m2 Kings xx. 21; 1 Chron. iii. 13——" Some read Josias 


begat Jakim, and Jakim begat Jechonias- © See 1 Chron. ili. 
15, 16.——P 2 Kings xxiv. 14, 15, 16; xxv. 11; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 


IV. 4 y5n CHULULEY, common persons, as to the priest- 
hood; such whose fathers were priests, but their mo- 
thers were such as the priests should not marry. V. 
‘11 GiREY, proselytes. VI. 1M cHarvurey, freed-men, 
or servants who had been liberated by their masters. 
VII. ‘v1 ΜΑΜΖΙΒΕΥ, spurious, such as were born in 
unlawful wedlock. VIII. ‘13 Nevuiney, Nethinim. 
IX. ‘pnw sHetuKeY, bastards, persons whose mothers, 
though well known, could not ascertain the fathers of 
their children, because of their connections with differ- 
ent men. X. °5)ON asupHey, such as were gathered 
up out of the streets, whose fathers and mothers were 
utterly unknown. Such was the heterogeneous mass 
brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem; and although 
we learn from the Jews, that great care was taken to 
separate the spurious from the true-born Israelites, and 
canons were made for that purpose, yet it so happened, 
that sometimes a spurious family had got into high au- 
thority, and therefore must not be meddled with. See 
several cases in Lightfoot. On this account, a faith- 
ful genealogist would insert in his roll such only as 
were indisputable. “It is therefore easy to guess,” 
says Dr. Lightfoot, “whence Matthew took the last 
fourteen generations of this genealogy, and Luke the 
first forty names of his: namely, from the genealogi- 
cal rolls, at that time well known, and laid up in the 
public κειμηλία, repositories, and in the private also. 
And it was necessary indeed, in so noble and sublime 
a subject, and a thing that would be so much inquired 
into by the Jewish people, as the lineage of the Mes- 
siah would be, that the evangelists should deliver a 
truth, not only that could not be gainsayed, but also 
might be proved and established from certain and un- 
doubted rolls of ancestors.” See Hore Talmudice. 
Verse 11. Josias begat Jechonias, &c.] There are 


three considerable difficulties in this verse. 1. Josias 
was not the father of Jechonias; he was only the 
grandfather of that prince: 1 Chron. iii. 14-16. 


2. Jechonias had no brethren; at least, none are on 
record. 3. Josias died 20 years before the Babylon- 
ish captivity took place, and therefore Jechonias and 
his brethren could not have been begotten about the 
time they were carried away to Babylon. To this 
may be added a fourth difficulty, viz. there are only 
thirteen in this 2d class of generations; or forty-one, 
instead of forty-two, in the whole. But all these dif 
ficulties disappear, by adopting a reading found in many 
MSS. Ιωσιας de ἐγεννησε tov Ἰωακειμ' Ἰωακειμ de 
ἐγεννησε Tov Ϊεχονιαν. And Josias begat ΤΕΒΟΙΑΛΚΙΜ, or 
Joakim, and Joaxim begat Jechonias. For this reading, 
see the authorities in Griesbach. Josiah was the im- 
mediate father of Jehoiakim (called also Eliakeim and 
Joakim) and his brethren, who were Johanan, Zede- 
1 


CHAP. I. 


Jesus Christ. 


11 And *Josias ° begat Jechonias 4, M- 40. 
and his brethren, about the time they An Ἔτη 
ΧΟΙ͂Ι. 4 
were ? carried away to Babylon: 
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, 
4 Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel be- 
gat τ Zorobabel ; 


10, 20; Jer. xxvii. 20; xxxix. 9; lii. 11, 15, 28, 29,30; Dan. 
i. 2——41 Chron. iii. 17, 19—— Ezra ili. 2; v.2; Neh. 
xii. 1; Hag. i. 1. 


kiah, and Shallum: see 1 Chron. iii. 15. Joakim was 
the father of Joachin or Jechonias, about the time of 
the first Babylonish captivity: for we may reckon 
three Babylonish eaptivities. The first happened in 
the fourth year of Joakim, son of Josiah, about A. M. 
3398. In this year, Nebuchadnezzar, having taken 
Jerusalem, led a great number of captives to Babylon. 
The second captivity happened under Jechoniah, son 
of Joakim; who, having reigned three months, was 
taken prisoner in 3405, and was carried to Babylon, 
with a great number of the Jewish nobility. The 
third captivity took place under Zedekiah, A. M. 3416. 
And thus, says Calmet, the 11th verse should be read : 
Josias begat Joakim and his brethren: and Joakim be- 
gat Jechonias about the time of the first Babylonish 
captivity ; and Jechonias begat Salathiel, after they 
were brought to Babylon. Thus, with the necessary 
addition of Joakim, the three classes, each containing 
fourteen generations, are complete. And to make this 
the more evident, I shall set down each of these three 
generations in a separate column, with the additional 
Joakim, that the reader may have them all at one 
view. 


1 Abraham 1 Solomon 1 Jechonias 
2 Isaac 2 Rehoboam 2 Salathiel 
3 Jacob 3 Abia 3 Zorobabel 
4 Judah 4 Asa 4 Abiud 

5 Pharez 5 Josaphat 5 Eliakim 
6 Esrom 6 Joram 6 Azor 

7 Aram 7 Ozias 7 Sadoc 

8 Aminadab 8 Joatham 8 Achim 

9 Naason 9 Achaz 9 Eliud 

10 Salmon 10 Ezekias 10 Eleazar 
11 Booz 11 Manasses 11 Matthan 
12 Obed 12 Amon 12 Jacob 
13 Jesse 13 Josias 13 Joseph 
14 David 14 Joachim 14 JESUS 


In all forty-two generations. 


Verse 12. Jechonias begat Salathiel]| After Jecho- 
nias was brought to Babylon, he was put in prison by 
Nebuchadnezzar, where he continued till the death of 
this prince, and the accession of Evilmerodach, who 
brought him out of prison, in which he had been de- 
tained thirty-seven years, and restored him to such fa- 
your that his throne (seat) was exalted above all the 
kings which were with him in Babylon: Jer. lii. 
31,32. But though he thus became a royal favourite, 
he was never restored to his kingdom. And, accord- 
ing to the prophecy of Jeremiah xxii. 30, no man of 
his seed sat upon the throne of David; yet the regal 
line was continued through his son Salathiel, who died 
in Babylon; but Zorobdabel, his son, returned from cap- 

37 


Number of generations 


AM. 4000. 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud ; 
An. Olymp. and Abiud begat Eliakim ; and Elia- 


CXCIL 4. 3 
ἰξξξξξεε Ξε kim begat Azor ; 


14 And Azor begat Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat 
Achim; and Achim begat Ehind ; 

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar ; * and Eleazar 
begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob ; 

16 And t Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of 
Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called 
Christ. 

17 So all the generations from Abraham, 


s Luke iii. 24. Ver. 21; chap. xiii. 55; xxvii. 56. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


from Abraham to Christ. 


A.M. 4000 


to David, are fourteen generations ; eae 
An. Olymp 


and from David until the carrying An. 

: CXCIUL 4. 
away into Babylon, are fourteen ———— 
generations; and from the carrying away 
into Babylon unto Christ, are fourteen gene- 
rations. 

18 4“ Now the “birth of Jesus Christ was 
on this wise: When as his mother Mary was 
espoused to Joseph, before they came toge- 
ther, she was found with child τ of the Holy 
Ghost. 


u Luke i. 27. VY Luke i. 35. 


tivity, and by him the race of David was continued, 
according to Matthew, by Adbiud ; and, according to 
Luke, by Rhesa. See on Luke ii. 23, ὅς. 

The term carrying away to Babylon, μετοικεσια, 
from μετοίκεω, to change a habitation, or place of resi- 
dence, would be more properly translated by the word 
transportation, which is here peculiarly appropriate : 
the change was not voluntary ; they were forced away. 

Verse 16. Jesus, who is called Christ.| As the 
word Χριστος Christ, signifies the anointed or anointer, 
from χρίω, to anoint, it answers exactly to the Hebrew 
Twn mashiach, which we pronounce Messiah or Mes- 
sias ; this word comes from the root ΤΠ} mashac, sig- 
nifying the same thing. As the same person is in- 
tended by both the Hebrew and Greek appellation, it 
should be regularly translated The Messiah, or The 
Christ ; whichever is preferred, the demonstrative ar- 
ticle should never be omitted. 

Priests, prophets, and kings, among the Jews, were 
anointed in order to the legitimate exercise of their 
respective offices. Hence the word Χριστος Christ, 
or Mw Mashiach, became a name of dignity, and 
often signified the same as king. See Isa. xlv. 1; 
Psa. cv. 15; Lev. iv. 3; vi. 20; 1 Sam. ii. 10. 
The words wr Mashiach and yo melec, Ἄριστος and 
βασιλευς, Christ and king, are frequently interchanged. 
1 Sam. ii. 10; Psa. i. 2,6; Luke xxiii. 2; and 
see the Scholia of Rosenmuller on this place. The 
reason of this may be seen in the following note, which 
1 extract from the comment on Exod. xxix. 7. 

“Tt appears from Isa. Ixi. 1, that anointing with oil, 
in consecrating a person to any important office, whe- 
ther cwil or religious, was considered as an emblem of 
the communication of the gifts and graces of the Holy 
Spirit. This ceremony was used on three occasions, 
viz. the installation of prophets, priests, and kings, into 
their respective offices. But why should such an 
anointing be deemed necessary? Because the com- 
mon sense of men taught them that all good, whether 
spiritual or secular, must come from God, its origin 
and cause. Hence it was taken for granted, 1. That 
no man could foretell events, unless inspired by the 
Spirit of God. And therefore the prophet was anoint- 
ed, to signify the communication of the Spirit of wis- 
dom and knowledge. 2. That no person couli offer 
an acceptable sacrifice to God for the sins of men, or 
profitably minister in holy things, unless enlightened, 
influenced, and directed, by the Spirit of grace and 

38 


holiness. Hence the priest was anointed, to signify 
his being divinely qualified for the due performance of 
his sacred functions. 3. That no man could enact 
just and equitable Zaws, which should have the pros- 
perity of the community and the welfare of the indi- 
vidual continually in view, or could use the power con- 
fided to him only for the suppression of vice and the 
encouragement of virtue, but that man who was ever 
under the inspiration of the Almighty. Hence kings 
were inaugurated by anointing with oil. Two of these 
offices only exist in all civilized nations, the sacerdotal 
and regal ; and, in some countries, the priest and king 
are still consecrated by anointing. In the Hebrew 
language ΠῚ} mashach signifies to anoint ; and Mw 
mashiach, the anointed person. But as no man was 
ever dignified by holding the three offices, so no person 
ever had the title Mashiach, the anointed one, but Je- 
sus, The Curist. He alone is King of kings, and 
Lord of lords: the king who governs the universe, 
and rules in the hearts of his followers; the prophet, 
to instruct men in the way wherein they should go; 
and the great high priest, to make atonement for their 
sins. Hence he is called the Messias, a corruption of 
the word ΓΦ ΌΤΙ ha-mashiach, THE anointed ONE, in 
Hebrew; which gave birth to ὁ Χριστὸς ho Christos, 
which has precisely the same signification in Greek : of 
him, Melehisedeck, Abraham, Aaron, David, and others, 
were illustrious types. But none of these had the ti- 
tle of rue Messian, or THE ANOINTED OF Gop. This 
does, and ever will, belong exclusively to Jesus, The 
Curist.” 

if Verse 17. Fourteen generations] See the note on 
yer. 11. The Jews had a sort of technical method of 
summing up generations in this way. In Synopsis 
Sohar, p. 132, n. 18, we have the following words : 
“From Abraham to Solomon were fifteen generations ; 
and then the moon was at the full. From Solomon 
to Zedekiah were other fifteen generations ; the moon 
was then in the wane, and Zedekiah’s eyes were put 
out.” That is, the regal state came to its zenith of 
light and glory in the time of Solomon ; but decreased 
gradually, till it became nearly extinct in the days of 
Zedekiah. See Schoetgen. 

Verse 18. Espoused to Joseph] The word μνηστευ- 
ϑεισης, from μνήστευω, to contract, or betroth, refers to 
the previous marriage agreement, in which the parties 
mutually bound themselves to each other; without 
which, no woman was ever married among the Jews. 

1 


Lhe prophecy concerning 


A Mf. 190. Then Joseph, her husband, 


An. Olymp. being a just man, and not willing 
CXCUL 4. ; ς 

————. πιο make her ἃ public example, 
was minded to put her away privily. 

20 But while he thought on these things, 
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto 
him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of 
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy 
wife: * for that which is ¥ conceived in her is 
of the Holy Ghost. 

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and 


CHAP. I. 


the muraculous conception. 


thou shalt call his name *JESUS : 
for he shall save his people from An, Olymp. 
their sins. Restate 

22 Now all this was done, that it might be 
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the 
prophet, saying, 

23 5 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and 
shall bring forth a son, and ‘they shall call 
his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted 
is, God with us. 

24 Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did 


A. M. 4000. 
B. C. 5 


® Deut. xxiv. 1——* Luke i. 35. ——¥ Gr. begotten ——* Luke i. 


31. That is, Saviour, Heb. 


Among the Hindoos, a woman is espoused often a whole 
‘year, and even longer before the marriage takes place. 

Before they came together] The woman was es- 
poused at her own, or her father’s house; and, gene- 
rally, some time elapsed before she was taken home to 
the house of her husband: Deut. xx. 7; Judg. xiv. 7, 
8. This custom has been immemorially observed 
among the inhabitants of Ireland, who have not only 
this, but many Asiatic customs, which, added to vari- 
ous authentic historic proofs, are collateral evidences 
that they received the Christian religion, not from 
the popes of Rome, but through the means of Asiatic 
missionaries. 

Among the Jews, the espousal, though the marriage 
had not been consummated, was considered as perfectly 
legal and binding on both sides ; and hence a breach of 
this contract was considered as a case of adultery, and 
punished exactly in the same way. See Deut. xxii. 
25, 28. Nor could a contract of this kind, though 
there was no cohabitation, be broken but by a regular 
divorce, as Mr. Selden, in his Uxor Hebraica, has 
proved at large from the Jewish rabbins. 

She was found with child) Her situation was 
the most distressing and humiliating that can be con- 
ceived. Nothing but the fullest consciousness of her 
own integrity, and the strongest confidence in God, 
could have supported her in such trying circumstances, 
where her reputation, her honour, and her life were at 
stake. What conversation passed between her and 
Joseph, on this discovery, we are not informed ; but 
the issue proves that it was not satisfactory to him: 
nor could he resolve to consider her as his wife, till 
God had sent his angel to bear the most unequivocal 
testimony to the virgin’s innocence. His whole con- 
duct, on this occasion, was exceedingly benevolent and 
humane. He might at once have taken the advantage 
of the law, Deut. xxii. 23, 24, and had her stoned to 
death. 

Verse 19. To make her a public example] Παρα- 
δειγματισαι, to expose her to public infamy ; from πάρα, 
near, and δεικνυμαι, I show, or expose ; what is oddly, 
though emphatically, called in England, showing up— 
exposing a character to public view. Though Joseph 
was a righteous man, δικαίος, and knew that the law 
required that such persons as he supposed his wife to 
be should be put to death, yet, as righteousness is ever 
directed by mercy, he determined to put her away or 

1 ᾿ 


ὃ Acts iv. 12; v.31; xiii. 23, 38. ¢Tsa. vii. 14.——#4 Or, his 
name shall be called. 


divorcee her privately, i. e. without assigning any cause, 
that her life might be saved; and, as the offence was 
against himself, he had a right to pass it by if he chose. 
Some have supposed that the term δίκαιος should 
be translated merciful, and it certainly often has this 
signification ; but here it is not necessary. 

Verse 20. That which is conceived (or formed) in 
her] So 1 think γεννηϑὲν should be translated in this 
place: as it appears that the human nature of Jesus 
Christ was a real creation in the womb of the virgin, 
by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel of the 
Lord mentioned here was probably the angel Gabriel, 
who, six months before, had been sent to Zacharias and 
Elisabeth, to announce the birth of Christ’s forerunner, 
John the Baptist. See Luke i. 36. 

Verse 21. JESUS] The same as Joshua, pum 
Yehoshua, from yw? yashd, he saved, delivered, put in 
a state of safety. See on Exod. xiii. 9; Num. xiii. 
16, and in the preface to Joshua. 

He shall save his people from their sis.) This 
shall be his great business in the world: the great 
errand on which he is come, viz. to make an atonement 
for, and to destroy, sin: deliverance from all the power, 
guilt, and pollution of sin, is the privilege of every be- 
liever in Christ Jesus. Less than this is not spoken 
of in the Gospel; and less than this would be unbe- 
coming the Gospel. The perfection of the Gospel 
system is not that it makes allowances for sin, but that 
it makes an atonement for it: not that it tolerates sin, 
but that it destroys it. In ver. 1, he is called Jesus 
Christ, on which Dr. Lightfoot properly remarks, 
“ That the name of Jesus, so often added to the name 
of Christ in the New Testament, is not only that Christ 
might be thereby pointed out as the Saviour, but also 
that Jesus might be pointed out as the true Christ or_ 
Messiah, against the unbelief of the Jews.” This ob- 
servation will be of great use in numberless places 
of the New Testament. See Acts ii. 36; vill. 35; 
1 Cor. vi. 22; 1 John ii. 22; iv. 15, &c. 

Verse 22. By the prophet] Isatau is added here by 
several MSS., versions, and fathers. The prophecy 
is taken from Isaiah vii. 14. 

Verse 23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child] We 
have already seen, from the preceding verse, that this 
prophecy is taken from Isaiah vii. 14; but it may be 
necessary to consider the circumstances of the original 
promise more particularly. At the time referred to, 

39 


Joseph takes home Mary, 


aa as the angel of the Lord had bid- 
An. hae: den him, and took unto him his 
CxXcl 

wite 


e Exod. xiii. 2; 


MATTHEW. 


and Jesus is born 


25 And knew her not till she had ae 4000. 


brought forth ὁ her first-born son: An. Οὐ πὰ 
and he called his name JESUS. “ὙΠ Ξ 


Luke ii. 7, 21. 


the kingdom of Judah, under the government of Ahaz, 
was reduced very low. Pekah, king of Israel, had 
slain in Judea 120,000 persons in one day, and carried 
away captives 200,000, including women and chil- 
dren, together with much spoil. To add to their dis- 
tress, Rezin, king of Syria, being confederate with 
Pekah, had taken Elath, a fortified city of Judah, and 
earried the inhabitants away captive to Damascus. In 
this critical conjuncture, need we wonder that Ahaz 
was afraid that the enemies who were now united 
against him must prevail, destroy Jerusalem, and the 
kingdom of Judah, and annihilate the family of David? 
To meet and remove this fear, apparently well ground- 
ed, Isaiah is sent from the Lord to Ahaz, swallowed 
up now both by sorrow and by unbelief, in order to 
assure him that the counsels of his enemies should not 
stand ; and that they should be utterly discomfited. To 
encourage Ahaz, he commands him to ask a sign or 
miracle, which should be a pledge in hand, that God 
should, in due time, fulfil the predictions of his servant, 
as related in the context. On Ahaz humbly refusing 
to ask any sign, it is immediately added, Therefore the 
Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold a virgin 
shall conceive and bear a son; and shall call his name 
Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, &c. Both 
the Divine and human nature of our Lord, as well as 
the miraculous conception, appear to be pointed out in 
the prophecy quoted here by the evangelist :—He 
shall be called 5973p) Im-menu-rx; literally, The 
stroNG Gop witH us: similar to those words in the 
New Testament :—The Word which was God—was 
made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and 
truth: John i. 1,14. And, God was manifested in 
the flesh: 1 Tim. iii. 16. So that we are to under- 
stand, God with us, to imply God incarnated—God in 
human nature. ‘This seems farther evident from the 
words of the prophet, ver. 15. Butter and honey 
Shall he eat—he shall be truly man, grow up and be 
nourished in a human, natural way ; which refers to 
his being wirH us, i. 6. incarnated. To which the 
prophet adds, Tha‘ he may know to refuse the evil and 
choose the good :—or rather, According to his know- 
ledge, N74 le-dadto. reprobating the evil, and choos- 
ing the good. ‘This refers to him as Gop ; and is the 
same idea given by this prophet, chap. li. 11: By 
(or in) his knowledge (the knowledge of Christ eruci- 
fied, ἸΠ}}12 be-dadto) shall my righteous servant jus- 
tify many ; for he shall bear their offences. Now this 
union of the Divine and human nature is termed a sign 
or miracle, Τὴν olh, i. e. something which exceeds the 
power of nature to produce. And this miraculous 
union was to be brought about in a miraculous way: 

Behold a virein shall conceive : the word is very em- 
phatic, 7 myn ha- dlmah, THE virgin; the only one 
that ever was, or ever shall be, a mother in this way. 
But the Jews, and some called Christians, who have 
espoused their desperate cause, assert, that ‘ the word 
ΤῊ» almah does not signify a virGIN only; for it is 

40 


applied, Prov. xxx. 19, to signify a young married 
woman.” I answer, that this latter text is no proof of 
the contrary doctrine : the words ΓΙ 2}}3 733 17 derec 
geber be-almah, the way of a man with a maid, can- 
not be proved to mean that for which it is produced : 
beside, one of De Rossi's MSS. reads yaya de-al- 
maiv, the way of a strong, or stout, man (73) geber) 
IN HIS youTH; and in this reading the Syriac, Septu- 
agint, Vadeate. and Arabic agree, which are followed 
by the first version in the English language, as it 
stands in a MS. in my own possession—the τοῖς of a 
man in bis waring youthe: so that this place, the only 
one that can with any probability of success be produ- 
ced, were the interpretation contended for correct, 
which I am by no means disposed to admit, proves 
nothing. Beside, the consent of so many versions in 
the opposite meaning deprives it of much of its influ- 
ence in this question. 

The word nD 2y dlmah, comes from poy dlam, to 
lie hid, be concealed; and we are told that “ virgins 
were so called, because they were concealed or closely 
kept up in their fathers’ houses, till the time of their 
marriage.” ‘This is not correct: see the case of 
Rebecca, Gen. xxiv. 43, and my note there: that of 
Rachel, Gen. xxix. 6, 9, and the note there also: and 
see the case of Miriam, the sister of Moses, Exod. 
ii. 8, and also the Chaldee paraphrase on Lam. i. 4, 
where the virgins are represented as going out in the 
dance. And see also the whole history of Ruth. 
This being concealed, or kept at home, on which so 
much stress is laid, is purely fanciful; for we find 
that young wnmarried women drew water, kept sheep, 
gleaned publicly in the fields, &c., &c., and the same 
works they perform among the Turcomans to the pre- 
sent day. This reason, therefore, does not account 
for the radical meaning of the word; and we must 
seek it elsewhere. Another well known and often 
used root in the Hebrew tongue will cast light on this 
subject. This is 11 galah, which signifies to reveal, 
make manifest, or uncover, and is often applied to ma- 
trimonial connections, in different parts of the Mosaic ἡ 
law : poy ’ alam, therefore, may be considered as im- 
plying the concealment of the virgin, as such, till law- 
ful marriage had taken place. A virgin was not called 
my dlmah, because she was concealed by being kept 
at home in her father’s house, which is not true, but 
literally and physically, because, as a woman, she had 
not been wncovered—she had not known man. This 
fully applies to the blessed virgin: see Luke i. 84. 
‘“¢ How can this be, seeing I know no man?” and this 
text throws much light on the subject before us. This 
also is in perfect agreement with the ancient prophecy, 
“The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the 
serpent,” Gen. iii. 15; for the person who was to 
destroy the work of the devil was to be the progeny 
of the woman, without any concurrence of the man. 
And, hence, the text in Genesis speaks as fully of the 
vyrgin state of the person, from whom Christ, accord- 

᾿ 1 


Notes on the 


ing to the flesh, should come, as that in the prophet, 
or this in the evangelist. According to the original 
promise, there was to be a seed, a human being, who 
should destroy sin; but this seed or human being must 
come from the woman ALONE; and no woman ALONE, 
could produce such a human being, without being a 
virgin. Hence, A virgin shall bear a son, is the very 
spirit and meaning of the original text, independently 
of the illustration given by the prophet ; and the fact 
recorded by the evangelist is the proof of the whole. 
But how could that be a sign to Ahaz, which was to 
take place so many hundreds of years after? I answer, 
the meaning of the prophet is plain: not only Rezin 
and Pekah should be unsuccessful against Jerusalem 
at that time, which was the fact ; but Jerusalem, Judea, 
and the house of David, should be both preserved, not- 
withstanding their depressed state, and the multitude 
of their adversaries, till the time should come when a 
virGIn should beara son. This is a most remarkable 
circumstance—the house of David could never fail, till 
a virgin should conceive and bear a son—nor did it : 
but when that incredible and miraculous fact did take 
place, the kingdom and house of David became extinct! 
This is an irrefragable confutation of every argument 
a Jew can offer in vindication of his opposition to the 
Gospel of Christ. Hither the prophecy in Isaiah has 
been fulfilled, or the kingdom and house of David are 
yet standing. But the kingdom of David, we know, is 
destroyed: and where is the man, Jew or Gentile, that 
can show us a single descendant of David on the face 
of the earth? The prophecy could not fail—the king- 
dom and house of David have failed; the virgin, 
therefore, must have brought forth her son—and this 
son is Jesus, the Christ. Thus Moses, Isaiah, and 
Matthew concur ; and facts, the most unequivocal, have 
confirmed the whole! Behold the wisdom and provi- 
dence of God! 

Notwithstanding what has been said above, it may 
be asked, In what sense could this name Jmmanuel be 
applied to Jesus Christ, if he be not truly and properly 
GOD? Could the Spirit of truth ever design that 
Christians should receive him as an angel or ἃ mere 
man, and yet, in the very beginning of the Gospel his- 
tory, apply a character to him which belongs only to 
the most high God? Surely no. In what sense, then, 
is Christ Gop witn us? Jesus is called Immanuel, or 
God with us, in his incarnation.—God united to our 
nature—God with man—God in man.—God with us, 
by his continual protection.—God with us, by the in- 
fluences of his Holy Spirit—in the holy sacrament— 
in the preaching of his word—in private prayer. And 
God with us, through every action of our life, that we 
begin, continue, and end in his name. He is God with 
us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in every 
time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the 
day of judgment ; and God with us, and in us, and we 
with and in him, to all eternity. 

Verse 25. Her first-born son] Tov υἱον αὐτῆς tov 
πρωτότοκον. Literally, That son of hers, the first- 
gorn one. That Mary might have had other children, 
eny person may reasonably and piously believe; that 


CHAP. I. 


preceding chapter 


she had others, many think exceedingly probable, and 
that this text is at least an indirect proof of it. How- 
ever this may be, the perpetual virginity of Mary 
should not be made an article of faith. God has not 
made it one: indeed it can hardly bear the light of 
several texts in the Gospels. 

He knew her not} Had no matrimonial intercourse 
with her—riuu she had brought forth that son of hers, 
of whom the evangelist had been just speaking, the first- 
born, the eldest of the family, to whom the birthright 
belonged, and who was miraculously born before she 
knew any man, being yet in a state of virginity. See 
on chap. xiii. 55. The virginity of Mary, previously 
to the birth of Christ, is an article of the utmost con- 
sequence to the Christian system; and therefore it is 
an article of faith: her perpetual virginity is of no con- 
sequence ; and the learned labour spent to prove it has 
produced a mere castle in the air. The thing is 
possible; but it never has been, and never can be 
proved. 

He called his name JESUS.) This name was given 
by the command of God, see ver. 16, and was imposed 
on Christ when eight days old; for then, according to 
the Jewish law, he was circumcised: thus he had the 
name of Saviour given when he first began to shed 
that blood without which there could be no remission 
of sins. 

The goodness of God is manifested, not only in his 
giving his Son to save a lost world, but also in the 
choice of the persons who were his progenitors: among 
whom we find, First, Saints, to excite our courage : 
Abraham, remarkable for his faith ; Isaac, for his obe- 
dience; and Jacob, for his fervour and constancy. 

Secondly, Penitent sinners, to excite our confidence: 
such as David, Manasses, &c. 

Thirdly, Sinners, of whose repentance and salvation 
we hear nothing; to put us on our guard. Who can 
read the account of idolatrous Solomon, who, from the 
whole evidence of the sacred history, died in his sins, 
without trembling ? 

Four womeN are mentioned in this genealogy : two 
of these were adulteresses, Tamar and Bathsheba; and 
two were Gentiles, Rahab and Ruth, and strangers to 
the covenant of promise ; to teach us that Jesus Christ 
came to save sinners, and that, though strangers to his 
people, we are not on that account excluded from a 
salvation which God has designed for all men. He is 
not the God of the Jews only ; he is also the God of 
the Gentiles. 

The state of the royal family of David, the cireum- 
stances of the holy virgin and her spouse Joseph, the 
very remarkable prophecy of Isaiah, the literal and cir- 
cumstantial fulfilment of it, the names given to our 
blessed Lord, the genealogical scroll of the family, &c., 
&c., are all so many proofs of the wisdom, goodness, 
and providence of God. Every occurrence seems, at 
first view, to be abandoned to fortuitous influence, and 
yet the result of each shows that God managed the 
whole. These circumstances are of the greatest im- 
portance ; nor can the Christian reader reflect on them 
without an increase of his faith and his piety. 

41 


Wise men come from the 


ST. MATTHEW. 


east to worship Christ 


CHAPTER II. 


Wise men come from the east to worship Christ, 1, 2. 
troubled, 3; and makes inquiry of the chief priests and scribes, where the Christ should be born, 4. 
inform him of the prophecy relative to Bethlehem, 5, 6. 


Herod, hearing of the birth of our Lord, is greatly 
They 
The wise men, going to Bethlehem, are desired 


by Herod to bring him word when they have found the child, pretending that he wished to do him homage, 


7, 8. 
him gifts, 9-11. 
way, 12. 
Jesus, 13, 14. 


The wise men are directed by a star to the place where the young child lay, adore him, and offer 
Being warned of God not to return to Herod, they depart into their own country another 
Joseph and Mary are divinely warned to escape into Egypt, because Herod sought to destroy 
They obey, and continue in Egypt till the death of Herod, 15. 


Herod, finding that the 


wise men did not return, is enraged, and orders all the young children in Bethlehem, under two years of 


age, to be massacred, 16-18. 
19-21. 
takes up his residence at Nazareth, 22, 23. 


A.M. 4001. TOW when * Jesus was born in 
ὙΠ Ν Bethlehem of Judea, in the 
days of Herod the king, behold, 


An. Olymp. 
CXCIV. 1. 


Herod dies, and Joseph is divinely warned to return to the land of Israel, 
Finding that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of his father Herod, he goes to Galilee, and 


there came wise men ὃ from the Sapa 


aLuke ii. 4, 6, 7. 


east to Jerusalem, An, Olymp. 
2 Saying, ° Where is he that is —— ~— 
> Gen. x. 30; xxv. 6; 1 Kings iv. 30. ¢ Luke ii. 11. 


NOTES ON CHAP. II. 

Verse 1. Bethlehem of Judea| This city is men- 
tioned in Judges xvii. 7, and must be distinguished 
from another of the same name in the tribe of Zebulon, 
Josh. xix. 15. It is likewise called Ephrath, Gen. 
xlviii. 7, or Ephratah, Mic. v. 2, and its inhabitants 
Ephrathites, Ruth i. 2; 1 Sam. xvii. 12. It is situa- 
ted on the declivity of a hill, about six miles from Je- 
rusalem. om n3 Beth-lechem, in Hebrew, signifies 
the house of bread. And the name may be considered 
as very properly applied to that place where Jesus, the 
Messiah, the true bread that came down from heaven, 
was manifested, to give life to the world. But ond 
lechemalso signifies flesh, and is applied to that part of 
the sacrifice which was burnt upon the altar. See Lev. 
iii. 11-16; xxi. 6. The word is also used to signify 
a carcass, Zeph. i. 17. The Arabic version has 


oy Beet lehem, and the Persic ea) Cu 


Beet allehem: but ed lehem, in Arabic, never sig- 
nifies bread, but always means flesh. Hence it is 
more proper to consider the name as signifying the 
house of flesh, or, as some might suppose, the house of 
the incarnation, i. e. the place where God was mani- 
fested in the flesh for the salvation of a lost world. 

In the days of Herod the king| This was Herop, 
improperly denominated the Great, the son of Antipa- 
ter, an Idumean: he reigned 37 years in Judea, reck- 
oning from the time he was created king of that coun- 
try by the Romans. Our blessed Lord was born in 
the last year of his reign; and, at this time, the scep- 
tre had literally departed from Judah, a foreigner being 
now upon the throne. 

As there are several princes of this name mentioned 
m the New Testament, it may be well to give a list 
of them here, together with their genealogy. 

Herod, the Great, married ten wives, by whom he 
had several children, Euseb. 1. i. c. 9. p. 27. The 
first was Doris, thought to be an Idumean, whom he 
married when but a private individual ; by her he had 
Antipater, the eldest of all his sons, whom he caused to 
be executed five days before his own death. 

42 


His second wife was Mariamne, daughter to Hir- 
canus, the sole surviving person of the Asmonean, or 
Maccabean, race. Herod put her to death. She was 
the mother of Alexander and Aristobulus, whom Herod 
had executed at Sebastia, (Joseph. Antiq. 1. xvi. c. 
13.—De Bello, 1. i. 6. 17,) on an accusation of having 
entered into a conspiracy against him. Avistobulus 
left three children, whom I shall notice hereafter. 

His third wife was Mariamne, the daughter of Si- 
mon, a person of some note in Jerusalem, whom Herod 
made high priest, in order to obtain his daughter. She 
was the mother of Herod Philippus, or Herod Philip, 
and Salome. Herod or Philip married Herodias, 
mother to Salome, the famous dancer, who demanded 
the head of John the Baptist, Mark vi. 22. Salome 
had been placed, in the will of Herod the Great, as 
second heir after Antipater ; but her name was erased, 
when it was discovered that Mariamne, her mother, 
was an accomplice in the crimes of Antipater, son of 
Herod the Great. Joseph. de Bello, lib. i. e. 18, 19, 20. 

His fourth wife was Malthaké, a Samaritan, whose 
sons were Archelaus and Philip. The first enjoyed 
half his father’s kingdom under the name of ¢etrarch, ἢ 
viz. Idumea, Judea, and Samaria: Joseph. Antiq. 1. 
xvi. c. 11. He reigned nine years ; but, being accu- 
sed and arraigned before the Emperor Augustus, he 
was banished to Vienna, where he died : Joseph. Antiq. 
1. xvii. ο. 15. This isthe Archelaus mentioned in ver. 22. 

His brother Phzliy married Salome, the famous 
dancer, the daughter of Herodias; he died without 
children, and she was afterwards married to Aristobulus. 

The fifth wife of Herod the Great was Cleopatra 
of Jerusalem, She was the mother of Herod surnamed 
Antipas, who married Herodias, the wife of his brother 
Philip, while he was still living. Being reproved for 
this act by John the Baptist, Matt. xiv. 3; Mark vi. 
17; Luke iii. 19, and having imprisoned this holy 
man, he caused him to be beheaded, agreeable to the 
promise he had rashly made to the daughter of his wife 
Herodias, who had pleased him with her dancing. He 
attempted to seize the person of Jesus Christ, anq to 
put him to death. It was to this prince that Pilate 

1 


Herod 1s troubled, and all 


en born King of the Jews? for we 

An. Olymp. have seen “his star in the east 

CXCIV.L a, yeke ‘ 
and are come to worship him. 


4 Num. xxiv. 17; Isa. lx. 3. 


sent our Lord, Luke xiii. 31, 32. He was banished 
to Lyons, and then to Spain, where both he and his 
wife Herodias died. Joseph. Antiq. 1. xv. e. 14.— 
De Bello, 1. ii. c. 8. 

The sixth wife of Herod the Great was Pallas, by 
whom he had Phasaelus : his history is no ways con- 
nected with the New Testament. 

The seventh was named Phaedra, the mother of 
Roxana, who married the son of Pheroras. 

The eighth was Elpida, mother of Salome, who 
married another son of Pheroras. 

With the names of two other wives of Herod we 
are not acquainted; but they are not connected with 
our history, any more than are Pallas, Phaedra, and 
Elpida, whose names I merely notice to avoid the ac- 
cusation of inaccuracy. 

Aristoputus, the son of Herod the Great by Ma- 
riamne, a descendant of the Asmoneans, left two sons 
and a daughter, viz. Agrippa, Herod, and Herodias, 
so famous for her incestuous marriage with Antipas, 
in the life-time of his brother Philip. 

AGrippa, otherwise named Herod, who was impri- 
soned by Tiberius for something he had inconsiderately 
said against him, was released from prison by Caligula, 
* who made him king of Judea: Joseph. Antiq. 1. xviii. 
“. 8. It was this prince whe put St. James to death, 
and imprisoned Peter, as mentioned in xvi. of Acts. 
He died at Cesarea, in the way mentioned in the Acts, 
as well as by Josephus, Antiq. 1. xix. ec. 7. He left 
a son named Agrippa, who is mentioned below. 

Herop, the second son of Aristobulus, was king of 
Chaleis, and, after the death of his brother, obtained 
permission of the emperor to keep the ornaments be- 
longing to the high priest, and to nominate whom he 
pleased to that office: Joseph. Antiq. 1. xx. c. 1. He 
had a son named Aristobulus, to whom Nero gave Ar- 
menia the lesser, and who married Salome, the famous 
dancer, daughter to Herodias. 

Agrippa, son of Herod Agrippa, king of Judea, and 
grandson to Aristobulus and Mariamne ; he was at first 
king of Chalcis, and afterwards tetrarch of Galilee, in 
the room of his uncle Philip: Joseph. Antiq. 1. xx. ec. 
5. It was before him, his sister Berenice, and Feliz, 
who had married Drusilla, Agrippa’s second daughter, 
that St. Paul pleaded his cause, as mentioned Acts xxvi. 

Heropias, the daughter of Mariamne and Aristobu- 
lus, is the person of whom we have already spoken, 
who married successively the two brothers Philip and 
Antipas, her uncles, and who occasioned the death of 
John the Baptist. By her first husband she had Sa- 
lome, the dancer, who was married to Philip, tetrarch 
of the Trachonitis, the son of Herod the Great. Sa- 
Jome having had no children by him, she was married 
to Aristobulus, her cousin-german, son of Herod, king 
of Chalcis, and brother to Agrippa and Herodias: she 
had by this husband several children. 

This is nearly all that is necessary to be known re- 
fative to the race of the Herods, in order to distinguish 

1 


CHAP. Il. 


Jerusalem with him. 


3%] When Herod the king had 4,M- 1001. 
heard these things, * he was trou- An, Olymp. 
bled, and all Jerusalem with him. π᾿ 


© Prov. xxi. 1, 2. 


the particular persons of this family mentioned in the 
New Testament. See Basnage, Calmet, and Josephus. 

There came wise men from the east] Or, Magi 
came from the eastern countries. “ The Jews believed 
that there were prophets in the kingdom of Saba and 
Arabia, who were of the posterity of Abraham by 
Keturah; and that they taught in the name of God, 
what they had received in tradition from the mouth of 
Abraham.”—Wruitsy. That many Jews were mixed 
with this people there is little doubt ; and that these 
eastern magi, or philosophers, astrologers, or whatever 
else they were, might have been originally of that class, 
there is room to believe. These, knowing the promise 
of the Messiah. were now, probably, like other believ- 
ing Jews, waiting for the consolation of Israel. The 
Persic translator renders the Greek Mayor by lvgse 


mejooseean, which properly signifies a worshipper of 
fire ; and from which we have our word magician. Ttis 
very probable that the ancient Persians, who were con- 
sidered as worshippers of fire, only honoured it as the 
symbolical representation of the Deity ; and, seeing this 
unusual appearance, might consider it as a sign that 
the God they worshipped was about to manifest him- 
self among men. Therefore they say, We have seen 
his star—and are come to worship him ; but it is most 
likely that the Greeks made their Μάγοι magi, which 
we translate wise men, from the Persian & mogh, 
and we moghan, which the Kushuf ul Loghat, a very 
eminent Persian lexicon, explains by Cuwyy yoo! 
atush perest, a worshipper of fire ; which the Persians 
suppose all the inhabitants of Ur in Chaldea were, 
among whom the Prophet Abraham was brought up. 
The Mohammedans apply this title by way of derision 
to Christian monks in their associate capacity ; and by 
a yet stronger catachresis, they apply it to a tavern, 
and the people that frequent it. Also, to ridicule in 
the most forcible manner the Christian priesthood, they 
call the tavern-keeper leo >. peert Mughan, the 
priest, or chief of the idolaters. Τί is very probable 
that the persons mentioned by the evangelist were a 
sort of astrologers, probably of Jewish extraction, that 
they lived in Arabia Felix, and, for the reasons above 
given, came to worship their new-born sovereign. It 
is worthy of remark, that the Anglo-saxon translates 
the word Mayor by cungal-picegan, which signifies astro- 
logers, from cungol, a star or planet, and picen, to 
know or understand. 

Verse 2. We have seen his star] Having discovered 
an unusual luminous appearance or meteor in the 
heavens, supposing these persons to have been Jews, 
and knowing the prophecies relative to the redemption 
of Israel, they probably considered this to be the star 


mentioned by Balaam, Num. xxiv. 17. See the 
note there. 
In the east] Ev τη ανατολη, At its rise. Avatoan 


and δυσμὴ are used in the New Testament for east 
and west. 


43 


Herod inquires where 


4 And when he had gathered all 
An. Olymp. f the chief priests and & scribes of 

“— the people together, » he demanded 
of them where Christ should be born. 


A.M. 4001. 
B 


£2 Chron. xxxvi. 14. 


To worship him.] Or, To do him homage ; προσ- 
κυνησαι avtw. The word προσκύυνεω, which is com- 
pounded of προς, to, and κυων, a dog, signifies to crouch 
and fawn like a dog at his master’s feet. It means, to 
prostrate oneself to another, according to the eastern 
custom, which is still in use. In this act, the person 
kneels, and puts his head between his knees, his fore- 
head at the same tume touching the ground. It was 
used to express both civil and religious reverence. In 
Hindostan, religious homage is paid by prostrating the 
body at full length, so that the two knees, the two 
hands, forehead, nose, and cheeks all touch the earth 
at the same time. This kind of homage is paid also 
to great men. AYEEN AxBERY, vol. ili. p. 227. 

As to what is here called a star, some make it a 
meteor, others a luminous appearance like an Awrora 
Borealis; others a comet! There is no doubt, the 
appearance was very striking: but it seems to have 
been a simple meteor provided for the occasion. See 
on ver. 9. 

Verse 3. When Herod—heard these things, he 
was troubled| Herod’s consternation was probably oc- 
casioned by the agreement of the account of the magz, 
with an opinion predominant throughout the east, and 
particularly in Judea, that some great personage would 
soon make his appearance, for the deliverance of Israel 
from their enemies ; and would take upon himself uni- 
versal empire. 

Surronius and Tacrirus,-two Roman historians, 
mention this. Their words are very remarkable :— 

Percrebuerat Oriente toto, vetus et constans opinio, 
esse in fatis, ut eo tempore Juded profecti rerum poti- 
rentur. Id de imperatore Romano, quantum eventu 
postea predictum patuit, Judei ad se trahentes, rebel- 
ldrunt. Surtron. Vesp. “An ancient and settled 
persuasion prevailed throughout the east, that the 
fates had decreed some to proceed from Judea, who 
should attain universal empire. This persuasion, which 
the event proved to respect the Roman emperor, the 
Jews applied to themselves, and therefore rebelled.” 

The words of Tacitus are nearly similar :— 

Pluribus persuasio inerat, antiquis sacerdotum literis 
contwneri, eo ipso tempore fore, ut valesceret Oriens, 
profectique Juded rerum potirentur. Que ambages 
Vespasianum ac Titum predixerant. 

“‘ Many were persuaded, that it was contained in the 
ancient books of their priests, that at that very time 
the east should prevail: and that some should proceed 
from Judea and possess the dominion. It was Vespa- 
sian and Titus that these ambiguous prophecies pre- 
dicted.” Histor, v. 

Verse 4. The chief priests] Not only the high priest 
for the time being, called Φ ΝΠ 1π3 cohen ha-rosh, 2 
Kings xxv. 18, and his deputy, called 7219 {73 cohen 
mishneh, with those who had formerly borne the high 
vriest’s office; but also, the chiefs or heads of the 

44 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Christ should be born 


: im, A+ M. 4001. 
5 And they said unto him, 4,¥,*¢ 


In Bethlehem of Judea: for An. Olymp. 
sate : CXCIV. 1. 

thus it is written by the γτο- 

phet, 


& 2 Chron. xxxiv. 13; 1 Mac. v. 42; vii. 12.——» Mal. ii. 7. 


twenty-four sacerdotal families, which David distri- 
buted into so many courses, 1 Chron. xxiv. These 
latter are styled DNDN WW sarey ha-cohanim, chief of 
the priests, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14; Ezra viii. 24; and 
DNDN ws roshey ha-cohanim, heads of the priests, 
Neh. xii. 7. Josephus calls them by the same name 
as the writers of the New Testament. In his Life, 
sect. 8, he mentions πολλους---τῶν Ἀρχίερεων, MANY of 
the chief priests. The word is used in the singular in 
this last sense, for a chief of the priests, Acts xix. 14. 

Scribes] The word Τραμματεὺς, in the Septuagint, 
is used for a political officer, whose business it was to 
assist kings and civil magistrates, and to keep an ac. 
count in writing of public acts and occurrences. Such 
an officer is called in Hebrew qoon 5D seper ha- 
melech, 6 γραμματευς Tov βασιλεως, the king’s scribe, or 
secretary. See LXX. 2 Kings xii. 10. 

The word is often used by the LXX. for a man of 
learning, especially for one skilled in the Mosaic law : 
and, in the same sense, it is used by the New Testa- 
ment writers. Τραμματεὺς is therefore to be understood 
as always implying a man of letters, or learning, ca- 
pable of instructing the people. The derivation of 
the names proves this to be the genuine meaning of the 
word ypauua: a letter, or character, in writing: or 
γραμματα, letters, learning, erudition, and especially 
that gained from ooks. The Hebrew 75’ or Dw 
sopher, from saphar, to tell, count, cypher, signifies 
both a book, volume, roll, &c., and a notary, recorder, 
or historian; and always signifies a man of learning. 
We often term sucha person a man of letters. 

The word is used Acts xix. 35, for a civil magistrate 
at Ephesus, probably such a one as we would term 
recorder. It appears that Herod at this time gathered 
the whole Sanhedrin, in order to get the fullest infor- 
mation on a subject by which all his jealous fears had 
been alarmed. 

Verse 5. In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is 
written by the prophet| As there have been several con- 
fused notions among the Jews, relative not only to the 
Messiah, and his character, but also to the time of his 
birth, it may be necessary to add, to what has already 
been said on this subject, the following extracts from 
the Talmudists and Gemarists, quoted by Licurroor. 
At the close of a long dissertation on the year of our 
Lord’s birth, (which he places in the 35th of the reign 
of Herod, not the last or 37th as above,) he says: 
“Tt will not be improper here to produce the Gemarists 
themselves openly confessing that the Messtas had been 
born, a good while ago before their times. For so 
they write: After this the children of Israel shall be 
converted, and shall inquire after the Lord their God, 
and David their king: Hos. iii. 5. Our rabbins say, 
That is King Messvas, If he be among the living, his 
name is David, or if dead, David is his name. R. 
Tanchum said, Thus I prove it: He showeth merey 

1 


Bethlehem of Judah 


A. M001. 6 ‘And thou Bethlehem, in the 
An. Olymp. land of Juda, art not the least 
CXCIV. 1. 7 

———— among the princes of Juda: for 


i Mic. v. 2; John vii. 42; Luke ii. 4k Rey. ii. 27. 


to David his Messiah. (Psalm xviii. 50.) R. Joshua 
ben Levi saith, His name is ΤΙΝ tsemach, a Branch. 
(Zech. iii. 8.) R. Juban bar Arbu saith, His name 
is Menahem. (That is, sapaxAnroc, the Comforter.) 
© And that which happened to a certain Jew, as he was 
ploughing, agreeth with this business. A certain 
Arabian travelling, and hearing the ox bellow, said to 
the Jew at plough, O Jew, loose thy oxen, and loose 
thy ploughs, for behold! the temple is laid waste. 
The ox belloweth the second time ; the Arabian saith to 
him, O Jew, Jew, yoke thy oxen, and fit thy ploughs : 
amv xdoo po Nm For behold! King Messiah is 
born. But, saith the Jew, What is his name? Mena- 
hem, saith he (i. e. the Comforter.) And what is the 
name of his Father? Hezekiah, saith the Arabian. 
To whom the Jew, But whence is He? The other 
answered, From the palace of the king of Bethlehem 
Judah. Away he went, and sold his oxen and his 
ploughs, and became a seller of infants’ swaddling 
clothes, going about from town to town. When he 
came to that city, (Bethlehem,) all the women bought of 
him, but the mother of Menahem bought nothing. He 
heard the voice of the women saying, O thou mother 
of Menahem, thou mother of Menahem, carry thy 
son the things that are here sold. But she replied, 
May the enemies of Israel be strangled, because on 
the day that he was born, the temple was laid waste. 
To whom he said, But we hoped, that as it was laid 
waste at his feet, so at his feet it would be built again. 
She saith, I have no money. To whom he replied, 
But why should this be prejudicial to him? Carry 
him what you buy here, and if you have no money to- 
day, after some days I will come back and receive it. 
Afler some days, he returned to that city, and saith 
to her, How does the little infant? And she said, 
From the time you saw me last, spirits and tempests 
came, and snatched him away out of my hands.’ R. 
Bon saith, What need have we to learn from an Ara- 
bian? Ts it not plainly written, And Lebanon shall 
fall before the powerful one? (Isa. x. 34.) And what 
follows after? A branch shall come out of the root 
of Jesse. (Isa. xi. 1.) 

“The Batylonian doctors yield us a confession not 
very unlike the former. R. Charinah saith: After four 
hundred years are passed from the destruction of the 
temple, if any one shall say to you, Take to thyself 
Sor one penny a field worth a thousand pence, do not 
take it. And again, After four thousand two hundred 
thirty and one years from the creation of the world, 
if any shall say to you, Take for a penny a field 
worth a thousand pence, take it not. The gloss is, 
For that is the time of redemption, and you shall be 
brought back to the holy mountain, to the inheritance 
of your fathers ; why, therefore, should you misspend 
your penny 7 

“You may fetch the reason of this calculation, if 
vou have leisure, out of the tract Sanhedrin. The 


tradition of the school of Elias, the world is to last | 


CHAP. Il. 


our Lord's birth-place. 


out of thee shall come a Governor, ἈΠ ΤῸΝ 
* that shall 'rule my people Israel. An; Olymp. 
7 Then ™ Herod, when he had =e 


1 Or, feed——™ Psa. ii. 1, &c.; Acts iv. 25, &c. 


six thousand years, &c. And alittle after, Elias said 
to Rabh Judah, The world shall last not less than erghty- 
five jubilees: and in the last jubilee shall the Son of 
David come. He saith to him, Whether in the begin- 
ning of it, or in the end? He answered him, I know 
not. Whether is this whole time to be finished first, 
or not? He answered him, I know not. But Rabh 
Asher asserts, that he answered thus, Until then, expect 
him not, but from thence expect him. Wear your own 
countrymen, O Jew! How many centuries of years 
are passed by and gone from the eighty-fifth jubilee of 
the world, that is, the year MMMMCCL, and yet the 
Messias of your expectation is not yet come! 

“ Daniel’s weeks had so clearly defined the time of 
the true Messias, his coming, that the minds of the 
whole nation were raised into the expectation of him. 
Hence, it was doubted of the Baptist, whether he were 
not the Messias, Luke iii. 15. Hence it was, that the 
Jews are gathered together from all countries unto 
Jerusalem, Acts ii., expecting and coming to see, be- 
cause at that time the term of revealing the Messias, 
that had been prefixed by Daniel, was come. Hence 
it was that there was so great a number of false Christs, 
Matt. xxiv. 5, &e., taking the occasion of their im- 
postures hence, that now the time of that great expec- 
taion was at hand, and fulfilled: and in one word, 
They thought the kingdom of God should presently 
appear, Luke xix. 11. 

“But when those times of expectation were past, 
nor did such a Messias appear as they expected, (for 
when they saw the true Messias, they would not see 
him,) they first broke out into various, and those wild, 
conjectures of the time; and at length, all those con- 
jectures coming to nothing, all ended in this curse 
(the just cause of their eternal blindness) {ΠῚῚ nan 
Psp awn by, May their soul be confounded who 
compute the times!” They were fully aware that the 
time foretold by the prophets must be long since ful- 
filled ; and that their obstinacy must be confounded by 
their own history, and the chronology of their own 
Scriptures; and therefore they have pronounced an 
anathema on those who shall attempt to examine, by 
chronological computations, the prophecies that predict 
his coming. Who can conceive a state of wilful blind- 
ness or determined obstinacy superior to this! 

Verse 6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda} 
To distinguish it from Bethlehem, in the tribe of Ze- 
bulon. Josh. xix. 15. See on ver. 1. 

Art not the least] In Micahv. 2, it isread, Though 
thou be little—nvnd vyy tsdir lehayoth, little to be. 
Houbigant, struck with the oddness of the construc- 
tion of the Hebrew, by dividing the last word, and 
making a small change in two of the letters, makes 
the prophet agree with the evangelist, nvm xO ὝΨΥ 
tsdir lo hayita, thou art not the least. Several learned 
men are of opinion, that the copy from which St. 
Matthew quoted had the text in this way. However, 
some MSS. of very good note, among which is the 


The wise men find Christ, 


A.M. 4001. privily called the wise men, inquir- 
Ana Oi aan ed of them diligently, what time 
————_ the star appeared. 

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, 
Go and search diligently for the young child ; 
and when ye have found him, bring me word 
again, that I may come and worship him also. 

9 § When they had heard the king, they 
departed ; and, lo, the star, which they saw in 
the east, went before them, till it came and 
stood over where the young child was. 

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced 
with exceeding great joy. 

11 Ἵ And when they were come into the 
house, they saw the young child with Mary 


ST. MATTHEW. 


und offer hum gafts 


his mother, and fell down, and wor- 4 M1001. 
shipped him: and when they had An. Olymp. 
opened their treasures, * they ° pre- ————— 
sented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, 
and myrrh. 

12 And being warned of God ? in a dream, 
that they should not return to Herod, they de 
parted into their own country another way. 

13 And when they were departed, behold, 
the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in 
a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young 
child and his mother, and flee into Egypt; 
and be thou there until I bring thee word : for 
Herod will seek the young child to destroy 
him. 


0] Kings xix. 2; chap. xxi. 19; Job v. 12; Isa. xliv. 25. 


Codex Beze, have μὴ ελαχιστη et, for ουδαμως ελαχιστη 
et, Art thou not the least? 'This reconciles the pro- 
phet and evangelist without farther trouble. See 
the authorities for this reading in Griesbach and Wet- 
stem. 

Among the princes of Juda] In Micah vy. 2, it is, 
the thousands of Judah. There is much reason to 
believe that each tribe was divided into small portions 
called thousands, as in England certain small divisions 
of counties are called hundreds. For the proof of the 
first, the reader is referred to Judg. vi. 15, where, in- 
stead of my FAMILY ts poor in Manasseh, the Hebrew 
is, my THOUSAND (*D98) is the meanest in Manasseh : 
and to 1 Sam. x. 19, Present yourselves before the 
Lord by your Triges and by your THousANDS: and to 
1 Chron. xii. 20, Captains of the THousaNDs of Ma- 
nasseh. Now these THousanps being petty gowern- 
ments, Matthew renders them by the word ηγεμοσιν, 
because the word princes or governors was more in- 
telligible in the Greek tongue than thousands, though, 
in this case, they both signify the same. See Wake- 
field. 

That shall rule my people Israel.] Οστις ποιμανει, 
Who shall reep my people. "That is as a shepherd 
feeds his flock. Among the Greeks, kings are called, 
by Homer, λαὼν ποιμενες, shepherds of the people. 
This appellation probably originated from the pastoral 
employment, which kings and patriarchs did not blush 
to exercise in the times of primitive simplicity; and it 
might particularly refer to the case of David, the great 
type of Christ, who was a keeper of his father’s sheep, 
before he was raised to the throne of Israel. As the 
government of a good king was similar to the care a 
good shepherd has of his flock, hence ποιμὴν signified 
both shepherd and king ; and ποιμαίνω, to feed and to 
rule among the ancient Greeks. 

Verse 8. That I may come and worship him also.] 
See ver. 2, and on Gen. xvii. 3, and Exod. iv. 31. 
What exquisite hypocrisy was here! He only wished 
to find out the child that he might murder him; but 
see how that God who searches the heart prevents the 
designs of wicked men from being accomplished ! 

Verse 9. Inthe east] Or, at its rise. See ver. 2. 

46 


° Or, offered ; Psa. lxxil. 10; Isa. 1x. 6——P Chap. i. 20. 


Stood over where the young child was.| Super caput 
pueri, Over the head of the child, as the Opus Imprr- 
FEcTUM, on this place, has it. See Griesbach’s Var. 
Lect. So it appears to have been a simple luminous 
meteor in a star-like form, and at a very short dis- 
tance from the ground, otherwise it could not have 
ascertained the place where the child lay. But the 
last quoted reading, from the Opus Imperfectum, jus- 
tifies the opinion that the luminous appearance which 
had hitherto directed them now encompassed the head 
or tue child; and probably this gave the first idea to 
the ancient painters, of representing Christ in the man- 
ger, with a glory surrounding his head. his glory, 
or nimbus, is usually given also to saints and eminent 
persons, especially in the Roman Church, by all Ro- 
man Catholic painters. 

Verse 11. They presented unto him gifts] The peo- 
ple of the east never approach the presence of kings 
and great personages, without a present in their hands. 
This custom is often noticed in the Old Testament, 
and still prevails in the east, and in some of the newly 
discovered South Sea Islands. 

Gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.) Some will 
have these gifts to be emblematic of the Divinity, 
regal office, and manhood of Christ. ‘“ They offered 
him incense as their God; gold as their king; and 
myrrh, as united to a human body, subject to suffering 
and death.” Awrum, thus, myrrham, regique, DEO, 
HOMINIQUE, dona ferunt. JuveNncus. Rather, they 
offered him the things which were in most esteem 
among themselves; and which were productions of 
their own country. The gold was probably a very 
providential supply, as on it, it is likely, they subsisted 
while in Egypt. 

Verse 13. Flee into Egypt] Many Jews had set- 
tled in Egypt; not only those who had fled thither in 
the time of Jeremiah, see chap. xlviii.; but many 
others who had settled there also, on account of the 
temple which Onias IV. had built at Heliopolis 
Those who could speak the Greek tongue enjoyed 
many advantages in that country: besides, they had 
the Greek version of the Septuagint, which had been 
translated nearly 300 years before this time. Egypt 

1 


Herod slays the 


A, M4001. 14 When he arose, he took the 
An. if. young child and his mother by night, 


SO ond departed into Egypt; 


15 And was there until the death of Herod : 
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of 
the Lord by the prophet, saying, * Out of 
Egypt have 1 called my son. 

16 Ἵ Then Herod, when he saw that he 
was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding 
wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the chil- 
dren that were in Bethlehem, and in all the 
coasts thereof, from two years old and under, 
according to the time which he had diligently 
inquired of the wise men. 

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken 
by * Jeremy the prophet, saying, 

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamen- 


aHos. xi. 1. 


was now a Roman province, and the rage of Herod 
could not pursue the holy family to this place. There 
is an apocryphal work in Arabic, called the Gospel of 
the infancy, which pretends to relate all the acts of 
Jesus and Mary while in Egypt. ~E.have taken the 
pains to read this through, and have found it to be a 
piece of gross superstition, having nothing to entitle it 
to a shadow of credibility. 

Verse 15. Out of Egypt have I called my son.]| 
This is quoted from Hos. xi. 1, where the deliverance 
of Israel, and that only, is referred to. But as that 
deliverance was extraordinary, it is very likely that it 
had passed into a prover), so that “ Out of Egypt have 
I called my son,” might have been used to express 
any signal deliverance. I confess, I can see no other 
reference it can have to the case in hand, unless we 
suppose, which is possible, that God might have refer- 
red to this future bringing up of his son Jesus from 
Egypt, under the type of the past deliverance of Israel 
from the same land. Midrash Tehillin, on Psalm ii. 
7, has these remarkable words: I will publish a de- 
cree: this decree has been published in the Law, in 
the Prophets, and in the Hagiographia. In the Law, 
Israel is my first-born son: Exod. iv. 22. In the 
Prophets, Behold, my servant shall deal prudently : 
Isa. li. 13. In the Hagiographia, The Lord said 
unto my lord: Psa. ex. 1. All these passages the 
Jews refer to the Messiah. See Schoettgen. 

Verse 16. Slew all the children] This cruelty of 
Herod seems alluded to in very decisive terms by 
Macrobius, who flourished toward the conclusion of 
the fourth century. In his chapter De jocis Augusti 
in alios, et aliorum rursus in ipsum, he says, Cum au- 
disset inter pueros, quos in Syria Herodes, rex Jude- 
erum, intra bimatum jussit interfici, filium quoque ejus 
occisum, ait, Melius est Herodis porcum esse, quam 
ritium. ‘“ When he heard that among those male in- 
fants about two years old, which Herod, the king of 
the Jews, ordered to be slain in Syria, one of his sons 
was also murdered, he said : ‘It is better to be Herod’s 
#06 than his son.’” Saturn. lib. ii. ὁ. 4. The point 

1 


CHAP. fl. 


children of Bethlehem. 


tation, and weeping, and great ga ag 
mourning, Rachel weeping for her An, Olymp. 
children, and would not be com- — 
forted, because they are not. 

19 1 But when Herod was 4-M_ cir. 4003. 
dead, behold, an angel of the 
Lord appeareth in a dream to Jo- 
seph in Egypt, 

20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child 
and his mother, and go into the land of Israel : 
for they are dead, which sought the young 
child’s life. 

21 And he arose, and took the young child 
and his mother, and came into the land of 
Israel. 

22 But when he heard that Archelaus did 
rein in Judea, in the room of his father 


τ Jer. xxxi. 15. 


of this saying consists in this, that Herod, professing 
Judaism, his religion forbade his killing swine, or hay- 
ing any thing to do with their flesh ; therefore his hog 
would have been safe, where his son lost his life. 

Verse 18. In Rama was there a voice heard] 'These 
words, quoted from Jer. xxxi. 15, were originally 
spoken concerning the captivity of the ten tribes ; but 
are here elegantly applied to the murder of the inno- 
cents at Bethlehem. As if he had said, Bethlehem 
at this time resembled Rama; for as Rachel might be 
said to weep over her children, which were slaugh- 
tered or gone into captivity; so in Bethlehem, the 
mothers lamented bitterly their children, because they 
were slain. The word ϑρηνος, lamentation is omitted 
by the Codd. Vatic. Cypr. one of Selden’s MSS. the 
Syriac, Arabic, Persic, A&thiopic, all the Itala, (except 
that in the Cod. Beze,) Vulgate, and Saxon, several 
of the fathers, and above all Jeremiah, chap. xxxi. 15, 
from which it is quoted. Griesbach leaves it in the 
text with a note of doubtfulness. This mourning may 
refer to cases far from uncommon in the east, where 
all the children have been massacred. The lamenta- 
tions of a Hindoo mother for her child are loud and 
piercing ; and it is almost impossible to conceive of a 
scene more truly heart-rending than that of a whole 
town of such mothers wailing over their massacred 
children. See Warp. 

Verse 20. They are dead] Both Herod and Anti- 
pater his son; though some think the plural is here 
used for the singular, and that the death of Herod 
alone is here intended. But as Herod’s son Antipater 
was at this time heir apparent to the throne, and he 
had cleared his way to it by procuring the death of 
both his elder brothers, he is probably alluded to here, 
as doubtless he entered into his father’s designs. 
Tuey are dead—Antipater was put to death by his 
father’s command, five days before this execrable ty- 
rant went to his own place. See Josephus, Antiq 
xvi. 11; xvii. 9. 

Verse 22. When he heard that Archelaus did reign] 
Herod, having put Antipater his eldest son to death, 

47 


The holy family return from 


Ao Ge ANOS. Herod, he was afraid to go 
An. Digan. thither : notwithstanding, being 
CxO = warmed of God in a Arena 

Σ turned aside ‘into the parts οἵ Gali- 

lee: 


s Chap. iii. 13; Luke 11. 39. 


altered his will, and thus disposed of his dominions : 
he gave the tetrarchy of Galilee and Petrea to his son 
Antipas; the tetrarchy of Gaulonitis, Trachonitis, 
Batanea, and Paneadis, to his son Philip; and left the 
kingdom of Judea to his eldest remaining son, Arche- 
laus. This son partook of the cruel and blood-thirsty 
disposition of his father: at one of the passovers, he 
caused three thousand of the people to be put to death 
in the temple and city. For his tyranny and cruelty, 
Augustus dep.ived him of the government, and ban- 
ished him. His character considered, Joseph, with 
great propriety, forbore to settle under Azs jurisdiction. 

He turned aside into the parts of Galilee] Here 
Antipas governed, who is allowed to have been of 
a comparatively mild disposition ; and, being intent on 
building two cities, Julias and Tiberias, he endeavour- 
ed, by a mild carriage and promises of considerable 
immunities, to entice people from other provinces to 
come and settle in them. He was besides in a state 
of enmity with his brother Archelaus: this was a 
most favourable circumstance to the holy family ; and 
though God did not permit them to go to any of the 
new cities, yet they dwelt in peace, safety, and com- 
fort at Nazareth. 

Verse 23. That it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by the prophets] It is difficult to ascer- 
tain by what prophets this was spoken. The margin 
usually refers to Judg. xiii. 5, where the angel, fore- 
telling the birth of Samson, says, No razor shall come 
upon his head ; for the child shall be a NAzARITE (773 
nezir) unto God from the womb. The second passage 
usually referred to is Isa. xi. 1: There shall come 
forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a BRANCH 
(9¥) netser) shall grow out of his roots. That this 
refers to Christ, there is no doubt. Jeremiah, chap. 
Xxili. 5, is supposed to speak in the same language— 
1 will raise unto David a righteous ΒΒΆΝΟΗ : but here 
the word is NDY¥ tsemach, not ὍΝ) netser; and it is 
the same in the parallel place, Zech. 111. 8; vi. 12; 
therefore, these two prophets cannot be referred to; 
but the passages in Judges and Isaiah may have been 
in the eye of the evangelist, as well as the whole 
institution relative to the Nazarive (1) nezir) deliver- 
ed at large, Num. vi., where see ihe notes. As the 
Nazarite was the most pure and perfect institution 
under the law, it is possible that God intended to point 
out by it, not only the perfection of our Lord, but also 
the purity of his followers. And it is likely that, be- 
fore St. Matthew wrote this Gospel, those afterwards 
called. Christians bore the appellation of Nazarites, 
or Nazoreans, for so the Greek word, Ναζωραιίος, should 
be written. Leaving the spiritual reference out of the 
question, the Nazarene or Nazorean here may mean 
simply: an inhabitant or person of Nazareth; as Gali- 
lean does a person or inhabitant of Galilee. The 

48 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Egypt, and setile at Nazareth 


23 And he came and dwelt in A.M. ir. 4003. 


3 B. C. cir. 2. 
a city called ‘Nazareth; that Be, ee 
it might be fulfilled ἃ which was ———~—~ 


spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a 
Nazarene. 


t John 1. 45. 


ἃ Judg. xiii. 5; 1 Sam. 1.1]. 


evangelist evidently designed to state, that neither the 
sojourning at Nazareth, nor our Lord being called a 
Nazarene, were fortuitous events, but were wisely de- 
termined and provided for in the providence of God; 
and therefore foretold by inspired men, or fore-repre- 
sented by significant institutions. 

But how shall we account for the manner in which 
St. Matthew and others apply this, and various other 
circumstances, to the fulfilment of ancient traditions ? 
This question has greatly agitated divines and critics 
for more than a century. Swrenhusius, Hebrew pro- 
fessor at Amsterdam, and editor of a very splendid and 
useful edition of the Mishna, in six vols. fol. publish- 
ed an express treatise on this subject, in 1713, full of 
deep research and sound criticism. He remarks great 
difference in the mode of quoting used in the Sacred 
Writings: as, It hath been said—it is written—that 
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets 
—the Scripture says—see what is said—the Scrip- 
ture foreseeing—he saith—is it not written ?2—the 
saying that is written, &e., &e. With great pains and 
industry, he has collected ten rules out of the Talmud 
and the rabbins, to explain and justify all the quota- 
tions made from the Old Testament in the New. 

Rue 1. Reading the words, not according to the 
regular vowel points, but to others substituted for 
them. He thinks this is done by Peter, Acts iii. 22, 
23; by Stephen, Acts vii. 42, &c.; and by Paul, 
1 Cor. xv. 54; 2 Cor. viii. 15. 

Rute Il. Changing the letters, as done by St. 
Paul, Rom. ix. 33; 1 Cor. ix. 9, &c.; Heb. viii. 9, 

c.; Heb. x. 5. 

Rute III. Changing both letters and vowel poits, 
as he supposes is done by St. Paul, Acts xiii. 40, 41; 
2 Cor. viii. 15. 

Rute IV. Adding some letters, and retrenching 
others. 

Rute V. Transposing words and letters. 

Rute VI. Dividing one word into two. 

Rute VII. Adding other words to make the sense 
more clear. 

Rute VII. Changing the original order of the 
words. 

Rue IX. Changing the original order, and adding 
other words. 

Rute X. Changing the original order, and adding 
and retrenching words, which he maintains is a method 
often used by St. Paul. 

Let it be observed, that although all these rules are 
used by the rabbins, yet, as far as they are employed 
by the sacred writers of the New Testament, they 
never, in any case, contradict what they quote from the 
Old, which cannot be said of the rabbins: they only 
explain What they quote, or accommodate the passage 
to the facts then in question. And who will venture 

1 


Reflections on the 


to say that the Holy Spirit has not a right, in any sub- 
sequent period, to explain and illustrate his own mean- 
ing, by showing that it had a greater extension in the 
Divine mind than could have been then perceived by 
ment And has He not a right to add to what he has 
formerly said, if it seem right in his own sight? 15 
not the whole of the New Testament, an addition to 
the Old, as the apostolic epistles are to the narrative 
of our Lord’s life and acts, as given by the evange- 
lists 2 

Gusset, Wolf, Rosenmuller, and others, give four 
rules, according to which, the phrase, that τὲ might be 
fulfilled, may be applied in the New Testament. 

Rute I. When the thing predicted is literally ac- 
complished. 

Rute IJ. When that is done, of which the Serip- 
ture has spoken, not in a literal sense, but in a spiritual 
sense. 

Rute III. When a thing is done neither in a literal 
nor spiritual sense, according to the fact referred to in 
the Scripture ; but is similar to that fact. 

Rute IV. When that which has been mentioned in 
the Old Testament as formerly done, is accomplished 
in a Jarger and more extensive sense in the New 'Tes- 
tament. 

St. Matthew seems to quote according to all these 
rules ; and it will be useful to the reader to keep them 
constantly in view. I may add here, that the writers 
of the New Testament seem often to differ from those 
of the Old, because they appear uniformly to quote 
from some copy of the Septuagint version; and most 
of their quotations agree verbally, and often even /it- 
erally, with one or other of the copies of that version 
which subsist to the present day. Want of attention 
to the difference of copies, in the Septuagint version, 
has led some divines and critics into strange and even 
ridiculous mistakes, as they have taken that for THE 
Sepruacint which existed in the printed copy before 
them; which sometimes happened not to be the most 
correct. 


On the birth-place of our Lord, a pious and sensible 
man has made the following observations :— 

* At the first sight, it seems of little consequence 
to know the place of Christ’s nativity; for we should 
consider him as our Redeemer, whatever the circum- 
stances might be which attended his mortal life. But, 
seeing it has pleased God to announce, beforehand, 
the place where the Saviour of the world should be 
born, it became necessary that it should happen pre- 
cisely in that place; and that this should be one of 
the characteristics whereby Jesus Christ should be 
known to be the true Messiah. 

“Tt is also a matter of small importance to us where 
we may live, provided we find genuine happiness.— 
There is no place on earth, however poor and despica- 

Vou. I. (ae *) 


CHAP. II. 


birth-place of our Saviour. 


ble, but may have better and more happy inhabitants 
than many of those are who dwell in the largest and 
most celebrated cities. Do we know a single place 
on the whole globe where the works of God do not 
appear under a thousand different forms, and where a 
person may not feel that blessed satisfaction which 
arises from a holy and Christian life’? For an indi- 
vidual, that place is preferable to all others where he 
ean get and do most good. For a number of people, 
that place is best where they can find the greatest 
number of wise and pious men. Every nation de- 
clines, in proportion as virtue and religion lose their 
influence on the minds of the inhabitants. The place 
where a young man first beheld the dawn and the 
beauty of renewed nature, and with most lively sen- 
sations of joy and gratitude adored his God, with all 
the veneration and love his heart was capable of ; the 
place where a virtuous couple first met, and got ac- 
quainted ; or where two friends gave each other the 
noblest proofs of their most tender affection; the village 
where one may have given, or seen, the most remarka- 
ble example of goodness, uprightness, and patience ; 
such places, I say, must be dear to their hearts. 

“Bethlehem was, according to this rule, notwith- 
standing its smallness, a most venerable place ; seeing 
that there so many pious people had their abode, and 
that acts of peculiar piety had often been performed in 
it. First, the patriarch Jacob stopped some time in it, 
to erect a monument to his well-beloved Rachel. It 
was at Bethlehem that honest Naomi, and her modest 
daughter-in-law, Ruth, gave such proofs of their faith 
and holiness ; and in it Boaz, the generous benefactor, 
had his abode and his possessions. At Bethlehem the 
humble Jesse sojourned, the happy father of so many 
sons; the youngest of whom rose from the pastoral 
life to the throne of Israel. It was in this country 
that David formed the resolution of building a house 
for the Lord, and in which he showed himself the 
true shepherd and father of his subjects, when, at the 
sight of the destroying angel, whose sword spread con- 
sternation and death on all hands, he made interces- 
sion for his people. It was in Bethlehem that Ze- 
rubbabel the prince was born, this descendant of David, 
who was the type of that Ruler and Shepherd under 
whose empire Israel is one day to assemble, in order 
to enjoy uninterrupted happiness. Lastly, in this city 
the Son of God appeared; who, by his birth, laid the 
foundation of that salvation, which, as Redeemer, he 
was to purchase by his death for the whole world.— 
Thus, in places which from their smallness are entitled 
to little notice, men sometimes spring, who become the 
benefactors of the humanrace. Often, an inconsider- 
able village has given birth to a man, who, by his wis- 
dom, uprightness, and heroism, has been a blessing to 
whole kingdoms.” 

Sturm’s Reflections, translated by A. C. vol iv 

49 


John the Baptist begins 


ST. MATTHEW. 


to preach and baptize 


CHAPTER UI. 


John the Baptist begins to preach, 1. 
food, 4. The success of his ministry, 5, 6. 
the gudgments of God against the impenitent, 10. 


The subject of his preaching, 2, 3. 
His exhortation to the Pharisees, 7-9. 


Description of his clothing and 
He denounces 
The design of his baptism, and that of Christ, 11, 12. 


He baptizes Christ in Jordan, 13-15 ; who is attested to be the Messiah by the Holy Spirit, and a voice 


from heaven, 16, 17. 


“eg [N those days came ἅ John the 
δὶ Gime Baptist, preaching ἢ in the wilder- 


ness of Judea, 


a Mark i. 4, 15; Luke iii. 2, 3; John i. 28.—» Josh. xiv. 10. 


NOTES ON CHAP. III. 

Verse 1. John the Baptist) John, surnamed The 
Baptist, because he required those to be baptized who 
professed to be contrite because of their sins, was the 
son of a priest named Zacharias, and his wife Elisabeth, 
and was born about A. M. 3999, and about six months 
before our blessed Lord. Of his almost miraculous 
conception and birth, we have a circumstantial account 
in the Gospel of Luke, chap. i. to which, and the notes 
there, the reader is requested to refer. For his fide- 
lity in reproving Herod for his incest with his brother 
Philip’s wife, he was cast into prison, no doubt at the 
suggestion of Herodias, the profligate woman in ques- 
tion. He was at last beheaded at her instigation, and 
his head given as a present to Salome, her daughter, 
who, by her elegant dancing, had highly gratified He- 
rod, the paramour of her incestuous mother. His 
ministry was short; for he appears to have been put 
to death in the 27th or 28th year of the Christian 
era. 

Came—preaching| Knpvocwv, proclaiming, as a 
herald, a matter of great and solemn importance to men; 
the subject not his own, nor of himself, but from that 
God from whom alone he had received his commission. 
See on the nature and importance of the herald’s office, 
at the end of this chapter. Κηρύσσειν, says Rosenmuller, 
de tis dicitur, qui in PLATEIS, im CAMPIS, 72 AERE aperto, 
ut a multis audiantur, vocem tollunt, &e. ‘The verb 
κηρύσσειν is applied to those who, in the streets, fields, 
and open air, lift up their voice, that they may be heard 
by many, and proclaim what has been committed to 
them by regal or public authority; as the KERUKES 
among the Greeks, and the PREcOoNEs among the 
Romans.” 

The wilderness of Judea\ That is, the country parts, 
as distinguished from the city; for in this sense the 
word wilderness, V3) midbar or N24) midbarioth, 
is used among the rabbins. John’s manner of life 
gives no countenance to the eremite or hermit’s life, 
so strongly recommended and applauded by the Roman 
Church. 

Verse 2. Repent] Meravoeite. This was the matter 
of the preaching. The verb μετανοξω is either com- 
pounded of μετα, after, and νοεῖν to understand, which 
signifies that, after hearing such preaching, the sinner 
is led to understand, that the way he has walked in 
was the way of misery, death, and hell. Or the word 
may be derived from peta after, and avo.a, madness, 
which intimates that the whole life of a sinner is no 

50 


2 And saying, Repent ye: for AL M. ΓΟ 4090. 


‘the kingdom of heaven is at Per oh le 
CCL 2 
hand. 


¢ Dan. ii. 44; chap. iv. 17; x. 7. 


other than a continued course of madness and folly : 
and if to live in a constant opposition to all the dictates 
of true wisdom ; to wage war with his own best inter- 
ests in time and eternity ; to provoke and insult the 
living God; and, by habitual sin, to prepare himself 
only for a state of misery, be evidences of insanity, 
every sinner exhibits them plentifully. It was from 
this notion of the word, that the Latins termed repent- 
ance resipiscentia, a growing wise again, from re and 
sapere; or, according to Tertullian, Resipiscentia, 
quasi receplio mentis ad se, restoring the mind to itself : 
Contra Marcion, lib. ti. Repentance, then, implies 
that a measure of Divine wisdom is communicated to 
the sinner, and that he thereby becomes wise to salva 
tion. That his mind, purposes, opinions, and inclina- 
tions, are changed ; and that, in consequence, there is 
a total change in his conduct. It need scarcely be 
remarked, that, in this state, a man feels deep anguish 
of soul, because he has sinned against God, unfitted 
himself for heaven, and exposed his soul to hell. Hence, 
a true penitent has that sorrow, whereby he forsakes 
sin, not only because it has been ruinous to his own 
soul, but because it has been offensive to God. 

The kingdom of heaven is at hand| Referring to the 
prophecy of Daniel, chap. vii. 13, 14, where the reign 
of Christ among men is expressly foretold. This 
phrase, and the kingdom of God, mean the same thing, 
viz. the dispensation of infinite mercy, and manifesta- 
tion of eternal truth, by Christ Jesus, producing the 
true knowledge of God, accompanied with that worship 
which is pure and holy, worthy of that God who is its 
institutor and its object. But why is this called a king- 
dom? Because it has its daws, all the moral precepts 
of the Gospel: its subjects, all who believe in Christ 
Jesus: and its king, the Sovereign of heaven and earth. 
N.B. Jesus Christ never saved a soul which he did 
not govern; nor is this Christ precious or estimable to 
any man who does not feel a spirit of subjection to the 
Divine will. 

But why is it called the kingdom of upaven? Be- 
cause God designed that his kingdom of grace here 
should resemble the kingdom of glory above. And 
hence our Lord teaches us to pray, Thy will be done 
on earth, as it is in heaven. The kingdom of heaven 
is not meat and drink, says St. Paul, Rom. xiv. 17; 
does not consist in the gratification of sensual passions, 
or worldly ambition ; but is righteousness, peace, and 
joy, in the Holy Ghost. Now what can there be more 
than this in glory? Righteousness, without mixture of 

(ger) 


The prophecy concerning John, 


A. M. 4030. 
An, Olymp. of by the prophet Esaias, saying, 
"δ΄ 4The voice of one crying in the 
wilderness, ° Prepare ye the way of the Lord, 
make his paths straight. 
4 And ‘the same John £ had his raiment of 
camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his 


4Jsa. xl. 3; Mark i. 3; Luke iii. 4; John i. 23. ¢ Luke i. 76. 
f Mark i. 6—— 2 Kings i. 8; Zech. xiii. 4. 


sin; peace, without strife or contention; joy, in the 
Holy Ghost, spiritual joy, without mixture of misery ! 
And all this, it is possible, by the grace of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, to enjoy here below. How then does 
heaven itself differ from this state?’ Answer. It makes 
the righteousness efernal, the peace eternal, and the joy 
eternal. This is the heaven of heavens! The phrase, 
kingdom of heaven, DW ΤΊΣ malcuth shamayim, is 
frequently used by the rabbinical writers, and always 
means, the purity of the Divine worship, and the 
blessedness which a righteous man feels when employ- 
ed in it. 

It is farther added, This kingdom is at hand. The 
dispensation of the glorious Gospel was now about to be 
fully opened, and the Jews were to have the first offers 
of salvation. This kingdom is also at hand to us; and 
wherever Christ crucified is preached, there is salva- 
tion to be found. JESUS is proclaimed to thee, O 
man! as infinitely able and willing to save. Believe 
in his name—cast thy soul upon his atonement, and 
enter into rest ! 

Verse 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness] 
Or, A voice of a crier in the wilderness. This is 
quoted from Isa. xl. 3, which clearly proves that John 
the Baptist was the person of whom the prophet spoke. 

The idea is taken from the practice of eastern mo- 
narchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedi- 
tion, or took a journey through a desert country, sent 
harbingers before them, to prepare all things for their 
passage ; and pioneers to open the passes, to level the 
ways, and to remove all impediments. The officers ap- 
pointed to superintend such preparations were called 
by the Latins, stratores. 

Diodorus’s account of the march of Semiramis into 
Media and Persia, will give us a clear notion of the 
preparation of the way for a royal expedition. “In 
her march to Echatane, she came to the Zarcean 
mountain, which, extending many furlongs, and being 
full of craggy precipices and deep hollows, could not be 
passed without making a great compass about. Being 
therefore desirous of leaving an everlasting memorial 
of herself, as well as shortening the way. she ordered 
the precipices to be digged down, and the hollows to be 
filled up ; and, at a great expense, she made a shorter 
and more expeditious road, which, to this day, is call- 
ed from her, The road of Semiramis. Afterwards she 
went into Persia, and ali the other countries of Asia, 
sunject to her dominion; and, wherever she went, she 
ordered the mountains and precipices to be levelled, 
raised causeways in the plain country, and, at a great 
expense, made the ways passable.” Diod. Sic. lib. ii. 
and Bp. Lowth. 

1 


CHAP. Ill. 


and his manner of life. 


3 For this is he that was spoken | loins; and his meat was locusts 4 oe 


Aun. Olymp. 


and ‘wild honey. 2, Oly 


5 9 *Then went out to him Jeru- 
salem, and all Judea, and all the region round 
about Jordan, 

‘And were baptized of him in Jordan, 
confessing their sins. 


h Lev. xi. 22.——i1] Sam. xiv. 25, 26——* Mark i. 5; Luke iii 
7.—| Acts xix. 4, 18. 


The Jewish Church was that desert country, to 
which John was sent, to announce the coming of the 
Messiah. It was destitute at that time of all religious 
cultivation, and of the spirit and practice of piety ; and 
John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, by 
preaching the doctrine of repentance. ‘The desert is 
therefore to be considered as affording a proper emblem 
of the rude state of the Jewish Church, which is the 
true wilderness meant by the prophet, and in whieh 
John was to prepare the way of the promised Messiah. 
The awful importance of the matter, and the vehemence 
of the manner of the Baptist’s preaching, probably ac- 
quired him the character of the crier, Bowv. 

For the meaning of the word Joun, see the note on 
Mark i. 4. 

Verse 4. His raiment of camel’s hair] A sort of 
coarse or rough covering, which, it appears, was 
common to the prophets, Zech. xiii. 4. In such a 
garment we find Elyah clothed, 2 Kings i. 8. And as 
John had been designed under the name of this 
prophet, Mal. iv. 5, whose spirit and qualifications he 
was to possess, Luke i. 17, he took the same habit, 
and lived in the same state of self-denial. 

His meat was locusts] Axpiec. Axpic may either sig- 
nify the insect called the locust, which still makes a 
part of the food in the land of Judea; or the top of 
a plant. Many eminent commentators are of the 
latter opinion ; but the first is the most likely. The 
Saxon translator has zepycapan grasshoppers. 

Wild honey.] Such as he got in the rocks and 
hollows of trees, and which abounded in Judea: see 
1 Sam. xiv. 26. It is most likely that the dried 
locusts, which are an article of food in Asiatic coun 
tries to the present day, were fried in the honey, or 
compounded in some manner with it. The Gospel 
according to the Hebrews, as quoted by Epiphanius, 
seems to have taken a similar view of the subject, as 
it adds here to the text, Ov ἡ yevoic nv Tov μαννα, ὡς 
eyxpic ev ελαιίω. And its taste was like manna, as @ 
sweet cake baked in oil. 

Verse 5. Jordan] Many of the best MSS. and 
versions, with Mark i. 5, add ποτάμω, the river Jor- 
dan; but the definitive article, with which the word is 
generally accompanied, both in the Hebrew and the 
Greek, is sufficient ; and our article éie, which should 
ever be used in the translation, expresses the force of 
the other. 

Verse 6. Were baptized] In what form baptism 
was originally administered, has been deemed a sub 
ject worthy of serious dispute. Were the people 
dipped or sprinkled? for it is certain βαπτω and 
βαπτιζω mean both. They were all dipped, say some 

51 


Many come to the 


AM. 4030. 7 qf But when he saw many of 


An. Olymp. the Pharisees and Sadducees come 
CCL. ἡ Α τ : 
to his baptism, he said unto them, 


m Chap. xii. 34; xxiii. 33; Luke iii. 7, 8, 9. 


Can any man suppose that it was possible for John 
to dip all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea, and 
of all the country round about the Jordan? Were 
both men and women dipped, for certainly doth came 
to his baptism? This could never have comported 
either with safety or with decency. Were they dip- 
ped in their clothes? This would have endangered 
their lives, if they had not with them change of 
raiment: and as such a baptism as John’s (however 
administered) was, in several respects, a new thing 
in Judea, it is not at all likely that the people would 
come thus provided. But suppose these were dipped, 
which I think it would be impossible to prove, does it 
follow that, in all regions of the world, men and 
women must be dipped, in order to be evangelically 
baptized? In the eastern countries, bathings were 
frequent, because of the heat of the climate, it being 
there so necessary to cleanliness and health; but 
could our climate, or a more northerly one, admit of 
this with safety, for at least three-fourths of the year ? 
We may rest assured that it could not. And may we 
not presume, that if John had opened his commission 
in the north of Great Britain, for many months of the 
year, he would have dipped neither man nor woman, 
unless he could have procured a tepid bath? Those 
who are dipped or immersed in water, in the name of 
the Holy Trinity, I believe to be evangelically bap- 
tized—those who are washed or sprinkled with 
water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost, I believe to be equally so; and 
the repetition of such a baptism I believe to be pro- 
fane. Others have a right to believe the contrary, if 
they see good. After all, it isthe ¢hing signified, and 
not the mode, which is the essential part of the sacra- 
ment. See the note on Mark x. 16. 

Confessing their sins.] ἙἙξομολογουμενοι, earnestly 
acknowledging that their sins were their own. And 
thus taking the whole blame upon themselves, and 
laying nothing to the charge of Gop or man. This is 
essential to true repentance ; and, till a man take the 
whole blame on himself, he cannot feel the absolute 
need he has of casting his soul on the merey of God, 
that he may be saved. 

Verse 7. Pharisees] A very numerous sect among 
the Jews, who, in their origin, were, very probably, a 
pure and holy people. It is likely that they got the 
name of Pharisees, i. 6. Separatists, (from w7D pha- 
rash, to separate,) from their separating themselves 
from the pollution of the Jewish national worship ; 
and hence, the word in the Anglo-saxon version is 
Tundop-halgan, holy persons who stand apart, or by 
themselves : but, in process of time, like all religious 
sects and parties, they degenerated: they lost the 
spirit of their institution, they ceased to recur to first 
principles, and had only the form of godliness, when 
Jesus Christ preached in Judea; for he bore witness, 
that they did make the outside of the cup and platter 

52 


ST. MATTHEW. 


baptism of John. 


m 5 ἢ A. M. 4030. 
O generation of vipers, who hath 4,™, 403 


wamed you to flee from "the wrath oe ae. 
to come ? — 


Rom. v.9; 1 Thess. i. 10. 


clean—they observed the rules of their institution, 
but the spirit was gone. 

Sadducees] A sect who denied the existence of 
angels and spirits, consequently all Divine influence 
and inspiration, and also the resurrection of the dead. 
The Sadducees of that time were the Materialists and 
Deists of the Jewish nation. When the sect of the 
Pharisees arose cannot be distinctly ascertained ; but 
it is supposed to have been some time after the Baby- 
lonish captivity. The sect of the Sadducees were the 
followers of one Sadok, a disciple of Antigonus So- 
cheus, who flourished about three centuries before 
Christ. There was a third sect among the Jews, 
called the Hssenes or Essenians, of whom I shall have 
occasion to speak on chap. xix. 12. 

Come to his baptism] The AXthiopic version adds 
the word privately here, the translator probably hav- 
ing read λαϑρα in his copy, which gives a very re- 
markable turn to the passage. The multitudes, who 
had no worldly interest to support, no character to 
maintain by living in their usual way, came publicly, 
and openly acknowledged that they were sINNERS; and 
stood in need of mercy. The others, who endeavour- 
ed to secure their worldly interests by making a fair 
show in the flesh, are supposed to have come private- 
ly, that they might not be exposed to reproach ; and 
that they might not lose their reputation for wisdom 
and sanctity, which their consciences, under the 
preaching of the Baptist, told them they had no 
right to. See below. 

O generation of vipers] Τεννηματα εχιόνων. A 
terribly expressive speech. A serpentine brood, from 
a serpentine stock. As their fathers were, so were 
they, children of the wicked one. This is God’s 
estimate of a sINNER, whether he wade in wealth, or 
soar in fame. The Jews were the seed of the ser- 
pent, who should bruise the heel of the woman’s seed, 
and whose head should be bruised by him. 

Who hath warned you] Or, privately shown you. 
Τὶς vredevEev—from vio, under, and δεικνυμαι, to show. 
Does not this seem to allude to the reading of the 
Ajthiopic noticed above? They came privately . 
and John may be supposed to address them thus: 
“ Did any person give you a private warning? No 
you received your convictions under the public mi- 
nistry of the word. ‘The multitudes of the poor and 
wretched, who have been convinced of sin, have pub- 
licly acknowledged their crimes, and sought merey— 
God will unmask you—vyou have deceived the people 
—you have deceived yourselves—y ou must appear just 
what you are; and, if you expect mercy from God 
act like the penitent multitude, and bring forth rrurt 
worthy of repentance. Do not begin to trifle with 
your convictions, by thinking, that because you are 
descendants of Abrabam, therefore you are entitled 
to God’s favour ; God can, out of these stones (point 
ing probably to those scattered about in the desert 

1 


He denounces the judgments 


A.M. 4030. 8 Bring forth therefore fruits 
An, Olymp. ?meet for repentance: 


9 And think not to say within 
yourselves, » We have Abraham to our father : 
for I say unto you, that God is able of these 
stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the 
root of the trees; ‘therefore every tree which 
© Or, answerable to amendment of life ——? John viii. 33, 39 ; 


Acts xili. 26; Rom. iv. 1, 11, 16. 4 Chap. vii. 19; Luke xi. 
7,9; John xv. 6. 


which he appears to have considered as an emblem of 
the Gentiles) raise up a faithful seed, who, though 
not natural descendants of your excellent patriarch, 
yet shall be his worthy children, as being partakers 
of his faith, and friends of his God.” It should be 
added, that the Greek word also signifies plain or 
ample information. See on Luke vi. 47. 

The wrath to come?) The desolation which was 
about to fall on the Jewish nation for their wicked- 
ness, and threatened in the last words of their own 
Scriptures. See Mal. iv. 6. Lest I come and smite 
the earth YIN DN (et ha-arets, this very land) with 
acurse. This wrath or curse was coming: they did 
not prevent it by turning to God, and receiving the 
Messiah, and therefore the wrath of God came upon 
them to the uttermost. Let him that readeth under- 
stand. 

Verse 10. And now also the axe is laid) Or, Even 
now the axe lieth. As if he had said, There is not a 
moment to spare—God is about to cut off every im- 
penitent soul—you must therefore either turn to God 
ummediately, or be utterly and finally ruined. It was 
customary with the prophets to represent the hing- 
doms, nations, and individuals, whose ruin they pre- 
dicted, under the notion of forests and trees, doomed 
tobe cutdown. See Jer. xlvi. 22,23; Ezek. xxxi. 3, 
11, 12. The Baptist follows the same metaphor : 
the Jewish nation is the tree, and the Romans the aze, 
which, by the just judgment of God, was speedily to 
cut it down. It has been well observed, that there is 
an allusion here to a woodman, who, having marked 
a tree for excision, lays his axe at its root, and strips 
off his outer garment, that he may wield his blows 
more powerfully, and that his work may be quickly 
performed. For about sixty years before the coming 
of Christ, this axe had been lying at the root of the 
Jewish tree, Judea having been made a province to 
the Roman empire, from the time that Pompey took 
the city of Jerusalem, during the contentions of the 
two brothers Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, which was 
about sixty-three years before the coming of Christ. 
See Joseph. Antiq. 1. xiv. ec. 1-5. But as the coun- 
try might be still considered as in the hands of the 
Jews, though subject to the Romans, and God had 
waited on them now nearly ninety years from the 
above time, expecting them to bring forth fruit, and 
Bone was yet produced; he kept the Romans as 
an axe, lying at the root of this tree, who were ready 
to cut it down the moment God gave them the com- 
mission. 

1 


CHAP. Iil. 


of God against the wicked 


: it is A.M. 4030, 
bringeth not forth good fruit is 4,M. 403 


hewn down, and cast into the fire. An. Olymp. 
ἄρτον : e: CL 2, 
11 ‘I imdeed baptize you with ————_ 


water unto repentance: but he that cometh 
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes 
I am not worthy to bear: ‘he shall bap- 
tize you with the Holy Ghost, and with 
fire : 


τ Mark i. 8; Luke iii. 16; John i. 15, 26,33; Acts i.5; xi. 
16; xix. 4——-+Isa. iv. 4; xliv.3; Mal. iii. 2; Acts ii. 3, 4; 
1 Cor. xii. 13. 


Verse 11. But he that cometh after me] Or, I 
coming after me, who is now on his way, and will 
shortly make his appearance. Jesus Christ began his 
ministry when he was thirty years of age, Luke iii. 
23, which was the age appointed by the law, Num. 
iv. 3. John the Baptist was born about sir months 
before Christ; and, as he began his public ministry 
when thirty years of age, then this coming after refers 
to six months after the commencement of John’s pub- 
lic preaching, at which time Christ entered upon his. 

Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear] This say- 
ing is expressive of the most profound humility and 
reverence. To put on, take off, and carry the shoes 
of their masters, was, not only among the Jews, but 
also among the Greeks and Romans, the work of the 
vilest slaves. This is amply proved by Kypke, from 
Arrian, Plutarch, and the Babylonian Talmud. 

With the Holy Ghost, and with fire] That the in 
fluences of the Spirit of God are here designed, needs 
but little proof. Christ’s religion was to be a spiritual 
religion, and was to have its seat in the heart. Out- 
ward precepts, however well they might describe, could 
not produce inward spirituality. This was the province 
of the Spirit of God, and of it alone ; therefore he is 
represented here under the similitude of fire, because 
he was to illuminate and invigorate the soul, penetrate 
every part, and assimilate the whole to the image of 
the God of glory. See on John iii. 5. 

With fire] Καὶ πυρι. This is wanting in E. S. 
(two MSS. one of the ninth, the other of the tenth 
century) eight others, and many Lvangelistaria, and 
in some versions and printed editions ; but it is found 
in the parallel place, Luke iii. 16, and in the most au- 
thentic MSS. and versions. It was probably the dif- 
ferent interpretations given of it by the fathers that 
caused some transcribers to leave it out of their copies. 

The baptism of fire has been differently understood 
among the primitive fathers. Some say, it means the 
tribulations, crosses, and afflictions, which believers in 
Christ are called to pass through. Hence the author 
of the Opus Imperfectum, on Matthew, says, that there 
are three sorts of baptism, 1. that of water; 2. that 
of the Holy Ghost; and, 3. that of tribulations and 
afflictions, represented under the notion of fire. He 
observes farther, that our blessed Lord went through 
these three baptisms: 1. That of water, he received 
from the hands of John. 2. That of the Holy Spirit, 
he received from the Father. And, 3. That of fire, 
he had in his contest with Satan in the desert. St. 
Chrysostom says, it means the superabundant graccs 

53 


Jesus is baptized 


ae 12 * Whose fan 7s in his hand, and 


An.Olymp. he will throughly purge his floor, 
tte and gather his wheat into the garner ; 
but he will “burn up the chaff with unquench- 
able fire. 
13 9 Then cometh Jesus “from Galilee 


t Mal. ii. 3. 


ἃ ΜᾺ]. iv. 1; chap. xiii. 30. 


of the Spirit. Basil and Theophilus explain it of the 
fire of hell. Cyril, Jerome, and others, understand by 
it the descent of the Holy Spirit, on the day of pen- 
tecost. 

Hilary says, it means a fire that the righteous must 
pass through in the day of judgment, to purify them 
from such defilements as necessarily cleaved to them 
here, and with which they could not be admitted into 
glory. 

Ambrose says, this baptism shall be administered at 
the gate of paradise, by John Baptist ; and he thinks 
that this is what is meant by the flaming sword, Gen. 
11. 24. 

Origen and Lactantius conceive it to be a river of 
fire, at the gate of heaven, something similar to the 
Phlegethon of the heathens; but they observe, that 
when the righteous come to pass over, the liquid flames 
shall divide, and give them a free passage: that Christ 
shall stand on the brink of it, and receive through the 
flames all those, and none but those, who have received 
in this world the baptism of water in his name: and 
that this baptism is for those who, having received the 
faith of Christ, have not, in every respect, lived con- 
formably to it; for, though they laid the good founda- 
tion, yet they built hay, straw, and stubble upon it, and 
this work of theirs must be tried, and destroyed by this 
fire. ‘This, they think, is St. Paul’s meaning, 1 Cor. 
iii. 13-15. Jf any man build on this foundation 
(viz. Jesus Christ) gold, silver, precious stones, wood, 
hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest : 
and the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort 
τὲ 1s.—If any man’s work be burnt, he shall suffer loss: 
but he himself shall be saved; yet so as BY FIRE. 
From this fire, understood in this way, the fathers of 
the following ages, and the schoolmen, formed the fa- 
mous and lucrative doctrine of purcaTory. Some in 
the primitive Church thought that fire should be, in 
some way or other, joined to the water in baptism ; 
and it is supposed that they administered it by causing 
the person to pass between two fires, or to leap through 
the flame ; or by having a torch, or lighted candle, pre- 
sent. Thus have those called Doctors of the Church 
trifled. The exposition which I have given, I believe 
to be the only genuine one. 

Verse 12. Whose fan is in his hand] The Ro- 
mans are here termed God’s fan, as, in ver. 10, they 
were called his ave, and, in chap. xxii. 7, they are 
termed his troops or armies. 

The winnowing fan of the Hindoos is square, made 
of split bamboo ; and the corn is winnowed by waving 
the fan backwards with both hands—“ Whose fan is 
an his hand.” 

His floor] Does not this mean the land of Judea, 
which had been long, as it were, the threshing-floor of 

54 


ST. MATTHEW. 


by John in Jordan. 


to Jordan unto John, to be bap- 4,™ 1080. 
tized of him. 

14 But John forbad him, saying, ————— 
I have need to be baptized of thee, and 
comest thou to me? 

15 And Jesus answering said unto him, 


An. Olymp. 
CCI. 2. 


¥Mark i. 9; Luke 11]. 21—w Chap. ii. 22. 


the Lord? God says, he will now, by the winnowing 
fan (viz. the Romans) throughly cleanse this floor— 
the wheat, those who believe in the Lord Jesus, he will 
gather into his garner, either take to heaven from the 
evil to come, or put in a place of safety, as he did the 
Christians, by sending them to Pella, in Celosyria, 
previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. But he 
will burn up the chaff—the disobedient and rebellious 
Jews, who would not come unto Christ, that they 
might have life. 

Unquenchable fire.| That cannot be extinguished 
by man. 

Verse 14. John forbad him] Tarnestly and press- 
ingly opposed him: this is the proper import of the 
words διεκωλευεν αὐτὸν. J have observed that δια, in 
composition, most frequently, if not always, strengthens 
the signification in classic authors.— Wakefield. 

Verse 15. To fulfil all righteousness.| That is, 
Every righteous ordinance : so 1 think the words πάσαν 
δικαιοσυνην should be translated; and so our common 
version renders a similar word, Luke i. 6. The fol- 
lowing passage, quoted from Justin Martyr, will doubt- 
less appear a strong vindication of this translation. 
“Christ was circumcised, and observed all the other 
ordinances of the law of Moses, not with a view to his 
own justification ; but to fulfil the dispensation com- 
mitted to him by the Lord, the God and Creator of all 
things.”"— Wakefield. 

How remarkable are the following words of Creeshna 
(an Incarnation of the Supreme God, according to the 
Hindoo theology) related in the Bhagvat Geeta, p. 47. 
Addressing his disciple Azjoon, he says, “1 myself, 
Arjoon, have not, in the three regions of the universe, 
any thing which is necessary for me to perform; nor 
any thing to obtain, which is not obtained; and yet 7 
live in the exercise of the moral duties. If I were 
not vigilantly to attend to those duties, all men would 
presently follow my example. If I were not to per- 
form the moral actions, this world would fail in their 
duties: I should be the cause of spurious births, and 
should drive the people from the right way. As the 
ignorant perform the duties of life from a hope of re- 
ward, so the wse man, out of respect to the opinions 
and prejudices of mankind, should perform the same 
without motives of interest. The wise man, by indus- 
triously performing all the duties of life, should induce 
the vulgar to attend to them.” 

The Septuagint use this word often for the Hebrew 
NOW mishpat, judgment, appointment. And m Ezek. 
Xvili. 19, 21, the person who δικαιοσυνὴν καὶ ελεὸς 
neroinke—hath done righteousness and mercy, is he 
who saeredly attended to the performance of all the re- 
ligious ordinances mentioned in that chapter, and per- 
formed them in the genuine spirit of meroy. Ackata~ 

l 


The Spirit of God 


ΠΑΡ Ἢ Suffer it to be so now: for thus it 


eae becometh us to fulfil all righteous- 
ness. Then he suffered him. 

16 *And Jesus, when he was baptized, went 

up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the 

heavens were opened unto him, and he saw 


* Mark i. 10.—y Isa. xi. 2; xlii. 1; Luke iii. 22; John i. 32, 
33.——* John xii. 28. 


ματα is used 1 Mae. i. 13, 49; ii. 21, and in Heb. x. 
1, 10, to denote religious ceremonies. Michaelis sup- 
poses, that pn > kol chok, all religious statutes or or- 
dinances, were the words used in the Hebrew original 
of this Gospel. 

But was this an ordinance? Undoubtedly: it was 
the initiatory ordinance of the Baptist’s dispensation. 
Now, as Christ had submitted to circumcision, which 
was the initiatory ordinance of the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion, it was necessary that he should submit to this, 
whieh was instituted by no less an authority, and was 
the introduction to his own dispensation of eternal 
mercy and truth. But it was necessary on another 
account: Our Lord represented the high priest, and 
was to be the high priest over the house of God :— 
now, as the high priest was initiated into his office by 
washing and anointing, so must Christ: and hence he 
was baptized, washed, and anointed by the Holy Ghost. 
Thus he fulfilled the righteous ordinance of his initia- 
tion into the office of high priest, and thus was pre- 
pared to make an atonement for the sins of mankind. 

Then he suffered him.] In the Opus Imperfectum, 
quoted by Griesbach, there is the following addition, 
which, at least, may serve to show the opinion of its 
author : Et Johannes quidem baptizavit illum in aqua, 
ille autem Johannem cum Spiritu. “Then John bap- 
tized him with water, and he baptized John with ὡς 
Spirit.” 

Verse 16. The heavens were opened unto him) 
That is, to John the Baptist—and he, John, saw the 
Spirit of God—lighting upon him,i. e. Jesus. There 
has been some controversy about the manner and form 
in which the Spirit of God rendered itself visible on 
this occasion. St. Luke, iii. 22, says it was in a bo- 
dily shape like to a dove: and this likeness to a dove 
some refer to a hovering motion, like to that of a dove, 
and not to the form of the dove itself: but the terms 
of the text are too precise to admit of this far-fetched 
interpretation. 

This passage affords no mean proof of the doctrine 
of the Trinitz That three distinct persons are here 
represented, there can be no dispute. 1. The person 
of Jesus Christ, baptized by John in Jordan. 2. The 
person of the Holy Ghost in a bodily shape (σωματικὼω 
ecdet, Luke iti. 22) likeadove. 3. The person of the 
Father ; a voice came out of heaven, saying, This is 
my beloved Son, &c. The voice is here represented 
as proceeding from a different place to that in which 
the persons of the Son and Holy Spirit were mani- 
fested : and merely, I think, more forcibly to mark this 
Divine personality. 

Verse 17. In whom I am well pleased.] Ev ὦ 


CHAP. III. 


descends on him, §*c 


Ythe Spirit of God descending rc 


like a dove, and lighting upon An. PAE 
him : ts ok 

17 *And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 
*'This is my beloved Son, in whom J am well 
pleased. 


«Psa: ii. 7; Isa. xlii. 1; chap. xii. 18; xvii. 5; Mark i. 1], 
Luke ix. 35; Eph. i. 6; Col. i. 13; 2 Pet. i 17. 


posed that the past tense is here used for the present: 
but see the note on chap. xvii. 5. By this voice, and 
overshadowing of the Spirit, the mission of the Lord 
Jesus was publicly and solemnly accredited ; God inti- 
mating that he had before delighted in him: the law, 
in all its ordinances, having pointed him out, for they 
could not be pleasing to God, but as they were ful- 
filled in, and showed forth, the Son of man, till he 
came. 


As the office of a herald is frequently alluded to in 
this chapter, and also in various other parts of the New 
Testament, I think it best to give a full account of it 
here, especially as the office of the ministers of the 
Gospel is represented by it. Such persons can best 
apply the different correspondences between their own 
and the herald’s office. 

At the Olympic and Isthmian games, heralds were 
persons of the utmost consequence and importance. 
Their office was :— 

1. To proclaim from a scaffold, or elevated place, 
the combat that was to be entered on. 

2. To summon the 4goniste, or contenders, to make 
their appearance, and to announce their names. 

3. To specify the prize for which they were to 
contend. 

4. Το admonish and animate, with appropriate dis- 
courses, the athlete, or combatants. 

5. To set before them, and explain, the laws of the 
agones, or contenders; that they might see that even 
the conqueror could not receive the crown or prize, 
unless he had strove lawfully. 

6. After the conflict was ended, to bring the busi- 
ness before the judges, and, according to their deter- 
mination, to proclaim the victor. 

7. To deliver the prize to the conqueror, and to put 
the crown on his head, in the presence of the assembly. 

8. They were the persons who convoked all solemn 
and religious assemblies, and brought forth, and often 
slew, the sacrifices offered on those occasions. 

9. They frequently called the attention of the peo- 
ple, during the sacrifices, to the subject of devotion, 
with hoc age! τοῦτο πραττε: mind what you are about, 
don’t be idle ; think of nothing else. See PusTarcu 
in Cortolanus. 

The office, and nearly the word itself, was in use 
among the ancient Babylonians, as appears from Dan. 
iii. 4, where the Chaldee word 8111 caroza, is rendered 
by the Septuagint κηρυξ keruax, and by our translation, 
very properly, herald. His business in the above place 
was to call an assembly of the people, for the purpose 
of public worship ; to describe the object and nature of 


εὐδόκησας nm whom T have delighted—though it is sup- | that worship, and the punishment to be inflicted on 


1 


55 


An account of 


those who did not join in the worship, and properly 
assist in the solemnities of the occasion. 

Dan. iii. 4, is the only place in our translation, in 
which the word herald is used: but the word κηρυξ, 
used by St. Paul, 1 Tim. ii. 7; 2 Tim. i. 11, and by 
St. Peter, 2 Epist. ii, 5, is found in the Septuagint, 
Gen. xli. 43, as well as in Dan. iii. 4, and the verb 
κηρυσσω is found in different places of that version, 
and in a great number of places in the New Testa- 
ment. 

It is worthy of remark, that the office of the κηρυξ, 
kerux, or herald, must have been anciently known, and 
indeed established, among the Egyptians: for in Gen. 
xli. 43, where an account is given of the promotion 
of Joseph to the second place in the kingdom, where 
we say, And they cried before him, saying, Bow the 
knee; the Septuagint has καὶ exnpugev ἐμπροσϑεν αὐτου 
κηρυξ' And a HERALD made proclamation before 
him. As the Septuagint translated this for Ptolemy 
Philadelphus, the Egyptian king, and were in Egypt 
when they translated the law, we may safely infer 
that the office was not only known, but in use among 
the Egyptians, being denominated in their language 
pra abrek, which our translators, following the Vul- 
gate, have rendered, Bow the knee; but which the 
Septuagint understood to be the title of an officer, 
who was the same among the Egyptians as the κηρυξ 
among the Greeks. This is a probable meaning of 
the word, which escaped me when I wrote the note on 
Gen. xli. 43. 

As every kind of office had some peculiar badge, or 
ensign, by which it was known among the ancients, so 
the heralds were known by generally carrying a cadu- 
ceus. This was a rod with two spread wings at the 
top, and about which two serpents were entwined. 
The poets fabled that this rod was given by Apollo, 
the god of wisdom and music, to Mercury, the god of 
eloquence, and the messenger of the gods. To it won- 
derful properties are ascribed—especially that it pro- 
duces sleep, and that it raises the dead. Who does 
not at once see, that the caduceus and its properties 
clearly point out the office, honour, and influence of the 
herald? As persons of strong voice, and ready speech, 
and copious eloquence, were always chosen for heralds, 
they were represented as endued with wisdom and elo- 
quence from above. They lulled men to sleep, i. 6. 
by their persuasive powers of speech, they calmed the 
turbulent dispositions of an inflamed populace, when 
proceeding to acts of rebellion and anarchy; or they 
roused the dormant zeal of the community, who, 
through long oppression, despairing of succour or re- 
lief, seemed careless about their best interests being 
stupidly resolved to sink under their burdens, and ex- 
pect release only in death. 

As to the caduceus itself, it was ever the emblem of 
peace among the ancients : the rod was the emblem of 
power; the two serpents, of wisdom and prudence ; 
and the twe wings, of diligence and despatch. ‘The 
first idea of this wonderful rod seems to have been 
borrowed from the ved of Moses. See the note on 
Exod. iv. 17. 

The word κηρυξ kerux, or herald, here used, is evi- 
dently derived from κηρύσσειν, to proclaim, call aloud ; 
and this from yzpuc, the voice: because these persons 

56 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the herald’s office 


were never employed in any business, but such only as 
could not be transacted but by the powers of speech, 
and the energy of ratiocination. 

For the derivation of the word herald, we must look 
to the northern languages. Its meaning in Junius, 
Skinner, and Minshieu, are various, but not essentially 
different ; they all seem to point out different parts of 
the herald’s office. 1. In the Belgic, heer signifies 
army. Hence heer-alt, a senior officer, or general, in 
the army. 2. Or heer-held, the hero of the army: he 
who had distinguished himself most in his country’s 
behalf. 3. Or from the Gallo-teutonic herr-haut, the 
high lord, because their persons were so universally 
respected, as we have already seen. 4. Or from the 
simple Teutonic hery-hold, he who is faithful to his 
lord. And, lastly, according to Minshieu, from the 
verb hier-holden, stop here; because, in proclaiming 
peace, they arrested bloodshed and death, and pre- 
vented the farther progress of war. 

These officers act an important part in all heroic 
history, and particularly in the Ziad and Odyssey, from 
which, as the subject is of so much importance, I shall 
make a few extracts. 

I. Their character was sacred. Homer gives them 
the epithet of divine, ϑειοι. 


Δολων, Evyndeoc υἱος, 
Κηρυκος ϑειοίιο. Iliad x. 315. 


“Dolon, son of Eumedes, the divine herald.” They 
were also termed imviolable, ασυλοι ; also, great, admi- 
rable, &c. In the first book of the had, we have a 
proof of the respect paid to Aeralds, and the inviolabi- 
lity of their persons. Agamemnon commands the 
heralds, Talthybwws and Eurybates, his faithful minis- 
ters, to go to the tent of Achilles, seize the young Bri- 
seis, and bring her to him. They reluctantly obey ; 
but, when they come into the presence of Achilles, 
knowing the injustice of their master’s cause, they are 
afraid to announce their mission. Achilles, guessing 
their errand, thus addresses them :— 


Χαίρετε, knpvKec, Aroc ayyedot, ηδὲ Kat ανδρων. κ. τ. ἃ 


“ Hail, O ye heralds, messengers of God and of men! 
come forward. I cannot blame you—-Agamemnon 
only is culpable, who has sent you for the beautiful 
Briseis. But come, O godlike Patroclus, bring forth 
the damsel, and deliver her to them, that they may lead 
her away,” ἅς. Iliad i. 334, ὅσο. 

Il. Their functions were numerous; they might 
enter without danger into besveged cilies, or even into 
battles. 

Ill. They convoked the assemblies of the leaders 
according to the orders they received from the genera. 
or king. 

IV. They commanded silence, when kings were to 
address the assembly, (Iliad xviii. 503. Κηρυκες δ᾽ apa 
Rawv epntvov. See also Iliad ii. 280,) and delivered 
the sceptre into their hands, before they began their 
harangue. 

Hy δ᾽ apa κηρυξ 
Xepou σκηπτρον εϑῆκε, σιωπησαι τ᾽ εκελευσεν. 
Tliad xxiii. 567. 
V. They were the carriers and executors of the 


royal commands, (Iliad i. 320,) and went in search of 
1 


Christ fasts forty days, 


those who were summoned to appear, or whose pre- 
sence was desired. 

VI. They were entrusted with the most important 
missions; and accompanied princes in the most diffi- 
cult circumstances. Priam, when he went to Achilles, 
took no person besides a herald with him. (Iliad xxiv. 
674, 689.) When Ulysses sent two of his compan- 
ions to treat with the Lestrygons, he sent a herald at 
the same time. (Odys. x. 102.) Agamemnon, when 
he wished to soften Achilles, joined Eurybates and 
Hodius, his heralds, to the deputation of the princes. 
(Iliad ix. 170.) 

VII. Heralds were employed to proclaim and pub- 
lish whatever was to be known by the people. (Odys. 
xx. 276.) 

VIII. They declared war and proclaimed peace. 
(Odys. xviii. 334.) 

TX. They took part in all sacred ceremonies : they 


CHAP. IV. 


and is tempted by Satan. 


mingled the wine and water in the large bowls for the 
libations, which were made at the conclusion of treaties. 
They were the priests of the people in many cases ; 
they led forth the victims, cut them in pieces, and 
divided them among those engaged in the sacrifices. 
(Odys. i. 109, ἄς.) 

X. In Odyssey lib. xvii., a herald presents a 
piece of flesh to Telemachus, and pours out his 
wine. 

XI. They sometimes waited on princes at table, 
and rendered them many other personal services. 
(Iliad ii. 280; Odys. i. 143, &e., 146, 153; ii. 6, 38.) 
In the Mad, lib. x. 3, Hurybates carries the clothes te 
Ulysses. And a herald of Alcinous conducts Demo- 
docus, the singer, into the festive hall. (Odys. viii. 
470.) Many others of their funetions, services, and 
privileges, the reader may see, by consulting Damm’s 
Homeric Lexicon, under Kpo. 


CHAPTER IV. 


Jesus, in the wilderness, is tempted by Satan, 1-11. 
prophecy which was thus fulfilled, 14-16. 
his brother Andrew, 18-20. 
works miracles throughout Galilee, 23. 


He begins to preach publicly, 17. 
Calls also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, 21, 22. 


He goes into Galilee, 12; and Capernaum, 13. The 
Calls Simon Peter, and 
Preaches and 


Becomes famous in Syria, and is followed by multitudes from va- 


rious quarters, among whom he works a great variety of miracles, 24, 25. 


AM‘ THEN was * Jesus led up of the 

ae See Spirit into the wilderness, to be 
“_ tempted of the devil. 

2 And when he had fasted forty days and 


4 Mark i. 12, &c.; Luke iv. 1, &c.——» See 1 Kings xviii. 12; 


NOTES ON CHAP. IV. 

Verse 1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit) This 
transaction appears to have taken place immediately 
after Christ’s baptism; and this bringing up of Christ 
was through the influence of the Spirit of God; that 
Spirit which had rested upon him in his baptism. 

To be tempted) The first act of the ministry of 
Jesus Christ was a combat with Satan. Does not 
this receive light from Gen. iii. 17. I will put enmity 
between the woman’s seed and thy seed: it shall bruise 
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

Verse 2. And when he had fasted forty days] It is 
remarkable that Moses, the great lawgiver of the 
Jews, previously to his receiving the law from God, 
fasted forty days in the mount; that Elijah, the chief 
of the prophets, fasted also forty days; and that 
Christ, the giver of the New Covenant, should act in 
the same way. Was not all this intended to show, 
that God’s kingdom on earth was to be spiritual and 
Divine 2—that it should not consist in meat and drink, 
but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ? 
Rom. xiv. 17. Relative to the forty days’ fast of Moses, 
there is a beautiful saying in the Talmudists. “Is it 
possible that any man can fast forty days and forty 
nightst To which Rabbi Meir answered, When thou 
takest up thy abode in any particular city, thou must 
live according to its customs. Moses ascended to 
heaven, where they neither eat nor drink; therefore 

1 


: A. M. 4031. 
forty nights, he was afterward an 4, Ὁ ὯΝ 
hungered. An, Olymp 
3 And when the tempter came to = 
him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, com- 


Ezek. iii. 14; viii. 3; xi. 1, 24; xl. 2; xliii. 5; Acts viii. 39. 


he became assimilated to them. We are accustomed 
to eat and drink; and, when angels descend to us, 
they eat and drink also.” Moses, Elijah, and our 
blessed Lord could fast forty days and forty nights, 
because they were in communion with God, and living 
a heavenly life. 

Verse 3. And when the tempter] This onset of Satan 
was made (speaking after the manner of men) judi- 
ciously : he came when Jesus, after having fasted forty 
days and forty nights, was hungry: now, as hunger 
naturally diminishes the strength of the body, the 
mind gets enfeebled, and becomes easily irritated ; 
and if much watching and prayer be not employed, 
the uneasiness which is oceasioned by a lack of food 
may soon produce impatience, and in this state of mind 
the tempter has great advantages. The following 
advice of an Arabian philosopher to his son is worthy 
of attention. ‘My son, never go out of the house in 
the morning, till thou hast eaten something: by so 
doing, thy mind will be more firm; and, shouldest 
thou be insulted by any person, thou wilt find thyself 
more disposed to suffer patiently: for hunger dries 
up and disorders the brain.”  Bibliot. Orient. Suppl. 
p- 449. The state of our bodily health and world], 
circumstances may afford our adversary many oppor 
tunities of doing us immense mischief. In such cases, 
the sin to which we are tempted may be justly termed, 
as in Heb. xii. 1, τὴν evrepiotatov ἀμαρτιαν, the well- 

57 


The temptations of 


A.M. 4031. mand that these stones be made 


An. ΙΣΤ. bread. 

4 But he answered and said, It 
is written, ° Man shall not live by bread alone, 
but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
mouth of God. 

5 Then the devil taketh him up ‘into the 
holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the 
temple, 

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son 
of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Satan continued. 


‘He shall give his angels charge A, ee 
concerning thee: and in ¢heir An. ber: 

CCL 3 
hands they shall bear thee up, 
lest at any time thou dash thy foot eon 
a stone. 

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, 
fThou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an 
exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all 
the προ της of the world, and the glory of 
them : 


ς Deut. vili. 3——4 Neh. xi. 1, 18; Isa. xlvili. 2; lii. 1; chap. 


xxvii. 53; Rev. xi. 2. e Psa. xci. 11, 12——f Deut. vi. 16. 


circumstanced sin, because all the circumstances of 
time, place, and state of body and mind, are favour- 
able to it. 

Tf thou be the Son of God] Or, a son of God, υἱος 
tov Θεου. voc is here, and in Luke iv. 3, written with- 
out the article; and therefore should not be translated 
THE Son, as if it were ὁ υἱὸς, which is a phrase that 
is applicable to Christ as the Messiah: but it is cer- 
tain, whatever Satan might suspect, he did not fully 
know that the person he tempted was the true Mes- 
siah. Perhaps one grand object of his temptation was 
to find this out. 

Command that these stones} The meaning of this 
temptation is: ‘ Distrust the Divine providence and 
support, and make use of illicit means to supply thy 
necessities.”” 

Verse 4. But by (or, upon, ext) every word] Ῥημα, 
in Greek, answers to 133 dabar in Hebrew, which 
means not only a word spoken, but also thing, purpose, 
appointment, &c. Our Lord’s meaning seems to be this : 
God purposes the welfare of his creatures—all his 
appointments are calculated to promote this end. 
Some of them may appear to man to have a contrary 
tendency ; but even fasting itself, when used in con- 
sequence of a Divine injunction, becomes a mean of 
supporting that life which it seems naturally calculated 
to impair or destroy. 

Verse 5. Pinnacle of the temple] It is very likely 
that this was what was called the στοα βασιλικὴ, the 
king’s gallery ; which, as Josephus says, “ deserves to 
be mentioned among the most magnificent things 
under the sun: for upon a stupendous depth of a 
valley, scarcely to be fathomed by the eye of him that 
stands above, Herod erected a gallery of a vast height, 
from the top of which if any looked down, he would 
grow dizzy, his eyes not being able to reach so vast a 
depth.”—Ant. 1. xv. 6. 11. See Dr. Lightfoot on 
this place. 

Verse 6. Cast thyself down] Our Lord had re- 
pelled the first temptation by an act of confidence in 
the power and goodness of God; and now Satan soli- 
cits him to make trial of it. Through the unparalleled 
subtlety of Satan, the very means we make use of to 
repel one temptation may be used by him as the 
groundwork of another. This method he often uses, 
in order to confound us in our confidence. 

He shall giwe his angels charge, ὅτε. 
mutilated quotation of Psa. xci. 11. 

58 


This is a 
The clause, to 


keep thee in all thy ways, Satan chose to leave out, as 
quite unsuitable to his design. That God has promised 
to protect and support his servants, admits of no dis- 
pute ; but, as the path of duty is the way of safety, they 
are entitled to no good when they walk out of it. 

In their hands they shall bear thee up| This quo- 
tation from Psa. xci. 11, is a metaphor taken from a 
nurse’s management of her child: in teaching it to 
walk, she guides it along plain ground; but, when 
stones or other obstacles occur, she lifts up the child, 
and carries it over them, and then sets it down to 
walk again. Thus she keeps it in all its ways, 
watching over, and guarding every step it takes. To 
this St. Paul seems also to allude, 1 Thess. ii. 7. We 
were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth 
her children. ‘Thus the most merciful God deals with 
the children of men, ever guarding them by his eye, 
and defending them by his power. 

Verse 7. Thou shalt not tempt] To expose myself 
to any danger naturally destructive, with the vain pre- 
sumption that God will protect and defend me from 
the ruinous consequences of my imprudent conduct, is 
to tempt God. 

Verse 8. An exceeding high mountain, and showeth 
him] If the words, all the kingdoms of the world, be 
taken in a literal sense, then this must have been a 
visionary representation, as the highest mountain on 
the face of the globe could not suffice to make evident 
even one hemisphere of the earth, and the other must 
of necessity be in darkness. 

But if we take the world to mean only the land of 
Judea, and some of the surrounding nations, as it ap- 
pears sometimes to signify, (see on Luke ii. 1,) then 
the mountain deseribed by the Abbé Mariti (Travels 
through Cyprus, &e.) could have afforded the pros- 
pect in question. Speaking of it, he says, “ Here 
we enjoyed the most beautiful prospect imaginable. 
This part of the mountain overlooks the mountains 
of Arabia, the country of Gilead, the country of the 
Amorites, the plains of Moab, the plains of Jericho, 
the river Jordan, and the whole extent of the Dead 
Sea. It was here that the devil said to the Son of 
God, All these kingdoms ee I give thee, if thou wilt 
fall down and worship me.” Probably St. Matthew, 
in the Hebrew original, wrote yousn haarets, which 
signifies the world, the earth, and often the land of 
Faded only. What renders this more probable is, that 
at this time Judea was divided into several kingdoms, 

1 


Satan is defeated, and 


A.M. 4031. 9. And saith unto him, All these 
eee things will I give thee, if thou wilt 
fall down and” worship me. 

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee 
hence, Satan: for it is written, *Thou shalt 
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt 
thou serve. 

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, 
“angels came and ministered unto him. 


CHAP. IV. 


angels minister to Christ. 


12 9 ' Now when Jesus had heard 4; a ee 
that John was * cast into prison, he An. Mele mp. 
departed into Galilee ; gnc Ee ome 

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and 
dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea 
coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Neph 
thalim : 

14 That it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 


€ Deut. vi. 13; x. 20; Josh. xxiw. 14; 1 Sam. vii. 3——" Heb. 
᾿ i. 14 


or governments, under the three sons of Herod the 
Great, viz. Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip; which 
are not only called ethnarchs and tetrarchs in the 
Gospels, but also βασιλεῖς, kings, and are said βασιλεύειν, 
to reign, as Rosenmuller has properly remarked. See 
chap. ii. 22; xiv. 9. 

Verse 9. If thou wilt fall down and worship me] 
As if he had said, “The whole of this land is now 
under my government; do me homage for it, and I 
will deliver it into thy hand.” 

Verse 10. Get thee hence] Or, behind me, oxicw pov. 
This is added by a multitude of the best MSS., ver- 
sions, and rarHers. This temptation savouring of 
nothing but diabolical impudence, Jesus did not treat 
it as the others ; but, with Divine authority, commanded 
the tempter to return to his own place. 

In the course of this trial, it appears that our 
blessed Lord was tempted, 1st. To pistrust. Com- 
mand these stones to become bread. 2dly. To pre- 
sumPTIoN. Cast thyself down. 3dly. To worldly 
AMBITION. All these will I give. A4thly. To ovary. 
Fall down and worship me, or do me homage. There 
is probably not a temptation of Satan, but is reducible 
to one or other of these four articles. 

From the whole we may learn: 

First. No man, howsoever holy, is exempted from 
temptation ; for God manifested in the flesh was tempt- 
ed by the devil. 

Secondly. That the best way to foil the adversary, 
is by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of 
God, Eph. vi. 17. 

Thirdly. That to be tempted even to the greatest 
abominations (while a person resists) is not sin: for 
Christ was tempted to worship the Drevin. 

Fourthly. That there is no temptation which is from 
its own nature, or favouring circumstances, irresistible. 
rod has promised to bruise even Satan under our 
feet 

As I wish to speak what I think most necessary on 
every subject, when I first meet it, and once for all, I 
would observe, first, That the fear of being tempted 
may become a most dangerous snare. 

Secondly, That when God permits a temptation or 
trial to come he will give grace to bear or over- 
come it. 

Thirdly, That our spiritual interests shall be always 
advanced, in proportion to our trials and faithful resist- 
ance. 

Fourthly, That a more than ordinary measure of 

1 


iMark i. 14; Luke iii. 20; iv. 14, 31; 


delivered up. 


John iv. 43.—* Or 


Divine consolation shall be the consequence of every 
victory. 

Verse 11. Behold, angels came and ministered unto 
him.] That is, brought that food which was necessary 
to support nature. 

The name given to Satan in the third verse is very 
emphatic, o πειράζων, the tempter, or trier, from πείρω, 
to pierce through. To this import of the name there 
seems to be an ‘allusion, Eph. vi. 16: The fiery parts 
of the wicked one. ‘This is the precise idea of the 
word in Deut. viii. 2. To humble thee, and to prove 
thee, ΤῸ KNOW WHAT WAS IN THY HEART: no. lin- 
esteca, πειρασὴ σε, Lxx. that he might bore thee 
through. The quality and goodness of many things 
are proved by piercing or boring through; for this 
shows what is in the heart. Perhaps nothing tends so 
much to discover what we are, as trials either from 
men or devils. 

Shait thou serve, or pay religious veneration, 2ατ- 
pevoetc. This is Mr. Wakefield’s translation, and I 
think cannot be mended. λατρεία comes from 2a, very 
much, and tpew, I tremble. When a sinner approaches 
the presence of God, conscious of uis infinite holiness 
and justice, and of his own vileness, he will then fully 
comprehend what this word means. See this religious 
reverence exemplified in the case of Moses, when in 
the presence of God; I exceedingly fear, said he, and 
tremble, Heb. xii. 21. And yet this fear of God is 
the beginning of wisdom. See the observations at 
the end of the chapter. 

Verse 13. And leaving Nazareth] Or, entirely leav- 
ing Nazareth, καὶ Kaz oa ixwv τὴν Nafaper, from kara, 
intensive, and Acitw, I leave. Τὶ seems that, from this 
time, our blessed Lord made Capernaum his ordinary 
place of residence ; and utterly forsook Nazareth, be- 
cause they had wholly rejected his word, and even at- 
tempted to take away his life. See Luke iv. 29. 

Galilee was bounded by mount Lebanon on the 
north, by the river Jordan and the sea of Galilee on 
the east, by Chison on the south, and by the Mediter- 
ranean on the west. 

Nazareth, a little city in the tribe of Zebulon, in 
lower Galilee, with Tabor on the east, and Ptolemais 
on the west. It is supposed that this city was the 
usual residence of our Lord for the first thirty years 
of his life. It was here he became incarnate, lived 
in subjection to Joseph and Mary, and from which he 
took the name of a Nazorean. 

Capernaum, a city famous in the New Testament, 

59 


Christ enters on 


15 !The land of Zabulon, and 
An. Olymp. the iand of Nepthalim, by the way 

ors of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee 
of the Gentiles : 

16 ™The people which sat in darkness saw 
great light; and to them which sat in the 
region and shadow of death, light is sprung 
up. 


A. M. 4031. 
A. D. 2 


ST. MATTHEW. 


his public ministry 


17) 9 7 Fromythat time Jesus 4.35460 
began to preach, and to say, °Re- An. Olymp 
pent: for the kingdom of heaven is REE 
at hand. 

18 » And Jesus, walking by the sea of 
Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon ‘called 
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net 
into the sea: for they were fishers. 


1158. ix. 1, 2——"Isa. xlii. 7; Luke ii. 32. 
14, 15 


Ὁ Mark 1. 


but never mentioned in the Old. Probably it was one 
of those cities which the Jews built after their return 
from Babylon. It stood on the sea-coast of Galilee, 
on the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim, as mention- 
ed inthe text. This was called his own city, chap. ix. 1, 
&c., and here, as a citizen, he paid the half shekel, chap. 
xvii. 94. Among the Jews, if a man became a resi- 
dent in any city for twelve months, he thereby became 
a citizen, and paid his proportion of dues and taxes. 
See Lightfoot. Capernaum is well known to have 
been the principal scene of our Lord’s miracles during 
the three years of his public ministry. 

Zabulon, the country of this tribe, in which Naza- 
yeth and Capernaum were situated, bordered on the 
lake of Gennesareth, stretching to the frontiers of 
Sidon, Gen. xlix. 13. Nephthalim was contiguous to it, 
and both were on the east side of Jordan, Josh. xix. 34. 

Verse 15. Galilee of the Gentiles] Or of the na- 
tions. So called, because it was inhabited by Egyp- 
tans, Arabians, and Phenicians, according to the tes- 
timony of Strabo and others. The Hebrew 013 
goyim, and the Greek εθνων, signify natzons ; and, in 
the Old and New Testaments, mean those people who 
were not descendants of any of the twelve tribes. 
The word Gentiles, from gens, a nation, signifies the 
same. It is worthy of remark, that it was a regular 
tradition among the ancient Jews, that the Messiah 
should begin his ministry in Galilee. See the proofs 
in Schoettgen. 

Verse 16. The people which sat in darkness] This 
is quoted from Isa. ix. 2, where, instead of sitting, 
the prophet used the word walked. The evangelist 
might on purpose change the term, to point out the zn- 
creased misery of the state of these persons. Svtting 


an darkness expresses a greater degree of intellectual 
blindness, than walking in darkness does. In the 
time of Christ’s appearing, the people were in a 
much worse state than in the time of the prophet, 
which was nearly 700 years before; as, during all 
this period, they were growing more ignorant and sinful. 

The region and shadow of death] 'These words are 
amazingly descriptive. A region of death—Deratu’s 
country, where, in a peculiar manner, Death lived, reign- 
ed, and triumphed, subjecting all the people to his sway. 

Shadow of death) Σκια Savarov, used only here 
and in Luke i. 79, but often in the Old Covenant, 
where the Hebrew is nv 5x tsal maveth. Tt is not 
easy to enter fully into the ideal meaning of this term. 
As in the former clause, death is personified, so here. 
A shadow is that darkness cast upon a place by a 
body raised between it and the light or sun. Death 

60 


4 


Chap. ili. 2; x. 7——P Mark i. 16,17, 18; Luke v. 2. 
Ἂ 4 John i. 42. 


is here represented as standing between the land above 
mentioned, and the light of life, or Sun of righte- 
ousness ; in consequence of which, all the inhabitants 
were involved in a continual cloud of intellectual dark- 
ness, misery, and sin. ‘The heavenly sun was con- 
tinually eclipsed to them, till this glorious time, when 
Jesus Christ, the true light, shone forth in the beauty 
of holiness and truth. Christ began his ministry in 
Galilee, and frequented this uncultivated place more 
than he did Jerusalem and other parts of Judea: here 
his preaching was peculiarly needful; and by this was 
the prophecy fulfilled. 

Verse 17. Jesus began to preach, and to say, Re- 
pent] See on chap. iii. 1, 2. Every preacher com- 
missioned by God to proclaim salvation to a lost world, 
begins his work with preaching the doctrine of repent- 
ance. ‘This was the case with all the prophets, John 
the Baptist, Jesus Christ, all the apostles, and all their 
genuine successors in the Christian ministry. The 
reasons are evident in the notes already referred to ; 
and for the explanation of the word κηρυσσειν, preaching 
or proclaiming as a herald, see at the end of chap. 11]. 

Verse 18. Simon called Peter, and Andrew his 
brother] Why did not Jesus Christ call some of the 
eminent Scribes or Pharisees to publish his Gospel, 
and not poor unlearned fishermen, without credit or 
authority? Because it was the kingdom of heaven 
they were to preach, and their teaching must come 
from above: besides, the conversion of sinners, though 
it be effected instrumentally by the preaching of the 
Gospel, yet the grand agent in it is the Spirit of God. 
As the instruments were comparatively mean, and the 
work which was accomplished by them was grand and 
glorious, the excellency of the power at once appear- 
ed to be of Gon, and not of man ; and thus the glory, 
due alone to his name, was secured, and the great 
Operator of all good had the deserved praise. Sem- 
inaries of learning, in the order of God’s providence 
and grace, have great and important uses; and, in re- 
ference to such uses, they should be treated with great 
respect: but to make preachers of the Gospel is a 
matter to which they are utterly inadequate; it is a 
prerogative that God never did, and never will, dele- 
gate to man. 

Where the seed of the kingdom of God is sowed, 
and a dispensation of the Gospel is committed to a man, 
a good education may be of great and general use: 
but it no more follows, because a man has had a good 
education, that therefore he is qualified to preach the 
Gospel, than it does, that because he has not had that. 
therefore he is unqualified; for there may be much 

1 


Christ calls James and 


A. M. 4031. . 
ΑΚ 19 And he saith unto them, Fol 


An. Olymp. low me, and 1 will make you 
063. 
fishers of men. ; 
20 ‘And they straightway left their nets, 
and followed him. 
21 *And going on from thence, he saw 
other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, 


and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee 


* Mark i. 


F Luke ν. 10, 11.——+ Mark x. 28; Luke xviii. 28. 
19, 20; Luke v. 10. 


ignorance of Divine things where there is much human 
learning ; and a man may be well taught in the things 
of God, and be able to teach others, who has not had 
the advantages of a liberal education. 

Men-made ministers have almost ruined the heritage 
of God. To prevent this, our Church requires that a 
man be inwardly moved to take upon himself this mi- 
nistry, before he can be ordained to it. And he who 
cannot say, that he ¢rusts (has rational and Scriptural 
conviction) that he is moved by the Holy Ghost to take 
upon himself this office, is an intruder into the heritage 
of God, and his ordination, ipso facto, vitiated and of 
none effect. See the truly apostolic Ordination Ser- 
vice of the Church of England. 

Fishers.| Persons employed in a lawful and profit- 
able avocation, and faithfully discharging their duty in 
it. It was a tradition of the elders, that one of Josh- 
ua’s fen precepts was, that all men should have an 
equal right to spread their nets and fish in the sea of 
Tiberias, or Galilee. The persons mentioned here 
were doubtless men of pure morals; for the minister 
of God should have a good report from them that are 
without. 

Verse 19. Follow me] Come after me, devte οπισω 
pov. Receive my doctrines, imitate me in my conduct 
—in every respect be my disciples. We may observe 
that most of the calls of God to man are expressed in 
a few solemn words, which alarm the conscience, and 
deeply impress the heart. 

Twill make you fishers of men.] Ezek. chap. xlvii. 
8-10, casts much light on this place; and to this 
prophet our Lord probably alludes. ‘To follow Christ, 
and be admitted into a partnership of his ministry, is 
a great honour; but those only who are by himself 
fitted for it, God calls. Miserable are those who do 
not wait for this call—who presume to take the name 
of fishers of men, and know not how to cast the net 
of the Divine word, because not brought to an acquaint- 
ance with the saving power of the God who bought 
them. Such persons, having only their secu/ar interest 
in view, study not to catch men, but to catch money : 
and though, for charity’s sake, it may be said of a pas- 
tor of this spirit, he does not enter the sheepfold as a 
thief, yet he certainly lives as a hireling. See Quesnel. 


Some teach to work, but have no hands to row ; 
Some will be eyes, but have no light to see; 

Some will be guides, but have no feet to go; 

Some deaf, yet ears, some dumb, yet tongues 


᾽ 


1 


CHAP. IV. 


John to be his disciples. 


Fifi ; : . A. M, 4031. 
their father, mending their nets: and “,™, ‘03! 
he called them. 


the ship and their father, and followed 
him. 

23 9 And Jesus went about all Galilee, 
“teaching in their synagogues, and preaching 
* the gospel of the kingdom, “and healing all 


«Chap. ix. 35; Mark i. 21,39; Luke iv. 15, 44. 
14; Mark i. 14——® Mark i. 34. 


¥ Chap. xxiv 


Dumb, deaf, lame, blind, and maimed, yet fishers 

all! 

Fit for no use but store an hospital. 

Fletcher's Piscatory Eclogues. ie. iv. 5, 18 

Following a person, in the Jewish phrase, signifies 
being his disciple or scholar. See a similar mode of 
speech, 2 Kings vi. 19. 

Verse 20. They straightway left their nets] A 
change, as far as it respected secular things, every way 
to their disadvantage. The proud and the profane may 
exult and say, “Such preachers as these cannot be 
much injured by their sacrifices of secular property— 
they have nothing but nets, &c., to leave.” Let such 
carpers at the institution of Christ know, that he who 
has nothing but a net, and leaves that for the sake of 
doing good to the souls of men, leaves his anu: be- 
sides, he lived comfortably by his net before; but, in 
becoming the servant of all for Christ’s sake, he ofter. 
exposes himself to the want of even a morsel of bread 
See on chap. xix. 27. 

Verse 22. Left the ship and their father] By the 
ship, to πλοίον, we are to understand the mere fishing- 
boat, used for extending their nets in the water and 
bringing the hawser or rope of the farther end to shore, 
by which the net was pulled to land. But why should 
these be called to leave their employment and their fa- 
ther, probably now aged? To this I answer, that te 
be obedient to, provide for, and comfort our parents, is 
the highest duty we owe or can discharge, except that 
to God. But, when God calls to the work of the mi- 
nistry, father and mother and all must be left. Were 
we necessary to their comfort and support before ? 
Then God, if he call us into another work or state 
will take care to supply to them our lack of service 
some other way ; and, if this be not done, it is a proof 
we have mistaken our eall. Again, were our parents 
necessary to us, and in leaving them for the sake of 
the Gospel, or in obedience to a Divine command, do 
we deprive ourselves of the comforts of life? No 
matter: we should prefer the honour of serving the 
Most High, even in poverty and humility, to all the 
comforts of a father’s house. But what an honour 
was the vocation of James and John, to old Zebedee 
their father! His sons are called to be heralds of the 
God of heaven! Allowing him to have been a pious 
man, this must have given him unutterable delight. 

Verse 23. Teaching in their synagogues] Syna- 
gogue, cvvaywyn, from σὺν, together, and ayo, 7 bring, 
a public assembly of persons, or the place where such 
persons publicly assembled. Synagogues, ameng the 

6 


Christ heals diseases, and 


4M. 4031. manner of sickness and all man- 
ae Chee ner of disease among the peo- 


ple. 


Jews, were not probably older than the return from the 
Babylonish captivity. They were erected not only in 
cities and towns, but in the country, and especially by 
rivers. that they might have water for the convenience 
of their frequent washings. 

Not less than ten persons of respectability composed 
a synagogue; as the rabbins supposed that this num- 
ber of persons, of independent property, and well skilled 
in the law, were necessary to conduct the affairs of the 
place, and keep up the Divine worship. See Light- 
foot. Therefore, where this number could not be 
found, no synagogue was built; but there might be 
many synagogues in one city or town, provided it were 
populous. Jerusalem is said to have contained 480. 
This need not be wondered at, when it is considered 
that every Jew was obliged to worship God in public, 
e€liher in a synagogue or in the temple. 

The chief things belonging to a synagogue were : 

Ist. The ark or chest, made after the mode of the 
ark of the covenant, containing the Pentateuch. 

Qdly. The pulpit and desk, in the middle of the 
synagogue, on which he stood who read or expounded 
the law. 

3dly. The seats or pews for the men below, and 
the galleries for the women above. 

4thly. The lamps to give light in the evening ser- 
vice, and at the feast of the dedication. And, 

5thly. Apartments for the utensils and alms-chests. 

The synagogue was governed by a council or as- 
sembly, over whom was a president, called in the Gos- 
pels, the ruler of the synagogue. These are some- 
times called chiefs of the Jews, the rulers, the priests 
or elders, the governors, the overseers, the fathers of 
the synagogue. Service was performed in them three 
times a day—morning, afternoon, and night. Syna- 
gogue, among the Jews, had often the same meaning 
as congregation among us, or place of judicature, see 
James 11. 2. 

Preaching the Gospel of the kingdom] Or, pro- 
claiming the glad tidings of the kingdom. See the 
preceding notes. Behold here the perfect pattern of 
an evangelical preacher: 1. He goes about seeking 
sinners on every side, that he may show them the way 
to heaven. 2. He proclaims the glad tidings of the 
kingdom, with a freedom worthy of the King whom he 
serves. 3. He makes his reputation and the confi- 
dence of the people subservient not to his own interest, 
but to the salvation of souls. 4. To his preaching he 
joins, as far as he has ability, all works of mercy, and 
temporal assistance to the bodies of men. 5. He 
takes care to inform men that diseases, and all kinds 
of temporal evils, are the effects of sin, and that their 
hatred to iniquity should inerease in proportion to the 
evils they endure through it. 6. And that nothing 
but the power of God can save them from sin and its 
consequences. 

For glad tidings, or Gospel, see chap. i. title. 
Proclauming, see chap. iii. 1, and end; and for the 
meaning of Aingdom, see chap. iii. 2. 

62 


ST. MATTHEW. 


works many muractes 


24 And his fame went through- A.M 4631. 


out all Syria: and they brought unto an τ; 
him all sick people that were taken ὦ 


All manner of sickness, and all manner of disease] 
There is a difference between vococ, translated here 
sickness, and μαλακία, translated disease. The first is 
thus defined: νοσος, τὴν χρονίαν κακοπαθειαν, a disease 
of some standing, a chronic disorder. 

Infirmity, μαλακία, τὴν προσκαιρον ἀνωμαλίαν Tor 
σωματος, a temporary disorder of the body. Theo- 
phylact. This is a proper distinction, and is neces- 
sary to be observed. 

Verse 24. Sick people] Tove, κακὼς exovrac, those 
who felt ul—were afflicted with any species of malady. 

And torments] Pacavoic, from pacavita, to examine 
by torture, such as cholics, gouts, and rheumatisms, 
which racked every joint. 

Possessed with devils} Daemoniacs. Persons pos- 
sessed by evil spirits. This is certainly the plain ob- 
vious meaning of demoniac in the Gospels. 

Many eminent men think that the sacred writers ac- 
commodated themselves to the unfounded prejudices of 
the common people, in attributing certain diseases to 
the influence of evil spirits, which were merely the 
effects of natural causes ; but that this explanation can 
never comport with the accounts given of these per- 
sons shall be proved as the places occur. 

Our common version, which renders the word, those 
possessed by devils, is not strictly correct ; as the word 
devil, διαβολος, is not found in the plwral in any part 
of the Sacred Writings, when speaking of evil spirits : 
for though there are multitudes of demons, Mark vy. 
9, yet it appears there is but one prvi, who seems to 
be supreme, or head, over all the rest. δΔιαβολος sig 
nifies an accuser or slanderer, 1 Tim. iii. 11, 2 Tim. 
iii. 3; Tit. ii. 3. Perhaps Satan was called so, 1st. 
because he accused or slandered God in paradise, as 
averse from the increase of man’s knowledge and hap- 
piness, Gen. iii. 5; John viii. 44; and 2dly. because 
he is the accuser of men, Rev. xii. 9,10. See also 
Job i. 2. The word comes from δια, through, and 
βαλλειν, to cast, or shoot, because of the influence of 
his evil suggestions ; compared, Eph. vi. 16, to fiery 
darts; and thus it is nearly of the same meaning 
with o πειράζων, he who pierces through. See on 
ver. 3. 

Lunatic] Persons afflicted with epileptic or other 
disorders, which are always known to have a singular 
inerease at the change and full of the moon. This 
undoubtedly proceeds from the superadded attractive 
influence of the sun and mcon upon the earth’s at- 
mosphere, as, in the periods mentioned above, these 
two luminaries are both in conmjunciion; and their 
united attractive power being exerted on the earth at 
the same time, not only causes the “τ and reflux of 
the ocean, but occasions a variety of important changes 
in the bodies of infirm persons, of animals in general, 
but more particularly in those who are more sensible 
of these variations. And is this any wonder, when it 
is well known, that a very slight alteration in the at- 
mosphere causes the most uncomfortable sensations to 
a number of invalids? But sometimes even these 

1 


He casts out demons, and 1s 


Ault so). with divers diseases, and torments, 
is. iymp. and those which were possessed 

with devils, and those which were 
lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he 
healed them. 


x Mark ili. 7; vii. 31; Luke v. 15. 


diseases were caused by demons. See on chap. vill. 
16, 34, and xvii. 15. 

Palsy] Palsy is defined, a sudden loss of tone and 
vital power in a certain part of the human body. This 
may affect a limb, the whole side, the tongue, or the 
whole body. This disorder is in general incurable, 
except by the miraculous power of God, unless in its 
slighter stages. 

He healed them.| ither with a word or a touch ; 
and thus proved that all nature was under his control. 

Verse 25. This verse is immediately connected 
with the fifth chapter, and should not be separated 
from it. 

Great multitudes} This, even according to the 
Jews, was one proof of the days of the Messiah: for 
they acknowledged that in his time there should be 
a great famine of the word of God; and thus they 
understood Amos viii. 11. Behold, the days come— 
that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of 
bread—but of hearing the words of the Lord. And as 
the Messiah was to dispense this word, the bread of 
life, hence they believed that vast multitudes from all 
parts should be gathered together to him. See Scho- 
ettzenius on this place. 

Decapolis} A small country, situated between 
Syria and Galilee of the nations. It was called De- 
capolis, Δεκαπολις, from deka, ten, and πολις, a city, 
because it contained only ten cities; the metropolis, 
and most ancient of which, was Damascus. 

From beyond Jordan.] Or, from the side of Jordan. 
Probably this was the country which was occupied 
anciently by the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and 
the half tribe of Manasseh; for the country of De- 
capolis lay on both sides of the river Jordan. See 
Num. xxxii. 5, 33. 


Tue account of our Lord’s temptation, as given by 
the evangelist, is acknowledged on all hands to be 
extremely difficult. Two modes of interpretation 
have been generally resorted to, in order to make the 
whole plain and intelligible : viz. the literal and alle- 
gorical. In all cases, where it can possibly apply, I 
prefer the first: the latter should never be used, un- 
less obviously indicated in the text itself; or so im- 
periously necessary that no other mode of interpre- 
tation can possibly apply. Inthe preceding observa- 
tions, I have taken up the subject in a Jiteral point of 
view ; and it is hoped that most of the difficulties in 
the relation have been removed, or obviated, by this 
plan. An ingenious correspondent has favoured me 
with some observations on the subject, which have 
much more than the merit of novelty to recommend 
them. I shall give an abstract of some of the most 
striking ; and leave the whole to the reader’s farther 
consideration. 

1 


CHAP. IV. 


followed by a great multitude 


25 *And there followed him great 4,403! 
multitudes of people from ¥ Galilee, An. Olymp: 
and from Decapolis, and from Jeru- : 
salem, and from Judea, and from beyond 
Jordan. 


y Num. xxxii. 33; Luke vi. 17; Mark v. 20. 


The thoughts in this communication proceed on this 
ground: ‘“ These temptations were addressed to Christ 
as a public person, and respected his conduct in the 
execution of his ministry; and are reported to his 
Church as a forcible and practical instruction, con- 
cerning the proper method of promoting the kingdom 
of God upon earth. They are warnings against those 
Satanic illusions, by which the servants of Christ are 
liable to be hindered in their great work, and even 
stopped in the prosecution of it. 

“As our Lord had, at his baptism, been declared 
to be the Son of Gop, i. e. the promised Messiah, 
this was probably well known to Satan, who did not 
mean to insinuate any thing to the contrary, when he 
endeavoured to engage him to put forth an act of that 
power which he possessed as the Messiah. The mys- 
terious union of the Divine with the human nature, in 
our Lord’s state of humiliation, Satan might think 
possible to be broken; and therefore endeavoured, in 
the first temptation, Command these stones to be made 
bread, to induce our Lord to put forth a separate, in- 
dependent act of power; which our Lord repelled, by 
showing his intimate union with the Divine will, 
which he was come to fulfil—Man shall not live by 
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of 
the mouth of God. Thus showing, as he did on ano- 
ther occasion, that it was his meat and drink to do the 
wil of his Father. 

“2. The ground of the temptation was then 
changed; and the fulfilment of the Divine will, in the 
completion of a prophetic promise, was made the 
ostensible object of the next attack. Cast thyself 
down—for it is wrirTeN, He will give his angels 
charge concerning thee, and in their hands shall they 
bear thee up, &c. This our Lord repelled with—Thou 
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God—as Satan had de- 
signed to induce him to seek this pudlic miraculous 
confirmation of God’s peculiar care over him, as the 
promised Messiah; of his being which, according to 
the hypothesis above, Satan had no doubt. Moses, 
being appointed to a great and important work, needed 
miraculous signs to strengthen his faith ; but the sacred 
humanity of our blessed Lord needed them not; nor 
did his wisdom judge that such a sign from heaven 
was essential to the instruction of the people. 

“3. The last temptation was the most subtle and 
the most powerful—aAlUl these will I give unto thee, if 
thou wilt fall down and worship me. To inherit all 
nations, had been repeatedly declared to be the birth- 
right of the Messiah. His right to wniversal empire 
could not be controverted; nor could Satan presume 
to make the investiture. What, then, was his pur- 
poset Satan had hitherto opposed, and that with 
considerable success, the kingdom of God upon earth ; 
and what he appears to propose here, were, terms 

63 


Observations upon the 


of peace, and an honourable retreat. The worship 
which he exacted was an act of homage, in return for 
his cession of that ascendancy which, through the sin 
of man, he had obtained in the world. Having long 
established his rule among men, it was not at first 
to be expected that he would resign it without a 
combat: but the purpose of this last temptation ap- 
pears to be an offer to decline any farther contest ; 
and, yet more, if his terms were accepted, apparently 
to engage his influence to promote the kingdom of 
the Messiah. And as the condition of this proposed 
alliance, he required, not Divine worship, but such an 
act of homage as implied amity and obligation ; and if 
this construction be allowed, he may be supposed to 
have enforced the necessity of the measure, by every 
suggestion of the consequences of a refusal. The 
sufferings which would inevitably result from a pro- 
voked opposition, which would render the victory, 
though certain to Christ himself, dearly bought; add- 
ed to which, the conflict he was prepared to carry on 
through succeeding ages, in which all his subtlety and 
powers should be employed to hinder the progress of 
Christ’s cause in the earth, and that with a consider- 
able degree of anticipated success. Here the devil 
seems to propose to make over to Christ the power 
and influence he possessed in this world, on condition 
that he would enter into terms of peace with him; 
and the inducement offered was, that thereby our 
Lord should escape those sufferings, both in his own 
person, and in that of his adherents, which a provoked 
contest would ensure. And we may suppose that a 
similar temptation lies hid in the desires excited even 
in some of the servants of Christ, who may feel them- 
selves often induced to employ worldly influence and 
power for the promotion of his kingdom, even though, 
in so doing, an apparent communion of Christ and 
Belial is the result: for it will be found that neither 
worldly riches, nor power, can be employed in the ser- 
vice of Christ, till, like the spoils taken in war, Deut. 
xxxi. 21-23, they have passed through the fire and 
water, as, without a Divine purification, they are not 
fit to be employed in the service of God and his 
Church. 

“ Hence we may conclude, that the first temptation 
had for its professed object, Ist, our Lord’s personal 
relief and comfort, through the inducement of per- 
forming a separale and independent act of power.— 
The second temptation professed to have in view his 
public acknowledgment by the people, as the Mrssian : 
for, should they see him work such a miracle as throw- 
ing himself down from the pinnacle of the temple 


ST. MATTHEW 


temptation of Christ. 


without receiving any hurt, they would be led instantly 
to acknowledge his Divine mission ; and the evil of this 
temptation may be explained, as seeking to secure the 
success of his mission by other means than those 
which, as the Messiah, he had received from the 
Father. Compare John xiv. 31. The third tempta 
tion was a subtle attempt to induce Christ to acknow. 
ledge Satan as an ally, in the establishment of his 
kingdom.” E. M. B. 

The above is the substance of the ingenious theory 
of my correspondent, which may be considered as a 
third mode of interpretation, partaking equally of the 
allegoric and literal. I still, however, think, that the 
nearer we keep to the letter in all such difficult cases, 
the more tenable is our ground, especially where the 
subject itself does not obviously require the allegorical 
mode of interpretation. Among many things worthy 
of remark in the preceding theory, the following de- 
serves most attention: That Satan is ever ready to 
tempt the governors and ministers of the Christian 
Church to suppose that worldly means, human policy, 
secular interest and influence, are all essentially neces- 
sary for the support and extension of that kingdom 
which ts not of this world! Such persons can never 
long preserve hallowed hands: they bring the world 
into the Church; endeavour to sanctify the bad means 
they use, by the good end they aim at; and often, in 
the prosecution of their object, by means which are 
not of God’s devising, are driven into straits and diffi- 
culties, and to extricate themselves, tell lies for God's 
sake. This human policy is from beneath—God will 
neither sanction nor bless it. It has been the bane of 
true religion in all ages of the world; and, in every 
country where the cause of Christianity has been es- 
tablished, such schemers and plotters in the Church of 
God are as dangerous to its interests as a plague is to 
the health of society. The governors and ministers 
of the Christian Church should keep themselves pure, 
and ever do God’s work in his own way. If the 
slothful servant should be cast out of the vineyard, he 
that corrupts the good seed of the Divine field, or sows 
tares among the wheat, should be considered as an 
enemy to righteousness, and be expelled from the 
sacred pale as one who closes in with the temptation— 
“ All these things (the kingdoms of the world, and 
the glory of them) will I give unto Tex, if thou wilt 
fall down and worship me.” However necessary the 
Church may be to the state, and the state to the 
Church, as some people argue, yet the latter is 
never in so much danger as when the former smiles 
upon it. 


CHAPTER V. 


Christ begins his sermon on the mount, 1, 2. 
and light of the world, 13-16. 
Prophets, 17-19. 


relative 10 murder, anger, and injurious speaking, 21, 22. 
ana propensities, and the necessity of mortification, 27-30. 


swearing, 33-37. 
love and hatred, 43-46. 
64 


Of cwil respect, 47, 


The beatitudes, 3-12. 
Christ is not come to destroy, but confirm and fulfil, the Law and the 
Of the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, 20. 


Of bearing injuries and persecution, 38-41. 


The disciples the salt of the earth, 


Interpretation of the precepts 
Of reconciliation, 23-26. Of impure act 
Of divorce, 31, 32. Of oaths and profane 
Of borrowing and lending, 42. Of 


Christ’s disciples must resemble their heavenly Father, 48 


1 


Our Lord commences his 
AM. 4031. A ND seeingthemultitudes, *he went 
up into a mountain; and when he 
———— was set, his disciples came unto him : 
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught 
them, saying, 


An. Olymp. 
CCL3. 3 


* Mark iii. 13, 20. + Luke vi. 20; see Psa. li. 17; Prov. xvi. 
19; xxix. 23; Isa. lvii. 15; Ixvi. 2. 


NOTES ON CHAP. V. 

Verse 1. And seeing the multitudes] Tove οχλους, 
these multitudes, viz. those mentioned in the preced- 
ing verse, which should make the first verse of this 
chapter. 

He went up into a mountain] That he might have 
the greater advantage of speaking, so as to be heard 
by that great concourse of people which followed 
him. It is very probable that nothing more is meant 
here than a small hill or eminence. Had he been on 
a high mountain they could not have heard; and, had 
he been at a great distance, he would not have sat 
down. See the note on ver. 14. 

And when he was 561] The usual posture of public 
teachers among the Jews, and among many other 
people. Hence sitting was a synonymous term for 
teaching among the rabbins. 

His disciples) The word μαϑητῆς signifies literally 
a scholar. Those who originally followed Christ, 
considered him in the light of a Divine teacher; and 
conscious of their ignorance, and the importance of 
his teaching, they put themselves under his tuition, 
that they might be instructed in heavenly things. 
Having been taught the mysteries of the kingdom of 
God, they became closely attached to their Divine 
Master, imitating his life and manners; and recom- 
mending his salvation to all the circle of their acquaint- 
ance. This is sid the characteristic of a genuine 
disciple of Christ. 

Verse 3. Blessed are the poor i spirit, &c.] Or, 
happy, μακαριοι from pa or μη, not, and κηρ, fate, or 
death: intimating, that such persons were endued 
with immortality, and consequently were not liable to 
the caprices of fate. Homer, Iliad i, 339, calls the 
supreme gods, Θεὼν μακάρων, the ever happy and 
IMMORTAL gods, and opposes them to ϑνητῶν ανϑρωπων, 
mortal men. 

To δ᾽ αὐτω μαρτυροι εστων 
1ιγὸς τεθεωὼν μακάρων, προς τε ϑνητῶων ανϑρωπων. 


“Be ye witnesses before the immortal gods, and 
before mortal men.” From this definition we may 
learn, that the person whom Christ terms happy is 
one who is not under the influence of fate or chance, 
but is governed by an all-wise providence, having 
every step directed to the attainment of immortal 
glory, being transformed by the power into the likeness 
of the ever-blessed God. Though some of the persons, 
whose states are mentioned in these verses, cannot be 
said to be as yet blessed or happy, in being made par- 
takers of the Divine nature; yet they are termed 
happy by our Lord, because they are on the straight 
way to this blessedness. 

Taken in this light the meaning is similar to that 
expressed by the poet when describing a happy man. 

Vox. I. (Ὁ 


CHAP. V. 


sermon on the mount 
ΒΒ] πα δα ah iisnivit: ΑΕ ΑΙΘΆ, 
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: Αι δ 408 


for theirs is the kingdom of hea- a 
ven. ——— ΑΝ 
4 °Blessed are they that mourn: for they 
shall be comforted. 


©Tsa. Ixi. 2,3; Luke vi. 21; John xvi. 20; 2 Cor. i. 7; Rev 
xxi. 4. 


Fewix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas : 

Atque metus omnes et inexorabile ratum 

Subjecit pedibus ; strepitumque Acherontis avari! 
Virg. Geor. ii. v. 490. 


Which may be thus paraphrased :— 

“Happy is he who gains the knowledge of the 
first cause of all things; who can trample on every 
fear, and the doctrine of inexorable rate; and who is 
not terrified by death, nor by the threatened torments 
of the invisible world !” 

Poor in spirit} One who is deeply sensible of his 
spiritual poverty and wretchedness. Πτωχος, a poor 
man, comes from πτώσσω, to tremble, or shrink with 
fear. Being destitute of the true riches, he is trem- 
blingly alive to the necessities of his soul, shrinking 
with fear lest he should perish without the salvation 
of God. Such Christ pronounces happy, because 
there is but a step between them and that kingdom 
which is here promised. Some contend, that μακαρίοι 
should be referred to πνεύματί, and the verse trans- 
lated thus: Happy, or blessed in spirit are the poor. 
But our Lord seems to have the humiliation of the 
spirit particularly in view. 

Kingdom of heaven.| Or, τῶν ουρανων, of the heavens. 
A participation of all the blessings of the new cove- 
nant here, and the blessings of glory above. See this 
phrase explained, chap. iii. 9. Blessed are the poor! 
this is God’s word ; but who believes it? Do we not 
say, Yea, rather, Blessed is the rich 2? 

The Jewish rabbins have many good sayings rela- 
tive to that poverty and humility of spirit which 
Christ recommends in this verse. In the treatise 
called Bamidbar Rabbi, s. 20, we have these words : 
There were three (evils) in Balaam: the evil eye. 
(envy,) the towering spirit, (pride,) and the extensive 
mind (avarice.) } 

Tanchum, fol. 84. The law does not abide with those 
who have the extensive mind, (avarice,) but with him 
only who has a contrite heart. 

Rabbi Chanina said, ‘‘ Why are the words of the 
law compared to water? Because as waters flow 
from heights, and settle in low places, so the words of 
the law rest only with him who is of an humdle heart.” 
See Schoettgen. 

Verse 4. Blessed are they that mourn] That is, 
those who, feeling their spiritual poverty, mourn after 
God, lamenting the iniquity that separated them from 
the fountain of blessedness. Every one flies from 
sorrow, and seeks after joy, and yet true joy must 
necessarily be the fruit of sorrow. The whole need 
not (do not feel the need of) the physician, but they 
that are sick do; i. e. they who are sensible of their 
disease. Only such persons as are deeply convinced of 
the sinfulness of sin, feel the plague of their own heart, 

65 


Who they are whom 


A. M. 4031. 5 
A. D. 27. 
An. Olan: for 


earth. 
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and 


4 Blessed are the meek: 
6 they shall inherit the 


4 Psa. xxxvii. 11.—®*See Rom. iv. 13.—\ Isa. lv. 1; 
lxv. 13. 


and turn with disgust from all worldly consolations, 
beeause of their insufficiency to render them happy, 
have God’s promise of solid comfort. They SHALL BE 
comforted, says Christ, παρακληϑήσονται, from παρα, 
near, and καλεω, I call. He will call them to himself, 
and speak the words of pardon, peace, and life eternal, 
to their hearts. See this notion of the word expressed 
fully by our Lord, chap. xi. 28, Come unto ΜῈ all ye 
who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you 
rest. 

Verse 5. Blessed are the meek] Happy, οἱ πραεις, 
from aoc, easy, those who are of a quiet, gentle spirit, 
in opposition to the proud and supercilious Scribes 
and Pharisees, and their disciples. We have a com- 
pound word in English, which once fully expressed 
the meaning of the original, viz. gentleman ; but it has 
now almost wholly lost its original signification. Our 
word meek comes from the old Anglo-saxon meca, or 
meccea, ἃ companion or equal, because he who is of a 
meck or gentle spirit, is ever ready to associate with 
the meanest of those who fear God, feeling himself 
superior to none ; and well knowing that he has nothing 
of spiritual or temporal good but what he has received 
from the mere bounty of God, having never deserved 
any favour from his hand. 

For they shall inherit the earth.| Or, τὴν ynv, the 
land. Under this expression, which was commonly 
used by the prophets to signify the /and of Canaan, in 
which all temporal good abounded, Judg. xviii. 9, 10, 
Jesus Christ points out that abundance of spiritual 
good, which was provided for men in the Gospel. Be- 
sides, Canaan was a type of the kingdom of God; and 
who is so likely to inherit glory as the man in whom 
the meekness and gentleness of Jesus dwell? In some 
good MSS. and several ancient versions, the fourth 
and fifth verses are transposed: see the authorities in 
the various readings in Professor Griesbach’s edition. 
The present arrangement certainly is most natural : 1. 
Poverty, to which the promise of the kingdom is made. 
2. Mourning or distress, on account of this impover- 
ished state, to which consolation is promised. And 3. 
Meekness established in the heart by the consolations 
received, 

Verse 6. They which do hunger and thirst] As the 
body has its natural appetites of hunger and thirst for 
the food and drink suited to its nourishment, so has the 
soul. No being is indestructible or unfailing in its 
nature but Gop ; no being is independent but him: as 
the body depends for its nourishment, health, and 
strength upon the earth, so does the soul upon heaven. 
Heavenly things cannot support the Jody ; they are not 
suited to its nature: earthly things cannot support the 
soul, for the same reason. When the uneasy sensa- 
tion termed hunger takes place in the stomach, we 
know we must get food or perish. When the soul is 
awakened to a sense of its wants, and begins to hunger 

66 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Christ pronounces blessed, 


thirst after righteousness: ‘ for they ΔΑΝ 4031. 
shall be filled. 

7 Blessed are the merciful: 5 for 
they shall obtain mercy. 


& Psa. xli. 1; chap. vi. 14; Mark xi. 25; 2 Tim.i. 16; Heb. 
vi. 10; James ii. 13. 


and thirst after righteousness or holiness, which is its 
proper food, we know that it must be purified by the 
Holy Spirit, and be made a partaker of that living 
bread, John viii. 48, or perish everlastingly. Now, as 
God never inspires a prayer but with a design to an- 
swer it, he who hungers and thirsts after the full sal- 
vation of God, may depend on being speedily and 
effectually blessed or satisfied, well-fed, as the word 
χορτασϑησονται implies. Strong and intense desire 
after any object has been, both by poets and orators, 
represented metaphorically by hunger and thirst. See 
the well-known words of Virgil, Avneid iii. 55. 


Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, 
Auri sacra FAMES ! 


“(Ὁ cursed hunger after gold! what canst thou not 
influence the hearts of men to perpetrate?’ How 
frequently do we find, inexplebilis honorum Fames— 
SITIENS virtulis—faume siris, the insatiable hunger 
after honour, a thirst for virtue, thirst after fame, and 
such like! Righteousness here is taken for all the 
blessings of the new covenant—all the graces of 
the Messiah’s kingdom—a full restoration to the 
image of God! 

Verse 7. The merciful] The word mercy, among 
the Jews, signified two things : the pardon of injuries, 
and almsgiving. Our Lord undoubtedly takes it in 
its fullest latitude here. To know the nature of 
mercy, we have only to consult the grammatical 
meaning of the Latin word misericordia, from which 
ours is derived. It is composed of two words: mise- 
rans, pitying, and cor, the heart; or miseria cordis, 
pain of heart. Mercy supposes two things: 1. A 
distressed object: and, 2. A disposition of the heart, 
through which it is affected at the sight of such an 
object. This virtue, therefore, is no other than a 
lively emotion of the heart, which is excited by the 
discovery of any creature’s misery; and such an 
emotion as manifests itself outwardly, by effects 
suited to its nature. The merciful man is here 
termed by our Lord eAequwv, from ελεος, which is 
generally derived from the Hebrew ὙΠ chil, to be in 
pain, as a woman in travail: or from 54° yalal, to cry, 
or lament grievously ; because a merciful man enters 
into the miseries of his neighbour, feels for and 
mourns with him. 

They shall obtain mercy.| Mercy is not purchased 
but at the price of mercy itself; and even this price 
is a gift of the mercy of God. What mercy can those 
vindictive persons expect, who forgive nothing, and 
are always ready to improve every advantage they 
have of avenging themselves? Whatever mercy ἃ 
man shows to another, God will take care to show 
the same to him. The following elegant and nervous 
saying of one of our best poets is worthy of the 
reader’s most serious attention :— 


Ὁ 


The pure in heart, peace-makers, 


A M. 403). h J 4 : 
ag 8 *Blessed are the pure in heart: 


ihn. Olymp. for ‘they shall see God. 
: 9 Blessed are the peace-makers : 
for they shall be called the children of God. 


h Psa. xv. 2; xxiv. 4; Heb. xii. 14.——i1 Cor. xiii. 12; 


“The quality of mercy is not strained ; 

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven 
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed ; 
Tt blesseth him who gives, and him who takes : 
*Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes 
The throned monarch better than his crown. 

Tt is an attribute of God himself; 

And earthly power doth then show likest God’s, 
When mercy seasons justice. 
Though justice be thy plea, consider this, 

That, in the course of justice, none of us 

Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy ; 
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render 
The deeds of mercy. 
Why, all the souls that are, were forfeit once : 
And he who might the ’vantage best have took 
Found out the remedy. How would you be, 

If He who is the top of judgment should 

But judge you as you are? O! think on that; 
And mercy then will breathe within your lips, 
Like man, new made. 

How shalt thou hope for mercy, rend’ring none 2” 


In the tract Shabbath, fol. 151, there is a saying 
very like this of our Lord. ‘ He who shows mercy 
to men, God will show mercy to him: but to him 
who shows no merey to man, God will show no 
mercy.” 

Verse 8. Pure in heart] In opposition to the 
Pharisees, who affected outward purity, while their 
hearts were full of corruption and defilement. A 
principal part of the Jewish religion consisted in out- 
ward washings and cleansings: on this ground they 
expected to see God, to enjoy eternal glory: but 
Christ here shows that a purification of the heart, 
from all vile affections and desires, is essentially re- 
quisite in order to enter into the kingdom of God. 
He whose soul is not delivered from all sin, through 
the blood of the covenant, can have no Scriptural 
hope of ever being with God. There is a remarkable 
illustration of this passage, quoted by Mr. Wakefield 
from Origen, Contra Cels. lib. vi. “ God has no body, 
and therefore is invisible: but men of contemplation 
ean discern him with the heart and understanding. 
But 4 DEFILED HEART CANNOT SEE Gop: but HE MUST 
BE PURE WHO WISHES TO ENJOY A PROPER VIEW OF A 
PURE BEING.” 

Shall see God.| This is a Hebraism, which signi- 
fies, possess God, enjoy his felicity : as seeing a thing, 
was used among the Hebrews for possessing it. See 
Psa. xvi. 10. Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to 
SEE corruption, i. e. he shall not be corrupted. So 
John iii. 3. Except a man be born again, he cannot ser 
the kingdom of God, i. e. he cannot enjoy it. So John 


CHAP. V. 


and the persecuted, are blessed 


10 ‘Blessed are they which are 
persecuted for righteousness’ sake : 
for theirs is the kingdom of hea- 
ven. 


1 John iii. 2, 3.—* 2 Cor. iy. 17; 2 Tim. ii. 12; 1 Pet. iii. 14. 


nuine followers of Christ actually enjoy—having the 
Divine favour witnessed to their souls by the Holy 
Spirit. The Hindoos pretend that some of their 
sages have been favoured with a sight of their guar- 
dian deity.—See Warp’s Customs. 

Probably our Lord alludes to the advantages those 
had, who were legally pure, of entering into the 
sanctuary, into the presence of God, while those 
who had contracted any legal defilement were ex 
cluded from it. This also was obviously typical. 


Verse 9. The peace-makers| Expyvy, peace, is com- 
pounded of expew (exc) ἕν, connecting into one: for as 
war distracts and divides nations, families, and indi- 
viduals, from each other, inducing them to pursue 
different objects and different interests, so PEACE 
restores them to a state of unity, giving them one 
object, and one interest. A peace-maker is a man who, 
being endowed with a generous public spirit, labours 
for the public good, and feels his own interest pro- 
moted in promoting that of others: therefore, instead 
of fanning the fire of strife, he uses his influence and 
wisdom to reconcile the contending parties, adjust 
their differences, and restore them to a state of unity. 
As all men are represented to be in a state of hostility 
to God and each other, the Gospel is called the Gos- 
pel of peace, because it tends to reconcile men to 
God and to each other. Hence our Lord here terms 
peace-makers, the children of God: for as he is the 
Father of peace, those who promote it are reputed his 
children. But whose children are they who foment 
divisions in the Church, the state, or among families ? 
Surely they are not of that Gop, who is the Father of 
peace, and lover of concord; of that Curist, who is 
the sacrifice and mediator of it; of that Spimir, who 
is the nourisher and bond of peace ; nor of that CuurcH 
of the Most High, which is the kingdom and family 
of peace. 

St. Clement, Strom. lib. iv. s. 6, in fin. says, that 
“Some who transpose the Gospels add this verse : 
Happy they who are persecuted by justice, for they shall 
be perfect: happy they who are persecuted on my ac- 
count, for they shall have a place where they shall not 
be persecuted.” 

Verse 10. They which are persecuted] Δεδιωγμενοι, 
they who are hard pressed upon, and pursued with 
repeated acts of enmity. Parkhurst. They are happy 
who suffer, seems a strange saying: and that the 
righteous should suffer, merely because they are, such, 
seems as strange. But such is the enmity of the 
human heart to every thing of God and goodness, 
that all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall 
suffer persecution in one form or other. As the re- 
ligion of Christ gives no quarter to vice, so the vicious 


in. 16. He that believeth not the Son, shall not sex life, | will give no quarter to this religion, or to its pro- 

i. e. shall not be put in possession of eternal glory. | fessors. 

The Hindoo idolaters vainly boast of what the ge-! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.] That spiritual 
1 67 


Christians the salt of the earth 


A.M. 4031. 11 1Blessed are ye, when men 


An. Olymp. shall revile you, and persecute you, 
wise and shall say all manner of ™evil 
against you " falsely, for my sake. 

12 °Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for 
great is your reward in heaven: for ?so per- 
secuted they the prophets which were before 
you. 

13 9 Ye are the salt of the earth: ‘but if 


1 Luke vi. 22——™ ] Pet. iv. 14. «Gr. lying. Ὁ Luke vi. 23 ; 
Actsv.41; Rom.v.3; James 1. 2 ; 1 Pet. iv. 13—P Neh. ix. 26; 
2 Chron. xxxvi.16; chap. xxiii. 34, 37; Acts vii. 52; 1 Thess. i1. 


kingdom, explained chap. iii. 2, and that kingdom of 
glory which is its counterpart and consequence. 

Verse 11. When men shall revile you, and persecute| 
The persecution mentioned in the preceding verse 
comprehends all outward acts of violence—all that 
the hand can do. This comprehends all calumny, 
slander, &c., all that the tongue can effect. But as 
διωκειν, Which we render to persecute, is a forensic 
term, and signifies legal persecutions and public ac- 
cusations, which, though totally unsubstantiated, were 
the means of destroying multitudes of the primitive 
Christians, our Lord probably refers to such. No 
Protestant can think, without horror, of the great num- 
bers burnt alive in this country, on such accusations, 
under the popish reign of her who is emphatically 
called Bloody Queen Mary. 

Verse 12. Rejoice] In the testimony of a good 
conscience ; for, without this, suffering has nothing but 
misery in it. 

Be exceeding glad| Αγαλλιασθε, leap for joy. There 
are several cases on record, where this was literally 
done by the martyrs, in Queen Mary’s days. 

Great is your reward in heaven] In the Talmudical 
tract Pirkey Aboth, are these words: “ Rabbi Tarpon 
said, The day is short: the work is great: the labour- 
ers are slow: the REWARD Is Grear: and the father 
of the family is urgent.” 

The followers of Christ are encouraged to suffer 
joyfully on two considerations. 1. They are thereby 
conformed to the prophets who went before. 2. Their 
reward in heaven is a great one. God gives the grace 
to suffer, and then crowns that grace with glory ; hence 
it is plain, the reward is not of debt, but of grace: 
Rom. vi. 23. 

Verse 13. Ye are the salt of the earth] Our Lord 
shows here what the preachers of the Gospel, and 
what all who profess to follow him, should be; the 
salt of the earth, to preserve the world from putrefac- 
tion and destruction. See the note on Lev. ii. 13. 

But tf the salt have lost his savour] That this is 
possible in the land of Judea, we have proof from Mr. 
Maundrell, who, describing the Valley of Salt, speaks 
thus: “ Along, on one side of the valley, toward Gi- 
bul, there is a small precipice about two men’s lengths, 
occasioned by the continual taking away of the salt ; 
and, in this, you may see how the veins of it lie. I 
broke a piece of it, of which that part that was ex- 
posed to the rain, sun, and air, though it had the sparks 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and the light of the world. 


the salt have lost his savour, where- A oot 
with shall it be salted? it is thence- An. Olymp. 
forth good for nothing, but to be cast 
out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

14 *Ye are the light of the world. A city 
that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 

15 Neither do men ‘light a candle, and put 
it under ta bushel, but on a candlestick ; and 
it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 


15.—1 Mark ix. 50; Luke xiv. 34, 35 ——" Prov. iv. 18; Phil. 11. 
15. 8 Mark iv. 21; Luke viii. 16; xi. 33. ¢ The word in the 
original signifieth a measure containing about a pint less than a peck. 


savour: the inner part, which was connected to the 
rock, retained its savour, as I found by proof.” See 
his ταν.» 5th edit., last page. A preacher, or private 
Christian, who has lost the life of Christ, and the wit- 
ness of his Spirit, out of his soul, may be likened to 
this salt. He may have the sparks and glittering par- 
ticles of true wisdom, but without its wnction or com- 
fort. . Only that which is connected with the rock, the 
soul that is in union with Christ Jesus by the Holy 
Spirit, can preserve its savour, and be instrumental of 
good to others. 

To be trodden under foot] There was a species of 
salt in Judea, which was generated at the. lake As- 
phaltites, and hence called bituminous salt, easily ren 
dered vapid, and of no other use but to be spread in a 
part of the temple, to prevent slipping in wet weather. 
This is probably what our Lord alludes to in this place. 
The existence of such a salt, and its application to such 
ause, Schoettgenius has largely proved in his Hore 
Hebraice, vol. i. p. 18, &e. 

Verse 14. Ye are the light of the world] That is, 
the instruments which God chooses to make use of to 
illuminate the minds of men; as he uses the sun (to 
which probably he pointed) to enlighten the world 
Light of the world, poy ἊΣ ner Olam, was a title 
applied to the most eminent rabbins. Christ transfers 
the title from these, and gives it to his own disciples, 
who, by the doctrines that he taught them, were to be 
the means of diffusing the light of life throughout the 
universe. 

A city that is set on a hill] This place may receive 
light from the following passage in Maundrell’s Travels. 
“A few points toward the north (of Tabor) appears 
that which they call the Mount of Beatitudes, a small 
rising, from which our blessed Saviour delivered his 
sermon in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of 
Matthew. (See the note on ver. 5.) Not far from this 
little hill is the city Saphet, supposed to be the ancient 
Bethulia. It stands upon a very eminent and con- 
spicuous mountain, and is SEEN FAR and Near. May 
we not suppose that Christ alludes to this city, in these 
words of his, A city set on a hill cannot be hid 2” 
p- 115. Quesnell remarks here: “The Christian life 
is something very high and sublime, to which we can- 
not arrive without pains: while it withdraws us from 
the earth, and carries us nearer heaven, it places us in 
view, and as a mark, to the malice of carnal men.” 

Verse 15. Neither do men light a candle and put it 


and particles of salt, yer 1r HAD PERFECTLY Lost ITs| under a bushel] A bushel jodvoc:—a measure both 


68 


Christ is not come to destroy 
ΑΜ 1931. 16. Let your light so shine before 
An. Olymp. men, “that they may see your good 
CCL. 3. ‘ 
works, and glorify your Father 
which is in heaven. 
17 “ * Think not that Iam come to destroy 


Ὁ] Pet. ii. 12——* John xv. 8; 1 Cor. xiv. 25. 


among the Greeks and Romans, containing a little 
more than a peck English. From some ancient writers 
we learn, that only those who had bad designs hid a 
eandle under a bushel; that, in the dead of the night, 
when all were asleep, they might rise up, and have 
light at hand to help them to effect their horrid purpo- 
ses of murder, ὅσο. See Wetstein, Kypke, Wolf, &c. 

Verse 16. Let your light so shine] Or more lite- 
rally, Thus let your light shine, Ovtw λαμψατω τὸ φως. 
As the sun is lighted up in the firmament of heaven 
to diffuse its light and heat freely to every inhabitant 
of the earth; and as the lamp is not set under the 
bushel, but placed upon the lamp-stand that it may give 
light to all in the house; Tuus let every follower of 
Christ, and especially every preacher of the Gospel, 
diffuse the light of heavenly knowledge, and the 
warmth of Divine love through the whole circle of their 
acquaintance. 

That they may see your good works] It is not suffi- 
ecient to have light—we must walk in the light, and by 
the light. Our whole conduct should be a perpetual 
tomment on the doctrine we have received, and a con- 
stant exemplification of its power and truth. 

And glorify your Father] The following curious 
saying is found in Bammidbar Rabba, s. 15. “The 
Israelites said to the holy blessed God, Thou com- 
mandest us to light lamps to thee; and yet thou art 
the Light of the world, and with thee the light dwell- 
eth. The holy blessed God answered, I do not com- 
mand this because I need light; but that you may re- 
flect light upon me, as I have illuminated you :—that 
the people may say, Behold, how the Israelites illus- 
trate him, who illuminates them in the sight of the 
whole earth.” See more in Schoettgen. Real Chris- 
tians are the children of God—they are partakers of 
his holy and happy nature: they should ever be con- 
eerned for their Father’s honour, and endeavour so to 
recommend him, and his salvation, that others may be 
prevailed on to come to the light, and walk in it. 
Then God is said to be glorified, when the glorious 
power of his grace is manifested in the salvation of men. 

Verse 17. Think not that I am come to destroy the 
law] Do not imagine that I am come to violate the law 
καταλυσαι, from κατα, and Ava, 7 loose, violate, or dis- 
solve—I am not come to make the law of none effect 
—to dissolve the connection which subsists between 
its several parts, or the obligation men are under to 
have their lives regulated by its moral precepts; nor 
am 1 come to dissolve the connecting reference it has 
tothe good things promised. But I am come, πληρωσαι, 
to complete—to perfect its connection and reference, 
to accomplish every thing shadowed forth in the Mosaic 
ritual, to fill up its great design; and to give grace to 
all my followers, πληρώσαι, to fill up, or complete, 
every moral duty. In a word, Christ completed the 

1 


CHAP. V. 


the law or the prophets. 


the law, or the prophets; I am 4,™. 4031. 
not come to destroy, but to a 
fulfil. a 

18 For, verily I say unto you, * Till heaven 
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no 


w Rom. iii. 31; x. 4; Gal. iii. 24.——* Luke xvi. 17. 


law: Ist. In itself, it was only the shadow, the typi- 
cal representation, of good things to come; and he 
added to it that which was necessary to make it per- 
fect, HIS OWN SACRIFICE, without which it could neither 
satisfy God, nor sanctify men. 2dly. He completed 
it in himself, by submitting to its types with an exact 
obedience, and verifying them by his death upon the 
eross. 3dly. He completes this law, and the sayings 
of his prophets, in his members, by giving them grace 
to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and 
strength, and their neighbour as themselves ; for this is 
all the Jaw and the prophets. 

It is worthy of observation, that the word 1 ga- 
mar, among the rabbins, signifies not only to fulfil, but 
also to teach ; and, consequently, we may infer that our 
Lord intimated, that the law and the prophets were 
still to be taught or inculeated by him and his disciples ; 
and this he and they have done in the most pointed 
manner. See the Gospels and epistles; and see es- 
pecially this sermon on the mount, the Epistle of 
James, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. And this 
meaning of the word gives the clear sense of the apos- 
tle’s words, Colos. i. 25. Whereof I am made a mi- 
nister, πληρωσαι Tov λογον του Θεου, to fulfil the word 
of God, i. 6. to teach the doctrine of God. 

Verse 18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven) 
In the very commencement of his ministry, Jesus 
Christ teaches the instability of all visible things. 
“The heaven which you see, and which is so glorious, 
and the earth which you inhabit and love, shall pass 
away ; for the things which are seen are temporal, 
mpockatpa, are for a time; but the things which are not 
seen are eternal αἰωνία, ever-during,” 2 Cor. iv. 18. 
And the worp of the Lord endureth for ever. 

One jot or one tittle] One yod, (".) the smallest letter 
in the Hebrew alphabet. One tittle or point, κεραία, 
either meaning those points which serve for vowels in 
this language, if they then existed ; or the seraphs, or 
points of certain letters, such as Ἢ resh, or 3 daleth, Τῇ 
he, or ΤΊ cheth (as the change of any of these into the 
other would make a most essential alteration in the 
sense, or, as the rabbins say, destroy the world.) Or 
our Lord may refer to the little ornaments which cer- 
tain letters assume on their tops, which cause them’ to 
appear like small branches. The following letters 
only can assume coronal apices, 1) tsaddi— gimel— 
7 zain—) nun—t teth—y ayin—w shin. These, 
with the coronal apices, often appear in MSS. 

That this saying, one jot or one tittle, is a proverbial 
mode of expression among the Jews, and that it ex- 
pressed the meaning given to it above, is armply proved 
by the extracts in Lightfoot and Schoettgen. The reader 
will not be displeased to find a few of them here, if he 
can bear with the allegorical and strongly figurative 
language of the rabbins. 

69 


Threatenings against those who 


AM Aes wise pass from the law, till all be 
ἌΛΛΟΙΣ fulfilled. 

19 ¥ Whosoever therefore shall 
break one of these least commandments, and 
shall teach men so, he shall be called the 
least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoso- 
ever shall do and teach them, the same shall 


y James ii. 10. 


2 Rom. ix. 31; x. 3. 


“The book of Deuteronomy came and prostrated 
itself before the Lord, and said : ‘ O Lord of the world, 
thou hast written in me thy law; but now, a Testa- 
ment defective in some parts is defective in all. Be- 
hold, Solomon endeavours to root the letter > yod out of 
me.’ (In this text, Deut. xvii. 5. ow] may Xd lo 
yirbeh, nashim, he shall not multiply wives.) 'The 
holy blessed God answered, ‘ Solomon and a thousand 
such as he shall perish, but the least word shall not 
perish out of thee.” ; 

In Shir Hashirim Rabba, are these words: “ Should 
all the inhabitants of the earth gather together, in or- 
der to whiten one feather of a crow, they could not 
succeed: so, if all the inhabitants of the earth should 
unite to abolish one » yod, which is the smallest letter 
in the whole law, they should not be able to effect it.” 

In Vayikra Rabba, 5. 19, it is said: “ Should any 
person in the words of Deut. vi. 4, Hear, O Israel, 
the Lord our God is 1M achad, one Lord, change the 
5 daleth into a resh, he would ruin the world.” [Be- 
cause, in that case, the word MN achar, would signify 
a strange or false God.] 

“ Should any one, in the words of Exod. xxxiv. 14, 
Thou shalt worship no oTHER, WN achar, God, change 
Ἢ resh into 7 daleth, he would ruin the world.” [Be- 
cause the command would then run, Thou shalt not 
worship the onty or true God.] 

“Should any one in the words of Levit. xxii. 32, 

jeither shall ye prorane \OOmN techalelu, my holy 
name, change ΠῚ cheth into 7 he, he would ruin the 
world.” [Because the sense of the commandment 
would then be, Neither shall ye Praise my holy name.) 

“ Should any one, in the words of Psa. el. 6, Let 
every thing that hath breath PRAisE, bSnn tehalel, the 
Lord, change 7 λό into M cheth, he would ruin the 
world.” [Because the command would then run, Let 
every thing that hath breath prorane the Lord.| 

“Should any one, in the words of Jer. v. 10, They 
led acainst the Lord, 13 beihovah, change 3 beth 
into 3 caph, he would ruin the world.” [For then the 
words would run, They lied tixe the Lord.| 

«Should any one, inthe words of Hosea v. 7, They 
have dealt treacherously, NVV3 berhovah, acainst the 
Lord, change 3 beth into 3 caph, he would ruin the 
world.” [For then the words would run, They have 
dealt treacherously LiKE the Lord.| 

“Should any one, in the words of 1 Sam. ii. 2, 
There rs none holy as the Lord, change 3 caph into 3 
beth, he would ruin the world.” [For then the words 
would mean, There is no holiness τιν the Lord.] 

These examples fully prove that the ya κεραία of 


our Lord, refers to the apices, points, or corners, that 


distinguish 3 beth from 3 caph; 1 cheth from 7 λέ; 
70 


ST. MATTHEW. 


break Christ’s commandments 


be called great in the kingdom of ae 


heaven. An, Olymp. 
20 For I say unto you, That ex- ——— - 


cept your righteousness shall exceed 5 the right- 
eousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall 
in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

21 9 Ye have heard that it was said *by 


a Or, to them. 


and Ἢ resh from Ἵ daleth. For the reader will at once 
perceive, how easily a 3 caph may be turned into a 3 
beth; ἃ ΤΠ hé into a ΠῚ cheth; anda‘ resh intoa Ἴ 
daleth: and he will also see of what infinite conse- 
quence it is to write and print such letters correcily. 

Till all be fulfilled.| Or, accomplished. Though all 
earth and hell should join together to hinder the ac- 
complishment of the great designs of the Most High, 
yet it shall all be in vain—even the sense of a single 
letter shall not be lost. The words of God, which 
point out his designs, are as unchangeable as his‘nalure 
itself. Every sinner, who perseveres in his iniquity, 
shall surely be punished with separation from God and 
the glory of his power; and every soul that turns to 
God, through Christ, shall as surely be saved, as that 
Jesus himself hath died. 

Verse 19. Whosoever—shall break one of these least 
commandments| The Pharisees were remarkable for 
making a distinction between weightier and lighter 
matters in the law, and between what has been called, 
in a corrupt part of the Christian Church, mortal and 
venial sins. See on chap. xxii. 36. 

Whosoever shall break. What an awful considera~ 
tion is this! He who, by his mode of acting, speak- 
ing, or explaining the words of God, sets the holy 
precept aside, or explains away its force and meaning, 
shall be called least—shall have no place inthe kingdom 
of Christ here, nor in the kingdom of glory above. 
That this is the meaning of these words is evident 
enough from the following verse. 

Verse 20. Except your righteousness shall exceed] 
περισσευση, Unless your righteousness abound more— 
unless it take in, not only the etter, but the spirit and 
design of the moral and ritual precept; the one di- 
recting you how to walk so as to please God; the 
other pointing out Christ, the great Atonement, through 
and by which a sinner is enabled to do so—more than 
that of the scribes and Pharisees, who only attend to 
the letter of the law, and had indeed made even that 
of no effect by their traditions—ye shall not enter into 
the kingdom of heaven. This fully explains the mean- 
ing of the preceding verse. The old English word is 
mbepipnyy, 7ight-wiseness, i. 6. complete, thorough, 
excellent wisbom. For a full explanation of this verse, 
see Luke xvii. 10, &e. 

Verse 21. Ye have heard that it was said by them 
of old time] τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, to or by the ancients. By 
the ancients, we may understand those who lived ὅδε- 
fore the law, and those who lived wnder it; for mur- 
der was, in the most solemn manner, forbidden before 
as well as under, the law, Gen. ix. 5, 6. 

But it is very likely that our Lord refers here mere- 
ly to traditions and glosses relative to the ancien 

1 


Anger toward a brother. 


Aw 4031. them of old time, *Thou shalt not 
An. Olymp. kill; and whosoever shall kill, shall 
—— be in danger of the judgment: 

22 But I say unto you, That ° whosoever 


» Exod. xx. 13; Deut. v. 17——¢1 John iii. 15. 


Mosaic ordinance; and such as, by their operation, 
rendered the primitive command of little or no effect. 
Murder from the beginning has been punished with 
death; and it is, probably, the only crime that should 
be punished with death. There is much reason to 
doubt, whether the punishment of death, inflicted for 
any other crime, is not in itself murder, whatever the 
authority may be that has instituted it. GOD, and the 
greatest /egislators that have ever been in the universe, 
are of the same opinion. See Montesquieu, Black- 
stone, and the Marquis Beccaria, and the arguments and 
testimonies lately produced by Sir Samuel Romilly, in 
his motion for the amendment of the criminal laws of 
this kingdom. It is very remarkable, that the criminal 
code published by Joseph II., late emperor of Ger- 
many, though it consists of seventy-one capital crimes, 
has not death attached to any of them. Even murder, 
with an intention to rob, is punished only with “ im- 
prisonment for thirty years, to lie on the floor, to have 
no nourishment but bread and water, to be closely 
chained, and to be publicly whipped once a year, with 
less than one hundred lashes.” See Colquhoun on 
the Police of the City of London, p. 272. 

Verse 22. Whosoever is angry with his brother 
without a cause] ‘o opyouevoc—erxn, who is vainly 
incensed. “This translation is literal; and the very 
cbjectionable phrase, without a cause, is left out, exxn 
being more properly translated by that above.” What 
our Lord seems here to prohibit, is not merely that 
miserable facility which some have of being angry at 
every trifle, continually taking offence against their best 
friends ; but that anger which leads a man to commit 
outrages against another, thereby subjecting himself to 
that punishment which was to be inflicted on those who 

“break the peace. Exxn, vainly, or, as in the common 
translation, without a cause, is wanting in the famous 
Vatican MS. and two others, the Ethiopic, latter Ara- 
bic, Saxon, Vulgate, two copies of the old Itala, J. 
Martyr, Ptolomeus, Origen, Tertullian, and by all the 
ancient copies quoted by St. Jerome. It was probably 
a marginal gloss originally, which in process of time 
crept into the text. 

Shall be in danger of the judgment] ενοχος ecat, 
shall be liable to the judgment. ‘That is, to have the 
matter brought before a senate, composed of twenty- 
three magistrates, whose business it was to judge in 
eases of murder and other capital crimes. It punished 
eriminals by strangling or beheading ; but Dr. Light- 
foot supposes the judgment of God to be intended. 
See at the end of this chapter. 

Raca] 7p from the Hebrew p> rak, to be empty. 
It signifies a vain, empty, worthless fellow, shallow 
brains, a term of great contempt. Such expressions 
were punished among the Gentoos by a heavy fine. 
See all the cases, Code of Gentoo Laws, chap. xv. 
sec. 2. 

The council] Svvedpiov, the famous council, known 

1 


CHAP. V. 


without cause, forbidden 


is angry with his brother without 4,3, 403) 
a cause, shall be in danger of the Au. Olymp. 
judgment: and whosoever shall say = 

to his brother, ?Raca,* shall be in danger of 


4 That is, vain fellow ; 2 Sam. vi. 20.—* James ii. 20. 


among the Jews by the name of Sanhedrin. It was 
composed of seventy-two elders, six chosen out of 
each tribe. This grand Sanhedrin not only received 
appeals from the inferior Sanhedrins, or court of twenty- 
three mentioned above; but could alone take cogni- 
zance, in the first instance, of the highest crimes, and 
alone inflict the punishment of stoning. 

Thou fool| Moreh, probably from 773 marah, to 
rebel, ἃ rebel against God, apostate from all good. 
This term implied, among the Jews, the highest enor- 
mity, and most aggravated guilt. Among the Gentoos, 
such an expression was punished by cutting out the 
tongue, and thrusting a hot iron, of ten fingers’ breadth, 
into the mouth of the person who used it. Code of 
Gentoo Laws, chap. xv. sec. 2. p. 212. 

Shall be in danger of hell fire.| evoyog eat εἰς τὴν 
yeevvay τοῦ πυρος, shall be liable to the hell of fire. Our 
Lord here alludes to the valley of the son of Hinnom, 
DIM 1 Ghi hinom. This place was near Jerusalem, 
and had been formerly used for those abominable sa- 
erifices, in which the idolatrous Jews had caused their 
children to pass through the fire to Molech. A par- 
ticular place in this valley was called Tophet, from 
DN tophet, the fire stove, in which some supposed 
they burnt their children alive tothe above idol. See 
2 Kings xxiii. 10; 2 Chron. xxviii. 3; Jer. vii. 31, 
32. From the circumstance of this valley having 
been the scene of those infernal sacrifices, the Jews, 
in our Saviour’s time, used the word for hell, the place 
of the damned. See the word applied in this sense 
by the Targum, on Ruth ij. 12; Psa. exl. 12; Gen. 
lil. 24; xv. 17. It is very probable that our Lord 
means no more here than this : if a man charge another 
with apostasy from the Jewish religion, or rebellion 
against God, and cannot prove his charge, then he is 
exposed to that punishment (burning alive) which the 
other must have suffered, if the charge had been sub- 
stantiated. There are three kinds of offences here, 
which exceed each other in their degrees of guilt. 
Ist. Anger against a man, accompanied with some in- 
jurious act. 2dly. Contempt, expressed by the oppro- 
brious epithet raka, or shallow brains. 3dly. Hatred 
and mortal enmity, expressed by the term moreh, οἱ 
apostate, where such apostasy could not be proved. 
Now, proportioned to these three offences were three 
different degrees of punishment, each exceeding the 
other in its severity, as the offences exceeded each other 
in their different degrees of guilt. 1st. The judg- 
ment, the council of twenty-three, which could inflict 
the punishment of strangling. 2dly. The Sanhedrin, 
or great council, which could inflict the punishment of 
stoning. And 3dly. The being durnt alive in the 
valley of the son of Hinnom. This appears to be the 
meaning of our Lord. 

Now, if the above offences were to be so severely 
punished, which did not immediately affect the life of 
another, how much sorer must the punishment of mur 

71 


Forgiveness of 


Ag A031. the council: but whosoever shall 


An. Olymp. say, Thou fool, shall be in danger 

CCL.3. 

ἘΞ - δ ΤῊ eine: 

23 Therefore ‘if thou bring thy gift to the 
altar, and there rememberest that thy brother 
hath aught against thee ; 

24 s Leave there thy gift before the altar, and 
go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, 


and then come and offer thy gift. 


{ Chap. viii. 4; xxiii. 19.——£ See Job xii. 8; chap. xvii. 19; 
1 Tim. ii. 8; 1 Pet. iii. 7. 


der be !—ver. 21. And as there could not be a greater 
punishment inflicted than death, in the above terrific 
forms, and this was to be inflicted for minor crimes; 
then the punishment of murder must not only have 
death here, but a hell of fire in the eternal world, at- 
tached to it. It seems that these different degrees of 
guilt, and the punishment attached to each, had not 
been properly distinguished among the Jews. Our 
Lord here calls their attention back to them, and gives 
them to understand, that in the coming world there are 
fifferent degrees of punishment prepared for different 
degrees of vice; and that not only the outward act of 
iniquity should be judged and punished by the Lord, 
but that injurious words, and evil passions, should all 
meet their just recompense and reward. Murder is 
the most punishable of all crimes, according to the 
written law, in respect both of our neighbours and civil 
society. But he who sees the heart, and judges it by 
the eternal law, punishes as much a word or a desire, 
if the hatred whence they proceed be complete and 
perfected. Dr. Lightfoot has some curious observa- 
tions on this passage in the preface to his Harmony of 
the Evangelists. See his works, vol. ii., and the 
conclusion of this chapter. 

Verse 23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift] Tvil 
must be nipped in the bud. An unkind thought of 
another may be the fowndation of that which leads to 
actual murder. A Christian, properly speaking, cannot 
be an enemy to any man; nor is he to consider any 
man his enemy, without the fullest evidence : for sur- 
mises to the prejudice of another can never rest in 
the bosom of him who has the love of God in his 
heart, for to him all men are brethren. He sees all 
men as children of God, and members of Christ, or at 
least capable of becoming such. If a tender forgiving 
spirit was required, even in a Jew, when he approached 
God’s altar with a bullock or a lamb, how much more 
necessary is this in a man who professes to be a fol- 
lower of the Lamb of God; especially when he re- 
ceives the symbols of that Sacrifice which was offered 
for the life of the world, in what is commonly called 
the sacrament of the Lord’s supper ! 

Verse 24. Leave there thy gift before the altar] This 
is as much as to say, “ Do not attempt to bring any 
offering to God while thou art in a spirit of enmity 
against any person; or hast any difference with thy 
neighbour, which thou hast not used thy diligence to 
get adjusted.” Τὺ is our duty and interest, both to 
bring our gift, and offer it too; but God will not ac- 
cept of any act of religious worship from us, while 

72 


ST. MATTHEW. 


mjuries inculcated. 


5h 2 A. Μ. 4031. 
25 Agree with thine adversary 4% 108 


quickly, * while thou art in the way ie 
with him; lest at any time the 
adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the 
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be 
cast into prison. 

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no 
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the 
uttermost farthing. 


h Prov. xxv. 8; Luke xii. 58, 59-——1 See Psa. xxxii. 6; 
Isa. lv. 6. 


any enmity subsists in our hearts towards any soul of 
man; or while any subsists in our neighbour’s heart 
towards us, which we have not used the proper means 
to remove. A religion, the very essence of which is 
love, cannot suffer at its altars a heart that is revengeful 
and uncharitable, or which does not use its utmost 
endeavours to revive love in the heart of another. 
The original word, δωρον, which we translate gift, is 
used by the rabbins in Hebrew letters 11} doron, 
which signifies not only a gift, but a sacrifice offered 
to God. See several proofs in Schoettgen. 

Then come and offer thy gift.| Then, when either 
thy brother is reconciled to thee, or thou hast done 
all in thy power to effect this reconciliation. My own 
obstinacy and uncharitableness must render me utterly 
unfit to receive any good from God’s hands, or to 
worship him in an acceptable manner; but the 
wickedness of another can be no hinderance to me, 
when I have endeavoured earnestly to get it removed, 
though without effect. 

Verse 25. Agree with thine adversary quickly] Ad- 
versary, αντιδικος, properly a plaintiff in law—a per- 
fect law term. Our Lord enforces the exhortation 
given in the preceding verses, from the consideration 
of what was deemed prudent in ordinary law-suits. 
In such cases, men shonld make up matters with the 
utmost speed, as running through the whole course of 
a law-suit must not only be vexatious, but be attended 
with great expense ; and in the end, though the loser 
may be ruined, yet the gainer has nothing. A good 
use of this very prudential advice of our Lord is this: 
Thou art a sinner; God hath a controversy with thee 
There is but a step between thee and death. Now is 
the accepted time. Thou art invited to return to God 
by Christ Jesus. Come immediately at his call, and 
he will save thy soul. Delay not! Eternity is at 
hand; and if thou die in thy sins, where God is thou 
shalt never come. 

Those who make the adversary, God ; the judge, 
Christ ; the officer, Death ; and the prison, Hell, abuse 
the passage, and highly dishonour God. 

Verse26. Theuttermost farthing.| Κοδραντην. The 
rabbins have this Greek word corrupted inte DMI Ip 
kordiontes, and PWM p, kontrik, and say, that two 
Mw prutoth make a kontarik, which is exactly the 
same with those words in Mark xii. 42, λεπτὰ δυο, o 
earl κοδραντης, two mites, which are one farthing. 
Hence it appears that the λεπτὸν lepton was the same 
as the prutah. The weight of the prutah was half a 
barley-corn, and it was the smallest coin among the 

1 


Impure thoughts, §c., condemned. 


A.M. 4031. C 
a7. 27 WT Ye have heard that it was 


die Olymp. said by them of old time, * Thou 
shalt not commit adultery : 

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever 
1Jooketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath 
committed adultery with her already in his 
neart. 

29 ™And if thy right eye * offend thee, 
ὁ pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is 


k Exod. xx. 14; Deut. v. 18.—— Job χχχὶ ἢ; 
see Gen. xxxiv. 2; 2 Sam. xi. 2, 


Prov. vi. 25; 


Jews, as the kodrantes, or farthing, was the smallest 
coin among the Romans. If the matter issue in law, 
strict justice will be done, and your creditor be 
allowed the fulness of his just claim; but if, while 
you are on the way, going to the magistrate, you come 
to a friendly agreement with him, he will relax in his 
claims, take a part for the whole, and the composition 
be, in the end, both to Azs and your profit. 

This text has been considered a proper foundation 
on which to build not only the doctrine of a purga- 
tory, but also that of universal restoration. But the 
most unwarrantable violence must be used before it 
can be pressed into the service of either of the above 
antiscriptural doctrines. At the most, the text can 
only be considered as a metaphorical representation 
of the procedure of the great Judge ; and let it ever 
be remembered, that by the general consent of all 
(except the basely interested) no metaphor is ever to 
be produced in proof of any doctrine. In the things 
that concern our eternal salvation, we need the most 
pointed and express evidence on which to establish the 
faith of our souls. 

Verse 27. Ye have heard that it was said by them 
of old] By the ancients, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις is omitted by 
nearly a hundred MSS., and some of them of the very 
greatest antiquity and authority ; also by the Coptic, 
Ethiopic, Armenian, Gothic, and Sclavonian versions ; 
by four copies of the old Itala ; and by Origen, Cyril, 
Theophylact, Euthymius, and Hilary. On this autho- 
rity Wetstein and Griesbach have left it out of the text. 

Verse 28. Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust 
after her} Ἐπιθυμησαι αὐτὴν, earnestly to covet her. 
The verb, επιθυμεω, is undoubtedly used here by our 
Lord, in the sense of coveting through the influence 
of impure desire. The word is used in precisely the 
same sense, on the same subject, by Herodotus, book 
the first, near the end. I will give the passage, but 1 
dare not translate it. To the learned reader it will 
justify my translation, and the unlearned must take 
my woni. Τῆς ἘΠΙΘΥΜΗΣΕῚΙ γυναικος Μασσαγετης 
avyp, μίσγεται adewc. Raphelius, on this verse, says, 
ἐπιθυμεῖν hoc loco, est turpi cupiditate mulieris poti- 
unde flagrare. In all these cases, our blessed Lord 
points out the spirituality of the law; which was a 
matter to which the Jews paid very little attention. 
Indeed it is the property of a Pharisee to abstain only 
from the outward crime. Men are very often Jess in- 
quisitive to know how far the will of God extends, 
that they may please him in performing it, than they 

1 


CHAP. V. 


The offending 


profitable for thee that one of thy 4 
members should perish, and not An. δίκαν, 
that thy whole body should be cast 

into hell. 

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it 
off, and cast ἐξ from thee : for it is profitable 
for thee that one of thy members should perish, 
and not that thy whole body should be cast 
into hell. 


eye, hand, §c. 
A.M. 4031. 
A 


m Ch. xviii. 8,9; Mark ix. 43-47. " Or, do cause thee to offend. 
°See chap. xix. 12; Rom. vill. 13; 1 Cor. ix. 27; Col. iii. 5. 


are to know how far they may satisfy their lusts with- 
out destroying their bodies and souls utterly, by an 
open violation of his law. 

Hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart.| It is the earnest wish or desire of the soul, 
which, in a variety of cases, constitutes the good or evil 
of an act. Ifa man earnestly wish to commit an 
evil, but cannot, because God puts time, place, and 
opportunity out of his power, he is fully chargeable 
with the iniquity of the act, by that God who searches 
and judges the heart. So, if a man earnestly wish 
to do some kindness, which it is out of his power to 
perform, the act is considered as his; because God, 
in this case, as in that above, takes the will for the 
deed. If voluntary and deliberate looks and desires 
make adulterers and adulteresses, how many persons 
are there whose whole life is one continued crime ! 
whose eyes being full of adultery, they cannot cease from 
sin, 2 Pet. ii. 4. Many would abhor to commit one 
external act before the eyes of men, in a temple of 
stone ; and yet they are not afraid to commit a mul- 
titude of such acts in the temple of their hearts, and 
in the sight of God! 

Verse 29. And if thy right eye offend thee] The 
right eye and the right hand are used here to point out 
those sins which appear most pleasing and profitable 
to us; from which we must be separated, if we 
desire ever to see the kingdom of God. 

Offend thee] Σκανδαλιζει ce. Te fait broncher, cause 
thee to stumble, French Bible. Σκανδαληθρα is ex- 
plained by Swidas, “that piece of wood in a trap, or 
pit for wild beasts, which, being trodden upon by them, 
causes them to fall into the trap or pit.” The word 
in Suidas appears to be compounded of σκανδαλον 
a stumbling-block, or something that causes a man to 
trip, and λαθρα private or hidden. Thus then the 
right eye may be considered the darling idol ; the right 
hand, the profitable employment, pursued on sinful 
principles ; these become snares and traps to the soul, 
by which it falls into the pit of perdition. 

Verses 29,30. Pluck it out—cut it off | Wemust 
shut our senses against dangerous objects, to avoid 
the occasions of sin, and deprive ourselves of all that 
is most dear and profitable to us, in order to save our 
souls, when we find that these dear and profitable 
things, however innocent in themselves, cause us to 
sin against God. 

It is profitable for thee that one of thy members} 
Men often part with some members of the body, as 

73 


Of lawful and 


pete 1081... 31 It hath been said, » Whosoever 


Anepisaap. shall put away his wife, let him give 
mee here writing of divorcement : 
32 But I say unto you, That * whosoever 
shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of 


P Deut. xxiv.1; Jer. iii. 1; see chap. xix. 3, &c; Mark 


x. 2, &c. 


the discretion of a surgeon, that they may preserve 
the trunk, and die a little later; and yet they will 
not deprive themselves of a look, a touch, a small 
pleasure, which endanger the eternal death of the 
soul. It is not enough to shut the eye, or stop the 
hand; the one must be plucked out, and the other 
eut off. Neither is this enough, we must cast them 
both from us. Not one moment’s truce with an evil 
passion, or a sinful appetite. If you indulge them, 
they will gain strength, and you shall be ruined. The 
rabbins have a saying similar to this: “It is better 
for thee to be scorched with a little fire in this world, 
than to be burned with a devouring fire in the world 
to come.” 

Verse 31. Whosoever shall put away his wife] The 
Jewish doctors gave great license in the matter of 
dworce. Among them, a man might divorce his wife 
if she displeased him even in the dressing of his 
victuals ! 

Rabbi Akiba said, “ If any man saw a woman hand- 
somer than his own wife, he might put his wife away ; 
because it is said in the law, If she find not favour in 
his eyes.” Deut. xxiv. 1. 

Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian, in his Life, 
tells us, with the utmost coolness and indifference, 
*« About this time I put away my wife, who had borne 
me three children, not being pleased with her manners.” 

These two cases are sufficient to show to what a 
scandalous and criminal excess this matter was carried 
among the Jews. However, it was allowed by the 
school of Shammai, that no man was to put away his 
wife unless for adultery. The school of Hillel gave 
much greater license. 

A writing of divorcement] The following is the 
common form of such a writing. See Mazmonides and 
Lightfoot. 

“On the day of the week A. inthe month B. in the 
year C. from the beginning of the world, according to 
the common computation in the province of D., I, N. 
the son of N. by whatever name I am called, of the 
eity E. with entire consent of mind, and without any 
eompulsion, have divorced, dismissed, and expelled 
thee—thee, I say, M. the daughter of M. by whatever 
name thou art called, of the city E. who wast heretofore 
my wife: but now I have dismissed thee—thee, I say, 
M. the daughter of M. by whatever name thou art 
eailed, of the city Εἰ. so as to be free, and at thine own 
disposal, to marry whomsoever thou pleasest, without 
hinderance from any one, from this day for ever. Thou 
art therefore free for any man. Let this be thy bill of 
divorce from me, a writing of separation and expulsion, 
according to the law of Moses and Israel. 


Revsen, son of Jacob, Witness. 
Extezar, son of Gilead, Witness.” 
74 


ST. MATTHEW. 


unlawful divorces 


fornication, causeth her to commit Αι δ 403%. 
adultery : and whosoever shall marry a 
her that is divorced, committeth == 
adultery. 


33 Ἵ Again, ye have heard that * it hath been 


4 Chap. xix. 9; Luke xvi. 18; Rom. vii. 3; 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. 
Chap. xxiii. 16. 


God permitted this evil to prevent a greater; and, 
perhaps, to typify his repudiating the Jews, who were 
his first spouse. 

Verse 32. Saving for the cause of fornication] Aoyov 
mopvetac, on account of whoredom. As fornication sig- 
nifies no more than the unlawful connection of wnmar- 
ried persons, it cannot be used here with propriety, 
when speaking of those who are married. I have 
therefore translated Aoyov πορνείας, on account of 
whoredom. Τί does not appear that there is any other 
case in which Jesus Christ admits of divorce. A real 
Christian ought rather to beg of God the grace to bear 
patiently and quietly the imperfections of his wife, 
than to think of the means of being parted from her. 
“ But divorce was allowed by Moses;” yes, for the 
hardness of their hearts it was permitted: but what 
Was permitted to an uncircumcised heart among the 
Jews, should not serve for a rule to a heart in which 
the love of God has been shed abroad by the Holy 
Spirit. Those who form a matrimonial connection in 
the fear and love of God, and under his direction, will 
never need a divorce. But those who marry as passion 
or money lead the way, may be justly considered adul- 
terers and adulteresses as long as they live. 

Verse 33. Thou shalt not forswear thyself | They 
dishonour the great God, and break this commandment, 
who use frequent oaths and imprecations, even in re- 
ference to things that are true; and those who make 
vows and promises, which they either cannot perform, 
or do not design to fulfil, are not less criminal. Swear- 
img in civil matters is become so frequent, that the 
dread and obligation of an oath are utterly lost in it. 
In certain places, where oaths are frequently adminis- 
tered, people have been known to kiss their thumé or 
pen, instead of the book, thinking thereby to avoid the 
sin of perjury; but this is a shocking imposition on 
their own souls. See the notes on Deut. iv. 26; 
ὙΠ 1.9. 

Perform unto the Lord thine oaths] The morality 
of the Jews on this point was truly execrable: they 
maintained, that a man might swear with his lips, and 
annul it in the same moment in his heart. Rab. Akiba 
is quoted as an example of this kind of swearing. 
See Schoetigen. 

Verse 34. Swear not at all] Much has been said in 
vindication of the propriety of swearing in civil cases 
before a magistrate, and much has been said against it. 
The best way is to have as little to do as possible with 
oaths. An oath will not bind a snave nor a liar; and 
an honest man needs none, for his character and con- 
duct swear for him. On this subject the advice of 
Epictetus is very good : “Swear not at all, if possible; 
if you cannot avoid, do it as little as you can.” Enchir. 
c. 44. See on Deut. iv. 26; vi. 13. 

1 


Αφραιπϑδί all profane 


A. M. 4031, 
A. Ὁ. 27. 
An, Olymp. shalt not forswear thyself, but * shalt 
._———. perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 
34 But I say unto you, "Swear not at all: 

neither by heaven; for it is ἡ God’s throne : 


35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool : 


5 Exod. xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; Num. xxx. 2; Deut. v. 1]. 
t Deut. xxiii. 23. 


Verses 34, 35. Neither by heaven, &c.] It was a 
custom among the Scythians, when they wished to 
bind themselves in the most solemn manner, to swear 
by the king’s throne ; and if the king was at any time 
sick, they believed it was occasioned by some one’s 
having taken the oath falsely. Herod. 1. iv. 

Who is there among the traders and people of this 
world who obey this law? A common swearer is con- 
stantly perjuring himself: such a person should never 
be trusted. When we make any promise contrary to 
the command of God, taking, as a pledge of our sin- 
cerity, either Gop, or something belonging to him, we 
engage that which is not ours, without the Master’s 
consent. God manifests his glory in heaven, as upon 
his throne; he imprints the footsteps of his perfections 
upon the earth, his footstool ; and shows that his holi- 
ness and his grace reign in his temple as the place of 
his residence. Let it be our constant care to seek and 
honour God in all his works. 

Verse 36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head) 
For these plain reasons: Ist. God commands thee not 
to do it. 2dly. Thou hast nothing which is thy own, 
and thou shouldst not pledge another’s property. 3dly. 
It never did, and never can, answer any good purpose. 
And 4thly. Being a breach of the law of God, it is the 
way to everlasting misery. 

Verse 37. Let your communication be, Yea, yea; 
Nay, nay] That is, a positive affirmation, or negation, 
according to your knowledge of the matter concerning 
which you are called to testify. Do not equivocate ; 
mean what you assert, and adhere to your assertion. 
Hear what a heathen says on this subject :— 


ἘἜχθρος yap μοι κεινος Ὅμως αἰδαο πυλησιν, 
Og χετερον μὲν κευθει eve ὀρεσιν, αλλο δὲ βαζει. 
Hom. Il. ix. 312. 


“He whose words agree not with his private thoughts 
is as detestable to me as the gates of hell.” See on 
Josh. ii. at the end. 

See the subject of swearing particularly considered 
in the note at the conclusion of Deut. chap. vi. 

Whatsoever is more than these] That is, more than 
a bare affirmation or negation, according to the require- 
ments of Eternal Truth, cometh of evil; or, is of the 
wicked one—ex τοῦ πονηροῦ ecw, i. e. the devil, the 
father of superfluities and lies. One of Selden’s MSS. 
and Gregory Nyssen, a commentator of the fourth cen- 
tury, have ex tov διαβολοῦ ecw, is of the devil. 

That the Jews were notoriously guilty of common 
swearing, for which our Lord particularly reprehends 
them, and warns his disciples against, and that they 
swore by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, by their 
head, &c., the following extracts, made by Dr. Light- 
foot from their own writings, amply testify :— 

1 


CHAP. V. 


and common swearing 


said by them of old time, * Thou |neither by Jerusalem ; for it is ¥ the ΑΔ. Με 4031 


3 κ A. D. 27. 
city of the great king. An. Olymp. 
ay (ofe) i 
36 Neither shalt thou swear by ———— 
thy head, because thou canst not make one 
hair white or black. 


37 * But let your communication be, Yea, 


«Chap. xxiii. 16, 18,22; James v. 12. ¥ Isa. Ixvi. 1.——W Psa 
xlvili. 2; Ixxxvii. 3. χ Col. iv. 6; James v. 12. 


“Tt was customary and usual among them to swear 
by the creatures. ‘If any swear by heaven, by earth, 
by the sun, &c., although the mind of the swearer be, 
under these words, to swear by Him who created them, 
yet this is not an oath. Or, if any swear by some of 
the prophets, or by some of the books of the Scripture, 
although the sense of the swearer be to swear by Him 
that sent that prophet, or that gave that book, neverthe- 
less, this is not an oath. Maimontwes.’ 

“Tf any adjure another by heaven or earth, he is 
not guilly. 'Taumup. 

“They swore by HEAVEN, NT 13 DWN hashsha- 
mayim, ken hu, * By heaven, so it is.’ Bas. Berac. 

“They swore by the TempLe. ‘ When turtles and 
young pigeons were sometimes sold at Jerusalem for a 
penny of gold, Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel said, 
mn pyran By this habitation (that is, by this Tempxe) 
1 will not rest this night, unless they be sold for a 
penny of silver.’ CHERITUTH, cap. i. 

“ R. Zechariah ben Ketsab said, Mn pyynn ‘ By tis 
TEMPLE, the hand of the woman departed not out of 
my hand.—R. Jochanan said, soon ‘ By the Tem- 
PLE, it is in our hand, &c.’ Kerusoru and Bas. 
Kipvusain. 

“ Bava ben Buta swore by the Tempe in the end 
of the tract Cherithuth, and Rabban Simeon ben Ga- 
maliel in the beginning, 98.w?2 373 ΤΠ τ ἀπ so was 
the custom in Israel.—Note this, so was the custom. 
Jucas. fol. 56. 

“They swore by the city Jerusalem. R. Judah 
saith, ‘He that saith, By Jerusatem, saith nothing, 
unless with an intent purpose he shall vow towards 
Jerusalem.’ Where also, after two lines coming between 
those forms of swearing and vowing, are added, aow)yy 
Sona band Son Ὁ ΦΥΥ 2 Ὁ ΥΥ Ὁ ‘Jerusalem, For 
Jerusalem, By Jerusalem.—The Temple, For the tem- 
ple, By the temple-—The Altar, For the altar, By 
the altar.—The Lamb, For the Lamb, By the Lamb. 
—The Chambers of the Temple, For the chambers of 
the temple, By the chambers of the temple-—The 
Word, For the Word, By the Word.—The Sacrifices 
on Fire, For the sacrifices on fire, By the sacrifices on 
jire—The Dishes, For the dishes, By the dishes.— 
By all these things, that I will do this to you.’ 
Tosaput. ad. Neparim. 

“ They swore by their own Heaps. ‘ One is bound 
to swear to his neighbour, and he saith, *N3 So 
ws Vow (or swear) to me by the life of thy head, ὅτε. 
SANHEDR. cap. 3. 

“One of the holiest of their precepts relative to 
swearing was this: ‘Be not much in oaths, although 
one should swear concerning things that are true ; for 
in much swearing it is impossible not to profane.’ Tract. 
Demat.”—See Lightfoot’s Works, vol. ii. p. 149. 

75 


Against revenge and 


A.M, 4031. yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is 


An. Olymp. more than these cometh of evil. 

38 4 Ye have heard that it hath 
been said, ¥ An eye for an eye, and a tooth 
for a tooth: 

39 But I say unto you, 5 That ye resist not 
evil: ® but whosoever shall smite thee on thy 


ST. MATTHEW. 


resentment of injuries 


: A. M. 4031, 

right cheek, turn to him the other “,™; 9% 

also. An. Olymp. 
ΟἿ. 3. 


40 And if any man will sue thee 
at the law, and take away thy coat, let him 
have thy cloke also. 

41 And whosoever ” shall compel thee to go 
a mile, go with him twain. 


y Exod. xxi. 24; Lev. xxiv. 20; Deut. xix. 21. z Prov. Xx. 
22; xxiv. 29; Luke vi. 29; Rom. xii. 17, 19; 1 Cor. vi. 7; 


They did not pretend to forbid ALL common swear- 
ing, but only what they term mucu. A Jew might 
swear, but he must not be too abundant in the prac- 
tice. Against such permission, our Lord opposes his 
Swear Nor at atu! He who uses any oath, except 
what he is solemnly called by the magistrate to make, 
so far from being a Christian, he does not deserve the 
reputation, either of decency or common sense. In 
some of our old elementary books for children, we 
have this good maxim: “ Never swear: for he that 
swears will lie; and he that lies will steal ; and, if so, 
what bad things willhe not do!” Reapinc Mave Hasy. 

Verse 38. An eye for an eye] Our Lord refers here 
to the law of retaliation mentioned Exod. xxi. 24, 
(see the note there, and on Levit. xxiv. 20,) which 
obliged the offender to suffer the same injury he had 
committed. 'The Greeks and Romans had the same 
law. So strictly was it attended to at Athens, that if 
aman put out the eye of another who had but one, 
the offender was condemned to lose doth his eyes, as 
the loss of one would not be an equivalent misfortune. 
It seems that the Jews had made this law (the execu- 
tion of which belonged to the civil magistrate) a ground 
for authorizing private resentments, and all the ex- 
cesses committed by a vindictive spirit. Revenge 
was often carried to the utmost extremity, and 
more evil returned than what had been received. 
This is often the case among those who are called 
Christians. 

Verse 39. Resist not evil] Or, the evil person. 
So, I am fully persuaded, tw πονήρω ought to be trans- 
jated. Our Lord’s meaning is, ‘ Do not repel one out- 
rage by another.” He that does so makes himself 
precisely what the other is, a wicked person. 

Turn to him the other also] That is, rather than 
avenge thyself, be ready to suffer patiently a repetition 
of the same injury. But these exhortations be- 
long to those principally who are persecuted for 
righteousness’ sake. Let such leave the judgment of 
their cause to Him for whose sake they suffer. The 
Jews always thought that every outrage should be re- 
sented; and thus the spirit of hatred and strife was 
fostered. 

Verse 40. And if any man will sue thee at the law] 
Every where our blessed Lord shows the utmost dis- 
approbation of such litigations as tended to destroy 
brotherly kindness and charity. It is evident he would 
have his followers to suffer rather the loss of all their 
property, than to have recourse to such modes of re- 
dress, at so great a risk. Having the mind averse 
from contentions, and preferring peace and concord 
to temporal advantages, is most solemnly recommended 

76 


1 Thess. v.15; 1 Pet. iii. 9. Isa. 1. 6; Lam. 111. 30.—?C 
xxvil. 32; Mark xv. 21. 


to all Christians. We are great gainers when we 
lose only our money, or other property, and risk 
not the loss of our souls, by losing the love of God 
and man. 


Coat] δΧιτωνα, upper garment.—Cloke, ἱματίον, 
under garment. What we call strait coat, and great 
coat.—See on Luke vi. 29. 


Verse 41. Shall compel thee to go a mile, go with 
him twain.| ayyapevoet. This word is said to be de- 
rived from the Persians, among whom the king’s mes- 
sengers, or posts, were called Ayyapor, or angart.— 
This definition is given both by Hesychius and Suidas 

The Persian messengers had the royal authority for 
pressing horses, ships, and even men, to assist them 
in the business on which they were employed. These 
angari are now termed chappars, and serve to carry 
despatches between the court and the provinces.— 
When a chappar sets out, the master of the horse 
furnishes him with a single horse; and, when that 
is weary, he dismounts the first man he meets, and 
takes his horse. ‘There is no pardon for a traveller 
that refuses to let a chappar have his horse, nor for 
any other who should deny him the best horse in his 
stable. See Sir J. Chardin’s and Hanway’s Travels. 
For pressing post horses, &c., the Persian term is 


eos ¥pSw Sukhreh geriften. I find no Persian 


word exactly of the sound and signification of Ayyapoc ; 
but the Arabic ¥,Le§ agharet signifies spurring a 


horse, attacking, plundering, &c. The Greek word 
itself is preserved among the rabbins in Hebrew 
characters, "0138 angaria, and it has precisely the 
same meaning: viz. to be compelled by violence to do 
any particular service, especially of the public kind, 
by the king’s authority. Lightfoot gives several in- 
stances of this in his Hore Talmudice. 

We are here exhorted to patience and forgiveness : 

First, When we receive in our persons all sorts of 
insults and affronts, ver. 39. 

Secondly, When we are despoiled of our goods, 
ver. 40. 


Thirdly, When our bodies are forced to undergo 
all kinds of toils, vexations, and torments, ver. 41.— 
The way to improve the injustice of man to our own 
advantage, is to exercise under it meekness, gentle- 
ness, and long-suffering, without which disposition of 
mind, no man can either be happy here or hereafter ; 
for he that avenges himself must lose the mind of 
Christ, and thus suffer an injury ten thousand times 
greater than he can ever receive from man. Revenge, 
at sreh an expense, is dear indeed. 

1 


Of borrowmg and lending. 


A.M. 4031. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, 


An. Olymp. and ὁ from him that would borrow 
—_ of thee turn not thou away. 
43 9 Ye have heard that it hath been said, 


© Deut. xv. 8,10; Luke vi. 30, 35.——4 Lev. xix. 18——* Deut. 


CHAP. V. 


We must love our enemies 


a : A. M. 4031. 
Thou shalt love thy neighbour, 4,%, 47 
ὁ and hate thine enemy. 
44 But I say unto you, f Love your ——— 
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good 


xxiii. 6; Psa. xli. 10— Luke vi. 27, 35; Rom. xii. 14, 20 


Verse 42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from 
him that would borrow] To give and lend freely to 
all who are in need, is a general precept from which 
we are only excused by our inability to perform it. 
Men are more or less obliged to it as they are more or 
less able, as the want is more or less pressing, as they 
are more or less burthened with common poor, or with 
necessitous relatives. In all these matters, both pru- 
dence and charity must be consulted. That God, who 
makes use of the beggar’s hand to ask our charity, is 
the same from whom we ourselves beg our daily bread : 
and dare we refuse Him! Let us show at least mild- 
ness and compassion, when we can do no more; and 
if we cannot or will not relieve a poor man, let us 
never give him an ill word nor an ill look. If we do 
not relieve him, we have no right to insult him. 

To give and to lend, are two duties of charity which 
Christ joins together, and which he sets on equal foot- 
ing. A rich man is one of God’s stewards: God has 
given him money for the poor, and he cannot deny it 
without an act of injustice. But no man, from what 
is called a principle of charity or generosity, should 
give that in alms which belongs to his creditors. Gene- 
rosity is godlike ; but justice has ever, both in law 
and Gospel, the first claim. 

A loan is often more beneficial than an absolute 
gift: first, because it flatters less the vanity of him 
who lends; secondly, it spares more the shame of him 
who is in real want ; and, thirdly, it gives less encou- 
ragement to the idleness of him who may not be very 
honest. However, no advantage should be taken of 
the necessities of the Borrower: he who does so is, at 
least, Aalf a murderer. The lending which our Lord 
here inculeates is that which requires no more than 
the restoration of the principal in a convenient time : 
otherwise to live upon ¢rust is the sure way to pay 
double. 

Verse 43. Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate 
thine enemy.] Instead of πλησίον neighbour, the Co- 
dex Grevii, a MS. of the eleventh century, reads 
φιλον friend. Thou shalt love thy friend, and hate 
thine enemy. This was certainly the meaning which 
the Jews put on it: for neighbour, with them, implied 
those of the Jewish race, and all others were consi- 
dered by them as natural enemies. Besides, it is evi- 
dent that πλησίον, among the Hellenistic Jews, meant 
“friend merely : Christ uses it precisely in this sense 
in Luke x. 36, in answer to the question asked by a 
certain lawyer, ver. 29. Who of the three was neigh- 
bour (πλησίον friend) to him who fell among the thieves? 
He who showed him mercy; 7. e. he who acted the 
friendly part. In Hebrew, 3 red, signifies Friend, 
which word, is translated πλησίον by the LXX. in 
more than one hundred places. Among the Greeks 
it was a very comprehensive term, and signified every 
man, not even an enemy excepted, as Raphelius, on 
this verse, has shown from Polybius. The Jews 

1 


thought themselves authorized to kill any Jew who 
apostatized ; and, though they could not do injury to 
the Gentiles, in whose country they sojourned, yet 
they were bound to suffer them to perish, if they saw 
them in danger of death. Hear their own words: 
“A Jew sees a Gentile fall into the sea, let him by 
no means lift him out; for it is written, Thou shalt 
not rise up against the blood of thy neighbour :— 
but this is not thy neighbour.” Maimon. This 
shows that by neighbour they understood a Jew ; one 
who was of the same blood and religion with them- 
selves. 

Verse 44. Love your enemies] This is the most 
sublime piece of morality ever given to man. Has it 
appeared unreasonable and absurd to some? It has. 
And why? Because it is natwral to man to avenge 
himself, and plague those who plague him; and he 
will ever find abundant excuse for his conduct, in 
the repeated evils he receives from others; for men 
are naturally hostile to each other. Jesus Christ de- 
signs to make men happy. Now he is necessarily 
miserable who hates another. Our Lord prohibits that 
only which, from its nature, is opposed to man’s hap- 
piness. This is therefore one of the most reasonable 
precepts in the universe. But who can obey it? 
None but he who has the mind of Christ. But 1 
have it not. Seek it from God; it is that kingdom 
of heaven which Christ came to establish upon earth. 
See on chap. ili. 9. This one precept is a sufficient 
proof of the holiness of the Gospel, and of the truth 
of the Christian religion. Every false religion flatters 
man, and accommodates itself to his pride and his 
passions. None but God could have imposed a yoke 
so contrary to self-love ; and nothing but the supreme 
eternal love can enable men to practise a precept so 
insupportable to corrupt nature. Sentiments like this 
are found among Asiatic writers, and in select cases 
were strongly applied; but as a general command this 
was never given by them, or any other people. It is 
not an absolute command in any of the books which 
they consider to be Divinely inspired. Sir Willian 
Jones lays by far too much stress on the casual intro- 
duction of such sentiments as this in the Asiatic writers. 
See his Works, vol. i. p. 168, where the sentiment 
is connected with circumstances both extravagant and 
unnatural ; and thus it is nullified by the pretended 
recommendation. 

Bless them that curse you] Ἑυλογειτε, give them 
good words for their bad words. See the note on 
Gen. ii. 3. 

Do good to them that hate you] Give your enemy 
every proof that you love him. We must not love in 
tongue, but in deed and in truth. 

Pray for them which despitefully use you] Exypea- 
ζοντων from ἐπὶ against, and Αρὴς Mars, the heathen 
god of war. Those who are making continual war 
upon you, and constantly harassing and calumniating 

77 


The disciples of Christ are Syd Be 


aes to them that hate you, and pray 
An, Olymp. &for them which despitefully use 

= you, and persecute you ; 

45 That ye may be the children of your 
Father which is in heaven: for »he maketh 
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good ; 
and sendeth rain on the just and on the 
unjust. 


€ Luke xxiii. 34; Acts vii. 60; 1 Cor. iv. 12, 13; 1 Pet. 1]. 23; 
iii. 9) Job xxv. 3.—i Luke vi. 32. 


you. Pray for them—This is another exquisitely 
reasonable precept. I cannot change that wicked 
man’s heart ; and while it is unchanged he will continue 
to harass me: God alone can change it: then 1 must 
implore him to do that which will at once secure the 
poor man’s salvation, and contribute so much to my 
own peace. 

And persecute you] Διωκοντων, those who press 
hard on and pursue you with hatred and malice ac- 
companied with repeated acts of enmity. 

In this verse our Lord shows us that a man may be 
our enemy in ¢hree different ways. 

First, in his heart, by hatred. 

Secondly, in his words by cursing or using direful 
imprecations («atapapevove) against us. 

Thirdly, in his actions, by continually harassing 
and abusing us. 

He shows us also how we are to behave to those. 

The hatred of the first we are to meet with Jove. 

The cursings or evil words of the second, we are to 
meet with good words and blessings. 

And the repeated injurious acts of the third, we are 
to meet with continual prayer to God for the man’s 
salvation. 

Verse 45. That ye may be the children of your Fa- 
ther] Instead of ivoe children, some MSS., the latter 
Persic version, and several of the primitive fathers, 
read ὅμοιοι, that ye may be like to, or resemble, your 
Father who is im heaven. ‘This is certainly our 
Lord’s meaning. As a man’s child is called his, be- 
cause a partaker of his own nature, so a holy person 
is said to be a child of God, because he is a partaker 
of the Divine nature. 

He maketh his sun to rise on the evil] “ There is 
nothing greater than to imitate God in doing good to 
our enemies. All the creatures of God pronounce the 
sentence of condemnation on the revengeful: and this 
sentence is written by the rays of the sun, and with 
the drops of rain, and indeed by all the natural good 
things, the use of which God freely gives to his ene- 
mies.” If God had not loved us while we were his 
enemies, we could never have become his children: 
and we shall cease to be such, as soon as we cease to 
imitate him. 

Verse 46. For if ye love them which love you] He 
who loves only his friends, does nothing for God’s sake. 
He who loves for the sake of pleaswre or interest, 
pays himself. God has no enemy which he hates but 
sin; we should have no other. 

The publicans| That is, tax-gatherers, τελωναι, from 
τελος a ta, and ὠνεομαι 7 buy or farm. 


78 
J 


MATTHEW. 


commanded to be perfect 


46 ᾿ For if ye love them which love 4,™. 4031. 


you, what reward have ye? do not Ane Olah 
even the publicans the same ? ἘΞ. 
47 And 1 ye salute your brethren only, what 
do ye more than others? do not even the pub- 
licans so? 
48 9 * Be ye therefore perfect, even !as your 
Father, which is in heaven, is perfect. 


k Gen. xvii. 1; Lev. xi.44; xix. 2; Luke vi. 36; Col. 1. 28; iv. 
12; James i. 4; 1 Pet. i. 15, 16——! Eph. ν. 1. 


collector of the taxes or public revenues. Of these 
there were two classes; the superior, who were Ro- 
mans of the equestrian order ; and the inferior, those 
mentioned in the Gospels, who it appears were mostly 
Jews. 

This class of men was detestable among the Ro- 
mans, the Greeks, and the Jews, for their intolerable 
rapacity and avarice. ‘They were abhorred in an 
especial manner by the Jews, to whom the Roman 
government was odious: these, assisting in collecting 
the Roman tribute, were considered as betrayers of the 
liberties of their country, and abettors of those who 
enslaved it. They were something like the ¢ythe- 
farmers of certain college-livings in some counties of 
England, as Lancashire, &¢c.—a principal cause of the 
public burthens and discontent. One quotation, of the 
many produced by Aypke, will amply show in what 
detestation they were held among the Greeks. The- 
ocritus being asked, Which of the wild beasts were the 
most cruel? answered, Ev μὲν τοῖς ορεσιν apkrou καὶ 
λεοντες" ev de ταις πολεσιν, TEAQNAI καὶ συκοῴφανται. 
Bears and lions, in the mountains ; and TAX-GATHER- 
ERS and calumniators, in cities. 

Verse 47. And if ye salute your brethren only_ 
Instead of adeAdove brethren, upwards of one hun- 
dred MSS., and several of them of great authority 
and antiquity, have φίλους friends. The Armenian 
Slavonic, and Gothic versions, with the later Syriac, 
and some of the primitive fathers, agree in this read- 
ing. I scarcely know which to prefer; as brother is 
more conformable to the Jewish mode of address, it 
should be retained in the text: the other reading, 
however, tends to confirm that of the Codex Gravii 
on ver. 43. 

On the subject of giving and receiving salutations 
in Asiatic countries, Mr. Harmer, Observat. vol. ii. p. 
327, &c., edit. 1808, has collected much valuable in- 
formation: the following extract will be sufficient to 
elucidate our Lord’s meaning. 

“Dr. Doddridge supposes that the salutation οὐ 
Lord refers to, Matt. v. 47, If ye salute your brethren 
only, what do ye more than others? do not even the 
publicans so? means embracing, though it is a differ 
ent word. I would observe, that it is made use of in 
the Septuagint to express that action of endearment ; 
and which is made use of by an apocryphal writer, 
(Eeclus. xxx. 19,) whereas, the word we translate 
salute is of a much more general nature: this, I ap- 
prehend, arose from his being struck with the thought, 
that it could never be necessary to caution his dis- 


A farmer ox | ciples, not to restrain the civilities of a common salu 


1 


Notes on the 


tation to those of their own religious party. Juvenal, 
when he satirizes the Jews of the apostolic age for 
their religious opinions, and represents them as un- 
friendly, and even malevolent, to other people, Sat. 
xiv., and when he mentions their refusing to show 
travellers the way, Non monstrare vias, &c., or to 
point out to them where they might find water to drink 
when thirsty with journeying, takes no notice of their 
not saluting those of another nation; yet there is no 
reason to believe, from these words of Curist, that 
many of them at least would not, and that even a 
Jewish publican received no salutations from one of 
his own nation, excepting brother publicans. 

* Nor shall we wonder at this, or think it requisite 
to suppose the word we translate salute (ασπαζομαι) 
and which certainly, sometimes at least, signifies noth- 
ing more than making use of some friendly words upon 
meeting with people, must here signify something more 
particular, since we find some of the present inhabit- 
ants of the east seem to want this admonition of our 
Lord. ‘When the Arabs salute one another,’ accord- 
ing to Niebuhr, ‘it is generally in these terms, Salam 
aleikum, Peace be with you; in speaking which words 
they lay the right hand on the heart. The answer is, 
Aleikum essalam, With you be peace. Aged people 
are inclined to add to these words, And the mercy and 
blessing of God. ‘The Mohammedans of Egypt and 
Syria never salute a Christian in this manner; é¢hey 
content themselves with saying to them, Good day to 
you; or, Friend, how do you do? The Arabs of Ye- 
men, who seldom see any Christians, are not so zeal- 
ous but that sometimes they will give them the Salam 
aleikum.’ 

“ Presently after he says: ‘For a long time I 
thought the Mohammedan custom, of saluting Chris- 
tians in a different manner from that made use of to 
hose of their own profession, was an effect of their 
pride and religious bigotry. I saluted them sometimes 
with the Salam aleikum, and I had often only the 
common answer. At length I observed in Natolia, 
that the Christians themselves might probably be the 
cause that Mohammedans did not make the same re- 
turn to their civilities that they did to those of their 
own religion. For the Greek merchants, with whom 
I travelled in that country, did not seem pleased with 
my saluting Mohammedans in the Mohammedan man- 
ner. And when they were not known to be Chris- 
tians, by those Turks whom they met with in their 
journeying, (it being allowed Christian travellers in 
these provinces to wear a white turban, Christians in 
common being obliged to wear the sash of their tur- 
bans white striped with blue, that banditti might take 
them at a distance for Turks, and people of courage,) 
they never answered those that addressed them with 
the compliment of Saldm aleikum. One would not, 
perhaps, suspect that similar customs obtain in our 
times, among Europeans: but I find that the Roman 
Catholics of some provinces of Germany never ad- 
dress the Protestants that live among them with the 
compliment Jesus Curist be praised ; and, when such 
a thing happens by mistake, the Protestants do not re- 
turn it after the manner in use among Catholics, For 
ever and ever. Amen!’ 

“ After this, the words of our Lord in the close of 

1 


CHP. Υ. 


jthe fifth of Matthew want no farther commentary 


preceding chapter 


The Jews would not address the usual compliment of 
Peace be to you, to either heathens or publicans ; the 
publicans of the Jewish nation would use it to their 
countrymen that were publicans, but not to heathens ; 
though the more rigid Jews would not do it to them, 
any more than to heathens: our Lord required his 
disciples to lay aside the moroseness of Jews, and 
express more extensive benevolence in their salutations. 
There seems to be nothing of embracing thought of in 
this case, though that, doubtless, was practised an- 
ciently among relations, and intimate friends, as it is 
among modern Asiatics.” 

If not to salute be a heathenish indifference, to 
hide hatred under outward civilities is a diabolie treach- 
ery. To pretend much love and affection for those 
for whom we have neither—to use towards them com- 
plimentary phrases, to which we affix no meaning, but 
that they mean nothing, is highly offensive in the 
sight of that God by whom actions are weighed and 
words judged. 

Do not—the publicans| TedAwvat,—but ebvixor hea- 
thens, is adopted by Griesbach, instead of reAwvar, on 
the authority of Codd. Vatican. § Bez, and several 
others; together with the Coptic, Syriac later, and 


‘Syriac Jerusalem; two Arabic, Persic, Slavonic; all 


the Jtala but one; Vulgate, Saxon, and several of the 
primitive fathers. 

Verse 48. Be ye therefore perfect—as your Father} 
God himself is the grand law, sole giver, and only 
pattern of the perfection which he recommends to his 
children. The words are very emphatic, ἐσεσθε οὖν 
υμεις TeAevot, Ye shall be therefore perfect—ye shall be 
filled with the spirit of that God whose name is Mercy, 
and whose nature is love. God has many imtators 
of his power, independence, justice, &c., but few of 
his love, condescension, and kindness. He calls him- 
self Love, to teach us that in ¢his consists that perfec- 
tion, the attainment of which he has made both our 
duty and privilege: for these words of our Lord in- 
clude both a command and a promise. 

‘Can we be fully saved from sin in this world?” is 
an important question, to which this text gives a satis- 
factory answer: “ Ye shall be perfect, as your Father. 
who is in heaven, is perfect.”—As in his infinite nature 
there is no sin, nothing but goodness and love, so in 
your finite nature there shall dwell no sin, for the law 
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus shall make you 
free from the law of sin and death, Rom. viii. 2. 
God shall live in, fill, and rule your hearts; and, in 
what He fills and influences, neither Satan nor sin can 
have any part. If men, slighting their own mercies, 
ery out, This is impossible !—whom does this arguing 
reprove—God, who, on this ground, has given a com- 
mand, the fulfilment of which is impossible. “ But 
who ean bring a clean out of an unclean thing?” God 
Almighty—and, however inveterate the disease of sin 
may be, the grace of the Lord Jesus ean fully cure τί; 
and who will say, that he who laid down his life for 
our souls will not use his power completely to effect 
that salvation which he has died to procure. “ But 
where is the person thus saved?” Wherever he is 
found who loves God with all his heart, soul, mind, and 
strength, and his neighbour as himself; and, for the 

79 


Dr. Lightfoot on Courts of 


honour of Christianity and its AuTHoR, may we not 
hope there are many such in the Church of God, not 
Known indeed by any profession of this kind which 
they make, but by a surer testimony, that of uniformly 
holy tempers, piety to God, and beneficence to man? 

Dr. Lightfoot is not perfectly satisfied with the 
usual mode of interpreting the 22nd verse of this chap- 
ter. I subjoin the substance of what he says. Havy- 
ing given a general exposition of the word brother, 
which the Jews understood as signifying none but an 
Israelite—evoyoc, which we translate is in danger of, 
and which he shows the Jews used to signify, is ex- 
posed to, merits, or is guilty of—and the word gehenna, 
hell-fire, which he explains as I have done above, he 
comes to the three offences, and their sentences. 

The First is causeless anger, which he thinks too 
plain to require explanation ; but into the two following 
he enters in considerable detail :— 

“The seconp. Whosoever shall say to his brother, 
‘Racha,’ a nickname, or scornful title usual, which 
they disdainfully put one upon another, and very com- 
monly; and therefore our Saviour has mentioned this 
word, the rather because it was of so common use 
among them. ‘Take these few examples :— 

“ A certain man sought to betake himself to repent- 
ance (and restitution.) His wife said to him, ‘ Rekah, 
if thou make restitution, even thy girdle about thee is 
not thine own, &e.’ Tanchum, fol. 5. 

“ Rabbi Jochanan was teaching concerning the build- 
ing of Jerusalem with sapphires and diamonds, &c. 
One of his scholars laughed him to scorn. But after- 
wards, being convinced of the truth of the thing, he 
seith to him, ‘ Rabbi, do thou expound, for it is fit for 
thee to expound: as thou saidst, so have I seen it.’ 
He saith to him, ‘ Rekah, hadst thou not seen, thou 
wouldst not have believed, &c.’ Midras Tillin, fol. 
38, col. 4. 

“To what is the thing like? Toa king of flesh 
and blood, who took to wife a king’s daughter : he saith 
to her, ‘ Wait and fill me a cup;’ but she would not: 
whereupon he was angry, and put her away ; she went, 
and was married to a sordid fellow; and-he saith to 
her, ‘ Wait, and fill me acup;’ she said unto him, 
‘ Rekah, | am a king’s daughter, ὅς. Idem in Psa. 
CXXXvil. 

“ A Gentile saith to an Israelite, ‘I have a choice 
dish for thee to eat of.’ He saith, ‘ What is it?” He 
answers, ‘ Swine’s flesh.’ He saith to him, ‘ Rekah, 
even what you kill of clean beasts is forbidden us, 
much more this.’ Tanchum, fol. 18, col. 4. 

“The ruirp offence is to say to a brother, ‘ Thou 
fool,’ which, how to distinguish from racha, which 
signifies an empty fellow, were some difficulty, but that 
Solomon is a good dictionary here for us, who takes 
the terxa continually here for a wicked wretch and 
reprobate, and in opposition to spiritual wisdom: so 
that in the first clause is condemned causeless anger ; 
in the second, scornful taunting and reproaching of a 
brother ; and, in the last, calling him a reprobate and 
wicked, or uncharitably censuring his spiritual and 
eternal estate. And this last does more especially hit 
the scribes and Pharisees, who arrogated to themselves 
only to be called O°93m chocamim, wise men, but of 
all others they had this scornful and uncharitable opi- 

80 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Judicature among the Jews. 


nion, ‘ This people, that knoweth not the law, is cursed, 
John vii. 49. 

“ And now for the penalties denounced upon these 
offences, let us look upon them, taking notice of these 
two traditions of the Jews, which our Saviour seems 
to face, and to contradict. 

“Ist. That they accounted the command, Thou 
shalt not kill, to aim only at actual murder. So that 
in their collecting the six hundred and thirteen precepts 
out of the law, they understand that command to mean 
but this: “ That one should not kill an Israelite, and 
accordingly they allotted this only violation of it to 
judgments; against this wild gloss and practice, he 
speaks in the first clause: Ye have heard it said, Thou 
shalt not kill, and he that killeth, or committeth actual 
murder, is liable to judgment, and ye extend the viola- 
tion of that command no farther; but I say to you, 
that causeless anger against thy brother is a violation 
of that command, and even that maketh a man liable 
to judgment. 

“2nd. They allotted that murder only to be judged 
by the council, or Sanhedrin, that was committed by 
aman in propria persona: let them speak their own 
sense, ὅς. Talm. in Sanhedrin, per. 9. 

“Ὁ Any one that kills his neighbour with his hand, 
as if he strike him with a sword, or with a stone that 
kills him, or strangle him till he die, or burn him in the 
fire* seeing that he kills him any how in his own per- 
son, lo! such a one must be put to death by the San- 
hedrin ; but he that hires another to kill his neighbour, 
or that sends his servants, and they kill him, or that 
violently thrusts him before a lion, or the like, and the 
beast kills him—any one of these is a shedder uf blood 
and the guilt of shedding of blood is upon him, and he 
is liable to death by the hand of Heaven, but he is not 
to be put to death by the Sanhedrin. And whence is 
the proof that it must be thus? Because it is said, 
He that sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood 
be shed. This is he that slays a man himse/f, and not 
by the hand of another. Your blood of your lives 
will I require. ‘This is he that slays himself. At the 
hand of every beast will I require it. This is he that 
delivers up his neighbour before a beast to be rent in 
pieces. At the hand of man, even at the hand of 
every man’s brother, will I require the life of man. 
This is he that hires others to kill his neighbour: In 
this interpretation, requiring is spoken of all the three ; 
behold, their judgment is delivered over to Heaven (or 
God.) And all these man-slayers and the like, who 
are not liable to death by the Sanhedrin, if the king of 
Israel will slay thern by the judgment of the kingdom, ° 
and the law of nations, he may, ὅθ. Maym. ubi 
supr. per. 2. 

“You may observe in these wretched traditions a 
twofold killing, and a twofold judgment: a man’s kill- 
ing another in his own person, and with his own hand, 
and such a one liable to the judgment of the Sanhe- 
drin, to be put to death by them, as a murderer; and a 
man that killed another by proxy, not with his own 
hand, but hiring another to kill him, or turning a beast 
or serpent upon him to kill him. This man is not to 
be judged and executed by the Sanhedrin, but referred 
and reserved only to the judgment of God. So that 
we see plainly, from hence, in what sense the word 

1 


Hypocrisy in alms-giving 


judgment is used in the latter end of the preceding 
verse, and the first clause of this, namely, not for the 
judgment of any one of the Sanhedrins, as it is com- 
monly understood, but for the judgment of God. In 
the former verse, Christ speaks their sense, and in the 
first clause of this, his own, in application to it. Ye 
have heard it said, that any man that kills is liable to 
the judgment of God; but I say unto you, that he that 
is but angry with his brother without a cause is liable 
to the judgment of God. You have heard it said, that 
he only that commits murder with his own hand is lia- 
ble to the council, or Sanhedrin, as a murderer; but 
I say unto you, that he that but calls his brother 
racha, as common a word as ye make it, and a thing 
of nothing, he is liable to be judged by the San- 
hedrin. 

“ Lastly, He that saith to his brother, Thou fool, 
wicked one, or cast-away, shall be in danger of hell- 
fire, evoxoc εἰς yeevvav πυρος. There are two observa- 
ble things in the words. The first is the change of 
case from what was before ; there it was said τὴ κρίσει 
Tw cvvedpiw, but here, εἰς yeevvav. It is but an empha- 
tical raising of the sense, to make it the more feeling 
and to speak home. He that saith to his brother, 
Raka, shall be in danger of the council; but he that 
says, Thou fool, shall be in danger of a penalty even 


CHAP. V. 


to be avoided. 


to hell-fire. And thus our Saviour equals the sin and 
penalty in a very just parable. In just anger, with 
God’s just anger and judgment; public reproach, with 
public correction by the council; and censuring for a 
child of hell, to the fire of hell. 

“2nd. It is not said εἰς πὺρ γεέννης, To the fire of 
hell, but εἰς yeevvav πυρος, To a hell of fire; in which 
expression he sets the emphasis still higher. And, be- 
sides the reference to the valley of Hinnom, he seems 
to refer to that penalty used by the Sanhedrin of burn 
ing—the most bitter death that they used to put men 
to; the manner of which was thus: They set the 
malefactor in a dunghill up to the knees; and they put 
a towel about his neck, and one pulled one way, and 
another the opposite, till, by thus strangling him, they 
forced him to open his mouth. Then they poured 
boiling lead into his mouth, which went down into his 
belly, and so burnt his bowels. Talm. in Sanhedrin. 
per. 7. 

“ Now, having spoken in the clause before, of being 
judged by the Sanhedrin, whose most terrible penalty 
was this burning, he doth in this clause raise the pe- 
nalty higher; namely, of burning in hell; not with a 
little scalding lead, but even with a hell of fire.” It 
is possible that our Lord might have reference to such 
customs as these. 


CHAPTER VI. 


Of alms-giving, 1-5. Of prayer, 6-8. 
pray, 9-13. Of forgiveness, 14, 15. 
single eye, 22, 23. 
Divine providence, 25-32. 


A. M. 4031. 4 
ADF. TAKE heed that ye do not your 
ene “alms before men, to be seen 


a Or, righteousness ; Deut. xxiv. 13; Psa. exii. 9; Dan. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VI. 

Verse 1. That ye do not your alms] δΔικαιοσυνὴν 
voy μὴ Tote, perform not your acts of righteousness 
—such as alms-giving, fasting, and prayer, mentioned 
immediately after. Instead of δικαίοσυνην, righteous- 
ness, or acts of righteousness, the reading in the text, 
that which has been commonly received is eAenuocuvyy, 
alms. But the first reading has been inserted in se- 
veral editions, and is supported by the Codd. Vatican. 
and Beze, some others, and several versions, all the 
Itala except one, and the Vulgate. The Latin fa- 
thers have justitiam, a word of the same meaning. 
Mr. Gregory has amply proved, ΠΡῚΝ tsidekah, right- 
eousness, Was a common word for alms among the 
Jews. Works, 4to. p. 58, 1671. R. D. Kimchi 
says that ΠΡῚῪΣ ¢tsidekah, Isa. lix. 14, means alms- 
giving; and the phrase ΠΡῪΣ [2 natan tsidekah, is 
used by the Jews to signify the giving of alms. The 
following passages from Dr. Lightfoot show that 
it was thus commonly used among the Jewish 
writers :— 

“Jt is questioned,” says he, “whether Matthew 

Vou. I am νι 


The Lord’s prayer, or model according to which Christians shouta 

Of fasting, 16, 17. 
The impossibility of serving two masters, 24. 
Directions about seeking the kingdom of God, 33, 34. 


Of laying up treasures, 18-21. Of the 
Of contentment and confidence in the 


; F septs ἘΠ VA AMS A0o! 
ward "of your Father which is in ἄν δ 43) 
heaven. 


2 Therefore ‘when thou doest 


iv. 27; 2 Cor. ix. 9, 10.—» Or, with Rom. xii. 8. 


writ Ελεημοσυνην, alms, or Δικαιοσυνην, righteousness. 
Τ answer :— 

“J. That our Saviour certainly said 7p 7¥ tsidekah, 
righteousness, (or, in Syriac NNpti zidkatha,) I make 
no doubt at all; but, that that word could not be other- 
wise understood by the common people than of alms, 
there is as little doubt to be made. For although the 
word ΠΡῚΝ tsidekah, according to the idiom of the Old 
Testament, signifies nothing else than righteousness ; 
yet now, when our Saviour spoke these words, it sig- 
nified nothing so much as alms. 

“JT. Christ used also the same word NNp1i zidka- 
tha, righteousness, in the three verses next following, 
and Matthew used the word ελεημοσυνην, alms ; but by 
what right, I beseech you, should he call it δικαιοσυνην. 
righteousness, in the first verse, and ελεημοσυνην, alms, 
in the following; when Christ every where used one 
and the same word? Matthew might not change in 
Greek, where our Saviour had not changed in Syriac : 
therefore we must say that the Lord Jesus used the 
word ΤΡῚΣ tsidekah or SNP zidkatha, in these four 
first verses; but that, speaking in the dialect of com- 

81 


Alms must be given 


A.M. 4031. thine alms, “do not sound a trumpet 


An. Olymp. before thee, as the hypocrites do in 
the synagogues and in the streets, 


4 Or, cause not a trumpet to be sounded ; Prov. xx. 6. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


without ostentation. 


that they may have * glory of men. 4,™. 4031. 


Verily I say unto you, They have An. Olymp. 
ΣῈ CCr3. 
their reward. 


©2 Kings x. 16. 


mon people, he was understood by the common people 
to speak of alms. Now they called alms by the name 
of righteousness, for the fathers of the traditions 
taught, and the common people believed, that alms con- 
tributed very much to justification. Hear the Jewish 
chair in this matter—For one farthing given to a poor 
man in alms, a man 1s made partaker of the beatific 
vision: where it renders these words, Psa. xvii. 15, I 
shall behold thy face in righteousness, after this man- 
ner, I shall behold thy face, BEcAUSE of Aums. Bava. 
Bathra. 

“This money goeth for alms, that my sons may live, 
and that I may obtain the world to come. Bab. Rosh. 
Hashshanah. 

* A man’s table now expiates by alms, as heretofore 
the altar did by sacrifice. Beracoth. 

“Tf you afford alms out of your purse, God will 
keep you from all damage and harm. Hieros. Peah. 

“ Monosazes the king bestowed his goods liberally 
upon the poor, and had these words spoken to hun by 
his kinsmen and friends— Your ancestors increased 
both their own riches, and those that were left them 
by their fathers; but you waste both your own and 
those of your ancestors. To whom he answered— 
‘ My fathers laid up their wealth on earth: I lay up 
mine in heaven. As it is written, Truth shall flourish 
out of the earth, but Righteousness shall look down 
from heaven. My fathers laid up treasures that bear 
no fruit; but I lay up such as bear fruit. As it is 
said, It shall be well with the just, for they shall eat 
the fruit of their own works. My fathers treasured 
up, when power was in their hands ; but I where it is 
not. As it is said, Justice and judgment is the habi- 
tation of his throne. My fathers heaped up for others ; 
I for myself. As it is said, And this shall be to thee 
for righteousness. They scraped together for this 
world. I for the world to come. As it is said, 
Righteousness shall deliver from death.’ 7014. These 
things are also recited in the Babylonian Talmud. 

“ You see plainly in what sense he understands 
ryghteousness, namely, in the sense of alms: and that 
sense not so much framed in his own imagination, as 
in that of the whole nation, and which the royal cata- 
chumen had imbibed from the Pharisees his teachers. 

“Behold the justifying and saving virtue of alms, 
from the very work done according to the doctrine of 
the Pharisaical chair! And hence, the opinion of 
this efficacy of alms so far prevailed with the deceived 
people, that they pointed out alms by no other name 
(confined within one single word) than ΠΡ" ¢tsidekah, 
righteousness. Perhaps those words of our Saviour 
are spoken in derision of this doctrine. Yea, give 
those things which ye have in alms, and behold all 
things shall be clean to you, Luke xi. 41. With good 
reason indeed exhorting them to give alms; but yet 
withal striking at the covetousness of the Pharisees, 
and confuting their vain opinion of being clean by the 
washing of their hands, from their own opinion of the 

82 


efficacy of alms. As if he had said, “ Ye assert that 
alms justifies and saves, and therefore ye call it by the 
name of righteousness; why therefore do ye affect 
cleanliness by the washing of hands ; and not rather by 
the performance of charity?” Licurroor’s Works. 
vol. i. p. 153. 

Before men| Our Lord does not forbid public alms- 
giving, fasting, and prayer, but simply censures those 
vain and hypocritical persons who do these things pub- 
licly that they may be seen of men, and receive from 
them the reputation of saints, &c. 

Verse 2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms] In 
the first verse the exhortation is general: Jake ve 
heed. In this verse the address is pointed—and tTHou 
—man—woman—who readest—hearest. 

Do not sound a trumpet] It is very likely that this 
was literally practised among the Pharisees, who 
seemed to live on the public esteem, and were exces- 
sively self-righteous and vain. Having something to 
distribute by way of alms, it Is very probable they 
caused this to be published by blowing a trumpet or 
horn, under pretence of collecting the poor; though 
with no other design than to gratify their own ambi- 
tion. There is a custom in the east not much unlike 
this. ‘ The derveeshes carry horns with them, which 
they frequently Jow, when any thing is given to them, 
in honor of the donor. Τί is not impossible that some 
of the poor Jews who begged alms might be furnished 
like the Persian derveeshes, who are a sort of religious 
beggars, and that these hypocrites might be disposed 
to confine their alms-giving to those that they knew 
would pay them this honour.” Harmer’s Gbservat. 
vol. i. p. 474. 

Tt must be granted, that in the Jewish wniimgs there 
is no such practice referred to as that which I have 
supposed above, viz. blowing a trumpet tu gather the 
poor, or the poor blowing a horn when relieved. Hence 
some learned men have thought that the word 7D\w 
shopher, a trumpet, refers to the hole in the public 
alms chest, into which the money was dropped which 
was allotted for the service of the poor. Such holes, 
because they were wide at one end and grew gradually 
narrow towards the other, were actually termed naw 
shopheroth, trumpets, by the rabbins ; of this Schoettgen 
furnishes several examples. An ostentatious man, 
who wished to attract the notice of those around him, 
would throw in his money with some force into these 
trumpet-resembling holes, and thus he might be said 
DW, σαλπίζειν, to sound the trumpet. The Jerusalem 
Gemara, tract Shekalim, describes these n17D1v sho- 
pheroth thus— These trumpet holes were crooked, nar- 
row above and wide below, in order to prevent fraud. 
As our Lord only uses the words, μη σαλπίισης, it may 
be tantamount to our term jingle. Do not make a 
public ostentatious jingle of that money which you 
give to public charities. Pride and hypocrisy are the 
things here reprehended. ‘The Pharisees, no doubt, 
felt the weight of the reproof. Still the words may 

(Tee) 


Hypocrisy m prayer 


aoe, 08 But when thou doest alms, let 
An. Olymp. not thy ‘left hand know what thy 
ll right hand doeth: 

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and 
thy Father, which seeth in secret, himself 
shall reward thee openly. 


{ Psa. xliv. 21; 2 Cor. ix. 7. 


be taken in their literal meaning, as we know that the 
Moslimans, who nearly resemble the ancient Pharisees 
in the ostentation, bigotry, and cruelty of their charac- 
ter, are accustomed, in their festival of Muhurram, to 
erect stages in the public streets, and, by the sound of 
a trumpet, call the poor together to receive alms of 
rice, and other kinds of food. See Warp. 

Works of charity and merey should be done as 
much in private as is consistent with the advancement 
of the glory of God, and the effectual relief of the poor. 

In the synagogues and in the streets] That such 
chests or boxes, for receiving the alms of well-disposed 
people, were placed in the synagogues, we may readily 
believe ; but what were the streets? Schoettgen sup- 
poses that courts or avenues in the temple and in the 
synagogues may be intended—places where the people 
were accustomed to walk, for air, amusement, &c., for 
it is not to be supposed that such chests were fixed in 
the public streets. 

They have their reward.] That is, the honour and 
esteem of men which they sought. God is under no 
obligation to them—they did nothing with an eye to 
his glory, and from Him they can expect no recompense. 
They had their recompense in this life; and could ex- 
pect none in the world to come. 

Verse 3. Let not thy left hand know] In many 
eases, works of charity must be hidden from even our 
nearest relatives, who, if they knew, would hinder us 
from doing what God has given us power and inclina- 
tion to perform. We must go even farther; and 
conceal them as far as is possible from ourselves, by 
not thinking of them, or eyeing them with compla- 
cency. ‘They are given to Gop, and should be hidden 
in Him. 

Verse 4. Which seeth in secret] We should ever 
remember that the eye of the Lord is upon us, and 
that he sees not only the act, but also every motive 
that led to it. 

Shall reward thee openly.] Will give thee the full- 
est proofs of his acceptance of thy work of faith, and 
labour of love, by increasing that substance which, for 
his sake, thou sharest with the poor; and will manifest 
his approbation in thy own heart, by the witness of his 
Spirit. 

Verse 5. And when thou prayest] Orav προσευχη. 
TIpocevyn, prayer, is compounded of πρὸς with, and 
εὐχὴ ἃ vow, because to pray right, a man Jinds himself 
to God, as by a vow, to live to his glory, if he will 
grant him his grace, &e. Evyoua: signifies to pour 
our prayers or vows, from ev well, and yew, T pour out ; 
probably alluding to the offerings or libations which 
were poured out before, or on the altar. A proper | 
idea of prayer is, a pouring out of the soul unto God, | 
asa free-will offering: oy and eternally dedicated | 


CHAP. VI. 


to be avoided 


5 Ἵ And when thou prayest, thou 4, M- 4031. 
shalt not be as the hypocrites are: ‘nD 
for they love to pray standing in the 
synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, 
that they may be seen of men. Verily I say 
unto you, They have their reward. 


& Luke xiv. 14. 


to him, accompanied with the most earnest desire that 
it may know, love, and serve him alone. He that 
comes thus to God will ever be heard and blessed 
Prayer is the language of dependence ; he who prays 
not, is endeavouring to live independently of God: 
this was the first curse, and continues to be the great 
curse of mankind. In the beginning, Satan said, Eat 
this fruit; ye shall then be as God; i. e. ye shall be 
independent: the man hearkened to his voice, sin 
entered into the world, and notwithstanding the full 
manifestation of the deception, the ruinous system is 
still pursued; man will, if possible, live independently 
of God; hence he either prays not at all, or uses the 
language without the spirit of prayer. The following 
verses contain so fine a view, and so just a definition, 
of prayer, that I think the pious reader will be glad to 
find them here. 


Wuart is Prayer? 


Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, 
Unuttered or expressed, 

The motion of a hidden fire 
That trembles in the breast : 


Prayer is the burden of a sigh, 
The falling of a tear, 

The upward gleaming of an eye, 
When none but God is near. 


Prayer is the simplest form of speech 
That infant lips can try ; 

Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach 
The Majesty on high: 


Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, 
The Christian’s native air, 

His watch-word at the gates of death, 
He enters heaven by prayer. 


Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice, 
Returning from his ways, 

While angels in their songs rejoice, 
And say, Behold he prays! 


The saints in prayer appear as one, 
In word, in deed, in mind, 

When with the Father and the Son 
Their fellowship they find. 


Nor prayer is made on earth alone: 
The Holy Spirit pleads ; 

And Jesus, on th’ eternal throne, 
For sinners intercedes. 


«Ὁ Thou, by whom we come to God! 
The Life, the Truth, the Way, 
The path of prayer thyself hast trod, 
Lord, teach us how to pray!” 
MonTGoMERY 
83 


Christ’s directions 
ae 6 But thou, when thou prayest, 
= Ohne: henter into thy closet, and when 

3 thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy 
Father which is in secret; and thy Fatt.er, 


h2Q Kings iv. 33—— Eeeles. v. 2; Ecclus. vii. 14. 


Thou shalt not be as the hypocrites] ὝὙποκριται. 
From ὑπὸ under, and κρίνομαι to be judged, thought : 
properly a stage-player, who acts under a mask, per- 
sonating a character different from his own ; a coun- 
terfeit, a dissembler ; one who would be thought to be 
different from what he really is. A person who wishes 
to be taken for a follower of God, but who has nothing 
of religion except the outside. 

Love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the 
corners of the streets! The Jewish phylacterical prayers 
were long, and the canonical hours obliged them to 
repeat these prayers wherever they happened to be ; 
and the Pharisees, who were full of vain glory, con- 
trived to be overtaken in the streets by the canonical 
hour, that they might be seen by the people, and ap- 
plauded for their great and conscientious piety. See 
Iaghtfoot. As they had no piety but that which was 
outward, they endeavoured to let it fully appear, that 
they might make the most of it among the people. It 
would not have answered their end to kneel before 
God, for then they might have been unnoticed by men; 
and consequently have lost that reward which they had 
in view: viz. the esteem and applause of the multitude. 


This hypocritical pretension to devotion is common | 


among the Asiatics. Both Hindoos and Mohammedans 
love to pray in the most public places, at the landing 
places of rivers, in the public streets, on the roofs of 
the covered boats, without the least endeavour to con- 
ceal their outside devotion, that they may be seen of 
men. 

Verse 6. But thou, when thou prayest] This is a 
very impressive and emphatic address. But THou! 
whosoever thou art, Jew, Pharisee, Christian—enter 
into thy closet. Prayer is the most secret intercourse 
of the soul with God, and as it were the conversation 
of one heart with another. The world is too profane 
and treacherous to be of the secret. We must shut 
the door against it: endeavour to forget it, with all the 
affairs which busy and amuse it. Prayer requires re- 
tirement, at least of the heart; for this may be fitly 
termed the closet in the house of God, which house the 
body of every real Christian is, 1 Cor. iii. 16. To 
this closet we ought to retire even in public prayer, 
and in the midst of company. 

Reward thee openly.| What goodness is there equal 
to this of God! to give, not only what we ask, and 
more than we ask, but to reward even prayer itself! 
How great advantage is it to serve a prince who 
places prayers in the number of services, and reckons 
to his subjects’ account, even their trust and confidence 
in begging all things of him! 

Verse 7. Use not vain repetitions] Μη βαττολογησητε. 
Suidas explains this word well: “ πολυλογια, much 
speaking, from one Battus, who made very prolix 
hymns, in which the same idea frequently recurred.” 
“A frequent repetition of awful and striking words 

84 


ST. MATTHEW. 


concerning prayer 


which seeth in secret, shall reward A 
thee openly. 

7 But when ye pray, ‘use not 
vain repetitions, as the heathen do: 


k1 Kings xviii. 26, 29. 


may often be the result of earnestness and fervour. 
See Dan. ix. 3-20; but great length of prayer, which 
will of course involve much sameness and idle repeti- 
tion, naturally creates faligue and carelessness in the 
worshipper, and seems to suppose ignorance or inatten- 
tion in the Deity; a fault against which our Lord more 
particularly wishes to secure them.” See verse 8. 
This judicious note is from the late Mr. Gilbert Wake- 
field, who illustrates it with the following quotation 
from the Heautontimorumenos of Terence :— 


Ohe! jam decine Deos, uxor, gratulando oBTUNDERE, 

Tuam esse inventam gnatam: nist illos ex τῦο 
INGENIO judicas, 

Ut nil credas 1NTELLIGERE, nisi idem DICTUM SIT 
CENTIES. 


“ Pray thee, wife, cease from sTuNNING the gods 
with thanksgivings, because thy child is in safety; un- 
less thou judgest of them from thyself, that they cannot 
UNDERSTAND a thing, unless they are told of it a HUN- 
DRED TIMES.”  Heaut. ver. 880. 

Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. 
The eloquence of prayer consists in the fervency of 
desire, and the simplicity of faith. The abundance of 
fine thoughts, studied and vehement motions, and the 
order and politeness of the expressions, are things 
which compose a mere Auman harangue, not an humble 
and Christian prayer. Our trust and confidence ought 
to proceed from that which God is able to do in us, 
and not from that which we can say to him. It is 
abominable, says the Hepayau, that a person offering 
up prayers to God, should say, “I beseech thee, by 
the glory of thy heavens!” or, “by the splendour of 
thy throne!” for a style of this nature would lead to 
suspect that the Almighty derived glory from the hea- 
vens ; whereas the heavens are created, but God with 
all his attributes is eternal and inimitable. Hepayan, 
vol. iv. p. 121. 

This is the sentiment of a Mohammedan; and yet 
for this vain repetition the Mohammedans are peculi 
arly remarkable ; they often use such words as the 
following :— 


- buoy k AL db wb wb 
υ (559 oh er so=h mbuyk 
Npemll eds Ὁ pssd 9 o> Ὁ pds = 
O God, O God, O God, Ο God!—O Lord, O Lord, 
O Lord, O Lord!—O living, O immortal, O living, O 
immortal, O living, O immortal, O living, O immortal! 
—O Creator of the heavens and the earth !—O thou 
who art endowed with majesty and authority! O won- 
derful, &c. I have extracted the above from a form 
of prayer used by Tippo Sahib, which I met with ina 


book of devotion in which there were several prayers 
1 


Vain repetitions in 


ΑΝ they think that they shall be 
heard for their much  speak- 
ing. 

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: 1of 


An. Olymp. 
CCI. 3. 


1 Psa. xxxiil. 15; exv. 3; 


written with his own hand, and signed with his own 
name. 

Of this vain repetition in civil matters, among the 
Jews, many instances might be given, and not a few 
examples might be found among Christians. The 
heathens abounded with them: see several quoted by 
Lightfoot.—Let the parricide be dragged ! We beseech 
thee, Augustus, let the parricide be dragged! This is 
the thing we ask, let the parricide be dragged! ! Hear 
wus, Cir: let the false accusers be cast to the lion! 
Hear us, Cesar, let the false accusers be condemned to 
the lion! Hear us, Cesar, &c. It was a maxim 
among the Jews, that “he who multiplies prayer, 
must be heard.” This is correct, if it only imply per- 
severance in supplication; but if it be used to signify 
the multiplying of words, or even forms of prayer, it 
will necessarily produce the evil which our Lord rep- 
rehends: Be not as the heathen—use not vain repett- 
tion, ἄς. Even the Christian Churches in India have 
copied this vain repetition work; and in it the Roman 
Catholic, the Armenian, and the Greek Churches strive 
to excel. 

As the heathen} The Vatican MS. reads ὑποκριται, 
like the hypocrites. Unmeaning words, useless repe- 
titions, and complimentary phrases in prayer, are in 
general the result of heathenism, hypocrisy, or igno- 
rance. 

Verse 8. Your Father knoweth what things ye have 
need of | Prayer is not designed to inform God, but 
to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his 
heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to ani- 
mate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven, 
and to put him in mind that ruere is his Father, his 
country, and inheritance. 

In the preceding verses we may see three faults, 
which our Lord commands us to avoid in prayer :— 

Ist. Hypocrisy. Be not as the hypocrites. ver. 5. 

2ndly. Dissipation. Enter into thy closet. ver. 6. 

3rdly. Mucu sPEAKING, ΟΥ̓ UNMEANING REPETITION, 
Be not like the heathens. ver. 7. 

Verse9. After this manner therefore pray ye] Forms 
of prayer were frequent among the Jews; and every 
public teacher gave one to his disciples. Some forms 
were drawn out to a considerable length, and from 
these abridgments were made: to the latter sort the 
following prayer properly belongs, and consequently, 
besides its own very important use, it is a plan for a 
more extended devotion. What satisfaction must it 
be to learn from God himself, with what words, and in 
what manner, he would have us pray to him, so as not 
to pray in vain! A king, who draws up the petition 
which he allows to be presented to himself, has 
doubtless the fullest determination to grant the re- 
quest. We do not sufficiently consider the value of 
this prayer; the respect and attention which it re- 
quires ; the preference to be given to it; its fulness 
and perfection ; the frequent use we should make of it; 

1 


CHAP. VI. 


prayer forbidden. 


your Father knoweth what things 4, ΝΜ 4031. 
ye have need of, before ye ask ee 
him. ----. 
9 After this manner therefore pray ye : ‘Our 


Luke xi. 2, &c ; Rom. viii. 14, 15. 


and the spirit which we should bring with it. “ Lord, 
teach us how to pray!” is a prayer necessary to 
prayer ; for unless we are divinely instructed in the 
manner, and influenced by the spirit of true devotion, 
even the prayer taught us by Jesus Christ may be re- 
peated without profit to our souls. 

Our Father] It was a maxim of the Jews, that a 
man should not pray alone, but join with the Church ; 
by which they particularly meant that he should, 
whether alone or with the synagogue, use the plural 
number as comprehending all the followers of God. 
Hence, they say, Let none pray the short prayer, i. e. 
as the gloss expounds it, the prayer in the singular, 
but in the plural number. See Lightfoot on this place. 

This prayer was evidently made in a peculiar man- 
ner for the children of God. And hence we are taught 
to say, not my Father, but our Father. The heart, 
says one, of a child of God, is a brotherly heart, in 
respect of all other Christians: it asks nothing but 
in the spirit of unity, fellowship, and Christian charity ; 
desiring that for its brethren which it desires for 
itself. 

The word Father, placed here at the beginning of 


‘this prayer, includes two grand ideas, which should 


serve as a foundation to all our petitions: Ist. That 
tender and respectful love which we should feel for 
God, such as that which children feel for their fathers. 
2dly. That strong confidence in God’s love to us, such 
as fathers have for their children. Thus all the peti- 
tions in this prayer stand in strictest reference to the 
word Father ; the first three referring to the love we 
have for God; and the three last, to that confidence 
which we have in the love he bears to us. 

The relation we stand in to this first and best of 
beings dictates to us reverence for his petson, zeal for 
his honour, obedience to his will, submission to his dis- 
pensations and chastisements, and resemblance to his 
nature. 

Which art in heaven] The phrase Ὁ ΣΦ 123, 
abinu sheboshemayim, our Father who art in heaven, 
was very common among the ancient Jews; and was 
used by them precisely in the same sense as it is used 
here by our Lord. 

This phrase in the Scriptures seems nsed to express : 

Ist. His omnipresence. The heaven of heavens 
cannot contain thee. 1 Kings viii. 27: that is, Thou 
fillest immensity. 

2dly. His masesry and pomrnion over his creatures. 
Art thou not God in heaven, and rulest thou not over 
all the kingdoms of the heathen? 2 Chron. xx. 6. 

3dly. His powerand micut. Art thou not God in 
heaven, and in thy hand is there not power and might, 
so that no creature is able to withstand thee ! 2 Chron. 
xx. 6. Our God is in heaven, and hath done whatso- 
ever he pleased. Psa. exy. 3. 

4thly. His omniscrence. The Lord’s throne is in 
heaven, his eyes behold, his eye-lids try the children of 

85 


The Lords prayer 


at 4031. Father which art in heaven, Hal- 


An. Olymp. lowed be thy name. 
10 Thy kingdom come. 


™ Thy 


τ Chap. xxvi. 39, 42; Acts xxi. 14—— Psa. cili. 20, 31. 


men. Psa. xi. 4. The Lord looketh down from heaven, 
he beholdeth all the sons of men. Psa. xxxiii. 13-15. 

5thly. His infinite purrry andwoniness. Look down 
Sfromthy holy habitation, §-c. Deut. xxvi. 15. Thou art 
the high and lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity, whose 
name is holy. Isa. lvii. 15. 

Hallowed| Αγιασθητω. Αγεαζω" from a negative, and 
yn, the earth, a thing separated from the earth, or from 
earthly purposes and employments. As the word sanc- 
tified, or hallowed, in Scripture, is frequently used for 
the consecration of a thing or person to a holy use or 
office, as the Levites, first-born, tabernacle, temple, 
and their utensils, which were all set apart from every 
earthly, common, or profane use, and employed 
wholly in the service of God, so the Divine Majesty 
may be said to be sanctified by us, in analogy to those 
things, viz. when we separate him from, and in our 
conceptions and desires exalt him above, earth and all 
things. 

Thy name.] That is, Gop himself, with all the at- 
tributes of his Divine nature—his power, wisdom, 
justice, mercy, &c. 

We hallow God’s name, Ist. With our lips, when 
all our conversation is holy, and we speak of those 
things which are meet to minister grace to the hearers. 

2dly. In our thoughts, when we suppress every 
rising evil, and have our tempers regulated by his grace 
and Spirit. 

3dly. In our ives, when we begin, continue, and 
end our works to his glory. If we have an eye to 
God in all we perform, then every act of our common 
employment will be an act of religious worship. 

4thly. In our families, when we endeavour to bring 
up our children in the discipline and admonition of 
the Lord ; instructing also our servants in the way of 
righteousness. 

5thly. In a particular calling or business, when we 
separate the falsity, deception, and lying, commonly 
practised, from it; buying and selling as in the sight 
of the holy and just God. 

Verse 10. Thy kingdom come.] The ancient Jews 
serupled not to say: He prays not at all, in whose 
prayers there is no mention of the kingdom of God. 
Hence, they were accustomed to say, ‘ Let him cause 
his kingdom to reign, and his redemption to flourish: and 
let the Messiah speedily come and deliver his people.” 

The universal sway of the sceptre of Christ :—God 
has promised that the kingdom of Christ shall be ex- 
alted above all kingdoms. Dan. vii. 14-27. That it 
shall overcome all others, and be at last the universal 
empire. Isa. ix. 7. Connect this with the explanation 
given of this phrase, chap. iii. 2. 

Thy will be done] ‘This petition is properly added 
to the preceding ; for when the kingdom of righteous- 
ness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit, is established 
in the heart, there is then an ample provision made 
for the fulfilment of the Divine will. 

The will of God is infinitely good, wise, and holy ; 

86 


ST. MATTHEW. 


taught the disciples 


will be done in earth, "as Τί zs in ste ee 
heaven. An, Olymp 
: - . CL3. 
11 Give us this day our ° daily bread. 


°See Job xxiii. 12; Prov. xxx. 8. 


to have it fulfilled in and among men, is to have in- 
finite goodness, wisdom, and holiness diflused throughout 
the universe; and earth made the counterpart of 
heaven. 

As it is in heaven.| The Jews maintained, that 
they were the angels of God upon earth, as those 
pure spirits were angels of God in heaven; hence 
they said, “ As the angels sanctify the Divine name 
in heaven, so the Israelites sanctify the Divine name 
upon earth.” See Schoettgen. 

Observe, Ist. The salvation of the soul is the re- 
sult of two wills conjoined: the will of God, and the 
will of man. If God will not the salvation of man, 
he cannot be saved: If man will not the salvation 
God has prepared for him, he cannot be delivered from 
his sins. 2dly. This petition certainly points out a 
deliverance from all sin; for nothing that is unholy 
can consist with the Divine wil, and if this be fulfilled 
in man, surely sin shall be banished from his soul. 
3dly. Thisis farther evident from these words, as it 
is in heaven; i. e. as the angels do it: viz. with all 
zeal, diligence, love, delight, and perseverance. 4thly. 
Does not the petition plainly imply, we may live 
without sinning against God? Surely the holy angels 
never mingle iniquity with their loving obedience, 
and as our Lord teaches us to pray, that we do his 
will here as they do it in heaven, can it be thought 
he would put a petition in our mouths, the fulfilment 
of which was impossible? 5thly. This certainly 
destroys the assertion: “ There is no such state of 
purification to be attained here, in which it may be said, 
the soul is redeemed from sinful passions and desires ;” 
for it is on EARTH that we are commanded to pray 
that this will, which is our sanctification, may be done. 
6thly. Our souls can never be truly happy, till our 
wits be entirely subjected to, and become one with, 
the will cf God. 7thly. How can any person offer 
this petition to his Maker, who thinks of nothing less 
than the performance of the will of God, and of 
nothing more than doing his own ? 

Some see the mystery of the Trinity in the three 
preceding petitions. The first being addressed to the 
Father, as the source of all holiness. The second, 
to the Son, who establishes the kingdom of God upon 
earth. The third, to the Holy Spirit, who by his 
energy works in men to will and to perform. 

To offer these three petitions with success at the 
throne of God, three graces, essential to our salva- 
tion, must be brought into exercise ; and, indeed, the 
petitions themselves necessarily suppose them. Warrn, 
Our Father—for he that cometh 10 God, must believe 
that he is. 

Hore, Thy kingdom come—For this grace has for 
its object good things to come. 

Love, Thy will be done—For Jove is the incentive to 
and principle of all obedience to God, and beneficence 
to man. 

Verse 11. Give us this day our daily tread.| The 

1 


The Lord’s prayei 


ΣΝ 12 And P forgive us our debts, 


An. Olymp. as we forgive our debtors. 
13 4And lead us not into tempta- 


P Chap. σαν, 21, &e.——1 Chap. xxvi. 41; Luke xxii. 40, 46; 
1 Cor. x. 13; 2 Pet. ii. 9; Rev. iii. 10. 


word ἐπτουσίον has greatly perplexed critics and com- 
mentators. I find upwards of thirty different expla- 
nations of it. It is found in no Greek writer before 
she evangelists, and Origen says expressly, that it 
was formed by them, αλλ᾽ eoixe πεπλασθαι ὑπὸ τῶν evay- 
γελιστων. The interpretation of Theophylact, one of 
the best of the Greek fathers, has ever appeared to 
me to be the most correct, ἄρτος em τὴ οὐσίᾳ Kat 
συστάσει ἡμὼων αὐταρκης, Bread, sufficient for our sub- 
stance and support, i.e. That quantity of food which 
is necessary to support our health and strength, by 
being changed into the substance of our bodies. Its 
composition is of exe and οὐσία, proper or sufficient for 
support. Mr. Wakefield thinks it probable, that the 
word was originally written exc οὐσίαν, which coalesced 
by degrees, till they became the ἐπιουσίον of the MSS. 
There is probably an allusion here to the custom of 
travellers in the east, who were wont to reserve a 
part of the food given them the preceding evening to 
serve for their breakfast or dinner the next day. But 
as this was not sufficient for the whole day, they were 
therefore obliged to depend on the providence of God 
for the additional supply. In Luke xv. 12, 13, οὐσία 
signifies, what a person has to live on; and nothing 
can be more natural than to understand the com- 
pound επιουσίος, of that additional supply which the 
traveller needs, to complete the provision necessary 
for a day’s eating, over and above what he had then 
in his possession. See Harmer. 

The word is so very peculiar and expressive, and 
seems to have been made on purpose by the evange- 
lists, that more than mere dodily nourishment seems 
to be intended by it. Indeed, many of the primitive 
fathers understood it as comprehending that daily 
supply of grace which the soul requires to keep it in 
health and vigour: He who uses the petition would 
do well to keep both in view. Observe 1. God is 
the author and dispenser of all temporal as well as 
spiritual good. 2. We have merited no kind of good 
from his hand, and therefore must receive it as a free 
gift: Give us, ἄς. 3. We must depend on him 
daily for support; we are not permitted to ask any 
thing for to-morrow: give us to-day. 4. That peti- 
tion of the ancient Jews is excellent: ‘ Lord, the 
necessities of thy people Israel are many, and their 
knowledge small, so that they know not how to dis- 
close their necessities: Let it be thy good pleasure 
to give to every man, what sufficeth for food !”— 
Thus they expressed their dependence, and left it to 
God te determine what was best and most suitable. 
We must ask only that which is essential to our 
support, God having promised neither Jururies nor 
superfluities. 

Verse 12. And forgive us our debts] Sin is re- 
presented here under the aotion of a debt, and as our 
sins are many, they are callea here debts. God made 
man that he might live to his glory, and gave him a 

1 


CHAP. VI. 


concluded 


tion, but τ deliver us from evil: * For ro 403.. 
thine is the kingdom, and the power, An. ν Οἴγπρ, 
and the glory, for ever. Amen. 


τ John xvii. 15.—*1 Chron. xxix. 11. 


law to walk by ; and if, when he does any thing that 
tends not to glorify God, he contracts a debt with 
Divine Justice, how much more is he debtor when 
he breaks the ‘law by actual transgression! It has 
been justly observed, “ All the attributes of God are 
reasons of obedience to man; those attributes are in- 
finite; every sin is an act of ingratitude or rebellion 
against all these attributes ; therefore sin is infinitely 
sinful.” 

Forgive us.—Man has nothing to pay: if his debts 
are not forgiven, they must stand charged against 
him for ever, as he is absolutely insolvent. Forgive- 
ness, therefore, must come from the free mercy of 
God in Christ : and how strange is it we cannot have 
the old debt cancelled, without (by that very means) 
contracting a mew one, as great as the old! but the 
credit is transferred from Justice to Mercy. While 
sinners we are in debt to infinite Justice ; when par- 
doned, in debt to endless Mercy; and as a continu- 
ance in a state of grace necessarily implies a con- 
tinual communication of mercy, so the debt goes on 
increasing ad infinitum. Strange economy in the 
Divine procedure, which by rendering a man an in- 
finite debtor, keeps him eternally dependent on his 
Creator! How good isGod! And what does this 
state of dependence imply? A union with, and par- 
ticipation of, the fountain of eternal goodness and 
felicity ! 

As we forgive our debtors.] It was a maxim among 
the ancient Jews, that no man should lie down in 
his bed, without forgiving those who had offended 
him. That man condemns himself to suffer eternal 
punishment, who makes use of this prayer with 
revenge and hatred in his heart. He who will not 
attend to a condition so advantageous to himself (re- 
mitting a hundred pence to his debtor, that his own 
creditor may remit him 10,000 ¢alents) is a madman, 
who, to oblige his neighbour to suffer an hour, is 
himself determined to suffer everlastingly! This 
condition of forgiving our neighbour, though it can- 
not possibly merit any thing, yet it is that condition 
without which God will pardon no man. See ver. 
14 and 15. 

Verse 13. And lead us not into temptation] That is, 
bring us not into sore trial. Πειρασμον, which may be 
here rendered sore trial, comes from zetpa, to pierce 
through, as with a spear, or spit, used so by some of 
the best Greek writers. Several of the primitive 
fathers understood it something in this way; and 
have therefore added guam ferre non possimus, “which 
we cannot bear.” The word not only implies violent 
assaults from Satan, but also sorely afflictive cireum- 
stances, none of which we have, as yet, grace or forti- 
tude sufficient to bear. Bring us not in, or lead us not 
in. This isa mere Hebraism : God is said to do a thing 
which he only permits or suffers to be done. 

The process of temptation is often as follows: 

87 


158: 


We must forgive those 


A.M, 4031. 14 4 ‘For if ye forgive men 


An. Olymp. their trespasses, your heavenly Fa- 
ther wili also forgive you: 


ST. MATTHEW. 


who trespass against us 


= uj i A. M. 4031. 
15 But “if ye forgive not men 4,™, 4031 


their trespasses, neither will your πα αν 
Father forgive your trespasses. 


t Ecelus. xxviii. 1, &c.; Mark ai. 25,26; Eph. iv. 32; Col. iii. 13. 


uChap. xviii. 35; James ii. 13. 


Asimple evil thought. Qndly. A strong imagination, 
or impression made on the imagination, by the thing to 
which we are tempted. 3dly. Delight in viewing it. 
Athly. Consent of the will to perform it. Thus lust is 
conceived, sin is finished, and death brought forth. 
James i. 15. See also on chap. iv. 1. A man may be 
tempted without entering into the temptation : entering 
anto it implies giving way, closing in with, and em- 
bracing it. 

But deliver us from evil] Aro τοὺ πονηρου, from 
the wicked one. Satan is expressly called o πονῆρος, 
the wicked one. Matt. xiii. 19, and 38, compare with 
Mark iv. 15; Luke viii. 12. This epithet of Satan 
comes from πόνος, labour, sorrow, misery, because of 
the drudgery which is found in the way of sin, the 
sorrow that accompanies the commission of it, and the 
misery which is entailed upon it, and in which it ends. 

It is said in the Misuna, Tit. Beracoth, that Rabbi 
Judah was wont to pray thus: “ Let it be thy good 
pleasure to deliverus from impudent men, and from 
impudence : from an evil man and an evil chance; 
from an evil affection, an evil companion, and an evil 
neighbour : from Satan the destroyer, from a hard 
judgment, and a hard adversary.” See Lightfoot. 

Deliver us| Ῥυσαι nuac—a very expressive word— 
break our chains, and loose our bands—snatch, pluck 
us from the evil, and its calamitous issue. 

For thine is the kingdom, &c.] The whole of this 
doxology is rejected by Weistein, Griesbach, and the 
most eminent critics. The authorities on which it is 
rejected may be seen in Griesbach and Wetstein, par- 
ticularly in the second edition of Griesbach’s Testa- 
ment, who is fully of opinion that it never made a part 
of the sacred text. It is variously written in several 
MSS., and omitted by most of the fathers, both Greek 
and Latin. As the doxology is at least very ancient, 
and was in use among the Jews, as well as all the 
other petitions of this excellent prayer, it should not, 
in my opinion, be left out of the text, merely because 
some MSS. have omitted it, and it has been variously 
written in others. See various forms of this doxology, 
taken from the ancient Jewish writers, in Lightfoot 
and Schoettgen. 

By the Aingdom, we may understand that mentioned 
ver. 10, and explained chap. iii. 2. 

By power, that energy by which the kingdom is 
governed and maintained. 

By glory, the honour that shall redound to God in 
consequence of the maintenance of the kingdom of 
grace, in the salvation of men. 

For ever and ever.] Eve τους αἰωνας, to the for evers. 
Well expressed by our common translation—ever in 
our ancient use of the word taking in the whole dura- 
tion of time; the second ever, the whole of eternity. 
May thy name have the glory both in this world, and 
in that which is to come! The original word αἰὼν 
comes from aé always, and wy being, or existence.— 
This is Aristotle’s definition of it. 

88 


Gen. xxi. 33. There is no word in any language 
which more forcibly points out the grand characteristic 
of eternity—that which always exists. It is often used 
to signify a limited time, the end of which is not 
known; but this use of it is only an accommodated 
one ; and it is the grammatical and proper sense of it 
which must be resorted to in any controversy con- 
cerning the word. We sometimes use the phrase for 
evermore: i. e. for ever and more, which signifies the 
whole of time, and the more or interminable duratior. 
beyond it. See on chap. xxv. 46. 

Amen.| This word is Hebrew, [15 , and signifies 
faithful or true. Some suppose the word is formed 
from the initial letters of 712. ai “18 adoni melech 
neeman, My Lord, the faithful King. The word it- 
self implies a confident resting of the soul in God, 
with the fullest assurance that all these petitions shall 
be fulfilled to every one who prays according to the 
directions given before by our blessed Lord. 

The very learned Mr. Gregory has shown that our 
Lord collected this prayer out of the Jewish Eucho- 
logies, and gives us the whole form as follows :— 

“Our Father who art in heaven, be gracious unto 
us! O Lord our God, hallowed be thy name, and let 
the remembrance of Thee be glorified in heaven above, 
and in the earth here below! Let thy kingdom reign 
over us now, and for ever! The holy men of old 
said, remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they 
have done against me! And lead us not into the 
hands of temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing! 
For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory 
for ever and for evermore.” Gregory's Works, 4to. 
1671, p. 162. See this proved at large in the col- 
lections of Lightfoot and Schoettgenius. 

Verse 14. If ye forgive men] He who shows 
mercy to men receives mercy from God. Fora king 
to forgive his subjects a hundred millions of treasons 
against his person and authority, on this one con- 
dition, that they will henceforth live peaceably with 
him and with each other, is what we shall never see; 
and yet this is but the shadow of that which Christ 
promises on his Father’s part to all true penitents. 
A man can have little regard for his salvation, who 
refuses to have it on such advantageous terms. See 
Quesnel. 

Verse 15. But if ye forgive not] He who does 
not awake at the sound of so loud a voice, is not asleep 
but dead. A vindictive man excludes himself from 
all hope of eternal life, and himself seals his own 
damnation. 

Trespasses| Παραπτωματα, from παρα and πίπτω, 
to fall off. What a remarkable difference there is 
between this word and odecAnuata, debts, in verse 12? 
Men’s sins against ws are only their stumblings, or 
failings off from the duties they owe us; bet our’s 
are debts to God’s justice, which we can never dis- 
charge. It can be no great difficulty to forgive those, 


See the note on| especially when we consider that in many respects 


1 


Directions 
A. M4031. 16. Moreover ‘when ye fast, be 
An. Olymp. not, as the hypocrites, of a “sad 
countenance : for they disfigure their 
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. 
Verily I say unto you, They have their re- 
ward. 

17 But thou, *when thou fastest, ¥ anoint 
thine head, and wash thy face; 


CHAP. V1. 


concerning fasting. 


A. M. 4031. 
18 That thou appear not unto ΑΝ 403 
men to fast, but unto thy Father An. Olymp. 
CL3. 
which is in secret; and thy Father, 
which seeth in secret, shall reward thee 
openly. 
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures 
upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, 


and where thieves break through and steal : 


1 Kings xxi. 27; Isa. lviii. 5. Ww Gen. iv. 4; Psa. χχχν. 13; 
Matt. xiv. 15. x Ruth iii. 3; 2 Sam. xii. 20; Eccles. ix. 8. 


we have failed as much, in certain duties which we 
owed to others, as they have done in those which 
they owed us. “ But I have given him no provoca- 
tion.” Perhaps thou art angry, and art not a proper 
judge in the matter; but, however it may be, it is 
thy interest to forgive, if thou expectest forgiveness 
from God. On this important subject I will subjoin 
an extract from Mason’s Self-knowledge, page 248, 
1755. 

«© Athenodorus, the philosopher, by reason of his old 
age, begged leave to retire from the court of Augustus, 
which the emperor granted. In his compliments of 
leave, he said, ‘ Remember, Cesar, whenever thou art 
angry, that thou say or do nothing before thou hast 
distinctly repeated to thyself the twenty-four letters of 
the alphabet.’ On which Cesar caught him by the 
hand, and said, ‘I have need of thy presence still :’ and 
kept him a year longer. This was excellent advice 
from a heathen; but a Christian may prescribe to him- 
self a wiser rule. When thou art angry, answer not 
till thou hast repeated the fifth petition of our Lord’s 
prayer—Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors: and our Lord’s comment upon it—For if ye 
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 
heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.” 

Prayer to God is considered among the Mohamme- 
dans in a very important point of view. It is declared 
by the Mosliman doctors to be the corner stone of RELI- 
Gion, and the pillar of rairH. It is not, say they, a 
thing of mere form, but requires that the heart and 
understanding should accompany it, without which they 
pronounce it to be of no avail. They direct prayer to 
be performed five times in the twenty-four hours. 1. 
Between day-break and sun-rise ; 2. Immediately after 
noon ; 3. Immediately before sun-set; 4. In the evening 
before dark ; and 5. Before the first watch of the night. 

They hold the following points to be essentially re- 
quisite to the efficacy of prayer :—1. That the person 
be free from every species of defilement. 
sumptuous and gaudy apparel be laid aside. 3. That 
the attention accompany the act, and be not suffered to 
wander to any other object. 4. That the prayer be 
performed with the face toward the temple of Mecca. 
Hepayan. Prel. Dis. pp. 53, 54. 

There are few points here but the follower of Christ 
may seriously consider and profitably practise. 

Verse 16. When ye fast] A fast is termed by the 
Greeks νηςίς, from νὴ not, and ecfew to eat ; hence 
fast means, a total abstinence from food for a certain 
time. Abstaining from flesh, and living on fish, vege- 
tables, &c., is no fast, or may be rather considered a 

1 


2. That all | 


y Ruth iii, 3; Daniel x. 3——* Prov. xxiii. 4; 1 Tim. vi 17; 
Heb. xiii. 5; James v. 1, &c. 


burlesque on fasting. Many pretend to take the trne 
definition of a fast from Isaiah lviii. 3, and say that it 
means a fast from sin. This is a mistake; there is 
no such term in the Bible as fasting from sin; the 
very idea is ridiculous and absurd, as if sin were a 
part of our daily food. In the fast mentioned by the 
prophet, the people were to divide their bread with the 
hungry, ver. 7; but could they eat their bread, and 
give it toot No man should save by a fast: he should 
give all the food he might have eaten to the poor. He 
who saves a day’s expense by a fast, commits an abo- 
mination before the Lord. See more on chap. ix. 15. 

As the hypocrites, of a sad countenance] Σκυθρωποι. 
either from σκυθρος sour, crabbed, and a) the coun- 
tenance ; or from Σκυθὴης a Scythian, a morose, gloomy, 
austere phiz, like that of a Scythian or Tartar. A 
hypocrite has always a difficult part to act: when he 
wishes to appear as a penitent, not having any godly 
sorrow at heart, he is obliged to counterfeit it the best 
way he can, by a gloomy and austere look. 

Verse 17. Anoint thine head and wash thy face] 
These were forbidden in the Jewish canon on days of 
fasting and humiliation ; and hypocrites availed them- 
selves of this ordinance, that they might appear to 
fast. Our Lord, therefore, cautions us against this: 
as if he had said, Affect nothing—dress in thy ordinary 
manner, and let the whole of thy deportment prove that 
thou desirest to recommend thy soul to God, and not 
thy face to men. That factitious mourning, which 
consists in putting on black clothes, crapes, &c., is 
utterly inconsistent with the simplicity of the Gospel 
of Christ; and if practised in reference to spiritual 
matters, is certainly forbidden here : but sin is so com- 
mon, and so boldly persisted in, that not even a crape 
is put on, as an evidence of deploring its influence, or 
of sorrow for having committed it. 

Verse 18. Thy Father which seeth in secret] Let 
us not be afraid that our hearts can be concealed from 
God ; but let us fear lest he perceive them to be more 
desirous of the praise of men than they are of that 
glory which comes from Him. 

Openly.] Ev τω gavepo. These words are omitted 
by nine MSS. in uncial letters ; and by more than one 
hundred others, by most of the versions, and by seve- 
ral of the primitive fathers. As it is supported by no 
adequate authority, Bengel, Wetstein, Griesbach, and 
others, have left it out of the text. 

Verse 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon 
earth} What blindness is it for a man to lay up that 
as a treasure which must necessarily perish! A heart 
designed for God and eternity is terribly degraded by 

89 


We should lay up 
“a 90 «*But lay up for yourselves 
An. Olymp. treasures in heaven, where neither 
——__ moth nor rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
21 For where your treasure is, there will 
your heart be also. 

22 4 >The light of the body is the eye: 


ST. MATTHEW. 


treasure mn heaven 


if therefore thine eye be single, 4,™ 4031. 
thy whole body shall be full of An. Olymp. 
: CCI. 3. 
light. ee 
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body 
shall be full of darkness. If therefore the 
light that is in thee be darkness, how great 7s 
that darkness ! 


2Ecclus. xxix. 11; chap. xix. 21; Luke xii. 33, 34; xviii. 22; 


1 Tim. vi. 19; 1 Pet. i. 4——»Luke xi. 34, 36. 


being fixed on those things which are subject to cor- 
ruption. ‘ But may we not lay up treasure innocently ?” 
Yes. Ist. [f you can do it without setting your heart 
on it, which is almost impossible: and 2dly. If there 
be neither widows nor orphans, destitute nor distressed 
persons in the place where you live. ‘“ But there isa 
portion which belongs to my children; shall I distribute 
that among the poor?” If it belongs to your children, 
it is not yours, and therefore you have no right to dis- 
pose of it. ‘ But] havea certain sum in stock, ὅσ. ; 
shall I take that and divide it among the poor?” By 
no means ; for, by doing so, you would put it out of your 
power to do good after the present division : keep your 
principal, and devote, if you possibly can spare it, the pro- 
duct to the poor ; and thus you shall have the continual 
ability to do good. Inthe mean time take care not to 
shut up your bowels of compassion against a brother 
in distress ; if you do, the love of God cannot dwell in 
you. 

Rust] Or canker, Bpwcic, from βρωσκω, I eat, con- 
sume. This word cannot be properly applied to rust, 
but to any thing that consumes or cankers clothes or 
metals. There is a saying exactly similar to this in 
the Institutes of Menu : speaking of the presents made 
to Brahmins, he says, “It is a gem which neither 
thieves nor foes take away, and which never perishes.” 
Chapter of Government, Institute 83. 

Where thieves do not break through] Acopvacover, 
literally dig through, i. e. the wall, in order to get 
into the house. This was not a difficult matter, as 
the house was generally made of mud and straw, 
kneaded together like the cobb houses in Cornwall, and 
other places. See notes on chap. vii. 27. 

Verse 20. Lay up—treasures in heaven] “The 
only way to render perishing goods eternal, to secure 
stately furniture from moths, and the richest metals 
from canker, and precious stones from thieves, is to 
transmit them to heaven by acts of charity. This is a 
kind of dill of exchange which cannot fail of accept- 
ance, but through our own fault.” Quesnel. 

It is certain we have not the smallest portion of 
temporal good, but what we have received from the 
unmerited bounty of God: and if we give back to him 
all we have received, yet still there is no merit that 
ean fairly attach to the act, as the goods were the 
Lo.d’s; for 1 am not to suppose that I can purchase 
any thing from a man dy his own property. On this 
yround the doctrine of human merit is one of the most 
absurd that ever was published among men, or credited 
by sinners. Yet he who supposes he can purchase 
heaven by giving that meat which was left at his own 
table, and that of his servants ; or by giving a garment 
which he could no longer in decency wear, must have 

90 


a base ignorant soul, and a very mean opinion of the 
heaven he hopes for. But shall not such works as 
these be rewarded? Yes, yes, God will take care to 
give you all that your refuse victuals and old clothes 
are worth. Yet he, who through love to God and 
man, divides his bread with the hungry, and covers the 
naked with a garment, shall not lose his reward; a 
reward which the mercy of God appoints, but to which, 
in strict justice, he can lay no claim. 

Verse 21. Where your treasure is] If God be the 
treasure of our souls, our hearts, i. e. our affections 
and desires will be placed on things above. An earthly 
minded man proves that his treasure is below ; a hea- 
venly minded man shows that his treasure is above. 

Verse 22. The light of the body is the eye] That 
is, the eye is to the body what the sun is to the uni- 
verse in the day time, or a lamp or candle to a house 
at night. 

If—thine eye be single] Απλους, simple, uncom- 
pounded ; i. 6. so perfect in its structure as to see ob- 
jects distinctly and clearly, and not confusedly, or in 
different places to what they are, as is often the case 
in certain disorders of the eye; one object appearing 
two or more—or else in a different situation, and of a 
different colour to what it really is. This state of the 
eye is termed, ver. 23, πονῆρος evil, 1. 6. diseased or 
defective. An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the 
ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or 
disposition ; a man who repined at his neighbour’s pros- 
perity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in 
the way of charity for God’s sake. Our blessed Lord, 
however, extends and sublimes this meaning, and uses 
the sound eye as a metaphor to point out that sumpli- 
city of intention, and purity of affection with which 
men should pursue the supreme good. We cannot draw 
more than one straight line between two indivisible 
points. We aim at happiness: it is found only in one 
thing, the indivisible and eternal Gov. If the line of 
simple intention be drawn straight to him, and the 
soul walk by it, with purity of affection, the whole 
man shall be ight in the Lord; the rays of that ex- 
cellent glory shall irradiate the mind, and through the 
whole spirit shall the Divine nature be transfused. But 
if a person who enjoyed this heavenly treasure permit 
his simplicity of intention to deviate from heavenly to 
earthly good; and his purity of affection to be con- 
taminated by worldly ambition, secular profits, and 
animal gratifications ; then, the light which was in him 
becomes darkness, i. e. his spiritual discernment de- 
parts, and his union with God is destroyed : all is only 
a palpable obscure; and, like a man who has totally 
lost his sight, he walks without direction, certainty, or 
comfort. This state is most forcibly intimated in our 

I 


No man can 
A. M. 4031. ο 
ASD. 27 24 §°No man can serve two 


3 Olymp. masters: for either he will hate the 

ν one, and love the other; or else 
he will hold to the one, and despise the 
other. “Ye cannot serve God and mam- 
mon. 


© Luke xvi. 13.——4 Gal. i. 10; 1 Tim. vi. 17; James iv. 4; 1 John 


Lord’s exclamation, How great a darkness! Who can 
adequately describe the misery and wretchedness of 
that soul which has lost its union with the fountain of 
all good, and, in losing this, has lost the possibility of 
happiness till the simple eye be once more given, and 
the straight line once more drawn. 

Verse 24. No man can serve two masters] The 
master of our heart may be fitly termed the Jove that 
reigns in it. We serve that only which we love su- 
premely. A man cannot be in perfect indifference be- 
twixt two objects which are incompatible: he is in- 
clined to despise and hate whatever he does not love 
supremely, when the necessity of a choice presents 
itself. 

He will hate the one and love the other.| The word 
hate has the same sense here as it has in many places 
of Scripture; it merely signifies to love less—so 
Jacob loved Rachel, but hated Leah; 1. e. he loved 
Leah much less than he loved Rachel. God himself 
uses it precisely in the same sense: Jacob have I 
loved, but Esau have I hated; 1. e. I have loved the 
posterity of Esau less than I have loved the posterity 
of Jacob: which means no more than that God, in the 
course of his providence, gave to the Jews greater 
earthly privileges than he gave to the Edomites, and 
chose to make them the progenitors of the Messiah, 
though they ultimately, through their own obstinacy, 
derived no more benefit from this privilege than the 
Edomites did. How strange is it, that with such 
evidence before their eyes, men will apply this loving 
and hating to degrees of inclusion and exclusion, in 
which neither the justice nor mercy of God are 
honoured ! 

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.] }\21) mamon is 
used for money in the Targum of Onkelos, Exod. 
xviii. 21; and in that of Jonathan, Judg. v. 19; 1 
Sam. viii. 3. The Syriac word $3192 mamona is used 
in the same sense, Exod. xxi. 30. Dr. Castel deduces 
these words from the Hebrew ΤΩΝ aman, to trust, 
confide; because men are apt to trust in riches. 
Mammon may therefore be considered any thing a 
man confidesin. Augustine observes, “ that mammon, 
in the Punic or Carthaginian language, signified 
gain.” Lucrum Punicé mammon dicitur. The word 
plainly denotes riches, Luke xvi. 9, 11, in which latter 
verse mention is made not only of the deceitful mam- 
mon, (tw adixw,) but also of the true (το αληθινον.) 
St. Luke’s phrase, μαμωνα adtxiac, very exactly 
answers to the Chaldee "pws 39. mamon dishekar, 
which is often used in the Targums. See more in 
Wetstein and Parkhurst. 

Some suppose there was an idol of this name, and 
Kircher mentions such a one in his Gdip. Egyptia- 
cus. See Castel. 

1 


CHAP. VI. 


serve two masters 


25 Therefore I say unto you, Αἰ 4031 
* Take no thought for your life, what An. Olymp. 
ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; 
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. 
Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
than raiment? 


li. 15. © Psa. lv. 22; Luke xii. 22, 23; Phil. iv.6; 1 Pet. v. 7. 

Our blessed Lord shows here the utter impossibility 
of loving the world and loving God at the same 
time ; or, in other words, that a man of the world 
cannot be a truly religious character. He who gives 
his heart to the world robs God of it, and, in snatching 
at the shadow of earthly good, loses substantial and 
eternal blessedness. How dangerous is it to set our 
hearts upon riches, seeing it is so easy to make them 
our God! 

Verse 25. Therefore] Ava τοῦτο, on this account ; 
viz., that ye may not serve mammon, but have un- 
shaken confidence in God, I say unto you,— 

Take no thought] Be not anxiously careful, μὴ 
μεριμνατε; this is the proper meaning of the word. 
Mepyzva anxious solicitude, from μερίζειν τὸν νοῦν 
dividing or distracting the mind. My old MS. Bible 
renders it, be not bysy to pour liif. Prudent care is 
never forbidden by our Lord, but only that anaxious 
distracting solicitude, which, by dividing the mind, 
and drawing it different ways, renders it utterly inea- 
pable of attending to any solemn or important concern. 
To be anxiously careful concerning the means of sub- 
sistence is to lose all satisfaction and comfort in the 
things which God gives, and to act as a mere infidel. 
On the other hand, to rely so much upon providence 
as not to use the very powers and faculties with which 
the Divine Being has endowed us, is to tempt: God. 
If we labour without placing our confidence in our 
labour, but expect all from the blessing of God, we 
obey his will, co-operate with his providence, set the 
springs of it a-going on our behalf, and thus imitate 
Christ and his followers by a sedate care and an 
industrious confidence. 

In this and the following verses, our Lord lays 
down several reasons why men should not disquiet 
themselves about the wants of life, or concerning the 
future. 

The first is, the experience of greater benefits 
already received. 75 not the life more than meat, and 
the body than raiment? Can he who gave us our 
body, and breathed into it the breath of life, before 
we could ask them from him, refuse us that which 
is necessary to preserve both, and when we ask it in 
humble confidence ? 

The clause what ye must eat, is omitted by two 
MSS., most of the ancient versions, and by many of 
the primitive fathers. Griesbach has left it in the 
text with a note of doubtfulness. It occurs again in 
the 31st verse, and there is no variation in any of the 
MSS. in that place. Instead of, 75 not the life more 
than, §c., we should read, Of more value; so the 
word πλείον is used im Num. xxii. 15, and by the best 
Greek writers; and in the same sense it is used in 
chap. xxi. 37. See the note there. 

91 


Cautions against 


A.M. 4031. 26 { Behold the fowls of the air: 


An. Olymp. for they sow not, neither do they 
sta reap, nor gather into barns; yet 
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye 
not much better than they ? 

27 Which of you by taking thought can 
&add one cubit unto his stature 7 

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? 
Consider the lilies of the field, how they 


ST. MATTHEW. 


anxious care. 


grow; they toil not, neither do 4,™. 4031. 
they spin: 

29 And yet I say unto you, " That 
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed 
like one of these. 

30 Wherefore, *if God so clothe the grass 
of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is 
cast into the oven, shall he not much more 
clothe you, *O ye of little faith? 


An. Olymp. 
CCI. 3. 


f Job xxxviii. 41; Psa. exlvii.9; Luke xii. 24, &c.——s Luke ii. 


52; xii. 25, 26. —» Luke xii. 27. Luke xii. 28. Ch. xiv. 31. 


Verse 26. Behold the fowls of the air] The second 
reason why we should not be anxiously concerned 
about the future, is the example of the smaller ani- 
mals, which the providence of God feeds without their 
own labour; though he be not their father. We never 
knew an earthly father take care of his fowls, and 
neglect his children ; and shall we fear this from our 
heavenly Father? God forbid! That man is utterly 
unworthy to have God for his father, who depends 
less upon his goodness, wisdom, and power, than upon 
a crop of corn, which may be spoiled either in the 
field or in the barn. If our great Creator have made 
us capable of knowing, loving, and enjoying himself 
eternally, what may we not expect from him, after 
so great a gift? 

They sow not, neither do they reap} There is a 
saying among the rabbins almost similar to this— 
“ Hast thou ever seen a beast or a fowl that had a 
workshop? yet they are fed without labour and without 
anxiety. They were created for the service of man, 
and man was created that he might serve his Creator. 
Man also would have been supported without labour 
and anxiety, had he not corrupted his ways. Hast 
thou ever seen a /ion carrying burthens, a stag gather- 
ing summer fruits, a for selling merchandise, or a wolf 
selling oil, that they might thus gain their support? 
And yet they are fed without care or labour. Arguing 
therefore from the less to the greater, if they which 
were created that they might serve me, are nourished 
Without labour and anxiety, how much more J, who 
have been created that I might serve my Maker! 
What therefore is the cause, why I should be obliged 


to labour in order to get my daily bread? Answer, 
39 


sin.” This is a curious and important extract, and 
is highly worthy of the reader’s attention. See 
Schoetigen. 


Verse 27. Which of you by taking thought can add 
one cubit unto his stature 3] The third reason against 
these carking cares is the unprofitableness of human 
solicitude, unless God vouchsafe to bless it. What 
can our uneasiness do but render us still more unwor- 
thy of the Divine care? The passage from distrust 
to apostasy is very short and easy; and a man is not 
far from murmuring against Providence, who is dis- 
satisfied with its conduct. We should depend as fully 
upon God for the preservation of his gifts as for the 
gifts themselves. 

Culit unto his stature 3] 1 think ἡλικίαν should be 
rendered age here, and so our translators have ren- 
dered the word in John ix. 21, αὐτὸς ηλίκιαν exer he is 

92 


| necessaries of life. 


of age. A very learned writer observes, that no diffi- 
culty can arise from applying πηχὺυν a cubit, a measure 
of extension, to time, and the age of man: as place 
and time are both quantities, and capable of increase 
and diminution: and, as no fired material standard 
can be employed in the mensuration of the fleeting 
particles of time, it was natural and necessary, in 
the construction of language, to apply parallel terms 
to the discrimination of time and place. Accordingly 
we find the same words indifferently used to denote 
time and place in every known tongue. Lord, let 
me know the measure of my days! Thou hast 
made my days HAND-BREADTHS, Psa. xXxxix. 56. 
Many examples might be adduced from the Greek 
and Roman writers. Besides, it is evident that the 
phrase of adding one cubit is proverbial, denoting 
something minute; and is therefore applicable to the 
smallest possible portion of time; but, in a literal 
acceptation, the addition of a cubit to the stature, 
would be a great and extraordinary accession of height. 
See Wakefield. 

Verse 28. And why take ye thought for raiment 2\ 
Or, why are ye anxiously careful about raiment? The 
fourth reason against such inquietudes is the example 
of inanimate creatures: The herbs and flowers of the 
field have their being, nourishment, exquisite flavours, 
and beautiful hues from God himself. They are not 
only without anxious care, but also without care or 
thought of every kind. Your being, its excellence and 
usefulness, do not depend on your anxious concern: 
they spring as truly from the beneficence and continual 
superintendence of God, as the flowers of the field do ; 
and were you brought into such a situation, as to be as 
utterly incapable of contributing to your own preserva- 
tion and support as the dies of the field are to theirs, 
your heavenly Father could augment your substance, 
and preserve your being, when for his glory and your 
own advantage. 

Consider] Diligently consider this, κατάμαθετε, lay 
it earnestly to heart, and let your confidence be un- 
shaken in the God of infinite bounty and love. 

Verse 29. Selomon in all his glory] Some suppose 
that as the robes of state worn by the eastern kings 
were usually white, as were those of the nodles among 
the Jews, that therefore the lily was chosen for the 
comparison. 

Verse 30. If God so clothe the grass of the field) 
Christ confounds both the luxury of the ch in their 
superfluities, and the distrust of the poor as to the 
Let man, who is made for God 

1 


Exhortations to trust τη 
A.M4031. 81 Therefore take no thought, 
An. Olymp. saying, What shall we eat? or, 
What shall we drink? or, Where- 
withal shall we be clothed? 

32 (For after all these things do the 
Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father 
knoweth that ye have need of all these 
things. 


USee 1 Kings iii. 13; Psa. xxxvii. 25; Mark x. 30; Luke xii. 
31; 1 Tim. iv. 8. 


and eternity, learn from a flower of the field how low 
the care of Providence stoops. All our inquietudes 
and distrusts proceed from lack of faith: that supplies 
all wants. The poor are not really such, but because 
they are destitute of faith. 

To-morrow is cast into the oven] The inhabitants 
of the east, to this day, make use of dry straw, with- 
ered herbs, and stubble, to heat their ovens. Some 
have translated the original word κλίβανον, a still, and 
intimate that our Lord alludes to the distillation of 
herbs for medicinal purposes ; but this is certainly con- 
trary to the scope of our Lord’s argument, which 
runs thus: If God covers with so much glory things 
of no farther value than to serve the meanest uses, 
will he not take care of his servants, who are so pre- 
cious in his sight, and designed for such important 
services in the world? See Harmer’s Observations. 

Verse 31. What shall we eat? or, What shall we 
drink? &c.] These three inquiries engross the whole 
attention of those who are living without God in the 
world. The belly and back of a worldling are his 
compound god; and these he worships in the lust 
of the flesh, in the lust of the eye, and in the pride 
of life. 

Verse 32. For after all these things do the Gen- 
tiles seek] The fifth reason against solicitude about the 
future gs—that to concern ourselves about these wants 
with anxiety, as if there was no such thing as a provi- 
dence in the world; with great affection towards earth- 
ly enjoyments, as if we expected no other; and with- 
out praying to God or consulting his will, as if we 
could do any thing without him: thisis to imitate the 
worst kind of heathens, who live without hope, and 
without God in the world. 

Seek] Ἐπιζητει from ἐπε, intensive, and ζητεω, 7 seek, 
to seek intensely, earnestly, again and again: the true 
characteristic of the worldly man; his soul is never 
satisfied—give! give! is the ceaseless language of his 
earth-born heart. 

Your heavenly Father knoweth, &c.] The sixth 
reason against this anxiety about the future is—be- 
cause God, our heavenly Father, is infinite in wisdom, 
and knows all our wants. It is the property of a wise 
and tender father to provide necessaries, and not super- 
fluities, for his children. Not to expect the former is 
an offence to his goodness ; to expect the latter is in- 
jurious to his wisdom. 

Verse 33. sexs seek ye first the kingdom of God] 
See on Matt. iii. 

His Hakieousness] That holiness of heart and 
purity of life which God requires of those who profess 

1 


CHAP. VI. 


the providence of God. 
33 But 'seek ye first the king- Αἰ ™, 4031. 
dom of God, and his righteousness; An. eae 
™and all these things shall be added ————. 
unto you. 

34 Take therefore no thought for the ἢ mor 
row: for the morrow shall take thought for 
the things of itself. ο Sufficient unto the day 
is the evil thereof. 


m Mark x. 30; Luke xii. 31; 
Prov. xxvii. 1.——+ Job xiv. 1; 


Rom. xiv. 17.—— Lev. xxii. 30; 
Luke xii. 20. 


to be subjects of that spiritual kingdom mentioned 
above. See on chap. vy. 20. 

The seventh reason against these worldly cares and 
fears is—because the business of our salvation ought 
to engross us entirely: hither all our desires, cares, 
and inquiries ought to tend. Grace is the way to 
glory—tholiness the way to happiness. If men be not 
righteous, there is no heaven to be had: if they be, 
they shall have heaven and earth too; for godliness 
has the promise of both lives. 1 Tim. vi. 3. 

All these things shall be added unto you.| The very 
blunt note of old Mr. Trapp, on this passage, is wor- 
thy of serious attention. All things shall be add- 
ed. “They shall be cast in as an overplus, or as 
small advantages to the main bargain; as paper and 
pack-thread are given where we buy spice and fruit, 
or aninch of measure to an ell of cloth.” This was 
a very common saying among the Jews: “ Seek that, 
to which other things are necessarily connected.” “ A 
king said to his particular friend, ‘ Ask what thou wilt, 
and I will give it unto thee.’ He thought within him- 
self, ‘If I ask to be made a general I shall readily ob- 
tain it. I will ask something to which all these things 
shall be added:’ he therefore said, ‘Give me thy 
daughter to wife.’ This he did knowing that all the 
dignities of the kingdom should be added unto this 
gift.” See in Schoettgen. 

To this verse, probably, belong the following words, 
quoted often by Clement, Origen, and Eusebius, as 
the words of Christ: aitevre Ta μεγαλα, καὶ Ta piKpa 
πυμιν προστεθησεται" καὶ QLTELTE TA eroupavid, καὶ Ta 
ἐπίγεια προστεθησεται yu. “Ask great things, and 
little things shall be added unto you; ask heavenly 
things, and earthly things shall be added unto you.” 

Verse 34. Take therefore no thought] That is, Be 
not therefore anxiously careful. 

The eighth and last reason, against this preposter- 
ous conduct, is—that carking care is not only useless 
in itself, but renders us miserable beforehand. The 
future falls under the cognizance of God alone: we 
encroach, therefore, upon his rights, when we would 
fain foresee all that may happen to us, and secure our- 
selves from it by our cares. How much good is 
omitted, how many evils caused, how many duties neg- 
lected, how many innocent persons deserted, how many 
good works destroyed, how many truths suppressed, 
and how many acts of injustice authorized by those 
timorous forecasts of what may happen; and those 
faithless apprehensions concerning the future! Let 
us do now what God requires of us, and trust the con 
sequences to him. The future time which God would 

93 


Against rash and 


have us foresee and provide for is that of judgment and 
eternity : and it is about this alone that we are careless ! 

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.] Apxetov 
τὴ huepa ἡ κακια αὐτης, Sufficient for each day is its 
own calamity. Each day has its peculiar trials: we 
should meet them with confidence in God. As we 
should live but a day at a time, so we should take care 
*o suffer no more evils in one day than are necessarily 


ST. MATTHEW. 


uncharitable judgment. 


attached to it. He who neglects the present for the 
future is acting opposite to the order of God, his 
own interest, and to every dictate of sound wisdom. 
Let us live for eternity, and we shall secure all that is 
valuable in tume. 

There are many valuable reflections in the Abbé 
Quesnel’s work, on this chapter ; and from it several 
of the preceding have been derived. 


CHAPTER VII. 


Our Lord warns men against rash judgment and uncharitable censures, 1-5. 
not be profaned, 6; gives encouragement to fervent persevering prayer, 7-11. 


deal with each other, 12. 


fession of Christianity, however specious, 22, 23. 
@ rock, 24, 25. 


Exhorts the people to enter in at the strait gate, 13, 14; 
teachers, who are to be known by their fruits, 15-20. 


Shows that holy things must 
Shows how men should 
to beware of false 
Shows that no man shall be saved by his mere pro- 
The parable of the wise man who built his house upon 


Of the foolish man who built his house, without a foundation, on the sand, 26, 27. 


Christ concludes his sermon, and the people are astonished at his doctrine, 28, 29. 


A Mage: JUDGE @not, that ye be not 
judged. 
2 For with what judgment ye 
judge, ye shall be judged: %and with what 
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you 
again. 
¢ And why beholdest thou the mote that 


fe iin, 
CCI. 3 


is in thy brother’s eye, but consider- 4, Me 


est not the beam that is in thine etre? 
own eye? 
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let 
me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, 
behold, a beam zs in thine own eye? 
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam 


2 Luke vi. 37; Rom. ii. 1; xiv.3,4, 10,13; 1 Cor.iv.3,5; James 


iv. 11, 12. > Mark iv. 24; Luke vi. 38. © Luke vi. 41, 42. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VII. 

Verse 1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.| These 
2xhortations are pointed against rash, harsh, and un- 
charitable judgments, the thinking evil, where no evil 
seems, and speaking of it accordingly. The Jews 
were highly criminal here, and yet had very excellent 
maxims against it, as may be seen in Schoettgen. 
This is one of the most important exhortations in the 
whole of this excellent sermon. By a secret and 
criminal disposition of nature, man endeavours to ele- 
vate himself above others, and, to do it more effectual- 
ly, depresses them. His jealous and envious heart 
wishes that there may be no good quality found but 
in himself, that he alone may be esteemed. Such is 
the state of every unconverted man; and it is from 
this criminal disposition, that evil surmises, rash judg- 
ments, precipitate decisions, and all other unjust pro- 
cedures against our neighbour, flow. 

Verse 2. For with what judgment] He who is 
severe on others will naturally excite their severity 
against himself. The censures and calumnies which 
we have suffered are probably the just reward of those 
which we have dealt out to others. 

Verse 3. And why beholdest thou the mote] Καρῴος 
might be translated the splinter: for splinter bears 
some analogy to beam, but mote does not. I should 
prefer this word (which has been adopted by some 
learned men) on the authority of Hesychius, who is a 
host in such matters; Kapdoc, κεραια ξυλου extn, 
Karphos is a thin piece of wood, a splinter. Tt often 
happens that the faults which we consider as of the 
first enormity in others are, to our own iniquities, as a 

94 


chip is, when compared to a large eam. On one side, 
self-love blinds us to ourselves; and, on the other, 
envy and malice give us piercing eyes in respect of 
others. When we shall have as much zeal to cor- 
rect ourselves, as we have inclination to reprove and 
correct others, we shall know our own defects better 
than now we know those of our neighbour. There 
is a caution very similar to this of our Lord given by 
a heathen :-— 


Cum tua prevideas oculis mala lippus inunclis « 

Cur in amicorum vitiis tam cernis acutum, 

Quam aut aquila, aut serpens Epidaurws 2 
Hor. Sat. lib. 1. sat. 3. 1. 25-27. 


“When you can so readily overlook your own wich 
edness, why are you more clear-sighted than the eagle 
or serpent of Hpidaurus, in spying out the failings of 
your friends?” But the saying was very common 
among the Jews, as may be seen in Lightfoot. 

Verse 4. Or how wilt thou say] That man is ut- 
terly unfit to show the way of life to others who is 
himself walking in the way of death. 

Verse 5. Thou hypocrite] A hypocrite, who pro 
fesses to be what he is not, (viz. a true Christian,) is 
obliged, for the support of the character he has as- 
sumed, to imitate all the dispositions and actions of a 
Christian; consequently he must reproye sin, and en- 
deavyour to show an uncommon affection for the glory 
of God. Our Lord unmasks this vile pretender to 
saintship, and shows him that his hidden hypocrisy, co- 
vered with the garb of external sanctity, is more abe 


Encouragement gwen 


A.M, 401. out of thine own eye; and then shalt 
An. Olymp. thou see clearly to cast out the mote 
out of thy brother's eye. 

6 ¥ “Give not that which is holy unto the 
dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, 
lest they trample them under their feet, and 
turn again and rend you. 

7 % ° Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, 
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be 
opened unto you: 

8 For f every one that asketh receiveth, and 


4 Prov. ix. 7,8; xxiii. 9; Acts xiii. 45, 46— Ch. xxi. 22 ; Mark 
xi. 24; Luke xi. 9, 10; xviii. 1; John xiv. 13; xv.7; xvi. 23,24; 


minable in the sight of God than the openly professed 
and practised iniquity of the profligate. 

In after times, the Jews made a very bad use of 
this saying : “I wonder,” said Rabbi Zarphon, “ whe- 
ther there be any in this age that will suffer reproof? 
If one say to another, Cast out the mote out of thine 
eye, he is immediately ready to answer, Cast out the 
beam that is in thine own eye.” This proverbial mode 
of speech the Gloss interprets thus: ‘“ Cast out, DDp 
kisim, the mote, that is, the little sin, that is in thy 
hand: to which he answered, Cast out the great sin 
that is in thine. So they could not reprove, because 
all were sinners.” See Lightfoot. 

Verse 6. Give not that which is holy] To ayiov, 
the holy or sacred thing; i. 6. any thing, especially, 
of the sacrificial kind, which had been consecrated to 
God. The members of this sentence should be trans- 
posed thus :— 


Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, 
Lest they turn again and rend you: 
Neither cast ye your pearls before swine, 
Lest they trample them under their feet. 


The propriety of this transposition is self-evident. 
There are many such transpositions as these, both in 
sacred and profane writers. The following is very 
remarkable :— 


1 am black but comely ; 
“ As the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” 


That is, 


“Tam black as the tents of Kedar, 
* Comely as the curtains of Solomon.” 


See many proofs of this sort of writing in Mr. 
WakerFieLp’s Commentary. 

As a general meaning of this passage, we may just 
say : “The sacrament of the Lord’s supper, and other 
holy ordinances which are only instituted for the ge- 
nuine followers of Christ, are not to be dispensed to 
those who are continually returning like the snarling 
il-nalured dog to their easily predominant sins of rash 
judgment, barking at and tearing the characters of 
others by evil speaking, back biting and slandering ; 
nor to him who, like the swine, is frequently returning 
to wallow in the mud of sensual gralifications and 
impurities.” 

Verse 7. Ask—seek—knock] These three words 

1 


CHAP. VII. 


lo persevering prayer 


he that secketh findeth; and to 4,™. 403}. 
him that knocketh it shall be An. Oiymp. 
opened. a 

9 ©Or what man is there of you, whom if 
his son ask bread, will he give him a stone ? 

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a 
serpent? 

11 If ye then, *being evil, know how to 
give good gifts unto your children, how much 
more shall your Father which is in heaven 
give good things to them that ask him? 


James i. 5, 6; 1 John 111. 22; v. 14, 15— Prov. viii. 17: Jer. 
xxix. 12, 13.—=s Luke xi. 11, 12, 13. —Gen. vi. 5; viii. 21. 


include the ideas of want, loss, and earnestness. Ask: 
turn beggar at the door of mercy; thou art destitute 
of all spiritual good, and it is God alone who can give 
it to thee ; and thou hast no claim but what his mercy 
has given thee on itself. 

Seek: Thou hast lost thy God, thy paradise, thy 
soul.—Look about thee—leave no stone unturned: 
there is no peace, no final salvation for thee till thou 
get thy soul restored to the favour and image of God. 

Knock: Be in earnest—he importunate: Eternity 
is at hand! and, if thou die in thy sins, where God is 
thou shalt never come. 

Ask with confidence and humility. 

Seek with care and application. 

Knock with earnestness and perseverance, 

Verse 8. For every one that asketh receweth| 
Prayer is always heard after one manner or other. 
No soul can pray in vain that prays as directed above. 
The truth and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus are 
pledged for its suecess.—Ye sua. receive—ye sHALL 
find—it sHaL1 be opened. These words are as strong- 
ly binding on the side of God, as thou shalt do no mur- 
der is on the side of man. Bring Christ’s word, and 
Christ’s sacrifice with thee, and not one of Heaven’s 
blessings can be denied thee. See on Luke xi. 9. 

Verse 9. Or what man is there—whom if his son} 
Men are exhorted to come unto God, with the persua- 
sion that he is a most gracious and compassionate Pa- 
rent, who possesses all heavenly and earthly good, 
knows what is necessary for each of his creatures, and 
is infinitely ready to communicate that which they need 
most. 

Will he give him a stone2] Will he not readily 
give him bread if he have it? This was a proverb in 
other countries ; a benefit grudgingly given by an ava- 
ricious man is called by Seneca, panem lapidosum, 
stony bread. Hence that saying in Plautus: Altera 
manu, fert lapidem, panem ostentat altera.—In one 
hand he brings a stone, and stretches out bread in the 
other. 

Verse 11. If ye, then, being evil] Πονῆροι ovrec, 
who are radically and diabolically depraved, yet feel 
yourselves led, by natural affection, to give those things 
to your children which are necessary to support their 
lives, how much more will your Father who is in hea- 
ven, whose nature is infinite goodness, mercy, and 
grace, give good things—his grace and Spirit (πνεῦμα 

95 


Christ exhorts the people to 


A M4031. 12 Therefore all things, *what- 


Aa, Glyn soever ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye even so to them; 

for *this is the law and the prophets. 
13 9 'Enter ye in at the strait gate: for 
wide zs the gate, and broad is the way, that 


ST. MATTHEW. 


enter in at the strait gate 


leadeth to destruction, and many +,} ratios 
there be which go in thereat. An, Olymp 
3: 


14 ™Because strait is the gate, 
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto 
life, and few there be that find it. 

15 4 "Beware of false prophets, ° which 


iTob. iv. 15; Luke vi. 31—— Lev. xix. 18; cha 
Rom. xiii. 8, 9,10; Gal. v.14; 1 Tim. i. 5—-2L 
m Or, How. 


. xxii. 40; 
ke xiii. 24. 


» Deut. xiii. 3; Jer. xxiii. 16; chap. xxiv. 4, 5, 11, 24; Mark 
xilil. 22; Rom. xvi. 17, 18; ‘Eph. v. 6; Col. ii. 8; 2 Pet. ii. 1,2, 
3; 1 John iv. 1. ——~o Mic. iis SAS Tim. iii. 5. 


ayiov, the Holy Ghost, Luke xi. 13,) to them who ask 
him? What a picture is here given of the goodness 
of God! Reader, ask thy soul, could this heavenly 
Father reprobate to unconditional eternal damnation 
any creature he has made? He who can believe that 
he has, may believe any thing: but still Gop 15 Love. 

Verse 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would 
that men] ‘This is a most sublime precept, and highly 
worthy of the grandeur and beneficence of the just 
God who gave it. The general meaning of it is this : 
“ Guided by justice and mercy, do unto all men as you 
would have them to do to you, were your circumstan- 
ces and theirs reversed.” Yet this saying may be 
misunderstood. ‘Ifthe prisoner should ask the judge, 
‘whether he would be content to be hanged, were he 
in his case,’ he would answer, ‘ No.’ Then, says the 
prisoner, do as you would be done to.—Neither of 
them must do as private men; but the judge must do 
by him as they have publicly agreed: that is, both 
judge and prisoner have consented to a law, that if 
either of them steal he shall be hanged.”—WSelden. 
None but he whose heart is filled with love to God and 
all mankind can keep this precept, either in its spirit 
or letter. Self-love will feel itself sadly cramped 
when brought within the limits of this precept; but 
God hath spoken it: it is the spirit and design of the 
law and the prophets ; the sum of all that is laid down 
in the Sacred Writings, relative to men’s conduct to- 
ward each other. It seems as if God had written it 
upon the hearts of all men, for sayings of this kind 
may be found among all nations, Jewish, Christian, 
and Heathen. See many examples in Wetstein’s 
notes. 

Verse 13. Enter ye in at the strait gate} Our Sa- 
viour seems to allude here to the distinction between 
the public and private ways mentioned by the Jewish 
lawyers. The public roads were allowed to be sixteen 
cubits broad, the private ways only four. The words 
in the original are very emphatic: Enter in (to the 
kingdom of heaven) through Tuis strait gate, δια τῆς 
στενῆς πυλῆς, i. 6. of doing to every one as you would 
he should do unto you; for this alone seems to be the 
strait gate which our Lord alludes to. 

For wide is the gate] And very broad, ευρυχωρος, 
from evpvc, broad, and χωρος, a place, a spacious roomy 
place, that leadeth forward, ἀπάγουσα, into THAT de- 
struction, εἰς τὴν αἀπωλείαν, meaning eternal misery ; 
intimating, that it is much more congenial, to the re- 
vengeful, covetous heart of fallen man, to take every 
advantage of another, and to enrich himself at his ex- 
pense, rather than to walk according to the rule laid 
down before, hy our blessed Lord, and that acting con- 

96 


trary to it is the way to everlasting misery. With 
those who say it means repentance, and forsaking sin, 
I can have no controversy. That is certainly a gate, 
and a strait one too, through which every sinner must 
turn to God, in order to find salvation. But the doing 
to every one as we would they should do unto us, is a 
gate extremely strait, and very difficult, to every un- 
regenerate mind. 

Verse 14. Because strait is the gate] Instead of 
o7t because, I should prefer 7: how, which reading is 
supported by a great majority of the best MSS., ver- 
sions, and fathers. How strait is that gate! This 
mode of expression more forcibly points out the diffi- 
culty of the way to the kingdom. How strange is it 
that men should be unwilling to give up their worldly 
interests to secure their everlasting salvation! And 
yet no interest need be abandoned, but that which is 
produced by zmjustice and unkindness. Reason, as 
well as God, says, such people should be excludea 
from a place of blessedness. He who shows no mercy 
(and much more he who shows no justice) shall have 
judgment without merey. James ii. 13. 

Few there be that find it.| The strait gate, orevy 
πυλη, signifies literally what we call a wicket, i. 6. a 
little door in a large gate. Gate, among the Jews, 
signifies, metaphorically, the entrance, introduction, or 
means of acquiring any thing. So they talk of the 
gate of repentance, the gate of prayers, and the gate 
of tears. When God, say they, shut the gate of para- 
dise against Adam, He opened to him the gate of 
repentance. The way to the kingdom of God is made 
sufficiently manifest—the completest assistance is 
promised in the way, and the greatest encouragement 
to persevere to the end is held out in the everlasting 
Gospel. But men are so wedded to their own passions, 
and so determined to follow the imaginations of their 
own hearts, that still it may be said: There are few 
who find the way to heaven; fewer yet who abide 
any time in it; fewer still who walk init; and fewest 
of all who persevere unto the end. Nothing renders 
this way either narrow or difficult to any person, but 
sin. Let all the world leave their sins, and all the 
world may walk abreast in this good way. 

Verse 15. Beware of faise prophets] By false 
prophets we are to understand teachers of erroneous 
doctrines, who come professing a commission from 
God, but whose aim is not to bring the heavenly 
treasure to the people, but rather to rob them of their 
earthly good. ‘Teachers who preach for hire, having 
no motive to enter into the ministry but to get a living, 
as it is ominously called by some, however they may 
bear the garb and appearance of the innocent useful 


Who shall enter rnto 


A. M. 4031. = ‘ 7 ᾿ 
b's, come to you in sheep’s clothing, 


An, Olymp. but inwardly they are ? ravening 
wolves. 

16 *Ye shall know them by their fruits. 
*Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 
thistles ? 

17 Even so ‘every good tree bringeth forth 
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth 
evil fruit. 

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, 
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

19 'Every tree that bringeth not forth good 
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 


P Acts xx. 29, 30.—1 Ver. 20; chap. xii. 33. «Luke vi. 
43, 44.—— + Jer. xi. 19; chap. xii. 33. τ Chap. 1. 10; Luke 
1. 9; John xv. 2, 6. “ Hos. vuli.2; chap. xxv. 11, 12; Luke 


CHAP. VII. 


the kingdom of heaven 


20 Wherefore by their fruits ye ae 


shall know them. An, Olymp. 
21 % Not every one that saith ————— 


unto me, “Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the 
will of my Father which is in heaven. 

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, 
Lord, have we ἡ not prophesied in thy name ? 
and in thy name have cast out devils? and 
in thy name done many wonderful works? 

23 And δ then will I profess unto them, L 
never knew you: *depart from me, ye that 
work iniquity. 


vi. 46; xiii. 25; Acts xix. 13; Rom. ii. 13; Jamesi. 22. ¥Num. 
xxiv. 4; John xi. 51; 1 Cor. xiii. 2. w Chap. xxv. 12; Luke 
xiii. 25, 27; 2 Tim. ii. 19. x Psa. v. 5; vi.8; chap. xxv. 41 


sheep, the true pastors commissioned by the Lord 
Jesus, or to whatever name, class, or party they may 
belong, are, in the sight of the heart-searching God, 
no other than ravenous wolves, whose design is to feed 
themselves with the fat, and clothe themselves with 
the fleece, and thus ruin, instead of save, the flock. 

Verse 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits.] 
Fruits, in the Scripture and Jewish phraseology, are 
taken for works of any kind. “A man’s works,” says 
one, “are the tongue of his heart, and tell honestly 
whether he is inwardly corrupt or pure.” By these 
works you may distinguish (επιγνωσεσθε) these raven- 
ous wolves from true pastors. The judgment formed 
of a man by his general conduct is a safe one: if the 
judgment be not favourable to the person, that is his 
fault, as you have your opinion of him from his works, 
i. 6. the confession of his own heart. 

Verse 17. So every good tree] As the thorn can 
only produce thorns, not grapes; and the thistle, not 
Sigs, but prickles ; so an unregenerate heart will pro- 
duce fruits of degeneracy. As we perfectly know that 
a good tree will not produce dad fruit, and the dad 
tree will not, cannot produce good fruit, so we know 
that the profession of godliness, while the life is un- 
godly, is imposture, hypocrisy, and deceit. A man 
cannot be a saint and a sinner atthe same time. Let 
us remember, that as the good tree means a good heart, 
and the good fruit, a holy life, and that every heart is 
naturally vicious ; so there is none but God who can 
pluck up the vicious tree, create a good heart, plant, 
cultivate, water, and make it continually fruitful in 
righteousness and true holiness. 

Verse 18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit] 
Love to God and man is the root of the good tree; 
and from this principle all its fruit is found. To teach, 
as some have done, that a state of salvation may be 
consistent with the greatest crimes, (such as murder 
and adultery in David,) or that the righteous necessa- 
rily sin in all their best works, is really to make the 
good tree bring forth bad fruit, and to give the lie to 
the A®thor of eternal truth. 

Verse 19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good 
fruit] What a terrible sentence is this against Christ- 
.ess pastors, and Christless hearers! Every tree that 

Von. I. © Tey 


produceth not good fruit, exxorrerat, is to be now cut 
down ; the act of excision is now taking place: the 
curse of the Lord is even now on the head and the 
heart of every false teacher, and impenitent hearer. 

Verse 20. Wherefore by their fruits, &e.] This 
truth is often repeated, because our eternal interests 
depend so much upon it. Not to have good fruit is 
to have evil: there can be no innocent sterility in the 
invisible tree of the heart. He that brings forth no 
fruit, and he that brings forth dad fruit, are both only 
fit for the fire. 

Verse 21. Not every one] Ov zac, a Hebraism, say 
some, for no person. It is a Gracism and a Latinism 
too: ov παντῶν θεῶν, not ALL of the gods, i. e. not 
any of the gods, Hom. Odyss. Z. 240. So Terence: 
Sine omni periclo, without Αἰ, danger, 7. e. without 
any danger. And Juvenat: Sine omni labe, without 
ALL imperfection, 7. e. without any. See more in Mr. 
Wakefield. The sense of this verse seems to be this - 
No person, by merely acknowledging my authority 
believing in the Divinity of my nature, professing 
faith in the perfection of my righteousness, and in- 
finite merit of my atonement, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven—shall have any part with God in 
glory ; but he who doeth the will of my Father—he 
who gets the bad tree rooted up, the good tree planted, 
and continues to bring forth fruit to the glory and 
praise of God. There is a good saying among the 
rabbins on this subject. “A man should be as vig- 
orous as a panther, as swift as an eagle, as fleet as a 
stag, and as strong as a lion, to do the will of his 
Creator.” 

Verse 22. Many will say to me in that day] Exewn 
τὴ ἥμερα, in that very day, viz. the day of judgment— 
have we not prophesied, taught, publicly preached, in 
thy name ; acknowledging thee to be the only Saviour, 
and proclaiming thee as such to others ; cast out de- 
mons, impure spirits, who had taken possession of the 
bodies of men; done many miracles, being assisted by 
supernatural agency to invert even the course of 
nature, and thus prove the truth of the doctrine we 
preached ? 

Verse 23. Will I profess] Opodoyncw, I will fully 
and plainly tell them, I never knew you—I never ap- 

97 


Of the wise man who built 


Aa Sek. 24 4 Therefore ¥ whosoever hear- 


An. Olymp. eth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them, I will liken him unto a wise 

man, which built his house upon a rock : 
25 And the rain descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that 


y St. Luke, 


proved of you; forso the word is used in many places, 
both in the OJd and New Testaments. You held the 
truth in unrighteousness, while you preached my pure 
and holy doctrine ; and for the sake of my own truth, 
and through my love to the souls of men, I blessed 
your preaching ; but yourselves I could never esteem, 
because you were destitute of the spirit of my Gospel, 
unholy in your hearts, and unrighteous in your con- 
duct. Alas! alas! how many preachers are there 
who appear prophets in their pulpits ; how many wri- 
ters, and other evangelical workmen, the miracles of 
whose labour, learning, and doctrine, we admire, who 
are nothing, and worse than nothing, before God, be- 
cause they perform not Ais will, but their own 2 What 
an awful consideration, that a man of eminent gifts, 
whose talents are a source of public utility, should be 
only as a way-mark or finger-post in the way to eter- 
nal bliss, pointing out the road to others, without 
walking in it himself ! 

Depart from me] What a terrible word! What a 
dreadful separation! Depart from ME! from the very 
Jesus whom you have proclaimed, in wnion with whom 
alone eternal life is to be found. For, united to Christ, 
all is heaven ; separated from him, all is hell. 

Verse 24. Therefore whosoever heareth these say- 
ings of mine] That is, the excellent doctrines laid 
down before in this and the two preceding chapters. 
There are several parables or similitudes like to this 
in the rabbins. I shall quote but the two following :— 

Rabbi Eleasar said, “The man whose knowledge 
exceeds his works, to whom is he like? He is like 
a tree which had many branches, and only a few 
roots; and, when the stormy winds came, it was 
plucked up and eradicated. But he whose good 
works are greater than his knowledge, to what is he 
like? He is like a tree which had few branches, and 
many roots; so that all the winds of heaven could 
not move it from its place.” Pirke Aboth. 

Elisha, the son of Abwja, said, “The man who 
studies much in the law, and maintains good works, 
is like to a man who built a house, laying stones at 
the foundation, and building drick upon them ; and, 
though many waters come against it, they cannot 
move it from its place. But the man who studies 
much in the law, and does not maintain good words, 
is like to a man who, in building his house, put drick 
at the foundation, and laid stones upon them, so that 
even gentle waters shall overthrow that house.” Adoth 
Rab. Nath. 

Probably our Lord had this or some parable in his 
eye: but how amazingly improved in passing through 
his hands! In our Lord’s parable there is dignity, 
majesty, and point, which we seek for in vain in the 
Jewish archetype. 

98 


ST. MATTHEW. 


his house upon a rock. 


house; and it fell not: 
founded upon a rock. 


these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, 
shali be likened unto a foolish man, which 
built his house upon the sand: 


chap. vi. 47, &c. 


Iwill liken him unto a wise man] To a prudent 
man—avdpr ὁρονίμω, to a prudent man, a man of sense 
and understanding, who, foreseeing the evil hideth 
himself, who proposes to himself the dest end, and 
makes use of the proper means to accomplish it. 
True wisdom consists in getting the building of our 
salvation completed: to this end we must build on 
the Rock, Curisr Jrsus, and make the building jfizm, 
by keeping close to the maxims of his Gospel, and 
having our tempers and lives conformed to its word 
and spirit ; and when, in order to this, we lean on 
nothing but the grace of Christ, we then build upon 
a solid rock. 

Verse 25. And the rain descended—floods came— 
winds blew] In Judea, and in all countries in the 
neighbourhood of the tropics, the vain sometimes falls 
in great torrents, producing rivers, which sweep away 
the soil from the rocky hills; and the houses, which 
are built of brick only dried in the sun, of which 
there are whole villages in the east, literally melt 
away before those rains, and the land-floods occasioned 
by them. There are ¢hree general kinds of trials to 
which the followers of God are exposed ; and to which, 
some think, our Lord alludes here: First, those of 
temporal afflictions, coming in the course of Divine 
Providence: these may be likened to the torrents of 
rain. Secondly, those which come from the passions 
of men, and which may be likened to the impetuous 
rivers. Thirdly, those which come from Satan and 
his angels, and which, like tempestuous whirlwinds, 
threaten to carry every thing before them. He alone, 
whose soul is built on the Rock of ages, stands all 
these shocks; and not only stands in, but profits by 
them. 

Verse 26. And every one that heareth—and doeth 
them not] Was there ever a stricter system of morality 
delivered by God to man, than in this sermon? He 
who reads or hears it, and does not look to God to 
conform his soul and life to it, and notwithstanding is 
hoping to enter inte the kingdom of heaven, is like the 
fool who built his house on the sand. When the rain, 
the rivers, and the winds come, his building must fall, 
and his soul be crushed into the nethermost pit by its 
tuins. Talking about Christ, his righteousness, merits, 
and atonement, while the person is not conformed to his 
word and spirit, is no other than solemn self-deception. 

Let it be observed, that it is not the man who hears 
or believes these sayings of Christ, whose building 
shall stand, when the earth and its works are burnt 
up; but the man who Dogs them. 

Many suppose that the law of Moses is abolished, 
merely because it is too strict, and impossible to be 
observed ; and that the Gospel was brought in to lide- 
rate us from εἰς obligations ; but let all such know, 

ΟΣ ἢ 


Of the house that was 


A. M. 4031. : 
pss’ 27 Απά the rain descended, and 


An. Olymp. the floods came, and the winds 
———— blew, and beat upon that house ; and 
it fell: and great was the fall of it. 

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had 


2Chap. xiii. 54; Mark i. 22; vi. 2; Luke iv. 32. 


that in the whole of the old covenant nothing can be 
found so exceedingly strict and holy as this sermon, 
which Christ lays down as the rule by which we are to 
walk. “Then, the fulfilling of these precepts is the 
purchase of glory.” No, it is the way only to that 
glory which has already been purchased by the blood 
of the Lamb. ‘To him that believes, all things are 
possible. 

Verse 27. And the rain descended, and the floods 
came, §c.] A fine illustration of this may be seen in 
the case of the fishermen in Bengal, who, in the dry 
season, build their huts on the deds of sand from which 
the rivers had retired : but when the rain sets in sud- 
denly, as it often does, accompanied with violent north- 
west winds, and the waters pour down in torrents from 
the mountains ; in one night, multitudes of these build- 
ings are swept away, and the place where they stood 
is on the next morning indiscoverable. 

Verse 28. The people were astonished] Οἱ οχλοι, 
the multitudes ; for vast crowds attended the ministry 
of this most popular and faithful of all preachers. 
They were astonished at his doctrine. They heard the 
Jaw defined in such a manner as they had never thought 
of before; and this sacred system of morality urged 
home on their consciences with such clearness and 
authority as they had never felt under the teaching of 
their scribes and Pharisees. Here is the grand dif- 
ference between the teaching of scribes and Pharisees, 
the self-created or men-made ministers, and those 
whom Gop sends. The first may preach what is 
called very good and very sound doctrine ; but it comes 
with no authority from God to the souls of the people : 
therefore, the unholy is unholy still ; because preaching 
can only be effectual to the conversion of men, when 
the unction of the Holy Spirit is in it; and as these are 
not sent by the Lord, therefore they shall not profit 
the people at all. Jer, xxiii. 32. 


CHAP. VIII. 


built upon the sand. 


; 2 . A.M. 4031, 
ended these sayings, *the peo- A.M.’ ΣᾺ 


ple were astonished at his doc- An. Olymp. 
. CCL 3. 

trine : ------. 
29 *For he taught them as one having 
authority, and not as the scribes. 


a John vii. 46. 


From one of the royal household of George III., I 
have received the following anecdote :—The late 
Bishop F. of Salisbury having procured a young man 
of promising abilities to preach before the king, and 
the young man having, to his lordship’s apprehension, 
acquitted himself well, the Bishop, in conversation 
with the king afterwards, wishing to get the king’s 
opinion, took the liberty to say, “ Does not your majesty 
think that the young man who had the honour to preach 
before your majesty, is likely to make a good clergy- 
man, and has this morning delivered a very good ser- 
mon?” ΤῸ which the king, in his 6/unt manner, hastily 
replied, “ It might have been a good sermon, my lord, 
Sor aught I know ; but I consider no sermon good that 
has nothing of Christ in it!” 

Verse 29. Having authority] They felt a com 
manding power and authority in his word, 7. e. his 
doctrine. His statements were perspicuous; his ex- 
hortations persuasive; his doctrine sound and rational ; 
and his arguments irresistible. These they never felt 
in the trifling teachings of their most celebrated doe- 
tors, who consumed their own time, and that of their 
disciples and hearers, with frivolous cases of conscience, 
ridiculous distinctions, and puerile splittings of contro 
versial /Aairs—questions not calculated to minister 
grace to the hearers. 

Several excellent MSS. and almost all the ancient 
versions read, καὶ οἱ Φαρισαιοι, and the Pharisees. He 
taught them as one having authority, like the most 
eminent and distinguished teacher, and not as the 
scribes and Pharisees, who had no part of that unc- 
tion which he in its plenitude possessed. Thus ends 
a sermon the most strict, pure, holy, profound, and 
sublime, ever delivered to man; and yet so amazingly 
simple is the whole that almost a child may apprehend 
it! Lord! write all these thy sayings upon our hearts, 
we beseech thee! Amen. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Great multitudes follow Christ, 1. 


Two persons offer to be his disciples, 19-22. 
miraculously stills, 23-27. 


He heals a leper, 2-4. 
Peter's wife’s mother, 14, 15; and several other diseased persons, 16, 17. 
He and his disciples are overtaken with a tempest, which he 
He cures demoniacs, and the demons which were cast out enter into a herd of 
swine, which, rushing into the sea, perish, 28-32. 


Heals the centurion’s servant, 5-13. Heals 
Departs from that place, 18. 


The swine-herds announce the miracie to the Gerge- 


senes, who request Christ to depart fren their country, 33, 34. 


99 


A leper applies to Christ, 


eo HEN he was come down from 
An, Olymp. the *mountain, great multi- 
23) 


tudes followed him. 

2 >And, behold, there came a leper and 
worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, 
thou canst make me clean. 

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched 


aChap. v. 1; Luke vii. 1— Mark i. 40, &c. ; Luke v. 12, &c. 
NOTES ON CHAP. VIII. 


Verse 1. From the mountain] That mountain on 
which he had delivered the preceding inimitable 
sermon. 

Great multitudes followed him.] Having been deeply 
impressed with the glorious doctrines which they had 
just heard. 

Verse 2. And, behold, there came a leper] The 
leprosy λέπρα, from λεπίς, a scale, was an inveterate 
cutaneous disease, appearing in dry, thin, white scurfy 
scales or scabs, either on the whole body, or on some 
part of it, usually attended with violent itching, and 
often with great pain. The eastern leprosy was a 
distemper of the most loathsome kind, highly conta- 
gious, so as to infect garments, (Lev. xiii. 47, &e.,) and 
houses, (Lev. xiv. 34, &c.,) and was deemed incurable 
by any human means. Among the Jews, Gop alone 
was applied to for its removal; and the cure was ever 
attributed to his sovereign power. 

The various symptoms of this dreadful disorder, 
which was a striking emblem of sin, may be seen in 
Lev. xiii., xiv., where also may be read the legal ordi- 
nances concerning it; which, as on the one hand, they 
set forth how odious sin is to God, so, on the other, 
they represent the cleansing of our pollutions by the 
sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, by the sprinkling 
and application of his blood, and by the sanctifying and 
healing influences of the Holy Spirit. 

The Greek name Aezpa, seems to have been given 
to this distemper, on account of the thin, white scALES 
(Aeridec) with which the bodies of the leprous were 
sometimes so covered as to give them the appearance 
of snow, Exod. iv. 6; Num. xii. 10; 2 Kings v. 27. 

Herodotus, lib. 1, mentions this disorder as existing, 
in his time, among the Persians. He calls it λευκὴν, 
the white scab; and says, that those who were affected 
with it were prohibited from mingling with the other 
citizens; and so dreadful was this malady esteemed 
among them that they considered it a punishment on 
the person, from their great god, the sun, for some 
evil committed against him. Dr. Mead mentions a 
remarkable case of this kind which came under his 
own observation. ‘ A countryman whose whole body 
was so miserably seized with it that his skin was shin- 
mg as covered with flakes of snow, and as the fur- 
furaceous or bran-like scales were daily rubbed off, 
the flesh appeared guwick or raw underneath.” See 
the doctor’s Medica Sacra, chap. ii. It was probably 
on account of its tendency to produce this disorder, in 
that warm climate, that God forbade the use of swine’s 
flesh to the Jews. Feeding on this crude aliment, in 
union with the intemperate use of ardent spirits, is, in 
all likelihood, the grand cause of the scurvy, which 

100 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and is healed. 


, ; πὶ A. Μ. 4031. 
him, saying, I will; be thou clean. Wanites 


And immediately his leprosy was An. Olymp. 
CCL 3. 
cleansed. eel 
4 And Jesus saith unto him, © See thou tell 
no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the 
priest, and offer the gift that ἃ Moses com- 
manded, for a testimony unto them. 


¢ Chap. ix. 30; Mark v. 43.—4 Ley. xiv. 3, 4,10; Lukev. 14. 


is so common in the British nations, and which wonld 
probably assume the form and virulence of a leprosy, 
were our climate as hot as that of Judea. See the 
notes on Exod. iv. 6, and on Levit. xiii. aud xiv. 

Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.| As 
this leper may be considered as a fit emblem of the 
corruption of man by sin; so may his cure, of the re- 
demption of the soul by Christ. A sinner, truly peni- 
tent, seeks God with a respectful faith; approaches 
him in the spirit of adoration; humbles himself under 
his mighty hand, acknowledging the greatness of his 
fall, and the vileness of his sin; his prayer, like that 
of the leper, should be humble, plain, and full of con- 
fidence in that God who can do all things, and of de- 
pendence upon his will or merey, from which all good 
must be derived. It is peculiar to God that he need 
only will what he intends to perform. His power is 
his will. The ability of God to do what is necessary 
to be done, and his willingness to make his creatures 
happy, should be deeply considered by all those who 
approach him in prayer. The leper had no doubt of 
the former, but he was far from being equally satisfied 
in respect of the latter. 

Verse 3. Jesus put forth his hand—I will ; be thou 
clean.| The most sovereign authority is assumed in 
this speech of our blessed Lord—TI wit : there is here 
no supplication of any power superior to his own ; and 
the event proved to the fullest conviction, and= by the 
clearest demonstration, that his authority was absolute, 
and his power unlimited. Be thou cleansed, xafa- 
ρισθητι ; a single word is enough. 

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.| What 
an astonishing sight! A man whose whole body was 
covered over with the most loathsome disease, cleansed 
from it in a moment of time! Was it possible for any 
soul to resist the evidence of this fact? This action 
of Christ is a representation of that invisible hand 
which makes itself felt by the most insensible heart ; 
of that internal word which makes itself heard by the 
most deaf; and of that supreme will which works 
every thing according to its own counsel. 

Verse 4. Jesus saith—WSce thou tell no man] Had 
our Lord, at this early period, fully manifested himself 
as the Messiah, the people in all likelihood would have 
proclaimed him King; this, however, refused by him, 
must have excited the hatred of the Jewish rulers, and 
the jealousy of the Roman government ; and, speaking 
after the manner of men, his farther preachings and 
miracles must have been impeded. This alone seems 
to be the reason why he said to the leper, Sce thou tel: 
no man. 

Show thyself to the priest] This was to conform 
to the law instituted in this ease, Lev. xiv 1, &c. 

1 


A centurion applies to 


i ye 5 § ° And when Jesus was enter- 


Ὁ ΤΩΡ: ed into Capernaum, there came 
unto him a centurion, beseeching 
nim, 
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home 
sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come 
and heal him. 


8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, 


e Luke vii. 1, &c.——f Luke xv. 19, 21. 


Offer the gift] This gift was two living, clean 
birds, some cedar wood, with scarlet and hyssop, Lev. 
xiv. 4, which were to be brought for his cleansing ; 
and, when clean, two he lambs, one ewe lamb, three 
tenth deals of flour, and one log of oil, ver. 10; but 
if the person was poor, then he was to bring one lamb, 
one tenth deal of flour, one log of oil, and two turtle 
doves, or young pigeons, ver. 21, 22. See the notes 
on Ley. xiv. 

Now all this was to be done for a testimony to them; 
to prove that this leper, who was doubtless well known 
in the land, had been thoroughly cleansed ; and thus; in 
this private way, to give full proof to the priesthood 
that Jesus was the true Messiah. The Jewish rabbins 
allowed that curing the lepers should be a character- 
istic of the Messiah; (see Bishop Chandler’s Vindica- 
tion ;) therefore the obstinacy of the priests, &c., in 
rejecting Christ, was utterly inexcusable. 

Verse 5. Capernaum] See chap. iv. 13. 

A centurion} Exavovrapyoc. A Roman military 
officer who had the command of one hundred men. 

Verse 6. Lord] Rather, Sir, for so the word kupie 
should always be ge eats when a Roman is the 
speaker. 

Lieth at home} ΣΕ τὰ lieth all along ; intimating 
that the disease had reduced him to a state of the ut- 
most impotence, through the grievous torments with 
which it was accompanied. 

Sick of the palsy| Or paralytic. See chap. iv. 24. 
This centurion did not act as many masters do when 
their servants are afflicted, have them immediately re- 
moved to an infirmary, often to a work-house ; or sent 
home to friends or relatives, who probably either care 
nothing for them, or are unable to afford them any of 
the comforts of life. Incase of a contagious disorder, 
it may be necessary to remove an infected person to 
such places as are best calculated to eure the distem- 
per, and prevent the spread of the contagion. But, in 
all common cases, the servant should be considered as 
a child, and receive the same friendly attention. If, 
by a hasty, unkind, and unnecessary removal, the ser- 
vant die, are not the master and mistress murderers 
before God? 

Verse 7. Iwill come and heal him.] Ey ελθων 
θεραπεύσω avrov, Tam coming, and will heal him. This 
saying is worthy of observation. Jesus did not posi- 
tively say, will come and-heal him; this could not 
have been strictly true, because our Lord healed him 
without going to the house; and the issue shows that 
‘be words ought to be taken in the most literal sense : 

1 


CHAP. VIII. 


Christ to heal his servant. 


‘Tam not worthy that thou shouldest Ἂς ™- 4031. 


come under my roof: but £speak An. Olymp. 
the word only, and my servant shall 
be healed. 

9 For I am a man under authority, having 
soldiers under me : and I say to this man, Go, 
and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he 
cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he 
doeth zt. 


6 Psa. cvii. 20. 


thus understood, they contained a promise which it 
seems none of them distinetly comprehended. Fore- 
seeing the exercise of the centurion’s faith, he promises 
that while he is coming, ere he arrives at the house, 
he will heal him, and this was literally done, verse 13. 
There is much beauty in this passage. 

Verse 8. But speak the word only] Or instead of 
εἰπε Zoyov, read εἰπε λόγω, speak by word or command. 
This reading is supported by the most extensive evi- 
dence from MSS., versions, and fathers. See here 
the pattern of that living faith and genuine humility 
which ought always to accompany the prayer of a sin- 

ner: Jesus can will away the palsy, and speak away 
the most grievous torments. The first degree of hu- 
mility is to acknowledge the necessity of God’s mercy, 
and our own inability to help ourselves : the second, to 
confess the freeness of his grace, and our own utter 
unworthiness. Ignorance, unbelief, and presumption 
will ever retard our spiritual cure. 

Verse 9. For I am a man under authority] That 
is, under the authority of others. This verse has 
given considerable embarrassment to commentators and 
critics. I believe the paraphrase given above to be 
the true meaning of the evangelist. To make this 
matter more plain, let it be observed, that the Roman 
foot was divided into three grand parts, Hastati, Prin- 
cipes, and Triarii. Each of these grand divisions 
was composed of thirty manipuli or companies; and 
every manipulus made two centuries or companies of 
one hundred men. Every manipulus had two centu- 
rions ; but these were very far from being equal in rank 
and honour, though possessing the very same office. 
The Triarti and Principes were esteemed the most 
honourable, and had their centurions elected first ; and 
these first elected centurions took precedency of the 
centurions of the Hastati, who were elected last. The 
centurion in the text was probably one of this last or- 
der; he was under the authority of either the Prin- 
cipes or T'riarii, and had none under him but the hun- 
dred men whom he commanded, and who appear to 
have been in a state of the most loving subjection to 
him. The argument of the centurion seems to run 
thus. If I, who am a person subject to the control of 
others, yet have some so completely subject to myself, 
that I can say to one, Come, and he cometh, to ano- 
ther, Go, and he goeth, and to my slave (τω δουλω pov) 
Do this, and he doeth it; how much more then canst 
thou accomplish whatsoever thou willest, being under 
no control, and having all things under thy command, 
He makes a proper use of his authority, who, by it, 

101 


Christ commends the 


es 10 When Jesus heard it he mar- 


An. Olymp. yelled, and said to them that fol- 
CCL 3. = ies 
._———. lowed, Verily I say unto you, I have 
not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 
11 And I say unto you, that *many shall 
come from the east and west, and shall sit 


hGen. xii. 3; Isa. il. 2,3; xi. 10; Mal. i. 11; Luke xiii. 29; 
Acts x. 45; xi. 18; xiv. 27; Rom. xv. 9, &c.; Eph. iii. 6. 
i Chap. xxi. 43. 


raises his mind to the contemplation of the sovereign 
power of God, taking occasion from it to humble him- 
self before Him who has all power in heaven and earth, 
and to expect all good from him. 

There are two beautiful passages in Arrian that 
tend much to illustrate this speech of the centurion. 
Καταταγεις Αγαμεμνων, λέγει μοι, Topevov πρὸς Tov 
Αχίλλεα, καὶ ἀποσπασον τὴν Βρισηιδα, πορεύομαι. Ἔρχου, 
ἔρχομαι. ‘He who personates Agamemnon says to 
me, Go to Achilles, and bring hither Briseis: I go. 
He says, Come hither: I come.” Dissert. 1. i. 6. 
aon pe oie 

Orav ο Θεος evry Tort φυτοις ανθειν, ανθει. 
βλαςανειν, βλαςανει. Οταν exdepew Tov καρπον, εἐκῴερει. 
Οταν πεπαίνειν, πεπαίνει. Οταν παλιν αποβαλλειν, καὶ 
φυλλορροειν, καὶ αὐτὰ εἰς αὐτὰ συνειλουμενα ed’ ἡσυχίας 
μένειν, Kat ἀναπαύεσθαι, μενεῖ καὶ ἀαναπαυεται. ‘ When 
God commands the plants to blossom, they bear blos- 
soms. When he commands them to bear seed, they 
bear seed. When he commands them to bring forth 
fruit, they put forth their fruits. When he commands 
them to ripen, they grow ripe. When he commands 
them to fade, and shed their leaves, and remain inac- 
tive, involved in themselves, they thus remain, and are 
inactive.” Cap. 14. p. 62. See Raphelius. 

This mode of speech fully marks supreme and un- 
controlled power, and that power put forth by a sove- 
reign will to effect any purpose of justice or mercy. 
And God said, let there be light, and there was light, 
is a similar expression. 

Verse 10. I have not found so great faith, no. not 
in Israel.| That is, I have not found so great an in- 
stance of confidence and faith in my power, even 
among the Jews, as this Roman, a Gentile, has shown 
himself to possess. 

Fyrom Luke vii. 5, where it is said of this centurion, 
“he loved our nation, and has built us a synagogue,” 
we may infer that this man was like the centurion 
mentioned Acts x. 1; a devout Gentile, a proselyte 
of the gate, one who believed in the God of Israel, 
without conforming to the Jewish ritual, or receiving 
circumcision. Though the military life is one of the 
most improper nurses for the Christian religion, yet in 
all nations there have been found several instances of 
genuine humility, and faith in God, even in soldiers ; 
and perhaps never more, in the British military, than 
at present, A. D. 1831. 

Verse 11. Many shall come from the east and west] 
Men of every description, of all countries, and of all 
professions ; and shall sit down, that is, to meat, for 
this is the proper meaning of ανακλιθησονται, intimat- 
ing the recumbent posture used by the easterns at 
their meals. The rabbins represent the blessedness 

102 


Οταν εἰπῇ 


ST. MATTHEW. 


faith of the centurion. 


down with Abraham, and Isaac, aA 


and Jacob, in the kingdom of An. Olymp. 
Core! 
heaven. ae 
12 But ‘the children of the kingdom * shall 
be cast ' out into outer darkness: there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 


Kk Chap. xiii. 42, 50; xxii. 13; xxiv. 51; xxv. 30; Luke 
xiii. 28; 2 Pet. ii. 17; Jude 13——'Psa. xlix. 19; Rev 
xvi. 9, 11. 


of the kingdom of God under the notion of a banquet. 
See several proofs of this in Schoettgenius. This was 
spoken to soften the unreasonable prejudices of the 
Jews, which they entertained against the Gentiles, and 
to prepare them to receive their brethren of mankind 
into religious fellowship with themselves. under the 
Christian dispensation. 

With Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob] In the 
closest communion with the most eminent followers 
of God. But if we desire to inherit the promises, we 
must be followers of them who through faith and pa- 
tience enjoy them. Let us therefore imitate Abraham 
in his faith, Isaac in his obedience unto death, and 
Jacob in his hope and expectation of good things to 
come, amidst all the evils of this life, if we desire to 
reign with them. 

Verse 12. Shall be cast out into outer darkness| 
As the enjoyment of that salvation which Jesus Christ 
calls the kingdom of heaven is here represented under 
the notion of a nuptial festival, at which the guests 
sat down in a reclining posture, with the master of the 
feast; so the state of those who were excluded from 
the banquet is represented as deep darkness; because 
the nuptial solemnities took place at night. Hence, 
at those suppers, the house of reception was filled 
with lights called dadec, λαμπαδες, AvKvera, davot, 
torches, lamps, candles, and lanthorns, by Atheneus 
and Plutarch: so they who were admitted to the 
banquet had the benefit of the light; but they who 
were shut out were in darkness, called here ouwler 
darkness, i. e. the darkness on the outside of the 
house in which the guests were; which must appear 
more abundantly gloomy, when compared with the 
profusion of light within the guest-chamber. And 
because they who were shut out were not only ex- 
posed to shame, but also to hunger and cold; there- 
fore it is added, there shall be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth. As these feasts are often alluded to by the 
evangelists, I would observe, once for all :—that they 
who were invited to them entered by a gate designed 
to receive them; whenge Christ, by whom we entez 
into the marriage feast, compares himself to a gate, 
John x. 1, 2, 7,9. This gate, at the time the guests 
were to come, was made narrow, the wicket only be- 
ing left open, and the porter standing there, that they 
who were not bidden to the marriage might not rush 
into it. Hence Christ exhorts the Jews to enter in 
at the strait gate, chap. vii. 13, &e. When all that 
were invited were once come, the door was presently 
shut, and was not to be opened to any who came toa 
late, and stood knocking without: so after the wise 
virgins had entered with the bridegroom, the gate was 
shut, and was not opened to the foolish virgins, who 

1 


The servant of the 


A.M. 4031. 13 And Jesus said unto the 
—erce centurion, Go thy way; ™and 
as thou hast believed, so be it 


τ Mark vy. 34; 


stood knocking without, chap. xxv. 11. And in this 
sense we are to understand the words of Christ, Luke 
xiii 24,25. Many shall seek to enter in, but shall 
not be able. Why? because the master of the house 
hath risen up and shut to the door; they would not 
come to him when they might, and now the day of 
probation is ended, and they must be judged according 
to the deeds done in the body. See Whitby on the 
place. How many of those who are called Christians 
suffer the kingdom, the graces, and the salvation which 
they had in their hands, to be lost; while West-India 
negroes, American Indians, Hindoo polytheists, and 
atheistic Hottentots obtain salvation! An eternity 
of darkness, fears, and pains, for comparatively a 
moment of sensual gratification, how terrible the 
thought! What outer darkness, or τὸ cxoto¢ τὸ εξω- 
τερον, that darkness, that which is outermost, may 
refer to, in eternal damnation, is hard to say: what 
it alludes to I have already mentioned: but as the 
words βρυγμὸς τῶν οδοντων, gnashing or CHATTERING 
of teeth, convey the idea, not only of extreme an- 
guish, but of extreme cold; some have imagined that 
the punishment of the damned consists in sudden 
eransitions from extreme heat to extreme cold; the 
extremes of both I have found to produce exactly 
the same sensation. 

Mitton happily describes this in the following inimi- 
table verses, which a man can scarcely read, even at 
midsummer, without shivering. 


Beyond this flood a frozen continent 
Lies dark and wild, beat with perpetual storms 
Of whirlwind and dire hail ——— 

———-the parching air 
Burns frore, and cold performs the effect of fire. 
Thither by harpy-footed furies haled, 
At certain revolutions all the damn’d 
Are brought ; and feel by ¢urns the bitter change 
Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce, 
From beds of raging fire, to starve in ice, 

and there to pine 

Immoyable, infix’d, and frozen round 
Periods of time; thence hurried back to fire. 

Parad. Lost, book ii. line 586. 


There is a passage in the Vulgate, Job xxiv. 19, 
‘that might have helped Milton to this idea. Ad nimi- 
um calorem transeat ab aquis nivium. “ Let him pass 
10 excessive heat, from waters of snow.” This read- 
ing, which is found only in this form in the Vulgate, 
is vastly expressive. Every body knows that snow- 
water feels colder than snow itself, even when both 
are of the same temperature, viz. 32°, because the 
human body, when in contact with snow water, cools 
quicker than when in contact with snow. Another of 
our poets has given us a most terrible description of 
perdition on the same ground. 


The once pamper’d spirit 
To hathe in fiery floods, or to reside 
1 


CHAP. VIII. 


centurion ts healed. 


done unto thee. And his  ser- a 


vant was healed in the selfsame Ane oe 


hour. praises 


Luke vii. 10, 50. 


In thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice ; 

To be imprison’d in the viewless winds, 

And blown with restless violence round about 
This pendant world; or to be worse than worst 
Of those that lawless and incertain thoughts 
Imagine 


Similar to this is that dreadful description or the 
torments of the wicked given in the Institutes of Menu: 
“The wicked shall have a sensation of agony in Ta- 
misra, or utter darkness, and in other seats of horror ; 
in Asipatravana, or the sword-leaved forest, and in 
different places of binding fast, and of rending : mul- 
tifarious tortures await them: they shall be mangled 
by ravens and owls, and shall swallow cakes boiling 
hot, and shall walk over inflamed sands, and shall 
feel the pangs of being daked like the vessels of a 
potter: they shall assume the forms of beasts con- 
tinually miserable, and suffer alternate afflictions 
from extremities of cold and heat; surrounded with 
terrors of various kinds. They shall have old age 
without resource; diseases attended with anguish ; 
pangs of innumerable sorts, and, lastly, wnconguer- 
able death.” 

Institutes of Menu, chap. xii. Inst. 75-80. 


In the Zend Avesta, the place of wicked spirits is 
termed, “ The places of darkness, the germs of the 
thickest darkness.” An uncommonly significant ex- 
pression: Darkness has its dirth there: there are its 
seeds and buds, there it vegetates everlastingly, and 
its eternal fruit is—darkness ! 

See Zend Avesta, vol. i. Vendidad sadi, Fargard. 
xvili. p. 412. 

And is this, or any thing as dad as this, nett 
Yes, and worse than the worst of all that has already 
been mentioned. Hear Christ himself. There their 
worm dieth not, and the fire is NOT QUENCHED! Great 
God! save the reader from this damnation ! 

Verse 13. As thou hast believed; so be it done} 
Let the merey thou requestest be egual to the faith 
thou hast brought to receive it by. Accorpine to thy 
faith be it done unto thee, is a general measure of 
God’s dealings with mankind. To get an increase of 
faith is to get an increase of every grace which con- 
stitutes the mind that was in Jesus, and prepares fully 
for the enjoyment of the kingdom of God. God is 
the same in the present time which he was in ancient 
days; and miracles of healing may be wrought on our 
own bodies and souls, and on those of others, by the 
instrumentality of our faith. But, alas! where is faith 
to be found ! 

And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.| 
Ev τὴ wpa εκεινὴ, in that very hour. Faith is never 
exercised in the power and goodness of God till it is 
needed; and, when it is exercised, God works the 
miracle of healing. Christ never says, Believe now 
for a salvation which thou now needest, and I will 
give it to thee in some future time. That salvation 

192 


Peter’s mother-in-law healed, 


ASA). 14 9 = And when Jesus was come 
An. Olymp. into Peter’s house, he saw ° his 

CCl 3. wife's mother laid, and sick of 
a fever. 


15 And he touched her hand, and the fever 
left her: and she arose and ministered unto 
them. 

16 % » When the even was come, they 
brought unto him many that were possessed 
with devils: and he cast out the spirits with 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and other mir icles wrought 


his word, and healed all that were 4, ™; 403). 
sick : ἘΝ over 

17 That it might be fulfilled which ———— 
was spoken by Esaias the - prophet, saying, 
a Himself took our infirmities, and bare our 
sicknesses. 

18 § Now when Jesus saw great multitudes 
about him, he gave commandment to depart 
unto the other side. 


19 * And a certain scribe came, and said 


©] Corinthians 


» Mark i. 29, 30, 31; Luke iv. 38, 39. 
Ix: 


which is expected through works or sufferings must 
of necessity be future, as there must be time to 
work or suffer in; but the salvation which is by faith 
must be for the present moment, for this simple rea- 
son, IT Is BY ΡΆΙΤΗ, that God may be manifested 
and honoured; and not by works or by sufferings, 
lest any man should doast. To say that, though it is 
of faith, yet it may, and must in many cases, be de- 
Jayed, (though the person is coming in the most genu- 
ine humility, deepest contrition, and with the liveliest 
faith in the blood of the amb,) is to say that there 
is still something necessary to be done, either on the 
part of the person, or on the part of God, in order to 
procure it; neither of which positions has any truth 
in it. 

Verse 14. Peter’s house] That Peter lived at Ca- 
pernaum, and that Christ lodged with him, is fully evi- 
dent from this verse compared with chap. xvii. 24. 

Peter’s—wife’s mother] Learn hence, says Theo- 
phylact, that marriage is no hinderance to virtue, since 
the chief of the apostles had his wife. Marriage is 
one of the first of Divine institutions, and is a positive 
command of God. He says, the state of celibacy is 
not coop, Gen. ii. 18. Those who pretend to say 
that the single state is more holy than the other slan- 
der their Maker, and say in effect, “ We are too holy 
to keep the commandments of God.” 

Verse 15. He touched her hand] Can any thing on 
this side the unlimited power of God effect such a 
cure with only a touch? Ifthe Scriptures had not 
spoken of the divinity of Christ, these proofs of his 
power must have demonstrated it to the common 
sense of every man whose creed had not previously 
blinded him. 

Ministered unto them.] Avroic, them, is the reading 
of most of the printed editions, but avta, to him, has 
the utmost evidence in its support from MSS., ver- 
sions, and fathers. Serving Christ in his ordinances 
and in his members is the best proof we can give to 
others of our being soundly restored to spiritual 
health. 

Verse 16. When the even was come] The Jews 
kept their sabbath from evening to evening, accord- 
ing to the law, Lev. xxiii. 32, From evening to evening 
shall ye celebrate your sabbath. And the rabbins say, 
The sabbath doth not enter but when the sun is set. 
Hence it was that the sick were not brought out to 
our Lord till after sun-set, because then the sabbath 
was ended. 

104 


P Mark i. 32, &c.; Luke iv. 40, 41.—aIsa. 111}. 4; 1 Pet. 11. 24, 
t Luke ix. 57, 58. 


Many that were possesced with devils] Dr. Lightfoot 
gives two sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord’s 
time, ahounded with demoniacs. First, Because 
they were then advanced to the very height of im- 
piety. See what Josephus, their own historian, says 
of them: There was not (said he) a nation under 
heaven more wicked than they were. See on Rom. 1.1. 
Secondly, Because they were then strongly addicted 
to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be 
familiar with them. It seems strange to find men at 
this distance of time questioning the truth of that 
which neither scribes nor Pharisees then doubted ; 
nor did they ever object against the pretensions of 
Christ and his apostles to cast them out. And, if the 
whole business of demonism had been only a vulgar 
error, (as wise men now tell us,) what a fine opportu- 
nity had the wise men then, to unmask the whole 
matter, and thus pour contempt on the pretensions of 
our blessed Lord and his followers, who held it to be 
one proof of their Divine mission, that demons were 
subject to them! 

And healed all that were sick| Not a soul did the 
Lord Jesus ever reject, who came to him soliciting 
his aid. Need any sinner despair who comes to him, 
conscious of his spiritual malady, to be healed by his 
merciful hand ? 

Verse 17. Himself took our infirmities] The quo- 
tation is taken from Isa. lili. 4, where the verb NW) nasa 
signifies to bear sin, so as to make atonement for it. 
And the rabbins understand this place to speak of 
the sufferings of the Messiah for the sins of Israel ; 
and say that all the diseases, all the griefs, and all 
the punishments due to Israel shall be borne by him. 
See Synopsis Sohar. Christ fulfils the prophecies in 
all respects, and is himself the completion and truth 
of them, as being the lambé and vielim of God, which 
bears and takes away the sin of the world. The text 
in Isaiah refers properly to the taking away of sin; 
and this in the evangelist, to the removal of corporeal 
afflictions: but, as the diseases of the body are the 
emblems of the sin of the soul, Matthew, referring to 
the prediction of the prephet, considered the miracu- 
lous healing of the body as an emblem of the soul’s 
salvation by Christ Jesus. 

Verse 18. Unto the other side.} Viz. of the lake of 
Genesareth, whence he proceeded to the country ot 
the Gergesenes, ver. 28. 

Verse 19. A certain scribe] Though é¢ γραμματεὺς. 
ONE scribe, may be considered as a Hebraism, yet it 

1 


The poverty of Jesus. 


A.M. 4°31. unto him, Master, I will follow thee 


An. Olymp. whithersoever thou goest. 

20 And Jesus saith unto him, 
The foxes have holes, and the birds of the 
air have nests; but the son of man hath not 
where to lay his head. 

21 " And another of his disciples said unto 
him, Lord, ‘ suffer me first to go and bury 
my father. 

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; 


Luke ix. 59, 60.—+ See 1 Kings xix. 20. 


is probable that the /i¢eral construction of it was in- 
tended, to show that few of this class came to the 
Lord Jesus for instruction or salvation. 

Master] Rather, teacher, διδασκαλε, from didacka, I 
teach, which itself seems to be derived from δείκω, I 
show, and means the person who shows or points out 
a particular way or science. 

I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.| A man 
who is not illuminated by the Spirit of God thinks 
himself capable of any thing: he alone who is di- 
vinely taught knows he can do nothing but through 
Christ strengthening him. Every teacher among the 
Jews had disciples, and some especially that followed 
or accompanied them wherever they went, that they 
might have some person at hand with whom they 
might converse concerning the Divine law. 

Verse 20. The foxes have holes, &c.] Reader! art 
thou a poor man? and dost thou fear God? Then, 
what comfort must thou derive from the thought, that 
thou so nearly resemblest the Lord Jesus! But how 
unlike is the rich man, who is the votary of pleasure 
and slave of sin, to this heavenly pattern ! 

Son of man] A Hebrew phrase, expressive of 
humiliation and debasement; and, on that account, 
applied emphatically to himself, by the meek and 
lowly Jesus. Besides, it seems here to be used to 
point out the incarnation of the Son of God, accord- 
ing to the predictions of the prophets, Psa. viii. 5; 
Dan. vii. 13. And as our Lord was now showing 
forth his eternal Divinity in the miracles he wrought, 
he seems studious to prove to them the certainty of 
his incarnation, because on this depended the atone- 
ment for sin. Indeed our Lord seems more intent on 
giving the proofs of his humanity, than of his divinity, 
the latter being necessarily manifested by the mira- 
eles which he was continually working. 

Verse 21. Another of his disciples} This does not 
mean any of the twelve, but one of those who were 
constant hearers of our Lord’s preaching; the name 
of disciple being common to all those who professed 
to believe in him, John vi. 66. Bury my father : pro- 
bably his father was old, and apparently near death ; 
but it was a maxim among the Jews, that, if a man 
had any duty to perform to the dead, he was, for that 
time, free from the observance of any other precept 
or duty. The children of Adam are always in ex- 
tremes; some will rush into the ministry of the 
Gospel without a call, others will delay long after they 
are called; the middle way is the only safe one: not 

1 


CHAP. VUI. 


A great tempest at sea 


:» A.M. 4031, 
and let the dead bury ther Δ ὩΣ 
dead. An. Olymp. 

CCLS: 

23 9 And when he was entered 
into a ship, his disciples followed him. 

24 “And, behold, there arose a great tem- 
pest in the sea, insomuch that the ship 
was covered with the waves: but he was 
asleep. 

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke 
him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 


υ Mark iv. 37, &c. ; Luke viii. 23, &e. 


to move a finger in the work till the call be given, 
and not to delay a moment after. 

Verse 22. Let the dead bury their dead.) It was 
usual for the Jews to consider a man as dead who 
had departed from the precepts of the law; and, on 
this ground, every transgressor was reputed a dead 
man. Our Lord’s saying, being in common use, had 
nothing difficult in it toa Jew. Natural death is the 
separation of the body and soul; spiritual death, the 
separation of God and the soul: men who live in sin 
are dead to God. Leave the spiritually dead to bury 
their natural dead. All the common offices of life 
may be performed by any person; to preach the glad 
tidings of the kingdom of God is granted but to a few, 
and to these only by an especial call; these should 
immediately abandon worldly concerns and employ- 
ments, and give themselves wholly up to the work of 
the ministry. 

Verse 24. Arose agreat tempest in the sea] Proba- 
bly excited by Satan, the prince of the power of the 
air, who, having got the author and all the preachers 
of the Gospel together in a small vessel, thought by 
drowning it to defeat the purposes of God, and thus 
to prevent the salvation of a ruined world. What a 
noble opportunity must this have appeared to the 
enemy of the human race ! 

Verse 25. And his disciples} Tue disciples. In 
the common printed editions, as well as in our trans- 
lation, it is 115 disciples, but αὐτου, his, is omitted by 
the very best MSS., and by Bengel, Wetstein, and 
Griesbach. This is a matter of very small importance, 
and need not be noticed; only every translator and 
commentator should aim, to the uttermost of his 
knowledge and power, to give every particle of the 
language of the inspired penman that can be ex- 
pressed, and to insert no one word which he has 
reason to believe did not come by the inspiration of 
God. 

Lord, save us: we perish.| One advantage of trials 
is to make us know our weakness, so as to oblige us 
to have recourse to God by faith in Christ. It is by 
faith alone that we may be said to approach him; by 
love we are united to him, and by prayer we awake 
him. All good perishes in us without Christ : -with- 
out his grace, there is not so much as one moment in 
which we are not in danger of utter ruin. How 
proper, then, is this short prayer for us, and how fa- 
miliar should it be to us! Taken in the extensive 
Christian sense it is exceedingly expressive: it com- 

105 


Jesus stills the tempest. 
ΑΜ 4031. 96. And he saith unto them, Why 
τὰ a are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? 
———— Then Vhe arose, and rebuked the 
winds and the sea; and there was ἃ great 
calm. 

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What 
manner of man is this, that even the winds 
and the sea obey him ! 


28 9 ~ And when he was come to the 


Vv Psa. Ixv. 7; Ixxxix. 9; evii. 29. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Two demoniacs meet Jesus 


other side, into the country of the AO 
Gergesenes, there met him two pos- An Oia 
sessed with devils, coming out of = 
the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man 
might pass by that way. 

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, 
What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou 
Son of God? art thou come hither to torment 
us before the time ? 


w Mark v. 1, &c.; Luke viii. 26, ἄτα. 


prehends all the power of our Lord’s might, all the 
merit of his atonement, and all the depth of owr misery 
and danger. See Quesnel. 

Verse 26. Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith Ὁ 
Faith is ever bold—incredulity always timid. When 
faith fails in temptation, there is the utmost danger 
of shipwreck. Lord, increase our faith! is a neces- 
sary prayer for all who desire to be saved. 

Then he arose and rebuked the winds, &e.| As the 
agitation of the sea was only the effect of the wind, it 
was necessary to remove the cause of the disturbance, 
that the effect might cease. Joshua did not say to 
the earth, Earth, stand thou still, because the earth is 
not the cause of its own motion: but, Sun, stand thou 
still, 013 wow shemesh dom, Sun, be silent, or restrain 
thy influence, which is a proper cause of the revolu- 
tions of all the planets. When the solar influence 
was by the miraculous power of God suspended, the 
standing still of the earth was a necessary conse- 
quence. Both Christ and Joshua spoke with the 
strictest philosophical precision. See the notes on 
Josh. x. 12-14. 

There was a great calm.| One word of Christ can 
change the face of nature; one word of his can re- 
store calm and peace to the most troubled and discon- 
solate soul. Prayer and faith, if sincere, shall be 
heard, though they may be weak. 1. That our im- 
perfections may not hinder us from praying to God. 
2. That we may be persuaded it is not our merits 
which make our prayers effectual. 3. That we may 
offer them up with great humility: and, 4. That we 
may be fully united to Christ, without which union 
there is no salvation. 

There was at first a great agitation; then a great 
ealm. Thus God ever proportions the comfort to the 
affliction. 

Verse 27. The men marvelled] Every part of the 
creation (man excepted) hears and obeys the Creator’s 
voice. Sinners have an ear for the world, the devil, 
and the flesh: till this ear is shut, God’s voice is not 
discerned ; for when it is shut to its enemies it is open 
to its friends. 

What manner of man is this] Ποταπος ecw οὗτος, 
How great is this person! Here was God fully ma- 
nifest ; but it was in the flesh—there were the hidings 
of his power. 

Verse 28. The country of the Gergesenes] This 
word is variously written in the MSS. and versions ; 
Gergasenes, Gerasenes, Gadarenes, Gergesions, and 
Gersedonians. ‘The three first are supported by the 

106 


greater authorities. They might have all been names 
of the same place or district; but, if we depend on 
what Origen says, the people mentioned here could 
not have been the inhabitants of Gerasa, which, says 
he, is a city of Arabia, ovre θάλασσαν, ovte λιμνην πλησίον 
ἔχοντα, which has neither sea nor lake nigh to it.— 
“ Gadara was, according to Josephus, the metropolis 
of Perea, or the region beyond Jorden: both the city 
and villages belonging to it lay in the country of the 
Gergasenes ; whence Christ going into the country 
of the Gadarenes, Mark v. 1, is said to go into the 
region of the Gergasenes, Matt. vill. 28.” Wuirey. 

Two possessed with devils| Persons possessed by 
evil demons. Mark and Luke mention only one de- 
moniac, probably the fiercer of the two. 

Coming out of the tombs] It is pretty evident that 
cupolas were generally builded over the graves among 
the Jews, and that these demoniaes had their dwell- 
ings under such: the evil spirits which were in them 
delighting more in these abodes of desolation and ruin, 
as being more congenial to their fierce and diabolic 
nature, and therefore would drive the possessed into 
them. 

Verse 29. What have we to do with thee] The 
literal translation of τὶ ἡμῖν καὶ cot, is, What is it to 
us and to thee; which perhaps might be understood 
to imply their disclaiming any design to interfere with 
the work of Christ, and that he should not therefore 
meddle with them; for it appears they exceedingly 
dreaded his power. 

What have we to do with thee, is a Jewish phrase, 
which often occurs in the Old Testament, signifying 
an abrupt refusal of some request, or a wish not to 
be troubled with the company or importunity of others. 
Jehu said to the messenger who was sent by Joram 
to meet him, What hast thou to do with peace? Da- 
vid said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of 
Zeruiah2 Compare Judg. xi. 12; 2 Sam. xvi. 10; 
2 Kings ix. 18; Ezra iv. 3; John ii. 4. See the 
note on Mark 1. 24. 

Jesus, thou Son of God] Griesbach omits the word 
Jesus, on the authority of several MSS. of the greatest 
antiquity and respectability; besides some versions, 
and several of the fathers. I heartily concur with 
these MSS., &c., for this simple reason, among 
others, that the word Jesus, i. e. Saviour, was of too 
ominous an import to the Satanie interest to be used 
freely, in such a case, by any of his disciples or sub- 
alterns. 

Art thou come hither to torment us before the ime 3] 

1 


Demoniacs enter the swine, 


A.M.4031. 80. And there was, a good way 


me νων. off from them, a herd of many 
swine feeding. 

31 So *the devils besought him, saying, 
If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into 
the herd of swine. 

32 And he said unto them, Go. And when 
they were come out, they went into the herd 
of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of 
swine ran violently down a steep place into 


* Mark v. 7, 12; Luke viii. 30-33; Rev. xii. 12. 


CHAP. VIII. 


which perish in the sea 


the sea, and perished in the yh i a 
waters. 

33 And they that kept them fled, 
and went their ways into the city, and told 
every thing, and what was befallen to the pos- 
sessed of the devils. 

34 And, behold, the whole city came out to 
meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they 
besought jam that he would depart out of their 
coasts. 


An. Olymp. 
CCL. 3. 


Υ See Deut. v. 25; 1 Kings xvii. 18; Luke v. 8; Acts xvi. 39. 


From this it appears that a greater degree of punish- 
ment awaited these demons than they at that time 
endured ; and that they knew there was a time deter- 
mined by the Divine Judge, when they should be sent 
into greater torments. 

Verse 30. A herd of many swine] These were 
in all probability Jewish property, and kept and used 
in express violation of the law of God; and therefore 
their destruction, in the next verse, was no more than 
a proper manifestation of the justice of God. 

Verse 31. Suffer us to go away] Exizpeyov ἡμιν 
ἀπελθεῖν : this is the common reading ; but ἀπόστειλον 
nuac, send us away, appears more likely to be genu- 
ine. This latter reading Grieshach has adopted, on 
the authority of three ancient MSS., the Coptic, Sa- 
hidic, Ethiopic, Syriac, all the Arabic, Saxon, most 
of the Ttala, and the Vulgate. Send us away seems 
to express more fully the absolute power Jesus Christ 
had over them—permission alone was not sufficient ; 
the very power by which they were to go away, must 
come from Christ himself! How vain was the boast 
of Satan, chap. iv. 9, when we find he could not pos- 
sess the body of one of the vilest animals that God 
has made, without immediate authority from the Most 
High! Since a demon cannot enter even into a 
swine without being sent by God himself, how little 
is the power or malice of any of them to be dread- 
ed by those who have God for their portion and 
protector ! 

Verse 32. They went into the herd of swine] 
Instead of τὴν ayeAny των χοίρων, the herd of swine, 
Grieshach reads τοὺς χοίρους, the swine, cn the autho- 
rity of many MSS. and versions. 

The whole herd of swine] Tov χοίρων, of swine, 
is omitted by many MSS. and versions. See Gries- 
bach, and see on Luke viii. 26, &c. 

Ran violently down a steep place, ὅς. The prayer 
of these demons is heard and answered! Strange! 
But let it be noted, that God only hears demons and 
certain sinners when their prayer is the echo of his 
own justice. Tere is an emblem of the final impe- 
nitence and ruin into which the swinish sinners, the 
habitually impure, more commonly fall than other 
sinners, Christ permits the demons to do that in the 
swine which he did not permit them to do in the pos- 
i 


sessed, on purpose to show us what rage they would 
exercise on us if left to their liberty and malice.— 
Many are the Divine favours which we do not con- 
sider, or know only in general. “ But the owners 
of the swine lost their property.” Yes; and learn 
from this of how small value temporal riches are in 
the estimation of God. He suffers them to be lost, 
sometimes to disengage us from them through mercy; 
sometimes out of justice, to punish us for having ac- 
quired or preserved them either by covetousness or 
injustice. 

Verse 33. And they that kept them fled] Terrified 
at what had happened to the swine. 

Verse 34. The whole city came out] Probably 
with the intention to destroy Jesus for having destroy- 
ed their swine ; but, having seen him, they were awed 
by his presence, and only besought him to depart 
from their borders. Many rather chose to lose 
Jesus Christ than those temporal goods by which 
they gratify their passions at the expense of their 
souls. They love even their swine better than their 
salvation. 

Certain doctors in both sciences, divinity and physic, 
gravely tell us that these demoniaes were only com- 
mon madmen, and that the disease was supposed, by 
the superstitious Jews, to be occasioned by demons. 
But, with due deference to great characters, may not 
a plain man be permitted to ask, by what figure of 
speech can it be said that “two diseases besought— 
went out—filled a herd of swine—rushed down a 
precipice 2” ἄς. What silly trifling is this! Some 
people’s creeds will neither permit God nor the devil 
to work; and, in several respects, hardly to exist. 
For he who denies Divine inspiration, will scarcely 
acknowledge diabolic influence. See the note on ver. 
16, and on Luke vii. 21. 

It is said, The whole city came out to meet Jesus. 
This means no more than all the inhabitants of that 
place, which, most probably, was no more than a smal] 
country village ; or perhaps but a few houses. I have 
observed that the inhabitants of the Zetland Isles, in 
the North Seas, denominate any collection of houses 
a town, even where there are but three or four: and 
thus I think that the Jews denominated their villages, 
often calling them cities. 

107 


A paralyne person healed, Si. 


MATTHEW. 


and his sins forgiven 


CHAPTER Ix. 


Christ heals a paralytic person at Capernaum, 1-8. 


to him and inquire about fasting, 14-17. 


road to the ruler’s house, he heals a diseased woman, 20-22. 
Heals two blind men, 27-31. 


the young woman to life, 23-26. 


Preaches and works miracles in all the cities and villages, 35. 
Evhorts his disciples to pray to God to send them proper instructers, 37, 38. 


state of the Jewish people, 36. 


ea 05} AND he entered intoa ship, and 
An, Chimp. passed over, * and came into his 
own city 

Ὁ And, behold, they brought to him a man 
sick of the palsy, lymg on a bed: “ and Jesus, 
seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the 
palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be 
forgiven thee. 


b Mark ii. 3; Luke v. 18. 
vill. 10. 


¢ Chap. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IX. 

Verse 1. He came into his own city] Viz. Caper- 
naum, where he seems to have had his common resi- 
dence at the house of Peter. See chap. iv. 13, and 
viii. 18. This verse properly belongs to the preceding 
chapter. 

Verse 2. Sick of the palsy] See chap. iv. 24. 

Lying on a bed\ KAwne, a couch or sofa, such as 
they reclined on at meals. 

Seeing their faith] The faith of the paralytic per- 
son, and the faith of those who brought him; see on 
Mark ii. 4. 

Be of good cheer] Θαρσει τεκνον, Son, take courage ! 
Probably he began to despond, and Christ spoke thus 
to support his fazth. 

Thy sins be forgiven thee.| Moral evil has been the 
cause of all the natural evil in the world. Christ goes 
to the source of the malady, which is sin; and to that 
as the procuring cause we should refer in all our afflic- 
tions. It is probable that this paralytic person had, in 
the earnest desires of his heart, entreated the cure of 
his soul, leaving his body to the care of others, as the 
first miracle of healing is wrought on his soul. In a 
state of helplessness, when we seek above all things to 
please God, by giving him our hearts, he often inspires 
others with the care of our temporal necessities. It 
may be necessary to be observed, that it was a 
maxim among the Jews that no diseased person could 
be healed till all his sins were blotted out. See Neda- 


rim, fol. 41. Hence our Lord first forgives the sins, 
and then heals the body of the paralytic person. This 
appears to have been founded on Psa. ciii. 3. Who 


forgiveth all thine iniqutties, and healeth all thy dis- 
eases. Here pardon precedes health. See also Psa. 
xli. 3,4. It may be observed, also, that most people 
are more in earnest about their souls when in sickness 
than in health, and therefore are more earnest in prayer 
for salvation. 

Verse 3. This man blasphemeth.] BAacénuew comes 
either from BAarrew τὴν φημην, to hurt or blast the 

108 


Calls Matthew, 10. 


at which the Pharisees are offended, and he vindicates his conduct, 11, 12. 
A ruler requests him to heal his daughter, 18, 19. 


Eats with publicans and sinne-s, 
The disciples of John come 
On his 
Arriwing at the ruler’s house, he restores 
Casts out a dumb demon, 32-34. 
Is greatly affected at the desolate and dark 


3 And, behold, certain of the 4,M, 4031. 
scribes said within themselves, This An. Olymp. 
man blasphemeth. Joe 

4 And Jesus, ‘knowing their thoughts, said, 
Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts ? 

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be 
forgiven thee; or to say, “ Arise, and walk? 

6 But that ye may know that the Son of man 


4 Psa, exxxix.2; chap. xii. 25; Mark xii. 15; Luke v. 22; vi. 8; 
axed is αι esa. xxxy. 6; John ve 8. 


reputation or credit of another, or from βαλλεὶν ταις 
φημαις, to smite with reports. Whenever it is used in 
reference to Gop, it simply signifies, to speak impiously 
of his nature, or attributes, or works. Injurious speak- 
ing is its proper translation when referred to man. 

The scribes were the literati of that time ; and their 
learning, because not used in dependence on God, ren- 
dered them proud, envious, and obstinate. Unsanctified 
knowledge has still the same effect: that light serves 
only to blind and lead men out of the way which is not 
joined with uprightness of heart. The most sacred 
truths often become an occasion of delusion, where 
men are under the government of their evil passions. 

Verse 4. Jesus knowing (wv seeing) their thoughts, 
In telling them what the thoughts of their hearts were, 
(for they had expressed nothing publicly,) he gave them 
the fullest proof of his power to forgive sins; because 
God only can forgive sins, and God only can search 
and know the heart. Jesus pronounced the man’s sins 
forgiven ; and gave the scribes the fullest proof of his 
power to do so, by telling them what, in the secret of 
their souls, they thought on the subject. 

God sounds the secrets of all hearts—no sin escapes 
his notice : how senseless then is the sinner to think he 
sins securely when unseen by men! Let us take heed 
to our hearts, as well as to our conduct, for God 
searches out and condemns all that does not spring 
from, and leads not to himself. 

Verse 5. For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins 
be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk 3] Both 
are equally easy, and equally difficult ; for both require 
unlimited power to produce them. And every thing is 
equally easy to that power which is unlimited. A uni- 
verse can be as easily produced by a single act of the 
Divine will as the smallest elementary part of matter. 

The common punctuation of the above passage almost 
destroys the sense : the comma should be placed after 
easier, and to say, made the first part of the question. 

Verse 6. But that ye may know, ὅς.) External 
miracles are the proofs of internal ones. Three mira 

1 


vesus calls Matthew 


A.M, 4081. hath power on earth ‘ to forgive sins, 
ar a (then saith he to the sick of the 
palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and 
go unto thine house. 
7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 
8 But when the multitude saw it, they mar- 
velled, and glorified God, which had given 
such power unto men. 
9 Ἵ © And as Jesus passed forth from thence, 
he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the 


fJsaiah xliii. 25; Mic. vii. 18——s Mark ii. 14; Luke 
We 97. 


cles are- wrought in this case. (I mean, by miracle, 
something produced or known that no power is capable 
of but that which is omnipotent, and no knowledge ade- 
quate to but that which is omniscient.) The miracles 
are these : Ist. The remission of the poor man’s sins. 
2d. The discernment of the secret thoughts of the 
scribes. 3d. The restoring of the paralytic, in an in- 
stant, to perfect soundness. ‘Thus one miracle be- 
comes the proof and establishment of another. Never 
was a clearer proof of omnipotent energy and mercy 
brought under the senses of man. Here is an abso- 
lutely perfect miracle wrought ; and here are absolute 
incontestable proofs that the miracle was wrought ; and 
the conclusion is the fullest demonstration of the Divi- 
nity of the ever-blessed Jesus. 

Arise, take up thy ted] Being enabled to obey this 
command was the public proof that the man was made 
whole. Such a circumstance should not pass without 
improvement. A man gives proof of his conversion 
from sin to God who imitates this paralytic person. 
He who does not rise and stand upright, but either 
continues grovelling on the earth, or falls back as soon 
as he is got up, is not yet cured of his spiritual palsy. 
When we see a penitent enabled to rejoice in hope of 
God's glory, and to walk in the way of his command- 
ments, he affords us all the proof which we can rea- 
sonably require, that his conversion is real: the proof 
sufficient to satisfy himself is the witness of the Holy 
Spirit in his own heart ; but this is a matter of which 
those who are without cannot judge: they must form 
their opinion from his conduct, and judge of the tree by 
its fruits. 

Verse 8. When the multitudes saw it, they marvel- 
led} Instead of εθαυμασαν, wondered, the Codex Vatic. 
and Cod. Beze, with several other MSS. and ver- 
sions, have ἐφοβηθησαν, feared. In the Gothic, and 
one copy of the Jtala, both readings are conjoined, 
thus: And the multitudes seeing it, wondered and 
feared, and glorified God. Wondered at the miracle ; 
feared to offend against such power and goodness ; and 
glorified God for the works of mercy which he had 
wrought. 

That which to the doctors of the law, the worldly- 
wise and prudent, is a matter of scandal, is to the hum- 
ble an oceasion of glorifying the Most High. Divine 
things make a deeper impression on the hearts of the 
simple multitude than on those of the doctors, who, 
puffed up with a sense of their own wisdom, refuse to 

1 


CHAP. IX. 


to be a disciple 


receipt of custom: and he saith 4,™ #03! 
unto him, Follow me. And he An. Oly τὶ 
arose, and followed him. == 

10 4 * And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at 
meat in the house, behold many publicans and 
sinners came and sat down with him and his 
disciples : 

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they 
said unto his disciples, Why eateth your 
Master with ‘ publicans and * sinners ? 


h Mark ii. 15, &e.; Luke v. 29, &e.——i Chap. xi. 19; Luke 
y. 30; xv. 2. Gal. ii. 15. 


receive the truth as it is in Jesus. The conversion 
of one rebellious soul is a greater miracle, and more 
to be admired than all that can be wrought on inani- 
mate creatures. He who sees a sinner converted 
from the error of his way sees a miracle wrought by 
eternal power and goodness. May such miracles be 
multiplied ! 

Verse 9. Named Matthew] Generally supposed to 
be the same who wrote this history of our blessed 
Lord. Mathai signifies a gift in Syriac ; probably so 
named by his parents as implying a gift from God. 

The receipt of custom] The custom-house, τελώνιον ---- 
the place where the taxes levied by the Romans of the 
Jews, were collected. 

Follow me.| That is, become my disciple. 

And he arose, and followed him.] How blessed it is 
to be obedient to the first call of Christ—how much 
happiness and glory are lost by delays, though con- 
version at last may have taken place ! 

Verse 10. Sat at meat in the house] Viz. of Mat- 
thew, who it appears, from Luke v. 29, made a great 
feast on the occasion, thus testifying his gratitude for 
the honour done him ; and that his friends and acquaint- 
ances might profit by the teaching of his new master, 
he invites them to the entertainment that was honoured 
by the presence of Christ. His companions, it appears, 
were not of the most creditable kind. They were tax- 
gatherers (see chap. v. 46) and sinners, ἀμαρτωλοι, 
a word which I believe in general signifies heathens, 
throughout the Gospels, and in several other parts of 
the New Testament. See, among others, chap. xi. 
19 ; xxvi. 45; Mark ii. 15-17; xiv. 41; Luke v. 30-- 
32; vi. 32-34; vu. 94, 9.599; xv. 1, 2, 7; 10; 
ix. 7: XXiv. 1: ΠῚ 1x. 065,24, 95, 91; kom vy 
8; Gal. ii. 15; Heb. vii. 26; 1 Pet. iv. 18; in most, 
if not all of which places, it evidently refers to the 
character or state of a Gentile, or Heathen. See also 
the notes on these passages. 

Verse 11. When the Pharisees saw it] He who, 
like a Pharisee, never felt himself indebted to infinite 
mercy for his own salvation, is rarely solicitous about 
the salvation of others. The grace of Christ alone in 
spires the soul with true benevolence. The self-right 
eous Pharisees considered it equal to legal defilement 
to sit in company with tax-gatherers and heathens. It 
is certain that those who fear God should not associate, 
through choice, with the workers of iniquity, and 
should only be found with them when transacting their 

109 


John’s dascyples unquire 


A. M. 4031. 
Pees 12 But when Jesus heard that, 


An. Olzmp. he said unto them, They that be 
———— whole need not a physician, but 
they that are sick. 

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, 
11 will have mercy and not sacrifice ; for | am 
not come to call the righteous, ™ but sinners 
to repentance. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


of Jesus about fasting 


14 4 Then came to him the dis- 4, 4031. 
ciples of John, saying, 7 Why do we An. oe 
and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy -- 
disciples fast not ? 

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can ° the 
children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long 
as the bridegroom is with them? but the days 


will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken 


1 Hos. vi. 6; Mic. vi. 6, 7, 8; chap. xii. 7——™1 Tim. i. 15. 


secular business requires it, or when they have the 
prospect of doing good to their souls. 

Verse 12. They that be whole need not a physician] 
A common proverb, which none could either misun- 
derstand or misapply. Of it the reader may make the 
following use :— 

1. Jesus Christ represents himself here as the sove- 
reign Physician of souls. 2. That all stand in need 
of his healing power. 3. That men must acknow- 
ledge their spiritual maladies, and the need they have 
of his mercy, in order to be healed by him. 4. That 
it is the most inveterate and dangerous disease the 
soul can be afflicted with to imagine itself whole, when 
the sting of death, which is sin, has pierced it through 
in every part, infusing its poison every where. 

Verse 13. I will have mercy, and not sacrifice] 
Quoted from 1 Sam. xv. 22. These are remarkable 
words. We may understand them as implying, Ist. 
That God prefers an act of mercy, shown to the ne- 
cessitous, to any act of religious worship to which 
the person might be called at that time. Both are 
good ; but the former is the greater good, and should 
be done in preference to the other. 2dly. That the 
whole sacrificial system was intended only to point 
out the infinite mercy of God to fallen man, in his 
redemption by the blood of the new covenant. And 
Sdly. That we should not rest in the sacrifices, but 
look for the mercy and salvation prefigured by them. 
This saying was nervously translated by our ancestors, 
Ic pylle mildheoncneyre n®&yp onp@ezgoneyye, 1 will mild- 
hearledness, and not sacrifice. 

Go ye and learn] 777) 8¥ tse velimmed, a form of 
speech in frequent use among the rabbins, when they 
referred to any fact or example in the Sacred Writ- 
ings. Nothing tends more to humble pretenders to 
devotion than to show them that they understand 
neither Scripture nor religion, when, relying on ex- 
ternal performances, they neglect love to God and 
man, which is the very soul and substance of true re- 
ligion. True holiness has ever consisted in faith 
working by love. 

Iam not come to call the righteous, but sinners] 
Most of the common editions add, εἰς μετανοιαν, unto 
repentance ; but this is omitted in the Codex Vatic. 
and Beze, sixteen others, both the Syriac, both the 
Persic, Ethiop. Armen. Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, all the 
Itala except three, the Vulgate, Clemens Roman. Ori- 
gen, Basil, Jerome, Augustin, Ambrose, and Barnabas. 
The omission is approved by Mill and Bengel. Gries- 
bach leaves it out of the text. 

Verse 14. Thy disciples fast not 3] Probably mean- 
ing that they did not fast so frequently as the others 

110 


0 Mark ii. 18, &c.; Luke v. 33, &c.; xviii. 12. © John 111. 29. 


did, or for the same purposes, which is very likely, 
for the Pharisees had many superstitious fasts. They 
fasted in order to have lucky dreams, to obtain the 
interpretation of a dream, or to avert the evil import 
of a dream. They also fasted often, in order to ob- 
tain the things they wished for. The tract, Taanith 
is full of these fasts, and of the wonders performed 
thus by the Jewish doctors. 

Verse 15. Can the children of the bride-chamber] 
Νυμῴωνος. Or, νυμφιου, bridegroom, as the Cod. Beze 
and several versions have it. These persons were 
the companions of the bridegroom, who accompanied 
him to the house of his father-in-law when he went 
to bring the bride to his own home. ‘The marriage- 
feast among the Jews lasted seven days; but the new 
married woman was considered to be a bride for thirty 
days. Marriage feasts were times of extraordinary 
festivity, and even of riot, among several people of 
the east. 

When the bridegroom shall be taken from them, &c.] 
There was one annual fast observed in the primitive 
Church, called by our ancestors lencten-peycen, the 
spring fast, and, by us, Lent; by the Greeks τεσσερ- 
axocy, and by the Latins, Quadrigessima. This fast 
is pretended to be kept by many, in the present day, 
in commemoration of our Lord’s forty days’ fast in the 
wilderness ; but it does not appear that, in the purest 
ages of the primitive Church, genuine Christians ever 
pretended that their quadrigessimal fast was kept far 
the above purpose. Their fast was kept merely to 
commemorate the time during which Jesus Christ lay 
under the power of death, which was about Forty 
HouRS; and it was in this sense they understood the 
words of this text : the days will come, ὅσο. With them, 
the bridegroom meant Christ: the time in which he 
was taken away, his crucifixion, death, and the time 
he lay in the grave. Suppose him dying about twelve 
o’clock on what is called Friday, and that he rose 
about four on the morning of his own day, (St. John 
says, Harly, while it was yet dark, chap. xx. 1,) 
the interim makes forty hours, which was the true 
primitive Lent, or guadrigessimal fast. It is true that 
many in the primitive Church were not agreed on this 
subject, as Socrates, in his Church History, book v. 
chap. 22, says, “ Some thought they should fast one 
day; others two; others more.” Different Churches 
also were divided concerning the length of the time, 
some keeping it ¢hree, others five, and others seven 
weeks ; and the historian himself is puzzled to know 
why they all agreed in calling these fasts, differing so 
much in their duration, by the name of Quadrigessima, 
or forty days’ fast: the plain obvious reason appears 

1 


A certain ruler requests 
A.M. 4031. 


4031. from them, and ? then shall they 
An, Olymp. fast. 

16 No man putteth a piece of 
new cloth unto an old garment, for that 
which is put in to fill it up taketh from the 
garment, and the rent is made worse. 

17 Neither do men put new wine into old 
bottles : else the bottles break, and the wine 


P Acts xiii. 2,3; xiv. 23; 1 Cor. vii. 5 ——4 Or, raw, or 
to me to have been simply this: They put pays in the 
place of ours; and this absurdity continues in some 
Christian Churches to the present day. For more on 
fasting, see chap. vi. 16. 

Verse 16. No man putteth a piece of new cloth) 
Oudete de επιβαλλει exiBAnua pakove ayvadou ext ᾿ματιω 
παλαιω. “No man putteth a patch of unscoured cloth 
upon an old garment. This is the most literal transla- 
tion I can give of this verse, to convey its meaning 
to those who cannot consult the original. Paexoc 
ayvagov is that cloth which has not been scoured, or 
which has not passed under the hand of the fuller, 
who is called γναφεὺς in Greek: and επιβλημα sig- 
nifies a piece put on, or what we commonly term a 
patch. 

It—taketh from the garment] Instead of closing up 
the rent, it makes a larger, by tearing away with it 
the whole breadth of the cloth over which it was 
laid; atpec yap το πληρωμα avrov—it taketh its fulness 
or whole breadth from the garment; this I am per- 
suaded is the meaning of the original, well expressed 
by the Latin, or Itala of the C. Bezx, Tollit enim 
plenitudo ejus de vestimento. “It takes away its ful- 
ness from the garment.” 

Verse 17. New wine into old bottles] It is still the 
custom, in the eastern countries, to make their bottles 
of goat skins: if these happened to be old, and new 
wine were put into them, the violence of the fermen- 
tation must necessarily burst them; and therefore 
newly made bottles were employed for the purpose 
of putting that wine in which had not yet gone through 
its state of fermentation. The institutes of Christ, 
and those of the Pharisees, could never be brought to 
accord: an attempt to combine the two systems 
would be as absurd as it would be destructive. The 
old covenant made way for the new, which was its 
completion and its end; but with that old covenant 
the new cannot be incorporated. 

Christian prudence requires that the weak, and 
newly converted, should be managed with care and 
tenderness. To impose such duties and mortifica- 
tions as are not absolutely necessary to salvation, 
before God has properly prepared the heart by his 
grace for them, is a conduct as absurd and ruinous as 
putting a piece of raw, unscoured cloth on an old 
garment ; it is, in a word, requiring the person to do 
the work of a man, while as yet he is but a little child. 
Preachers of the Gospel, and especially those who 
are instruments in God’s hand of many conversions, 
have need of much heavenly wisdom, that they may 
know to watch over guide, and advise those who are 

1 


CHAP. IX. 


Jesus to heal lus daughter, 


runneth out, and the bottles perish: 4,M, 4031. 
but they put new wine into new An. Olymp. 
bottles, and both are preserved. _ 

18 "While he spake these things unto 
them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and 
worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even 
now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon 
her, and she shall live. 


unwrought cloth—* Mark v. 22, &c.; Luke viii. 41, &e. 


brought to a sense of their sin and danger. How 
many auspicious beginnings have been ruined by 
men’s proceeding too hastily, endeavouring to make 
their own designs take place, and to have the honour 
of that suecess themselves which is due only to God. 

Verse 18. A certain ruler] There were two officers 
in the synagogue, NDI9N fin chazan ha-ceneseth, the 
bishop or overseer of the congregation ; and D337 Ws 
rosh ha-ceneseth, the head or ruler of the congregation. 
The chazan takes the book of the Law, and gives it 
to the rosh, or ruler ; and he appoints who shall read 
the different sections, ὅθ. Jairus, who is the person 
intended here, was, in this latter sense, the ruler or 
governor of one of the synagogues, probably at Ca- 
pernaum. See Mark v. 22; Luke vii. 41. 

My daughter is even now dead] Ox, my daughter 
was just now dying ; apzt ετελευτησεν, or, is by this 
time dead: i. e. as Mr. Wakefield properly observes, 
She was so ill when I left home that she must be dead 
by this time. This turn of the expression reconciles 
the account given here with that in Mark and Luke. 
Michaelis conjectures that, in the Hebrew original, the 
words must have stood thus, ΠΠὥ ΠῚ} dtah matah, 
which, without the points, may signify either, She is 
dead, or She is dying. 


To be successful in our applications to God by 


| prayer, four things are requisite ; and this ruler teach- 


es us what they are. 

First, A man should place himself in the presence 
of God—fe came unto him. 

Secondly, He should humble himself sincerely be- 
fore God—he fell down before him—at his feet. Mark 
Vv. 22. 

Thirdly, He should lay open his wants with a holy 
earnestness—he besought him greatly. Mark v. 23. 

Fourthly, He should have unbounded confidence in 
the power and goodness of Christ that his request 
shall be granted—put thy hand upon her, and she shall 
live. He who comes in this way to God, for salva- 
tion, is sure to be heard. Imposition of hands was a 
rite anciently used by the servants of God, through 
which heavenly influences were conveyed to the bodies 
and souls of men. This rite is still used in certain 
Churches ; but, as there is no Holy Ghost communi 
cated by it, some suppose it may be as well omitted. 
But why is this ? Is it not because there is an unfaith- 
fulness in the person who lays on hands, or an unfit- 
ness.in him on whom they are laid? Let the rite be 
restored to its primitive simplicity, and God will own 
it as he formerly did. But, however this may be, 
where is the man or number of men who have autho- 

111 


The women with the 


A.M. 4031. 19. And Jesus arose, and followed 


An. Olymp. him, and so did his disciples. 

20 9s And, behold, a woman 
which was diseased with an issue of blood 
twelve years, came behind him, and touched 
the hem of his garment: 

21 For she said within herself, If I may but 
touch his garment, I shall be whole. 


® Mark v. 25; Luke viii. 43 —t Luke vii. 50; viii. 48 ; xvii. 19; 
Neen τ τ ------ῤ-------ῥ--------αὋ-----ς-΄------ -- 
rity to abrogate a rite οἵ God’s own appointment ἴ 
In the appointment of men to the sacred ministry it 
should never be omitted: even in these degenerate 
days, it may still serve as a sign of the necessity of 
the gifts and graces of that Holy Spirit without which 
no man can fulfil the work of the ministry, or be the 
instrument of saving the souls of them that hear him. 
When the inventions of men are put in the place of 
the ordinances of God, the true Church of Christ is 
in great danger. 

Verse 19. Jesus arose, and followed him] Our 
blessed Lord could have acted as well at a distance as 
vresent ; but he goes to the place, to teach his ministers 
not to spare either their steps or their pains when the 
salvation of a soul is in question. Let them not think 
it sufficient to pray for the sick in their closets; 
but let them go to their bed-sides, that they may in- 
struct and comfort them. He can have little unction 
in private, who does not also give himself up to public 
duties. 

Verse 20. A woman which was diseased with an 
assue of blood] Τυνὴ αἱμοῤῥουσα. Mulier sanguinis 
profluvio laborans. Significatur hoc loco, flucus mulie- 
bris, in SANIS, menstruus ; in HAC perpetuus. It would 
be easy to explain the nature and properties of the 
disease here mentioned ; but, when it is said that pru- 


ST. MATTHEW. 


dence forbids it, the intimation itself may be thought 


sufficiently explanatory of the disorder in question. 
There are some remarkable circumstances relative 
to this case mentioned by St. Mark, chap. v. 25, &c., 
which shall be properly noticed in the notes on that 
place. 

The hem of his garment] The N°3*¥ tsitsith, or 
fringes, which the Jews were commanded to wear 
on their garments. See Num. xv. 38, andthe note there. 

Verse 21. She said within herself, If I may but 
touch his garment] Her disorder was of that delicate 
nature that modesty forbade her to make any public 
acknowledgment of it; and therefore she endeavoured to 
transact the whole business in private. Besides, the 
touch of such a person was bythe law reputed unclean. 
By faith in Christ Jesus, little things are often ren- 
dered efficacious to our salvation. What more simple 
than a morsel of bread, and a few drops of wine, in 
the Lord’s Supper! And yet, they who receive them 
by faith in the sacrifice they represent, are made par- 
takers of the blessings purchased by the crucified body 
and spilled blood of the Lord Jesus! 

Verse 22. Daughter, be of good comfort] Θαρσει 
θυγατερ, Take courage, daughter. See onver. 2. The 
reason of this kind speech was—Jesus, finding that 

112 


assue of blood healed. 


22 But Jesus turned him about, 4,™, 1031. 
and when he saw her, he said, An. Olymp. 
Daughter, be of good comfort; Se 
‘thy faith hath made thee whole. And the 
woman was made whole from that hour. 

23 9% And when Jesus came into the ruler’s 
house, and saw * the minstrels and the people 
making a noise, 


xviii. 42-——" Mark v.38; Luke viii. 51." See 2 Chron. xxxy. 25. 


virtue had proceeded from him, made inquiry who had 
touched him. The woman, finding that she could not 
be hid, came fearing and trembling, (Mark v. 33,) and 
confessed the truth: to dispel these fears and to com- 
fort her mind, Jesus said, Daughter, take courage. 

Thy faith hath made thee whole.| H πιστις cov σεσωκε 
σε, This thy faith hath saved thee: i. 6. thy faith in 
my power has interested that power in thy behalf, so 
that thou art saved from thy disorder, and from all its 
consequences. See on Luke viii. 46. 

Verse 23. Saw the minstrels and the people making 
a noise] Αυλητας, pipers; Anglo-Saxon, hpuiyclenay, 
the whistlers ; Gothic, hbaurngans haurngandans, the 
horn-blowers blowing with their horns. Nearly the 
same as the pipublasara, pipe-blowers of the Islandic : 
for among all those nations funeral lamentations, ac- 
companied with such rude instruments, were made at 
the death of relatives. That pepes were in use among 
the Jews, in times of calamity or death, is evident 
from Jer. xlviii. 36. And among the Greeks, and 
Romans, as well as among the Jews, persons were 
hired on purpose to follow the funeral processions with 
lamentations. See Jer. ix. 17-21; Amos v. 16. 
Even the poorest among the Jews were required to 
have two pipers, and one mourning woman. At these 
funeral solemnities it was usual with them to drink 
considerably ; even ¢en cups of wine each, where it 
could be got. See Lightfoot. This custom is ob- 
served among the native Irish to this day, in what is 
called their Caornan. The body of the deceased, 
dressed in grave-clothes and ornamented with flowers, 
is placed in some eminent place; the relations and 
caoiners range themselves in two divisions, one at the 
head and the other at the feet of the corpse. An- 
ciently, where the deceased was a great personage, 
the bards and croteries prepared the caoinan. The 
chief bard of the head chorus began by singing the first 
stanza in a low doleful tone ; which was softly accom- 
panied by the harp. At the conclusion, the foot semi- 
chorus began the lamentation, or uLLaLoo, from the 
final note of the preceding stanza, in which they were 
answered by the head semichorus; then both united 
in one general chorus. 

The chorus of the first stanza being ended, the 
chief bard of the foot semichorus sung the second 
stanza, the strain of which was taken from the con- 
cluding note of the preceding chorus, which ended, the 
head semichorus began the Got, or lamentation, in 
which they were answered by that of the foot, and 
then, as before, both united in the general full chorus. 
Thus alternately were the song and choruses performed 

1 


The ruler’s daughter 


5.5 5 sleepeth. And they laughed him 
to scorn. 

25 But when the people were put forth, he 
went in, and took her by the hand, and the 
maid arose. 

26 And * the fame hereof went abroad into 
all that land. 

27 Ἵ And when Jesus departed thence, two 


W Acts xx. 10.—* Or, this fame.—~y Chap. xv. 22; 


during the night. I have seen a number of women, 
sometimes fourteen, twenty-four, or more, accompany 
the deceased from his late house to the grave-yard, 
divided into two parties on each side the corpse, sing- 
ing the ULLALOO, alternately, all the way. That drink- 
ing, in what is called the wake, or watching with the 
body of the deceased, is practised, and often carried 
to a shameful excess, needs little proof. This kind 
of intemperance proceeded to such great lengths 
among the Jews that the Sanhedrin were obliged to 
make a decree, to restrain the drinking to ten cups 
each. I mention these things more particularly, be- 
cause I have often observed that the customs of the 
aboriginal Irish bear a very striking resemblance to 
those of the ancient Jews, and other Asiatic nations. 
The application of these observations I leave to 
others. 

It was a custom with the Greeks to make a great 
noise with brazen vessels; and the Romans made a 
general outcry, called conclamatio, hoping either to 
stop the soul which was now taking its flight, or to 
awaken the person, if only in a state of torpor. 'This 
they did for eight days together, calling the person 
incessantly by his name; at the expiration of which 
term the phrase, Conclamatum est—all is over—there 
is no hope—was used. See the words used in this 
sense by Terence, Eun. 1. 347. In all probability 
this was the θορυθουμενον, the making a violent outcry, 
mentioned here by the evangelist. How often, on 
the death of relatives, do men ineumber and perplex 
themselves with vain, worldly, and tumultuous cere- 
monies, instead of making profitable reflections on 
death ! 

Verse 24. The maid is not dead, but sleepeth| That 
is, she is not dead so as to continue under the power 
of death; but shall be raised from it as a person is 
from natural sleep. 

They laughed him to scorn.] Κατεγελωὼν avrov, they 
ridiculed him; from kava, intensive, and yeAaa, Llaugh: 
—they grinned a ghastly smile, expressive of the 
covtempt they felt for his person and knowledge.— 
People of the world generally ridicule those truths 
which they neither comprehend nor love, and deride 
those who publish them; but a faithful minister of God, 
(copying the example of Christ.) keeps on his way, 
and does the work of his Lord and Master. 

Verse 25. He—took her by the hand, and the maid 
arose.| The fountain of life thus communicating its 
vital energy to the dead body. 

Vou. I. {8 


CHAF. IX. 


raised from the dead, ὅ:ο. 
blind men followed him, crying, 4,M; 4931. 


and saying, »Thow son of David, An. Chyaips 
have mercy on us. a 
28 And when he was come into the house, 
the blind men came to him; and Jesus 
saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able 
to do this? They said unto him, Yea, 
Lord. 

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, 
According to your faith be it unto you. 


xx. 30, 31; Mark x. 47, 48; Luke xviii. 38, 39. 


already taken place, no power but that of the great 
God can restore to life; in such a case, vain is the 
help of man. So the soul that is dead in trespasses 
and sins—that is, sentenced to death because of trans- 
gression—and is thus dead in law, can only be restored 
to spiritual life by the mighty power of the Lord Je- 
sus; because He alone has made the atonement, and 
He alone can pardon transgression. If the spiritually 
dead person be utterly unconcerned about the state and 
fate of his soul, let a converted relative either bring 
him to Christ by leading him to hear the unadulterated 
Gospel of the kingdom; or bring Christ to lim by 
fervent, faithful, and persevering prayer. 

Verse 26. And the fame hereof went abroad] In 
this business Jesus himself scarcely appears, but the 
work effected by his sovereign power is fully mani- 
fested ; to teach us that it is the business of a success- 
ful preacher of the Gospel to conceal himself as much 
as possible, that God alone may have the glory of his 
own grace. ‘This is a proper miracle, and a full ex- 
emplification of the unlimited power of Christ. 

Verse 27. Son of David) This was the same as 
if they had called him Messiah. Two things here 
are worthy of remark: Ist. That it was a generally 
received opinion at this time in Judea, that the Mes- 
siah should be son of David. (John vii. 42.) 2Qdly. 
That Jesus Christ was generally and incontestably 
acknowledged as coming from this stock. Matt. xii. 23. 

Have mercy on us.| That man has already a mea- 
sure of heavenly light who knows that he has no 
merit ; that his cry should be a ery for mercy ; that he 
must be fervent, and that in praying he must follow: 
Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, the son of David, 
expected from heaven. 

Verse 28. When he was come into the house] That 
is, the house of Peter at Capernaum, where he ordina- 
rily lodged. 

Believe ye that I am able to do this 2] Without 
faith Jesus does nothing to men’s souls now, no more 
than he did to their bodies in the days of his flesh. 

They said unto him, Yea, Lord.] Under a sense 
of our spiritual blindness we should have, Ist. A lively 
faith in the almighty grace of Christ. 2dly. A fervent, 
incessant cry for the communication of this grace. 
3dly. A proper view of his incarnation, because it is 
through his union with our nature, and by his suffer- 
ings and death, we are to expect salvation. 

Verse 29. According to your faith] See on chap 


Where death has | viii. 13. 


113 


The dumb demoniac healed. 


A. M. 4031. : 
b/s) 80. And their eyes were opened ; 


An. Olymp. and Jesus straitly charged them, 
Gur z See that n know 1. 
saying, 7 See oman 
31 *But they, when they were departed, 
spread abroad his fame in all that country. 
32 9» As they went out, behold, they brought 
to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 
33 And when the devil was cast out, the 
dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, 
saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 
34 But the Pharisees said, ° He casteth out 


2Chap. vili.4; xii. 16; xvii. 9; Luke v. 14——* Mark vii. 
36. bSee chap. xii. 22; Luke xi. 14. © Chap. xii. 24; 
Mark iii. 22; habe xi. 15. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


The sick and diseased restored 


devils through the prince of the 4,™; 431 
devils. 

35 4 And Jesus went about all the 
cities and villages, “ teaching in their syna- 
gogues, and preaching the Gospel of the king 
dom, and healing every sickness and every 
disease among the people. 

36 Ἵ f But when he saw the multitudes, he 
was moved with compassion on them, because 
they £ fainted, and were scattered abroad, ὃ as 
sheep having no shepherd. 


An. Olymp. 
CCL.3. 


ἃ Mark vi. 6; Luke xiii. 22, ε Chap. iv. 23.— Mark vi. 34. 


Verse 30. Straitly charged them] He charged them 
severely, from ἐνεβριμησατο, from ev, and βριμαομαι, to 
roar or storm with anger; he charged them, on pain 
of his displeasure, not to make it as yet public. See 
the reasons, chap. viii. 4. 

Verse 31. But they—spread abroad his fame] 
They should have held their peace; for to obey is 
better than sacrifice, 1 Sam. xv. 22; but man must 
always be wiser than God. However, it may be pro- 
fitable to remark, 1st. That honour pursues those who 
fly from it. 2dly. He who is thoroughly sensible of 
God’s mercy cannot dong contain his acknowledgments. 
3dly. That God in general requires that what a man 
has received, for his own salvation, shall become sub- 
servient to that of others—Let your light so shine, &c. 
God chooses to help man by man, that all may be firmly 
knit together in brotherly love. 

Verse 32. A dumb man possessed with a devil.] 
Some demons rendered the persons they possessed 
paralytic, some blind, others dumb, &c. It was the 
interest of Satan to hide his influences under the ap- 
pearance of natural disorders. A man who does not 
acknowledge his sin to God, who prays not for salva- 
tion, who returns no praises for the mercies he is con- 
tinually receiving, may well be said to be possessed 
with a dumb demon. 

Verse 33. And when the devil was cast out, the 
dumb spake] The very miracle which was now 
wrought was to be the demonstrative proof of the 
Messiah’s being manifested in the flesh. See Isa. 
Χαχν. 5 Gs 

It was never so seen in Israel.| The greatest of the 
prophets has never been able to do such miracles as 
these. This was the remark ol the people; and thus 
we find that the poor and the simple were more ready 
to acknowledge the hand of God than the rich and the 
learned. Many miracles had been wrought in the 
course of this one day, and this excited their surprise. 

Verse 34. He casteth out devils through the prince 
of the devils.| This verse is wanting in both the Greek 
and Latin of the C. Beze, in another copy of the Itala, 
and in Hilary and Juvencus. But see on chap. xii. 24. 

It is a consummate piece of malice to attribute the 
works of God to the devil. Envy cannot suffer the 
approbation which is given to the excellencies of 
others Those whose hearts are possessed by this 

114 


ΞΟΥ, were tired and lay down—*Num. xxvii. 17; 1 Kings 
xxii. 17; Ezek. xxxiv. 5; Zech. x. 2. 
vice speak the very language of the devil. Calwnny 


is but a little distance from envy. Though all persons 
may not have as much envy as the Pharisees, yet they 
should fear having some degree of it, as all have the 
principle from whence it proceeds, viz. sin. 

Verse 35. Jesus went about all the cities and villa- 
ges] Of Galilee. See on chap. iv. 23, 24. A real 
minister of Jesus Christ, after his example, is neither 
detained in one place by a comfortable provision made 
by some, nor discouraged from pursuing his work by 
the calumny and persecution of others. It is proper 
to remark, that, wherever Christ comes, the proofs of 
his presence evidently appear: he works none but 
salutary and beneficial miracles, because his ministry 
is a ministry of salvation. 

Among the people.| Ev τὼ λαω. This clause is 
omitted by about fifly MSS., several of them of the 
first antiquity and authority; by the Complutensian, 
and by Bengel; by both the Syriac, both the Arabic, 
both the Persic; the Ethiopic, Gothic, Saxon, and all 
the Itala, except four. Griesbach has left it out of the 
text. 

Verse 36. Moved with compassion] EorAayyvicn, 
from oxAayyvov, a bowel. The Jews esteemed the 
bowels to be the seat of sympathy and the tender pas- 
sions, and so applied the organ to the sense. 

Exdayyvifoua signifies, says Mintert, “to be moved 
with pity from the very inmost bowels. It is an em- 
phatie word, signifying a vehement affection of com- 
miseration, by which the bowels and especially the 
heart is moved.” Both this verb and the noun seem 
to be derived from ozaw, to draw ; the whole intestinal 
canal, in the peristaltic motion of the bowels, being 
drawn, affected, and agitated with the sight of a dis- 
tressed or miserable object. Pity increases this mo- 
tion of the bowels, and produces considerable pain: 
hence σπλαγχνίζομαι, to have the bowels moved, signi- 
fies to feel pity or compassion at seeing the miseries 
of others. 

They fainted] Instead of εκλελυμενοι, fainted, all 
the best MSS., versions, and fathers, read ἐσκυλμενοι, 
grieved and melancholy. Kypke says σκυλλειν pro- 
perly signifies, to pluck off the hair, as persons do in 
extreme sorrow or distress. The margin says, They 
were tired and lay down. 

And were scattered abroad] Eppiupevor, thrown 

(78% 


The coprousness of the harvest, 


A.M. 4031. 37 Then saith he unto his dis- 


An. Olymp. ciples, ‘ The harvest truly is plen- 
CCL. 3. 
teous, but the labourers are few ; 


iLuke x. 2; John iv. 35. 


down, or, all along. They were utterly neglected as 
to the interests of their souls, and rejected by the proud 
and disdainful Pharisees. This people (οχλος, this 
mob) that knoweth not the law, is accursed, John vii. 
49. Thus those execrable men spoke of the souls 
that God had made, and of whom they should have 
been the instructers. 

Those teachers, in name, have left their successors 
behind them; but, as in the days of Christ, so now, 
God has in his merey rescued the flock out of the 
hands of those who only fed upon their flesh, and 
clothed themselves with their wool. The days in which 
aman was obliged to give his property to what was 
ealled rue Church, for the salvation of his soul, Christ 
being left out of the question, are, thank God, nearly 
over and gone. Jesus is the true Shepherd ; without 
him there is nothing but fainting, fatigue, venation, and 
dispersion. O that we may be led out and in by him, 
and find pasture ! 

Verse 37. The harvest] The souls who are ready 
to receive the truth are very numerous ; but the labour- 
ers are few. There are multitudes of scribes, Phari- 
sees, and priests, of reverend and right reverend men ; 
but there are few that work. Jesus wishes for labour- 
ers, not gentlemen, who are either idle drones, or 
slaves to pleasure and sin, and nati consumere fruges 
τ Born to consume the produce of the soil.” 

It was customary with the Jews to call their rab- 
bins and students reapers ; and their work of instruction, 
the harvest. So in Idra Rabba, s.2. “The days 
are few ; the creditor is urgent ; the crier calls out in- 
cessantly ; and the reapers are few.” And in Pirkey 
Aboth: “The day is short, the work great, the work- 
men idle, the reward abundant, and the master of the 
household is urgent.” In all worldly concerns, if there 
be the prospect of much gain, most men are willing 
enough to labour; but if it be to save their own souls, 
or the souls of others, what indolence, backwardness, 
and carelessness! While their adversary, the devil, is 
going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may 
devour ; and a careless soul, and especially a careless 
minister is his especial prey. 

The place of the harvest is the whole earth: it sig- 
nifies little where a man works, provided it be by the 
appointment, in the Spirit, and with the blessing of God. 

Verse 38. That he will send forth labourers] Ozwe 
ἐκβαλλη epyatac, that he would thrust forth labourers. 
Those who are fittest for the work are generally most 
backward to the employment. The man who is for- 
ward to become a preacher knows little of Goa, of hu- 
man nature, or of his own heart. It is God’s province 
to thrust out such preachers as shall Jadour ; and it is 
our duty to entreat him to do so. A minister of 
Christ is represented as a day-labourer: he comes into 
the harvest, not to become Jord of it, not to live on 
the labour of others, but to work, and to labour his day. 
Though the work may be very severe, yet, to use a 
familiar expression, there is good wages in the harvest- 

1 


CHAP. ΙΧ. 


and the necessity of labourers. 


38 * Pray ye therefore the Lord 4,M, 40) 
of the harvest, that he will send An, Olymp. 
forth labourers into his harvest. 


k2 Thess. iii. 1. 


home; and the day, though hot, is but a short one. 
How earnestly should the ‘flock of Christ pray to the 
good Shepherd to send them pastors after his own 
heart, who will feed them with knowledge, and who 
shall be the means of spreading the knowledge of his 
truth and the savour of his grace over the face of the 
whole earth ! “ 

The subject of fasting, already slightly noticed in 
the preceding notes, should be farther considered. 

In all countries, and under all religions, fasting has 
not only been considered a duty, but also of extraordi- 
nary virtue to procure blessings, and to avert evils. 
Hence it has often been practised with extraordinary 
rigour, and abused to the most superstitious purposes. 
There are twelve kinds of fasts among the Hindoos :— 

1. The person neither eats nor drinks for a day and 
night. This fast is indispensable, and occurs twenty- 
nine times in the year. 

2. The person fasts during the day, and eats at night. 

3. The person eats nothing but fruits, and drinks 
milk or water. 

4. He eats once during the day and night. 

5. Eats one particular kind of food during the day 
and night, but as often as he pleases. 

6. Called Chanderaym, which is, to eat on the first 
day, only one mouthful ; two on the second ; and thus 
continue increasing one mouthful every day for a 
month, and then decreasing a mouthful every day, till 
he leaves off where he began. 

7. The person neither eats nor drinks for twelve days. 

8. Lasts twelve days: the first three days he eats 
a little once in the day; the next three, he eats only 
once in the night ; the next three, he eats nothing, un- 
less it be brought to him; and, during the last three 
days, he neither eats nor drinks. 

9. Lasts fifteen days. For three days and three 
nights, he eats only one handful at night; the next 
three days and nights, he eats one handful if it be 
brought him, if not, he takes nothing. Then he eats 
nothing for three days and three nights. The next 
three days and nights he takes only a handful of warm 
water each day. The next three days and nights he 
takes a handful of warm milk each day. 

10. For three days and nights he neither eats nor 
drinks. He lights a fire, and sits at a door wheze 
there enters a hot wind, which he draws in with his 
breath. 

11. Lasts fifteen days." Three days and three 
nights he eats nothing but leaves ; three days and three 
nights, nothing but the Indian fig; three days and three 
nights, nothing but the seed of ‘the lotus ; three days 
and three nights, nothing but peepul leaves ; three days 
and three nights, the expressed juice of a particular 
kind of grass called doobah. " 

12. Lasts a week. First day he eats milk; se- 
cond, milk-curds; third, ghee, i. e. clarified butter ; 
fourth, cow’s urine; fifth, cow’s dung; sixth, water , 
seventh, nothing. 

115 


The twelve 


During every kind of fast, the person sleeps on the 
ground, plays at no game, has no connection with wo- 
men, neither shaves nor anoints himself, and bestows 
alms each day.—Aveen AKBERY, Vol. ill. p. 247-250. 
How much more simple and effectual is the way of 
salvation taught inthe Brstr! But, because it is /rue, 
it is not credited by fallen man. 

Fastine is, considered by the Mohammedans as an 
essential part of piety. Their orthodox divines term 
it the gate of religion. With them, it is of two kinds, 
voluntary and incumbent ; and is distinguished by the 
Moshman doctors into.three degrees: 1. The refrain- 
ing from every kind of nourishment or carnal indul- 
gence. 2. The restraining the various members from 
every thing which might excite. sinful or corrupt de- 
sires. 3. The abstracting the mind wholly from 
worldly cares, and fixing it exclusively upon God. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


disciples chosen. 


Their great annual fast is kept on the month Ramzan, 
or Ramadhan, beginning at the first new moon, and 
continuing until the appearance of the next; during 
which, it is required to abstain from every kind of 
nourishment from day-break till after sun-set of each 
day. From this observance none are excused but the 
sick, the aged, and children. ‘This is properly the 
Mohammedan Lent. See Hepayau, prel. Dis. p. Ly. 
LVI. 

It is worthy of remark, that these children of the 
Bridegroom, the disciples, did not mourn, were exposed 
to no persecution, while the Bridegroom, the Lord Je- 
sus, was wrth them : but after he had been taken from 
them, by death and his ascension, they did fest and 
mourn ; they were exposed to all manner of hardships, 
persecutions, and even death itself, in some of its worst 
forms. 


CHAPTER X. 


Jesus calls, commissions, and names his twelve disciples, 1—4. 
Mode of preaching, &c., 7-15. 


the objects of their ministry, 5, 6. 
cutions they would have to endure, and the support 


betraying his cause, in order to procure their personal safety, 26-39. 


Gives them particular instructions relatiwe to 
Foretells the afflictions and perse- 
they should receive, 16-25. Cautions them against 
And gives especial promises to those 


who should assist his faithful servants in the execution of their work, 40-42. 


A.M. 4031. Pg ND. when he had called unto 


him his twelve disciples, he 
gave them power ἢ against unclean 
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all man- 
ner of sickness and all manner of disease. 


a Mark iii. 13, 14; vi. 7; Luke vi. 13; ix. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAP. X. 

Verse 1. Twelve disciples] Our Lord seems to 
have had the twelve patriarchs, heads of the congre- 
gation of Israel, in view, in his choosing twelve disci- 
ples. That-he had the plan of the ancient Jewish 
Church in his eye is sufficiently evident from chap. xix. 
28; and from Luke x. 1; xxii. 30; John xvii. 1, &c., 
and Rey. xxi. 12-14. 

He gave them power against unclean spirits] The 
word κατα, against, which our translators have supplied 
in Italic, is found in many MSS. of good note, and in 
the principal versions. Here we find the first call to 
the Christian ministry, and the end proposed by the 
gommission given. ‘To call persons to the ministry 
belongs only to Him who can give them power to cast 
out unclean spirits. He whose ministry is not accom- 
panied with healing to diseased souls, was never called 
of God. But let it be observed, that, though the spi- 
ritual gifts requisite for the ministry must be supplied 
by God himself, yet this does not preclude the import- 
ance of human learning. No man can have his mind 
too well cultivated, to whom a dispensation of the Gos- 
pel is committed. The influence of the Spirit of God 
was no more designed to render human learning use- 
less, than that learning should be considered as super- 
seding the necessity of Divine inspiration. 

Verse 2. Apostles] This is the first place where 

116 


2 Now the names of the twelve 4M Ae) 
apostles are these: The first, Simon, An. Ooi 
* who is called Peter, and Andrew 
his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and 


John his brother ; 


¢ John i. 42. 


> Or, over. 


the word is used. ἀποςολος, an apostle, comes from 
αποςελλω, 7 send a message. The word was anciently 
used to signify a person commissioned by a king to 
negotiate any affair between him and any other power 
or people. Hence αἀποςολοι and κηρῦκες, apostles and 
heralds, are of the satne import in Herodotus. See 
the remarks at the end of chap. iii. 

It is worthy of notice, that those who were Christ’s 
apostles were first his disciples ; to intimate, that men 
must be first taught of God, before they be sent of 
God. Jesus Christ never made an apostle of any man 
who was not first his scholar or disciple. These twelve 
apostles were chosen: 1. "That they might be with 
our Lord, to see and witness his miracles, and hear his 
doctrine. 2. That they might bear testimony of the 
former, and preach his truth to mankind. 

The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew 
his brother; &c.] We are not to suppose that the 
word πρωτος, first, refers to any kind of dignity, as 
some have imagined; it merely signifies the first in 
order—the person first mentioned. A pious man re- 
marks: “God here unites by grace those who were 
before united by nature.” Though nature cannot be 
deemed a step towards grace, yet it is not to be con- 
sidered as always a hinderance to it. Happy the bro- 
thers who are joint envoys of Heaven, and the parents 
who have two or more children employed as ambassa- 

1 


Their names 

A.M4031, 8. -Philip, and Bartholomew ; 

An. Chop. Thomas, and Matthew the publi- 
ate can; James the son of Alpheus, 

and Ticked whose surname was Thad- 

deus ; 

4 “Simon the Canaanite, and Judas ° Isca- 

riot, who also betrayed him. 

5 § These twelve Jesus sent forth, and 


4 Luke vi. 15; Actsi. 13. © John xiii. 26—— Chap. iv. 15. 
See 2 Kings xvii. 24; John iv. 9, 20—— Chap. xv. 24; Acts 


dors for God! But this is a very rare case; and fa- 
mily compacts in the work of the ministry are dan- 
gerous and should be avoided. 

Verse 3. Bartholomew] Many are of opinion that 
this was Nathanael, mentioned John i. 46, whose name 
was probably Nathanael bar Talmai, Nathanael, the 
son of Talmai: here, his own name is repressed, and 
he is called Bar Talmai, or Bartholomew, from his 
Sather. 

Matthew the publican} The writer of this history. 
See the preface. 

James the son of Alpheus] This person was also 
called Cleopas, or Clopas, Luke xxiv. 18; John xix. 
25. He had married Mary, sister to the blessed Vir- 
gin, John xix. 25. 

Verse 4. Simon] He was third son of Alpheus, and 
brother of James and Jude, or Judas, Matt. xiii. 55. 

The Canaanite] This word is not put here to sig- 
aify a particular people, as it is elsewhere used in the 
Sacred Writings; but it is formed from the Hebrew 
3p kana, which signifies zealous, literally translated 
by Luke, chap. vi. 15, ζηλωτης; zelotes, or the zealous, 
probably from his great fervency in preaching the Gos- 
pel of his Master. But see Luke vi. 15. 

Judas Iscariot} Probably from the Hebrew wx 
ΠΥ ish kerioth, a man of Kerioth, which was a city 
in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 25, where it is likely 
this man was born. 

As N1DW® iscara, signifies the qguinsy, or strangula- 
tion, and Judas hanged himself after he had betrayed 
our Lord, Dr. Lightfoot seems inclined to believe that 
he had his name from this circumstance, and that it 
was not given him till after his death. 

Who also betrayed him] Rather, even he who be- 
trayed him, or delivered him up ; for so, I think, 0 και 
παραδους αὐτὸν should be translated. The common 
translation, who atso betrayed him, is very exception- 
able, as it seems to imply, he was betrayed by some 
others, as well as by Judas. 

Verse 5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and com- 
manded| To be properly qualified for a minister of 
Christ, a man must be, 1. filled with the spirit of ho- 
liness ; 2. called to this particular work ; 3. instruct- 
ed in its nature, &e.; and, 4. commissioned to go 
forth, and testify the Gospel of the grace of God. 
These are four different gifts which a man must re- 
ceive from God by Christ Jesus. To these let him 
add all the human qualifications he ean possibly attain ; 
as in his arduous work he will require every gift and 
every grace. 

Go not into the way the Gentiles] Our Leed 


CHAP. X. 


and commission. 


commanded them, saying, Go not 4,™. 4031. 
into the way of the Gentiles, and 4n. ae 
into any city of ®the Samaritans 
enter ye not: 

6 " But go rather to the ‘lost sheep of the 
house of Israel. 

7 * And as ye go, preach, saying, ! The king- 
dom of heaven is at hand. 


xiii. 46.—— Isa, liii. 6; Jer. 1. 6,17; Ezek. xxxiv. 5, 6, 16; 
1 Pet. ii. 25. ——* Luke ix. 2.——! Chap. iii. 2; iv. 17; Luke x. 9. 


only intended that the first offers of salvation should 
be made to the Jewish people; and that the heathen 
should not be noticed in this first mission, that no 
stumbling-block might be cast in the way of the Jews. 

Into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not] The 
Samaritans had afterwards the Gospel preached to them 
by Christ himself, John iv. 4, &c., for the reason as- 
signed above. Such as God seems at first to pass by 
are often those for whom he has designed his greatest 
benefits, (witness the Samaritans, and the Gentiles in 
general,) but he has his own proper time to discover 
and reveal them. 

The history of the Samaritans is sufficiently known 
from the Old Testament. Properly speaking, the in- 
habitants of the city of Samaria should be termed Sa- 
maritans; but this epithet belongs chiefly to the people 
sent into that part of the promised land by Salmanezer, 
king of Assyria, in the year of the world 3283, when 
he carried the Israelites that dwelt there captives be- 
yond the Euphrates, and sent a mixed people, princi 
pally Cuthites, to dwell in their place. These were 
altogether heathens at first; but they afterwards in- 
corporated the worship of the true God with that of 
their idols. See the whole account, 2 Kings xvii. 5, 
ἄς. From this time they feared Jehovah, and served 
other gods till after the Babylonish captivity. From 
Alexander the Great, Sanballat, their governor, obtain 
ed permission to build a temple upon Mount Gerizim, 
which the Jews conceiving to be in opposition to their 
temple at Jerusalem, hated them with a perfect hatred, 
and would have no fellowship with them. The Sa- 
maritans acknowledge the Divine authority of the law 
of Moses, and carefully preserve it in their own cha- 
racters, which are probably the genuine ancient He- 
brew; the character which is now called Hebrew being 
that of the Chaldeans. The Samaritan Pentateuch is 
printed in the London Polyglott, and is an undeniable 
record. A poor remnant of this people is found still 
at Naplouse, the ancient Shechem; but they exist in a 
state of very great poverty and distress, and probably 
will soon become extinct. 

Verse 6. But go rather to the lost sheep, &c.| The 
Jewish Church was the ancient fold of God; but the 
sheep had wandered from their Shepherd, and were 
lost. Our blessed Lord sends these under-shepherds 
to seek, find, and bring them back to the Shepherd and 
Overseer of their souls. 

Verse 7. And as ye go, preach] ‘opevouevor de 
κηρύσσετε, and as you proceed, proclaim like heralds— 
make this proclamation wherever ye go, and while ye 
are journeying. Preach and travel; and, as ye travel 

117 


The apostles were to provide 


A. M. 4031. ae 
Mano 18 Heal the sick, cleanse the 


An. Olymp. lepers, raise the dead, cast out 
CCL 3. : 2 
———. devils: ™ freely ye have received, 

freely give. 
9 »Provide °neither gold, nor silver, nor 
P brass in your purses, 


ST. MATTHEW. 


nothing for their journey 


10 Nor scrip for your journey, 4,M. 1031 
neither two coats, neither shoes, nor An. Olymp. 
yet ‘staves: *for the workman is τως 
worthy of his meat. . 
11 sAnd into whatsoever city or town 


ye shall enter, inquire who in it is wor 


m Acts viii. 18, 20.—"1 Sam. ix. 7; Mark vi. 8; Luke ix. 3; 
x, 4; xxii. 35- © Or, Get. 


preach—proclaim salvation to all youmeet. Wherever 
the ministers of Christ go, they find lost, ruined souls ; 
and, wherever they find them, they should proclaim 
Jesus, and his power to save. For an explanation of 
the word proclaim or preach, see on chap. iii. 1. 

From this commission we learn what the grand 
subject of apostolic preaching was—THE KINGDOM oF 
HEAVEN Is AT HAND! ‘This was the great message. 
“They preached,” says Quesnel, “to establish the 
faith; the kingdom, to animate the hope; of heaven, 
to inspire the love of heavenly things, and the con- 
tempt of earthly; which zs at hand, that men may 
prepare for it without delay.” 

Verse 8. Raise the dead| This is wanting in the 
MSS. marked EKLMS of Griesbach, and in those 
marked BHV of Mathai, and in upwards of one hun- 
dred others. It is also wanting in the Syriac, (Vienna 
edition,) latter Persic, Sahidic, Armenian, Sclavonic, 
and in one copy of the Jtala; also in Athanasius, 
Basil, and Chrysostom. There is no evidence that 
the disciples raised any dead person previously to the 
resurrection of Christ. The words should certainly 
be omitted, unless we could suppose that the authority 
now given respected not only their present mission, 
but comprehended also their future conduct. But that 
our blessed Lord did not give this power to his dis- 
ciples at this time, is, I think, pretty evident from verse 
1, and from Luke ix. 6, 10; x. 19, 20, where, if any 
such power had been given, or exercised, it would 
doubtless have been mentioned. Wetstezn has reject- 
ed it, and so did Griesbach in his first edition; but in 
the second (1796) he has left it in the text, with a 
note of doubtfulness. 

Freely ye have received, freely give.| A rule very 
necessary, and of great extent. A minister or labour- 
er in the Gospel vineyard, though worthy of his com- 
fortable support while in the work, should never preach 
for hire, or make a secular traffie of a spiritual work. 
What a scandal is it for a man to traffic with gifts 
which he pretends, at least, to have received from the 
Holy Ghost, of which he is not the master, but the dis- 
penser. He who preaches to get a living, or to make 
a fortune, is guilty of the most infamous sacrilege. 

Verse 9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, 
in your purses] Eic tac ξωνας yor, in your GIRDLES. 
It is supposed that the people of the east carry their 
money in a fold of their girdles. ‘This is scarcely 
correct : they carry it in a purse in their bosom, under 
their girdles. This I have often observed. 

In a thousand instances an apostolic preacher, who 
goes to the wilderness to seek the lost sheep, will be 
exposed to hunger and cold, and other inconveniences ; 
he must therefore resign himself to God, depending on 

118 


P See Mark vi. 8 14 Gr. a staff: TLuke x.7; 1 Cor. ix. 7, ὅζο. " 
1 Tim. ν. 18.—= Luke x. 8. 


his providence for the necessaries of life. If God have 
sent him, he is bound to suppurt him, and will do it: 
anxiety therefore, in him, is a double crime, as it in- 
sinuates a bad opinion of the Master who has employed 
him. Every missionary should make himself master 
of this subject. 

Have no money in your purse, is a command, obe- 
dience to which was secured by the narrow cirecum- 
stances of most of the primitive genuine preachers of 
the Gospel. Whole herds of friars mendicants have 
professed the same principle, and abandoned themselves 
to voluntary poverty ; but if the money be in the heart 
it is a worse evil. In the former case, it may be a 
temptation to sin; in the latter, it must be ruinous. 

Verse 10. Nor scrip for your journey] To carry 
provisions. This was called 9371 dormil, by the 
rabbins; it was a leathern pouch hung about their 
necks, in which they put their victuals. This was 
properly, the shepherd’s bag. 

Neither two coats, &c.| Nothing to encumber you 

Nor yet staves] Ῥαβδον, a staff, as in the margin, 
but, instead of paZdov, staff, which is the common read- 
ing, all the following MSS. and versions have ραβδους, 
staves, and CEFGKLMPS. V. ninety-three others, 
Coptic, Armenian, latter Syriac, one of the Jtala, 
Chrysostom, and Theophylact. This reading is of 
great importance, as it reconciles this place with Luke 
ix. 3, and removes the seeming contradiction from 
Mark vi. 8; as if he had said: “ Ye shall take no- 
thing to defend yourselves with, because ye are the 
servants of the Lord, and are to be supported by his 
bounty, and defended by his power. In a word, be 
like men in haste, and eager to begin the important 
work of the ministry. The sheep are lost—ruined : 
Satan is devouring them: give all diligence to pluck 
them out of the jaws of the destroyer.” 

The workman is worthy of his meat.| Tye tpodne 
αὐτου, of his maintenance. It is a maintenance, and 
that only, which a minister of God is to expect, and 
that he has a Divine right to; but not to make a for- 
tune, or lay up wealth: besides, it is the workman, he 
that /abours in the word and doctrine, that is to get 
even this. How contrary to Christ is it for a man to 
have vast revenues, as 2 minister of the Gospel, who 
ministers no Gospel, and who spends the revenues of 
the Church to its disgrace and ruin! 

Verse 11. Into whatsoever city or town ye shali 
enter] In the commencement of Christianity, Christ 
and his preachers were all zé¢nerant. 

Inquire who in it ts worthy] That is, of a good cha~ 
racter ; for a preacher of the Gospel should be careful 
of his reputation, and lodge only with those who are 
of a regular life. 

1 


How the disciples should conduct 


AM 4031. thy; and there abide till ye go 
An. Olymp. thence. 

12 And when ye come into a 
house, salute it. 

13 ‘And if the house be worthy, let your 
peace come upon it: “but if it be not worthy, 
let your peace return to you. 

14 ἡ And whosoever shall not receive you, 
nor hear your words, when ye depart out of 


© Luke x. 5. 
x. 10, 11. 


u Psa. xxxv. 13. ¥ Mark vi. 11; Luke ix. 5; 
Ww Neh. v. 13; Acts xiii. 51; xviii. 6. 


CHAP. X. 


themselves in thew preaching. 


that house or city, * shake off the 4,M; 1031. 
dust of your feet. 

15 Verily 1 say unto you, * It shall 
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and 
Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for 
that city. 

16 { ¥ Behold, I send you forth as sheep ir 
the midst of wolves: *be ye therefore wise 
as serpents, and * harmless ἢ as doves. 


* Chap. xi. 22, 24. Ὑ Luke x. 3.——* Rom. xvi. 19 ; Eph. v. 15. 
41 Cor. xiv. 20; Phil. ii. 15-——» Or, simple. 


There abide till ye go thence.| Go not about from 
house to house, Luke x. 7. Acting contrary to this 
precept has often brought a great disgrace on the Gos- 
pel of God. Stay in your own lodging as much as 
possible, that you may have time for prayer and study. 
Seldom frequent the tables of the rich and great; if 
you do, it will unavoidably prove a snare to you. The 
unction of God will perish from your mind, and your 
preaching be only a dry barren repetition of old things; 
the bread of God in your hands will be like the dry, 
mouldy, Gibeonitish crusts, mentioned Josh. ix. 5. 
He who knows the value of time, and will redeem it 
from useless chit-chat, and trifling visits, will find 
enough for all the purposes of his own salvation, the 
cultivation of his mind, and the work of the ministry. 
He to wnom time is not precious, and who lives not 
by -ule, never finds time sufficient for any thing—is 
always embarrassed—always in a hurry, and never 
capable of bringing one good purpose to proper effect. 

Verse 12. Salute rt] λΛεγοντες, εἰρηνηὴ ev τω oko 
τούτω, saying, “ Peace be to this house.” This clause, 
which, as explanatory of the word aczacacée, is neces- 
sary to the connection in which it now stands, is added, 
by the MSS. D and L, and forty-three others, the Ar- 
menian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, Saxon, Vulgate, all the 
copies of the old Itala, Theophylact, and Hilary. The 
clause is also found in several modern versions. The 
modern Greek has λέγοντες εἰρηνὴ εἰς TO σκηπτι τοῦτο. 
The Italian, by Matthew, of Erberg, and of Diodati, 
renders it thus: Pace sia a questa casa. Peace be to 
this house. 

It is found also in Wirckliff, and in my old MS. 
Sevinge, pees he to this hous. Some suppose it is an 
addition taken from Luke ; but there is nearly as much 
reason to believe he took it from Matthew. 

Peace, nw, among the Hebrews, had a very ex- 
tensive meaning :—it comprehended all blessings, spirit- 
ual and temporal. Hence that saying of the rabbins, 
2 ayddD maar Saw ody 5173 Gadal shalom, shecol 
haberacoth culoloth bo. Great is PEACE, for all 
other blessings are comprehended in it. To wish 
peace to a family, in the name and by the authority 
of Christ, was in effect a positive promise, on the 
Lord's side, of all the good implied in the wish. This 
was paying largely even beforehand. Whoever re- 
ceives the messengers of God into his house confers 
the highest honour upon Aimself, and not upon the 
preacher, whose honour is from God, and who comes 
with the blessings of life eternal to that man and his 
family who receives him. 

1 


In India, it is customary for a way-faring man, 
when night draws on, to enter a house, and simply 
say, “Sir, I am a guest with you this night.” If the 
owner cannot lodge him, he makes an apology, and 
the traveller proceeds to another house. 

Verse 13. If that house be worthy] If that family 
be proper for a preacher to lodge in, and the master 
be ready to embrace the message of salvation. 

Your peace] ‘The blessings you have prayed for 
shall come upon the family: God will prosper them 
in their bodies, souls, and substance. 

But if it be not worthy] As above explained. 

Let your peace] ‘The blessings prayed for, return 
to you. Προς τυμας exicpadyta, it shall turn back upon 
yourselves. They shall get nothing, and you shall 
have an increase.. 

The trials, disappointments, insults, and wants of 
the followers of Christ become, in the hand of the all- 
wise God, subservient to their best interests: hence, 
nothing can happen to them without their deriving 
profit from it, unless it be their own fault. 

Verse 14. Shake off the dust of your feet.| The 
Jews considered themselves defiled by the dust of a 
heathen country, which was represented by the pro- 
phets as a polluted land, Amos vii. 17,when compared 
with the land of Israel, which was considered as a holy 
land, Vizek. xlv. 1; therefore, to shake the dust of any 
city of Israel from off one’s clothes or feet was an 
emblematical action, signifying a renunciation of all 
farther connection with them, and placing them on a 
level with the cities of the Heathen. See Amos ix. 7. 

Verse 15. In the day of judgment] Or, punishment, 
—xpisewc. Perhaps not meaning the day of general 
judgment, nor the day of the destruction of the Jewish 
state by the Romans ; but a day in which God should 
send punishment on that particular city, or on that 
person, for their crimes. So the day of judgment of 
Sodom and Gomorrah, was the time in which the 
Lord destroyed them by fire and brimstone, from the 
Lord out of heaven. 

If men are thus treated for not receiving the 
preachers of the Gospel, what will it be to despise the 
Gospel itself{—to decry it—to preach the contrary— 
to hinder the preaching of it—io abuse those who do 
preach it in its purity—or to render it fruitless by 
calumnies and lies? Their punishment, our Lord in- 
timates, shall be greater than that inflicted on the 
inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah ! 

Verse 16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep m the 
midst of wolves} He who is called to preach the 

119 


Ihe apostles forewarned 


A.M. 4031. 17 But beware of men: for © they 


An, Olymp. will deliver you up to the councils, 
and ‘they will scourge you in their 
synagogues : 


© Chap. xxiv. 9; Mark xiii. 9; Luke xii. 11; xxi. 12. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


of approaching persecution 


18 And ‘ye shall be brought 4,M, 4031. 
before governors and kings for my Aa. Oymp. 
sake, for a testimony against them ἘΞ 
and the Gentiles. 


4 Acts v. 40. 


6 Acts xii. 1; xxiv.10; xxv. 7, 23; 2'Tim. iv. 16, 


Gospel is called to embrace a state of constant 
labour, and frequent suffering. He who gets ease 
and pleasure, in consequence of embracing the minis- 
terial office, neither preaches the Gospel, nor is sent 
of God. Ifhe did the work of an evangelist, wicked 
men and demons would both oppose him. 

Wise (φρονιμοι prudent) as serpents, and harmless 
as doves.| This is a proverbial saying: so in Shir 
hashirim Rabba, fol. 16, ‘The holy blessed God said 
to the Israelites, Ye shall be towards me as upright 
as the doves ; but, towards the Gentiles, as cunning as 
serpents.” 

There is a beauty in this saying which is seldom 
observed. The serpent is represented as prudent to 
excess, being full of cunning, Gen. iii. 1; 2 Cor. xi. 3; 
and the dove is simple, even to stupidity, Hos. vii. 
11; but Jesus Christ corrects here the cunning of the 
serpent, by the simplicity of the dove; and the too 
great simplicity of the dove, by the cunning of the 
serpent. For a fine illustration of this text, see the 
account of the Boiga :— 

“This species is remarkanly beautiful, compining 
the richest colours of the finest gems with the 
splendour of burnished gold, mingled with dark brown 
shades, which contrast and heighten its brilliant or- 
naments. The whole under surface of the head and 
body is of a silver white, separated from the chang- 
ing blue of the back by a golden chain on each side, 
the whole length of the body. This fine blue and 
silver, ornamented with gold, by no means give a full 
idea of the beautiful embroidery of the boiga. We 
must take in all the reflected tints of silver colour, 
golden yellow, red, blue, green, and black, mingled, 
and changing in the most extraordinary and beautiful 


manner possible; so that, when about to change its 
skin, it seems studded with a mixed assemblage of dia- 
monds, emeralds, topazes, sapphires, and rubies, under 
a thin transparent veil of bluish crystal. Thus, in 
the rich and torrid plains of India, where the most 
splendid gems abound, nature seems to have chosen 
to reunite them all, together with the noble metals, 
to adorn the brilliant robe of the boiga. This is one 
of the most slender of serpents in proportion to its 
length. The specimens in the royal collection, which 
exceed three feet in length, are hardly a few lines in 
diameter. The tail is almost as long as the body, 
and at the end is like a needle for fineness ; yet it is 
sometimes flattened above, below, and on the two 


sides, rendering it in some measure square. From 
the delicacy of its form, its movements are neces- 
sarily extremely agile; so that, doubling itself up 
several times, it can spring to a considerable distance, 
with great swiftness. It can twine and twist itself, 
most readily, and nimbly, around trees or other such 
bodies ; climbing, or descending, or suspending itself, 
with the utmost facility. The boiga feeds on small 
birds, which it swallows very easily, notwithstanding | 
120 


the small diameter of its body, in consequence of the 
great distensibility of its jaws, throat, and stomach, 
common to it with other serpents. It conceals itself 
under the foliage of trees, on purpose to surprise the 
small birds, and is said to attract them by a peculiar 
kind of whistling, to which the term of song has been 
applied; but we must consider this as an exaggera- 
tion, as its long divided tongue, and the conforma- 
tion of its other organs of sound, are only adapted 
for producing a hiss, or species of simple whistle, in- 
stead of forming a melodious assemblage of tones. 
Yet, if nature has not reckoned the boiga among the 
songsters of the woods, it seems to possess a more 
perfect instinct than other serpents, joined to more 
agile movements, and more magnificent ornament. 
In the isle of Borneo, the children play with the 
boiga, without the smallest dread. They carry it in 
their hands, as innocent as themselves, and twist it 
about their necks, arms, atd bodies, in a thousand 
directions. This circumstance brings to recollection 
that fine emblem of Candour and Confidence ima- 
gined by the genius of the ancients: a child smiling 
on a snake, which holds him fast in his convolutions. 
But, in that beautiful allegory, the snake is supposed 
to conceal a deadly poison; while the boiga returns 
caress for caress to the Indian children who fondle 
it, and seems pleased to be twisted about their deli- 
eate hands. As the appearance of such nimble and 
innocent animals in the forests must be extremely 
beautiful, displaying their splendid colours, and 
gliding swiftly from branch to branch, w..hout pos- 
sessing the smallest noxious quality, we might regret 
that this species should require a degree of heat 
greatly superior to that of our regions, and that it 
can only subsist near the tropics, in Asia, Africa, and 
America. It has usually a hundred and sixty-six 
large plates, and a hundred and twenty-eight pairs 
of small plates, but is subject to considerable variation. 

“ According to this representation, the boiga is not 
merely to be praised for its beauty, but may be said 
to fulfil the old maxim of combining the wisdom of the 
serpent with the harmlessness of the dove.” Cepede’s 
Hist. of Oviparous Quadrupeds and Serpents. 

Instead of axepacot, harmless, or as the Etymol. Mag. 
defines it, without mixture of evil, the Cod. Beze 
reads arAovoratot, semple—uncompounded,—so all the 
copies of the old Ttala, the Vulgate, and the Latin 
fathers ; but this curious and explanatory reading is 
found in no other Greek MS. 

Verse 17. But beware of men] Or, be on your 
guard against men, τῶν ανθρωπὼν THESE Men; 1. 6. 
your countrymen; those from whom you might have 
reasonably expected comfort and support; and es 
pecially those in power, who will abuse that power te 
oppress you. 

Councils] Συνεδοια, sanhedrins and synagogues 
See on chap. v. 99. “ By synagogues we inay under. 

i 


Directions jor confidence 


A. M4031. 19 ‘But when they deliver you 
Ἢ Givmp. up, take no thought how or what 
——— ye shall speak: for Fit shall be 
given you in that same hour, what ye shall 
speak : 

20 "For it is not ye that speak, but the 
Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 
21 ‘And the brother shall deliver up the 
brother to death, and the father the child: and 


the children shall rise up against thezr parents, 


f Mark xiii. 11, 12, 13; Luke xii. 11; xxi. 14, 15.——s Exod. 
iv. 12; Jer. 1. 7. h2 Sam. xxiii. 2; Acts iv.8; vi. 10; 2 Tim. 
lv. 17.— Mic. vii. 6; ver. 35, 36; Luke xxi. ἰο. 


stand here, not the places of public worship, but as- 
semblies where ¢hree magistrates, chosen out of the 
principal members of the synagogue, presided to 
adjust differences among the people: these had power, 
in certain cases, to condemn to the scourge, but not to 
death. See Acts xxii. 19; 2 Cor. xi. 24, compa- 
red with Luke xii. 11.” See Lightfoot. 

Verse 18. Ye shall be brought before governors, &c.] 
“This affords a striking proof of the prescience of 
Christ. Who could have thought, at that time, that 
these despised and literate men could excite so much 
attention, and be called upon to apologize for the pro- 
fession of their faith before the tribunals of the most 
illustrious personages of the earth?” Wakefield. 

By governors and kings we may understand, the 
Roman proconsuls, governors of provinces, and the 
kings who were tributary to the Roman government, 
and the emperors themselves, before whom many of 
the primitive Christians were brought. 

For a testimony against them and the Gentiles.] 
That is, to render testimony, both to Jews and Gen- 
tiles, of the truth and power of my Gospel. 

Verse 19. Take no thought how or what ye shall 
speak| My μεριμνησετε----Π 6 not anxiously careful, 
because such anxiety argues distrust in God, and in- 
fallibly produces a confused mind. In such a state, 
no person is fit to proclaim or vindicate the truth. 
This promise, Jt shall be given you, &c., banishes all 
distrust and inquietude on dangerous occasions; but 
without encouraging sloth and negligence, and with- 
out dispensing with the obligation we are under to 
prepare ourselves by the meditation of sacred truths, 
by the study of the Holy Scriptures, and by prayer. 

It shall be given you in that same hour what] This 
clause is wanting inthe MSS. D and L, and several 
others, some versions, and several of the fathers ; but 
it is found in Mark xiii. 11, without any various read- 
ing; and in substance in Luke xi. 13. 

Verse 20. For it is—the Spirit of your Father, 
&c.] This was an extraordinary promise, and was 
literally fulfilled to those first preachers of the Gospel; 
and to them it was essentially necessary, because the 
New Testament dispensation was to be fully opened 
by their extraordinary inspiration. In a certain mea- 
sure, it may be truly said, that the Holy Spirit ani- 
mates the true disciples of Christ, and enables them 
to speak. The Head speaks in his members, by his 

1 


CHAP. X. 


an God wm ther trials. 


A. Μ᾿ 403 
and cause them to be put to 4,M. 403 
death. An. Olymp. 
CCL3. 


22 And * ye shall be hated of all 
men for my names sake : ' but he that end - 
eth to the end shall be saved. 

23 But ™ when they persecute you in this 
city, flee ye into another: for verily I say 
unto you, Ye shall not "have gone over the 
cities of Israel, °till the Son of man he 
come. 


k Luke xxi. 17——! Dan. xii. 12, 13 ; chap. xxiv. 13 ; Mark xiii. 
13.——® Chap. ii. 13 ; iv. 12; xii. 15; Acts viii. 1; ix. 25; xiv. 6. 
ἃ Or, end, or, finish. © Chap. xvi. 28. 


Spirit ; and it is the province of the Spirit of God to 
speak for God. Neither surprise, defect of talents, 
nor even ignorance itself, could hurt the cause of God, 
in the primitive times, when the hearts and minds of 
those Divine men were influenced by the Holy Spirit. 

Your Father] This is added to excite and increase 
their confidence in God. 

Verse 21. And the brother shall deliver up the 
brother, &c.| What an astonishing enmity is there 
in the soul of man against God and goodness! That 
men should think they did God service, in putting to 
death those who differ from them in their political or 
religious creed, is a thing that cannot be accounted for 
but on the principle of an indescribable depravity. 


O shame to men! devil with devil damn’d 
Firm concord holds, men only disagree 
Of creatures rational; though under hope 
Of heavenly grace ; and, God proclaiming peace, 
Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife 
Among themselves, and levy cruel wars, 
Wasting the earth, each other to destroy ! 
Par. Lost, b. ii. 1. 496. 


Verse 22. Ye shall be hated of all men for my 
name’s sake] Because ye are attached to me, and 
saved from the corruption that is in the world; there- 
fore the world will hate you. ‘The laws of Christ 
condemn a vicious world, and gall it to revenge.” 

He that endureth to the end shall be saved| He 
who holds fast faith and a good conscience to the end, 
till the punishment threatened against this wicked 
people be poured out, he shall be saved, preserved 
from the destruction that shall fall upon the workers 
of iniquity. This verse is commonly understood to 
refer to the destruction of Jerusalem. Τ is also true 
that they who do not hold fast faith and a good con- 
science till death have no room to hope for an admis- 
sion into the kingdom of God. 

Verse 23. But when they persecute you] It is 
prudence and humility (when charity or righteousness 
obliges us not to the contrary) to avoid persecution. 
To deprive those who are disposed to do evil of the 
opportunities of doing it; to convey the grace which 
they despise to others; to accomplish God’s designs 
of justice on the former, and of mercy on the latter 
are consequences of the flight of a persecuted preach- 
er. This flight is a precept to those who are highly 

121 


The disciple is nor 

A M4031. 24 » The disciple is not above his 

An. Olymp. master, nor the servant above his 
CCL. 3. lord 


25 It is enough for the disciple that he be 


ST. MATTHEW. 


above his master. 


as his master, and the servant as his ἀν δ΄. 4031 
lord. If « they have called the mas- An. ee 
ter of the house * Beelzebub, how = 


much more shall they call them of his household? 


p Luke vi. 40; John xiii. 16; xv. 20——a Chap. xii. 24; 


Mark iii. 22; Luke xi. 15; John viii. 48, 52——" Gr. Beelzebul. 


necessary to the Church of Christ, an advice to those 
who might imprudently draw upon themselves perse- 
cution, and of indulgence for those who are weak.— 
But this flight is highly criminal in those mercenary 
preachers who, through love to their flesh and their 
property, abandon the flock of Christ to the wolf. See 
Quesnel. 

In this city, flee ye into another] There is a re- 
markable repetition of this clause found in the MSS. 
DL and eight others; the Armenian, Saxon, all the 
Ttala except three; Athan., Theodor., Tertul., Au- 
gust., Ambr., Hilar., and Juvencus. Bengel, in his 
gnomon, approves of this reading. On the above au- 
thorities Griesbach has inserted it in the text. It 
probably made a portion of this Gospel as written by 
Matthew. The verse in the MSS. is as follows :— 
But when they shall persecute you in this city, flee 
ye into another; and if they persecute in the other, 
flee ye unto another. 

Ye shall not have gone over (ended or finished, 
margin) the cities, &c.] The word τελεσητε here is 
generally understood as implying ¢o go over or through, 
intimating that there should not be time for the dis- 
ciples to travel over the cities of Judea before the de- 
struction predicted by Christ should take place. But 
this is very far from being the truth, as there were 
not less than forty years after this was spoken, before 
Jerusalem was destroyed : τελείων καὶ μανθαναντῶν are 
used by the Septuagint, 1 Chron. xxv. 8, for those who 
teach and those who learn. And τοῖς τελείοις is used 
by the apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 6, for those who are per- 
fectly instructed in the things of God. Ovid has 
used the Latin perficio, which answers to the Greek 
τελείοω in exactly the same sense. 


Phillyrides puerum cithara perfecit Achillem. 


“ Chiron Tavent the young Achilles to play on the 
harp.” For these reasons some contend that the pas- 
sage should be translated, Ye shall not have 1Nstruct- 
ED, i. e. preached the Gospel in the cities of Israel, 
tll the Son of man be come. The Greek divines call 
baptism τελείωσις or initiation. See Leigh. Crit. sacr. 
Fait. Amst. p. 326, 328. 

Dr. Lightfoot supposes the meaning to be: “ Ye 
shall not have travelled over the cities of Israel, preach- 
ing the Gospel, before the Son of man is revealed by 
his resurrection, Rom. i. 4; compare Acts iii. 19, 20, 
and v. 26. To you first, God, raising up his Son, 
sent him to bless you, &c. The epoch of the Messiah 
is dated from the resurrection of Christ.” After all, 
the place may be unaerstood literally ; for teAew rac 
πολεις, to finish the cities, is only a concise mode of 
speech, for teAew odov δια τας πολεις, to complete the 
journey through the cities. To finish the survey, to 
preach in every one :—tzll the Son of man be come, 
may refer either to the outpouring of the Spirit on the 

122 


day of pentecost, or to the subversion of the Jewish 
state. See Rosenmuller. 

Verse 24. The disciple is not above his master] 
Or in plainer terms, A scholar is not above his teacher. 
The saying itself requires no comment, its truth and 
reasonableness are self-evident, but to the spirit and 
design we should carefully attend. Jesus is the great 
teacher : we profess to be his scholars. He who keeps 
the above saying in his heart will never complain of 
what he suffers. How many irregular thoughts and 
affections is this maxim capable of restraming! A 
man is not a scholar of Christ unless he learn his doc- 
trine ; and he does not learn it as he ought unless he 
put it in practice. 

Verse 25. It is enough for the disciple that he be 
as his master] Can any man who pretends to be a 
scholar or disciple of Jesus Christ, expect to be treated 
well by the world? Will not the world love its own, 
and them only2 Why, then, so much impatience 
under sufferings, such an excessive sense of injuries, 
such delicacy? Can you expect any thing from the 
world better than you receive? If you want the ho- 
nour that comes from it, abandon Jesus Christ, and it 
will again receive you into its bosom. But you will, 
no doubt, count the cost before you do this. Take 
the converse, abandon the love of the world, &c., and 
God will receive you. 

Beelzebub| This name is variously written in the 
MSS. Beelzeboul, Beelzeboun, Beelzebud, but there is 
a vast majority in favour of the reading Beelzebul, 
which should, by all means, be insegted in the text in- 
stead of Beelzebub. See the reasons below, and see 
the margin. 

Tt is supposed that this idol was the same with by3 
2121 Baalzebub the god fly, worshipped at Ekron, 
2 Kings i. 2, &c., who had his name changed after- 
wards by the Jews to 27 993 Baal zebul, the dung 
god, a title expressive of the utmost contempt. It 
seems probable that the worship of this vile 140] con- 
tinued even to the time of our Lord; and the title, 
being applied by the Jews to our blessed Lord, af- 
fords the strongest proof of the inveteracy of their 
malice. 

Dr. Lightfoot has some useful observations on this 
subject, which I shall take the liberty to subjoin. 

‘ For the searching out the sense of this horrid blas- 
phemy, these things are worthy observing. 

“JT. Among the Jews it was held, in a manner, 
for a matter of religion, to reproach idols, and to give 
them odious names. R. Akibah saith, Idolatry pol- 
lutes, as it is said, Thou shalt cast away the (idol) 
as something that is abominable, and thou shalt say 
to it, Get thee hence. (Esaias xxx. 22.) R. Lazar 
saith, Thou shalt say to it, Get thee hence : that which 
they call the face of God, let them call the face of a 
dog. That which they call DID }\y ein cos, the FOUN- 

1 


We should fear God 


26 Fear them not therefore : ὅ for 


not be revealed; and hid that shall 

not be known. 
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak 
ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, 


* Mark iv. 22; Luke viii. 17; xii. 2, 3. 


TAIN OF A cup, let them call Vp py ein kuts, the 
FOUNTAIN OF ToIL (or of flails.) That which they 
call ΤῊ gediyah, rorrwne, let them call x" geliya, 
a sTINK, &c.- That town which sometimes was called 
Bethel, was afterwards called Bethaven. See also 
the tract Schabbath. 

“TI. Among the ignominious names bestowed upon 
idols, the general and common one was S)a1 Zebul, 
DUNG, ora DUNGHILL. ‘ Hven to them that have stretched 
out their hands 9)2i2 bezebul in a dunghill, (that is, 
in an idol temple, or in idolatry,) there is hope. Thou 
canst not bring them (into the Church) because they 
have stretched forth their hands bezebul, in a dung- 
hill. But yet you cannot reject them, because they 
have repented.’ And a little after, He that sees them 
dunging, poara, (that is, sacrificing,) to an idol, let 
him say, Cursed be he that sacrifices to a strange god. 
Let them, therefore, who dare, form this word in 
Matthew into Beelzebub. Tam so far from doubting 
that the Pharisees pronounced the word BEELZEBUL, 
and that Matthew so wrote it, that I doubt not but the 
sense fails if it be writ otherwise. 

“II. Very many names of evil spirits, or devils, 
occur in the Talmud, which it is needless here to 
mention. Among all the devils, they esteemed that 
devil the worst, the foulest, as it were, the prince of 
the rest, who ruled over the idols, and by whom ora- 
eles and miracles were given forth among the Hea- 
thens and idolaters. And they were of this opinion 
for this reason, because they held idolatry, above all 
other things, chiefly wicked and abominable, and to 
be the prince and head of evil. This demon they 
ealled 5)33 $2 Baal-zebul, not so much by a proper 
hame, as by one more general and common; as much 
as to say, the lord of idolatry: the worst devil, and 
the worst thing: and they called him the prince of 
devils, because idolatry is the prince (or chief) of 
wickedness.” 

Verse 26. Fear them not] A general direction to 
all the persecuted followers of Christ. Fear them not, 
for they can make you suffer nothing worse than they 
have made Christ suffer; and under all trials he has 
promised the most ample support. 


For there is nothing covered, &c.] God sees every | 


thing: this is consolation to the upright, and dismay 
to the wicked ; and he will bring into judgment every 
work, and every secret thing, whether good or bad. 
Keel. xii. 14. : 

Verse 27. What I tell you in darkness] A man 
ought to preach that only which he has learned from 
God’s Spirit, and his testimonies ; but let him not pre- 
tend to bring forth any thing new, or mysterious. There 
is nothing that concerns our salvation that is newer 

ie | 


CHAP. X. 


rathe> than man 


_ A.M. 4031 
that preach ye upon the house Wy ie: 
tops. An. Olymp. 

Ρ ὍΘΙ 3. 


28 *And fear not them which 
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: 
but rather fear him which is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell. 


1158. ili. 12, 13; Luke xii. 4; 1 Pet. iii. 14. 


than the new covenant ; and in that there are, properly 
speaking, no mysteries: what was secret before is 
now made manifest in the Gospel of the ever-blessed 
God. See Eph. iii. 1-12. 

What ye hear in the ear] The doctor who explained 
the law in Hebrew had an interpreter always by him, 
in whose ears he softly whispered what he said ; this 
interpreter spoke aloud what had been thus whispered 
to him. Lightfoot has clearly proved this in his Hore 
Talmudice, and to this custom our Lord here evidently 
alludes. The spirit of our Lord’s direction appears 
to be this: whatever I speak to you is for the benefit 
of mankind,—keep nothing from them, declare ex- 
plicitly the whole counsel of God ; preach ye, («npufare 
proclaim,) on the house-tops. The houses in Judea 
were flat-roofed, with a ballustrade round about, 
which were used for the purpose of taking the air, 
prayer, meditation, and it seems, from this place, for 
announcing things in the most public manner. As there 
are no bells among the Turks, a crier proclaims all times 
of public worship from the house-tops. Whoever will 
give himself the trouble to consult the following scrip- 
tures will find a variety of uses to which these house- 
tops were assigned. Deut. xxii. 8; Josh. ii. 6; Judg. 
ix. 51; Neh. viii. 16; 2 Sam. xi. 2; 2 Kings xxiii. 
12; Isa. xv. 3; Jer. xxxii. 29, and Acts x. 9. 

Lightfoot thinks that this may be an allusion to that 
custom, when the minister of the synagogue, on the 
Sabbath eve, sounded with a trumpet six times, upon 
the roof of a very high house, that from thence all 
might have notice of the coming in of the Sabbath. 
The first blast signified that they should leave off their 
work in the field: the second that they should cease 
from theirs in the city : the ¢hird that they should light 
the Sabbath candle, &e. 

Verse 28. Fear not them which kill the body] Tov 
αποκτεινοντων. Those who slay with acts of cruelty, 
alluding probably to the cruelties which persecutors 
should exercise on his followers in their martyrdom. 
But are not able to kill the soul. Hence we find that 
the body and the soul are distinct principles, for the 
body may be slain and the soul escape ; and, secondly, 
that the soul is immaterial, for the murderers of the 
body are not able, μη δυναμενων, have it not in their 
power, to injure it. 

Fear him] It is not hell-fire we are to fear, but it 
is God; without the stroke of whose justice hell 
itself would be no punishment, and whose frown 
would render heaven itself insupportable. What strange 
blindness is it to expose our souls to endless ruin, 
which should enjoy God eternally; and to save and 
pamper the body, by which we enjoy nothing but the 
creatures, and them only for a moment! 

123 


The necessity of faithfulness 


A.M. 4031. 99 Are not two sparrows sold for a 


An, Olymp. ἃ farthing? and one of them shall not 
OSs _ fall onthe ground without your Father. 
30 ¥ But the very hairs of your head are all 
numbered. 
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more 


value than many sparrows. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


in the cause of Chrast. 


A. M. 4031, 
32 τ Whosoever therefore shall ἂν δα aS 


confess me before men, * him will I An. Olymp. 
confess also before my Father which ————— 
is in heaven. 

33 ¥ But whosoever shall deny me before 
men, him will I also deny before my Father 
which is in heaven. 


os It ‘is in value half penny farthing in the original, as 
being the tenth part of the Roman penny. See on chap. 
xviii. 28. 


v1 Sam. xiv. 45; 2 Sam xiv. 11; Luke xxi. 18; Acts xxvii 
34. w Luke xii. 8; Rom. x. 9, 10. x Rev. 111, 5——Y Mark 
viii. 38; Luke ix. 26; 2 Tim. ii. 12. 


Verse 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a far- 
thing 2] Accapiov. A Roman as was one-tenth of a 
DENARIUS, Which was about sevenpence-halfpenny, and 
one-tenth of sevenpence-halfpenny makes just three 
Sfarthings. 

The word accapiov, which we translate farthing, is 
found among the rabbins in the word 1D°p aisar, which, 
according to Maimonides, is equal to four grains of 
silver, but is used among them to express a thing of 
the lowest, or almost no value. Our Lord seems to 
have borrowed the expression, One of them shall not 
fall on the ground, &c., from his own countrymen. In 
Bereshith Rabba, sec. 79, fol. 77, it is said: In the 
time in which the Jews were compelled to apostatize, 
Rab. Simeon, Ben. Jochai, and Eliezer his son hid 
themselves in a cave, and lived upondry husks. After 
thirteen years they came out; and, sitting at the mouth 
of the cave, they observed a fowler stretching his 
nets to catch birds; and as often as the Bath Kol 
said 012° dimos, escape ! the bird escaped ; but when 
it said Ndyp2d spicula, a dart, the bird was taken. 
‘Then the rabbin said, Even a bird is not taken without 
Heaven, i. e. without the will of God, how much less 
the life of man! The doctrine intended to be incul- 
cated is this: The providence of God extends to the 
minutest things ; every thing is continually under the 
government and care of God, and nothing oceurs 
without his will or permission; if then he regards 
sparrows, how much more man, and how much more 
still the soul that trusts in him! 

Fall on the ground] Instead of ἐπὶ τὴν γην, Origen, 
Clement, Chrysostom, Juvencus, and six MSS. of 
Mathai, read εἰς τὴν παγιδα, into a snare. Bengel con- 
jectures that it might have been written at first, ἐπὶ 
την παγην ; that the first syllable πὰ being lost out of 
the word, γην, the earth, instead of παγην, snare, be- 
came the common reading. 

Without your Father.] Without the will of your 
Father : τῆς βουλης, the will or counsel, is added here 
by Origen, Coptic, all the Arabic, latter Persic, Gothic, 
all the Itala except two ; Tert., Iren., Cypr., Novatian, 
and other Latin fathers. If the evidence be consi- 
dered as insufficient to entitle it to admission into the 
tert, let it stand there as a supplementary ztalic 
word, necessary to make the meaning of the place 
evident. 

All things are ordered by the counsel of God. This 
is a great consolation to those who are tried and 
afflicted. The belief of an all-wise, all-directing 
Providence, is a powerful support under the most 
grievous accidents of life. Nothing escapes his mer- 
eiful regards, not even the smallest things of which 

124 


he may be said to be only the creator and preserver ; 
how much less those of whom he is the Father, Saviour, 
and endless felicity! See on Luke xii. 7. 

Verse 30. But the very hairs of your head are all 
numbered.| Nothing is more astonishing than the care 
and concern of God for his followers. The least cir- 
cumstances of their life are regulated, not merely by 
that general providence which extends to all things, 
but by a particular providence, which fits and directs 
all things to the design of their salvation, causing them 
all to co-operate for their present and eternal good. 
Rom. v. 1-5. 


Verse 31. Fear ye not—ye are of more value} ὁ 


None can estimate the value of a soul, for which 
Christ has given his blood and life! Have confidence 
in his goodness ; for he who so dearly purchased thee 
will miraculously preserve and save thee. Did the 
poet intend to contradict Christ when he said :-— 


“ He sees with equal eye, as God of all, 
A wero perish, or a sparrow fall 2” 


How cold and meagre is this shallow deistical say- 
ing! But could the poet mean, that a sparrow is of 
as much worth in the sight of God, who regards (if 
we may believe him) things only in general, as an im- 
mortal soul, purchased by the sacrifice of Christ ? 

Verse 32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me 
before men] That is, whosoever shall acknowledge me 
to be the Messiah, and have his heart and dife regulated 
by my spirit and doctrine. It is not merely sufficient 
to have the heart right before God; there must be a 
firm, manly, and public profession of Christ before 
men. ‘I am no hypocrite,” says one ; neither should 
you be. “1 will keep my religion to myself,” i. e. 
you will not confess Christ before men; then he will 
renounce you before God. 

We confess or own Christ when we own his doctrine, 
his ministers, his servants, and when no fear hinders us 
from supporting and assisting them in times of ne- 
cessity. 

Verse 33. Whosoever shall deny me] Whosoever 
prefers his worldly interest to his duty to God, sets a 
greater value on earthly than on heavenly things, and 
prefers the friendship of men to the approbation of 
Gop. 

Let it be remembered, that to be renounced by 
Christ is to have him neither for a Mediator nor 
Saviour. To appear before the tribunal of God with- 
out having Christ for our Advocate, and, on the con- 
trary, to have him there as our Judge, and a witness 
against us,—how can a man think of this and not die 
with horror! 

1 


Nothing 1s to be 


A.M. 4031. 84. * Think not that I am come to 
An. Olymp. send peace on earth: I came not 
to send peace, but a sword. 

35 For I am come to set a man at variance 
“against his father, and the daughter against 
her mother, and the daughter-in-law against 
her mother-in-law. 

36 And "ἃ man’s foes shall be they of his 
own household. 


® Luke xii. 49, 51, 52, 53.——* Mic. vii. 6.——> Psa. xli. 9; lv. 
13; Mic. vii. 6; John xiii. 18. 


Verse 34. Think not that Iam come to send peace, 
&c.] The meaning of this difficult passage will be 
plain, when we consider the import of the word peace, 
and the expectation of the Jews. 1 have already had 
occasion to remark, (ver. 12,) that the word Ὁ 
shalom, rendered by the Greeks εἰρηνη, was used 
among the Hebrews to express all possible blessings, 
temporal and spiritual; but especially the former.— 
The expectation of the Jews was, that, when the 
Messiah should come, all temporal prosperity should 
be accumulated on the land of Judea; therefore τὴν 
ynv, in this verse, should not be translated the earth, 
but this land. The import of our Lord’s teaching 
here is this, Do not imagine, as the Jews in general 
vainly do, that I am come to send forth, (θαλλειν,) by 
forcing out the Roman power, that temporal prosperity 
which they long for; I am not come for this purpose, 
but te send forth (βαλλειν) the Roman sword, to cut 
off a disobedient and rebellious nation, the cup of 
whose iniquity is already full, and whose crimes cry 
aloud for speedy vengeance. See also on Luke xii. 
49. From the time they rejected the Messiah, they 
were a prey to the most cruel and destructive factions; 
they employed their time in butchering one another, 
till the Roman sword was unsheathed against them, 
and desolated the land. 

Verse 35. I am come to set a man at variance] The 
spirit of Christ can have no union with the spirit of 
the world. Even a father, while unconverted, will 
oppose a godly child. Thus the spirit that is in those 
who sin against God is opposed to that spirit which 
is in the followers of the Most High. It is the spirits 
then that are in opposition, and not the persons. 

Verse 36. A man’s foes shall be they of his own 
household.] Our Lord refers here to their own tradi- 
tions. So Sofa, fol. 49. “A little before the coming 
of the Messiah, the son shall insult the father, the 
daughter rebel against her mother, the daughter-in- 
law against her mother-in-law ; and each man shall 
have his own household for his enemies.” Again, in 
Sanhedrin, fol. 97, it is said: “In the age in which 
the Messiah shall come, the young men shall turn the 
elders into ridicule; the elders shall rise up against 
the youth, the daughter against her mother, the daugh- 
ter-in-law against her mother-in-law ; and the men of 
that age shall be excessively impudent; nor shall the 
son reverence his father.” These are most remark- 
able sayings, and, by them, our Lord shows them that 
he was the Messiah, for all these things literally took 

1 


CHAP. X. 


preferred before Christ 


37 ° He that loveth father ormother 4,™, 0°). 
more than me, is not worthy of me : an Chay. 
and he that loveth son or daughter —- 
more than me, is not worthy of me. 

38 ‘And he that taketh not his cross, and 
followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 

39 © He that findeth his life shall lose it: 
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall 
find it. 


© Luke xiv. 26.——4 Chap. xvi. 24; Mark viii. 34; Luke ix. 23, 
xiv. 27. © Chap. xvi. 25; Luke xvii. 33; John xii. 25. 


place shortly after their final rejection of Christ. See 
the terrible account, given by Josephus, relative to the 
desolations of those times. Through the just judg- 
ment of God, they who rejected the Lord that bought 
them became abandoned to every species of iniquity ; 
they rejected the salvation of God, and fell into the 
condemnation of the devil. 

Father Quesnel’s note on this place is worthy οἱ 
deep attention. ‘The father (says he) is the enemy 
of his son, when, through a bad education, an irregular 
love, and a cruel indulgence, he leaves him to take a 
wrong bias, instructs him not in his duty, and fills his 
mind with ambitious views. The son is the father’s 
enemy, when he is the occasion of his doing injustice, 
in order to heap up an estate for him, and to make his 
fortune. The mother is the daughter's enemy, when 
she instructs her to please the world, breeds her up in 
excess and vanity, and suffers any thing scandalous or 
unseemly in her dress. The daughter is the mother’s 
enemy, when she becomes her idol, when she engages 
her to comply with her own irregular inclinations, and 
to permit her to frequent balls and plays. The master 
is the enemy of his servant, and the servant that of 
his master, when the one takes no care of the other’s 
salvation, and the latter is subservient to his master’s 
passions.” 

Verse 37. He that loveth father or mother more 
than me] He whom we love the most is he whom we 
study most to please, and whose will and interests we 
prefer in afl cases. If, in order to please a father or 
mother who are opposed to vital godliness, we aban- 
don God’s ordinances and followers, we are unworthy 
of any thing but hell. 

Verse 38. He that taketh not his cross] i. e. He 
who is not ready, after my example, to suffer death 
in the cause of my religion, is not worthy of me, does 
not deserve to be called my disciple. 

This alludes to the custom of causing the criminal 
to bear his own cross to the place of execution: so 
Plutarch, Exacoc των κακουργων exdepet Tov αὐτου cav- 
pov. Each of the malefactors carries on his own 
cross. See John xix. 17. 

Verse 39. He that findeth his life, &c.| i. 6. He 
who, for the sake of his temporal interest, abandons 
his spiritual concerns, shall lose his soul ; and he who, 
in order to avoid martyrdom, abjures the pure religion 
of Christ, shall lose his sou?, and perhaps his life too 
He that findeth his life shall lose it, was literally ful- 
filled in Archbishop Cranmer. He confessed Christ 

125 


Kundnesses done to the disciples 


A.M. 4031. f ; 
in, ΠΟ He that receiveth you, 


An. Olymp. receiveth me; and he that receiv- 
eth me, receiveth him that sent me. 

41 8 He that receiveth a prophet in the name 
of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s re- 
ward; and he that receiveth a righteous man 


ST. MATTHEW. 


of Christ are done to himself. 


in the name of a righteous man, shall AM 
receive a righteous man’s reward. An. ΟΡ 
42. " And whosoever shall give to “= 
drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold 
water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I 
say unto you, he shall inno wise lose his reward 


fChap. xviii. 5; Luke ix. 48; x. 16; John xiii. 20; Gal. 
iv. 14 


&1 Kings xvii. 10; xviii. 4; 2 Kings iv. 8. h Chap. viii. 5, 6; 
xxv. 40; Mark ix. 41; Heb. vi. 10. 


against the devil. and his eldest son, the pope. He 
~vas ordered to be burnt: to save fis life he recanted, 
and was, notwithstanding, durnt. Whatever a man 
sacrifices to God is never dost, for he finds it again in 
God. 

There is a fine piece on this subject in Juvenal, 
Sat. viii. 1. 80, which deserves to be recorded here. 


ambigue si quando citabere testis 
Incertaeque rei, Phalaris licet imperet ut sis 
Falsus, et admoto dictet perjuria tauro, 
Summum crede nefas anima preeferre PUDORI 
Et propter viram VIVENDI perdere causas. 


If ever call’d 

To give thy witness in a doubtful case, 

Though Phalaris himself should bid thee “ie, 

On pain of torture in his flaming bull, 

Disdain to barter innocence for life ; 

To which life owes its lustre and its worth. 
Wakefield. 


Verse 40. He that receiveth you] Treats you kindly, 
eceiveth me; I will consider the kindness as shown 
to myself ; for he who receiveth me, as the true Mes- 
siah, receiveth that God by whose counsels and 
through whose love I am come. 

Verse 41. He that receiveth a prophet] Upodnzny, a 
teacher, not a foreteller of futwre events, for this is 
not always the meaning of the word; but one com- 
missioned by God te teach the doctrines of eternal 
life. It is no small honour to receive into one’s house 
a minister of Jesus Christ. Every person is not ad- 
mitted to exercise the sacred ministry ; but»none are 
excluded from partaking of its grace, its spirit, and 
its reward. If the teacher should be weak, or even 
if he should be found afterwards to have been worth- 
less, yet the person who has received him in the name, 
under the sacred character, of an evangelist, shall not 
Jose his reward; because what he did he did for the 
sake of Christ, and through love for his Church. Many 
sayings of this kind are found among the rabbins, and 
this one is common: ‘“ He who receives a learned 
man, or an elder, into his house, is the same as if he 
had received the Shekinah.” And again: ‘“‘ He who 


speaks against a faithful pastor, it is the same as if he 
had spoken against God himself.” See Schoettgen. 

Verse 42. A cup of cold water] Ὕδατος, of water, 
[15 not in the common text, but it is found in the Codex 
Beze, Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, Slavo- 
nic, all copies of the Itala, Vulgate, and Origen. It 
is necessarily undertsood; the ellipsis of the same 
substantive is frequent, both in the Greek and Latin 
writers. See Wakefield. 

Little ones| My apparently mean and generally 
despised disciples. 

But a cup of water in the eastern countries was not 
a matter of small worth. In India, the Hindoos go 
sometimes a great way to fetch it, and then boil it 
that it may do the less hurt to travellers when they 
are hot; and, after that, they stand from morning to 
night in some great road, where there is neither pit 
nor rivulet, and offer it, in honour of their god, to be 
drunk by all passengers. This necessary work of 
charity, in these hot countries, seems to have been 
practised by the more pious and humane Jews; and 
our Lord assures them that, if they do this in λὲς name, 
they shall not lose their reward. See the Asiatic 
Miscellany, vol. ii. p. 142. 

Verily—he shall in no wise lose his reward.) The 
rabbins have a similar saying : “‘ He that gives food to 
one that studies in the law, God will bless him in this 
world, and give him a lot in the world to come.” Syn. 
Sohar. 

Love heightens the smallest actions, and gives a 
worth to them which they cannot possess without it. 
Under a just and merciful God every sin is either 
punished or pardoned, and every good action rewarded. 
The most indigent may exercise the works of mercy 
and charity ; seeing even a cup of cold water, given 
in the name of Jesus, shall not lose its reward. How 
astonishing is God’s kindness! It is not the rich 
merely whom he calls on to be charitable; but even 
the poor, and the most impoverished of the poor! God 
gives the power and inclination to be charitable, and 
then rewards the work which, it may be truly said, 
God himself hath wrought. It is the name of Jesus 
that sanctifies every thing, and renders services, in 


themselves comparatively contemptible, of high worth 
in the sight of God. See Quesnel. 


CHAPTER ΧΙ. 


Christ, having finshed his instructions to his disciples, departs to preach in different cities, 1. 
two of his disciples to him to inquire whether he were the Christ, 2-6. 
He uporaids the Jews with their capriciousness, 16-19. 


John, 7-15 
126 


John sends 
Christ’s testimony concernmg 


The condemnation of Chorazin 
1 


John the Baptist sends two 


tion of his Son, 27. 


souls, 28-30. 
AM. 4031. AND it came to pass, when 
An. seat Jesus had made an end of 


commanding his twelve disciples, 
he departed thence to teach and to preach in 
their cities. 
2 9 * Now when John had heard in the prison 
the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 
3 And said unto him, Art thou © he that should 
come, or do we look for another ? 


a Luke vii. 18, 19, &«.—— Chap. xiv. 3. © Gen. xlix. 10; 
Num. xxiv. 17; Dan. ix. 24; John vi. 14. d]sa. xxix. 18; 
xxxv. 4, 5,6; xlii. 7; John 11. 23; iii. 2; v. 36; x. 25, 38; xiv. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XI. 

Verse 1. This verse properly belongs to the preced- 
ing chapter, from which it should on no account be se- 
parated; as with that it has the strictest connection, 
but with ‘his it has none. 

To teach and to preach] To teach, to give private 
instructions to as many as came unto him; and ¢o 
preach, to proclaim pudlicly, that the kingdom of God 
is at hand; two grand parts of the duty of a Gospel 
minister. 

Their cities] The cities of the Jews. 

Verse 2. John had heard in the prison] John was 
cast into prison by order of Herod Antipas, chap. xiv. 
3, &c., (where see the notes,) a little after our Lord 
began his public ministry, chap. iv. 12; and after the 
first passover, John iii. 24. 

Verse 3. Art thou he that should come] O epyo- 
μενος, he that cometh, seems to have been a proper 
name of the Messiah ; to save or deliver is necessarily 
implied. See on Luke vii. 19. 

There is some difficulty in what is here spoken of 
John. Some have thought he was utterly ignorant of 
our Lord’s Divine mission, and that he sent merely for 
his own information; but this is certainly inconsistent 
with his own declaration, Luke iii. 15, &c.; John i. 
15, 26, 33, iii. 28, &e. Others suppose he sent the 
message merely for the instruction of his disciples ; 
that, as he saw his end approaching, he wished them 
to have the fullest conviction that Jesus was the Mes- 
siah, that they might attach themselves to him. 

A third opinion takes a middle course between the 
two former, and states that, though John was at first 
perfectly convinced that Jesus was the Christ, yet, en- 
tertaining some hopes that he would erect a secular 
kingdom in Judea, wished to know whether this was 
likely to take place speedily. It is very probable that 
John now began, through the length of his confine- 
ment, to entertain doubts, relative to his kingdom, 
which perplexed and harassed his mind; and he took 
the most reasonable way to get rid of them at once, 
viz. by applying to Christ himself. 

Two of his disciples] Instead of dvo, two, several 
excellent MSS., with both the Syriac, Armenian, Go- 
thic, and one copy of the Jtala, have δια, by ; he sent 
by his disciples. 


1 


CHAP. XI. 


and Bethsaida, and Capernaum, for their unbelief and impenitence, 20-24. 
for revealing the Gospel to the simple-hearted, 25, 26. 
Invites the distressed to come unto him, and gies them the promise of rest for their 


of his discyples to Christ 


Praises the Divine wisdom 
Shows that none can know God but by the revela- 


4 Jesus answered and said unto 4,™M, 4031 

them, Goand show John again those An. iva. 
CCL.3 

things which ye do hear and see : 

5 ‘The blind receive their sight, and the 
lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the 
deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and “ the 
poor have the Gospel preached to them : 

6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not 


‘be offended in me. 


11. 6158. Ixi. 1; Lukeiv. 18; James ii. 5—‘Chap. xiil. 
57; xxiv. 10; Xxvi. 31; Rom. ix. 80, 33; 1 Cor. i. 23; Gal. v. 
11; 1 Pet. ii. 8. 


Verse 4. Go and show John the things—ye do hear 
and see] Christ would have men to judge only of him 
and of others by their works. This is the only safe 
way of judging. A man is not to be credited because 
he professes to know such and such things; but be- 
cause he demonstrates by his conduct that his preten- 
sions are not vain. 

Verse 5. The blind receive their sight, &c.] Ava- 
βλέπωσι, look upwards, contemplating the heavens 
which their Lord hath made. 

The lame walk] Περιπατωσι, they walk about; to 
give the fullest proof to the multitude that their cure 
was real. These miracles were not only the most 
convincing proofs of the supreme power of Christ, but 
were also emblematic of that work of salvation which 
he effects in the souls of men. 1. Sinners are blind; 
their understanding is so darkened by sin that they see 
not the way of truth and salvation. 2. They are lame 
—not able to walk in the path of righteousness. 3. 
They are leprous, their souls are defiled with sin, the 
most loathsome and inveterate disease ; deepening in 
themselves, and infecting others. 4. They are deaf 
to the voice of God, his word, and their own con- 
science. 5. They are dead in trespasses and sins; 
God, who is the life of the soul, being separated from 
it by iniquity. Nothing less than the power of Christ 
can redeem from all this ; and, from all this, that power 
of Christ actually does redeem every penitent believing 
soul. Giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead, 
are allowed by the ancient rabbins to be works which 
the Messiah should perform, when he should manifest 
himself in Israel. 

The poor have the Gospel preached to them.| And 
what was this Gospel? Why, the glad tidings that 
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners: that 
he opens the eyes of the blind; enables the lame to 
walk with an even, steady. and constant pace in the 
way of holiness; cleanses the lepers from all the de- 
filement of their sins; opens the ears of the deaf to 
hear his pardoning words ; and raises those who were 
dead in trespasses and sins to Jive in union with him- 
self to all eternity. 

Verse 6. Blessed is he whosoever shall not be of- 
fended inme.] Or, Happy is he who will not be stum- 

| bled at me; for the word σκανδαλίζεσθαι, in its roo 
127 


The exalted character 


A.M, 4031. 7 9] & And as they departed, Jesus 


An. Olymp. began to say unto the multitudes 

CCL3 

concerning John, What went ye out 
into the wilderness to see? © A reed shaken 
with the wind ? 

8 But what went ye out for to see? A man 
clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that 
wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 

9 But what went ye out for to see? A pro- 


Luke vii. 24——2 Eph. iv. 14. ——' Chap. xiv. 5; xxi. 26; Luke 


ST. MATTHEW. 


of John the Baptist 


i and 4, Maat. 


phet? yea, I say unto you, yee: 


more than a prophet : 

10 For this is he of whom it is 
written, * Behold, I send my messenger be- 
fore thy face, which shall prepare thy way 
before thee. 

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that 
are born of women, there hath not risen a 
greater than John the Baptist: notwithstand- 


i. 763 vii. 26.—* Mal. iii. 1; Mark i. 2; Luke i. 76; vii. 27. 


signifies to hit against or stumble over a thing, which 
one may meet with in the way. The Jews, as was 
before remarked, expected a temporal deliverer. Many 
might be tempted to reject Christ, because of his mean 
appearance, &c., and so lose the benefit of salvation 
through him. To instruct and caution such, our 
blessed Lord spoke these words. By his poverty and 
meanness he condemns the pride and pomp of this 
νου. He who will not hwmbdle himself, and become 
base, and poor, and vile in his own eyes, cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God. ΤΊ is the poor, in general, 
who hear the Gospel ; the rich and the great are either 
too busy, or too much gratified with temporal things, 
to pay any attention to the voice of God. 

Verse 7. What went ye out into the wilderness to 
566] ‘The purport of our Lord’s design, in this and 
the following verses, is to convince the scribes and 
Pharisees of the inconsistency of their conduct in ac- 
knowledging John Baptist for a divinely authorized 
teacher, and not believing in the very Christ which he 
pointed out to them. He also shows, from the excel- 
lencies of John’s character, that their confidence in him 
was not misplaced, and that this was a farther argu- 
ment why they should have believed in him, whom the 
Baptist proclaimed as being far superior to himself. 

A reed shaken with the wind?) An emblem of an 
irresolute, unsteady mind, which believes and speaks 
one thing to-day, and another to-morrow. Christ asks 
these Jews if they had ever found any thing in John 
like this: Was he not ever steady and uniform in the 
testimony he bore tome? The first excellency which 
Christ notices in John was his steadiness ; convinced 
once of the truth, he continued to believe and assert 
it. This is essentially necessary to every preacher, 
and to every private Christian. He who changes 
about from opinion to opinion, and from one sect or 
party to another, is never to be depended on; there is 
much reason to believe that such a person is either 
mentally weak, or has never been rationally and di- 
vinely convinced of the truth. 

Verse 8. A man clothed in soft rament?] A se- 
cond excellency in John was, his sober and mortified 
life. A preacher of the Gospel should have nothing 
about him which savours of effeminacy and worldly 
pomp: he is awfully mistaken who thinks to prevail 
on the world to hear him and receive the truth, by 
sonforming himself to its fashions and manners. Ex- 
cepting the mere colour of his clothes, we can scarcely 
now distinguish a preacher of the Gospel, whether in 
the establishment of the country, or out of it, from the 

128 


merest worldly man. Ruffles, powder, and fribble 
seem universally to prevail. Thus the Church and the 
world begin to shake hands, the latter still retaining its 
enmity toGod. How canthose who profess to preach 
the doctrine of the cross act in this way? Is not a 
worldly-minded preacher, in the most peculiar sense, 
an abomination in the eyes of the Lord? 

Are in kings’ houses.|_ A third excellency in John 
was, he did not affect high things. He was contented 
to live in the desert, and to announce the solemn and 
severe truths of his doctrine to the simple inhabitants 
of the country. Let it be well observed, that the 
preacher who conforms to the world in his clothing, is 
never in his element but when he is frequenting the 
houses and tables of the rich and great. 

Verse 9. A prophet? yea—and more than a pro- 
phet| That is, one more excellent (περίσσοτερον) than 
a prophet; one greatly beyond all who had come be- 
fore him, being the immediate forerunner of Christ, 
(see below,) and who was especially commissioned to 
prepare the way of the Lord. This was a fourth ew- 
cellency : he was a prophet, a teacher, a man divinely 
commissioned to point out Jesus and his salvation ; and 
more excellent than any of the old prophets, because 
he not only pointed out this Christ, but saw him, and 
had the honour of dying for that sacred truth which 
he steadily believed and boldly proclaimed. 

Verse 10. Behold, I send my messenger] A fifth 
excellency of the Baptist was, his preparing the way 
of the Lord; being the instrument, in God’s hand, of 
preparing the people’s hearts to receive the Lord Jesus ; 
and it was probably through his preaching that so many 
thousands attached themselves to Christ, immediately 
on his appearing as a public teacher. 

Verse 11. A greater than John the Baptist] A 
sixth excellency of the Baptist—he was greater than 
any prophet from the beginning of the world till that 
time :—Ist. Because he was prophesied of by them, 
Tsa. xl. 3, and Mal. iii. 1, where Jesus Christ himself 
seems to be the speaker. 2ndly. Because he had the 
privilege of showing the fulfilment of their predictions, 
by pointing out that Christ has now come, which they 
foretold should come. And 3dly. Because he saw and 
enjoyed that salvation which they could only foretell 
See Quesnel. 

Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of 
heaven] By the kingdom of heaven in this verse is 
meant, the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of 
peace; which fulness was not iniown till after Christ 
had been crucified, and had risen from the dead. Now 

1 


John the Baptist the 


A.M. 431. ing, he that is least in the kingdom 


An, Olymp. of heaven is greater than he. 

12 1 And from the days of John 
the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven 
™ suffereth violence, and the violent take it by 
force. 

13 "For all the prophets and the law 
prophesied until John. 


! Luke xvi. 16.—™ Or, is gotten by force, and they that thrust 
men. π Mal. iv. 6. 


the least in this kingdom, the meanest preacher of a 
crucified, risen, and glorified Saviour, was greater than 
John, who was not permitted to live to see the 
plenitude of Gospel grace, in the pouring out of the 
Holy Spirit. Let the reader observe, Ist. That the 
kingdom of heaven here does not mean the state of 
future glory. See chap. iii. 95. 2dly. That it is not 
in holiness or devotedness to God that the least in this 
kingdom is greater than John; but 3dly. That it is 
merely in the difference of the ministry. The prophets 
pointed out a Christ that was coming; John showed 
that that Christ was then among them ; and the preach- 
ers of the Gospel prove that this Christ has suffered, 
and entered into his glory, and that repentance and re- 
mission of sins are proclaimed through his blood. 
There is a saying similar to this among the Jews: 
“ Byen the servant maid that passed through the Red 
Sea, saw what neither Ezekiel, nor any other of the 
prophets had seen.” 

Verse 12. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence] 
The tax-gatherers and heathens, whom the scribes and 
Pharisees think have no right to the kingdom of the 
Messiah, filled with holy zeal and earnestness, seize at 
once on the proffered mercy of the Gospel, and so take 
the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors 
who claimed for themselves the chiefest places in that 
kingdom. Christ himself said, The tax-gatherers and 
harlots go before you into the kingdom of God. See 
the parallel place, Luke vii. 28, 29, 30. He that will 
take, get possession of the kingdom of righteousness, 
peace, and spiritual joy, must be in earnest: all hell 
will oppose him in every step he takes ; and if a man 
be not absolutely determined to give up his sins and 
evil companions, and have his soul saved at all hazards, 
and at every expense, he will surely perish everlast- 
ingly. This requires a violent earnestness. 

Verse 13. All the prophets and the law prophesied 
until John.] I believe προεῤητευσαν means here, they 
taught, or continued to instruct. They were the in- 
structers concerning the Christ who was to come, till 
John came and showed that all the predictions of the 
one, and the types and ceremonies of the other were 
now about to be fully and finally accomplished ; for 
Christ was now revealed. The word is taken in this 
sense, Matt. vii. 22. 

Verse 14. This is Elias, which was for to come.] 
This should always be written Elijah, that as strict a 
conformity as possible might be kept up between the 
names in the Old Testament and the New. The 
Prophet Malachi, who predicted the coming of the Bap- 
tist in the spirit and power of Elijah, gave the three 

Vou. I c Say 


CHAP. XI. 


Elias which was to come 


14 And if ye will receive i, this 4, Μ 4031. 
is ° Elias, which was for to come. 

15 » He that hath ears to hear, let 
him hear. 

16 4% «But whereunto shall I liken this 
generation? It is like unto children sitting 
in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 

17 And saying, We have piped unto you, 


An. Olymp. 
ccor3. 


© Mal. iv. 5; chap. xvii. 12; Luke i. 17. 
vili.8; Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17, 29; iii. 6, 13, 22. 


P Chap. xiii. 9; Luke 
4 Luke vii. 31. 


following distinct characteristics of him. First, That 
he should be the forerunner and messenger of the 
Messiah: Behold I send my messenger before me, 
Mal. iii. 1. Secondly, That he should appear before 
the destruction of the second temple: Even the Lord 
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, ibid. 
Thirdly, That he should preach repentance to the Jews ; 
and that, some time after, the great and terrible day 
of the Lord should come, and the Jewish land be smit- 
ten with a curse, chap. iv. 5,6. Now these three 
characters agree perfectly with the conduct of the 
Baptist, and what shortly followed his preaching, and 
have not been found in any one else; which is a con- 
vineing proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah. 

Verse 15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.| 
As if our Lord had said, These things are so clear 
and manifest that a man has only to hear them to be 
convinced and fully satisfied of their truth. But nei- 
ther the Jews of that time nor of the succeeding times 
to the present day, have heard or considered these 
things. When spoken to on these subjects, their com- 
mon custom is to stop their ears, spit out, and blas- 
pheme ; this shows not only a dad, but a ruined cause. 
They are deeply and wilfully blind. They will not 
come unto the light, lest their deeds should become 
manifest, that they are not wrought in God. They 
have ears but they will not hear. 

Verse 16. But whereunto shall I liken this genera- 
tion 3] Thatis, the Jewish people—ryy yeveay ταυτην, 
this race: and so the word yevea is often to be under- 
stood in the evangelists. 

In the markets] Or, places of concourse, ayopate, 
from ἀγείρω, I gather together; not a market-place 
only, but any place of public resort : probably meaning 
here, places of public amusement. 

Calling unto their fellows| Or, companions. In 
stead of eraporc, companions, many of the best MSS. 
have erepotc, others. The great similarity of the words 
might have easily produced this difference. 

There are some to whom every thing is useful in 
leading them to God; others, to whom nothing is suffi- 
cient. Every thing is good to an upright mind, every 
thing bad to a vicious heart. 

Verse 17. We have piped unto you, and ye have 
not danced]. We have begun the music, which should 
have been followed by the dance, but ye have not at- 
tended to it. 

We have mourned—and ye have not lamented.| Ye 
have not smote the breast : οὐκ exowacbe, from κοπτομαι, 
to strike, or beat the breasts with the hands, particularly 
in lamentation. So used, Nah. ii, 7; Luke xviii. 13 ; 

129 


Christ pronounces a wo 


A. M. 4031. Ἰ ΡΝ 
enter and ye have not danced; we have 


An. Olymp. mourned unto you, and ye have not 

CCL. 3. 
aaa lamented. 

18 For John came neither eating nor drink- 
ing, and they say, * He hath a devil. 

19 The Son of man came eating and drink- 
ing, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, 
and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and 
sinners. ‘* But wisdom is justified of her 
children. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


upon Chorazin and Bethsaida 


9 ἃ -Α A. M. 4031, 
20 le Then began he to upbraid ἭΝ ΡΣ: 
the cities wherein most of his An. Olymp. 
ὲ CCL. 3. 
mighty works were done, because 

they repented not : 

21 Wo unto thee, Chorazin! wo unto 
thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, 
which were done in you, had been done in 
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented 
long ago, ἢ in sackeloth and ashes. 

22 But I say unto you, * It shall be more 


τ John viii. 48.—-s Chap. ix. 10-—t Luke vii. 35. 


xxiii. 48, and by the best Greek and Roman writers. 
There is an allusion here to those funeral lamentations 
explained chap. ix. 23. 

Verse 18. For John came neither eating nor drink- 
ing] Leading a very austere and mortified life: and 
yet, he did not receive him. A sinner will not be 
persuaded that what he has no mind to imitate can 
come from God. There are some who will rather 
blame holiness itself, than esteem it in those whom 
they do not like. 

He hath a devil.| He is a vile hypocrite, influenced 
by a demon to deceive and destroy the simple. 

Verse 19. The Son of man came eating and drink- 
ing| That is, went wheresoever he was invited to eat 
a morsel of bread, and observed no rigid fasts: how 
could he, who had no corrupt appetites to mortify or 
subdue t 

They say, Behold a man gluttonous, &e.] What- 
ever measures the followers of God may take, they 
will not escape the censure of the world : the best way 
is not to be concerned at them. Iniquity, being always 
ready to oppose and contradict the Divine conduct, 
often contradicts and exposes itself. 

But wisdom is justified of her children.| Those 
who follow the dictates of true wisdom eyer justify, 
point out as excellent, the holy maxims by which they 
are guided, for they find the way pleasantness, and the 
path, peace. Of, here, and in many places of our 
translation, ought to be written dy in modern English. 

Some suppose that our blessed Lord applies the epi- 
thet of 7 codia, that Wisdom to himself; as he does 
that of Son of man, in the first clause of the verse ; 
and that this refers to the sublime description given of 
wisdom in Prov. viii. Others have supposed that by 
the children or sons (τεκνων) of wisdom our Lord 
means John Baptist and himself, who came to preach 
the doctrines of true wisdom to the people, and who 
were known to be teachers come from God by all those 
who seriously attended to their ministry ; they recom- 
mending themselves, by the purity of their doctrines, 
and the holiness of their lives, to every man’s con- 
science in the sight of God. Itis likely, however, 
that by children our Lord simply means the fruits or 
effects of wisdom, according to the Hebrew idiom, 
which denominates the frtits or effects of a thing, its 
clildren.. So in Job chap. v. 7, sparks emitted by 
coals are termed *w 712 beney resheph, the children of 
the coal. It was probably this well known meaning 
of the word, which led the Codex Vaticanus, one of 

130 


u Luke x. 13, &c. 


v Jonah iii. 7, 8 ——¥ Chap. x. 15; ver. 24. 


the most ancient MSS. in the world, tegether with the 
Syriac, Persic, Coptic, and Ethiopic, to read epywr, 
works, instead of τεκνων, sons or children. Wisdom is 
vindicated by her works, i. e. the good effects prove 
that the cause is excellent. 

The children of true wisdom can justify all God’s 
ways in their salvation ; as they know that ail the dis- 
pensations of Providence work together for the good of 
those who love and fear God. See on Luke vii. 35. 

Verse 20. Then began he to upbraid the cities] The 
more God has done to draw men unto himself, the less 
excusable are they if they continue in iniquity. If our 
blessed Lord had not done every thing that was neces- 
sary for the salvation of these people, he could not 
have reproached them for their impenitence. 

Verse 21. Wo unto.thee, Chorazin—Bethsarda !} 
It would be better to translate the word ova: σοι, alas 
for thee, than wo to thee. The former is an excla- 
mation of pity ; the latter a denunciation of wrath. It 
is evident that our Lord used it in the former sense. It 
is not known precisely where Chorazin was situated ; 
but as Christ joins it in the same censure with Bethsaida, 
which was in Upper Galilee, beyond the sea, Mark vi. 
45, it is likely that Chorazin was in the same quarter. 
Though the people in these cities were (generally) im- 
penitent, yet there is little doubt that several received 
the word of life. Indeed, Bethsaida itself furnished 
not less than three of the twelve apostles, Philip, An- 
drew, and Peter. See John i. 44. 

Tyre and Sidon] Were two heathen cities, situated 
on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, into which it 
does not appear that Christ ever went, though he was 
often very nigh to them; see chap. xv. 21. 

They would have repented long ago] ἸΤαλαι, former- 
ly, seems here to refer to the time of Ezekiel, who de 
nounced destruction against Tyre and Sidon, Ezek 
XXV1., XXVll.,and xxviii. Our Lord, then, intimates that, 
if Ezekiel had done as many miracles in those cities 
as himself had in Chorazin and Bethsaida, the inhabit- 
ants would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, with 
the deepest and most genuine sorrow. 

A Hindoo who renounces the secular life, and be 
comes a religious mendicant, often covers himself with 
a coarse cloth sprinkled over with ashes. This is the 
sackcloth and ashes which our Lord refers to; and this 
covering was the outward sign of deep repentance, and 
forsaking of sin. 

Verse 22. But—it shall be more tolerable] Every 
thing will help to overwhelm the impenitent at the 

( 9* ) 


Ohrist thanks the Father for 


CHAP. ΧΙ. 


wnat he had reveaed to babes 


A.M.4931. tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the|the day of judgment than for er 


An. Olymp. day of judgment than for you. 

23 And thou, Capernaum, * which 
art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down 
to hell: for if the mighty works, which have 
been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, 
it would have remained until this day. 

24 But I say unto you, ¥ That it shall be 
more tolerable for the land of Sodom in 


thee. 

25 7 At that time Jesus answer- 
ed and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, because * thou hast hid 
these things from the wise and prudent, ἢ and 
hast revealed them unto babes. 

26 Even so, Father; for so it seemed good 
in thy sight. 


An, Olym: 
CCl. 3 


* See Isa. xiv. 13; Lam. ii. 1——y Chap. x. 15. * Luke 


x. 21 


tribunal of God—the benefits and favours which they 
have received, as well as the sins which they have 
committed. 

Verse 23. Thou, Capernaum—exalted unto heaven] 
A Hebrew metaphor, expressive of the utmost pros- 
perity, and the enjoyment of the greatest privileges. 
This was properly spoken of this city, because that in 
it our Lord dwelt, and wrought many of his miraculous 
works. 

Shalt be brought down to hell] Perhaps not mean- 
mg, here, the place of torment, but rather a state of 
desolation. ‘The original word is Hades, Adyc, from a, 
not, and dew, to see—the invisible receptacle or man- 
sion of the dead, answering to ὌΝ sheol, in Hebrew ; 
and implying often, Ist. the grave; 2dly. the state of 
separate souls, or unseen world of spirits, whether of 
torment, Luke xvi. 23, or, in general, Rev. 1. 18; vi. 
8; xx. 13, 14. The word hell, used in the common 
translation, conveys now an improper meaning of the 
original word; because fell is only used to signify the 
place of the damned. But, as the word hell comes 
from the Anglo-Saxon, helan, to cover, or hide, hence 
the tiling or slating of a house is called, in some parts 
of England (particularly Cornwall) heling, to this day; 
and the covers of books (in Lancashire) by the same 
name: so the literal import of the original word Αδὴς 
was formerly well expressed by it. Here it means a 
state of the utmost wo, and ruin, and desolation, to 
which these impenitent cities should be reduced. This 
prediction of our Lord was literally fulfilled; for, in 
the wars between the Romans and the Jews, these 
cities were totally destroyed, so that no traces are now 
found of Bethsaida, Chorazin, or Capernaum. See 
Bp. Pearce. 

Verse 24. But—it shall be more tolerable for the 
land of Sodom] Tn Σοδομων, ihe land of the Sodom- 
iles ; 1. e. the ancient inhabitants of that city and its 
neighbourhood. 

In Jude, verse 7, we are told that these persons are 
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The destruc- 
tion of Sodom and Gomorrah happened A. M. 2107, 
which was 1897 years before the incarnation. What 
a terrible thought is this! It will be more tolerable 
for certain sinners, who have already been damned 
nearly four thousand years, than for those who live 
and die infidels under the Gospel! There are various 
degrees of punishments in hell, answerable to various 
degrees of guilt; and the contempt manifested to, and 
the abuse made of, the preaching of the Gospel, will 

1 


aSee Psa. viii. 2; 1 Cor. i. 19, 27; ii. 8; 2 Cor. 111. 14. 
> Chap. xvi. 17. 


rank semi-infidel Christians in the highest list of trans- 
gressors, and purchase them the hottest place in hell! 
Great God! save the reader from this destruction ! 

Day of judgment] May either refer to that particu- 
lar time in which God visits for iniquity, or to that 
great day in which he will judge the world by the 
Lord Jesus Christ. The day of Sodom’s judgment 
was that in which it was destroyed by fire and brim- 
stone from heaven, Gen. xix. 24; and the day of 
judgment to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, 
was the time in which they were destroyed by the 
Romans, ver. 23. But there is a day of final judg- 
ment, when Hades itself (sinners in a state of partial 
punishment in the invisible world) shall be cast into 
the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second 
death. See Rev. xx. 14. 

Verse 25. I thank thee] Ἑξομολογουμαι σοι, I fully 
agree with thee—I am perfectly of the same mind. 
Thou hast acted in all things according to the strictest 
holiness, justice, mercy, and truth. 

Wise and prudent] The scribes and Pharisees, 
vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds, and having 
their foolish hearts darkened, refusing to submit to the 
righteousness of God (God’s method of saying man by 
Christ) and going about to establish their own right- 
eousness, (their own method of saving themselves,) they 
rejected God’s counsel, and God sent the peace and 
salvation of the Gospel to others, called here dades, 
(his discipies,) simple-hearted persons, who submitted 
to be instructed and saved in God’s own way. Let it 
be observed, that our Lord does not thank the Father 
that he had hidden these things from the wise and 
prudent, but that, seeing they were hidden from them, 
he had revealed them to the others. 

There is a remarkable saying in the Talmudists, 
which casts light upon this: “Rab. Jochanan said : 
‘From the time in which the temple was destroyed, 
wisdom was taken away from the prophets, and given 
to fools and children.” Bava Bathra, fol. 12. Again; 
‘Jn the days of the Messiah, every species of wisdom, 
even the most profound, shall be revealed; and this 
even to children.” Synop. Sohar. fol. 10. 

Verse 26. Even so, Father] Nato πατηρ. 
phatical ratification of the preceding address. 

Tt was right that the heavenly wisdom, despised, 
rejected, and persecuted by the scribes and Pharisees, 
should be offered to the simple people, and afterwards 
to the foolish people, the Gentiles, who are the children 
of wisdom, and justify God in his ways, by bringing 

131 


An em- 


Christ’s invitation to the 


ST. 
A.M 4031. ΟἿ © All things are delivered unto 


An Cyee Te of my Father : and no man 
Ὁ knoweth the Son, but the Father ; 
‘neither knoweth any man the Father, save 
the Son, and je to whomsoever the Son will 
reveal him. 
28 Ἵ Come unto me, all ye that labour and 


MATTHEW. 


weary and heavy laden 


A. Μ. 4031. 
and I will give eae 


An. Olymp. 
CCL. 3. 


are heavy laden, 
you rest. 

29 'Take my yoke upon you, “ and 
learn of me; for I am meek and ‘lowly in 
heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

30 » For my yoke is easy, and my burder 
is light. 


© Chap. xxviii. 18; Luke x. 22; John iii. 35; xiii. 3; xvii. 2; 
1 Cor. xv. 27.4 Joha i. 18; vi. 46; x. 15. 


e John xiii. 15; Phil. 11.5; 1 Pet.i:.21; 1 John ii. 6— Zech, 
ix. 9; Phil. i! 7; 8, Jer. vi. 16.1 John v. 3 


forth that fruit of the Gospel of which the Pharisees 
refused to receive even the seed. 

Verse 27. All things are delivered unto me of my 
Father] This is a great truth, and the key of the 
science of salvation. The man Christ Jesus receives 
from the Father, and in consequence of his union with 
the eternal Godhead becomes the Lord and sovereign 
Dispenser of all things. All the springs of the Divine 
favour are in the hands of Christ, as Priest of God, 
and atoning Sacrifice for men: all good proceeds from 
him, as Saviour, Mediator, Head, Pattern, Pastor, and 
sovereign Judge of the whole world. 

No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither 
knoweth any man, &e.| None can fully comprehend 
the nature and attributes of God, but Christ; and none 
can fully comprehend the nature, incarnation, &c., of 
Christ, but the Father. The fudl comprehension and 
acknowledgment of the Godhead, and the mystery of 
the Trinity, belong to God alone. 

Verse 28. Come unto me] This phrase in the new 
covenant implies simply, believing in Christ, and be- 
coming his disciple, or follower. 

All ye that labour and are heavy laden} The meta- 
phor here appears to be taken from a man who has a 
great load laid upon him, which he must carry to a 
certain place : every step he takes reduces his strength, 
and renders his load the more oppressive. However, 
it must be carried on; and he dabours, uses his utmost 
exertions, to reach the place where it is to be laid 
down. A kind person passing by, and seeing his dis- 
tress, offers to ease him of his load, that he may enjoy rest. 

The Jews, heavily laden with the burdensome rites 
of the Mosaic institution, rendered still more oppres- 
sive by the additions made by the scribes and Phari- 
sees, who, our Lord says, (chap. xxiii. 4,) bound on 
heavy burdens ; and labouring, by their observance of 
the law, to make themselves pleasing to God, are here 
invited to lay down their load, and receive the salvation 
procured for them by Christ. 

Sinners, wearied in the ways of iniquity, are also 
invited to come to this Christ, and find speedy relief. 

Penitents, burdened with the guilt of their crimes, 
may come to this Sacrifice, and find instant pardon. 

Believers, sorely tempted, and oppressed by the re- 
mains of the carnal mind, may come to this blood, that 
cleanseth from all unrighteousness ; and, purified from 
all sin, and powerfully succoured in every temptation, 
they shall find uninterrupted rest in this complete 
Saviour. 

All are invited to come, and all are promised rest. 
If few find rest from sin and vile affections, it is be- 
cause few come to Christ to receive it 

132 


Verse 29. Take my yoke upon you] Strange para- 
dox! that a man already weary and overloaded must 
take a new weight upon him, in order to be eased and 
find rest! But this advice is similar to that saying, 
Psa. lv. 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he 
will sustain thee; i. 6. trust thy soul and concerns to 
him, and he will carry both thyself and thy load. 

1 am meek and lowly in heart} Wherever pride and 
anger dwell, there is nothing but mental labour and 
agony; but, where the meekness and humility of Christ 
dwell, all is smooth, even, peaceable, and guret ; for the 
work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of right- 
eousness, quietness and assurance for ever. Isa. 
xxx. 17. 

Verse 30. For my yoke is easy] My Gospel im- 
poses nothing that is difficult; on the contrary, it 
provides for the complete removal of all that which 
oppresses and renders man miserable, viz. sin. The 
commandments of Christ are not grievous. Hear the 
whole: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart, and thy neighbour as thyself. Can any thing 
be more congenial to the nature of man than love 2— 
such a love as is inspired by God, and in which the 
soul rests supremely satisfied and infinitely happy t 
Taste, and know, by experience, how good the Lord 
is, and how worthy his yoke is to be taken, borne, and 
loved. This most tender invitation of the compassion 
ate Jesus is sufficient to inspire the most diffident sou: 
with confidence. See on Mark viii. 34. 

Creeshna, the incarnate God of the Hindoos, is re- 
presented in the Geeta addressing one of his beloved 
disciples thus: “Iam the creator of all things, and 
all things proceed from me. Those who are endued 
with spiritual wisdom, believe this, and worship me : 
their very hearts and minds are in me; they rejoice 
among themselves, and delight in speaking of my 
name, and teaching one another my doctrine. [1 
gladly inspire those who are constantly employed in 
my service with that use of reason by which they 
come unto me ; and, in compassion, 1 stand in my 
own nature, and dissipate the darkness of their igno- 
rance with the light of the lamp of wisdom.”  Bhagvat 
Geeta, p. 84. 

The word Sy aval, among the Jews, which we 
properly enough translate yoke, signified not only 
that sort of neck-harness by which bullocks drew in 
wagons, carts, or in the plough; but also any kind of 
bond, or obligation, to do some particular thing, or to 
do some particular work. By them it is applied to 
the following things :— 

1. The Woke of the Kinepom of heaven, ΤΊΣ oy 
oD’ pwn—obedience to the revealed will of God. 

1 


The disciples pluck and 


2. The yoke of the naw, NN Sy—the necessity 
of obeying all the rites, ceremonies, &c., of the Mo- 
sai¢ institution. 

3. The yoke of the precept, ΓΝ 5yy~—the neces- 
sity of performing that particular obligation by which 
any person had bound himself, such as that of the 
Nazarite, &c. 

4, The yoke of rerentance, 72wn dw dyy—with- 
out which, they knew, they could not enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. With the Jews, repentance 
not only implied forsaking sin, but fasting, mortifica- 
tion, &e. 


CHAP. XII. 


eat corn on the Sabbath day. 


5. The yoke of rarra, 72198 Sy’—the necessity 
of believing in the promised Messiah. 

6. The Divine yoke, xyo> Syy—the obligation to 
live a spiritual life; a life of thanksgiving and grati- 
tude unto God. 

In Shemoth Rabba it is said: “ Because the ten 
tribes did not take the yoke of the holy and blessed 
God upon them, therefore Sennacherib led them into 
captivity.” 

Curist’s yoke means, the obligation to receive him 
as the ΜΈΒΒΙΛΗ, to believe his doctrine, and to be in 
all things conformed to his Word and to his Svirit 


CHAPTER XII. 


Jesus and his disciples go through the corn-fields on the Sabbath, and the latter pluck and eat some of the 


ears, at which the Pharisees take offence, 1, 2. 
thered hand cured, 9-13. 

certain prophectes, 15-21. 
reproved by our Lord, 24-30. 


Our Lord vindicates them, 3-8. 
The Pharisees seek his destruction, 14. 
Heals the blind and dumb demoniac, 22, 23. 
The sin against the Holy Ghost, 31, 32. 
their fruits—evil and good men by their conduct, 33-37. 


The man with the wi- 
He heals the multitudes, and fulfils 
The malice of the Pharisees 
Good and bad trees known by 
Jonah, a sign of Christ's death and resurrec- 


tion, 38-40. The men of Nineveh and the queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment against the 
Jews, 41, 42. Of the unclean spirit, 43-45. Christ’s mother and brethren seek him, 46-50. 
ΜΝ, be T that time * Jesus went on the | and began to pluck the ears of corn, paren 
An. Olymp. Sabbath-day through the corn ; | and to eat. An, Ce 


and his disciples were an hungered, 


a Deut. xxiii. 25; Mark 


NOTES ON CHAP. XII. 

Verse. 1. At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath- 
day through the corn) “The time is determined by 
Luke in these words, ev σαββατω δευτεροπρωτω, that 
is, on the Sabbath from the second-first. 

“1. Provision was made by the Divine law that the 
sheaf of first-fruits should be offered on the second day 
of the pass-over week, Levit. xxiii. 10, 11. On the 
morrow after the Sabbath, the priest shall shake (or 
wave) it. Noton the morrow after the ordinary Sab- 
bath of the week, but the morrow after the first of the 
pass-over week, which was a Sabbatic day, Exod. xii. 
16; Levit. xxiii. 7. Hence the seventy, exavpiov τῆς 
πρωτης, the morrow of the first day; the Chaldee, the 
morrow after the holy day. The rabbins, Solomon 
and Menachen, have it, On the morrow after the first 
day of the pass-over feast; of which mention had 
been made in the verses foregoing. 

“But now, from the second day of the pass-over 
solemnity, wherein the sheaf was offered, were num- 
bered seven weeks to pentecost: for the day of the 
sheaf, and the day of pentecost did mutually respect 
each other ; for on this second day of the pass-over, 
the offering of the sheaf was supplicatory, and by way 
of prayer, beseeching a blessing upon the new corn, 
and leave to eat it, and to put in the sickle into the 
standing corn. Now, the offering of the first-fruit 
-oaves on the day of pentecost, (Lev. xxiii. 15, 16, 17,) 
did respect the giving of thanks for the finishing and 
housing of the barley-harvest. Therefore, in regard 
of this relation, these two solemnities were linked to- 
gether, that both might respect the harvest; that, the 

1 


2 But when the Pharisees saw it, 
ii. 23; Luke vi. 1. 


harvest beginning ; this, the harvest ended: this de- 
pended on ¢hat, and was numbered seven weeks after 
it. Therefore, the computation of the time coming 
between could not but carry with it the memory of 
that second day of the pass-over week; and hence 
pentecost is called the feast of weeks, Deut. xvi. 10. 
The true calculation of the time between could not 
otherwise be retained, as to Sabbaths, but by number- 
ing thus: this is σαββατον δευτεροπρωτον, the first 
Sabbath after the second day of the pass-over. This 
is δευτεροδευτερον, the second Sabbath after that second 
day. And so of the rest. In the Jerusalem Talmud, 
the word N”°DI1WIND Naw shebeth protogamiya, the 
Sabbath, πρωτογαμίας, of the first marriage, is a com- 
position not very unlike.” Lightfoot. 

His disciples were an hungered| Were hungry. The 
former is a mode of expression totally obsolete. How 
near does the translation of this verse come to our an- 
cient mother-tongue, the Anglo-Saxon!—tbe p#lend 
Foy on peyte-dD®z ofen @cenar. yodlice hyp leomning- 
enthtay bingnede. and hig ongunnun pluccian pa ean and etan 
—The Healer went on rest-day over acres: truly his 
learning knights hungred, and they began to pluck 
the ear and eaten. We may well wonder at the ex- 
treme poverty of Christ and his disciples. He was 
himself present with them, and yet permitted them to 
lack bread! A man, therefore, is not forsaken of God 
because he is in want. It is more honourable to suf- 
fer the want of all temporal things in fellowship with 
Christ and his followers, than to have all things in 
abundance in connection with the world. 

Verse 2. Thy disciples do that which is not lawful 

133 - 


Our Lord vindicates the 


A.M, ‘Se! they said unto him, Behold, thy dis- 


= ohpey: ciples do that which is not lawful 
to do upon the Sabbath-day. 

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read 
» what David did, when he was an hungered, 
and they that were with him ; 

4 How he entered into the house of God, and 
did eat © the shew-bread, which was not lawful 
for him to eat, neither for them which were 
with him, ¢ but only for the priests ? 

5 Or have ye not read in the “ law, how that 
on the Sabbath-days, the priests in the temple 
profane the Sabbath, and are blameless ? 


ST. MATTHEW. 


conduct of his disciples 


6 But I say unto you, That in this 4, M; 403). 

place is fone greater than the An. Oiymp. 
CCL. 3. 

temple. 

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth 
ΕΞ] will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye 
would not have condemned the guiltless. 

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the 
Sabbath-day. 

9 "And when he was departed thence, he 
went into their synagogue : 

10 And, behold, there was a man which had 
iis hand withered. And they asked him, 
saying, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath- 


Β1 Sam. xxi. 6. © Exod. xxv. 30; Lev. xxiv. 5.4 Exod. 
xxix. 32, 33; Lev. vili. 31; xxiv. 9——e Num. xxviil. 9; John 
vii. 22, 


to 40] The Jews were so superstitious, concerning the 
observance of the Sabbath, that in their wars with 
Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Romans, they thought 
it a crime even to attempt to defend themselves on 
the Sabbath: when their enemies observed this, they 
deferred their operations to that day. It was through 
this, that Pompey was enabled to take Jerusalem. 
Dion. Cass. lib. Xxxvi. 

Those who know not the spirit and design of the 
Divine law are often superstitious to inhumanity, and 
indulgent to impiety. An intolerant and censorious 
spirit in religion is one of the greatest curses a man 
ean well fall under. 

Verse 3,4. Have ye not read what David did| The 
original history is in 1 Sam. xxi. 1-6. 

When he was an hungered] Here hearkento Kimchi, 
producing the opinion of the ancients concerning this 
story in these words : ‘‘ Our rabbins of blessed memory 
say, that he gave him the shew-bread, ὅς. The inter- 
pretation also of the clause, Yea, though it were sanc- 
lified this day in the vessel, is this: It is a small thing 
to say, that it is lawful for us to eat THESE LOAVES, 
aaken from before the Lord, when we are hungry; for 
at would be lawful to eat this very loaf which is now 
set on, which is also sanctified in the vessel, (for the 
table sanctifieth,) it would be lawful to eat even this, 
when another loaf is not present with you to give us, 
and we are so hunger-bitten. And a little after, There 
is nothing which may hinder taking care of life, beside 
idolatry, adultery, and murder. That is, a man, ac- 
cording to them, should do any thing but these in order 
to preserve life.” See Lightfoot. 

He entered into the house of God] Viz. the house 
of Ahimelech the priest, who dwelt at Nob, with whom 
the tabernacle then was, in which the Divine presence 
was manifested. 

And did eat the shew-bread| Τοὺς aprovg της προθε- 
cewe—in Hebrew, 0°39 DM Lechem panim—bread of 
the presence, or faces, because this bread was to be set 
continually, mm 7255 lipney Yehovah, before the face 
of Jehovah. See the notes on Exod. xxv. 23 and 30. 

“Since part of the frankincense put in the bread 
was to be burnt on the altar for a memorial, Lev. 
xxiv. 7, and since Aaron and his sons were to eat it in 

. 134 


£2 Chron. vi. 18; Mal. Π|. 1.--- Hos. vi. 6; Mic. vi. 6, 7, 
8; chap. ix. 13. Mark iii. 1; Luke vi. 6——i Luke xiii. 
14; xiv. 3; John ix. 16. 


the holy place, it is evident that this bread typified 
Christ, first presented as a sacrifice fo, or in the pre- 
sence of, Jehovah, and then becoming spiritual food to 
such as, in and through him, are spiritual priests to 
God. See Rev. i. 6; v.10; xx. 6; also 1 Pet. ii. 5.” 
Parkhurst. 

Verse 5. The priests—profane the Sabbath] Pro- 
fane, i. e. put it to what might be called a common use, 
by slaying and offering up sacrifices, and by doing the 
services of the temple, as on common days, Exod. 
xxix. 38; Num. xxviii. 9. 

Verse 6. In this place is one greater than the tem 
ple.| Does not our Lord refer here to Mal. iii. 1? 
Compare this with Heb. iii. 3. The Jews esteemed 
nothing greater than the temple, except that God who 
Was worshipped in it. Christ, by asserting he was 
greater than the temple, asserts that he was God ; and 
this he does, in still more direct terms, ver. 8, The 
Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath—is Institutor and 
Governor of it. Compare this with Gen. ii. 3, and 
see the notes there. 

Verse 7. I will have mercy, &c.] See this explained, 
chap. ix. 13. There are fowr ways in which positive 
laws may cease to oblige. 

First, by the natural law of necessity. 

Secondly, by a particular law, which is superior. 

Thirdly, by the Zaw of charity and mercy 

Fourthly, by the dispensation and authority of the 
Lawgiver. 

These cases are all exemplified from verse 4 to 
verse 8. 

Verse 8. The Son of man is Lord even of the Sab- 
bath-day.| The change of the Jewish into the Chris- 
tian Sabbath, called the Lord’s day, Rev. i. 10, 
shows that Christ is not only the Lord, but also the 
truth and completion of it. For it seems to have 
been by an especial providence that this change has 
been made and acknowledged all over the Christian 
world. 

Verse 10. A man which had his hand withered.] 
Probably through a partial paralysis. The man’s hand 
was withered ; but God’s merey had still preserved to 
him the use of his feet: he uses them to bring him to 
the public worship of God, and Jesus meets and heals 

1 


The man with the 


A.M sr days? that they might accuse 
θῖν ae him. 

- 11 And he said unto them, What 
man shall there be among you, that shall have 
one sheep, and ‘if it fall into a pit on the 
Sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift 
zt out? 

12 How much then is a man better than a 
sheep? Wherefore, it is lawful to do well 
on the Sabbath-days. 

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth 


& See Exod. xxiii. 4,5; Deut. xxii. 4! Chap. xxvii. 1; Mark 
ili. 6; Luke vi. 11; Johny. 18; x. 39; xi. 53. 


him there. How true is the proverb—ZIt zs never so 
el with us, but it might be much worse ! 

Verse 11. If it fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, 
&c.] It was a canon among the Jews: “ We must 
take a tender care of the goods of an Israelite.” 
Hence :— 

“Tf a beast fall into a ditch, or into a pool of water, 
let (the owner) bring him food in that place if he can; 
but, if he cannot, let him bring clothes and litter, and 
bear up the beast; whence, if he can come up, let 
him come up, &c.” 

“Tf a beast or its foal fall into a ditch on a holy 
day, R. Lazar saith, Let him lift up the former to kill 
him, and let him kill him; but let him give fodder to 
the other, lest he die in that place. R. Joshua saith, 
Let hirn lift up the former with the intention of killing 
him, although he kill him not; let him lift up the 
other also, although it be not in his mind to kill him.” 
To these canons our Lord seems here very properly 
to appeal, in vindication of his intention to heal the 
distressed man. See Lightfoot. 

Self-interest is a very decisive casuist, and removes 
abundance of scruples in a moment. It is always 
the first consulted, and the most readily obeyed. Τὶ 
is not sinful to hearken to it, but it must not govern 
nor determine by itself. 

Verse 12. How much then is a man better than a 
sheep ?] Our Lord’s argument is what is called argu- 
mentum ad hominem; they are taken on their own 
ground, and confuted on their own maxims and con- 
duct. There are many persons who call themselves 
Christians, who do more for a beast of burden or plea- 
sure than they do for a man for whom Christ died! 
Many spend that on coursers, spaniels, and hounds, of 
which multitudes of the followers of Christ are des- 
titute :—but this also shall come to judgment. 

Wherefore, it is lawful to do well, &c.| This was 
allowed by a multitude of Jewish canons. See 
Schoettgen. 

Verse 13. Stretch forth thine hand.] The bare 
command of God is a sufficient reason of obedience. 
This man might have reasoned thus : “ Lord, my hand 
is withered ; how then can I stretch it out? Make it 
whole first, and afterwards I will do as thou com- 
mandest.” This may appear reasonable, but in his 
ease it would have been foolishness. At the command 
of the Lord he made the effort, and in making it the 

1 


CHAP. XII. 


withered hand healed 


; + A. M. 4031. 
thine hand. And he stretched it rae 


forth ; and it was restored whole, An. Olymp. 
; CCL, 
like as the other. ΞΘ 

14 § Then 'the Pharisees went out, and 
™ held a council against him, how they might 
destroy him. 

15 But when Jesus knew τί, ® he withdrew 
himself from thence: ° and great multitudes 
followed him, and he healed them all ; 

16 And ν charged them that they should not 
make him known: 


m Or, took counsel—® See chap. x. 23; Mark iii. 7——° Chap 
xix. 2. » Chap. ix. 30. 


eure was effected! Faith disregards apparent im- 
possibilities, where there is a command and promise 
of God. The effort to believe*is, often, that faith 
by which the soul is healed. 

A little before (verses 6 and 8) Jesus Christ had 


*| asserted his Godhead, in this verse he proves it. What 


but the omnipotence of the living God could have, in 
a moment, restored this withered hand? There could 
be no collusion here ; the man who had a real disease 
was instantaneously and therefore miraculously cured ; 
and the merey and power of God were both amply 
manifested in this business. 

It is worthy of remark, that as the man was healed 
with a word, without even a touch, the Sabbath was 
unbroken, even according to their most rigid interpre- 
tation of the letter of the law. 

Verse 14. Held a council against him] Nothing 
sooner leads to utter blindness, and hardness of heart, 
than envy. There are many who abandon themselves 
to pleasure-taking and debauchery onthe Sabbath, who 
condemn a poor man whom necessity obliges to work 
on what is termed a holiday, or a national fast. 

Verse 15. Jesus—withdrew himself from thence] 
It is the part of prudence and Christian charity not to 
provoke, if possible, the blind and the hardened ; and 
to take from them the occasion of sin. A man of 
God is not afraid of persecution; but, as his aim is 
only to do good, by proclaiming every where the grace 
of the Lord Jesus, he departs from any place when he 
finds the obstacles to the accomplishment of his end 
are, humanly speaking, invincible, and that he cannot 
do good without being the means of much evil. Yield 
to the stream when you cannot stem it. 

Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them 
all} The rejection of the Gospel in one place has 
often been the means of sending it to and establishing 
it in another. Jesus healed all that followed him, i. e. 
all who had need of healing, and who desired to be 
healed ; for thus the passage must be understood :-— 
and is he not still the same? No soul shall ever im- 
plore his healing power in vain; but let it be remem- 
bered, that only those who follow Christ, and apply to 
him, are healed of their spiritual maladies. 

Verse 16. Charged them that they should not make 
him known] See chap. viii. 4. Jesus Christ, as Gop, 
could have easily concealed himself, but he chooses to 
do it as man, and to use no other than human means, 

135 


Prophecies of Christ fulfilled. 


A.M. 4031. 17 That it might be fulfilled which 
ἈΠΟ ΟΡ av as spoken by Esaias the prophet, 
saying, 

18 «Behold my servant, whom I have cho- 
sen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well 
pleased ; I will put my Spirit upon him, and 
he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. 

19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither 
shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and 
smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send 
forth judgment unto victory. 


4758. xlii. 1— Chap. iil. 17; xvii. 5——*See chap. ix. 32; 
Mayk iii. 11; Luke xi. 14. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


The blind and dumb healed 


21 And in his name shall the Gen- A, Maat 
tiles trust. 

22 9 *'Then was brought unto him 
one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb ; 
and he healed him, insomuch that the blind 
and dumb both spake and saw. 

23 And all the people were amazed, and 
said, Is not this the son of David? 

24 4 *But when the Pharisees heard τ, 
they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, 
but by ἃ Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

25 And Jesus τ knew their thoughts, and 


An. Olymp. 
CCL 3. 


volap. ix. 34; Mark ii. 22; Luke xi. 15. uGr. Beelzebul : 
and so ver. 27. ¥ Chap. ix. 4; John ii. 25; Rev. ii. 23. 


as these were quite sufficient for the purpose, to teach 
us not to neglect them in our necessity. Indeed, he 
always used his power less on his own account, than 
on that of men. 

Verse 18. Behold my servant] This title was given 
to our blessed Lord in several prophecies. See Isa. 
ΧΙ. 1; 1. 2. Christ assumes it, Psa. xl. 7-9. 
Compare these with John xvii. 4, and Phil. ii. 7. God 
required an acceptable and perfect service from man; 
but man, being sinful, could not perform it. Jesus, 
taking upon him the nature of man, fully performed 
the whole will of God, and communicates grace to all 
his followers, to enable them perfectly to love and 
worthily to magnify their Maker. 

And he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.] That 
is, He will publish the Gospel to the heathens ; for the 
word κρίσιν here answers to the word ODw? mishpat 
of the prophet, and it is used among the Hebrews to 
signify laws, precepts, and a whole system or body of 
doctrine. See Psa. xix. 19; exix. 30, 39; Isa. 
Iiii. 2. 

Verse 19. He shall not strive, nor cry] The spirit 
of Christ is not a spirit of contention, murmuring, 
clamour, or litigiousness. He who loves these does 
not belong to him. Christ therefore fulfilled a pro- 
phecy by withdrawing from this place, on account of 
the rage of the Pharisees. 

Verse 20. A bruised reed shall he not break] A reed 
is, in Scripture, the emblem of weakness, Kzek. xxix. 
6; and a druised reed must signify that state of weak- 
ness that borders on dissolution and death. 

And smoking flax shall he not quench| Awov τυφο- 
μενον. Λίνος means the wick of a lamp, and τυφομενον 
is intended to point out its expiring state. when the 
oil has been all burnt away from it. and nothing is 
left but a mere snuff, emitting smoke. Some suppose 
the Jewish state, as to ecclesiastical matters, is here 
intended, the prophecy declaring that Christ would 
not destroy it, but leave it to expire of itself, as it 
already contained the principles of its own destruc- 
tion. Others have considered it as implying that 
great tenderness with which the blessed Jesus should 
treat the weak and the ignorant, whose good desires 
must not be stifled, but encouraged. The druised reed 
may recover itself, if permitted to vegetate under the 
genial influences of heaven ; and the life and light of 

136 


the expiring lamp may be supported by the addition 
of fresh oil. Jesus therefore quenches not faint 
desires after salvation, even in the worst and most un- 
deserving of men; for even such desires may lead to 
the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. 

Judgment unto victory.] See ver. 18. By judg- 
ment, understand the Gospel, and by victory its com- 
plete triumph over Jewish opposition, and Gentile 
impiety. He will continue by these mild and gentle 
means to work till the whole world is Christianized, 
and the universe filled with his glory. 

Verse 21. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.] 
Ἐλπίουσι, they shall hope. Jesus Christ is the sole 
hope and trust of mankind; to trust and hope in his 
name, Jesus, is to expect salvation and all things ne- 
cessary from him alone, to despise, comparatively, all 
earthly promises, to esteem, love, and desire heavenly 
things only, and to bear with patience and tranquillity 
all the losses and evils of this life, upon the prospect 
and hope of that felicity which he has purchased 
for us. ; 

Verse 22. One possessed with a devil, blind and 
dumb] A person from whom the indwelling demon 
took away both szght and hearing. Satan makes him- 
self master of the heart, the eves, and the tongue of 
the sinner. His heart he fills with the love of sin; 
his eyes he blinds that he may not see his guilt, and 
the perdition which awaits him; and his tongue he 
hinders from prayer and supplication, though he gives 
it increasing liberty in blasphemies, lies, slanders, &c. 
None but Jesus can redeem from this threefold 
captivity. 

Verse 23. Is not this the son of David 1] Is not 
this the true Messiah? Do not these miracles suffi- 
ciently prove it? See Isa. xxxv. 5. 

Verse 24. Beelzebub] See chap. x. 25. 

Verse 25. Every kingdom divided against itself is 
brought to desolation) Our Lord’s argument runs 
thus :—“ The welfare of any kingdom, city, or family, 
depends on its concord and unanimity ; Satan, like 
every other potentate, must wish to rule his empire im 
peace and security ; how then can he be in league with 
me, who oppose his authority, and am destroyeng his 
kingdom 2” 

The reasoning of the Pharisees, ver. 24, was not 
expressed, and Jesus, knowing their thoughts, gay 

J 


Christ s muracles attributed 


A.M-43l. said unto them, Every kingdom 
ee Olymp. divided against itself is brought to 

ΕΞ desolation ; and every city or house 
divided against itself ‘shall not stand. 

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is di- 
vided against himself; how shall then his 
kingdom stand ? 

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by 
whom do your children cast them out? there- 
fore they shall be your judges. 

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit 


* Dan. ii. 44; vii. 14; Luke i. 33; xi. 20; xvii. 20, 21. 
xIsa. xlix. 24; Luke xi. 21, 22, 23. 


them ample proof of his omniscience. This, with our 
Lord’s masterly confutation of their reasonings, by a 
conclusion drawn from their own premises, one would 
have supposed might have humbled and convinced 
these men; but the most conclusive reasoning, and 
the most astonishing miracles, were lost upon a people 
who were obstinately determined to disbelieve every 
thing good, relative to Christ. How true the saying— 
He came unto his own, and his own received him not! 

Verse 26. If Satan cast out Satan] A good cause 
will produce a good effect, and an evil cause an evil 
effect. Were I on Satan’s side, I would act for his 
interest and confirm his influence among you ; but 1 
oppose his maxims by my doctrine, and his influence 
by my power. 

Verse 27. By whom do your children cast them 
out 2] Children, or sons of the prophets, means the 
disciples of the prophets; and children or sons of the 
Pharisees, disciples of the Pharisees. From Acts xix. 
13, 14, it is evident there were exorcists among the 
Jews, and, from our Lord’s saying here, it is also 
evident that the disciples of the Pharisees did cast out 
demons, or, at least, those who educated them wished 
to have it believed that they had such a power. Our 
Lord’s argument here is extremely conclusive: If the 
man who casts out demons proves himself thereby to 
be in league with and influenced by Satan, then your 
disciples, and you who taught them, are all of you in 
league with the devil: ye must either give up your 
assertion, that I cast out demons by Beelzebul, or else 
admit this conclusion, in its fullest force and latitude, 
that ye are all children of the devil, and leagued with 
him against God. 

Envy causes persons often to condemn in one, what 
they approve in another. 

Verse 28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit 
of God] Perhaps the Spirit of God is here mentioned 
by way of opposition to the magical incantations of 
the Jews; for it is well known that by fumigations 
and magical washings, they professed to cast out devils. 
See a case mentioned by Schoettgen on this verse. 

Then the kingdom of God] For the destruction of 
the kingdom of Satan plainly implies the setting up 
of the kingdom of God. 

Is come unto you.) Is come unexpectedly upon 
you. Ἐφθασεν, from φθανω, to appear suddenly—un- 
expectedly. 

1 


CHAP. ΧΙ. 


to the power of Satan. 


of God, then * the kingdom of God Ae 
is come unto you. 

29 * Or else how can one enter 
into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, 
except he first bind the strong man? and then 
he will spoil his house. 

30 He that is not with me is against me ; 
and he that gathereth not with me scattereth 
abroad. 

31 Wherefore I say unto you, ¥ All manner 
of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto 


An. Glymp. 
CCL 3. 


y Mark iii. 28; Luke xii. 10; Heb. vi. 4, &c.; x. 26, 29; 
1 John v. 16. 


They pretended to be in expectation of the kingdom 
of God, and consequently of the destruction of the 
kingdom of Satan. But, by being not prepared to 
receive Christ in these proofs of his Divine mission, 
they showed that their expectation was but pretended. 
They were too carnal to mind spiritual things. 

Verse 29. Else how can one enter into a strong 
man’s house] Men, through sin, are become the very 
house and dwelling place of Satan, having of their own 
accord surrendered themselves to this unjust pos- 
sessor; for whoever gives up his soul to sin gives it 
up to the devil. It is Jesus, and Jesus alone, who ean 
deliver from the power of this bondage. When Satan 
is cast out, Jesus purifies and dwells in the heart. 

Verse 30. He that is not with me is against me] 
In vain do men seek for methods to reconcile God and 
mammon. ‘There is no medium between loving the 
Lord and being his enemy—between belonging to 
Christ or to Satan. If we be onthe side of the devil, 
we must expect to go to the devil’s hell; if we be on 
the side of Christ, we may expect to go to his heaven. 
When Christ, his truth, and his servants are assaulted, 
he who does not espouse their cause is not on Christ’s 
side, but incurs the guilt of deserting and betraying 
him. There are many, (it is to be feared,) in the 
world who are really against Christ, and scatter abroad, 
who flatter themselves that they are workers together 
with him, and of the number of his friends! 

Scattereth abroad.] This seems to have been a pro- 
verbial form of speech, and may be a metaphor taken 
from shepherds. He who does not help the true 
shepherd to gather his flock into the fold is, most likely. 
one who wishes to scatter them, that he may have the 
opportunity of stealing and destroying them. 1 do not 
find any parallel to this proverbial mode of speech in 
the Jewish rabbins, if it be one, nor have I met with 
it among the Greek or Roman writers. 

Verse 31. All manner of sin and blasphemy] 
Βλασφημια, injurious or impious speaking, byrmoy spyec, 
mocking and deriding speech, Anglo-Saxon. See 
chap. ix. 3. 

But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost] Even 
personal reproaches, revilings, persecutions against 
Christ, were remissible ; but blasphemy, or impious 
speaking against the Holy Spirit was to have no for- 
giveness: i. e. when the person obstinately attributed 
those works to the devil, which he had the fullest evi- 

137 


Christ explains the nature of 


A. M. 4031. : : 
M3! men: * but the blasphemy agaznst 


An, Olymp. the Holy Ghost shall not be for- 
—— given unto men. 


τ Acts vil. 51. 


a Chap. xi. 19; xiii. 55; John vii. 12, 52. 


dence could be wrought only by the Spirit of God. 
That this, and nothing else, is the sin against the Holy 
Spirit, is evident from the connection in this place, 
and more particularly from Mark iii. 28, 29, 30. “ All 
sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blas- 
phemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme ; but 
he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath 
never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damna- 
tion; BECAUSE they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” 

Here the matter is made clear beyond the smallest 
doubt—the unpardonable sin, as some term it, is 
neither less nor more than ascribing the miracles Christ 
wrought, by the power of God, to the spirit of the 
devil. Many sincere people have been grievously 
troubled with apprehensions that they had committed 
the unpardonable sin; but let it be observed that no 
man who believes the Divine mission of Jesus Christ, 
ever can commit this sin: therefore let no man’s heart 
fail because of it, from henceforth and for ever, Amen. 
See below. 

Verse 32. Neither in this world, neither in the 
world to come.] Though I follow the common transla- 
tion, yet I am fully satisfied the meaning of the words 
is, neither in this dispensation, (viz. the Jewish,) nor 
in that which is to come, viz. the Christian. xan Dd) 
élam ha-bo, the world to come, is a constant phrase 
for the times of the Messiah in the Jewish writers. 
See below. The sin here spoken of by our Lord 
ranks high in the catalogue of presumptuous sins, for 
which there was no forgiveness under the Mosaic 
dispensation. See Num. xv. 30, 31; xxxv. 31; Lev. 
xx. 10; 1 Sam. ii. 25. When our Lord says that 
such a sin hath no forgiveness, is he not to be under- 
stood as meaning that the crime shall be punished 
under the Christian dispensation as it was under the 
Jewish, viz. by the destruction of the body? And is 
not this the same mentioned 1 John i. 7, called there 
the sin unto death; i. e. a sin that was to be pun- 
ished by the death of the body, while mercy might be 
extended to the soul? The punishment for presump- 
tuous sins, under the Jewish law, to which our Lord 
evidently alludes, certainly did not extend to the dam- 
nation of the soul, though the body was destroyed : 
therefore I think that, though there was no such for- 
giveness to be extended to this crime as to absolve the 
man from the punishment of temporal death, yet, on 
repentance, mercy might be extended to the soul ; 
and every sin may be repented of under the Gospel 
dispensation. 

Dr. Lightfoot has sufficiently vindicated this pas- 
sage from all false interpretation. “ They that endea- 
vour hence to prove the remission of some sins after 
death, seem little to understand to what Christ had 
respect when he spake these words. Weigh well this 
common and most known doctrine of the Jewish schools, 
and judge. 

“ He that transgresses an affirmative precept, if he 
presently repent, is not moved until the Lord pardon 

138 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the sin against the Holy Ghost 


32 And whosoever *speaketh a 4, ™. 4031. 
word against the Son of man, "itshall An. Olymp 
ὃ Ξ CCI. 3. 
be forgiven him: but whosoever 


>] Tim. i. 13. 


him; and of such it is said, Be ye converted, O back 

sliding children! and 1 will heal your backslidings.— 
He that transgresses a negative precept, and repents, 
his repentance suspends judgment, and the day of ea- 
piation expiates him; as it is said, This day shall all 
your uncleannesses be expiated to you. He that trans- 
gresses to cutting off (by the stroke of God) or to 
death by the Sanhedrin, and repents, repentance and 
the day of expiation do suspend judgment, and the 
strokes that are laid upon him wipe off sin, as it is 
said, And 1 will visit their transgression with a rod, 
and their iniquity with scourges. But he by whom 
the name of God is profaned (or blasphemed) repent- 
ance is of no avail to him to suspend judgment, nor 
the day of expiation to expate it, nor scourges (or 
corrections inflicted) to wipe it off, but all suspend 
judgment, and death wipes it off. Thus the Babylo- 
nian Gemara writes; but the Jerusalem thus: Re- 
pentance and the day of expiation expate as to the 
third part, and corrections as to the third part, and 
death wipes it off, as it 1s said, And your imiquities 
shall not be expiated to you uniil ye die: behold, we 
learn that death wipes off. Note this, which Christ 
contradicts, concerning blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost. Tt shall not be forgwen, saith he, neither in 
this world, nor in the world to come; that is, neither 
before death, nor, as you dream, by death. Jerus. 
Sanhed. fol. 37. and Bab. Yoma, fol. 86. 

“In the world to come.—I. Some phrases were re- 
ceived into common use, by which, in common speech, 
they opposed the heresy of the Sadducees, who denied 
immortality, Of that sort were 83m Dy dlam ha-ba, 
Aww ὁ μελλων, The world to come. {1} 12 gan aden, 
Tlapadevooc, paradise: DIN “i ger hinnom, Teevva, 
hell, &c. 

“ At the end of all the prayers in the temple (as 
we observed before) they said aby? ay dd élam, for 
ever. But when the heretics (i. e. the Sadducees) 
brake in, and said there was No AGE but one, then it 
was appointed to be said for ever and ever. adn 13 
nbn ὙΡῚ min ha-olam, vead ha-olam. Bab. Be- 
racoth, fol. 54. This distinction of TiN Dy dlam 
hazeh, this world, and of S10 poy olam ha-ba, the 
world to come, you may find almost in every page of — 
the rabbins. 

“ The Lord recompense thee a good reward for this 
thy good work in this world, and let thy reward be 
perfected in the world to come. Targum on Ruth. 

“ Tt (that is, the history of the creation and of the 
Bible) therefore begins with the letter 3 beth, (in the 
word mwa bereshith,) because two worlds were cre- 
ated, this world and a world to come. Baal Turim 

“The world to come hints two things especially, 
(of which see Rambam, in Sanhed. cap. ii. Chelek.) 
I. The times of the Messiah: ‘ Be mindful of the day 
wherein thou camest out of Egypt, all the days of thy 
life: the wise men say, by the days of thy life is ἐπ- 
timated this world: by all the days of thy life, the 

1 


Christ reprehends 


A.M. 4031. speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it 


An. Olymp. shall not be forgiven him, neither 
in this world, neither in the world 
to come. 

33 Either make the tree good, and “ his fruit 
good ; or else make the tree corrupt, and his 
fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his 
fruit. 

34 O “generation of vipers, how can ye, being 
evil, speak good things? °¢ for out of the abun- 
dance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 

35 A good man out of the good treasure of 
the heart bringeth forth good things: and an 


© Chap. vii. 17; Luke vi. 43, 44. 4 Chap. 11]. 7; xxiii. 33; 
© Luke vi. 45——S Chap. xvi. 1; Mark viii. 11; Luke xi. 16, 


days of the Messiah are superinduced.’ In this sense 
the apostle seems to speak, Heb. ii. 5, and vi. 5.— 
TI. The state after death: thus Rab. Tancum, The 
world to come, is when a man has departed out of 
this world.” 

Verse 33. Either make the tree good] That is, 
the effect will be always similar to the cause; a bad 
tree will produce bad fruit, and a good tree, good 
Sruit. 

The works will resemble the heart: nothing good 
can proceed from an evil spirit; no good fruit can 
proceed from a corrupt heart. Before the heart of 
man can produce any good, it must be renewed and 
influenced by the Spirit of God. 

Verse 34. O generation of vipers] These are 
apparently severe words; but they were extremely 
proper in reference to that execrable people to whom 
they were addressed: the whole verse is an inference 
from what was spoken before. 

Out of the abundance (περισσευματος, the overflow- 
ings) of the heart] Wicked words and sinful actions 
may be considered as the overflowings of a heart that 
1s more than full of the spirit of wickedness ; and holy 
words and righteous deeds may be considered as the 
overflowings of a heart that is filled with the Holy 
Spirit, and running over with love to God and man. 

Verse 35. A good man out of the good treasure 
of the heart] Tne καρδίας, of the heart, is omitted by 
upwards of one hundred MSS., many of them of the 
greatest antiquity and authority; by all the Syriac, 
Arabic, and Persic ; by the Slavonic, Saxon, Vulgate, 
and Jtala, (except four,) and by several of the primi- 
tive fathers. It seems to have been added here by 
some copyist, merely to explain. The good heart is 
the good treasury, and the treasure that is in it is the 
love of God, and of all mankind. The bad heart is 

he bad treasury, and its treasure is the carnal mind, 
which is enmity against God, and ill-will to man. 

Verse 36. Every idle word] Ῥημα apyov, a word 
that does nothing, that neither ministers grace nor in- 
struction to them who hear it. The word apyov cor- 
responds to the Hebrew ΝῊ shavé, which signifies not 
only vain or empty, but also wicked and injurious, 
such as a false testimony agaist a neighbour, compare 

1 


CHAP. XII. 


the wicked Jews 

evil man out of the evil treasure 4,M-1031. 

bringeth forth evil things. An. Olymp. 
Ξ 15 3, 


36 Βαϊ I say unto you, That every me 
idle word that men shall speak, they shall give 
account thereof in the day of judgment. 

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, 
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

38 4 ‘Then certain of the scribes and of the 
Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would 
see a sign from thee. 

39 But he answered and said unto them, 
Aneviland § adulterous generation seeketh after 
a sign; and there shall no sign be given to 


29; John ii. 18; 1 Cor. i. 22—+¢Isa. lvii.3; chap xvi. 4° 
Mark viii. 38; John iv. 48. 


Deut. v. 11 and 20. Add to this, that Symmachus 
translates 135 piggul, polluted, Lev. xix. 7, by the 
very Greek word in the text. It was to explain this 
ambiguous meaning of the word, that ten MSS. have 
changed apyov into zovypov, evil. Our Lord must be 
understood here as condemning all false and injurious 
words : the scope of the place necessarily requires this 
meaning. 

Verse 37. By thy words thou shalt be justified] 
That is, the whole tenor of thy conversation will be 
an evidence for or against thee, in the great day.— 
How many are there who count words for nothing! 
and yet eternity often depends on them. Lord, put 
a watch before the door of my lips! is a prayer pro- 
per for all men. 

Verse 38. We would see a sign from thee.] That 
is, we wish now to see thee work a miracle. Pride, 
vain curiosity, and incredulity, have never proof suffi- 
cient of the truth: for they will not be satisfied. 

Verse 39. An evil and adulterous generation] Or, 
race of people; for so yevea should be translated here, 
and in most other places in the Gospels ; for our Lord, 
in general, uses it to point out the Jewish people.— 
This translation is a key to unlock some very obscure 
passages in the evangelists. 

Seeketh after a sign] Or, seeketh another sign, 
(ext{jrer,) so 1 think this word should be translated. 
Our Lord had already given the Jews several signs ; 
and here they desire sign upon sign. 

Our Lord terms the Jews an adulterous race.— 
Under the old covenant, the Jewish nation was re- 
presented as in a marriage contract with the Lord of 
hosts; as believers, in the new covenant, are repre- 
sented as the spouse of Christ. All unfaithfulness 
and disobedience was considered as a breach of this 
marriage contract ; hence the persons who were thus 
guilty are denominated adulterers and adulteresses. 
But, independently of this, there is the utmost proof, 
from their own writings, that in the time of our Lord 
they were most literally an adulterous race of people : 
for, at this very time, R. Jochanan ben Zacchai abro- 
gated the trial by the bitter waters of jealousy, be- 
cause so many were found to be thus criminal See 
on John viii. 3. 

139 


Jonah a sign of Chrast’s 


A-M.4031 it, but the sign of the Prophet 
An. Olymp. Jonas: 

40 " Foras Jonas was three days 
and three nights in the whale’s belly : so shall 
the Son of man be three days and three nights 
in the heart of the earth. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


death and resurrection 


41 ?The men of Nineveh shall 4,M- 4031. 
rise in judgment with this ge- An ae 
neration, and * shall condemn it: = 
‘because they repented at the preaching of 
Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. ° 

42 ™The queen of the south shall rise up 


h Jonah i. 17.—' Luke xi. 32.— See Jer. ii. 11; Ezek. xvi. 51,52; 


Rom. ii. 27.—! Jon. iii. 5.—™ 1 Kgs. x. 1; 2 Chr. ix. 1; Luke xi. 31. 


Verse 40. Three days and three nights] Our 
Lord rose from the grave on the day but one after 
his crucifixion: so that, in the computation in this 
verse, the part of the day on which he was crucified, 
and the part of that on which he rose again, are seve- 
rally estimated as an entire day; and this, no doubt, 
exactly corresponded to the time in which Jonah was 
in the belly of the fish. Our Lord says, As Jonah 
was, so shall the Son of man be, &e. Evening and 
morning, or night and day, is the Hebrew phrase for 
a natural day, which the Greeks termed νυχθήμερον, 
nuchthemeron. The very same quantity of time which 
is here termed three days and three nights, and which, 
in reality, was only one whole day, a part of two others, 
and two whole nights, is termed three days and three 
nights, in the book of Esther: Go; neither eat nor 
drink THREE DAYS, NIGHT or DAY, and so I will go in 
unto the kmg: chap. iv. 16. Afterwards it follows, 
chap. v. 1. On the THIRD Day, Esther stood in the 
amner court of the king’s house. Many examples 
might be produced, from both the sacred and profane 
writers, in vindication of the propriety of the expres- 
sion in the text. For farther satisfaction, the reader, 
if he please, may consult Whitby and Wakefield, and 
take the following from Lightfoot. 

“T. The Jewish writers extend that memorable 
station of the unmoving sun, at Joshua’s prayer, to 
six and thirty hours; for so A7zmchi upon that place : 
‘ According to more exact interpretation, the sun and 
moon stood stil for six and thirty hours: for when 
the fight was on the eve of the Sabbath, Joshua feared 
lest the Israelites might break the Sabbath; therefore 
he spread abroad his hands, that the sun might stand 
still on the siath day, according to the measure of the 
day of the Sabbath, and the moon according to the 
measure of the night of the Sabbath, and of the go- 
ing out of the Sabbath, which amounts to six and 
thirty hours.’ 

“JJ. If you number the hours that pass from our 
Saviour’s giving up the ghost upon the cross to his re- 
surrection, you shall find almost the same number of 
hours; and yet that space is called by him three days 
and three nights, whereas two nights only came be- 
tween, and one complete day. Nevertheless, while he 
speaks these words, he is not without the consent both 
of the Jewish schools and their computation. Weigh 
well that which is disputed in the tract Scabbath, con- 
cerning the separation of a woman for three days; 
where many things are discussed by the Gemarists, 
concerning the computation of this space of three days. 
Among other things these words occur: R. Ismael 
saith, Sometimes it contains four ΓΛ) onoth, some- 
times five, sometimes six. But how much is the space 
ef an ANS onah? R. Jochanan saith, Either a day 

140 


ora night. And so also the Jerusalem Talmud : " R. 
Akiba fixed a vay for an onah, and a nicut for an 
onah.’ But the tradition is, that R. Eliazar ben Aza- 
riah said, A day and a night make an onah: and a 
Part of an onah is as the wHoLtr. And a little after, 
R. Ismael computed a part of the onah for the whole.” 
Thus, then, three days and three nights, according to 
this Jewish method of reckoning, included any part of 
the first day; the whole of the following night; the 
next day and its night; and any part of the succeed- 
ing or third day. 

In the whale’s belly} Thata fish of the shark kind, 
and not a whale, is here meant, Bochart has abundant- 
ly proved, vol. iii. col. 742, &c., edit. Leyd. 1692. 
Tt is well known that the throat of a whale is capable ~ 
of admitting little more than the arm of an ordinary 
man; but many of the shark species can swallow a 
man whole, and men have been found whole in the 
stomachs of several. Every natural history abounds 
with facts of this kind. Besides, the shark is a na- 
tive of the Mediterranean Sea, in which Jonah was 
sailing when swallowed by what the Hebrew terms 
5113 33 dag gadol, a great fish ; but every body knows 
that whales are no produce of the Mediterranean Sea, 
though some have been by accident found there, as in 
most other parts of the maritime world; but, let them 
be found where they may, there is none of them ca- 
pable of swallowing a man. Instead of either whale 
or shark, some have translated 12 Δ dag gadol, Jo- 
nah i. 17, by a fishing cove, or something of this na- 
ture ; but this is merely to get rid of the miracle : for, 
according to some, the whole of Divine revelation is a 
forgery—or it is a system of metaphor or allegory, 
that has no miraculous interferences init. But, inde- 
pendently of all this, the criticism is contemptible. 
Others say, that the great fish means a vessel so called, 
into which Jonah went, and into the hold of which he 
was thrown, where he continued three days and three 
nights. In short, it must be any thing but a real mi- 
racle, the existence of which the wise men, so called, 
of the present day, cannot admit. Perhaps these very 
men are not aware that they have scarcely any belief 
even in the existence of God himself! 

Verse 41. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judg- 
ment] The voice of God, threatening temporal judg- 
ments, caused a whole people to repent, who had nei- 
ther Moses nor Christ, neither the law nor the prophets ; 
and who perhaps never had but this one preacher among 
them. What judgment may not we expect, if we 
continue impenitent, after all that God has bestowed 
upon ws 7 

A greater than Jonas is here.| Τίλειον, for τι πλείον, 
something more. The evidence offered by Jonah suf- 
ficed to convince and lead the Ninevites to repentance ; 

1 


Concerning’ the 


A.M. 4031. in the judgment with this generation, 


Ao. pap. and shall condemn it: for she came 
from the uttermost parts of the 
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, 
behold, a greater than Solomon zs here. 

43 » When the unclean spirit is gone out of 
a man, ° he walketh through dry places, seek- 
ing rest, and findeth none : 

44 Then he saith, I will return into my 
house from whence I came out ; and when he is 
come, he findeth zt empty, swept, and garnished. 


= Luke xi. 24. 


© Job i. 7; 1 Pet. v. 8——P Heb. vi. 4; x. 26; 
2 Pet. ii. 20, 21, 22. 


but here was more evidence, and a greater person ; and 
yet so obstinate are the Jews that all is ineffectual. 
1. Christ, who preached to the Jews, was infinitely 
greater than Jonah, in his nature, person, and mission. 
2. Jonah preached repentance in Nineveh only forty 
days, and Christ preached among the Jews for several 
years. 3. Jonah wrought no miracles to authorize 
his preaching ; but Christ wrought miracles every day, 
in every place where he went, and of every kind. 
And 4. Notwithstanding all this, the people of Judea 
did not repent, though the people of Nineveh did. ἢ 

Verse 42. The queen of the south} In 1 Kings 
x. 1, this queen is said to be of Sada, which was a 
city and province of Arabia Felix, to the south, or 
south-east, of Judea. 

Uttermost parts of the earth] Uepatwv τῆς ync— 
a form of speech which merely signifies, a great dis- 
tance. See Deut. xxviii. 49. 

Verse 43. When the unclean spirit] If there had 
been no reality in demoniacal possessions, our Lord 
would have scarcely appealed to a case of this kind 
here, to point out the real state of the Jewish people, 
and the desolation which was coming upon them. 
Had this been only a vulgar error, of the nonsense of 
which the learned scribes and the wise Pharisees must 
have been convinced, the case not being one in point, 
because not true, must have been treated by that very 
people with contempt for whose conviction it was alone 
designed. 

He walketh through dry places} Av ανυδρων τόπων. 
There seems to be a reference here to the Orphic de- 
monology, in which evil spirits were divided into va- 
rious classes, according to the different regions of their 
abode, or places in which they delighted. These 
classes were five: 1. Aaimovec ovpaviot, Celestial de- 
mons. 2. Aaimovec nepior, Aerial. 3. Aaipovec evr- 
δριοι, Aquatic. 4. Δαιμονες χθονιοι, Terrestrial. 5. 
Και δαιμονες υποχθονιοι, And subterranean demons. 
See Orph. ad Mus. ap. Schott. The Platonists, the 
followers of Zoroaster, and the primitive Jews, made 
nearly the same distinctions. 

Seeking rest] Or refreshment. Strange! a fallen 
corrupt spirit can have no rest but in the polluted hu- 
man heart: the corruption of the one is suited to the 
pollution of the other, and thus dike cleaves to like. 

Verse 44. Into my house] The soul of that person 
from whom he had been expelled by the power of 

1 


CHAP. XII. 


yaw shevd or shevang: 


unclean spurt. 


45 Then goeth he, and taketh with ΑΜ 4031. 

himself seven other spirits more An. Oiymp. 
wicked than himself, and they enter Ξ 
in and dwell there: Pand the last state 
of that man is worse than the first. Even 
so shall it be also unto this wicked gene- 
ration. 

46 Ἵ While he yet talked to the people, 
abehold Ais mother and *his brethren stood 
without, desiring to speak with him. 

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mo 


4 Mark iii. 31; Luke viii. 19, 20, 21—— Ch. xiii. 55 ; Mark vi. 3; 
John ii. 12; vir. 3,5; Acts i. 14; 1 Cor. ix. 5; Gal. i. 19. 


Christ, and out of which he was to have been kept by 
continual prayer, faith, and watchfulness. 

He findeth it empty] Unoccupied, σχολάζοντα, empty 
of the former inhabitant, and ready to receive a new 
one: denoting a soul that has lost the life and power 
of godliness, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. 

Swept and garnished.| As σχολαζω signifies to be 
idle, or unemployed, it may refer here to the person, 
as well as to his state. His affections and desires are 
no longer dusied with the things of God, but gad about, 
like an idle person, among the vanities of a perishing 
world. Swept, from love, meekness, and all the fruits 
of the Spirit; and garnished, or adorned, kexoopnuevor, 
decorated, with the vain showy trifles of folly and fa- 
shion. This may comprise also smart speeches, cun- 
ning repartees, &c., for which many who have lost the 
life of God are very remarkable. 

Verse 45. Seven other spirits more wicked] Seven 
was a favourite number with the Jews, implying fre- 
quently, with them, something perfect, completed, filled 
up, for such is the proper import of the Hebrew word 
nearly allied in sownd to our 
seven. And perhaps this meaning of it refers to the 
seventh day, when God rested from his work, having 
filled up, or completed the whole of his creative de- 
sign. Seven demons—as many as could occupy his 
soul, harassing it with pride, anger, self-will, lust, &c., 
and torturing the body with disease. 

The last state of that man is worse than the first.| 
His soul, before influenced by the Spirit of God, dilat- 
ed and expanded under its heavenly influences,-becomes 
more capable of refinement in iniquity, as its powers 
are more capacious than formerly. Evil habits are 
formed and strengthened by relapses ; and relapses are 
multiplied, and become more incurable, through new 
habits. 

So shall it be also unto this wicked generation.] 
And so it was: for they grew worse and worse, as if 
totally abandoned to diabolie influence ; till at last the 
besom of destruction swept them and their privileges, 
national and religious, utterly away. What a terrible 
description of a state of apostasy is contained in these 
verses! May he who readeth understand ! 

Verse 46. His mother and his brethren] These are 
supposed to have been the cousins of our Lord, as the 
word brother is frequently used among the Hebrews 
in this sense. But there are others who believe Mary 

141 


Christ teaches the 


A.M. 4031. ther and thy brethren stand with- 
An. Olymp. out, desirmg to speak with 
thee. 
48 But he answered and said unto him that 
told him, Who is my mother? and who are 
my brethren ? 


ST. MATTHEW. 


multitudes out of a shop 


49 And he stretched forth his A 
hand toward his disciples, and said, An. Olymp — 
Behold my mother and my brethren ! 

50 For " whosoever shall do the will of my 
Father which is in heaven, the same is my 


brother, and sister, and mother. 


5 See John xv. 14; Gal. v. 6; vi. 15; 


had other children beside our Lord and that these were 
literally his brothers, who are spoken of here. And, 
although it be possible that these were the sons of 
Mary, the wife of Cleopas or Alpheus, his mother’s 
sister, called his relations, Mark ili. 21; yet it is as 
likely that they were the children of Joseph and Mary, 
and brethren of our Lord, in the strictest sense of the 
word. See on chap. xiii. 55. 

Verse 48. Who is my mother? and who are my 
brethren 3] _ The reason of this seeming disregard of 
his relatives was this: they came to seize upon him, 
for they thought he was distracted. See Mark iii. 21. 

Verse 50. Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, 
&¢e.] Those are the best acknowledged relatives of 
Christ who are united to him by spiritual ties, and who 
are become one with him by the indwelling of his Spirit. 
We generally suppose that Christ’s relatives must have 
shared much of his affectionate attention ; and doubt- 


(Gale τε πα asm, Fh τὴ, y 


less they did: but here we find that whosoever does 
the will of God is equally esteemed by Christ, as his 
brother, sister, or even his virgin mother. What an 
encouragement for fervent attachment to God! 

1. From various facts related in this chapter, we 
see the nature and design of the revelation of God, 
and of all the ordinances and precepts contained in it 
—they are all calculated to do man good: to improve — 
his understanding, to soften and change his nature, 
that he may love his neighbour as himself. That re- 
ligion that does not inculeate and produce humanity 
never came from heaven. 

2. We have already seen what the sin against the 
Holy Ghost is: no soul that fears God can commit it: 
perhaps it would be impossible for any but Jews to be 
guilty of it, and they only in the circumstances men- - 
tioned in the text; and in such circumstances, it is — 
impossible that any person should now be found. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


Christ teaches the multitudes out of a ship, they standing on the shore, 1, 2. 


3-9. 
Parable of the tares and the wheat, 24-30. 


wheat, 36-43. 
net, 47-50. 
take offence, 53-56. 
their unbelief, 58. 


ot A: HE same day went Jesus out of 
An. Oras the house, * and sat by the sea 
cCi. γέ 


side. 
2 >And great multitudes were gathered to 
gether unto him, so that ὁ he went into a ship, 


The parable of the sower, 


He gives his reasons for speaking in parables, 10-17. Explains the parable of the sower, 18-23 
Of the gram of mustard seed, 31, 32. Of the leaven, 33 
The prophecy fulfilled by this mode of teaching, 34, 35. 


He explains the parable of the tares and the 


Parable of the treasure hid in a field, 44. Of the pearl-merchant, 45, 46. Of the drag- 
His application of the whole, 51, 52. 
Our Lord’s observations on this, 57. 


He teaches in his own country, and his neighbours 
He works no miracle among them because of 


and sat; and the whole multitude ὡς δ 43) 
stood on the shore. An. Olymp 
0013 


3 And he spake many things unto 
them in parables, saying, ἢ Behold, a sower 
went forth to sow ; 


a Mark iv. 1— Luke viii. 4. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIII. 

Verse 1. The same day] Our Lord scarcely ever 
appears to take any rest: he is incessant in his labours, 
and instant in season and out of season; and in this he 
has left all his successors in the ministry an example, 
that they shgqpld follow his steps: for he who wishes 
to save souls will find few opportunities to rest. As 
Satan is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom 
he may devour, the messenger of God should imitate 
his diligence, that he may counteract his work. The 
gospels are journals of our Lord’s life. 

Went Jesus out of the house] This was the house 
of Peter. See chap. xvii. 24. 

Sat bu the sea side.| The sea of Galilee, on the 
borders of which the city of Capernaum was situated. 

142 


¢ Luke v. 3—4 Luke viii. 5. 


Verse 2. Into a ship] To xAoov, THE vessel or 
boat. Mr. Wakefield supposes (which is very likely) 
that a particular vessel is uniformly specified, which 
seems to have been kept on the lake for the use of 
Christ and his apostles: it probably belonged to some 
of the fishermen, (see chap. iv. 22,) who, he thinks, 
occasionally, at least, followed their former occupation. 
See John xxi. 3. 

The thought of pious Quesnel on this verse should 
not be neglected. We see here a representation of 
the Church, which consists of the people united to their 
pastors. These, being more exposed to violent toss- 
ings and storms, are, as it were, in a ship, while those 
continue at ease on the shore. 

Verse 3. He spake many things unto them in para- 


The parable CHAP. 


A.M. 4031. 4 And when he sowed, some 
An. Olymp. seeds fell by the way side, and the 
OC! fowls came and devoured them up: 
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they 
had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung 

up, because they had no deepness of earth : 
6 And when the sun was up, they were 


© Genesis, 


bles] Parable, from παρα, near, and βαλλω, I cast, or 

_ put. A comparison or similitude, in which one thing 
is compared with another, especially spiritual things 
with natural, by which means these spiritual things are 
better understood, and make a deeper impression on an 
attentive mind. Or, a parable is a representation of 
any matter accommodated, in the way of similitude, to 
the real subject, in order to delineate it with the greater 
Sorce and perspicuity. See more on this subject at 
the conclusion of this chapter. No scheme, says Dr. 
Lightfoot, of Jewish rhetoric was more familiarly used 
than that of parables ; which, perhaps, creeping in from 

thence among the heathens, ended in fables. 

It is said in the tract Sotah, chap. ix. “ From the 
time that Rabbi Meri died, those that spake in parables 
ceased.” Not that this figure of rhetoric perished in 
the nation from that time; but because he surpassed 
all others in these flowers, as the gloss there from the 
tract Sanhedrin speaks. “A third part of his dis- 
courses was tradition; a third part allegory; and a 
third part parable.” The Jewish books every where 
abound with these figures, the nation inclining by a 
kind of natural genius to this kind of rhetoric. Their 
very religion might be called parabolical, folded up 
within the covering of ceremonies; and their oratory 
in their sermons was like to it. But is it not indeed 
a wonder, that they who were so much given to and 
delighted in parables, and so dexterous in unfolding 
them, should stick in the outward shell of ceremonies, 
and should not have brought out the parabolical and 
spiritual sense of them? Our Saviour, who always 
spoke with the common people, uses the same kind of 
speech, and very often the same preface which they 
used, ΤῸ what is it likened? See Lightfoot in loco. 
Though we find the basis of many of our Lord’s para- 
bles in the Jewish writings, yet not one of them comes 
through his hands without being astonishingly improved. 
Tn this respect also, Surely never man spake like this 
man. 

Under the parable of the sower, our Lord intimates, 
1. That of all the multitudes then attending his minis- 
try, few would bring forth fruit to perfection. And 2. 
That this would be a general case in preaching the 
Gospel among men. 

Verse 4. Some seeds fell by the way side] The 


hard beaten path, where no plough had broken up the | 


ground. 

Verse 5. Stony places] Where there was a thin 
surface of earth, and a rock at the bottom. 

Verse 7. Among thorns] Where the earth was 
ploughed up, but the brambles and weeds had not 
been cleared away. 

Verse 8. Good ground] Where the earth was deep, 

1 


XIII. of the sower 


scorched ; and oad they had no 4,™, 4031. 
root, they withered away. 
7 And some fell among thorns ; 
and the thorns sprung up and choked them : 
8 But other fell into good ground, and broughis 
forth fruit, some ° a hundred-fold, some sixty 
fold, some thirty-fold. 


An. Olymp. 
CCL 3. 


chap. xxvi. 12. 


the field well ploughed, and the brambles and weeds 
all removed. See more on ver. 18, &c., and see on 
Luke viii. 15. 

Some a hundred-fold. For the elucidation of this 
text, I beg leave to introduce the following experiment. 
In 1816 I sowed, for a third crop, a field with oats, at 
Millbrook, in Lancashire; the grains weighed, on an 
average, ὃ of a graineach. One grain produced three 
stalks with three cars: the largest had 68 grains in it, 
the second 26, and the third 25. 

Whole number of grains 119, which to- 


gether weighed ς to 8) (O20 pre 
The root separately, after washing and ὩΣ 
ing, weighed ἷ 133 
The stalks and remaining Trains (for πέπον 
had perished in the wet season) . 6304 
Weight of the whole produce of one 
grain of oats 26 grs. 


which was 725 limes and one fitter: more tae the 
original weight. 

The power of grain to multiply itself, even in the 
same year, is a subject as much of curiosity and as- 
tonishment as of importance and general utility. For 
the farther elucidation of this text, I shall give the fol- 
lowing example from a practice in agriculture, or rural 
economy, which is termed filtering. 

On the 2nd of June, 1766, Mr. C. Miller, of Cam- 
bridge, sowed some grains of the common red wheat - 
and on the 8th of August a single plant was taken up, 
and separated into 18 parts, and each planted separate- 
ly: these plants having pushed out several side shoots, 
about the middle of September some of them were 
taken up and divided; and the rest between that time 
and October. This second division produced 67 plants. 
These plants remained through the winter, and another 
division of them, made between the middle of March 
and the 12th of April, produced 500 plants. They 
were divided no farther, but permitted to remain in the 
field. These plants were in general stronger than any 
of the wheat in the field. Some of them produced 
upwards of 100 ears from a single root; and many of 
the ears measured seven inches in length, and con 
tained between sialy and seventy grains. The whole 
number of ears produced from the single plant was 
21,109, which yielded three pecks and /hree-quarters 
of clear corn, weighing 47lbs. 7oz., and, from a cal- 
culation made by counting the grains in an ounce, the 
whole number of grains was about 576,840. Mr. 
Miller. thinks that, had he made a second division in 
the spring, the number of plants would have amounted 
to 2000. Who can help admiring the wisdom and 
providence of God in this single grain of com! He 

143 


Christ s reasons for 


eee 9 ‘Who hath ears to hear, let 
An. Olymp. him hear. 


10 9 And the disciples came, and 
said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them 
in parables? 

11 He answered and said unto them, Be- 
cause 5 1115 given unto you to know the mys- 
teries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them 
it is not given. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


speaking m parables, 


12 » For whosoever hath, to him race” 

shall be given, and he shall have An. ora 
CCL 3 

more abundance: but whosoever 
hath not, from him shall be taken away 
even that he hath. 

13 Therefore speak I to them in para- 
bles: because they seeing, see not; and 


(Chap. xi. 15.——s Chap. xi. 25; xvi. 17; Mark iv. 11; 1 Cor. 
ii. 10; 1 John ii. 27. 


has, in some sort, impressed on it an idea of his own 
infinity ; and an idea which, like the subject to which 
it refers, confounds our imagination and reason. How 
infinitely great is God, even in his minor works ! 

Verse 9. Who hath ears to hear, &c.] Let every 
person who feels the necessity of being instructed in 
the things which concern his soul’s welfare pay at- 
tention to what is spoken, and he shall become wise 
unto salvation. 

Verse 11. Zé is given unto you to know the myste- 
ries, &c.| By mysteries, here, we may understand not 
only things concerning the scheme of salvation, which 
had not yet been revealed; but also the prophetic de- 
clarations concerning the future state of the Christian 
Church, expressed in the ensuing parables. Jz is not 
given to them to know the purport and design of these 
things—they are gross of heart, earthly and sensual, 
and do not improve the light they have received: dwt 
to you τί 1s gwen, because [ have appointed you not 
anly to be the first preachers of my Gospel to sinners, 
but also the persons who shall transmit accounts of 
all these things to posterity. The knowledge of these 
mysteries, in the first instance, can be given only to a 
few ; but when these faithfully write and publish what 
they have heard and seen, unto the world, then the 
science of salvation is revealed and addressed to all. 
From ver. 17, we learn, that many prophets and right- 
eous men had desired to see and hear these things, but 
had not that privilege—to them it was not given; not 
because God designed to exclude them from salvation, 
but because He who knew all things knew, either that 
they were not proper persons, or that that was not 
the proper time: for the choice of the prrsons by 
whom, and the choice of the TIME in which it is most 
proper to reveal Divine things, must ever rest with the 
all-wise God. 

Verse 12. Whosoever hath, to him shall be given] 
This is an allusion to a common custom in all countries: 
he who possesses much or is rich, to such a person, 
presents are ordinarily given. 

Whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away 
even that he hath.| That is, the poor man: he that 
has little may be easily made a prey of, and so lose 
his little. This is a proper sense of the word eye 
in sacred and profane writers. In 1 Cor. xi. 22, τοὺς 
uy ἔχοντας, those who have not, means simply THE 
poor: and Aristophanes uses τοὺς exovrac, those that 
have, for the ricH or opULENT. See a variety of per- 
tinent examples in Kypke on Luke viii. 18. There is 

144 


hearing, they hear not; neither do they 
understand. 
h Chapter xxv. 29; Mark iv. 25; Luke viii. 18, 
xix. 26. 


one example in Juvenal, Sat. iii. 1. 208, 209, that ex- 
presses the whole of our Lord’s meaning, and is a 
beautiful illustration of this apparently difficult passage. 
Niu habuit Codrus: quis enim negat2 et tamen illud 
Perdidit infelix rorum NIL. 


“°Tis true, poor Codrus noruine had to boast, 
And yet poor Codrus att that Noruine lost.” 
Dryden. 
Now what was this Noruine which, the poet said, 
Codrus had and lost? The five preceding lines tell 
you. 
Lectus erat Codro Procula minor, urceoli sex, 
Ornamentum abaci; necnon et parvulus infra 
Cantharus, et recubans sub eodem marmore Chiron ; 
Jamque vetus Grecos servabat cista libellos, 
Et divina Opici rodebant carmina mures. 


He had one small bed, six litile pitchers, the orna- 
ment of a side-board; a small jug or tankard, the 
mage of a centaur, and an old chest with some Greek 
books in it, on which the mice had already begun to 
make depredations. And ail this he lost; probably 
by continuing, in spite of his destiny, to be a poet. 
So those who devote not the light and power which 
God has given them to the purposes for which he has 
granted these gifts, from them shall be taken away 
these unemployed or prostituted blessings. This seems 
to have been a proverbial mode of speech, which our 
Lord here uses to inform his disciples, that he who 
does not improve the first operations of grace, how- 
soever small, is in danger of losing not only all the 
possible product, but even the principal; for God de- 
lights to heap benefits on those who properly improve 
them. See the note on Luke viii. 18. 

Verse 13. Therefore speak I to them in parables] 
On this account, viz. to lead them into a proper know- 
ledge of God. I speak to them in parables, natural 
representations of spiritual truths, that they may be 
allured to znguzre, and to find out the spirit, which is 
hidden under the /etter ; because, seeing the miracles 
which I have wrought, they see not, i. e. the end for 
which I have wrought them; and hearing my doc- 
trines, they hear not, so as to profit by what is spoken; 
neither do they understand, οὐδὲ συνίουσι, they do not 
lay their hearts to it. Is not this obviously our Lord’s 
meaning? Who can suppose that he would employ 
his time in speaking enigmatically to them, on purpose 
that they might not understand what was spoken ? 
Could the God of truth and sincerity act thus? If he 

1 


Explanation of the 
A.M. 4031. 14 And in them is fulfilled the 
a Pm. prophecy of Esaias, which saith, 
——_—__— ‘By,hearing ye shall hear, and shall 
not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and 
shall not perceive : 

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, 
and their ears * are dull of hearing, and their 
eyes they have closed; lest at any time they 
should see with their eyes, and hear with their 
ears, and should understand with thei heart, 
and should be converted, and I should heal 
them. 

16 But ' blessed are your eyes, for they see : 
and your ears, for they hear. 

17 For verily I say unto you, ™ That many 
prophets and righteous men have desired to 

158. vi. 9; Ezek. xii. 2; Mark iv. an Luke viii. 10; John 


xii. 40; ‘Acts Xxviil. 26, 97; Rom. xi. 8; 2 Cor. iii. id, 15. 
k Heb. v. 11. 


had designed to act otherwise, he might have saved 
his time and labour, ἀπά not spoken at all, which would 
have answered the same end, viz. to leave them in 
gross ignorance. 

Verse 14. In them is fulfilled] Αναπληρουται, Is 
acan fulfilled: this proper meaning of the Greek 
word has been generally overlooked. The evangelist 
means, that as these words were fulfilled in the Jews, 
in the time of the Prophet Zsaiah, so they are now again 
fulfilled in these their posterity, who exactly copy their 
fathers’ example. These awful words may he again 
fulfilled in ws, if we take not warning by the things 
which these disobedient people have suffered. 

By hearing ye shall hear] Jesus Christ shall be 
sent to you, his miracles ye shall fully see, and his 
doctrines ye shall distinctly hear; but God will not 
force you to receive the salvation which is offered. 

Verse 15. Heart is waxed gross] Ἑπαχυνϑη, is be- 
come fat—inattentive, stupid, insensible. They hear 
heavily with their ears—are half asleep while the sal- 
vation of God is preached unto them. 

Their eyes they have closed] Totally and obstinately 
resisted the truth of God, and shut their eyes against 
the light. 

Lest—they should see, &c.] Lest they should see 
their lost estate, and be obliged to turn unto God, and 
seek his salvation. His state is truly deplorable who 
15. sick unto death, and yet is afraid of being cured. 
The fault is here totally in the people, and not at all 
in that God whose name is Mercy and whose nature is 
love. 

Verse 16. But blessed are your eyes] Ye improve 
the light which God has given you; and you receive 
an increase of heavenly wisdom by every miracle and 
by every sermon. 

Verse 17. Many prophets and righteous men] 
These lived by and died in the faith of the promised 
Messiah : the fulness of the time was not then come 
for his manifestation in the flesh. See also on ver. 11. 

Verse 19. When any one heareth the word of the 

Vou. I. C "ley 


CHAP. 


XU. parable of the sower. 


see those things which ye see, and 4,™, 1031. 

have not seen them; and to hear An. Olymp. 
5 CCL3 

those things which ye hear, and have 

not heard them. 

18 Ἵ " Hear ye therefore the parable of the 
sower. 

19 When any one heareth the word ° of 
the kingdom, and understandeth ἐξ not, then 
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away 
that which was sown in his heart. This 
is he which received seed by the way 
side. 

20 But he that received the seed into stony 
places, the same is he that heareth the word, 
and anon ? with joy receiveth it ; 

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but 


ΜΕ xvi. 17; Luke x. 23, 24; John xx. 29.——™ Heb. xi. 
13 et. i. 10, 11, Mark iv. if; Luke viii. 11.—® Chap. 
iv. ᾿23.--- Isa. Iviii. 2; Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32; John v. 35. 


kingdom] Viz. the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. 

And understandeth it not] My cvuvievtoc, perhaps 
more pronerly, regardeth it not, does not lay his heart 
to it. 

The wicked one] O πονηρος, from πόνος, labour, tou, 
he who distresses and torments the soul. Mark, chap. 
iv. 15, calls him 6 caravac, the adversary or opposer, 
because he resists men in all their purposes of amend- 
ment, and, to the utmost of his power opposes, in 
order to frustrate, the influences of Divine grace upon 
the heart. In the parallel place in Luke, chap. viii. 
12, he is called ὁ διαβολος, the devil, from διαθαλλειν, 
to shoot, or dart through. Tn allusion to this meaning 
of the name, St. Paul, Eph. vi. 16, speaks of the 
fiery parts of the wicked one. It is worthy of re- 
mark, that the ‘dree evangelists should use each a 
different appellative of this mortal enemy of mankind : 
probably to show that the devil, with all his powers and 
properties, opposes every thing that tends to the salva- 
tion of the soul. 

Catcheth away] Makes the utmost haste to pick up 
the good seed, lest it should take rood in the heart. 

A careless inattentive hearer is compared to the 
way side—his heart is an open road, where evil affec- 
tions, and foolish and hurtful desires, continually pass 
and repass, without either notice or restraint. “A 
heart where Satan has” (as one terms it) “ingress, 
egress, regress, and progress: in a word, the devil’s 
thoroughfare.” 

Verse 20. But he that received the seed into stony 
places—is he] That is, is a fit emblem of that man who, 
hearing the Gospel, is affected with its beauty and 
excellency, and immediately receiveth it with joy— 
is glad to hear what God has done to make man 
happy. 

Verse 21. Yet hath he not root in himself] His 
soul is not deeply convinced of its guilt and depravity ; 
the fallow ground is not properly ploughed up, nor the 
rock broken. When persecution, &c., ariseth, which 
he did not expect, he is soon stumbled—seeks some 

145 


Explanation of the 


A.M. 4031. dureth for a while: for when tribu- 
Ane Glee: lation or persecution ariseth because 

of the word, by and by ‘he is 
offended. 

22 τ He also that received seed * among the 
thorns, is he that heareth the word; and the 
care of this world, and the deceitfulness of 
riches, choke the word, and he becometh un- 
fruitful. 


23 But he that received seed into the good 


4Chap. xi. 6; 2 Tim. i. 15— Chap. xix. 23; Mark x. 23 ; 
Luke xviii. 24; 1 Tim. vi. 9; 2 Tim. iv. 10. 


pretext to abandon both the doctrine and followers of 
Christ. Having not felt his own sore, and the plague 
of his heart, he has not properly discovered that this 
salvation is the only remedy for his soul : thus he has 
no motive in his heart strong enough to counteract 
the outward scandal of the cross; so he endureth only 
for the time in which there is no difficulty to encoun- 
ter, no cross to bear. 

Verse 22. He also that received seed among the 
thorns] In land ploughed, but not properly cleared 
and weeded. Is he—vrepresents that person who hear- 
eth the word, but the cares, rather the anxiety, ἡ μεριμνα, 
the whole system of anxious carking eares. . Lexico- 
graphers derive the word μερίμνα from μερίζειν τον vovy, 
dividing, or distracting the mind. 'Thus a poet, 

Tot me wnpediunt cure que meum animum diversé 
trahunt. 

“So many cares hinder me which draw my mind 
different ways.” Terence. 

The deceitfulness of riches} Which promise peace 
and pleasure, but can never give them. 

Choke the word] Or, together choke the word, 
ouprviyel, meaning, either that these grow up together 
with the word, overtop, and choke it; or that these 
united together, viz. carking worldly cares, with the 
delusive hopes and promises of riches, cause the man 
to abandon the great concerns of his soul, and seek, in 
their place, what he shall eat, drink, and wherewithal 
he shall be clothed. Dreadful stupidity of man, thus 
to barter spiritual for temporal good—a heavenly in- 
heritance for an earthly portion! The seed of the 
kingdom can never produce much fruit in any heart, till 
the thorns and thistles of vicious affections and impure 
desires be plucked up by the roots and burned. The 
Persic translator renders it QUT eas sy 2S Lol 
asle kalmé-ra khubé kund, chokes the root of the word: 
for it appears the seed had taken root, and that these 
cares, &c., choked it in the root, before even the dlade 
could show itself. 

Verse 23. Good ground] That which had depth of 
mould, was well plonuss ghed, and well weeded. 

Ts he that heareth| Who diligently attends the mi- 
nistry of the word. 

And understandeth it] Lays the subject to heart, 
deeply weighing its nature, design, and importance. 

Which also beareth fruit] His fruitfulness being an 
almost necessary consequence of his thus laying the 

146 


ST. MATTHEW. 


parable of the sower 


ground, is he that heareth the A Madey 
word, and understandeth zt; which An. Olymp. 


also beareth fruit, and bringeth 
forth, *some a hundred-fold, some sixty. 
some thirty. 

24 4 Another parable put he forth unto them, 
saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened 
unto a man which sowed "good seed in his 
field : 

25 But while men slept, his enemy came 


s Jer. iv. 3.—+t Gen. xxvi. 12; John xy. 4, 5,8; Gal. v. 22. 
u Mark iv. 26. 


Divine message to heart. Let it be observed, that to 
hear, to understand, and to bring forth fruit, are the 
three grand evidences of a genuine believer. He wha 
does not hear the word of wisdom cannot understand 
what makes for his peace ; and he who does not under- 
stand what the Gospel requires him to de and to perform, 
cannot bring forth frwut; and he who is not frwtful, 
very fruitful, cannot be a disczple of Christ—see John 
xy. 8; and he who is not Christ’s disciple cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God. 

From the different portions of fruit produced by the 
good ground, a hundred, sixty, and thirty, we may 
learn that all sound believers are not equally fruitful ; 
all hear, understand, and bring forth fruit, but not in 
the same degrees—occasioned, partly, by their situa- 
tion and circumstances not allowing them such exten- 
sive opportunities of receiving and doing good; and, 
partly, by lack of mental capacity—for every mind is 
not equally improvable. 

Let it be farther observed that the unfruitfulness of 
the different lands was not owing to bad seed or an 
unskilful sower—the same sower sows the same seed 
in all, and with the same gracious design—but it is 
unfruitful in many because they are careless, inatten- 
tive, and worldly-minded. 

But is not the ground naturally bad in every heart ? 
Undoubtedly. And can any but God make it good ? 
None. But it is your business, when you hear of the 
justice and mercy of God, to implore him to work in 
you that which is pleasing in his sight. No man shall 
be condemned because he did not change his own heart, 
but because he did not ery to God to change it, who 
gave him his Holy Spirit for this very purpose, and 
which he, by his worldly-mindedness and impiety, 
quenched. Whoso hath ears to hear let hun hear: 
and may the Lord save the reader from an impenitent 
and unfruitful heart ! 

Verse 24. The kingdom of heaven] God’s method 
of managing the affairs of the world, and the concerns 
of his Church. 

Is likened unto a man which sowed good seed τῇ 
his field) In general, the world may be termed the 
field of God; and in particular, those who profess to 
believe in God through Christ are his field or farm; 
among whom God sows nothing but the pure unadul- 
terated word of his truth. 

Verse 25. But while men slept) When the pro- 
fessors were lukewarm, and the pastors indolent, Ais 

( 0F ) 


Parable of the 


A.M. 4031. ¥ 
Ὅς and sowed ¥ tares among the wheat, 


An. Olymp. and went his way. 

26 But when the blade was 
sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then ap- 
peared the tares also. 

27 So the servants of the householder came 
and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow 
good seed in thy field? from whence then 
hath it tares ? 


v Deut. xxii. 9; Isa. ἵν]. 9, 10; Wisd. ii. 24; 1 Tim. iv. 2. 


enemy came and sowed tares, ζιζανια, degenerate, or 
bastard wheat. he righteous and the wicked are 
often mingled in the visible Church. Every Christian 
society, how pure soever its principles may be, has its 
bastard wheat—those who bear a resemblance to the 
good, but whose hearts are not right with God. He 
who sows this bastard wheat among God’s people is 
here styled God’s enemy; and he may be considered 
also as a sower of them who permits them to be sown 
and to spring up through his negligence. Wo to the 
indolent pastors, who permit the souls under their care 
to be corrupted by error and sin! This word does not, 
J believe, occur in any of the Greek classics, nor in 
Dioscorides ; but it may be seen in the Geoponica, or 
Greek writers De Re Rustica: see the edition by 
Niclas, vol. i. lib. ii. 6. 43, where τὸ ζιζανίον is said 
to be the same which the Greeks call apa; and Flo- 
rentinus, the author, says, To ζίζανίον, to λεγόμενον 
Alpa, φθειρει νον σιτον, aprotc δὲ μιγνυμενη, okoTOL τοὺς 
ἐσθιοντας. “ Zizanion, which is called aipa, darnel, 
injures the wheat; and, mixed in the bread, causes 
dimness of the eyes to those who eat of it.” And the 
author might have added vertigo also. But this 
does not seem to be the grain to which our Lord 
alludes. 


The word &{avia, zizania, which is here translated 
tares, and which should rather be translated bastard or 
degenerate wheat, isa Chaldee word; and its meaning 
must be sought in the rabbinical writers. In a treatise 
in the Mishna called Kelayim, which treats expressly 
on different kinds of seeds, the word Ὁ) zunim, or 
ΤῊΝ zunin, is used for bastard or degenerated wheat ; 
that which was wholly a right seed in the beginning, 
but afterwards became degenerate—the ear not being 
so large, nor the grains in such quantity, as formerly, 
nor the corn so good in quality. In Psa. exliv. 13, 
the words Τὶ ὮΝ 1:2 mizzan αἱ zan, are translated all 
manner of store; but they properly signify, from spe- 
cies to species : might not the Chaldee word })311 zunin, 
and the Greek word ζιζανία, zizania, come from the 
psalmist’s {131 zanzan, which might have signified a 
mixture of grain of any kind, and be here used to point 
out the mixing bastard or degenerate wheat among 
good seed wheat? The Persic translator renders it 


aids au telkh daneh, bitter grain ; but it seems to 


signify merely degenerate wheat. This interpretation 
throws much light on the scope and design of the whole 
passage. Christ seems to refer, first, to the origin of 
evil. God sowed good seed in his field; made man 


m his own image and likeness: but the enemy, the | 


1 


CHAP. XIII. 


wheat and the tares 


w A. M. 4031. 
An ΤΑΣ ΩΣ, 
An. Olymp. 


28 He said unto them, 
enemy hath done this. The ser- 
vants said unto him, * Wilt thou 
then that we go and gather them up ? 

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather 
up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with 
them. 

30 Let both grow together until the har- 
vest ; and in the time of harvest I will say to 

w Esth. vii. 6. 


x Luke ix. 54; 1 Pet i. 23. 


devil, (ver. 39,) corrupted this good seed, and caused 
it to degenerate. Secondly, he seems to refer to the 
state of the Jewish people: God had sowed them, at 
at first, wholly a right seed, but now they were become 
utterly degenerate, and about to be plucked up and de- 
stroyed by the Roman armies, which were the angels 
or messengers of God’s justice, whom he had commis- 
sioned to sweep these rebellious people from the face 
of the land. Thirdly, he seems to refer also to the 
state in which the world shall be found, when he comes 
to judge it. The righteous and the wicked shall be 
permitted to grow together, till God comes to make 
a full and final separation. 

Verse 26. When the blade was sprung up—then 
appeared the tares also.| Satan has a shoot of iniquity 
for every shoot of grace ; and, when God revives his 
work, Satan revives his also. No marvel, therefore, 
if we find scandals arising suddenly to discredit a work 
of grdce, where God has begun to pour out his Spirit. 

Verse 27. So the servants—said unto him, Sir, 
didst not thou sow] A faithful and vigilant minister 
of Christ fails not to discover the evil, to lament it. and 
to address himself to God by prayer, in order to find 
out the cause of it, and to receive from him proper in- 
formation how to behave on the occasion. 

Verse 28. An enemy hath done this] It is the in- 
terest of Satan to introduce hypocrites and wicked per- 
sons into religious societies, in order to discredit the 
work of God, and to favour his own designs. 

Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up 2} 
A zeal which is rash and precipitate is as much to be 
feared as the total lack of strict discipline. 

Verse 29. But he said, Nay] God judges quite 
otherwise than men of this mixture of good and evil 
in the world ; he knows the good which he intends to 
produce from it, and how far his patience towards the 
wicked should extend, in order to their conversion, or 
the farther sanctification of the righteous. Men often 
persecute a true Christian, while they intend only to 
prosecute an impious person. “A zeal for the extir- 
pation of heretics and wicked men,” said a pious Papist, 
“not regulated by these words of our blessed Saviour, 
allows no time for the one to grow strong in goodness, or 
to the other to forsake their evil courses. They are 
of a spirit very opposite to Ais, who care not if they 
root up the wheat, provided they can but gather up the 
tares.” The zeal which leads persons to persecute 
others for religious opinions is not less a seed of the 
devil than a bad opinion itself is. 

Verse 30. Let both grow together] Though every 
minister of God should separate from the Church of 

147 


Parables of the mustard seed, 


A. eta the reapers, Gather ye together first 
An. Olymp. the tares, and bind them in bundles 
aa but ¥ gather the 


=— to bum them); 
wheat into my barn. 

31 9 Another parable put he forth unto them, 
saying, 5 The kingdom of heaven is like to a 
grain of mustard seed, which a man took and 
sowed in his field: 

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds : 
but when it is grown, it is the greatest among 
herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds 


¥ Chap. iii. 12.—— Isa. ii. 2,3; Mic. iv.1; Mark iv. 30 ;. Luke 
xiii. 18, 19. a Luke xiii. 20-— The word in the Greek is a 


Christ every incorrigible sinner, yet he should pro- 
ceed no farther: the man is not to be persecuted in 
his body or goods, because he is not sound in the 
faith—Gon tolerates him; so should men. False doc- 
trines are against God—he alone is the judge and 
punisher of them—man has no right to interfere in 
this matter. They who burnt Vanini for atheism 
usurped the seat of judgment, and thus proved them- 
selves to be not less a diabolical seed than the person 
they thus, without God’s leave, hurried into eternity. 
Mary, Queen of England, of execrable mémory, and 
the inquisitorial tormentors she employed, were all 
of this diabolical sowing. See more on this parable 
at ver. 37, ὅσ. 

Verse 31. The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain 
of mustard seed] ‘This parable is a representation of 
the progress of the Gospel in the world; and of the 
growth of grace in the soul. That grace which leads 
the soul to the fulness of glory may begin, and often 
does, ina single good desire—a wish to escape hell, or 
a desire to enjoy God in heaven. 

Verse 32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds] 
That is, of all those seeds which produce plants, 
whose stems and branches, according to the saying of 
the botanists, are apt devdpitecy, arborescere, to grow 
into a ligneous or woody substance. 

Becometh a tree| That is, it is not only the largest 
of plants which are produced from such small seeds, 
but partakes, in its substance, the close woody texture, 
especially in warm climates, where we are informed 
it grows to an almost incredible size. The Jerusalem 
Talmud, tract Peah. fol. 20, says, ‘There was a 
stalk of mustard in Sichin, from which sprang out 
three boughs; one of which, being broken off, served 
to cover the tent of a potter, and produced three 
cabes of mustard seed. Rabbi Simeon ben Chalapha 
said, A stalk of mustard seed was in my field, into 
which I was wont to climb, as men are wont to climb 
into a fig tree.” See Lightfoot and Schoettgen. This 
may appear to be extravagant; and it is probable 
tnat, in the case of the three cabes of seed, there is 
considerable exaggeration; but, if it had not been 
usual for this plant to grow to a very large size, such 
relations as these would not have appeared even in 
the Talmud ; and the parable of our Lord sufficiently 
attests the fact. Some soils being more luxuriant 
than others, and the climate much warmer, raise the 

148 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and of the leaven. 


of the air come and lodge in the 4,™, 4031 
branches thereof. An, lym. 
33 Ἵ * Another parable spake he we 
unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto 
leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three 
> measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 
34 ¢ All these things spake Jesus unto the 
multitude in parables; and without a parable 

spake he not unto them: 
35 That it might be fulfilled which was spo- 
ken by the prophet, saying, ὃ 1 will open my 


measure containing about a peck and a half, wanting a little more 
than a pint. © Mark iv. 33, 34. d Psa. Ixxviil. 2. 


same plant to a size and perfection far beyond what a 
poorer soil, or a colder climate, can possibly do. 
Herodotus says, he has seen wheat and barley in the 
country about Babylon which carried a blade fall 
four fingers-breadth ; and that the mallet and sesamum 
grew to an incredible size. I have myself seen a 
field of common cabbages, in one of the Norman isles, 
each of which was from seven to nine feet in height; 
and one in the garden of a friend, which grew beside 
an apple-tree, though the latitude of the place is 
only about 48 deg. 13 min. north, was jifleen feet 
high, the stem of which is yet remaining, (September, 
1798.) These facts, and several others which might 
be added, confirm fully the possibility of what our 
Lord says of the mustard-tree, however incredible 
such things may appear to those who are acquainted 
only with the productions of northern regions and cold 
climates. 

Verse 33. The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven| 
On the nature and effects of Jeaven, see the note on 
Exod. xii. 8. As the property of Jeaven is to change, 
or assimilate to its own nature, the meal or dough 
with which it is mixed, so the property of the grace 
of Christ is to change the whole soul into its own 
likeness; and God intends that this principle should 
continue in the soul till all is leavened—till the whole 
bear the image of the heavenly, as it before bore the 
image of the earthly. Both these parables are prophe- 
tic, and were intended to show, principally, how, from 
very small beginnings, the Gospel of Christ should 
pervade all the nations of the world, and fill them with 
righteousness and true holiness. 

Verse 34. Allthese things spake Jesus—in parables] 
Christ descends from Divine mysteries to parables, in 
order to excite us to raise our minds, from and through 
natural things, to the great God, and the operations 
of his grace and Spirit. Divine things cannot be 
taught to man but thtough the medium of earthly 
things. If God should speak to us in that language 
which is peculiar to heaven, clothing those ideas 
which angelic minds form, how little should we com- 
prehend of the things thus described! How great is 
our privilege in being thus taught! Heavenly things, 
in the parables of Christ, assume to themselves a body, 
and thus render themselves palpable. 

Verse 35. By the prophet} As the quotation ig 
taken from Psa. Ixxviii. 2, which is attributed to 

ι 


Explanation of the parable 


ἘΝ mouth in parables; “1 will utter 


ari things which have been kept secret 
—_— from the foundation of the world. 

36 Ἵ Then Jesus sent the multitude away, 
and went into the house : and his disciples came 
unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable 
of the tares of the field. 

37 He answered and said unto them, He 
that soweth the good seed is the Son of man ; 

38 ‘The field is the world; the good seed 
are the children of the kingdom ; but the tares 
are 5 the children of the wicked one ; 

© Rom. xvi. 25, 26; 1 Cor. ii. 7; Eph. iii. 9; Col. i. 26. 


€ Chap. xxiv. 14; xxviii. 19; Mark xvi. 15, 20; Luke xxiv. 47; 
Rom. x. 18; Col. i. 6. 


Asaph, he must be the prophet who is meant in the 
text ; and, indeed, he is expressly called a prophet, 
1 Chron. xxv.2. Several MSS. have Hoaiov, Isaiah; 
but this is a manifest error. Jerome supposes that 
Asaph was first in the text, and that some ignorant 
transcriber, not knowing who this Asaph was, inserted 
the word Jsaiah; and thus, by attempting to remove 
an imaginary error, made a real one. 

Verse 36. Jesus—went into tne house: and his dis- 
ciples came] Circumstances of this kind should not 
pass unnoticed: they are instructive and important. 
Those who attend only to the public preaching of the 
Gospel of God are not likely to understand fully the 
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. ‘To understand 
clearly the purport of the Divine message, a man must 
come to God by frequent, fervent, secret prayer. It 
is thus that the word of God sinks into the heart, is 
watered, and brings forth much fruit. 

Declare (¢pacov, explain) unto us the parable of 
the tares of the field.) To what has already been 
spoken on this parable, the following general exposi- 
tion may be deemed a necessary appendage :— 

J. What is the cause of evi in the world ? 

1. We must allow that God, who is infinite in holi- 
ness, purity, and goodness, could not have done it. 
Nothing can produce what is not in itself. This is a 
maxim which every man subscribes to: God then 
could not have produced sin, forasmuch as his nature 
is infinite goodness and holiness. He made man at 
first in his own image, a transcript of his own purity : 
and, since sin entered into the world, He has done 
every thing consistent with his own perfections, and 
the freedom of the human mind, to drive it out, and 
to make and keep man holy. 

2. After a thousand volumes are written on the 
origin of evil, we shall just know as much of it as 
Christ has told us here—An enemy hath done it, and 
this enemy is the devil, verse 39. 

1. This enemy is represented as a deceitful enemy : 
a friend in appearance, soliciting to sin, by pleasure, 
honour, riches, &c. 

2. Avigilant enemy. While men sleep he watches. 
verse 25. 

3. A hidden or secret enemy. After having sown 
his seed, he disappears, ver. 25. Did he appear as 

1 


CHAP. XIII. 


of the tares and the wheat 


39 The enemy that sowed them eh 


is the devil; "the harvest is the An. Olymp. 

0013. 
end of the world; and the reapers —_——— 
are the angels. 

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and 
burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end 
of this world. 

41 The Son of man shall send forth his an- 
gels, ‘and they shall gather out of his king- 
dom all * things that offend, and them which 
do iniquity ; 

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of 

6 Gen. iii. 13; John viii. 44; Acts xiii. 10; 1 John iii. 8 


h Joel iii. 13; Rev. xiv. 15— Chap. xviii. 7; 2 Pet. ii. 1, 2. 
ΚΟΥ, scandals ——! Chap. iii. 12; Rev. xix. 20; xx. 10. 


himself, few would receive solicitations to sin; but he 
is seldom discovered in evil thoughts, unholy desires, 
flattering discourses, bad books, &c. 

Il. Wiy was evil permitted to enter into the 
world ? 

1. There are doubtless sufficient reasons in the 
Divine Mind for its permission ; which, connected with 
his infinite essence, and extending to eternity, are not 
only unfathomable by us, but also, from their nature, 
incommunicable to men. 

2. But it may be justly said, that hereby many 
attributes of the Divine Nature become manifest, 
which otherwise could not have been known; such as 
mercy, compassion, long-suffering, ὅσο. All of which 
endear the Deity to men, and perfect the felicity of 
those who are saved. 

III. But why does he suffer this mixture of the good 
and bad seed now ? 

1. Because of the necessary dependence of one part 
of the creation on the other. Were the wicked all 
rooted up, society must fail—the earth be nearly deso- 
lated—noxious things greatly multiplied—and the 
small remnant of the godly, not being able to stand 
against the onsets of wild beasts, &c., must soon be 
extirpated; and then adieu to the economy of grace! 

2. Did not the wicked exist, there would be no 
room for the exercise of many of the graces of the 
Spirit, on which our spiritual perfection greatly 
depends. 

3. Nor could the grace of God be so manifest in 
supporting and saving the righteous; and conse- 
quently could not have that honour which now it 
justly claims. 

4. Were not this evil tolerated, how could the 
wicked be converted? The bastard wheat, by being 
transplanted to a better soil, may become good wheat ; 
so sinners may be engrafted in Christ, and become 
sons of God through faith in his name ; for the dong- 
suffering of God leads multitudes to repentance. 

IV. Observe the end of the present state of things: 

1. The wicked shall be punished, and the righteous 
rewarded. 

The wicked are termed bastard-wheai—the chil- 
dren of the wicked one, verse 38, the very seed of the 
serpent. 

149 


Parables of the hidden treasure, 


A. M. 4031. . πὰ aR 
anes fire: ™there shall be wailing and 


An. Glymp. gnashing of teeth. 

43 Then shall the mghteous 
shine forth as the sun inthe kingdom of their 
Father. ° Who hath ears to hear let him hear. 

44 7 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like 
unto treasure hid ina field; the which, when 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and the costly pearl. 


a man hath found, he hideth, and for ΔΑΝ 493!- 
joy thereof goeth and ”selleth all Ania 
that he hath, and 2 buyeth that field. ———— 
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is 
like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly 
pearls : 
46 Who, when he had found * one pearl of 


τι Chap. viii. 12; ver. 50.— Dan. xii. 3; Wisd. iii. 7; 1 Cor. 
xv. 42, 43, 58. © Ver. 9. 


P Phil. iii. 7, 8.-τ 4 158. lv. 1; Rev. 111. 18—— Prov. 11. 4; 
iii. 14, 15; viii. 10, 19. 


Observe the place in which the wicked shall be 
punished,—a Furnace. The instrument of this punish- 
ment, Fire. ‘This is an allusion to the punishment in- 
flicted only on those supposed to be the very worst of 
criminals. See Dan. iii. 6. They were cast into a 
burning fiery furnace. The effect of it, DESPAIR ; 
weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, ver. 42. 

2. Observe the character and state of the righteous : 

1. They are the children of the kingdom, a seed 
of God’s sowing, ver. 38. 

2. As to their persons, they shall be like the sun. 

3. The place of their felicity shall be the kingdom 
of heaven: and, 

4. The object of it, Gop in the relation of Faruer, 
ver. 43. This is a reference to Dan. xii. 2, 3. 

Some learned men are of opinion that the whole of 
this parable refers to the Jewish state and people ; and 
that the words συντελεία Tov atwvoc, which are com- 
monly translated the end of the world, should be ren- 
dered the end of the age, viz. the end of the Jewish 
polity. That the words have this meaning in other 
places there can be no doubt; and this may be their 
primary meaning here; but there are other matters in 
the parable which agree far better with the consumma- 
tion of all things than with the end of the Jewish dis- 
pensation and polity. See on Mark iv. 29. 

Verse 44. The kingdom of heaven is like unto trea- 
sure hid in a field] Oncavpw κεκρυμμενω, to a hidden 
treasure. We are not to imagine that the treasure 
here mentioned, and to which the Gospel salvation is 
likened, means a pol or chest of money hidden in the 
field, but rather a gold or silver mine, which he who 
found out could not get at, or work, without turning up 
the field, and for this purpose he bought it. Mr, 
Wakefield’s observation is very just: “There is no 
sense in the purchase of a field for a pot of money, 
which he might have carried away with him very rea- 
dily, and as honestly, too, as by overreaching the owner 
by an unjust purchase.” 

He hideth—i. e. he kept secret, told the discovery 
to no person, till he had bought the field. From this 
view of the subject, the translation of this verse, given 
above, will appear proper—a hidden treasure, when 
applied to a rich mine, is more proper than a treasure 
hid, which applies better to a pot of money deposited 
there, which I suppose was our translators’ opinion ;— 
and kept secret, or concealed, will apply better to the 
subject of his discovery till he made the purchase, than 
hideth, for which there could be no occasion, when the 
pot was already hidden, and the place known only to 
himself. 

Our Lord’s meaning seems to be this. — 

150 


The kingdom of heaven—the salvation provided by 
the Gospel—is like a treasure—something of inesti- 
mable worth—/idden in a field; it is arich mine, the 
veins of which run in all directions in the sacred Scrip- 
tures ; therefore, the field must be dug up, the records 
of salvation diligently and carefully turned over, and 
searched. Which, when a man hath found—when a 
sinner is convinced that the promise of life eternal is 
to him, he kept secret—pondered the matter deeply in 
his heart ; he examines the preciousness of the trea- 
sure, and counts the cost of purchase ; for joy there- 
of—finding that this salvation is just what his needy 
soul requires, and what will make him presently and 
eternally happy, went and sold all that he had—re- 
nounces his sins, abandons his evil companions, and 
relinquishes all hope of salvation through his own 
righteousness ; and purchased that field—not merely 
bought the book for the sake of the salvation it de- 
scribed, but, by the blood of the covenant, buys gold 
tried in the fire, white raiment, &c. ; in a word, par- 
don and purity, which he receives from God for the 
sake of Jesus. We should consider the salvation ot 
God, 1. As our only treasure, and value it above all 
the riches in the world. 2. Search for it in the Serip- 
tures, till we fully understand its worth and excel- 
lence. 3. Deeply ponder it in the secret of our souls. 
4. Part with all we have in order to get it. 5. Place 
our whole joy and felicity in it; and 6. Be always 
convinced that it must be dowght, and that no price is 
aecepted for it but the blood of the covenant; the 
sufferings and death of our only Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. 

Verse 45. A merchant man, seeking goodly pearls} 
A story very like this is found in the Talmudical 
tract Shabbath: “Joseph, who sanctified the Sab- 
bath, had a very rich neighbour; the Chaldeans said, 
All the riches of this man shall come to Joseph, who 
sanctifies the Sabbath. ‘To prevent this, the rich man 
went and sold all that he had, and bought a pearl, and 
went aboard of a ship; but the wind carried the pears 
away, it fell into the sea, and was swallowed by a 
fish. This fish was caught, and the day before the 
Sabbath it was brought into the market, and they pro- 
claimed, Who wishes to buy this fish? The people 
said, Carry it to Joseph, the sanctifier of the Sabbath, 
who is accustomed to buy things of great value. They 
carried it to him, and he bought it, and when he cut 
it up he found the pearl, and sold it for thirteen 
pounds’ weight of golden denarii!” Fyrom some tra- 
dition of this kind, our Lord might have borrowed the 
simile in this parable. 

The meaning of this parable is the same with the 

1 


Parable of the drag-net, 


A.M. 4031. great price, went and sold all that 


An. Olymp. he had, and bought it. 

“ 47 @ Again, the kingdom of hea- 
ven is like unto a net, that was cast into the 
sea, and " gathered of every kind ; 

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to 
shore, and sat down, and gathered the good 
‘nto vessels, but cast the bad away. 

49 So shall it be at the end of the world: 
the angels shall come forth, and * sever the 
wicked from among the just, 

50 "And shall cast them into the furnace of 


* Chap. xxii. 10.—*t Chap. xxv. 32. 


other ; and both were spoken to impress more forcibly 
this great truth on the souls of the people :—eternal 
salvation from sin and its consequences is the supreme 
good of man, should be sought after above all things, 
and prized beyond all that God has made. Those mer- 
chants who compass sea and land for temporal gain, 
condemn the slothfulness of the majority of those 
called Christians, who, though they confess that this 
salvation is the most certain and the most excellent of 
all treasures, yet seek worldly possessions in prefer- 
ence to it! Alas, for him who expects to find any 
thing more amiable than God, more worthy to fill his 
heart, and more capable of making him happy! 

Verse 47. Is like unto a net] A drag-net. This 
is the proper meaning of Σαγηνὴ, which the Latins 
translate verriculum, a sweep net; Quod in aquam 
jacitur ad pisces comprehendendos ; imprimis, cujus 
usus est extrahendis ws ἃ fundo. Martinis. “ Which 
is cast into the water to catch fish, and the particular 
use of which is to drag them up from the bottom.” As 
this is dragged along it keeps gathering all in its way, 
both good and bad, small and great; and, when it is 
brought to the shore, those which are proper for use 
are preserved, and those which are not are either de- 
stroyed or thrown back into the water. 

By the net may be understood the preaching of the 
Gospel of the kingdom, which keeps drawing men 
into the profession of Christianity, and into the fellow- 
ship of the visible Church of Christ. By the sea may 
be represented that abyss of sin, error, ignorance, and 
wickedness in which men live, and out of which they 
are drawn, by the truth and Spirit of God, who cor- 
dially close in with the offers of salvation made to 
them in the preaching of the Gospel. 

By drawing to shore, may be represented the con- 
summation of all things, see ver. 49, when a proper 
distinction shall be made between those who served 
God, and those who served him not; for many shall 
doubtless be found who shall bear the name without 
the nature of Christ. By picking out the good, and 
throwing away the bad, ver. 48, is meant that sepa- 
ration which God shall make between false and true 
professors, casting the former into hell, and bringing 
the latter to heaven. 

Tnstead of ra καλα, the good, the Cod. Beze, and 
five copies of the old Antehieronymian, or Itala ver- 
sion, read τὰ καλλιστα, the best, the very best. Every 

1 


CHAP. XIII. 


and its application. 


fire: there shall be wailing and 4,™, 4031. 
gnashing of teeth. ar ea 

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have 
ye understood all these things? 
unto him, Yea, Lord. 

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every 
scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom 
of heaven is like unto a man that is a house- 
holder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure 
Y things new and old. 

53 Ἵ And it came to pass, that when Jesus 
had finished these parables, he departed thence, 


They say 


u Ver. 42. ¥ Cant. vii. 13. 


reader would naturally hope that this is not the true 
reading, or that it is not to be understood Literally, as 
it seems to intimate that only the very best shall be at 
last saved. 

It is probable that this parable also refers, in its 
primary meaning, to the Jewish state, and that, when 
Christ should come to judge and destroy them by the 
Roman power, the genuine followers of Christ only 
should escape, and the rest be overwhelmed by the 
general destruction. See chap. xxiv. ver. 30, &c. 

Verse 50. Into the furnace of fire] See the note 
on chap. viii. ver. 12. 

Verse 51. Have ye understood all these things 2} 
Divine truths must not be lightly passed over.—Our 
Lord’s question here shows them to be matters of the 
utmost weight and importance ; and that they should 
be considered again and again, till they be thoroughly 
understood. 

Verse 52. Every scribe] Minister of Christ; who 
is instructed—taught of God; in the kingdom of hea- 
ven—in the mysteries of the Gospel of Christ ; owt 
of his treasury—his granary or store-house ; things 
new and old—a Jewish phrase for great plenty. A 
small degree of knowledge is not sufficient for a 
preacher of the Gospel. The sacred writings should 
be his treasure, and he should properly understand 
them. His knowledge does not consist in being fur- 
nished with a great variety of human learning, (though 
of this he should acquire as much as he can ;) but his 
knowledge consists in being well instructed in the 
things concerning the kingdom of heaven, and the art 
of conducting men thither. Again, it is not enough 
for a man to have these advantages in possession : he 
must bring them forth, and distribute them abroad. A 
good pastor will not, like a miser, keep these things 
to himself to please his fancy ; nor, like a merchant, 
traffic with them, to enrich himself; but, like a boun- 
tiful father or householder, distribute them with a lib- 
eral though judicious hand, for the comfort and sup- 
port of the whole heavenly family. 

A preacher whose mind is well stored with Divine 
truths, and who has a sound judgment, will suit his 
discourses to the circumstances and states of his hear- 
ers. _He who preaches the same sermon to every 
congregation, gives the fullest proof that, however 
well he may speak, he is not a serile who is instructed 
in the kingdom of heaven. Some have thought that 

151 


Christ is rejected by 


πος Ot w And when he was come 
An. Olymp. into his own country, he taught 
them in their synagogues, inso- 
much that they were astonished, and said, 
Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these 
mighty works ? 
55 *Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not 
his mother called Mary? and ¥ his brethren, 
z James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas ? 


ST. MATTHEW. 


his own countrymen 


56 And his sisters, are they not A, 4031. 
all with us? Whence then hath An. Olymp. 
this man all these things ? Abie nee. 

57 And they * were offended in him. But 
Jesus said unto them, ἢ A prophet is not with- 
out honour, save in his own country, and in 
his own house. 

58 And °he did not many mighty works 
there, because of their unbelief. 


w Chap. ii. 23; Mark vi.1; Luke iv. 16, 23—*Isa. xlix. 7; 
Mark vi. 3; Luke i. 23; John vi. 42. 


y Chap. xii. 46. z Mark xv. 40.—4 Chap. xi. 6; Mark vi. 3, 4. 
b Luke iv. 24; John iv. 44.—*° Mark vi. 5, 6. 


old and new things here, which imply the produce of 
the past and the produce of the present year, may also 
refer to the old and new covenants—a proper know- 
ledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, and of the 
doctrines of Christ as contained in the New. No man 
can properly understand the Old Testament but through 
the medium of the New, nor can the New be so for- 
cibly or successfully applied to the conscience of a 
simner as through the medium of the Old. The law 
is still a schoolmaster to lead men to Christ—by it is 
the knowledge of sin, and, without it, there can be no 
conviction—where it ends, the Gospel begins, as by 
the Gospel alone is salvation from sin. See the whole 
of the comment on the Pentateuch. 

Verse 54. And when he was come into his own 
country| Probably Nazareth, where his parents lived, 
and where he had continued till his thirtieth year, 
though it appears he had a lodging in Peter’s house 
at Capernaum. 

They were astonished] It appears, hence, that our 
blessed Lord had lived in obscurity all the time above 
specified ; for his countrymen appear not. to have heard 
his doctrines, nor seen his miracles, until now. It isa 
melancholy truth, that those who should know Christ 
best are often the most ignorant of himself, the doc- 
trines of his word, and the operations of his Spirit. 

Verse 55. Is not this the carpenter's son?2] Seven 
copies of the old Itala have, Is not this the son of 
JosepH the carpenter? But it is likely our Lord, 
during the thirty years of his abode at Nazareth, 
wrought at the same trade with Joseph; and perhaps 
this is what is intended, Luke ii. 51. He went down 
with them (his parents) to Nazareth, and was suB- 
sect unto them. An honest trade is no discredit to 
any man. He who spends his time in idleness is fit 
for any business in which the devil chooses to em- 
ploy him. 

Is not his mother—Mary, and his brethren, James, 
&e.| This insulting question seems to intimate that 
our Lord’s family was a very obscure one; and that 
they were of small repute among their neighbours, ex- 
cept for their piety. 

It is possible that brethren and sisters may mean 
here near relations, as the words are used among the 
Hebrews in this latitude of meaning; but I confess 
it does not appear to me likely. Why should the chil- 
dren of another family be brought in here to share a 
reproach which it is evident was designed for Joseph 
the carpenter, Mary his wife, Jesus their son, and 
their other children? Prejudice apart, would not any 

152 


person of plain common sense suppose, from this ac- 
count, that these were the children of Joseph and 
Mary, and the brothers and sisters of our Lord, accord- 
ing to the flesh? Τὰ seems odd that this should be 
doubied; but, through an unaccountable prejudice, 
Papists and Protestants are determined to maintain 
as a doctrine, that on which the Scriptures are totally 
silent, viz. the perpetual virginity of the mother of our 
Lord. See chap. i. ver. 25. 

Verse 57. And they were offended in him.| They 
took offence at him, εγκανδαλίζοντο ev αὐτω, making 
the meanness of his family the reason why they would 
not receive him as a prophet, though they were asto- 
nished at his wisdom, and at his miracles, ver. 54.— 
So their pride and their envy were the causes of their 
destruction. 

A prophet is not without honour] This seems to 
have been a proverbial mode of speech, generally true, 
but not without some exceptions. The apparent mean- 
ness of our Lord was one pretence why they rejected 
him; and yet, God manifested in the flesh, humbling 
himself to the condition of a servant, and to the death 
of the cross, is the only foundation for the salvation 
of a lost world. Perhaps our Lord means, by pro- 
phet in this place, himself alone, as if he had said, 
My ministry is more generally reputed, and my doc- 
trine better received, in any other part of the land 
than in my own country, among my own relatives ; 
because, knowing the obscurity of my birth, they can 
scarcely suppose that I have these things from heaven. 

Verse 58. And he did not many mighty works there 
because of their unbelief.| Δυνάμεις, miracles. So 
the word is used, chap. vii. 22; xi. 20; Acts xix. 
11; 1 Cor. xii. 28; Gal. iii. 5; Heb. τ΄. 4. The 
Septuagint translates os ΓΊΝ 5) niphleoth el, the mi- 
raculous works of God, by δυναμιν κυριδ. 

Unbelief and contempt drive Christ out of the heart, 
as they did out of his own country. Fath seems to 
put the almighty power of God into the hands of men; 
whereas unbelief appears to tie up even the hands of 
the Almighty. A man, generally speaking, can do 
but little good among his relatives, because it is diffi- 
cult for them to look with the eyes of faith upon one 
whom they have been accustomed to behold with the 
eyes of the flesh.—QUESNEL. 


A DISSERTATION ON THE NATURE AND USE OF 
PARABOLICAL WRITING. 


As parables occupy so distinguished a place in the 
Old and New Testaments, especialy in the latter, 
1 


Dissertation on parables, 


and as the most important information relative to the 
nature of God, the economy of heaven, the state of 
separate spirits, the punishment of the wicked, the 
beatification of the godly, and the doctrines of salva- 
tion, is conveyed to mankind in parables, it becomes 
a matter of the utmost importance fully to understand 
their nature and their use. 

_ The word parable we have from the Greek Παραβολη, 
which comes either from mapa, near, and βαλλω, I 
cast or put, or παραβαλλειν to compare, properly, dif- 
ferent things together, so as to discover their rela- 
tions and similarity; in order to which, the things to 
be compared are placed or put together, or near to each 
other, that, by a close inspection of both, the relations 
and likenesses may be the more accurately ascertained. 

Parable and proverb are called in Hebrew own 
mashal, from 5wn mashal, to govern or rule, either 
because the parabolic and proverbial mode of instruc- 
tion was of general use, and had a sort of universal 
precedency, which we know was the case among the 
Hebrews; or because a parable or proverb was the 
chief or principal illustrative point in the discourse. 
Hence we may discover the proper meaning of a pro- 
verb—it is a word or saying, forming a maxim for the 
government and regulation of a man’s conduct in do- 
mestic, civil, religious, or political life. 

Parable has been generally defined, ‘“ A comparison 
or similitude, in which one thing is compared with 
another ; especially spiritual things with natural, by 
which means'these spiritual things are better under- 
stood, and make a deeper impression on the attentive 
mind.” This definition is pretty correct, especially 
in reference to the parables of our blessed Lord. Or 
parable may be more generally defined, ‘A repre- 
sentation of any matter accommodated in the way of 
similitude to the real subject, in order to delineate its 
different parts with the greater force and perspicuity.” 
This definition is applicable to parables in their more 
general and extended sense. 

The method of conveying instruction by parables or 
moral fictions, sometimes in the form of similitudes, 
allegories, fables, or apologues, was very common, 
and in high esteem, among all ancient nations: but 
the Asiatics used it most frequently, and brought it to 
a higher degree of perfection than any other people 
on the earth. The despotic and tyrannical nature of 
their government led them often to make use of this 
method. Reproof and censure, which it might not 
on many occasions be expedient or safe to deliver in 
explicit language, and which might exasperate, when 
too plainly spoken, rather than correct, could be con- 
veyed with delicacy and success under the disguise 
of parable. Even to the present time, information 
concerning grievances, oppressive acts of government, 
&c., is conveyed to the despotic Asiatic rulers under 
the guise of parable. An ancient instance of this we 
find in the reproof conveyed to the heart of David, 
by the Prophet Nathan, in the parable of the poor 
man’s ewe lamb. 

Persons thus addressed, not perceiving at first the 
relation, under this artificial form, to be directed against 
‘hemselves, lost sight of their selfishness and preju- 
dices, and were frequently induced, by their unsus- 
pecting replies, to acknowledge the justice of the re- 


CHAP. XIII. 


fables, similitudes, §c. 


prehension, and to pronounce the condemnation of their 
conduct, from their own mouth; as in the case of Da- 
vid above referred to. ‘This, therefore, was one im- 
portant use of this mode of instruction. 

Though fable, similitude, and parable are nearly 
of the same nature, and have been indifferently ap- 
plied to the same purposes, yet it may not be amiss 
to examine the meaning of each distinctly. 

Simivirupe implies a proper resemblance between 
two subjects, the one well known, the other not at all, 
or less known; the leading properties of the one serv- 
ing clearly to illustrate those of the other. Five rules 
have been given by the ancients, for the regulation of 
similitudes. 

1. The first is, that the similitude must be clearer 
than the subject it is brought to illustrate. 

2. That it be not in general derived from common 
or well known things, which are in themselves unin- 
teresting ; as it is well known, the more novelty a 
thing possesses, the more it is calculated to excite the 
attention and impress the mind. 

3. It should not be false in itself, as in this case 
the mind revolts not only against the thing itself, but 
against the conclusion drawn from it. On this rule I 
shall take the liberty of making the following obser- 
vations: Several of the ancients illustrated and en- 
deavoured to prove the truth and certainty of the re- 
surrection, by the history of the phenix, a bird sup- 
posed to be produced in Arabia once in one hundred 
years, there never being more than one ata time. It 
is reported that, when this bird finds its end approach- 
ing, it builds itself a nest of the most fragrant spices 
and aromatic plants, which, being set on fire by the 
rays of the sun, the bird is consumed in it; but from 
its ashes a worm or grub is formed, out of which 
another pheenix, in process of time, arises; others say 
that it dies in the nest, and a grub is formed out of 
the marrow of its bones. Both these relations are 
equally true. Herodotus, Dion Cassius, Tacitus, and 
Pliny, mention this fabulous animal; and I have met 
with this account seriously produced by Clemens 
Alexandrinus, and other Christian fathers, to prove 
the resurrection of the body. Now, it is well known 
no such bird ever did, or ever could, exist; that the 
supposed fact is impossible; and that the conclusion 
drawn from it is not only not solid and convincing, but 
absurd, because the premises are all false. The same 
objections would lie against a similitude which is dw- 
dious in its nature; because if it be brought to enforce 
conviction, and impress truth, this is impossible, as 
the conclusion must rest on the premises. If, then, 
the premises be dubious, the conclusion will be un- 
certain; and, consequently, the hesitancy of the mind 
must necessarily continue. 

Tn like manner, the similitude must be useless if it 
be absurd; for as soon as the mind perceives this, it 
becomes armed both against the similitude and the 
subject it was intended to illustrate or prove. 

4. A fourth rule of similitude is, that the mind 
should gain real information and useful knowledge 
from it. Let the similitude be ever so true, clear, 
and correct; yet, if it convey no more information 
than was before known, it is useless, and the time is 
lost which was employed in proposing it. 

153 


Dissertation on parables, 


5. It should be calculated to make deep impressions | 


on the mind, by leaving such images on the imagina- 
tion as may become, in all cases to which they apply, 
motives of conduct. As many preachers and public 
speakers delight in the use of similitudes, I thought it 
necessary to make these observations on the subject, 
that we might be preserved from copying bad examples, 
or that, if we followed the custom at all, we might 
make it truly useful, by subjecting it to its proper rules. 

Fase is very nearly allied to similitude and para- 
éle, and has been applied exactly in the same way, to 
convey lessons of moral instruction by pleasing images 
and interesting dialogue. ᾿ 

But fable, in its nature, differs widely from the 
others. Every subject of inanimate creation may be 
employed by similitude and parable; but the grand 
subjects in fable are borrowed from the animate and 
rational creation only. Of this sort are the Heetopades 
commonly called the fables of Pilpay, written origi- 
nally in Sanscerit, the oldest fables, probably, in the 
world; and the fables of Lockman, the Arabian sop. 
In all these, human actions, speech, and intelligence, 
are transferred to brute and irrational animals. 

Though the former methods have been long, often, 
and successfully used to convey miscellaneous instruec- 


tion, yet the parabolic method has been chiefly em. ; 


ployed to illustrate Divine subjects, and to convey in- 
struction to the heart on those matters which concern 
he salvation of the soul. 

The most important truths are by our Lord con- 
veyed both to the disciples and to the multitude in 
parables ; not that they might not be discovered, but 
that they might be sought earnestly after. In this, 
our Lord, who was well acquainted with all the springs 
and secret movements of human nature, consulted a 
well-known propensity of the mind, which leads a 
person always to esteem that most which is, or appears 
to be, a discovery of his own. Christ speaks a para- 
ble, and in it gives a clue by which we may discover the 
will of God. He that loves his soul’s prosperity, takes 
up the thread, and, guided by it through all the laby- 
rinth of error, he safely arrives at the fountain of truth. 
We must not, however, suppose that the word parable 
always conveys the same meaning: I have taken 
some pains on this subject, and, if I mistake not, I 
find the word has the ¢en following significations in 
Seripture :— 

1. It means a simple comparison (as I have already 
noted when defining the Greek word.) Which com- 
parison is intended to show the relation between two 
dissimilar things; or, how one fact or circumstance 
may be fitly introduced to illustrate and explain another. 
Such is that comparison of our Lord, between the state 
of the Jewish nation, and that of the world in the days 
of Noah, mentioned Matt. xxiv. 32-38. 

2. It signifies an obscure similitude, such as that 
mentioned Matt. xv. 13-15, where the whole system 
of Pharisaism, with all its secular and spiritual influ- 
ence, is represented under the notion of a plantation 
not planted by God, and which was shortly to be 
rooted up. 

3. A simple allegory, where one thing is represent- 
ed by another, the Jeading circumstances and principal 
design of that one being produced to illustrate and ex- 

: 154 


ST. MATTHEW. 


fables, similitudes, §-c. 


plain the design and leading circumstances of the other. 
Such is our Lord’s parable concerning those invited te 
a marriage supper—of the sower—tares and wheat— 
grain of mustard seed—leaven—hidden treasure— 
precious pearl—drag-net, &c., contained in the pre- 
ceding chapter, Matt. xiii. 

4. A maxim, or wise sentence, to direct and govern 
a man in civil or religious life. In this sense we have 
already seen the Hebrew word 5wr mashal employed. 
In 1 Kings iv. 32, we are informed that Solomon spoke 
three thousand of this kind of parables or proverbs; 
and in this sense the original word is frequently used. 

5. It means a by-word, or proverb of reproach : 
such God threatened to make the disobedient Jewish 
people. See 2 Chron. vil. 20: J will pluck them up 
by the roots out of my land—and this house I will cast 
out of my sight, and will make it a proverb and a 
by-word among all nations, where the original word 
for proverb is wn mashal. Such we may conceive 
the following to be: As rebellious as Corah—as 
covetous as Judas—as wicked as the Jews—as bad 
as the devil. Τὴ all which parables or proverbs, re- 
spect should be paid to the similitude between the 
object of comparison, and the thing with which it is 
compared. In this sense it is used Psalm xliv. 14; 
six 11: Jer. xxiv. 9: 

6. As parables, proverbs, and useful maxims for the 
regulation of life, and instruction in righteousness, had, 
before the Babylonish captivity, lost all their power 
and influence among the wicked Jews, so they were 
generally disregarded, and those who made use of 
them became objects of reproach and contempt ; hence, 
parable, at that time at least, was used to signify a 
frivolous, uninteresting discourse. In this sense alone, 
I suppose the word to be used, Ezek. xx. 49, “ Then 
T said, Ah, Lord God! They say of me, Doth he not 
speak parables ?” ἢ. e. He delivers frivolous discourses, 
of no weight or importance. 

7. It seems a simple proverb or adage, where neither 
comparison nor similitude was intended: such as that 
mentioned by our Lord, Luke iv. 23, “And he said, 
Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, τὴν παρα- 
Bodnv ravrnv, this parable, Physician. heal thyself.” 
In this, neither comparison nor likeness 15 intendea. 
The same kind of a proverb is found Luke vi. 39, 
“Can the blind lead the blind,” &c. 

8. It means a type, illustration, or representation. 
See Heb. ix. 9, where the first tabernacle is said to 
have been a figure, παραβολη, a parable, for the time 
then present; 7. 6. a thing which, from the peculiar 
use to which it was appropriated, shadowed forth or 
represented the human body of our Lord, and the 
Christian Church which he should establish. 

9. It means a daring exploit, an unusual and severe 
trial, or a case of imminent danger and jeopardy. In 
these senses it is used by some of the best and most 
correct Greek writers, such as Polybius and Xeno- 
phon; and by the best Greek lexicographers, such as 
Hesychius and Suidas ; with whom zapafo/oc signifies 
a daring, bold, rash person; and παραβολα, things 6α- 
tremely dangerous. In this sense the verb is evidently 
used 2 Mac. xiv. 38, where it is said, that Razis, one 
of the Jewish elders, did “ boldly jeopard (παραβεβλη- 
μενος) his body and life, with all vehemency. for the 

1 


Dissertation on parables, 


religion of the Jews.” TI know no place in the sacred 
writings in which it has this sense, unless it be in Heb. 
xi. 19, where, speaking of the intended sacrifice of 
Tsaac, and his rescue, Abraham is said to have rescued 
him from the most imminent death, ev παραβολῃ, which 
we translate, in a figure. Now, if we may suppose 
that the death here referred to, is not that metaphorical 
death implied in the deadness of Sarah’s womb, and 
the superannuation of Abraham, but the imminent 
death to which he was exposed when Abraham drew 
his knife to slay his son, Gen. xxii. 10, and was only 
prevented by the sudden and miraculous interposition 
of God; then it is probable that the word here has the 
above meaning, which, I must own, I think likely: if 
so, the text may be read thus: “ By faith Abraham, 
when he was tried, offered up Isaac: of whom it was 
said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called; accounting that 
God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from 
whence he received him, ev παραβολῃ, he being in the 
most imminent danger of losing his life.” 

10. It signifies a very ancient and obscure prophecy, 
Psalm xlix. 4, I will incline mine ear to a parable: I 
will open my dark saying upon the harp. Likewise 
in Psalm Ixxviii, I will open my mouth in a parable: 
I will utter dark sayings of old. Probably this kind 
of dark, ancient, enigmatical prophecy, is what is spoken 
of Prov. i. 6, ΤῸ understand a proverb (or parable) and 
the interpretation; the words of the wise and their 
dark sayings. Now, a proverb, in thé common accep- 
tation of that word, is neither dark, nor requires any 
particular interpretation; it being a plain maxim, easy 
to be understood by the mass of the people, for whose 
instruction it is chiefly designed. But paradle, in this 
sense, evidently refers to the ancient prophecies which 
were delivered concerning Christ and the nature of his 
kingdom. And to this very subject the words are 
applied, and quoted by the Evangelist Matthew in the 
preceding chapter. (xiii. 35.) 

Having traced the word parable through its different 
meanings in the sacred writings, it may be now ne- 
cessary to inquire for what purpose our blessed Lord 
used that mode of speech so frequently : as many have 
supposed from his own words, Matt. xiii. 11-13, that 
he addressed the people in parables merely that they 
might not understand. To you, said he, addressing 
his disciples, i¢ is given to know the mysteries of the 
Kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given: there- 
Sore I speak to them in parables, ὅς. Now, to do 
justice to this passage, we must observe, that by mys- 
teries, here, we are to understand, not only things con- 
cerning the scheme of salvation which had not been as 
yet fully revealed, but also the prophetic declarations 
concerning the future state of the Christian Church, as 
they are signified by the different parables mentioned 
in the succeeding parts of the chapter. It was not 
given to THEM to know the purport and design of these 
things. “ They,” said our Lord, “ are gross of heart :” 
u1ey are eartlily and sensual, and do not improve the 
light they have received; so that, when many of them 
might have been preachers of this truth to others, they 
are found destitute of salvation themselves, notwith- 
standing the means of it were all within their power : 
but, said he, “to you it is given:” because I have 
appointed you, not only to be the first preachers of the 

1 


CHAP. XIII. 


. 


fables, similitudes, §-c 


Gospel to sinners, but also the persons who shall trans- 
mit accounts of all these things to posterity. The 
knowledge of these mysteries, in the first instance, 
could be given only to a few; but when these faith- 
fully wrote and published what they had heard and 
seen unto the world, then the science of salvat*on, 
being fully revealed, was addressed to all. 

From verse 17 of the same chapter we learn, that 
many prophets and righteous men had desired to see 
and hear these things, but had not that privilege: to 
them it was not given not because God designed to 
exclude them from salvation, but because He who 
knew all things knew either that they were not proper 
persons, or that that was not the proper time ; for the 
choice of the persons by whom, and the choice of the 
TIME in which it is most proper to reveal Divine things, 
must ever rest with the all-wise God. 

But it is not intimated that our Lord spoke to the 
Jews in parables that they might not understand : 
the very reverse, I think, is plainly intended. It was 
to lead them, by a familiar and appropriate mode of 
instruction, into the knowledge of God and the inter- 
ests of their souls. I speak to them, said he, in para- 
bles, i. e. natural representations of spiritual truths, 
that they might be allured to inquire, and to find out 
the spirit which was hidden under the letter. Be- 
cause, said he, seemmg the miracles which I have 
wrought, they see not, i. e. the end for which I have 
wrought them; and hearing my doctrines, they hear 
not, so as to profit by what is spoken; neither do they 
understand, οὐδὲ συνίουσι, they do not lay their hearts 
to it, so as to consider it with that deep attention 
which such momentous truths require. But that 
they might not continue in their ignorance, and die in 
their sins, he adds parable to parable, to make the 
whole science of salvation as plain and intelligible as 
possible. [5 not this obviously our Lord’s meaning ? 
Who that is not most miserably warped and begloom- 
ed by some Jewish exclusive system of salvation, can 
suppose that the wise, the holy, the benevolent 
Christ, would employ his time in speaking enigma- 
tically to the people, on purpose that they might not 
understand what was spoken? Could the God of 
truth and sincerity act thus? If he had designed 
that they should continue in darkness, he might have 
saved his time and labour, and not spoken at all, 
which would have as effectually answered the same 
purpose, viz. that of leaving them in destructive igno- 
rance, as his speaking in such a way as should render 
his meaning incomprehensible. 

On the whole I conelude, that the grand object of 
parabolical writing is not to conceal the truth, but to 
convey information to the hearts of the hearers in the 
most concise, appropriate, impressive, and effectual 
manner. 

In preaching on parables and similitudes, great care 
should be taken to discover their object and design, 
and those grand and leading circumstances by which 
the author illustrates his subject. There are few, if 
any, parables, whose every circumstance was designed 
to apply to the subject in reference to which they 
were proposed. Maimonides, in his Moreh Nevochim, 
gives an excellent rule on this head: “ Fix it asa 
principle,” says he, “to attach yourself to the grand 

155 


Herod hears of the 


object of the parable, without attempting to make a 
particular application of all the circumstances and 
terms which it comprehends.” This shows us that 
we should not attempt to find a spiritual meaning, or 
pointed reference, in all the parts of the parable, to the 
subject which it is intended to illustrate. And this 
maxim of Maimonides is the more to be regarded, 
because it comes from a person who was perfectly 
well acquainted with the subject, and who lived, if 


ST. MATTHEW. 


fame of Christ. 


I might so term it, in the very country of parables, 
and was best qualified to decide on their use in the 
Sacred Writings, and the proper mode of interpreta- 
tion. By not attending to this rule, many have 
disgraced both themselves and the Scriptures. Tha 
most dignified subjects, in such hands, have been ren 
dered contemptible by their injudicious modes of 
elucidation. See the notes at the beginning of this 
chapter. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


Herod, having heard the fame of Christ, supposes him to be John the Baptist, risen from the dead, 1,2. A 


circumstantial account of the beheading of John the Baptist, 3-12. 
and children, fed with five loaves and two fishes, 13-21. 
hind, and goes privately into a mountain to pray, 22, 23. 

In their extremity, Jesus appears to them, walking upon the water, 25— 
Peter, at the command of his Master, leaves the ship, and walks on the water to meet Christ, 28-31. 
They both enter the ship, and the storm ceases, 32, 33. 


the disciples are endangered, 24. 
27. 


heals many diseased people, 34—36. 


4M. ae T that time *Herod the tetrarch 
Aa. Qimp heard of the fame of Jesus, 


2 And said unto his servants, This 
is John the Baptist; he is risen from the 
dead ; and therefore mighty works ἢ do show 
forth themselves in him. 


a Mark vi. 14; Luke ix. 7—» Or, 
by him. 


are wrought 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIV. 

Verse 1. Herod the tetrarch] This was Herod 
Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. See the notes 
on chap. ii. 1, where an account is given of the Herod 
family. The word tetrarch properly signifies a person 
who rules over the fourth part of a country; but it is 
taken in a more general sense by the Jewish writers, 
meaning sometimes a governor simply, or a king ; see 
ver. 9. The estates of Herod the Great were not, 
at his death, divided into fowr tetrarchies, but only 
into three: one was given by the Emperor Avgustus 
to Archelaus; the second to Herod Antipas, the per- 
son in the text; and the third to Philip: all three, 
sons of Herod the Great. 

Verse 2. This is John the Baptist] Ov eyo 
απεκεφαλισα, Whom I beheaded. ‘These words are 
added here by the Codex Bezz and several others, by 
the Saxon, and five copies of the Itala—See the 
power of conscience! He is miserable because he is 
guilty; being continually under the dominion of self- 
accusation, reproach, and remorse. No need for the 
Baptist now: consctence performs the office of ten 
thousand accusers! But, to complete the misery, a 
guilty conscience offers no relief from God—points 
out no salvation from sin. 

He is risen from the dead] From this we may ob- 
serve: 1. That the resurrection of the dead was a 
common opinion among the Jews; and 2. That the 
materiality of the soul made no part of Herod’s creed. 
Bad and profligate as he was, it was not deemed by 

156 


Five thousand men, besides women 
The disciples take ship, and Jesus stays be- 
A violent storm arises, by which the lives of 


They come into the land of Gennesaret; and he 


3 %° For Herod had laid hold on 4,M, 403) 
John, and bound him, and put him 
in prison, for Herodias’ sake, his 
brother Philip’s wife. 

4 For John said unto him, ‘It is not lawful 
for thee to have her. 


© Mark vi. 17; Luke iii. 19, 20.—4 Lev. xviii. 16; 


xx, 21. 


him a thing impossible with God to raise the dead ; 
and the spirit of the murdered Baptist had a perma- 
nent resurrection in his guilty conscience. 

Verse 3. For Herodias’ sake] This infamous wo- 
man was the daughter of Avistobulus and Berenice, 
and grand-daughter of Herod the Great. Her first 
marriage was with Herod Philip, her uncle, by whom 
she had Salome: some time after, she left her husband, 
and lived publicly with Herod Antipas, her brother- 
in-law, who had been before married to the daughter 
of Aretas, king of Arabia Petrea. As soonas Aretas 
understood that Herod had determined to put away 


his daughter, he prepared to make war on him: the © 


two armies met, and that of Herod was cut to pieces 
by the Arabians; and this, Josephus says, was sup- 
posed to be a judgment of God on him for the murder 
of John the Baptist. See the account in Josephus, 
Antiq. lib. xviii. ο. 7. 

Verse 4. For John said unto him, It is not lawful 
for thee to have her.| Here is an instance of zeal, 
fidelity, and courage, highly worthy of imitation. 
Plainness, mildness, and modesty, are qualifications 
necessary to be observed when we reprove the great. 
The best service a subject can render his prince is 
to lay before him, in the plainest but most respectful 
manner, what the law of God reguires of him, ang 
what it forbids. How unutterable must the punish- 
ment of those be who are chaplains to princes, or 
great men, and who either flatter them in their vices, 
or wink at their sins! 

1 


en - 


Account of the beheading 


sate. 5 And when he would have put 


An. Olymp. him to death, he feared the multi- 
tude, 5 because they counted him 
as a prophet. 

6 But when Herod’s birth-day was kept, the 
daughter of Herodias danced ‘before them, and 
pleased Herod. 

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to 
give her whatsoever she would ask. 

8 And she, being before instructed of her 
mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s 
head in a charger. 


© Chap. xxi. 26; Luke xx. 6—— Gr. in the midst. 


Verse 5. He feared the multitude] Miserable 
prince! who fears more to offend his people, than to 
sin against his God, by shedding innocent blood. 
When a man resists sin only by the help of human 
motives, he cannot long defend himself. 

Verse 6. Herod's birth-day| Tither the day in 
which he was born, or the day on which he began to 
reign; for both were termed birth-days. See 1 Sam. 
xiii. 1, and Hos. vii. 5. The kings of Persia were 
accustomed to reject no petition that was preferred 
to them during the entertainment. See Herodotus in 
Calliope, and Esther v. 3. 

The daughter—danced| This was Salome, men- 
tioned before. Danced: by a literal rendering of the 
sallavit of the Vulgate, in my old MS. of the English 
Bible, the whole of this business seems to be treated 
with sovereign contempt: for thus says the translator, 
Shee leped in the myddle. 

Verse 8. Give me here John Baptist’s head in a 
charger.) The word charger formerly signified a large 
dish, bowl, or drinking cup: the Saxon has dice, a 
dish, Tindal, a platter; any thing is better than char- 
ger, which never conveyed much meaning, and now 
conveys none. The evangelist says she was instructed 
before, by her mother, to ask the Baptist’s head! 
What a most infernal mother, to give such instructions 
to her child! and what a promising daughter to receive 
them! What a present for a young lady !—the bloody 
head of the murdered forerunner of Jesus! and what 
- a gratification for an adulterous wife, and incestuous 
mother! The disturber of her illicit pleasures, and 
the troubler of her brother-husband’s conscience, is 
no more! Short, however, was their glorying! See 
on ver. 3. 

Verse 9. The king was sorry] He knew John to 
be a righteous man, and at first did many things gladly 
which John told him it was his duty to perform: 
Mark vi. 20. 

Nevertheless, for the oath’s sake] The oatus, opkovc 
—he had probably sworn again and again—one sin 
begets many. 

And them which sat with him at meat] Who were 
probably such as himself, and would have considered 
it a breach of honour if he had not fulfilled his sworn 
promise : he therefore commanded it to be given! 

Verse 11. His head was—given to the damsel: 
and she breught it to her wother.] ‘There is no person 


CHAP. XIV. 


of John the Baptist 


9 And the king was sorry: never- 4, M4031. 

theless, for the oath’s sake, and them An. Olymp. 
: tees’ CCL3. 

which sat with him at meat, he com- 

manded it to be given her. 

10 And he sent and beheaded John in the 
prison. 

11 And his head was brought in a charger, 
and given to the damsel: and she brought it 
to her mother. 

12 And his disciples came, and took up the 
body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus 

13 9 When Jesus heard of it, he departed 


& Chap. x. 23; xii. 15; Mark vi. 32; Luke ix. 10; John vi. 1, 2. 


so revengeful as a lascivious woman when reproved 
and blamed. A preacher of the Gospel has most to 
fear from this quarter :—the first of this profession 
lost his life for the sake of truth and chastity; and 
others, especially those who have any thing to do 
with men in power who are profligates, may learn 
what they are to expect in return for a faithful dis- 
charge of their duty. 

Verse 12. His disciples came, and took up the sopy ἢ 
The HEAD was in the possession of Herodias, who, 
*tis probable, took a diabolic pleasure in viewing that 
speechless mouth which had often been the cause of 
planting thorns in her criminal bed; and in offering 
indignities to that tongue from which she could no 
longer dread a reproof. Her character justifies every 
bad conjecture that can well be formed on this head: 
and St. Jerome positively says that, when she got it, 
she drew out the tongue, and thrust it through with 
her bodkin. On the whole we may observe— 

That the diversions of the world, feasting and 
dancing, are but too commonly the occasions of sin. 
After so fatal an example as this, can we doubt 
whether 4alls are not snares for souls; destructive of 
chastity, modesty, and sometimes even of humanity 
itself; and a pernicious invention to excite the most 
criminal passions? How many on such occasions 
have sacrificed their chastity, and then, to hide their 
shame, have stifled the feelings of the human being 
and the parent, and, by direct or indirect means, 
have put a period to the innocent offspring of their 
connections! Unhappy mother, who exposes her 
daughter to the same shipwreck herself has suffered, 
and makes her own child the instrument of her lust 
and revenge! Behold here, ye professedly religious 
parents, the fruits of what was doubiless called in 
those times, elegant breeding and accomplished dancing! 
Fix your eyes on that vicious mother, that prostituted 
daughter, and especially on that murdered ambas- 
sador of God, and then send your children to genteel 
boarding-schools, to learn the accomplishment ot 
DaNcING! where the fear of God makes no part of the 
education. 

Verse 13. When Jesus heard of it, he departed 
thence] Had the blessed Jesus continued in that 
place, it is probable the hand of this impure female 
murderer would haye been stretched out against him 
also: he withdrew, therefore, not through fear, but to 

157 


Fwe thousand men fed with 


4-M. 4031. thence by ship into a desert place 
An. Olymp. apart: and when the people had 
pera) heard thereof, they followed him 
on foot out of the cities. 

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great 
multitude, and * was moved with compassion 
toward them, and he healed their sick. 

15 + And when it was evening, his disciples 
came to him, saying, This is a desert place, 
and the time is now past; send the multitude 
away, that they may go into the villages, and 
buy themselves victuals. 


h Chap. ix. 36; Mark. vi. 34.—iMark vi. 35; Luke ix. 12; 


teach his messengers rather to yield to the storm than 
expose themselves to destruction, where, from eircum- 
stances, the case is evidently hopeless. 

The people—followed him on foot] πεζῃ, or, by land, 
which is a common acceptation of the word in the best 
Greek writers. See many examples in Kypke. 

Verse 14. Jesus—was moved with compassion] 
Εσπλαγχνισϑε, he was moved with tender compassion, 
so I think the word should in general be translated : 
see the note on chap. ix. 36. As a verd, it does not 
appear to have been used by any but ecclesiastical 
writers. It always intimates that motion of the bowels, 
accompanied with extreme tenderness and concern, 
which is felt at the sight of the miseries of another. 

Verse 15. Send the multitude away, that they may 
go—and buy| The disciples of Christ are solicitous 
for the people’s temporal as well as spiritual welfare : 
and he is not worthy to be called a minister of Christ, 
who does not endeavour to promote both to the utter- 
most of his power. The preaching of Christ must 
have been accompanied with uncommon power to these 
people’s souls, to have induced them to leave their 
homes to follow him from village to village, for they 
could never hear enough; and to neglect to make use 
of any means for the support of their lives, so that 
they might still have the privilege of hearing him. 
When a soul is either well replenished with the bread 
of life, or hungry after it, the necessities of the body 
are, for the time, little regarded. 

Verse 16. They need not depart] He that seeks 
first the kingdom of heaven is sure to have every 
temporal requisite. When a man ensures the first, 
God always takes eare to throw the other into the 
bargain. He who has an interest in Jesus has in him 
an inexhaustible treasure of spiritual and temporal 
good. Though the means by which man may help 
his fellows have failed, we are not to suppose that the 
bounty of God is exhausted. When we are about to 
give up all hope of tarther supply, the gracious word 
of Christ still holds yood—They need not depart ; give 
ye them to eat. 

Give ye them to eat.) Should we say, Lord, how 
shall thy poor. feeble ministering servants feed so 
many hungry souls as attend thy word? Begin at 
the command of Jesus—make the attempt—divide 
what you have—and the bread of God shall be multi- 
plied in your hands, and all shall eat and be satisfied. 

158 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Jive loaves and two fishes 


16 But Jesus said unto them, 4,M 403). 
They need not depart; give ye ee Oa 


them to eat. a 

17 And they say unto him, * We have here 
but five loaves, and two fishes. 

18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit 
down on the grass, and took the five loaves 
and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, 
‘he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves 
to his disciples, and the disciples to the mul 
titude. 


John vi. 5. John vi. 8, 9; 2 Kings iv. 43! Chap. xv. 36 


Verse 17. We have here but five loaves and two 
fishes.| When we are deeply conscious of our own 
necessities, we shall be led to depend on Jesus with 
a firmer faith. God often permits his servants to be 
brought Zow, that they may have repeated opportunities 
of proving the kindness and mercy of their gracious 
Lord and Master. 

Verse 18. Bring them hither to me.] No creature 
of God should be considered as good or safe without 
the blessing of God in it. If thou have but even a 
handful of meal and a few herbs, bring them to Christ 
by prayer and faith, and he will make them a suffi- 
ciency for thy body, and a sacrament to thy soul. Let 
the minister of the Gospel attend also to this—let 
him bring all his gifts and graces to his Maker—let 
him ever know that his word can be of no use, unless 
the blessing of Christ be in it. 

Verse 19. And took: the five loaves, &e.] ‘This was 
the act of the father of a family among the Jews— 
his business it was to take the bread into his hands, 
and render thanks to God, before any of the family was 
permitted to taste of it. 

Looking up to heaven| To teach us to acknowledge 
Gop as the Supreme Good, and fountain of all excel- 
lence. 

He blissed] The word God should, I think, be 
rather inserted here than the word them, because it 
does not appear that it was the Joaves which Christ 
blessed, but that God who had provided them; and 
this indeed was the Jewish custom, not to bless the 
food, but the God who gave it. However, there are 
othecs who believe the Joaves are meant, and that he 
blessed them in order to multiply them. The Jewish 
form of blessing, or what we term grace, before and 
after meat, was as follows :— 


BEFORE MEAT. 
ΣΥΝΕ yo ond xyinn ody Joe wns ans 712 


Baruc attah Elohinoo melec hadlam hamotse lechem 
min haarets : 


Blessed art thou, our God, King of the universe, 
who bringest bread out of the earth! 


AFTER MEAT. 
ΕἸ. AB Na Ody TD OK JWI 


Baruc Elohinoo melec haolam boré peri hagephen + 
1 


The multitudes depart, and 


A.M, 4031. 90. And they did all eat, and were 


An. Olymp. filled: ™and they took up of the 
eee fragments that remained twelve 
baskets full. 

21 And they that had eaten were about 
five thousand men, beside women and chil- 
dren. 

22 7 And straightway Jesus constrained his 
disciples to get into a ship, ἢ and to go before 


m Chap. xvi. 7; Isa. lv. 1; Luke ix. 17. 


Blessed be our God, the King of the universe, the 
Creator of the fruit of the vine! 


And brake] We read often in the Scriptures of 
breaking bread, never of cutting it: because the Jews 
made their bread broad and thin like cakes, and to divide 
such, being very driétle, there was no need of a knife. 

Verse 20. They did all eat, and were filled] Little 
or much is the same in the hands of Jesus Christ.— 
Here was an incontestable miracle—/ive thousand men, 
besides women and children, fed with five cakes and 
two fishes! Here must have been a manifest creation 
of substance—the parts of the bread were not dilated 
to make them appear large, nor was there any delusion 
in the eating—for they all ate, and were all filled. 
Here then is one miracle of our Lord attested by at 
least five thousand persons! But did not this creation 
of bread prove the unlimited power of Jesus? Un- 
doubtedly : and nothing less than eternal power and 
Godhead could have effected it. 

They took up—twelve baskets] Tt was customary 
for many of the Jews to carry a basket with them at 
all times: and Mr. Wakefield’s conjecture here is very 
reasonable :—‘ By the number here particularized, it 
should seem that each apostle filled his own bread 
basket.” Some think that the Jews carried baskets 
in commemoration of their Egyptian bondage, when 
they were accustomed to carry the clay and stubble 
to make the bricks, in a basket that was hung about 
their necks. This seemsto be what Sidonius Apollinaris 
refers to in the following words, Epist. vii. 6. Ordinis 
res est, ul, (dum in allegorica versamur Aigypto) 
Pharao incedat cum diademate, Israelita cum copHino. 

These words of Alcimus Avitus, lib. v. ver. 30, are 
to the same effect :— 


Servitii longo lassatam pondere plebem, 
Oppressos cophinis humeros, attritaque collo. 


It appears that a basket about the neck, and a bunch 
of hay, were the general characteristic of this long 
enslaved and oppressed people in the different coun- 
tries where they sojourned. 

Juvenal also mentions the basket and the hay :-— 


Cum dedit ille locum, cophino fenoque relicto, 

Arcanam Judea tremens mendicat in aurem. 
Sat. vi. 542. 

A gypsy Jewess whispers in your ear— 

Her goods a basket, and old hay her bed, 

She strolls, and telling fortunes, gains her bread. 


Dryden. 
1 


CHAP. XIV. 


Jesus retires to a mountain 


while he 4, ™. 4031 


him unto the other side, fants 


sent the multitudes away. 

23 ° And when he had sent the 
multitudes away, he went up into a mountain 
apart, to pray: P and when the evening was 
come, he was there alone. 

24 But the ship was now in the midst of 
the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was 
contrary. 


«Chap. vill. 18—° Mark vi. 46. 


P John. vi. 16. 


And again, Sat iii. 13 :— 


Nunc sacri fontis nemus, et delubra locantur 
Judeis, quorum cophinus, fenumque supellec. 


Now the once hallowed fountain, grove, and fane, 

Are let to Jews, a wretched, wandering train, 

Whose wealth is but a basket stuff’d with hay. 
Gifford. 


The simple reason why the Jews carried baskets 
with them appears to be this :—When they went 
into Gentile countries, they carried their own provi- 
sion with them, as they were afraid of being polluted 
by partaking of the meat of heathens. This also 
obliged them probably to carry hay with them to 
sleep on: and it is to this, in all likelihood, that Ju- 
venal alludes. 

After five thousand were fed, twelve times as much, 
at least, remained, as the whole multitude at first sat 
down to! See the note on Luke ix. 16. 

Verse 22. Jesus constrained his disciples to get into 
a ship] Hither they were afraid to return into the 
jurisdiction of Herod, or they were unwilling to em- 
bark without their Lord and Protector, and would not 
enter their boat till Christ had commanded them tc 
embark. 

From this verse it appears that Christ gave some 
advices to the multitudes after the departure of his 
disciples, which he did not wish them to hear. 

Unto the other side] Towards Capernaum, ver. 34. 
John vi. 16, 17, or Bethsaida, see on Mark vi. 45. 

Verse 23. He went up into a mountain apart, to 
pray| He whom God has employed in a work of 
mercy had need to return, by prayer, as speedily, to 
his Maker, as he can, lest he should be tempted to 
value himself on account of that in which he has no 
merit—for the good that is done upon earth, the Lord 
doth it alone. Some make this part of our Lord’s 
conduct emblematic of the spirit and practice of prayer, 
and observe that the proper dispositions and cireum- 
stances for praying well are: 1. Retirement from the 
world. 2. Elevation of the heart to God. 3. Solitude 
4. The silence and quiet of the night. It is certain 
that in this also Christ has left us an example that we 
should follow his steps. Retirement from the world 
is often a means of animating, supporting, and spirit. 
ualizing prayer. Other society should be shut out, 
when a soul comes to converse with God. 

Verse 24. Tossed with waves| Grievously agitatea. 
This is the proper meaning of the word βασανίζομενον : 

‘but one MS, reads βαπτίζομενον, plunged under the 
159 


Peter walks on the water 


Ag 4081. 25 And in the fourth watch of the | 


aa Qos night Jesus went unto them, walking 
= on the sea. 

26 And when the disciples saw him 4 walk- 
ing on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It 
is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, 
saying, Be of good cheer; it is 1; be not 
afraid. 

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, 
if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the 
water. 

29 And he said, Come. And when Pe- 
ter was come down out of the ship, he 


4 Job ix. 8. Or, strong.— Psa. ii. 7; Marki.1; ch. xvi. 16; xxvi. 


waves, frequently covered with them ; the waves often 
breaking over the vessel. 

Verse 25. The fourth watch] Anciently the Jews 
divided the night into three watches, consisting of 
four hours each. The first watch is mentioned, Lam. 
ii. 19: the second, Judges vii. 19; and the third, 
Exod. xiv. 24; but a fourth watch is not mentioned 
in any part of the OLp Testament. This division the 
Romans had introduced in Judea, as also the custom 
of dividing the day into twelve hours: see John xi. 9. 
The first watch began at six o'clock in the evening, 
and continued till nine; the second began at nine, and 
continued till twelve ; the third began at twelve, and 
continued till three next morning ; and the fourth be- 
gan at ‘three, and continued till sw. It was therefore 
between the hours of three and sia in the morning 
that Jesus made his appearance to his disciples. 

Walking on the sea.| Thus suspending the laws 
of gravitation was a proper manifestation of unlimited 
power. Jesus did this by his own power; therefore 
Jesus showed forth his Godhead. In this one miracle 
we may discover three :—1. Though at a distance 
from his disciples, he inew their distress. 2. He 
found them out on the lake, and probably in the midst 
of darkness. 3. He walked upon the water. Job, 
speaking of those things whereby the omnipotence of 
God was demonstrated, says particularly, chap. ix. 8, 
He walketh upon the waves of the sea: intimating that 
this was impossible to any thing but Omnipotence. 

Verse 26. It is a spirit] That the spirits of the 
dead might and did appear, was a doctrine held by the 
greatest and holiest of men that ever existed; and a 
doctrine which the cavillers, free-thinkers and bound- 
thinkers, of different ages, have never been able to 
disprove. 

Verse 27. ἢ is I; be not afraid] Nothing but this 
voice of Christ could, in such circumstances, have 
giver courage and comfort to his disciples : those who 
are grievously tossed with difficulties and temptations 
require a similar manifestation of his power and good- 
ness. Vhen he proclaims himself in the soul, all 
sorrow, and fear, and sin are at an end. 

Verse 28. Bid me come unto thee on the water.| A 
weak faith is always wishing for signs and miracles. 

160 


ST. MATTHEW. 


at the command of Christ. 


A. Μ. 4031 
walked on the water, to BO tO, ΠΑ ΤΟΣ 
Jesus. An Olay! 

CCL 3. 


30 But when he saw the wind 
τ boisterous, he was afraid; and, beginning te 
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. | 

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth 
his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, 
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou 
doubt ? 

32 And when they were come into the ship, 
the wind ceased. 

33 Then they that were in the ship came 
and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth " thou 
art the Son of God. 


63 ; Luke iv. 41 ; John i. 49; vi.69; xi. 27; Acts vili.37; Rom.i.4. 


To take Christ at his word, argues not only the perfec- 
tion of faith, but also the highest exercise of sound 
reason. He is to be credited on his own word, be- 
cause he is the TRUTH, and therefore can neither Lie 
nor deceive. 

Verse 29. Peter—walked on the water] However 
impossible the thing commanded by Christ may appear, 
itis certain he will give power to accomplish it to those 
who receive his word by faith ; but we must take care 
never to put Christ’s power to the proof for the grat- 
ification of a vain curiosity ; or even for the strength- 
ening of our faith, when the ordinary means for doing 
that are within our reach. 

Verse 30. When he saw the wind boisterous, he was 
afraid] It was by faith in the power of Christ he was 
upheld; when that faith failed, by which the laws of 
gravitation were suspended, no wonder that those laws 
returned to their wonted action, and that he began to 
sink. It was not the violence of the winds, nor the 
raging of the waves, which endangered his life, but 
his littleness of faith. 

Verse 31. Jesus stretched forth his hand] Every 
moment we stand in need of Christ: while we stand, 
we are upheld by his power only; and when we are 
falling, or have fallen, we can be saved only by his 
mercy. Let us always take care that we do not con- 
sider so much the danger to which we are exposed, as 
the power of Christ by which we are to be upheld ; 
and then our mountain is likely to stand strong. 

Verse 32. The wind ceased.| Jesus is the Prince of 
peace, and all is peace and calm where he condescends 
to enter and abide. 

Verse 33. Thou art the Son of God.] It is probable 
that these words were spoken either by the sailors or 
passengers, and not by the disciples. Critics have re. 
marked that, when this phrase is used to denominate 
the Mrss1au, both the articles are used, ὁ υἱὸς Tov Ocov, 
and that the words without the articles mean, in the 
common Jewish phrase, a Divine person. It would have 
been a strange thing indeed, if the disciples, after all 
the miratles they had seen Jesus work—after their 
having left all to follow him, &c., were only now per- 
suaded that he was the promised Messiah. That they 
had not as yet, clear conceptions concerning his hing- 

1 


Tradition concernng 


A. M. 4031. 
‘Ds ©: 34 Ἵ * And when they were gone 


An. Olymp. over, they came into the land 
CCI.3. 
-~———_— of Gennesaret. 
35 And when the men of that place had 
knowledge of him, they sent out into all that 


t Mark vi. 53. ἃ Mark vi. 56. 


¥ Num. xv. 38, 39; ch. ix. 20. 


dom, is evident enough; but that they had any doubts 
concerning his being the promised Messiah is far from 
being clear. 

Verse 34. The land of Gennesaret.] It was from 
this country that the sea or lake of Gennesaret had its 
name. In this district, on the western side of the lake, 
were the cities of Capernaum and Tiberias. 

Verse 35. The men of that place had knowledge 
of him] i. e. They knew him again. They had already 
seen his miracles ; and now they collect all the diseased 
people they can find, that he may have the same oppor- 
tunity of showing forth his marvellous power, and they 
of being the instruments of relieving their friends and 
neighbours. 

They brought unto him all that were diseased] And 
Jesus received and healed every man and woman of 
them. And is not the soul, in the sight of God, of 
more value than the body? and will he withhold his 


CHAP XV. 


the washing of hands 


country round about, "and brought 4,™) 03! 
unto him all that were diseased ; An. Olymp. 

36 And besought him that they ——— 
might only touch ἡ the hem of his garment: and 
“as many as touched were made perfectly whole 


w Chap. ix. 20; Mark iii. 10; Luke vi. 19; Acts xix. 12. 


healing power from the former, and grant it so freely 
to the latter? This cannot be. Let a man come him- 
self to Jesus, and he shall be saved ; and afterwards 
let him recommend this Christ to the whole circle of 
his acquaintance, and they, if they come, shall also 
find merey. 

Verse 36. That they might only touch the hem of 
his garment] What mighty influence must the grace 
and Spirit of Christ have in the soul, when even the 
border or hem of his garment produced such wonders 
in the bodies of those who touched it! Here is a 
man who has turned from sin to God through Christ, 
and the healing hand of Jesus is laid upon him.— 
Then, no wonder that he knows and feels his sins 
forgiven, his soul purified, and his heart filled with 
the fulness of his Maker. Lord, increase our faith ! 
and we shall see greater manifestations of thy power 
and glory! Amen. 


CHAPTER XV. 


The Pharisees accuse the disciples of eating with unwashed hands, 1, 2. 
Teaches the people and the disciples what it is that renders men unclean, 
Heals the daughter of a Canaanitish woman, 21-28. 


them of gross hypocrisy, 3-9. 
10-20. 
tain of Galilee, 29-31. 
and children, 32-38. 


rhe ee "THEN 2came to Jesus scribes 
An. Olymp. and Pharisees, which were of 


——— Jerusalem, saying, 
2 >Why do thy disciples transgress ° the 


2 Mark vii. 1—» Mark vii. 5. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XV. 

Verse 1. The scribes and Pharisces—of Jerusalem] 
Our Lord was now in Galilee, chap. xiv. 34. 

Verse 2. Elders] Rulers and magistrates among 
the Jews. 

For they wash not their hands} What frivolous 
nonsense! These Pharisees had nothing which their 
malice could fasten on in the conduct or doctrine of 
our blessed Lord and his disciples, and therefore they 
must dispute about washing of hands! All sorts of 
Pharisees are troublesome people in religious society ; 
and the reason is, they take more pleasure in blaming 
others than in amending themselves. 

The tradition of the elders] The word παραδοσις, 
tradition, has occupied a most distinguished place, both 
in the Jewish and Christian Church. Man is ever 
fond of mending the work of his Maker; and hence 
he has been led to put his finishing hand even to 
Divine revelation! This supplementary matter has 
deen called παραδοσις, from παραδιδομαι, to deliwer 

Vot. I. ( a ) 


Our Lord answers, and convicts 


Heals many diseased people on a moun- 


With seven loaves, and a few little fishes, he feeds 4,000 men, besides women 
Having dismissed the multitudes, he comes to the coast of Magdala, 39. 


tradition of the elders? for they A Ae 


wash not their hands when they eat An. Olymp. 
CCI. 4. 

bread. peter Hf 

3 But he answered and said unto them, Why 


© Col. ii. 8. 


from hand to hand—to transmit ; and hence the La- 
tin term, éradition, from trado, to deliver, especially 
from one to another ;—to hand down. Among the Jews, 
TRADITION signifies what is also called the oral law, 
which they distinguish from the written law: this last 
contains the Mosaic precepts, as found in the Penta- 
teuch: the former, the traditions of the elders, i. e. 
traditions, or doctrines, that had been successively 
handed down from Moses through every generation 
but not committed to writing. The Jews feign that, 
when Gop gave Moses the written law, he gave him 
also the oral law, which is the interpretation of the 
former. This law, Moses at first delivered to Aaron ; 
then to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar ; and, after these, 
to the seventy-two elders, who were six of the most 
eminent men chosen out of each of the twelve tribes. 
These seventy-two, with Moses and Aaron, delivered 
it again to all the heads of the people, and afterwards 
to the congregation at large. They say also that 

before Moses died, he delivered this oral law, or sys 

161 5 


The commandments of God 


A. Μ. 4032. ε 
ΟΞ do ye also transgress the com 


An. Olymp. mandment of God by your tra- 
CCI. Alo 
dition 1 
4 For God commanded, saying, ? Honour 
thy father and mother : and, ὁ He that curseth 


4 Exod. xx. 12; Lev. xix. 3; Deut. v. 16; Prov. xxiii. 22; 
Eph. vi. 2. 


tem of traditions, to Josuua, and Joshua to the Ex- 
pers which succeeded him—ruey to the Prophets, 
and the PropuHets to each other, till it came to JErr- 
MIAH, who delivered it to Barucu his scribe, who re- 
peated it to Ezra, who delivered it to the men of the 
great synagogue, the last of whom was Simon the 
Just. By Simon the Just it was delivered to AnTI- 
conus of Socho; by him to Jose’, the son of Jochanan; 
by him to Joss’, the son of Joezer; by him to Na- 
THAN the Arbelite, ard Joshua the son of Perachiah ; 
and by them to Jupan the son of Taddai, and Simeon, 
the son of Shatah ; and by them to SHemaian and As- 
TALION; and by them to Hiruen; and by Hillel to 
Simeon his son, the same who took Christ in his arms 
when brought to the temple to be presented to the 
Lord: by Simeon it was delivered to Gamatie. his 
son, the preceptor of St. Paul, who delivered it to 
Simeon his son, and he to Rad. Jupan Haxxoprsu 
his son, who compiled and digested it into the book 
which is called the Misuna; to explain which the two 
Talmuds, called the Jerusalem and Babylonish Tal- 
muds, were compiled, which are also called the Gemara 
or complement, because by these the oral law or Mish- 
neh is fully explained. The Jerusalem Talmud was 
completed about A. D. 300; and the Babylonish Tal- 
mud about the beginning of the sixth century. This 
Talmud was printed at Amsterdam in 12 vols. folio. 
These contain the whole of the traditions of the elders, 
and have so explained, or rather frittered away, the 
words of God, that our Lord might well say, Ye have 
made the word of God of no effect by your traditions. 
In what estimation these are held by the Jews, the 
following examples will prove: “ The words of the 
scribes are lovely beyond the words of the law: for 
the words of the law are weighty and light, but the 
words of the scribes are all weighty.” Hierus. Berac. 
ΤῸ]. 8. 

“He that shall say, There are no phylacteries, 
though he thus transgress the words of the law, he 
is not guilty; but he that shall say, There are five 
Totaphot, thus adding to the words of the scribes, he 
is guilty.” 

ΚΑ prophet and an elder, to what are they likened? 
To a king sending two of his servants into a province ; 
of one he writes thus: Unless he show you my seal, 
believe him not ; for thus it is written of the prophet, 
He shall show thee a sign; but of the elders thus : 
According to the law which they shall teach thee, for 
I will confirm their words.”—See Prideaux. Con. 
vol. ii. p. 465, and Lightfoot’s Hor. Talmud. 

They wash not their hands] On washing of hands, 
before and after meat, the Jews laid great stress: 
they considered eating with unwashed hands to be no 
ordinary crime ; and therefore, to induce men to do 

162 


ST. MATTHEW 


annulled by Jewish tradition 


father or mother, let him die the AM Ae 
death. 

5 But ye say, Whosoever shalt 
say to has father or his mother, ‘It is a gift, 
by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, 


An. Olymp. 
CCI. 4. 


e Exod. xxi. 17; Lev. xx.9; Deut. xxvii. 16; Prov. xx. 20; xxx. 
17.—! Mark. vil. 11, 12; Prov. xx. 25; chap. xxiii. 16, 18. 


it, they feigned that an evil spirit, called Shabta ΠΣ, 
who sits on the hands by night, has a right to sit on 


the food of him who eats without washing his hands, ἡ 


and make it hurtful to him! They consider the 
person who underyalues this rite to be no better than 
a heathen, and consequently excommunicate him.— 
See many examples of this doctrine in Schoettgen and 
Lightfoot. 

Verse 3. Why do ye—transgress the command- 
ment] Ye accuse my disciples of transgressing the 
traditions of the elders—I accuse you of transgress- 
ing the commands of God, and that too in favour of 
your own tradition; thus preferring the inventions of 
men to the positive precepts of God. Pretenders to 
zeal often prefer superstitious usages to the Divine 
law, and human inventions to the positive duties of 
Christianity. 

Verse 4. Honour thy father and mother] This 
word was taken in great latitude of meaning among 
the Jews: it not only meant respect and submission 
but also to take care of a person, to nourish and sup- 
port him, to enrich. See Num, xxii. 17; Judg. xiit 
17; 1 Tim. ν.ὄ 17. And that this was the sense of 
the law, as it respected parents, see Deut. xxvii. 16 
and see the note on Exod. xx. 12. 

Verse 5. It isa gift] {2p korban, Mark vii. 11, 
an offering of approach ; something consecrated to the 
service of God in the temple, by which a man had 
the privilege of approaching his Maker. This con- 
duct was similar to the custom of certain persons who 
bequeath the inheritance of their children to Churches 
or religious uses; either through terror of conscience, 
thus striving to purchase the kingdom of glory; or 
through the persuasion of interested hireling priests. 
It was in this way that, in the days of popish influ- 
ence, the principal lands in the nation had fallen into 
the hands of the Church. In these charters, multi- 
tudes of which have passed through my hands, a com- 
mon form was, pro salute mea, et pro salute anteces- 
sorum meorum, et pro salute successorum meorum, 
et pro salute uxoris mee, Fc., §c., do, et concedo Deo 
et Ecclesia, ὅς. ‘For my salvation, and for the 
salvation of my predecessors, and for the salvation 
of my successors, and for the salvation of my wife, 
&e., &c., I give and bequeath to God and his 
Chureh, ὅσο." 

Though a world of literature was destroyed, and 
fine buildings ruined, by the suppression of the mo- 
nasteries in England, yet this step, with the Srat. 23 
Hen. VIII. c. 10, together with the Stat. 9 Geo. II. 
6. 36, were the means of checking an evil that had 
arrived at a pitch of unparalleled inagnitude; an evil 
that was supplanting the atonement made by the blood 
of the covenant, and putting death-bed grants of land, 


(ὙΦ) 


Hypocrisy of the Jews reproved. 


A.M, 4032. : ; 
ree 6 And honour not his father or his 


An. Olymp. mother, he shall be free. ‘Thus 

CCL 4. 

———— have ye made the commandment of 
God of none effect by your tradition. 

7 ® Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy 
of you, saying, 

8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with 
their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips ; 
but their heart is far from me. 

9 But in vain they do worship me, ‘ teach- 
ing, for doctrines, the commandments of 
men. 


& Mark vii. 6—— Isa. xxix. 13; Ezek. xxxiii. 31.—— Isa. 
xxix. 13; Col. ii. 18-22; Tit. i. 14. 


&c., in the place of Jesus Christ, and throwing the 
whole secular power of the kingdom into the hands 
of the pope and the priests. No wonder then that 
they cried out, when the monasteries were suppressed! 
It is sacrilege to dedicate that to God which is taken 
away from the necessities of our parents and children; 
and the good that this pretends to will doubtless be 
found in the catalogue of that unnatural man’s crimes, 
in the judgment of the great day, who has thus de- 
prived his own family of its due. 
relatives, is our first duty; and this is a work infi- 
nitely preferable to all pious legacies and endowments. 

Verse 7. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of 
you] In eyery place where the proper names of the 
Old Testament occur, in the New, the same mode of 
orthography should be followed: I therefore write 
Tsaiah with the Hebrew, not Esaias, with the Greek. 
This prophecy is found chap. xxix. 13. Our blessed 
Lord unmasks these hypocrites; and we may. observe 
that, when a hypocrite is found out, he should ‘be ex- 
posed to all; this may lead to his salvation: if he be 
permitted to retain his falsely acquired character, how 
can he escape perdition ! “ 

Verse 8. Their heart is far from me.| The true 
worship of God consists in the wnion of the heart to 
him—where this exists not, a particle of the spirit of 
devotion cannot be found. 

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth] 
This clause, which is taken from Isa. chap. xxix. 13, 
is omitted by several excellent MSS., and by several 
versions and fathers. Erasmus, Mill, Drusius, and 
Bengel, approve of the omission, and Griesbach has 
left it out of the text ; but as I find it in the prophet, 
the place from which it is quoted, I dare not omit it, 
howsoever respectable the above authorities may appear. 

Verse 9. In vain they do worship me, &c.] By the 
traditions of the elders, not only the word of God was 
perverted, but his worship also was greatly corrupted. 
But the Jews were not the only people who have acted 
hus : whole Christian Churches, as well as sects and par- 

ies, have acted inthe same way. Men must not mould 

the worship of God according to their faney—it is not 

what they think will do—is proper, innocent, &c., but 

what God himself has prescribed, that he will acknow- 

ledge as his worship. However sincere a man may 

be in a worship of his own invention, or of man’s com- 
1 


CHAP. XV. 


To assist our poor’ 


What it is that defiles the soul 


10 Ἵ * And he called the multi- 4,™, 40% 

tude, and said unto them, Hear, An. Olymp. 
CCL.4. 
and understand : a ΞΞ. 

11} Not that which goeth into the mouth 
defileth a man; but that which cometh out of 
the mouth, this defileth a man. 

12 Then came his disciples, and said unto 
him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were 
offended, after they heard this saying ? 

13 But he answered and said, ™ Every plant. 
which my heavenly Father hath not planted, 
shall be rooted up. 


k Mark vii. 14.——! Acts x. 15; Rom. xiv. 14, 17, 20; 1 Tim 
iv. 4; Tit. i. 15. πὶ John xv. 2; 1 Cor. ili. 12, &c. 


mandment, yet it profits him nothing. Christ himself 
says it is in vain. To condemn such, may appear to 
some illiberal; but whatever may be said in behalf of 
sincere heathens, and others who have not had the ad- 
vantages of Divine Revelation, there is no excuse for 
the man who has the Bree before him. 

Verse 10. Hear and understand] A most important 
command. Hear—make it a point of conscience to 
attend to the ministry of the word. Understand—be 
not satisfied with attending places of public worship 
merely ; see that the teaching be of God, and that you 
lay it to heart. 

Verse 11. Not that which goeth into the mouth de- 
fileth] This is an answer to the carping question of 
the Pharisees, mentioned verse 2, Why do thy disci- 
ples eat with unwashed hands? To which our Lord 
here replies, That what goes into the mouth defiles not 
the man; i. e. that if, in eating with unwashed hands, 
any particles of dust, &c., cleaving to the hands, might 
happen to be taken into the mouth with the food, this 
did not defile, did not constitute a man a sinner ; for it 
is on this alone the question hinges: thy disciples eat 
with unwashed hands ; therefore they are sinners ; for 
they transgress the tradition of the elders, i. e. the 
oral law, which they considered equal in authority to 
the written law; and, indeed, often preferred the for- 
mer to the latter, so as to make it of none effect, 
totally to destroy its nature and design, as we have 
often seen in the preceding notes. 

That which cometh out of the mouth] That is, what 
springs from a corrupt unregenerate heart—a perverse 
will and impure passions—these defile, i. δ. make him 
a sinner. 

Verse 12. The Pharisees were offended] None so 
liable to take offence as formalists and hypocrites, when 
you attempt to take away the false props from the one, 
and question the sincerity of the other. Besides, a 
Pharisee must never be suspected of ignorance, for 
they are the men, and wisdom must die with them! 

Verse 13. Every plant] Every plantation. Sol 
render ὀυτεία, and so it is translated in the Ztala ver- 
sion which accompanies the Greek text in the Codex 
Beza, omnis plantatio, and so the word is rendered 
by Suidas. This gives a different turn to the text. 
The Pharisees, as a religious body, were now a plan- 
tation of trees, which God did not plant, water, nor 

163 


What :t is that 


A.M 4032, 14 Let them alone: "they be blind 


= ae. leaders of the blind. And if the 
———__ blind lead the blind, both shall fall 
into the ditch. 

15 ° Then answered Peter and said unto 
him, Declare unto us this parable. 

16 And Jesus said, » Are ye also yet with- 
out understanding ? 

17 Do not ye yet understand, that 4 whatso- 


usa, ix. 16; Mal. ii. 8; chap. xxiii. 16 ; Luke vi. 39.—®° Mark 


vii. 17.—P? Chap. xvi. 9 ; Mark vii. 18. 


own: therefore, they should be rooted up, not left to 
wither and die, but the fellers, and those who root up, 
(the Roman armies,) should come against and destroy 
them, and the Christian Church was to be planted in 
their place. Since the general dispersion of the Jews, 
this sect, I believe, has ceased to exist as a separate 
body, among the descendants of Jacob. The first of 
the apostolical constitutions begins thus: Θεοῦ φυτεία 
ῃ καθολικὴ eKKAnova, καὶ ἀμπελὼν αὐτοῦ exAeKtoc. The 
Catholic Church is the plantation of God, and his 
chosen vineyard. 

Verse 14. Let them alone] Agere αὐτους, give them 
up, or leave them. ‘These words have been sadly mis- 
understood. Some have quoted them to prove that 
blind and deceitful teachers should not be pointed out 
to the people, nor the people warned against them ; and 
that men should abide in the communion of a corrupt 
Church, because that Church had once been the Church 
of God, and in it they had been brought up; and to 
prove this they bring Scripture, for, in our present 
translation, the words are rendered, let them alone: 
but the whole connection of the place evidently proves 
that our blessed Lord meant, give them up, have no kind 
of religious connection with them, and the strong reason 
for which he immediately adds, because they are blind 
leaders. This passage does not at all mean that blind 
leaders should not be pointed out to the people, that 
they may avoid being deceived by them; for this our 
Lord does frequently, and warns his disciples, and the 
people in general, against all such false teachers as the 
seribes and Pharisees were; and though he bids men 
do what they heard those say, while they sat in the chair 
of Moses, yet he certainly meant no more than that 
they should be observant of the moral law when read 
to them out of the sacred book: yet neither does he 
tell them to do all these false teachers said; for he 
testifies in the 6th verse, that they had put such false 
glosses on the law, that, if followed, would endanger 
the salvation of their souls. The Codex Beze, for 
αφετε avtouc, has αφετε Tove τυόλους, give up these blind 
men. Amen! A literal attention to these words of 
our Lord produced the Reformation. 

Probably the words may be understood as a sort of 
proverbial expression for—Don’t mind them: pay no 

τρανὰ to then.— They are altogether unworthy of 
notice.” 

And if the blind lead the blind) This was so self- 
evident a case that an apter parallel could not be found 
—f the blind lead the blind, both must fall into the 
ditch Alas, for the blind teachers, who not only de- 

164 


ST. MATTHEW. 


defiles the soul. 


ever entereth in at the mouth, goeth 4,M, 4032. 
into the belly, and is cast out into An. Olymp. 
CCL. 4. 

the draught ? jee 

18 But * those things which proceed out of 
the mouth come forth from the heart ; and they 
defile the man. 

19 sFor out of the heart proceed evil 
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, 


thefts, false witness, blasphemies : 


41 Cor. vi. 13. τ James iil. 6. * Gen. vi. 5; vill. 21; Prov. 


vi. 14; Jer. xvii. 9; Mark vii. 21. 


stroy their own souls, but those also of their flocks ! 
Like priest, like people. If the minister be ignorant, 
he cannot teach what he does not know ; and the peo- 
ple cannot become wise unto salvation under such a 
ministry—he is ignorant and wicked, and they are 
profligate. They who even wish such God speed, are 
partakers of their evil deeds. But shall not the poor 
deceived people escape? No: both shall fall into the 
pit of perdition together ; for they should have searched 
the Scriptures, and not trusted to the ignorant sayings 
of corrupt men, no matter of what sect or party. He 
who has the Bible in his hand, or within his reach, and 
can read it, has no excuse. 

Verse 15. Declare unto us this parable.| Is it not 
strange to hear the disciples asking for the explana- 
tion of such a parable as this! The true knowledge 
of the spirit of the Gospel is a thing more uncommon 
than we imagine, among the generality of Christians, 
and even of the learned. 

Verse 16. Are ye also yet without understanding 2} 
The word ἀκμη, which we translate yet, should be here 
rendered δέν]: Are ye still void of understanding ‘— 
and the word is used in this sense by several Greek 
writers. The authorities which have induced me to 
prefer this translation may be seen in Kypke. 

Verse 17. Cast out into the draught] Evc agedpwova, 
4 byd on fopSang arend. Anglo-Saxon. And beeth 
into the forthgoing a sent—what is not fit for nourish- 
ment is evacuated ; is thrown into the sink. This I be- 
lieve to be the meaning of this difficult and variously 
translated word, agedpwv. Diodati translates it pro- 
perly, nella latrina, into the privy. . And the Per- 
sian translator has given a good paraphrase, and 
appears to have collected the general meaning 


poe a 5) dy) se) pe 52 & γῷ 


5) ΟΥ Ὁ 32 5 85) her teche der dehen ander ayeed, 
az nusheeb becroon rood, we ber zemeen aftad : “ What- 
soever enters into the mouth goes downward, and falls 
upon the ground.” Michaelis, and his annotator, Dr. 
Marsh, have been much perplexed with this perplexing 
passage. See Michaelis’s Introduction, vol. i. note 
35. p. 458. 

Verse 19. Out of the heart] In the heart of an un- 
regenerate man, the principles and seeds of all sin are 
found. And iniquity is always conceived in the heart 
before it be spoken or acted. Is there any hope thata 
man can abstain from outward sin till his heart, that 
abominable fountain of corruption, be thoroughly 
cleansed? 7 trow not. 

1 


oe ae” οἱ 


A Canaanitish woman beseeches 


A.M. 4032. 20 These are the things which 
An. Olymp. defile a man: but to eat with un- 
washen hands defileth not a man. 

21 Ἵ * Then Jesus went thence, and departed 
into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came 
out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, 
saying, Have mercy on me, Ὁ Lord, thou son 
of David; my daughter is grievously vexed 
with a devil. 

23 But he answered her not a word. And 


t Mark vii. 24.——" Chap. x. 5, 6; Acts iii. 25, 26; xiii. 46; 


Evil thoughts] Διαλογισμοι πονηροι, wicked dia- 
logues—for in all evil surmisings the heart holds a 
conversation, or dialogue, with itself. For φονοι, 
murders, two MSS. have φθόνοι, envyings, and three 
others have both. Envy and murder are nearly allied: 
the former has often led to the latier. 

Blasphemies| I have already observed, chap. ix. 3, 
that the verb βλασφημεω, when applied to men, signifies 
to speak insuriousty of their persons, characters, &c., 
and, when applied to God, it means ¢o speak ImPlousLY 
of his nature, works, &c. 

Verse 20. These—defile a man] Our Lord’s argu- 
ment is very plain. What goes into the mouth de- 
scends into the stomach and other intestines; part is 
retained for the nourishment of the body, and part is 
ejected, as being improper to afford nourishment. No- 
thing of this kind defiles the soul, because it does not 
enter into it; but the evil principles that are in it, pro- 
ducing evil thoughts, murders, &c., these defile the 
soul, because they have their seat and operation in it. 

Verse 21. Departed into the coasts of Tyre and 
Sidon.| Etc ta μερης towards the coasts or confines. 
It is not clear that our Lord ever left the land of the 
Hebrews ; he was, as the apostle observes, Rom. xv. 
8, the minister of the circumcision according to the 
truth of God. Tyre and Sidon are usually joined to- 
gether, principally because they are but a few miles 
distant from each other. 

Verse 22. A woman of Canaan] Matthew gives her 
this name because of the people from whom she sprung 
—the descendants of Canaan, Judg. i. 31, 32; but 
Mark calls her a Syrophenician, because of the coun- 
try where she dwelt. The Canaanites and Phenicians 
have been often confounded. This is frequently the 
ease in the Septuagint. Compare Gen. xlvi. 10, 
with Exod. vi. 15, where the same person is called a 
Phenician in the one place, and a Canaanite in the 
other. See also the same version in Exod. xvi. 35; 
Josh. v. 12. 

The state of this woman is a proper emblem of the 
state of a sinner, deeply conscious of the misery of his 
soul. 

Have mercy on me, &c.] How proper is this prayer 
for a penitent! There are many excellencies contained 
in it; 1. It is short; 2. humble; 3. full of faith; 4. 
fervent; 5. modest; 6. respectful ; 7. rational; 8. re- 
lying only on the mercy of God; 9. persevering. Can 
he who sees himself a slave of the devil, beg with 

" 1 


CHAP. XV. 


Christ for her daughter 


his disciples came and besoughthim, 4, δ΄. 4032 
saying, Send her away; for shecrieth An. Olymp. 
after us. EE. 

24 But he answered and said, ®I am not 
sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of 
Israel. 

25 Then came she and worshipped him, 
saying, Lord, help me. 

26 But he answered and said, It is not 
meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast 
it to ἡ dogs. 


Rom. xv. 8. 


¥ Chap. vii. 6; Phil. iii. 2. 


too much earnestness to be delivered from his 
thraldom ? 

Son of David| An essential character of the true 
Messiah. 

Verse 23. He answered her not a word.) Seemed 
to take time to consider her request, and to give her 
the opportunity of exercising her faith, and manifest- 
ing her fervour. 

Verse 24. I am not sent but unto the lost sheep} 
By the Divine appointment, I am come to preach the 
Gospel to the Jews only. There are certain preach- 
ers who should learn a lesson of important instruction 
from this part of our Lord’s conduct. As soon as they 
hear of a lost sheep being found by other ministers, 
they give all diligence to get that one into their fold; 
but display little earnestness in seeking in the wilder- 
ness for those that are lost. This conduct, perhaps, 
proceeds from a consciousness of their inability to per- 
form the work of an evangelist; and leads them to 
sit down in the labours of others, rather than submit to 
the reproach of presiding over empty chapels. Such 
persons should either dig or deg immediately, as they 
are a reproach to the pastoral effice; for, not being 
sent of God, they cannot profit the people. 

The wilderness of this world is sufficiently wide and 
uncultivated. Sinners abound every where ; and there 
is ample room for all truly religious people, who have 
zeal for God, and love for their perishing fellow crea- 
tures, to put forth all their strength, employ all their 
time, and exercise all their talents, in proclaiming the 
Gospel of God ; not only to the lost sheep of the house 
of Israel, but to a lost wortp. Nor can such exer- 
tions be unsuccessful. Where the pure truth of God 
is preached, many will be converted. Where that 
truth is preached, though with a mixture of error, some 
will be converted, for God will bless his own truth. 
But where nothing but false doctrine is preached, no 
soul is converted: for God will never sanction error 
by a miracle of his mercy. 

Verse 25. Lord, help me.| Let me also share in 
the deliverance afforded to Israel. 

Verse 26. The children’s bread] The salvation pro- 
vided for the Jews, who were termed the children of 
the kingdom. And cast it to the κυναρίοις, little dogs 
—to the curs; such the Gentiles were reputed by the 
Jewish people, and our Lord uses that form of speech 
which was common among his countrymen. What 
terrible repulses! and yet she still perseveres! 

165 


Many diseased persons 


a 27 And she said, Truth, Lord : 


5 ae yet the dogs eat of the crumbs 
which fall from their masters’ table. 

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, 
O woman, great 15 thy faith: be it unto thee 
even as thou wilt. And her daughter was 
made whole from that very hour. 

29 Ἵ τ And Jesus departed from thence, and 
came nigh *unto the sea of Galilee ; and went 
up into a mountain, and sat down there. 

30 Y And great multitudes came unto him, 
having with them those that were lame, blind, 
dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast 
them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed 
them : 

31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, 


ST. MATTHEW. 


are healed 


when they saw the dumb to speak, 4,M, 4032. 
the maimed to be whole, the lame = gaa 
to walk, and the blind to see: and 

they glorified the God of Israel. 

32 Ἵ 7 Then Jesus called his disciples unto 
iim, and said, I have compassion on the mul- 
titude, because they continue with me now 
three days, and have nothing to eat: and I 
will not send them away fasting, lest they faint 
in the way. 

33 * And his disciples say unto him, Whence 
should we have so much bread in the wilder- 
ness, as to fill so great a multitude ? 

34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many 
loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and 
a few little fishes. 


W Mark vii. 31. 


x Chap. iv. 18. yIsa. xxxv. 5, 6; chap. 


xi. 5; Luke vii. 22. 2 Mark viii. 1. a2 Kings iv. 43. 


Verse 27. Truth, Lord] Nat, κυριε, Yes, Lord. 
This appears to be not so much an assent, as a bold 
reply to our Lord’s reason for apparently rejecting her 
suit. 

The little dogs share with the children, for they eat 
the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. I do 
not desire what is provided for these highly favoured 
children, only what they /eave: a single exertion of 
thy almighty power, in the healing of my afflicted 
daughter, is all that I wish for; and this the highly 
favoured Jews can well spare, without lessening the 
provision made for themselves. [5 not this the sense 
of this noble woman’s reply ? 

Verse 28. O woman, great is thy faith] The hin- 
derances thrown in this woman’s way only tended to 
increase her faith. Her faith resembles a river, which 
becomes enlarged by the dykes opposed to it, till at 
last it sweeps them entirely away with it. 

Her daughter was made whole) Persevering faith 
and prayer are next to omnipotent. No person can 
thus pray and believe, without receiving all his soul 
requires. This is one of the finest lessons in the 
book of God for a penitent, or for a discouraged be- 
liever. Look to Jesus! As sure as God is in heaven, 
so surely will he hear and answer thee to the eternal 
salvation of thy soul! Be not discouraged at a little 
delay : when thou art properly prepared to receive the 
blessing, then thou shalt have it. Look up; thy sal- 
vation is at hand. Jesus admires this faith, to the 
end that we may admire and imitate it, and may reap 
the same fruits and advantages from it. 

Verse 29. Went up into a mountain] To opoc, THE 
mountain. ‘ Meaning,” says Wakefield, “some par- 
tecular mountain which he was accustomed to frequent ; 
for, whenever it is spoken of at a time when Jesus is 
in Galilee, it is always discriminated by the article. 
Compare chap. iv. 18, with chap. v. 1; and chap. xiii. 
54, with chap. xiv. 23; and xxviii. 16. I suppose it 
was mount Tador.” 

Verse 30. Those that were—maimed] Κυλλους. 
Wetstein has fully proved that those who had lost a 
nand, foot, &e., were termed «vAdoe by the Greeks. 

166 


Kypke has shown, from Hippocrates, that the word 
was also used to signify those who had distorted or 
dislocated legs, knees, hands, &c. Mr. Wakefield is 
fully of opinion that it means here those who had lost 
a limb, and brings an incontestable proof from Matt. 
xviii. 8; Mark ix. 43. “If thy hand cause thee to 
offend, cur 1T orF; it is better for thee to enter into 
life (κυλλον) wirHouT A Lime, than, having thy Two 
hands, to go away into hell.” What an astonishing 
manifestation of omnzfic and creative energy must the 
reproduction of a hand, foot, &e., be at the word or 
touch of Jesus! As this was a mere act of creative 
power, like that of multiplying the bread, those who 
allow that the above is the meaning of the word will 
hardly attempt to doubt the proper Divinity of Christ. 
Creation, in any sense of the word, i. e. causing some- 
thing to exist that had no existence before, can belong 
only to God, because it is an effect of an unlimited 
power; to say that such power could be delegated to 
a person is to say that the person to whom it is dele- 
gated becomes, for the time being, the omnipotent 
God; and that God, who has thus clothed a creature 
with his omnipotence, ceases to be omnipotent himself; 
for there cannot be two omnipotents, nor can the Su- 
preme Being delegate his omnipotence to another, and 
have it at the same time. I confess, then, that this is 
to me an unanswerable argument for the Divinity of 
our blessed Lord. Others may doubt; I can’t help 
believing. 

Verse 31. The multitude wondered] And well they 
might, when they had such proofs of the miraculous 
power and love of God before their eyes. Blessed be 
God! the same miracles are continued in their spirituae 
reference. All the disorders of the soul are still eured 
by the power of Jesus. 

Verse 32. 7 have compassion, &c.] See a similar 
transaction explained, chap. xiv. 14—22. 

Verse 33. Whence should we have so much bread 
in the wilderness, &c.] Human foresight, even in the 
followers of Christ, is very short. In a thousand in- 
stances, if we supply not its deficiency by fatth, we 
5851 be always embarrassed, and often miserable. 

1 


Four thousand men fed with 


ee 35 And he commanded the mul- 


at Olymp. titude to sit down on the ground. 

: 36 And "he took the seven 
Soaves and the fishes, and ° gave thanks, and 
urake them, and gave to his disciples, and the 
disciples to the multitude. 

37 And they did all eat, and were filled : and 


» Chap. xiv. 19. 


©] Sam. ix. 13; Luke xxii. 19. 


This world is a desert, where nothing can be found to 
satisfy the soul of man, but the salvation which Christ 
has procured. 

Verse 37. They did all eat, and were filled] Exop- 
tacbncav—they were satisfied. ‘The husks of worldly 
pleasures may fill the man, but cannot satisfy the 
soul. A man may eat, and not be satisfied : it is the 
interest therefore of every follower of Christ to follow 
him till he be fed, and to feed on him till he be satisfied. 

Verse 38. Four thousand] Let the poor learn from 
these miracles to trust in God for support. Whatever 
his ordinary providence denies, his miraculous power 
will supply. 

Verse 39. He sent away the multitude] But not 
before he had instructed their souls, and fed and healed 
their bodies. 

The coasts of Magdala.] In the parallel place, 
Mark viii. 10, this place is called Dalmanutha. Hither 
Magdala was formed by a transposition of letters from 
Dalman, to which the Syriac termination atha had been 
added, or the one of these names refers to the country, 
and the other to a fown in that neighbourhood. Jesus 
went into the country, and proceeded till he came to 
the chief town or village in that district. Whitby says, 
“Magdala was a city and territory beyond Jordan, 
on the banks of Gadara. It reached to the bridge 
above Jordan, which joined it to the other side of Gal- 
lilee, and contained within its precincts Dalmanutha.” 
The MSS. and VV. read the name variously—Ma- 
gada, Mageda, Magdala; and the Syriac has Magdu. 
In Mark, Dalmanutha is read by many MSS. Mela- 
gada, Madegada, Magada, Magidan, and Magedam. 
Magdala, variously pronounced, seems to have been 
the place or country ; Dalmanutha, the chief town or 
capital. 


In this chapter a number of interesting and instruc- 
tive particulars are contained. 

1. We see the extreme superstition, envy, and in- 
curable ill nature of the Jews. While totally lost to 
a proper sense of the spirituality of God’s law, they 
are ceremonious in the extreme. They will not eat 
without washing their hands, because this would be a 
transgression of one of the traditions of their elders ; 
but they can harbour the worst tempers and passions, 
anc thus break the law of God! The word of man 
Weighs more with them than the testimony of Jehovah; 
and yet they pretend the highest respect for their God 
and sacred things, and will let their parents perish for 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


seven loaves and a few fishes 


they took up of the broken meat hae sig 
that was left, seven baskets full. An. Olymp. 
38 And they that did eat were ΒΕ. Ἢ 
four thousand men, beside women and 
children. 
39 4 And he sent away the multitude, and 
took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala 


4 Mark viii. 10. 


lack of the necessaries of life, that they may have 
goods to vow to the service of the sanctuary! Pride 
and envy blind the hearts of men, and cause them of 
ten to act not only the most wicked, but the most 
ridiculous, parts. He who takes the book of God for 
the rule of his faith and practice can never go astray : 
but to the mazes and perplexities produced by the 
traditions of elders, human creeds, and confessions of 
faith, there is no end. ‘These evils existed in the 
Christian as well as in the Jewish Chureh ; but the Re- 
formation, thank God! has liberated us from this 
endless system of uncertainty and absurdity, and the 
Sun of righteousness shines now unclouded! The 
plantation, which God did not plant, in the course of 
his judgments, he has now swept nearly away from the 
face of the earth! Babylon is fallen! 

2. We wonder at the dulness of the disciples, when 
we find that they did not fully understand our Lord’s 
meaning, in the very obvious parable about the blind 
leading the blind. Put should we not be equally struck 
with their prying, inquisitive temper? They did not 
understand, but they could not rest till they did. They 
knew that their Lord could say nothing that had not 
the most important meaning in it: this meaning, in 
the preceding parable, they had not apprehended, and 
therefore they wished to have it farther explained by 
himself. Do we imitate their docility and eagerness 
to comprehend the truth of God? Christ presses 
every occurrence into a means of instruction. The 
dulness of the disciples in the present case, has been 
the means of affording us the fullest instruction on a 
point of the utmost importance—the state of a sinful 
heart, and how the thoughts and passions conceived in 
it defile and pollute it; and how necessary it is to have 
the fountain purified, that it may cease to send forth 
those streams of death. 

3. The case of the Canaanitish woman is, in itself, 
a thousand sermons. Her faith—her prayers—her 
perseverance—her success—the honour she received 
from her Lord, &e., ὥς. How instructively—how 
powerfully do these speak and plead! What a profu 
sion of light does this single case throw upon the 
manner in which Christ sometimes exercises the faith 
and patience of his followers! They that seek shall 
find, is the great lesson inculeated in this short history : 
God is ever the same. Reader, follow on after God— 
ery, pray, plead—all in Him is for thee !—Thou canst 
not perish, if thou continuest to believe and pray 
The Lord will help THEE. 

167 


The Pharisees and Sadducees 


ST. MATTHEW. 


desire another sign, 


CHAPTER XVI. 


The Pharisees insidiously require our Lord to give them a sign, 1. 


hypocrisy and wickedness, 2-5. 
trine, 6-12. 
our Lord’s discourse on it, 15-20. 


ment, 27. 

A. M. 4032. a : : 

oe "THE Pharisees also with the 

λῆς (OW Sadducees came, and tempt- 
Ξ ing, desired him that he would 


a Chap. xii. 38; Mark viii. 11; Luke xi. 16; xii. 54-56; 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. 


Verse 1. The Pharisees also with the Sadducee " 


Though a short account of these has been alieady 
given in anote on chap. iil. 7, yet, as one more detailed 
may be judged necessary, I think it proper to introduce 
it in this place. 

The Pxarisrrs were the most considerable sect 
among the Jews, for they had not only the scribes, 
and all the learned men of the law of their party, but 
they also drew after them the bulk of the people. When 
this sect arose is uncertain. Josephus, Antiq. lib. v. 
ὁ. ΧΙ. s. 9, speaks of them as existing about 144 
years before the Christian era. They had their appel- 
lation of Pharisees, from wD parash, to separate, and 
were probably, in their rise, the most holy people 
among the Jews, having separated themselves from the 
national corruption, with a design to restore and prac- 
tise the pure worship of the Most High. That they 
were greatly degenerated in our Lord’s time is suffi- 
ciently evident; but still we may learn, from their 
external purity and exactness, that their principles in 
the beginning were holy. Our Lord testifies that they 
had cleansed the outszde of the cup and the platter, but 
within they were full of abomination. They still kept 
up the outward regulations of the institution, but they 
had utterly lost its spirit; and hypocrisy was the only 
substitute now in their power for that spirit of piety 
which I suppose, and not unreasonably, characterized 
the origin of this sect. 

As to their religious opinions, they still continued to 
credit the being of a God; they received the five 
books of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the ha- 
giographa. The hagiographa or holy writings, from aytoc 
holy, and γραφω 7 write, included the twelve following 
books—Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Canticles, Ruth, Lamen- 
tations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 
and Chronicles. These, among the Jews, occupied a 
middle place between the /aw and the prophets, as divinely 
inspired. The Pharisees believed, in a confused way, 
in the resurrection, though they received the Pytha- 
gorean doctrine of the metempsychosis, or transmigra- 
tion of souls. Those, however, who were notoriously 
wicked, they consigned, on their death, immediately 
to hell, without the benefit of transmigration, or the hope 
of future redemption. They held also the predestinarian 
doctrine of necessity, and the government of the world 
by fate; and yet, inconsistently, allowed some degree 
of liberty to the human will. See Prideaua. 

168 


They are severely rebuked for their 


The disciples are cautioned to beware of them and their destructive doc- 
The different opinions formed by the people of Christ, 13, 14. 


Peter’s confession, and 


He foretells his sufferings, and reproves Peter, 21-23. Teaches the 
necessity of self-denial, and shows the reasons on which it is founded, 24-26. 


Speaks of a future judg- 


And promises the speedy opening of the glory of his own kingdom on earth, 28. 


ὙΠ _ A.M. 4035. 
show them >a sign from hea ne 0.28 
ven. An, Ome: 

CCI 4. 


2 He answered and said unto 


1 Cor. i. 22.—— John vi. 30; chap. xii. 38; John iv. 48. 


The Sappucesgs had their origin and name from one 
Sadoc, a disciple of Antigonus of Socho, president of 
the Sanhedrin, and teacher of the aw in one of the 
great divinity schools in Jerusalem, about 264 years 
before the incarnation. 

This Antigonus having often in his lectures informed 
his scholars, that they should not serve God through 
expectation of a reward, but through love and filial 
reverence only, Sadoc inferred from this teaching that 
there were neither rewards nor punishments after this 
life, and, by consequence, that there was no resurrection 
of the dead, nor angel, nor spirit, in the invisible world; 
and that man is to be rewarded or punished here for 
the good or evil he does. 

They received only the five books of Moses, and 
rejected all unwritten traditions. From every account 
we have of this sect, it plainly appears they were a 
kind of mongrel deists, and professed materialists. 
See Prideaux, and the authors he quotes, Connex. vol. 
iii. p. 95, and 471, &e., and see the note on ehap. iii. 7. 

In chap. xxii. 16, we shall meet with a third sect, 
called Herop1ans, of whom a few words may be spoken 
here. It is allowed on all hands that these did not 
exist before the time of Herod the Great, who died 
only three years after the incarnation of our Lord. 
What the opinions of these were is not agreed among 
the learned. Many of the primitive fathers believed 
that their distinguishing doctrine was, that they held 
Herod to be the Messiah; but it is not likely that 
such an opinion could prevail in our Sayiour’s time, 
thirty years after Herod’s death, when not one cha- 
racteristie of Messiahship had appeared in him during 
his life. Others suppose that they were Herod’s cour- 
tiers, who flattered the passions of their master, and, 
being endowed with a convenient conscience, changed 
with the times; but, as Herod was now dead upwards 
of thirty years, such a sect could not exist in refer- 


; ence to him; and yet all allow that they derived theix 


origin from Herod the Great. 
Our Lord says, Mark viii. 3, that they had tae 


| leaven of Herod, i. 6. a bad doctrine, which they re- 
| ceived from him. 
| covered; 1. Herod subjected himself and his people 
"το the dominion of the Romans, in opposition to that 
\law, Deut. xvii. 15, Thou shalt not set a king over 
| thee—which is not thy brother, i. e. one out of the 
| twelve tribes. 
| and joined in heathenish worship, though he professed 


What this was may be easily dis- 


2. He built temples, set up images, 


1 


They could discern the signs 


A.M. 408. them, When it is evening, ye say, 


An. Olymp. ὁ Jt will be fair weather: for the 

CCL 4. : 

——— sky is red. 

3 And in the morning, It will be foul wea- 
ther to-day: for the sky is red and lowering. 
ἃ Ὁ) ye hypocrites ye can discern the face of 
the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of 
the times ? 

4 9 Awicked and adulterous generation seek- 
eth after a sign; and there shau no sign be 
given unto it, but the sign of the prophet 


© Luke xii. 54, 55.——4 Luke xii. 56. 


© Chap. xii. 39. 


the Jewish religion; and this was in opposition to all 
the law and the prophets. From this we may learn 
that the Herodians were such as, first, held it lawful 
to transfer the Divine government to a heathen ruler ; 
and, secondly, to conform occasionally to heathenish 
rites in their religious worship. In short, they appear 
to have been persons who srimmed between God and 
the world—who endeavoured to reconcile his service 
with that of mammon—and who were religious just as 
far as it tended to secure their secular interests. It 
is probable that this sect was at last so blended with, 
that it became lost in, the sect of the Sadducees; for 
the persons who are called Herodians, Mark viii. 15, 
are styled Sadducees in ver. 6 of this chapter. See 
Prideaux, Con. vol. iii. p. 516, &e., and Josephus, 
Antiq. B. xv. c. viii. 5. 1. and x. s. iii. But it is very 
likely that the Herodians, mentioned ec. xxii. 10, were 
courtiers or servants of Herod king of Galilee. See 
the note there. 

Show them a sign] These sects, however opposed 
among themselves, most cordially unite in their oppo- 
sition to Christ and his truth. That the kingdom of 
Satan may not fall, all his subjects must fight against 
the doctrine and maxims of the kingdom of Christ. 

Tempting—him] Feigning a desire to have his 
doctrine fully proved to them, that they might credit 
it, and become his disciples; but having no other de- 
sign than to betray and ruin him. 

Verse 2. When it is evening] There are certain 
signs of fair and foul weather, which ye are in the con- 
stant habit of observing, and which do not fail. The 
signs of the times: the doctrine which I preach, and 
the miracles which I work among you, are as sure 
signs that the day-spring from on high has visited you 
for your salvation; but if ye refuse to hear, and con- 
tinue in darkness, the red and gloomy cloud of vindic- 
tive justice shall pour out such a storm of wrath upon 
you as shall sweep you from the face of the earth. 

Verse 3. The sky is red and lowering.] The signs 
of fair and foul weather were observed in a similar 
manner among the Romans, and indeed among most 
other people. Many treatises have been written on 
the subject: thus a poet:— 


Ceruleus pluviam denunciant, 1cNevs euros. 

Sin macu.2 incipient ruTiLo immiscerier 16N1, 

Omnia tune pariter VENTO NIMBISQUE videbis 

Fervere. Vire. Geor. i. 1. 453. 
1 


CHAP. XVI. 


of fair and foul weather. 


Jonas. And he left them, and de- a gi 
parted. Any Ciymp. 


5 Ἵ And when his disciples were 
come to the other side, they had forgotten to 
take bread. 

6 Then Jesus said unto them, 6 Take heed 
and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and 
of the Sadducees. 

7 And they reasoned among themselves, say- 
ing, It 7s because we have taken no bread. 

8 Which, when Jesus perceived, he said un- 


£ Mark viii. 14——£ Luke xii. 1. 


“Tf fiery red his glowing globe descends, 
High winds and furious tempests he portends : 
But if his cheeks are swoll’n with livid blue, 
He bodes wet weather, by his watery hue ; 
If dusky spots are varied on his brow, 
And streak’d with red a troubled colour show, 
That sullen miature shall at once declare, 
Wind, rain, and storms, and elemental war.” 

Drypen. 


Verse 4. Wicked and adulterous generation] The 
Jewish people are represented in the Sacred Writings 
as married to the Most High; but, like a disloyal 
wife, forsaking their true husband, and uniting them- 
selves to Satan and sin. Sceeketh after a sign, σημεῖον 
ἐπιζητεῖ, seeketh sign upon sign, or, still another sign. 
Our blessed Lord had already wrought miracles suffi- 
cient to demonstrate both his Divine mission and his 
divinity; only one was farther necessary to take away 
the scandal of his cross and death, to fulfil the Serip- 
tures, and tc establish the Christian religion ; and that 
was, his resurrection from the dead, which, he here 
states, was typified in the case of Jonah. 

Verse 5. Come to the other side] Viz. the coast of 
Bethsaida, by which our Lord passed, going to Ce- 
sarea, for he was now on his journey thither. See 
ver. 13, and Mark viii. 22, 27. 

Verse 6. Beware of the leaven}] What the leaven 
of Pharisees and Sadducees was has been already ex- 
plained, see ver. 1. Bad doctrines act in the soul as 
leaven does in meal; they assimilate the whole spirit 
to their own nature. A man’s particular creed has a 
greater influence on his tempers and conduct than most 
are aware of. Pride, hypocrisy, and worldly-minded- 
ness, Which constituted the leaven of the Pharisees 
and Sadducees, ruin the major part of the world. 

Verse 7. They reasoned] For, as Lightfoot observes, 
the term leaven was very rarely used among the Jews 
to signify doctrine, and therefore the disciples did not 
immediately apprehend his meaning. In what a 
lamentable state of blindness is the human mind! 
Bodily wants are perceived with the utmost readiness, 
and a supply is sought with all speed. But the ne- 
cessities of the soul are rarely discovered, though they 
are more pressing than those of the body, and the sup- 
ply of them of infinitely more importance. 

Verse 8. When Jesus perceived, he said] Avro; 
unto them, is wanting in BDKLMs, and twenty others, 

169 


Leaven of the scribes and Pharisees. ST. MATTHEW. 


ane to them, O ye of little faith, why 


An. Olymp. reason ye among yourselves, be- 

Be. cennise ye have brought no bread 7 

9 ἢ Do ye not yet understand, neither remem- 
ber the five loaves of the five thousand, and 
how many baskets ye took up ? 

10 ‘ Neither the seven loaves of the four 
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? 

11 How is it that ye do not understand that 
I spake it not to you concerning bread, that 
ye should beware of the leaven of the Phari- 
sees and of the Sadducees ? 

12 Then understood they how that he bade 
them not beware of the leaven of bread, but 


Peter’s confession of Chrast. 


of the doctrine of the Pharisees and 4,™. 4032. 
of the Sadducees. An. Olymp. 

13 9 When Jesus came into the 
coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his dis- 
ciples, saying, * Whom do men say that I, 
the Son of man, am? 

14 And they said, ! Some say that thou art 
John the Baptist; some Elias; and others, 
Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye 
that I am? 

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, 
™'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God 

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, 


h Chap. xiv. 17; John vi. 9——iChap. xv. 34 Mark viii. 
27; Luke ix. 18.—!Chap. xiv. 2; Luke ix. 7, 8, 9. 


one of the Syriac, the Armenian, Ethiopic, Vulgate, 
and most of the Itala; also in Origen, Theophylact, 
and Lucifer Calaritanus. Mill approves of the omis- 
sion, and Griesbach has left it out of the text. 

O ye of little faith} There are degrees in faith, as 
well as in the other graces of the Spirit. Little faith 
may be the seed of great faith, and therefore is not 
to be despised. But many who should be strong in 
faith have but a small measure of it, because they 
either give way to sin, or are not careful to improve 
what God has already given. 

Verses 9 and 10. Do ye not yet understand—the 
Jive loaves—neither the seven|—See the notes on 
chap. xiv. 14, &e. How astonishing is it that these 
men should have any fear of lacking bread, after hay- 
ing seen the two miracles which our blessed Lord 
alludes to above! Though men quickly perceive their 
bodily wants, and are querulous enough till they get 
them supplied, yet they as quickly forget the mercy 
which they had received ; and thus God gets few re- 
turns of gratitude for his kindnesses. To make men. 
therefore, deeply sensible of his favours, he is induced 
to suffer them often to be in want, and then to supply 
them in such a way as to prove that their supply has 
come immediately from the hand of their bountiful 
Father. 

Verse 11. How is it that ye do not understand] 
We are not deficient in spiritual knowledge, because 
we have not had sufficient opportunities of acquainting 
ourselves with God; but because we did not improve 
the advantages we had. How deep and ruinous must 
our ignorance be, if God did not give line upon line, 
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little! 
They now perceived that he warned them against the 
superstition of the Pharisees, which produced hypo- 
erisy, pride, envy, &c., and the false doctrine of the 
Sadducees, which denied the existence of a spiritual 
world, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of 
the body, and the providence of God. 

Verse 13. Cesarea Philippi] A city, in the tribe 
of Naphtali, near to Mount Libanus, in the province of 
Iturea. Its ancient name was Dan, Gen. xiv. 14; 
afterwards it was called Zais, Judg. xviii. 7. But 

170 


m Chap. xiv. 33; Mark viii. 29; Luke ix. 20; John vi. 69; xi. 27; 
Acts vill. 37; ix. 20; 1 John iv. 15; v. 5; Heb. i. 2, 5. 


Philip the tetrarch, having rebuilt and beautified it, 
gave it the name of Cesarea, in honour of Tiberius 
Cesar, the reigning emperor: but to distinguish it 
from another Cesarea, which was on the coast of the 
Mediterranean Sea, and to perpetuate the fame of him 
who rebuilt it, it was called Caesarea Philippi, or 
Cesarea of Philip. 

When Jesus came| E2Ouv de 0 Incovep—when Jesus 
was coming. Not, when Jesus came, or was come, for 
Mark expressly mentions that it happened ev τὴ oda, 
in the way to Cesarea Philippi, chap. viii. 27, and he 
is Matthew’s best interpreter.—W AkeEFIELD. 

Whom do men say] We asked his disciples this 
question, not because he was ignorant what the people 
thought and spoke of him; but to have the opportu- 
nity, in getting an express declaration of their faith 
from themselves, to confirm and strengthen them in it: 
but see on Luke ix. 20. Some, John the Baptist, &c. 
By this and other passages we learn, that the Phari- 
saic doctrine of the Metempsychosis, or transmigration 
of souls, was pretty general; for it was upon this 
ground that they believed that the soul of the Baptist, 
or of Elijah, Jeremiah, or some of the prophets, had 
come to a new life in the body of Jesus. 

Verse 16. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living 
God.| Every word here is emphatic—a most concise, 
and yet comprehensive, confession of faith. 

The Christ, or Messiah, points out his divinity, and 
shows his office ; the Son—designates his person: on 
this account it is that both are joined together so fre- 
quently in the new covenant. Of the living God— 
Tov Geov, Tov ζωντος, literally, of God the Living One. 
The C. Beze has for Tov Cavroc the Living One, Tov 
σώζοντος, the Saviowr, and the Cant. Dei Salvatoris, 
of God the Saviour. 

Living—a character applied to the Supreme Being, 
not only to distinguish him from the dead idols of pa- 
ganism, but also to point him out as the source of life, 
present, spiritual, and eternal. Probably there is an 
allusion here to the great name ΓΤ Yeve, or Yehovah, 
which properly signifies being or existence. 

Verse 17. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona] Or 
Simon, son of Jonah; so Bar-jonah should be trans 


The Church founded 


A.M. 4082. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona : 
An. Olymp. "for flesh and blood hath not re- 
vealed zt unto thee, but ° my Father 

which is in heaven. 
18 And I say also unto thee, That Ρ thou art 


5 Eph. ii. 8 ——°1 Cor. ii. 10; Gal. i. 16——P John i. 42. 
9Eph. ii. 20; Rev. xxi. 14. 


lated, and so it is rendered by our Lord, John i. 43. 
Flesh and blood--i. e. MAN ;-—no human being hath 
revealed this; and though the text is literal enough, 
yet every body should know that this is a Hebrew pe- 
riphrasis for man; and the literal translation of it here, 
and in Gal. i. 16, has misled thousands, who suppose 
that flesh and blood signify carnal reason, as it is term- 
ed, or the unregenerate principle in man. Is it not 
evident, from our Lord’s observation, that it requires 
an express revelation of God in a man’s soul, to give 
him a saving acquaintance with Jesus Christ ; and that 
not even the miracles of our Lord, wrought before the 
eyes, will effect thist The darkness must be remov- 
ed from the heart by the Holy Spirit, before a man 
can become wise unto salvation. 

Verse 18. Thou art Peter] This was the same as 
if he had said, 7 acknowledge thee for one of my dis- 
ciples—for this name was given him by our Lord 
when he first called him to the apostleship. See 
John i. 42. 

Peter, πετρος, signifies a stone, or fragment of a 
rock; and our Lord, whose constant custom it was to 
rise to heavenly things through the medium of earthly, 
takes occasion from the name, the metaphorical mean- 
ing of which was strength and stability, to point out 
the solidity of the confession, and the stability of that 
cause which should be founded on THE Curist, the 
Son of the Livine Gop. See the notes at the end of 
Luke ix. 

Upon this very rock, ext tavrn τὴ ~etpa—this true 
confession of thine—that I am tHe Messtag, that am 
come to reveal and communicate THE Livine Gop, that 
the dead, lost world may be saved—upon this very 
rock, myself, thus confessed (alluding probably to Psa. 
exvili. 22, The Stone which the builders rejected is 
become the Heav-stone of the Corner: and to Isa. 
xxviii. 16, Behold I lay a Stone in Zion for a Foun- 
DaTioN)—will 1 build my Church, μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, 
my assembly, or congregation, i. e. of persons who are 
made partakers of this precious faith. That Peter is 
not designed in our Lord’s words must be evident to 
all who are not blinded by prejudice. Peter was only 
one of the builders in this sacred edifice, Eph. ii. 20, 
who himself tells us, (with the rest of the believers,) 
was built on this living foundation stone: 1 Pet. ii. 
4, 5; therefore Jesus Christ did not say, on thee, Pe- 
ter, will I build my Church, but changes immediately 
the expression, and says, upon that very rock, ext ταυτὴ 
τὴ πέτρα, to show that he neither addressed Peter, nor 
any other of the apostles. So, the supremacy of 
Peter, and the infallibility of the Church of Rome, must 
be sought in some other scripture, for they certainly 
are not to be found in this. On the meaning of the 
word Church, see at the conclusion of this chapter. 

The gates of hell, πυλαι Adov, i. e. the machinations 

1 


CHAP. XVI. 


on this confession 
a ; 1 A. M, 4032 
Peter, and ‘upon this rock I will 4,™, 40% 


build my Church ; and * the gates of An Dee 
hell shall not prevail against it. oe 

19 * And I will give unto thee the keys of 
the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou 


τ Job xxxvili. 17; Psa. ix. 13; evii. 18; Isa. xxxviii. 10. 
*Chap. xviii. 18; John xx. 23. 


and powers of the invisible world. In ancient times 
the gates of fortified cities were used to hold councils 
in, and were usually places of great strength. Our 
Lord’s expression means, that neither the plots, stra- 
tagems, nor strength of Satan and his angels, should 
ever so far prevail as to destroy the sacred truths in 
the above confession. Sometimes the gates are taken 
for the troops which issue out from them: we may 
firmly believe, that though hell should open her gates, 
and vomit out her devil and all his angels, to fight 
against Christ and his saints, ruin and discomfiture 
must be the consequence on their part; as the arm of 
the Omnipotent must prevail. 

Verse 19. The keys of the kingdom] By the 
kingdom of heaven, we may consider the true Church, 
that house of God, to be meant ; and by the keys, the 
power of admitting into that house, or of preventing 
any improper person from coming in. In other words, 
the doctrine of salvation, and the full declaration of 
the way in which God will save sinners ; and who 
they are that shall be finally excluded from heaven ; 
and on what account. When the Jews made a mana 
doctor of the law, they put into his hand the key of 
the closet in the temple where the sacred books were 
kept, and also tablets to write upon; signifying, by 
this, that they gave him authority to teach, and to 
explain the Scriptures to the people-—Martin. This 
prophetic declaration of our Lord was literally fulfilled 
to Peter, as he was made the first instrument of open- 
ing, i. e. preaching the doctrines of the kingdom of 
heaven to the Jews, Acts ii. 41; and to the Gentzles, 
Acts x. 44—47; xi. 1; xv. 7. 

Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth] This mode 
of expression was frequent among the Jews: they 
considered that every thing that was done upon earth, 
according to the order of God, was at the same time 
done in heaven: hence they were accustomed to say, 
that when the priest, on the day of atonement, offered 
the two goats upon earth, the same were offered in 
heaven. As one goat therefore is permitted to escape 
on earth, one is permitted to escape in heaven, and 
when the priests cast the lots on earth, the priest also 
casts the lots in heaven. See Sohar. Lev. fol. 26 ; 
and see Lightfoot and Schoettgen. ‘These words 
will receive considerable light from Lev. xiii. 3, 23: 
The priest shall look upon him (the leper) and pro- 
nounce him unclean. Heb. 18 ND) vetimé otho, he 
shall pollute him, i. e. shall declare him polluted, from 
the evidences mentioned before. And in ver. 23: 
The priest shall pronounce him clean, j75n nw 
vetiharo hacohen, the priest shall cleanse him, i. e. dee 
clare he is clean, from the evidences mentioned in the 
verse. In the one case the priest declared the person 
infected with the leprosy, and unfit for civil society , 
and, in the other, that the suspected person was clean 

171 


The disciples charged not to 


A.M. 4082. shalt bind on earth, shall be bound 
An. oe in heaven: and whatsoever thou 
. ΄. shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed 


in heaven. 


t Chap. xvii. 9; Mark viii. 30; Luke ix. 21; 


ST. MATTHEW. 


tell that he was the Christ 


20 * Then charged he his disci- mat 

ples that they should tell no ὅν Soap 
Maite ithat) shemewasialJesusseithe =e 
Christ. 


John xi. 27; 1 Cor. ii. 8; chap. viii. 4; ix. 30. 


and might safely associate with his fellows in civil or 
religious assemblies. The disciples of our Lord, 
from having the keys, i. e. the true knowledge of the 
doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, should be able at 
all times to distinguish between the clean and the un- 
clean, and pronounce infallible judgment; and this 
binding and loosing, or pronouncing fit or unfit for fel- 
lowship with the members of Christ, being always ac- 
cording to the doctrine of the Gospel of God, should 
be considered as proceeding immediately from heaven, 
and consequently as Divinely ratified. 

That binding and loosing were terms in frequent 
use among the Jews, and that they meant bidding and 
forbidding, granting and refusing, declaring lawful or 
unlawful, &c., Dr. Lightfoot, after having given nu- 
merous instances, thus concludes :— 

“To these may be added, if need were, the frequent 
(shall I say 1) or infinite use of the phrases, 1119) VON 
bound and loosed, which we meet with thousands of 
times over. But from these allegations the reader 
sees, abundantly enough, both the frequency and the 
common use of this phrase, and the sense of it also ; 
namely, first, that it is used in doctrine, and in judg- 
ments, coucerning things allowed or not allowed in the 
law. Secondly, that to dind is the same with, to for- 
bid, or to declare forbidden. To think that Christ, 
when he used the common phrase, was not understood 
by his hearers in the common and vulgar «sense, shall 
leall it a matter of laughter, or of madness ? 

To this, therefore, do these words amount: When 
the time was come wherein the Mosaic law, as to 
some part of it, was to be abolished, and left off, and, 
as to another part of it, was to be continued and to 
last for ever, he granted Peter here, and to the rest of 
the apostles, chap. xviii. 18, a power to abolish or 
confirm what they thought good, and as they thought 
good ; being taught this, and led by the Holy Spirit: 
as if he should say, Whatsoever ye shall Jind in the 
law of Mosss, that is, forbid, it shall be forbidden, the 
Divine authority confirming it; and whatsoever ye 
shall Joose, that is, permit, or shall teach that it is per- 
mitted and lawful, shall be lawful and permitted. 
Hence they bound, that is forbade, circumcision to the 
believers ; eating of things offered to idols, of things 
strangled, and of blood, for a time, to the Gentiles; 
and that which they bound on earth was confirmed in 
heaven. They loosed, that is, allowed purification to 
Paul, and to four other brethren, for the shunning of 
scandal; Acts xxi. 24: and, in a word, by these 
words of Christ it was committed to them, the Holy 
Spirit directing, that they should make decrees con- 
cerning religion, as to the use or rejection of Mosaic 
rites and judgments, and that either for a time, or 
for ever. 

“Tet the words be applied by way of paraphrase 
to the matter that was transacted at present with 

172 


Peter : ‘I am about to build a Gentile Church,’ saith 
Christ, ‘and to thee, O Peter, do I give the keys of 
the kingdom of heaven, that thou mayest first open the 
door of faith to them ; but if thou askest by what rule 
that Church is to be governed, when the Mosaic rule 
may seem so improper for it, thou shalt be so guided 
by the Holy Spirit, that whatsoever of the law of 
Moses thou shalt forbid them shall be forbidden ; what- 
soever thou grantest them shall be granted; and that 
under a sanction made in heaven.’ Hence, in that 
instant, when he should use his seys, that is, when he 
was now ready to open the gate of the Gospel to the 
Gentiles, Acts x., he was taught from heaven that the 
consorting of the Jew with the Gentile, which before 
had been bound, was now loosed; and the eating of 
any creature convenient for food was now loosed, 
which before had been bound; and he in like manner 
looses both these. 

“ Those words of our Saviour, John xx. 23, Whose 
sins ye remit, they are remitted to them, for the most 
part are forced to the same sense with these before us, 
when they carry quite another sense. Here the busi- 
ness is of doctrine only, not of persons; there of per- 
sons, not of doctrine. Here of things lawful or un- 
lawful in religion, to be determined by the apostles ; 
there of persons obstinate or not obstinate, to be pun- 
ished by them, or not to be punished. 

“ As to doctrine, the apostles were doubly instruct 
ed. 1. So long sitting at the feet of their Master, 
they had imbibed the evangelical doctrine. 

“2. The Holy Spirit directing them, they were to 
determine concerning the legal doctrine and practice, 
being completely instructed and enabled in both by 
the Holy Spirit descending upon them. As to the 
persons, they were endowed with a peculiar gift, so 
that, the same Spirit directing them, if they would re- 
tain and punish the sins of any, a power was delivered 
into their hands of delivering to Satan, of punishing 
with diseases, plagues, yea, death itself, which Peter 
did to Ananias and Sapphira; Paul to Elymas, Hy- 
meneus, and Philetus, ὅσο." 

After all these evidences and proofs of the proper 
use of these terms, to attempt to press the words into 
the service long assigned them by the Church of Rome, 
would, to use the words of Dr. Lightfoot, be “ἃ mat- 
ter of laughter or of madness.” No Church can use 
them in the sense thus imposed upon them, which was 
done merely to serve secular ends; and least of all can 
that very Church that thus abuses them. 

Verse 20. Then charged he his disciples] Διεςείλατο, 
he strictly charged them. Some very good MSS. have 
ἐπετίμησεν, he severely charged—comminatus est,—he 
threatened. These are the readings of the Cod. Beze, 
both in the Greek and Latin. 

The Christ.| The common text has Jesus the 


| Christ ; but the word Jesus is omitted by fifty-four 


1 


Christ foretells hus 


A.M. 4032. 91 4 From that time forth began 


ἈΠ Clymp, Jesus ἃ to show unto his disciples, 

—_ how that he must go unto Jerusalem, 

and suffer many things of the elders, and chief 

priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be 
caised again the third day. 

22 Then Peter took him, and began to re- 

buke him, saying, ’ Be it far from thee, 


"Chap. xx. 17; Mark viii. 31; ix. 31; x.33; Luke ix. 22; xviii. 
31; xxiv. 6, 7. ¥Gr. Pity thyself, Ww See 2 Sam. xix. 22. 


MSS., some of which are not only of the greatest au- 
thority, but also of the greatest antiquity. It is omit- 
ted also by the Syriac, later Persic, later Arabic, Sla- 
vonic, six copies of the Jtala, and several of the fa- 
thers. The most eminent critics approve of this omis- 
sion, and Griesbach has left it out of the text in both 
his editions. I believe the insertion of it here to be 
wholly superfluous and improper; for the question is, 
Who is this Jesus? Peter answers, He is, ὁ Xpicoc, 
the Messiah. The word Jesus is obviously improper. 
What our Lord says here refers to Peter’s testimony 
in ver. 16: Thou art the Christ—Jesus here says, 
Tell no man that 7 am the Christ, i. e. the Messtan; 
as the time for his full manifestation was not yet come ; 
and he was not willing to provoke the Jewish malice, 
or the Roman envy, by permitting his disciples to an- 
nounce him as the Saviour of a lost world. He chose 
rather to wait, till his resurrection and ascension had 
set this truth in the clearest light, and beyond the 
power of successful contradiction. 

Verse 21. From that time forth began Jesus, &c.] 
Before this time our Lord had only spoken of his death 
in a vague and obscwre manner, see chap. xii. 40, be- 
cause he would not afflict his disciples with this mat- 
ter sooner than necessity required; but now, as the 
time of his crucifixion drew nigh, he spoke of his suf- 
ferings and death in the most express and clear terms. 
Three sorts of persons, our Lord intimates, should be 
the cause of his death and passion: the elders, the 
chief priests, and the scribes. Pious Quesnel takes 
occasion to observe from this, that Christ is generally 
persecuted by these three descriptions of men: rich 
men, who have their portion in this life ; ambitious and 
covetous ecclesiastics, who seek their portion in this 
life ; and conceited scholars, who set up their wisdom 
against the wisdom of God, being more intent on criti- 
cising words than in providing for the salvation of their 
souls. The spirit of Christianity always enables a man 
to bear the ills of life with patience ; to receive death 
with joy; and to expect, by faith, the resurrection of 
the body, and the life of the world to come. 

Verse 22. Then Peter took him] Προσλαβομενος---- 
took him up—suddenly interrupted him, as it were 
calling him to order—see Wakefield. Some versions 
five προσλαβομενος the sense of calling him aside. 
The word signifies also to receive in a friendly manner 
—to embrace ; but Mr. W.’s translation agrees better 
with the scope of the place. A man like Peter, who 
is of an impetuous spirit, and decides without conside- 
ration upon every subject, must of necessity be often 
in the wrong. 

1 


CHAP. XVI. 


passion and death 


Lord: this shall not be unto 4,M- 4032 
thee. An. Olymp. 
23 But he turned, and said unto - τ 
Peter, Get thee behind me, ¥ Satan : * thou art 
an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the 
things that be of God, but those that be of men. 
24 Ἵ ¥ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 
If any man will come after me, let him deny 


χα Rom. viii. 7——Y Chap. x. 38; Mark viii. 34; Luke ix. 23; 
xiv. 27; Acts xiv. 22; 1 Thess. 111. 3; 2 Tim. iii. 12. 


Be it far from thee, Lord] Ἰλεὼς σοι Kupie. Be 
merciful to thyself, Lord : see the margin. So I think 
the original should be rendered. Peter knew that 
Christ had power sufficient to preserve himself from 
all the power and malice of the Jews ; and wished him 
to exert that in his own behalf which he had often ex- 
erted in the behalf of others. Some critics of great 
note think the expression elliptical, and that the word 
Θεος, God, is necessarily understood, as if Peter had 
said, God be merciful to thee! but I think the margi- 
nal reading is the sense of the passage. The French, 
Italian, and Spanish, render it the same way. Blind 
and ignorant man is ever finding fault with the con- 
duct of God. Human reason cannot comprehend the 
incarnation of the Almighty’s fellow, (Zech. xiii. 7,) 
nor reconcile the belief of his divinity with his suffer- 
ings and death. How many Peters are there now in 
the world, who are in effect saying, This cannot be done 
unto thee—thou didst not give thy life for the sin of 
the world—it would be injustice to cause the innocent 
to suffer thus for the guilty. But what saith Godt 
His soul shall be made an offering for sin—he shall 
taste death for every man—the iniquities of us all were 
laid upon him. Glorious truth! May the God who 
published it have eternal praises! 

Verse 23. Get thee behind me, Satan] Yraye οπισω 
μου cavava. Get behind me, thowadversary. This is 
the proper translation of the Hebrew word jaw Satan, 
from which the Greek word is taken. Our blessed 
Lord certainly never designed that men should believe 
he called Peter, pevin, because he, through erring 
affection, had wished him to avoid that death which 
he predicted to himself. This translation, which is 
literal, takes away that harshness which before ap- 
peared in our Lord’s words. 

Thou art an offence unto me] Σκανδαλον pov εἰ---- 
Thou art a stumbiing-block in my way, to impede me 
in the accomplishment of the great design. 

Thou savourest not] That is, dost not relish, ov 
φρονεις, or, thou dost not understand or discern the 
things of God—thou art wholly taken up with the vain 
thought that my kingdom is of this world. He who 
opposes the doctrine of the atonement is an adversary 
and offence to Christ, though he be as sincere in his 
profession as Peter himself was. Let us beware Οἱ 
false friendships. Carnal relatives, when listened to, 
may prove the ruin of those whom, through their mis- 
taken tenderness, they wish to save. When a man is 
intent on saving his own soul, his adversaries are often 
those of his own household. 

Verse 24. Will come after me] i. e. to be my dis 

173 


Every man to be rewarded 


A. M. 4032, 
A. D. 28. 
An. Olymp. follow me. 


25 For 2 whosoever will save his 
life, shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his 
life for my sake, shall find it. 

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall 
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or 
* what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 


a Psa. xlix. 7, 8m» Chap. 
© Pan. vii. 10; Zech. 


2 Luke xvii. 33; John xii. 25. 
xxvi. 64; Mark vii. 38; Luke ix. 26. 
xiv. 5; chap. xxv. 31; Jude 14. 


ciple. ‘This discourse was intended to show Peter and 
the rest of the disciples the nature of his kingdom ; and 
that the honour that cometh from the world was not to 
be expected by those who followed Christ. 

The principles of the Christian life are: First. To 
have a sincere desire to belong to Christ—Zf any man 
be wituine to be my disciple, ἕο. Secondly. To re- 
nounce self-dependence, and selfish pursuits—Let him 
deny uimsetr. Thirdly. To embrace the condition 
which God has appointed, and bear the troubles and 
difficulties he may meet with in walking the Christian 
road—Let him take up His cross. Fourthly. To imi- 
tate Jesus, and do and suffer all in his spirit— Let him 
FOLLOW ME. 

Let him deny himself] Ἀπαρνησασθω may well be 
interpreted, Let him deny, or renounce, himself fully— 
in all respects—perseveringly. It is a compounded 
word, and the preposition azo abundantly increases 
the meaning. A follower of Christ will need to ob- 
serve it in its utmost latitude of meaning, in order to 
be happy here, and glorious hereafter. A man’s self 
is to him the prime cause of most of his miseries. See 
the note on Mark viii. 34. 

Verse 25. For whosoever will save his life] That is, 
shall wish to save his ife—at the expense of his con- 
science, and casting aside the cross, he shall lose it— 
the very evil he wishes to avoid shall overtake him; 
and he shall lose his soul into the bargain. See then 
how necessary it is to renounce one’s self! But what- 
soever a man loses in this world, for his steady attach- 
ment to Christ and his cause, he shall have amply 
made up to him in the eternal world. 

Verse 26. Lose his own soul] Or, lose his life, τὴν 
ψυχὴν αὐτου. On what authority many have translated 
the word ψυχη, in the 25th verse, life, and in this 
verse, soul, I know not, but am certain it means life 
in both places. If a man should gain the whole world, 
its riches, honours, and pleasures, and lose his Jife, 
what would all these profit him, seeing they can only 
be enjoyed during Zife? But if the words be applied 
to the soul, they show the difficulty—the necessity— 
and importance of salvation. The world, the devil, 
and a man’s own heart are opposed to his salvation ; 
therefore it is difficult. The soul was made for God, 
and can never be united to him, nor be happy, till 
saved from sin: therefore it is necessary. He who is 
saved from his sin, and united to God, possesses the 
utmost felicity that the human soul can enjoy, either 
in this or the coming world: therefore, this salvation 
is wnportant. See also the note on Luke ix. 25. 

174 


ST. MATTHEW. 


himself, and take up his cross, and| 27 For >the Son of man shall 4,M; 40% 


according to his works. 


: ᾿ .D. 28. 
come in the glory of his Father An. Olymp, 


¢ with his angels; ἃ and then he 

shall reward every man according to his works, 
28 Verily I say unto you, 5 There be some 

standing here, which shall not taste of death, 

till they see the Son of man coming in his 

kingdom. 


4 Job xxxiv. 11; Psa. Ixii. 12; Prov. xxiv. 12; Jer. xvii. 10; 
xxxil. 19; Rom. 11. 6; 1 Cor. 111. 8; 2 Cor. v. 10; 1 Pet. 1. 17; 
Rey. ii. 23; xxii. 12. © Mark ix. 1; Luke ix. 23. 


Verse 27. For the Son of man shall come in the 
glory of his Father] This seems to refer to Dan. vii. 
13, 14. ‘ Behold, one like the Son of man came— 
to the Ancient of Days—and there was given him do- 
minion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, and 
nations, and languages should serve him.” This was the 
glorious Mediatorial kingdom which Jesus Christ was 
now about to set up, by the destruction of the Jewish 
nation and polity, and the diffusion of his Gospel 
through the whole world. If the words be taken in 
this sense, the angels or messengers may signify the 
apostles and their successors in the sacred ministry, 
preaching the Gospel in the power of the Holy Ghost. 
It is very likely that the words do not apply to the 
final judgment, to which they are generally referred ; 
but to the wonderful display of God’s grace and power 
after the day of pentecost. 

Verse 28. There be some—ahich shall not taste of 
death} This verse seems to confirm the above expla- 
nation, as our Lord evidently speaks of the establish- 
ment of the Christian Church after the day of pente- 
cost, and its final triumph after the destruction of the 
Jewish polity; as if he had said, ‘Some of you, my 
disciples, shall continue to live until these things take 
place.” The destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jewish 
economy, which our Lord here predicts, took place 
about forty-three years after this: and some of the 
persons now with him doubtless survived that period, 
and witnessed the extension of the Messiah’s kingdom ; 
and our Lord told them these things before, that when 
they came to pass they might be confirmed in the faith, 
and expect an exact fulfilment of all the other pro- 
mises and prophecies which concerned the extension 
and support of the kingdom of Christ. 

To his kingdom, or in his kingdom. Instead of 
βασιλεια, kingdom, four MSS., later Syriac, Coptic, 
Ethiopic, Saxon, and one copy of the Jtala, with sey- 
eral of the primitive fathers, read dof, glory: and to 
this is added, tov πατρος αὐτου, of his Father, by three 
MSS. and the versions mentioned before. This makes 
the passage a little more conformable to the passage 
already quoted from Daniel; and it must appear, very 
clearly, that the whole passage speaks not of a future 
judgment, but of the destruction of the Jewish polity, 
and the glorious spread of Christianity in the earth, by 
the preaching of Christ crucified by the apostles and 
their immediate successors in the Christian Church. 


1. Tue disciples, by being constantly with their 
Master, were not only guarded against error, but were 


Observations on the 


taught the whole truth: we should neglect no oppor- 
tunity of waiting upon God; while Jesus continues to 
teach, our ear and heart should be open to receive his 
instructions. That what we have already received 
may be effectual, we must continue to hear and pray 
on. Let us beware of the error of the Pharisees! 
They minded only external performances, and those 
things by which they might acquire esteem and repu- 
tation among men; thus, humility and love, the very 
soul of religion, were neglected by them: they had 
their reward—the approbation of those who were as 
destitute of vital religion as themselves. Let us be- 
ware also of the error of the Sadducees, who, believing 
no other felicity but what depended on the good things 
of this world, became the flatterers and slaves of those 
who could bestow them, and so, like the Pharisees, 
had their portion only in this life. All false religions 
and false principles conduct to the same end, however 
contrary they appear to each other. No two sects 
could be more opposed to each other than the Saddu- 
cees and Pharisees, yet their doctrines lead to the same 
end—they are both wedded to this world, and separated 
from God in the neat. 

2. From the circumstance mentioned in the conclu- 
sion of this chapter, we may easily see the nature of 
the kingdom and reign of Christ : it is truly spiritual 
and Divine ; having for its object the present holiness 
and future happiness of mankind. Worldly pomp, as 
well as worldly maxims, were to be excluded from it. 
Christianity forbids all worldly expectations, and pro- 
mises blessedness to those alone who dear the cross, 
,eading a life of mortification and self-denial. Jesus 
Christ has left us an example that we should follow his 
steps. How did he live ’—What views did he enter- 
tain —In what light did he view worldly pomp and 
splendour? These are questions which the most su- 
perficial reader may, without difficulty, answer to his 
immediate conviction. And has not Christ said that 
the disciple is not anove the Master? If ur humbled 
himself, how can he look upon those who, professing 
faith in his name, are conformed to the world and mind 
earthly things? These disciples affect to be above 
their Lord; and as they neither bear his cross, nor 
follow him in the regeneration, they must look for 
another heaven than that in which he sits at the right 
hand of God. This is an awful subject ; but how few 
of those called Christians lay it to heart ! 

3. The term cxurcu in Greek ἐκκλησία, oceurs for 
the first time in ver. 18 of this chapter. The word 
simply means an assembly or congregation, the nature 
of which is to be understood from connecting cireum- 
stances ; for the word ἐκκλησία, as well as the terms 
congregation and assembly, may be applied to any con- 


CHAP. XVII. 


preceding chapter 


course of people, good or bad; gathered together for 
lawful or unlawful purposes. Hence, it is used, Acts 
xix. 32, for the mob, or confused rabble, gathered to- 
gether against Paul, ἐκκλησία συγκεχύυμενη, which the 
town-clerk distinguished, ver. 39, from a lawful assem- 
bly, evvoum ἐκκλεσιᾳ. The Greek word ἐκκλησία seems 
to be derived from ἐκκαλεω, to call out of, or from, i. 6. 
an assembly gathered out of a multitude; and must 
have some other word joined to it, to determine its 
nature: viz. the Church of God; the congregation 
collected by God, and devoted to his service. The 
Church of Christ: the whole company of Christians 
wheresoever found ; because, by the preaching of the 
Gospel, they are called out of the spirit and maxims 
of the world, to live according to the precepts of the 
Christian religion. This is sometimes called the 
Catholic or universal Church, because constituted of 
all the professors of Christianity in the world, to what- 
ever sects or parties they may belong: and hence the 
absurdity of applying the term Catholic, which signi- 
fies universal, to that very small portion of it, the 
Church of Rome. In primitive times, before Chris- 
tians had any stated dui/dings, they worshipped in pri- 
vale houses; the people that had been converted to 
God meeting together in some one dwelling-house of a 
fellow-convert, more convenient and capacious than the 
rest; hence the Church that was in the house of 
Aquila and Priscilla, Rom. xvi. 3, 5, and 1 Cor. xvi. 
19, and the Church that was in the house of Nymphas, 
Col. iv. 15. Now, as these houses were dedicated to 
the worship of God, each was termed κηρίου οἰκὸς ku- 
riou oikos, the house of the Lord; which word, in 
process of time, became contracted into κυρίοικ kurisik, 
and xvpiaxn, kuriake ; and hence the kirk of our north- 
ern neighbours, and cyje kirik of our Saxon ancestors, 
from which, by corruption, changing the hard Saxon ¢ 
into ch, we have made the word church. This term, 
though it be generally used to signify the people wor 
shipping in a particular place, yet by a metonymy, the 
container being put for the contained, we apply it, as 
it was originally, to the Jui/ding which contains the 
worshipping people. 

In the proper use of this word there can be no such 
thing as THE church, exclusively; there may be 4 
church, and the cuurcues, signifying a particular con- 
gregation, or the different assemblies of religious peo- 
ple: and hence, the Church of Rome, by applying it 
exclusively to itself, abuses the term, and acts as ridic- 
ulously as it does absurdly. Church is very properly 
defined in the 19th article of the Church of England, 
to be “a congregation of faithful men, in the which 
the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments 
duly administered, according to Christ’s ordinance.” 


CHAPTER XVII. 


The transfiguration of Christ, 1-8. 
α cunatic, 14-18. 
sufferings and death, 22, 23. 
money by a miracle, 27. 

1 


Christ’s discourse with his disciples on the subject, 9-13. 
His discourse with his disciples on this subject also, 19-21. 


He hea. 
He foretells his own 


He is required to pay tribute at Capernaum, 24-26; and provides the 


175 


The transfiguration 


A.M. 4032. A ND ®after six days, Jesus taketh 
An. Gimp Peter, James, and John his 


brother, and bringeth them up into 
a high mountain, apart, 

2 And was transfigured before them: ἢ and 
his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment 
was white as the light. 

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them 
© Moses and Elias talking with him. 


@ Mark ix.2; Luke ix. 28» Rev. i. 16; Dan. x. 6.——* Luke 
ix. 30; "Rev. xi. 3—4 Luke ix. 33. © 2 Pet. i. 17. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVII. 

Verse 1. After siz days] Mark, ix. 2, has the same 
number ; but Luke says, ix. 28, after eight days. The 
reason of this difference seems to be the following : 
Matthew and Mark reckon the days from that men- 
tioned in the preceding chapter, ¢o that mentioned in 
this; Luke includes both days, as well as the szx in- 
termediate : hence, the one makes ezght, the other sia, 
without any contradiction. 

Peter, James, and John] He chose those that they 
might be witnesses of his transfiguration: two or 
three witnesses being required by the Scripture to sub- 
stantiate any fact. Eminent communications of the 
Divine favour prepare for, and entitle to, great ser- 
vices and great conflicts. The same three were made 
witnesses of his agony in the garden, chap. xxvi. 37. 

A high mountain] This was one of the mountains 
of Galilee ; but whether Mount Tabor or not, is uncer- 
tain. Some think it was Mount Hermon. St. Luke 
says, Christ and his disciples went up into the moun- 
tain to pray, chap. 1x. 28. 

Verse 2. Was transfigured| That fulness of the 
Godhead, which dwelt bodily in Christ, now shone 
forth through the human nature, and manifested to his 
disciples not only that Divinity which Peter had before 
confessed, chap. xvi. 16, but also the glorious resur- 
rection body, in which they should exist in the presence 
of God to eternity. 

White as the light.| But the Cod. Beze, some of 
the ancient versions, and several of the fathers, read 
ὡς χίων, as snow; and this is the reading in Mark ix. 3. 

Verse 3. Moses and Elias] Elijah came from heaven 
in the same body which he had upon earth, for he was 
translated, and did not see death, 2 Kings ii. 11. And 
the body of Moses was probably raised again, as a 
pledge of the reswrrection ; and as Christ is to come 
to judge the quick and the dead, for we shall not all die, 
but all shall be changed, 1 Cor. xv. 51, he probably 
gave the full representation of this in the person of 
Moses, who died, and was thus raised to life, (or ap- 
peared now as he shall appear when raised from the 
dead in the last day,) and in the person of Elijah, who 
never tasted death. Both their bodies exhibit the 
same appearance, to show that the bodies of glorified 
saints are the same, whether the person had been ¢rans- 
lated, or whether he had died. Tt was a constant and 
prevalent tradition among the Jews, that both Moses 
and Elijah should appear in the times of the Messiah, 
and to this very tradition the disciples refer, ver. 10. 

176 


ST. MATTHEW. 


of Christ. 


4 Then answered Peter, and said 4, yeni 
unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us An. Olymp. 
to be here: if thou ais let us : 
make here three tabernacles ; ‘one for thee, 
and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

¢ While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud 
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of 
the cloud, which said, f This is my beloved Son, 
Sin whom I am well pleased; "hear ye him. 


f Chap. iii. 17; Mark i. 11; Luke iii. 32—=s Isa. xlii. 1. 
hb Deut. xviil. 15, 19; Acts iii. 22, 23. 

We may conceive that the Jaw in the person of 
Moses, the great Jewish legislator, and the prophets in 
the person of Elijah, the chief of the prophets, came 
now to do homage to Jesus Christ, and to render up 
their authority into his hands ; as he was the enp of the 
law, and the grand subject of the predictions of the 
prophets. This appears more particularly from what 
St. Luke says, chap. ix. 31, that Moses and Elijah 
conversed with our Lord on his death, which he was 
about to accomplish, (xAnpovv to fulfil,) because in it, 
all the rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices of the law, as 
well as the predictions of the prophets, were fulfilled. 

Verse 4. Peter said—let us make, &c.] That is, 
when he saw Moses and Elijah ready to depart from 
the mount, Luke ix. 33, he wished to detain them, 
that he might always enjoy their company with that of 
his Lord and Master, still supposing that Christ would 
set up a temporal kingdom upon earth. 

Verse 5. A bright cloud overshadowed them] Or as 
six MSS. and Ephraim read it, a cloud of hight, νεφελη 
φωτος ; which reading Griespacu has admitted into the 
text. As a bright cloud, or a cloud of light could not 
overshadow, or cast any kind of shade, the word επεσ- 
xeacev should be translated, swrrounded them. A cloud 
was frequently the symbol of the Divine presence ; but 
such a cloud had always something very remarkable in 
its appearance. Ezekiel, chap. i. 4, represents it as 
a great cloud, and a fire unfolding itself, and a bright- 
ness about it, and out of the midst thereof, as the 
colour of amber out of the midst of the fire; and in 
ver. 28, he tells us that this was the appearance of 
the likeness of the glory of the Lord. See also Exod. 
xvi. 10; xl. 33, ὅσ. ; Ezek. xliii. 2, and 1 Chron. v. 
14. But it was generally in a thick, dark cloud, that 
God manifested himself under the law ; see Exod. xix. 
9, and xx. 21. This might be designed as emblem- 
atical of the old covenant, which was but the shadow 
of the good things which were to come, Heb. x. 1; 
and the cloud of light mentioned here, the emblem of 
that glorious display of God, in his Gospel, by which 
life and immortality were brought to light, 2 Tim. i. 10. 

This is my beloved Son] Ουτος ecu o viog pov o 
ayarntoc, ev w evdoxnca, This is my Son, the beloved 
one, in whom I have delighted, or, been well pleased. 
God adds his testimony of approbation to what was 
spoken of the sufferings of Christ by Moses and Eli- 
jah; thus showing that the sacrificial economy of the 
old covenant was in itself of no worth, but as it re- 
ferred to the grand atonement which Jesus was about 

1 


Christ’s discourse with his 
pe Ne 6 ‘ And when the disciples heard 
An. Olymp. 7t, they fell on their face, and were 

CCL. : 

sore afraid. 

7 And Jesus came and * touched them, and 
said, Arise, and be not afraid. 

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, 
they saw no man, save Jesus only. 

9 And as they came down from the moun- 
tain, 'Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the 


42 Pet. i. 18. ——* Dan. viii. 18; ix. 21; x. 10, 18——! Chap. 
xvi. 20; Mark viii. 30; ix. 9. 


CHAP. 


XVII. disciples on the subject 


vision to no man, until the Son of har 
man be risen again from the An, Olymp. 
CCI 4. 

dead. peer ΞΕ: 
10 Ἵ And his disciples asked him, saying, 
πὶ Why then say the scribes that Elias must 
first come ? 

11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, 
Elias truly shall first come, and ἃ restore all 
things ; 


m Mal. iv. 5; chap. xi. 14; Mark ix. 11. π᾿ Mal. iv. 6; Luke 


i. 16, 17; Acts ili. 21. 


to make; therefore he says, In him nave I delighted, 
(evdoxnca,) intimating that it was in him alone, as typi- 
fied by those sacrifices, that he Hap delighted through 
the whole course of the legal administration ; and that 
it was only in reference to the death of his Son that 
he accepted the offerings and oblations made to him 
under the old covenant. Hear um. ‘The disciples 
wished to detain Moses and Elijah that they might 
hear them: but God shows that the Jaw which had 
been in force, and the prophets which had prophesied, 
until now, must all give place to Jesus; and he alone 
must now be attended to, as the way, the truth, and 
the life; for no man could now come unto the Fa- 
ther but through him. This voice seems also to refer 
to that prediction in Deut. xviii. 15. The Lord shall 
raise up a Prophet like unto me: HIM SHALL YE HEAR. 
Go no more to the law, nor to the prophets, to seek 
for a coming Messiah; for behold he 1s come! Hear 
and obey him, and him only. 

This transfiguration must have greatly confirmed 
the disciples in the belief of a future state, and in the 
doctrine of the resurrection; they saw Moses and 
Elijah still existixc, though the former had been 
gathered to his fathers upwards of 1400 years, and the 
latter had been translated nearly 900. 

Verse 6. Fell on their face] Dismayed by the voice, 
and dazzled by the glory of the cloud. So Daniel, 
chap. viii. 17, and Saul of Tarsus, Acts ix. 4. 

Verse 7. Jesus came and touched them] Exactly 
parallel to this account is Dan. viii. 18, J was ina 
deep sleep, i. e. (a trance) on my face towards the 
ground ; but he roucuen me, and set me upright. From 
Jesus alone are we to expect Divine communications, 
and by his power only are we able to bear and improve 
them. It is very likely that this transfiguration took 
place in the night, which was a more proper season to 
show forth its glory than the day time, in which a part 
of the splendour must necessarily be lost by the pre- 
sence of the solar light. Besides, St. Luke, chap. ix. 
37, expressly says, that it was on the neat day after 
the transfiguration that our Lord came down from 
the mount. 

Verse 9. Tell the vision to no man] See the note on 
chap. xvi. 20; and farther observe, that as this trans- 
figuration was intended to show forth the final abolition 
of the whole ceremonial law, it was necessary that 
a matter which could not fail to irritate the Jewish 
rulers and people should be kept secret, till Jesus had 
accomplished vision and prophecy by his death and 
resturection, 


Vor. I. ( &) 


The whole of this emblematic transaction appears 
to me to be intended to prove, Ist. The reality of the 
world of spirits,and the immortality of the soul. 2dly. 
The resurrection of the body, and the doctrine of fu- 
ture rewards and punishments, see chap. xvi. 27. 
3dly. The abolition of the Mosaic institutions, and 
the fulfilment of the predictions of the prophets relative 
to the person, nature, sufferings, death, and resurrection 
of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 4thly. 
The establishment of the mild, light-bringing, and 
life-giving Gospel of the Son of God. And 5thly. 
That as the old Jewish covenant and Mediatorship 
had ended, Jesus was now to be considered as the sole 
Teacher, the only availing offering for sin, and the 
grand Mediator between God and man. There are 
many very useful remarks on this transaction, by the 
late venerable Bp. Porteus. 

Verse 10. His disciples] Instead of unis disciples, 
some MSS., with the Coptic, Armenian, Vulgate, all 
the Itala except two, and Origen, read simply, οἱ 
μαθηται, THE disciples, i. 6. those only who had been 
with him on the mount, Peter, James, and John. 

Why then say the scribes that Elias must first 
come?] As the disciples saw that Elijah returned to 
heaven, knowing the tradition of the elders, and the 
prophecy on which the tradition was founded, Mal. iv. 
5, 6, Behold I send you Elijah the prophet, before 
the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come ; and 
he shall turn the hearts, §c., it was natural enough 
for them to inquire what the meaning of the tradition, 
and the intention of the prophecy, were. 

Verse 11. Elias—shall first come, and restore all 
things.] Or will reform, ἀποκαταστήσει ; this word 
our Lord quotes from the Septuagint ; who render the 
Hebrew 0°23 Sy max 35 awa vehesheb leb aboth al 
banim, he will cause the heart of the fathers to turn to 
the children, by, o¢ ἀαποκαταστησει καρδιαν πατρὸς προς 
νιον, who will convert, or restore, the heart of the fa- 
ther to the son. We are not therefore to understand 
the version of the Septuagint quoted by our Lord in 
any other sense than the Hebrew will allow. No fanci- 
ful restoration of all men, devils and damned spirits, is 
spoken of as either being done, or begun, by the minis- 
try of John; but merely that he should preach « doc- 
trine tending to universal reformation of manners, and 
should be greatly successful: see Matt. iii. 1-7, and 
especially Luke iii. 3-15, where we find that a gene- 
ral reformation had taken place, 1. among the com- 
mon people; 2. among the tax-gatherers: and 3. 
among the soldiers. And as John announced the 

177 


Christ heals 


At 4032. 12 ° But Isay unto you, That Khas 


An. Olymp. is come already, and they knew him 

not, but » have done unto him what- 
soever they listed: Likewise 4 shall also the 
Son of man suffer of them. 

13 * Then the disciples understood that he 
spake unto them of John the Baptist. 

14 4 * And when they were come to 
the multitude, there came to him a 
certain man, kneeling down to him, and 
saying, 

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is 


ST. MATTHEW. 


a lunatic 


lunatic, and sore vexed: ‘ for oft- 4,M- 4032 
times he falleth into the fire, and An. Olymp. 
oft into the water. ΠΟΘΈΝ 

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and 
they could not cure him. 

17 Then Jesus answered and said, ἃ O faith 
less and perverse generation, how long shall 
I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? 
bring him hither to me. 

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he 
departed out of him: and the child was cured 
from that very hour. 


° Chap. xi. 14; Mark ix. 12, 13 ——? Chap. xiv. 3, 10.——4 Chap. 
xvi. 21.— Chap. xi. 14. 


coming Christ, who was to baptize with the Holy 
Ghost, i. e. to enlighten, change, and purify the heart, 
that the reform might be complete, both outward and 
inward, he may be said, in the strictest sense of the 
word, to have fulfilled the prophecy : and that he was 
the Elijah mentioned by Malachi, the words of Gabriel 
to the virgin Mary prove; Luke i. 17. And he (John) 
shall go before him (Christ) in the spirit and power of 
Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, &c.; 
and that his ministry was powerfully effectual for this 
purpose, we have already seen. 

Verse 12. Knew him not] Or, οὐκ extyvacav avtov, 
They have not acknowledged him. That is, the Jewish 
rulers have not acknowledged him, did not receive him 
as the forerunner of the Messiah. But it appears that 
all the rest acknowledged him as such; and some, 
from the power and demonstration of his preaching, 
were inclined to think he was more, eventhe Messiah 
himself: see Luke iii. 15. 

Verse 13. Then the disciples understood] When 
he spoke of the sufferings of this prophetic Elijah, and 
also of his own, which had been the subject of the 
conversation on the mount, during the transfiguration, 
they clearly apprehended that he spoke of John the 
Baptist. 

Verse 14. When they were come to the multitude] 
It appears that a congregation had been collected during 
our Lord’s stay on the mount: how great must have 
been the desire of these people to hear the words of 
‘Christ! The assembly is self-collected, and no delay 
on the preacher’s side discourages them—they con- 
tinue to wait for him. In the present day how rare is 
this zeal! How few by the most pathetic invitation 
can be brought together, even at the most convenient 
times, to hear the same doctrines, and to get their souls 
healed by the same wonder-working Christ ! 

Kneeling down to him] Or falling at his knees, 
γονυπετων. The ancients consecrated the rar to memory ; 
the ἘΟΚΕΗΒΑΡ to genius ; the RIGHT HAND to facth ; and 
the KNEES to mercy: hence those who entreated favour 
fell at and touched the knees of the person whose 
kindness they supplicated. See Wakefield’s Com- 
mentary ; and see the note on Exod. ix. 29; where 
the subject is largely explained. 

Verse 15. My son—is lunatic] Σεληνιαζεται. One 

178 


8 Mark ix. 14; Luke ix. 37—t Chap. nv. 24; Acts x. 38 
« Mark ix. 19. 


who was most affected with this disorder at the change 
and full of the moon. See on chap. iv. 24. But this 
lunacy was occasioned by a demon, see ver. 18, and 
Mark ix. 17; Luke ix. 38. In this case, the devil 
intended to Aide himself under the appearance of a 
natural disorder, that no supernatural means might be 
resorted to for his expulsion. See a remarkable account 
on Luke ix. 39. 

Falleth ofttimes into the-firé, and oft into the water.| 
The paroxysms of his disorder frequently recurred ; 
and among his numerous falls, some were into the fire 
and some into the water: so that, on this account, his 
life was in continual danger. Those who are under 
the influence of the devil are often driven to extremes 


|in every thing. Such are often driven into the fire of 


presumption, or the waters of despair. Satan takes 
advantage of our natural temper, state of health, and 
outward circumstances, to plague and ruin our souls. 

Verse 16. Thy disciples—could not cure him.| No 
wonder, when the cure must be effected by super- 
natural agency, and they had not faith enough to in- 
terest the power of God in their behalf, ver. 20. A 
spiritual disorder must have a spiritual remedy : natural 
means, in such eases, signify just—nothing. 

Verse 17. O faithless and perverse generation ἢ 
These and the following words may be considered as 
spoken: 1. To the disciples, because of their unbe- 
lief, verse 20. 2. To the father of the possessed, 
who should have brought his son to Christ. 3. To the 
whole multitude, who were slow of heart to believe in 
him as the Messiah, notwithstanding the miracles 
which he wrought. See Kypxe. 

Perverse, διεστραμμενη, signifies—1. Such as are 
influenced by perverse opinions, which hinder them 
from receiving the truth: and, 2. Such as are profli- 
gate in their manners. Kypxe. This last expression 
could not have been addressed to the disciples, who 
were certainly saved from the corruption of the world, 
and whose minds had been lately divinely ilwminated 
by what passed at and after the transfiguration : but 
at all times the expression was applicable to the Jewish 
people. 

Verse 18. Jesus rebuked the devil] Deprived him 
of all power to torment the child ; and cbliged him to 
abandon his present usurped habitation. 

There are some souls whose cure God reserves to 

( 12* ) 


The power of faith. 


τι ἫΝ 4082, 19 Then came the disciples to 


ἀπ ἴεν Jesus apart, and said, Why could 

CCL 4 
not we cast him out ? 

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of 
your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, ‘If 
ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye 
shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence 
to yonder place; and it shall remove ; and 
1othing shall be impossible unto you. 


CHAP. 


XVII. 


21 Howbeit this kind goeth not 
out but by prayer end fasting. 

22 % ’ And while they abode in 
Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of 
man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: 

23 And they shall kill him, and the thira 
day he shall be raised again. ‘And they were 
exceeding sorry. 

24 Ἵ And * when they were come to Ca 


Christ foretells his death. 


A. M. 4032. 

A. ee 

An. si 
CCL 4 


- Chap. xxi. 21; Mark xi. 23; Luke xvii. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 9; 


xill. 2. 


w Chap. xvi. 21; xx. 17; Mark viii. 31; ix. 30,31; x. 33; Luke 
ix. 22, 44; xvill. 31; xxiv. 6, 7——* Mark ix. 33. 


himself alone, and to whom all the applications of his 
sninisters appear to be utterly ineffectual. He some- 
times does all without ¢hem, that they may know they 
can never do any good without him. QuesNe.. 

Verse 19. Why could not we cast him out 3] They 
were confounded at their want of suecess—but not at 
their want of faith, which was the cause of their mis- 
carriage! When the ministers of the Gospel find 
their endeavours, with respect to some places or per- 
sons, ineffectual, they should come, by private prayer, 
to Christ, humble themselves before him, and beg to be 
informed whether some evil in themselves have not been 
the cause of the unfruitfulness of their labours. 

Verse 20. Because of your unbelief] Are we 
preachers of the Gospel? Do the things of God rest 
upon our minds with a deep and steady conviction? 
Can we expect that a doctrine which we do not, from 
conviction, credit ourselves, can be instrumental in our 
hands of begetting faith in others? So we preached, 
and so ye believed. The word preached generally be- 
gets in the people the same spirit which the preacher 
possesses. Instead of απίςίαν, unbelief, the famous 
Vatican MS. and Cod. Cyprius, six others, Coptic, 
Ethiopic, Armenian, and Arabic, Origen, and Chry- 
sostom, read ολιγοπιςίαν, littleness of faith. The dis- 
ciples had some faith, but not enough—they believed, 
but not fully. 

As a grain of mustard seed] Some eminent critics 
think this a proverbial expression, intimating a GREaT 
DEGREE of faith, because removing mountains, which 
St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiii. 2, attributes to aLL FAITH; i. 6. 
the greatest possible degree of faith, is attributed here, 
by our Lord, to that faith which is as a grain of mus- 
tard seed. However this may be, there can be no 
doubt that our Lord means, as Bishop Pearce well 
remarks, a thriving and increasing faith; which like 
the grain of mustard seed, from being the /east of seeds, 
becomes the greatest of all herbs, even a tree in whose 
branches the fowls of the air take shelter. See Waxe- 
FIELD’s Comment, and the note on chap. xiii. 32. 

Verse 21. This kind goeth not out but by prayer, 
&e.] Τοῦτο τὸ yevoc, this kind, some apply to the faith 
which should be exercised on the oceasion, which goeth 
not out, doth not exert itself, but by prayer and fasting ; 
but this interpretation is, in my opinion, far from solid. 
However, there is great difficulty in the text. The 
whole verse is wanting in the famous Vatican MS., 
one of the most ancient and most authentic perhaps in 
the world; and in another one of Colbert's, written in 

1 


the 11th or 12th century. It is wanting also in the 
Coptic, Ethiopic, Syriac, Hieros., and in one copy of 
the Itala. But all the MSS. acknowledge it in the 
parallel place, Mark ix. 29, only the Vatican MS 
leaves out vyceca, fasting. I strongly suspect it to be 
an interpolation; but, if it be, it is very ancient, as 
Origen, Chrysostom, and others of the primitive fa- 
thers, acknowledged it. But while candour obliges 
me to acknowledge that I cannot account for the fact 
here alleged, that a certain class or genus of demons 
cannot be expelled but by prayer and fasting, while 
others may be ejected without them, I can give a sense 
to the passage which all my readers will easily under- 
stand: viz. that there are certain evil propensities, in 
some persons, which pampering the flesh tends to 
nourish and strengthen ; and that self-denial and fast- 
ing, accompanied by prayer to God, are the most 
likely means, not only to mortify such propensities, but 
also to destroy them. For other remarkable cireum- 
stances relative to this case, see the notes on Mark ix. 
17, &e. 

Verse 22. They abode in Galilee] Lower Galilee, 
where the city of Capernaum was. 

The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands 
of men| Μελλει----παραδιδοσθαι εἰς yetpac—The Son of 
man is about to be delivered into the hands, &c. Tam 
fully of the mind of two eminent critics, Grotius and 

Vakefield, that παραδιδοσθαι should be here translated 
delivered, or delivered up, not betrayed ; and that the 
agency, in this ease, should be referred to God, not to 
Judas. Jesus was delivered up, by the counsel of 
God, to be an atonement for the sin of the world. See 
Acts iv. 27 and 28. Against thy holy child Jesus, 
whom thou hast anointed to do what thy hand and thy 
counsel determined before to be done, Herod and Pon- 
tius Pilate—were gathered together. 

Verse 23. They were exceeding sorry] Since the 
conversation on the mount, with Moses and Elijah, 
Peter, James, and John could have no doubt that their 
Lord and Master must suffer, and that it was for this 
end he came into the world ; but, while they submitted 
to the counsel of God, their affection for him caused 
them to feel exquisite distress. 

Verse 24. They that received tribute] This was not 
a tax to be paid to the Roman government ; but a tax 
for the support of the temple. The law, Exod. xxx. 
13, obliged every male among the Jews to pay half a 
shekel yearly, for the support of the temple ; and this 
was continued by them, wherever dispersed, till after 

179 


Cnrist works a miracle 


Ae 2062: pernaum, they that received ¥ tribute 


Any Cin: money came to Peter, and said, 
———— Doth not your master pay tribute? 

25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come 
into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, 
What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the 
kings of the earth 7 take custom or tribute ? 
of their own children, or of strangers ? 

26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus 


ST. MATTHEW. 


in order to pay the tribute 


saith unto him, Then are the chil- 4; ΔΙ, 4082. 
dren free. An. Olymy. 
27 Notwithstanding, * lest we should Bes 
offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast 
a hook, and take up the fish that first 
cometh up; and when thou hast opened 
his mouth, thou shalt find ἢ a piece of money ° 
that take, and give unto them for me and 
thee. 


y Called in the original, didrachma, being in value fifteen 
pence; see Exod. xxx. 13; xxxviii. 26. z Exod. xxx. 13; 
Gal. iv. 4; Heb. iv. 15; Neh. x. 32. 


aRom. xiv. 19; 1 Thess. ν. 22; 1 Cor. viii. 13.——» Or, ἃ 
stater. It is half an ounce of silver, in value 2s. 6d., after 5s. 
the ounce. 


the time of Vespasian, see Josephus, war, book vii. ec. 
6, who ordered it afterwards to be paid into the Roman 
treasury. The word in the text, which is generally 
translated tribute—ra διδραχμα, signifies the didrachma, 
or two drachms. ‘This piece of money was about the 
value of two Attic drachms, each equal to fifteen pence 
of our money. The didrachma of the Septuagint, 
mentioned Exod. xxx. 13, was twice as heavy as the 
Attic, for it was equal to a whole shekel, this being 
the value of that piece of money at Alexandria, the 
place where the Septuagint translation was made ; for 
the half shekel mentioned in the above passage, they 
render ημίσυ του διδραχμου, the half of a didrachma. 

Verse 25. He saith, Yes.| From this reply of 
Peter, it is evident that our Lord customarily paid all 
taxes, tributes, &c., which were common among the 
people wherever he came. The children of God are 
subject to all civil laws in the places where they live 
--and should pay the taxes levied on them by public 
authority ; and though any of these should be found 
unjust, THEY rebel not, as their business is not to re- 
form the politics of nations, but the morals of the world. 

Verse 26. Then are the children free] As this mo- 
ney is levied for the support of that temple of which I 
am the Lord, then I am not obliged to pay the tax; 
and my disciples, like the priests that minister, should 
be exempted from the necessity of paying. 

Verse 27. Lest we—offend them] Be a stumbling- 
block to the priests, or rulers of the Jews, I will pay 
the tribute—go thou to the sea—cast a hook, and take 
the first fish—thou shalt find a piece of money, στατηρα, 
astater. This piece of money was equal in value to 
four drachms, or two shekels, (five shillings of our 
money,) and consequently was sufficient to pay the 
tribute for our Lord and Peter, which amounted to 
about half-a-crown each. If the stater was in the 
mouth or belly of the fish before, who can help ad- 
miring the wzsdom of Christ, that discovered it there ? 
Tf it was not defore in the mouth of the fish, who can 
help admiring the power of Christ, that impelled the 
fish to go where the stater had been lost in the bottom 
of the sea, take it up, come towards the shore where 
Peter was fishing, and, with the stater in its mouth or 
stomach, catch hold of the hook that was to draw it 
out of the water? But suppose there was no stater 
there, which is as likely as otherwise, then Jesus 
created it for the purpose, and here his omnipotence 
was shown; for to make a thing exist that did not 
exist before is an act of unlimited power, however 

180 


small the thing itself may be. Some suppose that the 
haddock was the fish caught by Peter, because this 
fish has a blackish mark on each side of its neck or 
shoulders, as seems te exhibit the impression of ἃ 
finger and thumb. The haddock is the gadus egle- 
sinus. But this. being asea fish, could not be a native 
of the sea of Galilee or Tiberias, &c., for the river 
Jordan runs through the sea of Galilee, and falls into the 
Dead Sea, which has no outlet to the ocean: no sea 
fish of any kind can be found there; and we may add 
to this, that Belzoni, a learned traveller, who examined 
the produce of the lake of Tiberias, found only trouts, 
pikes, chevins, and tenches. That it may, besides 
these, have some fishes peculiar to itself, as most ex- 
tensive fresh water lakes have, need not be denied ; 
but it could have no sea fish. 


Tue account of the transfiguration, the peculiar 
ease of the lunatic, with his cure, and the miracle 
wrought to pay the tribute money, render this one of 
the most interesting and instructive chapters in the 
New Testament. 

1. To what has already been said on the subject of 
the transfiguration, nothing need be added: I have 
given that sense to it which the circumstances of the 
case, the construction of the words, and the analogy 
of faith warrant. That others have understood the 
whole transaction differently, is readily granted. Some 
of the foreign critics, who are also called diwines, 
have stripped it, by their mode of interpretation, of all 
its strength, use, and meaning. With them, it is thus 
to be understood :—* Jesus, with his disciples, Peter, 
James, and John, went by night into a mountain, for 
the purpose of prayer and meditation; while thus 
engaged, the animal spirits of the disciples were over- 
come by watching and fatigue, and they fell asleep: 
in this sleep they dreamed, or Peter only dreamed, 
that he saw his Master encompassed with a glorious 
light, and that Moses and Elijah were conversing with 
him. That early in the morning, just as the sun was 
rising, there happened some electric or thunder-like 
explosions (a thing not unfrequent near some moun- 
tains) by which the ,diseiples were suddenly awoke ; 
that Peter, whose mind was strongly impressed with 
his dream, seeing the rising sun shine gloriously upon 
his Master, and his strongly impressed senses calling 
to remembrance his late vision, he for a moment 
imagined he saw, not only the glory of which he had 
dreamed, but the persons also—Moses and Elijah, still 

1 


CHAP. 


standing on the mount with Christ; that not being as 
yet sufficiently awake, finding the images impressed 
on his imagination fleeting away with his returning 
exercise of reason, he cried out, before he was aware, 
Lord! it is good for us to be here, let us make three 
tabernacles, &c.; but in a short time, having reco- 
vered the regular use of his senses, he perceived that 
it was a dream; and, having told it to our Lord and 
his brother disciples, lest the Jews might take occa- 
sion of jealousy from it, he was desired to tell the 
vision to no man.” ‘This is the substance of that 
strange explanation given by those learned men to 
this extraordinary transaction; a mode of interpreta- 
tion only calculated to support that system which makes 
it an important point to deny and decry all superna- 
tural and miraculous influence, and to explain away all 
the spirituality of the New Testament. Whatever 
ingenuity may be in this pretended elucidation, every 
unprejudiced person must see that it can never be 
brought to accord with the Jetter and concomitant cir- 
cumstances of this most remarkable case. 

2. The cure of the deaf and dumb lunatic has been 
treated, by the same critics, in nearly the same way, 
and for the same obvious design, namely, to exclude 
from the world all supernatural agency; and could 
thev succeed in this, of what value, or, indeed, utility, 
could the whole New Testament be to mankind? We 
might be well astonished to find such a history, with such 
a great variety of curious and apparently interesting 
circumstances :—a wondrous person, labouring, preach- 
ing, suffering, dying, &e., &c., without having scarcely 
any thing in view, but a sort of merely moral reforma- 
tion of the outward man! Truly, this 


Who 1s greatest mn 


“Ts like an ocean into tempest toss’d, 
To waft a feather, or to drown a fly.” 


But the truth of God’s miraculous interpositions, the 
miracles of the New Testament, demoniacal posses- 
sions and influence, the atonement, the inspiration of 


XVIII. 


the Holy Spirit, the regeneration of the corrupted 
human heart, &c., &c., must not be given up to please 
a certain description of persons, who have no com- 
merce with God themselves, and cannot bear that 
others should either have or pretend to it. 

3. The miracle wrought for the paying of the temple 
tribute money, is exceedingly remarkable. The note 
on ver. 27, brings this particularly to view. To 
what is there said, it may be added, that our Lord 
seems to have wrought this miracle for the following 
purposes :— 

1. More forcibly to impress the minds of his disei- 
ples, and his followers in general, with the necessity _ 
and propriety of being subject to all the laws of the 
different states, kingdoms, &c., wheresoever the provi- 
dence of God might cast their lot. 

2. To show forth his own unlimited power and 
knowledge, that they might be fully convinced that 
he knew all things, even to the most minute; and 
could do whatsoever he pleased; and that both his 
wisdom and power were continually interested in behalf 
of his true disciples. 

3. To teach all believers a firm trust and reliance 
on Divine Providence, the sources of which can never 
be exhausted ; and which, directed by infinite wisdom 
and love, will make every provision essentially requi- 
site for the comfort and support of life. How many 
of the poor followers of Christ have been enabled to 
discern his kind hand, even in the means furnished 
them to discharge the taxes laid on them by the state! 
The profane and the unprincipled may deride, and 
mock on, but the people of God know it to be their 
duty, and their interest, to be subject to every ordi- 
nance of man for the Lord’s sake; and, while his 
grace and providence render this obedience, in things 
both spiritual and secular, possible, his love, which 
their hearts feel, renders their duty their delight. "The 
accomplishment of such ends as these is worthy both 
of the wisdom and benevolence of Christ. 


the kingdom of heaven. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


The disciples inquiring who should be greatest in Christ’s kingdom, 1. 
Warns them against offences, 7. 
Charges them to avoid giving offence, 10, 11. 


humility, simplicity, and disinterestedness, 2-6. 
cation and self-denial, 8, 9. 


lost one sheep out of his flock consisting of one hundred, 12-14. 
A gracious promise to social prayer, 19, 20. 


15-18. 
sorrow, and promises amendment, is to be forgiven, 


He takes occasion to recommend 
Recommends mortifi- 
Parable of him who had 
How to deal with an offending brother, 
How often an offending brother who expresses 
21,22. The parable of the king, who calls his ser- 


vants to account, and finds one who owed him ten thousand talents, who, being unable to pay, and imploring 


mercy, is forgiven, 23-27. 
him but a small sum, 28-30. 


a T * the same time came the disci- 
le = b . 
An, ME ples unto Jesus, saying, ἢ Who is 


the greatest inthe kingdom of heaven? 


Ὁ Mark ix. 33; Luke ix. 46; xxii. 24. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII. 

Verse 1. At the same time] Or hour; but wpa 
is frequently used to signify some particular time : 
however, instead of wpa, three MSS.., all the Jtala but 

1 Σ 


Of the same person, who treated his fellow-servant unmercifully, who owed 
Of the punishment inflicted on this unmerciful servant, 31-35. 


2 And Jesus called a little child A MA 


unto him, and set him in the midst ἐπε Ὅν 
of them, a, 


> Chap. xxiv. 45; chap. xx. 20, &c.; Mark x. 37; Acts i. 6. 


four, and Origen, read ἡμερα, day. Origen says both 
readings were extant in MSS. in his time. 
Who is the greatest] Could these disciples have 
viewed the kingdom of Christ in any other light than 
181 


Christ shows the great 


Cn 3 And said, Verily I say unto 


An, Olymp. you, “ Except ye be converted, and 
become as little children, ye shall 

not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
4 “Whosoever therefore — shall 
himself as this little child, the 


humble 


same is 


¢ Psa. cxxxi. 2; chap. xix. 14; Mark x. 14; Luke xviii. 16; 
1 Cor. xiv. 20; 1 Pet. ii. 2. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


necessity of humility 


greatest in the kingdom of hea- ee 
ven. 

5 And ¢whoso shall receive one 
such little child in my name, receiveth me 

6 f But whoso shall offend one of these 
little ones which believe in me, it were better 


ἃ Chap. xx. “τῆ, xxiii. 11. 6 Chap. x. 42; Luke ix. 48. 


f Mark ix. 42; Luke xvii. 1, 2. 


that of a temporal one? Hence they wished to know 
whom he would make his prime minister—whom his 
general—whom his chief chancellor—whom supreme 
judge, &c., &e. Is it he who first became thy dis- 
ciple, or he who is thy nearest relative, or he who has 
most frequently entertained thee, or he who is the old- 
est, merely as to years? Could this inquiry have pro- 
ceeded from any but the nine disciples who had not 
witnessed our Lord’s transfiguration? Peter, James, 
and John, were surely more spiritual in their views! 
And yet how soon did even these forget that his king- 
dom was not of this world! See Mark x. 35, &c.; 
John xviii. 10, &c. The disciples having lately seen 
the keys delivered to Peter, and found that he, with 
James and John, had been privileged with being pre- 
sent at the transfiguration, it is no wonder if a mea- 
sure of jealousy and suspicion began to work in their 
minds. From this inquiry we may also learn, that the 
disciples had no notion of Peter’s supremacy ; nor did 
they understand, as the Roman Catholics will have it, 
that Christ had constituted him their head, either by 
the conversation mentioned chap. xvi. 18, 19, or by 
the act mentioned in the conclusion of the preceding 
chapter. Had they thought that any such superiority 
had been designed, their present question must have 
been extremely impertinent. Let this be observed. 

Verse 2. A little child| But this child could walk, 
for he called him to him. Nicephorus says, this was 
Ignatius, who was afterwards bishop of Antioch, and 
suffered martyrdom under, and by command of, the 
Roman Emperor Trajan, in the 107th year of our Lord. 
But this good father is not much to be depended on, 
being both weak and credulous. 

Verse 3. Except ye be converted] Unless ye be 
saved from those prejudices which are at present so 
baneful to your nation, (seeking a temporal and not a 
spiritual kingdom,) unless ye be clothed with the spirit 
of humility, ye cannot enter into the spirit, design, and 
privileges of my spiritual and eternal kingdom. The 
name of this kingdom should put you in mind of its 
nature.—1. The Kine is heavenly ; 2. His sussects 
are heavenly-minded ; 3. Their country is heavenly, 
for they are strangers and pilgrims upon earth; 4. The 
GOVERNMENT of this kingdom is wholly spzritual and 
divine. See on chap. iii. 2. 

And become as little children] i.e. Be as truly 
withoit worldly ambition, and the lust of power, as 
little shildren are, who act among themselves as if all 
wee equal. The following saying from the Boostan 
of the poet Saady is very appropriate. ‘The hearts 
of infants being free from avarice, what care they for 
a handful of silver more than for a handful of dust 2” 

Verse 4. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself | 

182 


So great is the disparity between the kingdom of Christ 
and the kingdoms of this world, that there is no way 
of rising to honours in the former, but by humility of 
mind, and continual self-abasement. 

The same is greatest) Thus our Lord shows them 
that they were all equal, and that there could be no 
superiority among them, but what must come from the 
deepest humility; he intimates also, that wherever 
this principle should be found, it would save its pos- 
sessor from seeking worldly honours or earthly profits, 
and from seeking to be a ruler over his brethren, or a 
lord in God’s heritage. 

Verse 5. One such litile child) As our Lord in 
the preceding verses considers a little child an emblem 
of a genuine disciple, so by the term in this verse he 
means a disciple only. ‘“ Whosoever will receive, 7. e. 
show unto such a child-like, unambitious disciple of 
mine, any act of kindness for my sake, I will consider 
it as done to myself.” 

Verse 6. But whoso shall offend one of these little 
ones] But, on the contrary, whosoever shall cause 
one of the least of those who believe in me to be stum- 
bled—to go into the spirit of the world, or give way 
to sin—such a one shall meet with the most exem- 
plary punishment. 

Let those who act the part of the devil, in tempting 
others to sin, hear this declaration of our Lord, and 
tremble. 

A millstone] ύυλος ovixoc, an ass’s millstone, be 
cause in ancient times, before the invention of wind 
and water mills, the stones were turned sometimes by 
slaves, but commonly by asses or mules. ‘The most 
ancient kind of mills among the inhabitants of the 
northern nations, was the guerm, or hand-mill. In 
some places in Ireland, Scotland, and the Zetland Isles, 
these still exist. 

Drowned in the depth of the sea.| It is supposed 
that in Syria, as well as in Greece, this mode of pun- 
ishing criminals was practised; especially in cases of 
parricide ; and when a person was devoted to destruc 
tion for the public safety, as in cases of plague, famine, 
ἄς. That this was the custom in Greece, we learn 
from the Scholiast on the Eqwies of Aristophanes, 
Orav yap κατεποντοῦυν τίνας, βαρος απὸ τῶν Tpayn2or 
expezav. When a person was drowned, they hung a 
weight, (υπερβολον λιθον, Suidas,) a vast stone about 
his neck. See the ancient Scholia upon the Hquites, 
lin. 1360, and Suidas, in vrepBorov Acov. We find 
also that it was a positive institute of the ancient Hin- 
doo law. “If a woman,” says the precept, “ causes 
any person to take poison, sets fire to any person’s 
house, or murders a man, then the magistrate, having 
bound a stone to her neck, shall drown her?— 

1 


CHAP. 


A.M. 4082. for him that a millstone were hanged 
ae Le about his neck, and that he were 
᾿ drowned in the depth of the sea. 

7% Wo unto the world because of offences! 
for £it must needs be that offences come ; but 
hy to that man by whom the offence 
cometh ! 

8 ‘ Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foot offend 
thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: 
it is better for thee to enter into life halt or 
maimed, rather than having two hands or two 
feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 

9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, 
and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to 


Necessity of self-denial. 


XVIII. Parable of the lost sheep 


enter into life with one eye, rather 4,¥. 4032 
than having two eyes to be cast As. Giger 
into hell fire. ete 

10 Ἵ Take heed that ye despise not one of 
these little ones ; for I say unto you, That in 
heaven * their angels do always ' behold the 
face of my Father which is in heaven. 

11 ™For the Son of man is come to save 
that which was lost. 

12 ™ How think ye? if a man have a hun- 
dred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, 
doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth 
into the mountains, and seeketh that which is 
gone astray ἢ 


& Luke xvii. 1; 1 Cor. xi. 19— Chap. xxvi. 24—— Chap. 
v. 29, 30; Mark ix. 43, 45——* Psa. xxxiv. 7; Zech. xiii. 7; 


Halhead’s Code of Gentoo Laws, 
page 306. 

Verse 7. Wo!] Or, alas! ovat. It is the opinion 
of some eminent critics, that this word is ever used 
by our Lord to express sympathy and concern. 

Because of offences] Scandals, stumbling-blocks, 
persecutions, &c. 

For it must needs be that offences come] Avayke 
yap ecw ελθειν ta σκανδαλα, for the coming of offences 
as unavoidable. Such is the wickedness of men, such 
their obstinacy, that they will not come unto Christ 
that they may have life, but desperately continue de- 
ceiving and being deceived. In such a state of things, 
offences, stumbling-blocks, persecutions, &c., are una- 
voidable. 

Wo to that man] He who gives the offence, and 
he who receives it, are both exposed to ruin. 

Verses 8 and 9. If thy hand, &c.] See the notes 
on chap. v. 29, 30. 

Verse 10. One of these little ones} One of my 
simple, loving, humble disciples. 

Their angels—always behold| Our Lord here not 
only alludes to, but, in my opinion, establishes the no- 
tion received by almost all nations, viz. That every 
person has a guardian angel; and that these have 
always access to God, to receive orders relative to 
the management of their charge. See Psa. xxxiv. 
8; Heb. i. 14. 

Always behold the face] Hence, among the Jews, 
the angels were styled 3°29 1372, malakey panim, 
angels of the face, and Michael is said to be D139 Ww, 
sar ha-panim, the prince of the face. This is an allu- 
sion to the privilege granted by eastern monarchs to 
their chief favourites; a privilege which others were 
never permitted to enjoy. The seven princes of Me- 
dia and Persia, who were the chief favourites and 
privy-counsellors of Ahasuerus, are said to see the 
King’s face. Ysth. i. 14; see also 2 Kings xxv. 19, 
and Jer. li. 25. Our J.ord’s words give us to under- 
stand that humble-hearted, child-like disciples, are ob- 
jects of his peculiar care, and constant attention. The 
elause, ev οὐρανοῖς, in the heavens, is wanting in several 
‘MSS., versions, and fathers. 

1 


4to. edition, 


Heb. i. 14——! Esth. i. 14; Luke i. 19.——™ Luke ix. 56; xix 
10; John iit. 17; xii. 47——" Luke xv. 4. 


Verse 11. For the Son of man, &c.] This is 
added as a second reason, why no injury should be 
done to his followers. ‘The Son of man has so loved 
them as to come into the world to lay down his life 
for them.” 

That which was lost.| Ἀπολωλος. In Rev. ix. 11, 
Satan is called Axo22vwv, Apolluon, the destroyer, or 
him who lays waste. This name bears a near relation 
to that state in which our Lord tells us he finds all 
mankind—lost, desolated, ruined. So it appears that 
Satan and men have the nearest affinity to each other 
—as the destroyer and the destroyed---the desolator 
and the desolated—the loser and the lost. But the 
Son of man came to save the lost. Glorious news! 
May every lost soul feel it! This verse is omitted 
by five MSS., two versions, and three of the fathers ; 
but of its authenticity there can be no doubt, as it is 
found in the parallel place, Luke xix. 10, on which 
verse there is not a single various reading found in 


_any of the MSS. that have ever been discovered, nor 


in any of the ancient versions. 

Verse 12. Doth he not leave the ninety and nine, 
and goeth into the mountains] So our common trans- 
lation reads the verse; others, Doth he not leave the 
ninety and nine UPON THE MOUNTAINS, and go, &c. 
This latter reading appears to me to be the best; be- 
cause, in Luke xv. 4, it is said, he leaveth the ninety 
and nine IN THE DESERT. The allusion, therefore, is 
to a shepherd feeding his sheep on the mountains, in 
the desert; not seeking the lost one on the mountains. 

Leaving the ninety and nine, and seeking the one 
strayed sheep:—This was a very common form of 
speech among the Jews, and includes no mystery, 
though there are some who imagine that our Lord re- 
fers to the angels who kept not their first estate, and 
that they are in number, to men, as NINETY are to ONE. 
But it is likely that our Lord in this place only alludes 
to his constant solicitude to instruct, heal, and save 
those simple people of the sea coasts, country villages, 
&c., who were scattered abroad, as sheep without a 
shepherd, (chap. ix. 36,) the scribes and Pharisees 
paying no attention to their present or eternal] well- 
being. This may be also considered as a lesson of 

183 


How we are to deal 
A. M. 4032, 


ones 13 And if so be that he find it, 

a Sean. verily I say unto you, He rejoiceth 
more of that sheep, than of the 
ninety and nine which went not astray. 

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father 
which is in heaven, that one of these little ones 
should perish. 

15 Ἵ Moreover ° if thy brother shall trespass 
against thee, go and tell him his fault between 
thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, 
?thou hast gained thy brother. 

16 But if he will not hear thee, then take 


ST. MATTHEW. 


with an offending brother 


with thee one or two more, that A,M, 4032 


in 4the mouth of two or three wit- An. Olymp. 
nesses every word may be esta- 
blished. 

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, teli 
it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear 
the church, let him be unto thee as a * heather. 
man and a publican. 

18 Verily I say unto you, * Whatsoever ye 
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. 
and whatsover ye shall loose on earth shall be 
loosed in heaven. 


© Lev. xix.17; Ecclus. xix. 13; Luke xvii. 3.——P? Jam. v. 20 ; 
1 Pet. iii. 1——4 Deut. xvii. 6; xix. 15; John viii. 17; 2 Cor. 


xiii. 1; Heb. x. 28. tRom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. v. 9; 2 Thess 
111. 6, 14; 2 John 10.—= Chap. xvi. 19; ” John xx. 235 1 Cor. v.4. 


instruction and comfort to backsliders. 
does Christ give them up! 

Verse 13. He rejoiceth more] It is justly observed 
by one, on this verse, that it is natural for a person to 
express unusual joy at the fortunate accomplishment 
of an unexpected event. 

Verse 14. It is not the will of your Father] If any 
soul be finally lost, it is not because God’s will or 
counsel was against its salvation, or that a proper pro- 
vision had not been made for it; but that, though light 
came into the world, it preferred darkness to light, be- 
cause of its attachment to its evil deeds. 

Verse 15. If thy brocher] Any who is a member 
of the same religious society, sin against thee, 1. Go 
and reprove him alone,;—it may be in person; if that 
cannot be so well done, by thy messenger, or in writ- 
ing, (which in many cases is likely to be the most 
effectual.) Observe, our Lord gives no liberty to omit 
this, or to exchange it for either of the following steps. 
If this do not succeed, 

Verse 16. 2. Take with thee one or two more| Men 
whom he esteems, who may then confirm and enforce 
what thou sayest ; and afterwards, if need require, bear 
witness of what was spoken. If even this do not suc- 
ceed, then, and not before, 

Verse 17. 3. Tell it unto the Church] Lay the 
whole matter before the congregation of Christian be- 
lievers, in that place of which he is a member, or be- 
fore the minister and elders, as the representatives of 
the Church or assembly. If all this avail not, then, 

Let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a pub- 
lican.| To whom thou art, as a Christian, to owe 
earnest and persevering good will, and acts of kind- 
ness ; but have no religious communion with him, till, 
if he have been convicted, he acknowledge his fault. 
Whosoever follows this threefold rule will seldom of- 
fend others, and never be offended himself.—Rev. J. 
WESLEY. 

Reproving a brother who had sinned was a positive 
command under the law. See Lev. xix. 17. And 
the Jews have a saying, that one of the causes of the 
ruin of their nation was, “ No man reproved another.” 
On the word Church, see at the end of chap. xvi. 

Verse 18. Whatsoever ye shall bind, &c.| Whatever 
determinations ye make, in conformity to these direc- 
tions for your conduct to an offending brother, will be 

184 


How hardly 


accounted just, and ratified by the Lord. See on ch. 
xvi. 19; and, to what is there said, the following ob- 
servations may be profitably added. 

Oca eav dyonte—kat οσα eav Avonte. Binding and 
loosing, in this place, and in Matt. xvi. 19, is gene- 
rally restrained, by Christian interpreters, to matters 
of discipline and authority. But it is as plain as the 
sun, by what occurs in numberless places dispersed 
throughout the Mishna, and from thence commonly 
used by the later vabbins when they treat of ritual 
subjects, that d¢nding signified, and was commonly un- 
derstood by the Jews at that time to be, a declaration 
that any thing was unlawful to be done; and loosing 
signified, on the contrary, a declaration that any thing 
may be lawfully done. Our Saviour spoke to his dis- 
ciples in a language which they understood, so that 
they were not in the least at a loss to comprehend his 
meaning ; and its being obsolete to us is no manner 
of reason why we should conclude that it was obscure 
to them. The words, dind and loose, are used in both 
places jin a declaratory sense, of things, not of persons. 
It is 6 and ὅσα, in the neuter gender, both in chap. xvi. 
and here in this: i. e. Whatsoever thing or things ye 
shall bind or loose. Consequently, the same commis- 
sion which was given at first to St. Peter alone, (chap. 
xvi. 19,) was afterwards enlarged to all the apostles. 
St. Peter had made a confession that Jesus was the 
Christ, the Son of God. His confession of the Di- 
vinity of our Lord was the first that ever was made 
by man; to him, therefore, were given the keys of 
the kingdom of heaven: i. e. God made choice of him 
among all the apostles, that the Gentiles should first, 
by his mouth, hear the word of the Gospel, and be- 
lieve. He first opened the kingdom of heaven to the 
Gentiles, when he preached to Cornelius. It was 
open to the Jews all along before ; but if we should 
suppose that it was not, yet to therm also did St. Peter 
open the kingdom of heaven, in his sermon at the great 
pentecost. Thus, then, St. Peter exercised his two 
keys: that for the Jews at the great pentecost; and 
that for the Gentiles, when he admitted Cornelius into 
the Church. And this was the reward of his first con- 
fession, in which he owned Jesus to be the promised 
Messiah. And what St. Peter loosed, i. e. declared 
as necessary to be believed and practised by the dis- 
ciples here, was ratified above. And what he declared 

1 


Promises to social prayer. 
A, M4082. 19 * Again I say unto you, That 
oa Clymp. if two of you shall agree on earth, 
as touching any thing that they 
shall ask, “it shall be done for them of my 
Father which is in heaven. 
20 For where ¥ two or three are gathered to- 
getherin my name, there am I in themidst ofthem. 


CHAP. 


XVIII. 


21 9 Then came Peter to him, 4 oe 
and said, Lord, how oft shall my Ἀπ τῖσαι: 
brother sin against me, and I forgive 
him? till seven times ? 

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee 
Until seven times: * but, Until seventy times 
seven. 


On forgwing muries. 


Chap. v. 24—" J John iii. 22 ; v. 14 ——Y Dan. ii. 17, 18 ; John 
xiv. 13-15; xvi. 23; Acts i iii. 16; iv. 7; 1 Cor. v. de 


w Luke xvii. 4. *Chap. vi. 14; Mark xi. 25; Col. 


ui. 13. 


unlawful to be believed and practised, (i. e. what he 
bound,) was actually forbidden by God himself. 

I own myself obliged to Dr. Lightfoot for this inter- 
pretation of the true notion of binding and loosing. It 
is a noble one, and perfectly agrees with the ways of 
speaking then in use among the Jews. it is observ- 
able that these phrases, of binding and loosing, oceur 
no where in the New Testament but in St. Matthew, 
who is supposed to have written his Gospel first in 
Hebrew, from whence it was translated into Greek, and 
then the force and use of the expression will better 
appear. Dr. Wolton’s Miscell. Discourses, vol. i. p. 
309, &e., &e. 

“ The phrases to bind and to loose were Jewish, and 
most frequent in their writers. It belonged only to 
the teachers among the Jews to bind and to loose. 
When the Jews set any apart to be a preacher, they 
used these words, ‘ Take thou liberty to teach what is 
BounD and what is Loose.’”  Strype’s preface to the 
Posthumous Remains of Dr. Lightfoot, p. 38. 

Verse 19. Again I say unto you] The word αμην, 
verily, is added here, in ninety-eight MSS., (many of 
which are of the greatest antiquity and importance,) 
seven editions, all the Arabic, the Slavonic, and seve- 
ral of the Jtala. The taking in or leaving out such a 
word may appear to some a matter of indifference; 
but, as I am fully convinced Jesus Christ never spoke 
a useless or a needless word, my maxim is, to omit 
not one syllable that I am convinced (from such autho- 
rity as the above) he has ever used, and to take in no- 
thing that he did not speak. It makes the passage 
much more emphatic—Again, verity I say unto you, 

If two of you shail agree] Συμφωνηςωσιν, sympho- 
nize, or harmonize. It is a metaphor taken from a 
number of musical instruments set to the same key, 
and playing the same ¢une: here, it means a perfect 
agreement of the hearts, desires, wishes, and voices, 
of two or more persons praying to God. It also inti- 
mates that as a number of musical instruments, skil- 
fully played, in a good concert, are pleasing to the ears 
of men, so a number of persons united together in warm, 
earnest, cordial prayer, is highly pleasing in the sight 
and ears of the Lord. Now this conjoint prayer re- 
fers, in all probability, to the dindimg and loosing in 
the preceding verse; and thus we see what power 
faithful prayer has with God! 

It shall be done for them] What an encouragement 
to pray! even to éwo, if there be no more disposed to 
join in this heavenly work. 

Verse 20. For where two—are gathered together 
in my name) There are many sayings among the Jews 
almost exactly similar to this, such as, Wherever even 

1 


᾽ 


two persons are sitting in discourse concerning the law, 
the Divine presence is among them. See much more 
in Schoettgen. And the following, among the ancient 
Hindoos, is like unto it: ““When Brahma, the Lord 
of creation, had formed mankind, and at the same time 
appointed his worship, he spoke and said, ‘ With this 
worship pray for increase, and let it be that on which 
ye shall depend for the accomplishment of all your 
wishes. With this remember God, that God may re- 
member you. Remember one another, and ye shall 
obtain supreme happiness. God, being remembered in 
worship, will grant you the enjoyment of your wishes: 


he who enjoyeth what hath been given unto him by 


God, and offereth not a portion unto him, is even as a 
thief. Know that good works come from Brahma, 
whose nature is incorruptible; wherefore, the omni- 
present Brahma 1s PRESENT IN THE WoRSHIP.” See 
the Bagvat Geeta, p. 45, 46. 

In my name] Seems to refer particularly to a public 
profession of Christ and his Gospel. 

There am I in the midst] None but God could 
say these words, to say them with truth, because God 
alone is every where present, and these words refer to 
his omnipresence. _Wherever—suppose millions of 
assemblies were collected in the same moment, in dif- 
ferent places of the creation, (which is a very possible 
case,) this promise states that Jesus is in each of 
them. Can any, therefore, say these words, except 
that God who fills both heaven and earth? But Jesus 
says these words: ergo—Jesus is God. Let it be 
observed, that Jesus is not among them to spy out 
their sins, or to mark down the imperfections of their 
worship ; but to enlighten, strengthen, comfort, and 
save them. 

Verse 21. Till seven times 2] Though seven was 
a number of perfection among the Hebrews, and often 
meant much more than the units in it imply, yet it is 
evident that Peter uses it here in its plain literal sense, 
as our Lord’s words sufficiently testify. It was a 
maxim among the Jews never to forgive more than 
thrice: Peter enlarges this charity more than one half; 
and our Lord makes even his enlargement septuple, 
see ver. 22. Revenge is natural to man, i. 6. man is 
naturally a vindictive being, and, in consequence, πον 
thing is more difficult to him than forgiveness of injuries 

Verse 22. Seventy times seven.| There is some- 
thing very remarkable in these words, especially if 
collated with Gen. iv. 24, where the very same words 
are used—* If any man kill Lamecn, he shall be 
avenged seventy times seven.” The just God punishes 
sin in an exemplary manner. Sinful man, who is 
exposed to the stroke of Divine justice, should be adun- 

185 


ΟἹ the servant who 


Teen 23 Therefore is the kingdom of 


An. Olymp. heaven likened unto a certain king, 
_~_ which would take account of his 
servants. 

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one 
was brought unto him, which owed him ten 
thousand γ᾽ talents. 

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his 
lord commanded him ? to be sold, and his wife, 
and children, and all that he had, and payment 
to be made. 

26 The servant therefore fell down, and 
* worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience 


ST. MATTHEW. 


owed ten thousand talents 


with me, and I will pay thee eee 


all. An. Olymp. 

27 Then the lord of that servant 
was moved with compassion, and loosed him, 
and forgave him the debt. 

28 But the same servant went out, and found 
one of his fellow-servants, which owed him a 
hundred ἢ pence; and he laid hands on him, 
and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me 
that thou owest. + 

29 And his fellow-servant fell down at his 
feet, and besought him, saying, ° Have patience 
with me, and I will pay thee all. 


¥ A talent is 750 ounces of silver, which, after five shillings the 
ounce, is 1871. 10s. z2 Kings iv.1; Neh. v. 8—Or, be- 
sought him. 


> The Roman penny is the eighth part of an ounce, which, after 
five shillings the ounce, is seven pence halfpenny, chap. xx. 2. 
¢ Psa. xxxii. 1; lexviii. 38. 


dant in forgiveness, especially as the merciful only 
shall find merey. See the note on chap. v. 7, and on 
vi. 14,15. The sum seventy times seven makes four 
hundred and ninety. Now an offence, properly such, 
is that which 15 given wantonly, maliciously, and with- 
out ANY PRovocaTIoN. It is my opinion, that, let a 
man search ever so accurately, he will not find that 
he has received, during the whole course of his life, 
four hundred and ninety such offences. If the man 
who receives the offence has given any cause for it, in 
that case, the half of the offence, at least, towards his 
brother, ceases. 

Verse 23. Therefore is the kingdom] In respect to 
sin, cruelty, and oppression, God will proceed in the 
kingdom of heaven (the dispensation of the Gospel) as 
he did in former times; and every person shall give 
an account of himself to God. Every sin is a debt 
contracted with the justice of God; men are all God’s 
own servants ; and the day is at hand in which their 
Master will settle accounts with them, inquire into 
their work, and pay them their wages. Great Judge! 
what an awful time must this be, when with multi- 
tudes nothing shall be found but sin and insolvency ! 

By servant, in the text, we are to understand, a 
petty king, or tributary prince; for no hired servant 
eould possibly owe such a sum as is here mentioned. 

Verse 24. Ten thousand talents] Muptav ταλάντων, 
a myriad of talents, the highest number known in 
Greek arithmetical notation. An immense sum, which, 
if the silver talent be designed, amounts to 4,500,000 
sterling; but if the gold talent be meant, which is by 
far the most likely, then the amount is 67,500,000 
sterling, a sum equal to the annual revenue of the 
British empire! See the note on Exod. xxv. 34. The 
margin above is incorrect. 

Verse 25. He had not to pay| That is not being 
able to pay. As there could not be the smallest pro- 
bability that a servant, wholly dependent on his master, 
who was now absolutely insolvent, could ever pay a 
debt he had contracted of more than 67 millions !—so 


is it impossible for a sinner, infinitely indebted to Di- | 


vine justice, ever to pay a mite out of the talent. 
Commanded him tobe sold—his wife—children, &c.] 
Onr Lord here alludes to an ancient custom among 
186 


the Hebrews, of selling a man and his family to make 
payment of contracted debts. See Exod. xxii. 3; 
Lev. xxv. 39,47; 2 Kings iv. 1. This custom 
passed from among the Jews to the Greeks and Ro- 
mans. I have already remarked (see Gen. xlvii. 19) 
that in the Burman empire the sale of whole families, 
to discharge debts, is very common. 

Verse 26. Fell down and worshipped him] Mpocexvver 
αὐτω, crouched as a dog before him, with the greatest 
deference, submission, and anxiety. 

Have patience with me| Μακροθυμησον ev enor, be 
long-minded towards me—give me longer space. 

The means which a sinner should use to be saved, 
are, 1. Deep humiliation of heart—he fell down. 2. 
Fervent prayer. 3. Confidence in the mercy of God 
—have patience. 4. A firm purpose to devote his soul 
and body to his Maker—Z will pay thee all. A sinner 
may be said, according to the economy of grace, to pay 
all, when he brings the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus to 
the throne of justice, by faith ; thus offering an equiva- 
lent for the pardon he seeks, and paying all he owes 
to Divine justice, by presenting the blood of the Lamb 

Verse 27. Moved with compassion] Or with tender 
pity. This is the source of salvation to a lost world, 
the tender pity, the eternal mercy of God. 

Verse 28. A hundred pence] Rather denarii. The 
denarius was a Roman coin, worth about seven-pence 
halfpenny English. The original word should be re- 
tained, as our word penny does not convey the seventh 
part of the meaning. A hundred denarii would amount 
to about 3/. 2s. 6d. British, or, if reckoned as some 
do, at seven-pence three farthings, the sum would be 
31. 4s. 7d. 

Took him by the throat] Kpatnoac αὐτὸν επνιγε. 
There is no word I am acquainted with, which so 
fully expresses the meaning of the original, exvye, as 
the Anglo-saxon term throttle: it signified (like the 
Greek) to half choke a person, by seizing his throat. 

Verse 29. Fell down at his feet] This clause is 
wanting in several ancient MSS., versions, and fa- 
thers. Several printed editions also have omitted it; 
Griesbach has left it out of the text. 

Pay thee all.| ἼΠαντα, all, is omitted by a multitude 
of MSS., versions, and fathers. 


1 


How Gow resents cruelty CHAP. 
A.M. 4032. 


aD. oa. 30 And he would not: ὁ but went 
An. Olymp. and cast him into prison, till he 
———— should pay the debt. 

31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was 
done, they were very sorry, and came and told 
unto their lord all that was done. 

32 Then his lord, after that he had called 
him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I 
forgave thee all that debt, because thou de- 
siredst me: 


XVIII. 


33 Shouldest not thou also have Ἂς ΝΜ, 4032. 
had compassion on thy fellow- i ee 
servant, even °as I had pity on -——— 
thee 1 

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered hur. 
to the tormentors, ‘till he should pay all that 
was due unto him. 

35 £So hkewise shall my heavenly Father do 
also unto you, if ye from your hearts ἢ forgive 
not every one his brother their trespasses. 


and oppression in men 


4 James ii. 13.—* Luke vi. 36—Chap. v. 25, 26; vi. 
12-14. £ Prov. xxi. 13; chap. vi. 12; Mark xi. 26; James ii. 


Verse 30. And he would not, &c.] Τὸ the unmer- 
ciful, God will show no mercy; this is an eternal pur- 
pose of the Lord, which never can be changed. God 
teaches us what to do to a fellow-sinner, by what HE 
does to us. Our fellow-servant’s debt to us, and ours 
to God, are as one hundred denarii to ten thousand 
talents! When we humble ourselves before him, God 
freely forgives us all this mighty sum! And shall we 
exact from our brother recompense for the most tri- 
fling faults? Reader, if thou art of this unmerciful, 
unforgiving cast, read out the chapter. 


* All the souls that are were forfeit once, 
And he who might the ‘vantage best have took, 
Found out the remedy. How would you be, 
If He, who is the top of judgment, should 
But judge you as you are? O! think on that, 
And merey then will breathe within your lips 
Like man new made. 
Though justice be thy plea, consider this, 
That, in the course of justice, none of us 
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy ; 
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render 
The deeds of Mercy.—” 


Verse 31. His fellow-servants saw what was done] 
An act of this kind is so dishonourable to all the fol- 
lowers of Christ, and to the spirit of his Gospel, that 
through the respect they owe to their Lord and Mas- 
ter, and through the concern they feel for the pros- 
perity of his cause, they are obliged to plead against 
it at the throne of God. 

Verse 32. His lord, after that he had called him] 
Alas! how shall he appear? Confounded. What 
shall he answer? He is speechless! 

Verse 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compas- 
sion] Οὐκ edec καὶ ce, Did it not become thee also? 
What a cutting reproach! It became me to show 
mercy, when thou didst earnestly entreat me, because 
1 am mercirun. It became thee also to have shown 
mercy, because thou wert so deep in debt thyself, and 
hadst obtained mercy. 

Verse 34. Delivered him to the tormentors] Not 
only continued captivity is here intended, but the tor- 
tures to be endured in it. Ifa person was suspected 
of fraud, as there was reason for in such a case as that 
mentioned here, he was put to very cruel tortures 
among the Asiaties, to induce him to confess. In the 
punishments of China, a great variety of these appear ; 

1 


13.— Mark xi. 26; Lev. xix. 18; Eph. iv. 2; Col. iii. 13 
James ii. 13. 


and probably there is an allusion to such torments in 
this place. Before, he and all that he had, were only 
to be sold. Now, as he has increased his debt, so he 
has increased his punishment; he is delivered to the 
tormentors, to the horrors of a guilty conscience, and 
to a fearful looking for of fiery indignation, which shall 
devour the adversaries. But if this refers to the day 
of judgment, then the worm that dieth not, and the 
fire that is not quenched, are the tormentors. 

Verse 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do 
also unto you) The goodness and indulgence of God 
towards us is the pattern we should follow in our deal- 
ings with ethers. If we take man for our exemplar 
we shall err, because our copy is a bad one ; and our 
lives are not likely to be better than the copy we imi- 
tate. Follow Christ ; be merciful as your Father who 
is in heaven is merciful. You cannot complain of the 
fairness of your copy. Reader, hast thou a child, or 
servant who has offended thee, and humbly asks for- 
givenesst Hast thou a debtor, or a tenant, who is 
insolvent, and asks for a little longer time? And hast 
thou not forgiven that child or servant? Hast thou 
not given time to that debtor or tenant? How, ther, 
canst thou ever expect to see the face of the just and 
merciful Godt Thy child is banished, or kept at a 
distance ; thy debtor is thrown into prison, or thy 
tenant sold up: yet the child offered to fall at thy 
Jeet ; and the debtor or tenant, utterly insolvent, prayed 
for a little longer time, hoping God would enable him 
to pay thee all; but to these things thy stony heart and 
seared conscience paid no regard! Ὁ monster of in- 
gratitude! Scandal to human nature, and reproach to 
God! If thou canst, go hide thyself—even in hell, 
from the face of the Lord ! 

Their trespasses.| These words are properly left 
out by Griespacu, and other eminent critics, because 
they are wanting in some of the very best MSS., most 
of the versions, and in some of the chief of the 
fathers. The words are evidently an interpolation ; 
the construction of them is utterly improper, and the 
concord false. 

In our common method of dealing with insolvent 
debtors, we in some sort imitate the Asiatie customs : 
we put them in prison, and all their circumstances 
there are so many tormentors; the place, the air, the 
company, the provision, the accommodations, all, all 
destructive to comfort, to peace, to health, and to every 
thing that humanity ean devise. If the person be poor, 

187 


The Pharisees inquire of 


or comparatively poor, is his imprisonment likely to lead 
him to discharge his debt? His creditor may rest assured 
that he is now farther from his object than ever: the 
man had no other way of discharging the debt but by 
his labour ; that is now impossible, through his confine- 
ment, and the creditor is put to a certain expense towards 
his maintenance. How foolish is this policy! And how 
much do such laws stand in need of revision and 
amendment! Imprisonment for debt, in such a case 
as that supposed above, can answer no other end than 
the gratification of the malice, revenge, or inhumanity 
of the creditor. Better sell all that he has, and, with 
his hands and feet untied, let him begin the world 
afresh. Dr. Dodd very feelingly inquires here, 
“ Whether rigour in exacting temporal debts, in treat- 
ing without mercy such as are wnabdle to satisfy them 
—whether this can be allowed to a Christian, who is 
bound to imitate his God and Father? To a dedtor, 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Jesus concerning divorce 


who can expect forgiveness only on the condition of 
forgiving others? To a servant, who should obey 
his Master ’—and to a criminal, who is in daily ex- 
pectation of his Judge and final sentence?” Little did 
he think, when he wrote this sentence, that himself 
should be a melancholy proof, not only of human 
weakness, but of the relentless nature of those laws 
by which property, or rather money, is guarded. The 
unfortunate Dr. Dodd was hanged for forgery, in 1777, 
and the above note was written only seven years 
before ! - : 

The unbridled and extravagant appetites of men 
sometimes require α rigour even beyond the law te 
suppress them. While, then, we learn lessons of hu- 
manity from what is before us, let us also learn lessons 
of prudence, sobriety, and moderation. The parable 
of the two debtors is blessedly calculated to give this 
information. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


Jesus leaves Galilee, and comes into the coasts of Judea, and is followed by great multitudes, whom he heats, 


1, 2. 
ed, 3-9. 
eunuchs, 11, 12. 
who wished to obtain eternal life, 16-22. 


The question of the Pharisees concerning divorce answered, and the doctrine of marriage explain- 
The inquiry of the disciples on this subject, 10. 


Our Lord’s answer, explaining the case of 


Little children brought to Christ for his blessing, 13-15. The case of the young man 
Our Lord’s reflections on this case, in which he shows the dif- 


ficulty of a rich man’s salvation, 23-26. What they shall possess who have left all for Christ’s sake and 


the Gospel, 27-29. 


A. M. 4033. JT) ; a τ 
fea ANDit came to pass, that when 
om Jesus had finished these say- 


ings, he departed from Galilee, and 

came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan. 

2 » And great multitudes followed him ; and 
he healed them there. 


aMark x. 1; John x. 40.—— Chap. xii. 15. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIX. 

Verse 1. Beyond Jordan] Or, by the side of Jordan. 
Matthew begins here to give an account of Christ’s 
journey (the only one he mentions) to Jerusalem, a 
little before the passover, at which he was crucified. 
See Mark x. 1; Luke ix. 51. 

Jesus came from Galilee (which lay to the north of 
Judea) into the coasts of Judea; and from thence, in 
his way to Jerusalem, he went through Jericho, (chap. 
xx. 17, 29,) which lay at the -distance of sixty fur- 
longs, or seven miles and a half from Jordan, to the 
western side of it. See Joseph. war, book iv. chap. 
8. sect. 3. It seems, therefore, most probable, that 
the course of Christ’s journey led him by the side of 
the river Jordan, not beyond it. That the Greek word 
mepav, especially with a genitive case as here, has 
sometimes this signification, see on John vi. 22; see 
also Bp. Pearce. 

Verse 2. Great multitudes followed him] Some to 
be instructed—some to be healed—some through cu- 
riosity—and some to ensnare him. 

Verse 3. Tempting him] Trying what answer he 
would give to a question, which, however decided by 
him, would expose him to censure. 

188 


How many of the first shall be last, and the last first, 30. 


3 I The Pharisees also came unto ἀ δ, 4033. 
him, tempting him, and saying unto ἕξι Gree 
him, Is it lawful for a man to put -.— “΄. 
away his wife for every cause 7 

4 And he answered and said unto them, 
Have ye not read, “ that he which made them 


ς Gen. i. 27; v. 2; Mal. ii. 15. 


Ts it lawful—for every cause 3] Instead of αἰτίαν, 
fault, cause, reason, three MSS. and the Coptic ver- 
sion read αμαρτίαν, sin or transgression: this was 
probably the original reading—the first syllable being 
lost, ἀρτίαν alone would remain, which a subsequent 
transcriber would suppose to be a mistake for αἰτίαν, 
and so wrote it: hence this various reading. What 
made our Lord’s situation at present so critical in re- 
spect to this question was: At this time there were 
two famous divinity and philosophical schools among 
the Jews, that of SHammat, and that of πιεῖ... On 
the question of divorce, the school of Shammai main- 
tained, that a man could not legally put away his wife, 
except for whoredom. The school of Hillel taught 
that a man might put away his wife for a multitude of 
other causes, and when she did not find grace in his 
sight ; i. e. when he saw any other woman that pleased 
him better. See the case of Josephus, mentioned in 
the note on chap. v. 30, and Calmet’s Comment, vol. i. 
part ii. p. 379. By answering the question, not from 
Shammai or Hillel, but from Moses, our blessed Lord 
defeated their malice, and confounded their devices. 

Verse 4. He which made them at the beginning| 
When Adam and Eve were the first of human kind. 

1 


The question concerning divorce CHAP. 
A M43. at the beginning, made them male 


ae ome. and female, 

————_ 5 And said, ἃ For this cause shall 

aman leave father and mother, and shall cleave 

to his wife : and ὁ they twain shall be one flesh? 
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but 


4 Gen. ii. 24; Mark x. 5-9; Eph. νυ. 31. 


61 Cor. vi. 16; vii. 2. 


Made them male and female| Merely through the 
design of matrimonial union, that the earth might be 
thus peopled. To answer a case of conscience, a man 
should act as Christ does here ; pay no regard to that 
which the corruption of manners has introduced into 
Divine ordinances, but go back to the original will, 
purpose, and institution of God. Christ will never 
accommodate his morality to the times, nor to the in- 
clinations of men. What was done at the beginning 
is what God judged most worthy of his glory, most 
profitable for man, and most suitable to nature. 

Verse 5. For this cause] Being created for this very 
purpose, that they might glorify their Maker in a 
matrimonial connection. A man shall leave (καταλειψαι, 
wholly give up) both father and mother—the matri- 
monial union being more intimate and binding than 
even paternal or filial affection ;—and shall be closely 
united, προσκολληϑησεται, shall be firmly cemented to 
his wife. A beautiful metaphor, which most forcibly 
intimates that nothing but death can separate them: 
as a well-glued board will break sooner in the whole 
wood, thaa in the glued joint. So also the Hebrew 
wor p27 debak implies. 

And they twain shall be one flesh 3] Not only mean- 
ing, that they should be considered as one body, but 
also as two souls in one body, with a complete union 
of interests, and an indissoluble partnership of life and 
fortune, comfort and support, desires and inclinations, 
joys and sorrows. Farther, it appears to me, that the 
words in Gen. ii. 24, ams W235 lebasar achad, Sor 
one flesh, which our Lord literally translates, mean 
also, that children, compounded as it were of both, 
should be the product of the matrimonial connection. 
Thus, they two (man and woman) shall be for the pro- 
ducing of one flesh, the very same kind of human 
creature with themselves. See the note on Gen. ii. 24. 

Verse 6. What therefore God hath joined together] 
Συνεζευξεν, yoked together, as oxen in the plough, where 
each must pull equally, in order to bring it on. Among 
the ancients, when persons were newly married, they 
put a yoke upon their necks, or chains upon their arms, 
to show that they were to be one, closely united. and 
pulling equally together in all the concerns of life. See 
Kypke in loco. 

The finest allegorical representation of the marriage 
union I have met with, is that antique gem represent- 
ing the marriage of Cupid and Psyche, in the collec- 
tion of the duke of Marlborough: it may be seen also 
among Baron Séoch’s gems, and casts or copies of it 
in various other collections. 1. Both are represented 
as winged, to show the alacrity with which the hus- 
band and wife should help, comfort and support each 
other ; preventing, as much as possible, the expressing 
of a wish or want on either side, by fulfilling it before 


XIX. answered by our Lord. 
A. M. 4033. 


one flesh. What therefore God hath “,™; “0 
joined together, let not man put wii og 
asunder. ἘΣ ΞΕ τς 

7 They say untoghim, f Why did Moses then 
command to give a writing of divorcement, and 
to put her away? 


f Deut. xxiv. 1; chap. v. 31; Mark x. 4; Luke xvi. 18, 


it can be expressed. 2. Both are veiled, to show that 
modesty is an inseparable attendant on pure matrimo- 
nial connections. 3. Hymen or Marriage goes before 
them with a lighted torch, leading them by a chain, of 
which each has a hold, to show that they are united 
together, and are bound to each other, and that they 
are led to this by the pure flame of love, which at the 
same instant both enlightens and warms them. 4. This 
chain is not iron nor brass, (to intimate that the mar- 
riage union is a state of thraldom or slavery,) but it is 
a chain of pearls, to show that the union is precious, 
beautiful, and delightful. 5. They hold a dove, the 
emblem of conjugal fidelity, which they appear to em.. 
brace affectionately, to show that they are faithful to 
each other, not merely through duty, but by affection, 
and that this fidelity contributes to the happiness of 
their lives. 6. A winged Cupid, or Love, is repre- 
sented as having gone before them, preparing the nup- 
tial feast ; to intimate that active affections, warm 
and cordial love, are to be to them a continual source 
of comfort and enjoyment ; and that this is the enter- 
tainment they are to meet with at every step of their 
affectionate lives. 7. Another Cupid, or genius of 
love comes behind, and places on their heads a basket 
of ripe fruits; to intimate that a matrimonial union 
of this kind will generally be blessed with children, 
who shall be as pleasing to all their senses as ripe and 
delicious fruits to the smell and taste. 8. The genius 
of love that follows them has his wings shrivelled up, 
or the feathers all curled,so as to render them utterly 
unfit for flight ; to intimate that love is to abide with 
them, that there is to be no separation in affection, but 
that they are to continue to love one another with pure 
hearts fervently. Thus love begins and continues this 
sacred union; as to end, there can be none, for God 
hath yoked them together. 

A finer or more expressive set of emblems has 
never, I believe, been produced, even by modern refined 
taste and ingenuity. This group of emblematical 
figures is engraved upon an onyx by Tryphon, an an- 
cient Grecian artist. A fine drawing was made of 
this by Cypriani, and was engraved both by Bartolozz: 
and Sherwin. See one of these plates in the second 
volume of Bryant’s Analysis of Ancient Mythology, 
page 392. 

Verse 7. Why did Moses then command to give a 
writing of divorcement 3] It is not an unusual case for 
the impure and unholy to seek for a justification of 
their conduct from the law of God itself, and to wrest 
Scripture to their own destruction. I knew a gentle- 
man, so called, who professed deep reverence for the 
sacred writings, and, strange as it may appear, was 
outwardly irreproachable in every respect but one ; that 
was, he kept more women than his wife. This man 

189 


Why Moses suffered the 


A.M. 4033. 8. He saith unto them, Moses, be- 


a Olymp. cause of the hardness of your hearts, 
suffered you to put away your 
wives: but from the beginning it was not so 
9 £ And I say unto you, Whosoever shall 
put away his wife, except τέ be for fornication, 
and shall marry another, committeth adultery : 
and whoso marrieth her which is put away 
doth commit adultery. 


e Chap. v. 32; Mark x. 11; Luke xvi. 18; 1 Cor. vii. 
10, 11. 


frequently read the Bible, and was particularly conver- 
sant with those places that spoke of or seemed to 
legalize the polygamy of the patriarchs ! 

A writing of divorcement] See the form of it in 
the note on chap. v. 31. 

Verse 8. Moses, because of the hardness of your 
hearts| It is dangerous to tolerate the least evil, though 
prudence itself may require it: because toleration, in 
this case, raises itself insensibly into permission, and 
permission soon sets up for command. Moses per- 
ceived that if divorce were not permitted, in many cases, 
the women would be exposed to great hardships 
through the cruelty of their husbands: for so the 
word σκληροκαρδια, is understood in this place by some 
learned men. : 

From the beginning it was not 50] The Jews named 
the books of the law from the first word in each. 
Genesis they always term Bereshith, ΓΔ, which is 
the first word in it, and signifies, In the beginning. It 
is probable that our Lord speaks in this way here, Jn 
Bereshith it was not so, intimating that the account 
given in Genesis is widely different. There was no 
divorce between Eve and Adam; nor did fe or his 
family practise polygamy. But our Lord, by the begin- 
ning, May mean the original intention or design. 

Verse 9. Except it be for fornication] See on chap. 
ν. 33. The decision of our Lord must be very un- 
pleasant to these men: the reason why they wished to 
put away their wives was, that they might take others 
whom they liked better; but our Lord here declares 
that they could not be remarried while the divorced 
person was alive, and that those who did marry, during 
the life of the divoreed, were adulterers; and heavy 
judgments were denounced, in their law, against such : 
and as the question was not settled by the schools of 
Shammai and Hillel, so as to ground national practice 
on it ; therefore they were obliged to abide by the pos2- 
tive declaration of the law, as it was popularly under- 
stood, till these eminent schools had proved the word 
had another meaning. ‘The grand subject of dispute 
between the two schools, mentioned above, was the 
word in Deut. xxiv. 1, When a man hath taken a wife 
—and she find no grace in his sight, because of some 
UNCLEANNEsS, N11) eruath :—this the school of Sham- 
mai held to mean whoredom or adultery; but the 
school of Hillel maintained that it signified any corporeal 
defect, which rendered the person deformed, ox any bad 
temper which made the husband’s life uncomfortable. 
Any of the latter a good man might bear with ; but it 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Israelites to divorce their wwes. 


isndisei im, A.M. 4033, 
10 His disciples say unto him, 4," 3 


» Tf the case of the man be so with An. Olymp. 
his wife, it is not good to marry. —_ 

11 But he said unto them, * All men cannot 
receive this saying, save they to whom it is 
given. 

12 For there are some eunuchs, which were 
so born from their mother’s womb: and there 
are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs 


hGen. ii. 18; Prov. xxi. 9, 19; 1 Cor. vii. 29, 40——i1 Cor. 
vil. 2, 7, 9, 17. 


put away the wife on ¢hese accounts, merely to save 
her from cruel usage. 

In this discourse, our Lord shows that marriage, 
(except in one case,) is indissoluble, and should be so : 
Ist, By Divine institution, ver. 4. 2dly, By express 
commandment, ver. 5. 3dly, Because the married 
couple become one and the same person, ver. 6. 4thly, 
By the example of the first pair, ver. 8; and 5thly. 
Because of the evil consequent on separation, ver. 9. 
The importance of this subject will, I hope, vindicate 
or excuse, the length of these notes. 

Verse 10. If the case of the man] Tov ἀνθρωπου, 
of a husband, so 1 think the word should be translated 
here. The Codex Beza, Armenian, and most of the 
Ttala, have τοῦ avdpoc, which, perhaps, more properly 
signifies a husband, though both words are used in this 
sense. 

Our word husband comes from the Anglo-Saxon. 
hus and band: the bond of the house, anciently spelt 
housebond,—so in my old MS. Bible. It is a lament- 
able case when the husband, instead of being the bond 
and union of the family, scatters and ruins it by dissi- 
pation, riot, and excess. 

It is not good to marry.| That is, if a man have 
not the liberty to put away his wife when she is dis- 
pleasing to him. God had said, Gen. ii. 18, It is not 
good for man to be alone, i. e. unmarried. The dis- 
ciples seem to say, that if the husband have not the 
power to divorce his wife when she is displeasing to 
him, it is not good for him to marry. Here was a flat 
contradiction to the decision of the Creator. There are 
difficulties and trials in all states; but let marriage 
and celibacy be weighed fairly, and I am persuaded the 
former will be found to have fewer than the latter. 
However, before we enter into an engagement which 
nothing but death can dissolve, we had need to act 
cautiously, carefully consulting the will and word of 
God. Where an unbridled passion, or a base love of 
money, lead the way, marriage is sure to be miserable 

Verse 11. All—cannot recewe this saying] A very 
wise answer, and welt suited to the present circum 
stances of the disciples. Nezther of the states is con- 
demned. If thou marry, thou dost well—this is 
according to the order, will, and commandment of God. 
But if thou do not marry, (because of the present 
necessity, persecution, worldly embarrassments, or 
bodily infirmity,) thou dost better. See 1 Cor. vii. 25. 

Verse 12. Eunuchs] Evvovyoc, from εὐνὴν ἔχειν, to 
have the care of the bed or bedchamber ; this being the 


appears that Moses permitted the offended husband to ; principal employment of ewnuchs in the eastern coun- 


190 


1 


Little children 


A.M.4033. of men: and * there be eunuchs, 


An. Qlymp. which have made themselves eu- 
——_ nuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s 
sake. He that is able to receive zt, let him 
receive vt. 

13 4 ° Then were there brought unto him 
little children, that he should put Ais hands on 
them, and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and 


Κ] Cor. vii. 32, 34; ix. 5, 15 ——! Mark x. 13; Luke xviii. 15. 


tries, particularly in the apartments of queens and prin- 
cesses. These are they whom our Lord says are 
made eunuchs by men, merely for the above purpose. 

So born from their mother’s womb] Such as are 
naturally incapable of marriage, and consequently 
should not contract any. 

For the kingdom of heaven’s sake.] 1 believe our 
Lord here alludes to the case of the Essrnes, one of 
the most holy and pure sects among the Jews. These 
abstained from all commerce with women, hoping 
thereby to acquire a greater degree of purity, and be 
better fitted for the kingdom of God: children they 
had none of their own, but constantly adopted those of 
poor people, and brought them up in their own way. 
Puito, Josepuus, and Puiny have largely described 
this very singular sect; and Dean Pripeavx, with his 
usual fidelity and perspicuity, has given the substance 
or what each has said. Connex. vol. iii. p. 483, &c.; 
edit. 1725. The account is very interesting, and well 
worthy the attention of every Christian. Among the 


rabbins we find these different kinds of eunuchs, not | 


only mentioned, but circumstantially described, 77M Ὁ 
saris chama, eunuchs of the sun, i. e. eunuchs by the 
hand of God; men born impotent. DIN DD saris 
Adam, eunuchs of men, those who were castrated. 
And they add a third sort; those who make themselves 


zunuchs, abstain from marriage, &c., that they may 


awe themselves up to the study of the Divine law. 
See many examples in Schoettgen. 

He that is able to recewe] Xopew χωρειτω. These 
words are variously translated : he who can take, let 
him take it; comprehend, let him comprehend it: 
admit, \et him admit it. The meaning seems to be, 
Let the man who feels himself capadle of embracing 
this way of life, embrace it; but none can do it but 
he to whom it is given, who has it as a gift from his 
mother’s womb. 

The great OriGen, understanding the latter clause 
of this verse (which I have applied to the Essenes) 
literallyj—O human weakness !—went, and literally 
fulfilled it on himself! 

Verse 13. Then were there brought unto him little 


children] These are termed by Luke, chap. xviii. 15, | 


τα 3pedn, infants, very young children; and it was on 
this account, probably, that the disciples rebuked the 
parents, thinking them too young to receive good. 
See on Mark x. 16. 

That he should put his hands] It was a common 
custom among the Jews to lay their hands on the heads 
of those whom they blessed, or for whom they prayed. 

1 


CHAP. XIX. 


brought to Christ 
forbid them not, to come unto me; 4, M; 4033. 


for ™of such is the kingdom of Ἐπὶ Geet 
heaven. = 

15 And he laid Ais hands on them, and de- 
parted thence. 

16 1" And behold, one came and said 
unto him, ° Good Master, what good 
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal 
life ? 


m Chap. xviii. 3——" Mark x. 17; Luke xviii. 18——» Luke x. 25, 
This seems to have been done by way of dedication or 
consecration to God—the person being considered as 
the sacred property of God ever after. Often God 
added a testimony of his approbation, by communicat- 
ing some extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit. 
This rite has been long practised among Christians, 
when persons are appointed to any sacred office. But 
this consecration of children to God seems to have 
grown out of use. It is no wonder that the great mass 
of children are so wicked, when so few are put under 
| the care of Christ by humble, praying, believing parents. 
Let every parent that fears God bring up his children 
in that fear; and, by baptism, let each be dedicated to 
the holy trinity. Whatever is solemnly consecrated 
to God abides under his protection and blessing. 

Verse 14. Of such is the kingdom of heaven. Or, 
the kingdom of heaven is composed of such. This ap- 
pears to be the best sense of the passage, and utterly 
ruins the whole inhuman diabolic system of what is 
called non-elect infants’ damnation; a doctrine which 
must have sprung from Moloch, and can only be de- 
fended by a heart in which he dwells. A great part 
of God’s kingdom is composed of such literally ; and 
those only who resemble little children shall be received 
into it: see on chap. xviii. 3. Christ loves little chil- 
dren because he loves simplicity and innocence ; he 
has sanctified their very age by passing through it him- 
self—the holy Jesus was once a little child. 

Verse 15. He—departed thence.| That is, from 
that part of Judea which was beyond Jordan, ver. 1; 
and then went to Jericho. See chap. xx. 29. 

Verse 16. One came] Instead of εἰς one, several 
MSS., the Slavonic version, and Hilary, read νεανίσκος 
Tic, a certain young man. 

Good, &c.} Much instruction may be had from 
' seriously attending to the conduct, spirit, and question 
|of this person. 1. He came running, (Mark x. 17.) 

for he was deeply convinced of the importance of his 

business, and seriously determined to seek so as to find. 
| 2. He kneeled, or caught him by the knees, thus 
| evidencing his Awmility, and addressing himself only 
to mercy. See chap. xvii. 14. 

3. He came in the spirit of a disciple, or scholar, 
desiring to be taught a matter of the utmost importance 
| to him—Good teacher. 

4. He came in the spirit of obedience ; he had work- 
ed hard to no purpose, and he is still willing to work, 
provided he can have a prospect of succeeding— λας 
good thing shall I do? 

5. His question was the most interesting and im- 

191 


Ϊ 
Ϊ 


The question of the 


A. M. 4033. : : 
Ar 4033. 17 And he said unto him, Why 


ἊΝ ae callest thou me good? there is none 

good but one, that is God: but if 

thou wilt enter into life, keep the command- 
ments. 

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, 

P Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not com- 


ST. MATTHEW. 


oung man answered. 
δ 


mit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, 
Thou shalt not bear false wit- An. Olymp. 
CCIE 1 

ness, ΒΞ ie τ. 
19 4 Honour thy father and thy mother: 
and, *Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 
thyself. 

20 The young man saith unto him, All these 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. 


P Exod. xx. 13; Deut. v. 17——4 Chap. xv. 4 Lev. xix. 


portant that any soul can ask of God—How shall I be 
saved ? 

Verse 17. Why callest thou me good?| Or, Why 
dost thou question me concerning that good thing? τι 
pe ἐρωτας περι Tov ayafov. This important reading is 
found in BDL, three others, the Coptic, Sahidic, Ar- 
menian, Ethiopic, latter Syriac, Vulgate, Saxon, all 
the Itala but one, Origen, Eusebius, Cyril, Dionysius 
Areop., Antiochus, Novatian, Jerome, Augustin, and 
Juvencus. Erasmus, Grotius, Mill, and Bengel ap- 
prove of this reading. This authority appears so de- 
cisive to Griesbach that he has received this reading 
into the text of his second edition, which in the first 
he had interlined. And instead of, None is good but 
the one God, he goes on to read, on nearly the same 
respectable authorities, εἰς ecu o ayaboc, There is one 
who is good. Let it be observed also that, in the 16th 
verse, instead of διδασκαλε ayabe, good teacher, διδασ- 
καλὲ only is read by BDL, one other, one Evangelist- 
arium, the Ethiopic, three of the Itala, Origen, and 
Hilary. The whole passage therefore may be read 
thus: O teacher! what good thing shall I do that I 
may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why 
dost thou question me concerning that good thing? 
There is one that is good. (Or he whois good is one.) 
But if thou art willing to enter into that life, keep the 
commandments. This passage, as it stood in the com- 
mon editions, has been considered by some writers as 
an incontrovertible proof against the Divinity or God- 
head of Christ. A very learned person, in his note 
on this place, thus coneludes concerning it: ‘“ There- 
fore our Saviour cannot be Gop: and the notion of, I 
know not what, a ¢rinity in unity, THREE Gods in ong, 
is here proved beyond all controversy, by the unequi- 
vocal declaration of Jesus Curist HIMSELF, to be ER- 
RONEous and impossiBLE.” Not so. One of the great- 
est critics in Europe, not at all partial to the Godhead 
of Christ, has admitted the above readings into his text, 
on evidence which he judged to be unexceptionable. 
Tf they be the true readings, they destroy the whole 
doctrine built on this text; and indeed the utmost that 
the enemies of the trinitarian doctrine can now expect 
from their formidable opponents, concerning this text, 
is to leave it neuter. 

Keep the commandments.| From this we may learn 
that God’s great design, in giving his law to the Jews, 
was to lead them to the expectation and enjoyment of 
eternal life. But as all the law referred to Christ, and 
he became the end of the law for righteousness (justi- 
fication) to all that believe, so he is to be received, in 
order to have the end accomplished which the law 
pioposed, 

Verse 18, Thou shalt do no murder, ge.) But 

192 


18; chap. xxii. 39; Rom. xiii. 9; Gal. ν. 14; Jamea ii. 8. 


some say these commandments are not binding on us. 
Vain, deceived men! Can a murderer, an adulterer, 
a thief, and a liar enter into eternal life? No. The 
God of purity and justice has forbidden it. But we 
are not to keep these commandments in order to pur- 
chase eternal life. Right. Neither Jesus Christ, nor 
his genuine messengers, say you are. ‘To save your 
souls, Christ must save you from your sins, and enable 
you to walk before him in newness of life. 

Verse 19. Honour thy father and thy mother] Σου 
thy, is omitted by almost every MS. of respectability. 

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.| Self-love, 
as it is generally called, has been grievously declaimed 
against, even by religious people, as a most pernicious 
and dreadful evil. But they have not understood the 
subject on which they spoke. They have denominated 
that intense propensity which unregenerate men feel 
to gratify their carnal appetites and vicious passions, 
self-love ; whereas it might be more properly termed 
self-hatred or self-murder. If I am to love my neigh- 
bour as myself, and this “love worketh no ill to its 
neighbour,” then se/f-love, in the sense in which our 
Lord uses it, is something excellent. It is properly a 
disposition essential to our nature, and inseparable from 
our being, by which we desire to be happy, by which 
we seek the happiness we have not, and rejoice in it 
when we possess it. In a word, it is a uniform wish 
of the soul to avoid all evil, and to enjoy all good. 
Therefore, he who is wholly governed by se/f-love, pro- 
perly and Seripturally speaking, will devote his whole 
soul to God, and earnestly and constantly seek all his 
peace, happiness, and salvation in the enjoyment of 
God. But self-love cannot make me happy. I am 
only the subject which receives the happiness, but am 
not the odject that constitutes this happiness; for it is 
ihat eject, properly speaking, that I love, and love not 
only for its own sake, but also for the sake of the hap- 
piness which I enjoy through it. ‘No man,” saith 
the apostle, “ ever hated his own flesh.” But he that 
sinneth against God wrongeth his own soul, both of 
present and eternal salvation, and is so far from being 
governed by self-love that he is the implacable enemy 
of his best and dearest interests in both worlds. 

Verse 20. All these have I kept] I have made these 
precepts the rule of my life. There is a difference 
worthy of notice between this and our Lord’s word. 
He says, ver. 17, typycov, keep, earnestly, diligently, 
as with watch and ward; probably referring not only 
to the letter but to the spirit. The young man mo- 
destly says, all these (εφυλαξα) have I observed; I 
have paid attention to, and endeavoured to regulate my 
conduct by them. I have sept them in custody. 

From my youth] Several MSS., versions, and fa- 


lt rs dofficult for a rich 


A.M. 4083. things have I kept from my youth 


Ais, Ciymp. up: what lack I yet? 
= 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou 
wilt be perfect, * go and sell that thou hast, 
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have 
treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 
22 But when the young man heard that 
saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had 
great possessions. 
23 9 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 


sChap. vi. 20; Luke xii. 33; xvi. 9; Acts ii. 45; iv. 31, 35; 
1 Tim. vi. 18, 19. 


thers, leave out these words. Grotius and Mill approve 
of the omission, and Griesbach leaves them in the text 
with a note of suspicion. Perhaps the young man 
meant no more than that he had in general observed 
them, and considered them of continual obligation. 

What lack I yet?) He felt a troubled conscience, 
and a mind unassured of the approbation of God; and 
he clearly perceived that something was wanting to 
make him truly happy. 

Verse 21. If thou wilt be perfect] Tedewoc εἰναι, 
To be complete, to have the business finished, and all 
hinderances to thy salvation removed, go and sell that 
thou hast—go and dispose of thy possessions, to which 
it is evident his heart was too much attached, and give 
to the poor—for thy goods will be a continual snare to 
thee if thou keep them; and thou shalt have treasure 
tn heaven—the loss, if it can be called such, shall be 
made amply up to thee in that eternal life about which 
thou inquirest; and come and follow me—be my dis- 
ciple, and I will appoint thee to preach the kingdom 
of God to others. This was the usual call which 
Christ gave to his disciples. See Matt. iv. 19; viii. 
22; ix. 9; Mark ii. 14; and it is pretty evident, from 
this, that he intended to make him a preacher of his 
salvation. How many, by their attachment to filthy 
lucre, have lost the honour of becoming or continuing 
ambassadors for the Most High! See on Mark x. 21. 

Verse 22. Went away sorrowful] Men undergo 
great agony of mind while they are in suspense be- 
tween the love of the world and the love of their souls. 
When the first absolutely predominates, then they 
enjoy a factitious rest through a false peace: when 
the latter has the upper hand, then they possess true 
tranquillity of mind, through that peace of God that 
passeth knowledge. 

He had great possessions.| And what were these 
in comparison of peace of conscience, and mental rest? 
Besides, he had unequivocal proof that these contri- 
buted nothing to his comfort, for he is now miserable 
even while he possesses them! And so will every 
soul be, who puts worldly good in the place of the su- 
preme God. See on Mark x. 22. 

Verse 23. A rich man shall hardly enter] That 
is, into the spirit and privileges of the Gospel in this 
world, and through them into the kingdom of glory. 
Earthly riches are a great obstacle to salvation ; be- 


CHAP. XIX. 


man to enter into heaven. 


Verily 1 say unto you, That ta 4, “nae 
rich man shall hardly enter into the An. Olymp. 
kingdom of heaven. SEE ΡΝ 

24 And again 1 say unto you, It is easier 
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, 
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom 
of God. 

25 When his disciples heard it, they were 
exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be 
saved ? 


‘Chap. xiii. 22; Mark x. 24; 
vi. 9, 10 


1 Cor. i. 26; 1 Tim. 


world have not the love of the Father inthem. 1 John 
ii. 15. Τὸ be rich, therefore, is in general a great 
misfortune : but what rich man can be convinced of 
thist It is only God himself who, by a miracle of 
mercy, can do this. Christ himself affirms the diffi 
culty of the salvation of a rich man, with an oath, ve 
rily ; but who of the rich either hears or believes him! 

Verse 24. A camel] Instead of καμηλον, camel, 
six MSS. read καμιλον, cable, a mere gloss inserted 
by some who did not know that the other was a pro- 
verb common enough among the people of the east. 

There is an expression similar to this in the Koran. 
‘©The impious, who in his arrogance shall accuse our 
doctrine of falsity, shall find the gates of heaven shut : 
nor shall he enter there tl a camel shall pass through 
the eye of a needle. It is thus that we shall recom- 
pense the wicked.” 47 Koran. Surat vii. ver. 37. 

It was also a mode of expression common among 
the Jews, and signified a thing impossible. Hence 
this proverb: A camel in Media dances in a cabe; a 
measure which held about three pints. Again, No 
man sees a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant passing 
through the eye of a needle. Because these are im- 
possible things. ‘“ Rabbi Shesheth answered Rabbi 
Amram, who had advanced an absurdity, Perhaps thou 
art one of the Pambidithians who can make an elephant 
pass through the eye of a needle; that is, says the 
Aruch, ‘who speak things impossible.” See Lightfoot 
and Schoettgen on this place. 

Go through] But instead of διελθειν, about eighty 
MSS. with several versions and fathers, have εἰσεθειν. 
to enter in; but the difference is of little importance 
in an English translation, though of some consequence 
to the elegance of the Greek text. 

Verse 25. Who can be saved?] The question of 
the disciples seemed to intimate that most people were 
rich, and that therefore scarcely any could be saved. 
They certainly must have attached a different mean- 
ing to what constitutes a rich man, to what we in ge- 
neral do. Who is a rich man in our Lord’s sense of 
the word? This is a very important question, and 
has not, that I know of, been explicitly answered. A 
rich man, in my opinion, is not one who has so many 
hundreds or thousands more than some of his neigh- 
bours; but is one who gets more than is necessary to 
supply all his own wants, and those of his household, 


cause it is almost impossible to possess them, and not | and Keeps the residue still to himself, though the poor 
to set the heart upon them; and they who love the |are starving through lack of the necessaries of life 


Vou. 1. (4 13 ) 


193 


The reward of those 


A. aban 26 But Jesus beheld them, and 


said unto them, With men this is 


but "with God all 


— impossible ; 
things are possible. 
27 9 ¥ Then answered Peter and said unto 
him, Behold, * we have forsaken all, and fol- 
lowed thee ; what shall we have therefore 7 
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say 
unto you, That ye which have followed me, 
in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall 


uGen. xvili. 14; Job xlii. 2; Jer. xxxii. 17; Zech. viii. 6; 
Luke i. 37 ; xviii. 27. VY Mark x. 28; Luke xviii. 28.——w Deut. 
xxxili. 9; chap. iv. 20; Luke v. 11. 


In a word, he is a man who gets all he can, saves all 
he can, and keeps all he has gotten. Speak, reason! 
Speak, conscience! (for God has already spoken) 
Can such a person enter into the kingdom of God? 
ALE, NOW! 

Verse 26. With men this is impossible] God alone 
can take the love of the world out of the human heart. 
Therefore the salvation of the rich is represented as 
possible only to him: and indeed the words seem to 
intimate, that it requires more than common exertions 
of Omnipotence to save a rich man. 

Verse 27. We have forsaken all] ‘A poor all,” 
says one, “a parcel of rotten nets.” No matter— 
they were their atu, whether rotten or sound; be- 
sides, they were the all they got their bread by; and 
such an all as was quite sufficient for that purpose : 
and let it be observed, that that man forsakes much 
who reserves nothing to himself, and renounces all 
expectations from this world, taking God alone for his 
portion. See chap. iv. 20. 

To forsake all, without following Christ, is the vir- 
tue of a philosopher. Τὸ follow Christ in profession, 
without forsaking all, is the state of the generality of 
Christians. But to follow Christ and forsake all, is 
the perfection of a Christian. 

What shall we have therefore ?] Tu apa ecar nur, 
What reward shall we get? This Kypke proves to 
be the meaning of the words from some of the best 
Greek writers. 

Verse 28. Ye which have followed me, in the rege- 
neration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne 
of his glory, &c.| The punctuation which I have ob- 
served here, is that which is followed by the most 
eminent critics: the regeneration is thus referred to 
the time when Jesus shall sit on the throne of his 
glory, and not to the time of following him, which is 
utterly improper. 

The regeneration, παλιγγενεσια. Some refer this 
to the time in which the new heavens and the new 
earth shall be created, and the soul and body united. 
The Pythagoreans termed that παλιγγενεσια, when, 
according to their doctrine of the transmigration or 
metempsychosis, the scul entered into a new body, 
and got into a new stale of being. Clement, in his 
Epistle to the Corinthians, calls the restoration of the 
world, after the deluge, by the same name. 

Judging the twelve tribes] From the parallel place, 

194 


ST. MATTHEW. 


who follow Christ. 


δ ἃ : A. Μ. 4033 
sit in the throne of his glory, * ye Wan oe 


also shall sit upon twelve thrones, An. Ohman 
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. : 

29 ¥ And every one that hath forsaken 
houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my 
name’s sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and 
shall inherit everlasting life. 

30 * But many that are first shall be last ; 
and the last shall be first. 


* Chap. xx. 21; Luke xxii. 28, 29, 30; 1 Cor. vi. 2,3; Rev. 
li. 26. y Mark x. 29, 30; Luke xviii. 29, 30.— Chap. Xx. 
16; xxi. 31, 32; Mark x. 31; Luke xiii. 30. 


Luke xxii. 28-30, it is evident that sitting on thrones, 
and judging the twelve tribes, means simply obtaining 
eternal salvation, and the distinguishing privileges of 
the kingdom of glory, by those who continued faithful 
to Christ in his sufferings and death. 

Judging, κρίνοντες. Kypke has shown that κρινεσθαε 
is to be understood in the sense of governing, presid- 
ing, holding the first or most distinguished place.— 
Thus, Gen. xlix. 16, Dan shall rupee his people, i. 6. 
shall preside in, or rule over them; shall occupy a 
chief place among the tribes. It is well known that 
the Judges among the Jews were moderators, captains, 
chief, or head men. The sense therefore of our Lord’s 
words appears to be, that these disciples should have 
those distinguished seats in glory which seem to belong 
peculiarly to the first confessors and martyrs. See 
1 Thess. iv. 14, 16, and particularly Rey. xx. 4-6. 

The last-quoted passage brings into view the doc- 
trine of the Millennium, when Jesus, after having form- 
ed the new heavens and the new earth, shall reign here 
gloriously among his ancients 365,000 years; for the 
thousand years referred to above are certainly pro- 
phetical years, in which, it is well known, each day 
stands for a year. 

Others, of no mean note, are of opinion that the re 
generation means the conversion of men by the preach 
ing of the Gospel—that sitting on twelve thrones sig 
nifies the state of eminent dignity to which the apos- 
tles should be raised—and that judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel, means no more than exercising autho- 
rity in the Church, and dispensing Jaws to the people 
of God. But I confess I do not see the propriety of 
this application of the terms, as the following verse 
seems to fix the meaning mentioned above. 

Verse 29. Shall receive a hundredfold| Viz. in 
this life, in value, though perhaps not in kind; and in 
the world to come everlasting life. A glorious portion 
for a persevering believer! The fulness of Grace 
here, and the fulness of GLory hereafter! See on 
Mark x. 30. 

Verse 30. But many that are first, &c.] The 
Jews, who have been the first and most distinguished 
people of God, will in general reject the Gospel of my 
grace, and be consequently rejected by me. The Gen- 
tiles, who have had no name among the living, shall 
be brought to the knowledge of the truth, and become 
the first, the chief, and most exalted people of God. 

Cis) 


Parable of the labourers 
That this prediction of our Lord has been Literally 


fulfilled, the present state of the Christian and Jewish 


Churches sufficiently proves. ΤῸ illustrate this fully, 
and to demonstrate that the Jews and Gentiles were 


CHAP. XX. 


in the vineyard, 


now put on an egual footing by the Gospel, our Lord 
speaks the following parable, which has been unhap- 
pily divided from its connection by making it the be- 
ginning of a new chapter. 


CHAPTER XX. 


The similitude of the householder hiring labourers into his vineyard, to show that the Gentiles should be pre- 
ferred to the Jews, according to what was hinted at the close of the last chapter, 1-16. On the way going 


up to Jerusalem he predicts his sufferings and death, 17-19. 
Christ, by his answer, shows that sufferings, not worldly honours, are 


dignities for her sons, 20, 21. 


The mother of Zebedee’s children requests 


to be the lot of his most faithful followers, and that seats in glory can be given only to those who are pre- 


pared for them, 22, 23. 


From this our Lord takes occasion to teach the necessity of humility, and to 
show that those who wished to be chief must be servants of all, 24-28. 


On his coming to Jericho, he re- 


stores sight to two blind men, who, being restored, follow him, 29-34. 


A. M. 4033. 


nan OR the kingdom of heaven is 
An. Olymp. like unto a man that is a 
CCIL 1. 


* householder, which went out early 
in the morning to hire labourers into his 
vineyard, 

2 And when he had agreed with the Ja- 
bourers for a ἢ penny a day, he sent them into 
his vineyard. 

3 And he went out about the ¢ third hour, 
and saw others standing idle in the market-place, 

4 And said unto them: Go ye also into the 
vineyard, ‘and whatsoever is right I will 


«Chap. xiii. 27; xviii. 23; xxi. 28; John xv. 1; Isa. v. 
1-7; Jer. ii. 21——> The Roman penny is the eighth part 
of an ounce, which, after five shillings the ounce, is seven- 


NOTES ON CHAP. XX. 

Verse 1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a 
man—a householder] The very commencement of this 
chapter shows it to be connected with the preceding. 
The manner of God’s proceeding under the Gospel 
dispensation resembles a householder, who went out at 
day break, ava πρωι, together with the morning; as 
the light began to go out of its chambers in the east, 
so he went out of his bed-room to employ labourers, 
that they might cultivate his vineyard. This was what 
was called, among the Jews and Romans, the first hour; 
answering to six o’clock in the morning. 

To hire labourers] Some workmen, τῶν spyatav— 
for he had not got all that was necessary, because we 
find him going out at other hours to hire more. 

Verse 2. A penny] A Roman coin, as noted before, 
chap. xviii. 28, worth about seven-pence halfpenny or 
seven-pence three farthings of our money, and equal 
to the Greek drachma. This appears to have been the 
ordinary price of a day’s labour at that time. See 
Tobit, chap. v. 14. In 1351 the price of labour was 
regulated in this country by parliament ; and it is re- 
markable that “corn-weeders and hay-makers, without 
meat, drink, or other courtesy demanded,” were to have 
one penny per day! In 1314 the pay of a chaplain 
to the Scotch bishops, who were then prisoners in 
England, was three halfpence per day. See Fleet- 

1 


: ip A. M. 4033, 
give you. And they went their ΔΑΝ 43 
way. An. Olymp. 


ξ CCI. 1. 
5 Again he went out about the -΄΄ 


sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, 
and found others standing idle, and saith unto 
them, Why stand ye here all the day idle ? 

7 They say unto him, Because no man hath 
hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also 
into the vineyard ; and whatsoever is right, that 
shall ye receive. 

8 So when even was come, the lord of the 
pence halfpenny, chap. xviii. 28; Hebrews iii. 7——* John 


xi. 9. Colossians iv. 1; 1 Corinthians xv. 58; Romans 
vi. 23. 


wood’s Chronicon Precios, p. 123, 129. This was 
miserable wages, though things at that time were so 
cheap that twenty-four eggs were sold for a penny, p. 
72; a pair of shoes for four-pence, p. 71; a fat goose 
for two-pence halfpenny, p. 72; a hen for a penny, p. 
72; eight bushels of wheat for two shillings, anda fat 
ox for six shillings and eight-pence! Ibid. In 1336, 
wheat per quarter, 2s.; a fat sheep 6d.; fat goose, 2d. ; 
and a pig, 1d., p. 75. 

Verse 3. The third hour] Nine o'clock in the 
morning. 

Market-place] Where labourers usually stood till 
they were hired. I have often seen labourers standing 
in the market places of large towns in these countries, 
waiting to be employed. 

Verse 5. The sixth hour] Twelve o'clock. 
hour—three o’clock in the afternoon. 

Verse 6. Eleventh] Five o'clock in the evening, 
when there was only one hour before the end of the 
Jewish day, which, in matters of labour, closed at szx. 

Verse 7. No man hath hired us.] This was the 
reason why they were all the day idle. 

And whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.| Ye 
may expect payment in proportion to your /abour, and 
the time ye spend in it ; but this clause is wanting in 
some of the best MSS., versions, and fathers. 

Verse 8. When the even was come] Six o'clock, the 

195 


Ninth 


The reward gwen 


A. ee 4033. vineyard saith unto his steward, Call 


ἊΣ ΤΣ the labourers, and give them their 
hire, beginning from the last unto 
the first. 

9 And when they came that were hired about 
the eleventh hour, they received every man a 
penny. 

10 But when the first came, they supposed 
that they should have received more ; and they 
likewise received every man a penny. 

11 And when they had received zt, they 
murmured against the good man of the house, 

12 Saying, These last * have wrought but 


ST. MATTHEW. 


to those labourers. 


one hour, and thou hast made them 4, M. 4033. 


equal unto us, which have borne the 
burden and heat of the day. 

13 But he answered one of them, and said, 
Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thon 
agree with me for a penny ? 

14 Take that thine is, and go thy way :: ~ 
will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 

15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I will 
with mine own? 8 Is thine eye evil, because 
I am good? 

16 "So the last shall be first, and the first 
last: ? for many be called, but few chosen. 


© Or, have continued one hour only—— Rom. ix. 21.——4 Deut. xv. 


9; Prov. xxiii. 6 ; chap. vi. 23——+ Ch. xix. 30.— Ch. xxii. 14, 


time they ceased from labour, and the workmen came 
to receive their wages. 

Steward] Exttpwroc. A manager of the household 
concerns under the master. ‘The rabbinical writers 
use the very same word, in Hebrew letters, for the 
same office, DID1WW"SN epitropos. See Kypke. 

Verse 11. They murmured] The Jews made the 
preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles, a pretence 
why they should reject that Gospel; as they fondly 
imagined they were, and’should be, the sole objects of 
the Divine approbation. How they murmured because 
the Gentiles were made partakers of the kingdom of 
God; see Acts xi. 1, &c., and xv. 1, ὅσ. 

There are many similitudes of this kind among the 
Jews, where the principal part even of the phraseology 
of our Lord’s parable may be found. Several of them 
may be seen in Schoettgen. Our Lord, however, as 
in all other cases, has greatly improved the language, 
scope, design, and point of the similitude. He was, 
in all cases, an eminent master of the sentences. 

Verse 13. Friend, I do thee no wrong] 'The salva- 
tion of the Gentiles can in itself become no impedi- 
ment to the Jews; there is the same Jesus both for 
the Jew and for the Greek. Eternal life is offered to 
both throuch the blood of the cross; and there is room 
enough in heaven for all. 

Verse 15. Is it not lawful for me] As eternal life 
is the free gift of God, he has a right to give it in 
whatever proportions, at whatever times, and on what- 
ever conditions he pleases. 

Is thine eye evil] An evil eye among the Jews 
meant a malicious, covetous, or envious person. 

Most commentators have different methods of inter- 
preting this parable. Something was undoubtedly de- 
signed by its principal parts, besides the scope and 
design mentioned at the conclusion of the last chapter. 
The following, which is taken principally from the very 
pious Quesnel, may render it as useful to the reader 
as any thing else that has been written on it. 

The Church is a vineyard, because it is a place of 
labour, where no man should be idle. Each of us is 
engaged to Jabour in this vineyard—to work out our 
salvation through him who worketh in us to will and 
to perform. Life is but a day, whereof childhood, or 
the first use of reason, is the day-break or first hour, 
verse 1, in which we receive the first CALL. 

196 


The promise of the kingdom of glory is given to 
all those who are workers together with him, ver. 2. 

The second call is in the time of youth, which is most 
commonly idle, or only employed in dissipation and 
worldly cares, ver. 3. 

The third call is at the age of manhood. 

The fourth, in the decline of life, ver. 5. 

The fifth, when sickness and the infirmities of life 
press upon us. How many are there in the world who 
are just ready to leave it, before they properly consider 
for what end they were brought into it! Still adle. 
still unemployed in the things which concern their 
souls; though eternal life is offered to them, and hell 
moving from beneath to meet them! ver. 6. 

Others consider the morning the first dawn of the 
Gospel ; and the first call to be the preaching of Johr 
Baptist. 

The second call, the public preaching of our Lorn; 
and that of the apostles when they got an especial 
commission to the Jews, chap. x. 5, 6, together with 
that of the seventy disciples mentioned Luke x. 1. 

The third call, which was at mid-day, represents the 
preaching of the fulness of the Gospel after the ascen- 
sion of Christ, which was the meridian of evangelic 
glory and excellence. 

The fourth call represents the mission of the apos- 
tles to the various synagogues of the Jews, in every part 
of the world where they were scattered ; the history of 
which is particularly given in the Acts of the Apostles. 

The fifth call, or eleventh hour, represents the ge- 
neral call of the Gentiles into the Church of Christ, 
when the unbelieving Jews were finally rejected. 
What makes this interpretation the more likely is, that 
the persons who are addressed at ver. 7, say, No man 
hath hired us, i. e. We never heard the voice of a 
prophet announcing the true God, nor of an apostle 
preaching the Lord Jesus, intil now. The Jews could 
not use this as an argument for their carelessness abou’ 
their eternal interests. 

Verse 16. So the last shall be first, and the first 
last) The Grentites, who have been Jong without the 
true God, shall now enjoy all the privileges of the new 
covenant ; and the Jews, who have enjoyed these from 
the beginning, shall now be dispossessed of them; for, 
because they have rejected the Lord, he also hath re- 
jected them. 

1 


Christ foretells his 


A-M4033. 17 1 * And Jesus going up to 


An. Olymp. Jerusalem took the twelve disciples 
CCIL1. 3 , 
apart in the way, and said unto them, 
18 1 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and 
the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the 
chief priests and unto the scribes, and they 
shall condemn him to death, 
19 ™ And shall deliver him to the Gentiles 


* Mark x. 32; Luke xviii. 31; 


xvi. 21. 


John xii. 12.——! Chap. 


Many are called, 5.1 This clause is wanting in 
BL, one other, and in the Coptic and Sahidic ver- 
sions. Bishop Pearce thinks it is an interpolation 
from chap. xxii. 14. The simple meaning seems to 


be: As those who did not come at the invitation of 


the householder to work in the vineyard did not re- 
ceive the denarius, or wages, so those who do not 
obey the call of the Gospel, and believe in Christ Jesus, 
shall not inherit eternal life. 

This place seems to refer to the ancient Roman 
eustom of recruiting their armies. Among this cele- 
brated people, no one was forced to serve his country 
in a military capacity; and it was the highest honour 
to be deemed worthy of thus serving it. The youth 
were instructed, almost from their cradle, in military 
exercises. The Campus Martius was the grand field 
in which they were disciplined: there, they accus- 
tomed themselves to leaping, running, wrestling, bear- 
ing burdens, fencing, throwing the javelin, &c., and 
when, through these violent exercises, they were all 
besmeared with dust and sweat, in order to refresh 
themselves, they swam twice or thrice across the Tyber! 
Rome might at any time have recruited her armies by 
volunteers from such a mass of well-educated, hardy 
soldiers; but she thought proper, to use the words of 
the Abbé Madly, that the honour of being chosen to 
serve in the wars should be the reward of the accom- 
plishments shown by the citizens in the Campus Mar- 
tius, that the soldier should have a reputation to save ; 
and that the regard paid him, in choosing him to serve, 
should be the pledge of his fidelity and zeal to dis- 
charge his duty. The age of serving in the army 
was from seventeen to forty-five, and the manner in 
which they were chosen was the following :— 

After the creation of consuls, they every year named 
twenty-four military tribunes, part of whom must have 
served five years at least, and the rest eleven. When 
they had divided among them the command of the 
four legions to be formed, the consuls swmmoned to 
the capitol, or Campus Martius, all the citizens who, 
by their age, were obliged to bear arms. They drew 
up by tribes, and lots were drawn to determine in what 
order every tribe should present its soldiers. That 
which was the first in order chose the four citizens 
who were judged the most proper to serve in the war; 
and the six tribunes who commanded the first legion 
chose one of these four, whom they liked best. The 
tribunes of the second and third likewise made their 
choice one after another ; and he that remained entered 
into the fourth legion. A new tribe presented other 
four soldiers, and the second legion chose first. The 

1 


CHAP. XX. 


sufferings and death. 


to mock, and to scourge, and to 4,™, 4035. 
crucify him: and the third day he Any Gimp. 
shall rise again. ΞΕ ΟΣ 

20 Ἵ "Then came to him the mother of 
° Zebedee’s children with her sons, worship- 
ping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 

21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? 
She saith unto him, Grant that these my two 


m Chap. xxvii. 2; Mark xv. 1, 16, &c. ; Luke xxiii. 1; John xviii. 
28, &c.; Acts 111. 13, Ὁ Mark x. 35, © Chap. iv. 21. 


third and fourth legions had the same advantage in 
their turns. In this manner, each tribe successively 
chose four soldiers, till the legions were complete. 
They next proceeded to the creation of subaltern offi- 
cers, whom the tribunes chose from among the soldiers 
of the greatest reputation. When the legions were 
thus completed, the citizens who had been called, but 
not chosen, returned to their respective employments, 
and served their country in other capacities. None 
can suppose that these were deemed useless, or that, 
because not now chosen to serve their country in the 
field, they were proscribed from the rights and privi- 
leges of citizens, much less destroyed, because others 
were found better qualified to serve their country at 
the post of honour and danger. ‘Thus many are called 
by the preaching of the Gospel, but few are found who 
use their advantages in such a way as to become ex- 
tensively useful in the Chureh—and many in the 
Church militant behave so ill as never to be admitted 
into the Church triumphant. But what a mercy that 
those who appear now to be rejected may be called in 
another muster, enrolled, serve in the field, or work 
in the vineyard! How many millions does the long- 
suffering of God lead to repentance ! 

Verse 17. And Jesus going up| From Jericho to 
Jerusalem, chap. xix. 15. 

Verse 18. The Son of man shall be betrayed] Or, 
will be delivered up. ‘This is the third time that our 
Lord informed his disciples of his approaching suffer- 
ings and death. This was a subject of the utmost 
importance, and it was necessary they should be wel’ 
prepared for such an awful event. 

Verse 19. Deliver him to the Gentiles to mock} 
This was done by Herod and his Roman soldiers. See 
Luke xxiii. 11. 

To scourge, and to crucify] This was done by 
Pilate, the Roman governor. The punishment of the 
cross was Roman not Jewish; but the chief priests 
condemned him to it, and the Romans executed the 
sentence. How little did they know that they were, 
by this process, jointly offering up that sacrifice which 
was to make an atonement for the Gentiles and for 
the Jews; an atonement for the sin of the whole 
world! How often may it be literally said, The wrath 
of man shall praise thee! 

Verse 20. The mother of Zebedee’s children] This 
was Salome. 

Verse 21. Grant that these my two sons} James 
and John. See Mark xv. 40. In the preceding chap- 
ter, ver. 28, our Lord had promised his disciples, that 
they should sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve 

197 


The ambition of James 


ACU 401 sons ? may sit, the one on thy right 
ne hand, and the other on the left, in 
——_—— thy kingdom. 

22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know 


not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of 
4the cup that I shall drink of, and to be bap- 
tized with tthe baptism that I am baptized 
with? They say unto him, We are able. 
23 And he saith unto them, * Ye shall drink 


PChap. xix. 28.——4 Chap. xxvi. 39, 42; Mark xiv. 36; Luke 
xxii. 42; John xviii. 11. +r Tuke xii. 50. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and John reproved. 


indeed of my cup, and be baptized 4, M4033. 


with the baptism that I am baptized An. Guar 
with: but to sit on my right hand, : 
and on my left, is not mine to ‘ give, but τῇ 
shall be given to them for whom it is prepared 
of my Father. 

24 "And when the ten heard zt, they were 
moved with indignation against the two brethren. 

25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, 


s Acts xii. 2; Rom. viii. 17; 2 Cor. i. 7; Rev. i. 9. 
xxv. 34. 4 Mark x. 41; Luke xxii. 24, 25. 


* Chap. 


tribes. Salome, probably hearing of this, and under- 
standing it literally, came to request the chief dignities 
in this new government for her sons; and it appears 
it was at their instigation that she made this request, 
for Mark, chap. x. 35, informs us that these brethren 
themselves made the request, i. e. they made it through 
the medium of their mother. 

One on thy right hand, and the other on (ΤΗΥ} left] 
Τ have added te pronoun in the latter clause on the 
authority of almost every MS. and version of repute. 

That the sons of Zebedee wished for ecclesiastical, 
rather than secular honours, may be thought probable, 
from the allusion that is made here to the supreme 
dignities in the great Sanhedrin. The prince of the 
Sanhedrin (Ha-nast) sat in the midst of two rows of 
senators or elders; on his right hand sat the person 
termed Ap (the father of the Sanhedrin ;) and on his 
left hand the Cuacuam, or sage. These persons trans- 
acted all business in the absence of the president. The 
authority of this council was at some periods very great, 
and extended to a multitude of matters both ecclesias- 
tical and civil. These appear to have been the honours 
which James and John sought. They seem to have 
strangely forgot the lesson they had learned from the 
transfiguration. 

Verse 22. Ye know not what ye ask.| How strange 
is the infatuation, in some parents, which leads them 
to desire worldly or ecclesiastical honours for their 
children! He must be much in love with the cross who 
wishes to have his child a minister of the Gospel; for, 
if he be such as God approves of in the work, his life 
will be a life of toil and suffering; he will be obliged 
to sip, at least, if not to drink large’ y, of the cup of 
Christ. Te know not what we ask, when, in getting 
our children into the Cuurcu, we take upon ourselves 
to answer for their caLu to the sacred office, and for 
the salvation of the souls that are put under their care. 
Blind parents! rather let your children beg their bread 
than thrust them into an office to which God has not 
called them ; and in which they will not only ruin their 
souls, but be the means of damnation to hundreds ; for 
if God has not sent them, they shall not profit the people 
at all. 

And to be baptized with the baptism that I am bap- 
tized, &c.] This clause in this, and the neat verse, 
is wanting in BDL, two others, (7 more in ver. 23,) 
Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Mr. Waertock’s Persic, 
Vulgate, Saxon, and all the Itala, except two. Grotius, 
Mill, and Bengel, think it should be omitted, and 

198 


Griesbach has left it out of the text in both his edi 

tions. It is omitted also by Origen, Epiphanius 

Hilary, Jerome, Ambrose, and Juvencus. According 
to the rules laid down by critics to appreciate a false 
or true reading, this clause cannot be considered as 
forming a part of the sacred text. It may be asked, 
Does not drink of my cup, convey the same idea? 
Does the clause add any thing to the perspicuity of 
the passage *? And, though found in many good MSS., 
is not the balance of evidence in point of antiquity 
against it? Baptism among the Jews, as it was per- 
formed in the coldest weather, and the persons were 
kept under water for some time, was used not only to 
express death, but the most cruel kind of death. See 
Lightfoot. As to the term cup, it was a commor. 
figure, by which they expressed calamities, judgments 

desolation, ὅσο. 

They say unto him, We are able.| Strange blind- 
ness! You can? No: one drop of this cup would sink 
you into utter ruin, unless upheld by the power of 
God. However, the man whom God has appointed 
to the work he will preserve in it. 

Verse 23. Is not mine to give, but it shall be given 
to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.| The 
common translation, in which the words, it shall be 
given to them, are interpolated by our translators, ut- 
terly changes and destroys the meaning of the passage. 
It represents Christ (in opposition to the whole Scrip- 
tures) as having nothing to do in the dispensing of 
rewards and punishments; whereas, our Lord only 
intimates that, however partial he may be to these two 
brethren, yet seats in glory can only be given to those 
who are fitted for them. No favour can prevail here ; 
the elevated seat is for him who is filled with the ful- 
ness of God. The true construction of the words is 
this :—ovk ecu ἐμὸν dovvat, αλλ᾽ dic ἡτοιμαςαι ὑπο Tov 
πατρος μου, To sit on my right hand and on my left, 
is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is pre- 
pared of my Father. According to the prediction of 
Christ, these brethren did partake of his afilictions : 
James was martyred by Herod, Acts xii. 2; and John 
was banished to Patmos, for the testimony of Christ, 
Rev. i. 9. 

Verse 24. When the ten heard it, they were moved} 
The ambition which leads to spiritual lordship is one 
great cause of murmurings and animosities in religious 
societies, and has proved the ruin of the mast flourish- 
ing Churches in the universe. 

Verse 25. Exercise domimion—and—erercise Qt 

i 


The necessity 


A. M-4033._ Ye know that the princes of the Gen- 
ie ee tiles exercise dominion over them, 

— and they that are great exercise 
authority upon them. 

26 But vit shall not be so among you: but 
* whosoever will be great among you, let him 
be your minister ; 

27 * And whosoever will be chief among 


ΤΣ] Pet. v. 3—wChap. xxiii. 11; Mark ix. 35; x. 43. 
xChap. xviii. 4. ¥ John xiii. 4. * Phil. ii. 7.—— Luke 
xxii. 27; John xiii. 14. 


thority upon them.] They tyrannized and exercised ar- 
bitrary power over the people. This was certainly 
true of the governments in our Lord’s time, both in 
the east and in the west. I have endeavoured to ex- 
press, as nearly as possible, the meaning of the two 
Greek verbs, κατακυρεευουσιν, and κατεξουσιαζουσιν ; and 
those who understand the genius of the language will 
perceive that I have not exhausted their sense, how- 
ever some may think that no emphasis was intended, 
and that these compound verbs are used for the simple 
κυριευεῖν and εξουσιαζειν. See Wakefield and Rosen- 
muller. 

The government of the Church of Christ is widely 
different from secular governments. It is founded in 
humility and brotherly love: it is derived from Christ, 
the great Head of the Church, and is ever conducted 
by wis maxims and spirit. When political matters are 
brought into the Church of Christ, both are ruined. 
The Church has more than once ruined the State ; the 
State has often corrupted the Church: it is certainly 
for the interests of both to be kept separate. This has 
already been abundantly exemplified in both eases, and 
will continue so to be, over the whole world, wherever 
the Church and State are united in secular matters. 

Verse 26. It shall not be so among you] Every 
kind of lordship and spiritual domination over the 
Church of Christ, like that exercised by the Church of 
Rome, is destructive and anti-christian. 

Your minister] Or, deacon, éiaxovoc. YT know no 
other word which could at once convey the meaning 
of the original, and make a proper distinction between 
it and doviot, or servant, in ver. 27. The office of a 
deacon, in the primitive Church, was to serve in the 
agape, or love feasts, to distribute the bread and wine 
to the communicants; to proclaim different parts and 
times of worship in the churches; and to take care of 
the widows, orphans, prisoners, and sick, who were 
provided for out of the revenues of the Church. Thus 
we find it was the very lowest ecclesiastical office. 
Deacons were first appointed by the apostles, Acts vi. 
1-6; they had the care of the poor, and preached 
eccasionally. 

Verse 27. Your servant] Aovioc, the lowest secular 
office, as deacon was the lowest ecclesiastical office : 
δουλος is often put for slave. 

From these directions of our Lord, we may easily 
discern what sort of a spirit his ministers should be of. 
1. A minister of Christ is not to consider himself a 
lord over Christ’s flock. 2. He is not to conduct the 
eoncerns of the Church with an imperious spirit. 3. 

1 


CHAP. XX. 


of humility. 
‘ A. M. 4033. 
you, let him be your ser- A. D.29. 
vanl: An. Olymp. 
CCIE 1. 


28 yEven as the * Son of man 
came not to be ministered unto, * but to min- 
ister, and *to give his life a ransom ° for 
many. 

29 Ἵ ὁ And as they departed from Jericho, 
a great multitude followed him. 

bIsa. lili. 10, 11; Dan. ix. 24, 26; John xi. 51, 52; 1 Tim. ii. 


6; Tit. ii. 14; 1 Pet. i. 19. © Chap. xxvi. 28 ; Rom. v. 15, 
19; Heb. ix. 28.——4 Mark x. 46; Tinks xviii. 35. 


He is to reform the weak, after Christ’s example, more 
by loving instruction than by reproof or censure. 4. 
He should consider that true apostolic greatness con- 
sists in serving the followers of Christ with all the 
powers and talents he possesses. 5. That he should 
be ready, if required, to give up his life unto death, to 
promote the salvation of men. 

Verse 28. 4 ransom for many.] Avzpov ἀντι πολλῶν, 
or a ransom instead of many,—one ransom, or atone- 
ment, instead of the many prescribed in the Jewish 
law. Mr. Wakefield contends for the above transla- 
tion, and with considerable show of reason and proba- 
bility. 

The word λυτρον is used by the Septuagint for the 
Hebrew 1113, pidion, the ransom paid for a man’s life : 
see Exod. xxi. 30 ; Num. iii. 49-51; and λυτρα is used 
Num. xxxv. 31, where a satisfaction (Hebrew 755 
copher, an atonement) for the life of a murderer is re- 
fused. The original word is used by Lucian in exactly 
the same sense, who represents Ganymede promising to 
sacrifice a ram to Jupiter, Avtpov ὑπὲρ exov, as a ran- 
som for himself, provided he would dismiss him. 

The whole Gentile world, as well as the Jews, be- 
lieved in vicarious sacrifices. Virgil, 42n. v. 85, has 
nearly the same words as those in the text. ‘“ Unum 
PRO MULTIS dabitur capuT,”’—One man must be given 
for many. Jesus Christ laid down his life as a ran- 
som for the lives and souls of the children of men. In 
the Codex Beze, and in most of the Itala, the Saxon, 
and one of the Syriac, Hilary, Leo Magnus, and Ju- 
vencus, the following remarkable addition is found : 
“ But seek ye to increase from a little, and to be less- 
ened from that which is great. Moreover, when ye 
enter into a house, and are invited to sup, do not re- 
cline in the most eminent places, lest a more honour- 
able than thou come after, and he who invited thee to 
supper come up to thee and say, Get down yet lower ; 
and thou be put to confusion. But if thou sit down 
in the lowest place, and one inférior to thee come after, 
he who invited thee to supper will say unto thee, Go 
and sit higher : now this will be advantageous to thee.” 
This is the largest addition found in any of the MSS., 
and contains not less than sixty words in the original, 
and eighty-three in the Anglo-Saxon. It may be ne- 
cessary to remark, that Mr. Mars/ail, in his edition of 
the Gothic and Saxon Gospels, does not insert these 
words in the text, but gives them, p. 496 of his ob- 
servations. This addition is at least as ancient as the 
fourth century, for it is quoted by Hilary, who did not 
die till about A. D. 367. 

199 


Two blind men at Jericho 


Ao eee 30 And, behold, 5 two blind men 


An. Civ. sitting by the way side, when they 
heard that Jesus passed by, cried 
out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou 
Son of David. 

31 And the multitude rebuked them, because 
they should hold their peace: but they cried 
the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, 
thou Son of David. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


are restored to sight 


32 And Jesus ‘stood still, and aie 
called them, and said, What will ye a Bie. 
that I shall do unto you? are a 

33 They say unto him, 8 Lord, that our 
eyes may be opened. 

34 So Jesus had compassion on them, 
and touched their eyes: and immediately 
their eyes received sight, ‘and they follow- 
ed him. 


€ Ch. ix. 27, Mark x. 49; Luke xviii. 40; Psa. lxv. 2—¢ Ch. 


ix. 30.— Mark viii. 22-25; x. 52; chap xi. 5 Psa. exvi. 1. 


Verse 30. Two blind men] Mark, chap. x. 46, and 
Luke xviii. 35, mention only one blind man, Bartimeus. 
Probably he was mentioned by the other evangelists, 
as being a person well known before and after his cure. 
Blindness of heart is a disorder of which men seldom 
complain, or from which they desire to be delivered ; 
and it is one property of this blindness, to keep the 
person from perceiving it, and to persuade him that 
his sight is good. 

Sitting by the way side] In the likeliest place to re- 
ceive alms, because of the multitudes going and coming 
between Jerusalem and Jericho. 

Cried out} In the midst of judgments God remem- 
bers mercy. Though God had deprived them, for 
wise reasons, of their eyes, he left them the use of their 
speech. It is never so il withus, but it might be much 
worse: let us, therefore, be submissive and thankful. 

Have mercy on us| Hearing that Jesus passed by, 
and not knowing whether they should ever again have 
so good an opportunity of addressing him, they are 
determined to call, and call earnestly. They ask for 
mercy, conscious that they deserve nothing, and they 
ask with faith—Son of David, acknowledging him as 
the promised Messiah. 

Verse 31. The multitude rebuked them] Whenever 
a soul begins to ery after Jesus for light and salvution, 
the world and the devil join together to drown its cries, 
or force it to be silent. But let all such remember, Jesus 
is now passing by; that their souls must perish ever- 
lastingly, if not saved by him, and they may never 
have so good an opportunity again. While there is a 
broken and a contrite heart, let it sigh its complaints 
to God, till he hear and answer. 

They cried the more] When the world and the devil 
begin to rebuke, in this case, it is a proof that the sal- 
vation of God is nigh; therefore, let such cry out a 
great deal the more. 


Verse 32. Jesus stood) “The cry of a believing 
penitent,” says one, “is sufficient to stop the most 
merciful Jesus, were he going to make a new heaven 
and a new earth ; for what is all the irrational part ot 
God’s creation in worth, when compared with the value 
of one immortal soul?” See on Mark x. 50. 

What will ye that I shall do| Christ is at all times 
infinitely willing to save sinners: when the desire of 
the heart is turned towards him, there can be little de- 
lay in the salvation. What is thy wish? If it bea 
good one, God will surely fulfil it. 

Verse 33. That our eyes may be opened.| He who 
feels his own sore, and the plague of his heart, has no 
great need of a prompter in prayer. A hungry man 
can easily ask bread ; he has no need to go to a book 
to get expressions to state his wants in; his hunger 
tells him he wants food, and he tells this to the person 
from whom he expects relief. Helps to devotion, in all 
ordinary cases, may be of great use; in extraordinary 
cases they can be of little importance ; the afflicted 
heart alone can tell its own sorrows, with appropriate 
pleadings. 

Verse 34. So Jesus had compassion on them} 
Σπλαγχνισθεις, He was moved with tender pity. The 
tender pity of Christ met the earnest ery of the blind 
men, and their immediate cure was the result. 

They followed him.] As a proof of the miracle that 
was wrought, and of the gratitude which they felt to 
their benefactor. For other particulars of this mira- 
culous cure, see the notes on Mark x. 46, &c. 

Reader, whosoever thou art, act in behalf of thy 
soul as these blind men did in behalf of their sight, 
and thy salvation issure. Apply to the Son of David ; 
lose not a moment; he is passing by, and thou art 
passing into eternity, and probably wilt never have a 
more favourable opportunity than the present. The 
Lord increase thy earnestness and faith! 


CHAPTER XXI. 


Christ rides into Jerusalem upon an ass, and the multitude receive him joyfully, 1-11. He enters the temple, 


and expels the money-changers, ὅς. 12, 13. 
The chief priests and scribes are offended, 15. 
The barren fig-tree blasted, 18-22. 


The blind and the lame come to him and are healed, 14. 

Our Lord confounds them, and goes to Bethany, 16, 17. 
While teaching in the temple, the chief priests and elders question 
his authority ; he answers and confutes them, 23-27. 


The parable of the man and his two sons, 28-32. 


The parable of a vineyard let out to husbandmen, 33-42 ; applied to the priests and Pharisees, 43-453 
who wish to kill him, but are restrained by the fear of the people, who acknowledge Christ for a prophet, 46 


200 


1 


Christ rides in triumph 


Ss ΠΉΡΤΗΝ ND * when they drew nigh unto 
An. Olymp. Jerusalem, and were come to 


Bethphage, unto "the mount of 
Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 

2 Saying unto them, Go into the village 
over against you, and straightway ye shall 
find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose 
them, and bring them unto me. 

3 And if any man say aught unto you, ye 
shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and 
straightway he will send them. 

4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled 
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 


2 Mark xi. 1; Luke xix. 29.——> Zech. xiv. 4——* Isa. 
Ixii. 11; Zech. ix. 9; John xii. 15. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXI. 

Verse 1. Bethphage] A place on the west declivity 
of Mount Olivet, from which it is thought the whole 
declivity and part of the valley took their name. It 
is supposed to have derived its name from the fig-trees 
which grew there; 3 deeth, signifying a region as 
well as a house, and 15 phag, a green fig. 

Verse 2. Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt] Asses 
and mules were in common use in Palestine: horses 
were seldom to be met with. Our blessed Lord takes 
every opportunity to convince his disciples that nothing 
was hidden from him: he informs them of the most 
minute occurrence ; and manifested his power over the 
heart in disposing the owner to permit the ass to be 
taken away. 

Verse 3. The Lord (the proprietor of all things) 
hath need of ihem] Jesus is continually humbling him- 
self, to show us how odious pride is in the sight of 
God: but in his humility he is ever giving proofs of 
his almighty power, that the belief of his divinity may 
be established. 

Verse 4. All this was done} The word ail, in this 
clause, is omitted by some MSS., versions, and fa- 
thers. 

Which was spoken] The Spirit of God, which pre- 
dicted those things that concerned the Messiah, took 
care to have them literally fulfilled: 1. To show the 
truth of prophecy in general; and, 2. To designate 
Christ as the person intended by that prophecy. See 
the note on chap. ii. 23. 

Verse 5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion] The quo- 
tation is taken from Zech. ix. 9, but not in the precise 
words of the prophet. 

This entry into Jerusalem has been termed the 
triumph of Christ. It was indeed the triumph of hw- 
mility over pride and worldly grandeur; of poverty 
over affluence ; and of meekness and gentleness over 
rage and malice. 

He is coming now meek, full of kindness and com- 
passion to those who were plotting his destruction! 
He comes to deliver up himself into their hands; their 
king comes to be murdered by his subjects, and to 
make his death a ransom price for their souls! 

Verse 7. And put on them their clothes] Thus 
acknowledging him to be their fing, for this was a 

1 


CHAP. 


ΧΧΙ. mto Jerusalem 
5 ° Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Αἰ 1033. 


Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, hs Oe 
meek, and sitting upon an ass, and 
a colt thé foal i an ass. 

6 4 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus 
commanded them, 

7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and 
ὁ put on them their clothes, and they set him 
thereon. 

8 And a very great multitude spread their 
garments in the way; f others cut down branch- 
es from the trees, and strewed them in the 
way. 


4 Mark xi. 4. © 2 Kings ix. 13—— See Lev. xxiii. 40; 
1 Mae. xiii. 51, &c.; 2 Mac. x. 7; Jobn xii. 13. 


custom observed by the people when they found that 
God had appointed a man to the kingdom. When 
Jehu sat with the captains of the army, and Elisha the 
prophet came, by the order of God, to anoint him king 
over Israel, as soon as he came out of the inner cham- 
ber into which the prophet had taken him to anoint 
him, and they knew what was done, every man took 
his garment, and spread it under him on the top of the 
steps, and blew the trumpets, saying, “ Jehu is king.” 
2 Kings ix. 13. 

And they set him thereon.] Kat exexaficev ἐπάνω 
avtwv, and he sat upon them; but instead of ἐπάνω 
αὐτῶν, upon THEM, the Codex Bezw, seven copies of 
the Itala, some copies of the Vulgate, and some others, 
read ex’ αὐτὸν, upon him, i. e. the colt. This is most 
likely to be the true reading ; for we can scarcely sup- 
pose that he rode upon both by ¢wrns,—this would ap- 
pear childish; or that he rode upon both at once, for 
this would be absurd. Some say he sat on doth ; for 
“the ass that was tied up was an emblem of the Jews 
bound under the yoke of the law; and the colt that 
had not been tied represented the Gentiles who were 
not under the law; and that Jesus Christ’s sitting on 
both represented his subjecting the Jews and the Gen- 
tiles to the sway of his evangelical sceptre.” He who 
can receive this saying, let him receive it. 

Verse 8. Cut down branches from the trees] Car- 
rying palm and other branches was emblematical of 
victory and success. See 1 Mae. xili.51; 2 Mac. x. 
7; and Rev. vii. 9. 

The rabbins acknowledge that the prophecy in 
Zechariah refers to the Messiah; so Rab. Tancum, 
and Yaleut Rubeni has a strange story about the ass. 
‘This ass is the colt of that ass which was created in 
the twilight of the sixth day. This is the ass which 
Abraham found when he went to sacrifice his son. 
This is the ass on which Moses rode when he went to 
Egypt; and this is the ass on which the Messiah shall 
ride.” Some of the Jews seem to think that the zebra 
is intended; for according to Bab. Sanhedr. fol. 98, 
when Shapoor, king of Persia, said to Rabbi Samuel : 
“ You say your Messiah will come upon an ass; I will 
send hima noble horse.” To which the rabbi replied, 
“You have not a horse with a hundred spots (query 
streaks) like his ass.” See Lightfoot and Schoettgen 

201 


ΟΠ multitudes receive him. 
Ane: A088. 9 And the multitudes that went 
An. Olymp. before, and that followed, cried, say- 
a ing, Hosanna to the son of David : 

h Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 

10 ‘ And when he was come into Jerusalem, 
all the city was moved, saying, Who is this ? 

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus 
Kk the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


He cleanses the temple. 


12 9 1 And Jesus went into the 4,™, 4033. 
temple of God, and cast out all ae Oia: 
them that sold and bought in the 
temple, and overthrew the tables of the 
™ money-changers, and the seats of them that 
sold doves, 

13 And said unto them, It is written, " My 
house shall be called the house of prayer; 


° but ye have made it a den of thieves. 


__& Psa. exvill. 25.— Psa. ecxvili. 26; 
i Mark xi. 15; Luke xix. 45; John ii. 13, 15. 
Luke vii. 16; John vi. 14; vii. 40; ix. 17. 


chap. xxiii. 39. 
k Chap. 11. 23 ; 


1Mark xi. 11; 
25. . 58. lvi. 
xix. 46. 


Luke xix. 45; John ii. 15——™ Deut. xiv. 
7.— Jer. vii. 11; Mark xi. 17; Luke 


Verse 9. Hosanna to the son of David] When 
persons applied to the king for help, or for a redress 
of grievances, they used the word hosanna, or rather 
from the Hebrew 8) ΤΠ ΦΨῪΠ HosH1AH NA! Save now! 
or, Save, we beseech thee !—redress our grievances, and 
give us help from oppression! Thus both the words 
and actions of the people prove that they acknow- 
ledged Christ as their sing, and looked to him for de- 
liverance. How easily might he have assumed the 
sovereignty at this time, had he been so disposed! 
For instances of the use of this form of speech, see 2 
Sam. xiv. 4; 2 Kings vi. 26; Psa. exvili. 25. 

Son of David) A well-known epithet of the Mes- 
siah. He who cometh in the name, &e. He who 
comes in the name and authority of the Most High. 

Hosanna in the highest) Either meaning, Let the 
heavenly hosts join with us in magnifying this august 
Being !—or, Let the utmost degrees of hosanna, of sal- 
vation, and deliverance, be pomienmieseed to thy peo- 
ple! Probably there is an allusion here to the custom 
of the Jews in the feast of tabernacles. During the 
first seven days of that feast, they went once round the 
altar, each day, with palm and other branches in their 
hands, singing Hosanna: but on the eighth day of 
that feast they walked seven times round the altar, 
singing the hosanna; and this was termed the hosanna 
rabha, the GREAT hosanna: i. e. Assist with the great- 
est succour. Probably answering to the τοῖς ὑψίστοις 
of the evangelist, for on this day they beg the most 
speedy and powerful help against their enemies, and 
likewise pray for a prosperous and fruitful year. See 
ΞΤΕΗΓΙΝ 5 Jewish Traditions, vol. ii. p. 322. 

Verse 10. All the city was moved] Or, the whole 
city was in motion. Ἐϊσεισθη, was in a tumult—they 
saw and heard plainly that the multitude had proclaim- 
ed Christ king, and Messiah. Whois this? Who is 
accounted worthy of this honour ? 

Verse 11. This is Jesus THE PROPHET] O προφητῆς, 
THAT prophet whom Moses spoke of, Deut. xvii. 18. 
1 will raise them up a prophet—lhke unto thee, &ce. 
Every expression of the multitude plainly intimated 
that they fully received our blessed Lord as the pro- 
mised Messiah.—How strange is it that these same 
people (if the creatures of the high priest be not only 
intended) should, about five days after, change their 
hosannas for, Away with him! crucify him! crucify 
lim! How fickle is the multitude! Even when 
they get right, there is but little hope that they will 
continue so long. 

202 


Verse 12. Jesus went into the temple of God, &c.} 
“ Avarice,” says one, “covered with the veil of reli- 
gion, is one of those things on which Christ looks with 
the greatest indignation in his Church. Merchandize 
of holy things, simoniacal presentations, fraudulent ex- 
changes, a mercenary spirit in sacred functions ; eccle 
siastical employments obtained by flattery, service, or 
attendance, or by any thing which is instead of money; 
collations, nominations, and elections made through: 
any other motive than the glory of God; these are ali 
fatal and damnable profanations, of which those in the 
temple were only a shadow.” QuESNEL. 

Money-changers| Persons who furnished the Jews 
and proselytes who came from other countries, 
with the current coin of Judea, in exchange for 
their own. 

Verse 13. My house shall be called the house of 
prayer] This is taken from Isa. lvi. 7 

But ye have made it a den of thieves.| This is taken 
from Jer. vii. 11. 

Our Lord alludes here to those dens and caves in 
Judea, in which the public robbers either hid or kept 
themselves fortified. 

They who are placed in the Church of Christ to 
serve souls, and do it not, and they who enjoy the re- 
venues of the Church, and neglect the service of it, are 
thieves and robbers in more senses than one. 

Our Lord is represented here as purifying his temple ; 
and this we may judge he did in reference to his true 
temple, the Church, to show that nothing that was 
worldly or unholy should have any place among his 
followers, or in that heart in which he should conde- 
scend to dwell. It is marvellous that these interested 
vile men did not raise a mob against him: but it is 
probable they were overawed by the Divine power, or, 
seeing the multitudes on the side of Christ, they were 
afraid to molest him. I knew a case something similar 
to this, which did not sueceed so well. A very pious 
clergyman of my acquaintance, observing a woman 
keeping a public standing to sell nuts, gingerbread, &e , 
at the very porch of his Church, on the Lord’s day, 
“desired her to remove thence, and not defile the house 
of God, while she profaned the Sabbath of the Lord.” 
She paid no attention to him. He warned her the next 
Sabbath, but still to no purpose. Going in one Lord’s 
day to preach, and finding her still in the very entrance, 
with her stall, he overthrew the stall, and scattered the 
stuff into the street. He was shortly after summoned 
to appear before the royal court, which, to its eternal 

1 


The priests are offended. 


, oe 14 And the blind and the lame 


= pee: came to him in the temple ; and he 
—_—— healed them. 

15 § And when the chief priests and scribes 
saw the wonderful things that he did, and the 
children crying in the temple, and saying, 
Hosanna to the son of David: they were sore 
displeased, 

16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what 
these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; 
have ye never read, ? Out of the mouth of 
babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ? 

17 4 And he left them, and went out of the 


P Psa. viii. 2. 4 Mark xi. 11; John xi. 18— Mark xi. 12. 


reproach, condemned the action, and fined the man of 
God in a considerable sum of money! 

Verse 14. The blind and the lame came] Having 
condemned the profane use of the temple, he now 
shows the proper use of it. It is a house of prayer, 
where God is to manifest his goodness and power in 
giving sight to the spiritually Jind, and feet to the 
lame. The Church or chapel in which the blind and 
the Jame are not healed has no Christ in it, and is not 
worthy of attendance. 

Verse 15. The chief priests—were sore displeased] 
Or, were incensed. Incensed at what? At the purifi- 
cation of the profaned temple! This was a work they 
should have done themselves, but for which they had 
neither grace nor influence; and their pride and jealousy 
will not suffer them to permit others to do it. Strange 
as it may appear, the priesthood itself, in all corrupt 
times, has been ever the most forward to prevent a re- 
form in the Church. Was it because they were con- 
scious that a reformer would find them no better than 
money-changers in, and profaners of, the house of God, 
and that they and their system must be overturned, if 
the true worship of God were restored? Let him who 
is concerned answer this to his conscience. 

Verse 16. Out of the mouth of babes| The eighth 
Psalm, out of which these words are quoted, is applied 
to Jesus Christ in three other places in the new cove- 
nant, 1 Cor. xv. 27; Eph. i. 22; Heb. ii. 6. Which 
proves it to be merely a prophetic psalm, relating to 
the Messiah. 

It was a common thing among the Jews for the 
children to be employed in public acclamations ; and 
thus they were accustomed to hail their celebrated 
rabbins. This shouting of the children was therefore 
no strange thing in the land: only they were exaspe- 
rated, because a person was celebrated against whom 
they had a rooted hatred. As to the prophecy that 
foretold this, they regarded it not. Some imagine that 
babes and sucklings in the prophecy have a much more 
extensive meaning, and refer also to the first preachers 
of the Gospel of Christ. 

Verse 17. And he left them (καταλίπων, finally leav- 
ing them) and went—into Bethany ; and he lodged 
*herc.| Bethany was a village about two miles distant 
from Jerusalem, by Mount Olivet, John xi. 18; and it 

1 


CHAP. XXI. 


The barren fig tree 


ite i P A. M. 4033. 

city into “ Bethany ; and he lodged Δι δ 

there. An. Olymp 
COIL. 


18 * Now in the morning, as he — 
returned into the city, he hungered. 

19 *And when he saw ‘a fig tree in the 
way, he came to it, and found nothing there- 
on, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let 
no fruit grow on thee henceforward for 
ever. And presently the fig tree witherec 
away. 

20 “And when the disciples saw it, they 
marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree 
withered away ! 


* Mark xi. 13.—* Gr. one fig tree ——" Mark xi. 20. 
is remarkable that from this day till his death, which 
happened about six days after, he spent not one night 
in Jerusalem, but went every evening to Bethany, and 
returned to the city each morning. See Luke xxi. 37; 
xxii. 39; John viii. 1,2. They were about to murder 
the Lord of glory; and the true light, which they had 
rejected, is now departing from them. 

Lodged there.| Not merely to avoid the snares laid 
for him by those bad men, but to take away all suspicion 
of his affecting the regal power. To the end of this 
verse is added by the Saxon, T lepbde hi pan be Irodey 
mice. And taught them of the kingdom of God. This 
same reading is found insome MSS., Missals, and one 
copy of the Jtala. It appears also in Wickliff, and 
my old folio English MS. Bible, anv taugt bem of the 
kyngdom of God; and in two MS. copies of the Vul- 
gate, in my possession: one, duodecimo, very fairly 
written, in 1300; the other a large folio, probably 
written in the 11th or 12th century, in which the 
words are, Inique docebat eos de regno Dei. Anp 
THERE he taught them concerning the kingdom of God. 

Verse 18. Now in the morning, as he returned into 
the city] Which was his custom from the time he 
wholly left Jerusalem, spending only the day time 
teaching in the temple; see ver. 17. This was pro- 
bably on Thursday, the 12th day of the month Nisan. 
He hungered—Probably neither he, nor his disciples, 
had any thing but what they got from public charity ; 
and the hand of that seems to have been cold at this 
time. 

Verse 19. He saw a fig tree in the way] Ext τὴς 
odov, By the road side. As this fig tree was by the 
way side, it was no private property; and on this ac- 
count our Lord, or any other traveller, had a right to 
take of its fruit. For a full explanation of this difficult 
passage, relative to this emblematic fig tree, see on 
Mark xi. 13, ὅς. 

Let no fruit grow on thee] Can a professor, who 
affords Christ nothing but darren words and wishes, ex- 
pect any thing but his malediction? When the soul 
continues in unfruitfulness, the influences of grace are 
removed, and then the tree speedily withers from the 
very root. 

Verse 20. How soon is the fig tree withered away!) 
We often say to our neighbours, “ How suddenly this 

203 


The chief priests and elders 


Manes 21 Jesus answered and said unto 
. πὸ them, Verily I say unto you, ¥ If 
———— ye have faith, and “doubt not, ye 
shall not only do this which is done to the fig 
tree, * but also if ye shall say unto this moun- 
tain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into 
the sea; it shall be done. 

22 And ¥ all things, whatsoever ye shall ask 
in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 

23 9% * And when he was come into the 
temple, the chief priests and the elders of the 
people came unto him as he was teaching, and 
“said, By what authority doest thou these 
things? and who gave thee this authority ? 

24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, 
I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell 


ST. MATTHEW. 


question the authority of Christ 


me, 1, in like wise, will tell you a 
by what authority I do these An. Olymp. 
things. eke a 
25 The baptism of John, whence was it? 
from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned 
with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From 
heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not 
then believe him ? 
26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear 
the people; ἢ for all hold John as a prophet. 
27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We 
cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither 
tell I you by what authority I do these things. 
28 Ἵ But what think ye? A certain man 
had two sons; and he came to the first, and 
said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. 


¥ Chap. xvii. 20; Luke xvii. 6. w James i. 6—*1 Cor. 
xiii. 2.——¥ Chap. vil.7; Mark xi. 24; Luke xi. 9; James v. 16; 


1 John iii. 22; v. 14. 
14; Actsiv. 7; vu. 27. 


Z Mark xi.27; Luke xx. 1. a Exod. i. 
+ Chap. xiv.5; Mark vi.20; Luke xx. 6. 


man died! Who could have expected it so soon?” 
But who takes warning by these examplest What 
we say to-day of oTHERS, may be said to-morrow of 
ourseLves. Be yealsoready! Lord, increase our faith! 

Verse 21. If ye have faith, and doubt not] See on 
chap. xvii. 20. Removing mountains, and rooting up 
of mountains, are phrases very generally used to sig- 
nify the removing or conquering great difficultses— 
getting through perplexities. So, many of the rabbins 
are termed rooters up of mountains, because they were 
dexterous in removing difficulties, solving cases of con- 
science, ὅθ. In this sense our Lord’s words are to be 
understood. He that has faith will get through every 
difficulty and perplexity; mountains shall become mole- 
hills or plains before him. The saying is neither to 
be taken in its literal sense, nor is it hyperbolical: it 
is a proverbial form of speech, which no Jew could 
misunderstand, and with which no Christian ought to 
be puzzled. 

Verse 22. All things—ye shall ask in prayer, be- 
lieving| In order to get salvation, there must be, 1. a 
conviction of the want of it: this begets, 2. prayer, or 
warm desires, in the heart: then 3. the person asks, 
i. 6. makes use of words expressive of his wants and 
wishes: 4. believes the word of promise, relative to 
the fulfilment of his wants: and 5. recevves, according 
to the merciful promise of God, the salvation which his 
soul requires. 

Verse 23. By what authority doest thou these 
things ?| The things which the chief priests allude to, 
were his receiving the acclamations of the people as 
the promised Messiah, his casting the traders out of 
the temple, and his teaching the people publicly in it. 

Who gave thee this authority?) Not them: for, 
like many of their successors, they were neither teach- 
ers nor cleansers; though they had the name and the 
profits of the place. 

Verse 24. 7 also will ask you one thing] Our Lord 
was certainly under no obligation to answer their ques- 
tion: he had already given them such proofs of his 
Divine mission as could not possibly be exceeded, in 

204 


the miracles which he wrought before their eyes, and 
before all Judea; and, as they would not credit him on 
this evidence, it would have been in vain to have ex- 
pected their acknowledgment of him on any profession 
he would make. 

Verse 25. The baptism of John] Had John a Di- 
vine commission or not, for his baptism and preaching ? 
Our Lord here takes the wise in their own cunning. 
He knew the estimation John was in among the people: 
and he plainly saw that, if they gave any answer at 
all, they must convict themselves: and so they saw, 


when they came to examine the question. See ver. 
25, 26. 
Verse 27. We cannot tell.] Simplicity gives a 


wonderful confidence and peace of mind; but double 
dealing causes a thousand inquietudes and troubles. Let 
aman do his utmost to conceal in his own heart the 
evidence he has of truth and innocence, to countenance 
his not yielding to it; God, who sees the heart, will, 
in the light of the last day, produce it as a witness 
against him, and make it his judge. 

We cannot tell, said they; which, in the words of 
truth, should have been, We will not tell, for we will 
not have this man for the Messiah: because, if we 
acknowledge John as his forerunner, we must, of ne- 
cessity, receive Jesus as the Christ. 

They who are engaged against the truth are aban- 
doned to the spirit of falsity, and scruple not at a lie. 
Pharisaical pride, according to its different interests, 
either pretends to know every thing, or affects to know 
nothing. Among such, we may meet with numerous 
instances of arrogance and affected humility. God 
often hides from the wise and prudent what he reveals 
unto babes ; for, when they use their wisdom only te 
invent the most plausible excuses for rejecting the truth 
when it comes to them, it is but just that they should 
be punished with that ignorance to which, in their own 
defence, they are obliged to have recourse. 

Verse 28. A certain man had two sons] Under the 
emblem of these two sons, one of whom was a liber- 
tine, disobedient, and insolent, but who afterwards 


Parable of the husbandman 


aie 989° He answered and said, I will 
4, Olymp. not: but afterward he repented, and 
as WNL. 

30 And he came to the second, and said 
likewise. And he answered and said, I go, 
sir: and went not. 

31 Whether of them twain did the will of 
his father? They say unto him, The first. 
Jesus saith unto them, ¢ Verily I say unto you, 
That the publicans and the harlots go into the 
kingdom of God before you. 


ς Ecclus. xix. 21.——4 Luke vii. 29, 50. 
f Luke iii. 12, 13. 


ὁ Chap. iii. 1, &c. 


thought on his ways, and returned to his duty ; and the 
second, a hypocrite, who promised all, and did nothing; 
our Lord points out, on the one hand, the tax-gatherers 
and sinners of all descriptions, who, convicted by the 
preaching of John and that of Christ, turned away 
from their iniquities and embraced the Gospel ; and, 
on the other hand, the scribes, Pharisees, and self- 
righteous people, who, pretending a zeal for the Jaw, 
would not receive the salvation of the Gospel. 

Verse 29. 7 will not] This is the general reply of 
every sinner to the invitations of God ; and, in it, the 
Most High is treated without ceremony or respect. 
They only are safe who persist not in the denial. 

Verse 30. J go, sir] This is all respect, complai- 
sance, and professed obedience ; but he went not: he 
promised well, but did not perform. What a multitude 
of such are in the world, professing to know God, but 
denying him in their works! Alas! what will such 
professions avail, when God comes to take away the 
soul 1 

Verse 31. The publicans and the harlots] In all 
their former conduct they had said no. Now they 
yield to the voice of truth when they hear it, and enter 
into the kingdom, embracing the salvation brought to 
them in the Gospel. The others, who had been always 
professing the most ready and willing obedience, and 
who pretended to be waiting for the kingdom of God, 
did not receive it when it came, but rather chose, 
while making the best professions, to continue mem- 
bers of the synagogue of Satan. y 

Verse 32. John came unto you in the way of right- 
eousness| Proclaiming the truth, and living agreeably 
to it. Or, John came unto you, who are in the way 
of righteousness. This seems rather to be the true 
meaning and construction of this passage. The Jews 
are here distinguished from the Gentiles. The former 
were in the way of righteousness, had the revelation 
of God, and the ordinances of justice established among 
them ; the latter were in the way of unrighteousness, 


without the Divine revelation, and iniquitous in all their | 
conduct: John came to both, preaching the doctrine | 


of repentance, and proclaiming Jesus the Christ. To 

say that it was John who came in the way of right- 

eousness, and that to him the words refer, is, in my 

opinion, saying nothing ; for this was necessarily implied : 

as he professed to come from God, he must not only 

preach righteousness, but walk in it. ᾿ 
ἐ 


CHAP. 


XXI. and his twa cons 


32 For “ John came unto you in 
the way of righteousness, and ye 
believed him not: ‘but the publi- ————— 
cans and the harlots believed him: and ye, 
when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, 
that ye might believe him. 

33 9 Hear another parable: There was a 
certain householder, £ which planted a vine- 
yard, and hedged it round about, and digged a 
wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out 
to husbandmen, and ἢ went into a far country. 


A. M. 4033, 


€ Psa. ἰχχχ. 9; Cant. viii. 11; Isa. v. 1; Jer. ii. 21; Mark xii. 
1; Luke xx. 9.——® Chap. xxv. 14, 15. 


It is very difficult to get a worldly minded and self- 
righteous man brought to Christ. Eavamples signify 
little to him. Urge the example of an eminent saint, 
he is discouraged at it. Show him a profligate sinner 
converted to God, him he is ashamed to own and follow; 
and, as to the conduct of the generality of the followers 
of Christ, it is not striking enough to impress him. 
John, and Christ, and the apostles preach; but, to 
multitudes, all is in vain. 

Verse 33. There was a certain householder] Let us 
endeavour to find out a general and practical meaning 
for this parable. A householder—the Supreme Being. 
The family—the Jewish nation. The vineyard—the 
city of Jerusalem. The fence—the Divine protection. 
The wine-press—the law and sacrificial rites. The 
tower—the temple, in which the Divine presence was 
manifested. The husbandmen—the priests and doctors 
of the law. Went from home—entrusted the cultiva- 
tion of the vineyard to the priests, &c., with the utmost 
confidence ; as a man would do who had the most 
trusty servants, and was obliged to absent himself from 
home for a certain time. Our Lord takes this parable 
from Isa. v. 1, ὅσα. ; but whether our blessed Redeemer 
quote from the Jaw, the prophets, or the rabbins, he 
reserves the liberty to himself to beautify the whole, 
and render it more pertinent. 

Some apply this parable also to Christianity, thus :— 
The master or father—our blessed Lord. The family 
—professing Christians in general. 'The vineyard— 
the true Church, or assembly of the faithful. The 
hedge—the true faith, which keeps the sacred assem- 
bly enclosed and defended from the errors of heathen- 
ism and false Christianity. The wine-press—the 
atonement made by the sacrifice of Christ, typified by 
the sacrifices under the law. The tower—the pro- 
mises of the Divine presence and protection. The 
husbandmen—the apostles and all their successors in 
the ministry. The going from home—the ascension 
to heaven. But this parable cannot go on all fours in 
the Christian cause, as any one may see. In the case 
of the hushandmen, especially it is applicable ; unless 
we suppose our Lord intended such as those inquisito 
rial Bonners, who always persecuted the true ministers 
of Christ, and consequently Christ himself in his 
members ; and to these may be added the whole train 
of St. Bartholomew rsecrors, and all the fire and 
faggot men of a certain Church, who think they de 

205 


The parable of the vineyard 


34 And when the time of the fruit 
An. Olymp. drew near, he sent his servants to 
wee. the husbandmen, ? that they might 
receive the fruits of it. 

35 * And the husbandmen took his servants, 
and beat one, and killed another, and stoned 
another. 

36 Again, he sent other servants more than 
the first ; and they did unto them likewise. 

37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, 
saying, They will reverence my son. 

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, 
they said among themselves, !'This is the 
heir; ™ come, let us kill him, and let us seize 
on his inheritance. 


A.M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


let out to husbandmen 


39 »And they caught him, and 4,™ 4033. 
cast him out of the vineyard, and An. Olymp. 
slew him. ae 

40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard 
cometh, what will he do unto those husband- 
men ? 

41 ° They say unto him, ? He will misera- 
bly destroy those wicked men, ἃ and will let 
out /zs vineyard unto other husbandmen, which 
shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 

42 Jesus saith unto them, τ Did ye never 
read in the scriptures, The stone which the 
builders rejected, the same is become the head 
of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and i* 
is marvellous in our eyes ? 


iCant. vill. 11, 12—*2 Chron. xxiv. 21; xxxvi. 16; Neh. 
ix. 26; chap. v. 12; xxiii. 34, 37; Acts vii. 52; 1 Thess. ii. 15; 
Heb. xi. 36, 37.——! Psa. ii. 8; Heb. i. 2. m Psa. ii.2; chap. 
xxvi. 3; xxvil. 1; John x1.53; Acts iv. 27. 0 Chap. xxvi. 50, 
&c.; Mark xiv. 46, &c.; Luke xxii. 54, &c.; John xviii. 


P Luke 


12, &c.; Acts ii. 23. © See Luke xx. 16. 
xxl. 24; Heb. 11. 3— 4 Acts xiil. 46; xv. 7; xviii. 6; 
xxviii. 28; Rom. ix., x., xi. t Psa. exvill. 22; Isa. xxvill. 
16; Mark xii. 10; Luke xx.17; Acts iv. 11; Eph.1i.20; 1 Pet. 
AGA. 


God service by murdering. his saints. But let the 
persecuted take courage: Jesus Christ will come back 
shortly, and then he will miserably destroy those wicked 
men: indeed, he has done so already to several, and 
let out his vineyard to more faithful husbandmen. 

Digged a wine-press| Qpvge Anvov. St. Mark has 
vro/nviov, the pit under the press, into which the liquor 
ran, when squeezed out of the fruit by the press. 

Verse 34. He sent his servants| Prophets, which, 
from time to time, he sent to the Jewish nation to eall 
both priests and people back to the purity of his holy 
religion. 

Receive the fruits of it.) Alluding to the ancient 


custom of paying the rent of a farm in kind; that is, | 


by a part of the produce of the farm. This custom 
aneiently prevailed in most nations ; and still prevails 
in the highlands of Scotland, and in some other places. 
The Boldon book, a survey made of the state of the 
bishopric of Durham in 1183, shows how much of 
the rents was paid in cows, sheep, pigs, fowls, eggs, 
&c., the remaining part being made up chiefly by 
manual labour. 

Verse 35. Beat one] Ἐδειραν, took his skin off, 
flayed him: probably alluding to some who had been 
excessively scourged. 

Killed another, &e.] Rid themselves of the true 
witnesses of God by a variety of persecutions. 

Verse 36. Other servants] There is not a moment in 
which God does not shower down his gifts upon men, 
and require the fruit of them. Various instruments are 
used to bring sinners to God. ‘There are prophets, 
apostles, pastors, teachers: some with his gift after 
ihis manner, and some after that. The true disciples 
of Christ have been persecuted in all ages, and the 
greatest share of the persecution has fallen upon the 
ministers of his religion; for there have always been 
good and bad husbandmen, and the latter have perse- 
cuted the former. 

More than the first] Or, more honourable, so I think 
πλείονας should be translated; for, as the Sulness of 

206 


the time approached, each prophet more clearly and 
fully pointed out the coming of Christ. 

Our translation, which says, more than the first, 
conveys no meaning at all. Πλείον is the meaning 1 
have given it above, in chap. vi. 25. πλεῖον τῆς τροφῆς, 
of More VALUE than food; and in Num. xxii. 15. 
πλείους καὶ ἐντιμοτέρους, persons higher in dignity and 
office. 

Verse 37. Last of all he sent—his son] This re- 
| quires no comment. Our Lord plainly means himself. 

They will reverence| Evzparnoovrat, they will re- 
flect upon their conduct and blush for shame because of 
it, when they see my son. So the Syric and Persic. 

Verse 38. Sazd among themselves] Alluding to the 
| conspiracies which were then forming against the life of 
| our blessed Lord, in the councils of the Jewish elders 
| and chief priests. See chap. xxvii. 1. 

Verse 39. Cast him out of the vineyard] Utterly 
rejected the counsel of God against themselves; and 
would neither acknowledge the authority of Christ, nor 
submit to his teaching. What a strange and unaccount- 
able case is this!—a sinner, to enjoy a little longer his 
false peace, and the gratification of his sinful appetites, 
rejects Jesus, and persecutes that Gospel which troubles 
his sinful repose. 

Verse 41. He will mzcrably destroy those wicked 
men] So, according to this evangelist, our Lord 
caused them to pass that sentence of destruction upon 
themselves which was literally executed about forty 
years after. But Luke relates it differently : accord- 
ing to him, they said μη γένοιτο, God forbid! The 
Codex Leicestrensis omits οὐ λέγουσιν, they say; so 
that the following words appear to be spoken by our 
Lord. Michaelis supposes that in the Hebrew origi- 
nal the word was 8°) waiomer, he said; for which 
the Greek translator might have read 1778") waiomeru. 
they said. 

Verse 42. The stone] R. Solom. Jarchi, on Micah 
v., Says, this stone means the Messiah, Wwnd jas: Abar- 
banel is of the same opinion. This seems to have 

1 


Christ declares the 


4.M. 4033. 43 Therefore say I unto you, 
An. Olymp. s The kingdom of God shall be taken 
Cccll. 1 
from you, and given to a nation 
bringing forth the fruits thereof. 
44 And whosoever * shall fall on this stone 
shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall 
fall, ἢ it will grind him to powder. 


CHAP. XXI. 


rejection of the Jews. 


45 And when the chief priests 
and Pharisees had heard his para- 
bles, ἡ they perceived that he spake 
of them. 

46 But when they sought to lay hands or 
him, they feared the multitude, because ¥ they 
took him for a prophet. 


Chap. viii. 12.— Isa. viii. 14,15; Zech. xii. 3; Luke xx. 18; 
Rate ix. 33; 1 Pet. ii. 8 “Isa. lx. 12; Dan, ii. 44. 


been originally spoken of David, who was at first re- 
jected by the Jewish rulers, but was afterwards chosen 
by the Lord to be the great ruler of his people Israel. 
The quotation is taken from Psa. exviii. 22. 

As the Church is represented in Scripture under the 
name of the temple and house of God, in allusion to 
the temple of Jerusalem, which was a type of it, 1 
Cor. iii. 16; Heb. iii. 6; 1 Pet. ii. 5: so Jesus 
Christ is represented as the foundation on which this 
edifice is laid, 1 Cor. iii. 11; Eph. ii. 20, 21. 

The builders| The chief priests and elders of the 
people, with the doctors of the law. 

Rejected) An expression borrowed from masons, 
who, finding a stone, which being tried in a particular 
place, and appearing improper for it, is thrown aside, 
and another taken; however, at last, it may happen 
that the very stone which had been before rejected, may 
be found the most suitable asthe head stone of the corner. 

This passage, as applied by our Lord to himself, 
contains an abridgment of the whole doctrine of the 
Gospel- 

1. The Zord’s peculiar work is astonishingly mani- 
fested in the mission of Jesus Christ. 

2. He, being rejected and crucified by the Jews, 
became an atonement for the sin of the world. 

3. He was raised again from the dead, a proof of 
his conquest over death and sin, and a pledge of im- 
mortality to his followers. 

4. He was constituted the foundation on which the 
salvation of mankind rests, and the corner stone which 
unites Jews and Gentiles, beautifies, strengthens, and 
completes the whole building, as the head stone, or up- 
permost stone in the corner does the whole edifice. 

5. He is hereby rendered the odject of the joy and 
admiration of all his followers and the glory of man. 
This was done by the Lord, and is marvellous in our 
eyes. 
<= 44.—The 44th verse should certainly come 
before ver. 43, otherwise the narration is not consecu- 
tive. Verse 42, The stone which the builders rejected, 
ts become the head of the corner, &c. Verse 44. 
Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, &c. 
This is an allusion to the punishment of stoning among 
the Jews. The place of stoning was twice as high as 
aman; while standing on this, one of the witnesses 
struck the culprit on the loins, so that he fell over this 
scaffold ; if he died by the stroke and fall, well; if not, 
the other witness threw a stone upon his heart, and 
despatched him. The stone thrown on the culprit 
was, in some cases, as much as two men could lift up. 
Tract Sanhed. and Bab. Gemara, and Lightfoot. See 
also the note on John viii. 7. 

1 


Y Luke xx. 19; John vii. 26; Rom. ii. 15. w Ver. 11; 
xi. 18; xii. 12; Luke vil. 16; John vii. 40. 


Mark 


He, whether Jew or Gentile, who shall not believe 
in the Son of God, shall suffer grievously in conse- 
quence ; but on whomsoever the stone (Jesus Christ) 
Jalls in the way of judgment, he shall be ground to 
powder, λικμησει avrov—it shall make him so small as 
to render him capable of being dispersed as chaff by 
the wind. This seems to allude, not only to the dread- 
ful crushing of the Jewish state by the Romans, but 
also to that general dispersion of the Jews through al] 
the nations of the world, which continues to the present 
day. This whole verse is wanting in the Codex Beze 
one other, five copies of the [tala, and Origen; but it 
is found in the parallel place, Luke xx. 18, and seems 
to have been quoted from Isa. viii. 14, 15. He shall 
be for a STONE of STUMBLING, and for ἃ ROCK OF OFFENCE 
to both the houses of Israel—and many among them 
shall stumBLE and FALL, and be BROKEN. 

Verse 43. Therefore say I] Thus showing them, 
that to them alone the parable belonged. The kingdom 
of God shall be taken from you—the Gospel shall be 
taken from you, and given to the Gentiles, who will 
receive it, and bring forth fruit to the glory of God. 

Bringing forth the fruits] As in verse 34 an allu- 
sion is made to paying the landlord in kind, so here the 
Gentiles are represented as paying God thus. The 
returns Which He expects for his grace are the fruits 
of grace ; nothing can ever be acceptable in the sight 
of God that does not spring from himself. 

Verse 45. The chief priests—perceived that he 
spake of them.| The most wholesome advice passes 
for an affront with those who have shut their hearts 
against the truth. When that which should lead to 
repentance only kindles the flame of malice and revenge, 
there is but little hope of the salvation of such persons. 

Verse 46. They sought to lay hands on him, they 
feared the multitude] Restraining and preventing 
grace is an excellent blessing, particularly where it 
leads to repentance and salvation ; but he who abstains 
from certain evils, only through fear of scandal or pun- 
ishment, has already committed them in his heart, and 
is guilty before God. The intrepidity of our Lord is 
worthy of admiration and imitation; in the very face 
of his most inveterate enemies, he bears a noble testi- 
mony to the truth, reproves their iniquities, denounces 
the Divine judgments, and, in the very teeth of destrue- 
tion, braves danger and death! A true minister of 
Christ fears nothing but God, when fis glory is con- 
cerned : a Aireling fears every thing, except Him whom 
he ought to fear. 


Tuis last journey of our Lord to Jerusalem is a sub- 
ject of great importance ; it is mentioned by all the four 
207 


Parable of the king who made 


evangelists, and has been a subject of criticusm and 
cavil to some unsanctified minds. He has been ac- 
cused of “attempting, by this method, to feel how far 
the populace were disposed to favour his pretensions 
in establishing himself as a ing in the land; or, at 
least, by his conduct in this business, he gave much 
cause for popular seditions.” Every circumstance in 
the case refutes this calumny. 1. His whole conduct 
had proved that his kingdom was not of this world, and 
that he sought not the honour that cometh from man. 
2. He had in a very explicit manner foretold his own 
premature death, and particularly at this tame. 3. It 
is evident, from what he had said to his disciples, that 
he went up to Jerusalem at this time for the express 
purpose of being sacrificed, and not of erecting a secu- 
lar kingdom. 4. What he did at this time was to fulfil 
a declaration of God delivered by two prophets, up- 
wards of 700 years before, relative to his lowliness, 
poverty, and total deadness to all secular rule and 
pomp. See Isa. Ixii. 11; Zech. ix. 9. 5. All the 
time he spent now in Jerusalem, which was about five 
days, he spent in teaching, precisely in the same way 
he had done for three years past ; nor do we find that 
he uttered one maxim dissimilar to what he formerly 
taught, or said a word calculated to produce any sen- 
sation on the hearts of the populace, but that of piety 
towards God; and in the parable of the man and his 
two sons, the husbandmen and the vineyard, he spoke 
in such a way to the rulers of the people as to show 
that he knew they were plotting his destruction; and 
that, far from fleeing from the face of danger, or 
strengthening his party against his enemies, he was 
come to wait at the foot of the altar till his blood should 
be poured out for the sin of the world! 6. Had he 
affected any thing of a secular kind, he had now the 
fairest opportunity to accomplish his designs. The 
people had already received him as Jesus the prophet; 
now they acknowledge him as the Christ or Messiau, 
and sing the hosannah to him, as immediately appoint- 
ed by Heaven to be their deliverer. 7. Though, with 
the character of the Messiah, the Jews had connected 
that of secular royalty, and they now, by spreading 
their clothes in the way, strewing branches, &c., treat 
him as a royal person, and one appointed to govern 
the kingdom ; yet of this he appears to take no notice, 
farther than to show that an important prophecy was 
thus fulfilled : he went as usual into the temple, taught 


ST. MATTHEW. 


a marriage feast for his son 


the people pure and spiritual truths, withdrew at night 
from the city, lodged in private at Mount Olivet; and 
thus most studiously and unequivocally showed that his 
sole aim was to call the people back to purity and ho- 
liness, and prepare them for that kingdom of righteous 
ness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, which he was 
about, by his passion, death, resurrection, ascension, 
and the mission of the Holy Spirit, to set up in the 
earth. 8. Could a person who worked such miracles 
as he was in the daily habit of working—miracles 
which proved he possessed unlimited power and uner- 
ring wisdom, need subterfuges, or a colouring for any 
design he wished to accomplish? He had only te 
put forth that power essentially resident in himself, and 
all resistance to his will must be annihilated. In 
short, every circumstance of the case shows at once 
the calumny and absurdity of the charge. But, instead 
of lessening, or rendering suspicious this or any other 
part of our Lord’s conduct, it shows the whole in a 
more luminous and glorious point of view; and thus 
the wrath of man praises him. 9. That he was a 
king, that he was born of a woman and came into the 
world for this very purpose, he took every occasion to 
declare; but all these declarations showed that his 
kingdom was spiritual: he would not even interfere 
with the duty of the civil magistrate to induce an ava- 
ricious brother to do justice to the rest of the family, 
Luke xii. 13, when probably a few words from such an 
authority would have been sufficient to have settled the 
business ; yet to prevent all suspicion, and to remove 
every cause for offence, he absolutely refused to inter- 
fere, and took occasion from the very circumstance to 
declaim against secular views, covetousness, and worldly 
ambition! O how groundless does every part of his 
conduct prove this charge of secular ambition to be! 

Such was the spirit of the Master: such must be 
the spirit of the disciple. He that will reign with 
Christ, must be humbled and suffer with him. This 
is the royal road. The love of the world, in its power 
and honours, is as inconsistent with the spirit of the 
Gospel as the love of the grossest vice. If any man 
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
Reader, take occasion from this refuted calumny, to 
imitate thy Lord in the spirituality of his life, to pass 
through things temporal so as not to lose those that 
are eternal, that thou mayest reign with him in the 
glory of his kingdom. Amen. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


The parable of the marriage of a king’s son, 1-14. 
the lawfulness of paying tribute to Cesar, 15-22. 


The Pharisees and Herodians question him concerning 


The Sadducees question him concerning the resurrec- 


tion, 23-33. A lawyer questions him concerning the greatest commandment in the law, 34-40. He 

asks them their opinion of the Christ, and confounds them, 41-46. 
A\My‘s>) AND Jesus answered * and spake] 2 The kingdom of heaven is like 4; M; 4038, 
ἌΣ Ole unto them again by parables,}unto a certain king, which made ee Obra: 

: and said, a marriage for his son, -- 
a Luke xiv. 16; } Rev. xix. 7, 9. 

NOTES ON CHAP. XXII. lar to this, and another still more so in Sohar. Levit. 
Verse 3. The kingdom of heaven] In Bereshith| fol. 40. But these rabbinical parables are vastly 


Rabba, sect. 62. fol. 60, there is a parable very simi- 
208 


ennobled by passing through the hands of our Lord 


1 


Parable of the 


A. M. 4033. 3 And »sent forth his servants to 


An. Olymp. call them that were bidden to the 
CCIL 1 
wedding : and they would not come. 
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, say- 
ing, ° Tell them which are bidden, Behold, 
1 have prepared my dinner: ¢my oxen and 
my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: 
come unto the marriage. 
But they made light of ἐδ, 5 and went their 


® Mark vi. 12; Luke iii. 3; ix. 2, 6. 
4Prov. ix. 2; Isa. xxv. 6. 


© Prov. ix. 2, 3. 


CHAP. XXII. 


marriage feast. 


another to 4. M. 4033 


ways, one to his farm, ree 


his merchandise : 

6 And the remnant took his servants, 
f and entreated them spitefully, and slew them 
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was 
wroth : and he sent forth * his armies, and de- 
stroyed those murderers, and burned up 
their city. 

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wed- 


© Luke xiv. 18-20; 1 Tim. vi. 10; Heb. ii. 3——f Acts v. 40 
« Dan. ix. 26; Luke xix. 27. 


It appears from Luke, chap. xiv. 15, &c., that it was 
at an entertainment that this parable was originally 
spoken. It was a constant practice of our Lord to 
take the subjects of his discourses from the persons 
present, or from the circumstances of times, persons, 
and places. See chap. xvi. 6; John iv. 7-10; vi. 
26,27; vii. 37. A preacher that can do so can never 
ve at a loss for text or sermon. 

A marriage for his son} A marriage feast, so the 
word γάμους properly means. Or a feast of inaugu- 
ration, when his son was put in possession of the go- 
vernment, and thus he and his new subjects became 
married together. See 1 Kings i. 5-9, 19, 25, &c., 
where such a feast is mentioned. 

From this parable it appears plain, 1. That the Kine 
means the great God. 2. His Son, the Lord Jesus. 
3. The marriace, his incarnation, or espousing human 
nature, by taking it into union with himself. 4. The 
MARRIAGE FEAST, the economy of the Gospel, during 
which men are invited to partake of the blessings pur- 
chased by, and consequent on, the incarnation and 
death of our blessed Lord. 5. By those who HAD BEEN 
bidden, or invited, ver. 3, are meant the Jews in gene- 
ral, who had this union of Christ with human nature, 
and his sacrifice for sin, pointed out by various rites, 
ceremonies, and sacrifices under the law; and who, by 
all the prophets, had deen constantly invited to believe 
in and receive the promised Messiah. 6. By the ser- 
VANTS, we are to understand the first preachers of the 
Gospel, proclaiming salvation to the Jews. Joun the 
Baptist and the seventy disciples, (Luke x. 1,) may 
be here particularly intended. 7. By the orHerR ser- 
VaNTs, ver. 4, the apostles seem to be meant, who, 
though they were to preach the Gospel to the whole 
world, yet were to degin at JerusaLem (Luke xxiv. 
47) with the first offers of mercy. 8. By their mak- 
ing light of it, &c., ver. 5, is pointed out their neglect 
of this salvation, and their preferring secular enjoy- 
ments, &c., to the kingdom of Christ. 9. By injuri- 
ously using some, and slaying others, of his servants, 
ver. 6, is pointed out the persecution raised against 
the apostles by the Jews, in which some of them were 
martyred. 10. By sending forth his troops, ver. 7, 
is meant the commission given to the Romans against 
Judea; and, burning up their city, the total destruc- 
ton of Jerusalem by Titus, the son of Vespasian, 
which happened about forty-one years after. 

On this parable it is necessary to remark, 1. That 
man was made at first in unzon with God. 2. That 

Vou. I. ¢ I) 


sin entered in, and separated between God and man. 
3. That as there can be no holiness but in union with 
God, and no heaven without holiness, therefore he pro- 
vided a way to reconcile and reunite man to himself. 
4. This was effected by Christ’s uniting himself to 
human nature, and giving his Spirit to those who de- 
lieve. 5. That as the marriage union is the closest, 
the most intimate, solemn, and excellent, of all the con- 
nections formed among mortals, and that they who are 
thus united in the Lord are one flesh ; so that mysti- 
cal union which is formed between God and the soul 
through Jesus Christ, by the Eternal Spirit, is the 
closest, most intimate, solemn, and excellent, that can 
be conceived ; for he who is thus joined unto the Lord 
is one spirit. 6. This contract is made freely: no 
man can be forced to it, for it is a union of will to 
wil, heart to heart ; and it is by willing and consent- 
ing that we come unto God through his Son. 7. That 
if this marriage do not take place here, an eternal 
separation from God, and from the glory of his power, 
shall be the fearful consequence. 8. That there are 
three states in which men run the risk of living with- 
out God and losing their souls. Ist. That of a soft, 
idle, voluptuous life, wherein a man thinks of nothing 
but quietly to enjoy life, conveniences, riches, private 
pleasures, and public diversions. They made light of 
it. Qdly. That of a man wholly taken up with agri- 
cultural or commercial employments, in which the love 
of riches, and application to the means of acquiring 
them, generally stifle all thoughts of salvation. One 
went to his own field, and another to his traffic. 3dly. 
That of a man who is openly unjust, violent, and out- 
rageously wicked, who is a sinner by profession, and 
not only neglects his salvation, but injurtously treats 
all those who bring him the Gospel of reconciliation. 
Seizing his servants, they treated them injuriously, &c. 
Verse 4. Fatlings] Ta σιτιςα" properly, fatted 
rams, or wethers, 2 Sam. vi. 13; 1 Chron. xv. 26. 
Verse 7. But when the king] Himseur: or, this 
very king. I have added εκεινος on the authority of 
nine of the most ancient MSS. and nearly one hun- 
dred others ; the later Syriac, six copies of the tala. 
and some of the fathers. Several printed editions 
have it, and Griesbach has received it into the text. 
Verse 8. Were not worthy.) Because they made 
light of it, and would not come ; preferring earthly 
things to heavenly blessings. Among the Mohamme- 
dans, refusal to come to a marriage feast, when in- 
vited, is considered a breach of the law of God. He 
, 209 


The man without 


A.M. 4033. ding is ready, but they which were 
An. Olymp. bidden were not ἢ worthy. 
ἘΠ 9. Go ye therefore into the high- 
ways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the 
marriage. 

10 So those servants went out into the high- 
ways, and ‘ gathered together all, as many as 
they found, both bad and good: and the 


h Chap. x. 11, 13; Acts xiii. 46——i Chap. xiii. 36, 47; Isa. 
xlix. 22; Ix. 3, 4 


DAYAH, vol. iv. p. 91. Any one that shall be invited 
to a dinner, and does not accept the invitation, disobeys 
God, and his messenger: and any one who comes un- 
invited, you may say is a thief, and returns a plunderer. 
—Mischat ul Mesabih. It was probably considered 
in this light among all the oriental nations. This ob- 
servation is necessary, in order to point out more for- 
cibly the inzguity of the refusal mentioned in the text. 
A man may be said to be worthy of, or fit for, this 
marriage feast, when, feeling his wretchedness and 
misery, he comes to God in the way appointed, to get 
an entrance into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus. 

Verse 9. Go ye therefore into the highways] Διεξοδους 
τῶν οδων, cross or by-paths ; the places where two or 
more roads met in one, leading into the city, where 
people were coming together from various quarters of 
the country. St. Luke adds hedges, to point out the 
people to whom the apostles were sent, as either mzser- 
able vagabonds, or the most indigent poor, who were 
wandering about the country, or sitting by the sides of 
the ways and hedges, imploring relief. This verse points 
out the final rejection of the Jews, and the calling of 
the Gentiles. It was a custom among the Jews, when 
a rich man made a feast, to go out and invite in all 
destitute travellers. See in Rab. Beracoth, fol. 43. 

As many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage] God 
sends his salvation to every soul, that all may believe 
and be saved. 

Verse 10. Gathered together all—both bad and 
good] By the preaching of the Gospel, multitudes of 
souls are gathered into what is generally termed the 
visible Church of Christ. This Church is the rioor, 
where the wheat and the chaff are often mingled, chap. 
iii. 12. The rieup, where the bastard wheat and the 
true grain grow together, chap. xiii. 26,27. The nev, 
which collects of all kinds, both good and bad, chap. 
xiii. 48. The novuse in which the wise and foolish 
are found, chap. xxv. 1, ὅθ. And the roxp, in which 
there are both sheep and goats, chap. xxv. 33, &e. 

Verse 11. When the king came] When God shall 
come to judge the world. 

Wedding garment] Among the orientals, long 
white robes were worn at public festivals ; and those 
who appeared on such occasions with any other gar- 
, nts were esteemed, not only highly culpable, but 
worthy of punishment. Our Lord seems here to allude 
to Zeph. i. 7, 8, The Lord hath prepared a SacriFice, 
he hath BIDEN his guests. And it shall come to pass, 
in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punisu 
the princes, and the KING’S CHILDREN, and ALL sUcH 
as are clothed with STRANGE APPAREL. The person who 

210 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the wedding garment 


wedding was furnished with 4,3 al 4083 
ests. An. Olymp 
gu CCIL.1 


11 And when the king came in 
to see the guests, he saw there a man * which 
had not on a wedding garment : 

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest 
thou in hither, not having a wedding garment ? 
And he was speechless. 


k2 Cor. v. 3; Eph. iv. 24; Col. 11. 10,12; Rev. ii. 4; xvi. 
15; xix. 8. 


invited the guests prepared such a garment for each, 
for the time being; and with which he was furnished 
on his application to the ruler of the feast. It was this 
which made the conduct of the person mentioned in 
the text inexcusable; he might have had a proper 
marriage garment, if he had applied for it. 

To afford accidental guests clothing suitable to a 
marriage feast, was a custom among the ancient 
Greeks. Homer relates that Telemachus, and the son 
of Nestor, arriving at Lacedemon when Menelaus was 
making a marriage feast for his son and daughter. 
were accommodated with garments suited to the ocea- 
sion, after having been bathed and anointed. 


Tove δ᾽ eet ovy ὅρωμαι λουσαν Kat χρισαν ελαιῳ, 

Auge δ᾽ apa χλαινας ovdac βαλον nde χιτωνας, 

E¢ pa ϑρονους εζοντο παρ᾽ Ατρειδην Μενελαον 
Odyss. 1. iv. ver. 49-51. 

They entered each a bath, and by the hands 

Of maidens laved, and oiled, and clothed again 

With shaggy mantles and resplendent vests, 

Sat both enthroned at Menelaus’ side. Cowper. 


Among the Asiaties, garments called caftans, great 
numbers of which each nobleman has ordinarily ready 
in his wardrobe, are given to persons whom he wishes 
to honour: to refuse to accept or wear such a dress 
would be deemed the highest insult. 

This marriage feast or dinner (the communication 
of the graces of the Gospel in this life) prepares for 
the marriage supper of the Lamb, Rev. xix. 7, 8, 9, 
the enjoyment of eternal blessedness in the kingdom 
of glory. Now, as without holiness no man can see 
the Lord, we may at once perceive what our Lord 
means by the marriage garment—it is HOLINESS of 
heart and life: the text last quoted asserts that the 
fine, white, and clean linen (alluding to the marriage 
garment above mentioned) was an emblem of the 
RIGHTEOUSNESS of the saints. Mark this expression : 
the righteousness, the whole external conduct, regu 
lated according to the will and word of God. Of the 
SAINTS, the holy persons, whose souls were purified 
by the blood of the Lamb. 

Verse 12. He saith unto him, Friend] Rather, com- 
panion: so eraipe should be translated. As this man 
represents the state of a person in the visible Church, 
who neglects to come unto the master of the feast for 
a marriage garment, for the salvation which Christ has 
procured, he cannot be with any propriety called a 
friend, but may well be termed a companion, as being 
a member of the visible Church, and present at all those 
ordinances where Christ’s presence and blessing are 

¢ ie} 


The Pharisees take 


A.M. 4033.13 Then said the king to the’ser- 


An, Olymp. vants, Bind him hand and foot, and 

take him awav. and cast him | into 

outer darkness; there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth. 

14 ™ For many are called, but few are chosen. 

15 Ἵ" Then went the Pharisees, and took 


1Chap. viii. 12——™ Chap. xx. 16. 


found, by all those who sincerely wait upon him for 
salvation. 

How camest thou in hither] Why profess to be 
called by my name while living without a preparation 
for my kingdom? 

He was speechless.) Ἐφιμωϑη, he was muzzled, or 
gagged. He had nothing to say in vindication of his 
neglect. There was a garment provided, but he neither 
put it on, nor applied for it. His conduct, therefore, 
was in the highest degree insulting and indecorous. 
As this man is the emblem, by general consent, of 
those who shall perish in the last day, may we not ask, 
without offence, Where does the doctrine of absolute 
reprobation or preterition appear in his case ὃ If Christ 
had never died for him, or if he had applied for the 
garment, and was refused, might he not well have 
alleged this in behalf of his soul ’—and would not the 
just God have listened to it? But there is not the 
smallest excuse for him: Christ died, the sacrifice was 
offered, for him; the ministers of the Gospel invited 
him ; the Holy Spirit strove with him; he might have 
been saved, but he was not: and the fault lies so ab- 
solutely at his own door that the just God is vindicated 
in his conduct, while he sends him to hell, not for the 
lack of what Ife could not get, but for the lack of what 
he might have had, but either neglected or refused it. 

Then said the king to the servants] To the minis- 
tering angels, executors of the Divine will. 

Cast him into outer darkness] The Jewish mar- 
rlages were performed in the night season, and the hall 
where the feast was made was superbly illuminated ; 
the outer darkness means, therefore, the darkness on 
the outside of this festal hall; rendered still more 
gloomy to the person who was suddenly thrust out 
into it from such a profusion of light. See all this 
largely treated of on chap. viii. 12. 

Verse 14. Many are called, &c.] This verse is want- 
ing in one of Colbert’s MSS., marked 33 in Griesbach. 
See the note on chap. xx. 16. Many are called by 
the preaching of the Gospel into the outward commu- 
nion of the Church of Christ ; but few, comparatively, 
are chosen to dwell with God in glory, because they 
do not come to the master of the feast for a marriage 
garment—for that holiness without which none can 
see the Lord. This is an allusion to the Roman cus- 
tom of raising their militia; all were mustered, but 
only those were chosen to serve, who were found pro- 
per. See the note on chap. xx. 16. Reader! examine 
thy soul, and make sure work for eternity ! 

Verse 15. In his talk.] Ev λογῳ, by discourse : in- 

ending to ask him subtle and ensnaring questions ; his 
answers to which might involve him either with the 
Roman government, or with the great Sanhedrin. 

1 


CHAP. XXII. 


counsel against Jesus. 


counsel how they might entangle 4, Μ΄ 4033. 
him in Avs talk. An. Olymp. 
16 And they sent out unto him ee 
their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Mas. 
ter, we know that thou art true, and teachest the 
way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any 
man : for thou regardest not the person of men 


" Mark xii. 13; Luke xx. 20. 


Verse 16. The Herodians| For an account of this 
sect, see the note on chap. xvi. 1. The preceding 
parable had covered the Pharisees with confusion: 
when it was ended they went out, not to humble them- 
selves before God, and deprecate the judgments with 
which they were threatened; but to plot afresh the 
destruction of their teacher. The depth of their 
malice appears, 1. In their mode of attack. They had 
often questioned our Lord on matters concerning re/- 
gion; and his answers only served to increase his 
reputation, and their confusion. They now shift their 
ground, and question him concerning state affairs, and 
the question is such as must be answered ; and yet the 
answer, to all human appearance, can be none other 
than what may be construed into a crime against the 
people, or against the Roman government. 2. Their 
profound malice appears farther in the choice of their 
companions in this business, viz. the Herodians. Herod 
was at this very time at Jerusalem, whither he had 
come to hold the passover. Jesus, being of Nazareth, 
which was in Herod’s jurisdiction, was considered as 
his subject. Herod himself was extremely attached to 
the Roman emperor, and made a public profession 
of it: all these considerations engaged the Pharisees 
to unite the Herodians, who, as the Syriac intimates, 
were the domestics of Herod, in this infernal plot. 3. 
Their profound malice appears, farther, in the praises 
they gave our Lord. Teacher, we know that thou art 
true, and teachest the way of God. This was indeed 
the real character of our blessed Lord; and now they 
bear testimony to the ¢ru¢h, merely with the design to 
make it subserve their bloody purposes. Those whose 
hearts are influenced by the spirit of the wicked one 
never do good, but when they hope to accomplish 
evil by it. Men who praise you to your face are ever 
to be suspected. The Italians have a very expres- 
sive proverb on this subject :— 


Ché ti fa earezze pit che non suole, 
O t’ ha ingannato, o ingannar ti vuole. 


He who caresses thee more than he was wont to do, 
has either DECEIVED thee, or is ABOUT ΤῸ Do IT. 


1 have never known the sentiment in this proverb 
to fail; and it was notoriously exemplified in the pre- 
sent instance. Flatterers, though they speak the 
truth, ever carry about with them a dase or malicious 
soul. 4. Their malice appears still farther in the ques- 
tion they propose. Is it lawful to gwe tribute to Cesar, 
or not ?2—ver. 17. The constitution of the Jewish 
republic, the expectations which they had of futura 
glory and excellence, and the diversity of opinions 
which divided the Jews on this subject, rendered an 
answer to this question extremely difficult :— 

211 


The question about 


A.M. 4033. 17 Tell us therefore, What think- 


AR Gare: est thou? Is it lawful to give tribute 
unto Cesar, or not? 
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, 
and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 
19 Show me the tribute money. And they 
brought unto him a ¢ penny. 


°Luke ii. 1; John viii. 33; Acts v. 37——? Chap. xvii. 24 ; 
Mark xii. 15, 16. 


1. In the presence of the people, who professed to 
have no other king but God, and looked on their inde- 
pendence as an essential point of their religion. 

2. In the presence of the Pharisees, who were ready 
to stir up the people against him, if his decision could 
be at all construed to be contrary to their prejudices, 
or to their religious rights. 

3. In the presence of the Herodians, who, if the 
answer should appear to be against Cesar’s rights, 
were ready to inflame their master to avenge, by the 
death of our Lord, the affront offered to his master 
the emperor. 

4. The answer was difficult, because of the different 
sentiments of the Jews on this subject; some main- 
taining that they could not lawfully pay tribute to a 
heathen governor : while others held that as they were 
now under this strange government, and had no power 
to free themselves from it, it was lawful for them to 
pay what they had not power to refuse. 

5. The answer was difficult, when it is considered 
that multitudes of the people had begun now to receive 
Jesus as the promised Messiah, who was to be the de- 
liverer of their nation from spiritual and temporal 
oppression, and therefore had lately sung to him the 
Hosanna Rabba: see chap. xxi. 9. If then he should 
decide the question in Cesar’s favour, what idea must 
the people have of him, either as zealous for the law, 
or as the expected Messiah? If against Cesar, he is 
ruined. Who that loved Jesus, and was not convinced 
of his sovereign wisdom, could help trembling for him 
in these circumstances ὦ 

Jesus opposes the depth of his wisdom to the depth 
of their malice, and manifests it :—1. By wnmasking 
them, and showing that he knew the very secrets of 
their hearts. Yeuypocrites! why tempt ye me? i.e. 
why do ye try me thust This must cover them with 
confusion, when they saw their motives thus disco- 
vered ; and tend much to lessen their influence in the 
sight of the people, when it was manifest that they 
acted not through a desire to receive information, by 
which to regulate their conduct, but merely to ensnare 
and ruin him. 

2. Christ shows his profound w2sdom in not attempt- 
ing to discuss the question at large; but settled the 
business by seizing a maxim that was common among 
all people, and acknowledged among the Jews, That 
the prince who causes his image and titles to be stamped 
on the current coin of a country, is virtually acknow- 
ledged thereby as the governor. See Maimon. Gezel. 
c. v. in Wetstein. When Sultan Maumoup, king of 
Maveralnahar, Turquestan, and the Indies, wished to 
seize on the dominions of SrmeH, queen of Persia, 

212 


ST. MATTHEW. 


paying tribute answered. 


5 A. M. 4033. 
20 And he saith unto them, ΠΩΣ 


Whose zs this image and * super- Ane ae 
scription ? pats τ 
21 They say unto him, Cesar’s. Then 
saith he unto them, * Render therefore unto 
Cesar, the things which are Cesar’s; and 
unto God, the things that are God’s. 


4In value seven-pence halfpenny : chap. xx. 2——* Or, inscrip 
tion. sChap. xvii. 25; Rom. xiii. 7. 


who governed in the place of her young son Meged- 
edde-vilet, about A. D. 999, he sent an ambassador to 
her with the following order: You must acknowledge 
me for your KING, cause the kootbah to be read, i. e. 
pray for me in all the mosques of the kingdom, and 
GET YOUR MONEY recoined, with the IMPRESSION THAT 
Is ON MINE: thus denoting that she must become ab- 
solutely subject to him. See Bibliot. Orient. de 
Galand. p. 453. Esau Afghan carried his conquest 
into Bhatty, into the viceroyalty of Bengal, and caused 
the kootbah to be read, and coin to be struck in the 
name of the Emperor Akbar. Ayeen Akbery, vol. ii 
p- 5. See also p. 38, 92, 94, 130, 139, 187. 

Verse 19. They brought unto him a penny.] A de- 
narius: probably the ordinary capitation tax, though 
the poll tax in the law, Exod. xxx. 13, 14, was half 
a shekel, about twice as much as the denarius. The 
Roman denarius had the emperor’s image with a proper 
legend stamped on one side of it. It was not there- 
fore the sacred shekel which was to be paid for the 
repairs of the temple which was now demanded, but the 
regular tribute required by the Roman government. 

Verse 20. Whose is this image and superscription 3] 
He knew well enough whose they were ;*but he showed 
the excellency of his wisdom, 3dly, in making them 
answer to their own confusion. They came to ensnare 
our Lord in his discourse, and now they are ensnared 
in their own. He who digs a pit for his neighbour 
ordinarily falls into it himself. 

Verse 21. They say unto him, Cesar’s.] The image 
was the head of the emperor; the superscription, his 
titles. Junius Cmsar was the first who caused his 
image to be struck on the Roman coin. Tiberius was 
emperor at this time. 

Render therefore unto Cesar] The conclusion is 
drawn from their own premises. You acknowledge 
this to be Cesar’s coin; this coin is current in your 
land; the currency of this coin shows the country to 
be wnder the Roman government ; and your acknow- 
ledgment that it is Cesar’s proves you have submitted. 
Don’t therefore be wnjust; but render to Cesar the 
things which you acknowledge to be his; at the same 
time, be not impious, but render unto God the things 
which belong to God. 

This answer is full of consummate wisdom. It 
establishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distin- 
guishes the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven 
and earth. The image of princes stamped on their 
coin denotes that temporal things belong all to their 
government. The image of God stamped on the soul 
denotes that all its faculties and powers belong to the 
Most High, and should be employed in his service. 

1 


The question of the Sadducees 


A.M, 1033. 22 When they had heard these 
Δα, Oya. words, they marvelled, and left him, 
—— and went their way. 

23 %'The same day came to him the Sad- 
ducees, "which say that there is no resurrec- 
tion, and asked him, 

24 Saying, Master, ἡ Moses said, If a man 
die, having no children, his brother shall marry 
his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 

25 ~ Now there were withus seven brethren: 
and the first, when he had married a wife, 
deceased ; and, having no issue, left his wife 
unto his brother : 


* Mark xii. 18; Luke xx. 27. “ Acts xxiii. 8. 
xxv. 5. 


¥ Deut. 


But while the earth is agitated and distracted with 
the question of political rights and wrongs, the reader 
will naturally ask, What does a man owe to Cesar ?— 
to the civil government under which he lives? Our 
Lord has answered the question—That which 1s Ce- 
sar’s. But what is it that 1s Cesar’st 1. Honour. 2. 
Obedience. And 3. Tribute. 1. The civil government 
under which a man lives, and by which he is protected, 
demands his honour and reverence. 2. The laws which 
are made for the suppression of evil doers, and the 
maintenance of good order, which are calculated to 
promote the benefit of the whole, and the comfort of 
the individual should be religiously obeyed. 3. The 
government that charges itself with the support and 
defence of the whole, should have its unavoidable ex- 
penses, however great, repaid by the people, in whose 
behalf they are incurred; therefore we should pay 
tribute. But remember, if Cesar should intrude into 
the things of God, coin a new creed, or broacha new 
Gospel, and affect to rule the conscience, while he rules 
the state, in these things Cesar is not to be obeyed ; 
he is taking the things of God, and he must not get 
them. Give not therefore God’s things to Cesar, and 
give not Cesar’s things to God. That which belongs 
to the commonwealth should, on no account whatever, 
be devoted to religious uses; and let no man think he 
has pleased God, by giving that to charitable or sacred 
uses which he has purloined from the state. The 
tribute of half a shekel, which the law, (Exod. xxx. 
13, 14,) required every person above twenty years of 
age to pay to the temple, was, after the destruction of 
the temple, in the time of Vespasian, paid into the 
emperor’s exchequer. This sum, Melancthon supposes, 
amounted annually to THREE TONS OF GOLD. 

Verse 22. When they had heard these words, they 
marvelled] And well they might—never man spake like 
this man. By this decision, Cxsar is satisfied—he 
gets jus own to the uttermost farthing. Gop is glori- 
jred—his honour is in every respect secured. And the 
fLOPLE are edified—one of the most difficult questions 
that could possibly come before them is answered in 
such a way as to relieve their consciences, and direct 
their conduct. See L’Evangile Medilé, and see my 
discourse entitled, The Rights of God and Cesar. 

1 


CHAP. XXII. 


concerning the resurrection 


26 Likewise the second also, and 4, 4033 
the third, unto the * seventh: An. Olymp 
27 And last of all, the woman take 

died also: 

28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose 
wife shall she be of the seven? for they all 
had her. 

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye 
do err, ¥ not knowing the scriptures, nor the 
power of God. 

30 Forin the resurrection, they neither marry, 
nor are given in marriage, but *are as the an 
gels of God in heaven. 


¥ Tob. ili. 8 ——* Gr. seven —-¥ John xx. 9. 11 John 


11. 2. 


Verse 23. The same day] Malice is ever active ; 
let it be defeated ever so often, it returns to the charge. 
Jesus and his Gospel give no quarter to vice; the 
vicious will give no quarter to him or it. 

The Saddecees] For an account of these see on 
chap. xvi. 1. 

Verse 24. Raise up seed unto his brother.| This law 
is mentioned Deut. xxv. 5. The meaning of the ex- 
pression is, that the children produced by this marriage 
should be reckoned in the genealogy of the deceased 
brother, and enjoy his estates. The word seed should 
be always translated children or posterity. There is 
a law precisely similar to this among the Hindoos. 

Verse 25. Seven brethren] It is very likely that the 
Sadducees creased the number, merely to make the 
question the more difficult. 

Verse 28. Whose wife shall she be of the seven 3) 
The rabbins have said, That if a woman have two 
husbands in this world, she shall have the first only 
restored to her in the world to come. Sohar. Genes. 
fol. 24. The question put by these bad men is well 
suited to the mouth of a libertine. Those who live 
without God in the world have no other god than the 
world ; and those who have not that happiness which 
comes from the enjoyment of God have no other plea- 
sure than that which comes from the gratification of 
sensual appetites. The stream cannot rise higher than 
the spring: these men, and their younger brethren, 
atheists, deists, and libertines of all sorts, can form no 
idea of heaven as a place of blessedness, unless they can 
hope to find in it the gratification of their sensual desires. 
On this very ground Mohammed built his paradise. 

Verse 29. Ye doerr] Or, Ye are deceived—by your 
impure passions: not knowing the scriptures, which 
assert the resurrection :—nor the miraculous power of 
God (την δυναμιν Tov Θεοῦ) by which it is to be effected. 
In Avoda Sara, fol. 18, Sanhedrin, fol. 90, it is said : 
“hese are they which shall have no part in the world 
to come: Those who say, the Lord did not come from 
heaven; and those who say, the resurrection cannot 
be proved out of the law.” 

Their deception appeared in their supposing, that if 
there were a resurrection, men and women were to 
marry and be given in marriage as in this life ; which 

213 


The resurrection proved, 


A. M. 4033. . 
eins 31 But as touching the resurrec- 


An. Olymp. tion of the dead, have ye not read 
————— that which was spoken unto you by 
God, saying, 

32 11 am the God of Abraham, and the God 
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not 
the God of the dead, but of the living. 

33 And when the multitude heard this, » they 
were astonished at his doctrine. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and the Sadducees confounded. 


34 Ἵ ° But when the Pharisees 4, 1033. 

had heard that he had put the An. Olymp 
CCIL 1 

Sadducees to silence, they were 
gathered together. 

35 Then one of them, which was ἃ a lawyer, 
asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 

36 Master, which is the great commandment 
in the law? 

37 Jesus said unto him, ® Thou shalt love 


a Exod. iii. 6, 16; Mark xii. 26; Luke xx. 37; Acts vil. 32; 
Heb. xi. 16.— Chap. vii. 28.—* Mark xii. 28.—4 Luke x. 25. 


© Deut. vi. 5; x. 12; xxx. 6; Luke x.27; 1 Sam. vii. 3; 2 Kings 
x.31; Psa.cxix.2; 1Tim.i. 5; 1 John iv. 7,8, 17, 18, 20, 21. 


our Lord shows is not the case: for men and women 
there shall be like the angels of God, immortal, and 
free from all human passions, and from those propen- 
sities which were to continue with them only during 
this present state of existence. There shall be no 
death ; and consequently no need of marriage to main- 
tain the population of the spiritual world. 

Verse 31. Have ye not read| This quotation is taken 
from Exod. iii. 6, 16; and as the five books of Moses 
were the only part of Scripture which the Sadducees 
acknowledged as Divine, our Lord, by confuting them 
from those books, proved the second part of his asser- 
tion, ‘‘ Ye are ignorant of those very scriptures which 
ye profess to hold sacred.” 

Verse 32. I am the God of Abraham] Let it be ob- 
served, that Abraham was dead upwards of 300 years 
before these words were spoken to Moses: yet sill 
God calls himself the God of Abraham, ἄς. Now 
Christ properly observes that God is not the God of 
the dead, (that word being equal, in the sense of the 
Sadducees, to an eternal annihilation,) but of the liv- 
ing; it therefore follows that, if he be the God of 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, these are not dead, but 
alive; alive with God, though they had ceased, for 
some hundreds of years, to exist among mortals. We 
may see, from this, that our Lord combats and confutes 
another opinion of the Sadducees, viz. that there is 
neither angel nor sprit; by showing that the soul is 
not only immortal, but lives with God, even while the 
body is detained in the dust of the earth, which body 
is afterwards to be raised to life, and united with its 
soul by the miraculous power of God, of which power 
they showed themselves to be ignorant when they de- 
nied the possibility of a resurrection. 

Verse 33. The multitude—were astonished at his 
doctrine.| God uses the infidelity of some for the 
edification of others. Had no false doctrine been 
broached in the world, we had not seen the full evi- 
dence of the true teaching. The opposition of deists 
and infidels has only served to raise up men in behalf 
of the truth of God, who not only have refuted them, 
but shown, at the same time, that the sacred testimo- 
nies are infinitely amiable in themselves, and worthy of 
allaeceptation. Truth always gains by being opposed. 

Verse 34. They were gathered together.] Em to 
avto—they came together with one accord, or, for the 
same purpose ; 1. e. of ensnaring him in his discourse, 
as the Sadducees had done, verse 23. The Codex 
Beze and several of the Iiala have ex’ αὐτὸν, against 
tim. amen togiore tnto oon.—Old MS. Eng. Bib. 

214 


Verse 35. A lawyer] Νόμικος, a teacher of the law. 
What is called Jawyer, in the common translation, con- 
veys a wrong idea to most readers: my old MS. ren- 
ders the word in the same way I have done. These 
teachers of the law were the same as the scribes, or 
what Dr. Wotton calls letter-men, whom he supposes 
to be the same as the Karaites, a sect of the Jews 
who rejected all the traditions of the elders, and ad- 
mitted nothing but the written word. See Wotton’s 
Mishna, vol. i. p. 78. These are allowed to have kept 
more closely to the spiritual meaning of the law and 
prophets than the Pharisees did; and hence the ques- 
tion proposed by the lawyer, (Mark xii. 28, calls him 
one of the scribes,) or Karaite, was of a more spiritual 
or refined nature than any of the preceding. 

Verse 36. Which is the great commandment] We 
see here three kinds of enemies and false accusers of 
Christ and his disciples ; and three sorts of accusations 
brought against them. 1. The Herodians, or politi- 
cians and courtiers, who form their questions and ac- 
cusations on the r7ghts of the prince, and matters of 
state, ver. 16. 2. The Sadducees, or libertines, who 
found theirs upon matters of religion, and articles of 
faith, which they did not credit, ver. 23. 3. The 
Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, or Karaites, hypocritical 
pretenders to devotion, who found theirs on that vital 
and practical godliness (the love of God and man) of 
which they wished themselves to be thought the sole 
proprietors, ver. 36. 

Verse 37. Thou shalt love the Lord] This is a sub- 
ject of the greatest importance, and should be wel! 
understood, as our Lord shows that the whole of true 
religion is comprised in thus loving God and our 
neighbour. 

It may not be unnecessary to inquire into the literal 
meaning of the word love. Ayary, from ἀγαπάω, I 
love, is supposed to be compounded either of ayay and 
rote, to act vehemently or intensely ; or, from ayew 
κατα πᾶν, because love is always active, and will act 
m every possible way ; for he who loves is, with all 
his affection and desire, carried forward to the beloved 
object, in order to possess and enjoy it. Some derive 
it from ayav and ravecdat, to be completely at rest, or, 
to be intensely satisfied ; because he who loves is su- 
premely contented with, and rests completely satisfiea 
in, that which he loves. Others, from aya: and rao, 
because a person eagerly embraces, and vigorously 
holds fast, that which is the object of his love. Lastly, 
others suppose it to be compounded of ayaw, J adie. 
and παύομαι, I rest, because that which a man loves 

1 


Love to God the great 


oie the Lorp thy God with all thy heart, 


An. Olymp. and with all thy soul, and with all 
CCIL.1. : 
a. thipemind. 


intensely he rests in, with fired admiration and con- 
templation. So that genuine love changes not, 
but always abides steadily attached to that which is 
loved. 

Whatever may be thought of these etymologies, as 
being either just or probable, one thing will be evident 
to all those who know what Jove means, that they 
throw much light upon the subject, and manifest it in 
a variety of striking points of view. The ancient author 
of a MS. Lexicon in the late French king’s library, 
under the word ayarn, has the following definition :— 
Ασπαςος προϑεσις ext τὴ φιλια του φιλουμενου---οΟΣυμψυχίια. 
“A pleasing surrender of friendship to a friend :—an 
identity or sameness of soul.” A sovereign prefer- 
ence given to one above all others, present or absent : 
a concentration of all the thoughts and desires in a 
single object, which a man prefers to all others. Apply 
this definition to the love which God requires of his 
creatures, and you will have the most correct view of 
the subject. Hence it appears that, by this love, the 
soul eagerly cleaves to, affectionately admires, and con- 
stantly rests in God, supremely pleased and satisfied 
with him as its portion: that it acts from him, as its 
author ; for him, as its master; and to him, as its 
end. That, dy it, all the powers and faculties of the 
mind are concentrated in the Lord of the universe. 
That. by it, the whole man is willingly surrendered to 
the Most High: and that, ¢hrough it, an identity, or 
sameness of spirit with the Lord is acquired—the man 
being made a partaker of the Divine nature, having the 
mind in him which was in Christ, and thus dwelling 
in God, and God in him. 

But what is implied in loving God with all the heart, 
soul, mind, strength, &c., and when may a man be 
suid to do this? 1. He loves God with all his heart, 
who loves nothing in comparison of him, and nothing 
but in reference to him :—who is ready to give up, do, 
or suffer any thing in order to please and glorify him :— 
who has in his heart neither Jove nor hatred, hope nor 
fear, incivnation, nor aversion, desire, nor delight, but 
as they relate to God, and are regulated by him. 

2. He loves God with all his soul, or rather, ev 02 
τὴ ψυχη, with all his life, who is ready to give up life 
for his sake—to endure all sorts of torments, and to 
be deprived of all kinds of comforts, rather than dis- 
honour God :—who employs life with all its comforts, 
and conveniences, to glorify God in, by, and through 
all :—to whom Jife and death are nothing, but as they 
come from and lead to God. From this Divine princi- 
ple sprang the blood of the martyrs, which became the 
seed of the Church. They overcame through the blood 
of the Lamb, and loved not their lives unto the death. 
See Rey. xii. 11. 

3. He loves God with all his strength (Mark xii. 
30; Luke x. 27) who ezerts all the powers of his body 
and soul in the service of God :—who, for the glory 
of his Maker, spares neither labour nor cost—who 
sacrifices his time, body, health, ease, for the honour 
of God his Divine Master :—who employs in his ser- 

1 


CHAP XXII. 


commandment of the law 


ae A. M. 4033. 
38 This is the first and great com- i ἢ οὐ 
mandment. 


39 And the second is like unto ———— 


vice all his goods, his talents, his power, credit, au- 
thority, and influence. 

4. He loves God with all his mind (intellect— 
διανοια) who applies himself only to snow God, and his 
holy will :—who receives with submission, gratitude, 
and pleasure, the sacred truths which God has reveal- 
ed to man :—who studies no art nor science but as far 
as it is necessary for the service of God, and uses it 
at all times to promote his glory :—who forms no pro- 
jects nor designs but in reference to God and the in- 
terests of mankind :—who banishes from his under- 
standing and memory every useless, foolish, and dan- 
gerous thought, together with every idea which has 
any tendency to defile his soul, or turn it for a mo- 
ment from the centre of eternal repose. In a word, 
he who sees God in all things—thinks of him at all 
times—having his mind continually fixed upon God, 
acknowledging him in all his ways—who begins, con- 
tinues, and ends all his thoughts, words, and works, to 
the glory of his name :—this is the person who loves 
God with all his heart, life, strength, and intellect. 
He is crucified to the world, and the world to him: 
he lives, yet not he, but Christ lives in him. He be- 
holds as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and is 
changed into the same image from glory to glory. 
Simply and constantly looking unto Jesus, the author 
and perfecter of his faith, he receives continual sup- 
plies of enlightening and sanctifying grace, and is thus 
fitted for every good word and work. O glorious 
state! far, far, beyond this description! which com- 
prises an ineffable communion between the ever-blessed 
Trinity and the soul of man! 

Verse 38. This is the first and great commandment.| 
It is so, 1. In its antiguity, being as old as the world, 
and engraven originally on our very nature. 

2. Indignity ; as directly and immediately proceed- 
ing from and referring to God. 

3. In eacellence; being the commandment of the 
new covenant, and the very spirit of the Divine 
adoption. 

4. In justice ; because it alone renders to God his 
due, prefers him before all things, and secures to him 
his proper rank in relation to them. 

5. In sufficiency ; being in itself capable of making 
men holy in this life, and happy in the other. 

6. In fruitfulness ; because it is the root ot all 
commandments, and the fulfilling of the law. 

7. In virtue and efficacy; because by this alone 
God reigns in the heart of man, and man is united to 
God. 

8. In extent; leaving nothing to the creature, which 
it does not refer to the Creator. 

9. In necessity ; being absolutely indispensable. 

10. In duration; being ever to be continued on 
earth, and never to be discontinued in heaven. 

Verse 39. Thou shalt love thy neighbour| The love 
of our neighbour springs from the love of God as its 
source; is found in the love of God as its principle. 
pattern, and end; and the love of God is found in the 

215 


The question concerning the 


A.M. 4033. it, f Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
Ans Clap. as thyself. 

aa 40 & On these two commandments 
hang all the law and the prophets. 

41 9 » While the Pharisees were gathered 
together, Jesus asked them, 

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ ? whose 
son is he? They say unto him, The son of 
David. 

43 He saith unto them, How then doth 


ST. MATTHEW. 


genealogy of the Messiah 


David in spirit ‘call him Lord aa 1038: 
saying, AD, emp. 

44 * The Lorp said unto my Lord, 
Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine 
enemies thy footstool ? 

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he 
his son ? 

46 1 And no man was able to answer him 
a word, ™neither durst any man from that 
day forth ask him any more questions. 


f Lev. xix. 18; chap. xix.19; Mark xii. 31; Luke x. 27; 
Rom. xiii. 9 ; Gal. v. 14; James ii. 8 ——8 Chap. vii. 12; 1 Tim. 
1. 5.— Mark xii. 35; Luke xx. 41. 


love of our neighbour, as its effect, representation, and 
infallible mark. This love of our neighbour is a love 
of equity, charity, succowr, and benevolence. We owe 
to our neighbour what we have a right to expect from 
him—* Do unto all men as ye would they should do 
unto you,” is a positive command of our blessed Saviour. 
By this rule, therefore, we should speak, think, and 
write, concerning every soul of man :—put the best 
construction upon all the words and actions of our neigh- 
bour that they can possibly bear. By this rule we are 
taught to bear with, love, and forgive him ; to rejoice 
in his felicity, mourn in his adversity, desire and de- 
light in his prosperity, and promote it to the utmost 
of our power: instruct his ignorance, help him in his 
weakness, and risk even our life for his sake, and for 
the public good. In a word, we must do every thing 
in our power, through all the possible varieties of cir- 
cumstances, for our neighbours, which we would wish 
them to do for us, were our situations reversed. 

This is the religion of Jesus! How happy would 
society be, were these two plain, rational precepts pro- 
perly observed! Love me, and love thy FeLLows! 
Be unutterably happy in me, and be in perfect peace, 
unanimity, and love, among yourselves. Great foun- 
tain and dispenser of love! fill thy creation with this 
sacred principle, for his sake who died for the salvation 
of mankind ! 

On the nature of self-love, see chap. xix. 19. 

Verse 40. On these two—hang all the law and the 
prophets.| They are like the first and last links of a 
chain, all the intermediate ones depend on them. True 
religion begins and ends in love to God and man. 
These are the two grand links that unite God to man, 
man to his fellows, and men again to God. 

Love is the fulfilling of the law, says St. Paul, Rom. 
xiii. 10; for he who has the love of God in him de- 
lights to obey the Divine precepts, and to do all manner 
of kindness to men for God’s sake. 

Verse 41. While the Pharisees were gathered to- 
gether] Jesus asks a question in his turn, utterly to 
confound them, and to show the people that the source 
of all the captious questions of his opponents was their 
ignorance of the prophecies relative to the Messiah. 

Verse 42. What think ye of Christ?] Or, What 
are your thoughts concerning THE Curist—the Mes- 
siah; for to this title the emphatic article should always 
be added. 

216 


iKeclus. li. 10.— Psa. ex.1; Acts ii. 34; 1 Cor. xv. 25; 
Heb. i. 13; x. 12, 13— Luke xiv. 6——™Mark xii. 34; 
Luke xx. 40. 


Whose son is he?} From what family is he to 
spring ? 

They say unto him, The son of David.| This was 
a thing well known among the Jews, and universally 
acknowledged, see John vii. 42 ; and is a most power- 
ful proof against them that the Messiah is come. Their 
families are now so perfectly confounded that they can- 
not trace back any of their genealogies with any degree 
of certainty : nor have they been capable of ascertain- 
ing the different families of their tribes for more than 
sixteen hundred years. Why, then, should the spirit 
of prophecy assert so often, and in such express terms, 
that Jesus was to come from the family of David; if 
he should only make his appearance when the public 
registers were all demolished, and it would be impossible 
to ascertain the family? Is it not evident that God 
designed that the Messiah should come at a time when 
the public genealogies might be inspected, to prove that 


| it was he who was prophesied of, and that no other was 


to be expected? The evangelists, Matthew and Luke, 
were so fully convinced of the conclusiveness of this 
proof that they had recourse to the public registers ; 
and thus proved to the Jews, from their own records, 
that Jesus was born of the family mentioned by the 
prophets. Nor do we find that a scribe, Pharisee, or 
any other, ever attempted to invalidate this proof, 
though it would have essentially subserved their cause, 
could they have done it. But as this has not been done, 
we may fairly conclude it was impossible to do it. 

Verse 43. How then doth David in spirit (or by the 
Spirit—by the inspiration of the Spirit of God) cal? 
him Lord? saying, 

Verse 44. The Lord (ΤῊ Yeve or Jehovah) said 
unto my Lord, (18 Adni or Adonai, my prop, stay, 
master, support,) Sit thou on my right hand] Take 
the place of the greatest eminence and authority. Tv? 
I make thine enemies thy footstool—till I subdue both 
Jews and Gentiles under thee, and cause them to ac- 
knowledge thee as their sovereign and Lord. This 
quotation is taken from Psa. ex. 1; and, from it, these 
two points are clear: 1. That David wrote it by the 
inspiration of God; and 2. That it is a prophetic de- 
cleration of the Messiah. 

Verse 45. How is he hts son?] As the Jews did 
not attempt to deny the conclusion of our Lord’s ques- 
tion, which was, the Messiah is not only the son of 
David according to the flesh, but he is the Lord of 

1 


The character of the 


David according to his Divine nature, then it is evident 
they could not. Indeed, there was no other way of 
invalidating the argument, but by denying that the pro- 
phecy in question related to Christ: but it seems the 
prophecy was so fully and so generally understood to 
belong to the Messiah that they did not attempt to do 
this; for it is immediately added, No man was able to 
answer him a word—they were completely nonplussed 
and confounded. 

Verse 46. Neither durst any—ask him any more 
questions.] “Thus,” says Dr. Wotton, “ our Lord put 
the four great sects of the Jews to silence, in one day, 
successively. The Herodians and Pharisees wanted 
to know whether they might lawfully pay tribute to 
Cesar or not. The Sadducees were inquisitive to 
know whose wife the woman should be of the seven 
brethren, in the resurrection, who had her to wife. 
Then comes the scribe, (or karaite,) who owned no 
authority beyond or besides the written law, and asked 
which was the great commandment in the law. This 
lawyer deserves to be mentioned here, because he not 


CHAP. 


XXIII. 


only acquiesced in, but commended, what our Lord had 
said in answer to his question.” Wotton’s Miscellane- 
ous Discourses, vol. i. p. 78. 

The Pharisees and Herodians were defeated, ver. 
15-22. The Sadducees were confounded, ver. 29-33. 
The lawyers or karaites nonplussed, ver. 37-40. And 
the Pharisees, &c., finally routed, ver. 41-46. Thus 
did the wisdom of God triumph over the cunning of men. 

From this time, we do not find that our Lord was 
any more troubled with their captious questions : their 
whole stock, it appears, was expended, and now they 
coolly deliberate on the most effectual way to get him 
murdered. He that resists the truth of God is capable 
of effecting the worst purpose of Satan. 

The very important subjects of this chapter have 
been so amply discussed in the notes, and applied so 
particularly to their spiritual uses, that it does not ap- 
pear necessary to add any thing by way of practical 
improvement. ‘The explanation of the great command 
of the law is particularly recommended to the reader’s 
notice. See on verses 36-40. 


Scribes and Pharisees. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


The character of the scribes and Pharisees, and directions to the people and the disciples to receive the law 


from them, but not to follow their bad example, 1—7. 


The disciples exhorted to humility, 8-12. Differ- 


ent woes pronounced against the scribes and Pharisees for their intolerance, 13; rapacity, 14; false zeal, 


15 ; superstition in oaths and tithes, 16-23 ; hypocrisy, 24-28. 


Their cruelty, 29-32. Their persecu- 


tion of the apostles, §c. Their destruction foretold, 33-36. Christ's lamentation over Jerusalem, 37-39. 


ei "THEN spake Jesus to the multi- 
An. Olymp. tude, and to his disciples, 

2 Saying, * The scribes and the 
Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat : 

3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you 
observe, that observe and do; but do not 
ye after their works: for they say, and 
do not. 


aNeh. viii. 4, 8; Mal. ii. 7; Mark xii. 38; Luke xx. 45. 
> Rom. ii. 19, &c. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII. 

Verse 2. The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ 
seat] Exa6icav.—They sat there formerly by Divine 
appointment: they sit there now by Divine permission. 
What our Lord says here refers to their expounding 
the Scriptures, for it was the custom of the Jewish 
doctors to sit while they expounded the law and pro- 
phets, (chap. v. 1; Luke iv. 20-22,) and to stand up 
when they read them. 

By the seat of Moses, we are to understand authority 
to teach the law. Moses was the great teacher of the 
Jewish people ; and the scribes, &c., are here repre- 
sented as his successors. 

Verse 3. All therefore whatsoever] That is, all those 
things which they read out of the law and prophets, 
and all things which they teach consistently with them. 
This must be our Lord’s meaning : he could not have 
desired them to do every thing, without restriction, 
which the Jewish doctors taught; because himself 

1 


4° For they bind heavy burdens 4, δ 4033. 

and grievous to be borne, and lay An. Olymp. 
᾿ CI. 1. 

them on men’s shoulders ; but they 
themselves will not move them with one of 
their fingers. 

5 But ὁ all their works they do for to be seen 
of men: ° they make broad their phylacteries, 
and enlarge the borders of their garments, 


¢ Luke xi. 46; Acts xv. 10; Gal. vi. 13 ——4 Chap. vi. 1,2, 5, 16. 
e¢ Num. xv. 38; Deut. vi. 8; xxii. 12; Prov. iii. 3. 


warns his disciples against their false teaching, and 
testifies that they had made the word of God of none 
effect by their traditions. See chap. xv. 6,&c. Be- 
sides, as our Lord speaks here in the past tense— 
whatsoever they HAVE commanded, ὁσα εἰπωσιν, he may 
refer to the teaching of a former period, when they 
taught the way of God in truth, or were much less 
corrupted than they were now. 

Verse 4. They bind heavy burdens} They are now 
so corrupt that they have added to the ceremonies of 
the law others of their own invention, which are not 
only burdensome and oppressive, but have neither reason, 
cxpediency, nor revelation, to countenance them. Ina 
word, like all their successors in spirit to the present 
day, they were severe to others, but very indulgent to 
themselves. 

Verse 5. All their works they do for to be seen 
of men] In pointing out the corruptions of these 
men, our Lord gives us the distinguishing character- 

917 


The pride of the 


A. M. 4033. f ᾿ 
A.D. 90. And love the uppermost rooms 
“Sere αἱ feasts, and the chief seats in the 


synagogues, 


f Mark xii. 38, 39; Luke xi. 43; xx. 46; 3 John 9. 


istics of all false teachers, whether Jewish or 
Chzistian. 

1. They live not according to the truths they preach. 
They say, and do not, ver. 3. 

2. They are severe to others, point out the narrowest 
road to heaven, and walk in the broad road themselves. 
They bind on burdens, &e., ver. 4. 

3. They affect to appear righteous, and are strict 
observers of certain rites, &c., while destitute of the 
power of godliness. They make broad their phylac- 
teries, &c., ver. 5. 

4. They love worldly entertainments, go to feast 
wherever they are asked, and seek Church preferments. 
They love the chief places at feasts, and chief seats 
in the synagogues, ver. 6. 

5. They love and seek public respect and high titles, 
salutations in the market-place, (for they are seldom 
in their studies,) and to be called of men rabbi—emi- 
nent teacher, though they have no title to it, either 
from the excellence or fruit of their teaching. When 
these marks are found in a man who professes to be a 
minister of Christ, charity itself will assert he is a 
thief and a robher—he has climbed over the wall of the 
sheepfold, or broken it down in order to get in. 

Phylacteries| ®v2axrnpia, from φυλασσω, to keep or 
preserve. These were small slips of parchment or 
vellum, on which certain portions of the law were writ- 
ten. The Jews tied these about their foreheads and 
arms, for three different purposes. 1. To put them in 
mind of those precepts which they should constantly 
observe. 2. To procure them reverence and respect 
in the sight of the heathen. And 3. Toactas amulets 
or charms to drive away evil spirits. 

The first use of these phylacteries is evident from 
their name. 

The second use appears from what is said on the 
subject from the Gemara, Beracoth, chap. i., quoted by 
Kypke. ‘‘ Whence is it proved that phylacteries, (7) Sdn, 
tephilin,) are the strength of {srael ’—Ans. From what 
is written, Deut. xxviii. 10. All the people of the 
earth shall see that thou art called by the name [of 
mm Jehovah|—and they shall be afraid of thee. 

The third use of them appears from the Targum, 
on Cant. viii. 3. His left hand is under my head, &c. 
“The congregation of Israel hath said, I am elect 
above all people, because I bind my phylacteries on 
my left hand, and on my head, and the scroll is fixed 
to the right side of my gate, the third part of which 
looks to my bed-chamber, that pamons may not be 
permitted to INJURE me.” 

An original phylactery lies now before me. It is a 
piece of fine vellum, about eighteen inches long, and 
an inch and quarter broad. It is divided inte four une- 
quat compartments: in the first is written, ina very fair 
character, with many apices, after the mode of the 
German Jews, the first ten verses of Exod. xiil.; in 
the second compartment is written, from the eleventh 
to the sixteenth verse of the same chapter, inclusive ; 

218 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Pharisees reproved. 


7 And greetingsin the markets, and 4, M 4033. 
to be cated ie men, Rabbi, Rabbi. An. om: 
8 Ε But be not ye called Rabbi: 


Ε James 111. 1; see 2 Cor. i. 24; 1 Pet. v. 3. 


in the third, from the fourth to the ninth verse, inclu- 
sive, of Deut. vi., beginning with, Hear, O Israel, &c.; 
in the fourth, from the thirteenth to the twenty-first 
verse, inclusive, of Deut. xi. 

These passages seem to be chosen in vindication of 
the use of the phylactery itself, as the reader will see 
on consulting them: Bind them for a 516Ν upon thy 
HAND—and for FRONTLETS between thy ryEs—vwrite 
them upon the posts of thy House, and upon thy GaTes ; 
all which commands the Jews took in the most literal 
sense. 

Even the phylactery became an important appen- 
dage to a Pharisee’s character, insomuch that some 
of them wore them very broad, either that they might 
have the more written on them, or that, the characters 
being larger, they might be the more vzsible, and that 
they might hereby acquire greater esteem among the 
common people, as being more than ordinarily religious. 
For the same reason, they wore the fringes of their 
garments of an unusual length. Moses had commanded 
(Num. xv. 38, 39) the children of Israel to put fringes 
to the borders of their garments, that, when they looked 
upon even these distinct threads, they might remember, 
not only the /aw in general, but also the very minutia, 
or smaller parts of all the precepts, rites, and ceremo- 
nies, belonging to it. As these hypocrites were desti- 
tute of all the life and power of religion within, they 
endeavoured to supply its place by phylacteries and 
fringes without. See the note on Exod. xiii. 9. 

Verse 7. To be called of men, Rabbi, Rabli.| 137 
139, i. e. My teacher! my teacher! The second 
rabbi is omitted by several excellent MSS., by most 
of the ancient versions, and by some of the fathers. 
Griesbach has left it in the text, with the note of 
doubtfulness. 

There are three words used among the Jews as titles 
of dignity, which they apply to their doctors—Rabh, 
Rabbi, and Rabban ; each of these terms has its par- 
ticular meaning : rabban implies much more than rabbi, 
and rabbi much more than vavh, 

They may be considered as three degrees of com 
parison: rabh great, rabbi greater, and rabban greatest. 
These rabbins were looked up to as infallible oracles 
in religious matters, and usurped not only the place of 
the law, but of God himself. 

Verse 8. But be not ye called Rabbi] As our Lord 
probably spoke in Hebrew, the latter word rabbi, in 
this verse, must have been in the plural; but as the 
contracted form of the plural sounds almost exactly 
like the singular, the Greek writer would naturally 
express them both in the same letters. 

None of the prophets had ever received this title, 
nor any of the Jewish doctors before the time of Hillel 
and Shammai, which was about the time of our Lord ; 
and, as disputes on several subjects had run high be- 
tween these two schools, the people were of course 
divided; some acknowledging Hillel as rabbi,—in- 
fallible teacher, and others giving this title to Sham- 

1 


nm, 


CHAP. 


A. «tng for one is your Master, even Christ ; 
‘Aa, Olymp. and all ye are brethren. 

—__ 9 And call no man your father 
upon the earth: "for one is your Father, 
which is in heaven. 

10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is 
your Master, even Christ. 

11 But ‘he that is greatest among you shall 
be your servant. 

12 * And whosoever shall exalt himself shall 


Humility recommended. 


Ὁ Mal. i. 6 ——! Chap. xx. 26, 27.——* Job xxii. 29; Prox. xv. 
33; xxix. 23; Luke xiv. 11; xviii. 14; James iv. 6; 1 Pet. 


mai. The Pharisees, who always sought the honour 
that comes from men, assumed the title, and got their 
followers to address them by it. See on chap. xix. 3. 

One is your Master] Instead of καθηγητης, guide or 
leader, (the common reading here, and which oceurs in 
verse 10,) the famous Vatican MS., upwards of fifty 
others, and most of the ancient versions, read διδασ- 
kahoc, master. The most eminent critics approve of 
this reading ; and, independently of the very respectable 
authority by which it is supported, it is evident that 
this reading is more consistent with the context than 
the other,—Be not ye called masters, for one is your 
Master. 

Even Christ] Griesbach has left this out of the text, 
because it is wanting in many of the most excellent 
MSS., versions, and fathers. Mill and Bengel ap- 
prove of the omission. It might have been brought 
into this verse from verse 10. Our Lord probably 
alludes to Isa. liv. 13, All thy children shall be taught 
of the Lord. 

Ye are brethren.| No one among you is higher than 
another, or can possibly have from me any jurisdiction 
oyer the rest. Ye are, in this respect, perfectly equal. 

Verse 9. Call no man your raTHER] Our Lord 
prubably alludes to the an, or father of the Sanhedrin, 
who was the neat after the nast, or president. See on 
chap. xx. 21. By which he gives his disciples to 
understand that he would have no seconn, after him- 
self, established in his Church, of which he alone 
was the head; and that perfect equality must subsist 
among them. 

Verse 10. Neither be ye called masters] Καθηγηται, 
leaders. God is in all these respects jealous of his 
‘honour. To him alone it belongs to guide and lead 
his Church, as well as to govern and defend it. Jesus 
is the sole teacher of righteousness. It is he alone, 
(who is the word, light, and eternal truth,) that ean 
illuminate every created mind; and who, as Saviour 
and Redeemer, speaks to every heart by his Spirit. 

Though the title of Rabbi, mentioned above, was 
comparatively recent in the time of our Lord, yet it 
was in great vogue, as were the others—father and 
master, mentioned in this and the following verse : some 
had all three titles, for thus in Bad. Maccoth, fol. 24 : 
“Jt is feigned,” says Dr. Lightfoot, “ that when King 
Jehosaphat saw a disciple of the wise men, he rose 
up out of his throne, and embraced him, and said, 

VO YW "3 "2 AN aN, Abbi, Abdi! Radbi, Rabbi! 
1 


XXII. Woes against the scribes, &e. 


be abased; and he that shall hum- oe 
ble himself shall be exalted. 

13 %{ But 'wo unto you, scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the 
kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither 
go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are 
entering to go in. 

14 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees 
hypocrites! ™ for ye devour widows’ houses, 
and for a pretence make long prayer : therefore 


v. 5.——! Luke xi. 52——™ Mark xii. 40; Luke xx. 47; 2 Tim. 
ii. 6; Tit. i. 11. 


Mori, Mori !—Father, Father! Rabli, Rabbi! Mas- 
ter, Master’ Were then are the three titles which. 
in the 7th, 9th, and 10th verses, our blessed Lord 
condemns ; and these were titles that the Jewish doc- 
tors greatly affected. 

Verse 11. Your servant.] Διάκονος, deacon. See on 
chap. xx. 26. 

Verse 12. Whosoever shall exalt himself, ὅς. The 
way to arrive at the highest degree of dignity, in the 
sight of God, is by being willing to become the servant 
of all. Nothing is more hateful in his sight than pride ; 
to bring it into everlasting contempt, God was manifest 
in the flesh. He who was in the likeness of God 
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made 
in the likeness of man, and humbled himself unto 
death. After this, can God look upon any proud man 
without abasing him? Spiritual lordship and domina- 
tion, ecclesiastical luxury, pomp, and pride, must be an 
abhorrence in the sight of that God who gave the above 
advices to his followers. j 

Another lesson, which our blessed Lord teaches 
here, is, that no man is implicitly to receive the say- 
ings, doctrines, and decisions of any man, or number 
of men, in the things which concern the interests of 
his immortal soul. Christ, his Spirit, and his werd, 
are the only infallible teachers. Every man who wishes 
to save his soul must search the Scriptures, by prayer 
and faith. Reader, take counsel with the pious ; hear 
the discourses of the wise and holy: but let the book 
of God ultimately fix thy creed. 

Verses 14 and 13. Wo unto you, scribes] I think 
the fourteenth and thirteenth verses should be trans- 
posed. ‘This transposition is authorized by some of the 
best MSS., versions, and fathers. The fourteenth is 
wanting in the BDL., and in many others of inferior 
note, as well as in several of the versions. Grieshach 
has left it out of the text, in his first edition ; I hesi- 
tated, and left it in, thus transposed. I am happy to 
find that a more extensive collation of MSS., &c., has 
afforded proof to that eminent critic that it should be 
restored to its place. In the second edition, he has 
transposed the two, just as I had done. The fifteenth 
reads best after the thirteenth 

Verse 14. Ye devour widows’ houses] On this sub- 
ject I am in possession of nothing better than the fol- 
lowing note of Dr. Wiithy. 

“ This sect,” says Josephus, (Ant. 1. xvii. chap. 3,) 
“pretended to a more exact knowledge of the law, on 

219 


Woes agaist the 


A.M. 4033. ye shall receive the greater dam- 


An. Olymp. nation. 

15 Wo unto you, scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea 
and land to make one proselyte, and when he 
is made, ye make him twofold more the child 
of hell than yourselves. 

16 Wo unto you, * ye blind guides, which 
say, ° Whosoever shall swear by the temple, 
it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by 
the gold of the temple, he is a debtor ! 

17 Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, 


ST. MATTHEW. 


scribes and Pharisees 


the gold, ? or the temple that sanc- 4, 4083. 
tifieth the gold ? 

18 And, Whosoever shall swear 
by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swear 
eth by the gift that is upon it, he is 4 guilty. 

19 Yefools andblind: for whether 15 greater, 
the gift, or ‘the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, 
sweareth by it, and by ail things thereon. 

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, 
sweareth by it, and by * him that dwelleth 
therein. 


2 Chap. xv. 14; ver. 24. © Chap. ν. 33, 34———P Exod. xxx. 
29.—4 Or, debtor, or, bound. 


τ Exod. xxix. 37—— 1 Kings viii. 13; 2 Chron. vi. 2; Psa. 
xxvi. 8; exxxii. 14. 


which account the women were subject to them, as 
pretending to be dear to God. And when Alevandra 
obtained the government, (Jewish War, b. i. ch. 4,) 
they insinuated themselves into her favour, as being the 
exactest sect of the Jews, and the most exact inter- 
preters of the /aw, and, abusing her simplicity, did as 
they listed, remove and dispose, bind and loose, and 
even cut off men. They were in vogue for their long 
prayers, which they continued sometimes three howrs ; 
that perhaps they sold them, as do the Roman priests 
their masses, or pretended others should be more ac- 
ceptable to God for them; and so might spoil devout 
widows by the gifts or salaries they expected from 
them. Now this being only a hypocritical pretence of 
piety, must be hateful to God, and so deserve a greater 
condemnation.” 

Long prayer] For proofs of long prayers and vain 
repetitions among Jews, Mohammedans, and heathens, 
see the notes on chap. vi. 7. 

Verse 13. Ye shut up the kingdom] ΑΒ a key by 
opening a lock gives entrance into a house, &c., so 
knowledge of the sacred testimonies, manifested in ea- 
pounding them to the people, may be said to open the 
way into the kingdom of heaven. But where men 
who are termed teachers are destitute of this know- 
ledge themselves, they may be said to shut this king- 
dom; because they occupy the place of those who 
should teach, and thus prevent the people from acquiring 
heavenly knowledge. 

In ancient times the rabbins carried a key, which 
was the symbol or emblem of knowledge. Hence it is 
written in Semachoth, chap. viii., “ When Rab. Samuel 
the little died, his key and his tablets were hung on 
his tomb, because he died childless.” See Schoettgen. 

The kingdom of heaven here means the Gospel of 
Christ ; the Pharisees would not receive it themselves, 
and hindered the common people as far as they could. 

Verse 15. Compass sea and land] A proverbial ex- 
pression, similar to ours, You leave no stone unturned ; 
intimating that they did all in their power to gain con- 
verts, not to God, but to their sect. These we may 
suppose were principally sought for among the Gentzles, 
for the bulk of the Jewish nation was already on the 
side of the Pharisees. 

Proselyte] Wpocnavtoc, a stranger, or foreigner ; 
one who 2s come from his own people and country, to 

220 


sojourn with another. See the different kinds of proso 
lytes explained in the note on Exod. xu. 43. 

The child of hell} A Hebraism for an excessively 
wicked person, such as might claim fell for his mother, 
and the devil for his father. 

Twofold—the child of | The Greek word δίπλοτερον, 
which has generally been translated twofold, KypKe 
has demonstrated to mean more deceitful. Απλοῦς is 
used by the best Greek writers for simple, sincere, 
απλότης for simplicity, sincerity ; so διπλοῦς, deceitful, 
dissembling, and διπλόη, hypocrisy, fraudulence, and 
διπλοτερον, more fraudulent, more deceitful, more hy- 
pocritical. See also Swidas in Διπλοη. 

Dr. Lightfoot, and others, observe, that the prose- 
lytes were considered by the Jewish nation as the scabs 
of the Church, and hindered the coming of the Messiah ; 
and Justin Martyr observes, that “ the proselytes did 
not only disbelieve Christ’s doctrine, but were abun- 
dantly more blasphemous against him than the Jews 
themselves, endeavouring to torment and cut off the 
Christians wherever they could; they being in this the 
instruments of the scribes and Pharisees.” 

Verse 16. Whosoever shall swear by the gold] The 
covetous man, says one, still gives preference to the 
object of his lust; gold has still the first place in his 
heart. A man is to be suspected when he recom- 
mends those good works most from which he receives 
most advantage. 

Ts bound thereby, i. e. to fulfil his oath. 

Verse 20. Whoso—shall swear by the altar) As 
an oath always supposes a person who witnesses it, 
and will punish perjury ; therefore, whether they swore 
by the temple or the gold, (ver. 16,) or by the altar or 
the gift laid on it, (ver. 18,) the oath necessarily sup- 
poses the God of the temple, of the altar, and of the 
gifts, who witnessed the whole, and would, even in 
their exempt cases, punish the perjury. 

Verse 21. Whoso shall swear by the temple] Per- 
haps it is to this custom of swearing by the temple, 
that Martial alludes, lib. xi. epist. 95. 


Ecce negas, jurasque mihi per templa Tonantis ; 
Non credo ; jura, Verpe, per Anchialum. 


“ Behold, thou deniest, and swearest to me by the 

temples of Jupiter; I will not credit thee: swear, Ὁ 

Jew, by the temple of Jehovah.” This word probably 
1 


Profane swearing and CHAP. 


. M4083. 22 And he that shall swear by 
Ag. Olymp. heaven, sweareth by ¢ the throne of 
———— God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 

23 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hy- 
pocrites ! ἃ for ye pay tithe of mint and * anise 
and cummin, and τ have omitted the weightier 
matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith : 
these ought ye to have done, and not to leave 
the other undone. 


* Chap. v. 34; Psa. xi. 4; Acts vii. 49. “Luke xi. 42. 


¥ Gr. ἄνηθον, dill. 


comes from 7 2 heical Yah, the temple of Jehovah. 
This seems a better derivation than OO ΤΠ ON im 
chai Elohim, as God liveth, though the sound of the 
latter is nearer to the Latin. 

By him that dwelleth therein.| The common reading 
is κατοικουντι, dwelleth or INHABITETH, but κατοικησαντι, 
dwelt or piv inhabit, is the reading of CDEFGHKLM, 
eighty-six others; this reading has been adopted in the 
editions of Complutum, Colineus, Bengel, and Gries- 
bach. The importance of this reading may be per- 
ceived by the following considerations. In the /irst 
Jewish temple, God had graciously condescended to 
manifest himself—he is constantly represented as 
dwelling between the cherubim, the two figures that 
stood at each end of the ark of the covenant ; between 
whom, on the mercy seat, the lid of the ark, a splen- 
dour of glory was exhibited, which was the symbol and 
proof of the Divine presence. This the Jews called 
myaw Shekinah, the habitation of Jehovah. Now the 
Jews unanimously acknowledge that five things were 
wanting in the second temple, which were found in the 
first, viz., 1. The ark; 2. The holy spirit of prophecy ; 
3. The Urim and Thummim; 4. The sacred fire ; and 
5. The ΠῚ 2 Φ Shekinah. As the Lord had long before 
this time abandoned the Jewish temple, and had now 
made the human nature of Jesus the Shekinah, (see 
John i. 14, the Logos was made flesh, ἐσκηνωσεν, and 
made his tabernacle—made the Shekinah,—among us,) 
our Lord could not, with any propriety, say that the 
supreme Being did now inhabit the temple ; and there- 
fore used a word that hinted to them that God had for- 
saken their temple, and consequently the whole of that 
service which was performed in it, and had now opened 
the new and living way to the holiest by the Messiah. 
But all this was common swearing ; and, whether the 
subject was true or false, the oath was unlawful. A 
common swearer is worthy of no credit, when, even in 
the most solemn manner he takes an oath before a ma- 
gistrate ; he is so accustomed to stake his truth, per- 
haps even his soul, to things whether true or false, 
that an oath cannot bind him, and indeed is as little 
respected by himself as it is by his neighbour. Com- 
mon swearing, and the shocking frequency and multi- 
pication of oaths in civil cases, have destroyed all 
respect for an oath; so that men seldom feel them- 
selves bound by it; and thus it is useless in many 
cases to require it as a confirmation, in order to end 
strife or ascertain truth. See the note on chap. v. 37. 

Verse 23. Ye pay tithe of mint, &c.] They were 

1 


XXIII. 


24 Ye blind guides, which strain 4,™, 048. 
at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Ane 

25 Wo unto you, scribes and = 
Pharisees, hypocrites ! * for ye make clean the 
outside of the cup and of the platter, but 
within they are full of extortion and excess. 

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that 
which is within the cup and platter, that the 
outside of them may be clean also. 


hypocrisy censured. 


w] Sam. xv. 22; Hos. vi.6; Mic. vi.8; chap. ix. 13; xii. 7 
x Mark vii. 4; Luke xi. 39. 


remarkably scrupulous in the performance of all the 
rites and ceremonies of religion, but totally neglected 
the soul, spirit, and practice of godliness. 

Judgment] Acting according to justice and equity 
towards all mankind. Mercy—to the distressed and 
miserable. And faith in God as the fountain of all 
righteousness, mercy, and truth. The scribes and 
Pharisees neither began nor ended their works in God, 
nor had they any respect unto his name in doing them. 
They did them to be seen of men, and they had their 
reward—human applause. 


These ought ye to have done, &c.] Our Lord did 
not object to their paying tithe even of common pot- 
herbs—this did not affect the spirit of religion; but 
while they did this and such like, to the utter neglect 
of justice, mercy, and faith, they showed that they had 
no religion, and knew nothing of its nature. 


Verse 24. Blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and 
swallow a camel.| ‘This clause should be thus trans- 
lated: Ye strain out the gnat, but ye swallow down 
the camel. In the common translation, Ye strain at 
a gnat, conveys no sense. Indeed, it is likely to have 
been at first an error of the press, avr for our, which. 
on examination, I find escaped in the edition of 1611, 
and has been regularly continued since. There is now 
before me, “ The Newe Testament, (both in Englyshe 
and in Laten,) of Mayster Erasmus translacion, im- 
prynted by Wyllyam Powell, dwellynge in Flete strete : 
the yere of our Lorde M.CCCCC.XLVII. the fyrste 
yere of the kynges (Edwd. VI.) moste gracious reygne :” 
in which the verse stands thus: “ Ye blinde gides, 
which strayne out a gnat, and swalowe acammel.” tis 
the same also in Edmund Becke’s Bible, printed in Lon- 
don 1549, and in several others.—€lenspnge a gnatte. 
—MS. Eng. Bib. So Wickliff. Similar to this is the 
following Arabic proverb δας Δ Laud αλλ, 4 
He eats an elephant and is choked by a gnat. 

Verse 25. Ye make clean the outside] The Pha- 
risees were exceedingly exact in observing all the 
washings and purifications prescribed by the law; but 
paid no attention to that inward purity which was typi- 
fied by them. A man may appear clean without, who 
is unclean within; but outward purity will not avail in 
the sight of God, where inward holiness is wanting. 

Extortion and eaxcess.| ‘Apmayn¢ kat axpactac, ra- 
pine and intemperance ; but instead of axpactac, intem- 
perance, many of the very best MSS., CEFGHKS, and 


more than a hundred others, the Syriac, Arabic, Ethi- 
99 
22 


Hypocrisy and cruelty of 


A.M. 4033: 27 Wo unto you, scribes and 


An. Olymp. Pharisees, hypocrites! ¥ for ye are 
————_ like unto whited sepulchres, which 
indeed appear beautiful outward, but are 
within full of dead men’s bones, and of all 
uncleanness. 

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righte- 
ous unto men, but within ye are full of hypo- 
cerisy and iniquity. 

29 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, 
hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the scribes and Pharisees. 


i A. M. 4033, 

prophets, and garnish the sepulchres 4, δὲ 4058 

of the righteous, An. Olymp. 
CCIL.1. 


30 And say, If we had been in the 
days of our fathers, we would not have been 
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your- 
selves, that * ye are the children of them which 
killed the prophets. 

32 "ἘΠῚ ye up then the measure of your 
fathers. 

33 Ye serpents, ye ° generation of vipers, 


y Luke xi. 44; Acts xxiii. 3. z Luke xi. 47.—— Acts vii. 
51, 52; 1 Thess. ii. 15. 


>bGen. xv. 16; 1 Thess. 11. 16. 
xii. 34. 


© Chap. ili. 7; 


opie, Slavonic, with Chrysostom. Huthym., and Theo- 
phylact, have ἀδικίας, injustice, which Griesbach has 
admitted into the text instead of ἀκρασίας. The latter 
Syriac has both. Several MSS. and versions have 
akxadapotac, uncleanness ; others have πλεονεξίας, covet- 
ousness ; some have πονηρίας; wickedness ; and two of 
the ancients have iniquitate, miquity. Suppose we 
put them all together, the character of the Pharisee 
will not be overcharged. They were full of rapine 
and intemperance, injustice and wncleanness, covetous- 
ness, wickedness, and iniquity. 

Verse 27. For ye are like] Παρομοιαζετε, ye ex- 
actly resemble—the parallel is complete. 

Whited sepulchres] White-washed tombs. As the 
law considered those unclean who had touched any 
thing belonging to the dead, the Jews took care to 
have their tombs white-washed each year, that, being 
easily discovered, they might be consequently avoided. 

Verse 28. Even so ye also—appear righteous unto 
men] But what will this appearance avail a man, 
when God sits in judgment upon his soul? Will the 
fair reputation which he had acquired among men, 
while his heart was the seat of unrighteousness, screen 
him from the stroke of that justice which wnpartzally 
sends all impurity and unholiness into the pit of de- 
struction? No. Jn the sin that he hath sinned, and 
in which he hath died. and according to that, shall he 
pe judged and punished ; and his profession of holiness 
only tends to sink him deeper into the lake which 
burns with unquenchable fire. Reader! see that thy 
heart be right with God. 

Verse 29. Ye build the tombs of the prophets] It 
appears that, through respect to their memory, they 
often repaired, and sometimes beautified, the tombs of 
the prophets. M. De la Vallé, in his Journey to the 
Holy Land, says, that when he visited the cave of 
Machpelah, he saw some Jews honouring a sepulchre, 
for which they have a great veneration, with lighting 
at it wax candles and burning perfumes. See Harmer, 
vol. iii. p. 416. And in ditto, p. 424, we are informed 
that building tombs over those reputed saints, or beau- 
tifying those already built, is a frequent custom among 
the Mohammedans. 

Verse 30. We would not have been partakers] ‘They 
imagined themselves much better than their ancestors; 
but our Lord, who knew what they would do, uncovers 
their hearts, and shows them that they are about to be 

222 


more abundantly vile than all who had ever preceded 
them. 

Verse 31. Ye be witnesses] Ye acknowledge that 
ye are the children of those murderers, and ye are 
about to give full proof that ye are not degenerated. 

There are many who think that, had they lived in 
the time of our Lord, they would not have acted to- 
wards him as the Jews did. But we can scarcely be 
lieve that they who reject his Gospel, trample under 
foot his precepts, do despite to the Spirit of his grace, 
love sin, and hate his followers, would have acted 
otherwise to him than the murdering Jews, had they 
lived in the same times. 

Verse 32. Fill ye up then] Notwithstanding the 
profession you make, ye will fill up the measure of your 
fathers—will continue to walk in their way, accom- 
plish the fulness of every evil purpose by murdering 
me; and then, when the measure of your iniquity is 
full, vengeance shall come upon you to the uttermost, 
as it did on your rebellious ancestors. The 31st 
verse should be read in a parenthesis, and then the 
32d will appear to be, what it is, an inference from 
the 30th. 

Ve will fill up, or fill ye up—r?npwcare’ but it is 
manifest that the imperative is put here for the future, 
a thing quite consistent with the Hebrew idiom, and 
frequent in the Scriptures. So John ii. 19, Destroy this 
temple, &c., i. e. Ye will destroy or pull down this tem- 
ple, and I wed/ rebuild it in three days—Ye will crucify 
me, and I will rise again the third day. Two good 
MSS. have the word in the future tense: and my old 
MS. Bible has it in the presenti—Ge (ye) fulfillen 
the mesure of goure (your) fadris. 

Verse 33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers] 
What a terrible stroke !—Ye are serpents, and the off- 
spring of serpents. This refers to ver. 31: they con- 
fessed that they were the children of those who mur- 
dered the prophets; and they are now going to murder 
Christ and his followers, to show that they have not 
degenerated—an accursed seed, of an accursed breed. 
My old MS. translates this passage oddly—Gee ser= 
pentis, fruptis of burrownynagts of eddvis that sleen ber 
movris. There seems to be here an allusion to a com- 
mon opinion, that the young of the adder or viper 
which are brought forth alive eat their way through 
the womb of their mothers. Hence that ancient enigma 
attributed to LacrantTius :— 

1 


The judgments of God 


A.M. 4033. how can ye escape the damnation 
An. Olymp. of hell? 

34 9 1 Wherefore, behold, I send 
unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: 
ὁ and some of them ye shall kill and crucify ; 
and ‘ some of them shall ye scourge in your 
synagogues, and persecute them from city 
to city: 

35 5 That upon you may come all the right- 


© Chap. xxi. 34, 35; Luke. xi. 49. © Acts v. 40; vii. 58, 59; 
xxii. 19.——f Chap. x. 17; 2 Cor. xi. 24, 25. 


Non possum nasci, si non occidero matrem. 

Occidi matrem: sed me manet ewitus idem. 

Id mea mors faciet, quod jam mea fecitl origo. 
Cel. Firm. Symposium, N. xv. 


1 never can be born, nor see the day, 

Till through my parent’s womb I eat my way. 

Her I have slain; like her must yield my breath ; 
For that which gave me life, shall cause my death. 


Every person must see with what propriety this 
was applied to the Jews, who were about to murder 
the very person who gave them their Jeing and all 
their blessings. 

Verse 34. Wherefore] To show how my predic- 
tion, Ye will fill up the measure of your fathers, shall 
be verified, Behold, I send (I am just going to com- 
mission them) prophets, &c.; and some ye will kill, 
(with legal process,) and some ye will crucify, pretend 
to try and find guilty, and deliver them into the hands 
of the Romans, who shall, through you, thus put them 
to death. See on Luke xi. 49. By prophets, wise 
men, and scribes, our Lord intends the evangelists, 
apostles, deacons, &e., who should be employed in 
proclaiming his Gospel: men who should equal the 
ancient prophets, their wise men, and scribes, in all 
the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse 35. Upon the earth] Enc tne yne, upon this 
land, meaning probably the land of Judea; for thus 
the word is often to be understood. The national pun- 
ishment of all the innocent blood which had been shed 
in the land, shall speedily come upon you, from the 
blood of Abel the just, the first prophet and preacher 
of righteousness, Heb. xi. 4; 2 Pet. ii. 5, to the biood 
of Zachariah, the son of Barachiah. It is likely that 
our Lord refers to the murder of Zachariah, mentioned 
2 Chron xxiv. 20, who said to the people, Why trans- 
gress ye the commandments of God, so that ye cannot 
prosper? Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath 
forsaken you. And they conspired against him and 
stoned him—at the commandment of the king, in the 
court of the house of the Lord. And when he died, he 
said, The Lord look upon and require it: ver. 21, 22. 

But it is objected, that this Zachariah was called the 
son of Jehoiada, and our Lord calls this one the son of 
Barachiah. Let it be observed, 1. That double names 
were frequent among the Jews; and sometimes the 
person was called by one, sometimes by the other.— 
Compare 1 Sam. ix. 1, with 1 Chron. viii. 33, where 
it appears that the father of Kish had two names, 
Abiel and Ner. So Matthew is called Levi; com- 

1 


CHAP. 


XXIII. 


denounced against them. 


eous blood shed upon the earth, Αἰ ΝΡ 1083. 
‘from the blood of righteous Abel, Ania 
unto ‘the blood of Zacharias, son ——— 
of Barachias, whom ye slew between the 
temple and the altar. 

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things 
shall come upon this generation. 

37 *O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that 
killest the prophets, 'and stonest them which 


12 Chron. xxiv 
12 Chron. xxiv. 21. 


& Rey. xviii. 24.—— Gen. iv. 8; 1 John ili. 12. 
20, 21.——* Luke xiii. 34. 


pare Matt. ix. 9, with Mark ii. 14. So Peter was 
also called Simon, and Lebbeus was called Thaddeus. 
Matt; x. 25'S: 

2. That Jerome says that, in the Gospel of the 
Nazarenes, it was Jehoiada, instead of Barachiah. 

3. That Jehoiada and Barachiah have the very 
same meaning, the praise or blessing of Jehovah. 

4. That as the Lord required the blood of Zachariah 
so fully that in a year all the princes of Judah and 
Jerusalem were destroyed by the Syrians, and Joash, 
who commanded the murder, slain by his own ser- 
vants, 2 Chron. xxiv. 23-25, and their state grew 
worse and worse, till at last the temple was burned, 
and the people carried into captivity by Nebuzaradan : 
—-so it should also be with the present race. The 
Lord would, after the crucifixion of Christ, visit upon 
them the murder of all those righteous men, that their 
state should grow worse and worse, till at last the 
temple should be destroyed, and they finally ruined by 
the Romans. See this prediction in the next chapter : 
and see Dr. Whitby concerning Zachariah, the son of 
Barachiah. 

Some think that our Lord refers, in the spirit of 
prophecy, to the murder of Zacharias, son of Baruch, 
a rich Jew, who was judged, condemned, and massa- 
cred in the temple by Idumean zealots, because he 
was rich, a lover of liberty, and a hater of wickedness. 
They gave him a mock trial; and, when no evidence 
could be brought against him of his being guilty of the 
crime they laid to his charge, viz. a design to betray 
the city to the Romans, and his judges had pronounced 
him innocent, two of the stoutest of the zealots fell 
upon him and slew him in the middle of the temple. 
See Josephus, War, b. iv. chap. v. 5. 5. See Cre- 
vier, vol. vi. p. 172, History of the Roman Emperors. 
Others imagine that Zachariah, one of the minor 
prophets, is meant, who might have been massacred by 
the Jews; for, though the account is not come down 
to us, our Lord might have it from a well known 
tradition in those times. But the former opinion is 
every way the most probable. 

Between the temple and the altar.| That is, be- 
tween the sanctuary and the altar of burnt-offerings. 

Verse 36. Shall come upon this generation] Ex: 
τὴν yeveav ταύτην, upon this race of men, viz. the 
Jews. This phrase often occurs in this sense in the 
evangelists. 

Verse 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusaiem| 1. It is evi- 
dent that our blessed Lord seriously and earnestly 
wished the salvation of the Jews. 2. That he did 

223 


Pathetic lamentation 


rn ue. are sent unto thee, how often would 


An. Olymp. ™ I have gathered thy children 
ea together, even as a hen gather- 
eth her chickens ἃ under her wings, and ye 
would not. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


over Jerusalem 


; A. M. 4033. 
38 Behold, your house is left 4%; 43 
unto you desolate. An. Olymp. 


39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not ΟΕ, 


see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ° Blessed 
as he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 


m Deut. xxxii. 11, 12; 2 Esdr. i. 30. 


Ὁ Psa. xvii. 8; xci. 4. © Psa. exvili. 26; chap. xxi. 9. 


every thing that could be done, consistently with his 
own perfections, and the liberty of his creatures, to 
effect this. 3. That his tears over the city, Luke xix. 
41, sufficiently evince his sincerity. 4. That these 
persons nevertheless perished. And 5. That the rea- 
son was, they would not be gathered together under 
his protection: therefore wrath, i. e. punishment, came 
upon them to the uttermost. From this it is evident 
that there have been persons whom Christ wished to 
save, and bled to save, who notwithstanding perished, 
because they would not come unto him, John v. 40. 
The metaphor which our Lord uses here is a very 
beautiful one. When the hen sees a beast of prey 
coming, she makes a noise to assemble her chickens, 
that she may cover them with her wings from the 
danger. The Roman eagle is about to fall upon the 
Jewish state—nothing can prevent this but their con- 
version to God through Christ—Jesus cries through- 
out the land, publishing the Gospel of reconczliateon— 
they would not assemble, and the Roman eagle came 
and destroyed them. ‘The hen’s affection to her brood 
is so very strong as to become proverbial. The fol- 
lowing beautiful Greek epigram, taken from the Antho- 
logia, affords a very fine illustration of this text. 


Χειμεριαις νιφαδεσσι παλυνομενα τιϑας ορνις 
Τεκνοις εὐναίας ἀμφεχεε πτερυγας. 
Μεσφα μεν ουρανιον κρυος ὠὡλεσεν ἡ yap εἐμεινεν 
Αἰϑερος οὐρανίων ἀντίπαλος νεφεων. 
TIpoxvy καὶ Μεδεια, κατ᾽ αἴδος αἰδεσϑητε, 
Μητερες, ορνίϑων epya διδασκομεναι. 
Anthol. lib. i. Tit. bexxvii. edit. Bosch. p. 344. 


Beneath her fostering wing the Hen defends 

Her darling offspring, while the snow descends ; 
Throughout the winter’s day unmoved defies 

The chilling fleeces and inclement skies ; 

Till, vanquish’d by the cold and piercing blast, 
True to her charge, she perishes at last! 

O Fame! to hell this fowl’s affection bear ; 

Tell it to Progné and Medea there :— 

To mothers such as those the tale unfold, 

And let them blush to hear the story told!—T. G. 


This epigram contains a happy illustration, not only 
of our Lord’s simile, but also of his own conduct. 
How long had these thankless and unholy people been 
the ohjects of his tenderest cares! For more than 2000 
years, they engrossed the most peculiar regards of the 
most beneficent Providence; and during the three 
years of our Lord’s public ministry, his preaching and 
miracles had but one object and aim, the instruction 
and salvation of this thoughtless and disobedient people. 
For their sakes, he who was rich became poor, that 
they through Ais poverty might be rich:—for their 
sakes, he made himself of no reputation, and took upon 
him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto 

224 


death, even the death of the cross! He died, that 
THEY might not perish, but have everlasting life. Thus, 
to save their life, he freely abandoned his own. 

Verse 38. Behold, your house] Ὁ οἰκος, the temple : 
—this is certainly what is meant. It was once the 
Lorp’s temple, God’s own house ; but now he says, 
your temple or house—to intimate that God had aban- 
doned it. See the note on ver. 21; see also on 
Luke xiii. 35. 

Verse 39. Ye shall not see me] I will remove my 
Gospel from you, and withdraw my protection. 

Till ye shall say, Blessed] Till after the fulness of 
the Gentiles is brought in, when the word of life shall 
again be sent unto you; then will ye rejoice, and bless, 
and praise him that cometh in the name of the Lord, 
with full and final salvation for the lost sheep of the 
house of Israel. See Rom. xi. 26, 27. 


Our Lord plainly foresaw that, in process of time, 
a spiritual domination would arise in his Church ; and 
to prevent its evil influence, he leaves the strong warn- 
ings against it which are contained in the former part 
of this chapter. As the religion of Christ is com 
pletely spiritual, and the influence by which it is pro 
duced and maintained must come from heaven; there 
fore, there could be no master or head but himself 
for as the Church (the assemblage of true believers) i: 
his body, all its intelligence, light, and life, must pro- 
ceed from him alone. Our forefathers noted this well : 
and this was one of the grand arguments by which 
they overturned the papal pretensions to supremacy in 
this country. In a note on ver. 9, in a Bible publishea 
by Edmund Becke in 1549, the 2nd of Edward VI., 
we find the following words:—Call no man pouv 
father upon the earth. Were ts the Bishoppe of Rome 
Veclared a plaine Anticdriste, tn that he woulde be call 
ed the most holpe father; and that all Cbristen men 
shoulve acknowledge hum for πὸ lesse then their sppri- 
tuall father, notwithstandinge these playne wordes οἵ 
Christe. It is true, nothing can be plainer; and yet, 
in the face of these commands, the pope has claimed 
the honour; and millions of men have been so stupid 
as to concede it. May those days of darkness, ty- 
ranny, and disgrace, never return! 

From the 13th to the 39th verse, our Lord pro- 
nounces eight woes, or rather pathetic declarations, 
against the scribes and Pharisees. 1. For their un- 
willingness to let the common people enjoy the pure 
word of God, or its right explanation: Ye shut up the 
kingdom, &c., ver. 13. 

2. For their rapacity, and pretended sanctity in 
order to secure their secular ends: Ye devour widows’ 
houses, &c., ver. 14. 

3. For their pretended zeal to spread the kingdom 
of Ged by making proselytes, when they had no other 

1 


Christ foretells the CHAP. 


end in view than forming instruments for the purposes 
of their oppression and cruelty: Ye compass sea and 
land, &c., ver. 15. 

4. For their bad doctrine and false interpretations 
of the Scriptures, and their dispensing with the most 
solemnn oaths and vows at pleasure: Ye blind guides, 
which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it 
ts nothing, &c., ver. 16-22. ; 

5. For their superstition in scrupulously attending 
to little things, and things not commanded, and omit- 
ting matters of great importance, the practice of which 
God had especially enjoined: Ye pay tithe of mint 
and cummin, &c., ver. 23, 24. 

6. For their hypocrisy, pretended saintship, and 
endeavouring to maintain decency in their outward 
conduct, while they had no other object in view than 
to deceive the people, and make them acquiesce in 
their oppressive measures: Ye make clean the outside 
of the cup, ver. 25, 26. 

7. For the depth of their inward depravity and 
abomination, having nothing good, fair, or supportable, 
but the mere outside.—Most hypocrites and wicked 
men have some good: but these were radically and 
totally evil: Ye are like unto whited sepulchres— 
within full—of all uncleanness, ver. 27, 28. 

8. For their pretended concern for the holiness of 
the people, which proceeded no farther than to keep 
them free from such pollutions as they might acci- 


XXIV. 


dentally and innocently contract, by casually stepping 
on the place where a person had been buried: and 
for their affected regret that their fathers had killed 
the prophets, while themselves possessed and culti- 
vated the same murderous inclinations: Ye—garnish 
the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had 
been, &c., ver. 29, 30. 

It is amazing with what power and authority our 
blessed Lord reproves this bad people. This was the 
last discourse they ever heard from him; and it is 
surprising, considering their wickedness, that they 
waited even for a mock trial, and did not rise up at 
once and destroy him. But the time was not yet 
come in which he was to lay down his life, for no 
man could take it from him. 

While he appears in this last discourse with all the 
authority of a lawgiver and judge, he at the same time 
shows the tenderness and compassion of a friend and 
a father: he beholds their awful state—his eye affects 
his heart, and he weeps over them! Were not the 
present hardness and final perdition of these ungodly 
men entirely of themselves? Could Jesus, as the Su- 
preme God, have fixed their reprobation from all eter- 
nity by any necessitating decree ; and yet weep over 
the unavoidable consequences of his own sovereign 
determinations ? How absurd as well as shocking is 
the thought! This is Jewish exclusion: Credat Ju- 
deus Apella—non ego. 


destruction of the temple. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 
Christ foretells the destruction of the temple, 1,2. His disciples inquire when and what shall be the signs 


of this destruction, 3. 
tilences, and earthquakes, 6-8. 
ral spread of the Gospel, 14. 
tties of those times, 19-22. 

of these calamities, 27, 28. 

the parable of the fig-tree, 32, 33. 
Careless state of the people, 37—41. 


Our Lord answers, and enumerates them—false Christs, 5. Wars, famines, pes- 
Persecution of his followers, 9. 
He foretells the investment of the city by the Romans, 15-18. The calam- 

Warns them against seduction by false prophets, 23-26. 

Total destruction of the Jewish polity, 29-31. 

The certainty of the event, though the time is concealed, 34-36. 

The necessity of watchfulness and fidelity, illustrated by the par- 


Apostasy from the truth, 10-13. Gene- 


The suddenness 
The whole illustrated by 


able of the two servants, one faithful, the other wicked, 42-51. 


45 s0° AND *Jesus went out, and de-jshow him the buildings of the re 
qa Cle parted from the temple: and| temple. Ἀπ Ges 


——— his disciples came to him for to 


2 And Jesus said unto them, ἢ See 


2 Chap. xxiii. 38; Hag. ii. 9; Mal. iii. 1; Mark xiii. 1; 


Luke xxi. 5» Mic. iii. 12; Luke xxi. 5, &c. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV. 

This chapter contains a prediction of the utter de- 
struction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the 
subversion of the whole political constitution of the 
Jews ; and is one of the most valuable portions of the 
new covenant Scriptures, with respect to the evidence 
which it furnishes of the ¢ruth of Christianity. Every 
thing which our Lord foretold should come on the tem- 
ple, city, and people of the Jews, has been fulfilled in 
the most correct and astonishing manner ; and witness- 
ed by a writer who was present during the whole, who 
was himself a Jew, and is acknowledged to be an histo- 
nian of indisputable veracity in all those transactions 
which concern the destruction of Jerusalem. With- 
out having designed it, he has written a commentary 
on our Lord’s words, and shown how every tittle was 

Von. 1. C 16} 


punetually fulfilled, though he knew nothing of the 
Scripture which contained this remarkable prophecy. 
His account will be frequently referred to in the course 
of these notes; as also the admirable work of Bishop 
Newton on the prophecies. 

Verse 1. And Jesus went out, and departed from 
the temple] Or, And Jesus, going out of the temple, was 
going away. This is the arrangement of the words in 
several eminent manuscripts, versions, and fathers ; and 
is much clearer than that in the common translation. 
The Jews say the temple was built of white and 
green-spotted marble. See Lightfoot. Josephus says 
the stones were white and strong; fifty feet long, twenty- 
four broad, and sixteen thick. Antiq. b. 15. 6. xi 
See Mark xiii. 1. 

Verse 2. See ye not all these things?) The common 

225 


Christ foretells the 


AME 2053. ye not all these things? Verily I 


An, Olymp. say unto you, ° There shall not be 
Ὁ left here one stone upon another, 
that shall not be thrown down. 

3 9 And as he sat upon the mount of 
Olives, the ὁ disciples came unto him privately, 


saying, “ Tell us, when shall these things be? 


ST. MATTHEW. 


destruction of the temple 


and what shail be the sign of thy com- AM. Ss 
ing, and of the end of the world? 
4 And Jesus answered and said 
unto them, ‘ Take heed thatno man deceive you. 
5 For & many shall come in my name, say- 
ing, I am Christ; "and shall deceive many. 
6 And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours 


An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 


©) Kings ix. 7; Jer. xxvi. 18; Mic. iii. 12; Luke xix. 44. 
4 Mark xiii. 8. 61 Thess. v. 1. 


f Eph. v. 6; Col. ii. 8,18; 2'Thess. 11.3; 1 John iv. 1. & Jer. 
xiv. 14; xxiii. 21, 25; ver. 24; John v. 43.——+ Ver. 11. 


text, and many manuscripts, have ov βλεπετε, Do ye 
not see, or consider? But the negative particle is 
omitted by several excellent manuscripts, by the Cop- 
tic, Sahidic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, Vulgate, 
and Itala versions, and by some of the primitive fathers, 
who all read it thus, see, or consider all these things. 

There shall not be left here one stone] These seern 
to have been the last words he spoke as he left the 
temple, into which he never afterwards entered ; and, 
when he got to the mount of Olives, he renewed the 
discourse. From this mount, on which our Lord and 
his disciples now sat, the whole of the city, and par- 
ticularly the temple, were clearly seen. This part of 
our Lord’s prediction was fulfilled in the most literal 
manner. Josephus says, War, book vii. c. 1: “ Cesar 
gave orders that they should now demolish the whole 
city and temple, τε πολιν ἀπασαν καὶ Tov νεων κατασκεπ- 
τειν, except the three towers, Phaselus, Hippicus, and 
Mariamne, and a part of the western wall, and these 
were spared; but, for all the rest of the wall, it was 
laid so completely even with the ground, by those who 
dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing 
to make those that came thither believe it had ever 
been inhabited.” Maimonides, a Jewish rabbin, in 
Tract. Taanith, c. 4, says, “That the very foundations 
of the temple were digged up, according to the Roman 
custom.” His words are these: “On that ninth day 
of the month Ab, fatal for vengeance, the wicked Turnus 
Rufus, of the children of Edom, ploughed up the tem- 
ple, and the places round about it, that the saying might 
be fulfilled, Zion shall be ploughed as a field.” 'This 
Turnus, or rather Terentius Rufus, was left general 
of the army by Titus, with commission, as the Jews 
suppose, to destroy the city and the temple, as Jose- 
phus observes. 

The temple was destroyed 1st. Justly ; because of 
the sins of the Jews. 2Qdly. Mercifully; to take away 
from them the occasion of continuing in Judaism: and 
3dly. Mysteriously ; to show that the ancient sacrifices 
were abolished, and that the whole Jewish economy 
was brought to an end, and the Christian dispensation 
introduced. 

Verse 3. Tell us, when shall these things be 2] 
There appear to be three questions asked here by the 
disciples. 1st. When shall these things be? viz. the 
destruction of the city, temple, and Jewish state. 2dly. 
What shail be the sign of thy coming ? viz. to execute 
these judgments upon them, and to establish thy own 
Church: and 3dly. When shall this world end 2. When 
wilt thou come to judge the quick and the dead? But 
there are some who maintain that these are but three 
parts of the same question, and that our Tord’s answers 

226 


only refer to the destruction of the Jewish state, and 
that nothing is spoken here concerning the LasT or 
judgment day. 

End of the world} Tov atwvog; or, of the age, 
viz. the Jewish economy, which is a frequent accom- 
modated meaning of the word Δίων, the proper mean- 
ing of which is, as Aristotle (De Celo) observes, 
ETERNAL. Αἰών, quasi act ὧν continual being: and no 
words can more forcibly point out eternity than these. 
See the note on Gen. xxi. 33. 

Verse 4. Take heed that no man deceive you.] The 
world is full of deceivers, and it is only by taking heed 
to the counsel of Christ that even his followers can 
escape being ruined by them. From this to ver. 31, 
our Lord mentions the signs which should precede his 
coming. 

The First sign is false Christs. 

Verse 5. For many shall come in my name] 1. Jo- 
sephus says, (War, b. ii. c. 13,) that there were many 
who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the 
people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pre- 
tending that God would there show them the signs of 
liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power; 
and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men 
into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. 
See Acts xxi. 38. It was a just judgment for God 
to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs 
who had rejected the true one. Soon after our Lord’s 
crucifixion, Simon Magus appeared, and persuaded the 
people of Samaria that he was the great power of God, 
Acts viii. 9, 10; and boasted among the Jews that he 
was the son of God. 

2. Of the same stamp and character was also Dosi- 
theus, the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the 
Christ foretold by Moses. 

3. About twelve years after the death of our Lord, 
when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, arose 
an impostor of the name of Theudas, who said he was 
a prophet, and persuaded a great multitude to follow 
him with their best effects to the river Jordan, which 
he promised to divide for their passage; and saying 
these things, says Josephus, he deceived many: almost 
the very words of our Lord. 

4. A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, 
while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this 
stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed 
almost every day. Jos. Ant. b. xx. 6. 4. and 7. 


The sEconD sign, wars and commotions. 

Verse 6. The next signs given by our Lord are 
wars and rumours of wars, &c.] These may be seen 
in Josephus, Ant. b. xviii. ec. 9; War, Ὁ. 11. c. 10; 

CRF) 


Signs that shall precede the 


A.M.4033. of wars: see that ye be not 

A.D 

An. “sar troubled: for all these things must 
““_ come to pass, but the end is 

not yet. yet. 


i2 Chron. xv. 6; Isa. xix. 2; 


especially as to the rumours of wars, when Caligula 
ordered his statue to be set up in the temple of God, 
which the Jews having refused, had every reason to 
expect a war with the Romans, and were in such con- 
sternation on the occasion that they even neglected to 
till their land. 

Verse 7. Nation shall rise against nation] This 
portended the dissensions, insurrections, and mutual 
slaughter of the Jews, and those of other nations, who 
dwelt in the same cities together; as patticularly at 
Cesarea, where the Jews and Syrians contended about 
the right of the city, which ended there in the total 
expulsion of the Jews, above 20,000 of whom were 
slain. The whole Jewish nation being exasperated at 
this, flew to arms, and burnt and plundered the neigh- 
bouring cities and villages of the Syrians, making an 
immense slaughter of the people. The Syrians, in 
return, destroyed not a less number of the Jews. At 
Scythopolis they murdered upwards of 13,000. At 
Ascalon they killed 2,500. At Ptolemais they slew 
2000, and made many prisoners. The Tyrians also 
put many Jews to death, and imprisoned more: the 
people of Gadara did likewise ; and all the other cities 
of Syria in proportion, as they hated or feared the 
Jews. At Alexandria the Jews and heathens fought, 
and 50,000 of the former were slain. The people of 
Damascus conspired against the Jews of that city, and, 
assaulting them unarmed, killed 10,000 of them. See 
Bishop Newton, and Dr. Lardner. 

Kingdom against kingdom] This portended the 
open wars of different tetrarchies and provinces against 
each other. Ist. That of the Jews and Galileans 
against the Samaritans, for the murder of some Gali- 
leans going up to the feast of Jerusalem, while Cumma- 
mus was procurator. 2dly. That of the whole nation 
of the Jews against the Romans and Agrippa, and 
other allies of the Roman empire ; which began when 
Gessius Florus was procurator. 3dly. That of the 
civil war in Ztaly, while Otho and Vitellius were con- 
tending for the empire. It is worthy of remark, that 
the Jews themselves say, “ In the time of the Messiah, 
wars shall be stirred up in the world; nation shall rise 
against nation, and city against city.” Sohar Kadash. 
“ Again, Rab. Eleasar, the son of Abina, said, When 
ye see kingdom rising against kingdom, then expect 
the immediate appearance of the Messiah.” Bereshith 
Rabba, sect. 42. 


The THirp sign, pestilence and famine. 


It is farther added, that There shail be famines, and 
pestilences] There was a famine foretold by Agabus, 
(Acts xi. 28,) which is mentioned by Suetonius, Ta- 
citus, and Eusebius ; which came to pass in the days 
of Claudius Cesar, and was so severe at Jerusalem 
that Josephus says (Ant. b. xx. c. 2.) many died for 
lack of food. Pestilences are the usual attendants of 

1 


CHAP. 


eKIVs destruction of the temple. 
7 For ‘nation shall rise against art he 


nation, and kingdom against king- An, Dick 
dom: and there shall be fae and Σ 
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 


Hag. ii. 22; Zech. xiv. 13. 


famines: as the scarcity and badness of provisions 
generally produce epidemic disorders. 


The rourra sign, earthquakes or popular commotions. 


Earthquakes, in divers places.| If we take the word 
σεισμοι from σείω to shake, in the first sense, then it 
means particularly those popular commotions and in- 
surrections which have already been noted; and this 
| think to be the true meaning of the word : but if we 
confine it to earthquakes, there were several in those 
times to which our Lord refers; particularly one at 
Crete in the reign of Claudius, one at Smyrna, Mile- 
tus, Chios, Samos. See Grotius. One at Rome, 
mentioned by Tacitus; and one at Laodicea in the 
reign of Nero, in which the city was overthrown, as 
were likewise Hierapolis and Colosse. See Tacit. 
Annal. lib. xii. and lib. xiv. One at Campania, men- 
tioned by Seneca; and one at Rome, in the reign of 
Galba, mentioned by Suetonius in the life of that em- 
peror. Add to all these, a dreadful one in Judea, 
mentioned by Josephus (War, b. iv. ο. 4.) accompanied 
by a dreadful tempest, violent winds, vehement show- 
ers, and continual lightnings and thunders ; which led 
many to believe that these things portended some un- 
common calamity. 


The ΕἸΡΤῊ sign, fearful portents. 

To these St. Luke adds that there shall be fearful 
sights and great signs from heaven (chap. xxi. 11.) 
Josephus, in his preface to the Jewish war, enumerates 
these. 1st. A star hung over the city like a sword; 
and a comet continued a whole year. 2d. The people 
being assembled at the feast of wnleavened bread, at 
the ninth hour of the night, a great light shone about 
the altar and the temple, and this continued for half an 
hour. 3d. At the same feast, a cow led to sacrifice 
brought forth a /amb in the midst of the temple! 4th. 
The eastern gate of the temple, which was of solid 
brass, and very heavy, and could hardly be shut by 
twenty men, and was fastened by strong dars and bolts, 
was seen at the sixth hour of the night to open of its 
own accord! 5th. Before sun-setting there were seen, 
over all the country, chariots and armies fighting in 
the clouds, and besieging cities. 6th. At the feast of 
pentecost, when the priests were going into the inner 
temple by night, to attend their service, they heard first a 
motion and noise, and then a voice, as of a multitude, 
saying, Ler us DEPART HENCE! 7th. What Josephus 
reckons one of the most terrible signs of all was, that 
one Jesus, a country fellow, four years before the war 
began, and when the city was in peace and plenty, 
eame to the feast of tabernacles, and ran crying 
up and down the streets, day and night: “A voice 
from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from 
the four winds! a-voice against Jerusalem and the 
temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the 
brides! and a voice against all the people!” Though the 

227 


Persecutions of the 
A.M. 4033. g All these are the beginning of 
An, Olymp. sorrows. 
- _ 9 § Then shall they deliver you up 
to be afflicted, and shall kill you ; and ye shall 
be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall 
betray one another, and shall hate one another. 


ST. MATTIZEW. 


disciples foretold 


11 And ™many false prophets 4,™; 40 

shall rise, and "shall deceive An. Olymp 
CCIL. 1. 

many. eee 

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the 
love of many shall wax cold. 

13 ° But he that shall endure unto the end, 
the same shall be saved. 


* Chap. x. 17; Mark xiii. 9;. Luke xxi. 12; John xv. 20; 
xvi. 2; Acts iv. 2,3; vii. 59; xii. 1, &c.; 1 Pet. iv. 16; Rev. 
ii. 10, 13. 


1Chap. xi. 6; xiii. 57; 2 Tim. i.15; iv. 10, 16——™ Chap. 
vil. 15; Acts xx. 29; 2 Pet. ii. 1 ——"]1 Tim. iv. 1; ver. 5, 24. 
o Chap. x. 22; Mark xii. 13; Heb. iii. 6, 14; Rev. ii. 10. 


magistrates endeavoured by stripes and tortures to re- 
strain him, yet he still cried, with a mournful voice, 
“Wo, wo to Jerusalem!” And this he continued 
to do for several years together, going about the walls 
and crying with aloud voice: ‘ Wo, wo to the city, 
and to the people, and to the temple!” and as he 
added, ‘““Wo, wo to myself!’ a stone from some 
sling or engine struck him dead on the spot! It is 
worthy of remark that Josephus appeals to the testi- 
mony of others, who saw and heard these fearful things. 
Tacitus, ἃ Roman historian, gives very nearly the 
same account with that of Josephus. Hist. lib. v. 

Verse 8. All these are the beginning of sorrows.] 
QSwar, travailing pains. The whole land of Judea 
is represented under the notion of a woman in grievous 
travail ; but our Lord intimates, that all that had already 
been mentioned were only the first pangs and throes, 
and nothing in comparison of that hard and death- 
bringing labour, which should afterwards take place. 

From the calamities of the nation in general, our 
Lord passes to those of the Christians; and, indeed, 
the sufferings of his followers were often occasioned 
by the judgments sent upon the land, as the poor 
Christians were charged with being the cause of these 
national calamities, and were cruelly persecuted on 
that account. 

Verse 9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflict- 
ed| Rather, Then they will deliver you up to affliction, 
εἰς θλιψιν. By a bold figure of speech, affliction is 
here personified. They are to be delivered into afflic- 
tion’s own hand, to be harassed by all the modes of 
inventive torture. 

Ye shall be hated of all nations] Both Jew and 
Gentile will unite in persecuting and tormenting you. 
Perhaps πάντων τῶν εθνων means all the Gentiles, as 
in the parallel places in Mark xiii. 9-11, and in Luke 
xxi. 12-15, the Jewish persecution is mentioned dis- 
tinctly. Ye shall be delivered up to councis and be 
beaten in syNaGoGuEs, and ye shall stand before gover- 
nors and kings for my name’s sake—be not anxiously 
eareful beforehand what ye shall speak—for ye are 
not the speakers, but the Holy Spirit will speak by 
you—lI will give you utterance and wisdom, which all 
your adversaries shall not be able to contradict or re- 
sist. We need go no farther than the Acts of the 
Apostles for the completion of these particulars. Some 
were delivered to councils, as Peter and John, Acts 
iv. 5. Some were brought before rulers and kings, 
as Paul before Gallio, chap. xviii. 12, before Felix, 
xxiv., before Festus and Agrippa, xxv. Some had 
utterance and wisdom which their adversaries were not 
able to resist: so Stephen, chap. vi. 10, and Paul, 

228 


who made even Felix himself tremble, chap. xxiv. 25. 
Some were imprisoned, as Peter and John, chap. 1v. 
3. Some were eaten, as Paul and Silas, chap. xvi. 
23. Some were put to death, as Stephen, chap. vii. 
59, and James the brother of John, chap. xii. 2. But 
if we look beyond the book of the Acts of the Apostles, 
to the bloody persecutions under Nero, we shall find 
these predictions still more amply fulfilled: in these, 
numberless Christians fell, besides those two champi- 
ons of the faith, Peter and Paul. And it was, as says 
Tertullian, nominis prelium, a war against the very 
name of Christ; for he who was called Christian had 
committed crime enough, in bearing the name, to be 
put to death. So true were our Saviour’s words, that 
they should be hated of all men for his Name’s sake. 

But they were not only to be hated by the Gentiles, 
but they were to be betrayed by aposiates. 

Verse 10. Then shall many be offended, and shall 
betray one another] ‘To illustrate this point, one sen- 
tence out of Tacitus (Annal. 1. xv.) will be sufficient, 
who, speaking of the persecution under Nero, says, A¢ 
first several were seized, who confessed, and then by 
THEIR DISCOVERY a great multitude of others were con- 
victed and executed. 

Verse 11. False prophets] Also were to be raised 
up; such as Simon Magus and his followers ; and the 
false apostles complained of by St. Paul, 2 Cor. xi. 13, 
who were deceitful workers, transforming themselves 
into the apostles of Christ. Such also were Hymeneus 
and Philetus, 2 Tim. ii. 17, 18. 

Verse 12. The love of many shall waz cold.| By 
reason of these trials and persecutions from without, 
and those apostasies and false prophets from within, 
the love of many to Christ and his doctrine, and to one 
another, shall grow cold. Some openly deserting the 
faith, as ver. 10; others corrupting it, as ver. 11; and 
others growing indifferent about it, as verse 12. Even 
at this early period there seems to have been a very 
considerable defection in several Christian Churches ; 
see Gal. ili. 1-4; 2 Thess. iii. 1, &c.; 2 Tim. i. 15. 

Verse 13. But he that shall endure] The persecu- 
tions that shall come—uwunto the end; to the destruc- 
tion of the Jewish polity, without growing cold or 
apostatizing—shall be saved, shall be delivered in all 
imminent dangers, and have his soul at last brought to 
an eternal glory. It is very remarkable that not a 
single Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusa- 
lem, though there were many there when Cestius Gal- 
lus invested the city; and, had he persevered in the 
siege, he would soon have rendered himself master of 
it; but, when he unexpectedly and unaccountably raised 
the siege, the Christians took that opportunity to escape. 

1 


Christ directs his disciples CHAP 


14 And this » Gospel of the king- 
An, ΚΤ dom ἃ shall be preached in all the 

world for a witness unto all nations ; 
and then shal] the end come. 

15 * When ye therefore shall see the abo- 
mination of desolation, spoken of by * Daniel 
the prophet, stand in the holy place, (* whoso 
readeth, let him understand :) 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. 


P Chap. iv. 23 ; ix. 35.——4 Rom. x. 18; Col. i. 6, 23——* Mark 


See Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. lib. ili. c. 5, and Mr. Read- 
ing’s note there ; and see the note here on ver. 20. 

Verse 14. And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be 
preached in all the world] But, notwithstanding these 
persecutions, there should be a universal publication 
of the glad tidings of the kingdom, for a testimony to 
all nations. God would have the iniquity of the Jews 
published every where, before the heavy stroke of his 
judgments should fall upon them; that all mankind, 
as it were, might be brought as witnesses against their 
eruelty and obstinacy in crucifying and rejecting the 
Lord Jesus. 

In all the world, ev ολη ty οἰκουμένη. Perhaps no 
more is meant here than the Roman empire ; for it is 
beyond controversy that πάσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, Luke ii. 
1, means no more than the whole Roman empire: asa 
decree for taxation or enrolment from Augustus Cesar 
could have no influence but in the Roman dominions ; 
but see on Luke ii. 1. Tacitus informs us, Annal. 1. 
xy., that, as early as the reign of Nero, the Christians 
were grown so numerous at Rome as to excite the 
jealousy of the government; and in other parts they 
were in proportion. However, we are under no ne- 
cessity to reStrain the phrase to the Roman empire, as, 
previously to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Gospel 
was not only preached in the lesser Asia, and Greece, 
and Italy, the greatest theatres of action then in the 
world; but was likewise propagated as far north as 
Scyrsia; as far south as Eruiopia; as far east as 
Partuia and Inpia; and as far west as Spain and 
Briraiw. On this point, Bishop Newton goes on to 
say, That there is some probability that the Gospel was 
preached in the British nations by St. Simon the apos- 
tle; that there is much greater probability that it was 
preached here by St. Paul; and that there is an abso- 
lute certainty that it was planted here in the times of 
the apostles, before the destruction of Jerusalem. See 
his proofs. Dissert. vol. ii. p. 235, 236. edit. 1758. 
St. Paul himself speaks, Col. i. 6, 23, of the Gospel’s 
being come into ALL THE woRLD, and preached τὸ 
EVERY CREATURE under heaven. And in his Epistle 
to the Romans, chap. x. 18, he very elegantly applies 
to the lights of the Church, what the psalmist said of 
the lights of heaven. Their sound went into ALL THE 
earTH, and their words unto the exp of the worLD. 
What but the wisdom of God could foretell this? and 
what but the power of God could accomplish it ? 

Then shall the end come.] When this general publi- 
eation of the Gospel shall have taken place, then a 
period shall be put to the whole Jewish economy, by 
the utter destruction of their city and temple. 

1 


. XXIV. when to flee from Jerusalem 


16 Then let them which be iN % 
in Judea flee into the moun- An. OT 
ἘΡΑ͂Ν ΟΟΙ, 3: 

17 Let him which is on the house top 
not come down to take any thing out of his 
house : 

18 Neither let him which is in the field 
return back to take his clothes. 


xiii. 14; Luke xxi. 20.—— Dan. ix. 27; xii. 11.——t Dan. ix. 23, 25. 


Verse 15. The abomination of desolation, spoken of 
by Daniel] This abomination of desolation, St. Luke, 
(chap. xxi. 20, 21,) refers to the Roman army ; and 
this abomination standing in the holy place is the Ro- 
man army besieging Jerusalem ; this, our Lord says, is 
what was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, in the 
ninth and eleventh chapters of his prophecy ; and so 
let every one who reads these prophecies understand 
them; and in reference to this very event they are 
understood by the rabbins. The Roman army is called 
an abomination, for its ensigns and images, which were 
so to the Jews. Josephus says, (War, b. vi. chap. 6,) 
the Romans bfought their ensigns into the temple, and 
placed them over against the eastern gate, and sacri- 
ficed to them there. The Roman army is therefore 
fitly called the abomination, and the abomination which 
maketh desolate, as it was to desolate and lay waste 
Jerusalem; and this army besieging Jerusalem is 
called by St. Mark, chap. xiii. 14, standing where it 
ought not, that is, as in the text here, the holy place ; 
as not only the city, but a considerable compass of 
ground about it, was deemed holy, and consequently no 
profane persons should stand on it. 

Verse 16. Then let them which be in Judea flee 
into the mountains] This counsel was remembered and 
wisely followed by the Christians afterwards. Euse- 
bius and Epiphanius say, that at this juncture, after 
Cestius Gallus had raised the siege, and Vespasiat: 
was approaching with his army, all who believed in 
Christ left Jerusalem and fled to Pella, and other places 
beyond the river Jordan ; and so they all marvellously 
escaped the general shipwreck of their country : not 
one of them perished. See on ver. 13. 

Verse 17. Let him which is on the house top| The 
houses of the Jews, as well as those of the ancient 
Greeks and Romans, were flat-roofed, and had stairs 
on the outside, by which persons might ascend and de- 
scend without coming into the house. In the eastern 
walled cities, these flat-roofed houses usually formed 
continued terraces from one end of the city to the 
other ; which terraces terminated at the gates. He, 
therefore, who is walking on the house top, let him not 
come down to take any thing out of his house ; but let 
him instantly pursue his course along the tops of the 
houses, and escape out at the city gate as fast as 
he can. 

Any thing] Instead of τι, any thing, we should read 
τα, the things ; which reading is supported by all the 
best MSS., versions, and fathers. 

Verse 18. Neither let him which is in the field 
return back] Because when once the army of the 

229 


The ca.amaties attending the 


A. M. 4033. 
A:D. 29. 19 And "wo unto them that are 


ἐπεὶ ἸΘΙΤΩΡ. with child, and to them that give 
suck in those days ! 

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in 
the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day : 

21 For * then shall be great tribulation, such 


u Luke xxiii. 29. 


V Dan. ix. 26; xii. 1; Joel ii. 2. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


destruction of Jerusalem. 


as was not since the beginning of 4, Ν 4033. 
the world to this time, no, nor ever An. Olymp. 
CCIL. 1. 
shall be. Εν τ ST 
22 And except those days should be shortened, 
there should no flesh be saved; τ but for the 
elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 


w Isa. lxv. 8, 9; Zech. xiv. 2, 3. 


Romans sits down before the city, there shall be no 
more any possibility of escape, as they shall never 
temove till Jerusalem be destroyed. _ 

Verse 19. And wo unto them (alas! for them) that 
are with child, &c.] For such persons are not in a 
condition to make their escape ; neither can they bear 
the miseries of the siege. Josephus says the houses 
were full of women and children that perished by the 
famine ; and that the mothers snatched the food even 
out of their own children’s mouths. See War, b. v. 
6. 10. But he relates a more horrid story than this, 
of one Mary, the daughter of Eliezar, illustrious for 
her family and riches, who, being stripped and plun- 
dered of all her goods and provisions by the soldiers, 
in hunger, rage, and despair, killed and boiled her own 
sucking child, and had eaten one half of him before it 
was discovered. This shocking story is told, War, 
b. vi. c. 3, with several circumstances of aggravation. 

Verse 20. But pray ye that your flight be not in 
the winter] For the hardness of the season, the badness 
of the roads, the shortness of the days, and the length 
of the nights, will all be great impediments to your 
flight. Rabbi Tanchum observes, “ that the favour of 
God was particularly manifested in the destruction of 
the first temple, in not obliging the Jews to go out in 
the winter, but in the summer.” See the place in 
Lightfoot. 

Neither on the Sabbath-day| That you may not 
raise the indignation of the Jews by travelling on that 
day, and so suffer that death out of the city which you 
had endeavoured to escape from within. Besides, on 
the Sabbath-days the Jews not only kept within doors, 
but the gates of all the cities and towns in every place 
were kept shut and barred ; so that if their flight should 
be on a Sabbath, they could not expect admission into 
any place of security in the land. 

Our Lord had ordered his followers to make their 
escape from Jerusalem when they should see it encom- 
passed with armies; but how could this be done ‘— 
God took eare to provide amply for this. In the twelfth 
year of Nero, Cestius Gallus, the president of Syria, 
came against Jerusalem with a powerful army. He 
might, says Josephus, Wan, b. ii. c. 19, have assaulted 
and taken the city, and thereby put an end to the war; 
but without any just reason, and contrary to the expec- 
tation of all, he raised the siege and departed. Jose- 
phus remarks, that after Cestius Gallus had raised the 
siege, “many of the principal Jewish people, πολλοὶ 
τῶν exidaver Ἰουδαίων, forsook the city, as men do a 
sinking ship.” Vespasian was deputed in the room of 
Cestius Gallus, who, having subdued all the country, 
prepared to besiege Jerusalem, and invested it on every 
side. But the news of Nero’s death, and soon after 
that of Galba, and the disturbances that followed, and 

230 


the civil wars between Otho and Vitellius, held Vespa- 
sian and his son Titus in suspense. Thus the city 
was not actually besieged in form till after Vespasian 
was confirmed in the empire, and Titus was appointed 
to command the forces in Judea. It was in those inci- 
dental delays that the Christians, and indeed several 
others, provided for their own safety, by flight. In 
Luke xix. 43, our Lord says of Jerusalem, Thine 
enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass 
thee round, and keep thee in on every side. Accord- 
ingly, Titus, having made several assaults without suc- 
cess, resolved to surround the city with a wall, which 
was, with incredible speed, completed in three days! 
The wall was thirty-nine furlongs in length, and was 
strengthened with thirteen forts at proper distances, 
so that all hope of safety was cut off; none could make 
his escape from the city, and no provisions could be 
brought into it. See Josephus, War, book v. c. 12. 

Verse 21. For then shall be great tribulation] No 
history can furnish us with a parallel to the calamities 
and miseries of the Jews :—rapine, murder, famine, 
and pestilence within: fire and sword, and all the 
horrors of war, without. Our Lord wept at the fore- 
sight of these calamities ; and it is almost impossible 
for any humane person to read the relation of them in 
Josephus without weeping also. St. Luke, chap. xxi. 
22, calls these the days of vengeance, that all things 
which were written might be fulfilled. 1. These were 
the days in which all the calamities predicted by Moses, 
Joel, Daniel, and other prophets, as well as those pre- 
dicted by our Saviowr, met in one common centre, and 
were fulfilled in the most terrible manner on that gene- 
ration. 2. These were the days of vengeance in 
another sense, as if God’s judgments had certain peri- 
ods and revolutions ; for it is remarkable that the temple 
was burned by the Romans in the same month, and on 
the same day of the month, on which it had been 
burned by the Babylonians. See Josephus, War, b. 
vi. c. 4. 

Verse 22. Except those days should be shortened} 
Josephus computes the number of those who perished 
in the siege at eleven hundred thousand, besides those 
who were slain in other places, War, b. vi. e. 9; and 
if the Romans had gone on destroying in this manner, 
the whole nation of the Jews would, in a short time, 
have been entirely extirpated ; but, for the sake of the 
elect, the Jews, that they might not be utterly destroyed, 
and for the Christians particularly, the days were 
shortened. These, partly through the fury of the 
zealots on one hand, and the hatred of the Romans on 
the other ; and partly through the difficulty of subsisting 
in the mountains, without houses or provisions, would 
in all probability have been all destroyed, either by the 
sword or famine, if the days had not been shortened 

1 


False Christs and prophets CHAP. 
A. M. 4033. 


po 29° *"Then'if any man shall say 
a unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or 

CCI. 1. 2 A 
——— there; believe ἐὲ not. 

24 For ¥ there shall arise false Christs, and 
false prophets, and shall show great signs and 
wonders ; insomuch that, * if it were possible, 
they shall deceive the very elect. 

25 Behold, I have told you before. 

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 


¥ Mark xiii. 21; Luke xvii. 23 ; xxi. 8——y¥ Deut. xiii. 1; ver. 

5, 11; 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10, 11; Rev. xiii. 13. 
The besieged themselves helped to shorten those days 
by their divisions and mutual slaughters ; and by fatally 
deserting their strong holds, where they never could 
have been subdued, but by famine alone. So well 
fortified was Jerusalem, and so well provided to stand 
a siege, that the enemy without could not have pre- 
vailed, had it not been for the factions and seditions 
within. When Tittus was viewing the fortifications 
after the taking of the city, he could not help ascribing 
his success to God. “We have fought,” said he, 
“with God on our side; and it is God who pulled the 
Jews out of these strong holds: for what could ma- 
chines or the hands of men avail against such towers 
as these?” War, b. vi. c. 9. 

Verse 23. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo 
here is Christ] Our Lord had cautioned his disciples 
against false Christs and prophets before, ver. 11 ; 
but he seems here to intimate that there would be es- 
vecial need to attend to this caution about the time 
of the siege. And in fact many such impostors did 
arise about that time, promising deliverance from God ; 
and the lower the Jews were reduced, the more dis- 
posed they were to listen to such deceivers. Like a 
man drowning, they were willing to catch even at a 
straw, while there was any prospect of being saved. 
But as it was to little purpose for a man to take upon 
him the character of the Christ, without miracles to 
avouch his Divine mission, so it was the common artifice 
of these impostors to show signs and wonders, σημεία 
καὶ Tepata; the very words used by Christ in this 
prophecy, and by Josephus in his history: Anr. b. xx. 
ce. 7. Among these Simon Magus, and Dositheus, 
mentioned before; and Barcocab, who, St. Jerome 
says, pretended to vomit flames. And it is certain 
these and some others were so dexterous in imitating 
miraculous works that they deceived many; and such 
were their works, that if the elect, the chosen persons, 
the Christians, had not had the fullest evidence of the 
truth of Christ’s mission and miracles, they must have 
been deceived too: but, having had these proofs, they 
could not possibly be deceived by these impostors. 
This is simply the meaning of this place; and it is 
truly astonishing that it should be brought as a proof 
for the doctrine (whether true or false is at present 
out of the question) of the necessary and eternal per- 
severance of the saints! How abundant the Jews were 
in magic, divination, sorcery, incantation, &c., see 
proved by Dr. Lightfoot on this place. 

Vers, 25. Behold, I have told you before.| That is, 
I have forewarned vou. 

1 


XXIV. shall arise and deceive many 
Behold, he is in the desert; go ΔΑΝ, 133. 


not forth: behold, he is in the An. Olymp. 
3 ; CCIL 1. 

secret chambers; believe zt not. — τς 

27 * For as the lightning cometh out 
of the east, and shineth even unto the west; 
so shall also the coming of the Son of 
man be. 

28 » For wheresoever the carcass is, there 
will the eagles be gathered together. 


z John vi. 37; x. 28, 29; Rom. viii. 28, 29, 30; 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
aLuke xvii. 24. » Job xxxix. 30; Luke xvii. 37. 


Verse 26. If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in 
the desert] Is it not worthy of remark that our Lord 
not only foretold the appearance of these impostors, 
but also the manner and circumstances of their con- 
duct Some he mentions as appearing in the desert. 
Josephus says, An’. b. xx. ο. 7, and War, book ii. ο. 
13: That many impostors and cheats persuaded the 
people to follow them to the desert, promising to show 
them signs and wonders done by the providence of 
God, is well attested. An Egyptian false prophet, 
mentioned by Josephus, Ant. b. xx. c. 7, and in the 
Acts, chap. xxi. 38, led out into the DesERT four thou- 
sand men, who were murderers, but these were all 
taken or destroyed by Feliz. Another promised sal- 
vation to the people, if they would follow him to the 
DESERT, and he was destroyed by Festus, ANT. b. xx. 
e.7. Also, one Jonathan, a weaver, persuaded a 
number to follow him to the pEsERT, but he was 
taken and burnt alive by Vespasian. See War, b. 
vii. c. 11. 

As some conducted their deluded followers to the 
DESERT, so did others to the secret chambers. Josephus 
mentions a false prophet, War, b. vi. c. 5, who de- 
clared to the people in the city, that God commanded 
them to go up into the temple, and there they should 
receive the signs of deliverance. A multitude of men, 
women, and children, went up accordingly; but, in- 
stead of deliverance, the place was set on fire by the 
Romans, and 6,000 perished miserably in the flames, 
or in attempting to escape them. 

Verse 27. For as the lightning cometh out of the 
east, and shineth even unto the west] Tt is worthy of 
remark that our Lord, in the most particular manner, 
points out the very march of the Roman army: they 
entered into Judea on the East, and carried on their 
conquest WESTWARD, as if not only the extensiveness 
of the ruin, but the very route which the army would 
take, were intended in the comparison of the lightning 
issuing from the east, and shining to the west. 

Verse 28. For wheresoever the carcass 15] Πτωμα, 
the dead carcass. The Jewish nation, which was 
morally and judicially dead. 

There will the eagles} The Roman armies, called so 
partly from their strength and fierceness, and partly 
from the figure of these animals which was always 
wrought on their ensigns, or even in brass, placed on 
the tops of their ensign-staves. It is remarkable that 
the Roman fury pursued these wretched men where- 
soever they were found. They were a dead carcass 
doomed to be devoured ; and the Roman eagles were 

231 


The sign of the Son of ST. 


‘A. M. 4033. ; are 
ae oe 29 © Immediately after the tribu 


= Cisne. lation of those days, ἃ shall the sun 

be darkened, and the moon shall 

not give her light, and the stars shall fall from 

heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall 
be shaken: 

30 ° And then shall appear the sign of the 

Son of man in heaven: ‘ and then shall all the 


MATTHEW. 


man to appear in heaven 


tribes of the earth moum; ὃ and M. ae 


they shall see the Son of man com- χὰ “Givin 
ing in the clouds of heaven, with — 
power and great glory. 

31 » And he shall send his angels ‘with a 
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall ga- 
ther together his elect from the four winds, 
from one end of heaven to the other. 


© Dan. vii. 11, 12. Aqsa. xiii. 10; Ezek. xxxii. 7; Joel 11. 
10, 51; iii. 15; Amos v. 20; viii. 9; Mark xiii. 24; Luke xxi. 
25: Acts ii. 20; Rev. vi. 12. e Dan. vii. 13. 


the commissioned devourers. See the pitiful account 
in Josephus, Wak, b. vii. c. 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, and 11. 

Verse 29. Immediately after the tribulation, &c.] 
Commentators generally understand this, and what fol- 
lows, of the end of the world and Christ’s coming to 
judgment: but the word immediately shows that our 
Lord is not speaking of any distant event, but of 
something immediately consequent on calamities al- 
ready predicted: and that must be the destruction of 
Jerusalem. “The Jewish heaven shall perish, and the 
sun and moon of its glory and happiness shall be dark- 
ened—brought to nothing. The sun is the religion of 
the Church; the moon is the government of the state ; 
and the stars are the judges and doctors of both. Com- 
pare Isa. xiii. 10; Ezek. xxxii. 7, 8, ἅς." Lightfoot. 

In the prophetic language, great commotions upon 
earth are often represented under the notion of com- 
motions and changes in the heavens :— 

The fall of Babylon is represented by the stars and 
constellations of heaven withdrawing their light, and the 
sun and moon being darkened. See Isa. xiii. 9, 10. 

The destruction of Egypt, by the heaven being 
covered, the sun enveloped with a cloud, and the moon 
withholding her light. Ezek. xxxil. 7, 8. 

The destruction of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes, 
is represented by casting down some of the host of 
heaven, and the stars to the ground. See Dan. viii. 10. 

And this very destruction of Jerusalem is repre- 
sented by the Prophet Joel, chap. ii. 30, 31, by show- 
ing wonders in heaven and in earth—darkening the 
sun, and turning the moon into blood. ‘This general 
mode of describing these judgments leaves no room to 
doubt the propriety of its application in the present case. 

The falling of stars, i. e. those meteors which are 
called falling stars by the common people, was deem- 
ed an omen of evil times. The heathens have marked 
this :— 


Sepe etiam stellas, vento impendente videbis 

Praecipites celo labi, noctisque per umbram 

Flammarum longos ἃ tergo albescere tractus. 
Vire. Geor. i. ver. 365. 


And oft before tempestuous winds arise 
The seeming stars fall headlong from the skies, 
And, shooting through the darkness, gild the night 
With sweeping glories, and long trails of light. 
Dryden. 
Again the same poet thus sings :— 
Son tthe signa dabit: solem quis dicere falsum 


Audeat? Iile etiam cecos instare tumultus 
232 


f Zech. xii. 12.—£ Chap. xvi. 27; Mark xiii. 26; Rev. 1. 7. 
h Chap. xiii. 41; 1 Cor. xv. 52; 1 Thess. iv. 16.-— Or, with @ 
trumpet, and a great voice. ϊ 


Sepe monet: fraudemque et operta tumescere bella 

Ille etiam extincto miseratus Casare Romam, 

Cum caput obseura nitidum ferrugine texit, 

Impiaque eternam timuerunt secula noctem. 

Ibid. ver. 462. 

The sun reveals the secrets of the sky, 

And who dares give the source of light the lie? 

The change of empires often he declares, 

Fierce tumults, hidden treasons, cpen wars. 

He first the fate of Cesar did foretell, 

And pitied Rome, when Rome in Cesar fell : 

Tn iron clouds concealed the public light, 

And impious mortals found eternal night. 

Dryden. 

Verse 30. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of 
man] The plain meaning of this is, that the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem will be such a remarkable instance 
of Divine vengeance, such a signal manifestation of 
Christ’s power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes shall 
mourn, and many will, in consequence of this manifes- 
tation of God, be led to acknowledge Christ and his 
religion. By τῆς γῆς, of the land, in the text, is evi- 
dently meant here, as in several other places, the land 
of Judea and its tribes, either its then inhabitants, or 
the Jewish people wherever found. 

Verse 31. He shall send his angels] Tove ἀγγελους, 
his messengers, the apostles, and their successors in 
the Christian ministry. 

With a great sound of a trumpet] Or, a loud-sound- 
ing trumpet—the earnest affectionate call of the Gos- 
pel of peace, life, and salvation. 

Shall gather together his elect] The Gentiles, who 
were now chosen or elected, in place of the rebel- 
lious, obstinate Jews, according to our Lord’s predic- 
tion, Matt. viii. 11, 12, and Luke xni. 28,29. For 
the children of the kingdom, (the Jews who were born 
with a legal right to it, but had now finally forfeited 
that right by their iniquities) should be thrust out. ΤῈ 
is worth serious observation, that the Christian religion 
spread and prevailed mightily after this period: and 
nothing contributed more to the success of the Gospel 
than the destruction of Jerusalem happening in the 
very time and manner, and with the very circumstances, 
so particularly foretold by our Lord. It was after this 
period that the kingdom of Christ began, and his reign 
was established in almost every part of the world. 

To St. Matthew’s account, St. Luke adds, chap. xxi 
24, They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shait 
be led away captive into all nations ; and Jerusalem 
shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, till the times of 

1 


The parable of CHAP. XXIV. the fig tree 
A, M4033. 32 Ἵ Now learn *a parable of | these things, know that litis™near, 4,™; 403 
An, Clyne. the fig tree: When his branch 15 even at the doors. An. Olymp 


ve know that summer is nigh : 
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all 


k Luke xxi. 29.—! James v. 9.——™ Or, he. 


the Gentiles be fulfilled. "The number of those who 
fell by the sword was very great. EXLEVEN HUNDRED 
THOUSAND perished during the siege. Many were slain 
at other places, and at other times. By the command- 
ment of Florus, the first author of the war, there were 
slain at Jerusalem 3,600, Jos. War, b. ii. c. 14. By 
the inhabitants of Cesarea, above 20,000. At Scytho- 
polis, above 13,000. At Ascalon, 2,500. At Ptole- 
mais, 2,000. At Alexandria, 50,000. At Joppa, 
when taken by Cestius Gallus, 8,400. In a mountain 
called Asamon, near Sepporis, above 2,000. At Da- 
mascus, 10,000. Ina dattle with the Romans at As- 
calon, 10,000. In an ambuscade near the same place, 
8,000. At Japha, 15,000. Of the Samaritans, on 
Mount Gerizim, 11,600. At Jotapa, 40,000. Αἱ 
Joppa, when taken by Vespasian, 4,200. At Tarichea, 
6,500. And after the city was taken, 1,200. At 
Gamala, 4,000, besides 5,000 who threw themselves 
down a precipice. Of those who fled with John, of 
Gischala, 6,000. Of the Gadarenes, 15,000 slain, 
besides countless multitudes drowned. In the village 
of Zdumea, above 10,000 slain. At Gerasa, 1,000. 
At Macherus, 1,700. In the wood of Jardes, 3,000. 
In the castle of Masada, 960. In Cyrene, by Catul- 
lus the governor, 3,000. Besides these, many of every 
age, sex, and condition, were slain in the war, who are 
not reckoned; but, of those who are reckoned, the 
number amounts to upwards of 1,357,660, which would 
have appeared incredible, if their own historian had 
not so particularly enumerated them. See Josephus, 
Wan, book ii. c. 18, 20; book iii. c. 2,7, 8,9: book 
iv. c. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9; book vii. c. 6, 9,11; and Bp. 
Newton, vol. ii. p. 288-290. 

Many also were led away captives into all nations. 
There were taken at Japha, 2,130. At Jotapa, 1,200. 
At Tarichea, 6,000 chosen young men, who were sent 
to Nero; others sold to the number of 30,400, be- 
sides those who were given to Agrippa. Of the Gada- 
renes were taken 2,200. In Idumea above 1,000. 
Many besides these were taken in Jerusalem ; so that, 
as Josephus says, the number of the captives taken in 
the whole war amounted to 97,000. Those above 
seventeen years of age were sent to the works in 
Egypt; but most were distributed through the Roman 
provinces, to be destroyed in their theatres by the 
sword, and by the wild beasts; and those under seven- 
teen years of age were sold for slaves. Eleven thou- 
sand in one place perished for want. At Caesarea, 
Titus, like a thorough-paced infernal savage, murdered 
2,500 Jews, in honour of his brother’s birthday ; and 
a greater number at Berytus in honour of his father’s. 
See Josephus, War, Ὁ. vii. c. 3. 5. 1. Some he 
caused to kill each other; some were thrown to the 
wild beasts; and others burnt alive. And all this was 
done by a man who was styled, The darling of man- 
kind! Thus were the Jews miserably tormented, and 


34 Verily I say unto you, ® This CCI. 1. 


generation shall not pass, till all these things 
be fulfilled. 


= Chap. xvi. 28; xxiii. 36; Mark xiii. 30; Luke xxi. 32. 


ditributed over the Roman provinces; and continue te 
be distressed and dispersed over all the nations of the 
world to the present day. Jerusalem also was, accord- 
ing to the prediction of our Lord, to be trodden down 
by the Gentiles. Accordingly it has never since been 
in the possession of the Jews. It was first in subjec- 
tion to the Romans, afterwards to the Saracens, then 
to the Franks, after to the Mamalukes, and now to the 
Turks. Thus has the prophecy of Christ been most 
literally and terribly fulfilled, on a people who are still 
preserved as continued monuments of the truth of our 
Lord’s prediction, and of the truth of the Christian 
religion. See more in Bp. Newton’s Dissert. vol. ii. 
p- 291, &e. 

Verse 32. Learn a parable of the fig-tree| That is, 
These signs which I have given you will be as infal- 
lible a proof of the approaching ruin of the Jewish 
state as the budding of the trees is a proof of the 
coming summer. 

Verse 34. This generation shall not pass] H yevea 
αὐτη, this race; i. 6. the Jews shall not cease from 
being a distinct people, till all the counsels of God rela- 
tive to them and the Gentiles be fulfilled. Some trans- 
late 7 yevea avn, this generation, meaning the persons 
who were then living, that they should not die before 
these signs, &c., took place: but though this was 
true, as to the calamities that fell upon the Jews, and 
the destruction of their government, temple, &c., yet 
as our Lord mentions Jerusalem’s continuing to be 
under the power of the Gentiles till the fulness of the 
Gentiles should come in, i. e. till all the nations of 
the world should receive the Gospel of Christ, after 
which the Jews themselves should be converted unto ~ 
God, Rom. xi. 25, &e., I think it more proper not to 
restrain its meaning to the few years which preceded 
the destruction of Jerusalem; but to understand it of 
the care taken by Divine providence to preserve them 
as a distinct people, and yet to keep them out of their 
own land, and from their temple service. See on 
Mark xiii. 30. But still it is literally true in reference 
to the destruction of Jerusalem. John probably lived 
to see these things come to pass; compare Matt. xvi. 
28, with John xxi. 22; and there were some rabbins 
alive at the time when Christ spoke these words who 
lived till the city was destroyed, viz. Rabban Simeon, 
who perished with the city; R. Jochanan ben Zaccat, 
who outlived it; R. Zadoch, R. Ismael, and others. 
See Lightfoot. 

The war began, as Josephus says, Ant. Ὁ. xx. ec. 
11. s. 1, in the second year of the government of 
Gessius Florus, who succeeded Albinus, successor of 
Porcius Festus, mentioned Acts xxiv. 27, in the month 
of May, in the twelfth year of Nero, and the seven- 
teenth of Agrippa, mentioned Acts xxv. and Xxvi., 
that is, in May, A. D. 66. 

The temple was burnt August 10, A. D. 70, the 

233 


Careless state of the people at 


ya 35 ° Heaven and earth shall pass 


An. Olymp. away, but my words shall not pass 
away. 

36 Ἵ ” But of that day and hour knoweth no 
man, no, not the angels of heaven, 4 but my 
Father only. 

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall 
also the coming of the Son of man be. 

38 * For as in the days that were before the 
flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying 

° Psa. cii. 26; Isa. li. 6; Jer. xxxi. 35, 36; chap. v. 18; Mark 


SAL 31 Luke’ xxi. 33; Heb. i. 11. Mark xiii. 32; ‘Acts i. 
ἜΣ 1 Thess. v. ὩΣ 2 Pet. iii. 10. 


same day and month on which it had been burnt by 
the king of Babylon: Josephus, Ant. b. xx.e. 11. 5. 8. 

The city was taken September 8, in the second 
year of the reign of Vespasian, or the year of Christ 
70. Ant. b. vi. e. 10. 

That was the end of the siege of Jerusalem, which 
began, as Josephus several times observes, about the 
fourteenth day of the month Nisan, or our April. See 
War, b. v. c. 3. s. 1, c. 13. s. 7; b. vi. c. 9. s. 8. 

Dr. Lardner farther remarks, There is also an an- 
cient inscription to the honour of Titus, “‘ who, by his 
father’s directions and counsels, had subdued the Jew- 
ish nation and destroyed Jerusalem, which had never 
been destroyed by any generals, kings, or people, be- 
fore.” The inscription may be seen in Gruter, vol. 
1. p. 244. It is as follows :— 


Imp. Τιτο. Czsarl. DIvI. VespastanI. F 
Vespasiano. Aue. Pontiricr. Maximo 
Tris, Por. X. Imp. XVII. Cos. VIII. P. P 
Princiri. ὅσο. S. P. Q. R 


Quon. Praceptis. Parris. Consmilsque. et 

Avspicils. Gentem. JuDZORUM. DOMUIT. ET 

Ursem. HierosoLyMAm. OMNIBUS. ANTE. SE 
Ducisus. Reeipus. GENTIBUSQUE. AUT. FRUSTRA 
PETITAM. AUT. OMNINO. INTENTATAM. DELEVIT. 


For this complete conquest of Jerusalem, Titus had 
a triumphal arch erected to his honour, which still 
exists. It stand on the Via Sacra, leading from the 
forum to the amphitheatre. On it are represented 
the spoils of the temple of God, such as the golden 
table of the show-bread, the golden candlestick with 
its seven branches, the ark of the covenant, the two 
golden trumpets, &c., &c.; for a particular account 
see the note on Exod. xxv. 31. On this arch, a cor- 
rect model of which, taken on the spot, now stands 
before me, is the following inscription :— 


SENaTUS 
Poputusque Romanus 
Divo Tiro. DIvI Vespasrani. F 
VesPAsiANo Augusto. 


“The Senate and People of Rome, to the Divine 
Titus, son of the Divine Vespasian ; and to Vespasian 
the Emperor.” 

On this occasion, a medal was struck with the fol- 
lowing inscription round a laureated head of the em- 
peror :—IMP.erator J.ulius CAAS.ar VESP.asianus 

234 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the second advent of Christ. 


and giving in marriage, until the A, M4033. 
day that Noe entered into the ark, An. Core: 

39 And knew not until the flood 
came, and took them all away; so shall also 
the coming of the Son of man be. 

40 * Then shall two be in the field; the one 
shall be taken, and the other left. 

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill ; 
the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

42 9 * Watch therefore: for ye,know not 


4 Zech. xiv. 7. τ θη. vi. 3, 4, 5; vii. 5; Luke xvii. 26; 
1 Pet. iii. 20.—+* Luke xvii. 34, &e. at Chap. xxv. 13; Mark 
xi. 33, &c.; Luke xxi. 36. 


AUG.ustus. P.ontifex M.axvimus, TR.ibunitia, P.o- 
testate P.ater P.atrie CO.nS.ul VIII.—On the ob- 
verse are represented a palm tree, the emblem of the 
land of Judea; the emperor with a trophy standing 
on the left; Judea, under the figure of a distressed 
woman, sitting at the foot of the tree weeping, with 
her head bowed down, supported by her left hand, 
with the legend JUDAKA CAPTA. S.enatus C.on- 
sultus. at the bottom. This is not only an extraordi- 
nary fulfilment of our Lord’s prediction, but a literal 
accomplishment of a prophecy delivered about 800 
years before, Isa. iii. 26, And she, desolate, shall sit 
upon the ground. 

Verse 36. But of that day and hour] Ὥρα, here, is 
translated season by many eminent critics, and is used 
in this sense by both sacred and profane authors. As 
the day was not known, in which Jerusalem should 
be invested by the Romans, therefore our Lord advised 
his disciples to pray that it might not be on a Sabbath ; 
and as the season was not known, therefore they were 
to pray that it might not be in the winter; ver. 20. 
See on Mark xiii. 32. 

Verses 37, 38. As the days of Noah—they were 
eating and drinking] That is, they spent their time 
in rapine, luxury, and riot. The design of these verses 
seems to be, that the desolation should be as general 
as it should be unexpected. 

Verse 39. And knew not] They considered not— 
did not lay Noah’s warning to heart, till it was too 
late to profit by it: so shall it be—and so it was in 
this coming of the Son of man. 

Verses 40,41. Then shall two men—two women— 
one shall be taken, and the other left.| The meaning 
seems to be, that so general should these calamities 
be, that no two persons, wheresoever found, or about 
whatsoever employed, should be both able to effect 
their escape ; and that captivity and the sword should 
have a complete triumph over this unhappy people. 

Two women shall be grinding] Women alone are 
still employed in grinding the corn in the east; and 
it is only when despatch is required, or the uppermost 
millstone is heavy, that a second woman is added. See 
Wakefield, and Harmer, Obs. vol. i. 253. That they 
were formerly thus employed, see Exod. xi. 5, and 
the note there. See also Isa. xlvii. 2. 

Verse 42. Watch therefore] Be always on your 
guard, that you may not be taken unawares, and that 
you may be properly prepared to meet God in the 

1 


The parable of the cruel CHAP. 


A. Μ. 4033. 

hy gees what hour your Lord doth 
An. Olymp. come. 

CCIL.1 


43 "But know this, that if the 
good man of the house had known in what 
watch the thief would come, he would have 
watched, and would not have suffered his 
house to be broken up. 

44 ¥ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such 
an hour as ye think not, the Son of man 
cometh. 

45 * Who then is a faithful and wise ser- 
vant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his 
houschold, to give them meat in due season ? 

46 * Blessed zs that servant, whom his lord, 


« Luke xii. 39 ; 1 Thess. v. 2; 2 Pet. iii. 10; Rev. iii. 3; xvi. 15. 
τ Chap. xxv. 13; 1 Thess. v. 6—Ww Luke xii. 42; Acts xx. 28; 


way either of judgment or mercy, whensoever he may 
come. This advice the followers of Christ took, and 
therefore they escaped; the miserable Jews rejected 
it, and were destroyed. Let us learn wisdom by the 
things which they suffered. 

Verse 43. If the good man of the house had known] 
“As a master of a family, who expected a thief at 
any time of the night, would take care to be awake, 
and ready to protect his house; so do ye, who know 
that the Son of man will come. Though the day and 
hour be uncertain, continue always in a state of watch- 
fulness, that he may not come upon you wnawares.” 
WAKEFIELD. 

Verse 45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant] 
All should live in the same expectation of the coming 
of Christ, which a servant has with respect to the re- 
turn of his master, who, in departing for a season, left 
the management of his affairs to him; and of which 
management he is to give an exact account on his 
master’s return. 

Here is an abstract of the duties of a minister of 
Christ. 1. He is appointed, not by himself, but by the 
vocation and mission of Ais Master. 2. He must look 
on himself, not as the master of the family, but as the 
servant. 3. He must be scrupulously faithful and 
exact in fulfilling the commands of his Master. 4. 
His fidelity must be ever accompanied by wisdom and 
prudence. 5. He must give the domestics—the sa- 
cred family, their food; and this food must be such as 
to afford them true nourishment. And 6. This must 
be done in its season. There are certain portions of 
the bread of life which lose their effect by being admi- 
nistered out of proper season, or to improper persons. 

Verse 46. Blessed is that servant] His blessed- 
ness consists in his master’s approbation. 

Verse 47. He shall make him ruler over all his 
goods.| Ὁ heavenly privilege of a faithful minister of 
Christ! He shall receive from God a power to dispense 
all the blessings of the new covenant; and his word 
shall ever be accompanied with the demonstration of 
the Holy Ghost to the hearts of all that hear it. Much 
of a preacher's usefulness may be lost by his unfaith- 
fulness. 

1 


XXIV. and oppressive servant. 

when he cometh, shall find so Ἃς ΜΙ 1033 

doing. An. Olymp. 
COIL. 1. 


47 Verily I say unto you, That 
yhe shall make him ruler over all his goods. 

48 But, and if that evil servant shall say in 
his heart, My lord delayeth his coming ; 

49 And shall begin to smite jis fellow-ser- 
vants, and to eat and drink with the drunken , 

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a 
day when he looketh not for him, and in an 
hour that he is not aware of, 

51 And shall 5 cut him asunder, and appoint 
him his portion with the hypocrites : * there 
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 


1 Cor.iv. 2; Heb. iii. 5. x Rey. xvi. 15. ——¥ Chap. xxv. 21,23; 
Luke xxii. 29. z Or, cut him off— Chap. viii. 12; xxv. 30. 


Verse 48. But, and if that evil servant] Here are 
three characters of a bad minister. 1. He has little 
or no faith in the speedy coming of Christ, either to 
punish for wickedness, or to pardon and sanctify those 
who believe. It may be, he does not outwardly pro- 
fess this, but he says it in Ais heart, and God searches 
his heart, and knows that he professes to teach what 
he does not believe. 2. He governs with an absolute 
dominion, oppressing his colleagues and doing violence 
to the followers of Christ. And shall begin to smite, 
ἄς. 3. He leads an irregular life—does not love the 
company of the children of God, but eats and drinks 
with the drunkards, preferring the tables of the great 
and the rich, whose god is their belly, and thus feeds 
himself without fear. Great God! save thine inherit- 
ance from being ravaged by such wolves ! 

Verse 50. The lord of that servant] Here are 
three punishments which answer to the three charac- 
teristics of the bad minister. 1. A sudden death, and 
the weight of God’s judgments falling upon him, with- 
out a moment to avert it: this answers to his infidelity 
and forgetfulness. He shall come in a day in which 
he looked not for him. 2. A separation from the 
communion of saints, and from all the gifts which he 
has abused : this answers to the abuse of his authority 
in the Church of Christ. 3. He shall have tears and 
eternal pains, in company with all such hypocrites as 
himself: and this answers to his voluptuous life, pam- 
pering the flesh at the expense of his soul. 

Verse 51. Cut him asunder] This refers to an an- 
cient mode of punishment used in several countries. 
Isaiah is reported to have been sawed asunper. That 
it was an ancient mode of punishment is evident from 
what Herodotus says: that Sadacus, king of Ethiopia, 
had a vision, in which he was commanded μεσοὺς 
διαταμειν, to cut in two, all the Egyptian priests, lib. 
ii. And in lib. vii. where Xerxes ordered one of the 
sons of Pythius μεσον diataperv, to be cut in two, and 
one half placed on each side of the way, that his army 
might pass through between them. See Raphelius 
also, in his notes from Herodotus and Polybius. This 
kind of punishment was used among the Persians : see 
Dan. ii. 5; iii. 29. Story of Susannah, ver. 55, 59 

235 


The parable of the ten 


See also 2 Sam. xii. 31, and 1 Chron. xx. 3. It may 
also have reference to that mode of punishment in 
which the different members were chopped off seriatim, 
first the feet, then the hands, next the legs, then the 
arms, and lastly the head. This mode of punishment 
is still in use among the Chinese. But we find an 
exact parallel among the Turks, in the following pas- 
sage from W. Lithgow’s Travels, p. 153. London 4to. 
edit. “Ifa Turk should happen to kill another Turk, 
his punishment is thus: After he is adjudged to death, 
he is brought forth to the market place ; and a blocke 
being brought hither of four foot high, the malifactor is 
stript naked, and then laid thereon with his belly down- 
ward; they draw in his middle together so small with 
running cords that they strike his body a-two with one 
blow: his hinder parts they cast to be eaten by hun- 
gry dogs kept for the same purpose ; and the fore- 
quarters and head they throw into a grievous fire, made 
there for the same end. And this is the punishment 
for manslaughter.” 

This is the very same punishment, and for the same 
offence, as that mentioned by our Lord, the killing of 
a fellow servant—one of the same nation, and of the 
same religion. 


Tue reader has no doubt observed, in the preceding 
chapter, a series of the most striking and solemn pre- 
dictions, fulfilled in the most literal, awful, and dread- 
ful manner. Christ has foretold the ruin of the Jewish 
people, and the destruction of their polity ; and in such 
a circumstantial manner as none else could do, but He, 
under whose eye are all events, and in whose hands 
are the government and direction of all things. Indeed 
he rather declared what he would do, than predicted 
what should come to pass. And the fulfilment has 
been as circumstantial as the prediction. Does it not 
appear that the predicted point was so literally refer- 
red to by the occurring fact, by which it was to have 
its accomplishment, as to leave no room to doubt the 
truth of the prediction, or the certainty of the event by 
which it was fulfilled ὃ Thus the wispom of God, as 
also his justice and providence, have had a plenary 
manifestation. 

But this wisdom appears, farther, in preserving such 
a record of the prediction, and such evidence of its ac- 


ST. MATTHEW. 


wise and foolish vurgins. 


complishment, as cannot possibly be doubted. The 
New Testament, given by the inspiration of God, and 
handed down uncorrupted from father to scn, by both 
friends and enemies, perfect in its credibility and truth, 
inexpugnable in its evidences, and astonishingly cir- 
cumstantial in details of future occurrences, which the 
wisdom of God alone could foreknow—that New Tes- 
tament is the record of these predictions. The history 
of the Romans, written by so many hands ; the history 
of the Jews, written by one of themselves ; triumphal 
arches, coins, medals, and public monuments of differ- 
ent kinds, are the evidence by which the fulfilment of 
the record is demonstrated. Add to this the preserva- 
tion of the Jewish people ; a people scattered through 
all nations, yet subsisting as a distinct body, without 
temple, sacrifices, or political government ; and who, 
while they attempt to suppress the truth, yet reluctantly 
stand forth as an unimpeachable collateral evidence, 
that the solemn record, already alluded to, is strictly 
and literally true! Who that has ever consulted the 
Roman historians of the reigns of Vespasian and Titus, 
the history of Josephus, and the 24th chapter of St. 
Matthew’s Gospel, and who knows any thing of the 
present state of the Jews over the face of the earth, or 
even of those who sojourn in England, can doubt for a 
moment the truth of this Gospel, or the infinite and all- 
comprehensive knowledge of Him who is its author ! 
Here then is one portion of Divine Revelation that is 
incontrovertibly and absolutely proved to be the truth 
of God. Reader! if he, who, while he predicted the ruin 
of this disobedient and refractory people, wept over their 
city and its inhabitants, has so minutely fulfilled the 
threatenings of his justice on the unbelieving and dis- 
obedient, will he not as circumstantially fulfil the pro- 
mises of his grace to all them that believe? The ex- 
istence of his revelation, the continuance of a Christian 
Church upon earth, the certainty that there is one 
individual saved from his sins by the grace of the 
Gospel, and walking worthy of his vocation are con- 
tinued proofs and evidences that he is still the same ; 
that he will fulfil every jot and tittle of that word on 
which he has caused thee to trust; and save to the ut- 
termost all that come unto the Father by him. The 
word of the Lord endureth for ever: and they who 
trust in him shall never be confounded. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


The parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish, 1-12. 
The parable of the talents, 14-30. 


constantly prepared to appear before God, 13. 


The necessity of being 
The manner in which 


God shall deal with the rizhteous and the wicked in the judgment of the great day, 31—46. 


ALM 4033: "THEN shall the kingdom of 
Ase Olay heaven be likened unto ten 


* virgins, which took their lamps, 
and went forth to meet ἢ the bridegroom. 


2 ¢ And five of them were wise, Aaa 
and five were foolish. An. Olymp. 
CCI. 1 


their lamps, and took no oil with them : 


2 Ley. xxi. 14; Psa. xlv. 9-11; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Rev. xiv. 5. 


b Eph. v. 29,30; Rey. xix. 7; xxi. 2, 9.—* Chap. xiii. 47; xxii. 10 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXV. 
Verse 1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven] The 
state of Jews and professing Christians—or the state 
236 


of the visible Church at the time of the destruction of 

Jerusalem, and in the day of judgment: for the parable 

appears to relate to both those periods. And partieu- 
1 


The parable of the ten 


A.M. 4033. . pt, : 
A. D. 29. 4 But the wise took oil in their 


Δ᾽ Olymp. vessels with their lamps. 
5 While the bridegroom tarried, 
4 they all slumbered and slept. 


4} Thess. v. 6. 


larly at the time in which Christ shall come to judge 
the world, it shall appear what kind of reception his 
Gospel has met with. This parable, or something very 
like it, is found in the Jewish records: so in a treatise 
entitled Resuira Cuocman, the beginning of wisdom, 
we read thus: “‘ Our wise men of blessed memory say, 
Repent whilst thou hast strength to do it, whilst thy 
lamp burns, and thy oil is not extinguished ; for if thy 
lamp be gone out, thy oil will profit thee nothing.”— 
Our doctors add, in Meprasn: “The holy blessed 
God said to Israel, My sons, repent whilst the gates 
of repentance stand open; for I receive a gift at pre- 
sent, but when I shall sit in judgment, in the age to 
come, I will receive none.” Another parable, men- 
tioned by Kimchi, on Isa. Ixv. 13. “ Rabbi Yucha- 
nan, the son of Zachai, spoke a parable concerning a 
king, who invited his servants, but set them no time 
to come: the prudent and wary among them adorned 
themselves, and, standing at the door of the king’s 
house, said, Is any thing wanting in the house of the 
king? (i. ὁ. Is there any work to be done?) But the 
foolish ones that were among them went away, and 
working said, When shall the feast be in which there 
is no labour? Suddenly the king sought out his ser- 
vants: those who were adorned entered in, and they 
who were still polluted entered in also. The king was 
glad when he met the prudent, but he was angry when 
he met the foolish: he said, Let the prudent sit down 
and eat—let the others stand and look on.” Rabbi 
Eliezer said, “Turn to God one day before your 
death.” His disciples said, “* How can a man know 
the day of his death?” He answered them, “ There- 
fore you should turn to God to-day, perhaps you may 
die to-morrow ; thus every day will le employed in 
returning.” See Azmchi in Isa. Ixv. 13. 

Virgins] Denoting the purity of the Christian 
doctrine and character. In this parable, the dride- 
groom is generally understood to mean Jesus Christ. 
The feast, that state of felicity to which he has pro- 
mised to raise his genuine followers. The wise, or 
prudent, and foolish virgins, those who truly enjoy, 
and those who only profess the purity and holiness of 
his religion. The o/, the grace and salvation of God, 
or that faith which works by love. The vessel, the 
heart in which this oil is contained. The lamp, the 
profession of enjoying the burning and shining light of 
the Gospel of Christ. Going forth, the whole of their 
sojourning upon earth. 

Verse 2. Five of them were wise] Or, provident, 
épovijoc—they took care to make a proper provision 
beforehand, and left nothing to be done in the last 
moment. 

Five were foolish] Mopot, which might be trans- 
lated careless, is generally rendered foolish; but this 
does not agree so well with φρονέμοι, provident, or pru- 
dent, in the first clause, which is the proper meaning 
of the word. Μωρος, in the Etymologicon, is thus Je- 

1 


CHAP. XXV. 


wise and foolish virgins. 


6 And at midnight *there was 4,M. 1033. 


a cry made, Behold, the bride- i eg 
groom cometh; go ye out to meet 
him. 


© Chap. xxiv. 31; 1 Thess. iv. 16. 


fined, μη dpa το deov, he who sees not what is proper 
or necessary. ‘These did not see that it was neces- 
sary to have oil in their vessels, (the salvation of God 
in their souls,) as well as a burning lamp of religious 
profession, ver. 3, 4. 

Verse 4. Took oil in their vessels] They not only 
had a sufficiency of oil in their /amps, but they carried 
a vessel with oil to recruit their lamps, when it should 
be found expedient. This the foolish or improvident 
neglected todo: hence, when the oil that was in their 
lamps burned out, they had none to pour into the lamp 
to maintain the flame. 

Verse 5. The bridegroom tarried| The coming 
of the bridegroom to an individual may imply his 
death: his coming to the world—the final judgment. 
The delay—the time from a man’s birth till his death, 
in the first case ; in the second, the time from the de- 
ginning to the end of the world. 

Slumbered and slept.| Or, ενυςαξαν καὶ exade_vdor, 
they became drowsy and fell asleep. As sleep is fre- 
quently used in the sacred writings for death, so drow- 
siness, which precedes sleep, may be considered as 
pointing out the decays of the constitution, and the 
sicknesses which precede death. The other explana- 
tions which are given of this place must be unsatisfac- 
tory to every man who is not warped by some point 
in his creed, which must be supported at every ex- 
pense. Carelessness disposed them to drowsiness, 
drowsiness to sleep, deep sleep, which rendered them 
as unconscious of their danger as they were before 
inattentive to their duty. The Anglo-Saxon has hit 
the meaning of the original well—pa hnappudon hig ealle 
Ἢ ylepun; of which my old MS. Bible gives a literal 
version, in the English of the 14th century : forsethe— 
alle nappeden and sleptyn. 

Verse 6. At midnight there was acry] The Jewish 
weddings were generally celebrated in the night; yet 
they usually began at the rising of the evening star; but 
in this ease there was a more than ordinary delay. 

Behold, the bridegroom cometh] What an awful 
thing to be summoned to appear before the Judge of 
quick and dead! The following is an affecting rela- 
tion, and fas est ab hoste doceri. ‘ When Rabbi Jo- 
chanan ben Zachai was sick, his disciples came to 
visit him; and when he saw them he began to weep. 
They say to him, Rabbi! the light of Israel, the right 
hand pillar, the strong hammer, wherefore dost thou 
weep? He answered them, If they were carrying 
me before a king of flesh and blood, who is here to- 
day, and to-morrow in the grave; who, if he were 
angry with me, his anger would not last for ever: if 
he put me in prison, his prison would not be everlast 
ing; if he condemned me to death, that death would 
not be eternal; whom I could soothe with words or® 
bribe with riches; yet even in these circumstances I 
should weep. But now I am going before the King 
of kings, the holy and the blessed God, who liveth 

237 


The parable of the ten 


A. M. 4033, ico 
psa” «= 7-~« Then all those virgins arose, 


An. Olymp. and ‘ trimmed their lamps. 
——— 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, 
Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; 
lest there be not enough for us and you: > but 


§ Luke xii. 35.—=5 Or, going out——Isa. lv. 1; Hab. ii. 4; 
Rom. i. 17; Gal. vi. 4. 


and endureth for ever and for ever; who, if he be 
angry with me, his anger will last forever; if he put 
me in prison, his bondage will be everlasting; if he 
condemn me to death, that death will be eternal ; whom 
1 cannot soothe with words nor bribe with riches :— 
when, farther, there are before me two ways, the one 
to hell and the other to paradise, and I know not. in 
which they are carrying me, shall I not weep?” Tat- 
muD Beracoth, fol. 28. 

Verse 7. Trimmed their lamps.| Exoopunoav, adorn- 
ed them. I have seen some of the eastern lamps or 
lanthorns, the body of which was a skeleton of wood 
and threads, covered with a very thin transparent 
membrane, or very fine gauze, and decorated with 
flowers painted on it. It is probable that the nuptial 
lamps were highly decorated in this way ; though the 
act mentioned here may mean no more than preparing 
the lamps for burning. 

The following account of the celebration of a wed- 

‘ding in Persia, taken from the Zend Avesta, vol. ii. 
Ρ. 558, &c., may cast some light on this place. 

“The day appointed for the marriage, about five 
o'clock in the evening, the bridegroom comes to the 
house of the bride, where the moded, or priest, pro- 
nounces for the first time the nuptial benediction. He 
then brings her to his own house, gives her some re- 
freshment, and afterwards the assembly of her relatives 
and friends reconduct her to her father’s house. When 
she arrives, the moded repeats the nuptial benediction, 
which is generally done about mipNIGHT ; immediately 
after, the bride, accompanied with a part of her at- 
tending troop, (the rest having returned to their own 
homes,) is reconducted to the house of her husband, 
where she generally arrives about three o'clock in the 
morning. Nothing can be more brilliant than these 
nuptial solemnities in India. Sometimes the assembly 
consists of not less than two thousand persons, all richly 
dressed in gold and silver tissue ; the friends and rela- 
tives of the bride, encompassed with their domestics, 
are all mounted on horses richly harnessed. The 
goods, wardrobe, and even the bed of the bride, are 
carried in triumph. The husband, richly mounted and 
magnificently dressed, is accompanied by δὲς friends 
and relatives, the friends of the bride following him in 
covered carriages. At intervals, during the proces- 
sion, guns and rockets are fired, and the spectacle is 
rendered grand beyond description, by a prodigious 
number of LIGHTED ToRCHES, and by the sounp of a 
multitude of musical instruments.” 

© There are certain preparations which most persons 

pelieve they must make at the approach of death ; but, 

alas! it is often too late. The lamp is defiled, the light 

almost ou, and the oi expended; and what adorning 
238 


ST. MATTHEW 


wise and foolish virgins 


go ye rather to them that sell, and 4,™, 4033 
buy for yourselves. An. Olymp. 

10 And while they went to buy, pa Sed 
the bridegroom came ; ‘and they that were 
ready went in with him to the marriage ; and 
k the door was shut. 


iLuke xiii. 25; xix. 42; xii. 35, 36——* Luke 
xiii. 25. 
is a wretched sinner, struggling in the agonies of death, 
capable of preparing for his guilty soul! 

Verse 8. Our lamps are gone out.| Σβεννυνται;, 
are going out. So then it is evident that they were 
once lighted. They had once hearts dluminated and 
warmed by faith and love; but they had backslidden 
from the salvation of God, and now they are excluded 
from heaven, because, through their carelessness, they 
have let the light that was in them become darkness, 
and have not applied in ize for a fresh supply of the 
salvation of God. 

A Jewish rabbin supposes God addressing man thus: 
—I give thee my lamp, give thou me thy lamp; if 
thou keep my lamp I will keep thy lamp; but if thou 
extinguish my lamp I will extinguish thy lamp. That 
is, I give thee my worp and testimonies to be a light 
unto thy feet and a danthorn to thy steps, to guide 
thee safely through life; give me thy soun and all its 
concerns, that I may defend and save thee from all 
evil: keep my worp, walk in my ways, and I will 
keep thy soun that nothing shall injure it; but if thou 
trample under foot my laws, I will cast thy soul into 
outer darkness. 

Verse 9. Lest there be not enough for us and you] 
These had all been companions in the Christian course, 
and there was a time when they might have been help. 
ful to each other ; but that tune is now past for ever—- 
none has a particle of grace to spare, not even to help 
the soul of the dearest relative! The grace which 
every man receives is just enough to save his own 
soul ; he has no merits to bequeath to the Church ; no 
work of supererogation which can be placed to the 
account of another. 

Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy| By leaving 
out the particle de, dut, (on the indisputable authority 
of ABDGHKS, and HV, of Matthai, with sivteen 
others, the Armenian, Vulgate, and all the Itala but 
one,) and transposing a very little the members of the 
sentence, the sense is more advantageously represent. 
ed, and the reading smoother: Rather go to them thai 
sell, and buy for yourselves, lest there be not enougn 
for us and you. Beza, Mill, Bengel, and Griesbach, 
approve of the omission of the particle δε. 

Verse 10. While they went to buy, the bridegroom 
came| What a dismal thing it is, not to discover the 
emptiness of one’s heart of all that is good, till it is too 
late to make any successful application for relief! God 
alone knows how many are thus deceived. 

And they that were ready| They who were prepared 
—who had not only a burning damp of an evangelical 
profession, but had oi in their vessels, the faith that 
works by Jove in their hearts, and their lives adorned 
with all the fruits of the Spirit. 

1 


Parable of the ten virgins. 
A.M. 4033. 1] Afterward came also the other 
An Olymp. virgins, saying, 1 Lord, Lord 

Ὡς Olymp. virgins, saying, ' Lord, Lord, open 

to us. 

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say 
unto you, ™I know you not. 

13 " Watch therefore, for ye know neither 
the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man 
cometh. 


1Ch. vii. 21, 22, 23.——™ Psa. v. 5; Hab. i. 13; John ix. 31. 
2 Chap. xxiv. 42, 44; Mark xiii. 33, 35; Luke xxi. 36; ] Cor. 
xvi. 13; 1 Thess. v. 6; 1 Pet. v. 8; Rev. xvi. 15. 


The door was shut.] Sinners on a death-bed too 
often meet with those deceitful merchants, who pro- 
mise them salvation for a price which is of no value 
in the sight of God. Come unto me, says Jesus, and 
buy: there is no salvation but through his blood—no 
hope for the sinner but that which is founded upon his 
sacrifice and death. The door was shut—dreadful and 
fatal words! No hope remains. Nothing but death 
can shut this door; but death may surprise us in our 
sins, and then despair is our only portion. 

Verse 11. Afterwards came also the other virgins, 
saying, Lord, Lord] Earnest prayer, when used in 
time, may do much good: but it appears, from this 
parable, that there may come a time when prayer even 
to Jesus may be too late!—viz. when the door is shut 
—when death has separated the body and the soul. 

Verse 12. I know you not.| As if he had said, Ye 
are not of my company—ye were neither with the bride 
nor the bridegroom: ye slept while the others were in 
procession. I do not acknowledge you for my disciples 
—ye are not like him who is Jove—ye refused to re- 
ceive his grace—ye sinned it away when ye had it; 
now you are necessarily excluded from that kingdom 
where nothing but love and purity can dwell. 

Verse 13. Watch therefore] If to watch be to em- 
ploy ourselves chiefly about the business of our salva- 
tion, alas! how few of those who are called Christians 
are there who do watch! Wow many who slumber! 
How many who are asleep! How many seized with 
a lethargy! How many quite dead! 

Wherein the Son of man cometh.] These words are 
omitted by many excellent MSS., most of the versions, 
and several of the fathers. Griesbach has left them 
out of the text: Grotius, Hammond, Mill, and Bengel, 
approve of the omission. 

Verse 14. Called his own servants] God never 
makes the children of men proprietors of his goods. 
They axe formed by his power, and upheld by his 
bounty ; and they hold their lives and their goods, as 
in many of our ancient tenures, guamdiu domino pla- 
cuerit—at the will of their Lord. 

Verse 15. Unto one he gave five talents—to every 
man according to his several ability] The duties men 
are called to perform are suited to their situations, and 
the talents they receive. The good that any man has 
he has received from God, as also the ability to im- 
prove that good. God’s graces and temporal mercies 
ue suited to the power which a man has of improving 
them. To give eminent gifts to persons incapable of 
properly improving them, would be only to lead into a 

1 


CHAP. 


XXV The parable of the talents 
14 1° For the kingdom of heaven 4, ™, 1023. 


is as a man travelling into a far An, Olymp 
country, who called his own ser- = 
vants, and delivered unto them his goods. 

15 And unto one he gave five ἃ talents, to 
another two, and to another one; * to every 
man according to his several ability ; and 
straightway took his journey. 


© Luke xix. 12,.——P Chap. xxi. 33——9 Α talent is 187], 10s. 
chap. xviii. 24——" Rom. xii. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 7, 11, 29; Eph. 
iv. 11. 


snare. The talent which each man has suits his own 
state best ; and it is only pride and insanity which lead 
him to desire and envy the graces and talents of another. 
Five talents would be too much for some men: one 
talent would be too little. He who receives much, 
must make proportionate improvement ; and, from hima 
who has received Jitile, the improvement only of that 
little will be required. As five talents, in one case, 
are sufficient to answer the purpose for which they 
were given; so also are fwo and one. 

The man who improves the grace he has received, 
however small, will as surely get to the kingdom of 
God, as he who has received most from his master, 
and improved all. 

There is a parable something like this in Sohar 
Chadash, fol. 47: “A certain king gave a deposit 19 
three of his servants: the first kept it; the second 
lost it; the third spoiled one part of it, and gave the 
rest to another to keep. After some time, the king 
came and demanded the deposit. Him who had pre- 
served it, the king praised, and made him governor of 
his house. Him who had lost it, he delivered to utter 
destruction, so that both his name and his possessions 
were blotted out. To the third, who had spoiled a 
part and given the rest to another to keep, the king 
said, Keep him, and let him not go out of my house, 
till we see what the other shall do, to whom he has 
entrusted a part: if he shall make a proper use of it, 
this man shall be restored to liberty ; if not, he also 
shall be punished.” See Schoettgen. I have had 
already occasion to remark how greatly every Jewish 
parable is improved that comes through the hands of 
Christ. 

In this parable of our Lord, four things may be con 
sidered :— 

I. The master who distributes the talents. 

Il. The servants who improved their talents. 

Til. The servant who buried his talent. And 

IV. His punishment. 

1. The master’s kindness. The servants had no- 
thing —deserved nothing—had no claim on their master, 
yet he, in his xinpNEss, delivers unto them his goods, 
not for his advantage, but for their comfort and salva- 
tion. 

2. The master distributes these goods diversely ;— 
giving to one five, to another two, and to another one. 
No person can complain that he has been forgotten; 
the master gives to each None can complain of the 
diversity of the gifts; it is the master who has done it. 
The master has an absolute right over his own goods, 

239 


The parable 


Ag 4033. 16 Then he that had received the 


An, Olymp. five talents went and traded with 
——_ the same, and made them other five 
talents. 

17 And likewise he that had received two, 
he also gained other two. 

18 But he that had received one, went and 
digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 

19 After a long time * the lord of those ser- 
vants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 

20 And so he that had received five talents 
came, and brought other five talents, saying, 
* Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents : 


ST. MATTHEW. 


of the talents. 


behold, I have gained, beside them, 4,™, 4093 
five talents more. An. Olymp. 


21 His lord said unto him, Well τοὺ. 


done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast 
been faithful over a few things, “I will make 
thee ruler over many things: enter thou into 
τ the joy of thy lord. 

22 He also that had received two talents 
came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto 
me two talents: behold, I have gained two 
other talents beside them. 

23 His lord said unto him, τ Well done, 
good and faithful servant: thou hast been 


8 Hab. ii. 3; Luke xvi. 2; Heb. x. 37——1 Cor. xv. 10; 
2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. 


and the servants cannot find fault with the distribution. 
He who has Jittle should not envy him who has re- 
ceived much, for he has the greater labour, and the 
greater account to give. He who has much should 
not despise him who has Jitile, for the sovereign mas- 
ter has made the distinction; and his little, suited to 
the ability which God has given him, and fitted to the 
place in which God’s providence has fixed him, is 
sufficiently calculated to answer the purpose of the 
master, in the salvation of the servant’s soul. 

3. The master distributes his talents with wispom. 
He gave to each according to his several ability, i. e. 
15 the power he had to improve what was given. It 
would not be just to make a servant responsible for 
what he is naturally incapable of managing ; and it 
would not be proper to give more than could be zn- 
proved. The powers which men have, God has given, 
and as he best knows the extent of these powers, so he 
suits his graces and blessings to them in the most wise 
and effectual way. Though he may make one vessel 
Sor honour, (i. e. a more honourable place or office,) 
and another for dishonour, (a less honourable office,) 
yet both are for the master’s use—both are appointed 
and capacitated to show forth his glory. 

Il. The servants who improved their talents. 

These persons are termed dovioz, slaves, such as were 
the property of the master, who might dispose of them 
as he pleased. Then he that had received the five 
talents went and traded, ver. 16. 1. The work was 
speedily begun—as soon as the master gave the talents 
and departed, so soon they began to labour. There is 
not a moment to be lost—every moment has its grace, 
and every grace has its employment, and every thing 
is to be done for eternity. 

2. The work was perseveringly carried on; after a 
long time the lord of those servants cometh, ver. 19. 
The master was long before he returned, but they did 
not relav. The longer time, the greater improvement. 
God gives every man just time enough to live, in this 
world, to glorify his Maker, and to get his soul saved. 
Many begin well, and continue faithful for a time—but 
how few persevere to the end! Are there none who 
seem to have outlived their glory, their character, their 
usefulness 1 

3. Their work was crowned with success. 

240 


They 


uChap. xxiv. 47; ver. 34, 46; Luke xii. 44; xxii. 29, 30. 


vHeb. xii. 2; 2'Tim. 11. 12; 1 Pet. i. 8 ——vw Ver. 21. 
doubled the sum which they had received. Every 
grace of God is capable of great improvement. Jesus 


himself, the pure, immaculate Jesus, grew in wisdom 
and favour with God, Luke ii. 52. 

4. They were ready to give in a joyful account 
when their master came and called for them. 151. 
They come without delay: they expected his coming ; 
and it was with an eye to this that they continued their 
labour—they endured as seeing him who is invisible. 
Qdly. They come without fear; the master before 
whom they appear has always loved them, and given 
them the fullest proofs of his affection for them: his 
love to them has begotten in them love to him; and 
their obedience to his orders sprung from the love they 
bore to him. He that loveth me, says Jesus, will keep 
my words. 3d. They render up their accounts with- 
out confusion: he who received five brought five others; 
and he who had received two brought two more: no- 
thing was to be done when their master called; all 
their business was fully prepared. 4th. They gave 
up every thing to their master, without attempting to 
appropriate any thing. Their ability was fis, the 
talents his, and the continued power to improve them, 
his. All is of God, and all must be returned to him. 

5. Their recompense from their gracious master. 
Ist. They receive praise. Well done, good and faith- 
ful servants, ver. 21. What a glorious thing to have 
the approbation of God, and the testimony of a good 
conscience! ‘They were good, pure and upright with- 
in—faithful, using to God’s glory the blessings he had 
given. 2d. They receive gracious promises. Ye 
have been faithful over a little, I will set. you over 
much. These promises refer not only to a future 
glory, but to an increase of God’s grace and mercy 
here; for the more faithfully a man improves what 
God has already given him, the more he shall have 
from his gracious Master: for he giveth more grace, 
till he fills the faithful soul with his own fulness. 34. 
They receive chory. Enter into the joy of your Lord. 
As ye were partakers of my nature on earth, be ye 
sharers of my glory in heaven. The joy, the happi- 
ness wherewith I am happy, shall be your eternal por- 
tion! O, what is all we can do, all we can suffer, 
even the most lingering and cruel martyrdom, in com- 
parison of this unbounded, eternal joy ! 


The parable 


. ae faithful over a few things, I will 
An, eae make thee ruler over many things : 
—_ enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

24 Then he which had received the one 
talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that 
thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast 
not sown, and gathering where thou hast not 
strewed : 

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy 
talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is 
thine. 

26 His lord answered and said unto him, 
Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knew- 
est that I reap where I sowed not, and gather 
where I have not strewed: 


χα Chap. xiii. 12; Mark iv. 25; Luke viii. 18; xix. 26; 


III. Of the servant who duried his talent. 

He that had received one went and digged in the 
earth, and hid his Lord’s money, ver. 18. 1. See the 
ingratitude of this servant. His master gave him a 
talent, capable of being improved to his own present 
and eternal advantage; but he slights the mercy of 
his lord. 

2. See his idleness. Rather than exert himself to 
improve what he has received, he goes and hides it. 

3. See his gross error. He pies to hide it—puts 
himself to more trouble to render the mercy of God 
to him of none effect, than he would have had in com- 
bating and conquering the world, the devil, and the flesh. 

4. See his injustice. He takes his master’s money, 
and neither improves nor designs to improve it, even 
while he is living on and consuming that bounty which 
would have been sufficient fora faithful servant. How 
much of this useless lumber is to be found in the 
Church of Christ! But suppose the man be a 
vreacher—what a terrible account will he have to give 
to God !—consuming the provision made for a faithful 
pastor, and so burying, or misusing his talent, as to 
do no good, to immortal souls ! 

5. Hear the absurdity of his reasoning. Lord, I 
knew thee that thou art a hard (or avaricious) man, 
reaping where thou hast not sown, &c., ver. 24. See 
this meaning of σκληρος proved by Kypke. The wicked 
exeuse of this faithless servant confuted itself, and 
condemned him. Nevertheless it is on this very model 
that sinners in general seek to justify themselves ; and 
the conclusion turns always against them. J knew 
thee to be a hard man. How awfully deceived and 
deeply depraved must that person be, who not only at- 
tempts to excuse his follies, but to charge his crimes 
on GOD himself! 

Iwas afraid—Why? Because thou wert an enemy 
to thy soul, and to thy God.—I was afraid—of what? 
that he would require more than he did give. How 
could this be? Did he not give thee the talent freely, 
to show thee his benevolence? And did he not suit it 
w thy ability, that he might show thee his wisdom, 
justice, and goodness, in not making thee responsible 
for more than thou couldst improve 2 

Vou. I. ( δ} 


CHAP. 


XXV. of the talents. 


27 Thou oughtest therefore to 4, M, 4083. 

have put my money to the ex- ἈΠ τὰ 
changers, and then at my com- ———— 
ing I should have received mine own with 
usury. 

28 Take therefore the talent from him, 
and give i unto him which hath ten 
talents : 

29 * For unto every one that hath, shall be 
given, and he shall have abundance : but from 
him that hath not, shall be taken away, even 
that which he hath. 

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant 
Y into outer darkness: there shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth. 


John xv. 2.——¥ Chap. viii. 12; xxiv. 51. 


IV. Behold the awful punishment of this faithless 
servant. 

1. Heis reproached. Thou wicked and slothful ser- 
vant! Wicked—in thy heart : slothful—in thy work. 
Tuou knewest that I reap where I sowed not. Thou 
art condemned by thy own mouth—whose is the un- 
employed talent? Did 7 not give thee this? And 
did I require the improvement of two when I gave 
thee but one 2—Thou knowest I did not. 

2. He is stripped of what he possessed. Take—the 
talent from him. O terrible word !—Remove the can- 
dlestick from that slothful, worldly-minded Church: 
take away the inspirations of the Holy Spirit from that 
lukewarm, Christless Christian, who only lives to re- 
sist them and render them of none effect. Diuspossess 
that base, man-pleasing minister of his ministerial gifts ; 
let his silver become brass, and his fine gold, dross.— 
He loved the present world more than the eternal 
world, and the praise of men more than the approbation 
of God. Take away the talent from him! 

3. He is punished with an everlasting separation 
from God and the glory of his power. Cast forth the 
unprofitable servant, ver. 30. Let him have nothing 
but darkness, who refused to walk in the light: let him 
have nothing but misery—weeping and gnashing of 
teeth, who has refused the happiness which God pro- 
vided for him. 

Reader, if the careless virgin, and the unprofitable 
servant, against whom no flagrant iniquity is charged 
be punished with an outer darkness, with a hell of fire 
of what sorer punishment must he be judged worthy, 
who is a murderer, an adulterer, a fornicator, a blas- 
phemer, a thief, a liar, or in any respect an open vio- 
later of the Jaws of God? The careless virgins, and 
the unprofitable servants, were saints in comparison of 
millions, who are, notwithstanding, dreaming of an 
endless heaven, when fitted only for an endless hell! 

Verse27. With usury.] Σὺν τοκω, withits produce— 
not usury ; for that is unlawful interest, more than the 
money can properly produce. 

Verse 29. Unto every one that hath shall be gwen} 
See on chap. xiii. 12. 

Verse 30. Weeping and gnashing of teeth.) See on 

241 


Christ’s procedure in 


A; M4033. 81 $1 7 When the Son of man 


An. Olymp. shall come in his glory, and all the 
-————— holy angels with him, then shall he 
sit upon the throne of his glory: 

32 And * before him shall be gathered all 
nations: and ἢ he shall separate them one from 
another, as a shepherd divideth is sheep from 
the goats : 


2 Zech. xiv. 5; chap. xvi. 27; xix. 28; Mark viii. 38; Acts i. 
11; 1 Thess. iv. 16; 2 Thess. i. 7; Jude 14; Rev.i.7.— Rom. 
xiv. 10; 2 Cor. v. 10; Rev. xx. 12.——» Ezek. xx. 38; xxxiv. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the day of judgment. 
33 And he shall set the sheep 4,™M; 4033 
on his right hand, but the goats on An. Olymp. 
the left. Be ος 

34 Then shall the King say unto them on 
his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my 
Father, ‘inherit the kingdom 4 prepaied for 
you from the foundation of the world: 

35 ὁ For I was an hungered, and ye gave 


17, 20; chap. xiii. 49. ¢Rom. viii. 17; I Pet. i. 4,9; ii. 9: 
Rey. xxi. 7.—4 Chap. xx. 23; Mark x. 40; 1 Cor. 11.9; Heb. 
xi. 16. ε 158. lvili. 7; Ezek. xviii. 7; James i. 27. 


chap. vill. 12, a note necessary for the illustration of 
this, and the foregoing parable. 

Verse 31. When the Son of man shall come| This 
must be understood of Christ’s coming at the last day, 
to judge mankind: though all the preceding part of 
the chapter may be applied also to the destruction of 
Jerusalem. 

Holy angels] The word ayo: is omitted by many 
excellent manuscripts, versions, and fathers. Mill and 
Bengel approve of the omission, and Griesbach has 
left it out of the text. It is supposed by some that our 
Lord will have other angels (messengers) with him in 
that day, besides the holy ones. The evil angels may 
be in attendance to take, as their prey, those who shall 
be found on his left hand. 

The throne of his glory] That glorious throne on 
which his glorified human nature is seated, at the right 
hand of the Father. 

Verse 32. All nations] Literally, all the nations— 
all the Gentile world; the Jews are necessarily included, 
but they were spoken of in a particular manner in the 
preceding chapter. 

He shall separate them] Set each kind apart by 
themselves. 

As a shepherd divideth, &c.| It does not appear 
that sheep and goats were ever penned or housed to- 
gether, though they might feed in the same pasture ; 
yet even this was not done but in separate flocks; so 
Virgil, Eclog. vii. v. 2. 


Compulerantque greges Corydon et Thyrsis in unum 3 
Thyrsis oves, Corydon distentas lacte caPELLAS. 


“Thyrsis and Corydon drove their flocks together : 
Thyrsis his sheep ; and Corydon his goats, their udders 
distended with milk.” 

These two shepherds had distinct flocks, which fed 
in the same pasture, but separately ; and they are only 
now driven together, for the convenience of the two 
shepherds, during the time of their musical contest. 

Verse 33. He shall set the sheep, &c.] The right 
hand signifies, among the rabbins, approbation and emi- 
nence: the left hand, rejection, and disapprobation. 
Hence in Sohar Chadash it is said, “The right hand is 
given, the left also is given—to the Israelites and the 
Gentiles are given paradise and hell—this world, and 
the world to come.” The right and left were emblem- 
atical of endless beatitude and endless misery among 
the Romans. Hence Virgil :— 

Hie locus est, partes ubi se via findit in ambas, 

Dextera, que Ditis magni sub menia tendit : 

242 


Hace iter Elysium nobis ; at leva malorum 
Exercet penas, et ad impia Tartara mittit. 
Mn. vi. 540. 


Here in two ample roads the way divides, 
The right direct, our destined journey guides, 
By Pluto’s palace, to the Elysian plains ; 
The left to Tartarus, where bound in chains 


Loud howl the damn’d in everlasting pains. Purr. 


Of the good and faithful servants he approves, and 
therefore exalts them to his glory ; of the slothful and 
wicked he disapproves, and casts them into hell. 

Sueep, which have ever been considered as the em- 
blems of mildness, simplicity, patience, and usefulness, 
represent here the genwine disciples of Christ. 

Goats, which are naturally guarrelsome, lascivious, 
and excessively 7l/-scented, were considered as the 
symbols of riotous, profane, and impure men. They 
here represent all who have lived and died in their sins. 
See Ezek. xxxiv. 17, and Zech. x. 3. 

Verse 34. Ye blessed of my Father] This is the 
king’s address to his followers; and contains the rea- 
son why they were found in the practice of all righte- 
ousness, and were now brought to this state of glory— 
they were blessed—came as children, and received the 
benediction of the Father, and became, and continued 
to be, members of the heavenly family. 

Inherit] The inheritance is only for the children of 
the family—zf sons, then heirs, Gal. iv. 7, but not 
otherwise. The sons only shall enjoy the father’s estate. 

Prepared for you] That is, the kingdom of glory is 
designed for such as you—you who have received the 
blessing of the Father, and were holy, harmless, un- 
defiled, and separated from sinners. 

From the foundation of the world] It was God’s 
purpose and determination to admit none into his hea- 
ven but those who were made partakers of his ho/i- 
ness, Heb. xii. 14. The rabbins say, Seven things 
were created before the foundation of the world. 1. 
The law. 2. Repentance. 3. Paradise. 4. Hell. 5. 
The throne of God. 6. The temple; and 7. The 
name of the Messiah. 

Verse 35. Iwas an hungered. and ye gave me meat] 
Every thing which is done to a follower of Christ, 
whether it be good or evil, he considers as dene to 
himself, see ver. 40; Acts ix. 4,5; Heb. vi.10. Of 
all the fruits of the Spirit, none are mentioned here 
but those that, spring from dove, or mercy; because 
these give men the nearest conformity to God. Jesus 
had said, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob- 

(ASF) 


Christ’s procedure in 


A,M;‘So” me meat: I was thirsty, and ye 
An, Olymp. gave me drink : f I was a stranger, 
CCIL. 1. : 
and ye took me in: 

36 © Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, 
and ye visited me: "I was in prison, and ye 
came unto me. 

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, 
saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, 
and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took 
thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 


f Heb. xiii. 2; 3 John 5.—— James ii. 15, 16——2 Tim. i. 16. 
iProy. xiv. 31; xix. 17; chap. x. 42; Mark ix.41; Heb. vi. 10. 


CHAP. XXV. 


the day of judgmene 


39 Or when saw we thee sick, 4,™, 403% 
or in prison, and came unto thee ? ee ie 
40 And the King shall answer ———— 
and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
least of these my brethren, ye have done it 

unto me. 

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the 
left hand, * Depart from me, ye cursed, ! into 
everlasting fire, prepared for ™the devil and 


his angels : 
k Psa. vi. 8 ; chap. vii. 23 ; Luke xiii. 27.——! Chap. xiii. 40, 42. 
m2 Pet. ii. 4; Jude 6. 


tain mercy ; and he here shows how this promise shall 
be fulfilled. The rabbins say: “As often as a poor 
man presents himself at thy door, the holy blessed God 
stands at his right hand: if thou give him alms, know 
that he who stands at his right hand will give thee a 
seward. But if thou give him not alms, he who stands 
at his right hand will punish thee.” Vazyikra Rabba, 
5. 34, fol. 178. 

A stranger, and ye took me in] Συνηγαγετε με, ye 
entertained me: Kypke has fully proved that this is 
the meaning of the original. Literally, cvvayew sig- 
nifies to gather together. Strangers are sometimes so 
destitute as to be ready to perish for lack of food and 
raiment : ἃ suppiy of these things keeps their souls 
and bodies together, which were about to be separated 
through lack of the necessaries of life. The word may 
also allude to a provision made for a poor family, which 
were scatlered abroad, perhaps begging their bread, 
and who by the ministry of benevolent people are col- 
lected, relieved, and put in a way of getting their bread. 
O blessed ‘work! to be the instruments of preserving 
human life, and bringing comfort and peace into the 
habitations of the wretched ! 

While writing this, (Nov. 13, 1798,) I hear the 
bells loudly ringing in commemoration of the birth-day 
of E. Colson, Esq., a native of this city, (Bristol,) 
who spent a long life and an immense fortune in re- 
lieving the miseries of the distressed. His works still 
praise him in the gates; his name is revered, and his 
birth-day held sacred, among the inhabitants. Who 
has heard the bells ring in commemoration of the birth 
of any deceased hero or king? Of so much more value, 
in the sight even of the multitude, is a life of pudlic 
usefulness than one of worldly glory or secular state. 
But how high must such a person rank in the sight of 
God, who, when Christ in his representatives was hun- 
gry, gave him food; when thirsty, gave him drink; 
when naked clothed him; when sick and in prison, 
visited him! Thou blessed of my Father! come. Thou 
hast been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, and now 
thou shalt eternally enjoy the true riches. 

The Supreme God is represented in the Bhagvat 
Geeta as addressing mankind, when he had just formed 
them, thus: “Those who dress their meat jut for 
themselves, eat the bread of sin.” Geeta, p. 46. 

Verse 36. I was sick, and ye visited me] Relieving 
the strangers, and visiting the sick, were in high esti- 

1 


mation among the Jews. One of their sayings on this 
head is worthy of notice: “ He who neglects to visit 
the sick is like him who has shed blood.” That is, as 
he has neglected, when it was in his power, to preserve 
life, he is as guilty in the sight of the Lord as he is 
who has committed murder. See Kypke in loco. 

Verse 37. Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, 
&c.] This barbarous expression, an hungered, should 
be banished out of the text, wheresoever it occurs, and 
the simple word hungry substituted for it. Whatever 
is done for Christ’s sake, is done through Christ’s grace ; 
and he who does the work attributes to Jesus both the 
will and \he power by which the work was done, and 
seeks and expects the kingdom of heaven not as a re- 
ward, but asa gift of pure unmerited mercy. Yet, 
while workers together with his grace, God attributes 
to them that which they do through his influence, as 
if they had done it independently of him. God has a 
right to form what estimate he pleases of the works 
wrought through himself: but man is never safe except 
when he attributes all to his Maker. 

Verse 40. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of 
the least of these my brethren] The meanest follower 
of Christ is acknowledged by him as his brother! 
What infinite condescension! Those, whom many 
would scorn to set with the dogs of their flock, are 
brothers and sisters of the blessed Jesus, and shall soon 
be set among the princes of his people. 

Verse 41. Depart from me, ye cursed] Or, Ye 
cursed ! depart.—These words are the address of the 
king to the sinners; and contain the reason why they 
are to be separated from blessedness: Ye are cursed, 
beeause ye have sinned, and would not come unto me 
that ye might have life-—No work of piety has pro- 
ceeded from your hand, because the carnal mind, which 
is enmity against me, reigned in your heart; and ye 
would not have me to reign over you. Depart! this 
includes what some have termed the punishment of loss 
or privation. Ye eannot, ye shall not be united to 
me—Depart! O terrible word! and yet a worse is to 
come. 

Into everlasting fire] This is the punishment of 
sense. Ye shall not only be separated from me, but 
ye shall be tormented, awfully, everlastingly tormented 
in that place of separation. 

Prepared for the devil and is angels} The devil 
and his angels sinned defore the creation of the world, 

243 


The final state of the 

A.M, 4033. 42 For I was an hungered, and 

An: aap: ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, 
__ and ye gave me no drink: 

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: 
naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in 
prison, and ye visited me not. 

44 Then shall they also answer him, say- 
ing, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or 
athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in 


0 Prov. xiv. 31; xvii.5; Zech. ii. 8; Acts ix. 5. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


righteous and the wicked 


prison, and did not minister unto ἃς ΝΜ, 4088. 
thee ? An. Olymp. 
CCIL. 1. 

45 Then shall he answer them, ————— 
saying, Verily I say unto you, ™ Inasmuch as 
ye did zt not to one of the least of these, ye 
did 1 not to me. 

46 And ° these shall go away into everlast- 
ing punishment: but the righteous into life 
eternal. 


° Dan. xii. 2; John v. 29; Rom. ii. 7, &c. 


and the place of torment was then prepared for them: 
it never was designed for human souls; but as the 
wicked are partakers with the devil and his angels in 
their iniqguaties, in their rebellion against God, so it is 
tight that they should be sharers with them in their 
punishment. We see here, plainly, why sinners are 
destroyed, not because there was no salvation for them, 
but because they neglected to receive good, and do good. 
As they received not the Christ who was offered to 
them, so they could not do the work of righteousness 
which was required of them. They are cursed, be- 
cause they refused to be blessed ; and they are damned, 
because they refused to be saved. 

Verse 42. I was an hungered, and ye gave me no 
meat] I put it in your power to do good, and ye would 
not. A variety of occasions offered themselves to you, 
but ye neglected them all, so that my d/essings in your 
hands, not being improved, according to my order, be- 
came a curse to you. 

Verse 43. I was a stranger] If men were sure that 
Jesus Christ was actually somewhere in the land, in 
great personal distress, hungry, thirsty, naked, and 
confined, they would doubtless run unto and relieve 
him. Now Christ assures us that a man who is hun- 
gry, thirsty, naked, &c., is his representative, and that 
whatever we do to such a one he will consider as 
done to himself; yet this testimony of Christ is not 
regarded! Well, he will be just when he judges, and 
righteous when he punishes. 

Verse 44. Lord, when saw we theean hungered, &c.| 
It is want of faith which in general produces hard- 
heartedness to the poor. The man who only sees with 
eyes of flesh is never likely to discover Christ in the 
person of a man destitute of the necessaries of life. 
Some pretend not to know the distressed, because they 
have no desire to relieve them; but we find that this 
ignorance will not avail them at the bar of God. 

Verse 46. And these shall go away into everlasting 
punishment] No appeal, no remedy, to all eternity! No 
end to the punishment of those whose final impenitence 
manifests in them an eternal will and desire to sin. 
By dying in a settled opposition to God, they cast 
themselves into a necessity of continuing in an eternal 
aversion from him. 

But some are of opinion that this punishment shall 
have an end: this is as likely as that the glory of the 
righteous shall have an end: for the same word is 
used to express the duration of the punishment, κολασιν 
αἰωνίον, as is used to express the duration of the state 
of glory: ζώην atwriov. I have seen the best things 

244 


that have been written in favour of the final redemp- 
tion of damned spirits ; but I never saw an answer to 
the argument against that doctrine, drawn from this 
verse, but what sound learning and criticism should be 
ashamed to acknowledge. The original word αἰὼν is 
certainly to be taken here in its proper grammatical 
sense, continued being, atetwv, NEVER ENDING. Some 
have gone a middle way, and think that the wicked shall 
be annihilated. ‘This, I think, is contrary to the text ; 
if they go into punishment, they continue to exist ; for 
that which ceases to be, ceases to suffer. See the note 
on Gen. xxi. 33, where the whole subject is explained. 

A very good improvement of the parable of the wise 
and foolish virgins is made by Salvian, a very pious 
writer of the fifth century, (Epist. ad. Eccles. Cath. 
lib. ii.,) the substance of which, in Mr. Bulkley’s trans- 
lation, is as follows :— 

Ego unum scio, ὅσο. “ One thing I know, that te 
lamps of the foolish virgins are said to have gone out 
for want of the oil of good works; but thou, whoever 
thou art, thinkest that thou hast oz in abundance, and 
so did they; for, if they had not believed themselves 
to have had it, they would have provided themselves 
with it; for since afterwards, as the Lord says, they 
would gladly have borrowed, and sought it so eagerly, 
no doubt they would have done so before, had they not 
been deceived by the confidence of having it. Thou 
thinkest thyself wise, and these did not imagine them- 
selves to be foolish: thou thinkest that thy damp has 
light, and they lost their light because they thought 
they should have it. For why did they prepare their 
lamps if they did not think they should be lighted 2 
In a word, their lamps, I suppose, must have afforded 
some degree of light ; for since we read of their being 
afraid that their lamps should go out, they certainly had 
something which they feared would be extinguished. 
Nor was it a groundless fear; their lamps did go out, 
and that pure light of virginity which appeared profited 
them nothing, for want of a supply of οἱ. From whence 
we understand that what is but a little, is in a manner 
nothing. You have therefore need of a lamp plenti- 
fully filled, that your light may be lasting. And if those 
which we light up here for a short time so soon fail, 
unless copiously supplied with oil, how much must 
thou stand in need of that thy lamp may shine to 
eternity ?” 

This writer was a priest of Marseilles, in 430. He 
bewailed the profligacy of his times so much, and so 
pathetically, that he has been styled the Jeremiah of 
the fifth century. Were he still upon earth, he would 

1 


Christ predicts lis being 


find equal reason to deplore the wickedness and care- 
lessness of mankind. 

From what our Lord has here said, we may see that 
God indispensably requires of every man to bring forth 
good fruit ; and that a fruitless tree shall be inevitably 
cut down, and cast into the fire. Let it be also re- 
marked that God does not here impute to his own chil- 
dren the good works which Jesus Christ did for them. 
No! Christ’s feeding the multitudes in Judea will not 
be imputed to them, while persons in their own neigh- 
bourhood are perishing through want, and they have 
wherewithal to relieve them. He gives them a power 
that they may glorify his name by it and have, in their 
own souls, the continued satisfaction which arises from 
succouring the distressed. Let it be farther remarked, 
that Christ does not say here that they have purchased 
the eternal life by these good deeds. No! for the power 
to work, and the means of working, came both from 
God. They first had redemption through his blood, 
and then his Spirit worked in them to will and to do. 


CHAP. 


XXVI. 


They were therefore only workers together with him, 
and could not be said, in any sense of the word, to 
purchase God’s glory, with his own property. But 
though God works in them, and dy them, he does not 
obey for them. The works of piety and mercy THEY 
perform, under the influence and by the aid of his 
grace. Thus God preserves the freedom of the human 
soul, and secures his own glory at the same time. Let 
it be remarked, farther, that the punishment inflicted 
on the foolish virgins, the slothful servant, and the 
cursed who are separated from God, was not because 
of their personal crimes; but because they were not 
good, and were not useful in the world. Their lives 
do not appear to have been stained with crimes,—but 
they were not adorned with virtues. They are sent to 
hell because they did no good. They were not renewed 
in the image of God; and hence did not bring forth 
fruit to his glory. If these harmless people are sent 
to perdition, what must the end be of the wicked and 


profugate ! 


betrayed and crucified. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


Christ predicts his being betrayed and crucified, 1,2. The chief priests, scribes, and elders consut about 
his death, 3-5. A woman anoints his head at Bethany, at which the disciples are offended, but Christ 
vindicates her conduct, 6-13. Judas, for thirty pieces of silver, engages with the chief priests to betray 
him. 14-16. He eats a passover with his disciples, and assures them of his approaching death, and that 
one of them would betray him, 17-21. On each asking, Is it 1? Christ asserts that Judas is the traitor, 
22-25. Having eaten his last supper, he institutes the eucharist, to be observed in his Church as a memo- 
rial of his sacrificial death, 26-29. They sing a hymn, go to the mount of Olives, and he again an- 
nounces his approaching death and resurrection, 30-32. Peter asserts his resolution to be faithful to his 
Master, and Christ foretells his denial and apostasy, 33-35. He goes to Gethsemane; the transactions 
there, 36-46. Judas comes with the high priest’s mob and betrays him with a kiss, 47-50. Peter cuts 
off the ear of the high priest’s servant; Christ discourses with the multitude, 51-55. The disciples flee, 


and he is led to Caiaphas, 56,57. Peter follows 


question our Lord, who declares himself to be the Christ, 59-64. 
Peter’s denial and repentance, 69-75. 


abuse “him, 65-68. 


tes ND it came to pass, when Jesus 
An. Olymp. had finished all these sayings, 


———__ he said unto his disciples, 


a Mark xiv. 1; Luke xxii. 1; 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXVI. 

Verse 1. When Jesus had finished all these sayings] 
He began these sayings on Mount Olivet, chap. xxiv. 
1, and continued them till he entered into Bethany, 
whither he was going. 

Verse 2. The passover] A feast instituted in Egypt, 
to commemorate the destroying angel’s passing over 
the houses of the Israelites, when he slew the first- 
born of the Egyptians. See the whole of this busi- 
ness largely explained in the Notes on Exod. xii. 1-27. 
This feast began on the fourteenth day of the first 
moon, in the first month, Nisan, and it lasted only one 
day ; but it was immediately followed by the days of 
unleavened bread, which were seven, so that the whole 
lasted eight days, and all the eight days are sometimes 
called the feast of the passover, and sometimes the 
feast or days of unleavened bread. See Luke xxii. 
3-7. The three most signal benefits vouchsafed to 

1 


at a distance, 58. They seek false witnesses, and 


They accuse him of blasphemy, and 


2 * Ye know that after two days is 4, M5 4033. 
the feast of the passover, and the Son An. Olymp. 
of man is betrayed to be crucified. —————. 


John xiii. 1. 


the Israelites were, 1. The deliverance from the sla- 
very of Egypt; to commemorate which they kept the 
feast of unleavened bread, and the passover. 2. The 
giving of the law ; to commemorate which, they kept 
the feast of weeks. 3. Their sojourning in the wilder- 
ness, and entrance into the promised land; to com- 
memorate which, they kept the feast of tabernacles 
See these largely explained, Exod. xxiii. 14; Lev. 
xxiii. 2-40. 

The Son of man is betrayed, (rather delivered up,) 
to be crucified.] With what amazing calmness and pre- 
cision does our blessed Lord speak of this awful event! 
What a proof does he here give of his prescience in so 
correctly predicting it ; and of his love in so cheerfully 
undergoing it! Having instructed his disciples and 
the Jews by his discourses, edified them by his ea- 
ample, convinced them by his miracles, he now prepares 
to redeem them by his δίοοα ! These two verses have 

245 


A woman anonting Christ, 


A.M 4033. 3 > Then assembled together 


An. Olymp. the chief priests, and the scribes, 
——— and the elders of the people, unto 
the palace of the high priest, who was called 
Caiaphas, 

4 And consulted that they might take Jesus 
by subtilty, and kill him. 

5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest 
there be an uproar among the people. 

6 $1 ° Now when Jesus was in ἢ Bethany, 
in the house of Simon the leper, 

7 There came unto him a woman having an 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the disciples murmur at it. 


; int- A. M. 4033. 
alabaster box of very precious oint- 4, 403 


ment, and poured it on his head as se ζ τες 
he sat at meat. alba See 

8 ° But when his disciples saw it, they had 
indignation, saying, To what purpose ἐς this 
waste ? 

9 For this ointment might have been sold 
for much, and given to the poor. 

10 When Jesus understood zt, he said unto 
them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she 
hath wrought a good work upon me. 

11 ‘For ye have the poor always with 


»Psa. ii. 2; John xi. 47; Acts iv. 25, &e—c* Mark xiv. 3; 
John xi. 1, 2; xii. 3. 


no proper connection with this chapter, and should be 
joined to the preceding. 

Verse 3. Then assembled together the chief priests] 
That is, during the two days that preceded the passover. 

The high priest, who was called Caiaphas| Caiaphas 
succeeded Simon, son of Camith, about A. D. 16, or, 
as Calmet thinks, 25. He married the daughter of 
Annas, who was joined with him in the priesthood. 
About two years after our Lord’s crucifixion, Caiaphas 
and Pilate were both deposed by Viretuivs, then 
governor of Syria, and afterwards emperor. Caiaphas, 
unable to bear this disgrace, and the stings of his con- 
science for the murder of Christ, killed himself about 
A. D. 35. See Joseph. Ant. b. xviii. e. 2—4. 

Verse 4. And consulted that they might take Jesus 
by subtilty] The providence of God frustrated their 
artful machinations ; and that event which they wished 
to conduct with the greatest privacy and silence was 
transacted with all possible celebrity, amidst the thou- 
sands who resorted to Jerusalem, at this season, for 
the keeping of the passover. It was, doubtless, of 
the very first importance that the crucifixion of Christ, 
which was preparatory to the most essential achieve- 
ment of Christianity, viz. his resurrection from the 
grave, should be exhibited before many witnesses, and 
in the most open manner, that infidelity might not 
attempt, in future, to invalidate the evidences of the 
Christian religion, by alleging that these things were 
done in a corner. See Wakeriexp in loco. 

Verse 5. Not on the feast day, lest there be an up- 
roar] It was usual for the Jews to punish criminals at 
the public festivals; but in this case they were afraid 
of an insurrection, as our Lord had become very popular. 
The providence of God directed it thus, for the reason 
given in the preceding note. 

He who observes a festival on motives purely human 
violates it in his heart, and is a hypocrite before God. 
It is likely they feared the Galileans, as being the 
countrymen of our Lord, more than they feared the 
people of Jerusalem. 

Verse 6. In Bethany] For a solution of the diffi- 
culties in this verse, about the tine of the anointing, 
see the observations at the end of this chapter. 

Simon the txrer] This was probably no more than 
a surname, as Simon the Canaanite, chap. x. 4, and 
Barsabas sustvs, Acts i. 23, and several others. Yet 

246 


4 Chap. xxi. 17.—® John xii. 4 —f Deut. xv. 11; John 
xii. 8. 


it might have been some person that Christ had healed 
of this disease. See chap. xi. 5. 

Verse 7. There came unto him a woman] There is 
much contention among commentators about the trans- 
action mentioned here, and in John xii. 14 ; some sup- 
posing them to be different, others to be the same. 
Bishop Newcome’s view of the subject I have placed 
at the end of the chapter. 

Some think that the woman mentioned here was 
Mary, the sister of Lazarus; others Mary Magdalene; 
but against the former opinion it is argued that it is 
not likely, had this been Mary the sister of Lazarus, 
that Matthew and Mark would have suppressed her 
name. Besides, say they, we should not confound the 
repast which is mentioned here, with that mentioned 
by John, chap. xii. 3. This one was made only two 
days before the passover, and that one szx days before : 
the one was made at the house of Simon the leper, the 
other at the house of Lazarus, John xii. 1, 2. At 
this, the woman poured the oil on the head of Christ; 
at the other, Mary anointed Christ’s feet with it. See 
on Mark xiv. 3, and see the notes at the end of this 
chapter. 

Verse 8. His disciples} One of them, viz. Judas. 
This mode of speaking was common among the He- 
brews. So, chap. xxvii. 44, the thieves also, i. e. 
one of them. So, chap. xxviii. 17, some doubted, i. e. 
one, Thomas. See also Gen. viii. 4; Judg. xii. 7; 
Neh. vi. 7, &e. By a figure called among rhetori- 
cians enallagé, the plural is put for the singular; it 
is, however, possible that Judas, who made the objec- 
tion, was followed in the sentiment by the rest of the 
disciples. 

Verse 9. And given to the poor.] How often does 
charity serve as a cloak for covetousness! God is 
sometimes robbed of his right under the pretence of 
devoting what is withheld to some charitable purpose, 
to which there was no intention ever to give it. 

Verse 10. Why trouble ye the woman?| Or, Why 
do ye put the woman to pain? See this sense of 
κοποὺς παρέχειν, established by Kypke in loco. A 
generous mind is ever pained when it is denied the 
opportunity of doing good, or when its proffered 
kindness is refused. 

Verse 11. Ye have the poor always with you] And, 
consequently, have the opportunity of doing them good 

1 


Judas engages with the 


but me ye have not 


A.M, 4033. you ; 
An. Simp. always. 

ΞΕ 12 For in that she hath poured 
this ointment on my body, she did zt for 
my burial. 

13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this 
Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, 
there shall also this, that this woman hath 
done, be told for a memorial of her. 

14 9%" Then one of the twelve, called ‘ Judas 


Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 


Ε See ch. xviii. 20; xxvili.20; John xiii. 33; xiv. 19; xvi. 5, 28; 
xvii. 11.--- Mark xiv. 10; Luke xxii. 3; John xiii. 2, 30. 


at any time; dut me ye have not always; my bodily 
presence is about to be removed from you for ever. 
The woman, under a presentiment of my death is pre- 
paring me for my burial. 

Verse 12. She did it for my burial.] Or, She hath 
done it to embalm me—evragiaca με. The Septua- 
gint use ἐνταφιαςῆς for the person whose office it was 
to embalm, Gen. 1. 2, and evradiatw for the Hebrew 
DIN which signifies to prepare with spices, or aromatics, 
ver. 3. Our Lord took this opportunity to tell them, 
once more, that he was shortly to die. 

Verse 13. Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preach- 
ed) Another remarkable proof of the prescience of 
Christ. Such a matter as this, humanly speaking, de- 
pended on mere fortuitous circumstances, yet so has 
God disposed matters, that the thing has continued, 
hitherto, as firm and regular as the ordinances of heaven. 

For a memorial of her.| As embalming preserves 
the body from corruption, and she has done this good 
work to embalm and preserve this body, so will I order 
every thing concerning this transaction to be carefully 
recorded, to preserve her memory to the latest ages. 
The actions which the world blames, through the spirit 
of envy, covetousness, or malice, God takes delight to 
distinguish and record. 

Verse 14. Then—Judas] After this supper at Beth- 
any, Judas returned to Jerusalem, and made his con- 
tract with the chief priests. 

Verse 15. Thirty pieces of silver.] Ὑριακοντα 
ἀργύρια, thirty silverlings ; but στατηρας, staters, is the 
reading of the Codex Beze, three copies of the I¢ala, 
Lusebius, and Origen sometimes ; and στατηρας ἀργυρίου, 
silver staters, is the reading of the famous Basil MS. 
No. 1, in Griesbach, and one copy of the Jtala. 

A stater was the same as the shekel, and worth 
about 3s. English money, according to Dean Prideaux : 
a goodly price for the Saviour of the world! Thirty 
staters, about 4/. 10s. the common price for the mean- 
est slave! See Exod. xxi. 32. The rabbins say, 
thirty 73 ~4D seldin of pure silver was the standard price 
for a aed whether good or bad, male or female. See 
tract Lrachin, fol. 14, and Shekalim, cap. 1. Each 
seiad weighed 384 barley-corns; the same number 
was contained in a shekel; and therefore the shekel 
and the selad were the same. See the notes on Gen. 
xx 16; and Exod. xxxviii. 24. 

Verse 16. He sought opportunity] Evxatpiav, a 

1 


CHAP. 


XXVI. 


15 And said unto them, * What Αι δι 1033. 

will ye give me, and I will deliver An. Chae 
CCL. 

him unto you? And they cove- 

nanted with him for thirty pieces of 

silver. 

16 And from that time he sought opportu 
nity to betray him. 

17 %} Now the first day of the feast of 
unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, 
saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we 
prepare for thee to eat the passover ? 


ciuef priests to betray sus. 


i Chap. x. 4.— Zech. xi. 12; chap. 
xii. 6, 18; Mark xiv. 2; 


xxvii. 3.——! Exod. 
uke xxii. 7. 


convenient or fit opportunity. Men seldom leave a 
crime imperfect: when once sin is conceived, it meets, 
in general, with few obstacles, till it brings forth death. 
How deceitful, how deeply damning, is the love of 
money! Well might a heathen exclaim, while contem- 
plating the grave of a person who was murdered for 
the sake of his wealth— 


Quid non mortalia pectora cogis 
AuRI SACRA FAMES ? Vire. Ain. ili. 56 


“QO! cursed lust of gold! what wilt thou not com 
pel the human heart to perpetrate?” Judas is .deserv- 
edly considered as one of the most infamous of men, 
his conduct base beyond description, and his motives 
vile. But how many, since his time, have walked in 
the same way! How many, for the sake of worldly 
wealth, have renounced the religion of their Lord and 
Master, and sold Jesus, and their interest in heaven, for 
a short-lived portion of secular good! From John 
xii. 6, we learn that Judas, who was treasurer to our 
Lord and his disciples, (for he carried the bag,) was a 
thief, and frequently purloined a portion of what was 
given for the support of this holy family. Being dis- 
appointed of the prey he hoped to have from the sale 
of the precious ointment, ver. 9, he sold his Master to 
make up the sum. A thorough Jew ! 

Verse 17. Now the first day of the feast of unlea- 
vened bread] As the feast of unleavened bread did 
not begin till the day after the passover, the fifteenth 
day of the month, Lev. xxiii. 5,6; Num. xxviii. 16, 
17, this could not have been, properly, the first day of 
that feast; but as the Jews began to eat unleavened 
bread on the fourteenth, Exod. xii. 18, this day was 
often termed the first of unleavened bread. The evan- 
gelists use it in this sense, and call even the paschal 
day by this name. See Mark xiv. 12 ; Luke xxii. 7. 

Where wilt thou that we prepare] How astonishing 
is this, that HE who created all things, whether visible 
or invisible, and by whom all things were upheld, 
should so empty himself as not to be proprietor of a 
single house in his whole creation, to eat the last pass- 
over with his disciples! This is certainly a mystery, 
and so, less or more is every thing that God does. 
But how inveterate and destructive must the nature of 
sin be, when such emptying and humiliation were ne- 
cessary to its destruction! It is worthy of note what 
the Talmudists say, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem 

247 


Christ’s conversation 


A. Μ. 4033. ὅπως ἢ : 
Nos 18 And he said, ™ Go into the 


An iva. city to such a man, and say unto 
Ἔτι him, The Master saith, My time is 
at hand ; I will keep the passover at thy house 
with my disciples. 

19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appoint- 
ed them; and they made ready the passover. 

20 = Now when the even was come, he sat 
down with the twelve. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


at the last supper 


21 And as they did eat, he said, ἀν Μ, 4088, 


Verily I say unto you, that one of An. Olymp. 
you shall betray me. ee 

22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, 
and began every one of them to say unto him, 
Lord, is it 1? 

23 And he answered and said, ° He that 
dippeth /zs hand with me in the dish, the same 
shall betray me. 


mQLuke xxii. 10-12; Job xiv. 


14; Heb. xi. 28; 1 Cor. 
xi. 23. 


2 Mark xiv. 17-21; Luke xxii. 14; John xiii. 21- 
9; Luke xxii. 21; John xiii. 18. 


© Psa. xii. 


did not let out their houses to those who came to the 
annual feasts ; but afforded all accommodations of this 
kind gratis. A man might therefore go and request the 
use of any room, on such an occasion, which was as 
yet unoccupied. The earthen jug, and the skin of the 
sacrifice, were left with the host. See Lightfoot, vol. 
ii. p. 21. 

Verse 18. Go—to such a man] Tov dewa. It is 
probable that this means some person with whom 
Christ was well acquainted, and who was known to the 
disciples. | Grotius observes that the Greeks use this 
form when they mean some particular person who is 
so well known that there is no need to specify him by 
name. Thecircumstances are more particularly marked 
in Luke xxii. 8, &e. 

My time is at hand] That is, the time of my cru- 
ceifixion. Kypke has largely shown that καίρος is often 
used among the Greeks for affliction and calamity. It 
might be rendered here, the time of my crucifixion is 
at hand. 

Verse 19. And the disciples did] The disciples that 
were sent on this errand were Peter and John. See 
Luke xxii. 9. 

They made ready the passover| That is, they pro- 
vided the lamb, &c., which were appointed by the law for 
this solemnity. Mr. Wakefield justly observes, “ that 
the Jews considered the passover as a sacrificial rite ; 
Josephus calls it θυσίαν, a sacRIFIce ; and T'rypho, in 
Justin Martyr, speaks of προβατον tov πασχα θύειν, 
SACRIFICING the paschal lamb. But what comes nearer 
to the point is this, that Maimonides one of the most 
eminent of the Jewish rabbins, has a particular treatise 
on the paschal sacrifice ; and throughout that piece, 
speaks of the lamb as a victim, and of the solemnity 
itself as a sacrifice. And R. Bechai, in his commen- 
tary on Ley. ii. 11, says that the paschal sacrifice 
was of a piacular nature, in order to expiate the guilt 
contracted by the idolatrous practices of the Israelites 
in Egypt.” It was highly necessary that this should 
be considered as an expiatory sacrifice, as it typified 
that Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 
world. For much more on this important subject than 
can, with propriety, be introduced into these notes, see 
a Discourse on the Eucharist, lately published by the 
author of this work. 

Verse 20. Now when the even was come, he sat 
down with the twelve.] It is a common opinion that 
our Lord ate the passover some hours before the Jews 
ate it; for the Jews, according to custom, ate theirs at 
the end of the fourteenth day, but Christ ate his the 

248 


preceding even, which was the beginning of the same 
sixth day, or Friday ; the Jews begin their day at swn- 
setting, we at midnight. Thus Christ ate the passover 
on the same day with the Jews, but not on the same 
hour. Christ kept this passover the beginning of the 
fourteenth day, the precise day and hour in which the 
Jews had eaten their first passover in Egypt. See 
Exod. xii. 6-12. And in the same part of the same 
day in which the Jews had sacrificed their first pas- 
chal lamb, viz. between the two evenings, about the 
ninth hour, or 3 o’clock, Jesus Christ our passover 
was sacrificed for us: for it was at this hour that he 
yielded up his last breath; and then it was that, the 
sacrifice being completed, Jesus said, 1 15 FINISHED. 
See Exod. xii. 6, &c., and Deut. xvi. 6, &e. See 
on John xviii. 28, and the Treatise on the Eucharist, 
referred to on ver. 19; and see the notes on the 26th 
and following verses. 

Verse 21. One of you shall betray me.] Or, will 
deliver me up. Judas had already betrayed him, ver. 
15, and he was now about to deliver him into the 
hands of the chief priests, according to the agreement 
he had made with them. 

Verse 22. They were exceeding sorrowful] That 
is, the eleven who were innocent; and the hypocritical 
traitor, Judas, endeavoured to put on the appearance 
of sorrow. Strange! Did he not know that Christ 
knew the secrets of his soul? Or had his love of 
money so far blinded him, as to render him incapable 
of discerning even this, with which he had been before 
so well acquainted ? 

Verse 23. He that dippeth his hand] As the Jews 
ate the passover a whole family together, it was not 
convenient for them all to dip their bread in the same 
dish ; they therefore had several little dishes or plates, 
in which was the juice of the bitter herbs, mentioned 
Exod. xii. 8, on different parts of the table; and those 
who were nigh one of these, dipped their bread in it. 
As Judas is represented as dipping in the same dish 
with Christ, it shows that he was either near or oppo- 
site to him. If this man’s heart had not been hard- 
ened, and his conscience seared beyond all precedent, 
by the deceitfulness of his sin, would he have showed 
his face in this sacred assembly, or have thus put the 
seal to his own perdition, by eating of this sacrificial 
lamb? Is it possible that he could feel no compune 
tion? Alas! having delivered himself up into the 
hands of the devil, he was capable of delivering up Ais 
Master into the hands of the chief priests; and thus, 
when men are completely hardened by the deceitful. 


He institutes the CHAP. 
A. M. 4033. 


ἀρὰ. 94 The Son of man goeth, as it 
p- is written of him: but 4% wo unto 
that man by whom the Son of man 
is betrayed! it had been good for that man if 
he had not been born. 

25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, an 


P Psa. xxii.; Isa. liii.; Dan. ix. 26; Mark ix. 12; Luke xxiv. 
25, 26, 46; Acts xvii. 2,3; xxvi. 22,23; 1 Cor. xv. 3.——4 John 
xvii. 12. 


ness of sin, they can outwardly perform the most so- 
lemn acts of devotion, without feeling any sort of in- 
ward concern about the matter. 

Verse 24. The Son of man goeth] That is, is about 
to die. Going, going away, departing, &c., are fre- 
quently used in the best Greek and Latin writers, for 
death, or dying. The same words are often used in 
the Scriptures in the same sense. 

It had been good for that man] Can this be said of 
any sinner, in the common sense in which it is under- 
stood, if there be any redemption from hell’s torments ? 
If a sinner should suffer millions of millions of years 
in them, and get out at last to the enjoyment of hea- 
ven, then it was well for him that he had been born, 
for still he has an eternity of blessedness before him. 
Can the doctrine of the non-eternity of hell’s torments 
stand in the presence of this saying? Or can the doc- 
trine of the annihilation of the wicked consist with 
this declaration? It would have been well for that 
man if he had never been born! Then he must be in 
some state of conscious existence, as non-existence is 
saii to be better than that state in which he is now 
found. It was common for the Jews to say of any 
flagrant transgressor, It would have been better for him 
had he never been born. See several examples in 
Schoeltgen. See the case of Judas argued at the end 
of Acts i. 

Verse 25. Judas—said, Master, is it 17 What 
excessive impudence! He knew, in his conscience, 
that he had already etrayed his Master, and was wait- 
ing now for the servants of the chief priests, that he 
might deliver him into their hands; and yet he says, 
(hoping that he had transacted his business so _pri- 
vately that it had not yet transpired,) Master, is it I? 


Marr. xxvi. Mark xiv. 


XXVI. holy eucharist. 


swered and said, Master, is it I? 4M. ΑΟΌΑ 
He said unto him, Thou hast said. An. piyam. 
Ἢ ΟΟΙΓῚ. 
26 %* And as they were eating, 
5 Jesus took bread, and * blessed it, and brake 
it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, 
eat; “this is my body. 


*Mark xiv. 22; Luke xxii. 19——*1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25. 
‘Many Greek copies [upward of 100] have, gave thanks; see 
Mark vi. 41. ἃ} Cor. x. 16. 


It is worthy of remark, that each of the other disci- 
ples said xvpie, Lorp, is it J? But Judas dares not, 
or will not, use this august title, but simply says ραβϑι, 
Tracuer, is it [? 

Thou hast said.| Sv εἰπας, or PMID PINS atun 
amaritun, “ Ye have said,” was a common torm 
of expression for Yes. Ir 1s so. ‘When the Zip- 
porenses inquired whether Rabbi Judas was dead? 
the son of Kaphra answered, Ye have said,” 
i. e. He is dead. See Schoettgen. Hor. Heb. 
p- 225. 

Verse 26. Jesus took bread] This is the first insti- 
tution of what is termed the Lorp’s Supper. To every 
part of this ceremony, as here mentioned, the utmost 
attention should be paid. 

To do this, in the most effectual manner, I think it 
necessary to set down the text of the three evange- 
lists who have transmitted the whole account, collated 
with that part of St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Co- 
rinthians which speaks of the same subject, and which 
he assures us, he received by Divine revelation. It 
may seem strange that, although Jchn (chap. xiii. 
1-38) mentions all the circumstances preceding the 
holy supper, and, from chap. xiv. 1-36, the cireum- 
stances which succeeded the breaking of the bread, 
and in chapters xv., xvi., and xvii., the discourse which 
followed the administration of the cup; yet he takes 
no notice of the Divine institution at all. This is 
generally accounted for on his knowledge of what the 
other three evangelists had written; and on his con- 
viction that their relation was true, and needed πὸ 
additional confirmation, as the matter was amply esta- 
blished by the conjoint testimony of three such respect- 
able witnesses. 


LUKE xxii. 1 Cor. xi. 


V. 26. Andasthey were} V. 22. And as they did 
eating, Jesus took bread andjeat, Jesus took bread and 
blessed it (ευλογησας and|blessed (evAoyycac, blessed 
blessed God) and brake it,|God) and brake it, and gave 


and gave it to the disciples,/to them, and said, Take, 
_and said, Take, eat, this is|eat, this is my body. 
my body. 


V.19. Andhetook bread} V. 23. The Lord Jesus 
and gave thanks, (evya-|the same night in which he 
pisnaac, i. 6. to God,) and|was betrayed, took bread ; 
brake it, and gave unto}! V. 24. And whenhe had 
them, saying: given thanks (kae evyapicy- 
cac,i. 6. to God) he brake 
This is my body, which is|i¢, and said, Take, eat, this 
given for you: is my body, which is bro- 

This do in remembrance|ken for you: this do in re- 
of me. membrance of me. 


After giving the bread, the discourse related, John xiv. 1-31, inclusive, is supposed by Bishop Newcome te 
have been delivered by our Lord, for the comfort and support of his disciples under their present ana 
approaching trials. ᾿ 


949 


The sacrament of the 


Mart. xxvi. 

V. 27. And he took the 
eup, and gave thanks, 
(evyapicyoac,) and gave it 
to them, saying: Drink ye 
all of it. 

V. 28. For this is my 
blood of the New Testa- 
ment, which is shed for ma- 
ny or the remission of sins. 

V. 29. But I say unto 
you, I will not drink hence- 
forth of this fruit of the 
vine, until that day when I 
drink it new with you in 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Mark Xiv. 

V. 23. And he took the 
cup; and when he had 
given thanks, (evyapicnoac,) 
he gave it to them; and 
they all drank of it. 

V. 24. And he said unto 
them, This is my blood οὗ 
the New Testament, which 


is shed for many. 

V. 25. Verily I say unto 
you, I will drink no more 
of the fruit of the vine, 
until that day that I drink 
it new in the kingdom οἵ 


my Father’s kingdom. God. 


Lord’s Supper instituted, 


Luke xxii. 1 Cor. xi. 
V.20. Likewise alsothe] V. 25. After the same 
cup, after supper, saying: |manner also, he took the 
cup, when he had supped, 
saying : 


This cup is the New Tes-|This cup is the New Tes- 


tament in my blood, which|tament in my blood: this 
do ye, as oft as ye drink ἐΐν 
in remembrance of me 


is shed for you. 


After this, our Lord resumes that discourse which is found in the 15th, 16th, and 17th chapters of John, 


beginning with the last verse of chap. xiv., Arise, let us go hence. 


which conclude the whole ceremony. 


V. 30. And when they} V. 26. And when they 


Then succeed the following words, 


JOHN Xiv. 


V. 39. Andhe came out,} V. 1. When Jesus had 


had sung a hymn, they|had sung a hymn, they|and went as he was wont to|spoken these words, he 


went out into the Mount of/went out into the Mount of|the Mount of Olives. 


Olives. Olives. 


From the preceding harmonized view of this im- 
portant transaction, as described by three EVANGELISTS 
and one AposTLE, we see the first_institution, nature, 
and design of what has been since.called Tue Lorp’s 
Supper. ΤῸ every circumstance, as set down here, 
and the mode of expression by which such cireum- 
stances are described, we should pay the deepest at- 
tention. 

Verse 26. As they were eating] Hither an ordinary 
supper, or the paschal lamb, as some think. See the 
observations at the end of this chapter. 

Jesus took bread| Of what kind’ Unleavened bread, 
certainly, because there was no other kind to be had 
in all Judea at this time ; for this was the first day of 
unleavened bread, (ver. 17,) i. e. the 14th of the 
month Nisan, when the Jews, according to the com- 
mand of God, (Exod. xii. 15-20; xxiii. 15; and 
xxxiv. 25,) were to purge away all leaven from their 
houses ; for he who sacrificed the passover, having 
leaven in his dwelling, was considered to be such a 
transgressor of the Divine law as could no longer be 
tolerated among the people of God; and therefore was 
t> >= cut off from the congregation of Israel. Leo of 
Moaena, who has written a very sensible treatise on 
the customs of the Jews, observes, ‘That so strictly 
do some of the Jews observe the precept concerning 
the removal of all leaven from their houses, during the 
celebration of the paschal solemnity, that they either 
provide vessels entirely new for baking, or else have a 
set for the purpose, which are dedicated solely to the 
service of the passover, and never brought out on any 
other occasion.” 

To this divinely instituted custom of removing all 
leaven previously to the paschal solemnity, St. Paul 

250 


And|went forth with his dis- 
his disciples also followed|ciples over the brook Ke- 
him. dron. 


evidently alludes, 1 Cor. v. 6, 7, 8. Know ye not 
that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge 
out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new 
lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ, our 
passover, is sacrificed for us ; therefore let us keep the 
feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of 
malice and wickedness, but with the UNLEAVENED bread 
of sincerity and truth. 

Now, if any respect should be paid to the primitive 
institution, in the celebration of this Divine ordinance, 
then, wnleavened, unyeasted bread should be used. In 
every sign, or type, the thing signifying or pointing 
out that which is beyond itself should either have cer- 
tain properties, or be accompanied with certain czrcum- 
stances, as expressive as possible of the thing s7gnified. 
Bread, simply considered in itself, may be an emblem 
apt enough of the body of our Lord Jesus, which was 
given for us; but the design of God was evidently that 
it should not only point out this, but also the disposition 
required in those who should celebrate both the antetype 
and the type; and this the apostle explains to be sin- 
cerity and truth, the reverse of malice and wickedness. 
The very taste of the bread was instructive : it pointed 
out to every communicant, that he who came to the 
table of God with malice or ill-will against any soul 
of man, or with wickedness, a profligate or sinful life, 
might expect to eat and drink judgment to himself, as 
not discerning that the Lord’s body was sacrificed for 
this very purpose, that all sin might be destroyed ; and 
that sincerity, evAvkpieca, such purity as the clearest 
light can discern no stain in, might be diffused through 
the whole soul; and that truth, the law of righteous- 
ness and true holiness, might regulate and guide all 
the actions of life. Had the bread used on these occa+ 

1 


CHAP. 


sions been of the common kind, it would have been 
perfectly unfit, or improper, to have communicated 
these uncommon significations ; and, as it was seldom 
used, its rare occurrence would make the emblematical 
representation more deeply impressive ; and the sign, 
and the thing signified, have their due correspondence 
and influence. 

These circumstances considered, will it not appear 
that the use of common bread in the sacrament of the 
Lord’s Supper is highly improper? He who can say, 
“ This is αὶ matter of no importance,” may say with 
equal propriety, the dread itself is of no importance ; 
and another may say, the wine is of no importance ; 
and a third may say, “ neither the bread nor wine is 
any thing, but as they lead to spiritual references ; and, 
the spiritual reference being once understood, the signs 
are useless.” Thus we may, through affected spiritu- 
ality, refine away the whole ordinance of God; and, 
with the letter and form of religion, abolish religion 
itself. Many have already acted in this way, not only 
to their loss, but to their ruin, by showing how pro- 
foundly wise they are above what is written. Let 
those, therefore, who consider that man shall live by 
every word which proceeds from the mouth of God, 
and who are conscientiously solicitous that each Divine 
institution be not only preserved, but observed in all its 
original integrity, attend to this circumstance. The 
Lutheran Church makes use of unleavened bread to the 
present day. 

And blessed it] Both St. Matthew and St. Mark use 
the word εὐλόγησας, blessed, instead of evyapicnoac, gave 
thanks, which is the word used by St. Luke and St. 
Paul. But instead of evaoyycac, blessed, evyapicncac, 
gave thanks, is the reading of ten MSS. in uncial 
characters, of the Dublin Codex rescriptus, published 
by Dr. Barrett, and of more than one hundred others, of 
the greatest respectability. This is the reading also 
of the Syriac and Arabic, and is confirmed by several 
of the primitive fathers. The terms, in this ease, are 
nearly of the same import, as both blessing and giving 
thanks were used on these occasions. But what was 
it that our Lord blessed? Not the dread, though many 
think the contrary, being deceived by the word 17, 
which is improperly supplied in our version. In all 
the four places referred to above, whether the word 
blessed or gave thanks is used, it refers not to the 
bread, but to God, the dispenser of every good. Our 
Lord here conforms himself to that constant Jewish 
custom, viz. of acknowledging God as the author of 
every good and perfect gift, by giving thanks on taking 
the bread and taking the cup at their ordinary meals. 
For every Jew was forbidden to eat, drink, or use any 
of God’s creatures without rendering him thanks ; and 
he who acted contrary to this command was considered 
as a person who was guilty of sacrilege. From this 
custom we have derived the decent and laudable one 
of saying grace (gratas thanks) before and after meat. 
The Jewish form of blessing, probably that which our 
Lord used on this occasion, none of my readers will be 
displeased to find here, though it has been mentioned 
once before. On taking the bread they say — 73 
YOST yD OND swan DA Pda wad TAX Baruch 
atta Elohinoo, Melech, haslam, ha motse Lechem min 
haarets. 


The sacrament of the 


XXVI. 


Blessed be thou, our God, King of the universe, 
who bringest forth bread out of the earth! 

Likewise, on taking the cup, they say :— 

JIT ID NWI oA Poo wd 772 Baruch 
Elohinoo, Melech, haslam, Boré perey haggephen. 

Blessed be our God, the King of the universe, the 
Creator of the fruit of the vine! 

The Mohammedans copy their example, constantly 
saying before and after meat :— 


Bismillahi arahmani arraheemt. 


In the name of God, the most merciful, the most 
compassionate. 


Lord’s Supper mstituved 


No blessing, therefore, of the elements is here in- 
tended; they were already blessed, in being sent as a 
gift of merey from the bountiful Lord; but God the 
sender is blessed, because of the liberal provision he 
has made for his worthless creatures. Blessing and 
touching the bread are merely Popish ceremonies, un- 
authorized either by Seripture or the practice of the 
pure Church of God; necessary of course to those 
who pretend to ¢ransmute, by a kind of spiritual incan- 
tation, the bread and wine into the real body and blood 
of Jesus Christ ; a measure the grossest in folly, and 


most stupid in nonsense, to which God in judgment 
ever abandoned the fallen spirit of man. 

And brake it) We often read in the Scriptures of 
breaking bread, but never of cutting it. The Jewish 
people had nothing similar to our high-raised loaf: 
their bread was made broad and thin, and was conse- 
quently very brittle, and, to divide it, there was no 
need of a knife. 

The breaking of the bread I consider essential to 
the proper performance of this solemn and significant 
ceremony: because this act was designed by our Tord 
to shadow forth the wounding, piercing, and breaking 
of his body upon the cross; and, as all this was essen- 
tially necessary to the making a full atonement for the 
sin of the world, so it is of vast importance that this 
apparently little circumstance, the breaking of the 
bread, should be carefully attended to, that the godly 
communicant may have every necessary assistance to 
enable him to discern the Lord’s body, while engaged 
in this most important and Divine of all God’s ordi- 
nances. But who does not see that one small cube of 
fermented, i. 6. leavened bread, previously divided from 
the mass with a knife, and separated by the fingers of 
the minister, can never answer the end of the institu- 
tion, either as to the matter of the bread, or the mode 
of dividing it? Man is naturally a dull and heedless 


creature, especially in spiritual things, and has need of 
the utmost assistance of his senses, in union with those 
expressive rites and ceremonies which the Holy Scrip- 
ture, not tradition, has sanctioned, in order to enable 
him to arrive at spiritual things, through the medium 
of earthly similitudes. 

And gave it to the disciples] Not only the breaking, 
but also the pistrisuTion, of the bread are necessary 
parts of this rite. In the Romish Church, the bread is 
not broken nor delivered to the people, that THEY may 
take and eat; but the consecrated wafer is put upon 
their tongue by the priest; and it is generally under- 

251 


The sacrament of the 


stood by the communicants, that they should not mas- 
ticate, but swallow it whole. 

“That the breaking of this bread to be distributed,” 
says Dr. Whitby, “is a necessary part of this rite is 
evident, first, by the continual mention of it by St. 
Paul and all the evangelists, when they speak of the 
institution of this sacrament, which shows it to be a 
necessary part of it. 2dly, Christ says, Take, eat, 
this is my body, BROKEN for you, 1 Cor. xi. 24. But 
when the elements are not broken, it can be no more 
said, This ts my body broken for you, than where the 
elements are not given. 3dly, Our Lord said, Do this 
in remembrance of me: i.e. ‘ Eat this bread, broken 
in remembrance of my body broken on the cross :’ 
now, where no body droken is distributed, there, 
nothing can be eaten in memorial of his broken body. 
Lastly, The apostle, by saying, The bread which we 
BREAK, τς 2 not the communion of the body of Christ 3 
sufficiently informs us that the eating of his broken 
body is necessary to that end, 1 Cor. x. 10. Hence 
it was that this rite, of distributing bread broken, con- 
tinued for a thousand years, and was, as Humbertus 
testifies, observed in the Roman Church in the 
eleventh century.” Wuursy in loco. At present, the 
opposite is as boldly practised as if the real Serip- 
tural rite had never been observed in the Church of 
Christ. 

This is my body.| Here it must be observed that 
Christ had nothing in his hands, at this time, but part 
of that unleavened bread which he and his disciples 
had been eating at supper, and therefore he could mean 
no more than this, viz. that the bread which he was 
now breaking represented his body, which, in the 
course of a few hours, was to be crucified for them. 
Common sense, unsophisticated with superstition and 
erroneous creeds,—and reason, unawed by the secular 
sword of sovereign authority, could not possibly take 
any other meaning than this plain, consistent, and ra- 
tional one, out of these words. ‘“ But,” says a false 
and absurd creed, “ Jesus meant, when he said, Hoc 
EST CORPUS MEUM, Tis 1s my body, and Hic est cauix 
SANGUINIS MEI, This is the chalice of my blood, that the 
bread and wine were substantially changed into his 
body, including flesh, blood, bones, yea, the whole 
Christ, in his immaculate humanity and adorable di- 
vinity!” And, for denying this, what rivers of right- 
2ous blood have been shed by state persecutions and by 
religious wars! Well it may be asked, “ Can any man 
of sense believe, that, when Christ took up that bread 
and broke it, it was his own body which he held in his 
own hands, and which himself broke to pieces, and 
which he and his disciples ate?’ He who can believe 
such a congeries of absurdities, cannot be said to be a 
volunteer in faith; for it is evident, the man can 
neither have faith nor reason, as to this subject. 

Let it be observed, if any thing farther is necessary 
on this point, that the paschal lamb, is called the pass- 
over, because it represented the destroying angel’s pass- 
ing over the children of Israel, while he slew the first- 
born of the Egyptians; and our Lord and his disciples 
call this lamb the passover, several times in this chap- 
ter; by which it is demonstrably evident, that they 
could mean no more than that the lamb sacrificed on 
this oceasion was a memorial of, and REPRESENTED, 

252 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Lord's Supper instituted 


the means used for the preservation of the Israelite. 
from the blast of the destroying angel. 

Besides, our Lord did not say, hoc est corpus meum, 
(this is my body,) as he did not speak in the Latin 
tongue ; though as much stress has been laid upon this 
quotation from the Vulgate as if the original of the 
three evangelists had been written in the Latin lan- 
guage. Had he spoken in Latin, following the idiom 
of the Vulgate, he would have said, Panis hic corpus 
meum significat, or, Symbolum est corporis mei :— 
hoc poculum sanguinem meum representat, or, sym- , 
bolum est sanguinis mei:—this bread signifies my 
body; this cup represents my blood. But let it be 
observed that, in the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Chaldeo- 
Syriac languages, as used in the Bible, there is no 
term which expresses to mean, signify, denote, though 
both the Greek and Latin abound with them: hence 
the Hebrews use a figure, and say, it is, for, it signifies. 
So Gen. xli. 26,27. The seven kine are (i. e. re- 
present) seven years. This 1s (represents) the bread 
of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. 
Dan. vii. 24. The ten horns are (i. 6. signify) ten 
kings. They drank of the spiritual Rock which fol- 
lowed them, and the Rock was (represented) Christ. 
1 Cor. x. 4. And following this Hebrew idiom, though 
the work is written in Greek, we find in Rev. i. 20, 
The seven stars are (represent) the angels of the seven 
Churches: and the seven candlesticks ann (represent) 
the seven Churches. 'The same form of speech is used 
in a variety of places in the New Testament, where 
this sense must necessarily be given to the word. Matt. 
xiii. 38, 39. The field 1s (represents) the world: the 
good seed are (represent or signify) the children of the 
kingdom: the tares are (signify) the children of the 
wicked one. The enemy is (signifies) the devil: the 
harvest 1s (represents) the end of the world: the reap- 
ers ARE (i. 6. signify) the angels. Luke viii. 9. What 
might this parable Bet Tic EIH ἡ παραβολὴ αὑτὴ :---- 
What does this parable sicniry? John vii. 36. Tuc 
ἘΣΤΙΝ οὗτος 0 λογος: What is the SIGNIFICATION of 
this saying? John x. 6. They understood not what 
things they ΤΕΒΕ, τινα HN, what was the sicNIFICATION 
of the things he had spoken to them. Acts x. 17. Tz 
av EIH ro οραμα, what this vision MIGHT BE; properly 
rendered by our translators, what this vision should 
MEAN. Gal. iv. 24. For these are the two covenants, 
avtat yap ΕἸΣΙΝ az δυο διαϑηκαι, these sicNiry the two 
covenants. Luke xv. 26. He asked, τι EIH ταῦτα, 
what these things Meant. See also chap. xviii. 36. 
After such unequivocal testimony from the Sacred 
writings, can any person doubt that, This bread 1s 
my body, has any other meaning than, This bread 
REPRESENTS my body 7 

The Jsatins use the verb, sum, in all its forms, with 
a similar latitude of meaning. So, Esse oneri ferendo, 
he is aBLe to bear the burthen: bene Esse, to LIVE 
sumptuously: malé EssE, to LIVE miserably: recte 
ESSE, to ENJOY good health: Est mihi fistula, I Pos- 
sess a flute: est hodie in rebus, he now ENJOYS a 
plentiful fortune: est mihi namque domi pater, I HAVE 
a father at home, &e.: Esse solvendo, to be ABLE to 
pay: Fuimus Troes, Furr Ilium; the Trojans are Ex- 
TINCT, Troy is NO MORE. 

In Greek also, and Hebrew, it often signifies to lve 

1 


CHAP. 


to die, to be killed. Ovx ΕἸΜΙ, J am pean, or a dead 
man. Matt. ii. 18: Rachel weeping for her children, 
ort οὐκ ΕἸΣΙ, because they WERE MURDERED. Gen. xii. 
36: Joseph 1s not, IY DY Yoseph einennu, lwong 
ove ἘΣΤῚΝ, Sept., Joseph is pevourep by a WILD 
BEAST. Rom. iv. 17: Calling the things that are 
not, as if they were ative. So Plutarch in Laconicis : 
“This shield thy father always preserved; preserve 
thou it, or may thou not Be,” H μὴ EXO, may thou 
PERISH. ΟΥ̓Κ ΟΝΤῈΣ νόμοι, ΑΒΒΌΘΑΤΕΡ laws. ΕἸΜΙ 
ev euot, I possess a sound understanding. Ew¢ πατερα 
ὕμιν EXOMAI, J will perrorm the part of a father to 
you. ΕἸΜΙ τῆς πολεὼως της de, J AM an INHABITANT of 
that city. 1 Tim. i. 7: Desiring to BE teachers of 
the law, ϑέλοντες EINAL νομοδιδασκαλοι, desiring to be 
REPUTED teachers of the law, i. 6. ABLE divines. Ta 
ONTA, the things that are, i. 6. NoBLE and HONOUR- 
ABLE men: τὰ μη ONTA, the things that are not, viz. 
the συ ΑΒ, or those of IGNOBLE BIRTH. 

Tertullian seems to have had a correct notion of 
those words of our Lord, Acceptum panem et distribu- 
tum discipulis, corpus illum suum fecit, HOC EST CoR- 
Pus MEUM dicendo, id est, FIGURA corporis mei. Advers. 
Mare. 1. v. c. 40. “Having taken the bread, and 
distributed that body to his disciples, he made it his 
body by saying, This is my body, i. e. a FicuRE of my 
body.” 

That our Lord neither spoke in Greek nor Latin, on 
this occasion, needs no proof. It was, most probably, 
in what was formerly called the Chaldaic, now the 
Syriac, that our Lord conversed with his disciples. 
Through the providence of God, we have complete 
versions of the Gospels in this language, and in them 
it is likely we have the precise words spoken by our 
Lord on this occasion. In Matt. xxvi. 26, 27, the 
— Qu) 
hanau pagree, This is my body, CaSO} atc 
demee, This is my blood, of which forms of speech the 
Greek is a verbal translation; nor would any man, even 
in the present day, speaking in the same language, use, 
among the people to whom it was vernacular, other 
terms than the above to express, This represents my 
body, and this represents my blood. 

As to the ancient Syrian Church on the Malabar 
coast, it is a fact that it never held the doctrine of 
transubstantiation, nor does it appear that it was ever 
heard of in that Church till the year 1599, when Don 
Alexis Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, and the Jesuit 
Fransic Rez, invaded that Church, and by tricks, im- 
postures, and the assistance of the heathen governors 
of Cochin, and other places, whom they gained over 
by bribes and presents, overthrew the whole of this 
ancient Church, and gave the oppressed people the 
rites, creeds, &e., of the papal Catholie Church in its 
place. Vid. La Croz. Hist. du Ch. des Indes. 

This was done at the Synod of Diamper, which be- 
gan its sessions at Agomale, June 20, 1599. The 
tricks of this unprincipled prelate, the tool of Pope 
Clement VII., and Philip 11., King of Portugal, are 
amply detailed by Mr. La Croze, in the work already 
quoted. 

But this form of speech is common, even in our own 
‘anguage, though we have terms enow to fill up the 

1 


The sacrament of the 


words in the Syriac version are, 


hanau 


XXVI. 


ellipsis. Suppose a man entering into a museum, en- 
riched with the remains of ancient Greek sculpture : 
his eyes are attracted by a number of curious busts ; 
and, on inquiring what they are, he learns, this 1s 
Socrates, that Plato, a third Homer; others Hesiod, 
Horace, Virgil, Demosthenes, Cicero, Herodotus, Livy, 
Cesar, Nero, Vespasian, ἅς. Is he deceived by this 
information? Not at all: he knows well that the 
busts he sees are not the identical persons of those 
ancient philosophers, poets, orators, historians, and 
emperors, but only REPRESENTATIONS of their persons 
in sculpture, between which and the originals there is 
as essential a difference as between a human body, in- 
stinct with all the principles of rational vitality, and a 
block of marble. When, therefore, Christ took up a 
piece of bread, brake it, and said, This 1s my body, 
who, but the most stupid of mortals, could imagine 
that he was, at the same time, handling and breaking 
his own body! Would not any person, of plain com- 
mon sense, see as great a difference between the man 
Christ Jesus, and the piece of bread, as between the 
block of marble and the philosopher it represented, in 
the case referred to above? The truth is, there is 
scarcely a more common form of speech in any lan- 
guage than, This is, for, This REPRESENTS OF SIGNIFIES. 
And as our Lord refers, in the whole of this transac- 
tion, to the ordinance of the passover, we may consider 
him as saying: “ This bread is now my body, in that 
sense in which the paschal lamb has been my body 
hitherto; and this cup is my blood of the New Testa- 
ment, in the same sense as the blood of bulls and goats 
has been my blood under the Old: Exod. xxiv.; Heb. 
ix. That is, the paschal lamb and the sprinkling of 
blood represented my sacrifice to the present time: 
this bread and this wine shall represent my body and 
blood through all future ages; therefore, Do this in 
remembrance of me.” 

St. Luke and St. Paul add a circumstance here 
which is not noticed either by St. Matthew or St. Mark. 
After, this is my body, the former adds, which is given 
for you; the latter, which is broken for you; the sense 
of which is: “As God has in his bountiful providence 
given you bread for the sustenance of your lives, so in 
his infifiite-grace"he has given you my body to save 
your souls unto life eternal. But as this bread must 
be broken and masticated, in order to ,its becoming 
proper nourishment, so my body must be broken, i. e. 
crucified, for you, before it can be the bread of life to 
your souls. As, therefore, your life depends on the 
bread which God’s bounty has provided for your bodies, 
so your eternal life depends on the sacrifice of my 
body on the cross for your souls.” Besides, there is 
here an allusion to the offering of sacrifices—an inno- 
cent creature was brought to the altar of God, and its 
blood (the life of the beast) was poured out for, or in 
behalf of, the person who brought it. Thus Christ 
says, alluding to the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, This 
is my body, το ὑπερ ὕμων διδομενον, which 15 GIVEN m 
your stead, or in your behalf ; a free cirt, from God’s 
endless mercy, for the salvation of your souls. This 
is my body, το ὑπὲρ ὑμων KAwpevov, (1 Cor. xi. 24,) 
which is broken—sacrificed in your stead ; as without 
the breaking (piercing) of the body, and spilling of the 
blood, there was no remission. 

253 


Lords Supper tnstivuied 


The sacrament of the 


ae 27 ‘And ‘he took ™the Yeup, "and 


euommp. “gave thanks, and gave it to them, 
CCI. 1. is 
saying, Y Drink ye all of it; 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Lord’s Supper instituted. 


28 For “this is my blood * of 4, Fare te 
the New Testament, which is shed An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 
Y for many, for the remission of sins. 


Vv Mark xiv. 23.——w See Exod. xxiv. 8; Lev. xvii. 11. 


x Jer. xxxi. 31—y Chap. xx. 28; Rom. v. 15; Heb. ix. 22. 


In this solemn transaction we must weigh every 
word, as there is none without its appropriate and 
deeply emphatic meaning. So it is written, Ephes. 
vy. 3. Christ hath loved us, and given himself, ὑπὲρ 
ἡμῶν, On our account, or in our stead, an offering and 
@ SACRIFICE (ϑυσια) to God for a sweet-smelling savour ; 
that, as in the sacrifice offered by Noah, Gen. viii. 21, 
(to which the apostle evidently alludes,) from which it 
is said, The Lord smelled a sweet savour, NWVIN ΤΠ Ἢ 
riach hanichoach, a savour of rest, so that he became 
appeased towards the earth, and determined that there 
should no more be a flood to destroy it; in like man- 
ner, in the offering and sacrifice of Christ for us, God 
is appeased towards the human race, and has in con- 
sequence decreed that whosoever believeth in him shall 
not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Verse 27. And he took the cup] Mera το δειπνησαι, 
after having supped, Luke xxii. 20, and 1 Cor. xi. 
25. Whether the supper was on the paschal lamb, 
or whether it was a common or ordinary meal, 1 shall 
not wait here to inquire: see at the end of this chap- 
ter. In the parallel place, in Luke xxii., we find our 
Lord taking the cup, ver. 17, and again ver. 19; by 
the former of which was probably meant the cup of 
blessing, ΤΊ ΣΤ D)3 kos haberakah, which the master 
of a family took, and, after blessing God, gave to each 
of his guests by way of welcome : but this second taking 
the cup is to be understood as belonging to the very 
important rite which he was now instituting, and on 
which he lays a very remarkable stress. With respect 
to the bread, he had before simply said, Take, eat, this 
is my body; but concerning the cup he says, Drink ye 
all of this: for as this pointed out the very essence of 
the institution, viz. the lood of atonement, it was ne- 
cessary that each should have a particular application 
of it: therefore he says, Drink ye aut of THIs. By 
this we are taught that the cup is essential to the sa- 
erament of the Lord’s Supper; so that they who deny 
the cup to the people sin against God’s institution ; and 
they who receive not the cup are not partakers of the 
body and blood of Christ. If either could without 
mortal prejudice be omitted, it might be the dread; 
but the cup, as pointing out the blood poured out, i. e. 
the life, by which alone the great sacrificial act is per- 
formed, and remission of sins procured, is absolutely 
indispensable. On this ground it is demonstrable, that 
there is not a priest under heaven, who denies the cup 
to the people, that can be said to celebrate the Lord’s 
Supper at all; nor is there one of their votaries that 
ever received the holy sacrament. All pretension to 
this is an absolute farce, so long as the cup, the em- 
blem of the atoning blood, is denied. How strange is 
it, that the very men who plead so much for the bare 
Literal meaning of this is my body, in the preceding 
verse, should deny all meaning to drink ye auL of this 
cup, in this verse! And though Christ has in the most 
positive manner enjoined it, they will not permit one 
of the laity to taste it! O, what a thing is 

254 


man!—a constant contradiction to reason and to 
himself. 

I have just said that our blessed Lord lays remark- 
able stress on the administration of the cup, and on 
that which himself assures us is represented by it.— 
As it is peculiarly emphatic, I beg leave to set down 
the original text, which the critical reader will do well 
minutely to examine: Τοῦτο yap ect TO aya μου TO 
τῆς Kane διαϑηκης, TO περὶ πολλων εκχυνομενον εἰς 
αφεσιν ἁμαρτιων. The following literal translation and 
paraphrase do not exceed its meaning :— 

For THIS is THAT dlood of mine which was point- 
ed out by all the sacrifices under the Jewish law, and 
particularly by the shedding and sprinkling of the blood 
of the paschal lamb. THAT dlood of the sacrifice 
slain for the ratification of the new covenant. THE 
blood ready to be poured out for the multitudes, the 
whole Gentile world as well as the Jews, for the taking 
away of sins ; sin, whether original or actual, in all its 
power and guilt, in all its internal energy and pollution. 

And gave thanks} See the form used on this oc- 
casion, on ver. 26 ; and see the MisHNaA, TRACT D793 
Beracoth. 

Verse 28. For this is my blood of the New Testa- 
ment] This is the reading both here and in St. Mark; 
but St. Luke and St. Paul say, This cup is the New 
Testament m my blood. This passage has been 
strangely mistaken: by New Testament, many under- 
stand nothing more than the 4904 commonly known by 
this name, containing the four Gospels, Acts of the 
Apostles, apostolical Epistles, and book of the Reve 
lation; and they think that the cup of the New Tes- 
tament means no more than merely that eup which the 
book ealled the New Testament enjoins in the sacra- 
ment of the Lord’s Supper. As this is the ease, it is 
highly necessary that this term should be explained. 
The original, H Kawy Διαϑηκη, which we translate, 
The New Testament, and which is the general title of 
all the contents of the book already described, simply 
means, the new COVENANT. Covenant, from con, to- 
gether, and venio, I come, signifies an agreement, con- 
tract, or compact, between two parties, by which both 
are mutually bound to do certain things, on certain 
conditions and penalties. It answers to the Hebrew 
3 derith, which often signifies, not only the cove- 
nant or agreement, but also the sacrifice which was 
slain on the occasion, by the blood of which the cove- 
nant was ratified ; and the contracting parties professed 
to subject themselves to such a death as that of the 
victim, in case of violating their engagements. An 
oath of this kind, on slaying the covenant sacrifice, 
was usual in ancient times: so in Homer, when a co- 
venant was made between the Greeks and the Trojans, 
and the throats of lambs were cut, and their blood 
poured out, the following form >f adjuration was used 
by the contracting parties :— 

u ϑεοι αλλοι, 
μηνειαν, 


Zev κυδιςε, μεγιςε, καὶ αϑανι 
Οπποτεροι προτεροι ὑπερ ορκίᾳ 


The sacrament of the 


Ὧδε od’ ἐγκεφαλος χαμαδις peot, we ode oLvoc, 
Αὐτων, καὶ τεκεων" αλοχοι δ' αλλοισι μιγειεν. 


All glorious Jove, and ye, the powers of heaven! 

Whoso shall violate this contract first, 

So be their Jlood, their children’s and their own, 

Poured out, as this libation, on the ground : 

And let their wives bring forth to other men! 
Iuiap 1. iii. v. 298-301. 


Our blessed Saviour is evidently called the Διαϑηκη, 
ΓΔ berith, or covenant sacrifice, Isa. xlii. 6; xlix. 
8; Zech. ix. 11. And to those Scriptures he appears to 
allude, as in them the Lord promises to give him for 
ἃ covenant (sacrifice) to the Gentiles, and to send forth, 
by the blood of this covenant (victim) the prisoners out 
of the pit. The passages in the sacred writings which 
allude to this grand sacrificial and atoning act are al- 
most innumerable. See the Preface to Matthew. 

In this place, our Lord terms his blood the blood of 
the New covenant ; by which he means that grand plan 
of agreement, or reconciliation, which God was now 
establishing between himself and mankind, by the pas- 
sion and death of his Son, through whom alone men 
could draw nigh to God; and this New covenant is 
mentioned in contradistinction from the oLp covenant, 
ἢ παλαια Διαϑηκη, 2 Cor. iii. 14, by which appellative 
all the books of the Old Testament were distinguished, 
because they pointed out the way of reconciliation to 
God by the blood of the various victims slain under 
the law: but now, as the Lamb of God, which taketh 
away the sin of the world, was about to be offered up, 
a New and LiviING way was thereby constituted, so 
that no one henceforth could come unto the Father but 
by nim. Hence all the books of the New Testament, 
which bear unanimous testimony to the doctrine of 
salvation by faith through the blood of Jesus, are 
termed, H Kawy Διαϑηκη, The New covenant. See 
the Preface. 

Dr. Lightfoot’s Observations on this are worthy of 
serious notice. “ This is my blood of the New Testa- 
ment. Not only the seal of the covenant, but the 
sanction of the new covenant. The end of the Mosaic 
economy, and the confirming of a new one. The con- 
firmation of the old covenant was by the blood of bulls 
and ΣΈ Χο. xxiv., eb. ix., because blood was 


still to be shed: fhe confirmation of MES Tene eS > by 
a cup of wine, because under the new covenant there 
is no farther shedding of t blood. “As it is here said of 
the tip, ΤΊΣ cup is the New Testament in my blood; 
so it might be said of the cup of blood, Exod. xxiv., 
That cup was the Old Testament in the blood of Christ: 
there, all the articles of that covenant being read over, 
Moses sprinkled all the people with blood, and said, 
This is the blood ε δορά of the covenant which God hath made 
with ‘yousy~mnd_this-the-old covenant” or testimony 
was confirmed, In like manner, Christ, having pub- 
lished all the articles of the new covenant, he takes 
the cup of wine, and gives them to drink, and saith, 
This is the New Testament in my blood; and thus the 
new coven: established.” — Works, vol. ii. p. 260. 
Which is shed (exyvvouevor, poured out) for many] 
Exyew and exxva, to pour out, are often used in a sa- 
erificial sense in the Septuagint, and signify to pour 
1 


CHAP. 


XXVI. 


out or sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices before the 
altar of the Lord, by way of atonement. See 2 Kings 
xvi. 15; Lev. viii. 15; ix. 9; Exod. xxix. 12; Lev. 
iv. 7, 14, 17, 30, 34; and in various other places. 
Our Lord, by this very remarkable mode of expression, 
teaches us that, as his body was to be broken or eru- 
cified, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, in our stead, so here the blood was 
to be poured out to make an atonement, as the words, 
remission of sins, sufficiently prove ; for without shed 
ding of blood there was no remission, Heb. 1x. 22, nor 
any remission by shedding of blood, but in a sacrificial 
way. See the passages above, and on ver. 26. 

The whole of this passage will receive additional 
light when collated with Isa. lili. 11, 12. By his 
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify MANY, 
for he shall bear their iniquities—because he hath 
POURED ovT his soul unto death, and he bare the sin 
of many. The pouring out of the soul unto death, in 
the prophet, answers to, this is the blood of the new 
covenant which is poured out for you, in the evange- 
lists; and the 0°39 rabbim, multitudes, in Isaiah, cor 
responds to the MANY, πολλων, of Matthew and Mark. 
The passage will soon appear plain, when we consider 
that ¢wo distinct classes of persons are mentioned by 
the prophet. 1. The Jews.—ver. 4. Surely he hath 
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.—Ver. 5. 
But he was wounded for ovr transgressions, he was 
bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our 
peace was upon him.—Ver. 6. All we like sheep have 
gone astray, and the Lord hath laid upon him the im- 
quity of us all. 2. The Gentines.—Ver. 11. By 
lis knowledge, \NY11 bedaato, i. e. by his being made 
known, published as Christ crucified among the Gen- 
tiles, he shall justify 0°37 rabbim, the multitudes, (tne 
Gentites,) for he shall (also) bear THEIR offences, as 
well as ours, the Jews, ver. 4, &c. It is well known 
that the Jewish dispensation, termed by the apostle as 
above, 7 παλαια διαϑηκη, the oLD covenant, was partial 
and exclusive. None were particularly interested in 
it save the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob : 
whereas the Christian dispensation, 7 καινὴ διαϑηκὴη, 
the NEw covenant, referred to by our Lord in this place, 
was universal; for as Jesus Christ by the grace of 
God tasted death for Ἐν ΒΥ man, Heb. xi. 9, and is 
that Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the 
worLp, John i. 29; who would have atu ΜῈΝ to be 
saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Tim 
li. 4, even that knowledge of Christ crucified, by which 
they are to be justified, Isa. liii. 11, therefore he has 
commanded his disciples to go into all the world, and 
preach the Gospel to EVERY crEATURE, Mark xvi. 15. 
The reprobate race, those who were no people, and not 
beloved, were to be called in; for the Gospel was to 
be preached to ali the world, though it was to begin 
at Jerusalem, Luke xxiv. 47. For this purpose was 
the blood of the new covenant sacrifice poured out for 
the multitudes, that there might be but one fold, as 
there is but one Shepherd ; and that God might be aun 
and in ALL. 

For the remission of sins.] Exe adecw ἀμαρτιων, 
for (or, in reference to) the taking away of sins. For, 
although the blood is shed, and the atonement made, 
no man’s sins are taken away until, as a true penitent 
he returns to God, and, feeling his utter incapacity to 

255 


Lord’s Supper instituted. 


The unfarthfulness of 


en 1053, 29 But 7 I say unto you, J will not 


An, Olymp. drink henceforth of this fruit of the 
__ vine, * until that day when I drink 
it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 
30 9 ° And when they had sung a “ hymn, 
they went out into the mount of Olives. 
31 Then saith Jesus unto them, ? All ye 
shall “ be offended because of me this night : 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the disciples foretold. 


for it is written, £1 will smite the 4, ™, 4%. 
shepherd, and the sheep of the flock ee 
shall be scattered abroad. —— 
32 But after I am risen again, 51 will go 
before you into Galilee. 
33 Peter answered and said unto him, 
Though all men shall be offended because of 


thee, yet will I never be offended. 


z Mark xiv. 25; Luke xxii. 18—— Acts x. 41.——> Mark 
xiv. 26. © Or, psalm. 


4 Mark xiv. 27; John xvi. 32. © Chap. xi. 6. Zech. xiii. 7. 
& Chap. xxviii. 7, 10, 16; Mark xiv. 28; xvi. 7. 


save himself, believes in Christ Jesus, who is the jus- 
tifier of the ungodly. 

The phrase, αφεσις τῶν αμαρτίων, remission of sins, 
(frequently used by the Septuagint,) being thus ex- 
plained by our Lord, is often used by the evangelists 
and the apostles; and does not mean merely the 
pardon of sins, as it is generally understood, but the 
removal or taking away of sins; not only the guilt, 
but also the very nature of sin, and the pollution of the 
soul through it ; and comprehends all that is generally 
understood by the terms justification and sanctifica- 
‘ion. For the use and meaning of the phrase αφεσις 
yaptiav, see Mark i. 4; Luke i. 77; iii. 3; xxiv. 47; 
Acts ii. 38; v. 31; x. 43; xiii. 38; xxvi. 18; Col. 
i 14; Heb. x. 18. 

Both St. Luke and St. Paul add, that, after giving 
the bread, our Lord said, Do this in remembrance of 
me. And after giving the cup, St. Paul alone adds, 
This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 
The account, as given by St. Paul, should be carefully 
followed, being fuller, and received, according to his 
own declaration, by especial revelation from God.— 
See 1 Cor. xi. 23, For I have received of the Lord 
that which also I delivered wnto you, &c. See the 
harmonized view above. 

Verse 29. I will not drink henceforth of this fruit 
of the vine] These words seem to intimate no more 
than this: We shall not have another opportunity of 
eating this bread and drinking this wine together ; as 
in a few hours my crucifixion shall take place. 

Until that day when I drink it new with you] That 
is, I shall no more drink of the produce of the vine 
with you ; but shall drink mew wine—wine of a widely 
different nature from this—a wine which the kingdom 
of God alone can afford. The term new in Scripture 
is often taken in this sense. So the new heaven, the 
NEW earth, the NEw covenant, the NEW man—mean a 
heaven, earth, covenant, man, of a very different nature 
from the former. It was our Lord’s invariable custom 
to illustrate heavenly things by those of earth, and to 
make that which had dast been the subject of conver- 
sation the means of doing it. Thus he uses wine here, 
of which they had lately drunk, and on which he had 
held the preceding discourse, to point out the supreme 
blessedness of the kingdom of God. But however 
pleasing and useful wine may be to the body, and how 
helpful soever, as an ordinance of God, it may be to 
the soul in the holy sacrament; yet the wine of the 
kingdom, the spiritual enjoyments at the right hand of 
God, will be infinitely more precious and useful. From 
what our Lord says here, we learn that the sacrament 

256 


of his supper is a type and a pledge, to genuine Chris- 
tians, of the felicity they shall enjoy with Christ in 
the kingdom of glory. 

Verse 30. And when they had sung a hymn] 
Ὑμνήσαντες means, probably, no more than a kind of 
recitalive reading or chanting. As to the hymm itself 
we know, from the universal consent of Jewish an- 
tiquity, that it was composed of Psalms 113, 114, 115, 
116, 117, and 118, termed by the Jews bon halel, 
from 971957 halelu-yah, the first word in Psalm 113 
These six Psalms were always sung at every paschal 
solemnity. They sung this great hillel on account of 
the five great benefits referred to in it; viz. 1. The 
Exodus from Egypt, Psa. exiv. 1. When Israel went 
out of Egypt, &c. 2. The miraculous division of the 
Red Sea, ver. 3. The sea saw it and fled. 3. The 
promulgation of the law, ver. 4. The mountains skip- 
ped like lambs. 4. The resurrection of the dead, Psa. 
exvi. 9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the 
living. 5. The passion of the Messiah, Psa. cxv. 1. 
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, &e. See Schoett- 
gen, Hor. Hebr. p. 231, and my Discourse on the na- 
ture and design of the Eucharist, 8vo. Lond. 1808. 

Verse 31. All ye shall be offended] Or rather, Ye 
will all be stumbled—ravtec ὑμεις σκανδαλισϑησεσϑε---- 
ye will all forsake me, and lose in a great measure 
your confidence in me. 

This night] The time of trial is just at hand. 

I will smite the shepherd] It will happen to you as 
to a flock of sheep, whose shepherd has been slain—the 
leader and guardian being removed, the whole flock 
shall be scattered, and be on the point of becoming a 
prey to ravenous beasts. 

Verse 32. But after I am risen again] Don’t lose 
your confidence ; for though I shall appear for a time 
to be wholly left to wicked men, and be brought under 
the power of death, yet I will rise again, and triumph 
over all your enemies and mine. 

Twill go before you Still alluding to the case of 
the shepherd and his sheep. Though the shepherd 
have been smitten and the sheep scattered, the shep- 
herd shall revive again, collect the scattered flock, and 
go before them, and lead them to peace, security, and 
happiness. 

Verse 33. Peter—said unto him, Though all men 
shall be offended—yet will I never] The presumptuous 
person imagines he ean do every thing, and can do 
nothing : thinks he can excel all, and excels in nothing : 
promises every thing, and performs nothing. The 
humble man acts a quite contrary part. There is 
nothing we know so little of as ourselves—nothing we 

1 


The denial of Peter foretold. CHAP 


.Μ. 4033. : ; ‘el Wats 
A.M. 1033. 34 Jesus said unto him, ἃ Verily 


An. Qin. I say unto thee, That this night, 
———— before the cock crow, thou shalt 
deny me thrice. 

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should 
die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Like- 
wise also said all the disciples. 

36 % } Then cometh Jesus with them unto 


. XXVI. Christ’s agony mm the garden 


a place called Gethsemane, and saith 4M. 4033 
unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while acne 
I go and pray yonder. ———_ 

37 And he took with him Peter and * the 
two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrow 
ful and very heavy. 

38 Then saith he unto them, 'My soul 
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: 


b Mark xiv. 30; Luke xxii.34 ; John xiii. 38.—— Mark xiv. 32-35; 


Luke xxii. 39 ; John xviii. 1——* Chap. iv. 21——! John xii. 27 


see less of than our own weakness and poyerty. The 
strength of pride is only for a moment. Peter, though 
vainly confident, was certainly sincere—he had never 
been put to a sore trial, and did not know his own 
strength. Had this resolution of his been formed in 
the strength of God, he would have been enabled to 
maintain it against earth and hell. This most awful 
denial of Christ, and his abandoning him in the time 
of trial, was sufficient to have disqualified him for ever 
from being, in any sense, head of the Church, had 
such a supremacy been ever designed him. Such a 
supremacy was never given him by Christ; but the 
fable of it is in the Church of Rome, and the mock 
Peter, not Peter the apostle, is there and there only to 
be found. : 

Verse 34. Jesus said] Our Lord’s answer to Peter 
is very emphatic and impressive. Verily—I speak a 
solemn weighty truth, ‘how wilt not only be stumbled, 
fall off and forsake thy Master, but thou wilt even 
deny that thou hast, or ever had, any knowledge of 
or connection with me ; and this thou wilt do, not by 
little and little, through a long process of time, till the 
apostasy, daily gathering strength, shall be complete ; 
but thou wilt do it this very night, and that not once 
only, but ¢hrice; and this thou wilt do also in the 
earlier part of the night, before even a cock shall crow. 
Was not this warning enough to him not to trust in his 
own strength, but to depend on God? 

Verse 35. Though I should die with thee, yet will 
I not deny thee.) He does not take the warning which 
his Lord gave him—he trusts in the warm, sincere at- 
tachment to Christ which he now feels, not considering 
that this must speedily fail, unless supported by the 
power of God. 

Verse 36. A place called Gethsemane] A garden at 
the foot of the mount of Olives. The name seems to 
be formed from 4 gath, a press, and pow shemen, oil ; 
probably the place where the produce of the mount of 
Olives was prepared for use. The garden of the oil- 
press, or olive-press. 

Sit ye here] Or, stay in this place, while I go and 
pray yonder: and employ ye the time as [ shall em- 
ploy it—in watching unto prayer. 

Verse 37. And he took with him Peter and the two 
sons of Zebedee] That is, James and John ; the same 
persons who had beheld his transfiguration on the mount 
—that they might contemplate this agony in the light of 
that glory which they had there seen; and so be kept 
om being stumbled by a view of his present humiliation. 

Began to be sorrowful] Λυπεισϑαι, from Ava, to dis- 

olve—exquisite sorrow, such as dissolves the natural 
vigour, and threatens to separate soul and body. 

Vor I. C air) 


And very heavy.| Overwhelmed with anguish—abén- 
povew. This word is used by the Greeks to denote 
the most extreme anguish which the soul can feel— 
excruciating anxiety and torture of spirit. 

Verse 38. Then saith he] Then saith—Jesus :— 
I have added the word Jesus, ὁ Incove, on the authority 
of a multitude of eminent MSS. See them in Gries- 
bach. 

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, (or, is surrounded 
with exceeding sorrow,) even unto death.| This latter 
word explains the two former : My soul is so dissolved 
in sorrow, my spirit is filled with such agony and an- 
guish, that, if speedy succour be not given to my Jody, 
death must be the speedy consequence. 

Now, the grand expiatory sacrifice begins to be of- 
fered : in this garden Jesus enters fully into the sacer- 
dotal office ; and now, on the altar of his immaculate 
divinity, begins to offer his own body—his own life— 
a lamb without spot, for the sin of the world. St. Luke 
observes, chap. xxii. 43, 44, that there appeared unto 
him an angel from heaven strengthening him ; and that, 
being in an agony, his sweat was like great drops of 
blood falling to the ground. How exquisite must this 
anguish have been, when it forced the very blood through 
the coats of the veins, and enlarged the pores in such 
a preternatural manner as to cause them to empty it 
out in large successive drops! In my opinion, the 
principal part of the redemption price was paid in this 
unprecedented and indescribable agony. * 

Bloody sweats are mentioned by many authors ; but 
none was ever such as this—where a person in perfect 
health, (having never had any predisposing sickness to 
induce a debility of the system,) and in the full vigour 
of life, about thirty-three years of age, suddenly, 
through mental pressure, without any fear of death, 
sweat great drops of blood; and these continued, dur- 
ing his wrestling with God to fall to the ground. 

To say that all this was occasioned by the fear he 
had of the ignominious death which he was about to 
die confutes itself—for this would not only rob him of 
his divinity, for which purpose it is brought, but it de- 
prives him of all excellency, and even of manhood 
itself. The prospect of death could not cause him to 
suffer thus, when he knew that in less than three days 
he was to be restored to life, and be brought into an 
eternity of blessedness. His agony and distress can 
receive no consistent explication but on this ground— 
He surreren, the sust for the unsusv, that he might 
BRrinc us to Gop. O glorious truth! O infinitely 
meritorious suffering! And QO! above all, the efernal 
love, that caused him to undergo such sufferings for 
the sake of sinners! 

257 


Christ's agony ST. 


A. Μ. 4033, : 
‘A.D. 99, “erry ye here, and watch with 
An. Olymp. me. 

ἘΠΕῚ: 


39 And he went a little farther, 
and fell on his face, and ™ prayed, saying, 
" O my Father, if it be possible, ° let this cup 
pass from me! nevertheless Ὁ not as I will, 
but as thou wilt. Ἢ 

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and 
findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, 
What, could ye not watch with me one hour ? 

41 4 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into 
temptation: the spirit indeed zs willing, but 
the flesh zs weak. 


MATTHEW. 


im the garden 


42 He went away again the second 4. re aa 
time, and prayed, saying, O my Fa- ἢ ae 
ther, if this cup may not pass away 

from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 

43 And he came and found them asleep 
again: for their eyes were heavy. 

44 And he left them, and went away again, 
and prayed the third time, saying the same 
words. 

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and 
saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your 
rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son 
of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 


m Mark xiv. 36; Luke xxii. 42; Heb. v. 7——® John xii. 27. 
© Chap. xx. 22. 


P John y. 30; vi. 38; Phil. ii. 8—— Mark xiii. 33; xiv. 38; 
Luke xxii. 40, 46; Eph. vi. 18. 


Verse 39. Fell on his face] See the note on Luke 
xxii. 44. This was the ordinary posture of the sup- 
plicant when the favour was great which was asked, 
and deep humiliation required. The head was put be- 
tween the knees, and the forehead brought to touch the 
earth—this was not only 2 humiliating, but a very 
painful posture also. 

This cup] The word cup is frequently used in the 
Sacred Writings to point out sorrow, anguish, terror, 
death. It seems to be an allusion to a very ancient 
method of punishing criminals. A cup of poison was 
put into their hands, and they were obliged to drink it. 
Socrates was killed thus, being obliged by the magis- 
trates of Athens to drink a cup of the juice of hemlock. 
To death, by the poisoned cup, there seems an allu- 
sion in Heb. ii. 9, Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, 
TASTED death for every man. ‘The whole world are 
here represented as standing guilty and condemned be- 
fore the tribunal of God; into every man’s hand the 
deadly cup is put, and he is required to drink off the 
poison—Jesus enters, takes every man’s cup out of 
his hand, and drinks off the poison, and thus tastes or 
suffers the death which every man otherwise must 
have undergone. 

Pass from me] Perhaps there is an allusion here 
to several criminals standing in a row, who are all to 
drink of the same cup; but, the judge extending favour 
to a certain one, the cup passes by him to the next. 

Instead of προελθων ptxpor, going a little forward, 
many eminent MSS. have προσελθων, coming a little 
forward—but the variation is of little moment. At 
the close of this verse several MSS. add the clause in 
Luke xxii. 43, There appeared an angel, &c. 

Verse 40. He—saith unto Peter] He addressed 
himself more particularly to this apostle, because of 
the profession he had made, ver. 33; as if he had 
said: 15 this the way you testify your affectionate 
attachment to me? Ye all said you were ready to die 
with me; what, then, cannot you watch one hour 2” 

Instead of οὐκ ucyvoate, could vE not, the Codex 
Alexandrinus, the later Syriac in the margin, three of 
the Ztala, and Juvencus, read οὐκ ἰσχυσας, couldst THOU 
not—referring the reproach immediately to Peter, who 
had made the promises mentioned before. 

258 


Verse 41. That ye enter not into temptation] If ye 
cannot endure a little fatigue when there is no suffer- 
ing, how will ye do when the temptation, the great 
trial of your fidelity and courage, cometh? Watch— 
that ye be not taken unawares; and pray—that when 
it comes ye may be enabled to bear it. 
but the flesh is weak| Your 
inclinations are good—ye are truly sincere ; but your 
good purposes will be overpowered by your timidity. 
Ye wish to continue steadfast in your adherence to your 
Master; but your fears will lead you to desert him. 

Verse 42. O my Father, if this cup may not pass 
away from me] If it be not possible—to redeem fallen 
man, wnless I drink this cup, unless I suffer death for 
them ; thy will be done—I am content to suffer what- 
ever may be requisite to accomplish the great design. 
In this address the humanity of Christ most evidently 
appears; for it was his hwmanity alone that could 
suffer ; and if it did not appear that he had fel these 
sufferings, it would have been a presumption that he 
had not suffered, and consequently made no atonement. 
And had he not appeared to have been perfectly re- 
signed in these sufferings, his sacrifice could not have 
been a free-will but a constrained offering, and there- 
fore of no use to the salvation of mankind. 

Verse 43. Their eyes were heavy.| That is, they 
could not keep them open. Was there nothing preter- 
natural in thist Was there no influence here from the 
powers of darkness ? 

Verse 44. Prayed the third time] So St. Paul— 
1 besought the Lord Trice that it might depart from 
me, 2 Cor. xii. 8. This thrice repeating the same 
petition argues deep earnestness of soul. 

Verse 45. Sleep on now, and take your rest] Per- 
haps it might be better to read these words interroga- 
tively, and paraphrase them thus: Do ye sleep on 
stul? Will no warnings avail? Will no danger excite 
you to watchfulness and prayer? My howr—in which 
I am to be delivered up, is at hand; therefore now 
think of your own personal safety. 

The Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sin- 
ners.| Ἀμαρτωλων, viz. the Gentiles or heathens, who 
were generally distinguished by this appellation from 
the Jews. Here it probably means the Roman cohort 

(ae Ὶ 


Christ betrayed by Judas, CHAP. 


A.M. 4033. 46 Rise, let us be going: be- 
An, ΕΣ hold, he is at hand that doth be- 
tray me. 

47 % And * while he yet spake, lo, Judas, 
one of the twelve, came, and with him a great 
multitude with swords and staves, from the 
chief priests and elders of the people. 

48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a 
sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that 
same is he: hold him fast. 

49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and 


Mark xiv. 43; Luke xxii. 7; John xviii. 3; Acts i. 61. 
32 Sam. xx. 9. 

that was stationed on festivals for the defence of the 

temple. By the Romans he was adjudged to death; 

for the Jews acknowledged that they had no power in 

capital cases. See the note on chap. ix. 10. 

Verse 46. Rise, let us be going) That is, to meet 
them, giving thereby the fullest proof that I know all 
their designs, and might have, by flight or otherwise, 
provided for my own safety; but I go willingly to 
meet that death which their malice designs me, and, 
through it, provide for the life of the world. 

Verse 27. Judas, one of the twelve] More deeply 
to mark his base ingratitude and desperate wickedness 
—HE was ONE of the TwELVE—and he is a TRAITOR, 
and one of the vilest too that ever disgraced human 
nature. 

A great multitude with swords and staves| They 
did not come as officers of justice, but as a desperate 
mob. Justice had nothing to do in this business. He 
who a little before had been one of the leaders of the 
flock of Christ is now become the leader of ruffians 
and murderers! What a terrible fall ! 

Verse 48. Gave them a sign] How coolly delibe- 
rate is this dire apostate! The man whom 1 shall kiss 
—how deeply hypocritical ! That is he, hold him fast, 
seize him—how diabolically malicious ! 

Hail, Master} A usual compliment among the 
Jews. Judas pretends to wish our Lord continued 
health while he is meditating his destruction! How 
many compliments of this kind are there in the world! 
Judas had a pattern in Joab, who, while he pretends 
to inquire tenderly for the health of Amasa, thrust him 
through with his sword; but the disciple here vastly 
outdoes his master, and through a motive, if possible, 
still more base. Let all those who use unmeaning or 
insidious compliments rank for ever with Joab and Judas. 

And kissed him.) And tenderly kissed him—this is 
the proper meaning of the original word κατεφίλησεν, 
he kissed him again and again—still pretending the 
most affectionate attachment to him, though our Lord 
had before unmasked him. 

Verse 50. Jesus said—Friend] Rather, companion, 
eraipe, (not FRIEND,) wherefore, rather, against whom 
(ἐφ᾽ 6, the reading of all the best MSS.) art thou come 2 
How must these words have cut his very soul, if he 
had any sensibility left! Surely, thou, who hast so 
long been my companion, art not come against me, 
tny Lord, Teacher, and Friend! What is the human 

1 


XXVI. and apprehended by the mob, 


Sand kissed 4. Μ. 4033. 


said, Hail, Master, Nene 


him. 

50 And Jesus said unto him, 
Friend, wherefore art thou come ? Then came 
they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 

51 Ἵ And, behold, “one of them which 
were with Jesus, stretched out Ais hand, and 
drew his sword, and struck a servant of the 
high priest’s, and smote off his ear. 

52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again 
thy sword into his place: ¥ for all they that 


t Psa. xli. 9; lv. 13 -——" John xviii. 10. 
xiii. 10. 


ν Gen. ix. 6; Rev. 


heart not capable of, when abandoned by God, and 
influenced by Satan and the love of money ! 

Laid hands on Jesus| But not before they had felt 
that proof of his sovereign power by which they had 
all been struck down to the earth, John xviii. 6. It 
is strange that, after this, they should dare to approach 
him; but the Scriptures must be fulfilled. 

Verse 51. One of them which were with Jesus] 
This was Peter—struck a servant of the high priest’s, 
the servant’s name was Malchus, John xviii. 10, and 
smote off his ear. In Luke xxii. 51, it is said, Jesus 
touched and healed it. Here was another miracle, and 
striking proof of the Divinity of Christ. Peter did not 
cut the ear, merely, he cut it orr, ἀφειλεν. Now to 
heal it, Jesus must either take up the ear and put it on 
again, or else create a new one—either of these was 
a miracle, which nothing less than unlimited power 
could produce. See the note on John xviii. 10. 

Verse 52. Put up again thy sword into his place} 
Neither Christ nor his religion is to be defended by 
the secular arm. God is sufficiently able to support 
his ark: Uzzah need not stretch out his hand on the 
oceasion. Even the shadow of public justice is not to 
be resisted by a private person, when coming from 
those in public authority. The cause of a Christian 
is the cause of God: sufferings belong to one, and 
vengeance to the other. Let the cause, therefore, rest 
in Ais hands, who will do it ample justice. 

Shall perish with the sword] Instead of ἀπολουνται, 
shall perish, many excellent MSS., versions, and fa- 
thers, have azofavovvra, shall die. The general 
meaning of this verse is, they who contend in battle 
are likely, on both sides, to become the sacrifices of 
their mutual animosities. But it is probably a pro- 
phetic declaration of the Jewish and Roman states. 
The Jews put our Lord to death under the sanction ot 
the Romans—both took the sword against Christ, and 
both perished by it. The Jews by the sword of the 
Romans, and the Romans by that of the Goths, Van- 
dals, &c. The event has verified the prediction—the 
Jewish government has been destroyed upwards ot 
1700 years, and the Roman upwards of 1000. Con- 
fer with this passage, Psa. ii. 4, 9, and ex. 1, 5, 6. 
But how came Peter to have a sword? Judea was at 
this time so infested with robbers and cut-throats that 
it was not deemed safe for any person to go unarmed. 
He probably carried one for his mere personal safety, 

259 


Jesus 15 led away to 


A. M. 4033. : : 
aD oe take the sword, shall perish with 


= cae: the sword. 

—— = 53 ~Thinkest thou that I cannot 
now pray to my Father, and he shall presently 
give me τ more than twelve legions of angels? 

54 But how then shall the scriptures be ful- 
filled, * that thus it must be? 

55 In that same hour said Jesus to the mul- 
titudes, Are ye come out as against a thief 
with swords and staves for to take me? I sat 
daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye 
laid no hold on me. 

56 But all this was done, that the ¥ scrip- 
tures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the house of Caaphas 


z inn πη. Α. M. 4038, 
all the disciples forsook him, ὧἢ ἢ 
and fled. An. Olymp. 

CCIL 1. 


57 9 * And they that had laid hold 
on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high 
priest, where the scribes and the elders were 
assembled. 

58 But Peter followed him, afar off, unto 
the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat 
with the servants, to see the end. 

59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all 
the council, sought false witness against Jesus, 
to put him to death ; 

60 But found none: yea, though > many 
false witnesses came, yet found they none. 


w2 Kings vi. 17; Dan. vii. 10. 
Luke xxiv. 25, 44, 46. ¥ Lam. iv. 20; ver. 54. 


xJsa. 1111. 7, &c.; ver. 24; 
z See John 


Verse 53. More than twelve legions of angels ?] As 
if he had said, Instead of you twelve, one of whom is 
a traitor, my Father can give me more than twelve 
legions of angels to defend me. A legion, at different 
times, contained different numbers; 4,200, 5,000, and 
frequently 6,000 men; and from this saying, taking 
the latter number, which is the common rate, may we 
not safely believe that the angels of God amount to 
more than 72,000 1 

Verse 54. But how then] Had I such a defence— 
shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say, thai thus 
it must be2 That is, that I am to suffer and die for 
the sin of the world. Probably the Scriptures to which 
our Lord principally refers are Psa. xxii, Ixix., and 
especially Isa. liii. and Dan. ix. 24-27. Christ shows 
that they had no power against him but what he 
permitted ; and that he willingly gave up himself into 
their hands. 

Verse 55. Are ye come out as against a thief | At 
this time Judea was much infested by robbers, so that 
armed men were obliged to be employed against them 
—to this our Lord seems to allude. See on ver. 52. 

Isat daily with you] Why come in this hostile 
manner? Every day, for four days past, ye might 
have met with me in the temple, whither I went to 
teach you the way of salvation. See on chap. xxi. 17. 

Verse 56. But all this was done] This is probably 
the observation of the evangelist. See on chap. ii. 23. 

Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.| O what 
is man! How little is even his utmost sincerity to be 
depended on! Jesus is abandoned by all !—even 
zealous Peter and loving John are among the fugitives ! 
Was ever master so served by his scholars? Was 
ever parent so treated by his children? 15 there not 
as much zeal and love among them all as might make 
one martyr for God and truth? Alas! no. He had 
but twelve who professed inviolable attachment to him ; 
one of these betrayed him, another denied him with 
oaths, and the rest run away and utterly abandon him 
to his implacable enemies! Are there not found among 
his disciples still, Ist. Persons who betray him and 
his cause? Qdly. Persons who deny him and his peo- 
ple? 3dly. Persons who abandon him, his people, his 

260 


xviii. 15. a Mark xiv. 53; Luke xxii. 54; John xviii. 12, 13, 24. 
b Psa. xxvii. 12; xxxv. 11; Mark xiv. 55; so Acts vi. 13. 


cause, and his truth? Reader! dost thou belong to any 
of these classes ? 

Verse 57. They—led him away to Caiaphas] John 
says, chap. xviii. 13, that they led him first to Annas , 
but this appears to have been done merely to do him 
honour as the father-in-law of Caiaphas, and his col- 
league in the high priesthood. But as the Sanhedrin 
was assembled at the house of Caiaphas, it was there 
he must be brought to undergo his mock trial : but see 
on John xviii. 13. 

Verse 58. Peter followed him afar off | Poor Peter! 
this is the deginning of his dreadful fall. His fear 
kept him from joining the company, and publicly ac- 
knowledging his Lord; and his affection obliged him 
to follow at a distance that he might see the end. 

And sat with the servants, to see the end.) When a 
man is weak in faith, and can as yet only follow 
Christ at a distance, he should avoid all dangerous 
places, and the company of those who are most likely 
to prove a snare to him. Had not Peter got to the 
high priest’s palace, and sat down with the servants, 
he would not thus have denied his Lord and Master. 

Servants—officers, ὑπηρετῶν. Such as we term 
serjeants, constables, &c. 

Verse 59. All the council sought false witness 
What a prostitution of justice !—they first resolve to 
ruin him, and then seek the proper means of effecting 
it: they declare him criminal, and after that do all 
they can to fix some crime upon him, that they may ap- 
pear to have some shadow of justice on their side when 
they put him to death. Itseems to have been a com- 
mon custom of this vile court to employ false witness, 
on any occasion, to answer their ownends. See this 
exemplified in the case of Stephen, Acts vi. 11-13. 

Verse 60. Though many false witnesses came} 
There is an unaccountable confusion in the MSS. in 
this verse : without stating the variations, which may 
be seen in Griesbach, I shall give that which I believe 
to be the genuine sense of the evangelist. Then the 
chief priests and elders, and all the council, sought 
false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; but 
they found it not, though many false witnesses came 
up. At last two false witnesses came up, saying 

1 


CHAP 


AM. 453 At the last © came two false wit- 
An, Olymp. nesses, 

ors 61 And said, This fellow said, 41 
am able to destroy the temple of God, and to 
build it in three days. 

62 ° And the high priest arose, and said unto 
him, Answerest thou nothing? what is τέ 
which these witness against thee 7 

63 But ‘Jesus held his peace. And the 
high priest answered and said unto him, 5.1 
adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell 
us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 


The high priest accuses 


© Deut. xix. 15.—4 Chap. xxvii. 40 ; Johnii. 19——® Mark xiv. 60. 
€Jsa. lili. 7; ch. xxvii. 12, 14.——s Lev. v. 1; 1 Sam. xiv. 24, 26. 
b Dan. vii. 13; chap. xvi. 27; xxiv. 30; Luke xxi. 27; xxv. 31; 


This man said, ὅς. It is the property of falsity to be 
ever inconsistent, and to contradict itself; therefore 
they could not find two consistent testimonies, without 
which the Jewish law did not permit any person to be 
put to death. However, the hand of God was in this 
business: for the credit of Jesus, and the honour of 
the Christian religion, he would not permit him to be 
condemned on a false accusatiou; and, therefore, at 
last they were obliged to change their ground, and, to 
the eternal confusion of the unrighteous council, he is 
condemned on the very evidence of his own innocence, 
purity, and truth! 

Verse 61. I am able to destroy the temple of God | 
Ist. These words were not fairly quoted. Jesus had 
said, John ii. 19, Destroy this temple, and I will build 
ut again in three days. 2dly. The inuendo which 
they produce. applying these words to a pretended de- 
sign to destroy the temple at Jerusalem, was utterly 
unfair ; for these words he spoke of the temple of his 
dody. Itis very easy, by means of a few small alter- 
ations, to render the most holy things and innocent 
persons odious to the world, and even to take away 
the life of the innocent. 

Verse 62. Answerest thou nothing 3] The accusation 
was so completely frivolous that it merited no notice : 
besides, Jesus knew that they were determined to put 
him to death, and that his hour was come ; and that 
therefore remonstrance or defence would be of no use: 
he had often before borne sufficient testimony to the 
truth. 

Verse 63. I adjure thee by the living God] I put 
thee to thy oath. To this solemn adjuration Christ 
immediately replies, because he is now called on, in 
the name of God, to bear another testimony to the 
truth. The authority of God in the most worthless 
magistrate should be properly respected. However 
necessary our Lord saw it to be silent, when the ac- 
cusations were frivolous, and the evidence contradicto- 
ry, he felt no disposition to continue this silence, when 
questioned concerning a truth, for which he came into 
the world to shed his blood. 

Verse 64. Thou hast said] That is, I am the Christ, 
the promised Messiah, (see on ver. 25 ;) and you and 


this whole nation shall shortly have the fullest proof ! 


1 


XXVI. him of blasphemy 
A. M. 4033 
A. D. 29. 
An. Olymp. 


64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou 
hast said: nevertheless 1 say unto eee 
you, ἃ Hereafter shall ye see the ———— 
Son of man ‘sitting on the right hand of 
power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

65 ‘Then * the high priest rent his clothes, 
saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what far- 
ther need have we of witnesses: behold, now 
ye have heard his blasphemy. 

66 What think ye? They answered and 
said, 1 He is guilty of death. 

67 ™ Then did they spit in his face, and buf- 


John i. 51; Rom. xiv. 10; 1 Thess. iv. 16; Rev. i.7.— Psa. ex.1; 
Acts vii. 55 ——* 2 Kings xviii. 37; xix. 1—! Lev. xxiv. 16; 
John xix. 7——™ Isa. ]. 6; lili. 3; chap. xxvii. 30. 


of it: for hereafter, in a few years, ye shall see the 
Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, fully 
invested with absolute dominion, and coming in the 
clouds of heaven, to execute judgment upon this wicked 
race. See chap. xxiv. 30. Our Lord appears to refer 
to Dan. vii. 13: One like the Son of man came with 
the clouds of heaven, &c. This may also refer to the 
final judgment. 

Verse 65. The high priest rent his clothes] This 
rending of the high priest’s garments was expressly 
contrary to the law, Ley. x. 6, and xxi. 10. But it 
was a common method of expressing violent grief, Gen. 
Xxxvii. 29, 34; Job i. 20, and horror at what was 
deemed blasphemous or impious. 2 Kings xviii. 37; 
xix. 1; Acts xiv. 14. All that heard a blasphemous 
speech were obliged to rend their clothes, and never 
to sew them up again. See Lightfoot. 

He hath spoken blasphemy] Quesnel’s note on this 
is worthy of notice. ‘See here a false zeal, a mask 
of religion, and a passionate and seditious way of pro- 
ceeding, tending only to incense and stir up others, all 
which are common to those who would oppress truth 
by cabal, and without proof. By erying out, ‘ heresy, 
blasphemy, and faction,’ though contrary to all appear- 
ance, men fail not to stir up those in power, to gain 
the simple, to give some shadow of authority to the ill- 
disposed, to cast devout but ignorant people into scru- 
ples, and thereby to advance the mystery of iniquity, 
which is the mystery of all ages.” This was the very 
plan his Catholic brethren adopted in this country, in 
the reign of Queen Mary, called the bloody queen, be- 
cause of the many murders of righteous men which she 
sanctioned at the mouth of her Catholic priesthood. 

Verse 66. He is guilty of death.| Evoyoc θανατοῦν 
ἔστι, he is liable to death. ΑἸ] the forms of justice 
are here violated. The judge becomes a party and 
accuser, and proceeds to the verdict without examining 
whether all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, and 
the innumerable miracles which he wrought, did not 
justify him. Examination and proof are the ruin of all 
calumnies, and of the authors of them, and therefore 
they take care to keep off from these two things. See 
Quesnel. 

Verse 67. Then did they spit in his face] This was 

261 


Peter denies his Master 


A.M. 4033. feted him; and ® others smote him 
An. Olymp. with ° the palms of their hands, 

505: 68 Saying, ? Prophesy unto us, 
thou Christ, Who is he tat smote thee ? 

69 J «1 Now Peter sat without in the palace: 
and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou 
also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 

70 But he denied before them all, saying, I 
know not what thou sayest. 

71 And when he was gone out into the porch, 
another mazd saw him, and said unto them that 
were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of 
Nazareth. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


with oaths and curses. 


72 And again he denied with an ae aoe 
oath, I do not know the man. An. Olymp. 
73 And after a while came unto ee 
him they that stood by, and said to Peter, 
Surely thou also art one of them; for thy 

‘speech bewrayeth thee. 

74 Then * began he to curse and to swear, 
saying, | know not the man. And immediately 
the cock crew. 

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, 
which said unto him, * Before the cock crow, 
thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out 
and wept bitterly. 


a Luke xxii. 63; John xix. 3. © Or, rods. P Mark xiv. 65; 
Luke xxii. 64——9 Mark xiv. 66; Luke xxii. 55 ; John xviii. 16, 


17, 25." Luke xxii. 59.——s Mark xiv. 71—+ Ver. 34; Mark 
xiv. 30; Luke xxii. 61, 62; John xiii. 38. 


done as a mark of the most profound contempt. See 
Job xvi. 10, and xxx. 10; Isa. 1.6; Micah v.1. The 
judges now delivered him into the hands of the mod. 

And buffeted him] Smote him with their fists, 
exodadicav. ‘This is the translation of Theophylact. 
Κολαφιζειν, says he, means, “ to beat with the hand, the 
Singers being clenched. Συγκαμτομενων tov δακτυλων, 
or, to speak more briefly, to buffet with the fist.” 

Smote him with the palms of their hands| Eppazicav. 
Ῥαπίζω, says Suidas, means ““παταξαι τὴν γναθον απλη 
τὴ χειρι, to smite the cheek with the open hand.” Thus 
they offered him indignity in all its various and vexa- 
tious forms. Insults of this kind are never forgiven 
by the world : Jesus not only takes no revenge, (though 
*t be completely in his power,) but bears all with meek- 
ness, without even one word of reply. 

Verse 68. Prophesy unto us, thow Christ] Their 
conduct toward him now was expressly prophesied of, 
by a man whose Divine mission they did not pretend 
to deny; see Isa. 1.6. It appears that, before they 
buffeted him, they bound up his eyes, see Mark xiv. 65. 

Verse 69. A damsel came unto him] A maid servant, 
παιδισκη. See this translation vindicated by Kypke. 

Thou also wast with Jesus| What a noble opportu- 
nity had Peter now to show his zeal for the insulted 
cause of truth, and his attachment to his Master. But, 
alas! he is shorn of his strength. Constables and 
maid servants are no company for an apostle, except 
when he is delivering to them the message of salvation. 
Evil communications corrupt good manners. Had 
Peter been in better company, he would not have had 
so foul a fall. 

Verse 70. But he denied before them all] So the 
evil principle gains ground. Before, he followed at a 
distance, now he denies; this is the second gradation 
in his fall. 

Verse 71. Unto them that were there] Instead of 
λέγει τοῖς exer" Kat, more than one hundred MSS., many 
of which are of the first authority and antiquity, have 
λέγει αὑτοῖς" exer καὶ, she saith unto them, this man 
was THERE also. 1 rather think this is the genuine 
reading. Toc’ might have been easily mistaken for 
αὐτοῖς, it the first syllable av were but a little faded 
in a MS. from which others were copied: and then 
the placing of the point after exec: instead of after 

262 


αὐτοῖς" would naturally follow, as placed after τοῖς, it 
would make no sense. Griesbach approves of this 
reading. 

Verse 72. And again he denied with an oath] This 
is a third gradation of his iniquity. He has told a le, 
and he swears to support it. A liar has always some 
suspicion that his testimony is not credited, for he is 
conscious to his own falsity, and is therefore naturally 
led to support his assertions by oaths. 

Verse 73. Thy speech] Thy manner of speech, ἢ 
λαλια cov, that dialect of thine—his accent being dif- 
ferent from that of Jerusalem. From various exam- 
ples given by Lightfoot and Schoettgen, we find that 
the Galileans had a very corrupt pronunciation, fre- 
quently interchanging δὲ, 7, ΤΊ, and }’, and so blending 
or dividing words as to render them unintelligible, or 
cause them to convey a contrary sense. 

Bewrayeth thee.| Δηλον ce ποίει, maketh thee mani- 
fest, from the Anglo-saxon bepnegan, to accuse, betray ; 
a word long since lost from our language. 

Verse 74. Then began he to curse and to swear] 


Rather, Then he began positively to affirm—karabeua- 


τιζειν, from κατα intensive, and riOnue 7 lay down, place, 
affirm. But the common reading is καταναθεματιζειν, 
which signifies to wish curses on himself. The former 
reading is supported by almost every MS. of value, 
and is, beyond dispute, the true reading, and has been 
received by Griesbach into the text. The business is 
bad enough, but the common reading makes it worse. 
In ver. 72, Peter is said to deny with an oath; here, 
he positively affirms and swears, probably by the name 
of God, for this is the import of the word ομνῦυειν. 
This makes the fourth and final gradation in the cli- 
max of Peter’s fall. From these awful beginnings it 
is not unfair to conclude that Peter might have gone 
almost as far as Judas himself, had not the traitorous 
business been effected before. Yet all this evil sprung 
simply from the fear of man. How many denials of 
Christ and his truth have sprung since, from the same 
cause ! 

The cock crew] This animal becomes, in the hand 
of God, the instrument of awaking the fallen apostle, 
at last, to a sense of his fall, danger, and duty. When 
abandoned of God, the smallest thing may become the 


| occasion of a fall; and, when in the hand of God, the 


1 


Considerations on the 


smallest matter may become the instrument of our 
restoration. Let us never think lightly of what are 
termed /ittle sins: the smallest one has the seed of 
eternal ruin in it. Let us never think contemptibly of 
the feeblest means of grace: each may have the seed 
of eternal salvation in it. Let us ever remember 
that the great Apostle Peter fell through fear of a ser- 
vant maid, and rose through the crowing of a cock. 

Verse 75. Peter remembered the word of Jesus] St. 
Luke says, chap. xxii. 61, The Lord turned and looked 
upon Peter. So it appears he was nigh to our Lord, 
either at the time when the cock crew, or shortly after. 
The delicacy of this reproof was great—he must be 
reproved and alarmed, otherwise he will proceed yet 
farther in his iniquity ; Christ is in bonds, and cannot 
go and speak to him; if he call aloud, the disciple is 
discovered, and falls a victim to Jewish malice and 
Roman jealousy ; he therefore does the whole by a Zook. 
In the hand of Omnipotence every thing is easy, and 
he can save by a few, as well as by many. 

He went out] He left the place where he had sin- 
ned, and the company which had been the occasion of 
his transgression. 

And wept bitterly.) Felt bitter anguish of soul, 
which evidenced itself by the tears of contrition which 
flowed plentifully from his eyes. Let him that stand- 
eth take heed lest he fall! Where the mighty have 
been slain, what shall support the feeble? Only the 
grace of the atmicury God. 

This transaction is recorded by the inspired penmen, 
ast. That all may watch unto prayer, and shun the 
occasions of sin. 2dly. That if a man be unhappily 
overtaken in a fault, he may not despair, but cast him- 
self immediately with a contrite heart on the infinite 
tenderness and compassion of God. See the notes 
on John xviii. 27. 

Τ have touched on the subject of our Lord’s anoint- 
ang but slightly in the preceding notes, because the 
controversy upon this point is not yet settled ; and, ex- 
cept to harmonists, it is a matter of comparatively little 
importance. Bishop Neweome has written largely on 
this fact, and I insert an extract from his notes. 


BISHOP NEWCOME’S ACCOUNT OF THE ANOINTING OF OUR 
LORD. 


“ The histories of Jesus’ unction, in Matthew, Mark, 
and John, are accounts of the same fact. Hoc firum 
maneat, eandem ab omnibus historiam referri. Calv. 
Harm. p. 375. 

“ The following objections to this position occur in 
Lightfoot, Whiston, Whithy, and Macknight. 

Ist. “The unction recorded by St. John happens 
six days before the passover; but the other unction 
is fixed to the second day before that feast. 

«“ Ans. The day of the entertainment related John 
xii. 2, is not restrained to the sixth day before the 
passover. Quo die factum illi fuerit convivium, in 
quo a Maria unctus est, Johannes non exprimit. Calv. 
Harm. Johann. p. 144. Ver. 12, 13, much people are 
said to meet Jesus on the day after his arrival at Beth- 
any, not on the day after his unction. See ver. 9. St. 
John has recorded events on the sixth and on the fifth 
day before the passover ; and then, chap. xiii. 1, he pro- 
ceeds to the evening on which the passover was eaten. 


CHAP. 


XXVI. anonting of our Lord 
On this account he anticipates the history of Jesus's 
unction ; and he naturally anticipates it on mentioning 
the place where it happened. 

Qdly. “The scene in St. John is the house of Mar- 
tha, or of Lazarus; in the other evangelists, that of 
Simon the leper. 

* Ans. St. John lays the scene in general at Bethany. 

“Tt seems probable that Lazarus would not have been 
ealled ele τῶν ἀνακειμένων, if he had been the host. 

“Martha, the sister of Lazarus, might show Jesus 
honour by ministering to him in any house as well as 
her own. ‘She was Simon’s neighbour, and perhaps 
his relation, Dr. Priestley, Harm. p. 102. Our Lord’s 
affection for Lazarus and his sister, and the recent 
miracle wrought on Lazarus, were very sufficient rea- 
sons for Simon’s invitation of such neighbouring guests. 

3dly. “St. John mentions the feet of Jesus as an- 
ointed by Mary, and wiped with her hair; the other evan- 
gelists say that the ointment was poured on Jesus’s head. 

“Ans. Tt is no where asserted that the unction 
was of Jesus’s head only, or of his feet only : both ac- 
tions are consistent ; and St. John, in his supplemental 
history, may very well have added the respectful con- 
duct of Mary, that, after having anointed Jesus’s head, 
she proceeded to anoint his feet, and even to wipe them 
with her hair. 

4thly. “In St. John, Judas alone murmurs : in St. 
Matthew, the disciples have indignation; or, as St. 
Mark expresses it, some have indignation among 
themselves. 

“ Ans. Dr. Lardner says, Serm. vol. ii. p. 316: 
‘Tt is well known to be very common with all writers 
to use the plural number when one person only is in- 
tended; nor is it impossible that others might have 
some uneasiness about it, though they were far from 
being so disgusted at it as Judas was. And their con- 
cern for the poor was sincere : his was self-interested 
and mere pretence.’ 

* Grotius’s words are: Reprehensa est hoc nomine 
mulier ab uno discipulorum ; nam ita pluralis accipi 
solet. 

5thly. “ The vindications of the woman by our 
Lord differ so much as to show that the occasions 
were different. 

“ Ans. St. John’s words are indeed thus misinter- 
preted by Baronius: Let her alone, that she may keep 
it against the day of my burial, alluding to Mark xvi. 
1. See Lightfoot, Harm. p. 27. See also Lightfoot, 
ib. 1.251. ‘She hath kept it yet, and not spent all ; 
that she may bestow it on a charitable use, the anoint- 
ing of my body to its burial.’ 

“Whiston also, Harm. 129, gives a wrong sense to 
the words. She hath spent but little of it now: she 
hath reserved the main part of it for a fitter time, the 
day before my delivery to the Jews; making this τ, 
prediction of what passed, Matt. xxvi. 6-13 ; Mark 
xiv. 3-9. It must be observed that John xii. 7, there 
is a remarkable various reading : iva εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τῇ 
ἐνταῤιασμᾶ μὲ τηρῆσῃ αὐτό. See Wetstein, and add 
Codd. Vercell. and Veron. in Blanchini. Of this read- 
ing we have a sound interpretation in Mill, proleg. xlv. 
Sine eam ut opportune usa hoc unguento, velut ad 
sepulturam meam, jamjam occidendi, illud servasse 
ostendatur. And likewise in Bengelius ad loc. who 

263 


Considerations on the 


observes that the common reading is, Facilioris sensis 
causa; and adds, Verbum τηρήσῃ servaret, pendet ex 
praterito, cujus vis latet in αφες αὐτῆν, i. 6. Noli re- 
prehendere hanc, que unguentum ideo nec vendidit, nec 
pauperibus dedit, ut, &e. And the common reading is 
thus rightly explained by Lightfoot, 2, 588. ‘If Ba- 
ronius’s exposition do not take, then add this clause :— 
Let her alone; for this may be an argument and sign 
that she hath not done this vainly, luxuriously, or upon 
any delicacy spent so costly an ointment upon me ; be- 
cause she hath reserved it for this time, wherein I am 
so near my grave and funeral, and poured it not on me 
before.’ Lardner’s comment, whi supra, p. 312, is ap- 
plicable to the three evangelists. If this ointment 
were laid out upon a dead body, you would not think a 
too much. You may consider this anointing as an em- 
balming of me. ‘The words are a prediction of Christ’s 
death, which was to happen on the third day after; 
and they are a prediction beautifully taken from the 
occasion. She has done this to embalm me, Matt. 
She has anticipated the embalming of me, Mark. She 
has not sold this ointment, and given it to the poor, 
that she might reserve it to this day, which is, as it 
were, the day of my embalming, so soon is my burial 
to follow, John. 

“Dr. Scott, on Matthew, quotes the following pas- 
sage from Theophylact : ἔθος ἦν τοῖς Τεδαίοις μετὰ μύ- 
ρων ἐνταφιάζειν τά σώματα, ὡς καὶ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι εποιδν, 
διὰ τὸ ἄσηπτα τηρεισθαι, καὶ ἄνευ δυσωδίας. It was a 
custom among the Jews, as well as among the Egyp- 
tians, to embalm the bodies of the dead, as well to keep 
them from putrefaction, as to prevent offensive smells. 

“ The expressions therefore of the three evangelists 
agree in sense and substance. I have explained the 
more difficult in St. John; leaving every one to his 
own judgment whether it be the true one or not; 
though I incline to think that the unusual phrase 
ought generally to be admitted into the text. 

“ 6thly. In St. John, Mary anoints Jesus; in Mat- 
thew and Mark, a woman not named. 

“ Ans. Lardner says, ubi supra, p. 315. ‘St. John 
having before given the history of the resurrection of 
Lazarus, it was very natural for him, when he came 
to relate this anointing of our Lord, to say by whom it 
was done. But the two former evangelists having 
never mentioned Lazarus or his sisters in their Gospels, 
when they came to relate this action forbear to men- 
tion any name, and speak only of a certain woman. 
Luke, x. 38—42, has an account of our Lord’s being 
entertained at the house of Martha. But he says no- 
thing of this anointing. If he had related it, 1 make 
no question that he, like St. John, would have said by 
whom it was done.’ Upon the whole, there is no solid 
objection to the hypothesis, that we have three accounts 
of the same transaction. But it is incredible that there 
should be two unctions of Jesus, in Bethany, within 
four days, not plainly distinguished from each other ; 
that the kind and price of the ointment should be the 
same}; that the two actions should be censured in the 
same manner; and that words to the same effect 
should be used in defence of the woman who anointed 
Jesus, within so short a ¢ime, in the same place, and 
among the same persons. See Doddridge on John 
xu. 1 As to the precise time of this transaction, it | 

264 


ST. MATTHEW. 


anointing of our Lord 


is natural to conclude from the accounts of Matthew 
and Mark, that it happened two days before the pass- 
over. I had much pleasure in observing that Mr 
Jebb, in his Harmony, assigns it the same order as 1 
do. I likewise find in Ward’s Dissertations, p. 112, 
the following remark. ‘John only mentions the day 
when Jesus came to Bethany, without specifying the 
time when he was entertained there by Simon the 
leper; whereas the other two evangelists acquaint us 
with the day when that was done, and what followed 
upon it, with relation to Judas.2 And again, Wall 
says, Critical Notes, v. 3. p. 52: ‘ Wednesday he 
seems to have stayed at Bethany, and supped there. At 
which supper, Mary, sister of Lazarus, poured that 
ointment on his body which he interpreted to be for 
his burial.’ And on John xii. 2: ‘This seems to be 
the same supper which Matthew and Mark do say was 
at the house of Simon the leper; for there it was that 
Mary anointed him. But then we must not take it to 
be the same night that he came to Bethany, but two 
days before the passover.’ 

“That Judas went to the high priests on the even- 
ing or night of our Wednesday, may be collected from 
Matt. xxvi. 14-17, and the parallel places in this 
harmony ; and he seems to have acted partly in dis- 
gust at what had passed. This is a good argument 
for fixing the unction for Wednesday. As it will ap- 
pear that the other apostles did not suspect his treach- 
ery, we may suppose that Judas withdrew himself 
clandestinely, probably after our Lord had retired to 
privacy and devotion. Our Lord’s words, Matt. xvi. 
2, may have led Mary to show this respect to Jesus, 
lest no future opportunity should offer. See Lardner, 
ubt supra, p. 327. Dr. Priestley thinks that ‘if the 
verses that contain this story in Matt. xxvi. 6-13, be 
considered, they will be found to stand very awkwardly 
in their present situation, where they interrupt an ac- 
count of a consultation among the Jews about putting 
Jesus to death.” Harm. p. 100. But it seems to me 
that the story has a remarkably apt connection with 
the preceding and subsequent history. The Jewish 
rulers consult how they may take Jesus by crait, and 
without raising a tumult among the people. An acci- 
dent happens which offends one of Jesus’s familiar 
attendants; who immediately repairs to Jesus’s ene- 
mies, and receives from them a bribe to betray him in 
the absence of the multitude.” Newcome’s Harmony, 
Notes p. 39, &c. 

I have added the above, not from a conviction that 
the point is so elucidated as to settle the controversy, 
but merely to place before the reader both sides of the 
question. Still, sub judice lis est; and any man may 
doubt, consistently with the most genuine piety, whe- 
ther the relations given by the evangelists, concerning 
the @nointing of our Lord, should be understood of 
two different unetions, at two different t2mes, m two 
different places, by two different persons ; or whether 
they are not different accounts, with some varying cir- 
cumstances, of one and the same transaction. I incline, 
at present, to the former opinion, but it would be rask 
to decide where so many eminently learned and wise 
men have disagreed. 

The question considered, whether our Lord ate the 
passover with his disciples before he suffered > 
1 


CHAP. 


Every candid person must allow that there are great 
difficulties relative to the ¢ime in which our Lord ate 
the last passover with his disciples. In the Jntroduc- 
tion to my Discourse on the nature and design of the 
Holy Eucharist, I have examined this subject at large, 
and considered the four following opinions, viz. 1. 
Our Lord did not eat the passover on the last year of 
his ministry. 11. Our Lord did eat it that year; and 
at the same time with the Jews. III. He did eat it 
that year, but noé at the same time with the Jews. 
IV. He did eat a passover of his own instituting, but 
widely differing from that eaten by the Jews. The two 
first opinions do not appear to be solidly supported. 
The two last are of the most importance, are the most 
likely, and may be harmonized. I shall introduce a 
few observations on each in this place. And I. On 
the opinion that “ our Lord did eat the passover this 
year, but not at the same time with the Jews.” 

Dr. Cudworth, who of all others has handled this 
subject best, has proved from the Talmud, Mishna, and 
some of the most reputable of the Jewish rabbins, that 
the ancient Jews, about our Saviour’s time, often 
solemnized as well the passovers as the other feasts, 
upon the ferias next before and after the Sabbaths. 
And, that as the Jews in ancient times reckoned the 
new moons, not according to astronomical exactness, 
but according to the φασις, or moon’s appearance : 
and, as this appearance might happen a day Jater than 
the real time, consequently there might be a whole 
day of difference in the time of celebrating one of these 
feasts, which depended on a particular day of the 
month ; the days of the month being counted from the 
gacic, or appearance of the new moon. As he de- 
scribes the whole manner of doing this, both from the 
Babylonish Talmud, and from Maimonides, I shall give 
an extract from this part of his work, that my readers 
may have the whole argument before them. 

“In the great or outer court there was a house 
called Beth Yazek, where the senate sat all the 30th 
day of every month, to receive the witnesses of the 
moon’s appearance, and to examive them. If there 
came approved witresses ca ithe $0th day, who could 
state they had seen the new moon, the chief man of 
the senate stood up, and cried wap mekuddash, it is 
sanctified ; and the people standing by caught the word 
from him, and cried, Mekuddash! mekuddash! But 
if, when the consistory had sat all the day, and there 
came no approved witnesses of the phasis, or appear- 
ance of the new moon, then they made an intercalation 
of one day in the former month, and decreed the fol- 
lowing one and thirtieth day to be the calends. But 
if, after the fourth or fifth day, or even before the end 
of the month, respectable witnesses came from far, 
and testified they had seen the new moon in its due 
time, the senate were bound to alter the beginning of 
the month, and reckon it a day sooner, viz. from the 
thirtieth day. 

“As the senate were very unwilling to be at the 
trouble of a second consecration, when they had even 
fixed on a wrong day, and therefore received very re- 
luctantly the testimony of such witnesses as those last 
mentioned, they afterwards made a statute to this 
effect— That whatsoever time the senate should conclude 
on for the calends of the month, though it were certain 


Whether our Lord ate the 


XXVI. passover before he suffered 
they were in the wrong, yet all were bound to order 
their feasts according to it.” This, Dr. Cudworth 
supposes, actually took place in the time of our Lord ; 
and “ as it is not likely that our Lord would submit to this 
perversion of the original custom, and that following 
the true gacic, or appearance of the new moon, con- 
firmed by sufficient witnesses, he and his disciples ate 
the passover on that day; but the Jews, following the 
pertinacious decree of the Sanhedrin, did not eat it till 
the day following.” Dr. C. farther shows from Epi- 
phanius, that there was a contention, θορυβος, a tumult, 
among the Jews about the passover, that very year. 
Hence it is likely that what was the real paschal day 
to our Lord, his disciples, and many other pious Jews 
who adopted the true φασις phasis, was only the pre- 
paration or antecedent evening to others, who acted 
on the decree of the senate. Besides, it is worthy of 
note, that not only the Karaites, who do not acknow- 
ledge the authority of the Sanhedrin, but also the raé- 
bins themselves grant that, where the case is doubtful, 
the passover should be celebrated with the same cere- 
monies, two days together; and it was always doubt- 
ful, when the appearance of the new moon could not 
be fully ascertained. 

Bishop Pearce supposes that it was lawful for the 
Jews to eat the paschal lamb at any time between the 
evening of Thursday. and that of Friday; and that 
this permission was necessary, because of the immense 
number of lambs which were to be killed for that pur- 
pose: as, in one year, there were not fewer than 
256,500 lambs offered. See Josephus, War, b. vii. ec. 
9. sect. 3. In Matt. xxvi. ver. 17, it is said, Now 
the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, (ry de 
πρώτῃ τῶν afvuwv,) the disciples came to Jesus, saying 
unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to 
eat the passover? As the feast of unleavened bread 
did not begin till the day after the passover, the fifteenth 
day of the month, Lev. xxiii. 5,6; Num. xxviii. 16, 
17, this could not have been properly the first day of 
that feast; but, as the Jews began to eat unleavened 
bread on the fourteenth day, Exod. xii. 18, this day 
was often termed the first of unleavened bread. Now 
it appears that the evangelists use it in this sense, ana 
call even the paschal day by this name, see Mark xiv 
12; Luke xxii. 7. 

At first view, this third opinion, which states that 
Christ did eat the passover with his disciples that year, 
but not in the same hour with the Jews; and that he 
expired on the cross the same hour in which the pas- 
chal lamb was killed, seems the most probable. For it 
appears, from what has already been remarked, that 
our Lord and his disciples ate the passover some hours 
before the Jews ate theirs ; for they, according to cus- 
tom, ate theirs at the end of the fourteenth day, but 
Christ appears to have eaten his the preceding evening, 
which was the beginning of the same sixth day of the 
week, or Friday, for the Jews began their day at sun- 
setting ; we at midnight. Thus Christ ate the pass- 
over the same day with the Jews, but not on the same 
hour. Christ, therefore, kept this passover the begin- 
ning of the fourteenth day, the precise day in which 
the Jews had eaten their first passover in Egypt: see 
Exod. xii. 6-12. And in the same part of the same 
day in which they had sacrificed their first pasehal 

265 


Whether our Lord ate the 


lamb, viz. between the two evenings, i, e. between the 
sun’s declining west and his setting, Jesus, our pass- 
over was sacrificed for us. For it was the third hour, 
in the course of between 9 and 12, Mark xv. 25, that 
Christ was nailed to the cross: and in the course of 
the ninth hour, between 12 and 3 in the afternoon, 
Matt. xxvii. 46; Mark xv. 34, Jesus, knowing that 
the antetype had accomplished every thing shadowed 
forth by the type, said, “It is rinisHEeD,” τετέλεσται, 
completed, perfected, and, having thus said, he bowed 
his head, and dismissed his spirit. See on John xix. 
14, 30. 

Probably there is but one objection of any force that 
lies against the opinion, that our Lord ate his passover 
some hours before the Jews in general ate theirs; which 
is that, if our Lord did eat the passover the evening 
before the Jews in general ate ¢hezrs, it could not have 
been sacrificed according to the law; nor is it at all 
likely that the blood was sprinkled at the foot of the 
altar. If, therefore, the blood was not thus sprinkled 
by one of the priests, that which constituted the very 
essence of the rite, as ordained by God, was lacking 
in that celebrated by our Lord. 

To this it is answered :—First, we have already 
seen that, in consequence of the immense number of 
sacrifices to be offered on the paschal solemnity, it is 
highly probable the Jews were obliged to employ two 
days for this work. It is not at all likely that the 
blood of 256,500 lambs could be shed and sprinkled 
at one altar, in the course of one day, by all the priests 
in Jerusalem, or indeed in the Holy Land; since they 
had but that one altar where they could legally sprinkle 
the blood of the victims. 

Secondly, we have also seen that, in cases of doubt 
relative to the time of the appearance of the new moon, 
the Jews were permitted to hold the passover both 
days; and that it is probable such a dubious case ex- 
isted at the time in question. In any of these cases 
the lamb might have been killed and its blood sprinkled 
according to the rules and ceremonies of the Jewish 
Church. 

Thirdly, as our Lord was the true paschal lamb, who 
was, in a few hours after this time, to bear away the 
sin of the world, he might dispense with this part of 
the ceremony, and act as Lord of his own institution 
in this, as he had done before in the case of the Sab- 
bath. At any rate, as it seems probable that he ate 
the passover at this time, and that he died about the 
time the Jews offered theirs, it may be fully presumed 
that he left nothing undone towards a due performance 
of the rite which the present necessity required, or the 
law of God could demand. 

The objection that our Lord and his disciples appear 
to have sat or reclined at table all the time they ate 
what is supposed above to have been the passover, 
e¢ntrary to the paschal institution, which required them 
to eat it standing, with their staves in their hands, their 
loins girded, and their shoes on, cannot be considered 
as having any great weight in it; for, though the 
terms ἀνέκειτο, Matt. xxvi. 20, and averece, Luke xxii. 
14, are used in reference to their eating that evening, 
and these words signify reclining at table, or on a 
couch, as is the custom of the orientals, it does not 
follow that they must necessarily be restrained to that 

266 


ST. MATTHEW. 


passover before he suffered 


meaning ; nor does it appear that this part of the cere- 
mony was much attended to, perhaps not at all, in the 
latter days of the Jewish Church. 

The second opinion which we have to examine is 
this: Our Lord did eat a passover of his own instituting 
but widely different from that eaten by the Jews. 

Mr. Toinard, in his Greek Harmony of the Gospels, 
strongly contends that our Lord did not eat what is 
commonly called the passover this year, but another, 
of a mystical kind. His chief arguments are the fol 
lowing :— 

It is indubitably evident, from the text of St. John, 
that the night on the beginning of which our Lord 
supped with his disciples, and instituted the holy sacra- 
ment, was not that on which the Jews celebrated the 
passover; but the preceding evening, on which the 
passover could not be legally offered. The conclusion 
is evident from the following passages: John xiii. 1. 
Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing, 
Ver. 2. And supper, (not the paschal, but an 
ordinary supper,) being ended, &c. Ver. 27. That 
thou doest, do quickly. Ver. 28. Now no one at the 
table knew for what intent he spake this. Ver. 29. 
For some thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus 
had said unto him, Buy what we have need of against 
the feast, &c. Chap. xviii. 28. Then led they Jesus 
from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment, and it was 
early ; and they themselves went not into the judg- 
ment hall, lest they should be defiled, but that they 
might eat the passover. Chap. xix. 14. And it was 
the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth 
hour. Now as it appears that at this time the disciples 
thought our Lord had ordered Judas to go and bring 
what was necessary for the passover, and they were 
then supping together, it is evident that it was not 
the paschal lamb on which they were supping ; and it 
is as evident, from the unwillingness of the Jews to 
go into the hall of judgment, that they had not as yet 
eaten the passover. These words are plain, and can 
be taken in no other sense, without offering them the 
greatest violence. 

Mr. Toinard, having found that our Lord was eru- 
cified the sixth day of the week, (Friday,) during the 
paschal solemnity, in the thirty-third year of the vulgar 
zra, and that the paschal moon of that year was not 
in conjunction with the sun till the afternoon of Thurs- 
day the 19th of March, and that the new moon could 
not be seen in Judea until the following day, (Friday,) 
concluded that the intelligence of the φασιίς, or appear- 
ance of the new moon, could not be made by the wit- 
nesses to the beth din, or senate, sooner than Satur- 
day morning, the 21st of March. That the first day 
of the first Jewish month, Nisan, could not commence 
that thirty-third year sooner than the setting of the 
sun on Friday, March 20th; and, consequently, that 
Friday, April 3d, 6n which Christ died, was the 14th 
of Nisan, (not the 15th,) the day appointed by the law 
for the celebration of the passover. All these points 
he took care to haye ascertained by the nicest astro- 
nomical calculations, in which he was assisted by a 
very eminent astronomer and mathematician, Bullial- 
dus. (Mr. Bouilleau.) 

These two last opinions, apparently contradictory. 
and which alone, of all those offered on the subject, 

1 


&e. 


Whether our Lord ate the 


deserve consideration, may be brought to harmonize. 
That Jesus ate the passover with his disciples the eve- 
ning before the Jews ate theirs, seems pretty clearly 
proved from the text of St. Luke, and the arguments 
founded on that text. 

All that is assumed there, to make the whole con- 
sistent, is, that the Jews that year held the passover 
both on the 13th and 14th of Nisan, because of the 
reasons already assigned ; and that therefore Peter and 
John, who were employed on this business, might have 
got the blood legally sprinkled by the hands of a priest, 
which was all that was necessary to the legality of 
the rite. 

But, secondly, should it appear improbable that such 
double celebration took place at this time, and that our 
Lord could not have eaten the passover that year with 
his disciples, as he died on the very hour on which the 
paschal lamb was slain, and consequently before he 
could legally eat the passover, how then can the text 
of St. Luke be reconciled with this fact? I answer, 
with the utmost ease; by substituting a passover for 
the passover, and simply assuming that our Lord at 
this time instituted the holy rucHarist, in place of the 
PASCHAL LAMB: and thus it will appear he ate a pass- 
over with his disciples the evening before his death, 
viz. the mystical passover, or sacrament of his body 
and blood; and that this was the passover which he so 
ardently longed to eat with his disciples before he suf- 
fered. This is the opinion of Mr. Toinard, and, if 
granted, solves every difficulty. Thus the whole con- 
troversy is brought into a very narrow compass: Our 
Lord did eat a passover with his disciples some short 
time before he died :—the question is, What passover 
did he eat—the regular legal passover, or a mystical 
one? That he ate a passover is, I think, demon- 
strated : but whether the Literal or mystical one, is a 
matter of doubt. On this point, good and learned men 
may innocently hesitate and differ: but on either hy- 
pothesis, the text of the evangelists is unimpeachable, 
and all shadow of contradiction done away : for the 
question then rests on the peculiar meaning of names 
and words. On this hypothesis, the preparation of 
the passover must be considered as implying no more 
than—1. Providing a convenient room. 2. Bringing 
water for the baking on the following day, because on 
that day the bringing of the water would have been 
unlawful. 3. Making inquisition for the leaven, that 
every thing of this kind might be removed from the 
house where the passover was to be eaten, according 
to the very strict and awful command of God, Exod. 
xii, 15-20; xxiii. 15; xxxiv. 25. These, it is pro- 
bable, were the acts of preparation which the disciples 
were commanded to perform, Matt. xxvi. 11; Mark 
xiv. 13, 14; Luke xxii. 8-11, and which, on their 
arrival at the city, they punctually executed. See 
Matt. xxvi. 19; Mark xiv. 16; Luke xxii. 13. Thus 
every thing was prepared, and the holy sacrament in- 
stituted, which should, in the Christian Church, take 
place of the Jewish passover, and continue to be a 
memorial of the sacrifice which Christ was about to 

1 


CHAP. 


XXVI. 


make by his death on the cross: for as the paschal 
lamb had showed forth his death till he came, this 
death fulfilled the design of the rite, and sealed up the 
vision and prophecy. 

All preparations for the true paschal sacrifice being 
now made, Jesus was immediately betrayed, shortly 
after apprehended, and in a few hours expired upon the 
cross. It is therefore very likely that he did not /it- 
erally eat the passover this year ; and may I not add, 
that it is more than probable that the passover was not 
eaten in the whole land of Judea on this occasion * 
The rending of the vail of the temple, Matt. xxvii 
51; Mark xv. 38; Luke xxiii. 45, the terrible earth. 
quake, Matt. xxvii. 51-54, the dismal and unnatural 
darkness, which was over the whole land of Judea, 
from the sixth hour, (twelve o’clock,) to the ninth hour 
(i. 6. three o’clock in the afternoon,) with all the other 
prodigies which took place on this awful occasion, we 
may naturally conclude, were more than sufficient to 
terrify and appal this guilty nation, and totally to pre- 
vent the celebration of the paschal ceremonies. In- 
deed, the time in which killing the sacrifices, and 
sprinkling the blood of the lambs, should have been 
performed, was wholly occupied with these most dread- 
ful portents; and it would be absurd to suppose that, 
under such terrible evidences of the Divine indigna- 
tion, any religious ordinances or festive preparations 
could possibly have taken place. 

My readers will probably be surprised to see the 
preceding opinions so dissentient among themselves, 
and the plausible reasons by which they are respec- 
tively supported, where each seems by turns to prevail. 
When I took up the question, I had no suspicion that 
it was encumbered with so many difficulties. These 1 
now feel and acknowledge ; nevertheless, I think the 
plan of reconciling the texts of the evangelists, par- 
ticularly St. Luke and St. John, which I have adopted 
above, is natural, and, 1 am in hopes, will not appear 
altogether unsatisfactory to my readers. On the sub 
ject, cireumstanced as it is, hypothesis alone can pre- 
vail; for indubitable evidence and certainty cannot be 
obtained. The morning of the resurrection is probably 
the nearest period in which accurate information on 
this point can be expected. Je suis trompé, says 
Bouilleau, si cete question peut étre jamais bien eclair- 
οἷο. ‘“IfTI be not mistaken, this question will never 
be thoroughly understood.” It would be presumptu- 
ous to say, Christ did eat the passover this last year 
of his ministry: it would be as hazardous to say he did 
not eat it. The middle way is the safest; and it is 
that which is adopted above. One thing is sufficiently 
evident, that Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacri- 


passover before he sufferea 


.ficed for us; and that he has instituted the holy eucha- 


rist, to be a perpetual memorial of that his precious 
death until his coming again: and they who, with a 
sincere heart, and true faith in his passion and death, 
partake of it, shall be made partakers of his most 
blessed body and blood. Reader, praise God for the 
atonement, and rest not without an application of it ta 
thy own soul. 
267 


ST. MATTHEW. delivered to Pilate. 


Jesus 1s bound and 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


In the morning, Christ is bound and delivered to Pontius Pilate, 1,2. Judas, seeing his Master condemned, 
repents, acknowledges his transgression to the chief priests, attests Christ's innocence, throws down the 
money, and goes and hangs himself, 3-5. They buy the potter's field with the money, 6-10. Christ, 
questioned by Pilate, refuses to answer, 11-14. Pilate, while inquiring of the Jews whether they would 
have Jesus or Barabbas released, receives a message from his wife to have nothing to do in this wicked 
business, 15-19. The multitude, influenced by the chief priests and elders, desire Barabbas to be released, 
and Jesus to be crucified, 20-23. Pilate attests his mnocence, and the people make themselves and their pos- 
terity responsible for his blood, 24,25. Barabbas is released, and Christ is scourged, 26. The soldiers strip 
him, clothe him with a scarlet robe, crown him with thorns, mock, and variously insult him,27—31. Simon 
compelled to bear his cross, 32. They bring him to Golgotha, give him vinegar mingled with gall to drink, 


crucify him, and cast lots for his raiment, 33-36. 
him, 38. 


calls upon God, is offered vinegar to drink, expires, 46-50. 
He is acknowledged by the centurion, 54. 

Joseph of Arimathea begs the body of Pilate, and deposites rt in his own new tomb, 57-60. 
The Jews consult with Pilate how they may prevent the resurrection of Christ, 
He grants them a guard for the sepulchre, and: they seal the stone that stopped the mouth of the 


death, 51-53. 


watch the sepulchre, 61. 
62-64. 
tomb where he was laid, 65, 66. 


See es, HEN the morning was come, 
eas “all the chief priests and 


— elders of the people took counsel 
against Jesus to put him to death: 
2 And when they had bound him, they led 


Mis accusation, 37. Two thieves are crucified with 


He is mocked and insulted while hanging on the cross, 39-44. The awful darkness, 45. Jesus 


Prodigies that accompanied and followed his 
Several women behold the crucifixion, 55, 56. 
The women 


him away, and ἢ delivered him to 4, ™ 4033. 
Pontius Pilate the governor. An, Olin, 
3 9 ¢ Then Judas, which had be- La 
trayed him, when he saw that he was con 
demned, repented himself, and brought agam 


aPsa. ii. 2; Mark xv. 1; Luke xxii. 66; xxiii. 1; John 
xviii. 28. 


Acts iii. 13. 
14, 15. 


b Chap. xx. 19; © Chap. xxvi. 


NOTES ON CHAP XXVII. 

Verse 1. When the morning was come] As soon 
as it was light—took counsel against Jesus. They had 
begun this counsel the preceding evening, see chap. 
xxvi. 59. But as it was contrary to all forms of law to 
proceed against a person’s life by night, they seem to 
have separated for a few hours, and then, at the break 
of day, came together again, pretending to conduct the 
business according to the forms of law. 

To put him to death} They had already determined 
his death, and pronounced the sentence of death on 
him; chap. xxvi. 66. And now they assemble under 
the pretence of reconsidering the evidence, and deli- 
berating on it, to give the greater appearance of justice 
to their conduct. They wished to make it appear that 
“they had taken ample time to consider of it, and, 
from the fullest conviction, by the most satisfactory 
and conclusive evidence, they had now delivered him 
into the hands of the Romans, to meet that death to 
which they had adjudged him.” 

Verse 2. They—delivered him to Pontius Pilate] 
The Sanhedrin had the power of life and death in their 
own hands in every thing that concerned religion; but 
as they had not evidence to put Christ to death because 
of false doctrine, they wished to give countenance to 
their conduct by bringing in the civil power, and there- 
fore they delivered him up to Pilate as one who aspir- 
ed to regal dignities, and whom he must put to death, 
if he professed to be Cesar’s friend. Pontius Pilate 
governed Judea ten years under the Emperor Tiberius ; 
but, having exercised great cruelties against the Sama- 
ritans, they complained of him to the emperor, in con- 
sequence of which he was deposed, and sent in exile 

268 


to Vienna, in Dauphiny, where he killed himself two 
years after. 

Verse 3. Judas—when he saw that he was condemn 
ed, repented] ‘There is much of the wisdom and good 
ness of God to be seen in this part of Judas’s conduct. 
Had our Lord been condemned to deash on the evi- 
dence of one of his own disciples, it would have fur- 
nished infidels with a strong argument against Christ 
and the Christian religion. ‘ One of his own disciples, 
knowing the whole imposture, declared it to the Jewish 
rulers, in consequence of which he was put to death 
as an impostor and deceiver.” — But the traitor, being 
stung with remorse, came and acknowledged his crime, 
and solemnly declared the innocence of his Master, 
threw back the money which they gave him to induce 
him to do this villainous act ; and, to establish the evi- 
dence which he now gave against them and himself, 
in behalf of the innocence of Christ, hanged himself, or 
died through excessive griefand contrition. Thus the 
character of Christ was rescued from all reproach ; in- 
fidelity deprived of the power to cry “ imposture !” 
and the Jewish rulers overwhelmed with eternal in- 
famy. If it should ever be said, “‘ One who knew him 
best delivered him up as an impostor,”—to this it may 
be immediately answered, “ The same person, struck 
with remorse, came and declared his own guilt, and 
Christ’s innocence ; accused and convicted the Jewish 
tulers, in the open council, of having hired him to do 
this iniquitous action, threw them back the bribe they 
had given him, and then hanged himself through dis- 
tress and despair, concluding his iniquity in this busi- 
ness was too great to be forgiven.” Let him who 
chooses. after this plenary evidence to the innocence 

1 


Judas hangs himself. CHAP. 
A. M. 4033. 


‘a'p.29, the thirty pieces of silver to the 
parm. chief priests and elders, 
—_ 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I 
have betrayed the innocent blood. And they 
said, What zs that to us? see thou to that. 
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in 
the temple, ‘and departed, and went and 
hanged himself. 
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, 


42 Sam. xvii. 23; Acts i. 18. 


of Christ, continue the objection, and ery out inpos- 
ture! take heed that he go not and do Likewise. 
Caiaphas, Pilate, and Judas have done so already, 
and I have known several, who have called Christ an 
impostor, who have cut their own throats, shot, drown- 
ed, or hanged themselves. God is a jealous God, and 
highly resents every thing that is done and said against 
that eternal truth that came to man through Jesus 
Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Indeed, there is one class 
of Deists, viz. those who are vicious in their lives, and 
virulent in their opposition to Christianity, who gene- 
rally bring themselves to an untimely end. 

Verse 4. Innocent blood.] Awa abwov, a Hebraism, 
for an innocent man. But instead of afwov, innocent, 
two ancient MSS., Syriac, Vulgate, Sahidic, Arme- 
nian, and all the tala; Origen, Cyprian, Lucifer, 
Ambrose, Leo, read δικαίον, righteous, or just. 

What is that to us ?] What is it?—A great deal. 
You should immediately go and reverse the sentence 
you have pronounced, and liberate the innocent person. 
But this would have been justice, and that would have 
been a stranger at their tribunal. 

Verse 5. In the temple] Naoc signifies, properly, the 
temple itself, into which none but the priests were per- 
mitted to enter; therefore ev τῷ vaw must signify, 
near the temple, by the temple door, where the boxes 
stood to receive the free-will offerings of the people, 
for the support and repairs of the sacred edifice. See 
this amply proved by Kypke. 

Hanged himself] Or was strangled—arnyfaro. 
Some eminent critics believe that he was only suffo- 
cated by excessive grief, and thus they think the ac- 
count here given will agree with that in Acts i. 18. 
Mr. Wakefield supporta this meaning of the word with 
great learning andirgenuity. J have my doubts—the 
old method of reconciling the two accounts appears to 
me quite plausible—he went and strangled himself, 
and the rope breaking, he fell down, and by the vio- 
lence of the fall his body was bursted, and his bowels 
gushed out. Ihave thought proper, on a matter of 
such difficulty, to use the word strangled, as possess- 
ing a middle meaning between choking or suffocation 
by excessive grief, and hanging, as an act of suicide. 
See the note on chap. x. ver. 4. Dr. Lightfoot is of 
epinion that the devil caught him up into the air, 
strangled him, and threw him down on the ground with 
violence, so that his body was burst, and his guts shed 
vut! This was an ancient tradition. 

Verse 6. The treasury] KopBavav—the place 
whither the people brought their free-will offerings for 
the service of the temple, so called from the Hebrew 

1 


XXVII. The potter's field bought. 
and said, It is not lawful for to put 4M; 4039. 


them into the treasury, because it is ee 
the price of blood. eects 

7 And they took counsel, and bought with 
them the potter’s field to bury strangers jn. 

8 Wherefore that field was called * The 
field of blood unto this day. 

9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken 
by Jeremy the prophet, saying, ἢ And they 


© Acts i. 19.——f Zech. xi. 12, 13. 


}27p korban, AN OFFERING, from ΖΡ karab, he drew 
nigh, because the person who brought the gift came 
nigh to that place where God manifested his glory be- 
tween the cherubim, over the mercy-seat in the most 
holy place. It is from this idea that the phrase to 
draw nigh to God is taken, which is so frequently used 
in the sacred writings. 

Because it is the price of blood.| “ What hypo 
crites, as one justly exclaims, to adjudge an innocent 
man to death, and break the eternal laws of justice and 
mercy without seruple, and to be, at the same time, so 
very nice in their attention to a ceremonial direction of 
the law of Moses! Thus it is that the devil often 
deludes many, even among the priests, by a false and 
superstitious tenderness of conscience in things indif- 
ferent, while calumny, envy, oppression of the inno- 
cent, and a conformity to the world, give them no 
manner of trouble or disturbance.” See Quesnel. 

Verse 7. To bury strangers in.| Τοῖς ξειτως, the 
strangers, probably meaning, as some learned men con 
jecture, the Jewish strangers who might have come to 
Jerusalem, either to worship, or on some other business, 
and died there during their stay. See here, the very 
money for which the blessed Jesus was sold becomes 
subservient to the purpose of mercy and kindness! 
The bodies of strangers have a place of rest in the 
field purchased by the price at which his life was 
valued, and the sou/s of strangers and foreigners have 
a place of rest and refuge in his blood which was 
shed as a ransom price for the salvation of the whole 
world. 

Verse 8. The field of blood] In vain do the wicked 
attempt to conceal themselves; God makes them in 
strumental in discovering their own wickedness. Judas, 
by returning the money, and the priests, by laying it 
out, raise to themselyes an eternal monument—the 
one of Ais treachery, the others of their perfidiousness, 
and both of the innocence of Jesus Christ. As long 
asthe Jewish polity continued, it might be said, “ This is 
the field that was bought from the potter with the 
money which Judas got from the high priests for be- 
traying his Master; which he, in deep compunction of 
spirit, brought back to them, and they bought this 
ground for a burial-place for strangers: for as it was 
the price of the blood of an innocent man, they did 
not think proper to let it rest in the treasury of the 
temple where the traitor had thrown it, who after- 
wards, in despair, went and hanged himself.” What a 
standing proof must this have been of the innocence 
of Christ, and of their perfidy ! 

Verse 9. Jeremy the prophet] The words quoted 

269 


Jesus 15 examined 


A.M. 4033. took the thirty pieces of silver, the 
a yar price of him that was valued, 

Β whom they of the children of 
Israel did value ; 

10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as 
the Lord appointed me. 

11 Ἵ And Jesus stood before the governor: 
hand the governor asked him, saying, Art thou 
the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto 
him, ‘ Thou sayest. 

12 And when he was accused of the 
chief priests and elders, ‘he answered no- 
thing. 

13 Then said Pilate unto him, ! Hearest 


ST. MATTHEW. 


before Pontius Pilate. 


thou not how many things they Ag M. Les 
witness against thee ? ὃς Olymp 
CCII.1 


14 And he answered him to never 
a word; insomuch that the governor marvel- 
led greatly. 

15 Ἵ ™ Now at that feast the governor was 
wont to release unto the people a prisoner, 
whom they would. 

16 And they had then a notable prisoner, 
called Barabbas. 

17 Therefore when they were gathered to- 
gether, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye 
that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus 
which is called Christ ? 


5 Or, whom they bought of the children of Israel—— Mark xv. 
2; Luke xxiii. 3; John xviii. 33. i John xviii. 37; 1 Tim. 


vi. 13.—* Chap. xxvi. 63; John xix. 9—!Chap. xxvi. 62; 
John xix. 10——™ Mark xv. 6; Luke xxiii. 17; John xviii. 39. 


here are not found in the Prophet Jeremiah, but in 
Zech. xi. 13. But St. Jerome says that a Hebrew of 
ihe sect of the Nazarenes showed him this prophecy 
in a Hebrew apocryphal copy of Jeremiah; but pro- 
bably they were inserted there only to countenance the 
quotation here. , 

One of Colbert’s, a MS. of the eleventh century, has 
Ζαχαριου, Zechariah; so has the later Syriac in the 
margin, and a copy of the Arabie quoted by Bengel. 
In a very elegant and correct MS. of the Vulgate, in 
my possession, written in the fourteenth century, Zacha- 
riam isin the margin, and Jeremiam in the text, but 
the former is written by a later hand. Jeremiah is 
wanting in two MSS., the Syriac, later Persic, two 
of the Itala, and in some other Latin copies. It is 
very likely that the original reading was δία tor mpo- 
φητου, and the name of no prophet mentioned. This 
is the more likely, as Matthew often omits the name 
of the prophet in his quotations. See chap. i. 22; ii. 5, 
15; xiii. 35; xxi. 4. Bengel approves of the omission. 

ΤΊ was an ancient custom among the Jews, says Dr. 
Lightfoot, to divide the Old Testament into three parts : 
the first beginning with the law was called THe Law; 
the second beginning with the Psalms was called rue 
psaLms ; the third beginning with the prophet in ques- 
tion was called seremiau: thus, then, the writings of 
Zechariah and the other prophets being included in 
that division that began with Jeremiah, all quotations 
from it would go under the name of this prophet. If 
this be admitted, it solves the difficulty at once. Dr. 
Lightfoot quotes Baba Bathra, and Rabbi David 
Kimchi’s preface to the prophet Jeremiah, as his au- 
thorities ; and insists that the word Jeremiah is per- 
fectly correct as standing at the head of that division 
from which the evangelist quoted, and which gave its 
denomination to all the rest. But Jeremiah is the 
reading in several MSS. of the Coptic. It is in one 
of the Coptic Dictionaries in the British Museum, and 
in a Coptic MS. of Jeremiah, in the library of St. 
Germain. So I am informed by the Rey. Henry 
Tattam, Rector of St. Cuthbert’s, Bedford. 

Verse 11. Before the governor] My old MS. 
English Bible translates ἡγήμων PAevyr cheef justyse, 
Presedent. 

270 


Art thow the King of the Jews?| The Jews had 
undoubtedly delivered him to Pilate as one who was 
rising up against the imperial authority, and assuming 
the regal office. See on ver. 2. 

Verse 12. He answered nothing.] An answer to 
such accusations was not necessary : they sufficiently 
confuted themselves. 

Verse 14. Marvelled greatly.| Silence under calumny 
manifests the utmost magnanimity. The chief priests 
did not admire this because it confounded them ; but 
Pilate, who had no interest to serve by it, was 
deeply affected. This very silence was predicted. 
158. lil. 7. 

Verse 15. The governor was wont to release] 
Whence this custom originated among the Jews is not 
known,—probably it was introduced by the Romans 
themselves, or by Pilate, merely to oblige the Jews, 
by showing them this public token of respect ; but if 
it originated with him, he must have had the authority 
of Augustus; for the Roman laws never gave such 
discretionary power to any governor. 

Verse 16. A notable prisoner—Barabbas.] This 
person had, a short time before, raised an insurrection 
in Jerusalem, in which it appears, from Mark xv. 7, 
some lives were lost. In some MSS., and in the Ar- 
menian and Syriac Hieros., this man has the surname 
of Jesus. Professor Birch has discovered this reading 
in a Vatican MS., written in 949, and numbered 354, 
in which is a marginal note which has been attributed 
to Anastasius, bishop of Antioch, and to Chrysostom, 
which asserts that inthe most ancient MSS. the pas- 
sage was as follows :—Twa θελετε azo των dvw απο- 
Avow υμιν, IN Tov BapaBBav, ἡ IN Tov λεγομενον XN: 
Which of the two do ye wish me to release unto you, 
Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? As 
Jesus, or Joshua, was a very common name among 
the Jews, and as the name of the father was often 
joined to that of the son, as Svmon Barjonah, Simon, 
sor of Jonah; so it is probable it was the case here, 
Jesus Barabba, Jesus, son of Abba, or Abbiah. Τῇ 
this name were originally written as above, which 1 
am inclined to believe, the general omission of JESUS 
in the MSS. may be accounted for from the over 
zealous scrupulosity of Christian copyists, who were 

1 


Barabbas, a murderer, 


A.M, 4033. 18 For he knew that for envy 
An. eae they had delivered him. 

(19 % When he was set down 
on the Π 1 - judement seat, his wife sent unto him, 
saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just 
man: for I have suffered many things this day 
in a dream because of him.) 

20 Ἵ κα But the chief priests and elders per- 
suaded the multitude that they should ask 
Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 

21 The governor answered and said unto 
them, Whether of the twain will ye that I 
release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 

22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do 


3 Mark xv. 11; 


Luke xxiii. 18; John xviii. 40; Acts iii. 14. 
© Deut. xxi. 6. 


unwilling that a murderer should, in the same verse, 
be honoured with the name of the Redeemer of the 
world. See Birch in New Test. 

Verse 18. For envy] Aca φθονον, through malice. 
Then it was his business, as an upright judge, to have 
dispersed this mob, and immediately released Jesus. 

Seeing malice is capable of putting even Christ 
himself to death, how careful should we be not to let 
the least spark of it harbour in our breast. Let it be 
remembered that malice as often originates from envy 
as it does from anger. 

Verse 19. Ihave suffered many things—in a dream] 
There is no doubt that God had appeared unto this 
woman, testifying the innocence of Christ, and show- 
ing the evils which should pursue Pilate if this inno- 
cent blood should be shed by his authority. See 
verse 2. 

Verse 20. Ask Barabbas] Who had raised an insur- 
rection and committed murder—and to destroy Jesus, 
whose voice was never heard in their streets, and 
who had, during the space of three years and a half, 
gone about unweariedly, from village to village, in- 
structing the ignorant, healing the diseased, and raising 
the dead. 

Verse 21. They said, Barabbas.) What a fickle 
crowd! A little before they all hailed him as the 
Son of David, and acknowledged him as a gift from 
God; now they prefer a murderer to him! But this it 
appears they did at the instigation of the chief priests. 
We see here how dangerous wicked priests are in the 
Church of Christ ; when pastors are corrupt, they are 
eapable of inducing their flock to prefer Barabbas to 
Jesus, the world to God, and the pleasures of sense to 
the salvation of their souls. 'The invidious epithet 
which a certain statesman gave to the people at large 
was, in its utmost latitude, applicable to these Jews,— 
they were a SWINISH MULTITUDE. 

Verse 22. What shall I do then with Jesus 2) 
Showing, hereby, that it was his wish to release him. 

Verse 23. What evil hath he done ?] Pilate plainly 
saw that there was nothing laid to his charge for which, 
consistently with the Roman laws, he could condemn 
nim. 

Bu: they cried out the more] What strange fury 

1 


CHAP. 


XXVII. as preferred to Christ 
then with Jesus, which is called 4,™, 403 


Christ? They all say unto him, 4», Oye 
Let him be crucified. - 

23 And the governor said, Why, what evil 
hath he done? But they cried out the more, 
saying, Let him be crucified. 

24 When Pilate saw that he could prevai- 
nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, 
he ° took water, and washed zs hands before 
the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the 
blood of this just person: see ye to it. 

25 Then answered all the people, and said, 
» His blood be on us, and on our children. 

26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: 


PDeut. xix. 10; Josh. ii. 19; 1 Kings ii. 32; 2Sam. i. 16; 
Acts v. 28. 


and injustice! ‘They could not answer Pilate’s ques- 
tion, What evil hath he done? He had done none, 
and they knew he had done none; but they are deéer- 
mined on his death. 

Verse 24. Pilate—took water, and washed his 
hands} Thus signifying his innocence. It was a cus- 
tom among the Hebrews, Greeks, and Latins, to wash 
the hands in token of innocence, and to show that they 
were pure from any imputed guilt. In case of an un- 
discovered murder, the elders of that city which was 
nearest to the place where the dead body was found, 
were required by the law, Deut. xxi. 1-10, to wash 
their hands over the victim which was offered to expi- 
ate the crime, and thus make public protestation of their 
own innocence. David says, I will wash my hands 
in innocence, so shall I compass thine altar, Psa. xxvi. 
6. As Pilate knew Christ was innocent, he should 
have prevented his death: he had the armed force at 
his command, and should have dispersed this infamous 
mob. Had he been charged with countenancing a 
seditious person, he could have easily cleared himself, 
had the matter been brought before the emperor. He, 
therefore, was inexcusable. 

Verse 25. His blood be on us and on our children.} 
If this man be innocent, and we put him to death as a 
guilty person, may the punishment due to such a crime 
be visited upon us, and upon our children after us !— 
What a dreadful imprecation! and how literally ful- 
filled! The notes on chap. xxiv. will show how they 
fell victims to their own imprecation, being visited 
with a series of calamities unexampled in the history 
of the world. They were visited with the same kind 
of punishment ; for the Romans crucified them in such 
numbers when Jerusalem was taken, that there was 
found a deficiency of crosses for the condemned, and 
of places for the crosses. Their children or descend- 
ants have had the same curse entailed upon them, and 
continue to this day a proof of the innocence of Christ, 
the truth of his religion, and of the justice of 
God. 

Verse 26. Scourged Jesus] This is allowed to 
have been a very severe punishment of itself among 
the Romans, the flesh being generally cut by the whips 
used for this purpose; so the poet-— 

271 


Jesus ws scourged, mocked, 


AE ges. and when *he had scourged Je- 
An. Olymp. sus, he delivered him to be cru- 
CCIL1. : 

aaa Feimied: 

27 %* Then the soldiers of the governor 
took Jesus into the ‘common hall, and ga- 
thered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 

28 And they stripped him, and t put on him 
a scarlet robe. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


and variously insulted. 


29 "And when they had platted 4, M; 4033. 
a crown of thorns, they put if upon a Oe: 
his head, and a reed in his right Ξε 
hand: and they bowed the knee before him, 
and mocked him, saying, Hail, king of the 
Jews ! 

30 And ¥ they spit upon him, and took the 
reed, and smote him on the head. 


4158. lili. 5; Mark xv.15; Luke xxiii. 16, 24,25; John xix. 
1, 16.— Mark xv. 16; John xix. 2. 
Horribili sectere flagello. 
“To be cut by the horrible whip.”—Hor. Sat. I. 3. 
119. And sometimes, it seems, they were whipped 
to death. See the same poet, Sat. I. 2. 41. 


Tile FLAGELLIS 
AD MORTEM c@sus. 


See also Horar. Epod. od. iv. v. 11. 

It has been thought that Pilate might have spared 
this additional cruelty of whipping ; but it appears that 
it was a common custom to scourge those criminals 
which were to be crucified, (see Josephus De Bello, 
lib. ii. e. 25,) and lenity in Christ’s ease is not to be 
allowed ; he must take all the misery in full tale. 

Delivered him to be crucified.] Tacitus, the Roman 
historian, mentions the death of Christ in very remark- 
able terms :— 

Nero—quesitissimis pens affecit, quos—vulgus 
Curistianos appellabat. Auctor nominis ejus CHRISTUS, 
qui Tiberio wmperitante, per Procuratorem Pontium 
Pilatum supplicio affectus erat.— Nero put those 
who commonly went by the name of Christians to the 
most exquisite tortures. ‘The author of this name was 
Curist, who was capitally punished in the reign of 
Tiserws, by Pontius Pinare the Procurator.” 

Verse 27. The common hall] Or, pretorium.— 
Called so from the pretor, a principal magistrate among 
the Romans, whose business it was to administer jus- 
tice in the absence of the consul. This place might be 
termed in English the court house, or common hail. 

Verse 28. Stripped him] ‘Took off his mantle, or 
upper garment. 

A scarlet robe] Or, according to Mark and John, 
a purple robe, such as emperors and kings wore. 

Verse 29. A crown of thorns] Στεῴανον εξ ἀκανθων. 
It does not appear that this crown was intended to be 
an instrument of punishment or torture to his head, 
but rather to render him ridiculous; for which cause 
also they put a reed in his hand, by way of sceptre, 
and bowed their knees, pretending to do him homage. 
The crown was not probably of thorns, in our sense 
of the word: there are eminently learned men who 
think that the crown was formed of the herb acanthus; 
and Bishop Pearce and Michaelis are of this opinion. 
Mark, chap. xv. 17, and John, chap. xix. 5, term it, 
segavov ἀκανθινον, which may very well be translated 
an acanthine crown or wreath, formed out of the 
branches of the herb acanthus, or bear’s foot. This, 
however, is a prickly plant, though nothing like thorns, 
in the common meaning of that word. Many Chris- 
tians have gone astray in magnifying the sufferings of 
Chris¢ from this circumstance ; and painters, the worst 

272 


5ΟΥ, governor's house. ——t Luke xxiii. 11. 
Isa. 1111. 3. 


u Psa. xix. 19; 
YIsa. 1.6; chap. xxvi. 67. 


of all commentators, frequently represent Christ with 
a crown of long thorns, which one standing by is strik- 
ing into his head with a stick. These representations 
engender ideas both false and absurd. 

There is a passage produced from Philo by Dr. 
Lardner, which casts much light on these indignities 
offered to our blessed Lord. 

“ Caligula, the successor of Tiberius, gave Agrippa 
the tetrarchy of his uncle Philip, with the right of wear- 
ing a diadem or crown. When he came to Alexandria, 
on his way to his tetrarchate, the inhabitants of that 
place, filled with envy at the thoughts of a Jew having 
the title of kung, showed their indignation in the fol- 
lowing way. They brought one Carabas (a sort of 
an idiot) into the theatre; and, having placed him on 
a lofty seat, that he might be seen by all, they put a 
diadem upon his head, made of the herb dyd/os, (the 
ancient papyrus, or paper flag ;) his body they covered 
with a mat or carpet, instead of a royal cloak. One 
seeing a piece of reed, παπύυρου (the stem, probably, of 
the aforesaid herb) lying on the ground, picked it up, 
and put it in his hand in place of a sceptre. Having 
thus given him a mock royal dress, several young fel- 
lows, with poles on their shoulders, came and stood on 
each side of him as his guards. Then there came 
people, some to pay their homage to him, some to ask 
justice, and some to consult him on affairs of state ; 
and the crowd that stood round about made a confused 
noise, crying, Mario, that being, as they say, the Syriac 
word for LORD; thereby showing that they intended 
to ridicule Agrippa, who was a Syrian.” See Puino, 
Flacc. p. 970, and Dr. Lardner, Works, vol. i. p. 159. 

There is the most remarkable coincidence between 
this account and that given by the evangelists; and 
the conjecture concerning the acanthus will probably 
find no inconsiderable support from the dydlos and pa- 
pyrus of Philo. This plant, Pliny says, grows to ten 
cubits long in the stem; and the flowers were used ad 
deos coronandos, for CROWNING THE Gops. See Hist. 
Nat. lib. xiii. c. 11. 

The reflections of pious Quesnel on these insults 
offered to our blessed Lord merit serious attention. 
“ Let the crown of thorns make those Christians blush 
who throw away so much time, pains, and money, in 
beautifying and adorning a sinful head. Let the worle 
do what it will to render the royalty and mysteries of 
Christ contemptible, it is my glory to serve a King 
thus debased ; my salvation, to adore that which the 
world despises ; and my redemption, to go unto God 
through the merits of him who was crowned with 
thorns.” 


Verse 30. And they spit upon him] “ Let us pay 
1 


CHAP. 


31 And after that they had mocked 
An. Olymp. him, they took the robe off from 

eon. |. : 

him, and put his own raiment on 

him, τ and led him away to crucify him. 

32 * And as they came out, Σ they found a 
man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they 
compelled to bear his cross. 


Simon bears the cross. 


A. Μ. 4033. 
A 


W Isa, 111. 7. * Num. xv. 35; 1 Kings xxi. 13; Acts vii. 58; 
Heb. xiii. 12. Υ Mark xv. 21; Luke xxiii. 26. 


XXVIU. = “Vinegar and gall given to Jesus 

33 [7 And when they were 4,™. 4033 
come unto a place called Golgo- An, Olymp 
tha, that is to say, a place of a 2 
skull, 

34 * They gave him vinegar to drink min 
gled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof 
he would not drink. 


= Mark xv. 22; Luke xxiii. 33; John xix. 17. 
see ver. 48. 


a Psa. lxix. 21; 


our adoration,” says the same pious writer, “and hum- 
ble ourselves in silence at the sight of a spectacle 
which faith alone renders credible, and which our senses 
would hardly endure. Jesus Christ, in this condition, 
preaches to the kings of the earth this truth—that 
their sceptres are but reeds, with which themselves 
shall be smitten, bruised, and crushed at his tribunal, 
if they do not use them here to the advancement of 
his kingdom.” 

Verse 32. A man of Cyrene—him they compelled 
to bear his cross.] Jn John, chap. xix. 16, 17, we 
are told Christ himself bore the cross, and this, it is 
likely, he did for a part of the way; but, being ex- 
hausted with the scourging and other cruel usage which 
he had received, he was found incapable of bearing it 
alone; therefore they obliged Simon, not, I think, to 
bear it entirely, but to assist Christ, by bearing a part 
of it. It was aconstant practice among the Romans, 
to oblige criminals to bear their cross to the place of 
execution: insomuch that Plutarch makes use of it as 
an illustration of the misery of vice. “ Every kind 
of wickedness produces its own particular torment, 
just as every malefactor, when he is brought forth to 
execution, carries his own cross.” See Lardner’s 
Credib. vol. i. p. 160. 

Verse 33. A place called Golgotha] From the He- 
brew 7393 or 9353, golgoleth, a skull, probably so 
called from the many skulls of those who had suffered 
crucifixion and other capital punishments scattered up 
and down in the place. It is the same as Calvary, 
Calvaria, i. e. calvt capitis area, the place of bare 
skulls. Some think the place was thus called, because 
it was in the form of a human skull. Τί is likely that 
it was the place of public execution, similar to the 
Gemonie Scale at Rome. 

Verse 34. They gave him vinegar—mingled with 
gall| Perhaps yoA7, commonly translated gall, signifies 
no more than Ditters of any kind. It was a common 
custom to administer a stupefying potion compounded 
of sour wine, which is the same as vinegar, from the 
French vinaigre, frankincense, and myrrh, to con- 
demned persons, to help to alleviate their sufferings, 
or so disturb their intellect that they might not be 
sensible of them. The rabbins say that they put a 
grain of frankincense into a cup of strong wine; and 
they ground this on Prov. xxxi. 6: Give strong drink 
unto him that ts ready to perish, i. e. who is con- 
demned to death. Some person, out of kindness, ap- 
pears to have administered this to our blessed Lord ; 
but he, as in all other cases, determining to endure the 
fulness of pain, refused to take what was thus offered 
to him, choosing to tread the winepress alone. In- 

Vor. I {18 


stead of οξος, vinegar, several excellent MSS. and 
versions have οἶνον, wine ; but as sour wine is said to 
have been a general drink of the common people and 
Roman soldiers, it being the same as vinegar, it is of 
little consequence which reading is here adopted. This 
custom of giving stupefying potions to condemned male- 
factors is alluded to in Prov. xxxi. 6: Give strong 
drink, \w shekar, inebriating drink, to him who is 
ready to PERISH, and wine to him who is Βιστεκ of 
soul—because he is just going to suffer the punishment 
of death. And thus the rabbins,as we have seen above 
understand it. See Lightfoot and Schoettgen. 
Michaelis offers an ingenious exposition of this place : 
“Tmmediately after Christ was fastened to the cross, 
they gave him, according to Matt. xxviii. 34, vinegar 
mingled with gall; but, according to Mark, they offered 
him wine mingled with myrrh. That St. Mark’s ac- 
count is the right one is probable from this circumstance, 
that Christ refused to drink what was offered him, as 
appears from both evangelists. Wine mixed with myrrh 
was given to malefactors at the place of execution, to 
intoxicate them, and make them less sensible to pain. 
Christ, therefore, with great propriety, refused the aid 
of such remedies. But if vinegar was offered him, 
which was taken merely to assuage thirst, there could 
be no reason for his rejecting it. Besides, he tasted 
it before he rejected it; and therefore he must have 
found it different from that which, if offered to him, 
he was ready to receive. To solve this difficulty, we 
must suppose that the words used in the Hebrew Gos- 
pel of St. Matthew were such as agreed with the ac- 
count given by St. Mark, and at the same time were 
capable of the construction which was put on them by 
St. Matthew’s Greek translator. Suppose St. Mat- 
thew wrote ΝΥ 3 won (chaleea bemireera) which 
signifies, sweet wine with bitters, or sweet wine and 
myrrh, as we find it in Mark; and Matthew’s trans- 
lator overlooked the yod * in 35m (chaleea) he took it 
for Non (chala) which signifies vinegar; and bitter, 
he translated by χολή, as it is often used in the Sep- 
tuagint. Nay, St. Matthew may have written xon 
and have still meant to express sweet wine; if so, the 
difference only consisted in the points; for the same 
word which, when pronounced chalé, signifies sweet, 
denotes vinegar, as soon as it is pronounced chala.” 
With this conjecture Dr. Marsh (Michaelis’s trans- 
lator) is not satisfied; and therefore finds a Chaldee 
word for ovwoc wine, which may easily be mistaken for 
one that denotes ofo¢ vinegar; and likewise a Chaldee 
word, which signifies σμυρνα, (myrrh,) which may be 
easily mistaken for one that denotes yoAn, (gall.) 
“ Now,” says he, “om (chamar) or XVM (chamera 
273 


They crucify Jesus, and 


A.M, 4033. 35 » And they crucified him, and 


An. Olymp. parted his garments, casting lots : 
that it might be fulfilled which was 


ST. MATTHEW. 


cast lots for his garments. 


' . M, 4033. 
spoken by the prophet, * They parted 4, ΝΜ 4033 
my garments among them, and upon a ee 


my vesture did they cast lots. 


> Mark xv. 24; Luke xxiii. 34; John xix. 24. 


¢ Psa. xxii. 18. 


really denotes ovvoc (wine,) and 9 (chamets) or NYDN 
(chametsa) really denotes of0¢ (vinegar.) Again, NV 
(mura) really signifies σμυρνα (myrrh,) and S71) (mur- 
era) really signifies χολη (gall.) If, then, we suppose 
that the original Chaldee text was N02 WhR SIN 
(chamera heleet bemura) wine mingled with myrrh, 
which is not at all improbable, as it is the reading of 
the Syriac version, at Mark xv. 23, it might easily 
have been mistaken for S92 WOT NYDN (chametsa 
haleet bemurera) vinegar mingled with gall.” This 
is a more ingenious conjecture than that of Michaelis. 
See Marsh’s notes to Michaelis, vol. iii., part 2d. p. 
127-28. But as that kind of sour wine, which was 
used by the Roman soldiers and common people, ap- 
pears to have been termed ovvoc, and vin aigre is sour 
wine, it is not difficult to reconcile the two accounts, 
in what is most material to the facts here recorded. 

Verse 35. And they crucified him] Crucifixion pro- 
perly means the act of nailing or tying to a cross. 
The cross was made of two beams, either crossing at 
the top at right angles, like a T, or in the middle of 
their length, like an X. There was, besides, a piece 
on the centre of the transverse beam, to which the ac- 
cusation or statement of the crime of the culprit was 
attached, and a piece of wood which projected from 
the middle, on which the person sat, as on a sort of 
saddle ; and by which the whole body was supported. 
Tertullian mentions this particularly : Nobis, says he, 
tota crux wnputatur, cum antenna scilicet sua, et cum 
illo seDILIs excessu. Advers. Nationes, lib. ii. Justin 
Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew, gives 
precisely the same description of the cross; and it is 
worthy of observation that both he and Tertullian 
flourished before the punishment of the cross had been 
abolished. The cross on which our Lord suffered was 
of the former kind; being thus represented in all old 
monuments, coins, and crosses. St. Jerome compares 
it to a bird flying, a man swimming, or praying with 
his arms extended. 'The punishment of the cross was 
inflicted among the ancient Hindoos from time imme- 
morial for various species of theft ; see Halhead’s Code 
of Gentoo Laws, p. 248, and waz common among the 
Syrians, Egyptians, Persians, Africans, Greeks, and 
Romans : it is also still in use among the Chinese, who 
do not nail, but tie the criminal to it. It was probably 
the Romans who introduced it among the Jews. Be- 
fore they became subject to the Romans, they used 
hanging or gibbeting, but not the cross. This punish- 
ment was the most dreadful of all others, both for the 
shame and pain of it: and so scandalous, that it was 
inflicted as the last mark of detestation upon the vilest 
οἱ people. It was the punishment of robbers and mur- 
derers, provided they were slaves; but if they were 
free, it was thought too infamous a punishment for 
such, let their crimes be what they might. 

The body of the criminal was fastened to the upright 
beam, by nailing or tying the feet to it, and on the 
transverse piece by nailing, and sometimes tying the 

274 


hands to it. As the hands and feet are the grand in 
struments of motion, they are provided with a greater 
quantity of nerves; and the nerves in those places, 
especially the hands, are peculiarly sensible. Now, 
as the nerves are the instruments of all sensation ΟἹ 
feeling, wounds in the parts where they abound must 
be peculiarly painful; especially when inflicted with 
such rude instruments as large nails, forced through 
the places by the violence of a hammer; thus tearing 
asunder the nervous fibrille, delicate tendons, and small 
bones of those parts. This punishment will appear 
dreadful enough, when it is considered that the person 
was permitted to hang (the whole weight of his body 
being borne up by his nailed hands and the projecting 
piece which passed between the thighs) till he perish- 
ed through agony and lack of food. Some, we are 
informed, have lived three whole days in this state 
It is true that, in some cases, there was a kind of 
mercy shown to the sufferer, which will appear suffi- 
ciently horrid, when it is known that it consisted in 
breaking the bones of their legs and thighs to pieces 
with a large hammer, in order to put them the sooner 
out of pain! Such a coup de grace as this could only 
spring from those tender mercies of ‘the wicked which 
God represents as cruelty itself. Some were permit 
ted to hang on the cross till eaten up by birds of prey. 
which often began to tear them before life was extinct 
Horace alludes to this punishment, and from what he 
says, it seems to have been inflicted on slaves, &c., no 
on trifling occasions, but for the most horrible crimes 
Si quis eum servum, patinam qui tollere jussus 
Semesos pisces tepidumque ligurrierit jus, 
Jn crvce suffigat. Hor. Satyr. 1. i. 5. 3. v. 80. 
If a poor slave who takes away your plate, 
Tick the warm sauce, or half cold fragments eat, 
Yet should you crucify the wretch 1 FRANCIS 
Non hominem occidi: non pasces in CRUCE corvos. 
“JT have not committed murder: Then thou shals 
not be nailed to the cross, to feed the ravens.” Hor. 
Epist. 1. i. e. 16. v. 48. 


The anguish occasioned by crucifixion was so in- 
tense, that crucio, (a cruce,) among the Romans, was 
the common word by which they expressed suffering 
and torment in general. 

And parted his garments, casting lots| These were 
the Roman soldiers, who had crucified him; and it ap- 
pears from this circumstance, that in those ancient times 
the spoils of the criminal were claimed by the execu- 
tioners, as they are to the present day. It appears 
that they divided a part, and cast lots for the rest : viz. 
for his seamless coat, John xix. 23, 24. 

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the 
prophet, saying, They parted my garments among 
them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.| The 
whole of this quotation should be omitted, as making 
no part originally of the genuine text of this evangelist. 
It is omitted by almost every MS. of worth and im 

1 


CHAP. 


A. M, 4033. 36 4 And sitting down they watched 
An. Olymp. him there ; 

Corl 97 And 9“ set up over his head his 
accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE 
KING OF THE JEWS. 

38 ‘Then were there two thieves crucified 
with him, one on the right hand, and another 
on the left. 

39 Ἵ And * they that passed by reviled him, 
wagging their heads, 


Two thieves crucified with him. 


XXVII. He 1s insulted on the cross. 


40 And saying, Thou that de- 4, 1033. 
stroyest the temple, and buildest it An. Olymp. 
: CCIL 1. 
in three days, save thyself. + If ———— 
thou be the Son of God, come down from the 
cross. 

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking 
him, with the scribes and elders, said, 

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. 
If he be the King of Israel, let him now come 
down from the cross, and we will believe him 


4 Ver. 54 Mark xv. 26 ; Luke xxiii. 38; John xix. 19. Isa. 
li. 12; Mark xv. 27; Luke xxiii. 32, 33; John xix. 18. 


portance, by almost all the versions, and the most re- 
putable of the primitive fathers, who have written or 
commented on the place. The words are plainly an 
interpolation, borrowed from John xix. 24, in which 
place they will be properly noticed. 

Verse 36. They watched him] To prevent his dis- 
ciples or relatives from taking away the body or afford- 
*ng any relief to the sufferer. 

Verse 37. His accusation] It was a common cus- 
tom to affix a label to the cross, giving a statement of 
the crime for which the person suffered. This is still 
the case in China, when a person is crucified. Some- 
times a person was employed to carry this before the 
criminal, while going to the place of punishment. 

It is with much propriety that Matthew calls this 
αἰτία, accusation; for it was false that ever Christ 
pretended to be KING oF THE Jews, in the sense the 
inscription held forth : he was accused of this, but there 
was no proof of the accusation; however it was affixed 
to the cross. From John xix. 21, we find that the 
Jews wished this to be a little altered: Write, said 
they, that He said, I am king of the Jews ; thus endea- 
vouring, by the addition of a vile lie, to countenance 
their own conduct in putting him to death. But this 
Pilate refused to do. Both Luke, chap. xxiii. 38, and 
John, chap. xix. 20, say that this accusation was writ- 
ten in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. In those three 
languages, we may conceive the label to stand thus, 
according to the account given by St. John; the He- 
brew being the mired dialect then spoken. 

In Hebrew—E@paicx : 
se NOD NWI yw 
In Greek—EAAnvicr: 


IHCOYC O NXZWpxXIOC Ὁ ΕΧΟΙΧΟΥΌ 
TOON 1OYAXIOON 


In Latin—Poyais: : 
1ESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM 


It is only necessary to observe, that all the letters, 
Hoth of the Greek and Roman alphabets, were those 
now called sguare or uncial, similar to those above. 

Verse 38. Two thieves] Ancat, robbers, or cut- 
throats : men who had committed robbery and murder ; 
for it does not appear that persons were crucified for 
robbery only. Thus was our Lord numbered (his 
name enrolled, placed as it were in the death warrant) 
with transgressors, according to the prophetic declara- 

ἣν 


& Psa. xxii. 7; οἶχ. 25; Mark xv. 29; Luke xxiii. 35.------ Chap 
xxvi. 61; John ii. 19. i Chap. xxvi. 63. 


tion, Isa. lili. 12; and the Jews placed him between 
these two, perhaps to intimate that he was the worst 
felon of the three. 

Verse 39. Waggmg their heads] In token of con- 
tempt. 

Verse 40. Thou that destroyest] Who didst pre- 
tend that thou couldst have destroyed the temple, and 
built it up again in three days. This malicious tor- 
turing of our Lord’s words has been noticed before. 
Cruelty is obliged to take refuge in lies, in order to 
vindicate its infamous proceedings. 

If thou be the Son of God] Or rather, Yioe του Θεοῦ, 
A son of God, i. e. a peculiar favourite of the Most High; 
not Ὁ Yio¢ του Θεοῦ, THE Son of God. “Τὺ is not to be 
conceived,” says a learned man, “ that every passenger 
who was going to the city had a competent knowledge 
of Christ’s supernatural conception by the Holy Spirit, 
or an adequate comprehension of his character as the 
Messiah, and (κατ᾽ efoynv) THE Son or Gop. There 
is not a single passage where Jesus is designed to be 
pointed out as the Messian, THE Son or Gop, where 
the article is omitted: nor, on the other hand, is this 
designation ever specified without the article, thus, Ὁ 
Υἷος του Θεου. Seechap. xvi. 16; xxvi. 63 ; xxviii. 19.” 

Verse 41. Chief priests—scribes and elders] To 
these, several ancient MSS. and versions add, καὶ 
Φαρισαίων, and Pharisees. But though the authority 
for this reading is respectable, yet it does not appear 
that the Pharisees joined in with the others in the con- 
demnation of our Lord. Probably his discourses and 
parables, related in some of the preceding chapters, 
which were spoken directly to them, had so far con- 
vineed them that they would at least have no hand in 
putting him to death. All the infamy of this seems to 
fall upon the priests, scribes, and elders. 

Verse 42. He saved others; himself he cannot 
save.| Or, Cannot he save himself 2 Several MSS. 
read this with the mark of interrogation as above; and 
this makes the sarcasm still more keen. 

A high priest who designs to destroy the temple of 
God: a Saviour who saves not himself; and the Son 
of God crucified : these are the contradictions which 
give offence to Jews and libertines. But a high priest 
who dispels the types and shadows, only that he may 
disclose the substance of religion, and become the mi- 
nister of a heavenly sanctuary; a Saviour who dies 
only to be the victim of salvation; and the Son of God 
who confines his power within the bounds of the cross 

275° 


The wonderful darkness. 


A. M. 4033. ‘ J 
M4033. 43 * He trusted in God; let him 


a ane deliver him now, if he will have 
———"_ him: for he said, I am the Son 
of God. 

44 ! The thieves also, which were crucified 
with him, cast the same in his teeth. 

45 “ ™ Now from the sixth hour, there was 


k Psa. xxii. 8; Wisd. fi. 16, 17, 18——! Mark xv. 32; Luke 
xxiii. 39. 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Jesus calls upon God, 


darkness over all the land, unto the ἌΝ 1033: 
ninth hour. 
46 And about the ninth hour, 
» Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, 
°My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me? 


An. Olymy : 
CCI. ue 


m Amos viii. 9; Mark xv. 33; Luke xxiii. 44-——"Heb. ν 7. 
o Psa. xxu. 1. 


to establish the righteousness of faith: this is what a 
Christian adores; this is the foundation of his hope, 
and the fountain of his present comfort and final bless- 
edness. See Quesnel. 

We will believe him.| Instead of αὐτῳ, him, many 
excellent MSS. have ἐπ᾿ avtw, 1n him: this is a reading 
which Griesbach and other eminent critics have adopted. 

Verse 43. If he will have him] Or, of he delight 
in him—et Sere. avtov. The verbs ϑελω and εϑελω, 
are used by the Septuagint in more than forty places 
for the Hebrew yan chaphets, which signifies, earnestly 
to desire, or delight in. Now as this is a quotation from 
Psa. xxii. 9, He trusted in the Lord, that he would 
deliver him; let him deliver him, (13 YSN *3 ki chaphets 
b0,) for he HATH DELIGHTED IN HIM :—6zu ϑελει avTor, 
Sept. This will sufficiently vindicate the above trans- 
lation; as the evangelist quotes the words from that 
version, with the simple change of εἰ, if, for ὅτι, 
because. 

Verse 44. The thieves also—cast the same in his 
teeth.| That is, one of the robbers; for one, we find, 
was a penitent, Luke xxiii. 39, 40. See this form of 
expression accounted for, on chap. xxvi. 8. 

Verse 45. There was darkness over all the land] 1 
am of opinion that πᾶσαν τὴν ynv does not mean all the 
world, but only the land of Judea. So the word is 
used chap. xxiv. 30; Luke iv. 25, and in other places. 
Several eminent critics are of this opinion: Beza de- 
fends this meaning of the word, and translates the 
Greek, super universam REGIONEM over the whole 
country. Besides, it is evident that the evangelists 
speak of things that happened in Judea, the place of 
their residence. It is plain enough there was a dark- 
ness in Jerusalem, and over all Judea; and probably 
over all the people among whom Christ had for more 
than three years preached the everlasting Gospel ; and 
that this darkness was supernatural is evident from 
this, that it happened during the passover, which was 
celebrated only at the ful moon, a time in which it was 
impossible for the sun to be eclipsed. But many sup- 
pose the darkness was over the whole world, and think 
there is sufficient evidence of this in ancient authors. 
Putecon and 'ΤΉΛΙ 5, who flourished in the beginning 
of the second century, are supposed to speak of this. 
The former says: ‘‘In the fourth year of the 202nd 
Olympiad, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the 
sun: at the sixth hour, the day was turned into dark 
night, so that the stars in heaven were seen ; and there 
was an earthquake in Bithynia, which overthrew many 
houses in the city of Nice.” This is the substance of 
what Phlegon is reputed to have said on this subject : 
—hbut 1. All the authors who quote him differ, and 

276 


often very materially, in what they say was found in 
him. 2. Phlegon says nothing of Judea: what he says 
is, that in such an Olympiad, (some say the 102nd, 
others the 202nd,) there was an eclipse in Bithynia, 
and an earthquake at Nice. 3. Phlegon does not say 
that the earthquake happened at the time of the eclipse. 
4. Phlegon does not intimate that this darkness was 
extraordinary, or that the eclipse happened at the full 
of the moon, or that it lasted three hours. These cir- 
cumstances could not have been omitted by him, if he 
had known them. 5. Phlegon speaks merely of an 
ordinary, though perhaps total, eclipse of the sun, and 
cannot mean the darkness mentioned by the evangelists. 
6. Phlegon speaks of an eclipse that happened in some 
year of the 102nd, or 202nd Olympiad ; and therefore 
little stress can be laid on what he says as applying to 
this event. : 

The quotation from THattus, made by Arricanus, 
found in the Chronicle of Syncexuus, <f tne exghth 
century, is allowed by eminent critics to be of little 
importance. This speaks “ of a darkness over all the 
world, and an earthquake which threw down many 
houses in Judea and in other parts of the earth.” It 
may be necessary to observe, that Tuatius is quoted 
by several of the ancient ecclesiastical writers for 
other matters, but never for this ; and that the time in 
which he lived is so very uncertain, that Dr. Lardner 
supposes there is room to think he lived rather before 
than after Christ. 

Dionysius the Areopagite is supposed to have men- 
tioned this event in the most decided manner: for be- 
ing at Heliopolis in Egypt, with his friend Apollophanes, 
when our Saviour suffered, they there saw a wonderful 
eclipse of the sun, whereupon Dionysius said to his 
friend, “ Either God himself suffers, or sympathizes 
with the sufferer.” It is enough to say of this man, 
that all the writings attributed to him are known to be 
spurious, and are proved to be forgeries of the fifth 
or siwth century. Whoever desires to see more on this 
subject, may consult Dr. Lardner, (vol. vii. p. 371, ed. 
1788,) a man whose name should never be mentioned 
but with respect, notwithstanding the peculiarities of 
his religious creed ; who has done more in the service 
of Divine revelation than most divines in Christendom; 
and who has raised a monument to the perpetuity of 
the Christian religion, which all the infidels in creation 
shall never be able to pull down or deface. 

This miraculous darkness should have caused the 
enemies of Christ to understand that he was the light 
of the world, and that because they did not walk in i 
it was now taken away from them. 

Verse 46. My God! My God! why hast thou for- 

1 


Hearing lam call upon God, CHAP. 
A. M. 4033. 


τ ΟΕ Some of them that stood there, 
An. oa when they heard that, said, This 
CCIL. 1. ἢ 
man calleth for Elias. 


P Psa. Ixix. 21; Mark xv. 36; 


saken πιὸ ἢ ‘These words are quoted by our Lord 
from Psa. xxii. 1; they are of very great importance, 
and should be carefully considered. 

Some suppose “ that the divinity had now departed 
from Christ, and that his human nature was left un- 
supported to bear the punishment due to men for their 
sins.” But this is by no means to be admitted, as it 
would deprive his sacrifice of its infinite merit, and 
consequently leave the sin of the world without an 
atonement. Take deity away from any redeeming act 
of Christ, and redemption is ruined. Others imagine 
that our Lord spoke these words to the Jews only, to 
prove to them that he was the Messiah. “The Jews,” 
say they, “ believed this psalm to speak of the Mes- 
siah: they quoted the eighth verse of it against Christ 
—He trusted in God that he would deliver him; let 
him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. (See 
this chap. ver. 43.) To which our Lord immediately 
answers, My God! my God! &c, thus showing that 
he was the person of whom the psalmist prophesied.” 
Ihave doubts concerning the propriety of this inter- 
pretation. 

It has been asked, What language is it that our 
Lord spoke? li, Eli, lama sabachthani. Some say 
itis Hebrew—others Syriac. I say, as the evangelists 
quote it, itis neither. St. Matthew comes nearest the 
Hebrew, 31» ΤῊΣ °>s “bx Eli, Eli, lamah dzabthani, 
in the words, Ηλι, Ηλι, λαμα σαβαχϑανι, Eli, Eli, lama 
sabachthani. 

And St. Mark comes nearest the Syriac, chap. xv. 34, 


auras 1S va X ca 


Alohi, Alohi, Umono shebachtheni, in the words E2wi, 
Ἑλωϊ, λαμμα σαβαχϑανι, Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani. 
It is worthy of note, that a Hebrew MS. of the twelfth 
century, instead of 21} azabthani, forsaken me, 
reads ΠΣ shechachthani, FoRGOTTEN me. This word 
makes a very good sense, and comes nearer to the 
sabachthani of the evangelists. It may be observed 
also, that the words, Why hast thou rorGoTTEN me ? 
are often used by David and others, in times of op- 
pression and distress. See Psa. xlii. 9. 

Some have taken occasion from these words to de- 
preciate the character of our blessed Lord. “ They 
are unworthy,” say they, ‘of a man who suffers, 
conscious of his innocence, and argue imbecility, im- 
patience, and despair.” This is by no means fairly 
deducible from the passage. However, some think 
that the words, as they stand in the Hebrew and 
Syriac, are capable of a translation which destroys all 
objections, and obviates every difficulty. The parti- 
ele 75 lamah, may be translated, to what—to whom 
—to what kind or sort—to what purpose or profit : 
Gen. xxv. 32; xxxii. 29; xxxiii. 15; Job ix. 29; 
Jer. vi 20; xx. 18; Amos y. 18; and the verb 31} 
ἄταν signifies to leave—to deposit—to commit to the 
eare of. See Gen. xxxix. 6; Job xxxix. 11; Psa. 
x. 14, and Jer. xlix. 11. The words, taken in this 

1 


XXVII. they give him vinegar to drink 


«Sie A. M. 4033. 
48 And straightway one of them Αι 408 
ran and took ἃ sponge, ? and An. Olymp. 

5 " CCIL 1. 
filled it with vinegar, and put 


Luke xxiii. 36; John xix. 29. 


way, might be thus translated: My God! my God! 
to what sort of persons hast thou left me? The words 
thus understood are rather to be referred to the wicked 
Jews than to our Lord, and are an exclamation indica~ 
tive of the obstinate wickedness of his crucifiers, who 
steeled their hearts against every operation of the 
Spirit and power of God. See Ling. Brit. Reform. 
by B. Martin, p. 36. 

Through the whole of the Sacred Writings, God 
is represented as doing those things which, in the 
course of his providence, he only permits to be done ; 
therefore, the words, to whom hast thou left or given 
me up, are only a form of expression for, “ How asto- 
nishing is the wickedness of those persons into whose 
hands I am fallen!” If this interpretation be admitted, 
it will free this celebrated passage from much embar- 
rassment, and make it speak a sense consistent with 
itself, and with the dignity of the Son of God. 

The words of St. Mark, chap. xv. 34, agree pretty 
nearly with this translation of the Hebrew: Eve τὶ pe 
ἐγκατιλεπες; To what [sort of persons, understood] 
hast thou left me? A literal translation of the pas- 
sage in the Syriac Testament gives a similar sense : 
Ad quid dereliquistime? “To what hast thou aban- 
doned me?” And an ancient copy of the old Itala 
version, a Latin translation before the time of St. 
Jerome, renders the words thus: Quare me in op- 
probrium dedisti? ‘Why hast thou abandoned me 
to reproach 1" 

Tt may be objected, that this can never agree with 
the ivati, why, of Matthew. To this it is answered, 
that ἑνατι must have here the same meaning as εἰς τὶ 
—as the translation of 709 Jama; and that, if the 
meaning be at all different, we must follow that evan- 
gelist who expresses most literally the meaning of the 
original : and let it be observed, that the Septuagint 
often translate 709 by ἱνατε instead of εἰς τί, which 
evidently proves that it often had the same meaning. 
Of this criticism I say, Valet quod valet, Let it pass 
for no more than it is worth: the subject is difficult. 
But whatever may be thought of the above mode of 
interpretation, one thing is certain, viz. That the 
words could not be used by our Lord in the sense in 
which they are generally understood. This is suffi- 
ciently evident ; for he well knew why he was come 
unto that hour; nor could he be forsaken of God, in 
whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 
The Deity, however, might restrain so much of its 
consolatory support as to leave the human nature fully 
sensible of all its sufferings, so that the consolations 
might not take off any part of the keen edge of his 
passion ; and this was necessary to make his suffer- 
ings meritorious. And it is probable that this is all 
that is intended by our Lord’s quotation from the 
twenty-second Psalm. Taken in this view, the words 
convey an unexceptionable sense, even in the common 
translation. 

Verse 47. This man calleth for Elias.) Probably 

277 


Christ gives up the ghost. 


A. O83. it on a reed, and gave him to 
An. Olymp. drink. 

49 The rest said, Let be, let 
us see whether Elias will come to save 
him. 

50 «Jesus, when he had cried again with a 
oud voice, yielded up the ghost. 
51 Ἵ And behold, *the veil of the temple 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Extraordinary occurrences 


i : A.M. 4033. 
was rent in twain from the top to anal 


the bottom; and the earth did quake, An. Olymp. 
CCII. 1. 
and the rocks rent ; τς. 
52 And the graves were opened; and many 
bodies of the saints which slept arose, 
53 And " came out of the graves after his 
resurrection, and went into the holy city, and 
appeared unto many. 


4 Mark xv. 37; Luke xxiii. 46. Exod. xxvi. 31 ; 2 Chron. iii. 


14; Mark xv. 38; Luke xxiii. 45.—* Chap. xxvi. 53; Acts x. 41. 


these were Hellenistic Jews, who did not fully under- 
stand the meaning of our Lord’s words. Elijah was 
daily expected to appear as the forerunner of the 
Messiah, whose arrival, under the character of a 
mighty prince, was generally supposed to be at hand 
throughout the east. See Mal. ii. 23; Matt. 11. 2—4; 
xvii. 10-12. 

Verse 48. Took a sponge] This being the most 
convenient way to reach a liquid to his mouth; ted it 
on a reed, that they might be able to reach his lips 
with it. This reed, as we learn from St. John, was a 
stalk of hyssop, which, in that country, must have 
grown to a considerable magnitude. This appears 
also to have been done in mercy, to alleviate his suf- 
ferings. See ver. 34. 

Verse 49. After this verse, BCL and five others 
add, Another, taking a spear, pierced his side, and 
there came out blood and water. Several of the fathers 
add the same words here: they appear, however, to 
be an interpolation from John xix. 34. 

Verse 50. Yielded up the ghost.] Αφηκε τὸ mvevpa, 
He dismissed the spirit. He himself willingly gave up 
that life which it was impossible for man to take 
away. It is not said that he hung on the cross till he 
died through pain and agony ; nor is it said that his 
bones were broken, the sooner to put him out of pain, 
and to hasten his death; but that himself dismissed 
the soul, that he might thus become, not a forced 
sacrifice, but a free-will offering for sin. 

Now, as our English word ghost, from the Anglo- 
Saxon gart gast, an inmate, imhabitant, guest, (a 
casual visitant,) also a spirzt, is now restricted among 
us to the latter meaning, always signifying the wm- 
mortal spirit or soul of man, the guest of the body ; 
and as giving up the spirit, ghost, or soul, is an act 
not proper to man, though commending it to God, in 
our last moments, is both an act of faith and piety ; 
and as giving up the ghost, i. e. dismissing his spirit 
from his body, is attributed to Jesus Christ, to whom 
alone it is proper, I therefore object against its use in 
every other case. 

Every man, since the fall, has not only been lable 
to death, but has deserved it; as all have forfeited 
their lives because of sin. Jesus Christ, as born im- 
maculate, and having never sinned, had not forfeited 
his life, and therefore may be considered as naturally 
and properly immortal. No man, says he, taketh it, 
my life, from me, but I lay it down of myself: Ihave 
power to lay it down,and I have power to take it again; 
therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down 
my life that I might take it again, John x. 17, 18. 
Hence we rightly translate Matt. xxvii. 50, αφηκε τὸ 

278 


πνευμα, he gave up the ghost; i. 6. he dismissed his 
spirit, that he might die for the sin of the world. The 
Evangelist St. John (xix. 30) makes use of an ex- 
pression to the same import, which we translate in the 
same way: παρεδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα, he delivered up his 
spirit. We translate Mark xv. 37, and Luke xxiii. 
46, he gave up the ghost, but not correctly, because 
the word in both these places is very different— 
εξεπνευσε, he breathed his last, or expired; though in 
the latter place, Luke xxiii. 46, there is an equivalent 
expression—O Father, into thy hands, παρατιθεμαι τὸ 
πνευμα μου, I commit my spirit; i. e. I place my soul 
in thy hand: proving that the act was his own; that 
no man could take his life away from him; that he 
did not die by the perfidy of his disciple, or the malice 
of the Jews, but by his own free act. Thus HE LAID 
ῬΟΥ͂Ν his life for the sheep. Of Ananias and Sapphira, 
Acts v. 5, 10, and of Herod, Acts xii. 23, our trans- 
lation says, they gave up the ghost ; but the word in 
both places is εξεψυξε, which simply means to breathe 
out, to expire, or die: but in no case, either by the 
Septuagint in the Old, or any of the sacred writers in 
the New Testament, is adnxe τὸ mvevua, or παρεδωκε 
to πνεῦμα, he dismissed his spirit, or delivered up his 
spirit, spoken of any person but Christ. Abraham, 
Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, &c., breathed their last ; Ana- 
nias, Sapphira, and Herod, expired; but none, Jesus 
Christ excepted, gave up the ghost, dismissed, or de- 
livered up his own spirit, and was, consequently, free 
among the dead. Of the patriarchs, &c., the Septua- 
gint use the word ἐκλείπων, failing ; or κατεπαυσεν, he 
ceased, or rested. 

Verse 51. The veil of the temple was rent] That is, 
the veil which separated the holy place, where the 
priests ministered, from the holy of holies, into which 
the high priest only entered, and that once a year, to 
make a general expiation for the sins of the people. 
This vending of the veil was emblematical, and pointed 
out that the separation between Jews and Gentiles 
was now abolished, and that the privilege of the high 
priest was now communicated to all mankind: aLn 
might henceforth have access to the throne of grace 
through the one great atonement and mediator, the 
Lord Jesus. See this beautifully illustrated in Heb 


x. 19, 20, 21, 22. 


Verse 52. And the graves were opened) By the 
earthquake ; and many bodies of saints which slept, 
i. e. were dead, sleep being a common expression for 
death in the Scriptures. 

Verse 53. And came out of the graves after his re- 
surrection| Not BEForE, as some have thought, for 
Christ was himself the First Fruits of them who 

1 


He τ5 acknowledged to be the CHAP. 


AM ‘so* 64. * Now when the centurion, and 


An, Olymp. they that were with him, watching 
— Jesus, saw the earthquake, and 

those things that were done, they feared greatly, 

saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 

55 And many women were there beholding 
afar off, “which followed Jesus from Galilee, 
ministering unto him : 

56 * Among which was Mary Magdalene, 


t Ver. 36; Mark xv. 39; Luke xxiii. 47. “Luke viii. 2, 3. 


slept, 1 Cor. xv. 20. The graves were opened at his 
death, by the earthquake, and the dodies came out at 
his resurrection. 

And appeared unto many.|] Thus establishing the 
truth of our Lord’s resurrection in particular, and of 
the resurrection of the body in general, by many wit- 
nesses. Quesnel’s reflections on these passages may 
be very useful. “1. The veil being rent shows that 
his death is to put an end to the figurative worship, 
and to establish the true religion. 2. The earthquake, 
that this dispensation of the Gospel is to make known 
through the earth the judgments of God against sin 
and sinners. 3. The rocks being rent declare that the 
sacrifice of Christ is to make way for the grace of re- 
pentance. 4. The graves being opened, that it is to 
destroy the death of sin, and confer the life of grace 
on sinners. 5. The rising of the bodies of the saints 
shows that this death of Christ is to merit, and his 
Gospel pudlish, the eternal happiness of body and soul 
for all that believe in his name.” 

It is difficult to account for the transaction mention- 
ed in verses 52 and 53. Some have thought that 
these two verses have been introduced into the text of 
Matthew from the gospel of the Nazarenes; others 
think that the simple meaning is this :—by the earth- 
quake several bodies that had been buried were thrown 
up and exposed to view, and continued above ground 
till after Christ’s resurrection, and were seen by many 
persons in the city. Why the graves should be open- 
ed on Friday, and the bodies not be raised to life till 
the following Sunday, is difficult to be conceived. The 
place is extremely obscure. 

Verse 54. The centurion] The Roman officer who 
superintended the execution, called centurio, from cen- 
tum, a hundred, because he had the command of one 
hundred men. 

Truly this was the Son of God.| An innocent, 
holy, and Divine person ; and God thus shows his dis- 
approbation of this bloody tragedy. It is not likely 
that this centurion had any knowledge of the expec- 
tation of the Jews relative to the Messiah, and did not 
use the words in this sense. A son of God, as the 
Romans used the term, would signify no more than a 
very eminent or Divine person; a hero. 

Verse 55. Many women} To their everlasting 
honour, these women evidenced more courage, and 
affectionate attachment to their Lord and Master, than 
the disciples did, who had promised to die with him 
rather than forsake him. 

Beholding afar off] At a distance—aro μακροθεν. 

1 


XXVII. Son of God by the centurion 


and Mary the mother of James and 4,™. 4033. 
Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s An. Olymp 
children. ee 

57 $1 * When the even was come, there 
came arich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, 
who also himself was Jesus’ disciple : 

58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body 
of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body 
to be delivered. 


x 
¥ Mark xv. 40.—w Mark xy. 42; Luke xxiii. 50; John xix. 38. 


Though this expression may be understood to refer, 
rather to the distance from which they came, (viz. 
from Galilee,) than the distance they stood from the 
cross; yet, as all malefactors were crucified naked, 
perhaps this may account for the distance at which 
these modest women stood. 

Verse 56. Mary Magdalene] She probably had her 
name from Magdala, a village or district in Lower 
Galilee. See chap. xv. 39. Some think she was 
called Magdalene from 84731 magdala, which signi- 
fies a plaiter of hair. See Lightfoot. 

Mary the mother of James] She was mother of him 
called James the lesser, or junior, who was son of 
Alpheus or Cleopas—see chap. x. 3; Mark xv. 40; 
John xix. 25; and she was sister to the holy virgin. 
Thus it appears that there were four remarkable 
Marys mentioned in the Gospels. 1. Mary the Virgin, 
wife of JosepH. 2. Mary Satome, her sister, wife 
of Cleopas, John xix. 25. 3. Mary Macpatene, or 
Mary of Magdala; and, 4. Mary, the sister of Mar- 
tha and Lazarus, John xi. 1. Though Baronius as- 
serts, and Lightfoot is of the same opinion, that Mary 
Magdalene, and Mary, the sister of Martha and Laza- 
rus, was one and the same person. It is difficult to 
ascertain and distinguish these women where their 
names occur in the Gospels, so many being called by 
the name of Mary. 

Joses| Several MSS. and versions read Joseph. 

Verse 57. When the even] This must have been 
about three o’clock, or a little after; for our Lord 
having expired about three o’clock, ver. 46, and the 
Jewish passover beginning about four, it was neces- 
sary that Joseph, who would not fail to eat the pass- 
over at the usual time, should have obtained and bu- 
ried the body of Christ some time before four o’clock. 
But such was the general consternation, occasioned by 
the prodigies that took place on this most awful ocea- 
sion, that we may safely conjecture that nothing was 
done in order, and perhaps the pas#ver itself was not 
eaten at the usual hour, if at all, that day. See at 
the end of the preceding chapter. 

A rich man] He was a counsellor of the great San- 
hedrin, Luke xxiii. 50; and, from the accounts given 
of him by the evangelists. we learn that he was a man 
of the greatest respectability. He now acted a more 
honourable part than all the disciples of our Lord. He 
was of Arimathea, or Rama, in the tribe of Benjamin, 
Matt. ii. 17, but lived ordinarily in Jerusalem, as be- 
ing a member of the great council. 

Verse 58. Begged the body| That he might bury 

279 


Joseph of Arimathea begs 


ah eee: 59 And when Joseph had taken 


An. Olymp. the body, he wrapped it in a clean 
ὉΠ .. 
pee dimen’ cloths 
60 And * laid it in his own new tomb, which 
he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a 
great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and 
departed. : 
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the body ana burtes at 


itti : A. M. 4033 
the other Mary, sitting over against 4," 40 
the sepulchre. An. Olymp. 


62 4 Now the next day that fol- κος 


lowed the day of the preparation, the chief 
priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 

63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that 
deceiver said, while he was yet alive, ¥ After 
three days I will rise again. 


xJsa. 111. 9—y Chap. xvi. 21; xvii. 23; xx. 19; xxvi. 61; 


Mark viii. 31; x. 34; Luke ix. 22; xviii. 33 ; xxiv. 6,7; Johnii. 19. 


it honourably ; otherwise, by the Jewish customs, he 
would have either been burned, or buried in the com- 
mon place appointed for executed criminals. 

Verse 59. Wrapped it ina clean linen cloth] The 
Jews, as well as the Egyptians, added spices to keep 
the body from putrefaction, and the linen was wrapped 
about every part to keep the aromatics in contact with 
the flesh. From John xix. 39, 40, we learn that a 
mixture of myrrh and aloes of one hundred pounds’ 
weight had been applied to the body of Jesus when he 
was buried. And that a second embalmment was in- 
tended, we learn from Luke xxiii. 56, and xxiv. 1, as 
the hurry to get the body interred before the Sabbath 
did not permit them to complete the embalming in the 
first instance. See an account of the mode of embalm- 
ing among the Egyptians, in the note on Gen. ]. 2, 
and 26. 

Verse 60. Laid it in his own new tomb| To all hu- 
man appearance the body of Christ must have had the 
same burial-place with those of the two robbers, as he 
was numbered with the transgressors, and suffered 
with them; for then he was a sacrifice, bearing the 
sin of the world in his own body on the tree ; but now 
the sacrifice is offered, the atonement made and ac- 
cepted, he is no longer to be enrolled with the trans- 
gressors, and, according to a prophecy delivered near- 
ly seven hundred years before that time, he is to have 
the burying-place of a rich man. See Isa. lili. 9, 10. 
Had our Lord been buried in the common burial-ground 
of the malefactors, his resurrection could not have been 
so distinctly remarked, as the chief priests would ne- 
ver have thought of sealing the stone there, or setting 
a watch ; but now that the body is got into the hands 
of a friend, they judge it necessary to make use of 
these precautions, in order, as they said, to prevent 
imposture ; and from this very circumstance the resur- 
rection of Christ had its fullest evidence, and was put 
beyond the power of successful contradiction. What a 
number of objections would not human prudence have 
made to Joseph’s conduct, had he consulted it on this 
oceasion! It would have represented to him that, 
“this was to expose himself, to bring himself into 
trouble, to render himself suspected, to put himself out 
of all capacity of doing good, to ruin himself irrecover- 
ably; and now it could do no good to his teacher—he 
is now dead, and needs no longer any office of kind- 
ness from men.” There is, sometimes in our whole 
life, but one opportunity in which God designs sig- 
nally to employ us; and, through our general back- 
wardness to every good work, we are for reserving 
ourselves to other opportunities, in which God neither 
~equires nor will accept our services. 

280 


Rolled a great stone to the door) Some are of opi- 
nion that this tomb was cut down into the rock, per 
pendicularly from the surface ; and that the great stono 
spoken of here covered over the entrance to it. The 
stone, no doubt, was intended to secure the place as 
much as possible. 

Verse 61. Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary] 
The mother of James and Joses, ver. 56. The 
mother of our Lord had probably, by this time, been 
taken home to the house of John. See John xix. 26, 27. 

Sitting over against the sepulchre.| These holy 
women, filled with that love to their Lord which death 
cannot destroy, cleaved to him in life, and in death 
were not divided. They came to the grave to see the 
end, and overwhelmed with sorrow and anguish, sat 
down to mourn. 

Verse 62. The next day] This was the seventh, or 
Saturday, and might be what we should term the 
evening of the sixth, or Friday, because the Jews 
always ended their day when the sun set, and then be 
gan the next. 

That followed the day of the preparation] That 1s, 
of the Sabbath. The victuals, &c., which were to be 
used on the Sabbath by the Jews, were always pre- 
pared the preceding evening before the sun set. It is 
of this preparation that the evangelist speaks here ; 
and it is the same which is mentioned by Mark, chap. 
xv. 42; by Luke, chap. xxiii. 54; and by John, chap. 
xix. 31. But there was another preparation which 
happened in the same day: viz. The preparation of 
the passover ; this began about twelve o'clock, and 
continued till four, the time in which they ate the pas. 
chal lamb. See John xix. 14. 

Verse 63. Sir, we remember, &c.| While these 
wicked men are fulfilling their own vicious counsels, 
they are subserving the great cause of Christianity. 
Every thing depended on the resurrection of Chnist ; 
if it did not appear that he rose from the dead, then 
the whole system was false, and no atonement was 
made. It was necessary therefore that the chief priests, 
&c., should make use of every precaution to prevent 
an imposture, that the resurrection of Christ might 
have the fullest evidence to support it. See on ver. 60. 

The word Κυριε is here very properly translated sir, 
which, in many other places, is as improperly translated 
Lord. When a Roman is the speaker, or the person 
addressed, Kupie should always be translated sir; when 
strangers address our Lord, the word is a title of civil 
respect, and should, in general, be translated in the 
same way. 

After three days I will rise again.] This they pro 
bably took from his saying, Destroy this temple, and 

1 


Early in the morning 


A.M. 4033. 64 Command therefore that the 


An, Gly. sepulchre be made sure until the 
- third day, lest his disciples come by 
night, and steal him away, and say unto the 
people, * He is risen from the dead; so the 
last error shall be worse than the first. 


2 John xi. 48, &c.; xii. 32; 2 Thess. ii. 11. 


in three days Iwill build it up. If so, they destroyed, 
by their own words, the false accusation they brought 
against him to put him to death; then they perverted 
the meaning, now they declare it. Thus the wise 
are taken in their own craftiness. Neither the devil 
nor his servants ever speak truth, but when they expect 
to accomplish some bad purpose by it. 

Verse 64. Lest his disciples come by night] Nvxtoc, 
by night, is wanting in ten of the uncial MSS., and in 
several others, and in most of the versions. Erasmus, 
Aldus, Bengel, and Boghard, with Griesbach, leave it 
out of the text. 

Verse 65. Ye have a watch] The Jews had a corps 
of Roman troops, consisting of several companies, as 
a guard for the temple, Acts iv. 1. These companies 
mounted guard by turns, see Luke xxii. 4. Some of 
these companies, which were not then on duty, Pilate 
gave them leave to employ to watch the tomb. 

Verse 66. Made the sepulchre sure, sealing the 
stone, and setting a watch.| Or rather, made the tomb 
secure by the guard, and by sealing the stone. I follow 
Kypke, in construing μετα τῆς κουστωδιας, with ἡσφαλι- 
σαντο. The guard was to take care that the disciples 
should not steal him away; and the seal, which was 
probably the seal of the governor, was to prevent the 
guards from being corrupted so as to permit the theft. 
So every thing was done which human policy and 
prudence could, to prevent a resurrection, which these 
very precautions had the most direct tendency to 
authenticate and establish, How wonderful are 
the wisdom and goodness of God !—and how true is 
it, that there is neither might nor counsel against him! 

1. The death of Christ was ordered, so as to be wit- 
nessed by thousands ; and if his resurrection take place, 


CHAP. XXVIII. 


women come to the sepulchre. 


65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have 4,™, 4033. 
a watch: } An. Olymy 
go your way, make zt as eke 

sure as ye can. --Ξ--- 
66 So they went and made the sepul- 
chre sure, “sealing the stone, and setting a 


watch. 


@ Dan. vi. 17. 


it must be demonstrated; and it cannot take place 
without being incontestable, such are the precautions 
used here to prevent all znposture. 

2. The more the circumstances of the death of 
Christ are examined, the more astonishing the whole 
will appear. The death is uncommon—the person 
uncommon—and the object uncommon ; and the whole 
is grand, majestic, and awful. Nature itself is thrown 
into unusual action, and by means and causes wholly 
supernatural. In every part, the finger of God most 
evidently appears. 

3. How glorious does Christ appear in his death! 
Were it not for his thirst, his exclamation on the cross, 
and the piercing of his side, we should have found it 
difficult to believe that such a person could ever have 
entered the empire of death; but the divinity and the 
manhood equally appear, and thus the certainty of the 
atonement is indubitably established. 

4. But who can reflect on the state of the poor 
disciples, during the whole of the time in which our 
blessed Lord lay under the empire of death, without 
sharing their sorrows! When he expired on the cross 
their expectation was cut off; and when his body was 
laid in the grave their hopes were buried ; and nothing 
but the resurrection of Christ from the dead could have 
given a resurrection to their hopes. It is true they 
had heard him say that he would rise again the third 
day ; but in this it is evident their faith was very im- 
perfect ; and the uncertainty, perplexity, anxiety, and 
distress which they in consequence must have suffered, 
can neither be described nor imagined. Though we 
know the glorious result, yet who can help sympathizing 
with the pious father, the virgin mother, and the dis- 
consolate disciples ! 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


The resurrection of Christ declared by an angel to the two Marys at the sepulchre, 1-6. 


missioned to announce this to the disciples, 7. 
meet the disciples in Galilee, 8-10. 
taken place, 11. 

they slept, 12-15. 


They are com- 


They go, and are met by Christ himself, who promises to 
The watch go inte the city, and report to the chef priests what had 
They give them money, to say that his disciples had stolen the body by night, while 

Christ meets the eleven disciples n a mountain of Galilee, 16, 17. 


He gives them 


a commission to preach the Gospel throughout the earth; to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; and promises to be with them to the end of the world, 18-20. 


ee JN the *end of the sabbath, as it 
An. Olymp. began to dawn toward the first 


CII. 1. 
—_—— day of the week, came Mary Mag 
a Mark xvi. 1; Luke xxiv. 1; John xx. 1. 
NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII. 


Verse 1. In the end of the Sabbath] Owe de σαβ- 
Batu. After the end of the week: this is the trans- 
1 


dalene, ἢ and the other Mary, to see A; ™ 4038. 
the sepulchre. An. Olymp. 
2 And, behold, there “ was a great : 


CIL1 
© Or, had been. 


> Chap. xxvii. 56. 


lation given by several eminent critics; and in this 

way the word ove is used by the most eminent Greek 

writers. Thucydides, lib. iv. chap. 93, τῆς ἡμέρας obe 
281 


An angel declares 


A. Μ. 4033. ‘ a 
ap a3. earthquake : for “the angel of the 


An. Biv. Lord descended from heaven, and 
-————__ came and rolled back the stone from 
the door, and sat upon it. 

3 ° His countenance was like lightning, and 
his raiment white as snow: 

4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, 
and became as dead men. 

5 And the angel answered and said unto the 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the resurrection of Christ 


women, Fear not ye: for I know pn 
that ye seek Jesus, which was An. Olymp. 
crucified. pe ΟΝ 

6 He is not here: for he is risen, ‘as he 
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that 
he is risen from the dead ; and, behold, he go- 
eth before you into Galilee ; there shall ye see 
him: lo, I have told you. 


4 See Mark xvi. 5; Luke xxiv. 4; John xx. 12. ε Dan. 


x. 6. 


Plutarch, ope των βασιλεως 
xpovwr—after the times of the king. Philostratus, 
owe των Tporxov—afler the Trojan war. See Rosen- 
miiller. In general the Jews divided their natural day, 
which consisted of twenty-four hours, into day and 
night. Their artificial day began at the rising and 
ended at the setting of the sun; all the rest of the 
time, from the setting to the rising of the sun, they 
termed night: hence the same word, in Hebrew, sig- 
nifies both evening and night. Gen. i. 5; Mark vi. 47. 
Matthew has employed the word in this extensive sense 
here, pointing out the latter part of the Jewish night, 
that which immediately preceded the rising of the sun, 
and not that first part which we call the evening. The 
transaction mentioned here evidently took place early 
on the morning of the ¢hird day after our Lord’s cru- 
eifixion ; what is called our Sunday morning, or first 
day of the next week. 

Came—to see the sepulchre.| That is, they set out 
at this time in order to visit the tomb of our Lord, and 
also to weep there, John xi. 31, and to embalm the 
body of our Lord, Luke xxiv. 1. St. Matthew omits 
Mary Salome, mentioned by Mark; and Joanna, the 
wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, mentioned by Luke. 
The other Mary was the wife of Cleopas, and mother 
of James and Joses, mentioned before, chap. xxvii. 56. 
Were not Mary and Salome two distinct persons ἢ 

Verse 2. A great earthquake] Σείσμος, a shaking or 
commotion of any kind: probably the word means no 
more than the confusion caused among the guards by 
the angel’s appearance. All this had taken place be- 
fore the women reached the sapulchre. 

The angel of the Lord descended from heaven] 
Matthew is very particular in this, to show that the 
word angel is not to be taken in the sense of an ordi- 
nary messenger, who might have come from Joseph of 
Arimathea, or from any other ; but in the sense of an 
extraordinary messenger, who descended from Gop, 
out of heaven, for this very purpose. It is likely that 
the angel had descended, rolled away the stone, and 
was sitting on it, before the women reached the tomb. 

Verse 3. His countenance] His appearance, ἡ wea 
or, his face, for so the word is used in some 
of the bast Greek writers. It seems, from Mark xvi. 5, 
that this angel had assumed the appearance of a 
young man. 

Like lightning] Coruscations of glory continually 
flaming from his face. This might produce the con- 
fusion mentioned verse 2. 

Eis raiment white as snow] He was clothed in gar- 
282 


nv—the day was ended. 


auTey ; 


£ Chap. xii. 40; xvi. 21; xvii. 23; xx. 19s Chap. xxvi. 32; 
Mark xvi. 7. 


ments emblematical of the glad tidings which he came 
to announce. It would have been inconsistent with the 
message he brought, had the angel appeared in dlack 
robes, such as those preposterously wear who call 
themselves his successors in the ministry of a once 
suffering, but now risen and highly exalted, Saviour. 
But the world is as full of nonsense as of sin; and who 
can correct and bring it to reason and piety 2 

Verse 4. The keepers—became as dead men.] God 
can, by one and the same means, comfort his servants, 
and terrify his enemies. The resurrection of Christ 
is a subject of terror to the servants of sin, and a 
subject of consolation to the sons of God; because it 
is a proof of the resurrection of both, the one to 
shame and everlasting contempt—the other to eternal 
glory and joy. 

Verse 5. I know that ye seek Jesus] Speaking after 
the manner of men, these women deserved to be the 
first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ: during 
life they ministered to him, and in death they were not 
divided. They attended him to the cross, notwith- 
standing their attachment to him exposed them to the 
most imminent danger; and now they come to watch 
and weep at his roms. ‘The common opinion is, that 
women are more fickle and less courageous than men. 
The reverse of this I believe to be the truth, in those 
who are thoroughly converted to God; and who, pre- 
viously to conversion, whether man or woman, can be 
trusted in any case 7 

Verse 6. Come, see the place] The tomb in which 
our Lord was laid was no doubt like the rest of the Jewish 
burying places, a receptacle for the several dead of a 
whole family, divided into separate niches, where each 
had his place. Come and see the place—was tanta- 
mount to, Come and see the niche in which he was 
laid—it is now empty; nor was there any other body 
in the place, for the tomb was a new one, in which no 
man had ever been laid, John xix. 41; so there could 
be no deception in the case. 

Verse 7. Go quickly and tell his disciples] Thus 
these faithful women proclaim the Gospel to those who 
were afterwards to be the teachers of the whole human 
race! Behold what honour God puts upon those who 
persevere in his truth, and continue to acknowledge him 
before men! 

That he is risen from the dead] There is a remark: 
able saying of R. Judah Hakkodesh, which some critics 
quote on this subject: ‘‘ After THREE Days the βοῦν 
of the Messiah shall reTurn to its body, and he shal 
Go ouT of that stone in which he shall be evrirn ” 

1 


Jesus meets the women as CHAP. 


A, M4033. 8. Απά they departed quickly from 
An, Olymp. the sepulchre with fear and great 
a joy; and did run to bring his dis- 
ciples word. 

9 Ἵ And as they went to tell his disciples, 
behold, " Jesus met them, saying, All hail. 
And they came and held him by the feet, and 
worshipped him. 

10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid : 
go, tell ‘ my brethren that they go into Galilee, 
and there shall they see me. 

(11 Ἵ Now when they were going, behold, 


XXVIII. they go to tell the disciples. 


some of the watch came into the 4,™, 103%. 
city, and showed unto the chief Aa, Ose. 
priests all the things that were done. 

12 And when they were assembled with the 
elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large 
money unto the: soldiers, 

13 Saying, say ye, His disciples came by 
night, and stole him away while we slept. 

14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, 
we will persuade him, and secure you. 

15 So they took the money, and did as they 
were taught: and this saying is commonly re 


h See Mark xvi. 9; John xx. 14. 


Goeth before you into Galilee} As himself promised, 
chap. xxvi. 32. 

Verse 8. They departed quickly from the sepulchre] 
At the desire of the angel they went into the tomb, to 
have the fullest certainty of the resurrection. 

Fear and great joy| Fear, produced by the appear- 
ance of this glorious messenger of God; and great joy 
occasioned by the glad tidings of the resurrection of 
their Lord and Master. At the mention of unexpected 
good news, fear and joy are generally intermingled. 


Vix sum apud me, ita animus commotus est metu, 
Spe, gaudio, mirando hdc tanto, tam repentino bono. 
Terent. Andr. v. 945. 


“1 am almost beside myself, my mind is so agitated 
with fear, hope, and joy, at this unexpected good news.” 

Verse 9. And as they went to tell his disciples] 
This clause is wanting in the Codex Vatican, and Co- 
dex Beza, and in twenty others, and in most of the 
versions. The omission is approved by Mill, Bengel, 
and Schmid. Griesbach leaves it in the text with a 
note of doubtfulness. It appears to be superfluous. 
To connect this with the next clause, the particle καὶ, 
and, is obliged to be suppressed in all the translations. 
Γ think the verse should begin with, And behold he 
goeth, &c., and the former clause be suppressed. Pro- 
babiliter delenda, says Professor White, in his Crisews 
Griesbachiane, speaking of the preceding words. 

Jesus met them] Christ bestows his graces and con- 
solations by degrees, first by his angels, and then by 
himself. He does not reveal himself to incredulous 
and disobedient souls; he appears not even to those 
women till he has tried their faith and obedience by 
his ministering angels. 

All hail.| Anglo-Saxon, hale peye ze, Health be to 
you! Xatpere, Be ye safe, rejoice. 

And they held him by the feet, and worshipped him.] 
This kind of reverence is in daily use among the Hin- 
doos : when a disciple meets his religious guide in the 
public streets, he prostrates himself before him, and, 
taking the dust from his teacher's feet, rubs it on his 
jorehead, breast, δα. See Warn’s Customs. 

Verse 10. Be not afraid] They were seized with 
fear at the sight of the angel; and this was now re- 
newed by this unexpected appearance of Christ. See 
the note on ver. 8. 

Go, tell my brethren] This is the first time our 


i See John xx. 17; Rom. viii. 29; Heb. ii. 11. 


Lord called his disciples by this endearing name : they 
no doubt thought that their Lord would reproach them 
with their past cowardice and infidelity ; but, in speak- 
ing thus, he gives them a full assurance, in the most 
tender terms, that all that was passed was as buried 
for ever. 

Verse 11. Some of the watch] Or guards. Proba- 
bly the rest still remained at the tomb, waiting for 
orders to depart, and had sent these to intimate to their 
employers the things that had taken place. 

Verse 12. With the elders] That is, the senators 
of the great Sanhedrin or Jewish council of state, else- 
where called the elders of the people ; they could now 
meet, as the Sabbath was over. 

Verse 13. His disciples came by night] This was 
as absurd as it was false. On one hand, the terror of 
the disciples, the smallness of their number (only 
eleven ;) and their almost total want of faith; on the 
other, the great danger of such a bold enterprise, the 
number of armed men who guarded the tomb, the au- 
thority of Pilate and of the Sanhedrin, must render 
such an imposture as this utterly devoid of credit. 

Stole him away while we slept.| Here is a whole 
heap of absurdities. Ist. Is it likely that so many 
men would all fall asleep, in the open air, at once? 
Qdly. Is it at all probable that a Roman guard should 
be found off their watch, much less asleep, when it was 
instant death, according to the Roman military laws, 
to be found in this state? 3dly. Could they be so 
sound asleep as not to awake with all the noise which 
must be necessarily made by removing the great stone, 
and taking away the body? 4thly. Is it at all likely 
that these disciples could have had time sufficient to 
do all this, and to come and return, without being per- 
ceived by any person? And 5thly. If they were 
asleep, hew could they possibly know that it was the 
disciples that stole him, or indeed that any person or 
persons stole him ‘—for, being asleep, they could see 
no person. From their own ¢estimony, therefore, the 
resurrection may be as fully proved as the theft. 

Verse 14. If this come to the governor’s ears] Pi- 
late— we will persuade him that it is for his own inte- 
rest and honour to join in the deception; and we will 
render you secure—we will take care that you shall 
not suffer that punishment for this pretended breach of 
duty which otherwise you might expect. 

Verse 15. Until this day.] That is to say, the time 

283 


Jesus meets his disciples. 


A. M- 403. ported among the Jews until this 
a Quer. day.) 
——— 16 4 Then the eleven disciples 
went away into Galilee, into a mountain 
* where Jesus had appointed them. 

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped 
him: but some doubted. 

k Chap. xxvi. 32 ; ver. 7——! Dan. vii. 13, 14; chap. x1. 27; xvi. 


28; Luke i. 32; x. 22; John iii. 35; v.22; xill.3; xvii. 2; Acts 
ii. 36; Rom. xiv. 9; 1 Cor. xv. 27; Eph. i. 10, 21; Phil. ii. 9, 10; 


in which Matthew wrote his Gospel; which is sup- 
posed by some to have been eight, by others eighteen, 
and by others thirty yearsafter our Lord’s resurrection. 

Verse 16. Then the eleven disciples went] When 
the women went and told them that they had seen the 
Lord, and that he had promised to meet them in Gali- 
lee. From the eleventh to the fifteenth verse inclu- 
sive, should be read in a parenthesis, as the sixteenth 
verse is the continuation of the subject mentioned in 
the tenth. 

Verse 17. But some doubted.| That is, Thomas 
only at first doubted. The expression simply intimates, 
that they did not all believe at that time. See the same 
form noticed on chap. xxvi. 8, and chap. xxvii. 44. 

Verse 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them] It 
is supposed by some that the reason why any doubted 
was, tnat when they saw Jesus at first, he was at a 
distance ; but when he came up, drew near to them, 
they were fully persuaded of the identity of his person. 

All power is given unto me] Or, All authority in 
heaven and upon earth is given unto me. One fruit 
of the sufferings and resurrection of Christ is repre- 
sented to be, his having authority or right in heaven 
to send down the Holy Spirit—to raise up his follow- 
ers thither—and to crown them in the kingdom of an 
endless glory : in earth, to convert sinners ; to sanctify, 
protect, and perfect his Church; to subdue all nations 
to himself; and, finally, to judge all mankind. If 
Jesus Christ were not equal with the Father, could he 
have claimed this equality of power, without being 
guilty of impiety and blasphemy? Surely not; and 
does he not, in the fullest manner, assert his Godhead, 
and his equality with the Father, by claiming and pos- 
sessing all the authority in heaven and earth ‘—1i. 6. 
all the power and authority by which both empires are 
governed ? 

Verse 19. Go ye therefore] Because I have the 
authority aforesaid, and can send whomsoever I will to 
uo whatsoever I please :—teach, μαθητευσατε, make 
aisciples of all nations, bring them to an acquaintance 
with God who bought them, and then baptize them in 
the name of the Father. It is natural to suppose that 
adults were the first subjects of baptism; for as the 
Gospel was, in a peculiar manner, sent to the Gentiles, 
tuey must hear and receive it, before they could be 
expected to renounce their old prejudices and idolatries, 
and come into the bonds of the Christian covenant. 
But, certainly, no argument can be drawn from this 
concession against the baptism of children. When 
the Gentiles and Jews had received the faith and bless- 
ings of the Gospel, it is natural enough to suppose they 

284 


ST. MATTHEW. 


Their commission. 


18 “Ἵ And Jesus came and spake 4, ™. 4033. 


unto them, saying, ! All power is _ Oiay- 
given unto me in heaven and in : 
earth. 

19 ™Go ye therefore, and * teach ° all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : 

Heb. i. 2; ii. 8; 1 Pet. iii, 22; Rev. xvii. 14——™ Mark xvi. 15. 


Ὁ 15. lil. 10; Luke xxiv. 47; Acts ii. 38, 39; Rom. x. 18; Col. 
ifs 22 © Or, make disciples, or, Christians of all nations. 


should wish to get their children incorporated with the 
visible Church of Christ ; especially if, as many pious 
and learned men have believed, baptism succeeded to 
cireumcision, which I think has never yet been dis- 
proved. The apostles knew well that the Jews not 
only circumcised the children of proselytes, but also 
baptized them ; and as they now received a commission 
to teach and proselyte all the nations, and baptize them 
in the name of the holy Trinity, they must necessarily 
understand that infants were included : nor could they, 
the custom of their country being considered, have 
understood our Lord differently, unless he had, in the 
most express terms, said that they were not to baptize 
children, which neither he nor his apostles ever did. 
And as to the objection, that the baptized were obliged 
to profess their faith, and that, therefore, only adults 
should be baptized, there is no weight at all in it; be- 
cause what is spoken of such refers to those who, only 
at that period of life, heard the Gospel, and were not 
born of parents who had been Christians; therefore 
they could not have been baptized into the Christian 
faith, forasmuch as no such faith was at their infancy 
preached in the world. That the children and even 
infants, of proselytes, were baptized among the Jews, 
and reputed, in consequence, clean, and partakers of 
the blessings of the covenant, see proved at large by 
Weitstein, in his note on Matt. iii. 16.—See the note 
on chap. ili. 6, and particularly on Mark xvi. 16. 

In the name of the Father, &c.| Baptism, properly 
speaking, whether administered by dipping or sprink- 
ling, signifies a full and eternal consecration of the 
person to the service and honour of that Beimg in 
whose name it is administered ; but this consecration 
can never be made to a creature; therefore the Fa- 
ther, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are not crea- 
tures. Again, baptism is not made in the name of a 
quality or attribute of the Divine nature ; therefore 
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are not 
qualities or attributes of the Divine nature. The 
orthodox, as they are termed, have generally consi- 
dered this text as a decisive proof of the doctrine of 
the holy Trinity: and what else can they draw from 
it? Is it possible for words to convey a plainer sense 
than these do? And do they not direct every reader to 
consider the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as 
three distinet persons? ‘“ But this I can never believe.” 
T cannot help that—you shall not be persecuted by me 
for differing from my opinion. I cannot go over to 
you ; I must abide by what I believe to be the mean- 
ing of the Scriptures. Dr. Lightfoot has some good 
thoughts on this commission given to the apostles :—= 

1 


Christ's promise to be with las CHAP. 


A.M. 433. 20 » Teaching them to observe 
Ast Oyatp. all things whatsoever I have 
CCIL.1. 

commanded you: 4% and, lo, 


P John xiv. 14-18; Acts ii. 42; 1 Tim. vi. 14. 


“JT. Christ commands them to go and baptize the 
nations: but how much time was past before such a 
journey was taken! And when the time was now come 
that this work should be begun, Peter doth not enter 
upon it without a previous admonition given him from 
heaven. And this was occasioned hereby, that, ac- 
cording to the command of Christ, the Gospel was 
first to be preached to Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. 

“TI. He commands them to baptize in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; 
but among the Jews, they baptized only in the name of 
Jesus. See Acts ii. 38, and viii. 16, and xix. 5. 
For this reason, that thus the baptizers might assert, 
and the baptized confess, Jesus to be the true Messias ; 
which was chiefly controverted by the Jews. Of the 
same nature is that apostolic blessing, Grace and 
peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Where then is the Holy Ghost? He is not 
excluded, however he be not named. The Jews did 
more easily consent to the Spirit of the Messias, which 
they very much celebrate, than to the person of the 
Messias. Above all others they deny and abjure Jesus 
of Nazareth. It belonged to the apostles, therefore, 
the more earnestly to assert Jesus (to be the Messias) 
by how much the more yehemently they opposed him : 
which being once cleared, the acknowledging of the 
Spirit of Christ would be introduced without delay or 
seruple. Moses, (in Exod. vi. 14,) going about to 
reckon up all the tribes of Israel, goes no farther than 
the tribe of Levi; and takes up with that to which his 
business and story at that present related. In like 
manner, the apostles, for the present, baptize in the 
name of Jesus, and bless in the name of the Father 
and of Jesus, that thereby they might more firmly 
establish the doctrine of Jesus, which met with such 
sharp and virulent opposition; which doctrine being 
established among them, they would soon agree about 
the Holy Ghost. 

“TIT. Among the Jews, the controversy was about 
the true Messias ; among the Gentiles, about the true 
God. It was therefore proper among the Jews to 
baptize in the name of Jesus, that he might be vindi- 
cated to be the true Messias. Among the Gentiles, 
m the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost, that they might be hereby instructed in 
the doctrine of the true God.—Let this be particularly 
noted. 

“TV. The Jews baptized proselytes into the name 
of the Father, that is, into the profession of God, 
whom they called by the name of Father. The apos- 
tles baptize the Jews into the name of Jesus the Son, 
and the Gentiles, into the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

“V. The Father hath revealed himself in the old 
covenant; the Son in the new; in human flesh by 
his miracles, doctrine, resurrection and ascension ; the 
Holy Ghost in his gifts and miracles. Thus the doc- 
trine of the ever blessed Trinity grew by degrees to 


XXVIII. = disciples to the end of the world. 


I am _ with 


A. Μ. 4033 

you alway, even “Ὁ Ὧν 

unto the end of the world. An. Olymp. 
TAmion CCII.1. 


4 Chap. xiii. 39-49; xxiv. 3; 2 Tim. ii. 2——rl Cor. xw. 16. 


full maturity. or the arriving to the acknowledg 
ment of which, it was incumbent upon all who pro- 
fessed the true God to be three in one to be baptized 
into his name.” Ligurroot’s Works, vol. ii. p. 274. 

Verse 20. Teaching them to observe all things} 
Men are ignorant of Divine things, and must be taught 
Only those can be considered as proper teachers of the 
ignorant who are thoroughly ins/ructed in whatsoever 
Christ has commanded. Persons who are entrusted 
with the public ministry of the word should take care 
that they teach not human creeds and confessions of 
faith, in place of the Sacred Writings; but those 
things, and those only, which Jesus has commanded. 

And, lo, Iam with you alway] καὶ ἰδου eyo μεθ᾽ 
tov εἰμι πάσας τας huepac—literally, Behold, I am 
with you every day. A minister of Christ should 
consider, that while his soul simply and uniformly 
follows Jesus, he shall be made a constant instrument 
of bringing many sons and daughters to glory. The 
dark, it is true, must be enlightened, the ignorant in- 
structed, the profligate reclaimed, the guilty justified, 
and the unholy sanctified; and who is sufficient for 
this work? He with whom the Son of God is every 
pay, and none other. 

Unto the end of the world.| Some translate, ἕως τῆς 
συντελείας Tov αἰωνος, to the end of this age ; meaning 
the apostolic age, or Jewish dispensation; and then 
they refer the promise of Christ’s presence to the 
working of miracles, and explain this by Mark xvi. 
17-19. By my name they shall cast out demons, &c., 
&c. But though the words are used in this sense in 
several places, see chap. xiii. 39, 40, 49, and xxiv. 
3, yet it is certain they were repeatedly used among 
the primitive ecclesiastical writers to denote the con- 
summation of all things; and it is likely that this is 
the sense in which they are used here, which the 
Anglo-Saxon has happily expressed: And Ic beomd 
eop ealle dagar oS ponulde ze-endunge—And J, be with 
you all days, until world ending; and this is indis- 
pensably necessary, because the presence and influence 
of Jesus Christ are essentially requisite in every age 
of the world, to enlighten, instruct, and save the lost. 
The promise takes in not only the primitive apostles, 
but also all their successors in the Christian ministry, 
as long as the earth shall endure. 

Amen.| This word is omitted by some of the old- 
est and most authentic MSS., and by some versions 
and fathers. When it is considered that the word 
amen simply means so be it! we may at once perceive 
that it could not be added by our Lord. For our Lord 
could not pray that his own will might be done, or his 
own promise fulfilled. The word is, therefore, utterly 
impertinent as a part of the sacred text, and could 
neither have been added by our Lord, nor by the evan- 
gelist. The amens at the end of the sacred books 
have no other authority than what they derive from 
the transcribers of copies; and, at best, are only to be 
considered as the pious wish of the writer, or of the 

285 


Concluding observations on 


Church, that the promises contained in the sacred 
volume may be accomplished. Indeed, it seems often 
to have no other meaning than our fims at the end of 
our books. 

In the MSS. and versions there are various sud- 
scriptions, or epigraphs, to this Gospel: the following 
are the principal :— 

“The Gospel according to Matthew—written by 
him in Jerusalem—in Palestine—in the east—in the 
Hebrew dialeet—in Hebrew—eight years after the 
ascension of Christ—interpreted by John—by James 
the brother of the Lord.” 

The subscription in some copies of the Arabic ver- 
sion is very full: “'The end of the copy of the Gos- 
pel of Matthew the Apostle. He wrote it in the land 
of Palestine, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in the 
Hebrew tongue, eight years after the bodily ascension 
of Jesus the Messiah into heaven, in the first year of 
the reign of Claudius Cesar, king of Rome.” 

These are sufficient to show how little eredit should 
be attached to the subscriptions found at the end of the 
sacred books, either in the MSS., or in the versions. 


1. In concluding my notes on this evangelist, I 
zannot express myself better than in the words of the 
late Mr. Wakefield, to whom this commentary has been 
in many instances indebted. “1 have now finished 
my observations on the Gospel of Matthew: a piece 
of history, it must be acknowledged, the most singular 
in its composition, the most wonderful in its contents, 
and the most wnportant in its object, that was ever 
exhibited to the notice of mankind. For simplicity of 
narrative, and an artless relation of facts, without any 
applause or censure, or digressive remarks, on the part 
of the historian, upon the characters introduced in it ; 
without any intermixture of his own opinion, upon 
any subject whatsoever; and for a multiplicity of in- 
ternal marks of credibility, this Gospel certainly has 
no parallel among human productions.” 

2. One thing the pious and intelligent reader has, 
no doubt, already noticed: there is not one truth, or 
doctrine, in the whole oracles of God, which is not 
taught in this evangelist. The outlines of the whole 

286 


ST. MATTHEW. 


the Gospel of St. Matthew. 


spiritual system are here correctly laid down: even 
Paul himself has added nothing ; he has amplified and 
illustrated the truths contained in this Gospel; but, 
even under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
neither he nor any other of the apostles have brought 
to light any one truth, the prototype of which has not 
been found in the words or acts of our blessed Lord, 
as related by Matthew, in the work which has already 
passed under review. The Gospel by St. Matthew is 
the grand text-book of Christianity; the other Gos- 
pels are collateral evidences of its truth, and the apos- 
tolic epistles are comments on the text. In the com- 
mencement of this work, I stated my wish, “ to assist 
my fellow labourers in the vineyard to lead men to 
HIM who is the fountain of all excellence, goodness, 
truth, and happiness ;—to magnify his Law, and make 
it honourable ;—to show the wonderful provision made 
in his Gosprt for the recovery and salvation of a sin- 
ful world ;—to prove that God’s great design is to 
make his creatures HAPPY ; and that such a salvation 
as it becomes God to give, and such as man needs to 
receive, is within the grasp of every human soul.”— 
General Preface, before Genesis. And having thus 
far done what I could, in reference to these great and 
important purposes, here I register my thanks to the 
ever-blessed God, Father, Word, and Holy Spirit, that 
he has permitted me to cast my mite into this sacred 
treasury, to add my feeble testimony to his Eternal 
Truth; and has spared me, in the midst of many in- 
firmities and oppressive labours, to see the conclusion 
of this Gospel, a consummation which I had long de- 
voutly wished, but which I had scarcely hoped ever to 
see realized. 

May the Divine Author of this sacred book give the 
reader a heart-felt experience of all the truths it con- 
tains; make and keep him wise unto salvation; build 
him up in this most holy faith; and give him an 
inheritance among the blessed, through Christ Jesus, 
the Friend of mankind, and the Saviour of sinners, 
who is the object and end of this glorious system of 
truth! And to Him, with the Father and Eternal 
Spirit, be glory and dominion, thanksgiving and obe- 
dience, for ever and ever. Amen and amen! 

i 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


Sf. MARK. 


WITH A SHORT ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE 


Foe an explication of the word Gospet, and the title Saint, see the Preface to Matt. p. 30. Marx. 

This person, the second in the commonly received order of the four evangelists, was named Joan Marx, 
and was the son of a pious woman called Mary, who dwelt at Jerusalem: she was an early believer, agd the 
disciples used to meet at her house. Peter, having been delivered out of prison by an angel, came to the 
house of Mary, mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying, Acts 
xii. 19. This very first mention of John Mark assures us of Peter’s intimacy in that family: it is almost 
universally allowed that Mark, mentioned by Peter, 1 Epist. chap. v. 13, is this evangelist, and that he is the 
same with him who is called sister’s son to Barnabas, Col. iv. 10, and is supposed to have been converted py 
Peter to the Christian faith. Mr. W. Whiston supposes him to have been Peter’s own son. See his Primi- 
tive New Test. Notes at the end. He travelled from Jerusalem to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, Acts 
xii. 25, and some short time after he accompanied them to other countries as their minister, Acts xiii. 5. 
When they returned to the continent, and came on shore at Perga in Pamphylia, he departed from them and 
returned to Jerusalem, ver. 13. Afterwards he would have gone with Paul and Barnabas, but the former 
refused to take him, because of his having left them at Pamphylia; Paul and Barnabas then separated, and 
Mark accompanied his uncle Barnabas to Cyprus, Acts xv. 36-41. Afterwards Paul and he were fully re- 
conciled, as evidently appears from 2 Tim. iv. 11: Take Mark, and bring him with thee; for he is profitable 
to me for the ministry. This appears also from Philemon, ver. 24, where Mark is styled Paul’s fellow- 
labourer ; and from Col. iv. 10, where we find the apostle recommending him in a particular manner to the 
Church of God at that place. He is generally supposed to have been particularly intimate with St. Peter, to 
have written his Gospel at Rome, A. D. 64, and to have died at Alexandria in Egypt, in the eighth year of 
the reign of Nero. Dr. Larpner has fully proved that Mark the evangelist, and John Mark nephew to 
Barnabas, were one and the same person. See his Works, vol. vi. p. 77, ἄς. 

How Mark composed his Gospel, is a question not yet decided among learned men. Many of the primitive 
fathers, such as Papias, Clemens Alexandrinus, Ireneus, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, &c., believed that he 
was only the amanuensis of St. Peter; that this apostle, through modesty, would not put his name to the 
work, but dictated the whole account, and Mark wrote it down from his mouth. St. Augustine appears to 
have been the first who maintained that Mark abridged St. Matthew’s Gospel ; and that it is not to be considered 
as an original work :—on this opinion several remarks will be made in the course of these notes. Others 
suppose that Mark compiled it, partly out of Matthew’s Gospel, and partly out of the Gospel of Luke. But 
most of these are conjectures which appear to have very little foundation. Critics are also divided concerning 
the Janguage in which it was written, and the people to whom it was sent. Some have contended for a Latin 
original, because of several Latin words found in it, such as σπεκουλατωρ, chap. vi. 27, one of the guard ; 
kevruptav, XV. 39, 44, 45, a centurion, a captain of one hundred men; σύσσημον, xiv. 44, a signal, a sign 
agreed on. But such words are better accounted for by supposing that his Gospel was written for the use 
of the Roman people ; and that it is on this account that he wholly passes by the genealogy of our Lord, 
as being a point of no consequence to Gentile converts, though very necessary for the Jews, and especially 
the Jews of Palestine. That it was originally written in Greek, is a point now acknowledged by almost all 
‘earned men. 

It may be necessary to state the things omitted by Mark in the beginning of his Gospel which are mentioned 
\y Matthew and Luke. 

1 287 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. 


. The Prerace, found in Luke and John, chap. i. 

. The Conception of Elizabeth, Luke i. 5-25. 

The Saturation of Mary, Luke i. 26-38. 

. Mary’s Visir to Elizabeth, Luke i. 39-56. 

John Baptist’s Birt, Luke i. 57-79. 

The Angel’s APPEARANCE to Joseph, Matt. i. 18-25. 

The Birtu of Curist, Matt. i. 25; Luke 1]. 1-7. 

The Greneatocy of Curist, Matt. i. 1-17; Luke iii. 1-76. 

The Appearance of the Angel to the SuepHerns, Luke 11. 8-20. 

10. The Circumcision of Curist, Matt. i. 25; Luke ii. 21. 

11. The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Luke ii. 22-38. 

12. The Coming of the Mact, Matt. ii. 1-12. 

13. The Frieur into Egypt, Matt. ii. 15-15. 

14. Herod’s Murver of the INNocents, Matt. ii. 16-18. 

15. The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt, Matt. ii. 19-23; Luke ii. 39. 
16. Christ’s Journey to Jerusalem when twelve years of age, Luke ii. 40-48. 


ae er) (st > CS Us) {πὶ 


From the particulars enumerated here, it appears that the things omitted by Mark are also omitted by John 
except the Preface; and that St. Luke is the most circumstantial. 
For other particulars relative to this Gospel, see at the end of the last chapter. 
288 1 


THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


>) ANT ἘΠῚ εὐ UK 


Msnerian year of the World, 4030.—Alexandrian year of the World, 5528.—Antiochian year of the World, 
5518.—Constantinopolitan Aira of the World, 5534.—Rabbinical year of the World, 3786.—Year of 
the Julian Period, 4740.—A®ra of the Seleucide, 338.—Year of the Christian Aira, 26.—Year of the 
CCI. Olympiad, 2.—Year of the building of Rome, 769.—Year of the Julian Afra, 71.—Year of the 
Cesarean Aira of Antioch, 74.—Year of the Spanish Aira, 64.—Year of the Paschal Cycle or Dionysian 
Period, 27.—Year of the Christian Lunar Cycle, or Golden Number, 8.—Year of the Rabbinical Lunar 
Cycle, 5.—Year of the Solar Cycle, 7.—Dominical Letter, F.—Epact, 17.—Year of the Emperor 
Tiberius, 14.—Consuls, C. Calvisius Sabinus, and Cn. Corn. Lentulus Getulicus, from January 1 to July 1; 
and Q. Mareius Barea and T. Rustius Nummus Gallus, for the remainder of the year. The reason why 
two sets of Consuls appear in this Chronology is this: the Consuls were changed every year in July ; 
therefore, taking in the whole year, four Consuls necessarily appear: two for the first siz months, and twe 
for the latter half of the year. 


CHAPTER I. 


The mission, preaching, and success of John Baptist, 1-5. His manner of life, 6. Proclaims Christ, ana 
baptizes him in Jordan, 7-11. The temptation of Christ, 12,13. John being put in prison, Christ be- 


gins to preach, 14, 15. 
Capernaum, 21, 22. 
in-law, 29-31. 
ples, 35-37. 


Casts out a demon, 23-28. 


He calls Andrew and Simon, 16-18. 


Heals many diseased persons, 32-34. 
Preaches in different towns and synagogues of Galilee, and casts out devils, 38, 39 


James and John, 19, 20. Teaches in 
Goes into the house of Simon, and heals his mother- 
Goes to the desert, and is followed by his disci- 


Cleanses a leper, who publishes abroad his miraculous cure, 40-45. 


nko "THE beginning of the Gospel 
An ee of Jesus Christ, *the Son of 


a2 God: 

2 As it is written in the prophets, ἢ Behold, 
I send my messenger before thy face, which 
shall prepare thy way before thee. 


c ; A. M. 4030 
3 ° The voice of one crying in the 4, δ᾿ 493 


wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Aa, Olymp 
the Lord, make his paths straight. 

4 ἃ John did baptize in the wilderness, and 
preach the baptism of repentance “ for the 
remission of sins. 


a Matt. xiv. 33; Luke i. 35; John i. 34.» Mal. iii. 1; 
Matt. xi. 10; Luke vii. 27. 


NOTES ON CHAP. I. 

Verse 1. The beginning of the Gospel] It is with 
the utmost propriety that Mark begins the Gospel dis- 
pensation by the preaching of John the Baptist, he 
being the forerunner of Jesus Christ, and the first 
proclaimer of the incarnated Messiah. Gospel—for 
the meaning of the word see the preface to Matthew. 

Son of God] To point out his Divine origin; and 
thus glancing at his miraculous conception. This was 
an essential character of the Messiah. See Matt. xvi. 
16; xxvi. 63; Luke xxii. 67, &c. 

Verse 2. As it is written in the prophets] Rather, 
As it is written by Isaiah the prophet. 1 think this 
reading should be adopted, instead of that in the com- 
mon text. It is the reading of the Coder Beze, Va- 
tican, and several other MSS. of great repute. It is 
found also in the Syriac, Persic, Coptic, Armenian, 

Vou. I ‘f wm )\ 


cIsa. xl. 3; Matt. iii. 3; 
4 Matt. i. 1; 


Luke iii. 4; John i. 15, 23. 
Luke iii. 3; John iii. 23. © Or, unto. 


Gothic, Vulgate, and [tala versions, and in several of 
the fathers. As this prophecy is found both in Isaiah 
and Malachi, probably the reading was changed to 
τοις προφηταῖς, the prophets, that it might comprehend 
both. In one of Asseman’s Syriac copies, both Jsaiah 
and Malachi are mentioned. See all the authorities 
in Griesbach, 2d edit.; and see the parallel place in 
Matthew, chap. iii. 3, where the Prophet Jsaiah is 
mentioned, which seems fully to establish the autho- 
rity of this reading. 

Verse 3. The voice of one crying] See on Matt 
iii. 1-3. 

Verse 4. John] The original name is nearly lost 
in the Greek Ιωαννης, and in the Latin Johannes, and 
almost totally so in the English John. The original 
name is {JM Yehochanan, compounded of }3n 717" 
Yehovah chanan, the grace or mercy of Jehovah: a 

289 


Jchn the Baptist’s preaching. ST. 


Ay Mea, 5 f And there went out unto him 


An. Olymp. all the land of Judea, and they of 
ς Jerusalem, and were all baptized of 
him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 


6 And John was £ clothed with camel’s hair, 


and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; 
and he did eat ὃ locusts and wild honey ; 

7 And preached, saying, ‘There cometh one 

mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose 
shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 

8 I indeed have baptized you with water : 
but he shall baptize you ! with the Holy Ghost. 

9 4 ™ And it came to pass in those days, 
that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and 
was baptized of John in Jordan. 

10 5 And straightway coming up out of the 
water, he saw the heavens ° opened, and the 
Spirit like a dove descending upon him : 


MARK. 


The temptation of Christ 


11 And there came a voice from 4,M; 4090. 
heaven, saying, » Thou art my be- An. Olymp. 
loved Son, in Poem I am well eee 
pleased. 

12 4 2 And immediately the Spirit driveth 
him into the wilderness. 

13 And he was there in the wilderness {τ τίν 
days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild 
beasts ; * and the angels ministered unto him. 

14 9° Now after that John was A. M. 4031. 
put in prison, Jesus came into Gali- An. Oi 
lee, t preaching the Gospel of the _°°!3 
kingdom of God, 

15 And saying, ἃ The time is fulfilled, and 
Y the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, 
and believe the Gospel. 

16 Ἵ τ Now as he walked by the sea of 
Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, 


f Matt. iil. 5——s Matt. 111. 4——» Ley. xi. 22.——i Matt. 
iii. 11; John i. 27; Acts xiii. 25. Kk Acts 1.5; xi. 16; xix. 
4.—1 Isa. xliv. 3; Joel ii. 28; Acts ii. 4; x. 45; xi. 15, 16; 
1 Cor. xii. 13. m Matt. 111. 13; Luke ii. 21. 0 Matt. 111. 
16; John i. 32. 


°Or, cloven, or, rent.——P Psa. ii. 7; Matt. iii. 17; chap. ix. 
76 4 Matt. iv. 1; Luke iv. 1 —— Matt. iv. 11—— Matt. iv. 
12.— Matt. iv. 23. 4Dan. ix. 25; Gal. iv. 4; Eph. i. 
10. Y Matt. iii. 2; iv. 17. w Matt. ty. 18; Luke 
v. 4. 


most proper and significant name for the forerunner of 
the God of aut Grace. It was John’s business to pro- 
claim the Gospel of the grace of God, and to point out 
that Lamb or sacrifice of God which takes away the 
sin of the world. 

For the remission of sins.] Or, toward the remission 
—elc αφεσιν. ‘They were to repent, and be baptized 
in reference to the remission of sins. Repenrancr 
prepared the soul for it, and Baprism was the type or 
pledge of it. See on Matt. iii. 2. 

Verse 5. All the land] See on Matt. iii. 4-6. 

Confessing their sins.] It was an invariable custom 
among the Jews to admit no proselyte to baptism, till 
he had, in the most solemn manner, declared that he for 
ever had renounced all idolatrous worship, all heathen- 
ish superstitions, and promised an entire and unreserved 
submission to the law of Moses. This was necessary 
for a proselyte adult—a child dedicated to God by 
baptism must be drought up in this faith. 

Verse 6. John was clothed, &e.] See the note 
on Matt. iii. 4. 

Verse 7. The latchet of whose shoes} The shoe of 
the ancients was properly only a sole tied round the foot 
and ancle with strings or thongs. See on Matt. iil. 11. 

Verse 8. I indeed have baptized you with water] 
As if he had said: This baptism is not to be rested 
in; it is only an emblem of that which you must re- 
ceive from him who is mightier than 1. It is he only 
who can communicate the Holy Spirit; and water 
baptism is nothing, but as it points out, and leads to, 
the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The subject of these 
two verses is not found in Matthew nor John; but is 
mentioned with some varying circumstances by Luke, 
chap. i. 16. 

Verses 9-11. See the subject of these verses 
which contain the account of our Lord’s baptism, ex- 
plained, Matt. ili, 13-17. 

290 


Verse 12. The Spirit driveth him] Ἐκβαλλει, putteth 
him forth. St. Matthew says, chap iv. 1, ανηχϑη- 
was brought up. See this important subject of our 
Lord’s temptation explained at large, Matt. iv. 1-11. 

Verse 13. With the wild beasts] This is a curious 
circumstance, which is mentioned by none of the other 
evangelists; and seems to intimate that he was in 
the most remote, unfrequented, and savage part of the 
desert ; which, together with the diabolic influence, 
tended to render the whole scene the more horrid. 
Perhaps this very circumstance is mentioned, as emble- 
matical of that savage and brutal cruelty with which 
he was persecuted to death by the Jews and Gentiles, 
instigated thereto by the malice of Satan. 

Verse 14. Preaching the Gospel of the kingdom] 
See the notes on Matt. iii. 2; and on the office of the 
preacher, or herald, at the end of that chapter. 

Verse 15. The time is fulfilled] That is, the time 
appointed for sending the Messiah ; and particularly 
the time specified by Daniel, chap. ix. 24-27. Here 
are four points worthy of deep attention, in the 
preaching of the Son of God. 

1. Every thing that is done is according to a plan 
laid by the Divine wisdom, and never performed till 
the time appointed was filled up. 

2. That the kingdom and reign of sin are to be 
destroyed, and the kingdom of grace and heaven esta- 
blished in their place. 

3. That the kingdom of God, and his reign by 
grace, begins with repentance for past sins. 

4. That this reign of grace is at hand; and that 
nothing but an obstinate perseverance in sin and im- 
penitence can keep any soul out of it; and that now 
is the accepted time to enter in. 

Verse 16. As he walked by the sea, &c.] See on 
Matt. iv. 18-22. 

Andrew his brother| Instead of the common read- 

( mF) 


Several disciples called. 


A.M. 4031. - : , 
poy casting a net into the sea: for they 


os ΠΟ Υτρ, were fishers. 

17 And Jesus said unto them, 
Come ye after me, and I will make you to 
become fishers of men. 

18 And straightway * they forsook their nets, 
and followed him. 

19 ¥ And when he had gone a little farther 
thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, 
and John his brother, who also were in the 
ship, mending their nets. 

20 And straightway he called them; and 
they left their father Zebedee in the ship with 
the hired servants, and went after him. 

21 7 And they went into Capernaum ; and 
straightway on the sabbath day he entered into 
the synagogue, and taught. 


* Matt. xix. 27; Luke v. 11——-Y¥ Matt. iv. 21.——* Matt. 
iv. 13; Luke iv. 31. 


ing, αδελῴον αὐτου, his brother, the best MSS. and 
versions have adeAdov tov Σιμωνος, the brother of Si- 
mon, which should be received into the text. The 
most eminent critics approve of this reading. 

Verse 21. Capernaum] See Matt. iv. 13. 

He entered into the synagogue] Their synagogues— 
ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτων, according te the Syriac, 
which has the word in the plural. 

Verse 22. As one that had authority] From God, | 
to do what he was doing; and to teach a pure and 
beneficent system of truth. 

And not as the scribes.) Who had no such autho- 
rity, and whose teaching was not accompanied by the 
power of God to the souls of the people: 1. because 
the matter of the teaching did not come from God ; 
and 2. because the teachers themselves were not 
commissioned by the Most High. See the note on 
Matt. vii. 28. 

Verse 23. A man with an unclean spirit] This 
demoniac is only mentioned by Mark and Luke, chap. 
iy. 31. It seems the man had lucid intervals; else 
he could not have been admitted into the synagogue. 
Unclean or impure spirit—a common epithet for those 
fallen spirits: but here it may mean, one who filled 
the heart of him he possessed with Lascivious thoughts, 
images, desires, and propensities. By giving way to 
the first attacks of such a spirit, he may soon get in, 
and take full possession of the whole soul. 

Verse 24. What have we to do with thee] Or, 
What is it to us and to thee? or, What business hast 
thou with us? That this is the meaning of the origi- 
nal, τε ἧμιν καὶ cot, Kypke has sufficiently shown. 
There is a phrase exactly like it in 2 Sam. xvi. 10. 
What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? 
mrs 192 03519 ΤῸ ma Li v’lacem beney Tseruiah, 
What business have ye with me, or, Why do ye trou- 
ble me, ye sons of Tseruiah? The Septuagint trans- 
late the Hebrew just as the evangelist does here, 
Te euoe καὶ ὑμιν » it is the same idiom in both places, 
as there can be no doubt that the demoniac spoke in 

1 


CHAP. I. 


Jesus heals a demoniac 


: A. M. 4031. 
22 * And they were astonished at 4, ™; 403! 


his doctrine : for he taught them as An. ome 
one that had authority, and not as ——-—— 
the scribes. 

23 9 >And there was in their synagogue a 
man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 

24 Saying, Let us alone ; ° what have we to 
do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art 
thou come to destroy us? I know thee who 
thou art, the Holy One of God. 

25 And Jesus ‘rebuked him, saying, Hold 
thy peace, and come out of him. 

26 And when the unclean spirit ° had torn 
him, and cried with a loud voice, he came 
out of him. 

27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that 
they questioned among themselves, saying, 


a Matt. vii. 28—» Luke iv. 33. © Matt. viii. 29——4 Ver. 
34. © Chap. ix. 20. 


Hebrew, or in the Chaldeo-Syriac dialect of that 
language, which was then common in Judea. See on 
Matt. viii. 29. 

Art thou come to destroy τι5 3] We may suppose 
this spirit to have felt and spoken thus: “ Is this the 
time of which it hath been predicted, that in it the 
Messiah should destroy all that power which we have 
usurped and exercised over the bodies and souls of 
men? Alas! it is so: I now plainly see who thou 
art—the Holy One of God, who art come to destroy 
unholiness, in which we have our residence, and 
through which we have our reign in the souls of men.’& 
An unholy spirit is the only place where Satan can 
have his full operation, and show forth the plenitude 
of his destroying power. 

Verse 25. And Jesus rebuked him] A spirit of this 
cast will only yield to the sovereign power of the Son 
of God. All watchings, fastings, and mortifications, 
considered in themselves, will do little or no good. 
Uncleanness, of every description, will only yield to 
the rebuke of God. 

Verse 26. And when the unclean spirit had torn 
him] And had thrown him down in the midst, Luke 
iv. 35, καὶ σπαραξαν, and convulsed him. Never was 
there a person possessed by an unclean spirit who did 
not suffer a convulsion, perhaps a total ruin of nature 
by it. Sins of uncleanness, as the apostle intimates, 
are against the body; they sap the foundation of life, 
so that there are very few of this class, whether male 
or female, that live out half their days: they generally 
die martyrs to their lusts. When the propensities of 
the flesh are most violent in a person who is determi- 
ned to serve God, it is often a proof that these are the 
last efforts of the impure spirit, who has great rage, 
because he knows his time is but short. 

Verse 27. What thing is this ?] Words of surprise 
and astonishment. 

And what new doctrine] I have added the particle 
and, from the Syriac, as it helps the better to dis- 
tinguish the members of the sentence; but there 

291 


Jesus heals the diseased, and 


AM Zor 
A. Ὁ. 2 


τε ΠΣ trine is this? for with authority 
“_ commandeth he even the unclean 
spirits, and they do obey him. 

28 And immediately his fame spread abroad 
throughout all the region round about Galilee. 

29 4‘ And forthwith, when they were come 
out of the synagogue, they entered into the 
house of Simon and Andrew, with James and 
John. 

30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a 
fever, and anon they tell him of her. 

31 And he came and took her by the hand, 
and lifted her up ; and immediately the fever 
left her, and she ministered unto them. 

32 9 & And at even, when the sun did set, 
they brought unto him all that were diseased, 
and them that were possessed with devils. 


ST. MARK. 
What thing is this? what new doc-! 33 And all the city was gathered ae 


preaches in different places 


foot 
27. 

Ss ὃν» mp 
.3. 


together at the door. 

34 And he healed many that were = 
sick of divers diseases, and cast out many 
devils ; and © suffered not the devils ‘ to speak, 
because they knew him. 

35 § And *in the morning, rising up 3 
great while before day, he went out, and de 
parted into a solitary place, and there prayed 

36 And Simon and they that were with him 
followed after him. 

37 And when they had found him, they said 
unto him, All men seek for thee. 

38 And he said unto them, ! Let us go into 
the next towns, that I may preach there also- 
for ™ therefore came 1 forth. 

39 = And he preached in their synagogues 
throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. 


f Matt. viii. 14; Luke iv. 38. 
4 Chap. iii. 12 


£ Matt. viii. 16; Luke iv. 40. 
; Luke iv. 41; See Acts xvi. 17, 18.——‘ Or, to say 


that they knew him. 
lxi. 1; 


k Luke iv. 421 Luke iv. 43. mIsa. 
John xvi. 28; xvii. 4. 2 Matt. iv. 23; Luke iv. 44. 


is a vast diversity in the MSS. on this verse. 
Griesbach. 

For with authority] They had never heard such a 
gracious doctrine, and never saw any teaching sup- 
ported by miracles before. How much must this 
person be superior to men !—they are brought into 
subjection by unclean spirits ; this person subjects un- 
clean spirits to himself. 

Verse 28. And immediately his fame spread abroad] 
The miracle which he had performed was—1. great ; 
2. evidenced much benevolence in the worker of it ; 
and 3. was very public, being wrought in the syna- 
gogue. The many who saw it published it wherever 
they went; and thus the fame of Christ, as an incom- 
parable teacher, and unparalleled worker of miracles, 
became soon spread abroad through the land. 

The word, εὐϑεως, immediately, occurs more fre- 
quently in this evangelist than in any other writer of 
the new covenant: it is very often superfluous, and 
may often be omitted in the translation, without any 
prejudice to the sense of the passage in which it is 
found. It seems to be used by St. Mark, as our 
ancient writers used forsooth, and such like words. 

Verse 29. See this account of the healing of Peter's 
mother-in-law explained at large, Matt. viii. 14-17. 

Verse 32. When the sun did set] See on Matt. 
vill. 14. 

Verse 34. Because they knew him] To be the Christ, 
is added here by several ancient and respectable MSS. 
and versions ; but it appears to be only a gloss. 

Verse 35. In the morning—a great while before 
day| By πρωὶ, the morning, is to be understood the 
whote space of three hours, which finished the fourth 
watch of the night. 

And there prayed.) Not that he needed any thing, 
for in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; 
but that he might be a pattern tous. Every thing 
tnat our blessed Lord did he performed either as our 
pattern, or as our sacrifice. 

292 


See 


Verse 36. And Simon—followed after him.| Kare- 
duu av, followed him eagerly. They had now begun 
to taste the good word of God, and thought they could 
never hear too much of it. Many possess this spirit 
when first converted to God. O! what a pity that 
they should ever lose it! The soul that relishes Ged’s 
word is ever growing in grace by it. 

Verse 37. All men seek for thee.| Some to hear; 
some to be healed; some to be saved; and some, per- 
haps, through no good motive. There are all sorts of 
followers in the train of Christ; but how few walk 
steadily, and persevere unto the end! 

Verse 38. The next towns] Κωμοπολεὶς properly 
signifies such towns as resembled cities for magnitude 
and number of inhabitants, but which were not walled 
as were cities. The Codex Bez@, most of the ver- 
sions, and all the Jala, read, Let us go into the neigh- 
bouring villages, AND INTO THE CITIES. 

For therefore came I forth.] Etc tovzo, for this 
purpose am I come forth—to preach the Gospel to 
every creature, that all might hear, and fear, and re- 
turn unto the Lord. The towns and the villages will 
not come to the preacher—the preacher must go to 
them, if he desires their salvation. In this, also, τς 
has left his ministering servants an example, that they 
should follow his steps. Let no minister of God 
think he has delivered his own soul, till he has made 
an offer of salvation to every city and village within 
his reach. 

Verse 39. And he preached] He continued preach- 
mg—Hy kypvocwv: this is the proper meaning of the 
words: he never slackened his pace—he continued 
proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation to all—there 
was ro time to be lost—immortal souls were perishing 
for lack of knowledge; and the grand adversary was 
prowling about, seeking whom he might devour. This 
zealous, «{fectionate, and persevering diligence of Christ 
should be copied by all his servants in the ministry ; it 
is not less necessary now than it was then. Thousands, 

1 


Jesus cleanses a leper, 
A.M, 4031. 40 [1° And there came a leper 
An. Olymp. to him, beseeching him, and kneel- 

CCL3. 

ing down to him, and saying unto 
him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put 
forth λὲς hand, and touched him, and saith unto 
hin, I will; be thou clean. 

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immedi- 
ately the leprosy departed from him, and he 
was cleansed. 

43 And he straitly charged him, and forth- 
with sent him away ; 


© Matt. viii. 2; Luke v. 12.——? Lev. xiv. 3, 4, 10; Luke v. 14. 


thousands of Christians, so called, are perishing for 
lack of knowledge. O God, send forth more and more 
faithful Jabourers into thy vineyard ! 

Verse 40. There came a leper] See the notes on 
Matt. viii. 2, &c. Should any be inclined to preach 
on this cleansing of the leper, Mark is the best evan- 
gelist to take the account from, because he is more 
circumstantial than either Matthew or Luke. 


I. Consider this leper. 

1. He heard of Jesus and his miracles. 

2. He came to him for a cure, conscious of his 
disease. 

3. He earnestly besought him to grant the mercy 
he needed. 

4. He fell down on his knees, (with his face to the 
earth, Luke y. 12,) thus showing his humbled state, 
and the distress of his soul. 

5. He appealed to his love—if thou wilt; with 
a full conviction of his ability—thou canst; in order 
to get healed. 


II. Consider Jesus. 

1. He is moved with tender compassion towards 
him: this is the alone source of all human salvation. 

2. He stretches forth his hand, showing thus his 
readiness to relieve him. 

3. He touches him; though this was prohibited by 
the law, and rendered him who did it in any common 
ease legally unclean. 

4. He proves at once his infinite love and unlimited 
power, by his word and by his act; I will—be thou 
cleansed ; and immediately his leprosy was removed. 
But see on Matt. viii. 2. 

Verse 43. Straitly charged] See the reason for 


CHAP. II. 


and retires to the desert. 


44 And saith unto him, See thou 4,™, 4081. 

say nothing to any man: but go An. ole 
CCL 3 

thy way, show thyself to the priest, 

and offer for thy cleansing those things 

Ρ which Moses commanded, for a testimony 

unto them. 

45 4% But he went out, and began to publish 
it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, in- 
somuch that Jesus could no more openly en- 
ter into the city, but was without in desert 
places; "and they came to him from every 
quarter. 


4 Luke v. 15. 


τ Chap. ii. 13. 


this, Matt. viii. 4. This verse is wanting in two copies 
of the Itala. 

Verse 45. Began to publish it much] Began to 
publish πολλα, many things; probably all that he had 
heard about our Lord’s miraculous works. 

And to blaze abroad the matter] 'That is, his own 
healing ; thinking he could never speak too much, nor 
too well, of him who had thus mercifully and miracu- 
lously cleansed him. 

Jesus could no more openly enter into the city] A 
city of Galilee, probably Chorazin or Bethsaida, in 
which he did not appear, for fear of exciting the 
jealousy of the secular government, or the envy and 
malice of the Jewish rulers. 

And they came to him from every quarter.| So 
generally had the poor man, who was cleansed of his 
leprosy, spread abroad his fame. And can we suppose 
that, of all these people who came to him from all 
parts, and to whom he preached the glad tidings of the 
kingdom, by the power and authority of God, few or 
none were saved? This is a common opinion; but 
every person who seriously considers it must see that 
it is unfounded. Without doubt, Christ had thousands 
that were brought to God by his ministry ; though, in 
general, only those are mentioned who were constant 
attendants on his person. It would be strange, if, 
while God manifested in the flesh was preacher, there 
should be few brought to the knowledge of themselves, 
and of the truth! In this respect he does not permit 
his faithful ministers to labour in vain. The Son of 
man sowed the seed of the kingdom; and it afterwards 
produced a plentiful harvest. Multitudes of Jews were 
converted by the preaching of the Gospel; and the 
first Christian Church was founded at Jerusalem. 


ε CHAPTER II. 


Christ preaches in Capernaum, 1, 2. 
given, 3-5. 
Jorgive sins, by healing the man’s disease, 8-11. 
Levi from the receipt of custom, 13, 14. 
Pharisees murmur, 15, 16. 


A paralytic person is brought to him, whose sins are pronounced for- 
The scribes accuse him of blasphemy, 6, 7. 
The people are astonished and edified, 12. 
Eats in his house with publicans and sinners, at which the 
He vindicates his conduct, 17. 


He vindicates himself, and proves his power to 
He calls 


Vindicates his disciples, who are accused of 


not fasting, 18-22; and for plucking the ears of corn on the Sabbath day, 23-26 ; and teaches the reght 


use of the Sabbath, 27, 28. 
1 


293 


A paralytic person healed. 


A. M. 4031. in 3 i : 
ap see AND again *he entered into Ca 
An, Olymp. pernaum after some days; and 
““_ it was noised that he was in the 
house. 


2 And straightway ἢ many were gathered 
together, insomuch that there was no room to 
receive them; no, not so much as about the 
door: and he preached the word unto them. 

3 Ἵ And they come unto him, bringing one 
sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 

4 And when they could not come nigh unto 
him for the press, they uncovered the roof 
where he was; and when they had broken zt 
up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of 
the palsy lay. 

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto 
the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be for- 
given thee. 

6 But there were certain of the scribes sit- 
ting there, and reasoning in their hearts : 

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphe- 
mies? © who can forgive sins but God only ? 

8 And immediately ¢ when Jesus perceived 
in his spirit that they so reasoned within them- 
selves, he said unto them, Why reason ye 
these things in your hearts ? 

9 © Whether is it easier to say to the sick 
of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or 


a Matt. ix. 1; Luke v. 18. Ὁ Prov. viii. 34; Matt. xiii. 20; 
Luke v. 17; xi. 28; Acts xvii. 11— Job xiv. 4; Isa. xliii. 25. 
i Matt. ix. 4. 


ST. MARK. 


Jesus calls Levr 


to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, ee 
and walk? 

10 But that ye may know that 
the Son of man hath power on earth to 
forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the 
palsy, 

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy 
bed, and go thy way into thine house. 

12 And immediately he arose, took up the 
bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch 
that they were all amazed, and glorified God, 
saying, We never saw it on this fashion. 

13 Ἵ And he went forth again by the sea 
side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, 
and he taught them. 

14 & And as he passed by, he saw Levi the 
son of Alpheus sitting ἢ at the receipt of cus- 
tom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he 
arose and followed him. 

15 9 ‘And it came to pass, that, as Jesus 
sat at meat in his house, many publicans and 
sinners sat also together with Jesus and his 
disciples: for there were many, and they fol- 
lowed him. 

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw 
him eat with publicans and sinners, they said 
unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth 
and drinketh with publicans and sinners ? 


An. Olymp. 
CI. 3. 


e Matt. ix. 5. 
27. Or, at the place where the custom was received. 
ix. 10. 


£ Matt. ix. 9——s Matt. ix. 9; Luke v. 
i Matt. 


* NOTES ON CHAP. II. 

Verse 1. In the house.] The house of Peter, with 
whom Christ lodged when at Capernaum. See the 
notes on Matt. iv. 13; vill. 13. 

Verse 2. So much as about the 4007] Meaning 
the yard or court before the house 

Preached THE WorD] Tov Aoyov. The doctrine of the 
kingdom of God; for so ὁ Aoyoc is repeatedly used. 

Verse 3. One sick of the palsy] A paralytic per- 
son. See on Matt. ix. 1, &e. 

Borne of four.| Four men, one at each corner of 
the sofa or couch on which he lay: this sick man ap- 
pears to have been too feeble to come himself, and too 
weak to be carried in any other way. 

Verse 4. They uncovered the roof| The houses 
in the east are generally made flat-roofed, that the in- 
habitants may have the benefit of taking the air on 
them; they are also furnished with battlements round 
avout, Deut. xxii. 8; Judg. xvi. 27; and 2 Sam. xi. 
2,to prevent persons from falling off; and have a trap 
door by which they descend into the house. This door, 
it appears, was too narrow to let down the sick man 
aud his couch; so they uncovered the roof, removed a 
part of the tiles, and having broken it up, taken away 
the Jaths or timber, to which the tiles had been attach- 

294 


ed, they then had room to let down the afflicted man. 
See Luke v. 19, and on Matt. x. 27; xxiv. 17. 

Verse 7. Why doth this man thus speak blasphe- 
mies?) See this explained Matt. ix. 3, &e. 

Verse 12. He—took up the bed] The words of 
Prosper, on this place, are worthy of notice :— 

“What is sin but a deplorable fall, a grovelling on 
the earth, a repose in the creature, often followed by 
a universal palsy of the soul; namely, an utter inabi- 
lity to help itself, to break off its evil habits, to walk 
in the ways of God, to rise or to take one good step 
towards him? Grace can repair all in a moment: be- 
cause it is nothing but the almighty will of God, who 
commands and does whatever he commands.” 

Verse 14. Levi] The same as Matthew; he ap- 
pears to have been a Jew, though employed in the 
odious office of a tax-gatherer. For an account of his 
call, see his Gospel, chap. ix. 9, &e. 

Verse 16. Sinners] By ἁμαρτωλοι, the Gentiles 
or heathens are generally to be understood in the Gos- 
pels, for this was a term the Jews never applied te 
any of themselves. See the note on Matt. ix. 10. 

How is it that he eateth} Some very good MSS. 
several versions, with Chrysostom and Augustin, read 
Why doth your MASTER eat? 


1 


The question about fasting 


A.M. 4031. 
An, a unto them, * They that are whole 


have no need of the physician, but 
they that are sick: I came not to call the 
righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

18 4 ‘And the disciples of John, and of 
the Pharisees, used to fast: and they come 
and say unto him, Why do the disciples of 
John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy dis- 
ciples fast not ? 

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the chil- 
dren of the bride-chamber fast, while the bride- 
groom is with them? as long as they have the 
bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 

20 But the days will come, when the bride- 
groom shall be taken away from them, and 
then shall they fast in those days. 

21 No man also seweth a piece of ™ new 
cloth on an old garment: else the new piece 


CHAP. II. 
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith| that filled it up taketh away 


On plucking the ears of corn 


from ἢ Me 4031. 
2 
the old, and the rent is made worse. aa eee 


22 And no man putteth new 
wine into old bottles, else the new wine 
doth burst the bottles, and the wine 
is spilled, and the bottles will be mar- 
red: but new wine must be put into new 
bottles. 

23 9] And it came to pass, that he went 
through the corn fields on the sabbath day; 
and his disciples began, as they went, ° to 
pluck the ears of corn. 

24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Be- 
hold, why do they on the sabbath day, that 
which is not lawful ? 

25 And he said unto them, Have ye never 
read ? what David did when he had need, and 
was an hungered, he, and they that were with 
him? 


& Matt. ix. 12,13; xviii. 11; Luke v. 31, 32; xix. 10; 1 Tim.i. 
15.—! Matt. ix. 14; Luke v. 33. 


m Or, raw, or, unwrought. 
xxiii. 25. 


Ὁ Matt. xii. 1; Luke vi. 1——° Deut. 
ΡῚ Sam. xxi. 6. 


Verse 17. To repentance.| This is omitted by 
ABDKL, twenty-seven others; both the Syriac, Per- 
sic, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Gothic, Vulgate ; 
six copies of the Itala; Euthymius and Augustin.— 
Grieshach has left it out of the text; Grotius, Mill, 
and Bengel approve of the omission. See on Matt. 
ix. 13. I leave it as in the parallel place above 
quoted. Properly speaking, the righteous cannot be 
called to repentance. They have already forsaken 
sin, mourned for it, and turned to God. In the other 
parallel place, Luke v. 32, all the MSS. and versions 
retain μετανοίαν, repentance. 

Verse 18. Why do the disciples of John and of the 
Pharisees fast] See this largely explained on Matt. 
ix 14, &e. The following vices are very common 
to Pharisees. 

1. They are more busied in censuring the conduct 
of others than in rectifying their own. 

2. They desire that every one should regulate his 
piety by theirs ; and embrace their particular customs 
and forms of devotion. 

3. They speak of and compare themselves with other 
people, only that they may have an opportunity of dis- 
cinguishing and exalting themselves. 

On the nature, times, and duration of fasting, see 
Matt. vi. 16, and ix. 15. 

Verse 19. Can the children of the bride-chamber 
fast while the bridegroom is with them?] Among 
the Hindoos, large parties of friends, belonging both 
to the bride and bridegroom, attend on both during 
the wedding day; on the following day, when the 
bridegroom leaves the house of his father-in-law, the 
attendants are filled with sorrow, especially the near 
aciations.—W arp’s Customs. 

Verse 20. In those days.] But instead of ev ἐκείναις 
ταῖς ἥμεραις, many of the best MSS. and versions read, 


εν exsivy τῇ ἥμερᾳ, in that day ; viz. the day in which! 
1 


Jesus Christ should be delivered up to the Jews and 
Gentiles. Mull and Bengel approve of this reading, 
and Griesbach adopts it. The former part of the verse 
seems to vindicate the common reading. 

Verse 21. No man—seweth] See Matt. ix. 16. 
No man seweth a piece of unscoured cloth upon an 
old garment. In the common editions this verse be- 
gins with καὶ, and, but this is omitted by almost every 
MS. and version of note. The construction of the 
whole verse is various in the MSS. The translation 
given here, and in Matt. ix. 16, is intelligible, and 
speaks for itself. 

Verse 23. Went through the corn fields] See on 
Matt. xii. 1. 

Verse 26. The days of Abiathar the high priest] 
It appears from 1 Sam. xxi. 1, which is the place re- 
ferred to here, that Ahimelech was then high priest at 
Nod: and from 1 Sam. xxii. 20; xxiii. 6, and 1 Chron. 
xviii. 16, it appears that Adiathar was the son of Ahi- 
melech. The Persie reads Abimelech instead of Abi- 
athar. Theophylact supposes that Abiathar was the 
priest, and Ahimelech or Abimelech the high priest, 
and thus endeavours to reconcile both the sacred his- 
torians. Others reconcile the accounts thus: Ahime- 
lech was called Ahimelech Abiathar, 28 ab, father, 
understood ; and Abiathar was called Abiathar Ahime- 
lech, 13 ben, son, understood. Probably they both offi- 
ciated in the high priesthood; and the name of the 
office was indifferently applied to either. 

Shew-bread] See Matt. xii. 4. 

Verse 27. The Sabbath was made for man] That 
he might have the seventh part of his whole time to 
devote to the purposes of bodily rest and spiritual ex- 
ercises. And in these respects it is of infinite use to 
mankind. Where no Sabbath is observed, there dis- 
ease, poverty, and profligacy, generally prevail. Had 
we ‘no Sabbath. we should soon have no rel:gion.-— 

295 


The man with the ST. MARK. withered hand heaea. 


A.M. 4031. 26 How he went into the house of | 27 And he said unto them, *The 4,™, 4031. 
An. Olymp. God, in the days of Abiathar the high | sabbath was made for man, and not is ἜΠΗ 

mee priest, and did eat the Shey bread, man for the sabbath : EERE 
4 which is not lawful to eat but for the priests,| 28 Therefore sthe Son of man is Lord 
and gave also to them which were with him. |also of the sabbath. 


-- ὁ 


4 Exod. xxix. 32, 33; Lev. xxiv. 9 —— Exod. xxiii. 12; Deut. | v. 14; 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22——s Matt. xi. 27; xii.8; Luke vi. 5. 


This whole verse is wanting in the Codex Bez@, and|be also a mean of promoting the welfare of men in 
in five of the Itala. general. 

Verse 28. The Son of man is Lord] See on Matt. The ordinances of religion should be regulated ac- 
xii. 7, 8. Some have understood this as applying to | cording to their end, which is the honour of God, and 
men in general, and not to Christ. The Son of man, |the salvation of men. It is the property of the true 
any man is Lord of the Sabbath; i. 6. it was made | religion to contain nothing in it but what is beneficial 
for him, for his ease, comfort, and use, and to these |to man. Hereby God plainly shows that it is neither 
purposes he is to apply it. But this is a very harsh, | out of indigence or interest that he requires men to 
and at the same time a very Jax, mode of interpreta- | worship and obey him ; but only out of goodness, and 
tion; for it seems to say that a man may make what|to make them happy. God prohibited work on the 
use he pleases of the Sabbath; and, were this true, | Sabbath day, lest servants should be oppressed by their 
the moral obligation of the Sabbath would soon be | masters, that the labouring beasts might have neces- 
annihilated. sary rest, and that men might have a proper opportunity 

to attend upon his ordinances, and get their souls saved. 

Gop ordained the Sabbath not only to be a type of | To the Sabbath, under God, we owe much of what is 
that rest which remains for the people of God, but to | requisite and necessary as well for the body as the soul. 


CHAPTER III. 


The man win the withered hand healed. 1-5. The Pharisees plot our Lord’s destruction, 6. Christ witn- 
draws, and is followed by a great multitude, 7—9. He heals many, and goes to a mountain io pray, 10-- 
13. He ordains twelve disciples, and gives them power to preach and work miracles, 14, 15. Their 
names, 16-19. The multitudes throng him, and the scribes atiribute his miracles to Beelzebub, 20-22. 
He vindicates himself by a parable, 23-27. Of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, 28-30. His 
mother and brethren send for him, 31, 32. And he takes occasion from this to show, that they who do 
the will of God are to him as his brother, sister, and mother, 33-35. 


AM,‘ ALND the entered again into the | good on the sabbath days, or to A, M4031. 
ται Gis. synagogue ; and there wasaman | do evil? to save life, or to kill? But An, Cae 
“there which had a withered nand. my held their peace. ches 
2 And they watched him, whether he would! 5 And when he had looked round about on 
heal him on the sabbath day; that they might πρὸ with anger, bemg grieved for the ° hard- 
accuse him. ness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, 
3 And he saith unto the man which had the | Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched zt 
withered hand, »Stand forth : out: and his hand was restored whole as the 
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do } other. 


a Matt. xii. 9; Luke vi. 6. b Gr. Arise, stand forth in the midst—— Or, blindness. 


NOTES ON CHAP. III. To kill—but instead of ἀποκτεῖναι, several MSS. 

Verse 1. A man there which had a withered hand.] | and versions have ἀπολεσαι to destroy. Wetstein and 

See this explained on Matt. xii. 10, &c., and on| Griesbach quote Theophylact for this reading ; but it 
Luke vi. 6, 10. is not in my copy. Paris edit. 1635. 

Verse 2. They watched him] Παρετήηρουν avrov,: Verse 5. With anger, being grieved for the hard- 

they maliciously watched him. See on Luke xiv. 1. : of their hearts] These words are not found in any 


Verse 4. To do good—or—evil? to save life, or|of the other evangelists. For πώρωσει hardness, or 
to kill] tt was a maxim with the Jews, as it should | rather callousness, the Codex Bez@, and four of the 
be with all men, that he who neglected to preserve life | Ztala, read νεκρωσει, deadness; the Vulgate and some 
when it was in his power, was to be reputed a mur-| of the Jala, cecitate, blindness. Join all these toge- 
derer. Every principle of sound justice requires that | ther, and they will scarcely express the fulness of this 
he should be considered in this light. But, if this be | people’s wretchedness. By a long resistance to the 
the case, how many murderers are there against whom | grace and Spirit of God, their nearts had become 
there is no law but the law of God! | callous ; they were past feeling. By a long opposition 

296 1 


Great multitudes follow Jesus. 


A.M. 4031. 6 4 ‘And the Pharisees went 
An. Olymp. forth, and straightway took counsel 

with °the Herodians against him, 
how they might destroy him. 

7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his dis- 
ciples to the sea: and a great multitude from 
Galilee followed him, and from Judea, 

8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, 
and from beyond Jordan ; and they about Tyre 
and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had 
heard what great things he did, came unto him. 

9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small 
ship should wait on him, because of the mul- 
titude, lest they should throng him. 

10 For he had healed many ; insomuch that 
they 5 pressed upon him for to touch him, as 
many as had plagues. 

11 *And unclean spirits, when they saw him, 


4 Matt. xii. 14. © Matt. xxii. 16.— Luke vi. 17.——+ Or, 
rushed Chap. i. 23, 24; Luke iv. 41. 


to the light of God, they became dark in their under- 
standing, were blinded by the deceitfulness of sin, and 
thus were past seeing. By a long continuance in the 
practice of every evil work, they were cut off from all 
union with God, the fountain of spiritual life ; and, 
becoming dead in trespasses and sins, they were in- 
capable of any resurrection but through a miraculous 
power of God. 

With anger. What was the anger which our Lord 
felt? That which proceeded from excessive grief, 
which was occasioned by their obstinate stupidity and 
blindness: therefore it was no uneasy passion, but an 
excess of generous grief. 

Whole as the other.| This is omitted by the best 
MSS. and versions. Grotius, Mill, and Bengel ap- 
prove of the omission, and Griesbach leaves it out of 
the text. 

Verse 6. Herodians] For an account of these, see 
the note on Matt. xvi. 1; xxii. 16. 

Verse 7. Galilee] See Matt. iv. 13, 15. 

Verse 8. Tyre—Sidon, &c.] See Matt. xi. 21. 

When they had heard what great things he did, 
came unto him.] So, if Christ be persecuted and aban- 
doned by the wicked, there are a multitude of pious 
souls who earnestly seek and follow him. He who 
Jabours for God will always find more than he loses, in 
the midst of all his contradictions and persecutions. 

Verse 9. A small ship] Πλοιαριον. The lwtil boot, 
Old English MS. ΤῈ was doubtless something of the 
boat kind, which probably belonged to some of the 
disciples. Our Lord was at this time teaching by the 
sea of Galilee. The word ship is utterly improper in 
many places of our translation, and tends to mislead 
the people. 

Verse 10. They pressed upon him] Rushed upon 
him, extxixtew—through eagerness to have their spi- 
ritual and bodily maladies immediately removed. 

Plagues.) Rather disorders, wastyac; properly such 

1 


CHAP. II. 


He ordams twelve disciples 


12 And “he straitly charged them, that they 
should not make him known. 

13 Ἵ 'And he goeth up into a mountain, 
and calleth unto him whom he would: and 
they came unto him. 

14 And he ordained twelve, that they should 
be with him, and that he might send then: 
forth to preach, 

15 And to have power tv heal sicknesses, 
and to cast out devils: 

16 And Simon ™he surnamed Peter, 

17 And James the son of Zebedee, and 
John the brother of James; and he surnamed 
them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder : 

18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholo- 


i Matt. xiv. 33; chap. i. 1—*Chap. i. 25, 34; Matt. xi. 16. 
1Matt.x.1; Luke vi. 12; ix. 1. ™m John i. 42. 


disorders as were inflicted by the Lord. The word 
plague also tends to mislead. 

Verse 11. Thou art the Son of God.| Two MSS., 
and the later Syriac, have, Thou art the Christ, the 
Son of God. One of Stephens’s MSS. has, Thow art 
the Holy One of God. A MS. in the library of Lei- 
cester has, σὺ εἰ ὁ Θεος, vioc, Thou art Gon, the Son. 
This is an uncommon reading, which is not confirmed 
by any MS. yet discovered. 

Verse 14. He ordained twelve] Ἑποιησε, he made 
twelve. Here is nothing of what we call ordaining. 
Christ simply appointed them to be with him; and 
that he might send them occasionally to preach, ὅτ. 

To preach] The Codex Beza, Saxon, and all the 
Itala, except one, add τὸ ευαγγελιον, the Gospel. 

Verse 15. To have power to heal—and to cast out 
devils| The business of a minister of Christ is, 1st. 
To preach the Gospel. 2dly. To be the physician of 
souls. And, 3dly. To wage war with the devil, and 
destroy his kingdom. 

Verse 16. Simon, &c.] See on Matt. x. 2, &e. 

Verse 17. Sons of thunder] A Hebraism for thun- 
derers ; probably so named because of their zeal and 
power in preaching the Gospel. 

The term Boanerges is neither Hebrew nor Syriac. 
Calmet and others think that there is reason to believe 
that the Greek transcribers have not copied it exactly. 
Dy 23 beney rdam, which the ancient Greeks would 
pronounce Beneregem, and which means sons of thun- 
der, was probably the appellative used by our Lord: 
or Wy 23 beni reges, sons of tempest, which comes 
nearest to the Boanerges of the evangelist. St. Je- 
rome, on Dan. i., gives DY 32 (which he writes 
Benereem, softening the sound of the } ain) as the 
more likely reading ; and Luther, supposing our Lord 
spoke in Hebrew, gives the proper Hebrew term above 
mentioned, which he writes Bnehargem. Some think 
that the reason why our Lord gave this appellative to 

297 


Of the sin against ST. 


oe mew, and Matthew, and Thomas, 


An. Olymp. and James the son of Alpheus, and 
me Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 

19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed 
him: and they went into a house. 

20 7 And the multitude cometh together 
again, °so that they could not so much as eat 
bread. 

21 And when his ἡ friends heard of zt, they 
went out to lay hold on him: ° for they said, 
He is beside himself. 

22 4% And the scribes which came down 
from Jerusalem said, ‘He hath Beelzebub, and 
by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 

23 sAnd he called them unto him, and said 
unto them in parables, How can Satan cast 
out Satan? 

24 And if a kingdom be divided against it- 
self, that kingdom cannot stand. 

25 And if a house be divided against itself, 
that house cannot stand. 


MARK. 


the Holy Ghost 


26 And if Satan rise up against a M. ee 


himself, and be divided, he cannot ree Olymp. 
stand, but hath an end. ie a 

27 ΝΟ man can enter into a strong man’s 
house, and spoil his goods, except he will fist 
bind the strong man; and then he will spoil 
his house. 

28 "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be 
forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies 
wherewith soever they shall blaspheme : 

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the 
Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in 
danger of eternal damnation : 

30 Because they said, He hath an unclean 
spirit. 

31 9 * There came then his brethren and his 
mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, 
calling him. 

32 And the multitude sat about him, and 
they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and 
thy brethren without seek for thee. 


2 Or, home—° Ch. vi. 31.—? Or, kinsmen.——4 John vii. 5; x. 20. 
Matt. ix. 34; x. 25; Luke xi. 15; John vii. 20; viii. 48, 52; x. 20. 


5 Matt. xii. 25. 1158. xlix. 24; Matt. xii. 29. ἃ Matt. xii. 31; 
Luke xii. 10; 1 John v. 16. Vv Matt. xii. 46; Luke viii. 19. 


the sons of Zebedee was, their desire to bring fire 
down from heaven, 7. e. a storm of thunder and light- 
ning, to overturn and consume a certain ἘΝ 
village, the inhabitants of which would not receive 
their Master. See the account in Luke ix. 53, 54. 
It was a very usual thing among the Jews to give sur- 
names, which signified some particular quality or 
excellence, to their rabbins. See several instances 
in Schoettgen. 

Verse 19. Into a house.] As Christ was now re- 
turned to Capernaum, this was probably the house of 
Peter, mentioned chap. ii. 1 

Verse 20. Eat bread.| Had no time to take any 
necessary refreshment. 

Verse 21. His friends] Or, relations. On this verse 
several MSS. differ considerably. I have followed 
the reading of the Syriac, because I think it the best : 
οἱ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ signify merely Ais relatives, his brethren, 
&c., see ver. 31; and the phrase is used by the best 
writers to signify relatives, companions, and domestics. 
See Aypke in loc. 

They said, He is beside himself.| It was the ene- 
mies of Christ that raised this report; and his relatives, 
probably thinking that it was true, went to confine 
him. Leta Christian but neglect the care of his body 
for a time, in striving to enter in at the strait gate ; 
let a minister of Christ but impair his health by his 
pastoral labours ; presently “he is distracted ;” he has 
“not the least conduct nor discretion.” But let a man 
forget his soul, let him destroy his health by debauch- 
eries, let him expose his life through ambition, and 
we May, notwithstanding, pass for a verv prudent and 
sensible man! 

Schoettgen contends that the multitude, and not 
Christ, is here intended. Christ was in the house : 

298 


the multitude, oyAoc, ver. 20, pressed upon him so 
that he could not eat bread. His disciples, or friends, 
went out, κρατῆσαι αὐτὸν (scil. oyAov,) to restrain τέ, 
viz. the multitude, to prevent them from rushing into 
the house and disturbing their Master, who was now 
taking some refreshment. This conjecture should not 
be lightly regarded. 

Verse 22. He hath Beelzebub] See on Matt. xii 
24-26. 

Verses 27-30. No man, &c.] For an explanation 
of these verses, and a definition of the sin against the 
Holy Ghost, see Matt. xii. 29-33. 

Verse 28. Wherewith soever they shall blaspheme} 
This clause is wanting in six copies of the Jéala, and 
in Cyprian and Ambrosvastes. 

Verse 29. Never] εἰς τὸν aiwva. This is wanting 
in the Codex εξ, two others, five of the Jtala, and 
in Athanasius and Cyprian. 

Eternal damnation] Or, everlasting judgment, 
αἰωνίου κρίσεως. But instead of κρίσεως, BL and two 
others read ἁμαρτηματος, sin. The Codex Beze, two 
others, and some of the fathers, read ἁμαρτίας, a word 
of the same import. Grotius, Mull, and Bengel, pre- 
fer this latter reading ; and Griesbach has queried the 
common reading, and put ἁμαρτηματος in the margin. 
Sin or trespass is the reading of the Coptic, Armenian, 
Gothic, Vulgate, and all the Jtala but two. vere 
lastynge trespas is the translation in my old MSS. 
English Bible. 

Verse 31. His brethren and his mother] Or rather, 
his mother and his brethren. This is the arrangement 
of the best and most ancient MSS. ; and this clause, 
καὶ αἱ αδελῴαι cov, and thy sisters, ver. 32, should be 
ADDED, on the authority of ADEFGMSUV, jfifty- 
five others, some editions, the margin of the later 

1 


The parable 


δ Ἐν 4031. 33 And he answered them, say- 
An. Olymp. ing, Who is my mother, or my 
CCL.3. 
brethren ? 
34 And he looked 
them which sat about 


about 
and 


round 
him, 


on 
said, 


Syriac, Slavonic, Gothic, and all the Itala except 
four. Griesbach has received this reading into 
the text. 

Calling him.| This clause is wanting in one copy 


CHAPS IV. 


of tne sower 


Behold my mother and my bre- 4,™- 403) 
thren ! An. Olymp. 
CCL 3. 


35 For whosoever shall do the 
will of God, the same is my brother, and my 
sister, and mother. 


of the Itala. 'The Codex Alexandrinus has ζητουντες 
avrov, seeking him. 

Verse 33. Who is my mother?) See on Matt 
xii. 46-50. 


CHAPTER IV. 


The parable of the sower, 1-9. 


we receive, 21-25. 


Its interpretation, 10-20. 
The parable of the progressively growing seed, 26-29. 


The use we should make of the structions 
Of the mustard seed, 30-- 


34. Christ and his disciples are overtaken by a storm, 35-38. He rebukes the wind and the sea, and 
produces fair weather, 39-41. 
A.M. 4031. A ND *he began again to teach| 7 And some fell among thorns, 4,™ 4 
Ano Olrmp by the sea side : and there was | and the thorns grew up, ἘΣ choked An, Olrmp 


gathered unto him a great multi- 
tude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat 
in the sea; and the whole multitude was by 
the sea on the land. 

2 And he taught them many things by pa- 
rables, 'and said unto them in his doctrine, 

3 Hearken: Behold, there went out a sower 
to sow: 

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some 
fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air 
came and devoured it up. 

5 And some fell on stony ground, where it 
had not much earth ; and immediately it sprang 
up, because it had no depth of earth : 

6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; 
and because it had no root it withered away. 


it, and it yielded no fruit. τ τς 

8 And other fell on good ground, “ ἀπά did 
yield fruit that sprang up and increased ; and 
brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, 
and some a hundred. 

9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears 
to hear, let him hear. 

10 Ἵ And when he was alone, they that 
were about him, with the twelve, asked of him 
the parable. 

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is 
given to know the mystery of the kingdom of 
God: but unto ®them that are without, all 
these things are done in parables : 

12 ‘That seeing they may see, and not per- 
ceive; and hearing they may hear, and not un- 


4 Matt. xiii.1; Luke viii.4—» Ch. xii. 38.—* John xv. 5; Col.i.6. 
4 Matt. xiii. 10; Luke viii. 9, ἄτα. 61 Cor. v. 12; Col. iv. 5; 


NOTES ON CHAP. IV. 

Verse 2. He taught them many things by parables] 
See every part of this parable of the sower explained 
on Matt. xiii. 1, ὥς. 

Verse 4. The fowls] Tov ovpavov, of the air, is the 
common reading; but it should be omitted, on the 
authority of nine uncial MSS.. upwards of one hun- 
dred others, and almost all the versions. Bengel and 
Griesbach have left it out of the text. It seems to 
have been inserted in Mark, from Luke viii. 5. 

Verse 9. And he said—He that hath ears to hear, 
let him hear.) The Codex Beze, later Syriac in the 
margin, and seven copies of the Jtala, add, καὶ ὁ 
συνίων συνίετω, and whoso understandeth, let him un- 
derstand. 

Verse 10. They that were about him] None of the 
other evangelists intimate that there were any besides 

1 


1 Thess. iv. 12; 1 Tim. 111. 7——f Isa. vi. 9; Matt. xi. 14, 
Luke viii. 10; John xii. 40; Acts xxviii. 26; Rom. xi. 8. 


the twelve with him: but it appears there were seve- 
ral others present; and though they were not styled 
disciples, yet they appear to have seriously attended 
to his public and private instructions. 

Verse 11. Unto you it is given to know] Tvavat, 
to know, is omitted by ABKL, ten others, the Coptic, 
and one of the Jtala. The omission of this word 
makes a material alteration in the sense; for without 
it the passage may be read thus:—To you the mys- 
tery of the kingdom of God is given; but all these 
things are transacted in parables to those without. 
Griesbach leaves it doubtful. And Professor White 
says, probabiliter delendum. I should be inclined to 
omit it, were it not found in the parallel passages in 
Matthew and Luke, in neither of whom it is omitted 
by any MS. or version. See the dissertation on para- 
bolical writing at the end of Matt. chap. xiii, 

299 


The parable of 


A M4031. derstand; lest at any time they 
aE. should be converted, and thez7 sins 
———"_ should be forgiven them. 

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not 
this parable ? and how then will ye know all 
parables ? 

14 4 The sower soweth the word. 

15 And these are they by the way side, 
where the word is sown: but when they have 
heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh 
away the word that was sown in their hearts. 

16 And these are they likewise which are 

sown on stony ground; who, when they have 
heard the word, immediately receive it with 
gladness ; 
, 17 And have no root in themselves, and so 
endure but for a time: afterward, when afflic- 
tion or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, 
immediately they are offended. 

18 And these are they which are sown 
among thorns; such as hear the word, 

19 And the cares of this world, » and 
the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts 
of other things choke the 


entering in, 


ST. MARK. 


the sower explained 


word, and it becometh unfruit- 4, 4031. 
ful. : 

20 And these are they which are 
sown on good ground ; such as hear the word, 
and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some 
thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred. 

21 91‘ And he said unto them, Is a candle 
brought to be put under a * bushel, or under a 
bed? and not to be set on a candlestick ? 

22 1 For there is nothing hid, which shall 
not be manifested ; neither was any thing kept 
secret, but that it should come abroad. 

23 ™If any man have ears to hear, let 
him hear. 

24 And he saith unto them, Take heed 
what ye hear: ™ with what measure ye mete, 
it shall be measured to you: and unto you 
that hear shall more be given. 

25 ° For he that hath, to him shall be given. 
and he that hath not, from him shall be taken 
even that which he hath. 

26 Ἵ And he said, ν So is the kingdom of 
God, as if a man should cast seed into the 
ground ; 


An. Olymp. 
CCL 3. 


& Matt. xiii. 19.——» | Tim. vi. 9, 17.——i Matt. v. 15; Luke 
vili. 16; xi. 33——— The word in the original signifieth a less 
measure, as Matt. v. 15. 


1 Matt. x. 26; Luke xii. 2——™ Matt. xi. 15; ver. 9 ——" Matt. 
vii. 2; Luke vi. 38. © Matt. xiii. 12; xxv. 29; Luke viii. 18, 
xix. 26.—P Matt. xiii. 24. 


Verse 15. Know ye not this parable ?| The scope 
and design of which is so very obvious. 

How then will ye know all parables?| Of which 
mode of teaching ye should be perfect masters, in 
order that ye may be able successfully to teach others. 
This verse is not found in any of the other evangelists. 

Verse 15. Turse are they] Probably our Lord 
here refers to the people to whom he had just now 
preached, and who, it is likely, did not profit by the 
word spoken. 

Where the word is sown] Instead of this clause, 
four copies of the Jtala read the place thus—They 
who are sown by the way side, are they WHO RECEIVE 
THE WORD NEGLIGENTLY. There are thousands of this 
stamp in the Christian world. Reader, art thow one 
of them? 

Verse 19. The decertfulness of riches] This is va- 
riously expressed in different copies of the Itala: the 
errors—delights of the world—compietely alienated 
(abalienati) by the pleasures of the world. The lusts 
of other things—which haye not been included in the 
anxious cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of 
riches. All, all, choke the word! 

Verse 21. Is a candle—put under a bushel?| The 
design of my preaching is to enlighten men; my 
parables not being designed to hide the truth, but to 
make it more manifest. 

Verse 22. For there is nothing hid, &c.| Probably 
ow Lord means, that all that had hitherto been secret, 
te'ative to the salvation of a lost world, or only ob- 

300 


securely pointed out by types and sacrifices, shall now 
be uncovered and made plain by the everlasting Gospel. 
See on Matt. v. 15; x. 26. 

Verse 24. And unto you that hear shall more be 
given.| This clause is wanting in DG, Coptic, and four 
copies of the Jtala; and in others, where it is extant, 
it is variously written. Griesbach has left it out of 
the text, and supposes it to be a gloss on, Whosoever 
hath, to him shall be gwen. 

Verse 25. He that hath] See on Matt. xiii. 12. 

Verse 26. So is the kingdom of God] This parable 
is mentioned only by Mark, a proof that Mark did not 
abridge Matthew. Whitby supposes it to refer to the 
good ground spoken of before, and paraphrases it 
thus :—‘“ What I have said of the seed sown upon 
good ground, may be illustrated by this parable. The 
dectrine of the kingdom, received ina good and honest 
heart, is like seed sown by a man in his ground, pro- 
perly prepared to receive it; for when he hath sown 
it, he sleeps and wakes day after day, and, looking on 
it, he sees it spring and grow up through the virtue of 
the earth in which it is sown, though he knows not 
how it doth so; and when he finds it ripe, he reaps it, 
and so receives the benefit of the sown seed. So is 
it here: the seed sown in the good and honest heart 
brings forth fruit with patience; and this fruit daily 
increaseth, though we know not how the Word and 
Spirit work that increase; and then Christ the hus- 
bandman, at the time of the harvest, gathers in this 
good seed into the kingdom of heaven.” I see no 

1 


The parable of 


ΑΜ. 27 And should sleep and rise 
An. Olymp. night and day, and the seed should 
be spring and grow up, he knoweth 


not how. 

28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of 
herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that 
the full corn in the ear. 


4 Or, ripe——* Rey. xiv. 15——* Matt. xiii. 31; 


necessity of inquiring how Christ may be said to sleep 
and rise night and day ; Christ being like to this hus- 
bandman only in sowing and reaping the seed. 

Verse 27. And should sleep and rise night and day] 
That is, he should sleep by night, and rise by day ; for 
so the words are obviously to be understood. 

He knoweth not how.) How a plant grows is a mys- 
tery in nature, which the wisest philosopher in the 
universe cannot fully explain. 

Verse 28. Bringeth forth—of herself] Αὐτοματη. 
By its own energy, without either the influence or 
industry of man. Similar to this is the expression of 
the poet :— 


Namque alia, NULLIS HOMINUM COGENTIBUS, ips 
Sponre sua veniunt. Vire. Geor. 1. ii. v. 10. 


“Some (trees) grow of their own accord, without 
the labour of man.” All the endlessly varied herbage 
of the field is produced in this way. 

The full corn] TWAnpy σιτον, FuLL wheat; the per- 
fect, full-grown, or ripe corn. Lucian uses κενὸς 
καρπος, EMPTY fruit, for imperfect, or unripe fruit. 
See Kypke. 

The kingdom of God, which is generated in the 
soul by the word of life, under the influence of the 
Holy Spirit, is first very small; there is only a blade, 
but this is full of promise, for a good blade shows there 
is a good seed at bottom, and that the soil in which it 
is sown is good also. Then the ear—the strong stalk 
grows up, and the ear is formed at the top; the faith 
and love of the believing soul increase abundantly ; it 
is justified freely through the redemption that is in 
Christ ; it has the ear which is shortly to be filled with 
the ripe grain, the outlines of the whole image of God. 
Then the full corn. The soul is purified from all 
unrighteousness ; and, having escaped the corruption 
tyat is in the world, it is made a partaker of the Divine 
nature, and is filled with all the fulness of God. 

Verse 29. He putteth in the sickle] Ἀποςελλει, he 
sentleth out the sickle, i. e. the reapers; the instru- 
ment, by a metonomy, being put for the persons who 
use it. This is a common figure. It has been sup- 
posed that our Lord intimates here that, as soon as a 
soul is made completely holy, it is taken into the king- 
dom of God. But certainly the parable does not say 
30. When the corn is ripe, it is reaped for the benefit 
of him who sowed it; for it can be of little or no use 
till it be ripe: so when a soul is saved from all sin, it 
is capable of being fully employed in the work of the 
Lord : it is then, and not till then, fully fitted for the 
Master’s use. God saves men to the uttermost, that 
they may here perfectly love him, and worthily mag- 
nify his name. To take them away the moment they 

1 


CHAP. IV. 


the springing seed 


29 But when the fruit is «brought 4, ee 
forth, immediately "he putteth in An. Cyr 
CCL 3 

the sickle, because the harvest is 

come. 

30 9 And he said, * Whereunto shall we 
liken the kingdom of God? or with what 
comparison shall we compare it? 


Luke xiii. 18; Acts ii. 41; iv. 4; v. 14; xix. 20. 


are capable of doing this, would be, so far, to deprive 
the world and the Church of the manifestation of the 
glory of his grace. “But the text says, he immedi- 
ately sendeth out the sickle; and this means that the 
person dies, and is taken into glory, as soon as he is 
fit for it.” No, for there may be millions of cases, 
where, though to die would be gain, yet to live may 
be far better for the Church, and for an increase of the 
life of Christ to the soul. See Phil. i. 21,24. Be- 
sides, if we attempt to make the parable speak here 
what seems to be implied in the le/ter, then we may 
say, with equal propriety, that Christ sleeps and wakes 
alternately ; and that his own grace grows, he knows 
not how, in the heart in which he has planted it. 
Verse 27. 

On these two parables we may remark :— 

1. That a preacher is a person employed by God, 
and sent out to sow the good seed of his kingdom in the 
souls of men. 

2. That it is a sin against God to stay in the field 
and not sow. 

3. That it is a sin to pretend to sow, when a man 
is not furnished by the keeper of the granary with any 
more seed. 

4. That it is a high offence against God to change 
the Master’s seed, to mix it, or to sow bad seed in the 
place of it. 

5. That he is not a seeds-man of God who desires 
to sow by the way side, &c., and not on the proper 
ground ; i. e. he who loves to preach only to genteel 
congregations, to people of sense and fashion, and feels 
it a pain and a cross to labour among the poor and the 
ignorant. 

6. That he who sows with a simple, upright heart, 
the seed of his Master, shall (though some may be 
unfruitful) see the seed take deep root; and, notwith- 
standing the unfaithfulness and sloth of many of his 
hearers, he shall doubtless come with rejoicing, bringing 
his sheaves with him. See Quesnel. 

Verse 30. Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom 
of God ?] How amiable is this carefulness of Jesus ! 
How instructive to the preachers of his word! He is 
not solicitous to seek fine turns of eloquence to charm 
the minds of his auditors, nor to draw such descriptions 
and comparisons as may surprise them: but studies 
only to make himself understood ; to instruct to ad- 
vantage ; to give true ideas of faith and holiness ; and 
to find out such expressions as may render necessary 
truths easy and intelligible to the meanest capacities. 
The very wisdom of God seems to be at a loss to find 
out expressions Jow enough for the s/ow apprehensions 
of men. How dull and stupid is the creature! How 
wise and good the Creator! And how foolish the 

301 


Parable of the musturd seed. Say 


A.M. 4031. 81 It es like a grain of mustard 
As Olymp. seed, which, when it is sown in the 


earth, is less than all the seeds that 
be in the earth: 

32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and 
becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth 
out great branches; so that the fowls of the 
air may lodge under the shadow of it. 

33 * And with many such parables spake he 
the word unto them, as they were able to 
hear 17. 2 

34 But without a parable spake he not unto 
them: and when they were alone, he ex- 
pounded all things to his disciples. 

35 Ἵ And the same day, when the even 
was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass 
over unto the other side. 

36 And when they had sent away the mul- 


t Matt. xiii. 34; John xvi. 12. 


preacher who uses fine and hard words in his preaching, 
which, though admired by the shallow, convey no in- 
struction to the multitude. 


Verse 31. A grain of mustard seed] See on Matt. 
xii. 31, 32. 
Verse 33. With many such parables] ἸΤολλαις, 


many, is omitted by L, sixteen others; the Syriac, 
both the Persic, one Arabic, Coptic, Armenian, 
ZEthiopic, and two of the Itala. Mill approves of 
the omission, and Griesbach leaves it doubtful. It is 
probably an interpolation: the text reads better with- 
out it. 

As they were able to hear] Axovewy, or to understand, 
always suiling his teaching to the capacities of his 
hearers. I have always found that preacher most 
useful, who could adapt his phrase to éhat of the people 
to whom he preached. Studying different dialects, and 
forms of speech, among the common people, is a more 
dificult and a more useful work than the study of 
dead languages. The one a man should do, and the 
other he need not leave undone. 

Verse 34. He expounded all things to his disciples.] 
That they might be capable of instructing others. 
Outside hearers, those who do not come into close fel- 
lowship with the true disciples of Christ, have seldom 
more than a superficial knowledge of Divine things. 

In the fellowship of the saints, where Jesus the 
teacher is always to be found, every thing is made 
plain,—for the secret of the Lord 1 is with them who 
fear him. 

Verse 35. Let us pass over unto the other side.] 
Our Lord was now by the sea of Galilee. 

Verse 36. Tory took him even as he was in the 
ship.| That is, the disciples; he was now ev τῷ πλοίῳ, 
in the boat, i. e. his own boat which usually waited on 
him, and out of which it appears he was then teaching 
the people. There were several others there which he 
might have gone in, had this one not been in the place. 
The construction of this verse is exceedingly difficult ; 

302 


MARK. Jesus rebukes the wind 
titude, they took him even as he was 4, M, 4081. 


in the ship. And there were also An. Olymp 
with him other little ships. ee col 

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, 
and the waves beat into the ship, so that it 
was now full. 

38 And he was in the hinder part of the 
ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, 
and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that 
we perish? 

39 And he-arose, and rebuked the wind, 
and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And 
the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so 
fearful? how is it that ye have no faith ? 

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said 
one to another, What manner of man is this, 
that even the wind and the sea obey him? 


ἃ Matt. viii. 18, 23; Luke viii. 22. 


the meaning appears to be this :—The disciples sailed 
off with him just as he was in the boat out of which 
he had been teaching the people ; and they did not wait 
fo provide any accommodations for the passage. This 
I believe to be the meaning of the inspired penman. 

Verse 37. A greal storm of wind] See on Matt. 
Vill. 24. 

Verse 38. On a pillow] Προσκεφαλαιον probably 
means a little bed, or hammock, such as are common 
in small vessels. have seen several in small packets, 
or passage boats, nota great deal larger than a olster. 

Verse 39. Peace, be still.] Be silent! Be still! 
There is uncommon majesty and authority in these 
words. Who but God could act thus? Perhaps this 
salvation of his disciples in the boat might be designed 
to show forth that protection and deliverance which 
Christ will give to his followers, however violently 
they may be persecuted by earth or hell. At least, 
this is a legitimate use which may be made of this 
transaction. 

Verse 40. Why are ye so fearful?) Having me 
with you. 

How is it that ye have no faith?) Having already 
had such proofs of my unlimited power and goodness. 

Verse 41. What manner of man is this ?] They 
were astonished at such power proceeding from a person 
who appeared to be only like one of themselves. It 
is often profitable to entertain each other with the 
succour and support which we receive from God in 
times of temptation and distress; and to adore, with 
respectful awe, that sovereign power and goodness by 
which we have been delivered. 


Havine spoken so largely of the spiritual and prac- 
tical uses to be made of these transactions, where the 
parallel places occur in the preceding evangelist, I do 
not think it necessary to repeat those things here, 
and must refer the reader to the places marked in the 
margin, 

1 


The man possessed with a 


CHAP. V. 


legion of demons cured 


CHAPTER V. 


The man possessed with a legion of demons cured, 1-20. He raises Javrus’s daughter to life, and cures the 
woman who had an issue of blood, 21-43. 


A. M. 4031. T a 
he, AND they came over unto the 
ie other side of the sea, into the 


country of the Gadarenes. 

2 And when he was come out of the ship, 
immediately there met him out of the tombs 
a man with an unclean spirit, 

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs ; 
and no man could bind him, no, not with 
chains : 

4 Because that he had been often bound 
with fetters and chains, and the chains had 
been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters 
broken in pieces: neither could any man 
tame him. 

5 And always, night and day, he was in the 


a Matt. viii. 28; Luke viii. 26. 


NOTES ON CHAP. V. 

Verse 1. The Gadarenes.] Some of the MSS. have 
Gergasenes, and some of thern Gerasenes. Grieshach 
seems to prefer the latter. See the note on Matt. 
viii. 28. 

The Gadarenes were included within the limits of 
the Gergasenes. Dr. Lightfoot supposes that, of the 
two demoniacs mentioned here, one was of Gadara, 
and consequently a heathen, the other was a Gergese- 
nian, and consequently a Jew ; and he thinks that Mark 
and Luke mention the Gadarene demoniac because his 
case was a singular one, being the only heathen cured 
by our Lord, except the daughter of the Syrophe- 
nician woman. 

Verse 2. A man with an unclean spirit] There are 
two mentioned by Matthew, who are termed demo- 
niacs. See on chap. i. 23. 

Verse 3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs] 
See Matt. viii. 28. 

Verse 4. With fetters and chains] His strength, it 
appears was supernatural, no kind of chains being 
strong enough to confine him. With several, this 
inan would have passed for an outrageous madman, 
and diabolic influence be entirely left out of the ques- 
tion; but it is the prerogative of the inspired penman 
only, to enter into the nature and causes of things; 
and how strange is it, that because men cannot see as 
far as the Spirit of God does, therefore they deny his 
testimony. “There was no devil; there can be none.” 
Why? “Because we have never seen one, and we 
think the doctrine absurd.” Excellent reason! And 
do you think that any man who conscientiously believes 
his Bible will give any credit to you? Men sent from 
God, to bear witness to the truth, tell us there were 
demoniacs in their time ; you say, “ No, they were only 
diseases.” Whom shall we credit? The men sent 

from (od, or you? 
1 


mountains, and in the tombs, cry- Ἂν δ 4031. 
ing, and cutting himself with spe hed 
stones. eee: 

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran 
and worshipped him, 

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, 
>’ What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son 
of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, 
that thou torment me not. 

8 For he said unto him, Come out of the 
man, thow unclean spirit. 

9 And he asked him, What zs thy name? 
And he answered, saying, °My name is Le- 
gion: for we are many. 

10 And he besonght him much that he 


Ὁ Acts xvi. 17; Matt. viii. 29- © Luke viii. 30. 


Verse 5. Crying, and cutting himself with stones.] 
In this person’s case we see a specimen of what Satan 
could do in all the wicked, if God should permit him ; 
but even the devil himself has his chain ; and he who 
often binds others, is always bound himself. 

Verse 6. Worshipped him] Did him homage ; com- 
pelled thereto by the power of God. How humiliating 
to Satan, thus to be obliged to acknowledge the supe- 
riority of Christ ! 

Verse 7. What have I to do with thee] Or, What 
is it to thee and me, or why dost thou trouble thyself 
with me? See on chap. i. 24, and Matt. vii. 29, 
where the idiom and meaning are explained. 

Jesus] This is omitted by four MSS., and by several 
in Luke viii. 28, and by many of the first authority in 
Matt. viii. 29. See the note on this latter place. 

Verse 9. Legion: for we are many.] Could a disease 
have spoken sot ‘No, there was no devil in the 
case ; the man spoke according to the prejudice of his 
countrymen.” And do you think that the Spirit of God 
could employ himself in retailing such ridiculous and 
nonsensical prejudices? “ But the evangelist gives 
these as this madman’s words, and it was necessary 
that, as a faithful historian, he should mention these 
circumstances.” But this objection is destroyed by the 
parallel place in Luke, chap. viii. 30, where the inspired 
writer himself observes, that the demoniac was called 
Legion, because many demons had entered into him. 

Verse 10. Out of the country.] Strange that these 
accursed spirits should find it any mitigation of their 
misery to be permitted to exercise their malevolence 
in a particular district! But as thi8 is supposed to 
have been a heathen district, therefore the demons 
might consider themselves in their own territories ; 
and probably they could act there with less restraint 
than they could do in a country where the worship of 
God was established. See on ver. 1. 

303 


The legion of demons 


A.M. 4031. would not send them away out of 
An. Olymp. the country. 

: 11 Now there was there nigh unto 
the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 

12 And all the devils besought him, saying, 
Send us into the swine, that we may enter 
into them. 

13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. 
And the unclean spirits went out, and entered 
into the swine: and the herd ran violently 
down a steep place, into the sea, (they were 
about two thousand,) and were choked in 
the sea. 

14 And they that fed the swine fled, and 
told 1ὲ in the city, and in the country. And 
they went out to see what it was that was done. 

15 And they come to Jesus, and see him 
that was possessed with the devil, and had the 
legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right 
mind: and they were afraid. 

16 And they that saw zt told them how it 
befell to him that was possessed with the devil, 
and also concerning the swine. 

17 And “they began to pray him to depart 
out of their coasts. 

18 And when he was come into the ship, 
he that had been possessed with the devil 


ST. MARK. 


possess a herd of swe. 
᾿ : ith A.M. 4081. 
prayed him that he might be with 4,™. 403) 
him. An. Olymp. 
CCL3. 


19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, 
but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and 
tell them how great things the Lord hath done 
for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 

20 And he departed, and began to publish 
in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done 
for him: and all men did marvel. 

21 9 £And when Jesus was passed over 
again by ship unto the other side, much peo- 
ple gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto 
the sea. 

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the 
rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and 
when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My 
little daughter lieth at the point of death: J 
pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, 
that she may be healed: and she shall live. 

24 And Jesus went with him; and much 
people followed him, and thronged him. 

25 Ἵ And a certain woman, "which had an 
issue of blood twelve years, 

26 And had suffered many things of many 
physicians, and had spent all that she had, and 
was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 


ἃ Matt. viil. 34; Acts xvi. 39. © Luke viii. 38—f Matt. ix. 
1; Luke viii. 40. 


Verse 11. A great herd of swine] See the notes 
on Matt. viii. 30. 

Verse 12. Aut the devils] Mavrec, all, is omitted by 
many MSS. and versions ; Griesbach leaves it out of 
the text. Οἱ δαίμονες is omitted also by several : 
Griesbach leaves it doubtful. Probably it should be 
read thus, And they besought him, saying. 

Verse 13. Gave them leave.] For exetpepev, DH, 
three others, and three copies of the tala have 
erenpev, sent them. 

Verse 14. The swine] Instead of τοὺς χοίρους, BCDL, 
-three others, Syriac, Coptic, Aithiopic, Vulgate, and 
Ttala, read avrovc, them—And they that fed THEM fled. 
Griesbach has adopted this reading. 

Verse 15. That—had the legion] This is omitted 
by D, and two others, Aithiopic, Persic, Vulgate, and 
all the Ztala but one. Mill, Bengel, and Griesbach, 
think it should be omitted. 

Verse 19. Suffered him not] Ὁ de Ἰησους, Howbert 


& Matt. ix. 18; Luke viii. 41——"Leyv. xv. 25; Matt. 
ix. 


Verse 20. Decapolis] See on Matt. iv. 25. 

Verse 23. My little daughter] .To θυγατριον pov, 
that little daughter of mine. The words express much 
tenderness and concern. Luke observes, chap. Vili. 
42, that she was his only daughter, and was about 
twelve years of age. 

At the point of death] Ἐσχατως eye, in the last 
extremity, the last gasp. See on Matt. ix. 18. 

Verse 25. A certain woman] See Matt. ix. 20. 

Verse 26. Had suffered many things of many phy- 
sicians,—and was nothing bettered, but rather grew 
worse] No person will wonder at this account, when 
he considers the therapeutics of the Jewish physicians 
in reference to hemorrhages, especially of the kind 
with which this woman was afflicted. 

Rabbi Jochanan says: “ Take of gum Alexandria, 
of alum, and of crocus hortensis, the weight of a zuzee 
each; let them be bruised together, and given in wine 
to the woman that hath an issue of blood. But if this 


Jesus, is omitted by ABKLM, twenty-seven others, | fail, 


both the Syriac, both the Persic, Coptic, Gothic, Vul- j 


gate, and one of the Itala. Mill and Bengel approve 
of the omission, and Griesbach leaves it out of the text. 

Go home to thy friends, &c.] This was the cause 
why Jesus would not permit him to follow him now, 
because he would not have the happiness of his rela- 
tives deferred, who must exceedingly rejoice at seeing 
the wonders which the Lord had wrought. 

304 


“ Take of Persian onions nine logs, boil them in 
wine, and give it to her to drink: and say, Arise from 
thy flux. But should this fail, 

“ Set her in a place where two ways meet, and let 
her hold acup of wine in her hand; and let somebody 
come behind and affright her, and say, Arise from thy 
flux. But should this do no good, 

“ Take a handful of cummin and a handful of 

1 


The diseased woman healed. 
A.M. 4031. 97 When she had heard of Jesus, 

A.D. 27. A 
An. Olymp. came in the press behind, and 
——— touched his garment. 

28 For she said, If I may touch but his 
clothes, I shall be whole. 

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood 
was dried up; and she felt in her body that 
she was healed of that plague. , 

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in him- 
self that ‘virtue had gone out of him, turned 
him about in the press, and said, Who touched 
my clothes ? 

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou 
seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest 
thou, Who touched me ? 

32 And he looked round about to see her 
that had done this thing. 

33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, 
knowing what was done in her, came and fell 
down before him, and told him all the truth. 

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, * thy 


' Luke vi. 19; viii. 46-———* Matt. ix. 22; chap. x. 52; Acts 


crocus, and a handful of fenu-greek ; let these be 
boiled, and given her to drink, and say, Arise from 
thy flux. But should this also fail, 

“ Dig seven trenches, and burnin them some cuttings 
of vines not yet circumcised (vines not four years old ;) 
and let her take inher hand a cup of wine, and let her 
be led from this trench and set down over that; and 
let her be removed from that, and set down over ano- 
ther: and in each removal say unto her, Arise from 
thy flux.” Dr. Lightfoot gives these as a sample, out 
of many others, extracted from Bab. Shabb. fol. 110. 

And from some of these nostrums it is evident the 
woman could not be detéered, and from some others it is 
as evident that she must be made worse; and from all 
together it is indubitably certain that she must have 
suffered many things ;—and from the persons employ- 
ed, tine expense of the medicaments, and the number 
of years she was afflicted, as she was not a person of 
great opulence, it is most perfectly credible that she 
spent all that she had. She was therefore a fit pa- 
tient for the Great Physician. 

The case of this woman was a very afflicting one : 
1. Because of the nature of her malady; it was such 
as could not be made public, without exposing her to 
shame and contempt. 2. It was an inveterate disorder ; 
it had lasted twelve years. 3. It was continual; she 
appears to have had no interval of health. 4. Her 
disorder was aggravated by the medicines she used— 
she suffered much, ὅς. 5. Her malady was ruinous 
both to her health and cireumstances—she spent ail 
that she had. 6. She was now brought to the last 
point of wretchedness, want, and despair; she was 
growing worse, and had neither money nor goods to 
make another experiment to procure her health. 7. 
She was brought so low by her disorder as to be inca- 
pable of earning any thing to support her wretched life 

Vo. 1. ( 20 ) 


CHAP.’ V. 


Jarus’s daughter raised to life 


faith hath made thee whole; go 4,™, 4031. 
in peace, and be whole of thy An. Olymp. 
plague. a 

35 Ἵ 'While he yet spake, there came from 
the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain 
which said, Thy daughter is dead: why 
troublest thou the Master any farther ? 

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that 
was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the syna 
gogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, 
save Peter, and James, and John the brother 
of James. 

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler 
of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and 
them that wept and wailed greatly. 

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto 
them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the 
damsel is not dead, but ™sleepeth. 

40 And they laughed him to sco. ™But 
when he had put them all out, he taketh the 


xiv. 9— Luke viii. 49——™ John xi. 11.— Acts ix. 40. 


a little longer. It has been said, and the saying is a 
good one, “ Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” 
Never could the power and goodness of God be shown 
in a more difficult and distressful case. And now 
Jesus comes, and she is healed. 

Verse 27. Came in the press behind] She had 
formed her resolution in faith, she executes it, not- 
withstanding her weakness, &c., with courage ; and 
now she finds it crowned with success. 

Verse 31. Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, 
&c.] Many touch Jesus who are not healed by him : 
the reason is, they do it not by faith, through a sense 
of their wants, and a conviction of his ability and wil- 
lingness to save them. Faith conveys the virtue of 
Christ into the soul, and spiritual health is the imme- 
diate consequence of this received virtue. 

Verse 33. Fearing and trembling] See Matt. ix. 22. 

Verse 34. Be whole of thy plague.| Rather, con- 
tinue whole, not, be whole, for she was already healed : 
but this contains a promise, necessary to her encour- 
agement, that her disorder should afflict her no more. 

Verse 35. Why troublest thou the Master] These 
people seem to have had no other notion of our Lord 
than that of an eminent physician, who might be useful 
while there was life, but afterwards could do nothing. 

Verse 36. Jesus—saith] These words were spoken 
by our Lord to the afflicted father, immediately on his 
hearing of the death of his child, to prevent that dis- 
tress which he otherwise must have felt on finding 
that the case was now, humanly speaking, hopeless. 

Verse 38. He cometh] But epyovrat, they come, is 
the reading of ABCDF, four others, and several versions. 

Wept and wailed) See on Matt. ix. 23. 

Verse 40. The father and the mother] Prudence 
required that they should be present, and be witnesses 
of the miracle. 

305 


Our Lord’s countrymen are 
A. M4031. father and the mother of the dam- 
sel, and them that were with him, 
and entereth in where the damsel 
was lying. 

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and 
said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being 
interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 


An. Olymp. 
CCL.3. 


ST. MARK. 


offended at his mighty works. 


42 And straightway the damsel 4, ™ 4031. 
arose, and walked; for she was of An. Oyen: 
CCL 3. 
the age of twelve years. And they - 
were astonished with a great astonishment. 
43 And °he charged them straitly that no 
man should know it; and commanded that 
something should be given her to eat. 


© Matt. vill. 4; ix. 30; xii. 16; 


xvii. 9; chap. 111. 12; Luke v. 14. 


And them that were with him] 'Thatis, Peter, James, 
and John, verse 37. It is remarkable that our Lord 
gave a particular preference to these three disciples, 
beyond all the rest, on three very important occasions : 
1. They were present at the transfiguration. 2. At 
the raising of Jairus’s daughter. 3. At his agony in 
the garden of Gethsemane. 

Where the damsel was lying.] Avaxeipevov, lying. 
This word is very doubtful. BDL, one other, Coptic, 
and later Arabic, with five of the Itala, omit it. Other 
MSS. express the same idea in five different words : 
Griesbach leaves it out of the text. See his Testament. 


Verse 41. Talitha cumi] axes j 


This is mere Syriac, the proper translation of which 
the evangelist has given. The Codex Beze has a 
very odd and unaccountable reading here, ῥαββι. 
θαβιτα κουμι, My master. Damsel arise. Suidas quotes 
this place under the word Αββακοὺυμ thus ταληϑα κουμ. 
Κουμ is the reading of several ancient MSS., but it is 
certainly a faulty one. 


Verse 43. Something should be given her to eat.} 
For though he had employed an extraordinary power 
to bring her to life, he wills that she should be conti- 
nued in existence by the use of ordinary means. The 
advice of the heathen is a good one:— 


Nec Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus 
Inciderit. Horar. 


“ When the miraculous power of God is necessary, 
let it be resorted to: when it is not necessary, let the 
ordinary means be used.”—To act otherwise would be 
to tempt God. 

. While Christ teaches men the knowledge of the true 
God, and the way of salvation, he at the same time 
teaches them lessons of prudence, economy, and com- 
mon sense. And it is worthy of remark, that all who 
are taught of him are not only saved, but their under- 
standings are much improved. True religion, civili- 
zation, mental improvement, common sense, and or 
derly behaviour, go hand in hand. 


CHAPTER VI. 


Our Lord’s countrymen are astonished at his wisdom and mighty works, and are offended at hun, 1--4. 


He works few miracles there, because of their unbelief, 5, 6. 


to preach, §c., 7-11. 
14-16. 
of their mission, 30. 


They depart, preach, and work miracles, 12, 13. 
Account of the beheading of John Baptist, 17-29. 


He sends forth his disciples by two and two 
Different opinions of Christ, 
The disciples return, and give an account 


He departs with them to a place of privacy, but the people follow him, 31-33. He 


has compassion on them, and miraculously feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, 34-44. He 


sends the disciples by sea to Bethsaida, and himself goes into a mountain to pray, 45, 46. 


The disciples 


meet with a storm, and he comes to them walking upon the water, and appeases the winds and the sea, 47- 


52. 
A. M. 4031. 

ees AND? he went out from thence, 
uae and came into his own country, 


and his disciples follow him. 

2 And when the Sabbath day was come, he 
began to teach in the synagogue: and many 
hearing him were astonished, saying, "ἢ From 
whence hath this man these things? and what 


They come into the land of Gennesaret, and he works many miracles, 53-56. 


wisdom is this which is given unto AM. 408) 
him, that even such mighty works An. Olymp. 
are wrought by his hands ? ee 

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, 
¢ the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, 
and Simon? and are not his sisters here with 
us? And they ὁ were offended at him. 


a Matt. xiii. 54; Luke iv. 16——» John vi. 42. 


¢ See Matt. xii. 46; Gal. 1. 19.——4 Matt. xi. δ. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VI. 

Verse 1. And he went out from thence] That is, 
from Capernaum. See on Matt. xiii. 54. 

Verse 2. Were astonished] Ext tn διδαχῃ αὐτου, at 
Ius doctrine, or teaching. This is added by the Codex 
Beze and eight others, later Syriac, Armenian, Vul- 
gate, and all the Παΐα. 

306 


Verse 3. Is not this the carpenter] Among the 
ancient Jews, every father was bound to do four things 
for his son. 1. To circumcise him. 2. To redeem him 
3. To teach him the law. 4. To teach him a trade. 
And this was founded on the following just maxim: 
“ He who teaches not his son to do some work, 
is as if he taught him robbery!” Τὺ is therefore 

( 29") 


He sends forth his 


own kin, and in his own house 

5 And he could there do no mighty work, 
save that he laid his hands upon a few sick 
folk, and healed them. 

6 And 5 δ marvelled because of their un- 
belief. ™ And he went round about the vil- 
lages, teaching. 

7 % ‘And he called unto him the twelve, 
and began to send them forth by two and two; 
and gave them power over unclean spirits ; 

8 And commanded them that they should 
take nothing for their journey, save a staff only ; 
no scrip, no bread, no * money in their purse : 

9 But 1 be shod with sandals ; and not put 
on two coats. 

10 ™ And he said unto them, In what place 

*Matt. xiii. 57; John iv. 44.——! See Gen. xix. 22; xxxii. 
25; Matt. xiii. 58; chap. ix. 23. £ Isa. lix. 16—— Matt. ix. 
35; Luke xiii. Sabin pes x. 1; chap. iii. 13, 14; Luke ix. 1. 


The word signifieth a piece of brass money, in value somewhat 
less than a farthing, Matt. x.9; but here itis taken in general for 


likely that Joseph brought up our Lord to his own 
trade. 

Joses| Several good MSS. read Ιωσητος, Joset, and 
one, with several versions, reads Joseph. 

Verses 4—6. See this curious subject explained, 
Matt. xiii. 55-58. 

Verse 7. By two and two] Thatthey might encourage 
and support each other; and to show that wnion 
among the ministers of the Gospel is essential to the 
promotion of the cause of truth. See on Luke x. 1. 

Verse 8. A staff only] It is likely he desired them 
to take only one with every two, merely for the pur- 
pose of carrying any part of their clothes on, when they 
should be obliged to strip them off by reason of the 
heat; for walking staves, or things of this kind, were 
forbidden, see Matt. x. 10. But, probably, no more is 
designed than simply to state that they must not wait 
to make any provision for the journey, but go off just 
as they were, leaving the provision necessary in the 
present case to the care of Divine Providence. St. 
James is represented in ancient paintings, as carrying 
a gourd bottle on a starr across his shoulder. 

Verse 9. Shod with sandals] The sandal seems to 
have been similar to the Roman solea, which covered 
only the sole of the foot, and was fastened about the foot 
and ancle with straps. The sandal was originally a 
part of the woman’s dress; ancient authors represent 
them as worn only by women. In Matt. x. 10, the 
disciples are commanded to take no shoes, trodnuara, 
which word is nearly of the same import with cav- 
data, sandals; but, as our Lord intimates to them 
that they should be free from all useless ineumbrances, 
that they might fulfil his orders with the utmost dili- 
gence and despatch, so we may suppose that the san- 
dal was a lighter kind of wear than the shoe: and 

1 


CHAP. VI. 


disciples to preach. 


soever ye enter into a house, there 4; M4031. 
abide till ye depart from that place. An. Olymp. 

11 " And whosoever shall not re- ae 
ceive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, 
° shake off the dust under your feet for a testi 
mony against them. Verily I say unto you, It 
shall be more tolerable for Sodom ? and Gomor- 
rah, in the day'of judgment, than for that city. 

12 And they went out, and preached that 
men should repent. 

13 And they cast out many devils, 4 and 
anointed with oil many that were sick, and 
healed them. 

14 9 τ And King Herod heard of him ; (for 
his name was spread abroad:) and he said, 
That John the Baptist was risen from the 
dead, and therefore mighty works do show 
forth themselves in him. 


15 " Others said, That it is Elias. And 


money, Luke ix. 3.—— Acts xii. 8——™ Matt. x. 11; Luke ix. 
4 αὶ 7,8: 1 Matt. x. 14; Luke x. 10. © Acts xiii. 51; 
xviii. 6. P Gr. or. 4 James v. 14.— Matt. xiv. 1; Luke 
ix. 7.—— Matt. xvi. 14; chap. viii. 28. 


indeed the word sandal, which is mere Chaldee, 5330 
might be properly translated a light shoe; as it is 
compounded of 7D sin, a shoe, (see Targum, Deut. 
xxv. 9, 10,) and 57 dal, thin, slender, or mean, as being 
made, not only lighter than the hypodema or shoe, but 
(probably) also of meaner materials. See many ex- 
cellent observations on this subject in Martinius’s 
Etymolog. Lexicon, under the word Sandalium. 

Verse 11. And whosoever shall not receive you] 
Ὁς av τόπος μὴ δεξηται, whatsoever PLACE will not re- 
ceive you: this is the reading of BL, four others, and 
the later Syriac in the margin. 

Verily, &c.] All this clause is omitted in BCDL, 
two others, one Arabic, one Persic, Coptic, Armenian, 
Vulgate, and all the Itala but three. Mill and Beza 
approve of the omission, and Griesbach leaves it out of 
the text. It has probably been transferred here from 
Matt. x. 15. See this subject, from ver. 7, to ver. 11, 
explained at large on Matt. x. 1-15. 

Verse 13. Anointed with oil many that were sich} 
This is only spoken of here, and in James v. 14. This 
ceremony was in great use among the Jews; and in 
certain cases it might be profitable. But in the cases 
mentioned here, which were merely miraculous, it 
could avail no more of itself than the inposition of 
hands. It was used symbolically, as an emblem of 
that ease, comfort, and joy, which they prayed God 
to impart to the sick. For various examples of its 
use among the Jews, see Lightfoot and Wetstein on 
this place. 

Verse 14. And king Herod heard] Τὴν ἀκοὴν αὐτου, 
his fame, is added by KM, fifteen others, and in the 
margin of several. It seems necessary to complete 
the sense. 

Verse 15. Or, as one of the prophets.) 1, or, is 

307 


Tohn the Baptist 15 cast 


A.M. 4031. others said, That it is a prophet, or 
Fes Bee, as one of the prophets. 

16 §* But when Herod heard 
thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded : 
he is risen from the dead. 

17 For Herod himself had sent forth and 
laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison 
for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife : 
for he had married her. 

18 For John had said unto Herod, ἃ It is 
not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. 

19 Therefore Herodias had Ya quarrel 
against him, and would have killed him; but 
she could not; 

20 For Herod feared John, knowing that 
he was a just man and a holy, and * observed 
him; and when he heard him, he did many 
things, and heard him gladly. 

21 ¥ And when a convenient day was come, 
that Herod 5 on his birth-day made a supper 
to his lords, high captains, and chief estates 
of Galilee ; 

22 And when the daughter of the said He- 
rodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod 
and them that sat with him, the king said unto 
the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, 
and I will give zt thee. 

23 And he sware unto her, ἃ Whatsoever 
thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto 
the half of my kingdom. 


t Matt. xiv. 2; Luke iii. 19. ULey, xviil. 16; xx. 21. 
Vv Or, an inward grudge- Ww Matt. xiv.5; xxi. 26.——* Or, kept 
him, or, saved him. 


omitted by ABCEGHKLMS—BHYV, and one hun- 
dred others, Syriac, all the Arabic, all the Perstc, 
Coptic, Zthiopic, Gothic, Slavonic, Vulgate, two Itala, 
Origen, Victor, and Theophylact. Bengel, Wetstein, 
and Griesbach leave it out of the text: the omission 
of it mends the sense much. 

Verse 19. Would have killed] Ἑζητει, soucut to 
kill him. C and five of the Itala. 

See the whole of this account, from ver. 17, to ver. 
29, explained on Matt. xiv. 2-12. 

Verse 21. Lords] Μεγιστασιν, probably governors 
of particular districts. 

High captains] Χιλίαρχοις ; literally, chiefs or cap- 
tains over a thousand men, military chiefs. 

Chief estates] Πρωτοῖς ; probably such as might 
be called nobles by title only, having no office civil or 
military ; probably magistrates. See Kypxe onthe place. 

Verse 23. Unto the half of my kingdom.] A noble 
price for a dance! This extravagance in favour of 
female dancers has the fullest scope in the east, even 
to the present day. M. Anguetil du Perron, in the 
preliminary discourse to his Zend Avesta, p. 344 and 
345, gives a particular account of the dancers at Sw- 

308 


ST. MARK. 


into prison and beheaded 


24 And she went forth, and said 4, Μ' 4085. 
unto her mother, What shall 1 ask? An. Olymp. 
And she said, The head of John the bs 
Baptist. 

25 And she came in straightway with haste 
unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that 
thou give me by and by ina charger, the head 
of John the Baptist. 

26 > And the king was exceeding sorry ; yet 
for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which 
sat with him, he would not reject her. 

27 And immediately the king sent “ an ex- 
ecutioner, and commanded his head to be 
brought: and he went and beheaded him in 
the prison, 

28 And brought his head in a charger, and 
gaye it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it 
to her mother. 

29 And when his disciples heard of it, they 
came and took up his corpse, and laid it ina 
tomb. 

30 Ἵ ὁ And the apostles gathered themselves 
together unto Jesus, and told him all things, 
both what they had done, and what they had 
taught. 

31 © And he said unto them, Come ye your- 
selves apart into a desert place, and rest a 
while: for ἢ there were many coming and go- 


ing, and they had no leisure so much as to 
eat. 


y Matt. xiv. 6——*Gen. x]. 20-———* Esth. v. 3, 6; vii. 2. 
>Matt. xiv. 9—*Or, one of his guard- 4 Luke ix. 10. 
© Matt. xiv. 13. Chap. iii. 20. 


rat. This account cannot be transcribed in a comment 
on the Gospel of God, however illustrative it might be 
of the conduct of Herodias and her daughter Salome : 
it is too abominable for a place here. He observes, 
that the rich vie with each other in the presents they 
make to the dancing girls of money and jewels ; and that 
persons of opulence have even ruined themselves by 
the presents they made to those victims of debauch. 
He mentions a remarkable case, which may throw 
light on this passage: “That the dancer Laal-koner 
gained such a complete ascendancy over the Mogul 
Emperor Maaz-eddin, that he made her joint gover- 
ness of the empire with himself.” 

Verse 26. For their sakes which sat with him] 
Probably these persons joined in with the request, and 
were glad of this opportunity to get this light of Is- 
rae] extinguished; he being a public reprover of all 
their vices. 

Verse 30. The apostles gathered themselves toge- 
ther] For they went different ways before, by two 
and two, ver. 7 ; and now they return and meet Christ 
at Capernaum. 

Verse 31. Rest a while] Rest is necessary for 

1 


Five thousand fed with 


‘Mss 82. 8 And they departed into a 
An. Olymp. desert place by ship privately. 

Ξ 33 And the people saw them 
departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot 
thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and 
came together unto him. 

34 “Ὁ And Jesus, when he came out, saw 
much people, and was moved with compassion 
toward them, because they were as sheep not 
having a shepherd: and ‘he began to teach 
them many things. 

35 * And when the day was now far spent, 
his disciples came unto him, and said, This is 
a desert place, and now the time ts far passed : 

36 Send them away, that they may go into 
the country round about, and into the villages, 
and buy themselves bread: for they have 
nothing to eat. 

37 He answered and said unto them, Give 
ye them to eat. And they say unto him, 
'Shall we go and buy two hundred ™ penny- 
worth of bread, and give them to eat? 

38 He saith unto them, How many loaves 
have ye? go and see. And when they knew, 
they say, ™ Five, and two fishes. 

39 And he commanded them to make all 
sit down by companies upon the green grass. 

© Matt. xiv. 13.—— Matt. ix. 36; xiv. 14——i Luke ix. 11. 
® Matt. xiv. 15; Luke ix. 12——! Num. xi. 13, 22; 2 Kings iv. 


43.— The Roman penny is seven pence halfpenny ; as Matt. 
xviii. 28. 


those who labour; and a zealous preacher of the Gos- 
pel will as often stand in need of it as a galley slave. 

Verse 33. The people] Or, oyAor, the multitudes. 
This is wanting in many MSS., but it seems neces- 
sary to make the sense clear. There is scarcely a 
verse in the whole New Testament that has suffered 
so much from transcribers as this verse. Amidst the 
abundance of various readings, one can scarcely tell 
what its original state was. The various readings may 
be seen in Griesbach. 

Verse 34. Much people, &c.] See this miracle 
explained on Matt. xiv. 14, &c. 

Verse 40. By hundreds, and by fifties.) “That 
is,” says Mr. Wesley, “ fifty in a rank, and a hundred 
in file. So, a hundred multiplied by fifty, made just 
five thousand.” But if they sat fifty deep, how could 
the disciples conveniently serve them with the bread 
and fish ? 

Verse 41. And blessed] I think the word God 
should be inserted here, as in Matt. xiv. 19. See the 
note there. The food we receive from God is already 
blessed, and does not stand in need of being blessed 
by man; but God, who gives it, deserves our warmest 
thanksgivings, as frequently as we are called to partake 
uf his bounty. 


CHAP. VI. 


Jive loaves and two fishes. 


40 And they sat down in ranks, ὦ ΔΙ. 1032 
by hundreds, and by fifties. 

41 And when he had taken the five 
loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to 
heaven, ° and blessed, and brake the loaves, and 
gave them to his disciples to set before them; 
and the two fishes divided he among them all 

42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 

43 And they took up twelve baskets full of 
the fragments, and of the fishes. 

44 And they that did eat of the loaves were 
about five thousand men. 

45 § » And straightway he constrained his 
disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the 
other side before 4 unto Bethsaida, while he 
sent away the people. 

46 And when he had sent them away, he 
departed into a mountain to pray. 

47 * And when even was come, the ship was 
in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the 
land. 

48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; 
for the wind was contrary unto them: and 
about the fourth watch of the night he cometh 
unto them, walking upon the sea, and * would 
have passed by them. 

49 But when they saw him walking upon 

Matt. xiv. 17; Luke ix. 13; John vi. 9; see Matt. xv. 
34; chap. viii. 5. ©] Sam. ix. 13; Matt. xxvi. 26. P Matt. 


xiv. 22; John vi. 17. 4 Or, over against Bethsaida— Matt. 
xiv. 23; John vi. 16, 17.——* See Luke xxiv. 28. 


baskets used by the disciples, see Matt. xiv. 20, or 
baskets belonging to some of the multitude, who might 
have brought some with them to earry provisions, or 
other things necessary for the sick, whom they brought 
to Christ to be healed. 

Verse 44. Were about five thousand] «cet, about, 
is omitted by a great majority of the best MSS. and 
by the principal versions. It is wanting in several 
editions: Bengel, Wetstein, and Grieshach, leave it 
out of the text. It is omitted by some in the parallel 
place, Matt. xiv. 21, but it stands without any varia- 
tion in Luke ix. 14, and John vi. 10. This miracle 
is mentioned by all the four evangelists. It is one of 
the most astonishing that Christ has wrought. It is 
a miracle which could not be counterfeited, and a full 
proof of the divinity of Christ. 

Verse 45. To the other side before unto Bethsaida] 
John says, chap. vi. 17, to Capernaum. It is probable 
our Lord ordered them to steer to one or other of these 
two places, which were about four miles distant, and 
on the same side of the sea of Galilee. 

Verse 47. The ship was in the midst of the sea} 
See all the parts of this wonderful transaction consi- 
dered, on Matt. xiv. 22-33. 

Verse 49. They supposed it had been a spirit] 


Verse 42. Twelve baskets] These were either the | That is, by whom the storm had been raised. 


1 


309 


On eating with 


i a the sea, they supposed it had been 


Ass Olymp. a spirit, and cried out: 

50 (For they all saw him, and 
were troubled.) And immediately he talked 
with them, and saith unto them, Be of good 
cheer; it is I: be not afraid. 

51 And he went up unto them into the 
ship; and the wind ceased: and they were 
sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, 
and wondered. 

52 For ' they considered not the miracle of 
the loaves: for their "heart was hardened. 

53 9% And when they had passed over, 


t Chap. viii. 17, 18. u Chap. iii. 5; xvi. 14. ν Matt. xiv. 34. 


Verse 52. Their heart was hardened.| See this 
explained Matt. xiv. 33. 

Verse 53. The land of Gennesaret] This country 
lay on the coast of the sea of Galilee: it is described 
by Josephus as being exceedingly pleasant and fertile. 
It had its name of Gennesaret from 1) gen, a garden, 
and 1D sar, a prince, either because the king had a 
garden there, or because of its great fertility. 

Verse 54. They knew him] Ἐπιγνοντες, They re- 
collected him; for he had before preached and wrought 
miracles in different places of the same country. 


ST. MARK. 


unwashen hands 


they came into the land of Gen- are 
nesaret, and drew to the shore. Aer Ghee. 


54 And when they were come 
out of the ship, straightway they knew him, 

55 And ran through that whole region round 
about, and began to carry about in beds those 
that were sick, where they heard he was. 

56 And whithersoever he entered, into vil- 
lages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick 
in the streets, and besought him that they 
might touch if it were but the border of his 
garment: and as many as touched * him were 
made whole. 


w Matt. ix. 20; chap. v. 27, 28; Acts xix. 12——* Or, it. 


Verse 56. Villages] Probably small towns near 
cities. 

Country] Villages at a distance from cities and 
large public towns. See the notes on Matt. xiv. 
34-36. 

Christ went about doing good—he confined his mi- 
nistry and miracles to no place—wherever he went, 
they stood in need of his help ; and whenever they re- 
quired his assistance, they had it granted immediately. 
Our Lord’s conduct, in these respects, is a perfect 
pattern for every preacher of his Gospel. 


CHAPTER VII. 


The Pharisees find fault with the disciples for eating with unwashen hands, 1-5. 
pocrisy, and shows that they had made the word of God of no effect by their traditions, 6-13. 


Christ exposes their hy- 
He shows 


what things defile men, 14-16 ; and teaches his disciples in private, that the sin of the heart alone, leading 


to vicious practices, defiles the man, 17-23. 


The account of the Syrophenician woman, 24-30. 


He 


heals a man who was dumb, and had an impediment in his speech, 31-37. 


A.M. 4032. a : 
ee "THEN came together unto him 
an, eee the Pharisees, and certain of the 


scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 
2 And when they saw some of his disciples 
eat bread with ?defiled (that is to say, with 


a Matt. xv. 1. Or, common. 


© Or, diligently ; in the 


A. M. 4032. 

unwashen) hands, they found 4,% 403 
fault. ares 
(3 For the Pharisees, and all the —————— 


Jews, except they wash thezr hands ° oft, eat 
not, holding the tradition of the elders. 


original, with the fist ; Theophylact, up to the elbow. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VII. 

Verse 1. Came from Jerusalem.] Probably for 
the express purpose of disputing with Christ, that they 
might entangle him in his talk. Malice and envy are 
never idle—they incessantly hunt the person they in- 
tend to make their prey. 

Verse 2. They found fault.| This is wanting in 
ABEHLV, nineteen others, and several versions: 
Mill and Bengel approve the omission, and Griesbach 
rejects the word. If the 3d and 4th verses be read in 
a parenthesis, the 2d and 5th verses will appear to be 
properly connected, without the above clause. 

Verse 3. Eacept they wash their hands] πυγμῇ, 
the hand to the wrist—Unless they wash the hand up 
to the wrist, eat not. Several translations are given 
of this word ; that above is from Dr. Lightfoot, who 

310 


quotes a tradition from the rabbins, stating that the 
hands were to be thus washed. This sort of washing 
was, and still continues te be, an act of religion in the 
eastern countries. It is particularly commanded in 
the Koran, Surat v. ver. 7, “O believers, when ye 
wish to pray, wash your faces, and your hands up to 
the elbows—and your feet up to the ankles.” Which 
custom it is likely Mohammed borrowed from the Jews. 
The Jewish doctrine is this: “If a man neglect the 
washing, he shall be eradicated from this world.” But 
instead of πυγμῃ, the fist or hand, the Codex Beze has 
πυκνῃ, frequently: and several of the [tala have words 
of the same signification. Bathing is an indispensable 
prerequisite to the first meal of the day among the 
Hindoos; and washing the hands and the feet is 
equally so before the evening meal. Warp’s Customs. 
1 


The word of God made of no 


AM, 1032 4 And when they come from the 
Ana aiymn. market, except they wash, they eat 
———— not. And many other things there 
be, which they have received to hold, as the 
washing of cups, and ¢ pots, brazen vessels, 
and of ° tables. 

5 ‘Then the Pharisees and scribes asked 
him, Why walk not thy disciples according to 
the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with 
unwashen hands? 

6 He answered and said unto them, Well 
hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as 
it is written, = This people honoureth me with 
their lips, but their heart is far from me. 

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, 
teaching for doctrines the commandments of 
men. 

8 For, laying aside the commandment of 
God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the wash- 


4Sextarius is about a pint and a half——eOr, beds. 
{ Matt. xv. 2——sIsa. xxix. 13; Matt. xv. 8——!Or, frus- 
trate. 


Verse 4. And when they come] This clause is 
added by our translators, to fill up the sense ; but it 
was probably a part of the original : for eav ελϑῶωσι is 
the reading of the Codex Beze, Vulgate, Armenian, 
and most of the Jtala. ‘The clause in my old MS. Bible 
is read thus: And thei turninge agein fro chepinge. 
The words seem essentially necessary to a proper 
understanding of the text; and, if not admitted on the 
above authority, they must be supplied in italics, as in 
our common translation. 

Except they wash} Or dip; for βαπτισωνται may 
mean either. But instead of the word in the text, the 
famous Codex Vaticanus, (B,) exght others, and Euthy- 
muus, have pavticwvrat, sprinkle. However, the Jews 
sometimes washed their hands previously to their eat- 
ing: at other times, they simply dipped or plunged 
them into the water. 

Of cups] Ποτηρίων ; any kind of earthen vessels. 

Pots) Of measures—ecur, from the singular fernc, 
a measure for liquids, formed from the Latin sertarius, 
equal to a pint and a half English. See this proved 
by Wetstein on this place. My old MS. renders it 
cruetis. 

Of brazen vessels] Χαλκίων. These, if polluted, 
were only to be washed, or passed through the fire ; 
whereas the earthen vessels were to be broken. 

And of tables.| Beds, couches—xa: κλίνων. This 
is wanting in BL, two others, and the Coptic. It is 
likely it means no more than the forms, or seats, on 
which they sat to eat. A bed or a couch was defiled, 
if any unclean person sat or leaned on it—a man with 
an issue—a leper—a woman with child, &c. As the 
word βαπτίσμους, baptisms, is applied to all these, and 
as it is contended that this word, and the verb whence 
it is derived, signify dipping or immersion alone, its 
use in the above cases refutes that opinion and shows 
that it was used, not only to express dipping or immer- 

1 


CHAP. VII. 


effect by thewr traditions 


ing of pots and cups: and many 4,™; 4052. 
other such like things ye do. An. Olymp. 
9 And he said unto them, Full viteal 
well ye "reject the commandment of God, that 

ye may keep your own tradition. 

10 For Moses said, ‘Honour thy father and 
thy mother; and, *Whoso curseth father or 
mother, let him die the death; , 

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his fa- 
ther or mother, Jt is !Corban, that is to say, 
a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited 
by me; he shall be free. 

12 And ye suffer him no more to do aught 
for his father or his mother ; 

13 Making the word of God of none effect 
through your tradition, which ye have deliver- 
ed: and many such like things do ye. 

14 § ™And when he had called all the peo 
ple wnto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto 


iFxod. xx. 12; Deut. v. 16; Matt. xv. 4——* Exod. xxi. 17; 
Lev. xx.9; Prov. xx. 20.—! Matt. xv. 5; xxiii. 18——™ Matt. 
xv. 10. 


sion, but also sprinkling and washing. The cups and 
pots were washed ; the beds and forms perhaps sprin 
kled ; and the hands dipped up to the wrist. 

Verse 5. Why walk not thy disciples] See on 
Matt. xv. 2-9. 

Verse 6. Honoureth me] Me tyxa—but the Codex 
Beze, and three copies of the Itala, have pe ayara, 
loveth me :—the JEthiopic has both readings. 

Verse 8. Washing of pots and cups, &e.] This 
whole clause is wanting in BL, five others, and the 
Coptic: one MS. omits this and the whole of the ninth 
verse. The eighth verse is not found in the parallel 
place of Matt. xv. 

Verse 9. Full well] Kadwe,—a strong irony.-- 
How noble is your conduct! From conscientious at- 
tachment to your own traditions ye have annihilated 
the commandments of God! 

That ye may keep| But στησητε, that ye may esta- 
blish, is the reading of D, three others, Syriac, all the 
Ttala, with Cyprian, Jerome, and Zeno. Griesbach 
thinks it should be received instead of the other. God’s 
law was nothing to these men, in comparison of their 
own: hear a case in point. “ Rabba said, How fool- 
ish are most men! They observe the precepts of the 
Divine law, and neglect the statutes of the rabbins "ἢ 
Maccoth, fol. 22. 

Verse 10. For Moses said, &e.] See all these verses, 
from this to the 23d, explained Matt. xv. 3-20. 

Verse 13. Your tradition] 1D, later Syriac in the 
margin, Saxon, and all the Jtala but one, add ry μωρᾳ, 
by your roouisH tradition. €open pcuntan lage, your 
foolish law :-—Anglo-Saxon. 

Verse 14. When he had called all the people] But - 
instead of παντα, all, παλιν, again, is the reading of 
BDL, later Syriac in the margin, Coptic, Ethiopic, 
Saxon, Vulgate, all the Itala but one. Mill and Gries- 
bach approve of this reading. 

311 


What defiles a man. ST. 


. M. 4032. 4 
As, 93 me every one of you, and under 
An. Olymp. stand: 

Cl. 4. 


15 There is nothing from without 
a man, that entering into him can defile him: 
but the things which come out of him, those 
are they that defile the man. 

16 "If any man have ears to hear, let him 
hear. 

17 ° And when he was entered into the house 
from the people, his disciples asked him con- 
cerning the parable. 

18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so with- 
out understanding also? Do ye not perceive, 
that whatsoever thing from without entereth 
into the man, zt cannot defile him; 

19 Because it entereth not into his heart, 
but into the belly, and goeth out into the 
draught, purging all meats ? 

20 And he said, That which cometh out of 
the man, that defileth the man. 

21 » For from within, out of the heart of men, 
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, 
murders, 

22 Thefts, 1covetousness, wickedness, de- 
ceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, 
pride, foolishness : 

23 All these evil things come from within, 
and defile the man. 

24 “1 τ And from thence he arose, and went 
into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and enter- 


MARK. 


The Syrophanician woman 


ed into a house, and would have no 4, ™. aa 
man know zt; but he couldnotbe hid. An. ae 

25 For a certain woman, whose ie 
young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard 
of him, and came and fell at his feet : 

26 (The woman was a " Greek, a Syropheeni- 
cian by nation ;) and she besought him that he 
would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 

27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children 
first be filled: for it is not meet to take the 
children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 

28 And she answered and said unto him, 
Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat 
of the children’s crumbs. 

29 And he said unto her, For this saying 
go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy 
daughter. 

30 And when she was come to her house, 
she found the devil gone out, and her daughter 
laid upon the bed. 

31 Ἵ *And again, departing from the coasts 
of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of 
Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of 
Decapolis. 

32 And “they bring unto him one that was 
deaf, and had an impediment in his speech ; 
and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 

33 And he took him aside from the multi- 
tude, and put his fingers into his ears, and ¥ he 
spit, and touched his tongue : 


2 Matt. xi. 15. 
xv. 19. 


Verse 19. Into the draught] See on Matt. xv. 17. 

Purging all meats 3] For what is separated from 
the different aliments taken into the stomach, and 
thrown out of the body, is the innutritious parts of ail 
the meats that are eaten; and thus they are purged, 
nothing being left behind but what is proper for the 
support of the body. 

Verse 24. Into the borders of Tyre and Sidon] Or, 
mto the country between Tyre and Sidon. I have 
adopted this translation from Kypxe, who proves that 
this is the meaning of the word yeopia, in the best 
Greek writers. 

Verse 25. A certain woman] See this account of 
the Syrophenician woman explained at large, Matt. 
av. 21-28. 

Verse 26. The woman was a Greek] Rosenmiiller 
has well observed, that all heathens or idolaters were 
ealled Ἕλληνες, Greeks, by the Jews; whether they 
were Parthians, Medes, Arabs, Indians, or ASthio- 
pians. Jews and Greeks divided the whole world at 
this period. 

Verse 30. Laid upon the bed.| The demon having 

ormented her, so that her bodily strength was ea- 
rausted, and she was now laid upon the couch to take 
312 


© Matt. xv. 15.—P Gen. vi. 5; viii. 21; Matt. 
4 Gr. covetousness, wickedness. 


τ Matt. xv. 21——* Or, Gentile. t Matt. xv. 29. ἃ Matt. ix. 
32; Luke xi. 14. ¥ Chap. viii. 23; John ix. 6. 


a little rest. The Athiopic has a remarkable reading 
here, which gives a very different, and, I think, a δεί- 
ter sense. And she found her daughter cLhoTuHeD, 
SITTING upon the couch, and the ΕΣ gone out. 

Verse 32. They bring unto him one that was deaf, 
and had an impediment in his speech} Though from 
the letter of the text, it does not appear that this man 
was absolutely deprived of speech ; for μογιλαλος lite- 
rally signifies, one that cannot speak plainly—a stam- 
merer; yet it is certain also that the word means a 
dumb person; and it is likely that the person in ques- 
tion was dumb, because he was deaf; and it is gene- 
rally found that he who is totally deaf is dumb also. 
Almost all the versions understand the word thus: 
and the concluding words seem to confirm this—He 
maketh both the deaf to hear, and the DUMB, κωφους, 
to speak. 

Verse 33. And he spit, and touched his tongue} 
This place is exceedingly difficult. There is scarcely 
an action of our Lord’s life but one can see an evident 
reason for, exzept this. Various interpretations are 
given of it—none of them satisfies my mind. The 
Abbé Giradeau spiritualizes it thus :—1. He took him 
aside from the multitude—W hen Christ saves a sinner, 

1 


The deaf and dumb 


AM. 4092. 34 And ™ looking up to heaven, 
An. Olymp. * he sighed, and saith unto him, 
ee Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 

35 ¥ And straightway his ears were opened, 
and the string of his tongue was loosed, and 
he spake plain. 

36 And “he charged them that they should 


wChap. vi. 41; John xi. 41 ; xvii. 1——* John xi. 33, 38. 


he separates him from all his old evil companions, and 
from the spirit and maxims of an ungodly world. 2. 
He put his fingers in his ears—to show that they 
could be opened only by the finger, i. e. the power, of 
God, and that they should be shut to every word and 
voice, but what came from him. 3. Spitting out he 
touched his tongue—to show that his mental taste and 
relish should be entirely changed: that he should 
detest those things which he before esteemed, and 
esteem those which he before hated. 4. Looking up 
to heaven—to signify that all help comes from God, 
and to teach the new convert to keep continually Jook- 
ing to and depending upon him. 5. He groaned—to 
show the wretched state of man by sin, and how ten- 
derly concerned God is for his present and eternal wel- 
fare; and to intimate that men should seek the salvation 
of God inthe spirit of genuine repentance, with strong 
erying and tears. 6. He said, Be opened—Sin is a 
shutting of the ears against the words of God; and a 
tymg of the tongue, to render it incapable of giving 
God due praise. But when the all-powerful grace of 
Christ reaches the heart, the ear is unstopped, and the 
man hears distinctly—the tongue is unloosed, and the 
man speaks correctly. 


After all, it is possible that what is attributed here 
to Christ belongs to the person who was cured. I will 
give my sense of the place in a short paraphrase. 

And Jesus took him aside from the multitude: and 
[the deaf man] put his fingers into his ears, intimating 
thereby to Christ that they were so stopped that he 
could not hear ; and having spat out, that there might 
be nothing remaining in his mouth to offend the sight 
when Christ should look at his tongue, he touched his 
tongue, showing to Christ that it was so bound that he 
could not speak: and he looked up to heaven, as if to 
implore assistance from above: and he groaned, being 
distressed because of his present affliction, and thus 
implored relief: for, not being able to speak, he could 
only groan and look up, expressing by these signs, as 
well as he could, his afflicted state, and the desire he 
had to be relieved. Then Jesus, having compassion 
upon him, said, Be opened: and immediately his ears 
were opened, so that he could hear distinctly ; and the 
wnpediment to his speaking was removed, so that he 
spake properly. The original will admit of this inter- 
pretation; and this, I am inclined to believe, is the 

1 


CHAP. VII. 


demoniac cured 


tell no man: but the more he 4,™ 403. 
charged them, so much the more a Ase Ohya 
great deal they published it ; os 

37 And were beyond measure astonished, 
saying, He hath done all things well: he 
maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumh 


to speak. 


Υ Isa. xxxv. 5,6; Matt. xi. 5.——* Chap. v. 43. 


true meaning of this otherwise (to me and many others) 
unaccountable passage. 


Verse 34. Ephphatha] Ethphathach, whol 
Syriac. It is likely that it was in this language 
that our Lord spoke to this poor man: and because he 
had pronounced the word Ephphathach with peculiar 
and authoritative emphasis, the evangelist thought 
proper to retain the original word; though the last 
Jetter in it could not be expressed by any letter in the 
Greek alphabet. 

Verse 35. He spake plain.] Ορϑως, distinctly, 
without stammering. One MS. has, And he spoke, 
praising God. There is no doubt of this: but the 
evangelist, I think, did not write these words. 

Verse 36. Tell no man] See on Matt. viii. 4. This 
miracle is not mentioned by any other of the evange- 
lists. Another proof that Mark did not abridge Mat- 
thew. For a practical review of the different important 
subjects of this chapter, see Matt. xv. &c., and parti- 
cularly the observations at the end. 

Verse 37. He hath done all things well| This has 
been, and ever will be, true of every part of our Lord’s 
conduct. In creation, providence, and redemption, he 
hath done all things well. The wisest philosophers 
are agreed that, considering creation as a whole, it 
would be impossible to improve it. Every thing has 
been made in number, weight, and measure; there 
really is nothing deficient, nothing redundant ; and the 
good of the creature seems evidently more consulted 
than the glory of the Creator. The creature’s gooa 
is every where apparent; but to find out how the 
Creator is glorified by these works requires the eye of 
the philosopher. And as he has done all things well 
in creation, so has he in providence: here also every 
thing is in number, weight, measure, and time. As 
creation shows his majesty, so providence shows his 
bounty. He preserves every thing he has made; all 
depend upon him; and by him are all things sup- 
ported. But how glorious does he appear in the work 
of redemption! How magnificent, ample, and adequate 
the provision made for the salvation of a lost world! 
Here, as in providence, is enough for all, a sufficiency 
for each, and an abundance for eternity. He loves 
every man, and hates nothing that he has made ; nor 
can the God of all grace be less beneficent than the 
Creator and Preserver of the universe. 

313 


Four thousand persons 


ST. MARK. 


are mraculously fed. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Four thousand persons fed with seven loaves and a few small fishes, 1-8. 


ther sign to the impertinent Pharisees, 10-12. 
Pharisees and of Herod, 13-21. 
the public thought of him, 27-30. 
33. 
him before men, 34-38. 


Acknowledges 


AM) os” LN those days *the multitude be- 
a sea ing very great, and having no- 


thing to eat, Jesus called his dis- 
ciples unto him, and saith unto them, 

2 I have compassion on the multitude, be- 
cause they have now been with me three days, 
and have nothing to eat: 

3 And if I send them away fasting to their 
own houses, ἢ they will faint by the way : (for 
divers of them came from far.) 

4 And his disciples answered him, From 
whence can a man satisfy these men with 
bread here in the wilderness ? 

5 °And he asked them, How many loaves 
have ye? And they said, Seven. 

6 And he commanded the people to sit down 
on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, 
and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his 
disciples to set before them ; and they did set 
them before the people. 

7 And they had a few small fishes: and 4 he 
blessed, and commanded to set them also be- 
fore them. 

8 So they did eat, and were filled : and they 
took up of the broken meat that was left seven 
baskets. 

9 And they that had eaten were about four 
thousand : and he sent them away. 

10 % And °straightway he entered into a 


Christ refuses to give any far- 


Warns his disciples against the corrupt doctrine of the 
He restores sight to a blind man, 22-26. 


Asks his disciples what 
himself to be the Christ, and that he must suffer, 31- 


And shows that all his genuine disciples must take up their cross, suffer in his cause, and confess 


Saath Bs Gisd A. M. 4032. 
ship with his disciples, and came 4,™; 40% 
into the parts of Dalmanutha. eet 


11 f And the Pharisees came forth, 
and began to question with him, seeking of 
him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and 
saith, Why doth this generation seek after a 
sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no 
sign be given unto this generation. 

13 And he left them, and entering into the 
ship, again departed to the other side. 

14 9 £ Now the disciples had forgotten 10 
take bread, neither had they in the ship with 
them more than one loaf. 

15 And he charged them, saying, Take 
heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, 
and of the leaven of Herod. 

16 And they reasoned among themselves, 
saying, Jt zs ‘ because we have no breaa. 

17 And when Jesus knew 1έ, he saith unto 
them, Why reason ye, because ye have no 
bread? ‘perceive ye not yet, neither under- 
stand? have ye your heart yet hardened ? 

18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having 
ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember, 

19 !'When I brake the five loaves among five 
thousand, how many baskets full of fragments 
took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 

20 And ™when the seven among four thou- 


2 Matt. xv. 32; chap. vi. 34. bIsa. lx. 3,4; Matt. ix. 36. 
© Matt. xv. 34; see chap. vi. 33-——4 Matt. xiv. 19; chap. vi. 
41. © Matt. xv. 39.—f Matt. xii. 38; xvi. *, John vi. 30. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VIII. 

Verse 1. The multitude being very great) Or 
rather, There was again a great multitude. Instead 
of παμπολλου, very great, I read παλιν πολλου, again 
@ great, which is the reading of BDGLM, fourteen 
others, all the Arabic, Coptic, Aithiopic, Armenian, 
Gothic, Vulgate, and Itala, and of many Evange- 
listaria. Griesbach approves of this reading. There 
had been such a multitude gathered together once 
before, who were fed in the same way. See chap. 
vi. 34, &e. 

Verse 2. Having nothing to eat] If they had 
‘rought any provisions with them, they were now 
-ntirely expended ; and they stood in immediate need 
f a supply. 


314 


ε Matt. xvi. 5. h Matt. xvi. 6; Luke xii. 1. i Matt. xvi. 
7.—« Chap. vi. 52. ! Matt. xiv. 20; chap. vi. 43; Luke ix. 
17; John vi. 13——™ Matt. xv. 37; ver. 8. 


Verse 3. For divers of them came from far.) And 
they could not possibly reach their respective homes 
without perishing, unless they got food. 

Verse 4, &c.] See on Matt. xiv. 14, and xv. 35. 

Verse 7. And they had a few small fishes] This iv 
not noticed in the parallel place, Matt. xv. 36. 

Verse 10. Dalmanutha.| See the note on Matt 
xv. 39. 

Verse 12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit] Οἱ 
having deeply groaned—so the word avacrevasac pro- 
perly means. He was exceedingly affected at their 
obstinacy and hardness of heart. See Matt. xvi. 1-4. 

Verse 14. Now the disciples had forgotten to take 
bread| See all this, to ver. 21, explained at large on 
i Matt. xvi. 4-12. In the above chapter, an 86. 
1 


A blind man restored. 


—_— sand, how many baskets full of frag- 


An. Olymp. ments took ye up? And they said, 

CCl. 4. 

Seven. 

21 And he said unto them, How is it that 
® ye do not understand ? 

22 Ἵ And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they 
bring a blind man unto him, and besought him 
to touch him. 

23 And he took the blind man by the hand, 
and led him out of the town; and when ° he 
had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon 
him, he asked him if he saw aught. 

24 And he looked up, and said, I see men 
as trees, walking. 

25 After that he put Avs hands again upon 
his eyes, and made him look up: and he was 
restored, and saw every man clearly. 

26 And he sent him away to his house, say- 


ee vi. 52; ver. 17. 


—° Chap. vii. 33—? Matt. viii. 4; 


count is given of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and 
Herodians. 

Verse 22. They bring a blind man unto him] 
Christ went about to do good, and wherever he came 
he found some good to be done ; and so should we, if 
we had a proper measure of the same zeal and love for 
the welfare of the bodies and souls of men. 

Verse 23. And he took the blind man by the hand] 
Giving him a proof of his readiness to help him, and 
thus preparing him for the eure which he was about 
to work. 

Led him out of the town] Thus showing the in- 
habitants that he considered them unworthy of having 
another miracle wrought among them. He had already 
deeply deplored their ingratitude and obstinacy: see 
on Matt. xi. 21. When a people do not make a proper 
improvement of the light and grace which they receive 
from God, their candlestick is removed—even the 
visible Church becomes there extinct; and the candle 
is put out—no more means of spiritual 7/wmination 
are afforded to the unfaithful inhabitants: Rev. ii. 5. 

When he had spit on his eyes] There is a similar 
transaction to this mentioned by John, chap. ix. 6. It 
is likely this was done merely to separate the eyelids ; 
as, in certain cases of blindness, they are found always 
gummed together. It required a miracle to restore 
the sight, and this was done in consequence of Christ 
having laid his hands upon the blind man: it required 
no miracle to separate the eyelids, and, therefore, 
natural means only were employed—this was done by 
rubbing them with spittle; but whether by Christ, or 
by the blind man, is not absolutely certain. See on 
thap. vil. 33. It has always been evident that false 
miracles have been wrought without reason or neces- 
sity, and without any obvious advantage; and they 
have thereby been detected: on the contrary, true 
miracles have always vindicated themselves by their 
ebvious utility and importance; nothing ever being 


CHAP. VIII. 


Opimons concerning Christ. 


ing, Neither go into the town, Ynor 4,™. 4032. 
tell 2¢ to any in the town. aa te bg 
27 9 21And Jesus went out, and -- 
his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Phi- 
lippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, 
saying unto them, Whom do men say that 

I am? 

28 And they answered, "John the Baptist ° 
but some say Elias; and others, One of the 
prophets. 

29 And he saith unto them, But whom say 
ye that I am? and Peter answereth and saith 
unto him, * Thou art the Christ. 

30 And he charged them that they should 
tell no man of him. 

31 4 And "he began to teach them that the 
Son of man must qa many things, and be 
rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, 


5 Matt. xvi. 16; John vi. 69; xi. 27——t Matt. xvi. 20—* Matt. 
xvi. 21; xvii. 22; Luke ix. 22. 


effected by them that could be performed by natural 
means. 

If he saw aught.] Ex, if, is wanting in the Syriac, 
all the Persic and Aradic, and in the Aithiopic; and 
τι βλεπεις, Dost thou see any thing? is the reading of 
CD, Coptic, Aithiopic, all the Arabic and Persic. 

Verse 24. I see men as trees, walking.| His sight 
was so imperfect that he could not distinguish between 
men and trees, only by the motion of the former. 

Verse 25. And saw every man clearly.] But instead 
of ἅπαντας, all men, several excellent MSS., and the 
principal versions, have ἅπαντα, all things, every ob- 
ject; for the view he had of them before was indistinct 
and confused. Our Lord could have restored this 
man to sight in a moment; but he chose to do it in 
the way mentioned in the text, to show that he is 
sovereign of his own graces; and to point out that, 
however insignificant means may appear in themselves, 
they are divinely efficacious when he chooses to work 
by them; and that, however small the first manifesta- 
tions of merey may be, they are nevertheless the e- 
ginnings of the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel 
of peace. Reader, art thou in this man’s state? Art 
thou lind 2 Then come to Jesus that he may restore 
thee. Hast thou a measure of light? Then pray that 
he may lay his hands again on thee, that thou mayest 
be enabled to read thy title clear to the heavenly 
inheritance. 

Verse 26. He sent him away to his house] So it 
appears that this person did not belong to Bethsaida, for, 
in going to his house, he was not to enter into the village. 

This miracle is not mentioned by any othe. of the 
evangelists. It affords another proof that Mark did 
not abridge Matthew's Gospel. “ 

Verse 27. And Jesus went out, &c.] See on Matt. 
xvi. 13-20. 

Verse 29. Thou art the Christ.| Three MSS. and 
some versions add, the Son of the living God. 

315 


Whoever will be Christ's 


A.M. 4052. and scribes, and be killed, and after 


rio three days rise again. 

: 32 And he aie that saying 
openly. And Peter took him, and began to 
rebuke him. 

33 But when he had turned about and looked 
on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, 
Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest 
not the things that be of God, but the things 
that be of men. 

34 9 And when he had called the people unto 
him with his disciples also, he said unto them, 
τ Whosoever will come after me, let him deny 
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 


ST. MARK. 


disciple must deny himself, §-c. 


35 For τ᾿ whosoever will save his 4,™M; 4032 
life shall lose it; but whosoever An. ΟΣ 
shall lose his life. for my sake and 
the Gospel’s, the same shall save it. 

36 For what shall it profit a man if he shall 
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

37 Or what shall a man give in exchange 
for his soul? 

38 * Whosoever therefore Y shall be asham- 
ed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous 
and sinful generation, of him also shall the 
Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh 
in the glory of his Father with the holy 
angels. 


w John 


v Matt. x. 38; xvi. 24; Luke ix. 23; xiv. 27. 
xii. 25. 


Verse 32. And he spake that saying] Concerning 
the certainty and necessity of his sufferings—openly : 
with great plainness, παρῥησιᾳ, confidence, or emphasis, 
50 that the disciples now began fully to understand 
him. This is an additional observation of St. Mark. 
For Peter’s reproof, see on Matt. xvi. 22, ὅσο. 

Verse 34. Whosoever will come after me] It seems 
that Christ formed, on the proselytism of the Jews, the 
principal qualities which he required in the proselytes 
of his covenant. 

The first condition of proselytism among the Jews 
was, that he that came to embrace their religion 
should come voluntarily, and that neither force nor 
influence should be employed in this business. This 
is also the first condition required by Jesus Christ, and 
which he considers as the foundation of all the rest : 
-—If a man be willing to come after me. 

The second condition required in the Jewish prose- 
lyte was, that he should perfectly renounce all his 
prejudices, his errors, his idolatry, and every thing 
that concerned his false religion; and that he should 
entirely separate himself from his most intimate friends 
and acquaintances. It was on this ground that the 
Jews called proselytism a new birth, and proselytes 
new-born, and new men; and our Lord requires men 
to be born again, not only of water, but by the Holy 
Ghost. See John ii. 5. All this our Lord includes 
in this word, Let him renounce himself. To this the 
following scriptures refer: Matt. x. 33; John iii. 3 
and. 5, 2 Cor. v. 17. 

The third condition on which a person was admitted 
into the Jewish Church as a proselyte was, that he 
should submit to the yoke of the Jewish law, and bear 
patiently the inconveniences and sufferings with which 
a profession of the Mosaic religion might be accom- 
panied. Christ requires the same condition ; but, in- 
stead of the yoke of the law, he brings in his own 
doctrine, which he calls his yoke, Matt. xi. 29: and 
his cross, the taking up of which not only implies a 
bold profession of Christ cructfied, but also a cheerful 
submitting to all the sufferings and persecutions to 
which he might be exposed, and eyen to death itself. 


x Matt. x. 33; Luke ix. 26; xii. 9——Y See Rom. i. 16; 2 Tim. 
i. 8; ii. 12, 


engage to continue in the Jewish religion, faithful even 
unto death. This condition Christ also requires; and 
it is comprised in this word, Let him roLLow me. 
See the following verses ; and see, on the subject of 
proselytism, Ruth i. 16, 17. 

Verse 35. For whosoever will save his life] On this 
and the following verses, see Matt. xvi. 24, ὅσ. 

Verse 38. Whosoever—shall be ashamed of me] 
Our Lord hints here at one of the principal reasons of 
the incredulity of the Jews,—they saw nothing in the 
person of Jesus Christ which corresponded to the 
pompous notions which they had formed of the Messiah. 

If Jesus Christ had come into the world as a mighty 
and opulent man, clothed with earthly glories and 
honours, he would have had a multitude of partisans, 
and most of them hypocrites. 

And of my words) This was another subject of 
offence to the Jews: the doctrine of the cross must be 
believed ; a suffering Messiah must be acknowledged ; 
and poverty and affliction must be borne; and death, 
perhaps, suffered in consequence of becoming his dis- 
ciples. 

Of him, and of his words, in this sense, the world 
is, to this day, ashamed. 

Of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed] As 
he refused to acknowledge me before men, so will I 
refuse to acknowledge him before God and his angels. 
Terrible consequence of the rejection of Christ! And 
who can help him whom the only Saviour eternally 
disowns? Reader! Lay this subject seriously to heart ; 
and see the notes on Matt. xvi. 24, &e., and at the 
end of that chapter. 


Aut the subjects contained in this chapter are very 
interesting ; but particularly: 1. The miraculous feed- 
ing of the multitudes, which is a full, unequivocal 
proof of the supreme Divinity of Jesus Christ: in this 
miracle he truly appears in his creative energy, with 
which he has associated the tenderest benevolence and 
humanity. The subject of such a prince must ever 
be safe; the servant of such a master must ever have 
kind usage; the follower of such a teacher can never 


The fourth condition was, that they should solemnly | want nor go astray. 


316 


1 


The transfiguration 


2. The necessity of keeping the doctrine of the 
Gospel uncorrupt, is strongly inculeated in the caution 
to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod : 
the doctrine of the cross must not only be observed 
and held inviolate, but that doctrine must never be 


CHAP. IX. 


of our Lord. 


mixed with worldly politics. Time-serving is abomi- 
nable in the sight of God: it shows that the person 
has either no fixed principle of religion, or that he is 
not under the influence of any. 


; CHAPTER IX. 


The transfiguration of Christ, and the discourse occasioned by it, 1-13. 
He foretells his death, 30-32. 
Of the person who cast out demons in Christ’s name, but did not fol- 
Every kind office done to the disciples of Christ shall be rewarded by him, and all 
The necessity of mortification and self-denial, 43-48 


his disciples could not, 14-29. 
and Christ corrects them, 33-37. 
low him, 38-40. 
injuries done to them shald be punished, 41, 42. 


He casts out a dumb spirtt which 
The disciples dispute about supremacy, 


Of the salting of sacrifices, 49; and the necessity of having union among the disciples of Christ, 50. 


A. M. 4032. = Ι 
Hoe ΟΣ AND he said unto them, * Verily 
as. Coe I say unto you, That there be 


some of them that stand here, which 
shall not taste of death, till they have seen 
>the kingdom of God come with power. 

2 9° And after six days Jesus taketh with 
him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth 
them up into a high mountain apart by them- 
selves: and he was transfigured before them. 

3 And his raiment became shining, exceed- 
ing “white as snow; soas no fuller on earth 
can white them. 

4 And there appeared unto them Elias with 
Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 

5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, 
Master, it is good for us to be here: and let 
us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and 
one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

6 For he wist not what to say; for they 
were sore afraid. 

7 And there was acloud that overshadowed 
them: and a voice came out of the cloud, say- 

a Matt. xvi. 28; Luke ix. 27——» Matt. xxiv. 30; xxv. 31; 


Luke xxii. 18.—— Matt. xvii. 1; Luke ix. 28——4 Dan. vii. 9; 
Matt. xxviii. 3——® Matt. xvii. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IX. 

Verse 1. There be some] This verse properly 
belongs to the preceding chapter, and to the preceding 
discourse. It is in this connection in Matt. xvi. 27, 
28. See the notes there. 

Verse 2. And after six days Jesus taketh with him 
Peter, ὅς. For a full account of the nature and de- 
sign of the transfiguration, see on Matt. xvii. 1, ὅσο. 

A high mountain] [have conjectured, Matt. xvii. 1, 
that this was one of the mountains of Galilee: some 
say Hermon, some Tabor; but Dr. Lightfoot thinks a 
mountain near Cesarea Philippi to be more likely. 

Was transfigured] our good MSS. and Origen 
add here, AND WHILE THEY WERE PRAYING he was 
transfigured; but this appears to be added from 
Luke ix. 29. 

1 


ing, This is my beloved Son: hear 4,M. 4032. 
him. An. Olymp. 
8 And suddenly, when they had sl 
looked round about, they saw no man any 

more, save Jesus only with themselves. 

9 © And as they came down from the moun- 
tain, he charged them that they should tell no 
man what-things they had seen, till the Son 
of man were risen from the dead. 

10 And they kept that saying with them- 
selves, questioning one with another, what 
the rising from the dead should mean. 

11 Ἵ And they asked him, saying, Why 
say the scribes ‘that Elias must first come ? 

12 And he answered and told them, Elias 
verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; 
and ΒΕ how it is written of the Son of man, 
that he must suffer many things, and ἢ be set 
at nought. 

13 But I say unto’ you, That ‘ Elias is in 
deed come, and they have done unto him 
whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. 


f Mal. iv. 5; Matt. xvii. 10.—— Psa. xxii. 6; Isa. liii. 2, &c.; 
Dan. ix. 26— Luke xxiii. 11; Phil. ii. 7——i Matt. xi. 14; 
xvii. 12; Luke i. 17. 


Verse 10. And they kept that saying] This verse 
is wanting in two MSS. and one of the Jtala. 

What the rising from the dead should mean.] Ὅταν 
ek vexpwov avacy, When he should arise from the dead, 
is the reading of D, six others, Syriac, all the Persic, 
Vulgate, all the Itala, and Jerome. Griesbach ap- 
proves of it. 

There is nothing that answers to this verse either 
in Matthew or Luke. 

Verse 12. And how it is written] Rather, as also 
it is written. Instead of καὶ πως, AND HOW it is written, 
1 read καθως, as ALSO it ἐξ written of the Son of man, 
&c. This reading is supported by AKM, seventeen 
others, the later Syriac in the margin, Slavonic and 
Armenian. Some think the propriety of adopting this 
reading is self-evident. 

317 


Jesus cures a man possessed 


A. M. 4032. k ; . 
Fane 14 9 * And when he came to his 


An. Olymp. disciples, he saw a great multitude 
_OCr* about them, and the scribes ques- 
tioning with them. 

15 And straightway all the people, when 
they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and 
running to him saluted him. 

16 And he asked the scribes, What question 
ye ! with them? 

17 And ™one of the multitude answered 
and said, Master, I have brought unto thee 
my son, which hath a dumb spirit ; 

18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he 
"teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth 
with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake 
to thy disciples that they should cast him out ; 
and they could not. 

19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless 
generation, how long shall I be with you? 
how long shall I suffer you ? bring him unto me. 

20 And they brought him unto him: and 
°when he saw him, straightway the spirit 
tare him: and he fell on the ground and wal- 
lowed, foaming. 

21 And he asked his father, How long is it 


k Matt. xvii. 14; Luke ix. 37—— Or, among yourselves? 
πὶ Matt. xvil. 14; Luke ix. 38. ἢ Or, dasheth him. 


Verse 15. Were greatly amazed] Probably, because 
he came so unexpectedly; but the cause of this 
amazement is not self-evident. 

Verse 17. A dumb spirit] That is, a demon who 
afflicted those in whom it dwelt with an incapacity of 
speaking. The spirit itself could not be either deaf 
or dumb. These are accidents that belong only to 
arganized animate bodies. 

See this case explained, Matt. xvii. 14, &c. 

Verse 18. Pineth away] By these continual tor- 
ments; so he was not only deaf and dumb, but sorely 
tortured besides. 

Verse 20. When he saw him—the spirit tare him ; 
and he fell on the ground, &c.] When this demon 
saw Jesus, he had great rage, knowing that his time 
was short; and hence the extraordinary convulsions 
mentioned above. 

Verse 22. If THou canst po any thing] I have 
already tried thy disciples, and find they can do nothing 
in this case; but if thow hast any power, in mercy 
use it in our behalf. 

Verse 23. If THou canst BELieve] This was an 
answer to the inquiry above. J can furnish a suffi- 
ciency of power, if thou canst but bring faith to receive 
it. Why are not our souls completely healed? Why 
is not every demon east out t? Why are not pride, self- 
will, love of the world, lust, anger, peevishness, with 
all the other bad tempers and dispositions which con- 
stitute the mind of Satan, entirely destroyed? Alas! 
it is because we do not Jelieve ; Jesus is able; more, 

318 


ST. MARK. 


with a deaf and dumb spirit, 


ago since this came unto him? And 4,™; 4032. 
he said, Of a child. An. Oiymp. 

22 And oft-times it hath cast him alia alee 
into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy 
him: but if thou canst do any thing, have 
compassion on us, and help us. 

23 Jesus said unto him, » If thou canst be- 
lieve, all things are possible to him that be- 
lieveth. 

24 And straightway the father of the child 
cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I be- 
lieve; help thou mine unbelief. 

25 When Jesus saw that the people came 
running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, 
saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, 
I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no 
more into him. 

26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, 
and came 6. οἱ him: and he was as one 
dead: insomuch that many said, He is dead. 

27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and 
lifted him up; and he arose. 

28 1 And when he was come into the house 
his disciples asked him privately, Why coulc 
not we cast him out? 


° Chap. i. 26; Luke ix. 42.——P Matt. xvii. 20; chap. xi. 23 
Luke xvii. 6; John xi. 40.—4 Matt. xvii. 19. 


Jesus is willing; but we are not willing to give ug 
our idols; we give not credence to his word; there- 
fore hath sin a being in us, and dominion over us. 

Verse 24. Lord, I believe] The word Lord is 
omitted by ABCDL, both the Syriac, both the Arabic 
later Persic, Aithiopic, Gothic, and three copies of the 
Itala. Griesbach leaves it out. The omission, 1 
think, is proper, because it is evident the man did not 
know our Lord, and therefore could not be expected to 
accost him with a title expressive of that authority 
which he doubted whether he possessed, unless we 
grant that he used the word κυρίε after the Roman 
custom, for Sir. 

Help thou mine unbelief.] That is, assist me against 
it. Give me a power to believe. 

Verse 25. I charge thee] Considerable emphasis 
should be laid on the pronoun :—Thou didst resist the 
command of my disciples, now I command thee to 
come out. If this had been only a natural disease, for 
instance the epilepsy, as some have argued, could our 
Lord have addressed it, with any propriety, as he has 
done here: Thou deaf and dumb spirit, come out of 
him, and enter no more into him? Is the doctrine of 
demoniacal influence false 2? If so, Jesus took the most 
direct method to perpetuate the belief of that falsity, 
by accommodating himself so completely tothe deceived 
vulgar. But this was impossible ; therefore the doc- 
trine of demoniacal influence is a true doctrine, other- 
wise Christ would never have given it the least coun- 
tenance or support. 


He foretells lus sufferings. 
A. M. 4032, 99 And he said unto them, This 

A.D.28 Ὁ : 
an. Olymp. kind can come forth by nothing, but 
—_—__ by prayer and fasting. 

30 And they departed thence, and passed 
through Galilee ; and he would not that any 
man should know it. 

31 'For he taught his disciples, and said 
unto them, The Son of man is delivered into 
the hands of men, and they shall, kill him ; 
and after that he is killed, he shall rise the 
third day. 

32 But they understood not that saying, 
and were afraid to ask him. 

33 9 °And he came to Capernaum: and 
being in the house, he asked them, What 
was it that ye disputed among yourselves 
by the way? 

34 But they held their peace: for by the 
way they had disputed among themselves, 
who should be the greatest. 


τ Matt. xvii. 22; Luke ix. 44.—— Matt. xviii. 1 ; Luke ix. 46; 
xxii. 24. t Matt. xx. 26, 27; chap. x. 43. ἃ Matt. xviii. 2; 


Verse 29. Prayer and fasting.) See on Matt. 
xvii. 21. 

This demon may be considered as an emblem of 
deeply rooted vices, and inveterate habits, over which 
the conquest is not generally obtained, but through 
extraordinary humiliations. 

This case is related by both Matthew and Luke, but 
it is greatly amplified in Mark’s account, and many 
new circumstances related. Another proof that Mark 
did not abridge Matthew. 

Verse 30. They—passed through Galilee] See on 
Matt. xvii. 22-27. 

Verse 32. But they understood not] This whole 
verse is wanting in two MSS., in the first edition of 
Erasmus, and in that of Aldus. Mull approves of the 
omission. It does not appear likely, from Matthew’s 
account, that three of the disciples, Peter, James, and 
John, could be ignorant of the reasons of Christ’s 
death and resurrection, after the transfiguration; on 
the contrary, from the circumstances there related, it 
is very probable that from that time they must have 
had at least a general understanding of this important 
subject; but the other nine might have been ignorant 
of this matter, who were not present at the transfigu- 
ration; probably it is of these that the evangelist 
speaks here. See the observations on the transfigu- 
ration, Matt. xvii. 9, &c., and xviii. 1. 

Verse 33. And being in the house] That is, Peter’s 
house, where he ordinarily lodged. This has been 
often observed before. 

Verse 34. Who should be the greatest.] See on 
Matt. xviii. 1-5. 

Verse 38. We saw one casting out devils in thy 
name| It can scarcely be supposed that 2 man who 
knew nothing of Christ, or who was only a com- 
mon exorcist, could be able to work a miracle in 

1 


CHAP. ΙΧ. 


Contention about precedence. 


35 And he sat down, and called 4,™, 4032. 

the twelve, and saith unto them, An. Olymp. 
: CCL 4. 

‘If any man desire to be first, the 

same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 

36 And "he took a child, and set him in 
the midst of them: and when he had taken 
him in his arms, he said unto them, 

37 Whosoever shall receive one of such 
children in my name, receiveth me; and 
vY whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not 
me, but him that sent me. 

38 4 ~ And John answered him, saying, 
Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy 
name, and he followeth not us: and we for 
bade him, because he followeth not us. 

39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: * for 
there is no man which shall do a miracle in 
my name that can lightly speak evil of me. 

40 For ¥ he that is not against us, is on 
our part. 


chap. x. 16. 


ν Matt. x. 40; Luke ix. 48——w Num. xi. 28; 
Luke ix. 49. 


¥1 Cor. xii. 3——Y See Matt. xii. 30. 


Christ’s name ; we may therefore safely imagine that 
this was either one of John the Baptist’s disciples, 
who, at his master’s command, had believed in Jesus, 
or one of the seventy, whom Christ had sent out, 
Luke x. 1-7, who, after he had fulfilled his commis- 
sion, had retired from accompanying the other disci- 
ples; but as he still held fast his faith in Christ, and 
walked in good conscience, the influence of his Master 
still continued with him, so that he could cast out de- 
mons as well as the other disciples. 

He followeth not us] This first clause is omitted 
by BCL, three others, Syriac, Armenian, Persic, 
Coptic, and one of the Itala. Some of the MSS. and 
versions leave out the first, some the second clause : 
only one of them is necessary. Griesbach leaves out 
the first. 

We forbade him] I do not see that we have any 
right to attribute any other motive to John than that 
which he himself owns—decause he followed not us— 
because he did not attach himself constantly to thee, 
as we do, we thought he could not be in a proper spirit. 

Verse 39. Forbid him not] If you meet him again, 
let him go on quietly in the work in which God owns 
him. If he were not of God, the demons would not 
be subject to him, and his work could not prosper. A 
spirit of bigotry has little countenance from these pas- 
sages. There are some who are so outrageously 
wedded to their own creed, and religious system, that 
they would rather let sinners perish than suffer those 
who differ from them to become the instruments of 
their salvation. Even the good that is done they 
either deny or suspect, because the person does not 
follow them. This also is vanity and an evil disease. 

Verse 40. He that-is not against us, is on our part.] 
Or rather, Whosoever is not against you, is for you. 
Instead of ἤμων, us, 1 would read ὕμων, you, on the 

319 


The awful nature of the ST. MARK. punishment of the damned. 
A.M. 4032. 41 *For whosoever shall give | having two feet to be cast into hell, Ἂν Μ΄. 4032 


An. Olymp. you a cup of water to drink in my 

CCL.4. 

name, because ye belong to Christ, 
verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his 
reward. 

42 2 And whosoever shall offend one of 
these little ones that believe in me, it is bet- 
ter for him that a millstone were hanged about 
his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 

43 » And if thy hand “ offend thee, cut it 
off: it is better for thee to enter into life 
maimed, than having two hands to go into 
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched : 

44 ἃ Where their worm dieth not, and the 
fire is not quenched. 

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: 
it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than 


z Matt. x. 42. 4 Matt. xviii. 6; Luke xvii. 1. Deut. xiii. 
6; Matt. v. 29; xviii. 8. c Or, cause thee to offend: and so 
verses 45, 47. ἀ 58. Ixvi. 24; Judith xvi. 17. 


authority of ADSHV, upwards of forty others, Syriac, 
Armenian, Persic, Coptic, A:thiopic, Gothic, Slavonic, 
Vulgate, Itala, Victor, and Opt. This reading is 
more consistent with the context—He followed not us— 
well, he 1s not against you; and he who is not against 
you, in such a work, may be fairly presumed to be on 
your side. 

There is a parallel case to this mentioned in Num. 
xi. 26-29, which, for the elucidation of this passage, 
J will transcribe. “'The Spirit rested upon Eldad and 
Medad, and they prophesied in the camp. And there 
ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and 
Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua, the 
servant of Moses, said, My lord Moses, forbid them ! 
And Moses said unto him, Enviest rHou for my sake % 
Would God, that all the Lord’s people were prophets, 
and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them.” 
The reader will easily observe that Joshua and John 
were of the same bigoted spirit; and that Jesus and 
Moses acted from the spirit of candour and benevo- 
lence. See the notes on Num. xi. 25-29. 

Verse 41. A cup of water to drink] See the notes 
on Matt. x. 42; xviii. 6-8. 

Verse 43. The fire that never shall be quenched] 
That is, the inextinguishable fire. This clause is 
wanting in L, three others, the Syriac, and later Persic. 
Some eminent critics suppose it to be a spurious 
reading ; but the authorities which are for it, are by 
no means counterbalanced by those which are against 
it. The same clause in ver. 45, is omitted in BCL, 
seven others, Syriac, later Persic, Coptic, and one 
Ttala. Eternal fire is the expression of Matthew. 

Verse 44. Where their worm dieth not] 'The bitter 
reflection, “1 might have avoided sin, but I did not ; 
I might have bec saved, but I would not,” must τὸ 
equal to ten thousand tormentors. What intolerable 
anguish must this produce in a damned soul! 

Their worm. It seems every one has fis worm, 
his peculiar remorse for the evils he did, and for the 

320 


into the fire that never shall be An. Olymp. 
quenched : Jean 

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the 
fire is not quenched. 

47 And if thine eye © offend thee, pluck it 
out: it is better for thee to enter into the 
kingdom of God with one eye, than having 
two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire 
is not quenched. 

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, 
fand every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 

50 &Salt zs good: but if the salt have lost 
his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? 
» Have salt in yourselves, and ‘have peace 
one with another. 

© Or, cause thee to offend— Ley. ii. 13; Ezek. xliii. 24. 


& Matt. v. 13; Luke xiv. 34———» Eph. iv. 29; Col. iv. 6. 
iRom. xii. 18; xiv. 19; 2 Cor. xiii. 11; Heb. xii. 14. 


grace he rejected ; while the fire, the state of excru- 
ciating torment, is common to all. Reader! may the 
living God save thee from this worm, and from this 
fire! Amen. 

The fire is not quenched] The state of punishment 
is continual ; there is no respite, alleviation, nor end! 

Verse 43-48. Thy hand—foot—eye—cause thee 
to offend] See the notes on Matt. v. 29, 30. 

Verse 49. For every one shall be salted with fire] 
Every one of those who shall live and die in sin: but 
there is great difficulty in this verse. The Codex 
Bezz, and some other MSS., have omitted the first 
clause ; and several MSS. keep the first, and omit the 
last clause—and every sacrifice shall be salted with 
salt. ‘There appears to be an allusion to Isa. Ixvi. 24. 
It is generally supposed that our Lord means, that as 
salt preserves the flesh with which it is connected 
from corruption, so this everlasting fire, to up τὸ 
acfectv, this inconsumable fire, will have the property, 
not only of assimilating all things cast into it to its own 
nature, but of making them inconsumable like itself. 

Scaliger supposes, that instead of wag πυρὶ, πασα 
πυρια, every sacrifice (of flour) should be read, “ Every 
sacrifice (of flour) shall be salted, and every burnt- 
offering shall be salted.” This, I fear, is taking the 
text by storm. Some take the whole in a good sense, 
as referring to the influence of the Spirit of God in 
the hearts of believers, which shall answer the same 
end to the soul, in preserving it from the contagion 
that is in the world, as salt did in the sacrifices offered 
to God to preserve them from putrefaction. Old Trapp’s 
note on the place pleases me as much as any I have 
seen :—The Spirit, as salt, must dry up those bad 
humours in us which breed the never-dying worm ; 
and, as fire, must waste our corruptions, which else 
will carry us on to the unquenchable fire.” Perhaps 
the whole is an allusion to the purification of vessels, 
and especially such metallic vessels as were employed 
in the service of the sanctuary. Probably the following 

1 


Our Lord questionea 


may be considered as a parallel text :—Every thing 
that may abide the fire, ye shall make go through the 
fire, and it shall be clean; and all that abideth not the 
fire, ye shall make go through the water, Num. ΧΧΧΙ. 
23. Ye, disciples, are the Lord’s sacrifice; ye shall 
go through much ¢ribulation, in order to enter into my 
kingdom: but ye are salted, ye are influenced by the 
Spirit of God, and are immortal till your work is done; 
and should ye be offered up, martyred, this shall be a 
means of establishing more fully the glad tidings of 
the kingdom: and this Spirit shall preserve all who 
believe on me from the corruption of sin, and from 
eternal perdition. That converts to God are repre- 
sented as his offering, see Isa. Ixvi. 20, the very place 
which our Lord appears to have here in view. 

If this passage be taken according to the common 
meaning, it is awful indeed! Here may be seen the 
greatness, multiplicity, and eternity, of the pains of 
the damned. They suffer without being able to die; 


CHAP. X. 


concerning dwworce. 


they are burned without being consumed; they are 
sacrificed without being sanctified—are salted with the 
fire of hell, as eternal victims of the Divine Justice. 
We must of necessity be sacrificed to God, after one 
way or other, in eternity ; and we have now the choice 
either of the unquenchable fire of his justice, or of 
the everlasting flame of his love. Quesnel. 

Verse 50. If the salt have lost his saltness| See 
on Matt. v. 13. 

Have salt in yourselves] See that ye have at all 
times the preserving principle of Divine grace in your 
hearts, and give that proof of it which will satisfy 
your own minds, and convince or silence the world : 
live in brotherly kindness and peace with each other : 
thus shall all men see that you are free from ambition, 
(see ver. 34,) and that you are my disciples indeed. 
That it is possible for the salt to lose its savour, and 
yet retain its appearance in the most perfect manner 
see proved in the note on Matt. v. 13 


CHAPTER X. 


The Pharisees question our Lord concerning divorce, 1-12. 
The person who inquired how he might inherit eternal life, 17-22. 


to be saved, 23-27. 
foretells his death, 32-34. 


ee AND a he arose from thence, 

a ee and cometh into the coasts of 
__ Judea by the farther side of Jor- 

dan: and the people resort unto him again ; 
and, as he was wont, he taught them again. 

2 9» And the Pharisees came to him, and 
asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away 
his wife? tempting him. 

3 And he answered and said unto them, 
What did Moses command you ? 

4 And they said, ° Moses suffered to write 
a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 

5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, 
For the hardness of your heart he wrote you 
this precept. 


a Matt. xix. 1; John x. 40; xi. 7——» Matt. xix. 3——¢ Deut. 
xxiv. 1; Matt. v. 31; xix. 7——4 Gen. i. 27; νυ. 2. 


NOTES ON CHAP. X. 

Verse 1. He arose] Κακειθεν avacac may be trans- 
lated, he departed thence. The verb avicnuc has this 
sense in some of the purest Greek writers. See 
Kypke. Many transactions took place between those 
mentioned in the preceding chapter, and these that 
follow, which are omitted by Matthew and Mark ; but 
they are related both by Luke and John. See Light- 
foot, and Bishop Newcome. 

Verse 2. Is it lawful for a man to put away his 
wife?) See this question about divorce largely ex- 
plained on Matt. xix. 3-12. 

Vor. I. (Sry 


What they shall receive who have left all for Christ and his Gospel, 28-31. 


Litile children are brought to him, 13-16. 
How difficult it is for a rich man 
He 


James and John desire places of pre-eminence in Christ's kingdom, 35-41. 
Christ shows them the necessity of humility, 42-45. 


Blind Bartimeus healed, 46-52. 


6 But from the beginning of the 4A,M. 403s. 

creation ἃ God made them male and An, Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 
female. τ 

7 ° For this cause shall ἃ man leave his 
father and mother, and cleave to his wife ; 

8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so 
then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 

9 What therefore God hath joined together; 
let not man put asunder. 

10 And in the house his disciples asked 
him again of the same matter. 

11 And he saith unto them, f Whosoever 
shall put away his wife, and marry another, 
committeth adultery against her. 

12 And if a woman shall put away her hus- 


© Gen. ii. 24; 1 Cor. vi. 16; Eph. v. 31— Matt. v.32; xix. 9; 
Luke xvi. 18; Rom. vii. 3; 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. 


Verse 12. And if a woman shall put away her 
husband] From this it appears that in some cases, the 
wife assumed the very same right of divorcing her 
husband that’ the husband had of divorcing his wife : 
and yet this is not recorded any where in the Jewish 
laws, as far as I can find, that the women had such a 
right. Indeed, were the law which gives the per- 
mission all on one side, it would be unjust and oppres- 
sive ; but where it is equally balanced, the right being 
the same on each side, it must serve as a mutual check, 
and prevent those evils it is intended to cure. Among 
the Jews there are several instances of the women 

321 


[{{16 children brought to Christ. 


A.M. 4033. band, and be married to another, 


An. Olymp. she committeth adultery. 

13 9 5 And they brought young 
children to him, that he should touch them: 
and his disciples rebuked those that brought 
them. 

14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much 
displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the 
little children to come unto me, and forbid 
them not: for of such is the kingdom of 
God. 

15 Verily 1 say unto you, ' Whosoever 
shall not receive the kingdom of God asa 
little child, he shall not enter therein. 

16 And he took them up in his arms, put 
his hands upon them, and blessed them. 

17 9 * And when he was gone forth into 
the way, there came one running, and kneeled 
to him, and asked him, Good Master, what 
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life ? 

18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest 
thou me good? there is none good but one, 
that is, God. 

19 Thou knowest the commandments, ! Do 


_& Matt. xix. 13; Luke xviii. 15— 1 Cor. xiv. 20; 1 Pet. 
ii. 2.— i Matt. xviii. 3——* Matt. xix. 16; Luke xviii. 18. 


1 Exod. xx.; Rom. xiii. 9. 


ST. MARK. 


The inquiry of the rich young man 


not commit adultery, Do not kill, 4,M, 4033. 


Do not steal, Do not bear false An. Olymp. 
witness, Defraud not, Honour thy oa 
father and mother. 

20 And he answered and said unto him, 
Master, all these have I observed from my 
youth. 

21 Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him, 
and said unto him, One thing thou lackest : 
go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and 
give to the poor, and thou shalt have ™ trea 
sure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, 
and follow me. 

22 And he was sad at that saying, and went 
away grieved: for he had great possessions. 

23 9 = And Jesus looked round about, and 
saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they 
that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 

24 And the disciples were astonished at his 
words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith 
unto them, Children, how hard is it for them 
° that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom 
of God! 

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the 


Luke xii. 33; xvi. 9.——® Matt. 
ὁ Job xxxi. 24; Psa. lii.7; Ixii. 10; 


m Matt. vi. 19, 20; xix. 21; 
xix. 23; Luke xviii. 24. 
1 Tim. vi. 17. 


having taken other men, even during the life of their 
own husbands. Nor do we find any law by which 
they were punished. Divorce never should be per- 
mitted but on this ground—* The parties are miserable 
together, and they are both perfectly willing to be 
separated.” Then, if every thing else be proper, let 
them go different ways, that they may not ruin both 
themselves and their hapless offspring. 

Verse 13. And they brought young children] See 
on Matt. xix. 13-15. 

Verse 16. And he took them up in his arms] One 
of the Jtala reads in sinu suo—in his bosom.” 
Jesus Christ Joves little children; and they are objects 
of his most peculiar care. Who can account for their 
continual preservation and support, while exposed to 
so many dangers, but on the ground of a peculiar and 
extraordinary providence ἴ 

And blessed them.| Then, though little children, 
they were capable of receiving Christ’s blessing. If 
Christ embraced them, why should not his Church 
embrace them? Why not dedicate them to God by 
baptism 2—whether that be performed by sprinklin 
washing, or unmersion; for we need not dispute about 
the mode: on this point let every one be fully per- 
suaded in his own mind. I confess it appears to me 
grossly heathenish and barbarous, to see parents who 
profess to believe in that Christ who loves children, 
and among them those whose creed does not prevent 
them from using infant baptism, depriving their chil- 
dren of an ordinance by which no soul can prove that 

322 


2, | See Matt. xix. 21. 


they cannot be profited, and, through an unaccountable 
bigotry or carelessness, withholding from them tne 
privilege of even a nominal dedication to God; and 
yet these very persons are ready enough to fly for a 
minister to baptize their child when they suppose it to 
be at the point of death! It would be no crime to 
pray that such persons should never have the privilege 
of hearing, My father! or, My mother! from the lips 
of their own child. See on Matt. iii. 6, and on Mark 
xvi. 16. 

Verse 17. There came one running] See the case 
of this rich young man largely explained on Matt. xix. 
16, &e. 

Verse 21. Then Jesus, beholding him] Looking 
earnestly, ἐμβλεψας, or affectionately upon him, loved 
him, because of his youth, his earnestness, and his 
sincerity. 

One thing thou lackest] What was that? A heart 
disengaged from the world, and a complete renuncia- 
tion of it and its concerns, that he might become a 
proper and successful labourer in the Lord’s vineyard. 
To say that it was something else 
he lacked, when Christ explains here his own meaning, 
is to be wise above what is written. 

Verse 22. And he was sad at that saying] This 
young man had perhaps been a saint, and an eminent 
apostle, had he been poor! From this, and a multitude 
of other cases, we may learn that it is oftentimes a 
misfortune to be rich: but who is aware of this*— 
and who believes it ? 

¢ ay ) 


Difficulty of a rich man’s salvation. 


A.M. 4033. ey, F 
pe eye of a needle, than for a rich 


An, Olymp. man to enter into the kingdom 
a= of Gad: 

26 And they were astonished out of mea- 
sure, saying among themselves, Who then 
can be saved? 

27 And Jesus, looking upon them, saith, 
With men ἐξ is impossible, but not with God : 
for ? with God all things are possible. 

28 92 Then Peter began to say unto him, 
Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 

29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I 
say unto you, There is no man that hath left 
house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my 
sake, and the Gospel’s ; 

30 * But he shall receive a hundredfold 
now in this time, houses, and brethren, and 
sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, 
with persecutions ; and in the world to come 
eternal life. 

31 5 But many that are first shall be last; 
and the last first. 

32 9 ‘And they were in the way going up 
to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them : 


P Jer. xxxii.17; Matt. xix. 26; Luke i. 37.—9 Matt. xix.27; Luke 
xviii. 28.—' 2 Chron. xxv. 9; Luke xviii. 30.— Matt. xix. 30; 


Verse 29. And the Gospel’s] Read, for the sake 
of the Gospel. I have with Griesbach adopted ἕνεκεν, 
for the sake, on the authority of BCDEGHKMS, V, 
sixty others, and almost all the versions. 

Verse 30. Jn this time] Ev τῳ καίρῳ τουτῳ, In this 
very time. Though Jews and Gentiles have conspired 
together to destroy both me and you, my providence 
shall so work that nothing shall be lacking while any 
thing is necessary. 

And fathers. This is added by K, upwards of siaty 
others, Athiopic, Gothic, Slavonic, Saxon, Armenian, 
Coptic, and in one of my own MSS. of the Vulgate. 

Some have been greatly embarrassed to find out the 
literal truth of these promises ; and, some in flat oppo- 
sition to the text, have said they are all to be under- 
stood spiritually. But thus far is plain, that those 
who have left all for the sake of Christ do find, among 
genuine Christians, spiritual relatives, which are as 
dear to them as fathers, mothers, &c. ; yet they have 
the promise of receiving a hundredfold often literally 
fulfilled: for, wherever a Christian travels among 
Christians, the sheller of their houses, and the product 
of their /ands, are at his service as far as they are 
requisite. Besides, these words were spoken prima- 
rily to the disciples, and pointed out their itinerant 
manner of life ; and how, travelling about from house 
to house, preaching the Gospel of the grace of God, 
they should, among the followers of Christ, be provided 


CHAP. X. 


The request of James and John 


and they were amazed ; and as they 4, 4039. 
followed, they were afraid. ἡ And An. Olymp. 
he took again the twelve, and be- eae 
gan to tell them what things should happen 
unto him, 

33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem: 
and the Son of man shall be delivered unto 
the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and 
they shall condemn him to death, and shall 
deliver him to the Gentiles : 

34 And they shall mock him, and shall 
scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and 
shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise 
again. 

35 9° And James and John, the sons of 
Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we 
would that thou shouldest do for us whatso- 
ever we shall desire. 

36 And he said unto them, What would ye 
that I should do for you? 

37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that 
we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the 
other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 

38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know 
not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup 


«Ch. 


xx. 16; Luke xiii. 30.—* Matt. xx. 17; Luke xviii. 31. 
vill. 31; ix. 31; Luke ix. 22; xvii. 31. ¥ Matt. xx. 20. 


the genuine messengers of God, in the present day, 
have, as noted above, this promise literally fulfilled. 

With persecutions] For while you meet with nothing 
but kindness from true Christians, you shall be de- 
spised, and often afflicted, by those who are enemies 
to God and goodness ; but, for your comfort, ye shall 
have in the world to come, atwvt τῷ epyouevw, the 
coming world, (that world which is on its way to meet 
you,) eternal life. 

Verse 32. And he took again the twelve] Or thus: 
For having again taken the twelve, &e. I translate 
καὶ for, which signification it often bears; see Luke 
i. 22; John xii. 35, and elsewhere. This gives the 
reason of the wonder and fear of the disciples, ror he 
began to tell them on the way, what was to befall him. 
This sense of xa, I find, is also noticed by Rosen- 
miller. See on Matt. xx. 17-19. 

Verse 35. And James and John—come unto him] 
The request here mentioned, Matthew says, chap. xx. 
20, was made by Salome their mother ; the two places 
may be easily reconciled thus :—The mother introduced 
them, and made the request as if from herself; Jesus, 
knowing whence it had come, immediately addressed 
himself to Jarnes and John, who were standing by, 
and the mother is no farther concerned in the business. 
See the note on Matt. xx. 20. 

Verse 37. In thy glory.| In the kingdom of thy 
glory—three MSS. Which kingdom they expected 


with every thing necessary in all places, as if the | to be established on earth. 


I have often remarked that 
1 


whole were their own. 


Verse 38. And be baptized] Or, be baptized. In- 


323 


ST. 


A.M. 4033. that I drink of? and be baptized with 
An. Olymp. the baptism that I am baptized with? 

39 And they say unto him, We can. 
And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink 
of the cup that I drink of ; and with the baptism 
that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized : 

40 But to sit on my right hand and on 
my left hand, is not mine to give; but zt shall 
be given to them for whom it is prepared. 

41 ~ And when the ten heard it, they began 
to be much displeased with James and John. 

42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith 
unto them, * Ye know that they which ¥ are 
accounted to rule over the Gentiles, exercise 
lordship over them; and their great ones ex- 
ercise authority upon them. 

43 + But so shall it not be among you: 
but whosoever will be great among you, 
shall be your minister: 

44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, 
shall be servant of all. 


Who is chief among the disciples. 


MARK. 


Blind Bartumeus healed, 


45 For even *the Son of man 4,™ 4033, 
came not to be ministered unto, but An. oe 
to minister, and "to give his life a ran- τ: 
som for many. 

46 9° And they came to Jericho: and as 
he went out of Jericho with his disciples anda 
great number of people, blind Bartimeus, the 
son of Timeus, sat by the highway side beg- 
ging. 

47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of 
Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, 
thou son of David, have mercy on me! 

48 And many charged him that he should 
hold his peace: but he cried the more a great 
deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me! 

49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded 
him to be called. And they call the blind 
man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, 
rise; he calleth thee. 

50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, 
and came to Jesus. 


W Matt. xx. 24. x Luke xxii. 25.—¥ Or, think good. 
xx. 26, 28; chap. ix. 35; Luke ix. 48. 


2 Matt. 


a John xiii. 14; Phil. ii. 7——> Matt. xx. 28; 1 Tim. ii.6; Tit. 


stead of καὶ and, 7 or, is the reading of BCDL, five 
others, Coptic, Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, 
Vulgate, all the Itala, and Origen. See the note on 
Matt. xx. 22. 

Verse 40. Is not mine to give] See on Matt. xx. 23. 

Verse 41. When the ten heard it] See Matt. xx. 
24-28. 

Verse 46. Blind Bartimeus] 13 bar in Syriac sig- 
nifies son. It appears that he was thus named be- 
cause Timeus, Talmeus or Taimai, was the name of 
his father, and thus the son would be called Bar-tal- 
meus, or Bartholomew. Some suppose υἷος Τιμαίου, 
the son of Timeus, to be an interpolation. Bartimeus 
the son of Timeus, ὁ τυφλος, THE blind man. It was 
because he was the most remarkable that this evan- 
gelist mentions him by name, as a person probably 
well known in those parts. 

Verse 50. And he, casting away his garment] He 
cast off his outward covering, a blanket, or loose piece 
of cloth, the usual upper garment of an Asiatic mendi- 
cant, which kept him from the inclemency of the wea- 
ther, that he might have nothing to hinder him from 
getting speedily to Christ. If every penitent were as 
ready to throw aside his self-righteousness and sinful 
incumbrances, as this blind man was to throw aside his 
garment, we should have fewer delays in conversions 
than we now have; and all that have been convinced 
of sin would have been brought to the knowledge of 
the truth. The reader will at least pardon the intro- 
duction of the following anecdote, which may appear to 
some as illustrative of the doctrine grounded on this text. 

A great revival of religion took place in some of the 
American States, about the year 1773, by the instru- 
mentality of some itinerant preachers sent from Eng- 
land. Many, both whites and blacks, were brought to 
an acquaintance with God who bought them. Two of 

324 


ii. 14. ς Matt. xx. 29; Luke xviii. 35. 
these, a white man and a negro, meeting together, 
began to speak concerning the goodness of God to 


their souls, (a custom which has ever been common 
among truly religious people.) Among other things 
they were led to inquire how long each had known the 
salvation of God; and how long it was, after they 
were convinced of their sin and danger, before each 
got a satisfactory evidence of pardoning mercy. The 
white man said, “1 was three months in deep distress 
of soul, before God spoke peace to my troubled, guilty 
conscience.” ‘ But it was only a fortnight,” replied 
the negro, “ from the time I first heard of Jesus, and 
felt that I was a sinner, till 1 received the knowledge 
of salvation by the remission of sins.” “ But what 
was the reason,” said the white man, “ that you found 
salvation sooner than I did?’ ‘“‘ This is the reason,” 
replied the other; “ you white men have much cloth- 
ing upon you, and when Christ calls, you cannot run 
to him; but we poor negroes have only this, (pointing 
to the mat or cloth which was tied round his waist,) 
and when we hear the call, we throw it off imstanily, 
and run to him.” 

Thus the poor son of Ham illustrated the text with- 
out intending it, as well as any doctor in the universe. 
People who have been educated in the principles of 
the Christian religion imagine themselves on this ac 
count Christians; and, when convinced of sin, they 
find great difficulty to come as mere sinners to God, 
to be saved only through the merits of Christ. Others, 
such as the negro in question, have nothing to plead 
but this, We have never heard of thee, and could not 
believe in thee of whom we had not heard; but this 
excuse will not avail now, as the true light is come— 
therefore they cast off this covering, and come to 
Jesus. See this miraculous cure explained at large 
on Matt. xx. 29-34. 

1 


Christ’s triumphant 


oe 51 And Jesus answered and said 
An, ive. unto him, ἃ What wilt thou that [ 


should do unto thee? The blind 
man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive 
my sight. 


4 Matt. xx. 32, 34; Luke vii. 22. 


Verse 51. Lord, that I might, &c.] The Codex 
Beze, and some copies of the Itala, have, Kupie 
ῥαββει, O Lord, my teacher. 

Verse 52. Followed Jesus in the way.| Instead of 
τῷ ἴησου, Jesus, several eminent critics read αὐτῳ, him. 
This is the reading of ABCDL, fourteen others, Cop- 
tic, ASthiopic, Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, 
two Persic, Vulgate, all the Itala, and Origen once. 
Jesus is the common reading; but this sacred name 
having occurred so immediately before, there could be 
no necessity for repeating it here, nor would the repe- 
tition have been elegant. 


CHAP. ΧΙ. 


entry mto Jerusaiem 


52 And Jesus said unto him, Go ΔΑΝ 4033. 
thy way; ° thy faith hath ‘made An. Olymp. 
thee whole. And immediately he - ons 
received his sight, and followed Jesus in the 
way. 


© Matt. ix. 22; chap. v. 34.—— Or, saved thee. 


This very remarkable cure gives us another proof, 
not only of the sovereign power, but of the benevo- 
lence, of Christ: nor do we ever see that sovereign 
power used, but in the way of benevolence. How 
slow is God to punish !—how prone to spare! To 
his infinite benevolence, can it be any gratification to 
destroy any of the children of ment No! We must 
take great heed not to attribute to his sovereignty, 
acts which are inconsistent with his denevolence and 
mercy. I am afraid this is a prevailing error; and 
that it is not confined to any religious party exclu- 
sively. 


CHAPTER ΧΙ. 


Christ rides triumphantly into Jerusalem, 1-11. 
ple, 15-17. 
23. 


authority he did his works, 27, 28. 
ΑΜ 4033. A ND * when they came nigh to 
Ap, Olymp. Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and 


Bethany, at the mount of Olives, 
he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 

2 And saith unto them, Go your way into 
the village over against you: and as soon as 
ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt 
tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and 
bring hin. 

3 And if any man say unto you, ἢ Why 
do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need 
of him; and straightway he will send him 
hither. 


* Matt. xxi. 1; Luke xix. 29; John xii. 14——» Matt. xxi. 3, 6. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XI. 

Verse 1. He sendeth—two of his disciples] This 
was done but a few days before the passover. See 
our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem illustrated, on Matt. 
xxi. 1-17. 

Verse 2. Whereon never man sat) No animal was 
allowed to be employed in sacred uses, even among 
tne heathen, that had previously been used for any 
domestic or agricultural purpose ; and those which 
had never been yoked were considered as sacred. 
See several proofs of this in the note on Num. xix. 
2, and add this from Ovid :-— 


Bos tibi, Phebus ait, solis occurret in arvis, 
Nullum passa jagam curvique immunis aratri. 
Met. lib. iii. v. 10. 
1 


The barren fig tree cursed, 12-14. 
The scribes and chief priests are enraged, 18. 
Directions concerning prayer and forgiveness, 24—26. 


He cleanses the tem- 
Reflections on the withered fig tree, 19— 
The chief priests, §c., question him by what 


He answers, and confounds them, 29-33. 


4 And © they went their way, and ἀν M4083. 
found the colt tied by the door with- 
out, in a place where two ways 
met; and they loose him. 

5 And certain of them that stood there said 
unto them, ἃ What do ye, loosing the colt? 

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus 
had commanded : and they let them go. 

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and 
cast their garments on him; and he sat upon 
him. 

8 © And many spread their garments in the 
way: and others cut down branches off the 


An. Olymp. 
CCIL.1. 


¢ Luke xix. 32.——4 Luke xix. 33. © Matt. xxi. 8. 


The Delphic oracles this answer give :— 
Behold among the fields a lonely cow, 
Unworn with yokes, unbroken to the plough. 


Verse 3. And straightway he will send him hither] 
From the text, I think it is exceedingly plain, that 
our Lord did not deg, but borrow, the colt; therefore 
the latter clause of this verse should be understood as 
the promise of returning him. Is not the proper 
translation the following? And if any one say to you, 
Why do ye this? Say, the Lord hath need of him, and 
will speedily send him back hither—xat evfeac αὐτὸν 
αποςελλει ὧδε. Some eminent critics take the same 
view of the passage. 

Verse 6. And they let them go.] Having a full assur- 
ance that the beast should be safely and speedily restored. 

325 


Christ rides mto Jerusalem. 


A.M 4033. trees, and strewed them in the 
An. Olymp. Way. 

CCl! 9 And they that went before, and 
they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna! 
Blessed zs he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord : 

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father 
David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: 
s Hosanna in the highest ! 

11 " And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and 
into the temple: and when he had looked 


round about upon all things, and now the 


ST. MARK. 


The fruitless fig tree cursed, 


eventide was come, he went out ae 605: 
unto Bethany with the twelve. 

12 9+ And on the morrow, when 
they were come from Bethany, he was hungry 

13 * And seeing a fig tree afar off having 
leaves, he came, if haply he might find any 
thing thereon: and when he came to it, he 
found nothing but leaves ; for the time οἵ figs 
was not yet. 

14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, 
No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. 
And his disciples heard 7t. 


An. Olymp. 
CCIL. 1. 


f Psa. cxvill. 26——£ Psa. exlviii. 1. 


h Matt. xxi, 12.——i Matt. xxi. 18.—— Matt. xxi. 19. 


Verse 10. In the name of the Lord] Omitted by 
BCDLU some others, and several verszons. Grves- 
bach leaves 1t out. 

Hosanna in the highest ἢ See on Matt. xxi. 9. 

Verse 11. When he had looked round about upon all 
things] He examined every thing—to see if the mat- 
ters pertaining to the Divine worship were properly 
conducted ; to see that nothing was wanting—nothing 
superfluous. 

And now the eventide was come] The time in which 
he usually left Jerusalem, to go to Bethany. 

Verse 13. For the time of figs was not yet.| Rather, 
For it was not the season of gathering figs yet. This 
I am fully persuaded is the true sense of this passage, 
ov yap 7v Kaipoc συκων. For a proof that xarpoc here 
signifies the time of gathering the figs, see the LXX. 
in Psa. i. 3. He bringeth forth his fruit, ev καιρῳ 
αὐτου, in his season; i. e. in the time in which fruit 
should be ripe, and fit for gathering. See also Mark 
xii. 2:—And at the season, tw kaipw, the time of 
gathering the fruits of the vineyard. Matt. xxi. 34: 
—When the time of the fruit drew near ; ὁ καιρος των 
καρπων, the time in which the fruits were to be 
gathered, for it was then that the Lord of the vine- 
yard sent his servants to receive the fruits; i. e. so 
much of them as the holder of the vineyard was to 
pay to the owner by way of rent; for in those times 
rent was paid in kind. 

To the above may be added, Job v. 26 :—Thow 
shalt come to thy grave in FuLL ace, like as a shock 
of corn cometh in his season, kata katpov, in the time 
in which it should be reaped. 

When our Lord saw this fig tree by the way-szde, 
apparently flourishing, he went to it to gather some 
of the figs: being on the way-side, it was not private, 
but public property; and any traveller had an equal 
right to its fruit. As it was not as yet the time for 
gathering in the fruits, and yet about the time when 
they were ready to be gathered, our Lord with pro- 
priety expected to find some. But as this happened 
about five days before that passover on which Christ 
suffered, and the passover that year fell on the be- 
ginning of April, it has been asked, “‘ How could our 
Lord expect to find ripe figs in the end of March 2” 
Answer, Because figs were ripe in Judea as early as 
the passover. Besides, the fig tree puts forth its fruit 
first, and afterwards its leaves Indeed, this‘tree, in 

326 


the climate which is proper for it, has fruit on it all 
the year round, as I have often seen. All the diffi- 


jculty in the text may be easily removed by con- 


sidering that the climate of Judea is widely different 
from that of Great Britain. The summer begins 
there in March, and the harvest at the passover, as 
all travellers into those countries testify ; therefore, as 
our Lord met with this tree five days before the pass- 
over, it is evident,—Ist. That it was the time of ripe 
figs: and, 2ndly. That it was not the time of gather- 
ing them, because this did not begin till the passover. 
and the transaction here mentioned took place five 
days before. 

For farther satisfaction on this point, let us sup- 
pose :—I. That this tree was intended to point out 
the state of the Jewish people. 1. They made a pro- 
fession of the true religion. 2. They considered 
themselves the peculiar people of God, and despised 
and reprobated all others. 3. They were only hypo- 
crites, having nothing of religion but the profession 
—leaves, and no fruit. 

If. That our Lord’s conduct towards this tree is to 
be considered as emblematical of the treatment and 
final perdition which was to come upon this hypocriti- 
cal and ungodly nation. 1. It was a proper time for 
them to have borne fruit: Jesus had been preaching 
the doctrine of repentance and salvation among them 
for more than three years ; the choicest influences of 
Heaven had descended upon them; and every thing 
was done in this vineyard that ought to be done, in 
order to make it fruitful. 2. The time was now at 
hand in which God would require fruit, good fruit ; 
and, if it did not produce such, the tree should be 
hewn down by the Roman axe. Therefore, 1. The 
tree is properly the Jewish nation. 2. Christ’s curse 
the sentence of destruction which had now gone out 
against it; and, 3. Its withering away, the final and 
total ruin of the Jewish state by the Romans. His 
cursing the fig tree was not occasioned by any resent- 
ment at being disappointed at not finding fruit on it, 
but to point out unto his disciples the wrath which was 
coming upon a people who had now nearly filled up 
the measure of their iniquity. 

A fruitless soul, that has had much cultivation be- 
stowed on it, may expect to be dealt with as God 
did with this unrighteous nation. See on Matt 
xxi, 19, &e. 

1 


Importance of faith in God. 


A. M. 4033. 5 1 ’ 
A. D. 29. 15 Ἵ ' And they come to Jerusa 


An. Olymp. lem: and Jesus went into the tem- 
3 aed ple, and began to cast out them that 
sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew 
the tables of the money-changers, and the 
seats of them that sold doves ; 

16 And would not suffer that any man 
should carry any vessel through the temple. 

17 And he taught, saying. unto them, Is it 
not written, ™ My house shall be called ἃ of 
all nations, the house of prayer? but ° ye have 
made it a den of thieves. 

18 And ? the scribes and chief priests heard 
it, and sought how they might destroy him: 
for they feared him, because 4 all the people 
was astonished at his doctrine. 

19 And when even was come, he went out 
of the city. 

20 τ And in the morning, as they passed 
by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the 
roots. 

21 And Peter calling to remembrance, saith 
unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which 
thou cursedst is withered away. 

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, 

Have faith in God. 

23 Fer ‘verily I say unto you, That who- 
soever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou 
removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and 
shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe 
that those things which he saith shall come to 
pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 

24 Therefore I say unto you, ἃ What 


1 Matt. xxi. 12; Luke xix. 45; John ii. 14——™ Isa. lvi. 7. 
* Or, a house of prayer for all nations ?——®° Jer. vii. 11.——? Matt. 
xxi. 45, 46; Luke xix. 47——4 Matt. vii. 28; chap. i. 22; Luke 
iv. 32. Matt. xxi. 19.+—* Or, Have the faith of God. 


Verse 15. And they come] Several MSS. and ver- 
sions have παλιν, again. This was the next day after 
our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem ; for on 
the evening of that day he went to Bethany and 
lodged there, ver. 11, and Matt. xxi. 17, and returned 
the next morning to Jerusalem. 

Verse 16. Should carry any vessel] Among the 
Jews the word *5D kelt, vessel, had a vast latitude of 
meaning ; it signified arms, Jer. xxi. 4; Ezek. ix. 1; 
clothes, Deut. xxii. 5, and instruments of music, Psa. 
xxi. 22. It is likely that the evangelist uses the 
Greek word cxevoc in the same sense, and by it points 
out any of the things which were bought and sold in 
the temple. 

Verse 17. And he taught—them] See on Matt. 
xxi. 12. 

Verse 19. He went out of the city.] To go to 
Bethany 

Verse 22. Have faith in God.] Ἔχετε πιςιν Beovisa 

1 


CHAP. XI. 


The authority of Christ questioned. 


things soever ye desire, when ye 4,% 400 
pray, believe that ye receive them, re 
and ye shall have them. = 

25 And when ye stand praying, ἡ forgive if 
ye have aught against any: that your Father 
also which is in heaven may forgive you your 
trespasses. 

26 But “if ye do not forgive, neither will 
your Father which is in heaven forgive your 
trespasses. 

27 7 And they come again to Jerusalem: 
*and as he was walking in the temple, there 
come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, 
and the elders, 

28 And say unto him, By what authority 
doest thou these things? and who gave thee 
this authority to do these things ? 

29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, 
I will also ask of you one Y question, and 
answer me, and I will tell you by what au- 
thority I do these things. 

30 The baptism of John, was zt from hea- 
ven, or of men? answer me. 

31 And they reasoned with themseives, say- 
ing, If we shall say, From heaven; he will 
say, Why then did ye not believe him? 

32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared 
the people: for 5 all men counted John, that 
he was a prophet indeed. 

33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, 
We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith 
unto them, Neither do I tell you by what au- 
thority I do these things. 


t Matt. xvii. 20; xxi. 21; Luke xvii. 6. 4 Matt. vii.7; Luke 
xi. 9; John xiv. 13; xv.7; xvi. 24; Jamesi. 5, 6. ¥ Matt. vi. 
14; Col. iii. 13——¥ Matt. xviii. 35. x Matt. xxi. 23; Luke 
% Matt. iii. 5; xiv. 5; chap. vi. 20. 


xx. 1.——¥ Or, thing. 


mere Hebraism: have the faith of God, i. e. have 
strong faith, or the strongest faith, for thus the He- 
brews expressed the superlative degree ; so the moun- 
tains of God mean exceeding great mountains—the 
hail of God, exceeding great hail, &c. 

Verse 25. When ye stand praying] This expres- 
sion may mean no more than, When ye are disposed, 
or have a mind, to pray, i. e. whenever ye perform 
that duty. And it is thus used and explained in the 
Koran, Surat. v. ver. 7. See on Matt. xxi. 20-22. 
But the Pharisees loved to pray standing, that they 
might be seen of men. 

Verse 26. At the end of this verse, the 7th and 8th 
verses of Matt. vii., Ask and ye shall receive, &c., 
are added by M, and sixteen other MSS. 

The 26th verse is wanting in BLS, seven others, 
some editions, the Coptic, one Itala, and Theophylact. 

Verse 27-33. See on Matt. xxi. 23-27. 

Verse 32. They feared the people] Or rather, We 

327 


Parable of the 


fear, &c. Instead of εφοβουντο, they feared; the 
Codex Beza, seven others, later Syriac, Arabic, Cop- 
tic, Atthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and all the Jtala, 
read φοβουμεν, or φοβουμεθα. The common reading 
appears to me quite improper. 

We fear the people. Eav, if, before evraper, we 
shall say, is omitted by ABCEFGHLS, and more than 
fifty others. Bengel leaves it out of the text, and 
puts a note of interrogation after Ef avOpwrev; and 
then the whole passage reads thus: But shall we say, 
Of men? They feared the people, &c. ‘This change 
renders the adoption of φοβουμεν, we fear, unnecessary. 
Several critics prefer this mode of distinguishing the 
text. However the critics may be puzzled with the 
text, the scribes, chief priests, and elders were worse 
puzzled with our Lord’s question. They must 
convict themselves or tell a most palpable false- 
hood—They told the iie, and so escaped for the 
present. 


1. Envy, malice, and double-dealing have always 
a difficult part to act, and are ultimately confounded 
by their own projects and ruined by their own opera~- 
tions. On the other hand, simplicity and sincerity 


ST MARK. 


wicked husbandmen 


are not obliged to use a mask, but always walk in a 
plain way. 

2. The case of the barren fig-tree which our Lord 
cursed has been pitifully misunderstood and misapplied. 
The whole account of this transaction, as stated above, 
I believe to be correct; it is so much in our Lord’s 
usual manner that the propriety of it will scarcely be 
doubted. He was ever acting the part of the philo- 
sopher, moralist, and divine, as well as that of the 
Saviour of sinners. In his hand, every providential 
occurrence and every object of nature, became a 
means of instruction: the stones of the desert, the 
lilies of the field, the fowls of heaven, the beasts of 
the forest, fruitful and unfruitful trees, with every 
ordinary occurrence, were so many grand ¢exts, from 
which he preached the most illuminating and impres- 
sive sermons, for the instruction and salvation of his 
audience. This wisdom and condescension cannot be 
sufficiently admired. But shall the example of the 
fruitless fig tree be lost on us as well as on the 
Jews 3 God forbid! Let us therefore take heed, lest 
having been so long unfruitful, God should say, Lez 
no fruit appear on thee hereafter for ever! and in 
consequence of this, we wither and die away! 


CHAPTER XII. 


The parable of the vineyard let out to wicked husbandmen, 1-12. 


him about paying tribute to Cesar, 13-17. 


why the Messiah is called David's son, 35-37. 


The Pharisees and Herodians question 


The Sadducees question him about the resurrection, 18-27. 
A scribe questions him concerning the chief commandment of the law, 28-34. 


Christ asks the scribes 


He warns his disciples against the scribes, 38-40. Of 


the widow that cast two mites into the treasury, 41-44. 


ate: AND “he began to speak unto 
a gua them by parables. A certain 


man planted a vineyard, and set a 
hedge about zt, and digged a place for the 
wine-fat, and built a tower, and let it out to 
husbandmen, and went into a far country. 

2 And at the season, he sent to the husband- 
men a servant, that he might receive from the 
husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 

3 And they caught Aim, and beat him, and 
sent him away empty. 


a Matt. xxi. 33; 


NOTES ON CHAP. XII. 

Verse 1. A certain man planted a vineyard] See 
this parable explained, Matt. xxi. 33-41. 

Verse 4. At him they cast stones and wounded him 
m the head] Or rather, as most learned men agree, 
they made short work of it, ἐκεφαλαίωσαν. We have 
followed the Vulgate, illum in capite vulneraverunt, in 
translating the original, wounded him in the head, in 
which signification, I believe, the word is found in no 
Greek writer. ἀνακεφαλαίοομαι signifies to sum up, to 
comprise, and is used in this sense by St. Paul, Rom. 
ΧΗ. 9. From the parable we learn that these people 
were determined to hear no reason, to do no justice, 

328 


4 And again he sent unto them Αι δ, 4033. 

another servant; and at him they An. Olymp. 
see, os RCC 

cast stones, and wounded him in 

the head, and sent dim away shamefully 

handled. 

5 And again he sent another; and him they 
killed, and many others; beating some, and 
killing some. 

6 Having yet therefore one son, his well 
beloved, he sent him also last unto them 
saying, They will reverence my son. 


Luke xx. 9. 


and to keep the possession and the produce by violence ; 
therefore they fulfilled their purpose in the fullest and 
speedtest manner, which seems to be what the evan- 
gelist intended to express by the word in question. 
Mr. Wakefield translates, They speedily sent him 
away; others think the meaning is, They shaved their 
heads and made them look ridiculously ; this is much 
to the same purpose, but I prefer, They made short 
work of it. Dr. Lightfoot, De Dieu, and others, agree 
in the sense given above; and this will appear the 
more probable, if the word λιθοβολησαντες, they case 
stones, be omitted, as it is by BDL, the Coptic, Vué- 
gate, and all the Itala. 
1 


Concerning paying tribute. 


A. M. 4033. : 
rag 7 But those husbandmen said 


Aa, Gimp. among themselves, This is the heir ; 
“come, let us kill him, and the in- 
heritance shall be ours. 

8 And they took him, and killed him, and 
cast him out of the vineyard. 

9 What shall therefore the lord of the vine- 
yard do? he will come and destroy the hus- 
bandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 

10 And have ye not read this scripture : 
» The stone which the builders rejected is be- 
come the head of the corner: 

11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is 
marvellous in our eyes? 

12 ° And they sought to lay hold on him, 
but feared the people: for they knew that he 
had spoken the parable against them: and 
they left him, and went their way. 

13 Ἵ ὁ And they send unto him certain of 
the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch 
him in his words. 

14 And when they were come, they say 
unto him, Master, we know that thou art 
true, and carest for no man: for thou re- 
gardest not the person of men, but teachest 
the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give 
tribute to Cesar, or not? 

15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? 
But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto 
them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a ° penny, 
that I may see it. 

16 And they brought τ. And he saith unto 
them, Whose ἐδ this image and superscription ? 
And they said unto him, Czsar’s. 

17 And Jesus answering said unto them, 
Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar’s; 
and to God the things that are God’s. And 
they marvelled at him. 

> Psa. cxviii. 22,——* Matt. xxi. 45, 46; chap. xi. 18; John 


vii. 25, 30, 444 Matt. xxii. 15; Luke xx. 20. 6 Valuing 
of our money seven-pence halfpenny, as Matt. xviii. 28. 


Verse 7. This is the heir] So they appear to have 
acknowledged in their consciences that this was the 
Messiah, the heir of all things. 

The inheritance shall be ours.] By slaying him 
we shall maintain our authority, and keep possession 
of our revenues. 

Verse 9. And will give the vineyard unto others.] 
The vineyard must not perish with the husbandmen ; 
it is still capable of producing much fruit, if it be pro- 
perly cultivated. I will give it into the care of new 
vine-dressers, the evangelists and apostles. —And under 
their ministry, multitudes were brought to God before 
the destruction of Jerusalem. 

1 


CHAP. XII. 


On the resurrection. 


18 9% ‘Then come unto him the 
Sadducees, * which say there is no 
resurrection: and they asked him, 
saying, 

19 Master, " Moses wrote unto us, If a 
man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind 
him, and leave no children, that his brother 
should take his wife, and raise up seed unto 
his brother. 

20 Now there were seven brethren: and 
the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. 

21 And the second took her, and died, nei- 
ther left he any seed; and the third likewise. 

22 And the seven had her, and left no seed : 
last of all the woman died also. 

23 In the resurrection therefore, when they 
shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? 
for the seven had her to wife. 

24 And Jesus answering said unto them, 
Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not 
the scriptures, neither the power of God? 

25 For when they shall rise from the dead, 
they neither marry nor are given in marriage : 
but ? are as the angels which are in heaven. 

26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: 
have ye not read in the book of Moses, how 
in the bush God spake unto him, saying, * I 
am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob? 

27 He is not the God of the dead, but the 
God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. 

28 9! And one of the scribes came, and 
having heard them reasoning together, and per- 
ceiving that he had answered them well, asked 
him, Which is the first commandment of all ? 

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of 
all the commandments 15, ™ Hear, O Israel ; 


The Lord our God is one Lord: 


f Matt. xxii. 23; Luke xx. 27. £ Acts xxiii. 8— Deut. 
xxv. 5. 11 Cor. xv. 42, 49, 52.—+* Exod. iii. 6——! Matt. 
xxii. 35.——™ Deut. vi. 4; Luke x. 27. 


A. M. 4033. 
A. Ὁ. 29. 
An. Olymp. 
CCI. 1. 


Verse 13. And they send unto him] See this, and 
to ver. 17, largely explained on Matt. xxii. 15-22. 

Verse 15. Shall we give, or shall we not give 3) 
This is wanting in the Codex Beze, and in several 
versions. 

Verse 18. See this question, concerning the resur- 
rection, explained in detail on Matt. xxii. 23-32. 

Verse 23. When they shall rise] This clause is 
wanting in BCDL, four others, Syriac, later Arabic, 
later Persic, Coptic, Saxon, and two of the Itala. 
Griesbach leaves it doubtful. 

Verse 27. But the God of the living] Θεας, God, is 
left out by ABCDKL, and in more than forty others, 

329 


The greatest commandment. 


A.M. 4033. 90. And thou shalt love the Lord 
An ism. thy God with all thy heart, and 

᾿ with all thy soul, and with all thy 
mind, and with all thy strength: this is the 
first commandment. 

31 And the second is like, namely this, 
»'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 
There is none other commandment greater 
chan these. 

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, 
Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is 
one God; ° and there is none other but he: 

33 And to love him with all the heart, and 
with all the understanding, and with all the 
soul, and with all the strength, and to love hzs 
neighbour as himself, ? is more than all whole 
burnt offerings and sacrifices. 

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered 
discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not 
far from the kingdom of God. 4% And no man 
after that durst ask him any question. 

35 Ἴ τ And Jesus answered and said, while 


ST. MARK. 


How Christ is David's son. 


he taught in the temple, How say a ei 


the Saris that Christ is the son of An. Olymp. 
David? peas 

36 For David himself said *by the Holy 
Ghost, * The Lorp said to my Lord, Sit thou 
on my right hand, till I make thine enemies 
thy footstool. 

37 David therefore himself calleth him 
Lord ; and whence is he then his son? And 
the common people heard him gladly. 

38 9 And “he said unto them in his doc- 
trine, ἡ Beware of the scribes, which love to 
go in long clothing, and ~ love salutations in 
the market-places, 

39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, 
and the uppermost rooms at feasts : 

40 * Which devour widows’ houses, and 
for a pretence make long prayers: these 
shall receive greater damnation 

41 4 ¥ And Jesus sat over against the treasury, 
and beheld how the people cast ? money * into the 
treasury: and many that were rich castin much. 


0 Lev. xix. 18; Matt. xxii. 39; Rom. xiii. 9; Gal. v.14; James 


u. 8. © Deut. iv. 39; Isa. xlv. 6, 14; xlvi. 9——P1 Sam. xv. 
22; Hos. vi. 6; Mic. vi. 6, 7, 8——4 Matt. xxii. 46——t Matt. 
xxii. 41; Luke xx. 41. 


52 Sam. xxiii. 2. Ὁ Psa. ex. 1. 4 Chap. iv. 2.——* Matt. 
xxiii. 1, &c.; Luke xx. 46. w Luke xi. 43.——* Matt. xxiii. 
14—_y Luke xxi. 1.——* A piece of brass money ; see Matt. x 
9. a2 Kings xii. 9. 


Syriac, one Arabic, one Persic, Coptic, Armenian, 
Gothic, Saxon, Vulgate, Itala, and Origen.  Gries- 
bach has omitted it. 

Verse 30. Thou shalt love the Lord] On the na- 
ture and properties of the love of God and man, and 
the way in which this commandment is fulfilled, see 
the notes on Matt. xxii. 37, ὅτ. 

Verse 32. And the scribe said] The answer of the 
scribe, contained in verses 32, 33, 34, is not found 
either in Matthew or Luke. This is another proof 
against Mark’s supposed abridgment. 

Verse 34. Thou art not far from the kingdom of 
God.| ‘This scribe appears to have been a prudent, 
sensible, and pious man; almost a Christian—so near 
the kingdom of God that he might have easily stepped 
in. It is very probable that he did at last delieve in 
and confess Jesus. 

Verse 35. How say the scribes] See Matt. xxii. 
41, ὅδ. 

Verse 37. The common people heard him gladly.| 
And were doubtless many of them brought to believe 
and receive the truth. By the comparatively poor the 
Gospel is still best received. 

Verse 38. Beware of the scribes] See on Matt. 
xxili 1, ὧς: 

Verse 41. Cast money into the treasury] It is 
worthy of observation, that the money put into the 
treasury, even by the rich, is termed by the evangelist 
χαλκον, brass money, probably that species of small 
brass coin which was called 710)15 prutah among the | 
Jews, two of which make a farthing, and twenty-four | 
an Italian assarius, which assarius is the twenty-fourth 

330 


part of a silver penny. We call this, mite, from the 
French, miete, which signifies a crumb, or very small 
morsel. The prutah was the smallest coin in use 
among the Jews: and there is a canon among the 
/rabbins that no person shall put less than two prutahs 
into the treasury. This poor widow would not give 
less, and her poverty prevented her from giving more 
And whereas it is said that many rich persons cast in 
MUCH, πολλα, (many,) this may only refer to the num- 
ber of the prutahs which they threw in, and not to the 
value. What opinion should we form of a rich man, 
who, in a collection for a public charity, only threw 
in a handful of halfpence 2 See Luke xxi. 1, and see 
the note on Matt. v. 26. The whole of this account 
is lacking in Matthew. Another proof that Mark did 
not abridge him. 

Let us examine this subject a little more closely: 
Jesus prefers the widow’s two mites to all the offer- 
ings made by the rich. 

In the preceding account, ver. 41, it is said, Jesus 
beheld how the people cast money into the treasvry. 
To make this relation the more profitable, let us con- 
| sider Christ the observer and judge of human actions. 

1. Christ observes all men and all things: all our 
actions are before his eyes; what we do in public and 
what we do in private are equally known unto him. 

2. He observes the state and situation we are in: 
his eye was upon the abundance of the rich who had 
given much; and he was well acquainted with the 
| poverty and desolate state of the widow who had given 
her all, though that was but /itdZe in itself. What an 
awful thought for the rich! “ God sees every penny ἢ 

1 


The destruction of 


A.M. 4033. P 
sD. 29. 42 And there came a certain 


An. Uiymp. poor widow, and she threw in two 
cmt +... : ; : 

mites, which make a farthing. 

43 And he called unto him his disciples, 
and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
That ° this poor widow hath cast more in, 


bIt is the seventh part of one piece of that brass money. 


possess, and constantly observes how I lay it out.” 
What a comfortable thought for the poor and desolate ! 
The eye of the most merciful and bountiful Jesus 
continually beholds my poverty and distress, and will 
eause them to work for my good. 

3. Christ sees all the motives which lead men to 
perform their respective actions; and the different 
motives which lead them to perform the same action: 
he knows whether they act through vanity, self-love, 
interest, ambition, hypocrisy, or whether through love, 
charity, zeal for his glory, and a hearty desire to 
please him. 

4. He observes the circumstances which accompany 
our actions ; whether we act with care or negligence, 
with a ready mind or with reluctance. 

5. He observes the judgment which we form of that 
which we do in his name; whether we esteem our- 
selves more on account of what we have done, speak 
of it to others, dwell on our labours, sufferings, ex- 
penses, success, &c., or whether we humble ourselves 
because we have done so little good, and even that 
little in so imperfect a way. 

II. See the judgment Christ forms of our actions. 

1 He appears surprised that so much piety should 
be found with so much poverty, in this poor widow. 

2. He shows that works of charity, &c., should be 
estimated, not by their appearance, but by the spirit 
which produces them. 

3. He shows by this that all men are properly in a 
state of equality; for though there is and ought to be 
a difference in outward things, yet God looks upon the 
heart, and the poorest person has it in his power to 


CHAP. XIII. 


the tempr.e foretola. 


hi ; ; A. M. 4033, 
than all they which have cast into 4,’ ΠῚ 
the treasury : An. Olymp. 


44 For all they did cast in of COIL. 1. 


their abundance; but she of her want 
did cast in all that she had, “even all her 
living. 


©2 Cor. viii. 12——4 Deut. xxiv. 6; 1 John iii. 17. 


make his mite as acceptable to the Lord, by simplicity 
of intention, and purity of affection, as the millions 
given by the affluent. It is just in God to rate the 
value of an action by the spirit in which it is done. 

4. He shows that men should judge impartially in 
cases of this kind, and not permit themselves to be 
carried away to decide for a person by the largeness 
of the gift on the one hand, or against him by the small- 
ness of the bounty on the other. Of the poor widow 
it is said, She has cast in more than all the rich. Be- 
cause: 1. She gave more; she gave her all, and they 
gave only a part. 2. She did this in a better spirit, 
having a simple desire to please God. Never did any 
king come near the liberality of this widow; she gave 
all that she had, ὅλον τὸν βιον αὑτης, her whole life, 
i. e. all that she had to provide for one day’s sustenance, 
and could have no more till by her labour she had 
acquired it. What trust must there be in the Divine 
Providence to perform such an act as this! 

Two important lessons may be learned from her con- 
duct. 1. A lesson of humiliation to the rich, who, by 
reason of covetousness on the one hand, and luxury 
on the other, give but little to Gop and the poor. A 
lesson of reproof to the poor, who, through distrust of 
God’s providence, give nothing at all. Our posses- 
sions can only be sanctified by giving a portion to God. 
There will be infallibly a blessing in the remainder, 
when a part has been given to God and the poor. If 
the rich and the poor reflect seriously on this, the one 
will learn pity, the other liberality, and both be blessed 
in their deed. He must be a poor man indeed who 
cannot find one poorer than himself. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


Fesus predicts the destruction of the temple, 1,2. His disciples inquire when this shall be, and what pre 
vious sign there shall be of this calamity, 3,4; which questions he answers very solemnly and minutely, 
5-27 ; illustrates the whole by a parable, 28, 29; asserts the absoluie certainty of the events, 30, 31; 
shows that the precise time cannot be known by man, 32 ; and inculcates the necessity of watchfulness and 


prayer, 33-37. 


τ τ ρεῆς ND *as he went out of the 
An. Oly tem i isci 
a. παρ ple, one of his disciples 


saith unto him, Master, see what 
manner of stones and what buildings are here ! 


a Matt. xxiv. 1; Luke xxi. 5. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIII. 
Verse 1. See what manner of stones} Josephus 
says, Ant. b. xv. chap. xi. ‘“ That these stones were 
white and strong, ΕἸΡΤῪ feet long, TweNTY-FouR broad, 


‘ ἶ A. Μ. 4033. 
2 And Jesus answering said unto Δ %59 


him, Seest thou these great buildings? An, Olymp. 

J CCI. 1. 
there shall not be left one stone 

upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 


> Luke xix. 44. 


and ΞΙΧΤΕΕΝ in thickness.” If this account can be 

relied on, well might the disciples be struck with won- 

der at such a superb edifice, and formed by such im- 

mense stones! The principal contents of this chapter 
331 


Signs preceding the 


A. M, 4033. 
‘Do 8. Ἵ And as he sat upon the 


An. pine. mount of Olives over against the 

oon temple, Peter, and James, sand John, 
and Andrew asked him privately, 

4 ¢ Tell us, when shall these things be? 
and what shall be the sign when all these 
things shall be fulfilled ? 

5 And Jesus answering them began to say, 
‘Take heed lest any man deceive you: 

6 For many shall come in my name, say- 
ing, 1 am Christ ; and shall deceive many. 

7 And when ye shall hear of wars and ru- 
mours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such 
things must needs be; but the end shall not 
be yet. 

8 For nation shall rise against nation, and 
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be 
earthquakes in divers places, and there shall 
be famines and troubles: © these are the be- 
ginnings of f sorrows. 

9 But Ε take heed to yourselves: for they 
shall deliver you up to councils; and in the 
synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall 
be brought before rulers and kings for my 
sake, for a testimony against them. 

10 And * the Gospel must first be published 
among all nations. 

11 * But when they shall lead you, and de- 
liver you up, take no thought beforehand what 
ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate : 
but whatsoever shall be given you in that 
hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that 
speak, ὃ but the Holy Ghost. 


ST. MARK. 


destruction of the temple. 
12 Now ' the brother shall betray 4, se 


the brother to death, and the father An. ar 
the son; and children shall rise up 

against qe. parents, and shall cause them to 
be put to death. 

13 ™And ye shall be hated of all men for 
my name’s sake: but ™he that shall endure 
unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

14 ° But when ye shall see the abomination 
of desolation, ? spoken of by Daniel the pro 
phet, standing where it ought not, (let him 
that readeth understand,) then °let them that 
be in Judea flee to the mountains : 

15 And let him that is on the house-top not 
go down into the house, neither enter therein, 
to take any thing out of his house : 

16 And let him that is in the field not turn 
back again for to take up his garment. 

17 * But wo to them that are with child, 
and to them that give suck in those days! 

18 And pray ye that your flight be not in 
the winter. 

19 *For im those days shall be affliction, 
such as was not from the beginning of the 
creation which God created unto this time, 
neither shall be. 

20 And except that the Lord had shortened 
those days, no flesh should be saved: but for 
the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he 
hath shortened the days. 

21 * And then if any man shall say to you, 
Lo, here zs Christ; or, lo, he is there; be- 
lieve him not: 


© Matt. xxiv. 3; Luke xxi. 7——4 Jer. xxix. 8; Eph. v. 6; 
2 Thess. ii. 3. ε Matt. xxiv. 8. £ The word in the original 
importeth the pains of a woman in travail. δ Matt. x. 17, 18; 
xxiv. 9; Rev. ii. 10.— Matt. xxiv. 14. i Matt. x. 19; Luke 
xii. 11; xxi. 14 Acts ii. 4; iv. 8, 31 Mic. vii. 6; Matt. 


x. 21; xxiv. 10; Luke xxi. 16.——™ Matt. xxiv. 9; Luke xxi. 17. 
2 Dan. baby PAG ’ Matt. x. 22; xxiv. 13; Rev. ii. 10. ° Matt. 
xxiv. 15. P Dan. ix. 27. 4 Luke xxi. 21. + Luke xxi. 23; 
Xxill. 29. 5 Dan. ix. 26; xii. 1; Joel ii. 2; Matt. xxiv. 91. 
t Matt. xxiv. 23; Luke xvii. 23; xxi. 8. 


are largely explained in the notes on Matt. xxiv., and 
to these the reader is requested to refer. 

Verse 6. Saying, I am] The Christ, is added by 
eight MSS., Coptic, Armenian, Saxon, and four of 
the Itala. 

Verse 8. The beginnings] For apyat, many MSS. 
and versions have ἀρχή, the beginning, singular. 

Verse 9. Councils] vvedpia, Sanhedrins. The 
grand Sanhedrin consisted of seventy-two elders ; six 
chosen out of each tribe ; this was the national council 
of state; and the small Sanhedrins, which were com- 
posed of twenty-three counsellors. 

Synagogues} Courts of justice for villages, &c., 
consisting of three magistrates, chosen out of the prin- 
cipal directors of the synagogue in that place. 

Rulers} Or governors. The Roman deputies, such 
as Pontius Pilate, &e. 

332 


Kings] The tetrarchs of Judea and Galilee, who 
bore this name. See chap. vi. 27. 

Verse 10. And the Gospel must first be published 
among all nations.| Many of the Evangelistaria omit 


this verse. Its proper place seems to be after verse 
the thirteenth. 
Verse 11. Neither—premeditate] This is want- 


ing in BDL, five others, Coptic, Ethiopic, Vulgate, 
ale: Griesbach leaves it doubtful. On this verse 
see Matt. x. 19. 

Verse 14. Let him that readeth understand] What 
he readeth, is added by 1), and three of the Jtala, per- 
haps needlessly. 

Verse 15. House-top] See on Matt. xxiv. 17. 

Verse 20. Had shortened those days] Because of 
his chosen, added by D, Armenian, and five of the 
Itala. See Matt. xxiv. 22. 

1 


he tribulations and 


A, M4083. 22 For false Christs and false 
An. Olymp. prophets shall rise, and shall show 

___ signs and wonders, to seduce, if it 
were possible, even the elect. 

23 But “take ye heed: behold, I have fore- 
told you all things. 

24 §* But in those days, after that tribu- 
lation, the sun shall be darkened, and the 
moon shall not give her light ; 

25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and 
the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 

26 ἡ And then shall they see the Son of 
man coming in the clouds with great power 
and glory. 

27 And then shall he send his angels, and 
shall gather together his elect from the four 
winds, from the uttermost part of earth to the 
uttermost part of heaven. 

28 * Now learn a parable of the fig tree: 
When her branch is yet tender, and putteth 
forth leaves, ye know that summer is near : 

29 So ye in like mamner, when ye shall 
see these things come to pass, know 


CHAP. XIII. 


distresses of those tumes 


that it is nigh, even at the 4,M. 4033, 
doors. An. Olymp. 
30 Verily I say unto you, that this ge- see 
neration shall not pass, till all these things be done. 
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but 
¥my words shall not pass away. 

32 Ἵ But of that day and that hour knoweth 
no man, no, not the angels which are m 
heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 

33 * Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye 
know not when the time is. 

34 * For the Son of man is as a man taking 
a far journey, who left his house, and gave 
authority to his servants, and to every man his 
work, and commanded the porter to watch. 

35 » Watch ye therefore: for ye know not 
when the master of the house cometh, at even, 
or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in 
the morning. 

36 Lest coming suddenly, he find you 
sleeping. 

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, 
© Watch. 


22 Pet. iii. 17. * Dan. vii. 10; Zeph. i. 15; Matt. xxiv. 29, 
ἄς. Luke xxi. 25. τ Dan. vii. 13, 14; Matt. xvi. 27; xxiv. 
ἊΣ chap. xiv. 62; Actsi. 11 ; 1 Thess. iv. 16; 2 Thess. 1. 7,10; 

ev. i. 7. 


Verse 30. This generation] Ἣ yevea aizn, This 
very race of men. It is certain that this word has 
two meanings in the Scriptures ; that given in the text, 
and that above. Generation signifies a period of a 
certain number of years, sometimes more, sometimes 
less. In Deut. i. 35, and ii. 14, Moses uses the word 
to point out a term of thirty-eight years, which was 
precisely the number in the present case ; for Jerusa- 
lem was destroyed about thirty-eight years after our 
Lord delivered this prediction. But as there are other 
events in this chapter, which certainly look deyond the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and which were to take place 
before the Jews should cease to be a distinct people, 
I should therefore prefer the translation given above. 
See on Matt. xxiv. 34. 

Verse 32. Neither the Son] This clause is not 
found either in Matthew or Luke; and Ambrose says 
it was wanting in some Greek copies in his time. To 
me it is utterly unaccountable, how Jesus, who knew 
so correctly all the particulars which he here lays 
down, and which were to a jot and tittle verified by 
the event—how he who knew that not one stone should 
be left on another, should be ignorant of the day and 
hour when this should be done, though Daniel, chap. 
ix. 24, &c., could fix the very year, not less than five 
hundred years before it happened: how he in whom 
the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily, and all the 
treasures of wisdom and knowledge, should not know 
this small matter, I cannot comprehend, but on this 
ground, that the Deity which dwelt in the man Christ 
Jesus might, at one time, communicate less of the 

1 


X Matt. xxiv. 32; Luke xxi. 29, &c.——-¥ Isa. xl. 8. z Matt. 
xxiv. 42; xxv. 13; Luke xii. 40; xxi.34; Rom. xiii. 11; 1 Thess. 
v. 6.— Matt. xxiv. 45; xxv. 14——» Matt. xxiv. 42, 44 
© Matt. xxv. 13; 1 Cor. xvi. 13. 


knowledge of futurity to him than at another. How- 
ever, I strongly suspect that the clause was not origin- 
ally in this Gospel. Its not being found in the parallel 
places in the other evangelists is, in my opinion, a 
strong presumption against it. But Dr. Macknight, 
and others, solve this difficulty in the following man- 
ner. They suppose the verb odev to have the force 
of the Hebrew conjugation Hiphel, in which verbs are 
taken in a causative, declarative, or permissive sense ; 
and that it means here, make known, or promulge, as 
it is to be understood in 1 Cor. ii. 9. This intimates 
that this secret was not to be made known, either by 
men or angels, no, not even by the Son of man him- 
self ; but it should be made known by the Father only, 
in the execution of the purposes of his justice. Iam 
afraid this only cuts the knot, but does not wuntie it. 
Verse 34. Left his house] Οἰκιαν, family. Our 
blessed Lord and Master, when he ascended to heaven, 
commanded his servants to be faithful and watchful. 
This fidelity to which he exhorts his servants consists 
in doing every thing well which is to be done, in the 
heart or in the family, according to the full extent of 
the duty. The watchfulness consists in suffering no 
stranger nor enemy to enter in by the senses, which 
are the gates of the soul; in permitting nothing which 
belongs to the Master to go out without his consent ; 
and in carefully observing all commerce and corres- 
pondence which the heart may have abroad in the 


world, to the prejudice of the Master’s service. See 
Quesnel. 
Verse 35. Watch ye therefore} The more the 


333 


Conspuacy αραϊηδί Christ. 


master is expected, the more diligent ought the ser- 
vants to be in working, watching, and keeping them- 
selves in readiness. Can one who has received the 
sentence of his death, and has no right to live a mo- 
ment, need any admonition to prepare to die? Does 
not a prisoner who expects his deliverance hold him- 
self in continual readiness to leave his dungeon ? 

Verse 36. He find you sleeping.| A porter asleep 
exposes the house to be robbed, and well deserves pun- 
ishment. No wonder that the man is constantly suf- 
fering loss who is frequently off his guard. 

Our Lord shows us in this parable: 1. That him- 
self, ascended to heaven, is the man gone from home. 
2. That believers collectively are his family. 3. That 
his servants are those who are employed in the work 
of faith and labour of love. 4. That the porter repre- 


ST. MARK. 


A woman enoints him. 


sents the ministers of his Gospel, who should conti- 
nually watch for the safety and welfare of the whole 
flock. 5. That every one has his own work—that 
which belongs to himself and to none other, and for 
the accomplishment of which he receives sufficient 
strength from his Lord. 6. That these servants and 
porters shall give an account to their Lord, how they 
have exercised themselves in their respective depart- 
ments. 7. And that as the master of the family will 
certainly come to require this account at a time when 
men are not aware, therefore they should be always 
watchful and faithful. And, 8, That this is a duty in- 
cumbent on every soul of man, What I say unto you 
I say unto aut, Watcu! Τῇ, after all these warn- 
ings, the followers of God be found careless, their mi- 
sery and condemnation must be great. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


The Jews conspire against Christ, 1, 2. 


Iscariot sells him to the chief priests for thirty pieces af money, 10, 11. 
Predicts his approaching death, 17-21. 
Foretells the unfaithfulness of his disciples in general, 27, 28, and Peter’s denial, 29-31. 
The disciples overcome by sleep, 37—42. 
they seize him, 43-49. 
lowing, and about to be apprehended, makes his escape, 51, 52. 
He is examined, insulted, and abused, and condemned on false 
Peter thrice denies him, reflects on his wickedness, and repents of his sin, 66-72. 


pare the passover, 12-16. 


the garden, 32-36. 
priests, and betrays him with a kiss ; 


and Peter follows at a distance, 53, 54. 
evidence, 55-65. 


a ae AFTER “two days was the feast 
A imp. of the passover, and of un- 


leavened bread: and the chief 
priests and the scribes sought how they might 
take him by craft, and put Aim to death. 

2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest 
there be an uproar of the people. 

3 9 >And being in Bethany, in the house 


He is anointed in the house of Simon the leper, 3-9. 


Judas 
He orders his disciples to pre- 
Institutes the holy eucharist, 22-26. 
His agony in 
Judas comes with a mob from the chief 
The disciples flee, 50. A young man fol- 
Jesus is brought before the chief priests, 


: A. M. 4033. 
of Simon the leper, as he sat at rence 


meat, there came a woman having ἀπ. Olymp 
CCII 

an alabaster box of ointment, of 
ὁ spikenard, very precious ; and she brake the 
box, and poured 7 on his head. 

4 And there were some that had indignation 
within themselves, and said, Why was this 
waste of the oitment made? 


2 Matt. xxvi.2; Luke xxii.1; John xi. 55; xiii. 1— Matt. xxvi. 


6; John xii. 1,3; see Luke vii. 37.—¢ Or, pure nard, or, liquid nard. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIV. 

Verse 1. Unleavened breed] After they began to 
eat unleavened bread: see on Matt. xxvi. 2. 

Verse 3. Alabaster box] Among critics and learn- 
ed men there are various conjectures concerning the 
alabaster mentioned by the evangelists: some think it 
means a glass phial; others, that it signifies a small 
vessel without a handle, from a negative and λαβη, a 
handle ; and others imagine that it merely signifies a 
perfume or essence bottle. There are several species 
of the soft calcareous stone called alabaster, which are 
enumerated and described in different chemical works. 

Spikenard| Or nard. An Indian plant, whose root 
is very small and slender. It puts forth a long and 
small stalk, and has several ears or spikes even with 
the ground, which has given it the name of spikenard: 
the taste is bitter, acrid, and aromatic, and the smell 
agreeable. CaLmerT. 

Very precious] Or rather, unadulterated: this I 
think is the proper meaning of πιίστικης. Theophylact 
gives this interpretation of the passage: “ Unadul- 

334 


terated nard, and prepared with fidelity.” Some think 
that πιστικὴ is a contraction of the Latin spicate, and 
that it signifies the spicated nard, or what we com- 
monly call the spikenard. But Dr. Lightfoot gives a 
different interpretation. Il.orv«y he supposes to come 
from the Syriac Xpnd°) pistike, which signifies the 
acorn: he would therefore have it to signify an aro- 
matic confection of nard, maste, or myrobalane. See 
his Hebrew and Talmudical Evxercitations; and see 
Scheuchzer’s Physica Sacra. 

She brake the box] Rather, she broke the seal.— 
This is the best translation I can give of the place; 
and I give it for these reasons: 1. That it is not likely 
that a box exceedingly precious in itself should be 
broken to get out its contents. 2. That the broken 
gneces would be very inconvenient if not injurious to 
the head of our Lord, and to the hands of the woman. 
3. That it would not be easy effectually to separate 
the oil from the broken pieces. And, 4. That it was 
a custom in the eastern countries to seal the bottles 


| with wax that held the perfumes ; so that to come at 


1 


Judas betrays Christ. 


A.M-4033. 5 For it might have been sold 
An. Olymp. for more than three hundred ἃ pence, 

CCI. 1. : 
and have been given to the poor. 
And they murmured against her. 

6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why 
trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good 
work on me. 

7 For ‘ye have the poor with you al- 
ways, and whensoever ye will ye may do 
them good; but me ye have not always. 

8 She hath done what she could: she is 
come aforehand to anoint my body to the 
burying. 

9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this 
Gospel shall be preached throughout the 
whole world, this also that she hath done 
shall be spoken of, for a memorial of her. 

10 | ‘And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, 
went unto the chief priests, to betray him 
unto them. 

11 And when they heard it, they were 
glad, and promised to give him money. And 
he sought how he might conveniently betray 
him. 


© Deut. xv. 11—f Matt. xxvi. 14; 
Luke xxii. 3, 4. 


4See Matt. xviii. 28. 


their contents no more was necessary than to break 
the seal, which this woman appears to have done ; and 
when the seal was thus broken, she had no more to 
do than to pour out the liquid ointment, which she 
could not have done had she broken the bottle. The 
bottles which contain the hs ἊΝ gul i attyr, or at- 
tyr of roses, which come from the east, are sealed in 
this manner. See a number of proofs relative to this 
point in Harmer’s Observations, vol. iv. 469. Pour- 
ing sweet-scented oil on the head is common in Bengal. 
At the close of the festival of the goddess Doorga, the 
Hindoos worship the unmarried daughters of Brah- 
mins: and, among other ceremonies, pour sweet-scent- 
ed oil on their heads. Warv’s Customs. 

Verse 5. It might have been sold] το μυρον, This 
ointment, is added by ABCDKL, thirty-five others, 
LEthiopic, Armenian, Gothic, all the Itala except one. 
Griesbach has received it into the text. The swm men- 
tioned here would amount to nearly 10]. sterling. 

Verse 8. To anoint my body to the burying.] Ev 
Tov ἐνταῤφίασμον, against, or in reference to, its embalm- 
ment, thus pointing out my death and the embalmment 
of my body ; for the bodies of persons of distinction 
were wrapped up in aromatics to preserve them from 
putrefaction. See on Matt. xxvi. 12. 

Verse 9. Fora memorial of μευ. See on Matt. 
xxvi. 13. 

Verse 11. They were glad] The joy that arises 
from the opportunity of murdering an innocent person 
must be completely infernal. 


CHAP. XIV. 


His discyples prepare the passover 


12 9 And the first day of un- Αἰ ΝΜ 4033. 
leavened bread, when they "killed An, Olymp 
the passover, his disciples said unto bic 
him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare 
that thou mayest eat the passover ? 

13 And he sendeth forth two of his dis 
ciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the 
city, and there shall meet you a man bearing 
a pitcher of water: follow him. 

14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye 
to the good man of the house, The Master 
saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where [ 
shall eat the passover with my disciples ? 

15 And he will show you a large upper 
room furnished and prepared: there make 
ready for us. 

16 And his disciples went forth, and came 
into the city, and found as he had said unto 
them: and they made ready the passover. 

17 ‘ And in the evening he cometh with the 
twelve. 

18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, 
Verily I say unto you, One of you which 
eateth with me shall betray me. 


£ Matt. xxvi. 17; Luke xxii. 7—— Or, sacrificed ——i Matt. 
xxvi. 20, &c. 


Verse 13. Bearing a pitcher of water] How correct 
is the foreknowledge of Jesus Christ! Even the mi- 
nutest circumstances are comprehended by it! An 
honest employment, howsoever mean, is worthy the at- 
tention of God; and even a man bearing a pitcher of 
water is marked in all his steps, and is an object of 
the merciful regards of the Most High. This man 
was employed in carrying home the water which was 
to be used for baking the unleavened bread on the 
following day ; for on that day it was not lawful to 
carry any : hence they were obliged to fetch it on the 
preceding evening. 

Verse 14. Say ye to the good man of the house| 
εἰπατε τῳ olxodecroTy—Say ye to the master of the 
house. The good man and the good woman mean. 
among us, the master and mistress of the house. A 
Hindoo woman never calls her husband by his name ; 
but simply, the man of the house. 

Where is the guest chamber 3] Respectable house- 
holders, says Mr. Ward, have a room which they call 
the strangers’ room, (με) hu-shala,) which is espe- 
cially set apart for the use of guests. This appears to 
have been the custom in Judea also. 

Verse 15. Furnished) Spread with carpets— 
ἐστρωμενον----80 this word is often used. See Wake- 
FIELD. But it may also signify the couches on which 
the guests reclined when eating. It does not appear 
that the Jews ate the passover now, as their fathers did 
formerly, standing, with their shoes on, and their 
staves in their hands. 

335 


The eucharist wnstituted. 


A. M. 4033. = 
+ Mi, 1033. 19. And they began to be sorrow 


δι ὅν ful, and to say unto him, one by 
“_ one, Js it I? and another said, 
qs it 1? 

20 And he answered and said unto them, 
It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me 
in the dish. 

21 * The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is 
written of him: but wo to that man by whom 
the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for 
that man if he had never been born.” 

22 9! And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, 
and blessed, and brake 7f, and gave to them, 
and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 

23 And he took the cup, and when he had 
given thanks, he gave zt to them; and they 
all drank of it. 

24 And he said unto them, This is my blood 
of the new testament, which is shed for many. 

25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no 
more of the fruit of the vine, until that day 
that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 

6 4 ™And when they had sung a *hymn, 
they went out into the mount of Olives. 

27 ° And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall 
be offended because of me this night: for it 
1s written, ? I will smite the shepherd, and the 
sheep shall be scattered. 


ST. MARK. 


Christ’s agony in the garden. 


28 But ‘after that I am risen, I 4, ee 
will go before you into Galilee. An, Olyimp. " 


29 But Peter said unto him, 
Although all shall’ be offended, yet will 
not 1. 

30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say 
unto thee, That this day, even in this night, 
before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny 
me thrice. 

31 But he spake the more vehemently, If 1 
should die with thee, I will not deny thee in 
any wise. Likewise also said they all. 

32 Ἵ " And they came to a place which was 
named Gethsemane: and he saith to his dis- 
ciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 

33 And he taketh with him Peter, and 
James, and John, and began to be sore amaz- 
ed, and to be very heavy ; 

34 And saith unto them, * My soul is ex 
ceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, 
and watch. 

35 And he went forward a little, and fell on 
the ground, and prayed that, if it were pos 
sible, the hour might pass from him. 

36 And he said,." Abba, Father, ¥ all things 
are possible unto thee; take away this cup 
from me: Ὗ nevertheless, not what I will, but 
what thou wilt. 


k Matt. xxvi. 24; Luke xxii. 22——! Matt. xxvi. 26; Luke 
xxii. 19; 1 Cor. xi. 23——™ Matt. xxvi. 30——#® Or, psalm. 
° Matt. xxvi. 31. P Zech. xiii. 7——4 Chap. xvi. 7. 


T Matt. xxvi. 33, 34; Luke xxii. 33, 34; John xiii. 37, 38. 
8 Matt. xxvi. 36; Luke xxii. 39; John xviii. 1. Ὁ John xii. 27. 
ἃ Rom. viii. 15; Gal. ἵν. 6. v Heb. v. 7. w John v. 30; vi. 38. 


Verse 19. And another said, Is it [2] This clause 
is wanting in BCLP, seventeen others, Syriac, Persic, 
Arabic, Coptic, Aithiopic, Vulgate, and four of the 
Itala. Griesbach leaves it doubtful: others leave it out. 

Verse 20. That dippeth with me in the dish.] In 
the east, persons never eat together from one dish, 
except when a strong attachment subsists between two 
or more persons of the same caste ; in such a case one 
invites another to come and sit by him and eat from 
the same dish. This custom seems to have existed 
among the Jews; and the sacred historian mentions 
this notice of our Lord’s, Jt is one of the twelve, that 
dippeth with me in the dish, to mark more strongly 
the perfidy of the character of Judas. 

Verse 21. Goeth] That is, to die. 
xxvi. 24. 

Verse 22. Eat] This is omitted by many MSS. 
and versions, but I think without reason. It is found 
in the parallel places, Matt. xxvi. 26; 1 Cor. xi. 24. 
See the subject of the Lord’s Supper largely explained 
on Matt. xxvi. 26, &c. 

Verse 30. That τηοῦ] Σὺ is added by ABEGHK 
LMS—V, eighty-eight others, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, 
Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, Vulgate, Saxon, 
Theophylact, and Euthymwus. It adds much to the 

336 


See on Matt. 


energy of the passage, every word of which is deeply 
emphatical. Verily, I say unto thee, that THOU, THIS 
DAY, 72 THIS VERY NIGHT, before the cock shall crow 
TWICE, THOU wilt deny ΜΕ. 

Verse 36. Abba, Father] This Syriae word, which 
intimates filial affection and respect, and parental ten- 
derness, seems to have been used by our blessed Lord, 
merely considered as man, to show his complete 
submission to his Father’s will, and the tender affec- 
tion which he was conscious his Father had for him, 


js} Abba, Syriac, is here joined to ὁ zarnp, Greek, 


both signifying father; so St. Paul, Rom. viii. 15; 
Gal. iv. 6. The reason is, that from the time in 
which the Jews became conversant with the Greek 
language, by means of the Septuagint version and 
their commerce with the Roman and Greek provinces, 
they often intermingled Greek and Roman words with 
their own language. There is the fullest evidence of 
this fact in the earliest writings of the Jews; and they 
often add a word of the same meaning in Greek to 
their own term; such as "Vp "72, Mori, κυριε, my 
Lord, Lord; yw sa, pili, πυλη, shuar, gate, gate: 
and above, NIN, πατηρ, father, father: see several 
examples in Schoettgen. ‘The words ‘28 and 82% 
1 


᾿ 


Jesus is apprehended and 


A.M. — 37 And he ccmeth, and findeth 


An. Gye. them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, 
-——— Simon, sleepest thou? couldest 
not thou watch one hour ? 

38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into 
temptation. * The spirit truly zs ready, but 
the flesh zs weak. 

39 And again he went away, and prayed, 
and spake the same words. 


CHAP. XIV. 


led away to the lagh priest 


48 »And Jesus answered and Αἰ ΝΜ, 4033. 
said unto them, Are ye come out, Aor σαν. 
as against a thief, with swords and — 
with staves to take me ? 

49 I was daily with you in the temple 
teaching, and ye took me not: but © the 
scriptures must be fulfilled. 

50 * And they all forsook him, and fled 

51 And there followed him a certain young 


40 And when he returned, he found them | man, having a linen cloth cast about Ais naked 


asleep again: 
neither wist they what to answer him. 

41 And he cometh the third time, and saith 
unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest : 
it is enough, ¥ the hour is come; behold the 
Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sin- 
ners. 

42 “Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betray- 
eth me is at hand. 

43 9 * Andimmediately, while he yet spake, 
cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with 
him a great multitude with swords and staves, 
from the chief priests, and the scribes, and 
the elders. 

44 And he that betrayed him had given 
them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall 
kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead 
him away safely. 

45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth 
straightway to him, and saith, Master, master ; 
and kissed him. 

46 And they laid their hands on him, and 
took him. 

47 And one of them that stood by drew 
a sword, and smote a servant of the high 
priest, and cut off his ear. 


χ Rom. vii. 23; Gal. νυ. 17. Ὑ John xiii. 1——* Matt. xxvi. 
46; John xviii. 1, 2— Matt. xxvi. 47; Luke xxii. 47; John 
xviii. 3.——» Matt. xxvi. 55; Luke xxii. 52. ¢ Psa. xxii. 6; 


appear to have been differently used among the He- 
brews ; the first Addi, was a term of civil respect ; 
the second, Adda, a term of filial affection. Hence, 
Abba, Abbi, as in the Syriac version in this place, may 
be considered as expressing, My Lord, my Father. 
And in this sense St. Paul is to be understood in the 
places referred to above. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 37. Saith unto Peter] See 
xxvi. 40. 

Verse 51. A certain young man] Probably raised 
from his sleep by the noise which the rabble made 
who came to apprehend Jesus, having wrapped the 
sheet or some of the bed-clothing about him, became 
thereby the more conspicuous: on his appearing, he 
was seized ; but as they had no way of holding him, 
put only by the cloth which was wrapped round him, 

Wer = f 22 ) 


on Matt. 


for their eyes were heavy: | body; and the young men laid hold on him: 


52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from 
them naked. 

53 9 © And they led Jesus away to the high 
priest: and with him were assembled all the 
chief priests, and the elders, and the scribes. 

54 And Peter followed him afar off, even 
into the palace of the high priest: and he sat 
with the servants, and warmed himselfat the fire. 

55 ‘And the chief priests and all the council 
sought for witness against Jesus, to put him 
to death; and found none. 

56 For many bare false witness against him, 
but their witness agreed not together. 

57 And there arose certain, and bare false 
witness against him, saying, 

58 We heard him say, £I will destroy this 
temple that is made with hands, and within 
three days I will build another made without 
hands. 

59 But neither so did their witness agree 
together. 

60 » And the high priest stood up in the 
midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest 
thou nothing ? what zs it which these witness 
against thee ? 


Isa. 1111. 7, &c.; Luke xxii. 37; xxiv. 44.——4 Psa. lxxxviii. 8: 
ver. 27.—* Matt. xxvi. 57; Luke xxii. 54; John xviii. 13.—‘ Matt. 
xxvi. 59.— Chap. xv. 29; John ii. 19.—h Matt. xxvi. 62. 


he disengaged himself from that, and so escaped out 
of their hands. ‘This cireumstance is not related by 
any other of the evangelists. 

Verse 52. And he left the linen cloth, and fled from 
them naked.| It has often been intimated, by the inha- 
bitants of Jndia, that a European in strait clothes 
must be in great danger when his clothes take fire. 
From their loose clothing they can suddenly disengage 
themselves. When two Hindoos are engaged in a 
violent quarrel, and one seizes the clothing of the 
other, often the latter will leave his clothes in the 
hands of his opponent, and flee away naked. This 
seems to have been the case with the person men- 
tioned aboye. See Warp’s Customs. 

Verse 54. Peter followed] On Peter’s denial, see 
Matt. xxvi. 57, &v. 

337 


The high priest questions Christ. 


AM. 4033. 61 But ihe held his peace, and 
τὸ eg answered nothing. Again the 


high priest asked him, and said 
unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the 
Blessed ? 

62 And Jesus said, I am: ‘and ye shall see 
the Son of man sitting on the right hand of 
power, and coming in the c.ouds of heaven. 

63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, 
and saith, What need we any farther witnesses ? 

64 Ye have heard the blasphemy; what 
think ye? And they all condemned him to be 
guilty of death. 

65 And some began to spit on him, and to 
cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say 
unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did 
strike him with the palms of their hands. 

66 9 ™ And as Peter was beneath in the 
palace, there cometh one of the maids of the 
high priest : 


‘Isa. i. 7.— Matt. xxvi. 63.1 Matt. xxiv. 30; xxvi. 64; 


Luke xxii. 69.——™ Matt. xxvi. 58, 69; Luke xxii. 55; John | 


xvill, 16. 


At the fire.| Προς το φως, literally, at the light, i. 6. 
a fire that cast considerable light, in consequence of 
which, the maid servant was the better able to distin- 
guish him: see ver. 67. 

Verse 61. Of the Blessed?| cov tov ευλογητου, 
Or, of God the blessed one. cov is added here by 
AK, ten others, Vulgate, and one of the Jtala. It 
might be introduced into the text, put in Italics, if the 
authority of the MSS. and versions be not deemed 
sufficient. It appears necessary for the better under- 
standing of the text. The adjective, however, con- 


ST. MARK. 


_ther understand I what thou sayest. 


| 


Peter denies him 


67 And when she saw Peter AM 403 
warming himself, she looked upon An. Olymp. 
him, and said, And thou also wast vee 
with Jesus of Nazareth. 

68 But he denied, saying, ! know not, nei- 
And he 
went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 

69 * Anda maid saw him again, and began to 
say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 

70 And he denied it again. ° And a little 
after, they that stood by said again to Peter, 
Surely thou art one of them: Ρ for thou art a 
Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. 

71 But he began to curse and to swear, say 
ing, 1 know not this man of whom ye speak. 

72 4And the second time the cock crew. 
And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus 
said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, 
thou shalt deny me thrice. And * when he 
thought thereon, he wept. 


Ὁ Matt. xxvi. 73; Luke xxii. 58; John xviii. 25. © Matt 
xxvi. 73; Luke xxii. 59; John xviii. 36. Acts ii. 74 Matt. 
xxvi. 75,— Or, he wept abundantly, or, he began to weep. 


veys a good sense by itself, and is according to a fre- 
quent Hebrew form of speech. 

Verse 72. And when he thought thereon, he wep:.] 
Or, he fell a weeping. ‘This Mr. Wakefield thinks 
comes nearest to the original, ἐπιβαλὼν exAace. Others 


| think it means the wrapping of his head in the skirts 


of his garment, through shame and anguish. Others 
think that ἐπιβαλὼν rather refers to the violence, or 
hurry, with which he left the place, being impelled 


| thereto by the terrors and remorse of his guilty con- 
| science. 


Our own translation is as good as any. 


CHAPTER XV. 


Jesus 1s brought before Pilate, examined, and accused, but makes no answer, 1-5. 

for the release of Barabbas, and the crucifixion of Christ, 6-14. 
Two thieves are crucified with him, 27, 28. 
hanging on the cross, he is mocked and insulted, 29-32. 


mocked, insulted, and nailed to the cross, 15—26. 


33-37. 
and behold his death, 40, 41. 


The rending of the veil, and the confession of the centurion, 38, 39. 


The multitude clamour 
Pilate consents, and he is led away, 
While 
The miraculous darkness and our Lord’s death, 
Several women atiend, 


Joseph of Arimathea begs the body from Pilate, and buries it, 42-46. 


Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses, note the place of his burial, 47. 


A, M. 4033, a 3 
ΩΝ a straightway in the morn 
Ap, Olyap , the chief priests held a con- 


ices with the elders and scribes 
and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and 
carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 


a Psa. ii. 2; Matt. xxvii. 1; Luke xxii. 66; xxiii. 1; 


NOTES ON CHAP. XV. 
Verse 1. In the morning] See Matt. xxvii. 1, &c. 
Verse 8. The multitude crying aloud] Αναβοησας. 
338 


2 » And Pilate asked him, Art thou 4, M- 4088. 
the king of the Jews? And he an- An. De 
swering said unto him, Thousayest τέ. ἐπ 

8 And the chief priests accused him of many 


things: but he answered nothing. 
John xviii. 28; Acts iii. 13; iv. 26——> Matt. xxvii. 11. 


The word itself strongly marks the voczferations, or, 

to come nearer the original word, the dellowing of the 

multitude. It signifies, properly, a loud and long ery, 
(ree) 


Christ is examined by Pilate, 


Share. 4 ° And Pilate asked him again, 


An. Olymp. saying, Answerest thou nothing? 
CCIL. 1. ἔ : 
——— behold how many things they wit- 

ness against thee. 

5 “But Jesus yet answered nothing ; so that 
, Pilate marvelled. 

6 % Now " αἱ that feast he released unto 
them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. 

7 And there was one named Barabbas, which 
Jay bound with them that had made insurrec- 
tion with him, who had committed murder in 
the insurrection. 

8 And the multitude crying aloud, began to 
desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. 

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will 
ye that I release unto you the King of the 
Jews? 

10 For he knew that the chief priests had 
delivered him for envy. 

11 But ‘the chief priests moved the people, 
that he should rather release Barabbas unto 
them. 

12 And Pilate answered and said again unto 
them, What will ye then that I shall do unto 
him whom ye call the King of the Jews ? 


© Matt. xxvii. 13——4 Isa. lili. 7; John xix. 9. © Matt. xxvii. 


15; Luke xxiii. 17; John xviii. 39. 


such as Christ emitted on the cross. See the whole 
history of these proceedings against our Lord treated 
at large, on Matt. xxvii. 

Verse 17. And platted a crown of thorns] In the 
note on Matt. xxvii. 29, I have ventured to express a 
doubt whether our Lord was crowned with thorns, in 
our sense of the word ; this crown being designed as 
an instrument of torture. I am still of the same 
opinion, having considered the subject more closely 
since writing that note. As there I have referred to 
Bishop Pearce, ἃ man whose merit as a commentator 
is far beyond my praise, and who, it is to be regretted, 
did not complete his work on the New Testament, I 
think it right to insert the whole of his note here. 

“The word axavfov may as well be the plural geni- 
tive case of the word axav@oc as of ακανθη : if of the 
latter, it is rightly translated, of thorns; but the for- 
mer would signify what we call dear’s-foot, and the 
French, branche ursine. This is not of the thorny 
kind of plants, but is soft and smooth. Virgil calls it 
mollis acanthus, Ecl. iii. 45, Geor. iv. 137. So does 
Pliny, sec. Epist. ver. 6. And Pliny the elder, in his 
Nat. Hist. xxii. 22, p. 277, edit. Hard., says that it 
is levis, smooth ; and that it is one of those plants that 
are cultivated in gardens. I have somewhere read, 
but cannot at present recollect where, that this soft 
and smooth herb was very common in and about Jeru- 
salem. I find nothing in the New Testament said con- 
cerning this crown, which Pilate’s soldiers put on the 
head of Jesus, to incline one to think that it was of 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


᾿ 


who delivers hum to be crucified. 


: in, A. M. 4033. 
13 And they cried out again, Δι ἢ So 


Crucify him. ea 
14 Then Pilate said unto them, kee 
Why, what evil hath he done? And they 


cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify 
him. 

15 5 And so Pilate, willing to content the 
people, released Barabbas unto them, and de- 
livered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to 
be crucified. 

16 4 * And the soldiers led him away unto 
the hall, called Pratorium; and they call to- 
gether the whole band. 

17 And they clothed him with purple, and 
platted a crown of thorns, and put it about 
his head, 

18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of 
the Jews ! 

19 And they smote him on the head with a 
reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their 
knees worshipped him. 

20 And when they had mocked him, they 
took off the purple from him, and put his own 
clothes on him, and led him out to crucify 
him. 


f Matt. xxvii. 20; Acts iii. 14——8 Matt. xxvii. 26; John xix. 
1, 16.— Matt. xxvii. 27. 


thorns, and intended, as is usually supposed, to put him 
to pain. The reed put into his hand, and the scarlez 
robe on his back, were only meant as marks of mockery 
and contempt. One may also reasonably judge, by 
the soldiers being said to plat this crown, that it was 
not composed of such twigs and leaves as were of a 
thorny nature. I do not find that it is mentioned by 
any of the primitive Christian writers as an instancé 
of the cruelty used towards our Saviour, before he wag 


| led to his crucifixion, till the time of Tertullian, whr: 


lived after Jesus’s death at the distance of above 160 
years. He indeed seems to have understood axavOwv 
in the sense of thorns, and says, De Corona Militar. 
sect. xiv. edit. Pamel. Franck. 1597, Quale, oro te. 
Jesus Christus sertum pro utroque sexu subut? Ex 
spinis, opinor, et tribulis. The total silence of Poly- 
carp, Barnabas, Clem. Romanus, and all the other 
Christian writers whose works are now extant, and 
who wrote before Tertullian, in particular, will give 
some weight to incline one to think that this crown was 
not platted with thorns. But as this is a point on 
which we have not sufficient evidence, I leave it al- 
most in the same state of uncertainty in which I found 
it. The reader may see a satisfactory account of 
acanthus, bear’s-foot, in Quincy’s English Dispensatory, 
part ii. sect. 3, edit. 8, 1742.” 

This is the whole of the learned and judicious pre- 
late’s note ; on which I have only to observe. that the 
species of acanthus described by Virgil and the two 
Plinys, as mollis and levis, soft and smooth, is, no 

339 


Two thieves crucified with Christ. 


A.M. 4033. 21 1 And they compel one Simon, 


An. Olymp. a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming 
out of the country, the father of 
Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. 

22 * And they bring him unto the place 
Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The 
place of a skull. 

23 1 And they gave him to drink wine 
mingled with myrrh: but he received 7¢ not. 
24 § And when they had crucified him, 
™ they parted his garments, casting lots upon 
them, what every man should take. 

25 And 51 was the third hour, and they 
crucified him. 

26 And ° the superscription of his accusation 
was written over, THE KING OF THE 
JEWS. 

27 And Ρ with him they crucify two thieves ; 
the one on his right hand, and the other on 
his left. 


iMatt. xxvii. 32; Luke xxiii. 26— Matt. xxvii. 33; Luke 
xxiii. 33; John xix. 17——! Matt. xxvii. 34——™ Psa. xxii. 18; 
Luke xxii. 34; John xix. 23-——" See Matt. xxvii. 45; Luke 
xxiii. 44; John xix. 14. 


doubt, the same as that formerly used in medicine, and 
described by Quincy and other pharmacopeists ; but 
there are other species of the same plant that are 
prickly, and particularly those called the acanthus spi- 
nosus, and the ilicifolius, the latter of which is com- 
mon in both the Indies: this has leaves something like 
our common holly, the jagged edges of which are armed 
with prickles; but I do not conceive that this kind 
was used, nor indeed any other plant of a thorny nature, 
as the Roman soldiers who platted the crown could 
have no interest in adding to our Lord’s sufferings ; 
though they smote him with the rod, yet their chief 
object was to render him ridiculous, for pretending, as 
they imagined, to regal authority. The common wild 
acanthus or bear’s-foot, which I have often met in the 
dry turf bogs in Ireland, though it have the appear- 
ance of being prickly, yet is not, in fact,so. Several 
shoots grow from one root, about four or five inches 
long, and about as thick as a little finger. A parcel 
of such branches, platted by their roots in a string, 
might be made to look even ornamental, tied about the 
temples and round the head. It would finely imitate 
a crown or diadem. But 1 know not if this plant be 
a native of Judea. 

Verse 21. A Cyrenian] One of Cyrene, a cele- 
brated city in the Pentapolis of Libya. 

The father of Alexander and Rufus] It appears 
that these two persons were well known among the 
first disciples of our Lord. It is not unlikely that this 
is the same Alexander who is mentioned, Acts xix. 
33, and that the other is the Rufus spoken of by St. 
Paul, Rom. xvi. 13. 

Verse 25. The third hour] It has been before ob- 
served, that the Jews divided their night into four 

340 


ST. MARK. 


He is insulted on the cross. 


28 And the scripture was fulfilled, Ae 3039 
which saith, 4 And he was number- re Oly 
ed with the transgressors. aaa 

29 J And "they that passed by railed on 
him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, 
‘thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest 
it in three days, 

30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross 

31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking 
said among themselves with the scribes, He 
saved others; himself he cannot save. 

32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend 
now from the cross, that we may see and be- 
lieve. And tthey that were crucified with 
him, reviled him. 

33 Ἵ And "when the sixth hour was come, 
there was darkness over the whole land until 
the ninth hour. 

34 And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with 
a loud voice, saying, ἡ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabach- 


° Matt. xxvii. 37; John xix. 19—P Matt. xxvii. 38 —1Isa 
liii. 12; Luke xxii. 37. Psa. xxii. 7——* Chap. xiv. 58; John 
ii. 19. τ Matt. xxvii. 44; Luke xxiii. 39. ees xxvii. 45 ; 
Luke xxiii. 44. ¥ Psa. xxii. 1 ; Matt. xxvii. 46. 


watches, of three hours each. They also divided the 
day into four general parts. The first began at sun- 
rise. The second three hours after. The third at 
mid-day. The fourth three hours after, and continue 
till sunset. Christ having been nailed to the cross ἃ 
little after mid-day, John xix. 14-16, 17, and having 
expired about three o’clock. Mark xv. 33. the whole 
business of the crucifixion was finished within the space 
of this third division of the day, which Mark calls 
here the third hour. Commentators and crities have 
found it very difficult to reconcile this third hour of 
Mark, with the szath hour of John, chap. xix. 14. It 
is supposed that the true reading, in John xix. 14, 
should be τρίτη, the third, instead of ἕκτη, the sixth; 
a mistake which might have readily taken place in 
ancient times, when the character Κ᾽ gamma, which 
was put for τρίτη, three, might have been mistaken for 
> episema, or sigma tau, which signifies siz. And 
τρίτη, the third, instead of ἕκτη, the sixth, is the read- 
ing of some very eminent MSS. in the place in ques- 
tion, John xix. 14. See Bengel, Newcome, Mack- 
night, Lightfoot, Rosenmuller, &c., on this perplex- 
ing point. 

Verse 27. Two thieves] A copy of the Itala tells 
their names: One on the right hand—named Zoathan 
and one on the left hand—named Chammatha. 

Verse 28. The scripture was fulfilled] All this 
verse is wanting in many MSS., some versions, and 
several of the fathers. 

Verse 32. And believe] In him is added by DFG- 
HPBHV, and upwards of sixty others; as also the 
Armenian, Slavonic, and four Itala. 

Verse 34. My God, my God, &c.] See on Matt 
XXvil. 46. 

1 


The confession of the centurion. 


se thani? which is, being interpreted, 
An, Olyme. My God, my God, why hast thou 
.- forsaken me? 

35 And some of them that stood by, when 
they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 

36 And ¥ one ran and filled.a sponge full of 
vinegar, and put it on a reed, and *gave him 
to drink, saying, Let alone ; let us see whether 
Elias will come to take him down. 

37 ¥ And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and 
gave up the ghost. 

38 Ἵ And 7 the veil of the temple was rent 
in twain from the top to the bottom. 

39 Ἵ And *when the centurion, which stood 
over against him, saw that he so cried out, 
and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this 
man was the Son of God. 

40 ὃ There were also women looking on 
‘afar off: among whom was Mary Magda- 
lene, and Mary, the mother of James the less 
and of Joses, and Salome; 

41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, 
‘followed him, and ministered unto him;) 

w Matt. xxvii. 48; John xix. 29—— Psa. lxix. 21——¥ Matt. 


xxvii. 50; Luke xxiii. 46; John xix. 30. τ Matt. xxvii. 51; 
Luke xxiii. 45 -——* Matt. xxvii. 54; Luke xxiii. 47. 


Verse 37. Gave up the ghost.] This was about 
three o’clock, or what was termed by the Jews the 
ninth hour; about the time that the paschal lamb was 
usually sacrificed. The darkness mentioned here must 
have endured about two hours and a half. Concern- 
ing this eclipse, see on Matt. xxvii. 45. 

Verse 40. Joses} Some MSS. and versions read 
Joset, others Joseph. See on Matt. xxvii. 56. 

Verse 42. The day before the Sabbath] What we 
would call Friday evening. As the law of Moses had 
ordered that no criminal should continue hanging on a 
tree or gibbet till the setting of the sun, Joseph, fear- 
ing that the body of our Lord might be taken down, 
and thrown into the common grave with the two rob- 
bers, came and earnestly entreated Pilate to deliver it 
to him, that he might bury it in his own new tomb. 
See on Matt. xxvii. 56 and 60. 

Verse 43. Went in boldly unto Pilate] He who 
was a coward before now acts a more open, fearless 
part, than any of the disciples of our Lord! This 
the Holy Spirit has thought worthy of especial notice. 
Tt needed no small measure of courage to declare now 
for Jesus, who had been a few hours ago condemned 
as a dlasphemer by the Jews, and as a seditious person 
by the Romans ; and this was the more remarkable in 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


Joseph begs the body of Jesus. 


and many other women which 4,™ 4033. 

came up with him unto Jerusa- An. Olymp. 
CCIL.1. 

lem. ἐν μεν atte 

42 Ἵ “ And now when the even was come, 
because it was the preparation, that is, the 
day before the Sabbath, 

43 Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable 
counsellor, which also ‘ waited for the kingdom 
of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, 
and craved the body of Jesus. 

44 And Pilate marvelled if he were al- 
ready dead; and calling unto him the centu- 
rion, he asked him whether he had been any 
while dead. 

45 And when he knew it of the centurion, 
he gave the body to Joseph. 

46 £And he bought fine linen, and took 
him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and 
laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out 
of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door 
of the sepulchre. 

47 And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the 
mother of Joses, beheld where he was laid. 

> Matthew xxvil. 55; Luke xxiii. 49. © Psa. xxxviii. 11. 


4 Luke viii. 2, 3——e Matt. xxvii. 57; Luke xxiii. 50; John xix. 38. 
f Luke ii. 25, 38. —¢ Matt. xxvii. 59, 60; Luke xxiii.53; John xix. 40. 


Joseph, because hitherto, for fear of the Jews, he had 
been only a secret disciple of our Lord. See John 
xix. 38. 

The apostle says, We have BoupNess to enter into 
the holiest through his blood. Strange as it may ap- 
pear, the death of Jesus is the grand cause of confi- 
dence and courage to a believing soul. 

Verse 47. Beheld where he was laid.| The courage 
and affection of these holy women ‘cannot be too 
much admired. The strength of the Lord is perfected 
in weakness ; for here a timid man, and a few weak 
women, acknowledge Jesus in death, when the strong 
and the mighty utterly forsook him. 


Homan strength and human weakness are only 
names in religion. The mightiest MAN, in the hour ot 
trial, can do nothing without the strength of God ; 
and the weakest woman can do all things, if Christ 
strengthen her. These truths are sufficiently exem- 
plified in the case of Peter and all his brother disci- 
ples on the one hand; and Joseph of Arimathea and 
the two Marys on the other. And all this is recorded, 
equally to prevent both presumption and despair. 
Reader, let not these examnles be produced before 
thee in vain. 

341 


Women bring spices 


ST. MARK. 


to embalm the body. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


Early 1 the mornng after the Sabbath, the three Marys come to the sepulchre, bringing sweet spices to em- 


balm the body, 1-4. 


with power to work miracles, 17, 18. 
and work miracles, 20. 


a ie AND 4when the Sabbath was 
pre ae past, Mary Magdalene, and 


Mary the mother of James, and 
Salome, ἢ had bought sweet spices, that they 
might come and anoint him. 

2 ° And very early in the morning, the first 
day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre 
at the rising of the sun. 

3 And they said among themselves, Who 
shall roll us away the stone from the door 
of the sepulchre ? 


Matt. xxviii. 1; Luke xxiv. 1; John xx. 1.—» Luke xxiii. 56. 
¢ Luke xxiv. 1; John xx. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. 

Verse 1. And anoint him.] Rather, to embalm him. 
This is a proof that they had not properly understood 
what Christ had so frequently spoken, viz. that he 
would rise again the third day. And this inattention 
or unbelief of theirs is a proof of the truth of the re- 
surrection. 

Verse 2. Very early in the morning] This was the 
time they left their own houses, and by the rising of 
the sun they got to the tomb. As the preceding day 
was the Sabbath, they could not, consistently with 
the observances of that day, approach the tomb. See 
the concluding notes at the end of John. 

The following observations from Lightfoot will 
serve to illustrate this subject. 

“The distinction of the twilight among the rabbins 
was this :— 

«T. samvn andes The hinde of the morning— 
the first appearance. R. Chaiia Rab, and R. Simeon 
ben Chalaphta, travelling together on a certain morn- 
ing in the valley of Arbel, saw the hinde of the morn- 
ing, that its light spread the sky. R. Chaiia said, 
Such shall be the redemption of Israel. First, it 
goes forward by degrees, and by little and little ; but 
by how much the more it shall go forward, by so much 
the more it shall increase. It was at that time that 
Christ arose, namely, in the first morning, as may be 
gathered from the words of St. Matihew. And to 
this the title of the 22d Psalm seems to have respect 
—onwn noys by. See also Rev. xxii. 16, I am the 
bright and morning star. And now you may imagine 
the women went out of their houses towards the sepul- 
chre. 

Sah. 13} noon pa vawn When one may distin- 
guish between purple colour and white. From what 
time do they recite their phylacterical prayers in the 
morning 2 From that time that one may distinguish 

342 


They see an angel who announces the resurrection of our Lord, 5-8. 
pears to Mary Magdalene, who goes and tells the disciples, 9-11. 
who were gong into the country, who also tell it to the rest, 12, 13. 
eleven, and commissions them to preach the Gospel to all mankind, 14-16. 
He is received up into heaven, 19. 


Jesus ap- 
He appears also to the two disciples 
Afterwards he appears unto the 
And promises to endue them 
And they go forth to preach 


4 And when they looked, they ra 
saw that the stone was rolled away ; An. Olymp. 
CCIE. 1. 


for it was very great. faa ΟΣ 

5 4 And entering into the sepulchre, they 
saw a young man sitting on the right side, 
clothed in a long white garment; and they 
were affrighted. 

6 “ And he saith unto them, Be not affright- 
ed: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was 
crucified: he is risen; he is not here: be- 
hold the place where they laid him. 


4 Luke xxiv. 3; John xx. 1], 12. e Matt. xxviii. 


5, 6, 7. 
between purple colour and white. R. Eliezer saith, 
Between purple colour and green. Before this time 
was obscurum adhuc cepte lucis, the obscurity of the 
begun light, as Tacitus’s expression is. 

“TIT. ΠῚ ὌΝ When the east begins to 
lighten. 

“TV. monn yj. Sunrise; from the hinde of the 
morning going forth, until the east begins to lighten; 
and from the time the east begins to lighten, until 
sunrise, ὅτ. 

“ According to these four parts of time, one might 
not improperly suit the four phrases of the evangel- 
ists. According to the first, Matthew’s, Ty επιφωσ- 
Keon, As it began to dawn. According to the second, 
John’s, Πρωΐ σκοτιας ete ὅσης, Early in the morning 
when it was yet dark. ‘'To the third, Luke’s, Opdpe 
βαθεως, Very early in the morning. 'To the fourth, 
Mark’s, Acav πρωΐ, Very early in the morning. And 
yet, Ανατείλαντος τὰ ἥλιδβ, At the rising of the sun. 
For the women came ¢wice to the sepulechre, as St. 
John teaches, by whom the other evangelists are to be 
explained; which being well considered, the recon- 
ciling them together is very easy.” 

Verse 4. For it was very great] This clause should 
be read immediately after the third verse, according 
to D, three copies of the Jtala, Syriac, HMier., and 
Eusebius. “ Who shall roll us away the stone from 
the door of the sepulchre? for it was very great. 
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was 
rolled away.” They knew that the stone was too 
heavy for them to roll away; and, unless they got 
access to the body, they could not apply the aro- 
matics which they had brought to finish the em 
balming. 

Verse 6. Jesus of Nazareth] The Jews had given 
this name to Christ by way of reproach, Matt. 1]. 23 ; 
but as it was under this name that he was crucified, 

1 


Christ appears to 


A. M, 4033. + ee 
5 61 But go your way, tell his dis 


An, Olymap. ciples and Peter, that he goeth be- 
—_ fore you into Galilee: there shall 

e see him, ‘as he said unto you. 

8 And they went out quickly, and fled from 
the sepulchre; for they trembled and were 
amazed; £ neither said they any thing to any 
man ; for they were afraid. 

9 Ἵ Now when Jesus was risen early the 
first day of the week, "he appeared first to 


€ Matt. xxvi. 32; chap. xiv. 28.——5 See Matt. xxviii. 8; Luke 
xxiv. 9. hk John xx. 14. 


John xix. 19, the angel here, and the apostles after, 
have given him the same name, Acts iv. 10, &c. 
Names which the world, in derision, fixes on the 
followers of God, often become the general appella- 
tives of religious bodies: thus Quakers, Puritans, 
Pietists, and Methodists, have in their respective 
times been the nicknames, given in derision by the 
world, to those who separated themselves from its 
corruptions. Our Lord, by continuing to bear the 
name of the Nazarene, teaches us not to be too nice 
or scrupulous in fixing our own appellation. No 
matter what the name may be, as long as it implies 
no particular evz/, and serves sufficiently to mark 
us out. Let us be contented to bear it, and thus 
earry about with us the reproach of Christ; always 
taking care to keep our garments unspotted from the 
world. 

Verse 7. Tell his disciples and Peter] Why is not 
Peter included among the disciplest For this plain 
reason,—he had forfeited his discipleship, and all 
right to the honour and privileges of an apostle, by 
denying his Lord and Master. However, he is now 
a penitent:—tell him that Jesus is risen from the 
dead, and is ready to heal fis backsliding, and love 
him freely; so that, after being converted, he may 
strengthen his brethren. 

Verse 9. Now when Jesus was risen, &c.] This, to 
the conclusion of the Gospel, is wanting in the famous 
Codex Vaticanus, and has anciently been wanting in 
many others. See Wetstein and Griesbach. In the 
margin of the later Syriac version, there is a remark- 
able addition after this verse ; it is as follows :—And 
they declared briefly all that was commanded, to them 
that were with Peter. Afterward Jesus himself pub- 
lished by them, from east to west, the holy and incor- 
ruptible preaching of eternal salvation. Amen. 

Mary Magdalene] It seems likely that, after this 
woman had carried the news of Christ’s resurrection 
tc the disciples, she returned alone to the tomb; 
and that it was then that Christ appeared to her, 
John xx. 1-11, 12; and a little after he appeared 
tv all the women together, Matt. xxviii. 9; Luke 
xxiv. 10. 

Verse 10. Them that had been with him] Not only 
the eleven disciples, but several others who had been 
tne occasional companions of Christ and the apostles. 

Mourned and wept.| Because they had lost their 
Lord and Master, and had basely abandoned him in 
bis extremity. 

1 


CHAP. XVI. 


Mary Magdalene. 


Mary Magdalene, ‘ out of whom he Αἰ 4033. 
had cast seven devils. An. Olymp. 

10 * And she went and told them ahs ΗΒ 
that had been with him, as they mourned and 
wept. 

11 ' And they, when they had heard that he was 
alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 

12 Ἵ After that he appeared in another 
form ™ unto two of them, as they walked, and 
went into the country. 


EE EEE eee 
i Luke viii. 2—— Luke xxiv. 10; John xx. 18.——! Luke xxiv. 
11.— Luke xxiv. 13. 


Verse 12. He appeared—unto two of them] These 
were the two who were going to Emmaus. The 
whole account is given by Luke, chap. xxiv. 13-34, 
where see the notes. 

Dr. Lightfoot’s criticism upon this passage is 
worthy of notice. 

“ That, in the verses immediately going before, the 
discourse is of the two disciples going to Emmaus, is 
without all controversy. And then how do these 
things consist with that relation in Luke, who saith, 
That they two, returning to Jerusalem, found the 
eleven gathered together, and they that were with them; 
who said, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared 
to Simon? Luke xxiv. 34. The word λέγοντας, saying, 
evidently makes those to be the words τῶν évdexa, 
of the eleven, and of those that were gathered to- 
gether with them; which, when you read the ver- 
sions, you would scarcely suspect. For when that 


word is rendered by the Syrrac, ΣΟ ad 


cad amrin; by the Arazic, οϑὴϑϑ es wehom 


yekolon; by the VuuearTe, dicentes; by the Iraxian, 
dicendo; by the Frencw, disans; by the Eneuisu, 
saying ; who, I-pray, would take it in another sense, 
than that those two that returned from Emmaus said, 
The Lord is risen indeed, ἅς. ἢ But in the original 
Greek, when it is the accusative case, it is plainly to be 
referred to the eleven disciples, and those that were 
together with them; as if they had discoursed among 
themselves of the appearance made to Peter, either 
before, or now in the very access of those two coming 
from Emmaus. And yet, says this our evangelist, 
that when those two had related the whole business, 
they gave ne credit to them; so that, according to 
Luke, they believed Christ was risen, and had appear- 
ed to Simon, before they told their story ; but, accord- 
ing to Mark, they believed it not, no, not when they 
had told it. The reconciling therefore of the evange- 
lists is to be fetched thence, that those words pro- 
nounced by the eleven, ‘Or nyepn ὁ Kuptog οὐτως, &e., 
The Lord is risen indeed, &c., do not manifest their 
absolute confession of the resurrection of Christ, but a 
conjectural reasoning of the sudden and unexpected 
return of Pefer. I believe that Peler was going with 
Cleophas into Galilee, and that being moved with the 
words of Christ, told him by the women, Say to his 
disciples and Peter, I go before you into Galilee— 
think with yourself how doubtful Peter was, and how 
he fluctuated within himself after his threefold denial, 
343 


Our Lord commissions his 


A. Μ. 4033. f 
AUT bat 13 And they went and told it 


An. Olymp. unto the residue: neither believed 
they them. 

14 4 = Afterward he appeared unto the ele- 
ven as they ° sat at meat, and upbraided them 
with their unbelief and hardness of heart, be- 
cause they believed not them which had seen 
him after he was risen. 

15 » And he said unto them, Go ye into all 
the world, 4and preach the Gospel to every 
creature. 


2 Luke xxiv. 36; John xx. 19; 1 Cor. xv. 5. © Or, together. 
P Matt. xxviii. 19; John xv. 16—4 Col. i. 23. + John iii. 18, 36; 
Acts 11. 38; xvi. 30, 31,32; Rom. x. 9; 1 Pet. 111. 21 —s John xii. 48. 


and how he gasped to see the Lord again, if he were 
risen, and to cast himself an humble suppliant at his 
feet. When therefore he heard these things from the 
women, (and he had heard it indeed from Christ him- 
self, while he was yet alive, that when he arose he 
would go before them into Galilee,) and when the rest 
were very little moved with the report of his resurrec- 
tion, nor as yet stirred from that place, he will try a 
journey into Galilee, and Alpheus with him; which, 
when it was well known to the rest, and they saw him 
return so soon and so unexpectedly—Certainly, say 
they, the Lord is risen, and hath appeared to Peter, 
otherwise he had not so soon come back again. And 
yet, when he and Cleophas open the whole matter, they 
do not yet believe even them.” 

Verse 14. And upbraided them with their unbelief | 
Never were there a people so difficult to be persuaded 
of the truth of spiritual things as the disciples. It may 
be justly asserted, that people of so skeptical a turn 
of mind would never credit any thing till they had the 
fullest evidence of its truth. The unbelief of the dis- 
ciples is a strong proof of the truth of the Gospel of 
God. See the addition at the end. 

Verse 15. Go ye into all the world | See on Matt. 
xxvili. 19. 

And preach the Gospel to every creature.| Proclaim 
the glad tidings—of Christ crucified, and raised from 
the dead—to all the creation, macy Ty κτισει----ῖο the 
Gentile world; for in this sense 172 berzoth, is often 
understood among the rabbins ; because ue, through the 
grace of God, hath tasted death for every man, Heb. 
ii. 9. And onthe rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, 
it was sent to the whole Gentile world. 

Verse 16. He that believeth] He that credits this 
Gospel as a revelation from God: and is baptized— 
takes upon him the profession of it, obliging himself 
to walk according to its precepts: he shall be saved— 
redeemed from sin here, and brought at last to the 
enjoyment of my eternal glory. But he that believeth 
not, shall be damned—because he rejects the only pro- 
vision that could be effectual to his soul’s salvation. 

Verse 17. These signs shall follow] Or rather, 
accompany ; this is the proper import of the original 
word παρακολουθησει, from παρα with, and ακολουθεω 
I follow. 

Them that believe] The believers, as we express it; 

344 


ST. MARK. 


disciples to preach the Gospet 


: +. A. M. 4033, 
16 *He that believeth, and is oh 


baptized, shall be saved; * but An. Olymp. 
he that believeth not shall be - το 
damned. 

17 And these signs shall follow them that 
believe: * In my name shall they cast out de- 
vils ; “they shall speak with new tongues ; 

18 ἡ They shall take up serpents; and if 
they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt 
them ; τ they shall lay hands on the sick, and 
they shall recover. 


t Luke x. 17; Acts v. 16; vill. 7; xvi. 18; xix. 12. « Acts 
ii. 4; x. 46; xix.6; 1 Cor. xi. 10, 28—*Luke x. 19; Acts 
xxvili. 5. ——W Acts v. 15, 16; ix. 17; xxviii. 8; James ν. 14, 15. 


i. e. the apostles, and all those who in those primitive 
times were endued with miraculous powers, for the 
confirmation of the doctrines they preached. 

In my name] That is, by the authority and influ- 
ence of the almighty Jesus. 

Cast out devils} Whose kingdom Jesus Christ was 
manifested to destroy. 

Speak with new tongues] This was most literally 
fulfilled on the day of pentecost, Acts ii. 4-12. 

Verse 18. Take up serpents] Several MSS. add ev 
ταις χερσιν, in their hands—shall be enabled to give, 
when such a proof may be serviceable to the cause of 
truth, this evidence of their being continually under 
the power and protection of God, and that all nature 
is subject to him. This also was literally fulfilled in 
the case of Paul, Acts xxviii. 5. 

Tf they drink any deadly thing| Θανάσιμον (φαρμακον) 
being understood—if they should through mistake, or 
accident, drink any poisonous matter, their constant 
preserver will take care that it shall not injure them. 
See a similar promise, Isa. xiii. 2. 

They shall lay hands on the sick} And 1 will convey 
a healing power by their hands, so that the sick shall} 
recover, and men shall see that these are sent and 
acknowledged by the Most High. Several instances 
of this kind are found in the Acts of the Apostles 

That the apostles of our Lord should not lose their 
lives by potson is most fully asserted in this verse, and 
there is neither record nor tradition to disprove this. 
But it is worthy of remark, that Mohammed, who 
styled himself Tue ApostLe or Gop, lost his life by 
poison; and had he been a true apostle of God, he 
could not have fallen by it. Al Kodai, Abul Feda, 
and Al Janati, give the following account. 

When Mohammed, in the seventh year of the Hejra, 
A.D. 628, had taken the city of Khecbar, from the 
Arab Jews, he took up his lodgings at the house of 
Hareth, the father of Marhab the Jewish general, who 
had been slain at the taking of the city by Alce, the 
son-in-law of Mohammed. Zeenab the daughter of 
Hareth, who was appointed to dress the prophet’s din- 
ner, to avenge the fall of her people, and the death of 
her brother, put poison in a roasted lamb which was 
provided for the occasion. Bashar, one of his com- 
panions, falling on too hastily, fell dead on the spot. 
Mohammed had only chewed one mouthful, but had 

1 


He is recewed 


4M. en So then, * after the Lord had 
an, Qivme. spoken unto them, he was ¥ received 


up into heaven, and *sat on the 
right hand of God. 


χα Acts i. 2, 3.——Y Luke xxiv. 51——* Psa. ex. 1; Acts vii. 55. 


not swallowed it: though. on perceiving that it was 
poisoned, he immediately spat it out, yet he had swal- 
lowed a sufficiency of the juice to lay the foundation 
of his death; though this did not take place till about 
three years after: but that it was the cause of his 
death then, his dying words related by Al Janabi, and 
others, sufficiently testify. When the mother of 
Bashar came to see him in his dying agonies, he thus 
addressed her: “Ὁ mother of Bashar, I now feel the 
veins of my heart bursting through the poison of that 
morsel which I ate with thy son at Kheebar.” 

Abul Feda, Ebnol Athir, and Ebn Phares say, that 
the prophet acknowledged on his death-bed, that the 
poison which he had taken at Kheebar had tormented 
him from that time until then, notwithstanding blisters 
were applied to his shoulders, and every thing done in 
the beginning to prevent its effects. Al Kodai and 
Al Janabi relate, that when Zeenab was questioned 
why she did this, she answered to this effect : “TI said 
in my heart, If he be a king, we shall hereby be freed 
from his tyranny; and if he be a prophet, he will easily 
perceive it, and consequently receive no injury.” To 
support his credit, he pretended that the lamb spoke 
to him, and said that it was infected with poison! See 
Elmakin, p. 8. Τὸ was therefore policy in him not to 
put Zeenab to death. It has pleased God that this 
fact should be acknowledged by the dying breath of 
this scourge of the earth; and that several of even the 
most partial Mohammedan historians should relate it ! 
And, thus attested, it stands for the complete and ever- 
lasting refutation of his pretensions to the prophetic 
spirit and mission. Vide Specimen Hist. Arabum, a 
Pocockio, p. 189,190. Le Coran traduit par Savary, 
vol. i. p. 135, and 212. See also, The Life of Mo- 
hammed by Priveavx, 93, 101. 

Verse 19. After the Lord had spoken] These 
things, and conversed with them for forty days, he was 
taken up into heaven, there to appear in the presence 
of God for us. 

Verse 20. The Lord working with them] This 
co-operation was twofold, internal and external. In- 
ternal, illuminating their minds, convincing them of the 
truth, and establishing them in it. Erternal, convey- 
ing their word to the souls that heard it, by the de- 
monstration of the Holy Ghost; convincing them of 
sin, righteousness, and judgment; justifying them by 
his blood, and sanctifying them by his Spirit. Though 
miraculous powers are not now requisite, because the 
truth of the Gospel has beer sufficiently confirmed, 
yet this co-operation of God is indispensably necessary, 
without which no man can be a successful preacher ; 
and without which no soul can be saved. 

With signs following.] Ἑπακολουθουντων σημείων, 
the accompanying signs: viz. those mentioned in the 
17th and 18th verses, and those others just now spo- 
ken of, which still continue to be produced by the en- 

1 


CHAP. XVI. 


into heaven. 


20 And they went forth, and 4,M, 4033. 
preached every where, the Lord An, Olymp. 
working with them, * and confirming es 


the word with signs following. Amen. 


a Acts v. 12, xiv. 3; 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5; Heb. ii. 4. 


ergy of God, accompanying the faithful preaching of 
his unadulterated word. 

Amen.] This is added here by many MSS. and 
versions; but is supposed not to have made a part of 
the text originally. Griesbach, Bengel, and others, 
leave it out. 

St. Jerome mentions certain Greek copies, which 
have the following remarkable addition to ver. 14, 
after these words—and reproached them for their 
unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not 
believe those who had seen him after he was raised 
up: Et illi satisfaciebant dicentes: seculum istud 
iniquitatis et incredulitatis substantia est, que non 
sinit per immundos spiritus veram Dei apprehendi 
virtutem. Idcirco, jam nunc revela justitiam tuam. 
“ And they confessed the charge, saying: This age is 
the substance of iniquity and unbelief, which, through 
the influence of impure spirits, does not permit the 
true influence of God to be apprehended. Therefore, 
even now, reveal thy righteousness.” 

There are various subscriptions to this book in the 
MSS. and versions; the principal are the following : 
“ The holy Gospel according to Mark is ended—writ- 
ten by him—in Ecyet—in Rome—in the Latin tongue 
—directed by Peter—the 10th—12th year after the 
ascension of Christ—preached in Alewandria, and all 
its coasts.” Dr. Lardner supposes this Gospel to have 
been composed A. D. 64 or 65, and published before 
the end of the last mentioned year. See the 
Preface. 

The Gospel according to Mark, if not an abridg- 
ment of the Gospel according to Matthew, contains ἃ 
neat, perspicuous abridgment of the history of our 
Lord; and, taken in this point of view, is very satis- 
factory ; and is the most proper of all the four Gos- 
pels to be put into the hands of young persons, in order 
to bring them to an acquaintance with the great facts 
of evangelical history. But as a substitute for the 
Gospel by Matthew, it should never be used. It is 
very likely that it was written originally for the use 
of the Gentiles, and probably for those of Rome. Of 
this, there seem to be several evidences in the work 
itself. Of the other Gospels it is not only a grand 
corroborating evidence, but contains many valuable 
hints for completing the history of our Lord, which 
have been omitted by the others; and thus, in the 
mouths of rour witnesses, all these glorious and inte- 
resting facts are established. 

One thing may be observed, that this Gospel has 
suffered more by the carelessness and inaccuracy of 
transcribers than any of the others: and hence the 
various readings in the MSS. are much more nume- 
rous, in proportion, than in the other evangelists.— 
Every thing of this description, which I judged to be 
of real importance, I have carefully noted. 

Though the matter of St. Mark’s work came from 

345 


Observations on the nature 


the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, yet the language 
seems to be entirely Ais own: it is very plain, simple, 
and unadorned; and sometimes appears to approach 
to a degree of rusticity or inelegance. Whoever reads 
the original must be struck with the very frequent, 
and often pleonastic, occurrence of evfewc, immediately, 
and παλιν, again, and such like; but these detract no- 
thing from the accuracy and fidelity of the work. The 
Hebraisms which abound in it may be naturally ex- 
pected from a native of Palestine, writing in Greek. 
The Latinisms which frequently occur are accounted 


ST. MARK. 


and importance of baptism 


for on the ground of this Gospel being written for the 
Gentiles, and particularly for the Roman people : this, 
it must be confessed, is only theory, but it is a theory 
which stands supported by many arguments, and highly 
presumptive facts. However this may be, the Gospel 
according to Mark is a very important portion of Di- 
vine revelation, which God has preserved by a chain 
of providences, from the time of its promulgation until 
now; and for which no truly pious reader will hesi- 
tate to render due praise to that God whose work is 
ever perfect. Amen. 


SOME OBSERVATIONS 


ON 


THE 


NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM. 


On the subject of baptism, several observations have 
been made in the course of the preceding notes; and 
its great importance to the Christian religion carefully 
noted. Dr. Lightfoot has spoken well on the subject ; 
and I have reserved his observations for this place, 
and earnestly recommend them to the notice of every 
unprejudiced reader. On the mode of administering 
baptism, there need be no dispute among Christians : 
both dipping and sprinkling are legitimate forms ; and 
either may be used, as the consciences or religious 
prejudices of the parties may direct: but the thing it- 
self, and its great reference, are of the utmost import- 
ance. Baptism is a standing proof of the Divine au- 
thenticity of the Christian religion, and, as Dr. Light- 
foot well argues, a seal of the truth of the doctrine of 
justification by faith, through the blood of the covenant. 

* Tt is no unfit or unprofitable question,” he observes, 
“whence it came to pass, that there was so great a 
conflux of men to John the Baptist, and so ready a re- 
ception of his baptism. 

“J. The reason is, because the manifestation of the 
Messias was then expected, the weeks of Daniel being 
now spent to the last four years; and therefore the 
people were stirred up to prepare for his appearing. 

“JI. Another reason of it was this. The institution 
of baptism, for an evangelical sacrament, was first in 
the hand of the Baptist ; who, the word of the Lord 
coming to him, (Luke iii. 11,) went forth, backed with 
the same authority as the chiefest prophets had in time 
past. But yet the first use of baptism was not exhi- 
bited at that time. For baptism, very many centuries 
back, had been both known and received in most fre- 
quent use among the Jews; and for the very same 
end as it now obtains among Christians, namely, 
that by it proselytes might be admitted into the Church: 
and hence it was ealled ΠῚ nb’ baptism.for pro- 
selytism; and was distinct from 173 ΓΙ} 2 baptism 
or washing from uncleanness. See the Babylonian 
Talmud in Jevamoth. 

“ All the Jews assert, as it were with one mouth, 
that all the nation of Jsrael were brought into the cove- 
nant, among other things, by baptism. srael (saith 
Maimonides, the great interpreter of the Jewish law) 

946. 


was admitted into the covenant by three things, name 
ly, by circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice. Cireum- 
cision was in Egypt, as it is said, None uncircumcised 
shall eat of the passover. Baptism was in the wilder- 
ness, before the giving of the law, as it is said, Thou 
shalt sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them 
wash their garments. 

“III. They assert that an infinite number of pro- 
selytes, in the days of David and Solomon, were ad- 
mitted by baptism. The Sanhedrin received not pro- 
selytes in the days of David and Solomon: not in the 
days of David, lest they should betake themselves to 
proselytism out of a rear of the kingdom of Israel; 
not in the days of Solomon, lest they might do the 
same by reason of the Guory of the kingdom. And 
yet abundance of proselytes were made in the days of 
David and Solomon before private men; and the great 
Sanhedrin was full of care about this business ; for 
they would not cast them out of the Church, because 
they were baptized. Maimonies, Issure Biah, ο. 13. 

“TV. Whensoever any heathen will betake himself 
and be joined to the covenant of Israel, and place him- 
self under the wings of the Divine Majesty, and take 
the yoke of the law upon him, voluntary circumcision, 
baptism, and oblation are required ; but if it be a wo- 
man, baptism and oblation. Ibid. That was a common 
axiom, ΙΔ byw ἪΨ 73 {sx No man is a proselyte 
until he be circumcised and baptized. Jevamoru, 
fol. 46. 

“You see baptism inseparably joined to the cireum- 
cision of proselytes. There was indeed some little dis- 
tance of time ; for they were not baptized till the pain 
of circumcision was healed, because water might be 
mjurious to the wound: but certainly baptism ever 
followed. We acknowledge, indeed, that circumcision 
was plainly of Divine institution ; but by whom baptism, 
which was inseparable from it, was instituted, is doubt- 
ful. And yet, it is worthy of observation, our Saviour 
rejected circumcision, and retained the appendix, dap- 
tism; and when all the Gentiles were now to be in- 
troduced into the true religion, he preferred this prose- 
lytical introductory (pardon the expression) unto the 
sacrament of entrance into the Gospel. One might 

1 


Observations on the nature 


observe the same almost in the eucharist. The lamb 
in the passover was of Divine institution, and so in- 
deed was the bread: but whence was the wine? But 
yet, rejecting the Jam), Christ instituted the sacrament 
in the dread and wine. Secondly, Observing from 
these things which have been spoken, how very known 
and frequent the use of baptism was among the Jews, 
the reason appears very easy, why the Sanhedrin, by 
their messengers, inquired not of John concerning the 
reason of baptism, but concerning the authority of the 
baptizer; not what baptism meant, but whence he had 
a license so to baptize: John i. 25. Thirdly, Hence 
also the reason appears, why the New ‘T’estament does 
not prescribe, by some more accurate rule, who the 
persons are to be baptized. 

“Tt appears clear enough, by what has been already 
said, in what sense this is to be taken in the New Tes- 
tament, which we sometimes meet with, namely, that 
the master of the family was baptized with his whole 
family, Acts xvi. 15, 33, &c. Nor is it of any strength 
what some contend for, ‘ that it cannot be proved there 
were infants in those families ;’ for the inquiry is not 
so proper, whether there were infants in those fami- 
lies, as it concluded truly and deservedly that, if there 
were, they had all been to be baptized. Nor do I be- 
lieve this people that flocked to John’s baptism were 
so forgetful of the manner and custom of the nation 
that they brought not their little children also with 
them to be baptized. 

“J. If you compare the washing of polluted persons 
prescribed by the law, with the baptism of proselytes, 
both that and this implies uncleanness, however some- 
ning different; that implies /egal uncleanness, this 
heathen, but both polluting. But a proselyte was bap- 
tized not only into the washing away of tnat Gentile 
pollution, nor only thereby to be transplanted into the 
religion of the Jews; but that, by the most accurate 
rite of translation that could possibly be, he might so 
pass into an Israelite that, being married to an Israel- 
ite woman, he might produce a free and legitimate 
seed, and an undefiled offspring. Hence servants that 
were taken into a family were baptized, and servants 
also that were to be made free: not so much because 
they were defiled with heathen uncleanness, as that 
by that rite 729 595 Ss wD becoming Israelites in all 
respects, they might be more fit to match with Israel- 
ttes, and their children be accounted as Jsraelites.— 
And hence the sons of proselytes, in following gene- 
rations, were circumcised indeed, but not baptized. 
They were circumcised, that they might take upon 
themselves the obligations of the law, but they needed 
not baptism, because they were already Israelites. 

“TI. The baptism of proselytes was the bringing 
over of Gentiles into the Jewish religion; the baptism 
of John was the bringing over of Jews into another 
religion: and hence it is the more to be wondered at 
that the people so readily flocked to him, when he in- 
troduced a baptism so different from the known prose- 
lytical baptism. The reason of which is to be fetched 
from hence, that at the coming of the Messias, they 
thought, not without cause, that the state of things 
was plainly to be changed ; and that from the oracles 
of the prophets, who with one mouth described the 
times of the Messias for a new world. 

1 


CHAP. XV1. 


und importance of baptism 


ΤΠ. The baptism of proselytes was an obligation 
to perform the law; that of John was an obligation to 
repentance : for although proselytical baptism admitted 
of some ends, and circumcision of others, yet a tradi- 
tional and erroneous doctrine at that time had joined 
this to both, that the proselyte covenanted in both, and 
obliged himself to perform the law ; to which that of 
the apostle relates, Gal. v. 3, I testify again to every 
man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the 
whole law. But the baptism of John was a baptism 
of repentance, Mark i. 4, which being undertaken, 
they who were baptized professed to renounce their 
own legal righteousness, and, on the contrary, acknow- 
ledged themselves to be obliged to repentance and faith 
in the Messias to come. 

“TV. That the baptism of John was by plunging 
the body, (after the same manner as the washing un- 
clean persons and the baptism of proselytes was,) 
seems to appear from those things which are related 
of him; namely, that he baptized in Jordan, that he 
baptized in Enon, because there was much water there ; 
and that Christ being baptized came up out of the 
water: to which that seems to be parallel, Acts vii. 
38, Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, 
ἄς. Some complain that this rite is not retained in 
the Christian Church, as though it something dero- 
gated from the truth of baptism, or as though it were 
to be called an innovation, when the sprinkling of 
water is used instead of plunging. 

“1. That the notion of washing in John’s baptism 
differs from ours, in that he baptized none who were 
not brought over from one religion, and that an irre- 
ligious one too, into another, and that a true one. 
But there is no place for this among us, who are born 
Christians ; the condition therefore being varied, the 
rite is not only lawfully but deservedly varied also. 
Our baptism argues defilement indeed, and unclean- 
ness ; and demonstrates this doctrinally, that we being 
polluted, have need of washing ; but this is to be un- 
derstood of our natural and sinful stain, to be washed 
away by the blood of Christ and the grace of God: 
with which stain indeed they were defiled who were 
baptized by John. But to denote this washing by a 
sacramental sign, the sprinkling of water is as suffi- 
cient as the dipping into water, when in truth this 
argues washing and purification, as well as that. 

τς Since dipping was a rite used on/y in the Jewish 
nation, and proper to it, it were something hard if all 
nations should be subjected under it; but especially 
when it is neither necessary to be esteemed of the 
essence of baptism, and is moreover so harsh and dan- 
gerous that, in regard of these things, it scarcely gave 
place to circumcision. We read that some, leavened 
with Judaism to the highest degree, yet wished that 
dipping in purification might be taken away; because 
it was accompanied with so much severity. In the 
days of R. Joshua ben Levi, some endeavoured to abo- 
lish this dipping, for the sake of the women of Galilee ; 
because, by reason of the cold, they became barren. 
Surely it is hard to lay this yoke upon all nations 
which seemed too rough for the Jews themselves, and 
not to be borne by them, men too much given to such 
kind of severer rites. And if it be demanded of them 
who went about to take away that dipping, Would 

947. 


Observations on tne nature 


you have no purification at all by water? It is proba- 
ble that they would have allowed of the sprinkling of 
water, which is less harsh, and not less agreeable to 
the thing itself. 

“3. The following ages, with good reason, and by 
Divine precept, administered a baptism differing in a 
greater matter from the baptism of John; and there- 
fore it was less to differ in a less matter. The ap- 
plication of water was necessarily of the essence of 
baptism; but the application of it in this or that 
manner speaks but a circumstance: the adding also 
of the word was of the nature of a sacrament ; but the 
changing of the word into this or that form, would 
you not call this a circumstance αἰδοῖ And yet we 
read the form of baptism so changed that you may 
observe it to be threefold in the history of the New 
Testament. 

“Farther, In reference to the form of John’s bap- 
tism, which thing we have proposed to consider in the 
second place, it is not at all to be doubted that he 
baptized in the name of the Messias now ready to 
come ; that they might be the readier to receive the 
Messias, when he should manifest himself. The 
apostles, baptizing the Jews, baptized them in the 
name of Jesus, (because Jesus of Nazareth had now 
been revealed for the Messias,) and that they did, 
when it had been before commanded them by Christ, 
Bapuaze all nations, in the name of the Father, of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. So you must understand 
that which is spoken, John iii. 23, and iv. 2, concern- 
ing the disciples of Christ baptizing; namely, that 
they baptized in the name of Jesus, that thence it 
might be known that Jesus of Nazareth was the 
Messias, in the name of whom, suddenly to come, 
John had baptized. That of St. Peter is plain, Acts 
ii. 38, Be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ: and that, Acts viii. 16, They were 
baptized in the name of Jesus. 

“Βα the apostles baptized the Gentiles according 
to the precept of our Lord, in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Matt. xxviii. 
19. For since it was very much controverted among 
the Jews about the true Messias, it was not without 
cause, yea, nor without necessity, that they baptized 
in the name of Jesus, that by that seal might be con- 
firmed this most principal truth in the Gospel, and 
that those that were baptized might profess it—that 
Jesus of Nazareth was the true Messias. But among 
the Gentiles the controversy was not concerning the 
true Messias, but concerning the true God. Among 
them, therefore, it was needful that baptism should be 
conferred in the name of the true God, Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit. 

τ We suppose therefore, that men, women, and chil- 
dren came to John’s baptism, according to the manner 
of the nation in the reception of proselytes; namely, 
that they standing in Jordan were taught by John 
that they were baptized into the name of the Messias, 
who was now immediately to come, and into the pro- 
fession of the doctrine of the Gospel concerning faith 
ana repentance; that THEY plunged themselves into 
the river, and so came out. And that which is said 
of them, that they were baptized by him, confessing 
tneur sins. is to be understood according to the tenor 

348 


ST. MARK. 


and importance of baptism 


of the Baptist’s preaching; not that they did this 
man by man, or by some particular confession made 
to John, or by openly declaring some particular sins ; 
but, when the doctrine of John exhorted them to re- 
pentance and faith in the Messias, they renounced and 
disowned the doctrine and opinion of justification by 
their own works, wherewith they had been beforetime 
leavened, and acknowledged and confessed themselves 
sinners.” 

It is worthy of remark, that neither priest nor Le- 
vite dipped the persons who were baptized: the per 
sons stood in the water; three persons ordinarily stood 
to instruct them and witness the fact; when the in- 
struction was ended, the person himself who was to be 
baptized put himself under the water, and then came 
out. Inthe case of a woman, the disciples of the 
wise men turned their backs while she plunged her- 
self and came out of the water; for 1 suppose the 
whole Jewish practice will not afford a single instance, 
where a priest or any other man put the woman under 
the water when she was baptized. From this we 
learn, that the act of baptism was performed by the 
person himself; but the instruction relative to its end, 
obligation, &c., came from another. 

“ They baptized also youNG CHILDREN, (for the most 
part with their parents.) They baptize a litile prose- 
lyte according to the judgment of the sanhedrin ; that 
is, as the gloss renders it, If he be deprived of his 
father, and his mother brings him to be made a prose- 
lyte, they baptize him (because none becomes a prose- 
lyte without circumcision and baptism) accordimg to 
the judgment, or rite, of the sanhedrin: that is, that 
three men be present at the baptism, who are now in- 
stead of a father to him. And the Gemara, a little 
after, says, If, with a proselyte, his sons and his 
daughters are made proselytes also, that which is 
done by their father redounds to thew good. 

“ R. Joseph saith, When they grow into years, they 
may retract: where the gloss writes thus, This is to 
be understood of LITTLE CHILDREN, who are made 
proselytes together with their father. Bas. CHERus. 
fol. 11. 

“ A heathen woman, if she is. made a proselytess 
when she is now big with child, the child needs not 
baptism; for the baptism of his mother serves him 
for baptism. Otherwise he were to be baptized. 
Jevam. fol. 78. 

“ Tf an Israelite take a Gentile cuiup, or find a 
Gentile 1nrant, and baptize him in the name of α 
proselyte, behold he is a proselyte. Maim. in Ava 
dim, α. 8. 

“ We cannot pass over that which is indeed wor- 
thy to be remembered. Any one’s servant is to be 
circumcised, though he be wnwilling ; but any one’s 
son zs not to be circumcised, if he be unwilling. Εἰ. 
Hezekiah saith, Behold a man finds an infant cast 
out, and he baptizeth him in the name of a servant: 
in the name of a freeman, do you also circumcise him 
in the name of a freeman. Hteros. Jevam. fol. 8. 

‘Our Lord says to his disciples, Matt. xxviii. 19, 
Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them, 
&e. padytevcare—that is, Make disciples :—bring 
them in by baptism, that they may be taught. They 
are very much out who, from these words, ery down 

1 


Observations on the nature 


infant baptism; and assert that it is necessary for 
those that are to be baptized to be taught before they 
are baptized. 1. Observe the words here : μαϑητεύυσατε, 
make disciples ; and then after, διδάσκοντες, teaching, 
in the 20th verse. 2. Among the Jews, and also 
with us, and in all nations, those are made disciples 
that they may be taught. A certain heathen came to 
the great Hillel and said, Make me a proselyte that 
thou mayest teach me: Bas. Shab. fol. 31. He was 
first to be proselyted, and then taught. Thus, first 
make them disciples (μαϑητευσατε) by baptism; and 
then, Teach them to observe all things, &c. Διδασκετε 
αὐτὰς τηρεῖν παντα. Κ. τ. a. 

“Banrigovrec, baptizing.—There are various ends 
of baptism: 1. According to the nature of a sacrament, 
it visibly teaches invisible things; that is, the wash- 
ing us from all our pollutions by the blood of Christ, 
and by the cleansing of grace: Ezek. xxxvi. 25. 2. 
According to the nature of a sacrament, it 15 ἃ seal of 
Divine truth. So cireumcision is called, Rom. iv. 11, 
And he received the sign of circumcision, the SEAL of 
the righteousness of faith, &c. So the Jews, when 
they circumcised their children, gave this very title to 
circumeision. The words used when a child was cir- 
eumcised, you have in their Talmud. Among other 
things, he who is to bless the action, says thus: 
‘Blessed be he who sanctified him that was beloved 
from the womb, and set a sign in his flesh, and sealed 
his children with the sign of the holy covenant,’ &c. 
Heros. Berac. fol. 13. But in what sense are sacra- 
ments to be called seals? Not that they seal (or 
confirm) to the receiver his righteousness; but that 
they seal the Divine truth of the covenant and promise. 
Thus the apostle calls circumcision, the seal of the 
righteousness of faith: that is, it is the seal of this 
truth and doctrine, that justification is by faith, which 
justice Abraham had when he was yet uncircumcised. 
And this is the way whereby sacraments confirm faith ; 
namely, because they doctrinally exhibit the invisible 
things of the covenant; and like seals, so, by Divine 
appointment, sign the doctrine and truth of the cove- 
nant. 3. According to the nature of a sacrament, it 
obliges the receivers to the terms of the covenant ; 
for as the covenant itself is of mutual obligation be- 
tween God and man, so the sacraments, the seals of 
the covenant, are of like obligation. 4. According to 
its nature, it is introductory to the visible Church. 
5. It is a distinguishing sign between a Christian and 
no Christian, namely, between those who acknowledge 
and profess Christ, and Jews, Turks, and Pagans, 
who do not acknowledge him. Μαϑητεύσατε παντὰ 
ta εϑνη Baxtovrec—Disciple all nations, baptizing, 
&c. When they are under baptism, they are no 
longer under heathenism ; and this sacrament puts a 
difference between those who are under the disciple- 
ship of Christ, and those who are not. And 6. Bap- 
tism also brings its privileges along with it; while it 
opens the way to a partaking of holy things in the 
Church, and places the baptized within the Church, 
over which God exercises a more singular providence 
than over those who are out of the Church. 

“ And now, from what has been said, let us argue 
a little farther in behalf of infant baptism. 

“To the objection, Jt is not commanded to baptize 

1 ' 


CHAP. XVI 


and importance of baptism. 


infants, therefore they are not to be baptized :—1 
answer, It is not forbidden to baptize infants, there 
fore they are to be baptized. And the reason is plaiv 
for when pedo-baptism in the Jewish Church was so 
known, usual, and frequent in the admission of pro 
selytes, that nothing almost was 1nore known, usual, 
and frequent; there was no need to strengthen it 
with any precept, when baptism was now passed into 
an evangelical sacrament. For Christ took baptism 
into his hands, and into evangelical use, as he found 
it; this only added, that he might promote it to a 
worthier end and a larger use. The whole nation 
knew well enough that litile children used to be bap- 
tized; there was no need of a precept for that, which 
had ever by common use prevailed. If a royal pro- 
clamation should now issue forth in these words, Let 
every one resort on the Lord’s day to the public assem- 
bly in the church; certainly he would be mad, who in 
times to come should argue hence, that prayers, ser- 
mons, and singing of psalms, were not to be cele- 
brated on the Lord’s day in the public assemblies, be- 
cause there is no mention of them in the proclamation. 
For the proclamation provided for the celebration of 
the Lord’s day in the public assemblies in general ; but 
there was no need to make mention of the particular 
kinds of the Divine worship to be celebrated there, 
when they were always and every where well known, 
and in daily use, before the publishing of the procla- 
mation, and when it was published. The case is the 
very same in baptism. On the other hand, therefore, 
there was need of a plain and open prohibition that 
infants and little children should not be baptized, if 
our Lord would not have had them baptized. For 
since it was most common, in all preceding ages, that 
little children should be baptized, if Christ had been 
minded to have that custom abolished, he would have 
openly forbidden it. Therefore his silence, and the 
silence of the Scripture in this matter, confirms pedo- 
baptism, and continues it to all ages. 

“J. Baptism, as a sacrament, is a seal of the 
covenant. And why, I pray, may not this seal be set 
on infants 2 The seal of Divine truth has sometimes 
been set upon znanimate things, and that by God’s 
appointment. The dow in the cloud is a seal of the 
covenant. The law engraven on the altar, Josh. viii. 
was a seal of the covenant. The blood sprinkled on 
the fwelve pillars, which were set up to represent the 
twelve tribes, was a seal and bond of the covenant, 
Exod. xxiv. And now tell me, Why are not infants 
capable in like manner of sucha sealing? They were 
capable heretofore of circumcision, and our infants 
have an equal capacity. The sacrament does not 
lose this its end, through the indisposition of the re- 
ceiver: Peter and Paul, apostles, were baptized. 
Their baptism, according to its nature, sealed to them 
the truth of God in his promises, concerning the 
washing away of sins, &c., and they from this doc- 
trinal virtue of the sacrament received confirmaticn 
of their faith. So also Judas and Simon Magus, 
hypocrites, wicked men, were baptized. Did not 
their baptism, according to the nature of it, seal this 
doctrine and truth, that there was a washing away of 
sins? It did not indeed seal the thing itself to them 
nor was it at all a sign to them of the washing away 

349 


Observations on the nature 


of their sins: but baptism does of itself seal this doc- 
trine. You will grant that this axiom is most true: 
Abraham received the sign of circumcision, the seal 
of the righteousness of faith. And is not this equally 
true, Esau, Ahab, Ahaz, received the sign of circum- 
cision, the seal of the righteousness of faith? Is not 
circumcision the same to allt Did not circumcision, 
to whomsoever it was administered, sign and seal this 
truth, that there was a righteousness of faith? The 
sacrament has a sealing virtue in itself, which does 
not depend on the disposition of the receiver. 

“JI. Baprism, as a sacrament, is an obligation. But 
now infants are capable of being obliged. Heirs are 
sometimes obliged by their parents, though they are 
not yet born: see Deut. xxix. 11,15. For that to 
which any one is obliged obtains a right to oblige, 
ex equitate rei, from the equity of the thing, and not 
ex captu obligati, from the apprehension of the person 
obliged. The law is imposed upon all, under this 
penalty, ‘ Cursed be every one that doth not continue 
in all,’ &c. It is ill arguing from hence, that a man 
has power to perform the law; but the equity of the 
thing itself is very well argued hence. Our duty 
obliges us to do every thing which the law commands, 
but we cannot [without Divine help] perform the least 
tittle of it. 

“TIT. An infant is capable of privileges, as well as 
an old man (and baptism is privilegial.) An infant 
has been crowned king in his cradle—an infant may 
be made free, who is born a slave. The Gemarists 
speak very well in this matter. Rab. Honna says, 
They baptize an infant proselyle by the command of 
the bench. Upon what is this grounded? On this, 
that baptism becomes a privilege to him. And they 
may endow an absent person with a privilege: or they 
may bestow a privilege upon one, though he be igno- 
rant of it—Bab. Chetub. fol. 11. Tell me, then, 
why an infant is not capable of being brought into the 
visible Church, and receiving the distinguishing sign 
between a Christian and a heathen, as well asa grown 
person!” See Lightfoot’s Hore Hebraice, in Matt. 
111. and xxviii. 

The following observations on the subject are from 
a highly intelligent and learned friend. 


“T presume the substance of the argument respect- 
ing infant baptism, pro and con, is fairly epitomized 
by Doddridge in his Lectures, cliii.,iv.,v. Doubtless, 
much ean be said for it on the principles he has laid 
down ; and he has of course given all which had been 
adduced on the subject. Yet, after all, he himself 
seems scarcely satisfied. His corollary is remark- 
able :—‘ Since there is so great an obscurity on the 
question, and so many considerable things may be 
advanced on both sides, it is certainly very reasonable 
that Christians, whose persuasions relating to infant 
baptism are different, should maintain mutual candour 
towards each other, and avoid all severe and unkind 
censures on account of such difference.’ 

“This was, at all events, good advice; and worthy 
of the amiable man who gave it. But it would be 
most desirable that this long-agitated question could 
be brought to a more certain issue. Constituted as 


ST. MARK. 


and wmportance of baptism. 


obstruct coalescence of affection. To investigate truth, 
therefore, even in its most speculative forms, provided 
it be done soberly and dispassionately, is at least to 
subserve the cause of charity. 

“Tn addition to the arguments which Doddridge 
has enumerated on the side of infant baptism, I 
would put this question :—If infant baptism had not 
been in use in those Churches over which Timothy 
and Titus presided, must there not have existed, by 
the time at which the epistles to those two pastors 
were written, a considerable class of persons, neither 
wholly out of nor yet properly in the Church—a class 
whose very peculiar and very important circumstances 
and characters would have demanded distinct recog- 
nition? They would have been eminently the spes 
gregis, and, by necessary consequence, would have 
needed to be watched over with special superin- 
tendence. 

‘“« When, therefore, amid the recognitions of old men, 
old women, young women, young men, children, pa- 
rents, servants, masters, the rich, the friendly, the 
unfriendly, the heretical, there is not the most shadowy 
intimation of such a class as deferred baptism necessa- 
rily supposes, (that is, of young aspirants, already 
bound to the Church in affection, and entitled to more 
tender care than even the actually initiated,) what 
stronger evidence could we have, that no such class 
existed? If it had existed, self-evidently it must have 
been adverted to; it is not adverted to; therefore it 
did not exist. 

“ But this is not all. They who must have com- 
posed this class, had it existed, are expressly and 
repeatedly mentioned. But where? In the actual 
survey of the Church. As the vigilant eye of the 
apostle of the Gentiles passes along the line of the 
faithful, both at Ephesus and Colosse, he finds and 
addresses the infant members of the body. There is 
no shade of difference indicated. They come in, as 
complete compeers, with the classes which precede 
and follow. Included thus in the Church, without the 
slightest note of distinction, what can be more evident 
than that they made a part of the Church in the mind 
of the includer ? 

“Once more. Let the address of St. Paul to the 
Ephesian children be especially noted. Children, says 
he, obey your parents, ev Kup. How could they 
obey εν Κυρίῳ, if they themselves were not ev Κυρίῳ ? 
In every instance, this expression marks incorporation 
into the Christian body. For example, when St. Paul 
distinguishes those of the family of Narcissus, who 
were Christians, his language is: τοὺς οντας EN 
KYPIQ. In like manner, Onesimus, the reconciled 
servant of Philemon, was, in consequence of his con- 
version, to be doubly dear to his master ev σαρκὶ καὶ 
EN KYPIQ: εν σαρκι, from having been formerly do- 
mesticated with Philemon; εν Κυρίῳ, as being now his 
fellow Christian. The equivalent expression, ev XpioTw, 
occurs in the same sense, in St. Paul’s salutation of 
Andronicus and Jreneus, (Rom. xvi. 7,) Οἱ καὶ πρὸ 
guov γεγονασιν EN XPIZTQ, who also were IN CuRIsT 
before me. 

“Respecting the age of the persons designated 
(Ephes. vi. 1, &c.) by the term τὰ τέκνα, there can be 


man is, dissonance of mind will ever more or less|no question: as a subsequent verse distinctly states 


350 


‘ 1 


Observations on the nature 


them to be such children as were subjects of discipline 
and mental institution—raidera καὶ νουϑεσια. But it 
must not escape attention, how exactly the sequel of 
the apostle’s address accords with the commencement ; 
the injunction being given as to those in express cove- 
nant. ‘ Honour thy father and thy mother—for this 
is the first commandment with promise.’ Had those 
addressed been out of the Christian pale, this language 
would have been inapplicable. In that case they would 
have been απηλλοτρίωμενοι the πολιτείας του IopanA— 
therefore not within the range of the Divine command- 
ment; and Sevoe των διαϑηκὼων τῆς exayyedtac—conse- 
quently not warranted to assume an interest in the 
promise. As, then, even the pressing of the sacred 
injunction supposes the persons on whom it is urged 
to be συμπολιται των ἁγίων, fellow citizens with the 
saints, their acknowledged interest in the promise 
proves them οἰκείοι tov Θεοῦ, of the household of God. 
Eph. ii. 12, 19. I cannot therefore but conclude that 
this single passage, if even it stood alone, ought to set 
the tedious and troublesome controversy, respecting 
infant baptism, for ever at rest. 

“ There is another point relative to this long-agita- 
ted question, which also I think the Scripture has 
anticipated and settled—I mean, immersion. Some 
think baptism by spRINKLING a contradiction. St. 
Paul, however, 1 Cor. x. 1, 2, did not think so. After 
telling us, that of πατερες-τττπαντες ὑπο τὴν νεφελην 
ἤσαν, καὶ παντὲς δια τῆς ϑαλασσης διηλϑον, all our 
Jathers were under the cloud, and all passed through 
the sea; he adds, with equal reference to the former 
as to the latter, καὶ παντες εἰς Tov Mwonv εβαπτίσαντο ev 
τῇ νεφελῃ καὶ ev tT ϑαλασσῃ, and were all baptized 
unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. The question 
then is, How were they baptized in the cloud? Not, 
surely, by immersion, for they were ὙΠΟ τὴν νεφελην, 
uNDER the cloud. It could therefore be only by asper- 
ston; this; and this alone, being the natural action of 
a cloud. All clouds are condensations of vapour ; and 
that the mysterious cloud here referred to had the 
natural properties of a common cloud, appears from 
the specified purpose to which it was applied: ‘ He 
spread a cloud for a covering,’—ab estu sive ardore 

i 


CHAP. XVI. 


and importance of baptism 


solis, says Pool. St. Paul therefore clearly spoke of 
‘being baptized in the cloud,’ with a direct eye to the 
moisture which it contained. In this view, the thought 
is strictly just : in any other view, it would be unintel- 
ligible. It follows, then, that, St. Paul being the judge, 
to be sprinkled is to be baptized, no less than to be 
immersed is to be baptized. 

“ Why should we doubt that this was said by St. 
Paul, for the express purpose of providing means for 
terminating, in its proper time, a vexatious dispute ? 
I am persuaded that, when the apostle was taken to 
the third heaven, he saw, from that elevation, the whole 
series of the Church’s progress, from his own time until 
the glorious ανακεφαλαιωσις, of which he himself speaks, 
(Eph. i. 10,) and that, unless we take this extension 
of view into the account, we cannot fully, perhaps not 
at all, fathom the depth of his writings.” 

ALEXANDER Knox. 

Dublin, Nov., 1812. 


It is easy to carry things to extremes on the right 
hand and on the left. In the controversy, to which 
there is a very genile reference in the preceding ovser- 
vations, there has been much asperity on all sides. It 
is high time this were ended. To say that water 
baptism is nothing, because a baptism of the Spirit 
is promised, is not correct. Baptism, howsoever ad- 
ministered, is a most important rite in the Church of 
Christ. To say that sprinkling or aspersion is no 
Gospel baptism, is as incorrect as to say immersion 
is none. Such assertions are as unchristian as they 
are uncharitable, and should be carefully avoided by 
all those who wish to promote the great design of the 
Gospel—glory to God, and peace and good will among 
men. Lastly, to assert that infant baptism is unscrip- 
tural, is as rash and reprehensible as any of the rest. 
Myriads of conscientious people choose to dedicate 
their infants to God, by public baptism. They are in 
the ricut !—and, by acting thus, follow the general 
practice both of the Jewish and Christian Church—a 
practice from which it is as needless as it is danger- 
ous to depart. 

Lonpon, Nov. 22, 1812. 

351 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


ST. LUKE. 


WITH A SHORT AGC OU NT OF ΗΒ hires: 


HERE is little certain known of this evangelist: from what is spoken in the Scriptures, and by the best 
informed of the primitive fathers, the following probable account is collected :— 

Luke was, according to Dr. Lardner, a Jew by birth, and an early convert to Christianity ; but Michaelis 
thinks he was a Gentile, and brings Col. iv. 10, 11, 14, in proof, where St. Paul distinguished Aristarchus, 
Mareus, and Jesus, who was called Justus, from Epaphras, Lucas, and Demas, who were of the circumcision. 
i. e. Jews. Some think he was one of our Lord’s seventy disciples. It is worthy of remark that he is the 
only evangelist who mentions the commission given by Christ to the seventy, chap. x. 1~20. It is likely he 
is the Lucius mentioned Rom. xvi. 21, and if so he was related to the Apostle Paul, and that it is the same 
Lucius of Cyrene who is mentioned Acts xiii. 1, and in general with others, Acts xi. 20. Some of the 
ancients, and some of the most learned and judicious among the moderns, think he was one of the two whom 
our Lord met on the way to Emmaus on the day of his resurrection, as related Luke xxiv. 13-35 ; one ot 
these was called Cleopas, ver. 18, the other is not mentioned, the evangelist, himself, being the person and 
the relator. 

St. Paul styles him his fellow-labourer, Philem. ver. 24. It is barely probable that he is the person 
mentioned, Col. iv. 14, Luke, the beloved physician. ΑἸ! the ancients of repute, such as Husebius, Gregory 
Nyssen, Jerome, Paulinus, Euthalius, Euthymius, and others, agree that he was a physiczan, but where he 
was born, and where he exercised the duties of his profession, are not known. Many moderns have attributed 
to him the most profound skill in the science of painting, and that he made some pictures of the Virgin Mary. 
This is justly esteemed fabulous ; nor is this science attributed to him by any writer previously to Nicephorus 
Callisti, in the fourteenth century, an author who scarcely deserves any credit, especially in relations not 
confirmed by others. 

He accompanied St. Paul when he first went into Macedonia, Acts xvi. 8-40, xx., xxvii., and xxviii. 
Whether he went with him constantly afterwards is not certain; but it is evident he accompanied him from 
Greece through Macedonia and Asia to Jerusalem, where he is supposed to have collected many particulars 
of the evangelic history: from Jerusalem he went with Paul to Rome, where he stayed with him the two years 
of his imprisonment in that city. This alone makes out the space of five years, and upwards. It is probable 
that he left St. Paul when he was set at liberty, and that he then went into Greece, where he finished and 
published this Gospel, and the book of the Acts, which he dedicated to Theophilus, an honourable Christian 
friend of his in that country. It is supposed that he died in peace about the eightieth or eighty-fourth year 
of his age. Some suppose he published this Gospel fifteen, others twenty-two years, after the ascension of 
Christ. 

See much on this subject in Lardner, Works, vol. vi. p. 104, &c., and in Michaelis’s Introduction to the 
New Testament. 

Some learned men think that Luke has borrowed considerably from St. Matthew : collate chap. iii. 7, 8 
9, 16, 17, with Matt. iii. 7-12; also chap. v. 20-38, with Matt. ix. 2-17; also chap. vi. 1-5, with Matt. 
xii. 1-5; Luke vii. 22-28, with Matt. xi. 4-11; also chap. xii. 22-31, with Matt. vi. 25-33. It is 
allowed that there is considerable diversity in the order of time between St. Matthew and St. Luke, which is 
accounted for thus: Matthew deduces the facts related in his history in chronological order. Luke, on the 
contrary, appears to have paid little attention to this order, because he proposed to make a classification of 
events, referring each to its proper class, without paying any attention to chronological arrangement Some 
crities divide this history into five distinct classes or sections, in the following manner :— 

352 1 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 


CLASS I. Comprehends all the details relative to the birth of Christ; with the preceding, concomitant, 
znd immediately succeeding circumstances. Chap. i. and ii. 1-40. 

CLASS II. Contains a description of our Lord’s infancy and bringing up ; his visit to the temple when 
twelve years of age; and his going down to Nazareth and continuing under the government of his parents. 
Chap. ii. 41-52. 

CLASS ITI. Contains the account of the preaching of John Baptist, and his success; the baptism of 
Christ, and his genealogy. Chap. iii. 

CLASS IV. Comprehends the account of all our Lord’s transactions in Galilee, for the whole three years 
of his ministry, from chap. iv. to chap. ix. 1-50. This seems evident: for as soon as Luke had given the 
account of our Lord’s temptation in the desert, chap. iv. 1-13, he represents him as immediately returning in 
the power of the Spirit into Galilee, ver. 14; mentions Nazareth, ver. 16; Capernaum, ver. 31; and the 
lake of Galilee, chap. v. ver. 1; and thus, to chap. ix. 50, goes on to describe the preaching, miracles, &c.. 
of our Lord in Galilee. 

CLASS Υ. and last, commences at chap. ix. ver. 51, where the evangelist gives an account of our Lord’s 
jast journey to Jerusalem: therefore this class contains, not only all the transactions of our Lord from that 
time to his crucifixion, but also, the account of his resurrection, his commission to his apostles, and his 
ascension to heaven. Chap. ix. 51, to chap. xxiv. 53, inclusive. 

A plan similar to this has been followed by Suetonius, in his life of Augustus: he does not produce his 
facts in chronological order, but classifies them, as he himself professes, cap. 12, giving an account of all his 
wars, honours, legislative acts, discipline, domestic life, &c., &c. Martuew, therefore, is to be consulted for 
the correct arrangement of facts in chronological order: Luke, for a classification of facts and events, without 
any attention to the order of time in which they occurred. Many eminent historians have conducted their 
narratives in the same way. See Rosenmuller. It must not, however, be forgotten, that this evangelist 
gives us some very valuable chronological data in several parts of the three first chapters. These shall be 
noticed in their proper places. 

Vou. 1. Ge 2a) 3£3 


THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


Bee wt Lait ss wks aig Cages δι ΜΝ 


Usherian year of the World, 3999.—Alexandrian year of the World, 5497.—Antiochian year of the World, 
5487.—Constantinopolitan Aura of the World, 5503.—Rabbinical year of the World, 3754.—Year of the 
Julian Period, 4708.— Mra of the Seleucide, 307.—Year before the Christian ἄτα, 6.—Year of the 
CXCIU. Olympiad, 3.—Year of the building of Rome, 748.—Year of the Julian Ara, 41.—Year of the 
Cesarean Aira of Antioch, 44.—Year of the Spanish τα, 34.—Year of the Paschal Cycle or Dionysian 
Period, 529.—Year of the Christian Lunar Cycle, or Golden Number, 15.—Year of the Rabbinical Lunar 
Cycle, 12.—Year of the Solar Cycle, 4.—Dominical Letter, C.—Kpact, 4.—Year of the Emperor Au- 
gustus, 25.—Consuls, D. Lelius Balbus, and C. Antistius Vetus, from January 1 to July 1; and Imp. C. 
Julius Cesar Octav. Augustus XII. and L. Cornelius Sulla, for the remainder of the year. The reason 
why two sets of Consuls appear in this Chronology is this: the Consuls were changed every year in July, 
therefore, taking in the whole year, four Consuls necessarily appear: two for the first siz months, and two 


for the latter half of the year. 


CHAPTER I. 


The preface, or St. Luke’s private epistle to Theophilus, 1-4. 
Zacharias doubts, 18. 


foretold by the angel Gabriel, 5-17. 
till the accomplishment of the prediction, 19-25. 


Virgin Mary, and predicts the miraculous conception and birth of Christ, 26-38. 
Mary’s song of exultation and praise, 46—56. 
The prophetic song of his father Zacharias, 67-79. 


Elisabeth, 39-45. 


A. M. cir. 4051. : 
Ree a PORASMUCH as many have 
cits Olymp: taken in hand to set forth in 


order *a declaration of those things 
which are most surely believed among us, 


The conception and birth of John Baptist 
And the angel declares he shall be dumb, 
Six months after the angel Gabriel appears to the 
Mary visits her cousin 
John the Baptist. is born, 57-66. 
John is educated in the desert, 80. 


2 » Evenas they delivered them 4, ™ cir. 4051. 
unto us, which ° from the begin- Gr Oa 
ning were eye-witnesses, and : 
ministers of the word ; 


2 Acts i.3; 1 Thess. i. 5; 1 Pet. ii. 12——» Heb. τι. 3; 1 Pet. 


v.1; 2 Pet. i. 16; 1 John i. 1. 


© Mark i. 1; John xv. 27. 


NOTES ON CHAP. I. 

Verse 1. Many have taken in hand] Great and re- 
markable characters have always many biographers. 
So it appears it was with our Lord: but as most of 
these accounts were inaccurate, recording as facts 
things which had not happened; and through igno- 
rance or design mistaking others, especially in the 
place where St. Luke wrote ; it seemed good to the 
Holy Spirit to inspire this holy man with the most 
correct knowledge of the whole history of our Lord’s 
birth, preaching, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrec- 
tion, and ascension, that the sincere, upright followers 
of God might have a sure foundation, on which they 
might safely build their faith. See the note on chap. 
ix. 10. 

Most surely believed among us] Facts confirmed by 
the fullest evidence—rav πεπληροφορημενων πραγματων. 
Every thing that had been done or said by Jesus 
Christ was so public, so plain, and so accredited by 
thousands of witnesses, who conld have had no in- 

354 


terest in supporting an imposture, as to carry the 
fullest conviction, to the hearts of those who heard and 
saw him, of the divinity of his doctrine, and the truth 
of his miracles. 

Verse 2. Even as they delivered them unto us, 
which from the beginning were eye-witnesses| Pro- 
bably this alludes to the Gospels of Matthew and 
Mark, which it is likely were written before St. Luke 
wrote his, and on the models of which he professes te 
write his own; and απ’ ἀρχῆς, from the beginning, 
must mean, from the time that Christ first began to 
proclaim the glad tidings of the kingdom ; and αὐτόπται, 
eye-witnesses, must necessarily signify, those who had 
been with him from the beginning, and consequently 
had the best opportunities of knowing the truth of 
every fact. 

Ministers of the word] Tov Aoyov. Some suppose 
that our blessed Lord is meant by this phrase; as 
ὁ Λογος, the Word or Logos, is his essential character 
in John i. 1, &c.; but it does not appear that any of 

Ce 


St. Luke’s preface. 


A.M. cir. 4051. 3 ἃ Τί seemed good to me also, 
A. D. cir. 47. ε 5 1 
cir. Olymp. having had perfect understanding 


of all things from the very first, 

to write unto thee ° in order, ‘most excellent 
Theophilus, 

4 ® That thou mightest know the certainty of 

those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 


4 Acts xv. 19, 25, 28; 1 Cor. vii. 40.—— Acts xi. 4 Acts 
i. 1.——+ John xx. 31.——* Matt. ii. 1 ——‘1 Chron. xxiv. 10, 19; 


the inspired penmen ever use the word in this sense 
except John himself; for here it certainly means the 
doctrine of Christ; and in this sense λόγος is fre- 
quently used both by the evangelists and apostles. 

Verse 3. Having had perfect understanding] Mapn- 
κολουϑηκοτε avater, Having accurately traced up— 
entered into the very spirit of the work, and examined 
every thing to the bottom; in consequence of which 
investigation, I am completely convinced of the truth 
of the whole. Though God gives his Holy Spirit to 
all them who ask him, yet this gitt was never designed 
to set aside the use of those faculties with which he 
has already endued the soul, and which are as truly 
his gifts as the Holy Spirit itself is. The nature of 
inspiration, in the case of St. Luke, we at once dis- 
cover: he set himself, by impartial inquiry and dili- 
gent investigation, to find the whole truth, and to 
relate nothing but the truth; and the Spirit of God 
presided over and directed his inquiries, so that he dis- 
covered the whole truth, and was preserved from every 
particle of error. 

From the very first] Avodev, from their origin. 
Some think aver should, in this place, be translated 
from above ; and that it refers to the inspiration by 
which St. Luke wrote. I prefer our translation, or, 
from the origin, which several good critics contend 
for, and which meaning it has in some of the best 
Greek writers. See Kypke. 

Theophilus] As the literal import of this word is 
friend of God, Θεοῦ ὀιλος, some have supposed that 
under this name Luke comprised all the followers of 
Christ, to whom, as friends of God, he dedicated this 
faithful history of the life, doctrine, death, and resur- 
rection of our Lord. But this interpretation appears 
to have little solidity in it; for, if all the followers of 
Christ are addressed, why is the singular number 
used? and what good end could there be accomplished 
by using a feigned name? Besides, xpatice, most ex- 
cellent, could never be applied in this way, for it evi- 
dently designates a particular person, and one probably 
distinguished by his situation in life ; though this does 
not necessarily follow from the title, which was often 
given in the way of friendship. Theophilus appears 
τὸ have been some very reputable Greek or Roman, 
who was one of St. Luke’s disciples. The first four 
verses seem a private epistle, sent by the evangelist 
with this history, which, having been carefully pre- 
served by Theophilus, was afterwards found and pub- 
lished with this Gospel. 

Verse 4. Wherein thou hast been instructed.] Karn- 
x7Snc—In which thou hast been catechized. It ap- 
nears that Theophilus had already received the first 

1 


CHAP. I. 


Of Zacnarvas and Elisabeth 


HERE was, * in the days οἵ 4,M/39%. 
Herod, the king of Judea, ΔΗ͂Σ ora 
a certain priest named Zacharias, = 
‘of the course of Abiah: and his wife was of 


the daughters of Aaron, and her name was 
Elisabeth. 
6 And they were both * righteous before 


Neh. xii. 4, 17.——* Gen. vii. 1; 


xvil. 1; 1 Kings ix.4; 2 Kings 
xx. 3; Jobi. 1; 


Acts xxiii. 1; xxiv. 16; Phil. iii. 6. 


elements of the Christian doctrine, but had not as yet 
been completely grownded in them. That he might 
know the certainty of the things in which he had been 
thus catechized, by having all the facts and their 
proofs brought before him in order, the evangelist sent 
him this faithful and Divinely inspired narrative. 
Those who content themselves with that knowledge 
of the doctrines of Christ which they receive from 
catechisms and schoolmasters, however important these 
elementary instructions may be, are never likely to 
arrive at such a knowledge of the truth as will make 
them wise unto salvation, or fortify them against the 
attacks of infidelity and irreligion. Every man should 
labour to acquire the most correct knowledge, and in- 
dubitable certainty, of those doctrines on which he 
stakes his eternal salvation. Some suppose that St. 
Luke refers here to the imperfect instruction which 
Theophilus had received from the defective Gospels 
to which he refers in verse 1. 

Verse 5. In the days of Herod, the king] This was 
Herod, surnamed the Great, the son of Antipater, an 
Idumean by birth, who had professed himself a prose- 
lyte to the Jewish religion, but regarded no religion, 
farther than it promoted his secular interests and am- 
bition. Thus, for the first time, the throne of Judah 
was filled by a person not of Jewish extraction, who 
had been forced upon the people by the Roman govern- 
ment. Hence it appears plain that the prophecy of 
Jacob, Gen. xlix. 10, was now fulfilled ; for the sceptre 
had departed from Judah: and now was the time, 
according to another prophecy, to look for the governor 
from Bethlehem, who should rule and feed the people 
of Israel: Mic. v. 1,2. See a large account of the 
family of the Herods, in the note on Matt. ii. 1. This 
was before Christ six years. 

The course of Abiah| When the sacerdotal families 
grew very numerous, so that all could not officiate 
together at the tabernacle, David divided them into 
twenty-four classes, that they might minister by turns, 
1 Chron. xxiv. 1, &c., each family serving a whole 
week, 2 Kings xi. 7; 2 Chron. xxiii. 8. Adiah was 
the eighth in the order in which they had been ori- 
ginally established: 1 Chron. xxiv. 10. These dates 
and persons are particularly mentioned as a full con- 
firmation of the truth of the facts themselves; be- 
cause any person, at the time this Gospel was written, 
might have satisfied himself by applying to the family 
of John the Baptist, the family of our Lord, or the 
surrounding neighbours. What a full proof of the 
Gospel history! It was published immediately after 
the dime in which these facts took place; and among 
the very people, thousands of whom had been eye- 

355 


Account of Zacharias 


A.M. 3999. God, walking in all the command- 


An. Olymp. ments and ordinances of the Lord 
OXOII 3. blameless. 

7 And they had no child, because that Eli- 
sabeth was barren; and they both were now 
well stricken in years. 

8 And it came to pass, that while he exe- 
cuted the priest’s office before God, !in the 
order of his course, 


1] Chron. xxiv. 19; 2 Chron. viii. 14; xxxi. 2——™ Exod. 
xxx. 7, 8; 1 Sam. ii. 28; 1 Chronicles xxiii. 13; 2 Chron. 


witnesses of them; and among those, too, whose 
essential interest it was to have discredited them if 
they could; and yet, in all that age, in which only 
they could have been contradicted with advantage, no 
man ever arose to eall them in question! What an 
absolute proof was this that the thing was impossible ; 
and that the truth of the Gospel history was acknow- 
‘edged by all who paid any attention to the evidences 
it produced ! 

Of the daughters of Aaron] That is, she was of one 
of the sacerdotal families. This shows that John was 
most nobly descended : his father was a priest and his 
mother the daughter of a priest; and thus, both by 
father and mother, he descended from the family of 
Amram, of whom came Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 
the most illustrious characters in the whole Jewish 
history. 

Verse 6. They were both righteous] Upright and 
holy in all their outward conduct in civil life. 

Before God] Possessing the spirit of the religion 
they professed ; exercising themselves constantly in the 
presence of their Maker, whose eye, they knew, was 
upon all their conduct, and who examined all their mo- 
tives. 

Walking in all the commandments and ordinances 
of the Lord blameless.] None being able to lay any 
evil to their charge. They were as exemplary and 
conscientious in the discharge of their religious du- 
ties as they were in the discharge of the offices of 
civil life. What a sacred pair! they made their duty 
to God, to their neighbour, and to themselves, walk 
constantly hand in hand. See the note on Matt. iii. 15. 
Perhaps ἐντολαὶ, commandments, may here mean the 
decalogue ; and δικαίωματα, ordinances, the ceremonial 
and judicial laws which were delivered after the deca- 
logue: as all the precepts delivered from Exod. xxi. 
toxxiv. are termed δικαιώματα, judgments or ordinances. 

Verse 7. Both were now well stricken in years.] 
By the order of God, sterility and old age both met 
in the person of Elisabeth, to render the birth of a son 
{humanly speaking) impossible. This was an exact 
parallel to the case of Sarah and Abraham, Gen. xi. 
30; xvii. 17. Christ must (by the miraculous power 
of God) be born of a virgin: whatever was connected 
with, or referred to, his incarnation must be miraculous 
and impressive. Isaac was his grand type, and there- 
fore must be born miraculously—contrary to the com- 
mon course and rule of nature: Abraham was a hun- 
dred years of age, Sarah was ninety, Gen. xvii. 17, 
and zt had ceasEp to be with Sarah aFTER THE MAN- 

356 


ST. LUKE. 


and his wife Elisabeth 


9 According to the custom of the 
priest’s office, his lot was ™ to burn 
incense when he went into the tem- 
ple of the Lord. 

10 "And the whole multitude of the people 
were praying without at the time of incense. 

11 And there appeared unto him an angel 
of the Lord, standing on the right side of ° the 
altar of incense. 


A. M. 3999. 
B. C. 6. 
An. Olymp. 
CXCIIL. 3. 


xxix. 11— Leviticus xvi. 17; Rev. viii. 3, 4. © Exodus 


xxx. 1. 


NER OF WoMEN, Gen. xviii. 11, and therefore, from 
her age and state, the birth of a child must, according 
to nature, have been impossible ; and it was thus, that 
it might be miraculous. John the Baptist was to be 
the forerunner of Christ ; /zs birth, like that of Zsaac, 
must be miraculous, because, like the other, it was to 
be a representation of the birth of Christ ; therefore 
his parents were both far advanced in years, and be- 
sides, Elisabeth was naturally barren. The birth of 
these three extraordinary persons was announced nearly 
in the same way. God himself foretells the birth of 
Isaac, Gen. xvii. 16. The angel of the Lord an- 
nounces the birth of John the Baptist, Luke i. 13; 
and six months after, the angel Gabriel, the same 
angel, proclaims to Mary the birth of Christ! Man 
is naturally an inconsiderate and incredulous creature : 
he must have extraordinary things to arrest and fix his 
attention; and he requires well-attested miracles from 
God, to bespeak and confirm his faith. Every person 
who has properly considered the nature of man must 
see that the whole of natural religion, so termed, is 
little else than a disbelief of all religion. 

Verse 8. Before God] In the temple, where God 
used to manifest his presence, though long before this 
time he had forsaken it; yet, on this important occa- 
sion, the angel of his presence had visited it. 

Verse 9. His lot was, &c.] We are informed in 
the Talmud, that it was the custom of the priests to 
divide the different functions of the sacerdotal office 
among themselves by Jot: and, in this case, the de- 
cision of the lot was, that Zacharias should at that 
time burn the incense before the Lord, in the holy 
place. 

Verse 10. The whole multitude—awere praying] The 
incense was itself an emblem of the prayers and 
praises of the people of God: see Psa. exli. 2; Rev. 
viii. 1. While, therefore, the 7z¢e is performing by the 
priest, the people are employed in the thing signified. 
Happy the people who attend to the spirit as well as 
the letter of every Divine institution! Incense was 
burnt twice a day in the temple, in the morning and in 
the evening, Exod. xxx. 7, 8; but the evangelist does 
not specify the time of the day in which this trans- 
action took place. It was probably in the morning. 

Verse 11. There appeared—an angel of the Lord] 
There had been neither prophecy nor angelic ministry 
vouchsafed to this people for about 400 years. But 
now, as the Sun of righteousness is about to arise upon 
them, the day-spring from on high visits them, that 
they may be prepared for that kingdom of God which 

1 


An angel fortells the 


i Νὰ 12 And when Zacharias saw him, 
An. Olymp. Phe was troubled, and fear fell 
CXCIL 3. 


upon him. 

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, 
Zacharias : for thy prayer is heard; and thy 
wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and 4 thou 
shalt call his name John. 


P Judg. vi. 22; xiii. 22; Dan. x. 8; ver. 29; chap. ii. 9; Acts 
x. 4; Rev. i. 17. 4 Ver. 60, 63. 


was at hand. Every circumstance here is worthy of 
remark: 1. That an angel should now appear, as such 
a favour had not been granted for 400 years. 2. The 
person to whom this angel was sent—one of the priests. 
The sacerdotal office itself pointed out the Son of God 
till he came : by him it was to be completed, and in him 
it was to be eternally established :— Thou art a priest 
Sor ever, Psa. ex. 4. 3. The place in which the angel 
appeared—Jerusalem ; out of which the word of the 
Lord should go forth, 158. ii. 3, and not at Hebron, in 
the hill country of Judea, where Zacharias lived, ver. 
39, which was the ordinary residence of the priests, 
Josh. xxi. 11, where there could have been few wit- 
nesses of this interposition of God, and the effects pro- 
duced by it. 4. The place where he was when the 
angel appeared to him—in the temple, which was the 
place where God was to be sought; the place of his 
residence, and a type of the human nature of the 
blessed Jesus, John ii. 21. 5. The time in which this 
was done—the solemn hour of public prayer. God 
has always promised to be present with those who call 
upon him. When the people and the priest go hand 
in hand, and heart with heart, to the house of God, 
the angel of his presence shall surely accompany them, 
and God shall appear among them. 6. The employ- 
ment of Zacharias when the angel appeared—he was 
burning incense, one of the most sacred and myste- 
rious functions of the Levitical priesthood, and which 
typified the intercession of Christ: confer Heb. vii. 
25, with chap. ix. 24. 7. The long continued and 
publicly known dumbness of the priest, who doubted the 
word thus miraculously sent to him from the Lord: a 
solemn intimation of what God would do to all those 
who would not believe in the Lord Jesus. Every 
mouth shall be stopped. 

Verse 12. Zacharias—was troubled] Or, confounded 
at his sudden and unexpected appearance ; and fear 
fell upon him, \est this heavenly messenger were come 
to denounce the judgments of God against a faithless 
and disobedient people, who had too long and too well 
merited them. 

Verse 13. Thy prayer is heard] This probably re- 
fers, Ist, to the frequent prayers which he had offered 
to God for a son; and 2dly, to those which he had 
offered for the deliverance and consolation of Israel. 
They are all heard—thou shalt have a son, and Israel 
shall be saved. If fervent faithful prayers be not im- 
mediately answered, they should not be considered as 
fost ; all such are heard by the Lord, are registered in 
heaven, and shall be answered in the most effectual 
~way, and in the best time. Answers to prayer are to 
be received by faith ; but faith should not only accom- 

1 


CHAP. I. 


birth of John the Baptist. 


14 And thou shalt have joy and ΑΝ 3999, 
gladness ; and * many shall rejoice Ἐπ Oty. 
at his birth. ee 

15 For he shall be great in the sight of the 
Lord, and " shall drink neither wine nor strong 
drink ; and he shall be filled with the Holy 
Ghost, t even from his mother’s womb. 


¥ Ver. 58.—* Num. vi. 3; Judg. xiii. 4; chap. vii. 33——t Jer 
1.5; Gal. 1. 15. 


pany prayer while offered on earth, but follow it all its 
way to the throne of grace, and stay with it before the 
throne till dismissed with its answer to the waiting soul. 

Thou shalt call his name John.| Yor the proper ex- 
position of this name, see on Mark i. 4. 

Verse 14. Thou shalt have joy, &c.|] Esa: xapa cot, 
He will be joy and gladness to thee. A child of prayer 
and faith is likely to be a source of comfort to his 
parents. Were proper attention paid to this point, 
there would be fewer disobedient children in the world ; 
and the number of broken-hearted parents would be 
lessened. But what can be expected from the majority 
of matrimonial connections, connections begun without 
the fear of God, and carried on without his love. 

Many shall rejoice at his birth.| He shall be the 
minister of God for good to multitudes, who shall, 
through his preaching, be turned from the error of 
their ways, and converted to God their Saviour. 

Verse 15. He shall be great in the sight of the 
Lord| That is, before Jesus Christ, whose forerunner 
he shall be; or he shall be a truly great person, for 
so this form of speech may imply. 

Neither wine nor strong drink] Svxepa, i. e. all fer- 
mented liquors which have the property of intoxicating, 
or producing drunkenness. The original word σίκερα, 
sikera, comes from the Hebrew, Ἴ2Φ shakar, to ine- 
briate. ‘Any inebriating liquor,” says St. Jerome, 
(Epis. ad Nepot.) “is called sicera, whether made of 
corn, apples, honey, dates, or any other fruits.” One 
of the four prohibited liquors among the East Indian 
Moslimans is called sikkir. “ Sikkiris made by steeping 
fresh dates in water till they take effect in sweetening 
it: this liquor is abominable and unlawful.” Hepaya, 
vol. iv. p. 158. Probably this is the very liquor re- 
ferred to in the text. In the Institutes of Menu it is 
said, “ Inebriating liquor may be considered as of three 
principal sorts: that extracted from dregs of sugar, 
that extracted from bruised rice, 2nd that extracted 
from the flowers of the madhuca: as one, so are all; 
they shall not be tasted by the chief of the twice-born.” 
Chap. xi. Inst. 95. Twice-born is used by the Brah- 
mins in the same sense as being orn again is used 
by Christians. It signifies a spiritual regencration. 
From this word comes our English term cyder, or 
sider, a beverage made of the fermented juice of ap- 
ples. See the note on Ley. x. 9. 

Shall be filled with the Holy Ghost] Shall be Di- 
vinely designated to this particular office, and qualified 
for it, from his mother’s womb—from the instant of 
his birth. One MS., two versions, and four of the 
primitive fathers read ev ty κοιλίᾳ, IN the womb of 
ius mother—intimating that even before he should be 

357 


The character of John 


A: 16" -And.many of the children of 
An. Olymp. Israel shall he turn to the Lord 
EXON * their God. ' 

17 ¥ And he shall go before him in the spirit 
and power of Elias, τ to turn the hearts of the 
fathers to the children, and the disobedient * to 
the wisdom of the just ; to make ready a people 
prepared for the Lord. 

18 § And Zacharias said unto the angel, 
y Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old 
man, and my wife well stricken in years. 

19 And the angel answering said unto him, 


4 Mal. iv. 5, 6. ¥ Mal. iv. 5; Matt. xi. 14; Mark ix. 12. 
w Ecclus. xlviii. 10.——* Or, by. 


born into the world the Holy Spirit should be commu- 
nicated to him. Did not this take place on the salu- 
tation of the Virgin Mary ’—and is not this what is 
intended, ver. 441 Τὸ be filled with the Holy Ghost, 
implies having the soul influenced in all its powers, 
with the illuminating, strengthening, and sanctifying 
energy of the Spirit. 

Verse 16. Many of the children of Israel shall he 
turn] See this prediction fulfilled, chap. iii. ver. 10-18. 

Verse 17. He shall go before him] Jesus Christ, in 
the spirit and power of Elijah; he shall resemble 
Elijah in his retired and austere manner of life, and in 
his zea_ for the truth, reproving even princes for their 
crimes; compare 1 Kings xxi. 17-24, with Matt. 
xiv. 4. It was on these accounts that the Prophet 
Malachi, chap. iv. 6, had likened John to this prophet. 
See also Isa. xl. 3; and Mal. iv. 5, 6. 

To turn the hearts of the fathers] Gross ignorance 
had taken place in the hearts of the Jewish people ; 
they needed a Divine instructer: John is announced 
as such; by his preaching and manner of life, all 
classes among the people should be taught the nature 
of their several places, and the duties respectively in- 
cumbent upon them. See chap. iii. 10, &e. In these 
things the greatness of John, mentioned ver. 15, is 
pointed out. Nothing is truly great but what is so 
in the sight of God. John’s greatness arose: Ist. 
From the plenitude of God’s Spirit which dwelt in 
him. 2. From his continual self-denial, and taking 
up his cross. 3. From his ardent zeal to make Christ 
known. 4. From his fidelity and courage in rebuking 
vice. 5. From the reformation which he was the 
instrument of effecting among the people; reviving 
among them the spirit of the patriarchs, and preparing 
their hearts to receive the Lord Jesus. To turn the 
hearts of the fathers to their children. By a very 
expressive figure of speech, Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob, and the rest of the patriarchs, are represented 
here as having their hearts alienated from the Jews, 
their children, because of their unbelief and disobe- 
dience ; but that the Baptist should so far sueceed in 
converting them to the Lord their God, that these holy 
men should again look upon them with delight, and 
acknowledge them for their children. Some think 
that by the children, the Gentiles are meant, and by 
the fathers, the Jews. 

308 


ST. LUKE. 


the Baptist foretola. 


Tam 7*Gabriel, that stand in the ΑἿΝ 3999. 
presence of God; and am sent to An. Olymp. 

CXCIL. 3. 
speak unto thee, and to show thee ———— 
these glad tidings. 

20 And, behold, *thou shalt be dumb, and 
not able to speak, until the day that these things 
shall be performed, because thou believest not 
my words, which shall be fulfilled in their 
season. 

21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and 
marvelled that he tarried so long in the 
temple. 


y Gen. xvii. 17. Z Tan. vill. 16; ix. 21, 22,23; Matt. xviii. 
10; Heb. i. 14.—— Ezek. 11. 26; xxiv. 27. 


The disobedient] Or unbelieving, ἀπειθεῖς, the per- 
sons who would no longer credit the predictions of the 
prophets, relative to the manifestation of the Messiah. 
Unbelief and disobedience are so intimately connected, 
that the same word in the sacred writings often serves 
for both. 

Verse 18.: Whereby shall I know this?| All things 
are possible to God: no natural impediment can have 
any power when God has declared he will accomplish 
his purpose. He has a right to be believed on his own 
word alone; and it is impious, when we are convinced 
that it is his word, to demand a sign or pledge for 
its fulfilment. 

Verse 19. 7 am Gabriel] This angel is mentioned 
Dan. viii. 16; ix. 21. The original 59723 is exceed 
ingly expressive: it is compounded of 7112 geburah, 
and ὯΝ el, the might of the strong God. An angel 
with such a name was exceedingly proper for the oc 
casion; as it pointed out that all-prevalent power by 
which the strong God could accomplish every purpose, 
and subdue all things to himself. 

That stand in the presence of God] Thisis in allu- 
sion to the case of the prime minister of an eastern 
monarch, who alone has access to his master at all 
times ; and is therefore said, in the eastern phrase, to 
see the presence, or to be in the presence. From the 
allusion we may conceive the angel Gabriel to be in a 
state of high favour and trust before God. 

Verse 20. Thou shalt be dumb] Σιωπων, silent ; 
this translation is literal; the angel immediately ex- 
plains it, thou shalt not be able to speak. Dumbness 
ordinarily proceeds from a natural zmperfection or 
debility of the organs of speech; in this case there 
was no natural weakness or unfitness in those organs 
but, for his rash and unbelieving speech, szlence is 
imposed upon him by the Lord, and he shall not be 
able to break it, till the power that has silenced him 
gives him again the permission to speak! Let those 
who are intemperate in the use of their tongues be- 
hold here the severity and mercy of the Lord: nine 
months’ silence for one intemperate speech! Many, 
by giving way to the language of wnbelief, have lost 
the language of praise and thanksgzing for menths, 
if not years ! 

Verse 21. The people waited] The time spent in 
burning the incense was probahly about half an hour, 


Zacharias ts struck dumb. 


22 And when he came out, he 
An, Olymp. could not speak unto them: and 

— they perceived that he had seen a 
vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto 
them, and remained speechless. 

23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as » the 
days of his ministration were accomplished, 
he departed to his own house. 

24 4 And after those days, his wife Elisa- 
beth conceived, and hid herself five months, 
saying, 

25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the 


A. M. 3999. 
B. C. 6. 


CHAP. I. 


An angel 1s sent to Mary 

days wherein he looked on me, to 4.3999 
©take away my reproach among An. Olymp. 
‘Sabie Ων 8 exces 

men. ease ae 
26 9 And in the sixth month the eo ΟΊΑρΟΡ 
angel Gabriel was sent from God An. Olymp. 
CXCIIL 4 


unto a city of Galilee, named Na- ———- 
zareth, 

27 'To a virgin ὁ espoused to a man whose 
name was Joseph, of the house of David ; and 
the virgin’s name was Mary. 

28 And the angel came in unto her, and 
said, 5 Hail, thou that art ‘highly favoured, 


© See 2 Kings xi. 5; 1 Chron. ix. 25.——* Gen. xxx. 23; Isa. iv. 
1; liv. 1, 4.——4 Matt. i. 18; chap. ii. 4, 5. 


during which there was a profound slence, as the 
people stood without engaged in mental prayer. ΤῸ 
this there is an allusion in Rev. viii. 1-5. Zacharias 
had spent not only the time necessary for burning the 
incense, but also that which the discourse between 
him and the angel took up. 

Verse 22. They perceived that he had seen a vision] 
As the sanctuary was separated from the court by a 
great veil, the people could not see what passed ; but 
they understood this from Zacharias himself, who, ἣν 
διανευων, made signs, or nodded unto them to that 
purpose. Signs are the only means by which a dumb 
man can convey his ideas to others. 

Verse 23. As soon as the days of his ministration 
were accomplished] Each family of the priesthood 
officiated one whole week, 2 Kings xi. 17. 

There is something very instructive in the conduct 
of this priest; had he not loved the service he was 
engaged in, he might have made the loss of his speech 
a pretext for immediately quitting it. But as he was 
not thereby disabled from fulfilling the sacerdotal 
function, so he saw he was bound to continue till his 
ministry was ended; or till God had given him a 
positive dismission. Preachers who give up their 
labour in the vineyard because of some trifling bodily 
disorder by which they are afflicted, or through some 
inconvenience in outward circumstances, which the 
follower of a eross-bearing, crucified Lord should not 
mention, show that they either never had a proper 
concern for the honour of their Master or for the sal- 
vation of men, or else that they have lost the spirit 
of their Master, and the spirit of their work. Again, 
Zacharias did not hasten to his house to tell his wife 
the good news that he had received from heaven, in 
which she was certainly very much interested: the 
angel had promised that all his words should be ful- 
filled im their season, and for this season he patiently 
waited in the path of duty. He had engaged in the 
work of the Lord, and must pay no attention to any 
thing that was likely to mar or interrupt his religious 
service. Preachers who profess to be called of God 
to labour in the word and doctrine, and who abandon 
their work for filthy lucre’s sake, are the most con- 
temptible o. mortals, and traitors to their God. 

Verse 24. Hid herself five months] That she might 
fave the fullest proof of the accomplishment of God’s 


© Dan. ix. 23; x. 19.——f Or, graciously accepted, or, much graced ; 
see ver. 30. 


promise before she appeared in public, or spoke of her 
mercies. When a Hindoo female is pregnant of her 
first child, she avoids the presence of those with whom 
she was before familiar, as a point of delicacy. 

Verse 25. ΤῸ take away my reproach} As fruit- 
fulness was a part of the promise of God to his peo- 
ple, Gen. xvii. 6, and children, on this account, being 
considered as a particular blessing from heaven, Exod. 
xxiii. 26; Lev. xxvi. 9; Psa. cxxvii. 3; so barren- 
ness was considered among the Jews as a reproach, 
and a token of the disapprobation of the Lord. 1 Sam. 
i. 6. But see ver. 36. 

Verse 26. A city of Galilee] As Joseph and Mary 
were both of the family of David, the patrimonial 
estate of which lay in Bethlehem, it seems as if the 
family residence should have been in that city, and 
not in Nazareth; for we find that, even after the 
return from the captivity, the several families went to 
reside in those cities to which they originally belonged. 
See Neh. xi. 3. But it is probable that the holy family 
removed to Galilee for fear of exciting the jealousy 
of Herod, who had usurped that throne to which they 
had an indisputable right. See on chap ii. 39. Thus, 
by keeping out of the way, they avoided the effects 
of his jealousy. 

Verse 27. To a virgin espoused, &c.|] See on Matt. 
i. 18, and 23. The reflections of pious father Quesnel 
on this subject are worthy of serious regard. At 
length the moment is come which is to give a son to 
a virgin, a saviour to the world, a pattern to mankind, 
a sacrifice to sinners, a temple to the Divinity, and a 
new principle to the new world. This angel is sent 
from God, not to the palaces of the great, but to a 
poor maid, the wife of a carpenter. The Son of God 
comes to humble the proud, and to honour poverty, 
weakness, and contempt. He chooses an obscure place 
for the mystery which is most glorious to his huma- 
nity, its union with the Divinity; and for that which 
is most degrading (his sufferings and death) he will 
choose the greatest city! How far are men from such 
a conduct as this! 

Verse 28. And the angel came in unto her] Some 
think that all this business was transacted in a vision ; 
and that there was no personal appearance of the 
angel. When Divine visions were given, they are 
announced as such, in the sacred writings; nor can 

359 


The birth of Jesus foretold. 


A.M-4000. e the Lord is with thee; blessed 
An. Olymp. art thou among women. 
cxclll: 4 99 And when she saw him, ὃ she 
was troubled at his saying, and cast in her 
mind what manner of salutation this should be. 
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, 
Mary; for thou hast found favour with God. 
31 ‘And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy 
womb, and bring forth a son, and * shalt call 
his name JESUS. 
32 He shall be great, ! and shall be called 
the Son of the Highest; and ™ the Lord God 
& Judg. vi. 12.—— Ver. 12. 1158. vii. 14; Matt. i. 21. 


* Chap. ii. 21.——! Mark v. 7 ——™2 Sam. vii. 11, 12; Isa. ix. 
6, 7; xvi. 5; Jer. xxii. 5; Psa. exxxii. 11; Rev. iii. 7. 


ST. LUKE. 


His character described 


shall give unto him the throne of 4,M #000 
his father David : 

33 "And he shall reign over the 
house of Jacob for ever; and of his king- 
dom there shall be no end. 

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How 
shall this be, seemg I know not a man? 

35 And the angel answered and said unto 
her, ° The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, 
and the power of the Highest shall overshadow 
thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall 
be born of thee, shall be called ? the Son of God. 

a Dan. ii. 44; vii. 14, 27; Obad. 21; Mic, iv.7; John xii. 34; 


Heb. i. 8. © Matt. i. 20.—P Matt. xiv. 33; xxvi. 63,64; Mark 
i. 1; John i. 34; xx. 31; Acts vill. 37; Rom. i. 4. 


we with safety attribute any thing to a vision, where 
a Divine communication is made, unless it be specified 
as such in the text. 

Hail] Analogous to, Peace be to thee—May thou 
enjoy all possible blessings ! 

Highly favoured| As being chosen in preference to 
all the women upon earth, to be the mother of the 
Messiah. Not the mother of God, for that is blasphemy. 

The Lord is with thee} ‘Thou art about to receive 
the most convincing proofs of God’s peculiar favour 
towards thee. 

Blessed art thou among women.] That is, thou art 
favoured beyond all others. 

Verse 29. She was troubled at his saynmg] The 
glorious appearance of the heavenly messenger filled 
her with amazement ; and she was puzzled to find out 
the purport of his speech. 

Verse 31. Thou—shalt call his name JESUS.] 
See on Matt. i. 20, 21, and here, on chap. ii. 21, and 
John i. 29. 

Verse 32. He shall be great] Behold the greatness 
of the man Christ Jesus: 1st. Because that human 
nature that should be born of the virgin was to be 
united with the Divine nature. 2dly. In consequence 
of this, that human nature should be called in a pecu- 
liar sense the Son of the most high God; because 
God would produce it in her womb without the inter- 
vention of man. 3. He shall be the everlasting Head 
and Sovereign of his Church. 4thly. His government 
and kingdom shall be eternal. Revolutions may destroy 
the kingdoms of the earth, but the powers and gates of 
hell and death shall never be able to destroy or injure 
the kingdom of Christ. His is the only dominion that 
shall never have an end. The angel seems here to 
refer to Isa. ix. 7; xvi. 5; Jer. xxiii. 5; Dan. ii. 44; 
vii. 14 All which prophecies speak of the glory, 
extent, and perpetuity of the evangelical kingdom. 
‘The kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory form 
the endless government of Christ. 

Verse 33. The house of Jacob] Alt who belong to 
the twelve tribes, the whole Israelitish people. 

Verse 34. Seeing I know not aman] Or, husband. 
As she was only contracted to Joseph, and not as yet 
married, she knew that this conception could not have 
yet taken place; and she modestly inquires by what 

360 


means the promise of the angel is to be fulfilled in 
order to regulate her conduct accordingly. 

Verse 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee} 
This conception shall take place suddenly, and the 
Holy Spirit himself shall be the grand operator. The 
power, δυναμις, the miracle-working power, of the 
Most High shall overshadow thee, to accomplish this 
purpose, and to protect thee from danger. As there 
is a plain allusion to the Spirit of God brooding over 
the face of the waters, to render them prolific, Gen. i. 
2, I am the more firmly established in the opinion 
advanced on Matt. i. 20, that the rudiments of the hu- 
man nature of Christ was a real creation in the womb 
of the virgin, by the energy of the Spirit of God. 

Therefore also that holy thing (or person)—shall 
be called the Son of God.] We may plainly perceive 
here, that the angel does not give the appellation of 
Son of God to the Divine nature of Christ ; but to that 
holy person or thing, τὸ &y.ov, which was to be born 
of the virgin, by the energy of the Holy Spirit. The 
Divine nature could not be born of the virgin; the 
human nature was born of her. The Divine nature 
had no beginning ; it was God manifested in the flesh, 
1 Tim. iti. 16; it was that Word which being in the 
beginning (from eternity) with God, John i. 2, was 
afterwards made flesh, (became manifest m human 
nature,) and tabernacled among us, Johni. 14. Of 
this Divine nature the angel does not particularly speak 
here, but of the tabernacle or shrine which God was 
now preparing for it, viz. the holy thing that was to 
be born of the virgin. Two natures must ever be 
distinguished in Christ: the human nature, in refer- 
ence to which he is the Son of God and inferior to 
him, Mark xiii. 32; John v. 19; xiv. 28, and the Devine 
nature which was from eternity, and equal to God, 
John i. 1; x. 30; Rom. ix. 5; Col. i. 16-18. It is 
true, that to Jesus the Christ, as he appeared among 
men, every characteristic of the Divine nature is some- 
times attributed, without appearing to make any dis- 
tinction between the Divine and human natures; but 
is there any part of the Scriptures in whieh it is plarnly 
said that the Divine nature of Jesus was the Son a7 
God? Here, I trust, I may be permitted to say, with 
all due respect for those who differ from me, that the 
doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ is, in my 

1 


Mary visits her 


A.M. 4000. 36. And, behold, thy cousin Elisa- 
An: Olymp. beth, she hath also conceived a son 

ΟΧΘΗΙ * in her old age; and this is the sixth 
month with her, who was called barren. 

37 For ¢with God nothing shall be im- 
possible. 

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of 
the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy word. 
And the angel departed from her. 

39 Ἵ And Mary arose in those days, and 


CHAP. I. 


cousin Elisabeth 


went into the hill country with 4,M/,100. 
haste, ‘into a city of Juda; An, Olymp. 

40 And entered into the house οἵ. 
Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 

41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisa 
beth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe 
leaped in her womb ; and Elisabeth was filled 
with the Holy Ghost : 

42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and 
said, * Blessed art thou among women, 


4Gen. xviii. 14; Ter. xxxil. 17; Zech. viii. 6; Matt. xix. 26; 
Mark x. 27; chap. xviii. 27; Rom. iv. 21. 


τ Joshua xxi. 9, 10, 11——* Verse 28; Judges 
v. 24 


opinion, anti-scriptural, and highly dangerous. This 
doctrine I reject for the following reasons :— 

Ist. I have not been able to find any express decla- 
ration in the Scriptures concerning it. 

Qdly. If Christ be the Son of God as to his Divine 
nature, then he cannot be efernal; for son implies a 
father ; and father implies, in reference to son, prece- 
dency in time, if not in nature too. Father and son 
imply the idea of generation; and generation implies 
a time in which it was effected, and time also antece- 
dent to such generation. 

3dly. If Christ be the Son of God, as to his Divine 
nature, then the Father is of necessity prior, conse- 
quently superior to him. 

4thly. Again, if this Divine nature were begotten 
of the Father, then it must be in ¢ime ; i. e. there was 
a period in which it did not exist, and a period when 
it began to exist. This destroys the eternity of our 
blessed Lord, and robs him at once of his Godhead. 

5thly. To say that he was degolten from all eternity, 
is, in my opinion, absurd; and the phrase eternal Son 
1s a positive self-contradiction. Ererniry is that 
which has had no beginning, nor stands in any refer- 
ence to TIME. Son supposes time, generation, and 
father ; and time also antecedent to such generation. 
Therefore the conjunction of these two terms, Son and 
eternity is absolutely impossible, as they imply essen- 
tially different and opposite ideas. 

The enemies of Christ’s Divinity have, in all ages, 
availed themselves of this incautious method of treat- 
ing this subject, and on this ground, have ever had 
the advantage of the defenders of the Godhead of 
Christ. This doctrine of the eternal Sonship destroys 
the deity of Christ; now, if his deity be taken away, 
the whole Gospel scheme of redemption is ruined. On 
this ground, the atonement of Christ cannot have been 
of infinite merit, and consequently could not purchase 
pardon for the offences of mankind, nor give any right 
to, or possession of, an eternal glory. The very use 
of this phrase is both absurd and dangerous; therefore 
let all those who value Jesus and their salvation abide 
by the Scriptures. This doctrine of the eternal Son- 
ship, as it has been lately explained in many a pam- 
phlet, and many a paper in magazines, I must and do 
consider as an awful heresy, and mere sheer Arianism ; 
which, in many cases, has terminated in Socinianism, 
and that in Deism. From such heterodoxies, and 
their abettors, may God save his Church! Amen! 

Verse 36. Thy cousin Elisabeth] Thy kinswoman, 

1 


ovyyevne. As Elisabeth was of the tribe of Levi, ver. 
5, and Mary of the tribe of Judah, they could not be 
relatives but by the mother’s side. 

She hath also concewed| And this is wrought by 
the same power and energy through which thow shalt 
conceive. Thus God has given thee a proof and 
pledge, in what he has done for Elisabeth, of what he 
will do for thyself; therefore, have faith in God. 

Who was called barren.| It is probable that Elisa- 
beth got this appellative by way of reproach; or to 
distinguish her from some other Elisabeth also well 
known, who had been blessed with children. Perhaps 
this is the reproach which Elisabeth speaks of, ver. 
25, her common name among men, among the people 
who knew her, being Elisabeth the barren. 

Verse 37. For with God nothing shall be impos- 
sible.| Q@Words of the very same import with those 
spoken by the Lord to Sarah, when he foretold the 
birth of Isaac, Gen. xviii. 14, Zs any thing too hard 
for the Lord? As there can be no doubt that Mary 
perceived this allusion to the promise and birth of 
Isaac, so she must have had her faith considerably 
strengthened by reflecting on the intervention of God 
in that case. 

Verse 38. Behold the handmaid of the Lord] | fully 
credit what thou sayest, and am perfectly ready to 
obey thy commands, and to accomplish all the pur- 
poses of thy grace concerning me. It appears that 
at the instant of this act of faith, and purposed obe- 
dience, the conception of the immaculate humanity ot 
Jesus took place ; and it was pone unto her according 
to his word. See ver. 35. 

Verse 39. In those days| As soon as she could 
conveniently fit herself out for the journey. 

Hill country| Hebron, the city of the priests, Josh 
xxi. 11, which was situated in the tribe of Judah, 
about forty miles south of Jerusalem, and upwards of 
seventy from Nazareth. 

With haste] This probably refers to nothing else 
than the earnestness of her mind to visit her relative 
Elisabeth, and to see what the Lord had wrought for her. 

Verse 41. Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.} 
This seems to have been the accomplishment of the 
promise made by the angel, ver. 15, He shall be filled 
with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 
The mother is filled with the Holy Spirit, and the 
child in her womb becomes sensible of the Divine in- 
fluence. 

Verse 42. Blessed art thou among women] Repeat- 

361 


Mary's hymn of praise, 


A, M400. and blessed is the fruit of thy 
{ΠΣ Wome. ste 

--΄ 43 And whence 15 this to me, that 
the mother of my Lord should come to me 7 

44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salu- 
tation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped 
in my womb for joy. 

45 And blessed zs she t that believed; for 
there shall be a performance of those things 
which were told her from the Lord. 

46 9 And Mary said, * My soul doth mag- 
nify the Lord, 


ST, LUKE. 


commonly called the Magnificat 


47 And my spirit hath rejoiced 4,M-100° 
in God my Saviour. 

48 For ¥ he hath regarded the low 
estate of his hand-maiden: for, behold, from 
henceforth τ΄ all generations shall call me blessed. 

49 For he that is mighty * hath done to me 
great things ; and ¥ holy is his name. 

50 And 7 his mercy zs on them that fear him, 
from generation to generation. 

51 * He hath showed strength with his arm; 
*he hath scattered the proud in the imagina- 
tion of their hearts. 


An. Olymp. 
CXCIIL 4. 


t Or, which believeth that there. ἃ] Sam. ii. 1; Psa. xxxiv. 
2,3; xxxv. 9; Hab. iii. 18. ¥] Sam. i.11; Psa. exxxviii. 6. 
w Mal. iii. 12; chap. xi. 27——* Psa. Ixxi. 19; exxvi. 2, 3. 


Υ Psa. cxi. 9. z Gen, xvii. 7; Exod. xx. 6; Psa. ciii. 17, 18. 
a Psa. xcviii. 1; exvili. 15; Isa. xl. 10; li. 9; 111. 10——» Psa 
xxxill. 10; 1 Pet. v. 5. 


ing the words of the angel, ver. 28, of which she had 
probably been informed by the holy virgin, in the 
present interview. 

Verse 43. The mother of my Lord] The prophetic 
spirit, which appears to have overshadowed Elisabeth, 
gave her a clear understanding in the mystery of the 
birth of the promised Messiah. 

Verse 45. Blessed is she that believed; for there 
shall be, &e.| Or, Blessed is she who hath believed that 
there shall be, &c. 'This I believe to be the proper 
arrangement of the passage, and is thus noticed in 
the marginal reading. Faith is here represented as 
the foundation of true happiness, because it receives 
the fulfilment of God’s promises. Whatever God has 
promised, he intends to perform. We should believe 
whatever he has spoken—his own authority is a suf- 
ficient reason why we should believe. Let us only 
be convinced that God has given the promise, and then 
implicit faith becomes an indispensable duty: in this 
case not to believe implicitly would be absurd and un- 
reasonable—God wil perform his promise, for HE can- 
not lie. 

Verse 46. And Mary said) Two copies of the 
Itala, and some books mentioned by Origen, give this 
song to Elisabeth. It is a counterpart of the song of 
Hannah, as related in 1 Sam. ii. 1-10. 

This is allowed by many to be the first piece of 
poetry in the New Testament ; but the address of the 
angel to Zacharias, ver. 13-17, is delivered in the 
same way; so is that to the virgin, ver. 30-33, and 
so also is Elisabeth’s answer to Mary, ver. 42-45. 
All these portions are easily reducible to the hemistich 
form in which the Hebrew poetry of the Old Testa- 
ment is found in many MSS., and in which Dr. Ken- 
nicott has arranged the Psalms, and other poetical 
parts of the Sacred Writings. See his Hebrew Bible. 

My soul doth magnify the Lord| The verb peya- 
Avvew, Kypke has proved, signifies to celebrate with 
words, to extol with praises. This is the only way 
in which God ean be magnified, or made great; for, 
strietly speaking, nothing can be added to God, for he 
is infinite and eternal; therefore the way to magnify 
him is to show forth and celebrate those acts in which 
he has manifested his greatness. 

Verse 47 My spirit hath rejoiced] Exulted. These 

362 


words are uncommonly emphatical—they show that 
Mary’s whole soul was filled with the Divine influence, 
and wrapped up in God. 

Verse 48. He hath regarded| Looked favourably 
&c., ἐπεβλεψεν. In the most tender and compassionate 
manner he has visited me in my humiliation, drawing 
the reasons of his conduct, not from any excellence 
in me, but from his own eternal kindness and love. 

All generations shall call me blessed.| This was 
the character by which alone she wished to be known ; 
viz. The blessed or happy virgin. What dishonour do 
those do to this holy woman, who give her names and 
characters which her pure soul would abhor ; and which 
properly belong to GOD her Saviour! By her vota- 
ries she is addressed as Queen of Heaven, Mother of 
God, &c., titles both absurd and blasphemous. 

Verse 49. He that 1s mighty hath done to me great 
things] Or, miracles, μεγαλεια. As God fills her with 
his goodness, she empties herself to him in praises , 
and, sinking into her own nothingness, she ever con- 
fesses that God alone is all in all. 

Holy is his name] Probably the word which Mary 
used was DN chesed, which though we sometimes 
translate holy, see Psa. Ixxxvi. 2; exlv. 17, yet the 
proper meaning is abundant goodness, exuberant kind- 
ness; and this well agrees with the following clause. 

Verse 50. His mercy is on them that fear him] His 
exuberant kindness manifests itself in acts of merey 
to all those who fear or reverence his name ; and this 
is continued from generation to generation, because he 
is abundant in goodness, and because he delighteth in 
mercy. This is a noble, becoming, and just character 
of the God of the Christians ; a being who delights in 
the salvation and happiness of ail his creatures, be- 
cause his name is mercy, and his nature love. 

Verse 51. He hath showed strength] Or, He hath 
gained the victory, ἐποίησε κρατος. The word κρατὸς 
is used for victory, by Homer, Hesiod, Sophocles, 
Euripides, and others. 

With his arm] Grotius has well observed, that God’s 
efficacy is represented by his finger, his great power 
by his hand, and his omnipotence by his arm. The 
plague of lice was the finger of God, Exod. vii. 18. 
The plagues in general were wrought by his hand, 
Exod. iii. 20. And the destruction of Pharaoh’s host 

1 


Mary's hymn of praise. CHAP. I. John Baptist is born. 
wee 52 °He hath put down the} 56 And Mary abode with her 4,M/ 1000. 
An. ΟἹ mighty from their seats, and exalt-| about three months, and returned to An. Sims 
CXCIIL & Ἵ ΟΧΟΙΙΙ. 


3ἃ them of low degree. 

53 4 He hath filled the hungry with good 
things aii the rich he hath sent empty away. 

54 He natk holpen his servant Israel, ° in 
remembrance of his mercy ; 

55 £ As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, 
and to his seed for ever. 


- 


her own house. ——s 
57 Ἵ Now Elisabeth’s full time came that 
she should be delivered ; and she brought forth 
a son. 
58 And her neighbours and her cousins 
heard how the Lord had showed great mercy 
upon her; and § they rejoiced with her. 


©] Sam. 11. 6, &e.; Job v. 11; Psa. exiii. 6. ——41 Sam. ii. 5; 
Psa. xxxiv. 10. © Psa. xevill. 3; Jer. xxxi. 3, 20. 


in the Red Sea, which was effected by the omnipo- 
tence of God is zalled the act of his arm, Exod. xv. 16. 

He hatn scattered] Aceckopricev, hath scattered 
abroad; as a whirlwind seatters dust and chaff. 

The v-zud' Or haughty, ixepngavove ; from ὑπερ 
anove anu oa vw I show—the haughty men, who wish 
to oe notcea 1t preference to all others, and feel sove- 
reizr vontemp: for all but themselves. These God 
scatters abroai—instead of being in his sight, as in 
their own, the most excellent of the earth, he treats 
them as straw, stubble, chaff, and dust. 

In the imagination of their hearts.| While they 
are forming their insolent, proud, and oppressive pro- 
jects—laying their plans, and imagining that accom- 
plishment and success are waiting at their right hand, 
the whirlwind of God’s displeasure blows, and they 
and their machinations are dissipated together. 

Verse 52. He hath put down the mighty from their 
seals} Or, He hath taken down potentates from their 
thrones. This probably alludes to the removal of Saul 
from the throne of Israel, and the establishment of the 
kingdom in the person and family of David. And as 
Mary spoke prophetically, this saying may also allude 
to the destruction of the kingdom of Satan and his 
allies, and the final prevalence of the kingdom of Christ. 

Verse 53. Filled the hungry—the rich he hath sent 
empty away.) God is here represented under the no- 
tion of a person of unbounded benevolence, who is 
daily feeding multitudes at his gates. The poor and 
the rich are equally dependent upon him; to the one 
he gives his affluence for a season, and to the other 
his daily bread. The poor man comes through a sense 
of his want to get his daily support, and God feeds 
him; the rich man comes through the lust of gain, to 
get more added to his abundance, and God sends him 
empty away—not znly gives him nothing more, but 
often deprives him of that which he has, because he 
has not improved it to the honour of the giver. There 
is an allusion here, as in several other parts of this 
song, to the case of Hannah and Peninah, as related 
1 Sam. i. 2, &e.; 11. 1-10. 

Verse 54. He hath holpen (supported, αντελαβετο] 
4is servant Israel] Israel is here represented as fall- 
wg, and the Lord comes speedily in and props him up. 
The house of David was now ready to fail and rise 
no more; Jesus, being born of the very last branch of 
the regal line, revived the family, and restored the do- 
mninion. 

In remembrance of his mercy] By mercy, the cove- 
nant whics God made with Abraham, Gen xv. 18, is 

1 


f Gen. xvii. 19; Psa. cxxxii. 11; Romans xi. 28; Gal. iii. 16. 
& Ver. 14. 


intended; which covenant proceeded from God's eter- 
nal merey, as in it salvation was promised to all the 
nations of the earth. See Gen. xvii. 19, and xxii. 18, 
and this promise was, in one form or other, given to 
all the fathers, ver. 55. 

This song properly consists of three parts. 

1. In the first part Mary praises God for what he 
had done for herself, ver. 46-50. 

2. In the second, she praises him for what he had 
done, and would do, against the oppressors of his peo- 
ple, ver. 51-53. 

3. In the third, she praises him for what he had 
done, and would do, for his Church, ver. 53-56. 

Verse 56. And Mary abode with her about three 
months] According to some, the departure of Mary 
from Hebron must have been but a few days before 
the birth of John; as nine months had now elapsed 
since Elisabeth’s conception; see ver. 36. Hence it 
immediately follows :— 

Verse 57. Now Elisabeth's full time came, &e.] 
But, according to others, we are to understand the 
three months of Mary’s visit as preceding the birth 
of John, which would complete the time of Elisa- 
beth’s pregnancy, according to verse 36. and the 
only difficulty is to ascertain whether Mary went im- 
mediately to Hebron after her salutation, or whether 
she tarried nearly three months before she took the 
journey. 

Verse 58. And her neighbours and her cousins—- 
rejoiced with her.| Because sterility was a reproach ; 
and they now rejoiced with their relative, from whom 
that reproach was now rolled away. ΤῸ rejoice with 
those whom God has favoured, and to congratulate 
them on the advantages which he has granted to 
them, is a duty which humanity, charity, and religion 
call upon us to fulfil. 

1. It is a duty of humanity, which should be punc- 
tually performed. We are all members of each other, 
and should rejoice in the welfare of the whole. He 
who rejoices in his neighbour’s prosperity increases his 
neighbour’s happiness, and gets an addition to his own. 

2. It is a duty which charity or brotherly love re- 
quires us to perform with sincerity. In the polite 
world, there is no duty better fulfilled in word than 
this is; but sincerity is utterly banished, and the 
giver and receiver are both convinced that compli 
ments and good wishes mean—nothing. He who 
does not endeavour to take a sincere part in his 
neighbour’s prosperity will soon feel ample punish- 
ment in the spirit of jealousy and envy. 

363 


John is circumcised. 


A.M. 4000. 69. And it came to pass, that * on 
An. Olymp. 


ee the eighth day they came to circum- 
——— — cise the child; and they called him 
Zacharias, after the name of his father. 

60 And his mother answered and said, * Not 
so; but he shall be called John. 

61 And they said unto her, There is none 
of thy kindred that is called by this name. 


4 Gen. xvii. 12; Lev. xii. 3 ——i Ver. 13. 


ST. LUKE. 


Zacharias’s speech restored 


62 And they made signs to his fa- ee 


ther, how he would have him called. An. Olymp. 
63 And he asked for a writing pe 
table, and wrote, saying, * His name is John. 
And they marvelled all. 
64 !And his mouth was opened immedi- 
ately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, 
and praised God. 


k Ver. 13.— Ver. 20. 


3. It is a duty of religion, which should be ful- 
filled with piety. These neighbours and relatives 
saw that God had magnified his mercy towards Eli- 
sabeth, and they acknowledged Ais hand in the work. 
God is the dispenser of all good—he distributes his 
favours in mercy, judgment, and justice. Let us 
honour him in his gifts; and honour those, for his 
sake, who are objects of his favour. The society of 
believers are but one body ; the talents, &c., of every 
individual are profitable to the whole community ; at 
least none are deprived of a share in the general wel- 
fare, but those who, through jealousy or envy, refuse 
to rejoice with him towards whom God hath magnified 
his mercy. 

Verse 59. On the eighth day they came to circum- 
cise] See an account of this institution in the note on 
Gen. xvii. 10-14. | Had circumcision been essential 
to an infant’s salvation, God would not have ordered 
it to be delayed to the eighth day, because, in all 
countries, multitudes die before they arrive at that 
age. Baptism, which is generally allowed to have 
been substituted for circumcision, is no mere reces- 
sary to the salvation of an infant than circumcision 
was. Both are signs of the covenant—circumcision, 
of the putting away the impurity of the flesh; and 
baptism, of the washing of regeneration, and renew- 
ing of the Holy Ghost, producing the answer of a 
good conscience towards God. Confer 1 Pet. iii. 21, 
with Tit. iii. 5. This should never be neglected: it 
is a sign and token of the spiritual grace. 

They called him Zacharias} Among the Jews, the 
child was named when it was circumcised, and ordi- 
narily the name of the father was given to the first- 
born son. 

Verse 60. Not so; but he shall be called John.] 
This is the name which the angel desired should he 
given him, ver. 13, and of which Zacharias by writing 
had informed his wife. There is something very re- 
markable in the names of this family. Zachariah, 
IDI the memory or memorial af Jehovah; \7* yeho, 
at the end of the word, being contracted for ΠῚ Ye- 
hovah, as in many other names. Elisabeth, nawrds 
the Sabbath or rest of my strong God: names proba- 
bly given them by their parents, to point out some re- 
markable circumstance in their conception or birth. 
And John, which should always be written Jeho- 
chanan or Yehochanan, {in the grace or mercy of 
Jehovah: so named, because he was to go before and 
proclaim the God of all grace, and the mercy granted 
through him to a lost world. See John i. 29; see 
also chap. iii. 16, and Mark i. 4. 

Verse 61. None of thy kindred) As the Jewish 

364 


[πὰ τῷ Zacharias.” 


tribes and families were kept sacredly distinct, it 
appears the very names of the ancestors were con- 
tinued among their descendants, partly through reve- 
rence for them, and partly to avoid confusion in the 
genealogical tables, which, for the sake of distinguish- 
ing the inheritances, were carefully preserved in each 
of the families. It seems to be on this account that 
the neighbours and relatives objected to a name which 
had not before existed in any branch of the family. 

Verse 62. They made signs to his father] Who, 
it appears from this, was deaf as well as dumb; other- 
wise they might have asked him, and obtained his 
answer in this way. 

Verse 63. A writing table] ἹΠινακιδιον, a tablet, a 
diminutive of πεναξ, a table. ‘The boys in Barbary 
are taught to write upon a smooth thin board, slightly 
daubed over with whiting, which may be rubbed off or 
renewed at pleasure. Such probably (for the Jewish 
children use the same) was the little board, or writ- 
ing table, as we render it Luke i. 63, that was called 
Shaw’s Travels, p. 194. My old 
MS. consiaais tite ποις τξὰ Xeaning the instrument 
of writing, rather tnan the tablet on which he wrote: 
anv be ayinge a ponntel, wroot sevinge, Joon is his 
naire, 

A thin board, made out of the pine tree, smeared 
over with wax, was used among the ancients; and to 


| this the Anglo-Saxon version seems to refer, as it 


translates πινακίδιον, pexbnede, a wax board or cloth. 

An intelligent friend has suggested a different 
mode of reading the 62nd and 63rd verses: v. 62. 
And they asked his father how he would have him 
called? V.63. And he made signs for a writing 
table and wrote, His name is John :—* For,” says 
my friend, “the 64th verse proves his mouth was 
not opened, neither jis tongue loosed, till after the 
child was named; therefore he could not ask for the 
table ; and it is more reasonable that he, being dumb, 
should make signs, than that those should who had 
the use of their tongues.” But, howsoever ingenious 
this may be, neither the words of the Greek text, nor 
their construction, will bear this version. 

Verse 64. The latter clause of the preceding verse 
should be joined with the beginning of this, as follows : 
And they marvelled all, for his mouth was opened, ὅς. 
Every person must see the propriety of putting this 
clause, And they marvelled all, to the beginning of 
the 64th verse, instead of leaving it at the end of the 
63rd, as in the common version. The people did 
not wonder because Zacharias said, He shall be called 
John ; but because he himself was that instant restor- 
ed to the use of his speech. 

1 


~ 


Fear falls upon the people. 


65 And fear came on all that 
An, Olymp. dwelt round about them: and all 
CXCIIL 4. : é 
——_— these ™ sayings were noised abroad 
throughout all ἃ the hill country of Judea. 

66 And all they that heard them ° laid them 


up in their hearts, saying, What manner of 


A. M. 4000. 
B.C.5 


m Or, things ——® Ver. 39. ©Chap. ii. 19, 51.——P Gen. xxxix. 
2; Psa. Ixxx. 17; Ixxxix. 21; Acts xi. 21. 


And he spake, and praised God.] In his nine 
months’ silence, he had learned the proper use of his 
tongue; and God, whose power was discredited by it, 
is now magnified. Happy they who, in religious mat- 
ters, only break silence in order to speak of the loving- 
kindness of the Lord ! 

Verse 65. And fear came] Seeing what they 
might have thought a paralytic affection so suddenly 
and effectually healed. of80ce—This word certainly 
means in several places, religious fear or reverence ; 
and in this sense it is used Acts ix. 31; Rom. iii. 18; 
xiii. 7; 1 Pet. i. 17; ii. 18; iii. 2. The meaning of 
it here is plainly this: The inhabitants of Hebron and 
its environs, who were well acquainted with the cir- 
cumstances of Zacharias and Elisabeth, perceived that 
God had in a remarkable manner visited them; and 
this begot in their minds a more than ordinary reve- 
rexce for the Supreme Being. Thus the salvation of 
one often becomes an instrument of good to the souls 
of many. The inhabitants of this hill country seem 
to have been an open, honest-hearted, generous peo- 
ple ; who were easily led to acknowledge the interpo- 
sition of God, and to rejoice in the comfort and wel- 
fare of each other. The people of the country are 
more remarkable for these qualities than those in towns 
and cities. The latter, through that evil communica- 
tion which corrupts good manners, are generally pro- 
fligate, selfish, regardless of God, and inattentive to 
the operation of his hands. 

Verse 66. What manner of child shall this be ἢ 
As there have been so many extraordinary things in 
his conception and birth, surely God has designed him 
for some extraordinary purpose. These things they 
laid up in their heart, patiently waiting to see what 
God would work. 

The hand of the Lord was with him.] God defend- 
ed and prospered him in all things, and the prophetic 
spirit began to rest upon him. 

Verse 67. Zacharias—prophesied] The word pro- 
phesy is to be taken here in its proper acceptation, for 
the predicting or foretelling future events. Zacharias 
speaks, not only of what God had already done, but 
also of what he was about to do, in order to save a 
lost world. 

Verse 68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ; for, 
&e.] Zacharias praises God for two grand benefits 
which he had granted to his people. 1. He has 
visited them. 2. He has ransomed them. 1. He 
speaks by the spirit of prophecy, which calls things 
that are not, as though they were; because they are 
absolutely determined by the Most High, and shall be 
all fulfilled in their season. God visits his people in 
the incarnation of Jesus Christ ; therefore this Christ 

1 


CHAP. I. 


The song of Zacharwas 


And ? the hand Se 


An. Olymp. 
ΟΧΟΗ͂Ι. 4 


child shall this be ! 
of the Lord was with him. 

67 % And his father Zacharias 
4 was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, 
saying, 

68 τ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for * he 


4 Joel ii. 28.——" 1 Kings i. 48; Psa. xli. 13; Ixxii. 18; evi. 48 
3 Exod. ili. 16; iv. 31; Psa. cxi. 9; chap. vii. 16. 


is called by him, Kupioc ὁ Θεος, Jehovah the God of 
Israel. Here the highest and most glorious character 
of the Supreme Being is given to Christ. 2. This 
God redeems his people: it is for this end that he 
visits them. His soul is about to be made a sacrifice 
for sin: he becomes flesh, that he may suffer and die 
for the sin of the world. God, by taking upon him 
the nature of man, has redeemed that nature from 
eternal ruin. 

He hath—redeemed] Exoujce λυτρωσιν, he hath made 
a ransom—laid down the ransom price. Avtpow sig- 
nifies particularly to ransom a captive from the enemy, 
by paying a price. ‘The following remarkable passage 
from Josephus, Ant. b. xiv. c. 14, sect. 1, fully illus- 
trates this meaning of the original. ‘“ Herod, not 
knowing what had happened to his brother, hastened 
λυτρωσασϑαι, to ransom him from the enemy, and was 
willing to pay λυτρον ὑπερ αὐτου, a ransom for him, to 
the amount of three hundred talents.” Sinners are 
fallen into the hands of their enemies, and are captives 
to sin and death. Jesus ransoms them by his own 
blood, and restores them to life, liberty, and happiness. 
This truth the whole Bible teaches: this truth God 
has shown in certain measures, even to those nations 
who have not been favoured with the light of his writ- 
ten word: for Christ is that true light, which enlight- 
ens every man that cometh into the world. 

How astonishing is the following invocation of the 
Supreme Being, (translated from the original Sanscreet 
by Dr. C. Wirxiys,) still existing on a stone, in a 
cave near the ancient city of Gya, in the East Indies! 

“The Deity, who is the Lord, the possessor of all, 
appeared in this ocean of natural beings, at the begin- 
ning of the Kalee Yoog (the age of contention and 
baseness.) He who is omnipresent and everlastingly 
to be contemplated, the Supreme Being, the Eternal 
One, the Divinity worthy to be adored—apprrearED 
here with a PoRTION of his DIVINE NATURE. Reverence 
be unto thee in the form of (a) Bood-dha! Reverence 
be unto the Lord of the earth! Reverence be unto 
thee, an INCARNATION of the Deity, and the 
Eternal One! Reverence be unto thee, O God, in the 
form of the God of mercy; the dispeller of pain and 
trouble, the Lord of all things, the Deity who over- 
cometh the sins of the Kaléé Yoog ; the guardian of the 
universe, the emblem of mercy toward those who serve 
thee—() O’M! the possessor of all things in VITAL 


(a) Bood-dha. 
happiness. 

(b) ΟΜ. A mysticemblem of the Deity, forbidden to 
be pronounced but in silence. It isa syllable formed ot 
the Sanscreet letters 4,0 6, which in composition coa- 
lesce, and make 6, and the nasal consonant m. The firs* 

365 


The name of the Deity, as author of 


The prophetic song 


ge hath visited and redeemed his 


a ae people, 

— 69 ' And hath raised up a hom 
of salvation for us, in the house of his servant 
David ; 

70 "As he spake by the mouth of his holy 
prophets, which have been since the world 
began : 

71 That we should be saved from our ene- 
mies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 


ST. LUKE. 


of Zacharias. 


72 *To perform the mercy pro- 4,M/ 4000. 
mised to our fathers, and to remem- An. Olymp 
: CXCUL 4. 
ber his holy covenant ; -.ι- 

73 ἡ The oath which he sware to our father 
Abraham, 

74 That he would grant unto us, that we 
being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, 
might * serve him without fear, 

75 ¥In holiness and righteousness before 
him, all the days of our life. 


t Psa. exxxii. 17. u Jer. xxiii. 5, 6; xxx. 10; Dan. ix. 24; 
Acts iii. 21; Rom. i. 2. V Lev. xxvi. 42; Psa. χουν]. 3; ev. 
8,9; evi. 45; Ezek. xvi. 60; ver. 54. 


FORM! Thou art (c) Brahma, Veeshnoo, and Mahé- 
sa! Thou art Lord of the universe! Thou art under 
the form of all things, movable and immovable, the 
possessor of the whole! and thus I adore thee. Reve- 
rence be unto the BESTOWER OF SALVATION, 
and the Ruler of the faculties! Reverence be unto 
thee, the DESTROYER of the EVIL SPIRIT! O 
Damordara, (d) show me favour! I adore thee, who 
art-celebrated by a thousand names, and under various 
forms, in the shape of Bodd-dha, the God of MERCY! 
Be propitious, O Most High God!’—Astatic Re- 
SEARCHES, Vol. i. pp. 284, 285. 

Verse 69. And hath raised up a horn of salvation] 
That is, a mighty and glorious Saviour: a quotation 
from Psa. xviii. 2. Horns are the well known em- 
blems of strength, glory, and power, both in the sacred 
and profane writers, because the strength and beauty 
of horned animals consist in their horns. Horns have 
also been considered as emblems of light ; therefore 
the heathen god Apollo is represented with horns, to 
point out the power, glory, and excellence of the solar 
light. The Chaldee paraphrast sometimes translates 
ΤΡ keren, horn, by moon malcuth, or $139 mal- 
cutha, 1 Sam. ii. 10; Jer. xlviii. 25, which signify 
a kingdom: but it is likely that the allusion is here 
made to the horns of the altar; and as the altar was 
a place of refuge and safety, and those who laid hold 
on its horns were considered to be under the protec- 
tion of the Lord, so, according to the expression of 
Zacharias, Jesus Christ is a new altar, to which who- 
soever flees shall find refuge. 

Some imagine that this form of speech is taken 
from the custom of ancient warriors, who had a horn 
of steel on the top of their helmets, which ordinarily 
lay flat, till the person came victorious from battle, 
and then it was erected, as emblematical of the victory 
gained. Such a horn as this is represented on the 
helmet of the Abyssinian kings and warriors: see the 


letter stands for the Creator, the second for the Preserver, 
and the third for the Destroyer. It is the same among 
the Hindoos as τ Yehovah is among the Hebrews. 

(c) Brahma, the Deity in his creative quality. Veesh- 
noo, he who jilleth all space, the Deity in his preserving 
quality. Mahesa, the Deity in his destroying quality. 
This is properly the Hindoo Trinity: for these three 
names belong to the same Being. See the notes to the 
Bhagvat Geeta. 

(ἡ Damordara, or Darmadévé, the Indian God of 
Virtue. 


366 


w Gen. xii. 3; xvii. 4; xxii. 16,17; Heb. vi. 13, 17» Rom. 
vi. 18, 22; Heb. ix. 14——y Jer. xxxii. 39, 40; Eph. iv. 24; 
2 Thess. 11.13; 2Tim.i.9; Tit. ii. 12; 1 Pet. i. 15; 2 Pet. 1. 4. 


plates in Bruce’s Travels. To this custom of wear- 
ing or lifting up the horn, the following scriptures are 
thought to allude: 1 Sam. ii. 10; Psa. exii. 9 ; exlviii. 
4; Lam. ii. 17. In ancient gems and coins, this form 
of the horn on helmets is easily discernible, sometimes 
flat, sometimes erected. A horn, filled with various 
Jruits, was also the emblem of abundance among the 
ancients : hence their cornu come, or horn of plenty. 
From all this we may learn that the Lord Jesus gives 
a luminous, powerful, prevalent, glorious, and abun- 
dant SALVATION Or REFUGE to mankind. 

In the house of his servant David] Or, in the fa- 
mily: so the word οἰκος, house, is often used in the 
Sacred Writings. In τοῦ. 32, the angel states that 
Mary was of the famly of David; and Zacharias, 
who, from the nature of his office, must have been 
well acquainted with the public genealogical tables, 
attests the same thing. This is a matter of consider- 
able importance ; because it shows forth the truth of 
all the prophetic declarations, which uniformly state 
that the Messiah should come from the family and sit 
on the throne of Davin. 

Verse 71. That we should be saved (literally, a 
salvation) from our enemies] As Zacharias spoke by 
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the salvation which 
he mentions here must necessarily be understood in a 
spiritual sense. Satan, death, and sin are the ene- 
mies from whom Jesus came to deliverus. Sin is the 
most dangerous of all, and is properly the only enemy 
we have to fear. Satan is without us, and can have 
no power over us, but what he gets through sin. Death 
is only in our flesh, and shall be finally destroyed (as 
it affects us) on the morning of the resurrection. 
Jesus redeems from sin; this is the grand, the glo- 
rious, the important victory. Let us get sin cast out, 
and then we need fear neither death, nor the devil. 

Verse 72. His holy covenant] See the note on 
ver. 54. 

Verses 74, 75. Being delivered, &c.] The salva- 
tion brought by Jesus Christ, consists in the following 
things :— 

1. We are to be delivered out of the hand of our 
enemies, and from all that hate us; so that sin shall 
neither have dominion over us, nor existence in us. 

2. We are to worship God, λατρευειν, to render him 
that service and adoration which the letter and spirit 
of his religion require. 

3. We are to live in holiness, a strict zward con 

1 


The prophecy of Ζαο]ιαγιας 


is 4000. 76 And thou, child, shalt be 
An. n, Olymp. called the prophet of the Highest: 
for *thou shalt go before the face 

of the Lord to prepare his ways; 
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his 


Isa. xl. 3; Mal. iii. 1; iv. 5; Matt. xi. 10; ver. 17——* Mark 
i. 4; chap. iii, 3——» Or, for. 


formity to the mind of Christ—and righteousness, a 
full outward conformity to the precepts of the Gospel. 
4. This is to be done before God, under the con- 
tinual influence and support of his grace, and with a 
constant evidence of his presence and approbation. 

5. This state is a state of true happiness—it is 
without fear. Sin is all cast out, holiness is brought 
in; God’s power upholds, and his approbation cheers 
and comforts, the believing heart. Thus misery is 
precluded, and happiness established. 

6. This blessedness is to continue as long as we 
exist—all the days of our life, in all ages, in all situa- 
tions, and in all circumstances. What a pity to have 
lived so long without God in the world, when so 
much happiness and glory are to be enjoyed in union 
with him ! 

Tne Canc, in the last clause, is omitted by many 
MSS., versions, and fathers. Griesbach has left it out 
of the text: however, it is but of small importance 
whether we read all our days, or, all the days of our 
life. 

Verse 76. And thou, child, &c.] Zacharias pro- 
claims the dignity, employment, doctrine, and success 
of his son; and the ruin and recovery of the Jews 
and the Gentiles. 

1. His dignity. Thou shalt be called (constituted) 
a prophet of the Most High. Prophet has two accepta- 
tions :—Ist. A person who foretells future events ; 
and, 2dly. A teacher of men in the things of God, 
1 Cor. xiv. 3. John was a prophet in doth senses: he 
proclaimed the mercy which should be communicated ; 
announced the baptism of the Holy Spirit ; and éaught 
men how to leave their sins, and how to find the sal- 
yation of God. See chap. iii. 5-14. His very name, 
Jehochanan, the grace or mercy of Jehovah, (see ver. 
60,) was a constant prediction of the salvation of God. 
Our Lord terms him the greatest prophet which had 
ever appeared in the world. He had the honour of 
being the Jast and clearest prophet of the old cove- 
nant, and the first of the new. 

2. His employment. Thou shalt go before the face 
of the Lord to prepare his ways. He should be the 
ummediate forerunner of Jesus Christ, none being capa- 
ole of succeeding him in his ministry but Christ him- 
self. He was to prepare his ways, to be the honoured 
instrument, in the hands of God, of disposing the 
hearts of multitudes of the Israelites to believe in and 
follow the Lord Jesus. 

3 Zacharias points out the doctrine or teaching of 
John. It should be γνωσις σωτηριας, the science of sal- 
vation. Men are ignorant, and they must be instructed. 
Human sciences may be profitable in earthly matters, 
but cannot profit the soul. The science that teaches 
God must come from God. No science is of any avail 

1 


CHAP. I. 


concerning his son John 


ν Ae ip A.M, 4000. 

people “by >the remission of their 45," 
sins, An. Olymp. 
CXCIIL. 4. 


78 Through the ‘tender mercy 
of our God; whereby the ἃ day-spring from on 
high hath visited us, 


© Or, bowels of the mercy.——4 Or, sun-rising, or, branch ; Num 
xxiv. 17; Isa. xi. 1; Zech. iii. 8; vi. 12; Mal. iv. 2. 


to the soul that does not bring salvation with it: this 
is the excellence of heavenly science, and an excel- 
lence that is peculiar to itself. No science but that 
which comes from God can ever save a soul from the 
power, the guilt, and the pollution of sin. 

4. Zacharias predicts the success of his son’s mi- 
nistry. Under his preaching, the people should be 
directed to that tender mercy of God, through which 
they might obtain the remission of their sins, ver. 77, 
78. Those who are sent by God, and preach his 
truth, and jis only, shall always be successful in their 
work ; for it is for this very purpose that God has sent 
them; and it would be a marvellous thing, indeed, 
should they labour in vain. But there never was such 
a case, since God made man, in which a preacher was 
Divinely commissioned to preach Jesus and his salva- 
tion, and yet had no fruit of his labour. 

5. Zacharias points out the wretched state in which 
the inhabitants of Judea and the Gentile world were 
then found. 1. Their feet had wandered out of the 
way of peace, (ver. 79,) of temporal and spiritual pros- 
perity. 2. They had got into a state of darkness— 
they were blind concerning the things of God, and the 
things which belonged to their salvation. 3. They 
had become contented inhabitants of this land of intel- 
lectual darkness—they had sat down in it, and were 
not concerned to get out of it. 4. They were about 


| to perish in it—death had his dominion there; and his 


swift approaches to them were now manifested to the 
prophet by seeing his shadow cast upon them. ἴσπο- 
rance of God and salvation is the shadow of death ; 
and the substance, eternal ruin, is essentially connected 
with the projected shadow. See these phrases explain- 
ed at large on Matt. iv. 16. 

6. Zacharias proclaims the recovery of a lost world. 
As the removal of this darkness, and redemption from 
this death, were now at hand, John is represented 
as being a day-spring from on high, a morning star, 
that foretold the speedy approach of the day, and the 
rising of the Sun of righteousness. That these words 
should be applied to John, and not to Christ, I am 
fully satisfied ; and cannot give my reasons better for 
the arrangement I have made in the preceding notes, 
than in the words of an eminent critic, who, I find, 
has adopted nearly the same plan with myself. The 
passage, as I read it, is as follows: Through the ten- 
der mercy of our God, by which he hath visited us: a 
day-spring from on high, to give light to them that sit 
in the darkness and in the shadow of death, &e. 
“Tet the reader judge, whether my arrangement of 
this passage, which much better suits the original, be 
not far more elegant, and in all respects superior to 
the old translation. Thou, child! wilt be a teacher— 
THOU WILT BE a day-spring from the sky. And with 

367 


The decree of Augustus for 


ABR HOO. 79 © To give light to them that 
An. Olymp. sit in darkness, and in the shadow 
CXCIL 4. 


of death; to guide our feet into the 
way of peace. 


ε 158. ix. 2; xlii. 7; xlix.9; Matt. iv. 16; Acts xxvi. 18. 


what beauty and propriety is John, the forerunner of 
our Lord, styled the dawn of day, that ushers in the 
rising of the Sun of righteousness! And the conclud- 
ing words—to guide our feet into the way of peace— 
is a comprehensive clause, after the manner of He- 
brew poetry, belonging equally to the former sentence, 
beginning at—And thou, child !—and the latter, be- 
ginning at—A day-spring from the sky: for the peo- 
ple spoken of in the former are the Jews; and in the 
latter, the Gentiles.” —W AkEFIELD. 

Verse 80. The child grew] Increased in stature 
and bodily vigour. And waxed strong in spirit—had 


ST. LUKE. 


the enrolment of the Jews. 


80 And ‘the child grew, and AM Ao 


waxed strong in spirit, and 5 was in = One: 
the deserts till the day of his show- : 


ing unto Israel. 


f Chap. ii. 40.—s Matt. iii. 1; xi. 7. 


his understanding Divinely illuminated and confirmed 
in the truths of God. And was in the deserts—the 
city of Hebron, the circumjacent hill country, and in 
or near Nazareth. Tull the time of his showing, or 
manifestation—till he was thirty years of age, before 
which time the law did not permit a man to enter 
into the public ministry, Num. iv. 3. See also 
chap. iil. 23. 

So much has already been said, by way of practical 
improvement of the different subjects in this im- 
portant chapter, as to preclude the necessity of any 
addition here. 


CHAPTER II. 


The decree of Augustus to enrol all the Roman empire, 1, 2. 
His birth is announced to the shepherds, 8-14. 


enrolled, 3-5. Christ is born, 6, 7. 
lehem, and find Joseph, Mary, and Christ, 15-20. 
him in the temple, 22-24. Simeon receives him: 
holy family return to Nazareth, 39, 40. 
Jesus behind in Jerusalem, 41-44. 
-47. 


EM Am. AAND it came to pass in those 


An. Obymp. days, that there went out 
CXCIIL 4 
———— a decree from Cesar Augustus, 
a Or, enrolled. 
NOTES ON CHAP. II. 
Verse 1. Caesar Augustus] This was Caius Cesar 


Octavianus Augustus, who was proclaimed emperor 
of Rome in the 29th year before our Lord, and died 
Α. Ὁ. 14. 

That all the world should be taxed.] TWacav την 
οἰκουμένην, the whole of that empire. It is agreed, on 
all hands, that this cannot mean the whole world, as 
in the common translation; for this very sufficient 
reason, that the Romans had not the dominion of the 
whole earth, and therefore could have no right to 
raise levies or taxes in those places to which their 
dominion did not extend. Ockovuevy signifies properly 
the inhabited part of the earth, from οἰκεω, to dwell, 
or inhabit. Polybius makes use of the very words in 
this text to point out the extent of the Roman govern- 
ment, lib. vi. ὁ. 48; and Plutarch uses the word in 
exactly the same sense, Pomp. p. 635. See the pas- 
sages in Wetstein. ‘Therefore the whole that could 
be meant here, can be no more than that a general 
census of the inhabitants and their effects had been 
made in the reign of Augustus, through all the Roman 
dominions. 

But as there is no general census mentioned in any 
historian as having taken place at this time, thesmean- 
ing of οἰκουμενη must be farther restrammed, and applied 

368 


his song, 25-35. 
They go to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover, and leave 
They return seeking him, and find him in the midst of the doctors, 45 
His mother chides him, 48. His defence of his conduct, 49,50. They all return to Nazareth, 51, 52. 


Joseph and Mary go to their own city to be 
They go to Beth- 
His parents go to present 
The 


Christ is circumcised, 21. 
Anna the prophetess, 36-38. 


that all the world should be 4,M 1000. 
re Ckeure 
2 (>And this taxing was first made ————— 


> Acts v. 37. 


solely to the land of Judea. This signification it cer- 
tainly has in this same evangelist, chap. xxi. ver. 26. 
Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking 
after those things which are coming on the earth, τῇ 
οἰκουμένῃ, this land. ‘The whole discourse relates to 
the calamities that were coming, not upon the whole 
world, nor the whole of the Roman empire, but on the 
land of Judea, see ver. 21. Then let them that are 
in Judea flee to the mountains. Out of Judea, there- 
fore, there would be safety; and only those who 
should be with child, or giving suck, in those days, are 
considered as peculiarly unhappy, decause they could 
not flee away from that land on which the scourge was 
to fall: for the wrath, or punishment, shall be, says 
our Lord, ev τῷ 2aw TovTw, ON THIS VERY PEOPLE, ViZ. 
the Jews, ver. 23. It appears that St. Luke used 
this word in this sense in conformity to the Septuagint, 
who have applied it in precisely the same way, Isa. 
xiii. 11; xiv. 26; xxiv. 1. And from this we may 
learn, that the word οἰκουμενη had been long used as 
a term by which the land of Judea was commonly 
expressed. ‘H yn, which signifies the earth, or world 
in general, is frequently restrained to this sense, being 
often used by the evangelists and others for all the 
country of Judea. See Luke iv. 25; Josh. ii. 3. 

It is probable that the reason why this enrolment, 

1 


Joseph and Mary enrolled. 


A. M, 4000. ; 5 
‘nes when Cyrenius was governor of 


Ce Syria.’ 

excl 

~ 3 And all went to be taxed, every 
one into his own city. 

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, 
out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto 
© the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; 
{4because he was of the house and lineage 


of David:) 


CHAP. IT: 


The birth of Christ 


5 To be taxed with Mary * his es- 4,M;,1000 
poused wife, being great with child, sarin. 
6 Ἵ And so it was, that while they ————— 
were there, the days were accom- ΔΉ snl. 
plished that she should be delivered. ee eg 


7 ‘ And she brought forth her first- - 
born son, and wrapped him in swaddling 
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because 
there was no room for them in the inn. 


91 Sam. xvi. 1,4; John vii. 42-——4 Matt. i. 16; chap. i. 27. 


© Matt. i. 18; chap. i. 27——f Matt. i. 25. 


or census, is said to have been throughout the whole 
Jewish nation, was to distinguish it from that partial 
one, made ten years after, mentioned Acts v. 37, 
which does not appear to have extended beyond the 
estates of Archelaus, and which gave birth to the in- 
surrection excited by Judas of Galilee. See Josephus, 
Ant. book xx. c. 3. 

Verse 2. This taxing was first made when Cyrenius, 
&c.] The next difficulty in this text is found in this 
verse, which may be translated, Now this first enrol- 
ment was made when Quirinus was governor of Syria. 

It is easily proved, and has been “proved often, that 
Caius Sulpicius Quirinus, the person mentioned in the 
text, was not governor of Syria, till ten or twelve 
years after the birth of our Lord. 

St. Matthew says that our Lord was born in the 
reign of Herod, chap. ii. 1, at which time Quintilius 
Varus was president of Syria, (Joseph. Ant. book 
xvii. ec. 5, sect. 2,) who was preceded in that office 
by Sentius Saturninus. Cyrenius, or Quirinus, was 
not sent into Syria till Archelaus was removed from 
the government of Judea; and Archelaus had reigned 
there between nine and ten years after the death of 
Herod; so that it is impossible that the census men- 
tioned by the evangelist could have been made in the 
presidency of Quirinus. 

Several learned men have produced solutions of 
this difficulty ; and, indeed, there are various ways of 
solving it, which may be seen at length in Lardner, 
vol. i. p. 248-329. One or other of the two following 
nppears to me to be the true meaning of the text. 

1. When Awgustus published this decree, it is sup- 
posed that Quirinus, who was a very active man, and 
2 person in whom the emperor confided, was sent into 
Syria and Judea with extraordinary powers, to make 
the census here mentioned; though, at that time, he 
was not governor of Syria, for Quintilius Varus was 
then president ; and that when he came, ten or twelve 
years after, into the presidency of Syria, there was 
ancther census made, to both of which St. Luke 
alludes, when he says, This was the first assessment 
of Cyrenius, governor of Syria; for so Dr. Lardner 
translates the words. The passage, thus translated, 
does not say that this assessment was made when Cy- 
renius was governor of Syria, which would not have 
been the truth ; but that this was the first assessment 
which Cyrenius, who was (i. e. afterwards) governor 
of Syria, made ; for after he became governor, he made 
a second. Lardner defends this opinion in a very sa- 
Visfactory and masterly manner. See yol. i. p. 317, ἄς. 

Vou. I. ( 24 \ 


2. The second way of solving this difficulty is by 
translating the words thus: This enrolment was made 
BEFORE Cyrenius was governor of Syria; or, before 
that of Cyrenius. This sense the word πρωτος ap- 
pears to have, John i. 30: ὅτι mpwroc μου nv, for he 
was BEFORE me. Xv. 18: The world hated me BEFORE 
(πρωτονὴ it hated you. See also 2 Sam. xix. 43. 
Instead of zpwry, some critics read πρὸ της, This en- 
rolment was made ΒΕΡΌΒΕ THAT of Cyrenius. Mi- 
chaelis, and some other eminent and learned men, have 
been of this opinion: but their conjecture is not sup- 
ported by any MS. yet discovered; nor, indeed, is there 
any occasion for it. As the words in the evangelist 
are very ambiguous, the second solution appears to 
me to be the best. 

Verse 3. And all went to be taxed, every one into 
his own city.| The Roman census was an institution 
of Servius Tullius, sixth king of Rome. From the 
account which Dionysius of Halicarnassus gives of it, 
we may at once see its nature. 

“He ordered all the citizens of Rome to register 
their estates according to their value in money, taking 
an oath, in a form he prescribed, to deliver a faithful 
account according to the best of their knowledge, spe- 
cifying the names of their parents, their own age, the 
names of their wives and children, adding also what 
quarter of the city, or what town in the country, they 
lived in.” Ant. Rom. 1. iv. c. 15. p. 212. Edit. Huds. 

A Roman census appears to have consisted of these 
two parts: 1. The account which the people were 
obliged to give in of their names, quality, employ- 
ments, wives, children, servants, and estates; and 
2. The value set upon the estates by the censors, and 
the proportion in which they adjudged them to contri- 
bute to the defence and support of the state, either in 
men or money, or both: and this seems to have been 
the design of the census or enrolment in the text. 
This census was probably similar to that made in Eng- 
Jand in the reign of William the Conqueror, which is 
contained in what is termed Domesday Book, now in 
the Chapter House, Westminster, and dated 1086. 

Verse 5. With Mary his espoused wife] There 
was no necessity for Mary to have gone to Bethlehem 
as Joseph’s presence could have answered the end pro- 
posed in the census as well without Mary as with her: 
but God so orderedit, that the prophecy of Micah should 
be thus fulfilled, and that Jesus should be born in 
the city of David; Mice. v. 2. 

Verse 7. Laid him in a manger] Wetstein has 
shown, from a multitude of instances, that φατνὴ means 

369 


An angel appears 


8 3 And there were in the same 
An. ‘Olyme, country shepherds abiding in the 
CXCIV 

field, keeping &watch over their 
flock by night. 


A. ae 4001. 
B. C. 4 


£ Or, the night-watches. 


not merely the manger, but the whole stable, and this 
I think is its proper meaning in this place. The Latins 
use presepe, a manger, in the same sense. So Vir- 
gil, Ain. vii. p. 275. 


Stabant ter centum nitidi in presepibus altis. 
«Three hundred sleek horses stood in lofty stables.” 


Many have thought that this was a full proof of the 
meanness and poverty of the holy family, that they 
were obliged to take up their lodging ina stable ; but 
such people overlook the reason given by the inspired 
penman, because there was no reom for them in the inn. 
As multitudes were going now to be enrolled, all the 
Jodgings in the inn had been occupied before Joseph 
and Mary arrived. An honest man who had worked 
diligently at his business, under the peculiar blessing 
of God, as Joseph undoubtedly had, could not have 
been so destitute of money as not to be able to pro- 
cure himself and wife a comfortable lodging for a 
night; and, had he been so ill fitted for the journey 
as some unwarrantably imagine, we may take it for 
granted he would not have brought his wife with him, 
who was in such a state as not to be exposed to any 
inconveniences of this kind without imminent danger. 

There was no room for them in the inn.] In ancient 
times, inns were as respectable as they were useful, 
being fitted up for the reception of travellers alone :— 
now, they are frequently haunts for the idle and the 
profligate, the drunkard and the infidel ;—in short, for 
any kind of guests except Jesus and his genuine fol- 
lowers. To this day there is little room for such in 
most inns; nor indeed have they, in general, any bu- 
siness in such places. As the Hindoos travel in large 
companies to holy places and to festivals, it often hap- 
pens that the inns (suraies) are so crowded that there 
is not room for one half of them: some lie at the 
door, others in the porch. These inns, or lodging- 
houses, are kept by Mohammedans, and Mussulmans 
obtain prepared food at them; but the Hindoos pur- 
chase rice, &c., and cook it, paying about a halfpenny 
a night for their lodging. Warp’s Customs. 

Verse 8. There were—shepherds abiding in the 
field] There is no intimation here that these shepherds 
were exposed to the open air. They dwelt in the 
fields where they had their sheep penned up; but they 
nndoubtedly had tents or booths under which they dwelt. 

Keeping watch—by night.] Or, as in the margin, 
keeping the watches of the night, i. e. each one keep- 
ing a watch (which ordinarily consisted of three hours) 
in his turn. The reason why they watched them in 
the field appears to have been, either to preserve the 
sheep from deasts of prey, such as wolves, foxes, &c., 
or from freebooting banditti, with which all the land 
of Judea was at that time much infested. It was a 
custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the 
deserts, about the passover, and bring them home at 

370 


ST. LUKE. 


to certain shepherds, 


9 And lo, the angel of the Lord AGM 400 
came upon them, eid the glory of An. ae 
the Lord shone round about them: <<! * 
» and they were sore afraid. 


h Chap. i. 12. 


the commencement of the first rain: during the time 
they were out, the shepherds watched them night and 
day. As the passover occurred in the spring, and the 
first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, 
which answers to part of our October and November, 
we find that the sheep were kept out in the open coun- 
try during the whole of the summer. And as these 
shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is 
a presumptive argument that October had not yet com- 
menced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born 
on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in 
the fields; nor could he have been: born later than 
September, as the flocks were still in the fields by 
night. On this very ground the nativity in Decem- 
ber should be given up. The feeding of the flocks by 
night in the fields is a chronological fact, which casts 
considerable light upon this disputed point. See the 
quotations from the Talmudists in Lightfoot. 

The time in which Christ was born has been con- 
sidered a subject of great importance among Chris- 
tians. However, the matter has been considered of 
no moment by Him who inspired the evangelists ; as 
not one hint is dropped on the subject, by which it 
might be possible even to guess nearly to the time, 
except the chronological fact mentioned above. A 
late writer makes the following remark: ‘‘The first 
Christians placed the baptism of Christ about the be- 
ginning of the fifteenth year of Tiberius ; and thence 
reckoning back ¢hirty years, they placed his birth in the 
forty-third year of the Julian period, the forty-second 
of Augustus, and the twenty-eighth after the victory 
at Actiwm. This opinion obtained till A. D. 527, 
when Dionysius Exiguus invented the vulgar account. 
Learned and pious men have trifled egregiously on 
this subject, making that of importance which the 
Holy Spirit, by his silence, has plainly informed them 
is of none. ᾿ Fabricius gives a catalogue of no less 
than 136 different opinions concerning the year of 
Christ’s birth: and as to his birth pay, that has been 
placed by Christian sects and learned men in every 
month in the year. The Egyptians placed it in Jan- 
uary—Wagenseil, in Februwary—Bochart, in March 
—some, mentioned by Clemens Alexandrinus, in April 
—others, in May—Epiphanius speaks of some who 
placed it in June—and of others who supposed it to 
have been in July—Wagenseil, who was not sure of 
February, fixed it probably in August—Lightfoot, on 
the 15th of September—Scaliger, Casaubon, and Cal- 
visius, in October—others, in November—but the La- 
tin Church, supreme in power, and infallible in judg- 
ment, placed it on the 25th of December, the very 
day on which the ancient Romans celebrated the feast 
of their goddess Bruna.” See more in Robinson’s 
Notes on Claude’s Essay, vol. i. p. 275, &e. Pope 
Julius I. was the person who made this alteration, and 
it appears to have been done for this reason: the sun 

( 24" ) 


They announce the 
AM tol. 10. And the angel said unto them, 
An. Olymp. Fear not: for, behold, I bring you 
_* good tidings of great joy, ' which 
shall be to all people. 


iGen. xii. 3; Matt. xxviii. 19; Mark i. 15; ver. 31, 32; chap. 
xxiv. 47; Col. i. 23. 


now began his return towards the northern tropic, 
ending the winter, lengthening the short days, and in- 
troducing the spring. All this was probably deemed 
emblematical of the rising of the Sun of righteous- 
ness on the darkness of this world, and causing the 
day-spring from on high to visit mankind. 

Verse 9. The angel of the Lord came upon them] 
Or, stood over them, ἐπέστη. It is likely that the angel 
appeared in the air at some little distance above them, 
and that from him the rays of the glory of the Lord 
shone round about them, as the rays of light are pro- 
jected from the sun. 

They were sore afraid.] Terrified with the appear- 
ance of so glorious a being, and probably fearing that 
he was a messenger of justice, coming to denounce 
Divine judgments, or punish them immediately, for 
sins with which their consciences would not fail, on 
such an occasion, to reproach them. 

Verse 10. Behold, I bring you good tidings] Tam 
not come to declare the judgments of the Lord, but 
his merciful loving-kindness, the subject being a mat- 
ter of great joy. He then declares his message. 
Unto you—to the Jews first, and then to the human 
race. Some modern MSS. with the utmost impro- 
priety read jucv, us, as if angels were included in this 
glorious work of redemption; but St. Paul says, he 
took not rpon him the nature of angels, but the seed 
of Abraham, i. e. the nature of Abraham and his pos- 
terity, the human nature; therefore the good news is 
to you,—and not to yourselves exclusively, for it is 
to all people, to all the inhabitants of this land, and 
to the inhabitants of the whole earth. 

Verse 11. A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.] 
A Saviour, σωτὴρ, the same as Jesus, from σώζειν, to 
make safe, to deliver, preserve, to make alive, thus 
used by the Septuagint for 7M hecheiah, to cause to 
escape; used by the same for v5 to confide in, to 
hope. See the extensive acceptations of the verb in 
Mintert, who adds under Σωτὴρ: “The word proper- 
ly denotes such a Saviour as perfectly frees us from 
all evil and danger, and is the author of perpetual sal- 
vation.” On the word Jesus, see John i. 29. 

Which is Christ. Χριστος, the anointed, from χρίω 
to anoint, the same as ΠῚ Messiah, from Nw ma- 
shach. This name points out the Saviour of the 
world in his prophetic, regal, and sacerdotal offices : 
as in ancient times, prophets, kings, and priests were 
anointed with oil, when installed into their respective 
offices. Anointing was the same with them as conse- 
eration is with us. Oil is still used in the consecration 
of kings. 

It appears from Isa. lxi. 1, that anointing with oil, 
in consecrating a person to any important office, whe- 
ther civil or religious, was considered as an emblem 


CHAP. II. 


birth of Christ 


11 *For unto you is born 4,M 4001 
this day in the city of David 1 ἃ An. Oiymp. 


Saviour, ™which is Christ the CXC" 
Lord. 


k Isa. ix. 6——! Matt. i. 21.——™ Matt. i. 16; xvi. 16; chap. i. 
43; Acts ii. 36; x. 36; Phil. ii. 11. 


sions, viz. the installation of prophets, priests, and 
kings, into their respective offices. But why should 
such an anointing be deemed necessary ? Because the 
common sense of men taught them that all good, 
whether spiritual or secular, must come from God, its 
origin and cause. Hence it was taken for granted, 1. 
That no man could foretell events, unless inspired by 
the Spirit of God. And therefore the prophet was 
anointed, to signify the communication of the Spirit of 
wisdom and knowledge. 2. That no person could 
offer an acceptable sacrifice to God for the sins of men, 
or profitably minister in holy things, unless enlight- 
ened, influenced, and directed by the Spirit of grace 
and holiness. Hence the priest was anointed, to sig- 
nify his being divinely qualified for the due performance 
of his sacred functions. 3. That no man could enact 
just and equitable laws, which should have the pros- 
perity of the community and the welfare of the indi- 
vidual continually in view, or could use the power 
confided to him only for the suppression of vice and 
the encouragement of virtue, but that man who was ever 
under the inspiration of the Almighty.’ Hence kings 
were inaugurated by anointing with oil. Two of these 
offices only exist in all civilized nations, the sacerdotal 
and regal ; and in some countries the priest and king 
are still consecrated by anointing. In the Hebrew 
language, NW1 mashach signifies to anoint ; and win 
ha-mashiach, the anointed person. But as no man 
was ever dignified by holding the three offices, so no 
person ever had the title ha-mashiach, the anointed 
one, but Jesus the Christ. He alone is Xing of kings, 
and Lord of lords: the king who governs the universe, 
and rules in the hearts of his followers; the prophet 
to instruct men in the way wherein they should go; 
and the great high priest, to make atonement for their 
sins. Hence he is called the Messias, a corruption of 
the word mwnn ha-mashiach, THe anointed oNnx¥, in 
Hebrew; which gave birth to ὁ Χριστος, ho Christos, 
which has precisely the same signification in Greek. 
Of him, Melchizedek, Abraham, Aaron, David, and 
others, were illustrious types; but none of these had 
the title of rue Messtan, or the Anoinrep of Gop. 
This does, and ever will, belong exclusively to Jesus 
the Curis. 

The Lord. Κύριος, the supreme, eternal Being, the 
ruler of the heavens and the earth. The Septuagint 
generally translate Mm? Yehovah by Kuptoc. This 
Hebrew word, from 7° hayah, he was, properly points 
out the eternity and self-eaistence of the Supreme 
Being ; and if we may rely on the authority of Hesy- 
chius, which no scholar will call in question, Κύριος is 
a proper translation of m7? Yehovah, as it comes from 
κυρω,----τυγχανω, 1 am, I exist. Others derive it from 
κυρος, authority, legislative power. It is certain that 


of the communication of the gifts and graces of the| the Jordship of Christ must be considered in a mere 
Holy Spirit. This ceremony was used on three occa- | spiritual sense, as he never set up any secular govern- 


1 


371 


The grand subject of the Gospel. 


A, M4001. 12 And this shall be a sign unto 
An. Olymp. you: Ye shall find the babe wrap- 
CXCIV. 1. : 3 
———— ped in swaddling clothes, lying in 
a manger. 


13 5 And suddenly there was with the angel 
a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, 
and saying, 

14 °Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, ἅ good will toward men. 

15 And it came to pass, as the angels 
were gone away from them into heaven, * the 


ST. LUKE. 


The shepherds find Christ 


shepherds said one to another, Let Αἰ ΜΟΙ. 
us now go even unto Bethlehem, An. Olymp. 
and see this thing which is come to a= 
pass, which the Lord hath made 
unto us. 

16 And they came with haste, and found 
Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying ina 
manger. 

17 And when they had seen it, they made 
known abroad the saying which was told them 
concerning this child. 


known 


nGen. xxviii. 12; xxxii. 1,2; Psa. ciii. 20, 21; cxlviii. 2; 
Dan. vii. 10; Heb. i. 14; Rev. y. 11- ο Chap. xix. 38; Eph. 
i. 6; iii. 10, 21; Rev. v. 13. 


ment upon earth, nor commanded any to be established 
in his name ; and there is certainly no spiritual govern- 
ment but that of God: and indeed the word Lord, in 
the text, appears to be properly understood, when ap- 
plied to the deity of Christ. Jesus is a prophet, to 
reveal the will of God, and instruct men in it. He is 
a priest, to offer up sacrifice, and make atonement for 
the sin of the world. He is Lord, to rule over and 
rule in the souls of the children of men: in a word, 
ke is Jesus the Saviour, to deliver from the power, 
guilt, and pollution of sin; to enlarge and vivify, by 
tho influence of his Spirit; to preserve in the possession 
of the salvation which he has communicated ; to seal 
those who believe, heirs of glory; and at last to receive 
them into the fulness of beatitude in his eternal joy. 

Verse 12. This shall be a sign (or token) unto you] 
You shall find this glorious person, however strange it 
may appear, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a 
stable! It is by humility that Christ comes to reign ; 
and this is the only way into his kingdom! Pride is 
the character of all the children of Adam: humility 
the mark of the Son of God, and of all his followers. 
Christ came in the way of humility to destroy that 
pride which is the root of evil in the souls of men. 
And thus, according to the old medical aphorism, 
“ Opposites are destroyed by their opposites.” 

Verse 13. Suddenly there was with the angel, &c.] 
This multitude of the heavenly host had just now 
descended from on high, to honour the new-born 
Prince of peace, to give his parents the fullest convic- 
tion of his glory and excellence, and to teach the 
shepherds, who were about to be the first proclaimers 
of the Gospel, what to think and what to speak of him, 
who, while he appeared as a helpless infant, was the 
object of worship to the angels of God. 

Verse 14. Glory to God in the highest] The de- 
sign of God, in the incarnation, was to manifest the 
hidden glories of his nature, and to reconcile men to 
each other and to himself. The angels therefore de- 
clare that this incarnation shall manifest and promote 
the glory of God, ev ὑψιςτοις, not only in the highest 
heavens, among the highest orders of beings, but in the 
highest and most exalted degrees. or in this asto- 
nishing display of God’s mercy, attributes of the Di- 
vine nature which had not been and could not be 
known in any other way should be now exhibited in 

372 


PIsa. lvii. 19; chap. i. 79% Rom. νυ. 1; Eph. 11. 17; Col. 1. 20. 
4 John iii. 16; Eph. ii. 4,7; 2 Thess. ii. 16; 1 John iv. 9, 10 
τ Gr. the men, the shepherds. 


the fulness of their glory, that even the angels should 
have fresh objects to contemplate, and new glories to 
exult in. These things the angels desire to look into, 
1 Pet. i. 12, and they desire it because they feel they 
are thus interested in it. The incarnation of Jesus 
Christ is an infinite and eternal benefit. Heaven and 
earth both partake of the fruzts of it, and through it 
angels and men become one family, Eph. iii. 15. 

Peace, good will toward men.) Men are in a state 
of hostility with Heaven and with each other. The 
carnal mind is enmity against God. He who sins 
wars against his Maker; and 


“ Foe to God was ne’er true friend to man.” 


When men become reconciled to God, through the 
death of his Son, they love one another. They have 
peace with God; peace in their own consciences ; and 
peace with their neighbours: gvod will dwells among 
them, speaks in them, and works by them. Well 
might this state of salvation be represented under the 
notion of the kingdom of God, a counterpart of eternal 
felicity. See on Matt. iii. 2. 

Verse 15. Let us now go even unto Bethlehem] 
Διελβθωμεν, let us go across the country at the nearest, 
that we may lose no time, that we may speedily see 
this glorious reconciler of God and man. ΑἹ] delays 
are dangerous: but he who delays to seek Jesus, 
when the angels, the messengers of God, bring him 
glad tidings of salvation, risks his present safety and 
his eternal happiness. O, what would the damned 
in hell give for those moments in which the living 
hear of salvation, had they the same possibility of re- 
ceiving it! Reader, be wise. Acquaint thyself now 
with God, and be at peace; and thereby good will 
come unto thee. Amen. 

Verse 17. They made known abroad the saying 
These shepherds were the first preachers of the Gos- 
pel of Christ: and what was their text? Why, Glory 
to God in the highest heavens, and on earth peace and 
good will among mten. This is the elegant and ener- 
getie saying, which comprises the sum and substance 
of the Gospel of God. This, and this only, is the 
message which all Christ’s true pastors or shepherds 
bring to men. He who, while he professes the reli- 
gion of Christ, disturbs society by his preachings or 
writings, who excludes from the salvation of God all 

i 


Christ is circumcised. 


A. M. 4001. 
B.C. 4 


An, Olymp. wondered at those things which|in the womb. 
CXCIV. 1. ] 


were told them by the shepherds. 

19 ‘But Mary kept all these things, and 
pondered them in her heart. 

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying 
and praising God for all the things that they 
had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 

21 4‘ And when eight days were accomplish- 
ed for the circumcising of the child, his name 
was called * JESUS, which was so named of 


*Gen. xxxvii. 11; chap. i. 66; ver. 51. * Gen. xvii. 12; Lev. 
xil. 3; chap. i. 59. 4 Matt. i. 21, 25; chap. i. 31. 


who hold not his religious or political creed, never 
knew the nature of the Gospel, and never felt its 
power or influence. How can religious contentions, 
civil broils, or open wars, look that Gospel in the face 
which publishes nothing but glory to God, and peace 
and good will among men? Crusades for the recovery 
of a holy land so called, (by the way, latterly, thé most 
unholy in the map of the world.) and wars for the 
support of religion, are an insult to the Gospel, and 
blasphemy against God! 

Verse 19. And pondered them in her heart.] 
Συμβαλλουσα, Weighing them in her heart. Weighing 
is an English translation of our word pondering, from 
the Latin ponderare. Every circumstance relative to 
hr son’s birth, Mary ¢reaswred up in her memory ; 
and every new circumstance she weighed, or compared 
with those which had already taken place, in order to 
acquire the fullest information concerning the nature 
and mission of her son. 

Verse 20. The shepherds returned, glorifying and 
praising] ‘These simple men, having satisfactory evi- 
dence of the truth of the good tidings, and feeling a 
Divine influence upon their own minds, returned to the 
care of their flocks, glorifying God for what he had 
shown them, and for the blessedness which they felt. 
“ Jesus Christ, born of a woman, laid in a stable, pro- 
claimed and ministered to by the heavenly host, should 
be a subject of frequent contemplation to the pastors 
of his Church. After having compared the predictions 
of the prophets with the facts stated in the evangelic 
history, their own souls being hereby confirmed in 
these sacred truths, they will return to their flocks, 
glorifying and praising God for what they had seen 
and heard in the Gospel history, just as it had been 
told them in the writings of the prophets ; and, preach- 
ing these mysteries with the fullest conviction of their 
truth, they become instruments in the hands of God of 
begetting the same faith in their hearers; and thus the 
glory of God and the happiness of his people are both 
promoted.” What subjects for contemplation !—what 
matter for praise ! 

Verse 21. When. erght days were accomplished] 
The law had appointed that every male should be cir- 
cumecised at eight days old, or on the eighth day after 
its birth, Gen. xvii. 12; and our blessed Lord received 
eircumcision in token of his subjection to the law, Gal. 
iv. 4; v. 8. 

1 


CHAP. II. 


18 And all they that heard it|the angel, before he was conceived pein pi 


He is presented in the temple 


An. Olvmp. 
22 Ἵ And when * the days of her ee 
purification according to the law of Moses 
were accomplished, they brought him to Jeru- 
salem, to present him to the Lord ; 

23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, 
~ Every male that openeth the womb shall be 
called holy to the Lord ;) 


24 And to offer a sacrifice, according to 
«that which is said in the law of the Lord, 


Y Lev. xii. 2, 3, 4, 6——W Exodus xiii. 2; xxii. 29; xxxiv. 19, 
Num. 11]. 13; viii. 17; xviii. 15——* Lev. xii. 2, 6, 8. 


His name was called JESUS] See on Matt. i. 21, 
and John i. 29. 

Verse 22. Days of her purification] That is, thirty- 
three days after what was termed the seven days of 
her uncleanness—forty days in all : for that was the 
time appointed by the law, after the birth of a male 
child. See Lev. xii. 2, 6. 

The MSS. and versions differ much in the pronoun 
in this place : some reading αὐτῆς, HER purification ; 
others αὐτοῦ, HIS purification; others αὐτῶν, THEIR 
purification ; and others αὐτοῖν, the purification of 
THEM BOTH. ‘Two versions and two of the fathers 
omit the pronoun. Avrw?, their, and αὐτου, his, have 
the greatest authorities in their support, and the former 
is received into most of the modern editions. A need- 
less scrupulosity was, in my opinion, the origin of these 
various readings. Some would not allow that both 
needed purification, and referred the matter to Mary 
alone. Others thought neither could be supposed to 
be legally impure, and therefore omitted the pronoun 
entirely, leaving the meaning indeterminate. As there 
could be no moral defilement in the case, and what 
was done being for the performance of a legal cere- 
mony, it is of little consequence which of the readings 
is received into the text. 

The purification of every mother and child, which 
the law enjoined, is a powerful argument in proof of 
that original corruption and depravity which every 
human being brings into the world. 'The woman to be 
purified was placed in the east gate of the court, called 
Nicanor’s gate, and was there sprinkled’ with blood : 
thus she received the atonement. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 24. And to offer a sacrifice] Neither mother 
nor child was considered as in the Lord’s covenant, or 
under the Divine protection, till these ceremonies, pre- 
scribed by the law, had been performed. 

A pair of turtle doves, &c.] One was for a burnt- 
offering, and the other for a sin-offering: see Lev 
xii. 8. The rich were required to bring a lamd; but 
the poor and middling classes were required to bring 
either two turtle doves, or two pigeons. This is a 
proof that the holy family were not in affluence. Jesus 
sanctified the state of poverty, which is the general 
state of man, by passing through it. Therefore the poor 
have the Gospel preached unto them ; and the poor are 
they who principally receive it. 

Though neither Mary nor her son needed any of 

373 


Simeon takes Christ τη 


A.M 4001. A pair of turtle doves, or two young 
An. Olymp. pigeons. 
οὐδε behold) there was a 
man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon ; 
and the same man was just and devout, 
Υ waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the 
Holy Ghost was upon him. 

26 And it was revealed unto him by the 
Holy Ghost, that he should not 7see death, 


ST. LUKE. 


his arms and blesses God. 


before he had seen the Lord’s 4,M.#00l- 
Christ. 

27 And he came *by the Spirit 
into the temple : and when the parents brought 
in the child Jesus, to do for him after the 
custom of the law, 

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and 
blessed God, and said, 

29 Lord, ὃ now lettest thou thy servant de 


An. Olymp. 
CXCIV. 1. 


yIsa. xl. 1; Mark xv. 43; ver. 38. z Psa. lxxxix. 48 ; 


Heb. xi. 5. a Matt. iv. 1—— Gen. xlvi. 30; Phil. i. 23. 


these purifications, for she was immaculate, and He 
was the Holy One, yet, had she not gone through the 
days of purification according to the law, she could not 
have appeared in the public worship of the Most High, 
and would have been considered as an apostate from 
the faith of the Israel of God; and had not He been 
circumcised and publicly presented in the temple, he 
could not have been permitted to enter either syna- 
gogue or temple, and no Jew would have heard him 
preach, or had any intercourse or connection with him. 
These reasons are sufficient to account for the purifi- 
cation of the holy virgin, and for the circumcision of 
the most holy Jesus. 

Verse 25. And, behold, there was a man in Jeru- 
salem] 'This man is distinguished because of his singu- 
lar piety. There can be no doubt that there were 
many persons in Jerusalem named Simeon, besides 
this man; but there was none of the name who merited 
the attention of God so much as he in the text. Such 
persevering exemplary piety was very rare, and there- 
fore the inspired penman ushers in the account with 
behold! Several learned men are of the opinion that 
he was son to the famous Hillel, one of the most cele- 
brated doctors and philosophers which had ever ap- 
peared in the Jewish nation since the time of Moses. 
Simeon is supposed also to have been the AB or pre- 
sident of the grand Sanhedrin. 

The same man was just] He steadily regulated all 
his conduct by the law of his God: and devout—he 
had fully consecrated himself to God, so that he added 
a pious heart to a righteous conduct. The original 
word εὐλαβης, signifies also a person of good report— 
one well received among the people, or one cautious 
and circumspect in matters of religion ; from ev, well, 
and λαμβανω, I take: it properly denotes, one who 
takes any thing that is held out to him, well and care- 
fully. He so professed and practised the religion of 
his fathers that he gave no cause for a friend to mourn 
on his account, or an enemy to triumph. 

Several excellent MSS. read εὐσεβὴς, pious or god- 
ly, from ev, well, and σεβομαι, I worship; one who 
worships God well, i. 6. in spirit and in truth. 

Waiting for the consolation of Israel] That is, the 
Messiah, who was known among the pious Jews by 
this character : he was to be the consolation of Israel, 
because he was to be its redemption. This consola- 
tion of Israel was so universally expected that the 
Jews swore by it: So let me see the Consolation, if 
such a thing be not so, or so. See the forms in 
Lightfoot. 

374 


The Holy Ghost was upon him.] He was a man 
divinely inspired, overshadowed, and protected by the 
power and influence of the Most High. 

Verse 26. It was revealed unto him] He was di- 
vinely informed, Kexpnuatiouevov—he had an express 
communication from God concerning the subject. The 
secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. The 
soul of a righteous and devout man is a proper habita- 
tion for the Holy Spirit. 

He should not see death] They that seek shall find’ 
it is impossible that a man who is earnestly seeking 
the salvation of God, should be permitted to die with 
out finding it. 

The Lord’s Christ.| Rather, the Lord’s anointed . 
—that prophet, priest, and king, who was typified by 
so many aneinted persons under the old covenant; 
and who was appointed to come in the fulness of time, 
to accomplish all that was written in the law, in the 
prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning him. See 
the note on ver. 11. 

Verse 27. He came by the Spirit into the temple] 
Probably he had in view the prophecy of Malachi, 
chap. ill. 1, The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly 
come to his temple. In this messenger of the covenant, 
the soul of Simeon delighted. Now the prophecy 
was just going to be fulfilled; and the Holy Spirit, 
who dwelt in the soul of this righteous man, directed 
him to go and see its accomplishment. Those who 
come, under the influence of God’s Spirit, to places 
of public worship, will undoubtedly meet with him who 
is the comfort and salvation of Israel. 

After the custom of the law] To present him to the 
Lord, and then redeem him by paying five shekels, 
Num. xviii. 15, 16, and to offer those sacrifices ap- 
pointed by the law. See ver. 24. 

Verse 28. Then took he him up in hes arms] What 
must the holy soul of this man have felt in this mo- 
ment! O inestimable privilege! And yet ours need 
not be inferior: If a man love me, says Christ, he will 
keep my word; and I and the Father will come in 
unto him, and make our abode with him. And indeed 
even Christ zn the arms could not avail a man, if he 
were not formed in his heart. 

Verse 29. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart 
in peace] Now thou dismissest, arodverc—loosest him 
from life; having lived long enough to have the grand 
end of life accomplished. 

According to thy word] It was promisea tz him, 
that he should not die till he had seen the Lord’s 
anointed, ver. 26; and now, having seen him, he ex 

1 


The prophetic 


AM fool. part in peace, according to thy 


An. er word: 

oxen 30 For mine eyes °have seen 
thy salvation, 

31 Which thou hast prepared before the 
face of all people ; 

32 *A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the 
glory of thy people Israel. 

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled 
at those things which were spoken of him. 
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said 
unto Mary his mother, Behold, this chzld is 


‘Isa. ix.2; xli. 6; xlix. 6; Ix. 
1, 2,3; Matt. iv. 16; Acts xili.47; xxviii. 28. Isa. vill. 14; 
Hos. xiv. 9; Matt. xxi. 44; Rom. ix. 32, 33; 1 Cor. i. 23, 24; 


Isa. lil. 10; chap. ili. 6. 


pects to be immediately dismissed in peace into the 
eternal world ; having a full assurance and enjoyment 
of the salvation of God. Though Simeon means his 
death, yet the thing itself is not mentioned; for death 
has not only lost its sting, but its name also, to those 
who have, even by faith, seen the Lord’s anointed. 

Verse 30. Thy salvation] That Saviour which it 
became the goodness of God to bestow upon man, and 
which the necessities of the human race required. 
Christ is called our salvation, as he is called our life, 
our peace, our hope; i.e. he is the author of all these, 
to them who believe. 4 

Verse 31. Which thou hast prepared] Ὁ ἡτοιμασας 
=--which thou hast mape rEapy before the face, in 
the presence, of all people. Here salvation is represent- 
ed under the notion of a feast, which God himself has 
provided for the whole world; and to partake of which 
he has invited all the nations of the earth. There 
seems a direct allusion here to Isa. xxv. 6, ἅς. “In 
this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all 
people a feast of fat things,’ &e. Salvation is pro- 
perly the food of the soul, by which it is nourished 
unto eternal life: he that receiveth not this, must 
perish for ever. 

Verse 32. A light to lighten the Gentiles] uc εἰς 
αποκαλυψιν etvov—A light of the Gentiles, for reve- 
lation. By Moses and the prophets, a light of reve- 
lation was given to the Jews, in the blessedness of 
which the Geniiles did not partake. By Christ and 
his apostles, a luminous revelation is about to be given 
unto the Gentiles, from the blessedness of which the 
Jews in general, by their obstinacy and unbelief, shall 
be long excluded. But to all true Israelites it shall 
be a glory, an evident fulfilment of all the predictions 
of the prophets, relative to the salvation of a lost world; 
and the first offers of it shall be made to the Jewish 
people, who may see in it the truth of their own Serip- 
tures indisputably evinced. 

Verse 33. Joseph and his mother marvelled|] For 
they did not as yet fully know the counsels of God, 
relative to the salvation which Christ was to procure ; 
nor the way in which the purchase was to be made :— 
but to this Simeon refers in the following verses. 

Verse 34. This child is set for the fall] This seems 
an allusion to Isa. viii. 14, 15: Jehovah, God of hosts, 

1 


CHAP. 11. 


song of Simeon. 
e ia in A.M, 4001. 
set for the * fall and rising again 4+)" {00 
of many in Israel ; and for An. Clyray. 
aie : CXCIV. 1. 

a sign which shall be spoken 
against ; 

35 (Yea, ξ ἃ sword shall pierce through thy 
own soul also) that the thoughts of many 
hearts may be revealed. 

36 Ἵ And there was one Anna, a prophetess, 
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of 
Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived 
with a husband seven years from her vir- 
ginity ; 

2 Cor. ii. 16; 1 Pet. ii. 7, 8—— Acts xxviii. 22.——# Psa. xlii. 
10; John xix. 25. 


shall be—for a stone of stumbling and rock of offence 
to both houses of Israel ; and many among them shall 
stumble and fall, &c. As Christ did not come as a 
temporal deliverer, in which character alone the Jews 
expected him, the consequence should be, they would 
reject him, and so fallby the Romans. See Rom. xi. 
11, 12, and Matt. xxiv. But in the fulness of time 
there shall be a rising again of many in Israel. See 
Rom. xi. 26. 

And for a sign] A mark or butt to shoot at—a 
metaphor taken from archers. Or perhaps Simeon 
refers to Isa. xi. 10-12. There shall be a root of 
Jesse, which shall stand for an ensicn of the people ; 
to it shall the Gentiles seek :—intimating that the Jews 
would reject it, while the Gentiles should flock to it as 
their ensign of honour, under which they were to en- 
joy a glorious rest. 

That the thoughts (or reasonings) of many hearts 
may be revealed.| Ihave transposed this clause to 
the place to which I believe it belongs. The meaning 
appears to me to be this: The rejection of the Mes- 
siah by the Jewish rulers will sufficiently prove that 
they sought the honour which comes from the world, 
and not that honour which comes from God: because 
they rejected Jesus, merely for the reason that he did 
not bring them a temporal deliverance. So the very 
Pharisees, who were loud in their professions of sanc- 
tity and devotedness to God, rejected Jesus, and got 
him crucified, because his kingdom was not of this 
world. Thus the reasonings of many hearts were re- 
vealed. 

Verse 35. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy 
own soul also] Probably meaning, Thou also, as well 
as thy son, shall die a martyr for the truth. But as 
this is a metaphor used by the most respectable Greek 
writers to express the most pungent sorrow, it may 
here refer to the anguish Mary must have felt when 
standing beside the cross of her tortured son: John 
xix. 25. 

Verse 36. Anna, a prophetess] It does not appear 
that this person was a prophetess in the strict sense of 
the word, i. e. one who could foretell future events ; 
but rather a holy woman; who, from her extensive 
knowledge and deep experience in Divine things, was 
capable of instructing others ; according to the use of 

375 


Account of Anna, 


ic {001.37 And she was a widow of about 


An. Olymp. fourscore and four years, which de- 
CXCIV.1. 
———— parted not from the temple, but 
served God with fastings and prayers ἢ night 
and day. 

88 And she coming in that instant, gave 
thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of 


ST. LUKE. 


the prophetess 


him to all them that ‘looked for ΑἸ 1001. 
redemption in * Jerusalem. An. Olymp. 
39 § And when they had per- See 
formed all things according to the law of the 
Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own 
city Nazareth. 
40 | And the child grew, and waxed strong 


h Acts xxvi. 7; 1 Tim. v. 5.——i Mark xv. 43; ver. 25; 


chap. xxi, 21— Or, Israel Ver. 52; chap. i. 80. 


the word προφητευω, 1 Cor. xiv. 3: He that prophe- 
sieth, speaketh unto men to edification, and to exhorta- 
tion, and to comfort. So we find this holy widow 
proclaiming Jesus to all who looked for redemption in 
Jerusalem, ver. 38. 

The tribe of Asher] This was one of the ten tribes 
of the kingdom of Israel, several families of which 
had returned from their idolatry unto God, in the time 
that Hezekiah proclaimed the passover in Jerusalem, 
which is mentioned 2 Chron. xxx. 1-11. Though 
her family might have been a distinguished one in Je- 
rusulem, yet we find that it was her very exemplary 
piety that entitled her to be thus honourably mentioned 
in the sacred history. It is an honourable thing in- 
deed to have one’s name written in the sacred records ; 
but to be written in the book of life is of infinitely 
greater moment. 

Seven years] She was a pure virgin when married, 
was favoured with her husband but seven years, and 
was now in all, taking in the time of her virginity, 
marriage, and widowhood, eighty-four years of age. 
At such an age, it might be supposed she was reason- 
ably exempted from performing the severer duties of 
religion; but her spirit of piety continued still to 
burn with a steady and undiminished flame. 

Verse 37. Departed not from the temple] Attended 
constantly at the hours of prayer, which were nine in 
the morning and three in the afternoon. See Acts ii. 
15; iii. 1. It does not appear that women had any 
other functions to perform in that holy place. 

With fastings| She accompanied her devotion with 
frequent fastings, probably not oftener than twice in 
the week ; for this was the custom of the most rigid 
Pharisees: see chap. xviii. 12. 

Verse 38. Coming in that instant] Avty ty pa, 
at that very time—while Simeon held the blessed 
Redeemer in his arms, and was singing his departing 
and triumphal song. 

Gave thanks likewise] She, as well as Simeon, re- 
turned God public thanks, for having sent this Sa- 
viour to Israel. 

Spake of him] Of the nature and design of his mis- 
sion; and the glory that should take place in the land. 

To all them that looked for redemption] As Daniel’s 
seventy weeks were known to be now completed, the 
suure plous Jews were in constant expectation of the 
promised Messiah. They were expecting redemption, 
Avrpwow ; such a redemption as was to be brought 
about by an atonement, or expiatory victim, or ransom 
price. See on chap. i. 68. 

In Jerusalem.] It is probable she went about from 
house to house, testifying the grace of God. In the 


margin of our common version, Israel is put instead | 


376 


of Jerusalem, which the translators thought was nearly 
as eligible as the word they received into the text. 
This margfnal reading is supported by several MSS., 
all the Aradic and Persic versions, the Vulgate, and 
most copies of the Jtala. Were this reading to be 
received, it would make a very essential alteration in 
the meaning of the text, as it would intimate that this 
excellent woman travelled over the land of Israel, 
proclaiming the advent of Christ. At all events, it 
appears that this widow was one of the first publishers 
of the Gospel of Christ, and it is likely that she tra- 
velled with it from house to house through the city of 
Jerusalem, where she knew they dwelt who were ex- 
pecting the salvation of God. 

Verse 39. They returned into Galilee] But not 
immediately : for the coming of the wise men, and the 
retreat of Joseph with his family into Egypt, happen- 
ed between this period of time, and his going to Naza- 
reth in Galilee-—Bp. Pearce. But it is very likely, 
that as soon as the presentation in the temple, and the 
ceremonies relative to it, had been accomplished, that 
the holy family did return to Galilee, as St. Luke 
here states, and that they continued there till Herod’s 
bloody purpose was discovered to them by the Lord ; 
which probably took some time to bring it to its mur- 
derous crisis, after the departure of the magi. After 
which, they fled into Egypt, where they continued til] 
the death of Herod; and it is probable that it is of a 
second return to Nazareth that St. Matthew speaks, 
chap. ii. 23. 

Verse 40. The child grew] As to his body—being 
in perfect health. 

Waced strong in spirit] His rational soul became 
strong and vigorous. 

Filed with wisdom] The divinity continuing to 
communicate itself more and more, in proportion to 
the increase of the rational principle. The reader 
should never forget that Jesus was perfect man, as 
well as God. 

And the grace of God was upon him.| The word 
yapic, not only means grace in the common acceptation 
of the word, (some blessing granted by God’s mercy 
to those who are sinners, or have no merit,) but it 
means also favour or approbation: and this sense I 
think most proper for it here, when applied to the hu- 
man nature of our blessed Lord; and thus our trans- 
lators render the same word, ver. 52. Even Christ 
himself, who knew no sin, grew in the favour of God ; 
and, as to his human nature, increased in the graces 
of the Holy Spirit. From this we learn that, if a 
man were as pure and as perfect as the man Jesus 
Christ himself was, yet he might nevertheless 7- 
crease in the image, and consequently in the favour 

1 


Jesus is found in the 


A.M. 4012, in spirit, filled with wisdom: and 
An, Olymp. the grace of God was upon him. 
oxeyr* 41 4 Now his parents went to 
Jerusalem ™every year at the feast of the 
passover. 

42 And when he was twelve years old, they 
went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the 
feast. 

43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as 
they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind 
in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother 
knew not of zt. 

44 But they, supposing him to have been 
in the company, went a day’s journey; and 


m Exod. xxiii. 15, 17; xxxiv. 23; Deut. xvi. 1, 16. 


of God. God loves every thing and person, in pro- 
portion to the nearness of the approaches made to his 
own perfections. 

Verse 41. His parents went—every year| This 
was their constant custom, because positively enjoin- 
ed by the law, Exod. xxiii. 17. But it does not ap- 
pear that infants were obliged to be present ; and yet 
all the men-children are positively ordered to make 
their appearance at Jerusalem thrice in the year, 
Exod. xxxiv. 23. And our Lord, being now twelve 
years old, ver. 42, accompanies his parents to the 
feast. Probably this was the very age at which the 
male children were obliged to appear before the Lord 
at the three public festivals—the feast of unleavened 
bread, of weeks, and of tabernacles. According to the 
Jewish canons, it was the age at which they were 
obliged to begin to learn a trade. 

Verse 43. Had fulfilled the days] Eight days in 
the whole: one was the passover, and the other 
seven, the days of unleavened bread. See on Matt. 
xxv1. 2. 

Verse 44. Supposing him to have been in the com- 
pany| Some have supposed that the men and women 
marched in separate companies on these occasions, 
which is very likely; and that sometimes the children 
kept company with the men, sometimes with the wo- 
men. ‘This might have led to what otherwise seems 
to have been inexcusable carelessness in Joseph and 
Mary. Joseph, not seeing Jesus in the men’s com- 
pany, might suppose he was with his mother in the 
women’s company; and Mary, not seeing him with 
her, might imagine he was with Joseph. 

Went a day’s journey] Knowing what a treasure 
they possessed, how could they be so long without 
looking on itt Where were the bowels and tender 
solicitude of the mother? Let them answer this 
question who can. 

And they sought him] Ανεζητουν, They earnestly 
sought him. They are now both duly affected with a 
sense of their great loss and great negligence. 

Kinsfolk and acquaintance.| Those of the same 
family and neighbourhood went up to Jerusalem toge- 
ther on such oceasions. 

1 have frequently been reminded, says Mr. Ward, 

1 


CHAP. II. 


midst of the doctors. 


they sought him among their kins- 4. Mi 4012. 
folk and acquaintance. An, Olymp. 

45 And when they found him a4 
not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seek- 
ing him. 

46 And it came to pass, that after three 
days they found him in the temple, sitting in 
the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, 
and asking them questions. 

47 And ™all that heard him were astonished 
at his understanding and answers. 

48 And when they saw him, they were 
amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, 
why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy 


0 Matt. vii. 28; Mark i. 22; chap. iv. 22, 32; John vii. 15, 46. 


when reading this history, of the crowds going to 
some place in Bengal, to an idol feast. Men, women, 
and children, in large companies, may be seen tra- 
velling together, with their bedding, &c., on their 
heads. They cook and prepare their victuals in some 
shady place near a town, where they can purchase 
the necessaries they want, and, after remaining two or 
three days at the festival, return in companies as they 
went. 

Verse 45. Seeking him.) Ζητουντες a1-ca—or ra- 
ther, seeking him diligently, ἀναζητουντε This is 
the reading of BCDL, six others, Vulga e, and nine 
copies of the Jtala. If they sought earnesty when 
they first found him missing, there is little doubt that 
their solicitude and diligence must be greatly increas- 
ed during his three days’ absence , therefore the word 
which I have adopted, on the above authc-ity, is more 
likely to be the true reading than the ζητουντες of the 
common text, which simply signifies seeking ; wnereas 
the other strongly marks their solicitude and diligence. 

Verse 46. Sitting in the midst of the doctors! The 
rabbins, who were explaining the law and the cere- 
monies of the Jewish religion to their disciples 

Asking them questions.] Not as a scholar ass. his 
teacher, to be informed; but as a teacher, who pro- 
poses questions to his scholars in order to take an oc 
casion to instruct them. 

In the time of Josephus, the Jewish teachers were 
either very ignorant or very humble: for he tells us 
that, “when he was about fourteen years of age, the 
chief priests, and the principal men of the city, were 
constantly coming to Aim to be more accurately in- 
structed in matters relative to the law.” See his Life, 
sect. ii. If this were true, it is no wonder to find 
them now listening, with the deepest attention, to such 
teaching as they never before heard. 

Verse 47. Answers.) The word azoxpictc here 
seems not to mean answers only, but what Jesus said 
by way of question to the doctors, ver. 46. So in 
Rey. vii. 13, one of the elders is said to have answered, 
saying—when he only asked a question. Bp. Pearce. 

Verse 48. Why hast thou thus dealt with us? 
It certainly was not his fault, but theirs. Men are very 
apt to lay on others the blame of their own misconduct, 

377 


Jesus dwells at Nazareth, 


AaM apie. father and I have sought thee sor- 
ae τ πα 
49 And he said unto them, How 
is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I 
must be about °my Father’s business ? 
50 And they understood not the saying 
which he spake unto them. 


© John ii. 16——? Chap. ix. 45; xviii. 34. 


Verse 49. How is it that ye sought me?| Is not 
this intended as a gentle reproof? Why had ye me 
to seek? Ye should not have left my company, when 
ye knew I am constantly employed in performing the 
will of the Most High. 

My Fathers business 3] Ev τοις του πατρος pov, My 
Father's concerns. Some think that these words 
should be translated, In my Father’s house ; which was 
a reason that they should have sought him in the ¢em- 
ple only. As if he had said, Where should a child 
be found, but in his father’s house? This translation 
is defended by Grotius, Pearce, and others; and is 
the reading of the Syriac, later Persic, and Armenian 
versions. Our Lord took this opportunity to instruct 
Joseph and Mary concerning his Divine nature and 
mission. My Father's concerns. This saying, one 
would think, could not have been easily misunder- 
stood. It shows at once that he came down from 
heaven. Joseph had no concerns in the temple; and 
yet we find they did not fully comprehend it. How 
slow of heart is man to credit any thing that comes 
from God! 

Verse 51. Was subject unto them] Behaved to- 
wards them with all dutiful submission. Probably his 
working with his hands at his reputed father’s busi- 
ness, is here also implied: see on ver. 41. No child 
among the Jews was ever brought up in idleness. 75 
not this the carpenter? was a saying of those Jews 
who appear to have had a proper knowledge of his 
employment while in Joseph’s house. See the note 
on Matt. xiii. 55. 

Verse 52. Jesus increased in wisdom] See on 
ver. 40. 


Tue following remarks, taken chiefly from Mr. 
Claude, on the foregoing subject, are well worth the 
reader’s attention. : 

I. The birth of Christ is announced to the shepherds. 

1. God causes his grace to descend not only on the 
great and powerful of the world, but also upon the 
most simple and inconsiderable; just as the heavens 
diffuse their influence not only on great trees, but also 
on the smallest herbs. 

2. God seems to take more delight in bestowing his 
favours on the most abject than in distributing them 
among persons of elevated rank. Here is an example: 
for while he sent the wise men of the east to Herod, 
he sent an angel of heaven to the shepherds, and con- 
ducted them to the cradle of the Saviour of the world. 

3. In this meeting of the angels and shepherds, 
you see a perpetual characteristic of the economy of 
Jesus Christ; wherein the highest and most sublime 
things are joined with the meanest and lowest. In 

378 


ST. LUKE. 


and is subject to has parents. 


51 4 And he went down with 4,Misol2 
them, and came to Nazareth, and An. Olymp. 
was subject unto them: but his Shad 
mother 4 kept all these sayings in her heart. 

52 And Jesus ‘increased in wisdom 


and * stature, and in favour with God and 
man. 


4 Ver. 19; Dan. vii. 28. 


tT] Sam. ii. 26; ver. 40, 5 Or, age 


his person, the e/ernal Wor is united to a creature, 
the Divine nature to the human, infinity to infirmity, 
in a word, the Lord of glory to mean flesh and blood. 
On his cross, though he appears naked, crowned with 
thorns, and exposed to sorrows, yet at the same time 
he shakes the earth, and eclipses the sun. Here, in 
like manner, are angels familiar with shepherds; angels, 
to mark his majesty—shepherds, his humility. 

4. This mission of angels relates to the end for 
which the Son of God came into the world; for he 
came to establish a communion between God and men, 
and to make peace between men and angels: to this 
must be referred what St. Paul says, Col. i. 20, It 
pleased the Father, by him, to reconcile all things to 
himself. 

5. However simple and plain the employments of 
men may be, it is always very pleasing to God when 
they discharge them with a good conscience. While 
these shepherds were busy in their calling, God sent 
his angels to them. 

6. God does, in regard to men, what these shep- 
herds did in regard to their sheep. He is the great 
Shepherd of mankind, continually watching over them 
by his providence. 

II. The glory of the Lord shone round the shep- 
herds. 

1. When angels borrow human forms, in order to 
appear to men, they have always some ensigns of 
grandeur and majesty, to show that they are not men, 
but angels. 

2. The appearance of this ght to the shepherds in 
the night, may very well be taken for a mystical sym- 
bol. Might represents the corrupt state of mankind 
when Jesus came into the world ; a state of ignorance 
and error. Light fitly represents the salutary grace 
of Christ, which dissipates obscurity, and gives us the 
true knowledge of God. 

Ill. The shepherds were filled with great fear. 

1. This was the effect of their great surprise. 
When grand objects suddenly present themselves to 
us, they must needs fill us with astonishment and fear, 
for the mind, on these occasions, is not at liberty to 
exert its force; on the contrary, its strength is dis- 
sipated, and during this dissipation it is impossible not 
to fear. ; 

2. This fear may also arise from emotions of con- 
science. Man is by nature a sinner, and consequently 
an object of the justice of God. While God does 
not manifest himself to him, he remains insensible of 
his sin; but, when God discovers himself to him, he 
awakes to feeling, and draws nigh to God as a trem- 
bling criminal approaches his judge. See this exem- 
plified in the case of Adam, and in that of the Israea 

1 


Reflections on the song 


ites when God appeared on the mountain: hence that 
proverbial saying, We shall die, for we have seen God. 

3. The shepherds had just reason to fear when they 
saw before them an angel of heaven, surrounded with 
the ensigns of majesty, for angels had been formerly 
the ministers of God’s vengeance. On this occasion, 
tne sad examples of Divine vengeance, recorded in 
Scripture, and performed by the ministry of angels, 
might, in ἃ moment, rise to view, and incline them to 
think that this angel had received a like order to de- 
stroy them. 

TV. Observe the angel’s discourse to the shepherds. 

1. The angels say to them, Fear not. This pre- 
face was necessary to gain their attention, which fear, 
no doubt, had dissipated. The disposition which the 
angel wishes to awaken in them comports with the 
news which he intended to announce; for what has 
Jear to do with the birth of the Saviour of the world? 

2. The angel describes, 1st, The person of whom 
he speaks, a Saviour, Christ, the Lord ; see before on 
ver. 11. See, 2dly, What he speaks of him; he is 
born unto you. 3dly, He marks the time; this day. 
4thly, He describes the place; in the city of David. 
5thly, He specifies the nature of this important news; 
a great joy which shallbe unto all people. See Claude’s 
Essay, by Robinson, vol. i. p. 266, &e. 

Concerning Simeon, three things deserve to be 
especially noted: 1. His faith. 2. His song. And 
3. His prophecy. 

I. His faith. 1. He expected the promised Re- 
deemer, in virtue of the promises which God had 
made; and, to show that his faith waS of the opera- 
tion of God’s Spirit, he lived a life of righteousness 
and devotedness to God. Many profess to expect the 
salvation which God has promised only to those who 
believe. while living in conformity to the world, under 
the influence of its spirit, and in the general breach 
of the righteous law of God. 

2. The faith of Simeon led him only to wish for 
life that he might see him who was promised, and, 
be properly prepared for an inheritance among the 
sanctified. They who make not this use of life are 
much to be lamented. It would have been better for 
them had they never been born. 

3. The faith of Simeon was crowned with success. 
Jesus came; he saw, he felt, he adored him! and, 
with a heart filled with the love of God, he breathed 
out his holy soul, and probably the last dregs of his 
life, in praise to the fountain of all good. 

II. Simeon’s song. By it he shows forth :— 

1. The joy of his own heart. Lord, now thou dis- 
missest thy servant; as if he had said: “ Yes, O my 
God, I am going to quit this earth! TI feel that thou 
eallest me ; and 1 quit it without regret. Thou hast 
fulfilled all my desires, and completed my wishes, 
and I desire to be detained no longer from the full 
enjoyment of thyself.” O, how sweet is death, after 
such an enjoyment and discovery: of eternal life ! 

2. Simeon shows forth the glory of Christ. He is 
the Sun of righteousness, rising on a dark and ruined 
world with light and salvation. He is the light that 
shall manifest the infinite kindness of God to the 
Gentile people ; proving that God is good to all, and 
that his tender mercies are over all his works. 

1 


CHAP. III. 


and prophecy of Simeon 


He is the glory of Israel. It is by him that the 
Gentiles have been led to acknowledge the Jews as 
the peculiar peopie of God; their books as the word 
of God, and their teaching as the revelation of God. 
What an honour for this people, had they known how 
to profit by it! 

3. He astonished Joseph and Mary with his sub- 
lime account of the Redeemer of the world. They 
hear him glorified, and their hearts exult in it. From 
this Divine song they learn that this miraculous son 
of theirs is the swm and substance of all the promises 
made unto the fathers, and of all the predictions of 
the prophets. 

III. Simeon’s prophecy. 

1. He addresses Christ, and foretells that he should 
be for the ruin and recovery of many in Israel. How 
astonishing is the folly and perverseness of man, to 
turn that into poison which God has made the choicest 
medicine ; and thus to fill themselves with the cure 
which he has appointed for them in the infinity of 
his love! Those who speak against Jesus, his ways, 
his doctrine, his cross, his sacrifice, are likely to 
stumble, and fall, and rise no more for ever! May 
the God of mercy save the reader from this con 
demnation ! 

2. He addresses Mary, and foretells the agonies she 
must go through. What must this holy woman have 
endured when she saw her son crowned with thorns, 
scourged, buffeted, spit upon—when she saw his 
hands and his feet nailed to the cross, and his side 
pierced with a spear! What a sword through her 
own soul must each of these have been! But this is 
not all. These sufferings of Jesus are predicted 
thirty years before they were to take place! What 
a martyrdom was this! While he is nourished in 
her bosom, she cannot help considering him as a lamb 
who is growing up to be sacrificed. The older he 
grows, the nearer the bloody scene approaches! Thus 
her sufferings must increase with his years, and only 
end with his life ! 

3. He foretells the effects which should be produced 
by the persecutions raised against Christ and his 
followers. This sword of persecution shall lay open 
the hearts of many, and discover their secret motives 
and designs. When the doctrine of the cross is 
preached, and persecution raised because of it, then 
the precious are easily distinguished from the vile. 
Those whose hearts are not established by grace, nor 
right with God, will turn aside from the way of 
righteousness, and deny the Lord that bought them. 
On the other hand, those whose faith stands not in the 
wisdom of man, but in the power of God, will continue 
faithful unto death, glorify God in the fire, and thus 
show forth the excellency of his salvation, and the 
sincerity of the profession which they had before made. 
Thus the thoughts of many hearts are still revealed. 

The design of our blessed Lord in staying behind 
in the temple seems to have been twofold. 1st. To 
prepare the Jews to acknowledge in him a Divine 
and supernatural wisdom: and 2dly. To impress the 
minds of Joseph and Mary with a proper-idea of his 
independence and Divinity. Their conduct in this 
business may be a lasting lesson and profitable warning 
to all the disciples of Christ. 

379 


John the Baptist 


Ist. It is possible (by not carefully watching the 
heart, and by not keeping sacredly and constantly in 
view the spirituality of every duty) to lose the pre- 
sence and power of Christ, even in religious ordinances. 
Joseph and Mary were at the feast of the passover 
when they lost Jesus! 2dly. Many who have sus- 
tained loss in their souls are kept from making speedy 
application to God for help and salvation, through the 
foolish supposition that their state is not so bad as it 
really is; and, in the things of salvation, many con- 
tent themselves with the persuasion that the religious 
people with whom they associate’ are the peculiar 
favourites of Heaven, and that they are in a state of 
complete safety while connected with them. 

They, supposing him to be in the company, went a 
day's journey. 

3dly. Deep sorrow and self-reproach must be the 
consequence of the discovery of so great a loss as that 
of the presence and power of Christ. Joseph and 
Mary sought him sorrowing. 

4thly. When people are convinced, by the light of 
the Lord, that their souls are not in a safe state, and 
that unless they find the Redeemer of the world they 
must perish, they are naturally led to inquire among 
their kinsfolk and acquaintance for him who saves sin- 
ners. But this often proves fruztless ; they know not 
Jesus themselves, and they cannot tell others where to 
find him. 

They sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaint- 
ance, and found him not. 


ST. LUKE, 


begins to preach. 


5thly. When people perceive that they have pro- 
ceeded in a certain course of life for a considerable 
time, without that salvation which God promises in 
his word, they should first stop and inquire into their 
state, and when they find that they have been posting 
into eternity, not only without a preparation for glory, 
but with an immense load of guilt upon their souls, 
they should turn back, and, as their time may be but 
short, they should seek diligently. 

They turned back to Jerusalem, earnestly seek- 
ing him. 

6thly. The likeliest place to find Jesus and his sal- 
vation is the temple. The place where his pure una- 
dulterated Gospel is preached, the sanctuary where 
the power and glory of God are seen in the conviction, 
conversion, and salvation of sinners. They found him 
in the temple, among the doctors. 

7thly. Trials, persecutions, and afflictions are all 
nothing, when the presence and power of Christ are 
felt; but when a testimony of his approbation lives 
no longer in the heart, every thing is grievous and 
insupportable. The fatigue of the journey to Beth- 
lehem, the flight from the cruelty of Herod, and the 
unavoidable trials in Egypt, were cheerfully supported 
by Joseph and Mary, because in all they had Jesus 
with them; but now they are in distress and misery 
because he is behind in Jerusalem. Reader, if thou 
have Jost Jesus, take no rest to body or soul till thou 
have found him! Without him, all is confusion and 
ruin: with him, all is joy and peace. 


CHAPTER III. 


The time wn which John the Baptist began to preach, 1-3. 


The prophecies which were fulfilled an him, 4— 


6. The matter and success of his preaching, 7-9; among the people, 10, 11 ; among the publicans, 12, 


13; among the soldiers, 14. 
afterwards in prison, 19, 20. 
Lord’s genealogy, 23-38. 


A. M. 4030. 
ie oe, N Ow in the fifteenth year of the 
reign of Tiberius Cesar, * Pon- 


tius Pilate being governor of Judea, 
and » Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his 


a Matt. xxvii. 2, 11. 


NOTES ON CHAP. III. 

Verse 1. Fifteenth year] This was the fifteenth of 
his principality and thirteenth of his monarchy : for he 
was two years joint emperor, previously to the death 
of Augustus. 

Tiberius Cesar] This emperor succeeded Augustus, 
in whose reign Christ was born. He began his reign 
August 19, A. D. 14, reigned twenty-three years, and 
died March 16, A. D. 37, aged seventy-eight years. 
He was a most infamous character. During the latter 
part of his reign especially, he did all the mischief he 
possibly could; and that his tyranny might not end 
with his life, he chose Caius Caligula for his successor, 
merely on account of his bad qualities; and of whom 
he was accustomed to say, This young prince will be 

380 


His testimony concerning Christ, 15-18. 
He baptizes Christ, on whom the Spirit of God descends, 21,22. Our 


The reason why Herod put him 


brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea 4M. 4030. 

and of the region of Trachonitis, An. Olymp. 
: 5 CCL. 2. 

and Lysanius the tetrarch of Abi- 

lene, 


> Ver. 19; chap. xxii. 7; Matt. ii. 1, 22. 


a SERPENT to the Roman people, and a ῬΉΛΕΤΗΟΝ to 
the rest of mankind. 

Herod\| This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod 
the Great who murdered the innocents. It was the 
same Herod who beheaded John Baptist, and to whom 
our Lord was sent by Pilate. See the account of the 
Herod family in the notes on Matt. ii. 1. 

Iturea and Trachonitis] Two provinces of Syria, 
on the confines of Judea. 

Abilene] Another province of Syria, which had its 
name from Adzla, its chief city. 

These estates were left to Herod Antipas and his 
brother Philip by the will of their father, Herod the 
Great ; and were confirmed to them by the decree of 
Augustus. 

1 


John the Baptist’s preaching. 


A.M. 4030. Ω ὁ Annas and Caiaphas being 
An. Simp. the high priests, the word of God 
CCl? came unto John, the son of Zacha- 
rias, in the wilderness. 

3 ‘And he came into all the country about 
Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance 
ὁ for the remission of sins : 


© Matt. xxvi. 57; Mark i. 1-10; John xi. 49, 51; xviii. 13; Acts 


lv. 6. 


That Philip wastetrarch of Trachonitis, in the 
fifteenth year of Tiberius, we are assured by Josephus, 
who says that Philip the brother of Herod died in the 
twentieth year of Tiberius, after he had governed 
Trachonitis, Batanea, and Gaulonitis thirty-seven 
years. Antig. Ὁ. xviii. c. 5, s. 6. And Herod 
continued tetrarch of Galilee till he was removed by 
Caligula, the successor of Tiberius. Antig. b. xviii. 
ce. 8,18. 2 

That Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene is also 
evident from Josephus. He continued in this govern- 
ment till the Emperor Claudius took it from him, A. D. 
42, and made a present of it to Agrippa. See Antiq. 
be ΣΙΕ: 6.5.5. 1. 

Tetrarch signifies the ruler of the fourth part of a 
country. See the note on Matt. xiv. 1. 

Verse 2. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests] 
Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas or Ananias, 
and it is supposed that they exercised the high priest’s 
office by turns. It is likely that Annas only was con- 
sidered as high priest ; and that Caiaphas was what the 
Hebrews termed n3w> {713 cohen mishneh, or DID 43D 
sagan cohanim, the high priest’s deputy, or ruler of the 
temple. See the note on Matt. ii. 4, and on John 
xviii. 13. 

The facts which St. Luke mentions here tend much 
to confirm the truth of the evangelical history. Chris- 
tianity differs widely from philosophic system; it is 
founded in the goodness and authority of God; and 
attested by historie facts. It differs also from popular 
tradition, which either has had no pure origin, or 
which is lost in unknown or fabulous antiquity. It 
differs also from pagan and Mohammedan revelations, 
which were fabricated in a corner, and had no wit- 
nesses. In the above verses we find the persons, the 
places, and the times marked with the utmost exactness. 
it was under the first Cesars that the preaching of the 
Gospel took place; and in their time, the facts on 
which the whole of Christianity is founded made their 
appearance: an age the most enlightened, and best 
known from the multitude of its historic records. It 
was in Judea, where every thing that professed to 
come from God was scrutinized with the most exact 
and unmerciful criticism. In writing the history of 
Caristianity, the evangelists appeal to certain facts 
which were publicly transacted in such places, under 
the government and inspection of such and such per- 
sons, and in such particular times. A thousand per- 
sons could have confronted the falsehood, had it been 
one! These appeals are made—a challenge is offered 
to the Roman government, and to the Jewish rulers 
and people—a new religion has been introduced in 

1 


CHAP. III. 


Prophecies fulfilled in him. 


4 As it is written in the book of 4, 1030. 

the words of Esaias the prophet, gs 
eT) f CCL2 

saying, 16 voice of one crying in 
the ΣΌΝ Prepare ye the way of the 
Lord, make his paths straight. 

5 Every valley shall be filled, and every 
mountain and hill shall be brought low; and 


4 Matt. iii. 1; Mark i. 4——e Chap. i. 77—— Isa. xl. 3; Matt. 
iii. 3; Mark i. 3; John i. 23 


such a place, at such a time—this has been accompa- 
nied with such and such facts and miracles! Who can 
disprove this? All are silent. None appears to offer 
even an objection. The cause of infidelity and irreli- 
gion is at stake! If these facts cannot be disproved, 
the religion of Christ must triumph.—None appears 
—because none could appear. Now let it be observed, 
that the persons of that time, only, could confute these 
things had they been false ; they never attempted it ; 
therefore these facts are absolute and incontrovertible 
truths: this conclusion is necessary. Shall a man 
then give up his faith in such attested facts as these, 
because, more than a thousand years after, an infidel 
creeps out, and ventures publicly to sneer at what his 
iniquitous soul hopes is not true ? 

The word of God came unto John] That is, the 
Holy Spirit that revealed to him this doctrine of sal- 
vation. This came upon him in the desert, where he 
was living in such a state of austerity as gave him full 
right to preach all the rigours of penitence to others. 
Thus we find that the first preachers, historians, and 
followers of the doctrines of the Gospel were men emi- 
nent for the austerity of their lives, the simplicity οἱ 
their manners, and the sanctity of their conduct; they 
were authorized by God, and filled with the most pre- 
cious gifts of his Spirit. And what are the apostles 
which the new philosophy sends ust Philosophers full 
of themselves, not guided by the love of truth or 
wisdom, but ever seeking their own glory ; in constant 
hostility among themselves, because of their separate 
pretensions to particular discoveries, of the honour of 
which they would almost as soon lose life as be de- 
prived. Who are they? Men of a mortified life and 
unblamable conversation? No—they are poets and 
poetasters; composers of romances, novels, intrigues, 
farces, comedies, &c., full of extravagance and impu- 
rity. They are pretended moralists that preach up 
pleasure and sensual gratification, and dissolve, as far 
as they can, the sacred and civil ties that unite and 
support society. They are men whose guilt is height- 
ened by their assuming the sacred name of piilo- 
sophers, and dignifying their impure system with a 
name at which Philosophy herself blushes and bleeds. 

Verse 3. The baptism of repentance} See on Matt. 
iti. 4—6, and Mark i. 1, &c., and xvi. at the end. 

Verse 4. Prepare ye the way] It was customary 
for the Hindoo kings, when on journeys, to send a 
certain class of the people two or three days before 
them, to command the inhabitants to clear the ways. 
A very necessary precaution where there are no pub- 
lic roads. —W arp. 

Verse 5. Every valley shall be filled) Allhinderances 

381 


John tls Baptist’s preaching, 


Aaah, £030. the crooked shall be made straight, 
τὰς Pim: and the rough ways shall be made 
““— smooth; 

6 And £ all flesh shall see the salvation of 
God. 

7 Then said he to the multitude that came 
forth to be baptized of him, ἢ Ὁ generation 
of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the 
wrath to come? 

8 Bring forth therefore fruits ' worthy of re- 
pentance, and begin not to say within your- 
selves, We have Abraham to our father: for 
I say unto you, That God is able of these 
stones to zaise up children unto Abraham. 

9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root 
of the trees: ‘every tree therefore which 
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, 
and cast into the fire. 


£ Psa. xevili. 2; Isa. lii. 10; chap. ii. 10. Matt. iii. 7. 
1 Or, meet for. k Matt. vii. 19. 1 Acts ii. 37.——™ Chap. xi. 
41; 2 Cor. viii. 14; James ii. 15, 16; 1 John iii. 17; iv. 20. 


ST. LUKE. 


doctrine, and success. 


10 And the people asked him, aoe 2 
saying, 'What shall we do then? An. Obrap- 


11 He answereth and saith unto 
them, ™He that hath two coats, let him im- 
part to him that hath none; and he that hath 
meat, let him do likewise. 

12 Then *came also publicans to be bap- 
tized, and said unto him, Master, what shall 
we do? 

13 And he said unto them, ° Exact no more 
than that which is appointed you. 

14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of 
him, saying, And what shall we do? And he 
said unto them, ? Do violence to no man, 
dneither accuse any falsely ; and be content 
with your ' wages. 

15 Ἵ And as the people were ‘in expec- 
tation, and all men ἢ mused in their hearts of 


n Matt. xxi. 32; chap. vii. 29. © Chap. xix. 8 P Or, Put 
no man in fear. 4 Exod. xxiii. 1; Lev. xix. 11. τ Or, al- 
lowance. 5 Or, in suspense. t Or, reasoned, or, debated. 


shall be taken out of the way: a quotation from the 
Greek version of Isa. xl. 4, containing an allusion to 
the preparations made in rough countries to facilitate 
the march of mighty kings and conquerors. See the 
instance produced on Matt. iii. 3. 

Verse 7-9. On this account of the Baptist’s mode 
of preaching, see the notes on Matt. ili. 7-11. 

Verse 10. What shall we do then?) The preaching 
of the Baptist had been accompanied with an uncom- 
mon effusion of that Spirit which convinces of sin, 
righteousness, and judgment. The people who heard 
him now earnestly begin to inquire what they must do 
to be saved? They are conscious that they are ex- 
posed to the judgments of the Lord, and they wish to 
escape from the coming wrath. 

Verse 11. He that hath two coats, &c.) He first 
teaches the great mass of the people their duty to each 
other. ‘They were uncharitable and oppressive, and 
he taught them not to expect any mercy from the hand 
of God, while they acted towards others in opposition 
to its dictates. If men be unkind and uncharitable 
towards each other, how can they expect the mercy of 
the Lord to be extended towards themselves ? 

Verse 12. Then came also publicans] He next in- 
structs the tav-gatherers in the proper discharge of 
their duty: though it was an office detested by the 
Jews at large, yet the Baptist does not condemn it. It 
is only the abuse of it that he speaks against. If taxes 
be necessary for the support of a state, there must be 
collectors of them; and the collector, if he properly 


discharge his duty, is not only a useful, but also ἃ] 


respectable officer. But it seems the Jewish tax-ga- 
therers exacted much more from the people than 
government authorized them to do, ver. 13, and the 
surplus they pocketed. See the conduct of many of 
our surveyors and assessors. They are oppressors of 


This, I am inclined to think, is too common an evil ; 
and the executive government is often the people’s 
scape-goat, to bear the crimes of its officers; crimes 
in which it has no concern. For an account of the 
publicans, see the note on Matt. vy. 46. 

Verse 14. The soldiers likewise demanded of him] 
He, thirdly, instructs those among the military. They 
were either Roman soldiers, or the soldiers of Herod 
or Philip. Use no violence to any, μήδενα διασεισητε, 
do not extort money or goods by force or violence from 
any. ‘This is the import of the words neminem con- 
cutite, used here by the Vulgate, and points out a 
erime of which the Roman soldiers were notoriously 
guilty, their own writers being witnesses. Concussio 
has the above meaning in the Roman law. See Ra- 
PHELIUS in loco. 

Neither accuse any falsely] Or, on a frivolous pre- 
lence—nde συκοφαντησητε, be not sycophants, like 
those who are base flatterers of their masters, who to 
ingratiate themselves into their esteem, malign, accuse, 
and impeach the innocent. Bishop Pearce observes 
that, when the concussio above referred to did not pro- 
duce the effect they wished, they often falsely accused 
the persons, which is the reason why this advice is 
added. See the note on chap. xix. 7. 

Be content with your wages.) Οψωνιοις. The word 
signifies not only the money which was allotted to a 
Roman soldier, which was two oboli, about three half- 
pence per day, but also the necessary supply of wheat, 
barley, ὅς. See Raphelius. 

Verse 15. Whether he were the Christ] So genera 
was the reformation which was produced by the Bap- 
tist’s preaching that the people were ready to consider 
him as the promised Messiah. Thus John came in 
the spirit and power of Elijah, and reformed all things; 
showed the people, the taa-gatherers, and the soldiers, 


the people, and enrich themselves by unjust surcharges. | their respective duties, and persuaded them to put 


382 


1 


Christ is baptized. 


AM 400 John, whether he were the Christ, 


An, Olymp. or not; 

16 John answered, saying unto 
them all, ἃ I indeed baptize you with water ; but 
one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose 
shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall 
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire : 

17 Whose fan zs in his hand, and he will 
throughly purge his floor, and ¥ will gather the 
wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will 
burn with fire unquenchable. 

18 And many other things in his exhorta- 
tion preached he unto the people. 

A.M. 4031. 19 7 * But Herod the tetrarch, 
eo, being reproved by him for Hero- 

C3. Gias his brother Philip’s wife, and 
for all the evils which Herod had done, 

20 Added yet this above all, that he shut 
up John in prison. 

21 Ἵ Now when all the people were bap- 
tized, * it came to pass, that Jesus also being 
baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 

22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bo- 


® Matt. iii. 11. ¥ Mic. Sag 12; Matt. xiii. 30.—w Matt. xiv. 


; Mark vi. 17. 


away the evil of their doings. 
xvii. 11. 

Verses 16, 17. On these verses see Matt. iii. 11, 
12, and Mark i. 7, 8, and particularly the note on 
John iii. 5. 

Verse 19. Herod the tetrarch] See this subject ex- 
plained at large, Matt. xiv. 1, &c.,and Mark vi. 21, 23. 

Verse 21. Jesus—being baptized] See on Matt. 
ili. 16, 17. 

Verse 23. Thirty years of age] This was the age 
required by the law, to which the priests must arrive 
before they could be installed in their office: see 
Num. iv. 3. 

Being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph] This 
same phrase is used by Herodotus to signify one who 
was only reputed to be the son of a particular person : 
Tovrov παῖς νομίζεται, he was supposeD fo be this 
man’s son. 

Much learned labour has been used to reconcile this 
genealogy with that in St. Matthew, chap. i., and 
there are several ways of doing it; the following, 
which appears to me to be the dest, is also the most 
simple and easy. For a more elaborate discussion of 
the subject, the reader is referred to the additional 
observations at the end of the chapter. 

Marruew, in descending from Abraham to Joseph, 
the spouse of the blessed virgin, speaks of sons pro- 
periy such, by way of natural generation: Abraham 
begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, &c. But Luke, in 
ascending from the Saviour of the world to Gop him- 
self, speaks of sons either properly or umproperly such : 
on this account he uses an indeterminate mode of ex- 

1 


See the note on Matt. 


CHAP. ΤΙ. 


The genealogy of our Lord 


dily shape like a dove upon him, 4,™, 403. 


and a voice came from heaven, An. Olymp. 
which said, Thou art my beloved aan 
Son; in thee I am well pleased. 

23 Ἵ And Jesus himself began to be about 
thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) 
τ the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 

24 Which was the son of Matthat, which 
was the son of Levi, which was the son of 
Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which 
was the son of Joseph, 

25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which 
was the son of Amos, which was the son of 
Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was 
the son of Nagge, 

26 Which was the son of Maath, which was 
the son of Mattathias, which was the son of 
Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which 
was the son of Juda, 

27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was 
the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zoro 
babel, which was the son of Salathiel, which 
was the son of Neri, 


χα Matt. iii. 13; John i. 32——y See Num. iv. 3, 35, 39, 43, 47 
2 Matt. xiii. 55; John vi. 42. 


pression, which may be applied to sons either puta- 
tively or really such. And Jesus himself began to be 
about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed the 
son of Joseph—of Heli—of Matthat, ἄς. This re- 
ceives considerable support from Raphelius’s method 
of reading the original wy (ὡς ἐνομίζετο υἱος Iwan) 
του ‘Hi, being (when reputed the son of Joseph) the 
son of Heli, &c. That St. Luke does not always 
speak of sons properly such, is evident from the first 
and last person which he names: Jesus Christ was 
only the supposed son of Joseph, because Joseph was 
the husband of his mother Mary: and Adam, who is 
said to be the son of God, was such only by creation. 
After this observation it is next necessary to consider, 
that, in the genealogy described by St. Luke, there 
are two sons improperly such: i. e. two sons-in-law, 
instead of two sons. 

As the Hebrews never permitted women to enter 
into their genealogical tables, whenever a family hap- 
pened to end with a daughter, instead of naming her 
in the genealogy, they inserted her husband, as the 
son of him who was, in reality, but his father-in-law. 
This import, bishop Pearce has fully shown, νομίζεσθαι 
bears, in a variety of places—Jesus was considered 
according to law, or allowea custom, to be the son of 
Joseph, as he was of Heli. 

The two sons-in-law who are to be noticed in this 
genealogy are Joseph the son-in-law of Heli, whose 
own father was Jacob, Matt. i. 16; and Salathiel, the 
son-in-law of Neri, whose own father was Jechonias : 
1 Chron. iii. 17, and Matt. i. 12. This remark alone 
is sufficient to remove every difficulty. Thus it ap- 

383 


The genealogy 


A. M. 4030. : : 
ΑΝ 1930. 98. Which was the son of Melchi, 


ὄντ Ce which was the son of Addi, which 
was the son of Cosam, which was 
the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 

29 Which was the son of Jose, which was 
the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, 
which was the son of Matthat, which was the 
son of Levi, 

30 Which was the son of Simeon, which 
was the son of Juda, which was the son of 
Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which 
was the son of Eliakim, 

31 Which was the son of Melea, which was 
the son of Menan, which was the son of Mat- 
tatha, which was the son of * Nathan, » which 
was the son of David, 

32 © Which was the son of Jesse, which was 
the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, 
which was the son of Salmon, which was the 
son of Naasson, 

33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which 
was the son of Aram, which was the son of 


a Zech. xii. 12.2 Sam. ν. 14; 1 Chron. 111. 5——* Ruth iv. 
18, &c.; 1 Chron. ii. 10, &c. 


ST. LUKE. 


of our Lord 


Esrom, which was the son of Ae 


Phares, which was the son of An. Olymp. 
Juda, pce ico 

34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was 
the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abra- 
ham, * which was the son of Thara, which was 
the son of Nachor, 

35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was 
the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, 
which was the son of Heber, which was the 
son of Sala, 

36 © Which was the son of Cainan, which 
was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son 
of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which 
was the son of Lamech, 

37 Which was the son of Mathusala, whick 
was the son of Enoch, which was the son of 
Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which 
was the son of Cainan, 

38 Which was the son of Enos, which was 
the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, 
S which was the son of God. 


4Gen. xi. 24, 26. © See Gen. xi. 12.—f Gen. v. 6, &c.; 
xi. 10, &c.—— Gen. v. 1, 2. 


pears that Joseph, son of Jacob, according to St. 
Matthew, was son-in-law of Heli, according to St. 
Luke. And Salathiel, son of Jechonias, according to 
the former, was son-in-law of Neri, according to the 
latter. 

Mary therefore appears to have been the daughter 
of Heli, so called by abbreviation for Heliachim, which 
is the same in Hebrew with Joachim. 

Joseph, son of Jacob, and Mary, daughter of Heli, 
were of the same family : both came from Zerubbabel ; 
Joseph from Adiud, his eldest son, Matt. i. 13, and 
Mary by Rhesa, the youngest. See ver. 27. 

Salathiel and Zorobabel, from whom St. Matthew 
and St. Luke cause Christ to proceed, were them- 
selves descended from Solomon in a direct line: and 
though St. Luke says that Salathiel was son of Neri, 
who was descended from Nathan, Solomon’s eldest 
brother, 1 Chron. iii. 5, this is only to be understood 
of his having espoused Nathan’s daughter, and that 
Neri dying, probably, without male issue, the two 
branches of the family of David, that of Nathan and 
that of Solomon, were both united in the person of 
Zerubbabel, by the marriage of Salathiel, chief of the 
regal family of Solomon, with the daughter of Nerv, 
chief and heretrix of the family of Nathan. ‘Thus it 

384 


appears that Jesus, son of Mary, reunited in himself 
all the blood, privileges, and rights of the whole 
family of David; in consequence of which he is em- 
phatically called, The son of David. It is worthy of 
being remarked that St. Matthew, who wrote princi- 
pally for the Jews, extends his genealogy to Abraham 
through whom the promise of the Messiah was given 
to the Jews; but St. Luke, who wrote his history for 
the instruction of the Gentiles, extends his genealogy 
to Adam, to whom the promise of the Redeemer was 
given in behalf of himself and of all his posterity. See 
the notes on Matt. i. 1, &e. 

Verse 36. Of Cainan] This Cainan, the son of 
Arphaxad, and father of Sala, is not found in any 
other Scripture genealogy. See Gen. x. 24; xi. 12 
1 Chron. i. 18, 24, where Arpharad is made the 
father of Sala, and no mention at all made of Cainan. 
Some suppose that Cainan was a surname of Sala, 
and that the names should be read together thus, The 
son of Heber, the son of Salacainan, the son of Ar- 
phaxad, ἄς. If this does not untie the knot, it cer- 
tainly cuts it; and the reader may pass on without 
any great scruple or embarrassment. There are many 
sensible observations on this genealogy in the notes at 
the end of Bishop Newcome’s Harmony 

i 


Observations on the 


CHAP. III. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


FARTHER CONSIDERATIONS 


ON THE BEST MODE OF RECONCILING AND EXPLAINING THE GENEALOGY OF OUR LORD, 


AS GIVEN BY ST. MATTHEW AND ST. LUKE, CHIEFLY EXTRACTED FROM THE PROLEGOMENA OF THE REV. DR. 
BARRETT’S FAC-SIMILE OF A FRAGMENT OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW, FROM 


A MS. IN TRINITY 


Pernaps few questions have occasioned more trou- | 
ble and perplexity to the learned than that which con- 
cerns the genealogy of our blessed Lord, as it is given 
by the evangelists, St. Matthew and St. Luke. The 
tables found in these writers are extremely different, 
or, as some think, contradictory. Allowing the Di- 
vine inspiration of the authors, we must grant that they 
could make no mistakes in any point, and especially 
on a subject where the truth of the Gospel history, 
and the fulfilment of the ancient prophecies are so 
nearly concerned. ‘The expression of Le Clerc, how- 
ever, Universam antiquitatem exercitam habuere, is 
not strictly true. In /ater times, the difficulty has 
certainly excited much discussion ; but it is worthy of 
remark that, while the archives of the Jews remained 
entire, the accuracy of the evangelists was never 
called in question. Hence it follows, either that some 
corruptions have since that time crept into the text, or 
that the true method of reconciling the seeming incon- 
sistencies was then better understood. The silence of 
the enemies of the Gospel, both Heathen and Jewish, 
during even the first century, is itself a sufficient proof 
that neither inconsistency nor corruption could be then 
alleged against this part of the evangelical history. If 
a charge of this nature could have been supported, it 
unquestionably would have been made. The Jews 
and Heathens, who agreed in their hostility to the reli- 
gion of Christ, were equally interested in this subject ; 
and could they have proved that a single flaw existed 
in these genealogical tables, they might at once have 
set aside the pretensions of our Lord and his disci- 
ples; for, if the lineal descent of Jesus from David 
were not indisputable, he could not possess the cha- | 
racter essential to the Messiah, nor any right to the 
Jewish throne. If his title, in this respect, were even 
questionable, it is impossible to suppose that the Jews 
would have withheld an allegation which must fully 
vindicate them in denying his Messiahship, and in put- | 
ting him to death as an impostor. We may confi- 
dently assert, therefore, that his regular lineal descent 
from David could not be disproved, since it was not 
even disputed, at a time when alone it could have been 
done successfully, and by those persons who were so 
deeply interested in the event. The sincere believer 
may consequently be assured that whatever difficulties 
appear at present had formerly no existence, and are 
even now of such a nature as cannot be allowed to 
shake the faith of any reasonable man. I would not, 
howeyer, be understood to intimate that these difficul- 


ues are now insuperable ; on the contrary, I am satis- 
fied that the real difficulties are few, and that these 
have, for the most part, been satisfactorily explained 
by most of the evangelical harmonists. 

Vot. I ( 25. ) 


COLLEGE, DUBLIN. 


Among those who have written on this difficult ques- 
tion, few seem to have studied it so deeply as Dr 
Barrett ; who, in his edition of a Fragment of St 
Matthew’s Gospel, has brought an unusual measure ot 
general knowledge, correct criticism, and sound learn- 
ing, to bear upon this point; and though it should not 
be admitted that he has entirely cleared away the ob- 
scurities of the subject, yet, by his criticisms, and even 
his conjectures, he has cast much light upon it gene- 
rally, and certainly has lessened the difficulties which 
some of his predecessors in the discussion had either 
left as they found them, or endeavoured to account for 
in a manner that could yield little satisfaction to the 
intelligent inquirer. As the subject is important, and Dr. 
Barrett’s work is not likely to come into the hands of 
many readers, and is written in a language which but 
few can understand, I shall lay before them the sub- 
stance of his elaborate dissertation ; abstract his prin- 
cipal arguments and illustrations; transcribe his various 
corrected tables; and freely intersperse such observa- 
tions and explanations as the different branches of his 
reasoning may suggest. 

The opinion of Africanus in his Epistle to Aristides, 
(preserved by Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 1. i. e. 7,) which 
was received by the Church for many centuries as the 
only legitimate mode of reconciling the Evangelists 
St. Matthew and St. Luke, is the following :— 

“The names of kindred among the Jews were 
reckoned in two ways. 1. According to nature, as in 
the case of natural generation. 2. According to law, 
as when a man died childless, his brother was obliged 
to take his wife, and the issue of that marriage was 
accounted to the deceased brother. In this genealogy, 
some succeeded their fathers as natural sons, but others 
succeeded who bore their names only. Thus, neither 
of the Gospels is false; the one reckoning the pedigree 
by the natural, the other by the legal line. The race 
both of Solomon and Nathan is so interwoven by those 
second marriages, which raised up issue in the name 
of a deceased brother, that some appear to have two 
fathers :—him whose natural issue they were, though 
they did not bear his name; and him to whom, having 


| died childless, the children of his wife and brother 


were accounted for a seed, assuming his name. If 
we reckon the generations according to Matthew, from 
David by Solomon, Matthan will be found the third 
from the end, who begat Jacob, the father of Joseph : 


| but if we reckon according to Luke, from Nathan the 
| son of David, then the zhird person from the end will 


be Melchi, whose son was Heli, the father of Joseph; 

for Joseph was the son of Heli, the son of Melchi— 

Matthan and Melchi having each successively married 

the same wife, the latter begat children, who were 
385 


Observations on the 


brethren by the mother. Matthan, descending from 
Solomon, begat Jacob of Estha. After the death of 
Matthan, Melchi, who descended from Nathan, being 
of the same tribe but of another race, took his widow to 
wife, and begat Heli; thus Jacob and Heli were bre- 
thren by the mother. Heli dying without issue, Jacob 
married his widow and begat Joseph, who by the law 
was accounted the son of Heli, because the law re- 
quired the seed to be raised up to the deceased brother. 
Matthew therefore properly says, Jacob begat Joseph; 
but Luke says, he was the son of Heli; and it is 
worthy of remark, that this evangelist never uses the 
term begot or begetting, because he traces up this 
genealogy by putative, and not by natural sons.” 

This is the substance of Africanus’s account, which 
he says he received from the relatives of our Lord, 
who, because of their consanguinity to him, were call- 
ed δεσποσυνοι. Dr. Barrett notices the difficulties of 
this hypothesis, (pp. 18, 19,) and gives it up on the 
following principle, among others, which 1 think deci- 
sive—that it refers wholly to the descent of Joseph 
from David, without attempting to prove that the son 
of Mary was the son of David. 

Dr. B. then states his own hypothesis, viz. that 
Matthew relates the genealogy of Joseph, and Luke 
that of Mary. Hence appears a sufficient reason 
that, after Matthew had given his genealogical table 
another should be added by Luke, fully to prove that 
Christ, according to the flesh, derived his descent from 
David, not only by his supposed father Joseph, but 
also by his real mother Mary. The writers who agree 
in this opinion, Dr. B. divides into two classes. 1. 
Those who affirm that the families of Solomon and 
Nathan coalesced in Salathiel and Zerubbabel, after 
which they became divaricated, till they were at last 
reunited in the marriage of Joseph and Mary. 2. 
Those who assert that Salathiel and Zerubbabel were 
distinct individuals, and deny that any coalition took 
place between the families previously to the marriage 
of Joseph and Mary. Dr. B. rejects this latter opinion, 
because it appears to contradict the Divine promise, 2 
Sam. vii. 12-16 ; for according to this hypothesis it 
would be evident that Mary, and consequently Christ, 
did not descend from David by Solomon. He there- 
fore proposes to support the other hypothesis, and to 
clear away its difficulties. 

As Ireneus, Africanus, and Ambrosius assert that 
Luke has some names interpolated, to detect this error, 
Dr. B. divides the genealogy into four classes. 1. 
From Gop to Abraham. 2. From Abraham to David. 
3. From David to Salathiel. 4. From Salathiel to 
Christ. From Abraham to Christ, Ambrosius reckons 
fifty generations, i. e. fifty-one names; Africanus 
reckons from Abraham to Joseph fifty persons, i. e. to 
Christ, fifty-one names: but the present text contains 
nfty-six names. Hence it is probable, five names are 
interpolated, unless we suppose the name of Abraham 
to be excluded, and then there are four names in the 
three succeeding classes to be expunged. In the first 
division, therefore, there is no interpolation. As to 
the second division, from Abraham to David, it is evi- 
dent, from the consent of the fathers, from the con- 
sent of MSS. and versions, and from the books of the 
Old Testament, Ruth iv. 18; 1 Chron. ii. 9, 12, that 

386 


ST. LUKE. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


neither of the evangelists has suffered any interpolation 
in this part of the genealogy ; though, in Luke ni. 33, 
some MSS. and versions insert another name between 
Aram and Esrom. Thus the Coptic: φα Αμιναδαβ, 
ga Adu, oa Apri, ga Ἑσρωμ. Having accounted for 
this error, and finding no evidence, in the received 
text, of an interpolation in this second part of the ge- 
nealogy, Dr. B. examines whether the four names be 
not found in the two parts of the genealogy between 
David and Christ, or, which is more likely, in that 
which follows the Babylonish captivity ; as, previously, 
the Jews were both punctual and correct in keeping 
their genealogical records. 

Recent interpreters have asserted that two names, 
Matthat and Levi, have been interpolated, ver. 24; be- 
cause Africanus, endeavouring to reconcile the evan- 
gelists, places Melchi the ¢hird from the end, and, 
making him the father of Heli, leaves no room for 
Matthat and Levi. This method of reconciling the 
evangelists is followed by Ambrose, lib. 3, in Luc., 
Hieron. Com. in Matthew, Nazianzen in his genealo- 
gical verses, and Augustin, Retr. ii. 7. But, on the 
other hand, it is objected, 1. That the testimony of 
these fathers is worthy of little credit, because incon- 
sistent with itself. Austin himself mentions forty- 
three generations from David to Christ, seventy-seven 
persons in the whole genealogy; he therefore could 
omit none. 92. Though Africanus does omit some, it 
is not certain which they are; it is possible he trans- 
posed Matthat and Levi ; for it does not appear whom 
he makes the father of Melchi. Damascenus, who 
endeavours to reconcile Africanus, transposes these 
names, and makes Levi the father of Melchi, not his 
son; as does also Epiphanius in a hitherto inedited 
fragment produced by Dr. B. in this publication, p. 46. 
In the Cod. A. of Matthai, instead of Matthat the son 
of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna; we 
read, Melchi, the son of Matthat—of Janna—of Levi: 
it does not follow, therefore, that Africanus omitted 
Matthat and Levi. 3. These names are not omitted 
in any of the ancient versions, nor in any MS. yet 
discovered. 

Tn order to give a satisfactory view of this part of 
the subject, Dr. B. introduces a synopsis of the prin- 
cipal various readings of MSS., versions, &c., on Luke 
iii. 24—31 ; from which I judge it necessary to make 
the following extract. 

Verse 24. Μελχι is omitted by the Cod. Vaticanus 
—Instead of Ματθατ, του Aevi, του Μελχι, tov lavva, 
one of the Bodleian MSS. reads, Μελχι, tov Ματθατ, 
του lavva, Tov Λευΐ. 

—Maréar, many MSS. read Ματθαν, and the Ante- 
hieronymian versions read, some Matthie—Mathei— 
Mathi—Matat—Mathe—and Matthatie. 

Instead of Ιωσηφ, Ιωανναν is read in one of 
Matthai’s MSS. 

Verse 25. Ματταθίας is omitted by several of the 
Antehieronymian versions, and by the Vulgate. 

—Ayoc is omitted also by the same. 

—Naov is read Nauum by some, and Anum by 
others. 

-Ἔσλι is read Ἐσλιμ, Eooat, and Ελσι, in different 
MSS., and Sedi by four of the Antehieronymian. 

—Nayya, in many MSS. Ayya, in the Vulgate 

ΟΣ *) 


Observations on the 


Magzge, and in the Cod. Vercellensis, Nance: instead 
of Nayyat, one of Matthai’s MSS. has Σαλμον. 

Verse 26. Μααθ is omitted by the Vulgate, and 
some of the Antehieronymian versions. The Cod. 
Forojuliensis has Manat. 

—Marrabiov, the Cod. Leicestr. reads Ματθίου, and 
some of the Antehier. Mathiani, Matthia, and Mathath; 
and one adds Jae after Ματταθίου. 

—euei, in one of Matthai’s MSS. Aevi.—Semeja 
and Semein in the Vercell. and Veronensis. 

—lIwond, the Cod. Vatic. and Cod. L. in Griesbach 
read Iweny: several others agree in the same reading, 
and with them the Coptic and Armenian versions, and 
Greg. Nazianzen. Some also read Osech, Osche, 
Joseth, and Joseph Osse. 

—lovda, read Iwda in Cod. Vat. L. Cod. Leicestr. 
and Jdda and Joiade by some Latin MSS. 

Verse 27. Iaavva, read Ιωαναν by the Cod. Alexandr. 
Vatic. and several others, Iavvav and Jone by some 
others. 

Verses 30, 31. EAecaxeyz, Medea, Macvav, are omit- 
ted in some of the Latin MSS. Medea only is omitted 
in one of the Antehieron. Μαιναν in the Cod. Alexandr. 
and two others. 

From this collation of authorities, Dr. B. concludes : 
1. That the omission of Melchi, in the Codex Vatican- 
us is an error, as it contradicts Africanus, and all the 
fathers, versions, and MSS. 2. That three names 
have been omitted in the Antehieronymian version by 
Sabatier; and also in the Cod. Vercell. and Cod. 
Veron. : viz. ver. 25, Mattathias and Amos ; and in 
ver. 26, Maath. 

Of these, two, viz. Mattathias, ver. 25, and Maath, 
ver. 26, are omitted in Dr. B.’s MS. Z. which con- 
tains a copy of the Antehieronymian version ; and 
which also reads Mattathias for Matthat. Hence arises 
a suspicion that Maath is an interpolation, and should 
be omitted, and that Mattathias, ver. 26, although 
omitted in many MSS., is that which occurs ver. 25. 
As to the names Melea and Mainan, both appear to be 
interpolated. Excluding these four names, Mattathias, 
Maath, Melea, and Mainan, (unless, for one of these, 
Amos, should be rejected,) the genealogy will consist 
of seventy-two generations. 

These generations Dr. B., following Ireneus, thinks 
should be laid down in the following order :— 


1. Jesus. 2. Joseph (or Mary the daughter of 
Heli.) 3. Heli the grandfather of Christ. 4. Mat- 
that. 5. Levi. 6. Melchi. 7. Janna. 8. Joseph. 
9. Mattathias. 10. Amos. 11. Naum. 12. Esli. 
13. Nagge. 14. Semei. 15. Joseph. 16. Juda. 
17. Joanna. 18. Rhesa. 19. Zerubbabel. 20. Sa- 
lathiel. 21. Neri. 22. Melchi. 23. Addi. 24. 
Cosam. 25. Elmodam. 26. Er. 27. Jose. 28. 
Eliezer. 29. Jorim. 30. Matthat. 31. Levi. 32. 

_ Simeon. 33. Juda. 34. Joseph. 35. Jonan. 36. 
Eliakim. 37. Mattatha. 38. Nathan. 39. David. 
40. Jesse. 41. Obed. 42. Booz. 43. Salmon. 
44, Naason. 45. Aminadab. 46. Aram. 47. Es- 
rom. 48. Pharez. 49. Judah. 50. Jacob. 51. 
Isaac. 52. Abraham. 53. Terah. 54. Nahor. 
55. Serug. 56. Ragau. 57. Peleg. 58. Eber. 59. 


Sala. 
Noah. 


60. Cainan. 
64. Lamech. 


61. Arphaxad. 62.Shem. 63. 
65. Methusala. 66. Enoch. 
i 


CHAP. III. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


67. Jona. 68. Mahalaleel. 69. Cainan. 70. Enos. 
71. Seth. 72. Adam. 

From the generations thus laid down, there will be 
found fifty-one names between Christ and Abraham, 
excluding the latter, which agrees both with Africanus 
and Ambrosius. Now, let thirty years be reckoned 
to each generation between Christ and David; Sala- 
thiel will then appear to have been born anno 570 be- 
fore Christ, which will be found near the truth; and 
David 1140. David, in fact, was born 1085 B. C., 
whence there appears an error of fifty-five years, or 
about the twentieth part of the whole time in so many 
generations. But, according to the received text of 
Luke, Salathiel must be born B. C. 630, and David 
1260; this would be an error of 175 years, or one 
sixth part of the whole interval. 

Dr. B. endeavours to solve the principal difficulty 
by adopting the genealogy of David as delivered in 
1 Chron. iii. In this chapter, and in the books of 
Kings, the whole is laid down in the most accurate 
manner, till the reign of Jechonias ; after which, he 
supposes some errors have been admitted into the text. 

lst. Because what is recorded, ver. 19, is repug- 
nant to other parts of Scripture: viz. Pedaiah is said 
to be the father of Zerubbabel, whereas Salathiel is 
reckoned to be the father of Zerubbabel according to 
Ezra iii. 8; v.2; Neh. xii. 1; Haggaii.1,12,14; 11. 2, 
23; 1 Esdr. v.5. See also Josephus, Ant. book xi. 4. 

Qdly. Although the obvious design of the writer is 
to bring down the regal family through Zerubbabel, yet 
the names which he mentions in the 22d, 23d, and 
24th verses cannot be connected (by the assistance of 
the 21st verse) with Zerubbabel, mentioned in the 19th 
verse. The breach in the connection renders it impos- 
sible to construct the genealogical tree downward from 
Jechonias; for although some copies mention the sons of 
Rephaiah, yet it no where appears who was his father. 

3dly. Many names occur in these verses, such as 
Delaiah, Pelaiah, Rephaiah, Pedaiah, or Pheraiah, 
which very nearly resemble each other, not only in 
the sound, but also in their constituent letters. This 
very similitude is a ground of suspicion, as in such 
names it was impossible to prevent confusion. 

4thly. Nor is the opinion of the rabbins exempt 
from similar chronological difficulties. They assert 
that Salathiel, the son of Jechonias, was the father 
of Pedaiah, and grandfather of Zerubbabel. This will 
appear to be impossible, when it is considered that 
Jechonias and his queen were both led into captivity, 
B.C. 599, (Jer. xxix. 20, 21,) and none of his children 
are recorded, whence it is inferred that then he had 
none ; Salathiel, therefore, could not be born before 

the year 598. Supposing him to have been born at 
this time, and, at the age of twenty, to have had a son 
born, Pedaiah, who also shall be supposed, at the same 
age, to have had a son born; even then Zerubbabe! 
Ξ not have been born before 558: and yet he was 


superintendent of the Israelites on their return from 

the Babylonish captivity in 536; i. e. when he would 

be only twenty-two years old. On the contrary it is 

evident, from 1 Esdras y. 5, that he hada son named 

Joachin, who was one of the chief men that conduct- 

ed the returning Israelites; therefore he must be more 
| than twenty-two years old. Besides, it will be mani- 
387 


Observations on the 


fest that only two generations had intervened, if we 
compare the sacerdotal with the regal line. Jechonias 
Was contemporary with Seraiah; their sons were Sa- 
Jathiel and Josedek ; therefore Salathiel and Josedek 
were contemporaries. Jeshua, the son of Josedek, 
was coeval with Zerubbabel; who was therefore the 
son, not the grandson, of Salathiel. St. Jerome him- 
self, while he endeavours to prove that Salathiel and 
Pedaiah were the same person, (Quest. Heb. in Lib. 
Paral.,) evidently grants, that he considered Zerub- 
babel as the grandson of Jechonias, and that only two 
generations had intervened. 

5thly. There are manifest errors in verses 18—22 ; 
for there are only five sons of Shemaiah numbered in 
ver. 22, and yet there are said to be siz. 

6thly. The enumeration of the children of Zerub- 
babel, 1 Chron. iii. 19, 20, is imperfect, as it is evi- 
dent, from 1 Esdr. v. 5, that Zerubbabel had a son 
named Joachim, of whom no mention is made, 1 Chron. 
iii. 19, 20; but Jechamiah, a name very similar to 
this, is found in ver. 18. Nor are Rhesa or Abiud 
mentioned among his children, although Luke mentions 
the former, and Matthew the latter. 

7thly. If we have recourse to the hypothesis of St. 
Jerome, which supposes that those who are mention- 
ed, 1 Chron. iii. 18, are the children of Jechonias, and 
that Pedaiah, one of them, is the same with Salathiel, 
and that Zerubbabel was the grandson of Jechonias, 
and the son of Salathiel, alias Pedaiah—it may be ob- 
jected, that it is not at all likely that he who is called 
Salathiel, ver. 17, should be called by a different 
name, ver. 18; nor will the difficulty be removed if 
it be granted that Salathiel and Pedaiah were brothers, 
and that Zerubbabel was the actual son of the one, and 
the legal son of the other, according to the law (Deut. 
xxv. 6.) Let it be supposed that one of these, 6. g. 
Pedaiah, died childless, and that his brother took his 
wife ; from this marriage Zerubbabel, and Shimei are 
mentioned as sons of Pedaiah: but, according to 
the law, the first-born only succeeded in the name of 
the deceased, and was accounted the legal child. Let 
Zerubbabel be the first-born; as Shimei, therefore, 
was not the legal son of Pedaiah, he must have been 
his real son; therefore Pedaiah did not die childless, 
—which is contrary to the hypothesis. 

8thly. The versions do not agree in the name of 
the father of Zerubbabel: instead of Pedaiah, the 
Arabic and Syriac bring in Nedabiah, and some MSS. 
of the LXX. read Salathiel, in the place of Pedaiah ; 
and those which agree in making Pedaiah the father of 
Zerubbabel, express the name differently. For instance, 
Kennicott’s MS. No. 1, both in ver. 18 and 19, reads 
Peraiah for Pedaiah, which is the reading of the 
Syriac and Arabic, in ver. 18. This is worthy of 
remark, because the name of Rephaiah occurs ver. 
21, which, by the transposition of the two first letters, 
might be easily converted into Peraiah, or Pedaiah, 
79 713 or 77D) Repharah ; and it is farther neces- 
sary to remark, that the father of this Rephaiah is not 
mentioned. As the names of the posterity of Hana- 
niah, the son of Zerubbabel, are mentioned in ver. 21, 
with the names of Rephaiah and his posterity, if, with 
Houbigant, we read 133 beno, his son, for "13 bent, 
sons, it will not appear improbable that this Rephaiah 

388 


ST. LUKE. 


genealogy of our Lord 


was the son of Zerubbabel. Among those who were 
employed in repairing Jerusalem, Rephaiah, the,son of 
Hur, who is said to have been prince of the half part 
of the city, is mentioned, Nehem. iii. 9 ‘“ Hur,” 
Dr. B. thinks, “was probably the same with Zerub- 
babel; the Septuagint call him Σουρ, and one of the 
Kennicott MSS. .w.” In this place it is difficult to 
comprehend Dr. B.’s meaning: ‘ Iadava υἷος Σοὺρ is 
certainly found in the Codex Vaticanus of the LXX.; 
but in the Codex Alexandrinus υἷος Σοὺρ is omitted. 
No. MS. of Kennicott’s has Ww 13 ben sar, for vioc 
Σουρ. Two MSS. omit the whole verse; two the 
word 117 Hur; and one the following word W sar; 
this last word cannot possibly be put in the place of 
ὙΠ Hur, for it is probably the first word of the follow- 
ing clause: Dowyy 30D xn WwW sar chatsi pelec yeru- 
shalam, prince of the half part (or, the region) of Je- 
rusalem. Among those who were employed in repair- 
ing the city, in Neh. iii. 12, is Shallum, the son of 
Hallopesh, perhaps Meshallum, the son of the eloquent, 
1 Chron. ili. 19, viz. Zerubbabel, whose eloquence 
and doctrine are celebrated, 1 Esd. iii. 4; Jos. Ant. 
xi. 4. It must, however, be acknowledged that the 
Syriac verse reads it differently, Neh. iii. 9, and 
Jeremiah the son of Hur; ver. 12, and Shallum the 
son of Hatush. 

From these considerations Dr. B. concludes that 
those who are mentioned, ver. 18, were not the sons 
of Jechoniah, (Obs. 7,) nor the sons of Salathiel, 
(Obs. 4,) and that consequently they must be sons of 
Zerubbabel, as seems tolerably well ascertained by a 
collation of the 3d, 6th, and 8th observations—that 
Pedaiah or Peraiah is the same who, in ver. 21, is 
called Rephaiah, and who is mentioned, Neh. ili. 9; 
and that Jechamiah is no other than Joachim, who, 
according to Esdr. v. 5, was the son of Zerubbabel. 
Both these names, Pedaiah or Peraiah, and Jechamiah, 
occur 1 Chron. iii. 18 ; consequently a verse is trans- 
posed, a thing not unfrequent in the sacred writings. 
The text, therefore, of 1 Chron. ili. 18—22, should be 
read, as Dr. B. contends, in the following order :— 

Verse 18. And the sons of Salathie!, Zerubbaéel, 
and Shimei, and the sons of Zerubbabel, Meshullam, 
Hananiah ; and Shelomith their sister. 

Verse 19. Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, 
and Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed. 

Verse 20. And Malchiram, and Rephaiah, and 
Shenazar, Jechamiah, Hoshamah, and Nedabiah : sia. 

Verse 21. And the sons of Hananiah, Pelatiah, 
and Jesiah ; the sons of Rephaiah; Arnan his son ; 
Obadiah his son; Shechaniah his son, (reading accord- 
ing to Houbigant, 132 beno, for 513 beni.) 

Verse 22. The sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah— 
the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Ba- 
riah, and Neariah, and Shaphat: five. 

On the propriety of the substitution of 123 Jeno, 
his son, for 3 beni, sons, in ver. 21, I cannot but 
agree with Dr. B. That the latter is a corruption 
appears to me self-evident ; the mistake might easily 
be made, from the great similarity between * yod, and 
ἡ vau; and numerous mistakes of this kind in the sa- 
cred text have long been the perplexity and the com- 
plaint of critics. Houbigant’s note on this verse is 
worthy of serious regard: “ Illud 522 quod hoe yersu 

1 


Observations on the 


quater legitur, quater esse legendum 1}3 filius ejus, 
docet ipsa per se pagina sacra. Nee aliter legunt 
omnes Veteres, sed in fine post 172 addendum 133 
filius ejus, quod etiam legebant Veteres, et quod scriba 
omisit deceptus similitudine ejus >)3 quod sequitur initio 
versus 22.” Houbigant in loco. 

From these observations Dr. B. concludes that, by 
an error of the transcriber, Pedaiah is put for Rephaiah 
or Peraiah, in ver. 18; whilst in ver. 21 the proper 
name Rephaiah is retained ; hence those whose names 
are mentioned in ver. 18, were supposed not to be the 
sons of Zerubbabel, and so the whole verse in which 
they were contained was transposed, and put before 
the 19th verse, where the name of Zerubbabel oc- 
curs ; and as the last word of this verse, viz. Neda- 
biah, or 1°21 Nebadiah, according to the Septuagint, 
(who omitted the word six in this place, and added it 
to ver. 22,) contains almost all the letters of the words 
7°15 2 beni Pedaiah, this word by a mistake of the 
transcriber, was changed into 75°32 bent Peraiah, 
and thus it was supposed that a mistake in a name 
twice written was corrected; hence it was that Ze- 
rubbabel was called the son of Pedaiah, whose name 
occurred in the preceding verse. Many examples of 
similar permutations occur in the sacred writings : see 
Job xl. 1-14, which ought to be placed, as both 
Kennicott and Heath have observed, between what is 
related, chap. xl. 2, 6, and 7; see also Exod. xxx. 
1, 10; also Job xxxi. 38, 39, 40, which should fol- 
low chap. xxxi. 25. A similar transposition may be 
seen 1 Chron. ix. 2, 17, where the whole clause ap- 
pears Ὁ be taken from Neh. ix. 2,19. Many other 
instances appear in Kennicott’s Dissertations on the 
state of the printed Hebrew text. 

Dr. Barrett, having thus far made his way plain, 
proceeds to lay down a table of the regal line, taken 
from 1 Chron. iii., on each side of which he places the 
genealogy as given by the Evangelists St. Matthew 
and St. Luke, that the general agreement may be the 
more easily discerned. 


Matthew, chap. 1.1 Chron. chap. ili.) Luke, chap. 11]. 


Salathiel Salathiel Salathiel 
Zerubbabel Zerubbabel Zerubbabel 
First generation 

omitted Rephaiah Rhesa 


Another genera- 


tion omitted Arnan, or Onan |Joanna or Jonan 


Abiud Obadiah Juda 
Eliakim Shechaniah Joseph or Josech 
A third generation 
omitted Shemaiah Semei 
No corresponding 
generation Mattathias 
No corresponding 
generation Maath 
Fourth generation| Neariah Nagge 
omitted 


Azor who is also |Azrikam who is, Esli (from whom 


From the above] Elioenai descended 
descends Joseph Mary) 
who 
Mary 


1 


CHAP. III. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


Dr. Barrett then proceeds to lay down the two fol- 
lowing propositions. 

I. That Salathiel in Matthew is the same with 
Salathiel in 1 Chron. iii. This admits of no doubt, 
and therefore he despatches it in a single sentence : 
both were descended from David through the same 
ancestors ; both lived at the same time, viz. of the 
captivity ; and both were born of the same father. 

Il. That Salathiel in Luke is the same with Sala- 
thiel in 1 Chron. iii. 17, the same as in Matthew i.} 
and consequently that Mary the mother of Jesus, 
descending from Salathiel in Luke, descends lineally 
from David by Solomon,—a maiter of vast consequence 
according to the opinion of Calvin, who asserts, “ If 
Christ has not descended from Solomon, he cannot be 
the Messiah.” WUaving taken for granted that Sala- 
thiel in Matthew is the same with Salathiel in 1 Chron., 
he proceeds to deduce the following consequences 
from his hypothesis. 

1. Zerubbabel in 1 Chron. is the same with Zerub- 
babel in Luke; they agree in name, the time also is 
the same, and they had the same father. 

2. Rephaiah in 1 Chron. is the same with Rhesa in 
Luke, where a notable coincidence occurs in the 
names. 

3. Arnan in 1 Chron. is the same with Joanna in 
Luke ; and here it is worthy of notice, that in one of 
Kennicott’s MSS. the name was originally written 
DN Onan, a) vau being used instead of a> resh. It 
is well known that the MSS. in Luke write the name 
in great diversity of forms, viz. Iavva, Ιωαναν, lwvap, 
Iwvva, love, and some Ιωναν, between which and Onan 
there is but little difference. 

4. Obadiah in 1 Chron. is the same as Juda in 
Luke. In this name may be found that of Adiwd men- 
tioned Matt. i. 13, who is the third from Zerubbabel 
whence it is evident that in St. Matthew two genera 
tions are omitted. The MSS. in St. Luke also vary 
considerably in the name ; some write it Iwada, which 
answers to the Hebrew Joida, or even 713) Obadiah 
Obadiah was one of the priests who signed and sealed 
the same covenant, Neh. x. 5, and seems to be the 
same with Jddo, Neh. xii. 4, who returned with Ze- 
tubbabel. See Newton, Chronol. p. 361. 

5. Shechaniah in 1 Chron. is the same with Joseph 
or Osech, between which names there is a considera- 
ble similitude. 

6. Shemaiah in 1 Chron. is the same with Semez in 
Luke. In this place the names perfectly agree. Thus, 
through six successive generations in the same line 
the names either perfectly agree, or are manifestly 
similar; each preserving the same order. Hence it 
may be legitimately concluded, that the preceding 
hypothesis is perfectly correct; and that Salathiel in 
Luke is the same with Salathiel in 1 Chron. iii., espe- 
cially when we consider that the time which elapsed 
between David and Christ was nearly bisected by the 
captivity ; so that the number of generations between 
them was divided into two almost equal parts by Sala- 
thiel. The two generations which occur after Semei 
in Luke, Mattathias and Maath, of which no trace is 
found in 1 Chron. iii., are*already rejected from the 


espoused|Joanan Joanam |Naum or Anum. | text of Luke, as interpolations, according to the proofs 


advanced in Dr. Barrett’s second section. Imme- 


389 


Observations on the 


diately after Shemaiah, the writer of 1 Chron. iii. sub- 
joins Neariah, in which Dr. B. supposes he has found 
the person ealled Nagge in Luke iii. 25, as he thinks 
the names do not differ widely, for the LXX. whom 
. Luke generally follows, often express the Hebrew } 
ain, by the Greek y gamma; and even in this chapter, 
for the 1) of the Hebrew text, they write 'Payav. 

To this Neariah, says Dr. B., the book of Chroni- 
cles gives three children: in eee. the first of 
eihesey Per discover the Azor of St. Matthew, the son 
of Elikim. But, according to the opinion of some 
cxitigs Abner should be inserted between Eliakim and 

zor, (see Le Clere in Hammond, vol. i. p. 6 :) or, 
according to others, between Adiud and Eliakim. 
(Drusius. Crit. sac. in Matt.) However this may be, 
Dr. B. thinks he can discover Shechaniah in Eliakim, 
and either Shemaiah or Neariah in Abner. Another 
son of Neariah was Elioenai, the same probably which 
Luke calls sli or Eslim; nér can they be considered 
as different persons, though their names in Greek and 
Hebrew do not perfectly correspond. He thinks also 
that Elioenai in 1 Chron. iii. and Elisthenan in the 
LXX. are different, although they certainly may be 
names of the same person differently written, and sig- 
nify the same son of Neariah. As Elioenai and Az- 
rikam are different, the same may be said of Esli and 
Azor; hence the family of Salathiel became branched 
out into two families, one of which is traced by Mat- 
thew, the other by Luke. It is not therefore surpris- 
ing if the subsequent names, as far as Joseph, should 
differ, as a different line of descent is described. 
Luke gives to his Esli a son called Naum or Anum; 
and in 1 Chron. iii. among the sons of Elioenai, we 
meet with Joanam, sometimes written Joanan—names 
which have a considerable similitude to that recorded 
by Luke. 

Having thus fixed the genealogy, by proving that 
Salathiel in Matthew and Luke is the same with Sala- 
thiel in 1 Chron. iii. 17, Dr. Barrett proceeds to in- 
quire whether chronology will support him in the 
times of those generations, the correlative succession of 
which he has endeavoured to ascertain. In the year 
445 B. C. Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, at which 
time both Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, and Re- 
phaiah, who preceded him four generations, were em- 
ployed in building the walls of the city. At this time, 
therefore, Shemaiah must have been very young, Dr. 
B. supposes about twenty years old; he also considers 
that each of the generations consist of the same num- 
ber of years; that Rephaiah must consequently be 
about a hundred years old to have been born in the 
year before Christ 545; his father Zerubbabel to have 
been born about the year 570; and Salathiel in 590, 
or 595: there is consequently no place for the suppo- 
sitious Pedaiah, because Jechonias had not at that 
time begotten Salathiel, Matt. i. 12, as he was not led 
away captive till the year 599. Shemaiah, above 
mentioned, had a brother called Hattush, the son of 
Shechaniah, who is mentioned Ezra viii. 2, 3, and 1 
Esdr. viii. 29, as returning to Jerusalem with Ezra ; 
and as Shemaiah had more sons, the last but one of 
whom was Neariah, this Neariah may be considered 
as having been born in 420, when Shemaiah was about 
forty-five years old. We may also suppose, says Dr. 

390 


ST. LUKE. 


genealogy of our Lord 


B., that in the fortieth year of Neariah, or before 
Christ 380, Elioenai the youngest son was born. Now 
as Elioenai begat several sons, the youngest of whom 
was Joanam or Naum, it will not appear improbable, 
if we consider Naum to have been begotten in the 
year 340, or the fortieth year of Elioenai. The line 
of Naum is carried no farther in the book of Chroni- 
cles, whence we may suppose he had reared no chil- 
dren in the time of Simon, surnamed the Just, who 
was high priest from 242 to 283, and is thought to 
have put the finishing hand to this book. It is probable, 
therefore, that Naum begot Amos in 290, when he 
himself was in the fiftieth year of his age. After 
Amos, let thirty years be computed for each genera- 
tion, or a hundred years for three, and the dates of 
these generations will appear as under :— 


Marruew. Luxe. A.a.C. 
Azor born before 
Christ, 380 . Elioenai, or Esli, born 380 
Agenerationomitted|/Naum . . 340 
Another generation 
omitted . Amos 290 
Sadoe Mattathias . 260 
Achim . Joseph . 230 
Eliud Janna 200 
Eleazar Melchi 165 
Matthan Levi 5 130 
Jacob . . Matthat . 100 
Joseph the That 
of Mary Heli 65 
Mary the mother one 
Christ 25 


Dr. B. now proceeds to inquire, whether by the pro- 
position it appears that Salathiel in Luke, and Sala- 
thiel 1n 1 Chron. are the same person, provided the 
generations be traced up to David. This inquiry he ac- 
knowledges is pressed with many and great difficulties ; 
and the utmost that can be expected from it is to show 
that the objections advanced against it are destitute of 
force. 

Matthew states that Jechonias was the father of 
Salathiel; but Luke says that Neri was his father. 
These two accounts, however, may be reconciled by 
the hypothesis, that Nerz was the maternal grandfather 
of Salathiel, and hence, according to the custom of 
the Hebrews, put down for his father; so we read, 
Ezra ii. 61: Who took a wife of the daughters of Bar- 
zillai, and was called after their name. The truth of 
this hypothesis is next examined. 

It is a received opinion among the Jews, that Su- 
sanna was wife of Jechonias, and mother of Salathiel, 
which is confirmed by Biblioth. Clement. Vatic. tom. i. 
page 490, where it is said “ that Joachim, the hus- 
band of Susanna, was supposed to have been the king 
whom Nebuchadnezzar shut up in prison, whence he 
was liberated, on the death of that monarch, by his son 
and successor, Evil-merodach. Of Susanna was born 
Salathiel : because he was of the regal line, the elders 
of the people sat in judgment in his house, as in the 
palace of the king.” That Susanna was nearly allied 


Observations on the 


to the throne will be readily credited, if it is consider- 
ed that, when she came to the tribunal, she was accom- 
panied by fifty servants : (see the Septuag. version of 
Daniel, fol. Rome, 1772:) this was a proof of the re- 
gal state; for when Absalom and Adonijah affected the 
throne, they prepared fifty men to run before them, 
(2 Sam. xv. 1; 1 Kingsi. 5.) The Jews also affirm 
that she was of the tribe of Judah. 

Dr. B. next inquires into the genealogy of Neri, 
whom he supposes to be the same with Neriah, men- 
tioned so frequently by Jeremiah, chap. xxxii. 12, 16; 
xxxvi. 4, 8, 14, 32; xliii. 3, 6; xlv. 1; li. 59, and 
who was the father of Baruch and Seraiah. Baruch 
was certainly of an illustrious family, as we learn from 
Josephus, (Ant. x. 11,) who calls him the son of Neri. 
This Dr. B. farther establishes by the following con- 
siderations: 1. The title of prince is given to his bro- 
ther Seraiah, Jer. li. 59. 2. When the Jews were 
eonquered by the Chaldeans, Johanan, the son of 
Kareah, took the remnant of Judah, and all the no- 
bility and persons of distinction, and carried them down 
into Egypt; and among these were Jeremiah the pro- 
phet, and Baruch the son of Neriah, Jer. xliii. 5-7. 
3. The words of Jer. xlv. 4,5: “The Lord saith, Be- 
hold that which [ have built I will break down, and 
that which I have planted will I pluck up; and seekest 
thou great things for thyself? seek them not, for I 
bring evil upon all flesh, ἅς." Here it is evident the 
threatening is directed against the house of David ; 
(2? Sam. vii. 16; 1 Chron. xvii. 25;) and the great 
things which Baruch sought for himself were certainly 
a share in the government of the land, as being near- 
ly allied to the throne, or even the throne itself. 4. Add 
to this, that the Jews alleged as a charge against Ba- 
ruch, that, by his instigation, Jeremiah exhorted them 
rather to continue under the power of the Chaldeans 
than eseape to Egypt, Jer. xliii. 3, which seems 
strongly to intimate that he expected to exercise the 
regal power over the remaining Jews by the assistance 
of the Chaldeans, which he could not expect to main- 
tain in Egypt. From all these considerations, Dr. B. 
infers that Baruch, and consequently Neriah, sprang 
from Nathan, the son of David. 

As nothing is related of the ancestors of Neriah, 
Dr. B. is obliged to recur to conjectures; the chief of 
which are the following. ‘ Maaseiah or Melchi, the 
father οἵ Neriah, was probably the same who, during 
the reign of Josiah, was governor of the city, 2 Chron. 
χχχίν. 8, whom the Syriac calls the scribe, and the 
Arabie the teacher of the city. Probably also, Simeon, 
the son of Juda, (Luke iii. 30,) is the same as is called 
Maaseiah, the son of Adaiah, 2 Chron. xxiii. 1. Simeon 
and Maaseiah (Dr. B. observes) are written in nearly 
the same letters, and differ scarcely, except in their 
situation. As to the names of Adaiah and Juda, the 
difference is nearly the same with that already observed 
between Obadiah and Juda, Luke iii. 26.” That the 
names in the Oid Testament have been extremely cor- 
rupted, not only in the different translations through 
which the Sacred Writings have passed, but also in 
various copies of the original, is well known to every 
Biblical critic, and has been continually deplored, from 
the days of St. Jerume, to the present hour. The 
complaint of this father, in his comment on Ezekiel 

1 


CHAP. Il. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


xl. 7, is as follows: Statim mensus est limen porte 
quod LXX. Θεὲ nominant, pro quo in Hebrao scrip- 
tum est \w Seph: et diligentem et studiosum lectorem 
admonendum puto—ut sciat omnia prope verba He- 
braica et nomina que in Greca et Latina translatione 
sunt posita, nimia vetustate corrupta scriptorumque 
vitio depravata, et dum de inemendatis scribuntur ine- 
mendatiora, de verbis Hebraicis facta esse sarmatica, 
imd nullius gentis, dum et Hebrea 6550 desierint, et 
aliena esse non ceperint. Wirron. Opera, vol. iii. 
60]. 981. edit. Martinay. 

Dr. B. thinks that, if the above hypothesis be al- 
lowed as probable, it will follow that the family of Na- 
than was concealed in an humble and obscure situation, 
until almost the whole of the race of Solomon was de- 
stroyed by the treachery of Athaliah. Maaseiah or 
Simeon, the prince of this family, fearing a similar de- 
struction, and being moved with pity towards his rela- 
tive Joash, and having, by the assistance of Jehoiada 
the priest, removed Athaliah out of the way, set Joash 
at last on the throne, according to the particular ac- 
count in 2 Chron. xxii. 23. Trom that time, the wealth 
and dignity of this family increased, till the whole line 
of Solomon becoming extinct, Jechonias, his only re- 
maining heir, took Susanna, the daughter of Neriah, 
to wife: to which circumstance, Dr. B. thinks the 
author of Psalm exxxii. 17, probably alludes : “ There 
will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordain- 
ed a /amp (that is, Neri) for mine anointed.” Here 
Dr. B. plays a little on the original word 93 ner, a lamp ; 
and as 3 Neri signifies my lamp, and 1°93 Neriah, 
the lamp of the Lord, he seems to think this a pro- 
phetical declaration of the preservation of the seed 
royal in the person of Neriah, the direct ancestor of 
Christ. Supposing this hypothesis to be true, Dr. B. 


constructs his genealogical table in the following man- 
ner, beginning at the division of the line of Solomon, 
and omitting Melea and Mainan, for reasons that have 
been already assigned. 


1 | Sotomon. 1 NATHAN. 
2 | Rehoboam 2 | Mattatha 
3 | Abiah 3 | Eliakim 
4 | Asa 4 | Jonan 
5 | Jehosaphat 5 | Joseph 
6 | Jehoram 6 | Juda or Adaiah 
7 | Ahaziah 7 | Simeon or Maaseiah 
8 | Joash 8 | Levi 
9 | Amaziah 9 | Matthat 
10 | Uzziah 10 | Jorim 
11 | Jotham 11 | Ehiezer 
12 | Ahaz 12 | Jose 
13 | Hezekiah 13 | Er 
14 | Manasses 14 | Elmodam 
15 | Amon 15 | Cosam 
16 | Josias 16 | Addi 
17 | Jehoiakim 17 | Melchior Maaseias 
18 | Jehoiachin or 16- 18 | Neri 
chonias 19 | Susanna 


On the ancestors of Mary, and the consanguinity 
between her and Joseph, Dr. B. shows that the virgin 
descended, not from the tribe of Levi, (an opinion 

391 


Observations on the 


which some of the ancients embraced,) but from the 
family of David; and brings several additional argu- 
ments to prove that St. Luke’s professed object was to 
trace out the genealogy of Mary, and St. Matthew’s 
that of Joseph. 

According to the universal voice of antiquity, the 
father and the mother of the virgin were called 
Joachim and Anna. Dr. B. thinks it indisputable, 
that Joachim is the same name with Eli, Luke iii. 23, 
or Eliakim, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 4. To give a greater 
probability to the opinion that Luke delivers the gene- 
alogy of Mary, Dr. B. refers to those Jewish writings, 
quoted by Lightfoot, in which the mother of our Lord 
is called *4y na ov) Mary the daughter of Eli; and 
though the latter word is written 9) instead of ‘x 
this does not, in his opinion, tend to invalidate the ar- 
gument, as δὲ and y are frequently interchanged. It 
may therefore be taken for granted that Eli was the 
father of Mary, and maternal grandfather of Christ, 
and that he is considered by St. Luke as the real father 
of Christ, while Joseph is only the putative father ; 
and thus, Dr. B. thinks, his own exposition is not only 
confirmed, but Luke is represented to be consistent 
with himself through the whole of his account: for 
in the same way as Neri is said to be the father of 
Salathiel, though it is evident he was no more than 
his maternal grandfather, so Eli would appear to be 
the maternal grandfather of Christ, although he is 
called his father. On the contrary, if the hypothesis 
of Africanus be adopted, the genealogy by St. Luke is 
self-contradictory. Dr. B. next takes into considera- 
tion the family of Anna, the mother of Mary. It is 
generally agreed, that the father of Anna was named 
Matthan. who this person was, is not easy to be 
known. Some suppose him to have been a priest; and 
as it was lawful for the daughters of the priests to 
marry into any tribe (Lev. xxii. 12) we may perceive 
how Mary could be the cousin (cvyyevyc) of Elisabeth, 
(who was really of the tribe of Lev7,) though her fa- 
ther Joachim, or Eli, was a descendant of the tribe of 
Judah. 

From considering the family of Anna, the Virgin’s 
mother, Dr. B. proceeds to the family of Joachim ; 
but, in this examination, he finds very few documents 
to guide his inquiries. Ancient writers, in order to 
prove that Mary sprang from David, invented two 
names, Panther and Barpanther, as the grandfather 
and father of Joachim. Concerning this fabulous 
Panther, there are two hypotheses: one is, that Pan- 
ther was the surname of Jacob, the father of Joseph ; 
and this was the opinion of Epiphanius. Others have 
maintained that he was of the family of Nathan, and 
brother of Melchi: this hypothesis is delivered by 
Damascenus, who appears to have found it in Epipha- 
nius. Leaving all these precarious and forged autho- 
tities, Dr. B thinks that the family of Joachim is 
more likely to be ascertained, by inquiring among the 
brethren of our Lord, mentioned Matt. xiii. 55, and 
Mark vi. 3,—James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. Con- 
cerning these, there have been two opinions: 1. That 
they were the sons of Joseph by a former wife, which 
Origen, Epiphanius, and Theophylact seem to have 
believed, and Jerome has opposed with considerable 
asperity (See his books De viris illustribus et 

392 


ST. LUKE. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


adversus Helvidium.) Jerome’s hypothesis, on the 
contrary, is, that James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, 
were cousins of our Lord, being the sons of Mary, 
the wife of Alpheus, and sister to the virgin, who is 
called Μαρία 4 του Κλωπα, John xix. 25. Dr. B. 
asserts, after Baronius and others, that James the Just, 
the first bishop of the Church at Jerusalem, was the 
same who is called the brother of our Lord, and the 
son of Alpheus. 

Concerning Cleopas, or Klopas, there are various 
opinions, both among ancient and modern writers. 
Hegesippus, as quoted by Eusebius, (Hist. Eccl. 1. iii. 
6. 2,) calls him the brother of Joseph. Epiphanius, 
on the contrary, calls him the brother of Joachim: 
Chrysostom is of the same opinion. Others make 
Cleopas and Alpheus the same person: and Grotius, 
following the Arabic version, understands by ἡ τοῦ 
Κλωπα, the daughter, not the wife, of Cleopas. Cal- 
met, in his comment on John xix. 25, gives it as the 
most plausible opinion, that Cleopas was husband of 
that Mary who was sister to the blessed virgin, and 
father of James the less. Dr. B. thinks that these 
apparently discordant systems may be harmonized by 
the following scheme :— 


JAcoB 


a a 


Matruat 


ales died Joachim, or Eli, 
without is- married the second 
sue; from time to Anna, from 
the marri- whomsprang Mary=Joseph Alpheus, or 


age of his Cleopas, 

widow with Jesus married 
his brother Mary ἡ tov 

Joachim Κλωπα, 

sprang Ma- whence 

ry % Tov sprang 
Κλωπα. James, Jo- 
ses, Simon, 

and Juda. 


By this hypothesis it would appear that there were 
two persons of the name of Cleopas, one the brother 
of Joachim, the other the brother of Joseph; one the 
lecal father, the other the husband of Mary. Hence 
James and the others are properly termed the drethren 
of our Lord, being connected with him by a twofold 
tie of consanguinity—on their mother’s side, and or 
the side of their putative father. Secondly, By this 
hypothesis, the difficulty of regarding these four 
brothers as the sons of Joseph is quite removed: if 
this indeed were true, they would not be the sons of 
Mary, tov Κλωπα, for Joseph would then have been 
the husband of the two sisters, contrary to the law, 
Lev. xviii. 18. Cleopas or Alpheus, according to 
Grotius and Lucas Brugensis, is the same with λωπα, 
(John xix. 25,) who was alive when Christ was cru- 
cified. Hence it is improbable that James, Joses, 
Simon, and Judas, could have been born of his wife, 
by any marriage of her with Joseph. We have already 
seen from Hegesippus, that the grandchildren of this 
very Jude, who was called owr Lord’s brother, were 
alive in the time of Domitian: he expressly says, 
that “ Simon, the son of Cleopas, who was uncle to 


Observations on the 


our Lord, was crucified in the 120th year of his age, 
under the reign of Trajan, when Atticus, of the con- 
sular order, was president of Syria.” See Euseb. 
Hist. Eccl. 1. iii. c. 32. Simon must therefore have 

* been born before Christ, for Trajan, in whose reign he 
suffered, died A. D. 117. If therefore Joseph had 
ever married Mary tov Κλωπα, it must have been be- 
fore he espoused the mother of our Lord: and then, 
as both these sisters were alive at the crucifixion, (John 
xix. 25,) he must have been illicitly the husband of 
both at the same time. 

Dr. Barrett having thus finished his laborious inves- 
tigation of this difficult subject, concludes his work 
by observing, that his prime object was to prove, by 
the agreement of the evangelists, that Christ descend- 
ed from David by the line of Solomon; that on this 
subject he has not assumed that the explanation given 
of one or other of these genealogies is the true one, 
and that the other should be corrected according to 
it; but that, in the first place, he has considered the 
number of the generations, and then, by assistance 
derived from the books of the Old Testament, the 
rules of sound and temperate criticism, and the colla- 
tion of MSS., has constructed a genealogical table of 
the family of David; (see the preceding leaf ;) and 
having compared with this table the genealogies extant 
in the evangelists, he finds that they agree with it in 
the main, and consequently that they agree with each 
other. It cannot be objected against his argument, 
that he takes for granted what he should have proved, 
viz. that one or other of the genealogies is true; this 
he has not asserted, but he infers that both are authen- 
tic, from their agreement with that which he has 
constructed from the best existing authorities: and 
although he considers the hypothesis of the moderns, 
which states that Luke sets down the genealogy of 
Mary, to be the most probable, yet he has not assumed 
it as true; neither do his conclusions against the 
hypothesis of Africanus, in the second and third sec- 
tions, rest on such assumption, but solely on the 
authority of the Old Testament and a collation of 
MSS. unconnected with any hypothesis whatever. 

All subjects of this kind, both in sacred and pro- 
fane history, are entangled with difficulties peculiar 
to themselves, partly through the remoteness of the 
times to which they refer, and partly through the pe- 
euliar manners that prevailed in different nations of 
reckoning and recording their genealogical successions. 
I may venture to affirm that similar difficulties, and 
even greater, are to be found in profane histories of 
the first importance ; the general accuracy ané@ uni- 
versal authenticity of which, no man who rega. ds his 
credit will ever call into question. 

Dr. B. has certainly proved his main points without 
recurring to the discreditable shifts which some will 
adopt, who cut the knots they cannot untie, and be- 
cause they find it impracticable to reconcile certain 
seeming difficulties in the sacred history, first affect 
to doubt the authenticity of those histories, and, after- 
wards put forth their criminal hands, and lop off whole 
oranches from the tree of life :—a text is too small a 
portion; difficulties (to them) still remain; another 
text must follow, and another still, till at last whole 
chapters are tossed away into the limbo of vanity. 

1 


CHAP. III. 


genealogy of our Lord. 


Then, to be sure, all is fair and clear; for by this 
species of criticism any thing may be proved or de- 
nied: but God never appointed such a method to 
discover truth, and sound criticism should hold it 
disgraceful to resort to it. 

I have said that the peculiar manner used by some 
of the eastern nations in recording their genealogies, 
is one cause of their present obscurity: on this sub- 
ject, the late ingenious Mr. Harmer refers to a case 
in point, which I shall give in his own words :— 

“Genealogical tables were kept among the Jews 
with great exactness. Every person of learning, how- 
ever, knows that the great difference in this point 
between St. Matthew and St. Luke, who have each of 
them given us a gencalogy of our Lord, has greatly 
embarrassed the curious, and did so early; (see Aug. 
Retract. 1. ii. c. 7;) but as in other cases, what was 
at first thought an objection against the sacred writer 
has turned out in his favour, so doubly will this, 
when it shall be thoroughly cleared up. Time may 
perhaps do it: all I would attempt to show here is, 
that there has been lately discovered an inscription at 
Palmyra, which has just the same difficulty. He that 
clears up the Syrian difficulty will, I presume, clear 
up the sacred. To which I would add, that it is to 
be remembered, that Palmyra was in the neighbour- 
hood of Judea, and the inscriptions that are found 
there are about the apostolic age. As to the inscrp- 
tion I refer to Mr. Wood, the ingenious editor of those 
ruins, who has observed, that it was more difficult to 
understand than translate it. This, says he, will ap- 
pear by rendering it literally, which is easiest done 
into Latin, thus: Senatus populusque Alialamenem, 
Pani filium, Mocimi nepotem, Hranis pronepotem, 
Mathe abnepotem, et ZEranem patrem ejus, viros pios 
et patrie amicos, et omni modo placentes patrie pa- 
triisque diis, honoris gratia. Anno 450, Mense Aprilt, 
Our difficulty is, continues he, that AZranes is called 
the father of Alialamenes, who is himself called the 
son of Panus, just in the same manner as St. Matthew 
tells us that Jacob begat Joseph; and St. Luke calls 
Joseph, the son of Heli. There is something without 
doubt in these affairs peculiar to the east, which, 
however unknown to us, was common to the Jews 
and the people of Palmyra; and will, when properly 
explained, be a proof of the authenticity of these 
genealogies, instead of an objection.” Harmer’s Οὖ- 
servations. 

To several of my readers it will probably appear 
that Dr. B. has carried his critical conjectures too far, 
particularly in respect of several names which occur 
in these genealogies. Those only will make this ob- 
jection, who, from a want of acquaintance with an- 
cient MSS., suppose that those names, as they occur 
in our present copies, are to be considered as ἴηνα- 
riably genuine and original. But the specimen I 
have already given, in the preceding sheet, of the dif- 
ferent reading of the same name in ancient MSS. will 
serve to remove this misapprehension. From a very 
particular acquaintance with this subject, I think I 
have sufficient ground to state, that, threugh the ig- 
norance and carelessness of transcribers innumerable 
mistakes have been made in ancient names. These 
also have suffered very greatly in their transfusion 

393 


The temptation 


from one language to another, till at last the original 
name is almost totally lost. Examples might be mul- 
tiplied without end; a very few will suffice: the 
pwr Yehoshua (according to the Masoretie punctua- 
tion) of the Hebrew Bible, is changed into Joshua 
and Jesus ; W1yw Yeshayahoo into Isaiah and Esaias ; 
wx Eliyahoo into Elijah and Elias: the Persian 
Darab into Darius; Ardsheer into Ahasuerus ; Ar- 
tachshasta into Artaxerxes, and even Darius; and 
pani Yahchanan into Ιωαννης, Johannes, and John! 
Besides, neither the Greeks nor Romans could pro- 
nounce either the Hebrew or Persian names; and 
when engaged in the task of transcribing, they did it 
according to their own manner of pronunciation. It 
is notorious that all the Greek and Latin historians 
have committed innumerable blunders of this kind, in 
their accounts of foreign nations. St. Jerome loudly 
complains of the ridicule which those Christians, who 
were accustomed only to a Greek or Latin mode of 
pronunciation, endured continually from the Jews, 
because they could not pronounce the Hebrew proper 
names, particularly the gutturals : “ Solent, (says he,) 
arridere nos imperitia maxime in aspirationibus ὁ: qui- 
busdam cum rasura gule litteris proferendis ;—si 
igitur a nobis hec nominum & lingue idiomata ut 
videlicet barbara non ita fuerint expressa ut exprimun- 
tur ab Hebrais, solent cachinnum attollere, et jurare 
se penitus nescire quod dicimus.” Com. in Epist. ad. 


ST. LUKE. 


of Christ. 


Tit. c. iii. v. 9. This learned father excuses himself 
and his brethren, on the consideration, that the He- 
brews had both sounds and letters which were wholly 
unknown to the Greeks and Latins; and particularly 
instances ΠῚ cheth, and y ayin, the double aspiration of 
which (as he terms it) the Septuagint not being able 
to express, were obliged to represent by the use of 
additional Jetters, quia cum duplici aspiratione in 
Grecam linguam transferre non poterant, aliis litterts 
additis expresserunt: he adds, that, whereas the 
Greeks and Romans had only one s, the Hebrews had 
three, Ὁ samech, ¥ sade, and w sin, each of which had 
a different sound. (Udi supra.) From these examples, 
the reader will see the indubitable evidence of cor- 
ruption in many proper names, and the great proba- 
bility of it in others. 

On the whole of this genealogy, a pious writer 
makes the following reflections :— 

Jesus, the author and principle of the new crea- 
tion, and the repairer of the world, disdains not to be 
reckoned among ordinary creatures, and among the 
children of sinful Adam. He designed hereby to secure 
us from having the least doubt of his human nature ; 
and to assure us that we have a victim, a saviour, and 
a high priest, capable of compassionating our infirmi- 
ties and miseries, and making atonement for our sins ; 
and thus reconciling us to God. ‘Thanks be to God 
for his unspeakable gift! 


CHAPTER IV. 


Christ’s temptation, 1-13. 
Nazareth, 16-28. 
a demon, 33-37. 


Teaches in the synagogues of Galilee, 14, 15. 
They attempt to kill him, 29, 30. 
Heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and various others, 38-41. 


He preaches ma synagogue at 
He preaches in Capernaum, 31, 32, and casts out 
He goes to the desert, and 


preaches ayterwards in the synagogues of Galilee, 42-44. 


ae eal. ND *Jesus being full of the 
An, Olymp Holy Ghost returned from Jor- 


—— dan, and was led by the Spirit 
into the wilderness, 

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. 
And °in those days he did eat nothing: and 
when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 

3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be 
the Son of God, command this stone that it be 
made bread. 

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, ὦ It is 
written, That man shall not live by bread 


alone, but by every word of wre 
God. 

5 And the devil, taking him up 
into a high mountain, showed unto him all 
the kingdoms of the world in a moment of 
time. 

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power 
will I give thee, and the glory of them: for 
9 that is delivered unto me; and to whomso- 
ever I will I give it. 

7 If thou therefore wilt ἢ worship me, all 
shall be thine. 


An. Olymp. 
CCL. 3. 


a Matt. iv. 1; Mark i. 12. + Ver. 14; chap. ii. 27. © Exod. 


xxxiv. 28; 1 Kings xix. 8. 


4 Deut. 6 John xii. 31; xiv. 30; Rev. xiii. 2, 7. 


£ Or, fall down before me. 


vill. 3. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IV. 

Verse 1. Was led by the Spirit] Or, And was 
carried about, nyeto. Matthew says, ανηχθη, he was 
brought up. Mark says, the Spirit driveth him 
exBarrei—putteth him forth. But each of the evan- 
gelists attributes this to the Holy Ghost, not to Satan. 

It may be useful to remark here, that, during the 
forty days and forty nights in which he is said to have 

394 


been tempted by the devil, he is carried about, con- 
tinually sustained and supported, by the Holy Ghost. 
Let those who are tempted by Satan /ook for, and, in 
virtue of the power and intercession of Christ, clazz, 
the same support; and it matters little how many days 
they may be assaulted by the devil, while they are 
carried about by the Spirit of God. 

Verse 7. If thou—wilt worship me] This tempta- 

1 


CHAP. IV. 


The temptation of Christ. 


——, 8 And Jesus answered and said 
An. Olymp. unto him, Get thee behind me, Sa- 
tan: for Sit is written, Thou shalt 
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt 
thou serve. 

9 *And he brought him to Jerusalem, and 
set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said 
unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thy- 
self down from hence : 

10 For ‘it is written, He shall give his an- 
gels charge over thee, to keep thee: 

11 And in thezr hands they shall bear thee 
up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against 
a stone. 

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, 
ΚΤῚ is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy 
God. 


& Deut. vi. 13; x. 20.— Matthew iv. 5.——i Psa. xci. 11. 
k Deut. vi. 16.—! John xiv. 30; Heb. iv. 15. 


He preaches in Galilee, ¢-c. 


13 And when the devil had ended 4,™. 4031. 
all the temptation, he departed from An. Olymp. 
him !for a season. as ΒΒ 

14 4 ™And Jesus returned "in the power 
of the Spirit into ° Galilee: and there went 
out a fame of him through all the region round 
about. 

15 And he taught in their synagogues, be- 
ing glorified of all. 

16 % And he came to ? Nazareth, where he 
had been brought up: and, as his custom was, 
‘he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath 
day, and stood up for to read. 

17 And there was delivered unto him the 
book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had 
opened the book, he found the place where it 
was written, 


m Matt. iv. 12; John iv. 43—— Ver. 1. 
li. 23; xi. 54; Mark vi. 1. 


© Acts x. 37.—? Matt. 
4 Acts xili. 14; xvii. 2. 


tion is the Jast in order, as related by Matthew ; and 
it is not reasonable to suppose that any other succeed- 
ed to it. Luke has here told the particulars, but not 
in the order in which they took place. See every cir- 
eumstance of this temptation considered and explained 
in the notes on Matt. iv. 1-11. 

Yerse 14. Returned in the power of the Spirit] 
Ἐν τῃ duvaper tov πνεύματος, In the mighty power of the 
Spirit. Having now conquered the grand adversary, 
he comes in the miracle-working energy of the Spirit 
to show forth his power, godhead, and love to the 
people, that they might believe and be saved. He 
who, through the grace of God, resists and overcomes 
temptation, is always bettered by it. This is one of 
the wonders of God’s grace, that those very things 
which are designed for our utter ruin he makes the 
instruments of our greatest good. Thus Satan is ever 
duped by his own proceedings, and caught in his own 
eraft. 

Verse 15. And he taught in their synagogues] We 
do not find that even the persecuting Jews ever hinder- 
ed Christ or his disciples from preaching in their syna- 
gogues. [5 it the same in every place where even 
the Christian religion is established by law? Would 
Jesus, or his apostles, or their most Scriptural repre- 
sentatives, be permitted to preach in one out of a 
thousand churches, in certain countries, unless they 
were strictly conformed to their external ecclesiasti- 
eal customs? Nor even then, unless their doctrine 
were according to the taste of the managers and of 
the times. 

Glorified of all.] All felt the power of his preach- 
ing, and acknowledged the divinity of his mission. 
The scandal of the cross had not yet taken place. 

Verse 16. To Nazareth, where he had been brought 
up} It is likely that our Lord lived principally in this 
city till the 30th year of his age ; but, after he enter- 
ed on his public ministry, his usual place of residence 
was at the house of Peter, in Capernaum. 

As his custom was] Our Lord regularly attended 

1 


the public worship of God in the synagogues ; for 
there the Scriptures were read: other parts of the 
worship were very corrupt ; but it was the best at that 
time to be found in the land. To worship God publicly 
is the duty of every man, and no man can be guiltless 
who neglects it. If a person cannot get such public 
worship as he likes, let him frequent such as he can 
get. Better to attend the most indifferent than to 
stay at home, especially on the Lord’s day. The 
place and the time are set apart for the worship of the 
true God: if others do not conduct themselves well in 
it, that is not your fault, and need not be any hinderance 
to you. You come to worship Gop—do not forget 
your errand—and God will supply the lack in the 
service by the teachings of his Spirit. Hear the say- 
ing of old Mr. Herbert :— 


“The worst speak something good: should all want 
sense, 
God takes the text, and preacheth p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.” 


A man may always profit where the word of God is 
read. 

Stood up for to read.] The Jews, in general, sat 
while they taught or commented on the Sacred Writ- 
ings, or the traditions of the elders; but when they 
read either the law or the prophets they invariably 
stood up: it was not lawful for them even to lean 
against any thing while employed in reading. 

Verse 17. And when he had opened the book] Ava- 
πτυξας, When he had unrolled it. "The Sacred Writ- 
ings used to this day, in all the Jewish synagogues, 
are written on skins of basil, parchment, or vellum, 
sewed end to end, and rolled on two rollers, beginning 
at each end; so that, in reading from right to left, 
they roll off with the left, while they roll on with the 
right. Probably the place in the Prophet Isaiah, here 
referred to, was the lesson for that day; and Jesus 
unrolled the manuscript till he came to the place: then, 
after having read, he rolled it up again, and returned 
it to the officer, ver. 20, the ruler of the synagogue, or 

395 


Christ explains a prophecy 


A.M.4031. 18 The Spirit of the Lord is 


An. Olymp. upon me, because he hath anointed 

Bees ine 10 preach the Gospel to the 
poor: he hath sent me to heal the broken- 
hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, 
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at 
liberty them that are bruised, 

19 To preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord. 

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it 
again to the minister, and sat down. And the 
eyes of all them that were in the synagogue 
were fastened on him. 

21 And he began to say unto them, This 
day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 


ST. LUKE. 


of Isaiah at Nazareth 


22 And all bare him witness, and ἂς ΝΜ 4021. 
‘wondered at the gracious words An. Olymp. 
which proceeded out of his mouth. 

And they said, * Is not this Joseph’s son? 

23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely 
say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thy- 
self: whatsoever we have heard done in ἃ Ca- 
pernaum, do also here in ¥ thy country. 

24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No 
prophet is accepted in his own country. 

25 But I tell you of a truth, * many widows 
were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the 
heaven was shut up three years and six months, 
when great famine was throughout all the land ; 

26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, 


r Isa. lxi. 1. 
11. 47. 


S Psa. xlv.2; Matt. xiii. 54; Mark vi. 2; chap. 
τ John vi. 42. «Matt. iv. 13; xi. 23. 


¥ Matt. xiii. 54; Mark vi. 1—w Matt. xiii. 57; Mark vi. 4; 
John 1v. 44..—* | Kings xvii. 9; xviii. 1; James v. 17. 


nis servant, whose business it was to take care of it. 
The place that he opened was probably the section 
for the day. See the table at the end of Deuteronomy, 
and the note at the end of that tadle. 

Verse 18. The Spirit of the Lord] This is found 
in Isa. Ixi. 1; but our Lord immediately adds to it 
ver. 7 of chap. xlii. The proclaiming of liberty to the 
captives, and the acceptable year (or year of accept- 
ance) of the Lord, is a manifest allusion to the pro- 
claiming of the year of jubilee by sound of trumpet : 
see Lev. xxv. 9, &c., and the notes there. This was 
a year of general release of debts and obligations ; of 
bond-men and women ; of lands and possessions, which 
had been sold from the families and tribes to which 
they belonged. Our Saviour, by applying this text to 
himself, a text so manifestly relating to the institution 
above mentioned, plainly declares the typical design 
of that institution.—LowTnr. 

He hath anointed me] 1 have been designed and set 
apart for this very purpose; my sole business among 
men is to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, &c. 
the functions of this new prophet are exercised on the 
hearts of men; and the grace by which he works in 
the heart is a grace of healing, deliverance, and illu- 
mination ; which, by an admirable virtue, causes them 
to pass from sickness to health, from slavery to liberty, 
from darkness to light, and from the lowest degrees 
of misery to supreme eternal happiness. See Quesnel. 
To those who feel their spiritual poverty, whose hearts 
are broken through a sense of their sins, who see 
themselves tied and bound with the chains of many 
evil habits, who sit in the darkness of guilt and misery, 
without a friendly hand to Jead them in the way in 
which they should go—to these, the Gospel of the 
grace of Christ is a pleasing sound, because a present 
and full salvation is proclaimed by it; and the present 
is shown to be the acceptable year of the Lord; the 
vear, the time, in which he saves to the uttermost all 
vho come unto him in the name of his Son Jesus. 
steader! what dost thou feel? Sin—wretchedness— 
misery of every description? Then come to Jesus— 
He will save raee—he came into the world for this 

396 


All 


very purpose. Cast thy sul. upon him, and thou shalt 
not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Verse 20. Were fastened on him.] Were attentwe- 
ly fixed on him. The proper import of ατενίζοντες 
αυτῳ. 

Verse 22. At the gracious words] To the words 
| of grace, ext τοῖς Nesey τῆς χαριτος, or the doctrines 
| of g grace, which he then preached. It is very strange 
that none of the evangelists give us any account of 
this sermon! There was certainly more of it than is 
related in the 21st verse—To-day is this scripture 
fulfilled in your ears ; which seems to have been no 
more than the first sentence he spoke on the occasion. 
Had it been necessary for our salvation, it would have 
been recorded. It was ademonstration to those Jews, 
that Jesus, who preached to them, was the person of 
whom the prophet there spoke: it was not designed 
for genera! edification. Let us make a good use of 
what we have got, and we shali not regret that this 
| sermon is lost. The ear is never satisfied with hear- 
| ing : we wish for another and another revelation, while 
sadly unacquainted with the nature and design of that 
which God’s mercy has already given us. 

Verse 23. Physician, heal thyself] That is, heal 
the broken-hearted in thy own country, as the latter 
clause of the verse explains it; but they were far 
from being in a proper spirit to receive the salvation 
which he was ready to communicate; and therefore 
they were not healed. 

Verse 24. No prophet is accepteay See on Matt. 
Mili. 55-57. 

Verse 25. In the days of Elias] Sce this history, 
1 Kings xvii. 1-9, compared with chap. xviii. 1-- 
45. This was evidently a miraculous interference, as 
no rain fell for three years and six months, even in the 
rainy seasons. There were two of these in Judea, 
called the first and the /atler rains; the first fell in 
October, the latter in April: the first prepared the 
ground for the seed; the latter ripened the harvest. 
As both these rains were withheld, consequently there 
was a great famine throughout all the land. 

Verse 26. Unto none of them was Elias sent, save 

t 


The Nazarites are offended, 


A. 1M 1 save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, 
An. Olymp. unto a woman that was a widow. 
27 ¥ And many lepers were in Is- 
rael in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none 
of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 
28 And all they in the synagogue, when they 
heard these things, were filled with wrath, 


y2 Kings v. 14. 


unto Sarepta] The sentence is elliptical, and means 
this: To none of them was Elias sent; he was not 
sent except to Sarepta; for the widow at Sarepta was 
a Sidonian, not a widow of Israel. Prarce.—Sa- 
repla was a pagan city in the country of Sidon, in the 
vicinity of Galilee. 

Verse 27. None of them was cleansed] This verse 
is to be understood as the 26th; for Naaman, being 
a Syrian, was no leper in Israel. 

The meaning of these verses is, God dispenses his 
benefits when, where, and to whom he pleases. No 
person can complain of his conduct in these respects, 
because no person deserves any good from his hand. 
God never punishes any but those who deserve it; but 
he blesses incessantly those who deserve it not. The 
reason is evident : justice depends on certain rules ; 
but Jeneficence is free. Beneficence can bless both 
the good and the evil; justice can punish the latter 
only. Those who do not make this distinction must 
have a very confused notion of the conduct of Divine 
Providence among men. 

Verse 28. Were filled with wrath] They seem to 
have drawn the following conclusion from what our 
Lord spoke : “ The Gentiles are more precious in the 
sight of God than the Jews; and to them his miracles 
of merey and kindness shall be principally confined.” 
This was pretty near the truth, as the event proved. 
Those who profit not by the light of God, while it is 
among them, shall have their candle extinguished. 
The kingdom of God was taken from the Jews, and 
given to the Gentiles; not because the Gentiles were 
better than they were, but because, Ist. The Jews 
had forfeited their privileges; and 2dly. Because 
Christ saw that the Gentiles would dring forth the 
fruits of the kingdom. 

Verse 29. The brow of the hill] Mr. Maundrel 
tells us that this is still called “the Mountain of the 
Precipitation, and is half a league southward of Na- 
zareth. In going to it, you cross first over the vale in 
which Nazareth stands; and then going down two or 
three furlongs, in a narrow cleft between the rocks, 
you there clamber up a short but difficult way on the 
right hand; at the top of which you find a great stone 
standing on the brink of a precipice, which is said to 
be the very place where our Lord was destined to be 
thrown down by his enraged neighbours.” Maundrel’s 
Journey, p. 116. Edit. 5th. 1732. 

Verse 30. Passing through the midst of them] 
Hither he shut their eyes so that they could not see 
him; or he so oyerawed them by his power as to leave 
them no strength to perform their murderous purpose. 
The man Christ Jesus was immortal till his time 

1 


CHAP. 1Υ. 


and attempt to kill ham. 


29 And rose up, and thrust him 4, M4031. 


out of the city, and led him unto Ang Give. 
the 5 brow of the hill whereon their 
city was built, that they might cast him down 
headlong. 

30 But he * passing through the midst of 
them went his way, 


z Or, edge——* John viii. 59; x, 39. 
came; and all his messengers are immortal till their 
work is done. 

The following relation of a fact presents a scene 
something similar to what I suppose passed on this 
occasion: A missionary, who had been sent to a 
strange land to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom 
of God, and who had passed through many hardships, 
and was often in danger of losing his life, through 
the persecutions excited against him, came to a place 
where he had often before, at no small risk, preached 
Christ crucified. About fifty people, who had receiv- 
ed good impressions from the word of God, assembled : 
he began his discourse; and, after he had preached 
about thirty minutes, an outrageous mob surrounded the 
house, armed with different instruments of death, and 
breathing the most sanguinary purposes. Some that 
were within shut to the door; and the missionary and 
his flock betook themselves to prayer. The mob as- 
sailed the house, and began to hurl stones against the 
walls, windows, and roof; and in a short time almost 
every ‘ile was destroyed, and the roof nearly uncover 
ed, and before they quitted the premises scarcely left 
one square inch of glass in the five windows by which 
the house was enlightened. While this was going 
forward, a person came with a pistol to the window 
opposite to the place where the preacher stood, (who 
was then exhorting his flock to be steady, to resign 
themselves to God, and trust in him,) presented it at 
him, and snapped it; but it only flashed in the pan! 
As the house was a wooden building, they began with 
crows and spades to undermine it, and take away its 
principal supports. The preacher then addressed his 
little flock to this effect: ‘‘ These outrageous people 
seek not you, but me; if J continue in the house, 
they will soon pull it down, and we shall be all buried 
in its ruins; I will therefore, in the name of God, go 
out to them, and you will be safe.” He then went 
towards the door; the poor people got round him, and 
entreated him not to venture out, as he might expect 
to be instantly massacred; he went calmly forward, 
opened the door, at which a whole volley of stones 
and dirt was that instant discharged ; but he received 
no damage. The people were in crowds in all the 
space before the door, and filled the road for a con- 
siderable way, so that there was no room to pass or 
repass. As soon as the preacher made his appear- 
ance, the savages became instantly as silent and as 
still as night: he walked forward; and they divided 
to the right and to the left, leaving a passage of about 
four feet wide for himself and a young man who follow- 
ed him, to walk in. He passed on through the whole 
crowd, not a sout of whom either lifted a hand, or 

397 


Christ casts out a demon, 


A.M, 1031. 31 And ἢ came down to Capernaum, 
An. Olymp. a city of Galilee, and taught them on 
. 565. the Sabbath days. 

32 And they were astonished at his doctrine : 
© for his word was with power. 

83 Ἵ 2 And in the synagogue there was a 
man which had a spirit of an unclean devil, 
and cried out with a loud voice, 

34 Saying, ° Let ws alone ; what have we to 
do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou 
come to destroy us? ‘I know thee who thou 
art, the Holy One of God. 

35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold 
thy peace, and come out of him. And when 
the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came 
out of him, and hurt him not. 

36 And they were all amazed, and spake 
among themselves, saying, What a word is 
this! for with authority and power he com- 
mandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 

37 And the fame of him went out into 


ST. LUKE. 


heals Peter's mother-in-law, Gv 


A.M. 4031. 


every place of the country round Αἰ ΝΜ 48 
about. An. Olymp.- 


38 9 = And he arose out of the Sa 


synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. 
And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken 
with a great fever; and they besought him 
for her. 

39 And he sicod over her, and rebuked the 
fever; and it left her: and immediately she 
arose and ministered unto them. 

40 9% ‘Now when the sun was setting, all 
they that had any sick with divers diseases 
brought them unto him; and he laid his hands 
on every one of them, and healed them. 

41 Ἵ * And devils also came out of many, 
crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the 
Son of God. And 'he rebuking them suffered 
them not ™to speak; for they knew that he 
was Christ. 

42 9 "And when it was day, he departed 
and went into a desert place: and the people 


b Matt. iv. 13; Mark i. 21. 
4 Mark i. 23. © Or, Away. 
Dan. ix. 24; chap. i. 35. 


© Matt. vii. 28, 29; Tit. ii. 15. 
£ Ver. 41.— Psa. xvi. 10, 


h Matt. viii. 14; Mark i. 29. i Matt. viii. 16; Mark i. 32, 
& Mark i. 34; i. 11—1 Mark i. 25, 34; ver. 34, 35——™Or, 
to say that they knew him to be Christ ——* Mark i. 35. 


spoke one word, till he and his companion had gained 
the uttermost skirts of the mob! The narrator, who 
was present on the occasion, goes on to say: “ This 
was one of the most affecting spectacles I ever wit- 
nessed; an infuriated mob, without any visible cause, 
(for the preacher spoke not one word,) became in a 
moment as calm as lambs! They seemed struck with 
amazement bordering on stupefaction ; they stared and 
stood speechless ; and, after they had fallen back to 
right and left to leave him a free passage, they were 
as motionless as statues! They assembled with the 
full purpose to destroy the man who came to show 
them the way of salvation; but he, passing through 
the midst of them, went his way. Was not the God 
of missionaries in this work ? The next Lord’s day, the 
missionary went to the same place, and again proclaim- 
ed the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the 
world !” 

Verse 31. Came down to Capernaum] Which it is 
likely he made his ordinary place of residence from 
this time. See on Matt. iv. 13. 

Verse 32. His word was with power.j Ev εξουσιᾳ, 
With authority. He assumed the tone and manner 
of a new Lawgiver; and uttered all his doctrines, not 
in the way of exhortation or advice, but in the form of 
precepts and commands, the unction of the Holy Spirit 
accompanying all he said. See on Mark i. 22. 

Verse 33. A spirit of an unclean devil] As demon 
was used both in a good and dad sense before and δῇ. 
ter the time of the evangelists, the word wnclean may 
have been added here by St. Luke, merely to express 
the quality of ἐλι5 spirit. But it is worthy of remark, 
that the inspired writers never use the word δαίμων, | 

398 


demon, in a good sense. See the whole of this case 
explained, Mark i. 23, &c. 

Verse 35. And hurt him not.] Though he convulsed 
him, Mark i. 26, and threw him down in the midst of 
them, probably with the design to take away his life, 
yet our Lord permitted it not; and this appears to be 
the meaning of the place. The spirit was not per- 
mitted essentially to injure him at that time. 

Verse 37. The fame] Hyoc, the sound. This is a 
very elegant metaphor. The people are represented 
as struck with astonishment, and the sound goes out 
through all the coasts ; in allusion to the propagation 
of sound, by a smart stroke upon any substance, by 
which the air is suddenly agitated, and conveys the 
report made by the stroke to distant places. So this 
miracle was told to others by those who saw it, and 
they to others still, till it was heard through all the 
coasts of Galilee, Mark i. 28. 

Verse 38. Simon’s wife’s mother] See on Matt. 
viii. 14-17. As soon as Peter began to follow Chris* 
his family began to benefit by it. It is always profit- 
able to contract an acquaintance with good men. One 
person full of faith and prayer may be the means of 
drawing down innumerable blessings on his family and 
acquaintance. Every person who knows the virtue 
and authority of Christ should earnestly seek his grace 
in behalf of all the spiritually diseased in his house- 
hold; nor can he seek the aid of Christ in vain. 

Verse 40. When the sun was setting] And conse- 
quently the Sabbath ended, for before this it would 
have been unlawful to have brought their sick to be healed. 

Verse 42. And the people sought him] Rather, 
Sought him earnestly. Instead of εζητουν, sought, 1 

1 


Christ preaches in the 


sought him, and came unto him, and 
. stayed him, that he should not de- 
part from them. 

he said unto them, I must preach 


© St. Mark, 


read, exeCnrevv, earnestly sought. This reading is 
supported by ABCDFLMS—V, and more than seventy 
others. Wetstein and Griesbach have both received 
it into the text. The people had tasted the good word 
of God, and now they cleave to Christ with their whole 
heart. Hearing the words of Christ, and feeling the 
influence of his Spirit upon the soul, will attract 
and influence the heart; and indeed nothing else can 
do it. 

And stayed him] Strove to detain him; κατεῖχον 
avrov, they caught hold of him. Thus showing their 
great earnestness to be farther instructed. 

Verse 43. I must preach the kingdom of God to 
other cities} ‘To proclaim the kingdom of God was 
the Messiah’s great work ; healing the diseases of the 
people was only an emblematical and secondary work, 
a work that was to be the proof of his goodness, and 
the demonstration of his authority to preach the Gos- 
pel, and open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. 


Some have found both a difficulty and a mystery in 
the shutting up of heaven in the time of the Prophet 
Elijah. It was, no doubt, emblematical of the har- 
dened and impenitent state of the Israelites, and of 
the judgments of God in withholding those Divine 
influences which they had so often abused. As to the 
difficulty of the siz months, which both our Lord here, 
and St. James, chap. v. 17, mention, and which 


CHAP. V. 


synagogues of Galilee. 


the kingdom of God to other cities 4,™ 4031 
also: for therefore am I sent. 

44 ° And he preached in the syna- 
gogues of Galilee. 


An. Olymp. 
CCL. 3. 


chap. i. 39. 


are not mentioned in the book of Kings whence 
the account is taken, it may be easily understood thus. 
The rains, we have already seen, fell in Judea twice 
in the year, about April, and about October. At this 
latter period, when the rain was expected, the prophet 
prayed that it might not rain; the rain therefore of 
Marchesvan, or October, &c., was then restrained : 
this restraint continued for three full years; but six 
months had elapsed from Nisan, April, &c., when 
they had their last rain, add these six months to the 
three full years that the rain was restrained at the 
prayer of Elijah, and then we have the period of three 
years and six months, according to our Lord and 
Saint James. By this the justice of God was shown: 
but behold his mercy in that rain of grace which fell 
so abundantly by the preaching of Christ during the 
three years and six months of his public ministry ! 
Thus the difficulty is solved, and the mystery explained. 
Reader, the most awful famine is a famine of the word 
of God: thou art not yet tried in this way: behold 
the goodness and severity of God! While thou hast 
the light, walk asa child of the light; and let it not be 
thy curse and condemnation, that while others, by 
reading and hearing the word of God, are plenteously 
watered, thy fleece alone should be found dry. How 
unutterable must the wo of those be, who live and die 
infidels under the preaching of the Gospel of Christ! 
Let him that readeth, understand. 


CHAPTER V. 


The miraculous draught of fishes at the lake of Gennesaret, 1-11. 
being published abroad, he withdraws to the desert, 


Christ heals a leper, 12-14. His fame 


15, 16. He heals a paralytic person, at which the 


scribes and Pharisees murmur, but the people glorify God, 17-26. He calls the publican Levi, who makes 
a feast for Christ, to which he invites a great number of publicans and others, at which the scribes and 


Pharisees murmur, and our Lord vindicates his conduct, 27-32. 
The parable of the new piece of cloth put on the old garment, and the new wine in old bottles, 


33-35. 
36-39. 


A. M. 4031. ND *it came to pass, that, as 


ae the people pressed upon him to 
= * — hear the word of God, he stood by 
the lake of Gennesaret, 


a Matt. iv. 18; 


NOTES ON CHAP. V. 

Verse 1. The people pressed upon him] There was 
a glorious prospect of a plentiful harvest, but how few 
of these blades came to full corn in the ear! To hear 
with diligence and affection is well ; but a preacher of 
the Gospel may expect that, out of crowds of hearers, 
only a few, comparatively, will fully receive the truth, 
and hold out to the end. 

1 


The question about fasting answered, 


ἢ 7 . M. 4031. 
2 And saw two ships standing a Hees 
by the lake: but the fishermen An. Olymp. 


CCL3. 
were gone out of them, and were ————— 


washing their nets. 


Mark i. 16. 


To hear the word of God] Tov λογον του Θεου, The 
doctrine of God, or. the heavenly doctrine. 

The lake of Gennesaret} Called also the sea of 
Galilee, Matt. iv. 18, and Mark i. 16; and the sea of 
Tiberias, John vi. 1. It was, according to Josephus, 
forty furlongs in breadth, and one hundred and forth in 
length. No synagogue could have contained the 
multitudes who attended our Lord’s ministry; and 

399 


The ηιγαοιίοιιδ 


3 And he entered into one of the 
An. Oly. ships, which was Simon’s, and 

sees prayed him that he would thrust 
out a little from the land. And he sat down, 
and taught the people out of the ship. 

4 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said 
unto Simon, ἢ Launch out into the deep, and 
let down your nets for a draught. 

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Mas- 
ter, we have toiled all the night, and have ta- 


Age el: 
A. D.2 


b John xxi. 3-8.—¢ John xxi. 6. 


therefore he was obliged to preach in the open air. 
But this also some of the most eminent rabbins were 
in the habit of doing; though among some of their 
brethren it was not deemed reputable. 

Verse 2. Two ships] Avo xAo1a, Two vessels. It is 
highly improper to term these ships. They appear to 
have been only such small boats as are used to manage 
nets on flat smooth beaches: one end of the net is at- 
tached to the shore ; the fishermen row out, and drop 
the net as they go, making a kind of semicircle from 
the shore; they return, and bring the rope attached to 
the other end with them, and then the net is hauled on 
shore ; and, as it was sunk with weights to the bottom, 
and floated with corks at the top, all the fish in that 
compass were included, and drawn to shore. 

Verse 3. And taught—out of the ship.| They 
pressed so much upon him on the land, through their 
eagerness to hear the doctrine of life, that he could not 
conveniently speak to them, and so was obliged to get 
into one of the boats ; and, having pushed a little out 
from the land, he taught them. The smooth still 
water of the lake must have served excellently to con- 
vey the sounds to those who stood on the shore. 

Verse 5. Simon—said—Master] Exicata. This is 
the first place where this word occurs; it is used by 
none of the inspired penmen but Luke, and he applies 
it only to our blessed Lord. It properly signifies a 
prefect, or one who is set over certain affairs or per- 
sons: it is used also for an instructer, or teacher. 
Peter considered Christ, from what he had heard, as 
teacher of a Divine doctrine, and as having authority 
to command, &c. He seems to comprise both ideas 
in this appellation ; he listened attentively to his teach- 
mg, and readily obeyed his orders. To hear atten- 
tively, and obey cheerfully, are duties we owe, not 
only to the sovereign Master of the world, but also to 
ourselves. No man ever took Jesus profitably for his 
teacher, who did not at the same time receive him as 
his Lord. 

We have toiled all the night] They had cast the 
net several times in the course of the night, and drew 
it to shore without success, and were now greatly dis- 
heartened. 1 have seen several laborious draughts of 
this kind made without fruit. ΑἸ] labour must be fruit- 
less where the blessing of God is not; but especially 
that of the ministry. It is the presence and influence 
of Christ, in a congregation, that cause souls to be 
gathered unto himself: without these, whatever the 

400 


ST. LUKE 


draught of fishes 


cae, A. Μ. 1031. 
ken nothing : nevertheless at thy 4," Ὧν 
word I will let down the net. = Diet 


6 And when they had this done, 
they inclosed ὁ“ ἃ great multitude of fishes: 
and their net brake. 

7 And they beckoned unto their ἃ partners, 
which were in the other ship, that they should 
come and help them. And they came, and 
filled both the ships, so that they began to 
sink. 


ἃ John xxi. 8, 11. 


preacher’s eloquence or abilities may be, all will be 
night, and fruitless labour. 

At thy word I will let down the net.| He who as- 
sumes the character of a fisher of men, under any au- 
thority that does not proceed from Christ, is sure to 
catch nothing ; but he who labours by the order and 
under the direction of the great Shepherd and Bishop 
of souls, cannot labour in vain. 

Verse 6. Their net brake.] Or, began to break, 
διερῥηγνυτο, or, was likely to be broken. Had it broke, 
as our version states, they could have caught no fish. 
Grammarians give the following rule concerning words 
of this kind. Verba completiva inchoative inteligenda. 
Verbs which signify the accomplishment of a thing, 
are often to be understood as only signifying the de- 
ginning of that accomplishment. Raphelius gives 
some very pertinent examples of this out of Herodotus. 

Verse 7. They beckoned unto their partners] Had 
not these been called in to assist, the net must have 
been broken, and all the fish lost. What a pity there 
should be such envious separation among the different 
sects that profess to believe in Christ Jesus! Did they 
help each other in the spirit of Christian fellowship, 
more souls would be brought to the knowledge of the 
truth. Some will rather leave souls to perish than 
admit of partners in the sacred work. It is an intoler- 
able pride to think nothing well done but what we do 
ourselves ; and a diabolie envy to be afraid lest others 
should be more successful than we are. 

They—filled both the ships] Both the boats had as 
many as they could carry, and were so heavily laden 
that they were ready to sink. As one justly observes, 
“There are fish plenty to be taken, were there skilful 
hands to take, and vessels to contain them. Many 
are disputing about the size, capacity, and goodness of 
their nets and their vessels, while the fish are permit- 
ted to make their escape.” Did the faithful fishers in 
both the vessels in these lands (the established Church, 
and the various branches of the dissenting interest) 
join heartily together, the nations might be converted 
to God; but, while the ridiculous disputes for and 
against particular forms last, there can be no unity. 
Were men as zealous to catch souls, as they are to 
support their particular creeds, and forms of worship, 
the state of Christianity would be more flourishing 
than it is at present. But the wall of separation is 
continually strengthened, each party fortifying it on 
his own side. 

1 


Christ heals a man who 


A.M. 4031. § When Simon Peter saw zt, he 

An. Olymp. fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, 

i ὁ Depart from me; for I am a sin- 
part fr ; 

ful man, O Lord. 

9 For he was astonished, and all that were 
with him, at the draught of the fishes which 
they had taken : 

10 And so was also James, and John, the 
sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Si- 
mon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; 
ffrom henceforth thou shalt catch men. 

11 And when they had brought their ships 
to land £ they forsook all, and ἐσ! θὰ him. 

12 Ἵ δ And it came to pass, when he was in 
a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy : 
who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and be- 


¢2 Sam. vi. 9; Ma 
17. Matthew iv. 20; xix. 27; Mark i. 18; chap. xviii. 28. 
h Matt. viii. 2; Mark i. 40. 


1 Kings xvii. 18——f Matt. iv. 19; Mark i. 


CHAP. V. 


was full of the leprosy 


sought him, saying, Lord, if thou ri % 


wilt, thou canst make me clean. An. eae 
13 And he put forth his hand, ἐν 
and touched him, saying, I will: be thou 


clean. And immediately the leprosy departed 
from him. 

14 ‘And he charged him to tell no man: 
but go and show thyself to the priest, and 
offer for thy cleansing, * according as Moses 
commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

15 But so much the more went there a fame 
abroad of him: !and great multitudes came 
together to hear, and to be healed by him of 
their infirmities. 

16 Ἵ ™And he withdrew himself into the 
wilderness, and prayed. 


i Matthew viii. 4. ——k Lev. xiv. 4, 10, 21, 22——1 Matthew 
iv. 25; Mark iii. 7; John vi. 2.——™ Matt. xiv. 23; Mark 
vi. 46. 


Verse 8. Depart from me; for I am a sinful man] 
Ἐξελθε az’ euov, Go out from me, i. 6. from my boat. 
Peter was fully convinced that this draught of fish was 
a miraculous one; and that God himself had particu- 
larly interfered in this matter, whose presence and 
power he reverenced in the person of Jesus. But as 
he felt himself a sinner, he was afraid the Divine pu- 
rity of Christ could not possibly endure him ; therefore 
he wished for a separation from that power, which he 
was afraid might break forth and consume him. It 
seems to have been a received mazim among the Jews, 
that whoever had seen a particular manifestation of 
God should speedily die. Hence Jacob seemed as- 
tonished that Ais life should have been preserved, when 
he had seen God face to face, Gen. xxxii. 30. So 
the nobles of Israel saw God, and yet did eat and 
drink; for on them he had laid not his hand, i. e. to 
destroy them, though it appears to have been expected 
by them, in consequence of this discovery which he 
made of himself. See Exod. xxiv. 10, 11, and the 
notes there. This supposition of the Jews seems to 
have been founded on the authority of God himself, 
Exod. xxxiii. 20: There shall no man ΞῈΒΞ my FACE 
and uve. So Moses, Deut. v. 26: Who is there of 
all flesh that hath heard the voice of the living God, 
speaking out of the midst of the fire as we have, and 
Lived? So Gideon expected to be immediately slain, 
because he had seen an angel of the Lord, and a mi- 
racle performed by him. See Judges vi. 21-23. So 
likewise Manoah and his wife, Judges xiii. 22: We 
shall surely pin, for we have seEN Gop. These dif- 
ferent passages sufficiently show in what sense these 
words of Peter are to be understood. 

Verse 10. Thou shalt catch men.| Ανθρωπους eon 
ζωγρων, Thou shalt catch men alive ; this is the proper 
signification of the word. Fear not: these discoveries 
of God tend to life, not to death; and ye shall be- 
come the instruments of life and salvation to a lost 
world. These fish are taken to be Killed and fed on; 
but those who are converted under your ministry shall 

Vor, I. ("5 


be preserved unto eternal life. See on Matt. iv. 18, 
&c., where this subject is considered more at large. 

Verse 11. They forsook all, and followed him.] 
God expects this from every person, and especially 
from those in whose hearts, or in whose behalf, he has 
wrought a miracle of grace or of providence. Jesus 
intended to call Peter, James, and John, to become his 
disciples ; and that they might see the propriety and 
importance of the call, he— 

1st. Teacues in their presence, that they may know 
his doctrine. 

2Qdly. He works a miracte before their eyes, that 
they might see and be convinced of his pewer. 

3dly. He caus them to go forth with this doctrine, 
and through this power, that they might teach the i ig- 
norant, and be successful in their work. 

Verse 12. A certain city] This was some city of 
Galilee ; probably Chorazin or Bethsaida. 

A man full of leprosy] See this disease, and the 
cure, largely explained on Matt. viii. 2-4; and see it 
particularly applied to the use of public preaching, 
Mark i. 40, ἅς. See also the notes on Lev. xiii. 
and xiv. 

Verse 14. And offer for thy cleansing} A Hindoo. 
after recovering from sickness, presents the offerings 
he had vowed when in distress, as a goat, sweetmeats, 
milk, or any thing directed by. the Shaster. All na- 
tions agreed in these gratitude-offerings for benefits 
received from the object of their worship. 

Verse 16. And he withdrew himself into the wil- 
derness] Or rather, He frequently withdrew into the 
desert. This I believe to be the import of the original 
words, ην ὑποχωρων. He made it a frequent custom 
to withdraw from the multitudes for a time, and .pray, 
teaching hereby the ministers of the Gospel that they 
are to receive fresh supplies of light and power from 
God by prayer, that they may be the more successful 
in their work; and that they ought to seek frequent 
opportunities of being in private with God and their 
books. A man can give nothing unless he first receive 

401 


Christ heals a 


A. M. 4031. eee 
Cue. 17 Ἵ And 1 canie to pass ona 


An. Olymp. certain day, as he was teaching, 

that there were Pharisees and doc- 
tors of the law sitting by, which were come 
out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and 
Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was 
present to heal them. 

18 "And, behold, men brought in a bed, a 
man which was taken with a palsy: and they 
sought means to bring him in, and to lay him 
before him. 

19 And when they could not find by what 
way they might bring him in because of the 
multitude, they went upon the housetop, and 
let him down through the tiling with his couch, 
into the midst before Jesus. 

20 And when he saw their faith, he said 
unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 

21 ° And the scribes and the Pharisees be- 
gan to reason, saying, Who is this which speak- 
eth blasphemies ? ? Who can forgive sins, but 
God alone ? 

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, 


2 Matt. ix. 2; Mark ii. 3——° Matt. ix. 3; Mark ii. 6, 7,——? Psa. 
xxxil. 5; Isa. xliii. 25. 


ST. LUKE. 


paralytic person 


he answering said unto them, 4,M 4031 
What reason ye in your hearts ? 

23 Whether is easier, to say, ———_ 
Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, Rise up 
and walk ? 

24 But that ye may know that the Son of 
man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, 
(he said unto the sick of the palsy) 1 say unto 
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go 
unto thine house. 

25 And immediately he rose up before them, 
and took up that whereon he lay, and departed 
to his own house, glorifymg God. 

26 And they were all amazed, and they glo- 
rified God, and were filled with fear, saying, 
We have seen strange things to-day. 

27 Ἵ «4 And after these things he went forth, 
and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the 
receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Fol- 
low me. 

28 And he left all, rose up, and followed 
him. 

29 Ἵ * And Levi made him a great feast in 


An. Olymp 
CCL.3. 


1 Matthew ix. 9; Mark ii. 13, 14. τ Matthew ix. 10; Mark 


i. 15. 


it; and no man can be successful in the ministry who 
does not constantly depend upon God, for the excel- 
lence of the power is all from him. Why is there so 
much preaching, and so little good done ? Is it not be- 
cause the preachers mzx too much with the world, keep 
too long in the crowd, and are so seldom in private 
with God? Reader! Art thou a herald for the Lord 
of hosts? Make full proof of thy ministry! Let it 
never be said of thee, “‘ He forsook all to follow Christ, 
and to preach his Gospel, but there was little or no 
fruit of his labour ; for he ceased to be a man of prayer, 
and got into the spirit of the world.” Alas! alas! is 
this luminous star, that was once held in the right 
hand of Jesus, fallen from the firmament of heaven, 
down to the rarTH ! 

Verse 17. On a certain day] This was when he 
was at Capernaum. See Mark ii. 1. 

The power of the Lord] δυναμις Κυριου---- ΤῊ 6 
mighty or miraculous power of the Lord, i. 6. of Jesus, 
was there to heal them—as many as were diseased 
either in body or soul. Where the teaching of Christ 
is, there also is the power of Christ to redeem and save. 

Verse 18. A man—taken with a palsy] See this 
case described on Matt. ix. 1, &c., and Mark ii. 1, ὅσο. 

Verse 19. Went upon the housetop] See on Matt. 
xxiv. 17. 

Verse 21. Who can forgive sins, but God alone ?] 
If Jesus were not God, he could not forgive sins; and 
his arrogating this authority would have been blas- 
puemy against God, in the most proper sense of the 
word. That these scribes and Pharisees might have 


sence three miracles, which from their nature could 
only be effected by an omniscient and omnipotent 
Being. The miracles are: 1. The remission of the 
poor man’s sins. 2. The discernment of the secret 
thoughts of the scribes. 3. The restoration of the 
paralytic in an instant to perfect soundness. See on 
Matt. ix. 5, 6. 

Verse 26. Strange things] Tlapadofa, paradoxes. 
A paradox is something that appears false and absurd, 
but is not really so: or, something contrary to the 
commonly received opinion. We have seen wonders 
wrought which seem impossible ; and we should con- 
clude them to be tricks and illusions, were it not for 
the indisputable evidence we have of their reality. 

Verse 27. Levi] See on Matt. ix. 9; Mark ii. 14. 

Verse 28. And he left all] Katadixwv—completely 
abandoning his office, and every thing connected with 
it. He who wishes to preach the Gospel, like the dis. 
ciples of Christ, must have no earthly entanglement. 
If he have, his whole labour will be marred by it. The 
concerns of his own soul, and those of the multitudes 
to whom he preaches, are sufficient to engross all his 
attention, and to employ all his powers. 

Verse 29. A great feast] Aoynv μεγαλην, A splendid 
entertainment. 'The word refers more properly to the 
number of the guests, and the manner in which they 
were received, than to the quality or quantity of the 
fare. A great number of his friends and acquaintance 
was collected on the occasion, that they might be con- 
vinced of the propriety of the change he had made, 
when they had the opportunity of seeing and hear 


ne fullest proof of his Godhead, he works in their pre- | ing his heavenly teacher. 


402 


(. 96} 


The question about fasting 


A.M! his own house: and * there was a 
Any Bim great company of publicans and of 

others that sat down with them. 

30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmur- 
ed against his disciples, saying, Why do ye 
eat and drink with publicans and sinners ? 

31 And Jesus answering said unto them, 
They that are whole need not a physician; 
but they that are sick. 

32 1 came not to call the righteous, but 
sinners to repentance. 

33 9 And they said unto him, ἃ Why do the 
disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, 
and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees ; 
but thine eat and drink ? 

34 And he said unto them, Can ye make 
the children of the bridechamber fast, while 
the bridegroom is with them? 


s Chap. xv. 1.—* Matt. ix. 13; 1 Tim. i. 15. 4 Matt. 


Verse 30. Why do ye eat and drink, &c.] See 
what passed at this entertainment considered at large 
on Matt. ix. 10-17; Mark ii. 15-22. 

Verse 37. The new wine will burst the hottles} 
These old bottles would not be able to stand the fer- 
mentation of the new wine, as the old sewing would 
be apt to give way. It is scarcely necessary to re- 
mark, that the eastern bottles are made of skins ; 
generally those of goats. 

Verse 39. The old is better.] Xpncotepoc—Is more 
agreeable to the taste or palate. Herodotus, the scho- 
liast on Aristophanes, and Homer, use the word in this 
sense. See Raphelius. The old wine, among the 
rabbins, was the wine of three leaves; that is, wine 
three years old; because, from the time that the vine 
had produced that wine, it had put forth its leaves 
three times. See Lightfoot. 


1. Tue miraculous draught of fishes—the cleansing 
of the leper—the healing of the paralytic person—the 
calling of Levi—and the parable of the old and new 
bottles, and the old and new wine—all related in this 
chapter, make it not only very entertaining, but highly 


CHAP. VI. 


answered by a parable 


35 But the days will come, when *,™, 403! 
the bridegroom shall be taken away An. Olymp. 
from them, and then shall they fast 
in those days. 

36 § ‘And he spake also a parable unto 
them: No man putteth a piece of a new gar- 
ment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the 
new maketh a rent, and the piece that was ta- 
ken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 

37 And no man putteth new wine into old 
bottles ; else the new wine will burst the bot 
tles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall pe 
rish. 

38 But new wine must be put into new bot 
tles ; and both are preserved. 

39° No man also having drunk old wine, 
straightway desireth new: for he saith, The 
old is better. 


ix. 14; Mark ii. 18.——V Matt. ix. 16, 17; Mark ii. 21, 22. 


instructive. There are few chapters in the New Tes- 
tament from which a preacher of the Gospel can de- 
rive more lessons of instruction; and the reader would 
naturally expect a more particular explanation of its 
several parts, had not this been anticipated in the notes 
and observations on Matt. ix., to which chapter it will 
be well to refer. 


2. The conduct as well as the preaching of our 
Lord is highly edifying. His manner of teaching made 
every thing he spoke interesting and impressive. He 
had many prejudices to remove, and he used admirable 
address in order to meet and take them out of the 
way. ‘There is as much to be observed in the manner 
of speaking the truth, as in the ¢ruth itself, in order to 
make it effectual to the salvation of them who hear it. 
A harsh, unfeeling method of preaching the promises 
of the Gospel, and a smiling manner of producing the 
terrors of the Lord, are equally reprehensible. Some 
preachers are always severe and magisterial: others 
are always mild and insinuating: neither of these can 
do God’s work ; and it would take two such to make 
one PREACHER. 


CHAPTER VI. 


Lhe disciples pluck and eat the ears of corn on the Sabbath day, and the Pharisees find fault, 1. 2 
He heals the man with the withered hand, 6-11. 
12-16. 
Pronounces four blessings, 20-23, and four woes, 24-26. 
grateful, and merciful, 27-36. 
The parable of the blind leading the blind, 39. 


Lord shows the true use of the Sabbath, 3-5. 
into a mountain to pray, and calls twelve disciples, 
enemies, being patient, gentle, kind, 
charity recommended, 37, 38. 
eye, 40-42. 


Of the good and corrupt tree, 43, 44. 


Our 
He goes 
Multitudes are instructed and healed, 17-19. 

Gives various instructions about loving our 
Harsh judgments censured, and 
Of the mote in a brother’s 


The good and evil treasure of the heart, 45. The 


parable of the two houses, one builded on the rock, and the other on the sand, 46-49. 


1 


403 


The disciples pluck and eat 


hae ND * it came to pass on the se- 
An, Olymp cond Sabbath after the first, that 


he went through the corn fields ; 
and his disciples ἢ plucked the ears of corn, 
and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 


a Matt. xii. 1; Mark ii. 23——> Lev. xxiii. 7, 8; 


NOTES ON CHAP. VI. 

Verse 1. On the second Sabbath after the first] Ev 
σαββατῳ devtepoxputw, In the first Sabbath after the 
second. What does this mean? In answering this 
question, commentators are greatly divided. Dr. 
Whitby speaks thus: “ After the first day of the 
passover, (which was a Sabbath, Exod. xii. 16,) ye 
shall count unto you seven Sabbaths complete, Lev. 
XXili. 15, reckoning that day for the first of the first 
week, which was therefore called devreporpwrtov, the 
first Sabbath from the second day of unleavened bread ; 
(the 16th of the month;) the second was called 
δευτεροδευτερον, the second Sabbath from that day ; 
and the third, δευτεροτριτον, the third Sabbath from the 
second day ; and so on, till they came to the seventh 
Sabbath from that day, i. e. to the 49th day, which 
was the day of pentecost. The mention of the seven 
Sabbaths, to be numbered with relation to this second 
day, answers all that Grotius objects against this ex- 
position.” Wurrey’s Notes. 

By this Sabbath seems meant that which imme- 
diately followed the two great feasts, the first and last 
day of the passover, and was therefore the second 
after the proper passover day. The words in the 
Greek seem to signify, the second first Sabbath ; and, 
in the opinion of some, the Jews had three first Sab- 
baths: viz. the first Sabbath after the passover ; that 
after the feast of pentecost ; and that after the feast of 
tabernacles. According to which opinion, this second 
first Sabbath must have been the first Sabbath after 
the pentecost. So we have the first Sunday after 
Epiphany ; the first after Easter; the first after Tri- 
nity; and the first in Lent. Bp. Pearcr. 

This was the next day after the passover, the day 
in which they were forbidden to labour, Lev. xxiii. 6, 
and for this reason was termed Sabbath, Lev. xxiii. 
15; but here it is marked by the name, second first 
Sabbath, because, being the day after the passover, it 
was in this respect the second; and it was also the 
first, because it was the first day of unleavened bread, 
Exod. xii. 15,16. Martin. 

I think, with many commentators, that this transac- 
tion happened on the first Sabbath of the month 
Nisan; that is, after the second day of the feast of 
unleavened bread. We may well suppose that our 
Lord and his disciples were on their way from Jeru- 
salem to Galilee, after having kept the passover. Bp. 
Newcomer. 

The Vulgar Latin renders δευτεροπρωτον, secundo- 
primum, which is literal and right. We translate it, 
the second Sabbath after the first, which is directly 
wrong; for it should have been the first Sabbath after 
the second day of the passover. On the 14th of 
Nisan, the passover was killed; the next day (the 
15th) was the first day of the feast of unleavened 

404 


ST. LUKE. 


corn on the Sabbath day 


2 And certain of the Pharisees said ee ag 
unto them, Why do ye that © which An. Olymp. 
is not lawful to do on the Sabbath 
days ? 


3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye 


Deut. xxiii. 25; John xix. 31.— Exod. xx. 10. 


bread; the day following (the 16th) the wave sheaf 
was offered, pursuant to the law, on the morrow after 
the Sabbath: Ley. xxiii. 11. The Sabbath, here, is 
not the seventh day of the week, but the first day of 
the feast of unleavened bread, let it fall on what day of 
the week it would. That and the seventh day of that 
feast were holy convocations, and therefore are here 
called Sabbaths. The morrow, therefore, after the 
Sabbath, i. 6. after the 16th day of Msan, was the 
day in which the wave sheaf was offered; and after 
that seven Sabbaths were counted, and fifty days eom- 
pleted, and the fiftieth day inclusively was the day of 
pentecost. Now these Sabbaths, between the passover 
and pentecost, were called the first, second, §c., Sab 

baths after the second day of the feast of unleavened 
bread. This Sabbath, then, on which the disciples 
plucked the ears of corn, was the first Sabbath after 
that second day. Dr. Lightfoot, has demonstrably 
proved this to be the meaning of this σαββατον δευτε- 
ροπρωτον, (Hor. Hebraic. in locum,) and from him F. 
Lamy and Dr. Whitby have so explained it. This 
Sabbath could not fall before the passover, because, till 
the second day of that feast, no Jew might eat either 
bread or parched corn, or green ears, (Lev. xxiii. 14.) 
Had the disciples then gathered these ears of corn on 
any Sabbath before the passover, they would have 
broken two laws instead of one: and for the breach of 
these two laws they would infallibly have been accused ; 
whereas now they broke only one, (plucking the ears 
of standing corn with one’s hand, being expressly 
allowed in the law, Deut. xxiii. 25,) which was that 
of the Sabbath. They took a liberty which the law 
gave them upon any other day; and our Lord vindi- 
cated them in what they did now, in the manner we 
see. Nor can this fact be laid after pentecost; be- 
cause then the harvest was fully in. Within that in- 
terval, therefore, this Sabbath happened ; and this is a 
plain determination of the time, according to the 
Jewish ways of reckoning, founded upon the text of 
Moses’s law itself. Dr. Worron’s Miscellaneous 
Discourses, &c., vol. i. p. 269. 

The word δευτεροπρωτῳ, the second first, is omitted 
by BL, four others, Syriac, later Arabic, all the Per- 
sic, Coptic, AEthiopic, and three of the Itala. A note 
in the margin of the later Syriac says, This is not τ 
all copies. The above MSS. read the verse thus: J¢ 
came to pass, that he walked through the corn fields 
on a Sabbath day. 1 suppose they omitted the above 
word, because they found it difficult to fix the mean- 
ing, which has been too much the case in other 
instances. 

Verse 2. 
2-8. 

Verse 3. What David did) See on Mark i 
| 26, 27. 


Which is not lawful] See on Matt. xii. 


1 


The man with the 


A.M. 4031. not read so much as this, ὁ what 
An. Olyimp. David did, when himself was a 
———— hungered, and they which were 
with him ; 

4 How he went into the house of God, and 
did take and eat the show-bread, and gave 
also to them that were with him; ° which it 
is not lawful to eat, but for the priests alone ? 

5 And he said unto them, That the Son of 
man is Lord also of the Sabbath. 

6 Ἵ ‘And it came to pass also on another 
Sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue 
and taught ; and there was a man whose right 
hand was withered. 

7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched 
him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath 
day ; that they might find an accusation against 


21 Sam. xxi. 6. 

Verse 4. After this verse, the Coder Beze and two 
ancient MSS. quoted by Wechel, have the following 
extraordinary addition: Ty avry ἥμερᾳ ϑεασαμενος τινα 
epyagouevov τῳ σαββατῳ, evxev avTw, AvOpwre, εἰ μεν 
οἰδας τι ποιεῖς μακαριος εἰ : εἰ δὲ μὴ oldac επικαταρατος, 
καὶ παραβατῆης εἰ Tov νομου. On the same day, seeing 
one working on the Sabbath, he said unto him, Man, 
if indeed thou knowest what thou dost, blessed art 
thou; but if thou knowest not, thou art cursed, and 
art a transgressor of the law. Whence this strange 
addition proceeded, it is hard to tell. The meaning 
seems to be this: If thou now workest on the Jewish 
Sabbath, from a conviction that that Sabbath is abo- 
lished, and a new one instituted in its place, then 
happy art thou, for thou hast got Divine instruction in 
the nature of the Messiah’s kingdom ; but if thou doest 
this through a contempt for the law of God, then thou 
art accursed, forasmuch as thou art a trangressor of 
the law. The Jtala version of the Codex Beze, for 
παραβατης, transgressor, has this semi-barbaric word, 
trabaricator. 

Verse 6. Whose right hand was withered.| See on 
Matt. xii. 10, &c. The critic who says that ξηρὰν 
χειρα signifies a luxated arm, and that the stretching 
it out restored the bone to its proper place, without 
the intervention of a miracle, deserves no serious refu- 
tation. See on ver. 10. 

Verse 7. Watched him] Taperypovv avrov, They 
maliciously watched him. This is the import of the 
word, chap. xiv. 1; xx. 20, and in the parallel place, 
Mark iii. 2. See Raphelius on the last-quoted text, 
who has proved, by several quotations, that this is the 
proper meaning of the term. 

An accusation against him.| Instead of κατηγορίαν 
αὐτου, his accusation, several eminent MSS. and ver- 
alous add κατα, against, which I find our translators 
have adopted. 

Verse 9. I will ask you one thing] I will put a 
question to you. See on Mark iii. 4, 5. 

1 


© Ley. xxiv. 9 —— Matt. xii. 9; Mark iii. 1; 


CHAP. VI. 


withered hand healed. 


: A. M. 4031. 
8 But he knew their thoughts, and 4, δ 408 


said to the man which had the wither- An. py 
CCL 3. 

ed hand, Rise up, and stand forth in 

the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 

9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you 
one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath days 
to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to 
destroy it ? 

10 And looking round about upon them all, 
he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. 
And he did so: and his hand was restored 
whole as the other. 

11 And they were filled with madness , and 
communed one with another, what they might 
do to Jesus. 

12 Ἵ 6 And it came to pass in those days, 
that he went out into a mountain to pray ; and 
continued all night in prayer to God. 


see chap. xiii. 14; xiv. 3; John ix. 16.——s Matthew xiv. 23 


Verse 10. Whole as the other.| Many MSS., both 
here and in the parallel place, Mark iii. 5, omit the 
word ὕγιης, whole. Griesbach leaves it out of the text 
The hand was restored as the other. But had it only 
been a luxated joint, even allowing, with a German 
critic, that the bone regained its place by the effort 
made to stretch out the arm, without the intervention 
of a miracle, it would have required several weeks to 
restore the muscles and ligaments to their wonted tone 
and strength. Why all this learned labour to leave 
God out of the question ? 

Verse 11. They were filled with madness] Pride, 
obstinacy, and interest, combined together, are capable 
of any thing. When men have once framed their 
conscience according to their passions, madness passes 
for zeal, the blackest conspiracies for pious designs, 
and the most horrid attempts for heroic actions. 
QUESNEL. 

Verse 12. In prayer to God.| Or, in the prayer of 
God: or, in the oratory of God, ev τῇ προσευχῃ Tov 
Θεου. So this passage is translated by many critics ; 
for which Dr. Whitby gives the following reasons : 
As the mountain of God, Exod. iii. 1; iv. 27; the 
bread of God, Lev. xxi. 17; the lamp of God, 1 Sam. 
iii. 3; the vessels of God, 1 Chron. xxii. 19; the 
altar of God, Psa. xliii. 4; the sacrifices of God, 
Psa. li. 17; the gifts of God, Luke xxi. 4; the mi- 
nisters of God, 2 Cor. vi. 4; the tabernacle of God, 
2 Chron. i. 3; the temple of God, Matt. xxi. 12; the 
synagogues of God, Psa. lxxiy. 8 ; are all things con- 
τα τα or appropriated to God's service ; so προσευχῆ 
του Θεοῦ must, in all reason, be a house of prayer to 
God; whence it is called roroc προσευχῆς, a place of 
prayer, 1 Mac. iii. 46; and so the word is certainly 
used Acts xvi. 13; and by Philo, in his oration 
against Flaccus, where he complains that ai zpocevyat, 
their houses for prayer were pulled down, and there 
was no place left in which they might worship God, 
or pray for Cesar; and by Josephus, who says the’ 

405 


Jesus chooses twelve disciples. 


A.M. 4031. 18. And when it was day, he called 
An. Olymp. unto him his disciples; and of 

Ὁ them he chose twelve, whom also 
he named apostles : 

14 Simon (‘whom he also named Peter,) 
and Andrew his brother, James and John, Phi- 
lip and Bartholomew, 

15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son 
of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes, 

16 And Judas * the brother of James, and 
Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 

17 § And he came down with them, and 
stood in the plain, and the company of his dis- 


ST. LUKE. 


He preaches to the multetudes. 


ciples, land a great multitude of ἀν M403). 


people out of all Judea and Jerusa- An. Olymp. 
lem, and from the sea coast of ps Sb 
Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and 
to be healed of their diseases ; 

18 And they that were vexed with unclean 
spirits ; and they were healed. 

19 And the whole multitude ™ sought to 
touch him; for ™ there went virtue out of him 
and healed them all. 

20 Ἵ And he lifted up his eyes on his disci- 
ples, and said, ° Blessed be ye poor ; for yours 
is the kingdom of God. 


5 Matt. x. 1. i John i. 42.—— Jude 1—! Matt. iv. 25; 


Mark iii. 7. 


πὶ Matt. xiv. 36.— Mark ν. 30; chap. viii. 46——® Matt. a 
3; xi. 5; James ii. 5. 


multitude was gathered εἰς τὴν xpocevynv, into the 
house of prayer: and so Juvenal, Sat. ill. v. 296, 
speaks to the mendicant Jew :— 


Ede ubi consistas ; in qua te quero proseucha ? 
In what house of prayer may I find thee begging? 


See on Acts xvi. 13. But on this it may be observed, 
that as the mountains of God, the wind of God, the 
hail of God, the trees of God, &c., mean very high 
mountains, a very strong wind, great and terrible hail, 
very tall trees, &c., so προσευχὴ Tov Θεοῦ, here, may 
be very properly translated the prayer of God; i. e. 
very fervent and earnest prayer; and though διανυκ- 
τερευων may signify, to lodge in a place for a night, 
yet there are various places in the best Greek writers 
in which it is used, not to signify a place, but to pass 
the night in a particular state. So Appian, Bell. Pun. 
Ἐν τοῖς ὑπλοις διενυκτερεὺυςε we dxavtov—He passed 
the night under arms with them all. Idem, Bell. Civ. 
lib. v. διενυκτερευον---- ΤΠ εν passed the night without 
food, without any regard to the body, and in the want 
of all things. See more examples in Kypke, who 
concludes by translating the passage thus: He passed 
the night without sleep in prayers to God. Some of 
the Jews imagine that God himself prays; and this is 
one of his petitions: Let it be my good pleasure, that 
my mercy overcome my wrath. See more in Lightfoot. 

Verse 13. He chose twelve] Ἑϊκλεξαμενος av αὐτῶν, 
He chose twelve our of them. Our Lord at this time 
had several disciples, persons who were converted to 
God under his ministry ; and, owt of these converts, he 
chose twelve, whom he appointed to the work of the 
ministry ; and called them apostles, i. e. persons sent 
or commissioned by himself, to preach that Gospel to 
others by which they had themselves been saved. 
These were favoured with extraordinary success: 1. 
Because they were brought to the knowledge of God 
themselves. 2. Because they received their commis- 
sion from the great Head of the Church. And 3. Be- 
cause, as he had sent them, he continued to accompany 
their preaching with the power of his Spirit. These 
three things always unite in the character of a genuine 
avostle. See on Matt. x. 1-4. 

Verse 15. Called Zelotes] Some Jews gave this 
name to themselves, according to Josephus, (War, b. 

406 


iv. 6. lili. s. 9, and vii. 6. viii. 5. 1,) “because they 
pretended to be more than ordinarily zealous for reli- 
gion, and yet practised the very worst of actions.” 
“ But this (says the judicious Bp. Pearce) Josephus 
says of the zealots, at the time when Vespasian was 
marching towards Jerusalem. They probably were 
men of a different character above forty years before ; 
which was the time when Jesus chose his twelve apos- 
tles, one of whom had the surname of the Zealot.” It 
is very probable that this name was first given to cer- 
tain persons who were more zealous for the cause of 
pure and undefiled religion than the rest of their neigh- 
bours ; but like many other sects and parties who have 
begun well, they transferred their zeal for the essen- 
tials of religion to nonessential things, and from these 


to inquisitorial cruelty and murder. See on Matt. 
x. 4. 
Verse 17. And stood in the plain| In Matt. v. 1, 


which is supposed to be the parallel place, our Lord 
is represented as delivering this sermon on the moun- 
tain; and this has induced some to think that the ser- 
mon mentioned here by Luke, though the same in sub- 
stance with that in Matthew, was delivered in a differ- 
ent place, and at another time; but, as Dr. Priestly 
justly observes, Matthew’s saying that Jesus was sat 
down after he had gone up to the mountain, and Luke’s 
saying that he stood on the plain when he healed the 
sick, before the discourse, are no inconsistencies. The 
whole picture is striking. Jesus ascends a mountain, 
employs the night in prayer; and, having thus solemnly 
invoked the Divine blessing, authoritatively separates 
the twelve apostles from the mass of his disciples. He 
then descends, and heals in the plain all the diseased 
among a great multitude, collected from various parts 
by the fame of his miraculous power. Having thus 
created attention, he likewise satisfies the desire of the 
people to hear his doctrine ; and retiring first to the 
mountain whence he came, that his attentive hearers 
might follow him and might better arrange themselves 
before him—Sacro digna silentio mirantur omnes 
dicere. Horace. All admire his excellent sayings 
with sacred silence. See Bishop Newcome’s notes on 
his Harmony of the Gospels, p. 19. 

Verse 20. Blessed be ye poor] See the sermon ox 
the mount paraphrased and explained, Matt. v., vi., Vil 


Christ preaches 


A. M4031. 21 ? Blessed are ye that hunger 


An. Oiymp. now ; for ye shall be filled. « Bless- 

CCL. 3. 

——— ed are ye that weep now; for ye 
shall laugh. 

22 'Blessed are ye when men shall hate 
you, and when they * shall separate you from 
their company, and shall reproach you, and 
cast out your name as evil, for the Son of 
man’s sake. 

23 * Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: 
for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: 
for “in like manner did their fathers unto the 
prophets. 

24 ἡ But wo unto you ™ that are rich! for 
*ye have received your consolation. 

25 » Wo unto you that are full! for ye shall 


CHAP. VI. 


to the multitudes 


hunger. * Wo unto you that laugh 4,™. 4031 
now! for ye shall mourn and An, aie 
weep. ae 

26 * Wo unto you, when all men shall speak 
well of you! for so did their fathers to the 
false prophets. 

27 Ἵ ° But I say unto you which hear, Love 
your enemies, do good to them which hate 
you. 

28 Bless them that curse you, and ° pray 
for them which despitefully use you. 

29 4 And unto him that smiteth thee on the 
one cheek offer also the other ; 5 and him that 
taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy 
coat also. 

30 f Give to every man that asketh of thee; 


lxv. 13; Matt. v. 6——4Isa. lxi. 3; Matt. v. 4. 
F Matt. v. 11; 1 Pet. ii. 19; iii. 14; iv. 14.— John xvi. 2. 
t Matt. v. 12; Acts v. 41; Col. i. 43 James i 1.2 4 Acts vil. 
51]. v Amos vi. 1; Ecelus. xxxi. 8; James v. 1. w Chap. 
xii. 21. x Matt. vi. 2, 5, 16; na xvi. 25. 


P Isa. lv. 1 ᾿ 


Υ Isa. Ixy. 13. Prov. xiv. 183.---α᾿ John xv. 19; 1 John 


iv. 5. b Exod. xxiii. 4; Prov. xxv. 2; Matt. v. 44; ver. 35; 
Rom. xii. 20. Chap. xxiii. 34; Acts vii. 60.—# Matt. v 
39. ©1 Cor. vi. 7—— Deut. xv. 7, 8,10; Prov. xxi. 26; 


Matt. v. 42. 


Verse 22. They shall separate you] Meaning, They 
will excommunicate you, αἀφορίσωσιν ὑμας, or separate 
you from their communion. Luke having spoken of 
their separating or excommunicating them, continues 
the same idea, in saying that they would cast out their 
name likewise, as a thing evil in itself. By your name is 
meant their name as his disciples. As such, they were 
sometimes called Nazarenes, and sometimes Chris- 
tians ; and both these names were matter of reproach 
in the mouths of their enemies. So James (ii. 7) 
says to the converts, Do they not blaspheme that 
worthy name by which ye are called? So when St. 
Paul (in Acts xxiv. 5) is called a ringleader of the 
sect of the Nazarenes, the character of a pestilent fel- 
Jow, and, that of a mover of sedition, is joined to it; 
and, in Acts xxviii. 22, the Jews say to Paul, As 
concerning this sect, we know that every where it is 
spoken against ; and this is implied in 1 Pet. iv. 14, 
when he says, If ye be reproached for the Name of 
Christ, i. e. as Christians ; agreeably to what follows 
there in ver. 16, Jf eny man suffer as a Christian, 
&e In after times we find Pliny, Epist. x. 97, con- 
sulting the Emperor Trajan, whether or no he should 
PUNISH the NAME ITSELF, (of Christian,) though no 
evil should be found in it. Nomen ipsum, etiam si 
flagitus careat, puntatuR. See Pearce. 

Verse 23. Did—unto the prophets.| See 1 Kings 
xviii. 4; xix. 20; 2 Chron. xxiv. 21; xxxvi. 16; 
Neh. ix. 26. 

Verses 24, 25,26. But wo unto you that are rich!) 
The Pharisees, who were laden with the spoils of the 
people which they received in gifts, &c. These three 
Yerses are not found in the sermon, as recorded by 
Matthew. They seem to be spoken chiefly to the 
scribes and Pherisees, who, in order to be pleasing to 
all, spoke to every one what he liked best; and by 
finesse, fiattery, and lies, found out the method of 
gaining and keeping the good opinion of the multitude. 

Verse 29. Thy cloak—thy coat] In Matt. v. 40, 

1 


1 have said that coat, χίτωνα, signifies under garment, 
or strait coat; and cLoAK, iua cov, means upper gar- 
ment, or great coat. This interpretation is confirmed 
by the following observations of Bishop Pearce. The 
χίτων was a tunica, or vestcoat, over which the Jews 
and other nations threw an outer coat, or gown, called 
a cloak, Matt. v. 40, (which is meant by ἱματίον,) 
when they went abroad, or were not at work. Hence 
the common people at Rome, who did not usually 
wear, or had no right to wear, the toga, are called by 
Horace tunicatus popellus, Epist. i. 7, 65. This 
account of the difference between the χέτων and the 
ἱματιον appears plainly from what Mazimus Tyrius 
says, The inner garment which is over the body they 
call χιτωνίσκον, and the outer one the ἱματιον. And 
so Plutarch, (in Nupr. p. 139, ed. Fran. 1620,) 
speaking of a man who felt the heat of the sun too 
much for him, says that he put off, tov χιτωνα, τῷ 
ἕματιῳ, his vestcoat also with his cloak. 

Verse 30. Ask them not again.] Or, Do not beg 
them off. This probably refers to the way in which 
the tax-gatherers and Roman soldiers used to spoil the 
people. ‘“ When such harpies as these come upon 
your goods, suffer the injury quietly, leaving yourselves 
in the hand of God, rather than attempt even to beg 
off what belongs to you, lest on their part they be 
provoked to seize or spoil more, and lest you be irri- 
tated to sue them at law, which is totally opposite to 
the spirit and letter of the Gospel; or to speak bad 
words, or indulge wrong tempers, which would wound 
the spirit of love and mercy.” Of such as these, and 
of all merciless creditors, who even sell the tools and 
bed of a poor man, it may be very truly said :— 


Tristius haud illis monstrum, nec sevior ulla 
Pestis et ira deum Stygiis sese extulit undis,— 
Diripiunt dapes, contactuque omnia fedant 

Immundo. 


Vire. Afn. iii. 
407 


ver. 214. 


Christ preaches 


A.M, 43! and of him that taketh away thy 

An. Olymp. goods ask them not again. 

a 31 Ε And as ye would that men 
should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 

32 "For if ye love them which love you, 
what thank have ye? for sinners also love 
those that love them. 

33 And if ye do good to them which do 
good to you, what thank have ye? for sin- 
ners also do even the same. 

34 1 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope 
to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners 


ST. LUKE. 


to the multitudes, 


also lend to sinners to receive as 4,M, 4031. 
much again. 

35 But "love ye your enemies, 
and do good, and ‘lend, hoping for nothing 
again ; and your reward shall be great, and ™ ye 
shall be the children of the Highest: for he 
is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 

36 "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Fa- 
ther also is merciful. 

37 ° Judge not, and ye shall not be judged ; 
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned ° 
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven : 


Ε Tob. iv. 15; Matt. vii. 12——» Matt. v. 46.—— Matt. 
v. 42, 


“Monsters more fierce offended Heaven ne’er sent 
From hell’s abyss, for human punishment.— 
They snatch the meat, defiling all they find.” 

Dryden. 


However, it is probable that what is here spoken 
relates to requiring a thing speedily that had been lent, 
while the reason for borrowing it still continues. In 
Ecclus. xx. 15, it is a part of the character of a very 
bad man, that to-day he lendeth, and to-morrow will 
he ask it again. From the 27th to the 30th verse 
our blessed Lord gives us directions how to treat our 
enemies. 1. Wish them well. 2. Do them good. 
3, Speak as well of them as possible. 4. Be an in- 
etrument of procuring them good from others: use 
your influence in their behalf. 5. Suffer patiently 
from them contempt and ill treatment. 6. Give up 
your goods rather than lose your meekness and charity 
towards them. The retaliation of those who hearken 
not to their own passion, but to Christ, consists in do- 
ing more good than they receive evil. Ever since our 
blessed Saviour suffered the Jews to take away his 
life, it is by his patience that we must regulate our 
own. Quesnel. 

Verse 32. For sinners also love those that love 
them.] I believe the word ἁμαρτωλοι is used by St. 
Luke in the same sense in which τελωναι, tax-gather- 
ers, is used by St. Matthew, chap. v. 46, 47, and sig- 
nifies heathens ; not only men who have no religion, 
but men who acknowledge none. The religion of 
Christ not only corrects the errors and reforms the dis- 
orders of the fallen nature of man, but raises it even 
above itself: it brings it near to God; and, by uni- 
versal love, leads it to frame its conduct according to 
that of the Sovereign Being. ‘A man should tremble 
who finds nothing in his life besides the external part 
of religion, but what may be found in the life of a 
Turk or a heathen.” The Gospel of the grace of God 
purifies and renews the heart, causing it to resemble 
that Christ through whom the grace came. See the 
note on chap. vii. 37. 

Verse 34. Of whom ye hope to receive] Or, whom 
ye expect to return at. “ΤῸ make our neighbour 
purchase, in any way, the assistance which we give 
him, is to profit by his misery ; and, by laying him un- 
der obligations which we expect him in some way or 

408 


k Ver. 27——! Psa. xxxvii. 26; ver. 30.—® Matt. y. 45. 
n Matt. v. 48. © Matt. vii. 1. 


other to discharge, we increase his wretchedness under 
the pretence of relieving it.” 

Verse 35. Love ye your enemies] This is the most 
sublime precept ever delivered to man: a false religion 
durst not give a precept of this nature, because, with- 
out supernatural influence, it must be for ever imprac- 
ticable. In these words of our blessed Lord we see 
the tenderness, sincerity, extent, disinterestedness, pat- 
tern, and issue of the love of God dwelling in man : 
a religion which has for its foundation the union of God 
and man in the same person, and the death of this 
august being for his enemies ; which consists on earth 
in a reconciliation of the Creator with his creatures, 
and which is to subsist in heaven only in the union of 
the members with the head: could such a religion as 
this ever tolerate hatred in the soul of man, even to 
his most inveterate foe ? 

Lend, hoping for nothing again] Μηδὲν απελπιζοντες. 
The rabbins say, he who lends without usury, God 
shall consider him as having observed every precept. 
Bishop Pearce thinks that, instead of μηδὲν, we should 
read μηδενα with the Syriac, later Arabic, and later 
Persic ; and as ἀπελπίζειν signifies to despair, or cause 
to despair, the meaning is, not cutting off the hope (of 
longer life) of any man, nemznis spem amputantes, by 
denying him those things which he requests now to 
preserve him from perishing. 

Verse 36. Be ye therefore merciful] Or, compas 
sionate; οἰκτίρμονες, from οἶκτος, commiseration, which 
etymologists derive from exw, to give place, yield, be- 
cause we readily concede those things which are neces- 
sary to them whom we commiserate. As God is ever 
disposed to give all necessary help and support to those 
who are miserable, so his followers, being influenced 
by the same spirit, are easy to be entreated, and are at 
all times ready to contribute to the uttermost of their 
power to relieve or remove the miseries of the distress- 
ed. A merciful or compassionate man easily forgets 
injuries ; pardons them without being solicited; and 
does not permit repeated returns of ingratitude to de- 
ter him from doing good, even to the unthankful and 
the unholy. See on Matt. v. 7. 

Verse 37. Judge not] See on Matt. vii. 1. “ How 
great is the goodness of God, in being so willing to 
put our judgment into our own hands as to engage him - 
self not to enter into judgment with us, provided we 

1 


Christ preaches 


A.M. 4031. 88 » Give, and it shall be given 
An. Olymp. unto you; good measure, pressed 
Ε΄ 4 down, and shaken together, and 
running over, shall men give into your 4 bosom. 
For * with the same measure that ye mete 
withal, it shall be measured to you again. 


P Prov. xix. 17.——14 Psa. Ixxix. 12——" Matt. vii. 2; Mark iv. 
24; James ii. 13.— Matt. xv. 14. 


do not usurp the right which belongs solely to him in 
reference to others !” 

Condemn not] “Mercy will ever incline us not to 
condemn those unmercifully whose faults are certain 
and visible ; to lessen, conceal, and excuse them as 
much as we can without prejudice to truth and justice; 
and to be far from aggravating, divulging, or even de- 
siring them to be punished.” ᾿ 

Forgive} The mercy and compassion which God re- 
commends extend to the forgiving of all the injuries 
we have received, or can receive. ΤῸ imitate in this 
the merey of God is not a mere counsel ; since it is 
proposed as a necessary mean, in order to receive 
mercy. What man has to forgive in man is almost 
nothing : man’s debt to God is infinite. And who acts 
in this matter as if he wished to receive mercy at the 
hand of God! The spirit of revenge is equally desti- 
tute of faith and reason. 

Verse 38. Give, and it shall be given] “ Christian 
charity will make no difficulty in giving that which 
eternal truth promises to restore. Let us give, neither 
out of mere human generosity, nor out of vanity, nor 
from interest, but for the sake of God, if we would 
have him place it to account. There is no such thing as 
true unmixed generosity but in God only; because 
there is none but him who receives no advantage from 
his gifts, and because he engages himself to pay these 
debts of his creatures with an excessive interest. So 
great is the goodness of God, that, when he might have 
absolutely commanded us to give to our neighbour, he 
vouchsafes to invite us to this duty by the prospect of 
a reward, and to impute that to us as a desert which 
he has a right to exact of us by the title of his sove- 
reignty over our persons and estates.” 

Men live in such a state of social union as renders 
mutual help necessary ; and, as self-interest, pride, and 
other corrupt passions mingle themselves ordinarily in 
their commerce, they cannot fail of offending one an- 
other. In civil society men must, in order to taste a 
little tranquillity, resolve to ear something from their 
neighbours ; they must suffer, pardon, and give up 
many things; without doing which they must live in 
such a state of continual agitation as will render life 
itself insupportable. Without this giving and forgiv- 
ing spirit there will be nothing in civil society, and 
even in Christian congregations, but divisions, evil 
surmisings, injurious discourses, outrages, anger, ven- 
geance, and, in a word, a total dissolution of the mys- 
tical body of Christ. Thus our interest in both worlds 
calls loudly upon us to cive and to FORGIVE. 

Bosom.) Κολπον, or lap. Almost all ancient nations 
wore long, wide, and loose garments; and when about 
to carry any thing which their hands could not con- 

‘ 


CHAP. VI. 


to the multitudes, 


39 And he spake a parable unto 4,M. 4031. 
them, *Can the blind lead the blind ? An. Olymp. 
shall they not both fall into the ditch 1. _C°'* _ 

40 * The disciple is not above his master: 
but every one "that is perfect shall be as his 
master. 


t Matt. x. 24; John xiii. 16; xv. 20. 
his master. 


4 Or, shall be perfected as 


tain, they used a fold of their robe in nearly the same 
way as women here use their aprons. The phrase is 
continually occurring in the best and purest Greek 
writers. The following example from Herodotus, b. 
vi., may suffice to show the propriety of the interpre- 
tation given above, and to expose the ridiculous nature 
of covetousness. “ When Cresus had promised to 
Alemeon as much gold as he could carry about his 
body at once, in order to improve the king’s liberality 
to the best advantage, he put on a very wide tunic, 
(κιθωνα μεγαν,) leaving a great space in the Bosom, 
κολπον βαθυν, and drew on the largest buskins he could 
find. Being conducted to the treasury, he sat down 
ona great heap of gold, and first filled the buskins 
about his legs with as much gold as they could con- 
tain, and, having filled his whole Bosom, κολπον, load- 
ed his hair with ingots, and put several pieces in his 
mouth, he walked out of the treasury, &c.” What a 
ridiculous figure must this poor sinner have cut, thus 
heavy laden with gold, and the love of money! See 
many other examples in Aypke and Raphelius. See 
also Psa. exxix. 7; Prov. vi. 27; xvii. 23. 

The same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be 
measured to you again.| The same words we find in 
the Jerusalem Targum on Gen. xxxviii. 26. Our 
Lord therefore lays down a maxim which themselves 
allowed. 

Verse 39. Can the blind lead the blind? This ap- 
pears to have been a general proverb, and to signify 
that a man cannot teach what he does not understand. 
This is strictly true in spiritual matters. A man who 
is not illuminated from above is utterly incapable of 
judging concerning spiritual things, and wholly unfit to 
be a guide to others. Is it possible that a person who 
is enveloped with the thickest darkness should dare 
either to judge of the state of others, or attempt to 
lead them in that path of which he is totally ignorant ! 
If he do, must not his judgment be rashness, and his 
teaching folly ‘—and does he not endanger his own 
soul, and run the risk of falling into the ditch of perdi- 
tion himself, together with the unhappy objects of his 
religious instruction ἢ 

Verse 40. Every one that is perfect] Or, thorough- 
ly instructed, κατηρτίσμενος :—from καταρτίζω, to ad- 
just, adapt, knit together, restore, or put in joint 
The noun is used by the Greek medical writers to sig- 
nify the reducing a luxated or disjointed limb. It 
sometimes signifies to repair or mend, and in this sense 
it is applied to broken nets, Matt. iv. 21; Marki. 19; 
but in this place, and in Heb. xiii. 21; 2 Tim, iii. 17, 
it means complete instruction and information. Every 
one who is thoroughly instructed in Divine things, 
who has his heart united to God, whose disordered 

409 


Christ preaches 


41 v And why beholdest thou the 
An. Olymp. mote that is in thy brother’s eye, 
ἘΠ but perceivest not the beam that is 
in thine own eye ? 

42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, 
Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in 
thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the 
beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypo- 
crite, “ cast out first the beam out of thine own 
eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out 
the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 

43 * For a good tree bringeth not forth cor- 
rupt fruit; reither doth a corrupt tree bring 
forth good fruit. 

44 For ¥ every tree is known by his own 
fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, 
nor of a bramble bush gather they ” grapes. 

45 *A good man out of the good treasure of 
his heart bringeth forth that which is good ; 


A. M. 4031. 
A. D, 27. 


S¥. DUKE. 


to the multitudes. 


and an evil man out of the evil ΔΑΝ 1031. 
treasure of his heart bringeth forth An. ear 
that which is evil: for Ὁ οὗ the ————— 
abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 

46 9° And why call ye me Lord, Lord, 
and do not the things which I say ? 

47 4 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth 
my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you 
to whom he is like: 

48 He is like a man which built a house, 
and digged deep, and laid the foundation on 
a rock : and when the flood arose, the stream 
beat vehemently upon that house, and could 
not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 

49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is 
like a man that, without a foundation, built a 
house upon the earth; against which the stream 
did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell : 
and the ruin of that house was great. 


¥ Matt. vii. 3. 
¥ Matt. xii. 33. 
xi. 34. 


Ww See Prov. xviii. 17. x Matt. vii. 16, 17. 
2 Gr. a grape. 2 Matt. xii. 35.——> Matt. 


tempers and passions are purified and restored to har- 
mony and order ; every one who has in him the mind 
that was in Christ, though he cannot be above, yet will 
be as, his teacher—holy, harmless, undefiled, and se- 
parate from sinners. 

“The disciple who perfectly understands the rules 
and sees the example of his master, will think it his 
business to tread exactly in his steps, to do and suffer 
upon like occasions, as his master did: and so he will 
be like his master.” Wuursy. 

Verse 41. And why beholdest thou the mote] See 
this explained on Matt. vii. 3—5. 

Verse 43. Corrupt fruit] Kaprov cazpoy, literally, 
rotten fruit: but here it means, such fruit as is unfit 
for use. See on Matt. vii. 17-20. 

Verse 45. A good man] See on Matt. xii. 35. 

Verse 46. Lord, Lord] God judges of the heart, 
not by words, but by works. A good servant never 
disputes, speaks little, and always follows his work. 
Such a servant a real Christian is: such is a faithful 
minister, always intent either on the work of his own 
salvation, or that of his neighbour ; speaking more to 
God than to men; and to these as in the presence of 
God. ‘The tongue is fitly compared by one to a pump, 
which empties the heart, but neither fills nor cleanses 
it. The love of God is a hidden spring, which sup- 


© Mal. i. 6; Matt. vii. 21; xxv. 1]; chap. xiii. 25-——4 Matt. 
vii. 24; Job xxvii. 8; Ecclus. xl. 13; Heb. x. 26; James 
123: 


plies the heart continually, and never permits it to be 
dry or unfruitful. Quesnel. 

Verse 47. I will show you] Ὕποδειξω, I will show 
you plainly. I will enable you fully to comprehend 
my meaning on this subject by the following parable. 
See this word explained Matt. 11]. 7. 

Verse 48. He is like a man, &c.) See on Matt. 
vii. 24-27. 

Verse 49. The ruin of that house was great.) On 
this passage, father Quesnel, who was a most rigid 
predestinarian, makes the following judicious remark. 
“Tt is neither by the speculations of astrologers, nor 
by the Calvinian assurance of predestination, that we 
ean discover what will be our portion for ever: but it 
is by the examination of our heart, and the consider- 
ation of our life, that we may in some measure prog- 
nosticate our eternal state. Without a holy heart and 
a holy life, all is ruinous in the hour of temptation, 
and in the day of wrath.” To this may be added, He 
that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness im 
HIMSELF: 1 John v. 10. 

The subjects of this chapter have been so amply 
explained and enforced in the parallel places in Mat- 
thew, to which the reader has been already referred, 
that there appears to be no necessity to make any 
additional observations. 


CHAPTER VII. 


Christ heals the servant of a centurion, who is commended for his faith, 1-10. 
John Baptist hears of his fame, and sends two of his disciples to inquire whether 
Christ’s character of John, 24-30. 
A Pharisee invites him to his house, where a woman anoints his head with oil, 
The Pharisee is offended 39. 


life at Nain, 11-17. 
he was the Christ, 18-23. 
ness of the Jews, 31-35. 
and washes his feet with her tears, 36-38. 


Raises a@ widow's son to 
The obstinate blindness and capricious- 


Our Lord reproves him by a 


parable, and vindicates the woman, 40-46; and pronounces her sins forgiven, 47-50. 


410 


1 


Ohrist heals the CHAP. VIL. centurion’s servant. 
πο τ ἢ OW when he had ended all his }having under me soldiers, and I say 4, ™; 1031. 
An, Olymp. sayings in the audience of the | unto ° one, Go, and he goeth; and to An. Olymp. 


people, * he entered into Capernaum. | another, Come, and he cometh ; and 


2 And "a certain centurion’s servant, who|to my servant, Do this, and he doeth 7. 


was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 

3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto 
him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him 
© that he would come and heal his servant. 

4 And when they came to Jesus, they be- 
sought him instantly, saying, ἃ That he was 
worthy for whom he should do this : 

5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built 
us a synagogue. 

6 Then Jesus went with them. And when 
he was now not far from the house, the cen- 
turion sent friends to him, saying unto him, 
Lord, trouble not thyself : for I am not worthy 
that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 

7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy 
to come unto thee : but say in a word, and my 
servant shall be healed. 

8 For I also am a man set under authority, 


a Matt. vili. 5; John iv. 46-54» 2 Kings v. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VII. 

Verse 2. A certain centurion’s servant] See this 
miracle explained on Matt. viii. 5-13. 

Verse 3. Elders of the Jews] These were either 
magistrates in the place, or the elders of the syna- 
gogue which the centurion had built, ver. 5. He sent 
these, probably, because he was afraid to come to 
Christ himself, not being a Jew, either by nation or 
religion. In the parallel place in Matthew, he is re- 
presented as coming to Christ himself; but it is a 
usual form of speech in all nations, to attribute the 
act to a person which is done not by himself, but by 
his authority. 

Verse 5. He loveth our nation] He is a warm friend 
to the Jews ; and has given a full proof of his affection 
to them in building them a synagogue. This he had 
done at his own proper charges; having no doubt em- 
ployed his own men in the work. 

Verse 10. Found the servant whole] This cure was 
the effect of the faith, prayer, and humility of the 
centurion, through which the almighty energy of 
Jesus Christ was conveyed to the sick man. But 
these very graces in the centurion were the products 
of grace. It is God himself who, by the gifts of his 
mercy, disposes the soul to receive its cure; and no- 
thing can contribute to the reception of his grace but 
what is the fruit of grace itself. The apostle says, 
The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared 
unto all men, Tit. ii. 11. It should therefore be our 
concern, not to resist the operations of this grace : for 
saough we cannot endue ourselves with any gracious 


9 When Jesus heard these things, he mar 
velled at him, and turned him about, and said 
unto the people that followed him, I say unto 
you, I have not found so great faith, no, not 
in Israel. 

10 And they that were sent, returning to the 
house, found the servant whole that had been 
sick. : 

11 4 And it came to pass the day after, that 
he went into a city called Nain; and many of 
his disciples went with him, and much people. 

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of 
the city, behold, there was adead man carried 
out, the only son of his mother, and she was a 
widow: and much people of the city was with 
her. 

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had com- 
passion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 


© Mark v. 23. 4 Rey. ili. 4. © Gr. this man. 


Verse 11. Nain] A small city of Galilee, in the 
tribe of Issachar. According to Eusebius, it was two 
miles from Mount Tabor, southward; and near to 
Endor. 

Verse 12. Carried out] The Jews always buried 
their dead without the city, except those of the family 
of David. No burying places should be tolerated 
within cities or towns ; much less in or about churches 
and chapels. This custom is excessively injurious to 
the inhabitants; and especially to those who frequent 
public worship in such chapels and churches. God, 
decency, and health forbid this shocking abomination 

On the impropriety of burying in towns, churches, 
and chapels, take the following testimonies: Extra 
urbem soliti sunt alii mortuos sepelire : Nos Christiani, 
eos non in urbes solum, sed et in TEMPLA recepimus, 
quo fit ut multi fetore nimis, feré exanimentur.— 
Scuorrrcen. “ Others were accustomed to bury their 
dead without the city: We Christians not only bury 
them within our cities, but receive them even into 
our churches! Hence many nearly lose their lives 
throuzh the noxious effluvia.” ‘“ Both the Jews and 
other people had their burying places without the 
city :—Et certe ita postulat ratio publice sanitatis, que 
multium ledi solet aura sepulchrorum:—and this the 
health of the public requires, which is greatly injured 
by the effluvia from graves.”—Rosenmiiller. From 
long observation I can attest that churches and chapels 
situated in grave-yards, and those especially within 
whose walls the dead are interred, are perfectly un- 
wholesome ; and many, by attending such places, are 


disposition, yet we can quench the Spirit, by whose | shortening their passage to the house appointed for the 


agency these are produced in the soul. 
had not received the grace of God in vain. 
1 


The centurion | living. 
o 


What increases the iniquity of this abomina- 
ble and deadly work is, that the burying grounds 
411 


The widow's son raised to life. 


ae 14 And he came and touched the 
a_i fbier: and they that bare him 


stood still. And he said, Young 
man, I say unto thee, £ Arise. 

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began 
to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 

16 " And there came a fear on all: and they 
glorified God, saying, : That a great prophet 
is risen up among us; and, * That God hath 
visited his people. 

17 And this rumour of him went forth 
throughout all Judea, and throughout all the 
region round about. 

18 4 'And the disciples of John showed him 
of all these things. 

19 And John, cal'mg unto him two of his 
disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou 
he that should come? or look we for another 7 

20 When the men were come unto him, they 
said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, say- 
ing, Art thou he that should come? or look 
we for another ? 

21 And in the same hour he cured many of 
their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; 
and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 


ST. LUKE. 


Christ’s character of John 


22 ™'Then Jesus answering said ἀν Με 4031. 
unto them, Go your way, and tell An. a Olyme 
John what things ye have seen and 
heard; *how that the blind see, the lame 
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, 
the dead are raised, °to the poor the Gospel 
is preached. 

23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not 
be offended in me. 

24 4 » And when the messengers of John 
were departed, he began to speak unto the 
people concerning John, What went ye out 
into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken 
with the wind ? 

25 But what went ye out for to see? A man 
clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which 
are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, 
are in kings’ courts. 

26 But what went ye out for to see? A pro- 
phet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more 
than a prophet. 

27 This is he, of whom it is written, 4 Be- 
hold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

28 For I say untc you, Among those that 


f Or, coffin.——& Chap. vill. 54; John xi.43 ; Acts ix.40; Rom. 
iv. 17. h Chap. 1. 65. i Chap. xxiv. 19; John iv. 19: vi. 145 


attached to many churches and chapels are made a 
source of private gain. ‘The whole of this preposte- 
rous conduct is as indecorous and unhealthy as it is 
profane. Kvery man should know that the gas which 
is disengaged from putrid flesh, and particularly from 
a human body, is not only unfriendly to, but destructive 
of, animal life. Superstition first introduced a practice 
which self-interest and covetousness continue to maintain. 

For a general improvement of all the circumstances 
of this miracle, see the end of the chapter. 

Verse 16. God hath visited his people.| Several 
MSS. and versions add, εἰς ayador, for good. Some- 
times God visited his people in the way of judgment, 
to consume them in their transgressions; but it was 
now plain that he had visited them in the most tender 
compassion and mercy.. This seems to have been 
added by some ancient copyist, by way of explanation. 

Verse 18. The disciples of John showed him, &c.} 
It is very likely that John’s disciples attended the 
ministry of our Lord at particular times ; and this, we 
may suppose, was ἃ common case among the disciples 
of different Jewish teachers. Though bigotry existed 
in its most formidable shape between the Jews and 
Samaritans, yet we do not find that it had any place 
between Jews and Jews, though they were of different 
sects, and attached to different teachers. 

Verse 19. Art thou he that should come?] That is, to 

we. Artthouthe promised Messiah? See on Matt. xi. 3. 

Some have thought that this character of our Lord, 

ὦ epyouevoc, he usho cometh, refers to the prophecy of 
412 


ix. 17——* Chap. 1. 


68.—! Matt. xi. 
ἈΪ58. χχχν. 5. Ϊ 


2.——™ Matt. xi. 5, 


Jacob, Gen. xlix. 10, where he is called n> w Shiloh, 
which Grotius and others derive from Mow shalach, he 
sent: hence, as the time of the fulfilment of the 
prophecy drew nigh, he was termed, He who cometh, 
i. e. he who is just now ready to make his appearance 
in Judea. In Zech. ix. 9, a similar phrase is used, 
Behold, thy king comets unto thece—having SAaLva- 
Trion. This is meant of the Messiah only ; therefore 
I think the words to save, are necessarily implied. 

Verse 21. Infirmities and plagues] The following 
judicious note from Bp. Pearce is worthy of deep 
attention: ‘Luke mentions here νόσοι, pactyec, 
leprosias, and πνεύματα xovnpa, i. e. diseases or ill 
habits of body, sores or lamenesses, and evil spirits : 
from whence we may conclude that evz spirits are 
reckoned by him (who speaks of distempers with 
more accuracy than the other evangelists) as things 
different from any disorders of the dody, included in 
the two former words.” 

Unto many that were blind he gave sight.| Rather, 
he kindly gave sight—eyapicato τὸ BAewew; or, he 
graciously gave sight. This is the proper meaning of 
the original words. In all his miracles, Jesus showed 
the tenderest mercy and kindness: not only the eure, 
but the manner in which he performed it, endeared him 
to those who were objects of his compassionate regards. 

Verses 22-28. See these verses explained at large 
on Matt. xi. 4-15. 

Verse 29. Justified God] Or, declared God to be 
just—edixatwoav τον Θεον. The sense is this: John 

1 


The capriciousness 
A, M, 4031. 


a lym. greater prophet than John the Bap- 
tist: but he that is least in the 
kingdom of God is greater than he. 

29 And all the people that heard him, and 
the publicans, justified God, τ being baptized 
with the baptism of John. 

30 But the Pharisees and lawyers ‘rejected 
*the counsel of God ἃ against themselves, be- 
ing not baptized of him. 

31 9 And the Lord said, Y Whereunto then 
shall I liken the men of this generation? and 
to what are they like ? 

32 They are like unto children sitting in the 
market-place, and calling one to another, and 
saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have 


τ Matt. iii. 5; chap. iii. 12. 
ἃ Or, within themselves. 


5 Or, frustrated. τ Acts xx. 27. 
¥ Matt. xi. 16. 


preached that the Divine wrath was coming upon the 
Jews, from which they might flee by repentance, 
chap. iii. 7. The Jews, therefore, who were baptized 
by him, with the baptism of repentance, did thereby 
acknowledge that it is but justice in God to punish 
them for their wickedness unless they repented, and 
were baptized in token of it. Bp. Prarce proves 
that this is the sense in which the word δικαίσω is used 
here and in Psalm li. 4, compared with Job xxxii. 2, 
and by this evangelist again in chap. x. 29, and xvi. 15. 

Verse 30. Rejected the counsel of God] Or, frus- 
trated the will of God—znv βουλὴν του Θεου ἡϑετησαν. 
Kypke says the verb aderew has two meanings :—1, to 
disbelieve; 2, despise, or disobey: and that both senses 
may be properly conjoined here. The will of God 
was that all the inhabitants of Judea should repent 
at the preaching of John, be baptized, and believe in 
Christ Jesus. Now as they did not repent, &e., at 
John’s preaching, so they did not believe his testimony 
concerning Christ: thus the will, gracious counsel, or 
design of God, relative to their salvation, was annulled 
or frustrated. They disbelieved his promises, despised 
the Messiah, and disobeyed his precepts. 

Verse 31. And the Lord said] Almost every MS. 
of authority and importance, with most of the ver- 
sions, omit these words. As the Evangelistaria (the 
books which contained those portions of the Gospels 
which were read in the Churches) began at this verse, 
the words were probably at first used by them, to 
introduce the following parable. There is the fullest 
proof that they never made a part of Luke’s text. 
Every critic rejects them. Bengel and Griesbach 
leave them out of the text. 

Verse 32. They are like unto children] See on 
Matt. xi. 16-19. It is probable that our Lord alludes 
here to some play or game among the Jewish children, 
no account of which is now on record. 

Verse 35. Wisdom is justified, &c.] Probably 
the children of wisdom is a mere Hebraism here for 
the products or fruits of wisdom; hence the Vatican 
MS., one other, and some versions, have ἔργων; works, 


i 


CHAP. VII. 


are born of women, there is not ἃ} ποῖ danced; we have mourned to 4. ae 


of the Jews 


An. Olymp. 


ou, and ahve 
you y ‘ pe CCL 3. 


33 For » John the Baptist came 
neither eating bread nor drinking wine ; and 
ye say, He hath a devil. 

34 The Son of man is come eating and 
drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous 
man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans 
and sinners ! 

35 * But wisdom is justified of all her 
children. 

36 Ἵ ¥ And one of the Pharisees desired him 
that he would eat with him. And he went into 
the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 

37 And behold, a woman in the city, which 
was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at 


Ww Matt. iii. 4; Mark i. 6; Chap. i. 15. xMatt. xi. 19. 


Υ Matt. xxvi. 6 ; Mark xiv. 3; John xi. 2. 


instead of τεκνων, sons, in the parallel place, Matt. xi 
19. True wisdom shows itself by its works ; folly is 
never found in the wise man’s way, any more than 
wisdom is in the path of a fool. Theophylact’s note 
on this place should not be overlooked. Ἐδικαιωθη, 
τουτ᾽ ἐστιν ετιμηθη, Wisdom 15 JUSTIFIED, that is, 15 HO- 
noureD, by all her children. 

Verse 36. One of the Pharisees] Called Simon, 
ver. 40. This account is considered by many critics 
and commentators to be the same with that in Matt. 
xxvi. 6, &c. ; Mark xiv. 3; and John xii. 3. This sub- 
jectis eonsidered pretty much at large in the notes on Matt. 
xxvi. 6, &c., to which the reader is requested to refer. 

Verse 37. A woman—which was a sinner] Many 
suppose that this woman had been a notorious public 
prostitute ; but this is taking the subject by the very 
worst handle. My own opinion is, that she had been 
a mere heathen who dwelt in this city, (probably 
Capernaum,) who, through the ministry of Christ, had 
been before this converted to God, and came now to 
give this publie testimony of her gratitude to her gra- 
cious deliverer from the darkness and guilt of sin. I 
am inclined to think that the original word, ἁμαρτωλος, 
is used for heathen or Gentile in several places of the 
sacred writings. I am fully persuaded that this is its 
meaning in Matt. ix. 10, 11, 13; xi. 19; and xxvi. 
45. The Son of man is betrayed into the hands of 
sinners, i. 6. is delivered into the hands of the heathens, 
viz. the Romans, who alone could put him to death. 
See Mark ii. 15, 16, 17;-xiv. 41. I think also it 
has this meaning in Luke vi. 32, 33, 34; xv. 1, 2,7, 
10; xix. 7; John ix. 31. I think no other sense 
can be justly assigned to it in Gal. ii. 15: We who 
are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles. 
We Jews, who have had the benefit of a Divine reve- 
lation, know that a man is not justified by the works 
of the law, but by the faith of Christ, (ver. 16,) which 
other nations, who were heathens, not having a Divine 
revelation, could not know. It is, I think, likely that 
the grand subject of the self-righteous Pharisee’s com- 
plaint was her being a heathen. As those who were 

413 


A woman anoints our Lord, 


ST. LUKE. 


at which a Pharisee is offended, 


ee meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought |mon, I have somewhat to say unto 4,M; 4031, 
os eee. an alabaster box of ointment, thee. And he saith, Master, say on. = ore 
SCL) 


38 And stood at his feet behind 
him weeping, and began to wash his feet with 
tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her 
head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them 
with the ointment. 

39 Now when the Pharisee which had _ bid- 
den him saw 7, he spake within himself, say- 
ing, 5 This man, if he were a prophet, would 
have known who and what manner of woman 
this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 

40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Si- 


41 There was a certain creditor 
which had two debtors: the one owed five hun 
dred *pence, and the other fifty. 

42 And when they had nothing to pay, he 
frankly forgave them both. ‘Tell me, there- 
fore, which of them will love him most ? 

43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that 
he to whom he forgave most. And he said 
unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 

44 And he tumed to the woman, and said 
unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered 


z Chap. xv. 2. 


touched by such contracted a legal defilement, he 
could not believe that Christ was a conscientious 
observer of the law, seeing he permitted her to touch 
him, snowing who she was; or, if he did not know 
that she was a heathen, it was a proof that he was no 
prophet, ver. 39, and consequently had not the dis- 
cernment of spirits which prophets were supposed to 
possess. As the Jews had a law which forbade all 
iniquity, and they who embraced it being according 
to its requisitions and their profession saints ; and as 
the Gentiles had no law to restrain evi/, nor made any 
profession of holiness, the term ἁμαρτωλοι, or sinners, 
was first with peculiar propriety applied to them, and 
afterwards to all others, who, though they professed 
to be under the law, yet lived as Gentiles without the 
law. Many suppose this person to be the same as 
Mary Magdalene, but of this there is no solid proof. 

Brought an alabaster box| See on Mark xiv. 3. 

Verse 38. Stood at his feet behind him] In taking 
their meals, the eastern people reclined on one side ; 
the loins and knees being bent to make the more room, 
the feet of each person were turned outwards behind 
him. This is the meaning of standing ΒΕΗΙΝΡ at his 
FEET, 

Began to wash his feet with tears| Ἤρξατο βρεχειν---- 
τοῖς δακρυσι, She began to water his feet—to let a 
shower of tears fall on them. As the Jews wore 
nothing like our shoes, (theirs being a mere sole, bound 
about the foot and ancle with thongs,) their feet being 
so much exposed had frequent need of washing, and 
this they ordinarily did before taking their meals. 

Kissed his feet| With affectionate tenderness, κατε- 
φιλεῖ, or kissed them again and again. See on Matt. 
xxvi. 49. 

The kiss was used in ancient times as the emblem 
of love, religious reverence, subjection, and supplica- 
tion. It has the meaning of supplication, in the way 
of adoration, accompanied with subjection, in 1 Kings 
xix. 18, Whose mouths have not kissed Baal ; and in 
Job xxxi. 27, My mouth hath not kissed my hand ; 
I have paid no sort of adoration to false gods ; and 
in Psa. ii. 12, Kiss the Son lest he be angry,—close 
in with him, embrace affectionately, the offers of mercy 
made unto you through Christ Jesus, Jest he (the Lord) 
be angry with you, and ye perish; which command- 

414 


aSee Matt. xviii. 28. 


ment this woman seems to have obeyed, both in the 
literal and spiritual sense. Kissing the feet was 
practised also among the heathens, to express subjec- 
tion of spirit, and earnest supplication. See a long 
example in Raphelius, produced from Polybius, con- 
cerning the Carthaginian ambassadors when suppli- 
cating the Romans for peace. With an humble and 
abject mind, πεσοντες ext τὴν ynv, they fell down on 
the earth, τοὺς ποδας καταφιλοῖεν Tw συνεδριω, and kiss- 
ed the feet of the council. See also several examples 
in Kypke. Kissing the feet is a farther proof that this 
person had been educated a heathen. This was no 
part of a Jew’s practice. 

Verse 41. A certain creditor, &c.] It is plain that 
in this parable our Lord means, by the creditor, Gon, 
and, by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who 
was present. Simon, who had the light of the law, 
and who, in consequence of his profession as a Pha- 
risee, was obliged to abstain from outward iniquity, 
might be considered as the debtor who owed only 
ΜΗ pence, or denarii. ‘The woman, whom I have 
supposed to be a heathen, not having these advan- 
tages, having no rule to regulate her actions, and no 
curb on her evil propensities, may be considered as 
the debtor who owed five hundred pence, or denari. 
And when both were compared, Szmon’s debt to God 
might be considered, in reference to hers, as fifty to 
five hundred. However, we find, notwithstanding 
this great disparity, both were insolvent. Simon, the 
religious Pharisee, could no more pay his fifty to God 
than this poor heathen her five hundred ; and, if both 
be not freely forgiven by the Divine mercy, both must 
finally perish. Having NoTHiNG to pay, he kindly 
FORGAVE them both. Some think that this very Simon 
was no inconsiderable debtor to our Lord, as having 
been mercifully cleansed from a leprosy; for he is 
supposed to be the same as Simon the leper. See the 
note on Matt. xxvi. 6. 

Verse 42. Which of them will love him most? 
Which is under the greater obligation and should love 
him most ? 

Versé 43. He to whom he forgave most.] By this 
acknowledgment he was, unknowingly to himself, pre- 
pared to receive our Lord’s reproof. 

Verse 44. Thou gavest me no water] In this respect 

1 


Parable of the two debtors, 


A.M. 4031. into thine house, thou gavest me 
An. Olymp. no water for my feet: but she hath 
washed my feet with tears, and 
wiped them with the hairs of her head. 

45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman, 
since the time I came in, hath not ceased to 
kiss my feet. 

46 » My head with oil thou didst not anoint: 
but this woman hath anointed my feet with 
ointment. 

47 © Wherefore, I say unto thee, Her sins, 


» Psa. xxiii. 5. ©} Tim. i. 14—4 Matt. ix. 2; Mark 


n. 5 


Simon was sadly deficient in civil respect, whether this 
proceeded from forgetfulness or contempt. The cus- 
tom of giving water to wash the guest’s feet was very 
ancient. See instances in Gen. xviii. 4; xxiv. 32; 
Judg. xix. 21; 1Sam. xxv. 41. In Hindoostan it 
is the custom, that when a superior enters the house 
of an inferior, the latter washes his feet, and gives 
him water to rinse his mouth before he eats. See 
Ayeen Axsery, vol. iii. p. 226. 

Verse 45. Since the time I came in] Rather, 
Since the time sHE came in, a@’ ἧς εἰσηλθεν, not εἰσηλθον, 
1 came in, for it is clear from ver. 37 that the woman 
eame in after Christ, having heard that he was sitting 
at meat in the Pharisee’s house. The reading which 
I have adopted is supported by several MSS. and 
Versions. 

Verse 46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint) 
Anointing the head with oil was as common among 
the Jews as washing the face with water is among 
us. See Ruth iii. 3; 2 Sam. xii. 20; xiv. 2; 
2 Kings iv. 2; and Psa. xxiii. 5, where the author 
alludes to the Jewish manner of receiving and enter- 
taining a guest. Thou preparest a table for me; 
anointest my head with oil; givest me an overflowing 
cup. See Matt. v. 17. 

Verse 47. For she loved much] Or, THEREFORE 
she loved much. It appears to have been a con- 
sciousness of God’s forgiving love that brought her at 
this time to the Pharisee’s house. In the common 
translation her forgiveness is represented to be the 
consequence of her loving much, which is causing the 
tree to produce the root, and not the root the tree. I 
have considered ὅτε here as having the sense of διοτι, 
therefore ; because, to make this sentence suit with 
the foregoing parable, ver. 42, 43, and with what 
immediately follows here, ut he to whom little is 
forgiven loveth little, we must suppose her love was 
the effect of her being pardoned, not the cause of it. 
Ov: seems to have the sense of therefore in Matt. xiii. 
13; John viii. 44; 1 Cor. x. 17; and in the Sep- 
tuagint, in Deut. xxxill. 52; Isa. xlix. 19; Hos. ix. 
15; and Eccles. v. 6. Both these particles are often 
interchanged in the New Testament. 

Loved much—loveth little} That is, A man’s love 
to God will be in proportion to the obligations he feels 
himself under to the bounty of his Maker. 

Verse 48. Thy sins are forgiven.] He gave her 

1 


CHAP. VII. 


and its application 


which are many, are forgiven ; 
for she loved much: but to whom An. Olymp. 
little is forgiven, the same loveth — 
little. 

48 And he said unto her, ἃ Thy sins are for 
given. 

49 And they that sat at meat with him began 
to say within themselves, ° Who is this that 
forgiveth sins also ? 

50 And he said to the woman, f Thy faith 
hath saved thee : go in peace. 


© Matt. ix. 3; Mark ii. 7——f Matt. ix. 22; Mark v. 34; 
x. 52; chap. viii. 48; xviii. 42. 


the fullest assurance of what he had said before to Si- 
mon, (ver. 47,) Thy sins are forgiven. While the 
Pharisee murmured, the poor penitent rejoiced. 

Verse 50. Thy faith hath saved thee] Thy faith 
hath been the instrument of receiving the salvation 
which is promised to those who repent. Goin peace. 
Though peace of conscience be the inseparable con- 
sequence of the pardon of sin, yet here it seems to be 
used as a valediction or farewell: as if he had said, 
May goodness and mercy continue to follow thee ! 
In this sense it is certainly used Judg. xviii. 6 ; 
1 Sam: ὙΠ: xx! 49); /xxix: (75° 2 Sam. xv; 9); 
James ii. 16. 


Tue affecting account of raising the widow’s son to 
life, ver. 11-17, is capable of farther improvement. 
The following may be considered to be sober, pious 
uses of this transaction. 

In this resurrection of the widow’s son, four things 
are highly worthy of notice :—1. The meeting. 2. 
What Christ did to raise the dead man. 3. What 
the man did when raised to life: and 4. The effect 
produced on the minds of the people. 


1. The μεετινα. 


1. Τὸ was wncommon: it was a meeting of hfe 
and death, of consolation and distress. On the one 
part Jesus, accompanied by his disciples, and an in- 
numerable crowd of people, advance towards the gate 
of the city of Nain: on the other part, a funeral so- 
Jemnity proceeds out of the gate,—a person of distine- 
tion, as we may imagine from the number of the peo- 
ple who accompanied the corpse, is carried out to be 
buried. Wherever Jesus goes, he meets death or 
misery ; and wherever he comes,.he dispenses life 
and salvation. 

2. It was instructive. A young man was carried to 
the grave—an only son—cut off in the flower of his 
age from the pleasures, honours, profits, and expecta- 
tions of life; a multitude of relatives, friends, and 
neighbours, in tears, affliction, and distress, accompa- 
nied the corpse. Behold the present life in its true 
point of light! How deceitful is the world! To hide 
its vanity and wretchedness, funeral pomp takes the 
place of the decorations of life and health; and pride, 
which carries the person through life, cleaves to the 
putrid carcass in the ridiculous adornments of pails, 

415 


Reflectrons on the resurrection 


scarfs, cloaks, and feathers! Sin has a complete 
triumph, when pride is one of the principal bearers to 
the tomb. 

And shall not the living lay these things to heart? 
Remember, ye that are young, the young die oftener 
than the old; and it is because so many of the former 
die, that there are so few of the latter to die. 

3. It was an affecting meeting. The mother of 
this young man followed the corpse of her son; her 
distress was extreme. She had already lost her hus- 
band, and in losing her only son she loses all that 
could be reckoned dear to her in the world. She lost 
her support, her glory, and the name of her family 
from among the tribes of her people. Jesus sees her 
in this state of affliction, and was moved with compas- 
_ Sion towards her. This God of goodness cannot see 
the wretched without commiserating their state, and 
providing for their salvation. 

4. It was a happy meeting. Jesus approaches this 
distressed widow, and says, Weep not. But who, with 
propriety, can give such advice in a case like this? 
Only that God who can dry up the fountain of grief, 
and remove the cause of distress. Weep for thy sin, 
weep for thy relatives, weep after Christ, and God will 
infallibly comfort thee. 


Il. What Christ did to raise this dead man. 


1. He came up, ver. 14. When the blessed God is 
about to save a soul from spiritual death, he comes up 
to the heart by the light of his Spirit, by the preaching 
of his word, and by a thousand other methods, which 
4 prove that his name is mercy, and his nature love. 

2. He touched the bier. God often stretches out 
his hand against the matter or occasion of sin, renders 
that public that was before hidden, lays afflictions upon 
the body ; by some evil disease effaces that beauty, or 
impairs that strength, which were the occasions of 
sin; disconcerts the schemes and blasts the property 
of the worldly man. These were carrying him down 
to the chambers of death, and the merciful God is thus 
delivering him out of the hands of his murderers. 

3. He commanded—Young man! I say unto thee, 
Arise. Sinners! You have been dead in trespasses 
and sins too long: now hear the voice of the Son of 
God. Young people! to you in particular is this com- 
mandment addressed. Delay not a moment: it will 
be more easy for you to return to God now than at any 
future time. And perhaps the present call may never 
be repeated. The sooner you hear the voice of God, 
the sooner you shall be happy. 


ST. LUKE. 


of the widows son 


III. What the man did when raised to life. 

1. He sat up, ver. 15. When the quickening voice 
of God reaches the heart of a sinner, his first business 
is to lift up his head to contemplate the awful state in 
which he is found, and the horrible pit over which he 
hangs, and look about for a deliverer from the hell 
that is moved from beneath to meet him at his coming. 

2. He began to speak. Prayer to God, for the sal- 
vation he needs, is indispensably requisite to every 
awakened sinner. Let him speak in prayer and praise ; 
prayer for present salvation, and praise, because he is 
still out of hell. Let him also declare the power and 
goodness of God which have thus rescued him from 
the bitter pains of an eternal death. 

3. He walked. He (Christ) presented him te his 
mother. ‘Those who were carrying the corpse having 
heard the voice of the young man, immediately laid 
down the bier, and the young man stepping directly 
on the ground, Jesus took him by the hand and con- 
ducted him to his mother. What a change from the 
deepest affliction to the highest ecstacy of joy must 
have now taken place in this widow’s heart! Happy 
moment !—when the quickening power of Christ 
restores a prodigal son to a disconsolate parent, and a 
member to Christ’s mystical body, the Church militant ' 


IV. The effect produced on the minds of the people. 

1. Fear seized them, ver. 16. A religious reve- 
rence penetrated their hearts, while witnessing the 
effects of the sovereign power of Christ. Thus should 
we contemplate the wonders of God’s grace in the 
conviction and conversion of sinners. 

2. They glorified God. They plainly saw that he 
had now visited his people: the miracle proclaimed 
his presence, and that a great prophet was risen among 
them, and they expect to be speedily instructed in all 
righteousness. The conversion of a sinner to God 
should be matter of public joy to all that fear his 
name; and should be considered as a full proof that 
the God of our fathers is still among their children. 
See verse 16. 

3. They published abroad the account. 'The work 
of the grace of God should be made known to all: 
the Gospel should be preached in every place ; and 
the miracle-working power of Christ every where 
recommended to notice. If those who are raised from 
the death of sin were more zealous in discoursing of, 
walking in, and recommending the Gospel of the grace 
of God, the kingdom of Christ would soon have a more 
extensive spread ; and the souls thus employed would 
be incessantly watered from on high. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Jesus preaches through every city and village, 1. 
by the parable of the sower, 4-8. 
prove by hearmg the Gospel, 16-18. 


cures a demoniac, 27-39. 
ter, 40—42. 
Jairus is dead, 49. 
life, 50-56. 

416 


Women minister to him, 2, 3. 

Explains it at large to his disciples, 9-15. 
His mother and brethren seek him, 19-21. 
go upon the lake, and are taken in a storm, 22-25. 


Instructs the multitudes 
Directions how to wm 

He and his disciples 
They arrive among the Gadarenes, 26, where he 


He returns from the Gadarenes, and is requested by Jairus to heal his daugh- 
On the way he cures a diseased woman, 43-48. 


Receives information that the daughter of 


Exhorts the father to believe; arrives at the house, and raises the dead child to 


1 


Christ preaches in the villages, 


A.M. 4031. 


es ND it came to pass afterward, 
An. Olymp. 
σ 1.3. 


that he went throughout every 

city and village, preaching and 

showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of 
God: and the twelve were with him, 

2 And * certain women which had been heal- 

ed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called 

Magdalene, > out of whom went seven devils, 


a Matt. xxvii. 55, 56.—— Mark xvi. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VIII. 

Verse 1. Throughout every city and village] That 
is, of Galilee. 

Verse 2. Out of whom went seven devils} Who had 
been possessed in a most extraordinary manner ; pro- 
bably a case of inveterate lunacy, brought on by the 
influence of evil spirits. The number seven may here 
express the superlative degree. 

Mary Magdalene is commonly thought to have been 
a prostitute before she came to the knowledge of 
Christ, and then to have been a remarkable penitent. 
So historians and painters represent her: but neither 
from this passage, nor from any other of the New 
Testament, can such a supposition be legitimately 
drawn. She is here represented as one who had been 
possessed with seven demons ; and as one among other 
women who had been healed by Christ of evi (or 
wicked) spirits and infirmities. As well might Joanna 
and Susanna, mentioned ver. 3, come in for a share of 
the censure as this Mary Magdalene; for they seem 
to have been dispossessed likewise by Jesus, according 
to St. Luke’s account of them. They had all had in- 
firmities, of what sort it is not said, and those infirmi- 
ties were occasioned by evil spirits within them; and 
Jesus had healed them all: but Mary Magdalene, by 
her behaviour, and constant attendance on Jesus in 
his life-time, at his crucifixion, and at his grave, seems 
to have exceeded all the other women in duty and 
respect to his person. Bishop Pearce. 

There is a marvellous propensity in commentators 
to make some of the women mentioned in the Sacred 
Writings appear as women of ill fame; therefore 
Rahab must be a harlot ; and Mary Magdalene, a pros- 
titute: and yet nothing of the kind can be proved 
either in the former or in the latter case ; nor in that 
mentioned chap. vii. 36, &c., where see the notes. 
Poor Mary Magdalene is made the patroness of peni- 
tent prostitutes, both by Papists and Protestants ; and 
to the scandal of her name, and the reproach of the 
Gospel, houses fitted up for the reception of such are 
termed Magdalene hospitals! and the persons them- 
selves Magdalenes! There is not only no proof that 
this person was such as commentators represent her, 
but there is the strongest presumptive proof against it : 
for, if she ever had been such, it would have been 
contrary to every rule of prudence, and every dictate 
of wisdom, for Christ and his apostles to have per- 
mitted such a person to associate with them, however 
fully she might have been converted to God, and how- 
ever exemplary her life, at that time, might have been. 
As the world, who had seen her conduct, and knew 
her character, (had she been such as is insinuated,) 

Von. I. Ca) 


CHAP. VIII. 


and women minister to him. 


3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Αἰ ΝΟ 03: 


Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and An. Olymp. 
many others, which ministered unto Ss 
him of their substance. 

4 9% © And when much people were gathered 
together, and were come to him out of every 
city, he spake by a parable: 


5 A sower went out to sow his seed : and as 


© Matt. xiii. 2; Mark iv. 1. 


could not see the inward change, and as they sought 
to overwhelm Christ and his disciples with obloquy 
and reproach on every occasion, they would certainly 
have availed themselves of so favourable an opportu- 
nity to subject the character and ministry of Christ to 
the blackest censure, had he permitted even a con- 
verted prostitute to minister to him and his disciples. 
They were ready enough to say that he was the friend 
of publicans and sinners, because he conversed with 
them in order to instruct and save their souls; but 
they could never say he was a friend of prostitutes, 
because it does not appear that such persons ever came 
to Christ ; or that he, in the way of his ministry, ever 
went to them. I conclude therefore that the common. 
opinion is a vile slander on the character of one of the 
best women mentioned in the Gospel of God; and a 
reproach cast on the character and conduct of Christ 
and his disciples. From the whole account of Mary 
Magdalene, it is highly probable that she was a person 
of great respectability in that place; such a person as 
the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, could associate 
with ; and a person on whose conduct or character the 
calumniating Jews could cast no aspersions. 

Verse 3. Herod’s steward) Though the original 
word, ἐπίτροπος, signifies sometimes the inspector or 
overseer of a province, and sometimes a tutor of chil- 
dren, yet here it seems to signify the overseer of 
Herod’s domestic affairs: the steward of his house- 
hold. Steward of the household was an office in the 
king’s palace by s. 24, of Hen. VIII. The person is 
now entitled lord steward of the king’s household, and 
the office is, I believe, more honourable and of more 
importance than when it was first created. Junius 
derives the word from the Islandic stivardur, which is 
compounded of stia, work, and dardur, a keeper, or 
overseer : hence our words, warder, warden, ward, guard, 
guardian, &e. The Greek word in Hebrew letters is 
frequent in the rabbinical writings, DANA, and 
signifies among them the deputy ruler of a province. 
See on chap. xvi. 1. In the Islandice version, it is 
forsfonarmanns. 

Unto him] Instead of avrw, to him, meaning Christ, 
many of the best MSS. and versions have αὐτοῖς, te 
them, meaning both our Lord and the twelve apostles, 
see ver. 1. ‘This is unquestionably the true meaning 
Christ receives these assistances and ministrations 
says pious Quesnel,— 

1. To honour poverty by subjecting himself to it. 

2. To humble himself in receiving from his crea- 
tures. 

3. That he may teach the ministers of the Gospel 
to depend on the providence of their heavenly Father. 

417 


The parable of the 


A.M.4081. he sowed, some fell by the 


An. Olymp. way side; and it was trodden 

Ene down, and the fowls of the air 
devoured it. 

6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon 
as it was sprung up, it withered away, because 
it lacked moisture. 

7 And some fell among thorns; and the 
thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang 
up, and bare fruit a hundred fold. And when 
he had said these things, he cried, He that 
hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

9 94 And his disciples asked him, saying, 
What might this parable be ? 

10 Andhe said, Unto you it is given to know 
the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to 
others in parables; “ that seeing they might 
not see, and hearing they might not understand. 

11 4 * Now the parable is this: The seed 
is the word of God. 

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; 
then cometh the devil, and taketh away the 
word out of their hearts, lest they should be- 
lieve and be saved. 


ST. LUKE. 


sower and his seed. 


13 They on the rock are they Ae ae 


which, when they hear, receive the An. Οἰγῶρ 
CCL 3 

word with joy; and these have no 

root, which for a while believe, and in time 

of temptation fall away. 

14 And that which fell among thorns are 
they which, when they have heard, go forth, 
and are choked with cares and riches and plea- 
sures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfee 
tion. 

15 But that on the good ground are they 
which, in an honest and good heart, having 
heard the word, keep 2t, and bring forth fruit 
with patience. 

16 Ἵ ὁ No man, when he hath lighted a can- 
dle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth 2¢ un 
der a bed; but setteth zt on a candlestick, that 
they which enter in may see the light. 

17 ἢ For nothing is secret, that shall not be 
made manifest; neither any thing hid, that 
shall not be known and come abroad. 

18 Take heed therefore how ye hear ; * for 
whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and 
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken 
even that which he * seemeth to have. 


4Matt. xiii. 10; Mark iv. 10. 6138. vi. 9; Mark iv. 12. 
{ Matt. xiii. 18; Mark iv. 14. Matt. v. 15; Mark iv. 21; 


chap. xi. 33—— Matt. x. 26; chap. xii. 2. ‘Matt. xii. 12 
xxv. 29; chap. xix. 26.—— Or, thinketh that he hath. 


4. To make way for the gratitude of those he had 
healed. And, 

5. That he might not be burthensome to the poor to 
whom he went to preach. 

Verse 5. A sower went out to sow] See all this 
parable largely explained on Matt. xiii. 1-23. 

Verse 12. Those by the way side] Bishop Prarce 
thinks that Luke by οἱ here means ozopo:, the seeds, 
though he acknowledges that he has never found 
such a word as o7opo: in the plural number signifying 
seeds. 

Verse 15. With patience.| Rather, with perseve- 
rance. The Greek word ὑπομονή, which our translators 
render patience, properly signifies here, and in Rom. 
ii. 7, perseverance. The good ground, because it is 
good, strong and vigorous, continues to bear: bad or 
poor sxound cannot produce a good crop, and besides 
it is very soon exhausted. The persons called the 
good ground in the text are filled with the power and 
influence of God, and therefore continue to bring forth 
fruit; i.e. they persevere in righteousness. From 
ihis we may learn that the perseverance of the saints, 
as it is termed, necessarily implies that they continue 
to bring forth fruit to the glory of God. Those who 
are not fruitful are not in a state of perseverance. 

Verse 16. Lighted a candle] This is a repetition 
of a part of our Lord’s sermon on the mount. See 
the notes on Matt. v. 15; x. 26; and on Mark iv. 
21, 22. 

Verse 17. For nothing is secret, &c.] Whatever I 

418 


teach you in private, ye shall teach publicly ; and ye 
shall illustrate and explain every parable now delivered 
to the people. 

Verse 18. Even that which he seemeth to have.] 
Or rather, even what he hath. ‘O doxer ἔχειν, rendered 
by our common version, what he seemeth to have, seems 
to me to contradict itself. Let us examine this sub- 
ject a little. 

1. To seem to have a thing, is only to have it in 
appearance, and not in reality ; but what is possessed 
in appearance only can only be taken away in appear- 
ance; therefore on the one side there is no gain, and 
on the other side no Joss. On this ground, the text 
speaks just nothing. 

2. It is evident that ὁ doxec exyew, what he seemeth 
to have, here, is equivalent to ὁ ever, what he hath, in 
the parallel places, Mark iv. 25; Matt. xii. 12; xxv. 
29; and in Luke xix. 26. . 

3. It is evident, also, that these persons had some- 
thing which might be taken away from them. For 1. 
The word of God, the Divine seed, was planted in 
their hearts. 2. It had already produced some good 
effects ; but they permitted the devil, the cares of the 
world, the desire of riches, and the love of pleasure, 
to destroy its produce. 

4. The word doxew is often an expletive: so Xeno- 
phon in Hellen, vi. ὁτε edoxet πατρίκος φιλος avratc, 
Because he seemed to be (i. 6. was) their father’s 
friend. So in his GEcon. Among the cities that 
seemed to be (δοκουσαις, actually were) at war. So 

(98 Ὁ) 


Who ave Christ’s relatives. 


A. M4031. 19 Ὑ 1 Then came to him his mo- 
An. Olymp. ther and his brethren, and could 
CCL.3. ᾿ 
not come at him for the press. 

20 And it was told him by certain which 
said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand with- 
out, desiring to see thee 

21 And he answered and said unto them, 
My mother and my brethren are these which 
hear the word of God, and do it. 

22 3] ™ Now it came to pass on a certain 
day, that he went into a ship with his disciples : 
and he said unto them, Let us go over unto 
the other side of the lake. And they launch- 
ed forth. 

23 But as they sailed he fell asleep; and 
there came down a storm of wind on the lake ; 
and they were filled with water, and were in 
jeopardy. 

24 And they came to him, and awoke him, 
saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he 
arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of 
the water; and they ceased, and there was a 
calm. 


CHAP. VIII. 


The disciples taken in a storm 


25 And he said unto them, 4,™ 4031. 
Where is your faith? And they on er 
being afraid wondered, saying one ἐν 
to another, What manner of man is this! for 
he commandeth even the winds and water, 
and they obey him. 

26 Ἵ 5 And they arrived at the country of 
the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 

27 And when he went forth to land, there 
met him out of the city, a certain man, which 
had devils long time, and ware no clothes, nei- 
ther abode in any house, but in the tombs. 

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and 
fell down before him, and with a loud voice 
said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou 
Son of God most high? I beseech thee, tor- 
ment me not. 

29 (For he had commanded the unclean 
spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes 
it had caught him; and he was kept bound 
with chains and in fetters; and he brake the 
bands, and was driven of the devil into the 
wilderness. ) 


1 Matt. xii. 46; Mark iii. 31. 


Athenaeus, lib. vi. chap. 4. They who seemed to be 
(δοκουντες, who really were) the most opulent, drank 
out of brazen cups. 

5. It often strengthens the sense, and is thus used 
by the very best Greek writers. ULpran, in one of 
his notes on Demosthenes’ Orat. Olinth. 1, quoted by 
Bishop Pearce, says expressly, τὸ δοκεῖν ov παντῶς ext 
ἀμφιβολου ταττουσιν οἱ παλαιοι, adda πολλακις Kat ETL 
τοῦ αληθευειν. The word δοκεῖν is used by the an- 
cients to express, not always what is doubtful, but 
oftentimes what is true and certain. And this is mani- 
feztly its meaning in Matt. ili. 9; Luke xxii. 24; 
John v. 39; 1 Cor. vii. 40; x. 12; xi. 16; Gal. ii. 
9; Phil. iii. 4; and in the text. See these meanings 
of the word established beyond the possibility of suc- 
cessful contradiction, in Bishop Prarce’s notes on 
Mark x. 42, and in Kypxe in loc. See also the notes 
on Matt. xiii. 12. 

Verse 19. His mother and brethren] See the notes 
on Matt. xii. 46, &c., and on Mark iii. 31, &e. 

Verse 22. Let us go over, &c.] See on Matt. viii. 
24, &c., and Mark iv. 36—41. 

Verse 23. There came down a storm of wind— 
and they—were in jeopardy.| This is a parallel pas- 
sage to that in Jonah i. 4. There was a mighty tem- 
pest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken: 
the latter clause of which is thus translated by the 
Septuagint : καὶ to πλοῖον εκινδυνευε του συντριβηναι, 
And the ship was in the utmost danger of being dash- 
ed to peces. This is exactly the state of the disciples 
here ; and it is remarkable that the very same word, 
exwdvvevov, which we translate, were in jcopardy, is 
used by the evangelist, which is found in the Greek 

1 


m Matt. vii. 23; Mark iv. 35.——» Matt. vili. 28; Mark v. 1. 

version above quoted. The word jeopardy, an inex- 
pressive French term, and utterly unfit for the place 
which it now occupies, is properly the exclamation of 
a disappointed gamester, Jeu perdu! The game is 
lost! or, jai perdu! I have lost! i. 6. the game. 

Verse 25. Whereis your faith?] Ye have a power 
to believe, and yet do not exercise it! Depend on God. 
Ye have little faith, (Matt. viii. 26,) because you do 
not use the grace which I have already given you. 
Many are looking for more faith without using that 
which they have. It is as possible to hide this talent 
as any other. 

Verse 26. The country of the Gadarenes] Or, 
according to several MSS., Gerasenes or Gergasenes. 
See on Matt. viii. 28, and Mark vy. 1. 

Verse 27. A certain man] See the ease of this de- 
moniac considered at large, on the parallel places, Matt. 
viii. 28-34; Mark v. 1-20. In India deranged 
persons walk at liberty through the streets and coun- 
try in all manner of dresses; sometimes entirely 
naked; and often perish while strolling from place to 
place. It is the same in Jreland, as there are no pub- 
lie asylums either there or in India for insane people. 

Verse 28. Jesus, thou Son of God most high| The 
words Jesus and God are both omitted here by several 
MSS. I think it is very likely that the demons men- 
tioned neither. They were constrained in a summary 
way to acknowledge his power; but itis probable they 
did not pronounce names which were of such dreadful 
import to themselves. The words which they spoke 
on the occasion seem to have been these: What is τὲ 
to thee and me, O Son of the most high? See the 
| note on Matt, vill. 29. 


419 


Christ cures a demomac. 


a, M4031. 80. And Jesus asked him, saying, 


An. Olymp. What is thy name? And he said, 
be Legion : because many devils were 
entered into him. 

31 And they besought him that he would 
not command them to go out ° into the deep. 

32 And there was there a herd of many swine 
feeding on the mountain: and they besought 
him that he would suffer them to enter into 
them. And he suffered them. 

33 Then went the devils out of the man, 
and entered into the swine: and the herd ran 
violently down a steep place into the lake, and 
were choked. 

34 When they that fed them saw what was 
done, they fled, and went and told 2 in the 
city and in the country. 

35 Then they went out to see what was 
done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, 
out of whom the devils were departed, sitting 
at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right 
mind : and they were afraid. 

36 They also which saw it, told them by 
what means he that was possessed of the de- 
vils was healed. 

37 » Then the whole multitude of the country 
of the Gadarenes round about 4 besought him 
to depart from them ; for they were taken with 


© Rev. xx. 3.——P Matt. viii. 34.——4 Acts xvi. 39. 


ST. LUKE. 


A diseased woman healed 


ε ᾿ A.M, 4031, 
great fear ; and he went up into “,"p.21. 
the ship, and returned back again. An. Clyro 


38 Now ‘the man out of whom 
the devils were departed, besought him that 
he might be with him; but Jesus sent him 
away, saying, 

39 Return to thine own house, and show 
how great things God hath done unto thee. 
And he went his way, and published through 
out the whole city, how great things Jesus had 
done unto him. 

40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus 
was returned, the people gladly received him; 
for they were all waiting for him. 

41 4 " And, behold, there came a man named 
Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue ; 
and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought 
him that he would come into his house : 

42 For he had one only daughter, about 
twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But 
as he went the people thronged him. 

43 4 t And a woman, having an issue of 
blood twelve years, which had spent ali her 
living upon physicians, neither could be healed 
of any, 

44 Came behind him, and touched the bor- 
der of his garment; and immediately her issue 
of blood stanched. 


τ Mark v. 18. 


5 Matt. ix. 18; Mark v. 22. Matt. ix. 20. 


Verse 31. And they besought him that he would not 
command them to go out into the deep.| In the Chal- 
daic philosophy, mention is made of certain material 
demons, who are permitted to wander about on the 
earth, and are horribly afraid of being sent into abysses 
and subterranean places. Psellus says, De Demoni- 
dus: ‘These material demons fearing to be sent into 
abysses, and standing in awe of the angels who send 
them thither, if even a man threaten to send them thi- 
ther and pronounce the names of those angels whose 
office that is, it is inexpressible how much they will be 
affrighted and troubled. So great will their astonish- 
ment be, that they cannot discern the person that 
threatens them. And though it be some old woman or 
little old man that menaces them, yet so great is their fear 
that they depart as if the person who menaces had a 
powertokillthem.” See Stanley’s Chaldaic Philosophy. 

Verse 33. Then went the devilsout of the man, and 
entered into the swine] Some critics and commenta- 
tors would have us te understand all this of the man 
himself, who, they say, was a most outrageous maniac ; 
and that, being permitted by our Lord, he ran after the 
swine, and drove them all down a precipice into the 
sea! This is solemn trifling indeed ; or, at least, trifling 
with solemn things. It is impossible to read over the 
account, as given here by Luke, and adiit this mode 

420 


of explanation. The devils went out of the man, and 
entered into the swine; i. e. the madman ran after the 
swine! On this plan of interpretation there is nothing 
certain in the word of God; and every man may give 
it what meaning he pleases. Such comments are in- 
tolerable. 

Verse 34. They fled, and went and told it] Are?- 
θοντες, They went, is omitted by almost every MS. of 
repute, and by the best of the ancient versions. Gries- 
bach leaves it out, and with propriety too, as it is not 
likely that so correct a writer as Luke would say, 
They fled, and went and told it. 

Verse 40. Gladly received him] This is the proper 
import of the word arxedefaro ; therefore our transla- 
tors needed not to have put g/ad/y in Italics, as though 
it were not expressed in the text. Raphelius gives 
several proofs of this in loc. 

Verse 41. A man named Jairus] See these two 
miracles—the raising of Jairus’s daughter, and the 
cure of the afflicted woman—considered and explain- 
ed at large, on Matt. ix. 18-26, and Mark v. 22-43. 

Verse 42. The people thronged him.] Συνεπνιγον 
avrov-—almost suffocated him—so great was the throng 
about him. 

Verse 43. Spent all her living upon physicians] 
See the note on Mark νυ. 26. 

1 


The daughter of 


A.M. 45 And Jesus said, Who touch- 


aD on 
When all denied, Peter 


An. Olymp. ed me? 
———— and they that were with him said, 
Master, the multitude throng thee and press 
thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 

46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched 
me; for I perceive “ that virtue is gone out 
of me. 

47 And when the woman saw that she was 
not hid, she came trembling, and falling down 
before him, she declared unto him before all 
the people for what cause she had touched 
him, and how she was healed immediately. 

48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of 
good comfort : thy faith hath made thee whole ; 
go in peace. 

49 Ἵ * While he yet spake, there cometh 
one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, 
saying to him, Thy daughter is dead ; trouble 
not the Master. 


“Mark v. 30; chap. vi. 19. ¥ Mark v. 35.——¥ John xi. 
11, 13. 


᾽ 


Verse 46. I perceive that virtue] δυναμιν, Divine 
or miraculous power. This Divine emanation did not 
proceed always from Christ, as necessarily as odours 
do from plants, for then all who touched him must 
have been equally partakers of it. Of the many that 
touched him, this woman and none else received this 
Divine virtue; and why? Because she came in faith. 
Faith alone attracts and receives the energetic influ- 
ence of God at all times. There would be more mi- 
racles, at least of spiritual healing, were there more 
faith among those who are called believers. 

Verse 54. He put themall out] That is, the pipers 
and those who made a noise, weeping and lamenting. 
See Matt. ix. 23; Mark v. 38. Pompous funeral 
ceremonies are ridiculous in themselves, and entirely 
opposed to the spirit and simplicity of the religion of 
Christ. Every where they meet with his disapprobation. 


CHAP. VIII. 


Javrus raised to life. 


50 Ἵ But when Jesus heard it, 4M, 4031. 
he answered him, saying, Fear An. Olymp. 
not; believe only, and she shall 
be made whole. 

51 And when he came into the house, he 
suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and 
James, and John, and the father and the mo- 
ther of the maiden. 

52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he 
said, Weep not; she is not dead, τ but sleepeth. 

53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing 
that she was dead. 

54 And he put them all out, and took her 
by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, * arise 

55 And her spirit came again, and she arose 
straightway : and he commanded to give her’ 
meat. 

56 And her parents were astonished; but 
Υ he charged them that they should tell no man 
what was done. 


* Chap. vii. 14; John xi. 43.—y Matt. viii. 4; ix. 30; Mark 
ν. 43. 


Verse 55. And he commanded to give her meat.} 
Though she was raised to life by a miracle, she was 
not to be preserved by a miracle. Nature is God’s 
great instrument, and he delights to work by it; nor 
will he do any thing by his sovereign power, in the 
way of miracle, that can be effected by his ordinary 
providence. Again, God will have us be workers 
together with him: he provides food for us, but he 
does not eat for us; we eat for ourselves, and are thus 
nourished on the bounty that God has provided. With-. 
out the food, man cannot be nourished ; and, unless he 
eat the food, it can be of no use to him. So, God 
provides salvation for a lost world, and bestows it on 
every penitent believing soul; but he neither repents 
nor believes for any man. A man repents and be- 
lieves for himself, under the succours of God’s 


grace. 


CHAPTER IX. 


Christ sends his apostles to preach and work miracles, 1-6. 


Herod, hearing of the fame of Jesus, 1s per- 


plexed ; some suppose that John Baplist is risen from the dead ; others, that Elijah or one of the old 


prophets was come to life, 7-9. 


two fishes, 12-17. 
22. 
deny him before men, 26. 
his passion, 44, 45. 


not receive him, 51—56. 
who asks permission first to bury his father, 59. 
l 


The apostles return and relate the success of their mission. 
to a retired place, and the people follow him, 10, 11. 
He asks his disciples what the public think of him, 18-21. 
Shows the necessity of self-denial, and the importance of salvation, 23-25. 
The transfiguration, 27-36. 
The disciples contend who shall be greatest, 46—48. 
devils in Christ’s name, but did not associate with the disciples, 49, 50. 

Of the man who wished to follow Jesus, 57, 58. 

Our Lord’s answer, 60-62. 


He goes 
He feeds five thousand men with five loaves and 
Foretells his passion, 
Threatens those who- 
Cures a demoniac, 37-43. Again foretells 

Of the person who cast out 
Of the Samaritans who would 
He calls another disciple, 


421 


The twelve disciples sent 


A HEN * he called his twelve dis- 
An, Olymp. ciples together, and gave them 


power and authority over all devils, 
and to cure diseases. 

2 And” he sent them to preach the kingdom 
of Ged, and to heal the sick. 

3 cAnd he saiduntothem, Take nothing for your 
journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, 
neither money ; neither have two coats apiece. 

4 “And whatsoever house ye enter into, there 
abide, and thence depart. 

5 ° And whosoever will not receive you, when 
ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust 
from your feet for a testimony against them. 

6 = And they departed, and went through 
the towns, preaching the Gospel, and healing 
every where. 

A. M. 4032. 7 9» Now Herod the tetrarch 
An, Qiymp. heard of all that was done by him: and 

he was perplexed, because that it was 
said of some, that John was risen from the dead : 

8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and 
of others, that one of the old prophets was risen 
again. 

9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded : 


2 Matt. x. 1; Mark iii. 13; vi. 7. b Matt. x. 7,8; Mark vi. 
12; chap. x. 1, 9. © Matt. x. 9; Mark vi. 8; chap. x. 4; xxii. 
35.—4 Matt. x. 11; Mark vi. 10. e Matt. x. 14. 


ST. LUKE. 


out to preach and to heal 


iis A. M. 4032. 
but who is this, of whom I hear 4, aos 


such things? 
see him. eee 

10 Ἵ * And the spate, when they were re 
turned, told him all that they had done. ! Andhe 
took them, and went aside privately into a desert 
place belonging to the city called Bethsaida ; 

11 And the people, when they knew τέ, fol- 
lowed him; and he received them, and spake 
unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed 
them that had need of healing. 

12 Ἵ ™And when the day began to wear 
away, then came the twelve, and said unto 
him, Send the multitude away, that they may 
go into the towns and country round about, 
and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here 
in a desert place. 

13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to 
eat. And they said, We have no more but 
five loaves and two fishes; except we should 
go and buy meat for all this people. 

14 For they were about five thousand men. 
And he said to his disciples, Make them sit 
down by fifties in a company. 

15 And they did so, and made themall sit down. 


i And he desired to An, Clymer. 


f Acts xiii. 51. Mark vi. 12——» Matt. xiv. 1; Mark vi. 
14- i Chap. xxiil. 8 Mark vi. 30.—! Matthew xiv. 13. 
m Matt. xiv. 15; Mark vi. 35; John vi. 1, 5. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IX. 

Verse 1. Power and authority] δυναμιν καὶ εξου- 
ciav. The words properly mean here, the power to 
work miracles ; and that authority by which the whole 
demoniac system was to be subjected to them. The 
reader will please to observe : 1. That Luke mentions 
both demons and diseases; therefore he was either 
mistaken, or demons and diseases are not the same. 
2. The treatment of these two was not the same :— 
the demons were to be cast out, the diseases to be 
healed. See Matt. x. 1. 

Verse 2. To preach the kingdom of God] For an 
explication of this phrase, see on Matt. ii. 1. 

Verse 3. Take nothing] See on Mark vi. 7, 8. 

Neither money| See on Matt. x. 9. 

Neither have two coats| Show that in all things ye 
are ambassadors for God; and go on his charges. 

Verse 4. There abide, and thence depart.| That is, 
remain in that lodging till ye depart from that city. 
Some MSS. and versions add μη, which makes the fol- 
lowing sense: There remain, and depart nov thence. 
See the note on Matt. x. 11. 

Verse 7. Herod the tetrarch] See on Matt. il. 1; xiv. 1. 

By him] This is omitted by BCDL, two others, the 
Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, and four of the Itala. It 
is probable that Luke might have written, Herod, hear- 
ing of all the things that were done, &c. ; but Matthew 
says particularly, that it was the fame of Jesus of 
which he heard: chap. xiv. 1. 

422 


He was perplexed| He was greatly perplered— 
διηπορει" from δια emphat. and axopew, I am in per- 
plexity. It is a metaphor taken from a traveller, who 
in his journey meets with several paths, one only of 
which leads to the place whither he would go; and, 
not knowing which to take, he is distressed with per- 
plexity and doubt. The verb comes from a, negative, 
and πορος, a way or passage. A guilty conscience is a 
continual pest:—Herod had murdered John, and he is 
terribly afraid, lest he should arise from the dead, and 
bring his deeds to light, and expose him to that punish - 
ment which he deserved. See Mark vi. 16. 

Verse 10. Told him all] Related distinctly—éemyn- 
σαντο, from δια, through, and ἦγεομαι, I declare - 
hence the whole of this Gospel, because of its relating 
every thing so particularly, is termed diqynotc, chap. 
i. 1, a particular and circumstantially detailed narra- 
tion. See on Mark vi. 30. 

Verse 11. The people—followed him] Observe here 
five grand effects of Divine grace. 1. The people 
are drawn to follow him. 2. He kindly receives them. 
3. He instructs them in the things of God. 4. He 
heals all their diseases. 5. He feeds their bodies and 
their souls. See Quesnel. Reader! Jesus is the same to 
the present moment. Follow him, and he will receive, 
instruct, heal, feed, and save thy soul unto eternal life. 

Verse 12. Send the multitude away] See this mi- 
racle explained at large, on the parallel places, Matt 
xiv. 15-21; Mark vi. 36—44. 

1 


Ihe confession of Peter. 


A.M. 4032. 16 Then he took the five loaves 

A. D. 28. 

An. Olymp. and the two fishes, and looking up 

to heaven, he blessed them, and 
brake, and gave to the disciples to set before 
the multitude. 

17 And they did eat, and were all filled: 
and there was taken up of fragments that re- 
mained to them, twelve baskets. 

18 Ἵ "And it came to pass, as he was alone 
praying, his disciples were with him: and he 
asked them, saying, Whom say the people that 
Iam? 

19 They answering said, ° John the Baptist; 
but some say, Elias ; and others say, that one 
of the old prophets is risen again. 

20 He said unto them, But whom say ye 
that lam? ” Peter answering said, The Christ 
of God. 

21 4 And he straitly charged them, and com- 
manded them to tell no man that thing ; 

22 Saying, *'The Son of man must suffer 
many things, and be rejected of the elders and 
chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be 
raised the third day. 

23 Ἵ * And he said to them all, If any man 


* Matt. xvi. 13; Mark viii. 27.——° Matt. xiv. 2; verses 7, 8. 
¥ Matt. xvi. 16; John vi. 69. 4 Matt. xvi. 20.— Matt. xvi. 21; 
xvil. 22. 5 Matt. x. 38; xvi. 24; Mark viii. 34; chap. xiv. 27. 


Verse 16. Then he took the five loaves| A minister 
of the Gospel, who is employed to feed souls, should 
imitate this conduct of Christ : 

1. He ought to exhort the people to hear with sedate 
and humble reverence. 

2. He should first take the dread of life himself, 
that he may be strengthened to feed others. 

3. He ought frequently to lift his soul to God, in 
order to draw down the Divine blessing on himself and 
his hearers. 

4. He should break the loaves—divide rightly the 
word of truth, and give to all such portions as are 
suited to their capacities and states. 

5. What he cannot perform himself, he should en- 
deayour to effect by the ministry of others; employ- 
ing every promising talent, for the edification of the 
whole, which he finds among the members of the 
Church of God. Under such a pastor, the flock of 
Christ will increase and multiply. See Quesnel. 

Verse 18. Whom say the people} Oi οχλοι, the 
common people, i.e. the mass of the people. See 
this question considered on Matt. xvi. 13, &e. 

Verse 20. But whom say ye that Iam?) Whom 
do ye tell the people that lam? What do ye preach 
concerning met See also on Matt. xvi. 14; and see 
the observations at the end of this chapter. 

The Christ of God.| The Coptic and later Persic 
read, Thou art Christ God. After this comes in 
Peter's confession of our Lord, as related Matt. xvi. 

1 


CHAP. IX. 


The importance of salvation 


will come after me, let him deny 4; ™; 1032 
himself, and take up his cross daily, An. Olymp. 
and follow me. Wh 

24 For whosoever will save his life shall 
lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for 
my sake, the same shall save it. 

25 * For what is a man advantaged, if he 
gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be 
cast away? 

26 "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, 
and of my words, of him shall the Son of man 
be ashamed, when he shall come in his own 
glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy 
angels. 

27 ἡ But I tell you of a truth, there be some 
standing here, which shall not taste of death, 
till they see the kingdom of God. 

28 Ἵ ἡ And it came to pass about an eight 
days after these * sayings, he took Peter, and 
John, and James, and went up into a moun- 
tain to pray. 

29 Andas he prayed, the fashion of his coun- 
tenance was altered, and his raiment was white 
and glistering. 

30 And, behold, there talked with him 

' Matt. xvi. 26; Mark viii. 36. u Matt. x. 33; Mark viii. 


38; 2 Tim. i. 12. Vv Matt. xvi. 28; Mark ix. 1.——w Matt. 
xvii. 1; Mark ix. 2. x Or, things. 


16, &c., where see the notes; and see also the obser- 
vations of Granville Sharp, Esq., at the end of this 
chapter. 

Verse 23. If any man will come after me] See on 
Matt. xvi. 24, and on Mark viii. 34, where the na- 
ture of proselytism among the Jews is explained. 

Daily) Kaé’ ἥμεραν is omitted by many reputable 
MSS., versions, and fathers. It is not found in the 
parallel places, Matt. xvi. 24 ; Mark viii. 34. 

Verse 24. Will save his life] See on Matt. xvi 
24, ἄς. 

Verse 25. Lose himself] That is, his life or soul. 
See the parallel places, Matt. xvi. 25; Mark viii. 35, 
and especially the note on the former. 

Or be cast away ?| Or receive spiritual damage- - 
ἢ ζημιωϑεις. 1 have added the word spiritual here, 
which I conceive to be necessarily implied. Because, 
if a man received only temporal damage in some re- 
spect or other, yet gaining the whole world must am- 
ply compensate him. But if he should receive spiritual 
damage—hurt to his soul in the smallest degree, the 
possession of the universe could not indemnify him. 
Earthly goods may repair earthly losses, but they can- 
not repair any breach that may be made in the peace 
or holiness of the soul. See on Matt. xvi. 26. 

Verse 26. Ashamed of me] See on Mark viii. 38. 

Verse 28. About an eight days after] See the 
whole of this important transaction explained at large 
on Matt. xvii. 1-13. 

423 


The transfiguration. 


A, M.4082. two men, which were Moses and 
. . oo. 


An. Olymp. Elias ἡ 

ae 31 Who appeared in glory, and 
spake of his decease which he should accom- 
plish at Jerusalem. 

32 But Peter and they that were with him 
Y were heavy with sleep : and when they were 
awake, they saw his glory, and the two men 
that stood with him. 

33 And it came to pass, as they departed 
from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is 
good for us to be here: and let us make three 
tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, 
and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. 

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, 
and overshadowed them: and they feared as 
they entered into the cloud : 

35 And there came a voice out of the 
cloud, saying, * This is my beloved Son: 
“hear him, 

36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was 
found alone. *And they kept zt close, and told 
no man in those days any of those things which 
they had seen. 


y Dan. viii. 18; x. 9. z Matt. iii. 17.—— Acts iii. 22. 


ST. LUKE. 


Christ cures a demoniae 


37 I ° And it came to pass, that 4, M4032. 
on the next day, when they were An. oar 
come down from the hill, much 
people met him. 

38 And, behold, a man of the company cried 
out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon 
my son: for he is mine only child. 

39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he sud- 
denly crieth out; and it teareth him that he 
foameth again, and bruising him, hardly de 
parteth from him. 

40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him 
out: and they could not. 

41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless 
and perverse generation, how long shall I be 
with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 

42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil 
threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus 
rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the 
child, and delivered him again to his father. 

43 9 And they were all amazed at the 
mighty power of God. But while they won- 
dered every one at all things which Jesus did, 
he said unto his disciples, 


b Matt. xvii. 9. 


© Matt. xvii. 14; Mark ix. 14, 17. 


Verse 31.- His decease] Τὴν efodov αὐτου, That 
going out (or death) of his. That peculiar kind of 
death—its nature, circumstances, and necessity being 
considered. Instead of efodov, thirteen MSS. have 
δοξαν, glory. They spoke of that glory of his, which 
he was ubout to fill up (xAnpovv) at Jerusalem. The 
Ethiopic unites both readings. The death of Jesus 
was his glory, because, by it, he gained the victory 
yver sin, death, and hell, and purchased salvation and 
eternal glory for a lost world. 

Verse 33. Itis good for us ἐο be here] Some MSS. 
add παντοτε, It is good for us to be auways here. 

Verse 35. This is my beloved Son] Instead of 
ὁ ayarntoc, the beloved one, some MSS. and versions 
have exAexroc, the chosen one: and the Aithiopic trans- 
lator, as in several other cases, to be sure of the true 
reading, retains doth. 

In whom I am well pleased, or have delighted—is 
added by some very ancient MSS. _ Perhaps this ad- 
dition is taken from Matt. xvii. 5. 

Verse 37. Much people] See on Matt. xvii. 14. 

Verse 39. A spirit taketh him, and he suddenly 
crieth out] Πνεῦμα λαμβανει αὐτον. This very phrase 
is used by heathen writers, when they speak of super- 
natural influence. The following, from Herodotus, 
will make the matter, I hope, quite plain. Speaking 
of Scyles, king of the Scythians, who was more fond 
ΟἹ Grecian manners and customs than of those of his 
countrymen, and who desired to be privately initiated 
into the Bacchic mysteries, he adds: ‘‘ Now because 
the Scythians reproach the Greeks with these Bac- 
shanals, and say that to imagine a god driving men 

424 


inte paroxysms of madness is not agreeable to sound 
reason, a certain Borysthenian, while the king was 
performing the ceremonies of initiation, went out, and 
discovered the matter to the Scythian army in these 
words: ‘Ye Scythians ridicule us because we cele- 
brate the Bacchanals, καὶ ἡμεας ὁ ϑεος AAMBANEI, and 
the GoD PossEssEs us: but now the same demon, οὗτος 
ὁ δαίμων, has TAKEN POSSESSION, AEAABHKE, of your 
king, for he celebrates the Bacchanals, and ὑπο τοῦ 
ϑεου μαίνεται, is filled with fury by this god.” Herodot. 
1. iv. p. 250, edit. Gale. 

This passage is exceedingly remarkable. ‘The very 
expressions which Luke uses here are made use of by 
Herodotus. A demon, δαίμων, is the agent in the 
Greek historian, and a demon is the agent in the case 
mentioned in the text, ver. 42. In doth cases it is said 
the demon possesses the persons, and the very same 
word, λαμβάνει, is used to express this in both histori- 
ans. Both historians show that the possessions were 
real, by the effects produced in the persons: the hea- 
then king rages with fury through the influence of the 
demon called the god Bacchus; the person in the 
text screams out, (kpater,) is greatly convulsed, and 
foams at the mouth. Here was a real possession, 
and such as often took place among those who were 
worshippers of demons. 

Verse 42. The devil threw him down, and tare him.; 
See this case considered at large, on Matt. xvii. 15— 
18, and on Mark ix. 14-27. 

Verse 43. The mighty power] Thismajesty of God, 
μεγαλειοτητι Tov Θεου. They plainly saw that it was 
a case in which any power inferior to that of Ged 


The necessity of humility. 
A.M g” 44 ἃ Let these sayings sink down 
An, a into your ears: for the Son of 

man shall be delivered into the 
hands of men. 

45 ° But they understood not this saying, 
and it was hid from them, that they perceived 
it not: and they feared to ask him of that 
saying. 

46 Ἵ ‘ Then there arose a reasoning among 
them, which of them should be greatest. 

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their 
heart, took a child, and set him by him, 

48 And said unto them, 5 Whosoever shall 
receive this child in my name receiveth me: 
and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him 
that sent me: δ for he that is least among you 
all, the same shall be great. 

49 4 ‘And John answered and said, Master, 
we saw one casting out devils in thy name ; 


CHAP. IX. 


The Samaritans reject Christ 


and we forbade him, because he 4,™, 1032. 
followeth not with us. 

50 And Jesus said unto him, For- 
bid him not: for * he that is not against us is 
for us. 

51 9 And it came to pass, when the time 
was come that !he should be received up, he 
steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 

52 And sent messengers before his face, 
and they went, and entered into a village of 
the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 

53 And ™ they did not receive him, because 
his face was as though he would go to Je- 
rusalem. 

54 And when his disciples James and John 
saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we 
command fire to come down from heaven, and 
consume them, even as ™ Elias did? 

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and 


An. Olymp. 
CCL. 4. 


4 Matthew xvii. 22. © Mark ix. 32; chap. ii. 50; xviii. 34. 
{ Matt. xviii. 1; Mark ix. 34——s Matt. x. 40; xviii.5; Mark 
ix. 37; John xii. 44; xiii. 20. 


h Matt. xxiii. 11, 12——i Mark ix. 38; see Num. xi. 28, 
k See Matt. xii. 30; chap. xi. 23——! Mark xvi. 19; Actsi 2 
m John iv. 4, 9. n2 Kings i. 10, 12. 


evuld be of no avail; and they were deeply struck 
with the majesty of God manifested in the conduct of 
the blessed Jesus. 

Verse 44. Let these sayings sink down into your 
ears| Or, put these words into your ears. Τὸ other 
words, you may lend occasional attention—but to what 
concerns my sufferings and death you must ever listen. 
Let them constantly oceupy a place in your most se- 
tious meditations and reflections. 

Verse 45. But they understood not] See the note 
on Mark ix. 32. 

Verse 46. There arose a reasoning] Fone de 
διαλογισμας, A dialogue took place—one inquired, 
and another answered, and so on. See this subject 
explained on Matt. xviii. 1, &e. 

Verse 49. We forbade him] See this subject con- 
sidered on Mark ix. 38, &c. 

Verse 51. That he should be received up| Bishop 
Pearce says: “I think the word ἀναληψεως must sig- 
nify, of Jesus’s retiring or withdrawing himself, and 
not of his being received up: because the word 
συμπληρουσϑαι, here used before it, denotes a time 
completed, which that of his ascension was not then. 
The sense is, that the time was come, when Jesus was 
no longer to retire from Judea and the parts about Je- 
rusalem as he had hitherto done ; for he had lived alto- 
gether in Galilee, lest the Jews should have laid hold 
on him, before the work of his ministry was ended, 
and full proofs of his Divine mission given, and some 
of the prophecies concerning him accomplished. John 
says, chap. vii. 1: Jesus walked in Galilee; for he 
would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to 
kill him. Let it be observed, that all which follows 
ere in Luke, to chap. xix. 45, is represented by him 
as done by Jesus in his last journey from Galilee to 
Jerusalem.” 


He steadfastly set his face] That is, after proper 
and mature deliberation, he chose now to go up to 
Jerusalem, and firmly determined to accomplish his 
design. 

Verse 52. Sent messengers] ἈΑγγελους, angels, 
literally ; but this proves that the word angel signifies 
a messenger of any kind, whether Divine or human. 
The messengers in this case were probably James and 
John. 

Verse 53. His face was] They saw he was going 
up to Jerusalem to keep the feast ; (it was the feast of 
tabernacles, John vii. 2;) and knowing him thereby 
to be a Jew, they would afford nothing for his enter- 
tainment; for, in religious matters, the Samaritans 
and Jews had no dealings: see John iv. 9. The 
Samaritans were a kind of mongrel heathens; they 
feared Jehovah, and served other gods, 2 Kings xvii. 
34. They apostatized from the true religion, and per- 
secuted those who were attached to it. See an 
account of them, Matt. xvi. 1. Those only who have 
deserted the truth of God, or who are uninfluenced by 
it, hate them who embrace and act by it. When a 
man has once decidedly taken the road to heaven, he 
can have but little credit any longer in the world, 1 
John iii. 1. 

Verse 54. That we command fire] Vengeance 
belongs to the Lord. What we suffer for his sake, 
should be left to himself to reprove or punish. The 
insult is offered to him, not to us. See the note on 
Mark iii. 17. 

Verse 55. Ye know not what manner of spirit ye 
are of.| Ye do not consider that the present is a dis 
pensation of infinite mercy and love; and that the 
design of God is not to destroy sinners, but to give 
them space to repent, that he may save them unto 
eternal life. And ye do not consider that the zeal: 

425 


The Son of man hath 


Agel 4032. said, Ye know not what manner of 
An. Olymp. spirit ye are of. 

56 For °the Son of man is not 
come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. 
And they went to another village. 

57 “1 » And it came to pass, that, as they 
went in the way, a certain man said unto him, 
Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou 
goest. 

58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have 
holes, and birds of the air have nests ; but the 
Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 


© John iii. 17; xii. 47——P Matt. viii. 19.——4 Matt. viii. 21. 


which you feel springs from an evil principle, being 
more concerned for your own honour than for the 
honour of God. The disciples of that Christ who died 
for his enemies should never think of avenging them- 
selves on their persecutors. 

Verse 56. And they went to another village.] 
Which probably did entertain them; being, perhaps, 
without the Samaritan borders. 

The words, Ye know not of what spirit ye are; for 
the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but 
to save them, are wanting in ABCEGHLS-—V, and in 
many others. Griesbach leaves the latter clause out 
of the text. It is probable that the most ancient MSS. 
read the passage thus: But he turned, and rebuked 
them, and said, Ye know not of what spirit ye are. 
And they went to another village. See the authori- 
ties in GrinsBAcH. 

Verse 57. A certain man] He was a scribe. See 
on Matt. viii. 19-22. It is probable that this took 
place when Christ was at Capernaum, as Matthew re- 
presents it, and not on the way to Jerusalem through 
Samaria. 

Verse 61. Another also said] This circumstance is 
not mentioned by any of the other evangelists ; and 
Matthew alone mentions the former case, ver. 57, 58. 

Let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home} 
Ἐπιτρεψον μοι ἀποταξασθαι τοῖς εἰς Tov οἶκον μου---- Βεγ- 
mit me to set in order my affairs at home. Those who 
understand the Greek text will see at once that it will 
bear this translation well; and that this is the most 
natural. This person seems to have had in view the 
case of Elisha, who made a similar request to the Pro- 
phet Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 19, 20, which request was 
granted by the prophet; but our Lord, seeing that this 
person had too much attachment to the earth, and that 
his return to worldly employments, though for a short 
time, was likely to become the means of stifling the 
good desires which he now felt, refused to grant him 
that permission. That which we object to the execu- 
tion of God’s designs is sometimes the very thing from 
which we should immediately disengage ourselves. 

Verse 62. Put his hand to the plough] Can any 
person properly discharge the work of the ministry 
who is engaged in secular employments? A farmer 
and a minister of the Gospel are incompatible charac- 
ters. 

426 


ST. LUKE. 


not where to lay his head. 


59.%And he said unto another, 4,™, 40% 


Followme. But he said, Lord, suffer An. Olymp 
me first to go and bury my father. : 

60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury 
their dead: but go thou and preach the king- 
dom of God. 

61 And another also said, Lord, *I will fol- 
low thee ; but let me first go bid them fare- 
well which are at home at my house. 

62 And Jesus said unto him, No man hay- 
ing put his hand to the plough, *and looking 
back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 


T See 1 Kings xix. 20, 21——* Gen. xix. 17, 21; 2 Pet. ii. 21. 


ona straight furrow if he look behind him; so he who 
is employed in the work of the ministry cannot do the 
work of an evangelist, if he turn his desires to worldly 
profits. A good man has said: ‘ He who thinks it 
necessary to cultivate the favour of the world is not 
far from betraying the interests of God and his 
Church.” Such a person ἐς not fit, εὐθετος, properly 
disposed, has not his mind properly directed towards 
the heavenly inheritance, and is not fit to show the 
way to others. In both these verses there is a plain 
reference to the call of Elisha. See 1 Kings xix. 
19, &e. 


1. Consiperine the life of mortification and self 
denial which Christ and his disciples led, it is surpris- 
ing to find that any one should voluntarily offer to be 
his disciple. But there is such an attractive influence 
in truth, and such a persuasive eloquence in the con- 
sistent steady conduct of a righteous man, that the 
first must have admirers, and the latter, imitators. 
Christianity, as it is generally exhibited, has little 
attractive in it; and it is no wonder that the eross of 
Christ is not prized, as the blessings of it are not 
known; and they can be known and exhibited by him 
only who follows Christ fully. 

2. It is natural for man to wish to do the work of 
God in his own spirit; hence he is ready to call down 
fire and brimstone from heaven against those who do 
not conform to his own views of things. A spirit of 
persecution is abominable. Had man the government 
of the world, in a short time, not only sects and par- 
ties, but even true religion itself, would be banished 
from the face of the earth. Meekness, long-suffering, 
and benevolence, become the followers of Christ ; and 
his followers should ever consider that his work can 
never be done but in his own spirit. 

Since the notes on Matthew were published, I have 
received from Granville Sharp, Esq., a short Treatise. 
entitled, Remarks on an important Text, (viz. Matt. 
xvi. 18,) which has long been perverted by the Church 
of Rome, IN SUPPORT OF HER VAIN AND BANEFUL PRE- 
TENSIONS TO A SUPERIORITY OR SUPREME DOMINION 
OVER ALL OTHER EPISCOPAL CHURCHES. 

As I should feel it an honour to introduce the name 
of such a veteran in the cause of religzon, liberty, and 


As a person who holds the plough cannot keep learning, into my work, so it gives me pleasure to 


Observations on the pretended 


insert the substance of his tract here, as forming a 
strong argument against a most Anti-christian doctrine. 

«And I also say unto thee, That thou art PE- 
TER; and upon this ROCK | will build my Church, 
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” 
Matt. xvi. 18. 

“The Greek word πετρὸς (Petros or Peter) does 
not mean arock, though it has, indeed, a relative 
meaning to the word πέτρα, ἃ rock; for it signifies 
only a little piece of a rock, or a stone, that has been 
dug out of a rock; whereby the dignity of the real 
foundation intended by our Lord, which he expressed 
by the prophetical figure of Petra, (a rock,) must 
necessarily be understood to bear a proportionable su- 
periority of dignity and importance above the other 
preceding word, Petros; as petra, a real rock, is, 
comparatively, superior to a mere stone, or particle 
from the rock; because a rock is the regular figura- 
tive expression in Holy Seripture for a Divine Pro- 
tector: “poo mm Jehovah (is) my rock, (2 Sam. xxii. 
2, and Psa. xviii. 2.) Again, "Wx ‘TON, my God (is) 
my rock; (2 Sam. xxii. 2, and Psa. xviii. 2;) and 
again, ΣΝ “phan yD), and who (is) a rock 
except vur God? 2 Sam. xxii. 32. 

“Many other examples may be found throughout 
the Holy Scriptures ; but these six alone are surely 
sufficient to establish the true meaning of the figura- 
tive expression used by our Lord on this occasion ; 
as they demonstrate that nothing of less importance 
was to be understood than that of our Lord’s own 
Divine dignity, as declared by St. Peter in the prece- 
ding zontext— Thou art the Christ, the Son of the 
hving God! 

“That our Lord really referred to this declaration 
of Peter, relating to his own Divine dignity, as being 
the true rock, on which he-would build his Church, is 
established beyond contradiction by our Lord himself, 
in the clear distinction which he maintained between 
the stone {πετρος, petros) and the rock, (xezpa, petra,) 
by the accurate grammatical terms in which both these 
words are expressly recorded. (For whatsoever may 
have been the language in which they were really 
spoken, perhaps in Chaldee or Syriac, yet in this point 
the Greek record is our only authoritative instructer.) 
The first word, zezpoc, being a masculine noun, signi- 
fies merely a stone; and the second word, πέτρα, 
though it is a feminine noun, cannot signify any thing 
of less magnitude and importance than a rock, or 
strong mountain of defence. The true meaning of 
the name was at first declared by our Lord to be 
Cephas, a stone; and a learned commentator, Edward 
Leigh, Esq., asserts that zerpoc doth always signify a 
STONE, never a rock. Critica Sacra, p. 325. 

“With respect to the first—The word πετρος, 
petros, in its highest figurative sense of a stone, when 
applied to Peter, can represent only one true believer, 
or faithful member of Christ’s Church; that is, one out 
of the great multitude of true believers in Christ, who, 
as figurative stones, form altogether the glorious 
spiritual building of Christ’s Church, and not the fown- 
dation on which that Church is built; because that 
figurative character cannot, consistently with truth, 
be applied to any other person than te God, or to 
Christ alone, as I have already demonstrated by seve- 

1 


CHAP. IX. 


supremacy of the shop of Rome. 


ral undeniable texts of Holy Scripture. And though 
even Christ himself is sometimes, in Holy Scripture, 
called a s/one, (λιθος, but not metpoc,) yet, whenever 
this figurative expression is applied to him, it is always 
with such a clear distinction of superiority over all 
other figurative stones as will not admit the least idea 
of any vicarial stone to be substituted in his place ; as, 
for instance: He is called ‘the head stone of the 
corner, (Psa. exvili. 22,) ‘in Zion a precious corner 
stone, (Isa. xxviii. 16,) by whom alone the other 
living stones of the spiritual house are rendered 
“acceptable to God ;’ as St. Peter himself (previous to 
his citation of that text of Isaiah) has clearly declared 
in his address to the Churches dispersed throughout 
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asta, and Bithynia ; 
wherein he manifestly explains that very text of 
Isaiah, as follows :—‘ Ye also,’ (says the apostle,) ‘ as 
living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy 
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices ACCEPTABLE 
τὸ Gop, By’ (or through) ‘Jesus Curist.’ (1 Pet. il. 
5.) Thus plainly acknowledging the true foundation, 
on which the other living stones of the primitive 
catholic Church were built, in order to render them 
‘acceptable to God, as ‘a holy priesthood.’ 

And the apostle then proceeds (in the very next 
verse) to his citation of the above-mentioned text 
from Isaiah :—* Wherefore alse,’ (says he, ver. 6,) ‘it 
is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a 
CHIEF CORNER STONE, elect, precious ; and he that be- 
lieveth on him’ (ev αὐτῷ, on him, that is, on Jesus 
Christ, the only cHIEF CORNER sTONE) ‘ shall not be 
confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe’ (he) 
‘is Precious,’ (or, an honour; as rendered in the 
margin,) ‘ but unto them which be disobedient’ (he is, 
de, also) ‘the stone which the builders disallowed, the 
same’ (οὗτος, for there is no other person that can be 
entitled to this supreme distinction in the Church) ‘is 
made the HEAD OF THE CORNER.’ 

“From this whole argument of St. Peter, it is 
manifest that there cannot be any other true head of 
the Church than Christ himself; so that the pretence 
for setting up a 'vicarial head on earth, is not only 
contrary to St. Peter’s instruction to the eastern 
Churches, long after Christ’s ascent into heaven ; but 
also (with respect to the inexpediency and impropriety 
of acknowledging such a vicar on earth as the Roman 
pretender) is equally contrary to our Lord’s own 
instruction to his disciples (and, of course, also con- 
trary to the faith of the true primitive catholic Church 
throughout the whole world) when he promised them, 
that, ‘ Where two or three are gathered together in 
my name’ (said owr Lord Jesus, the true rock of the 
Church) ‘ there amin the midst of them, Matt. xviii. 20. 

“So that the appointment of any ‘ vicar on earth, 
to represent thatsrock or eternal head of the Church 
whose continual presence, even with the smallest con- 
gregations on earth, is so expressly promised, would 
be not only superfluous and vain, but must also be 
deemed a most ungrateful affront to the benevolent 
Promiser of his continual presence; such as must 
have been suggested by our spiritual enemies to pro- 
mote an apostasy from the only sure foundation, on 
whie’: the faith, hope, and confidence of the true ca- 
tholic Church can be built and supported ! 

427 


Observations on the pretended 


“Thus, I trust that the true sense of the first noun, 
tetpoc, a stone, is here fairly stated; and also, its 
relative meaning to the second noun, πέτρα, a rock, as 
far as it can reasonably be deemed applicable to the 
Apostle Peter. 

“ And a due consideration also of the second noun, 
πετρα, a rock, will produce exactly the same effect ; 
that is, it will demonstrate that the supreme title of 
the rock, which, in other texts of Holy Scripture, is 
applied to Jehovah, or God, alone, (as I have already 
shown,) most certainly was not intended by our Lord 
to be understood as applicable to his disciple Peter ; 
but only to that true testimony which St. Peter had 
just before declared, concerning the Divine dignity of 
the Messiah— Thou art the Christ, the Son of the 
living God.’ 

“1 have already remarked that πέτρα (a rock) is a 
feminine noun; and a clear distinction is maintained 
between zerpoc, the masculine noun, in this text, and 
the said feminine noun πέτρα, the rock, by the gram- 
matical terms in which the latter, in its relatives and 
articles, is expressed, which are all regularly feminine 
throughout the whole sentence ; and thereby they de- 
monstrate that our Lord did not intend that the new 
appellation, or nominal distinction, which he had just 
before given to Simon, (viz. πετρος, the masculine noun 
in the beginning of the sentence,) should be construed 
as the character of which he spoke in the next part 
of the sentence; for, if he had really intended that 
construction, the same masculine noun, πετρος, must 
necessarily have been repeated in the next part of the 
sentence with a masculine pronoun, viz. ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ 
πέτρῳ, instead of exe ταυτῃ Ty πετρᾳ, the present text ; 
wherein, on the contrary, not only the gender is 
changed from the masculine to the feminine, but also 
the figurative character itself, which is as much supe- 
rior, in dignity, to the Apostle Simon, and also to his 
new appellative πεέτρος, as a rock is superior to a 
mere stone. For the word πέτρος cannot signify any 
thing more than a stone ; so that the popish applica- 
tion to Peter, (or πετρος,) as the foundation of Christ’s 
Church, is not only inconsistent with the real meaning 
of the appellative which Christ, at that very time, 
conferred upon him, and with the necessary gramma- 
tical construction of it, but also with the figurative 
importance of the other word, πέτρα, the rock; ext 
ταύτῃ Ty πετρᾳ, ‘ upon this rock ;’ the declared founda- 
tion of the Church, a title of dignity, which (as I have 
already shown by several texts of Scripture) is appli- 
eable only to God or to Christ. 

“ And be pleased to observe farther, that the appli- 
cation of this supreme title (the rock) to Peter, is 
inconsistent (above all) with the plain reference to the 
preceding CONTEXT, made by our Lord in the beginning 
of this very verse—'Anp I auso say unto thee ’— 
which manifestly points out (both by the copulative 
‘and, and the connective adverb ‘ also’) the insepara- 
ble connection of this verse with the previous declara- 
tion of Peter, concerning our Lord’s Divine dignity in 
the preceding sentence— Thou art the Christ, the Son 
of the living God ;’ and thereby demonstrates that our 
Lord’s immediate reply (‘anp J atso say unto thee, 
&c.) did necessarily include this declaration of Peter, 
as being the principal object of the sentence—the 

428 


ST. LUKE. 


supremacy of the lishop of Rome. 


true foundation, or rock, on which alone the cathohe 
Church can be properly built; because our faith in 
Christ (that he is truly ‘ the Son of the living God’) 
is unquestionably the only security or rock of our 
salvation. 

“ And Christ was also the rock even of the primi- 
tive Church of Israel ; for St. Paul testifies, that ‘they’ 
(i. e. the hosts of Israel) ‘did all drink of that spi- 
ritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock 
that followed them, and that rock was Curist,’ 1 Cor. 
x. 4. And the apostle, in a preceding chapter, (1 Cor. 
iii. 11,) says, ‘ Other foundation can no man lay than 
that is laid, which is Jesus Curist.’ 

“Tn the margin of our English version of 1 Cor. x. 
4, instead of ‘followed them, we find, ‘went with 
them ;’ which is not only the literal meaning of the 
Greek, ‘ followed them, but it is also unquestionably 
true that Christ was, in a more particular manner, the 
rock of their defence, when he ‘ followed them, than 
when he ‘ went before them,’ as related in Exod. xiii. 
21.—‘ And the Lord’ (in the Hebrew, expressly, Je- 
hovah) ‘WENT BEFORE THEM by day in a pillar of a 
cloud to LEAD THEM the way, and by night in a pillar 
of fire, &c. Yet, afterwards, a necessary change was 
made by the Protector of the hosts of Israel, in his 
military mancuvres with the two marching armies, as 
we are informed in the next chapter, xiv. 19. For 
though, at first, ‘he went Berore the camp of Israel,’ 
yet he afterwards ‘ removed, and went BEHIND them 5 
and the pillar of the cloud removed from before them, 
and stood’ (or rather, was stationed in the order of 
marching) ‘ behind them.’ Which is properly express- 
ed by St. Paul (in the above-cited text, 1 Cor. x. 4) 
as ‘the rock that followed them.’ For Christ was 
more particularly ‘ a rock of defence to Israel,’ by tnis 
changed maneuvre in following them; because he 
thereby prevented the pursuit of their cruel enemies, 
the standing armies of the Egyptian tyrant. 

(1 must remark, however, that in the text, which 
is parallel to St. Paul’s testimony that Christ was the 
rock which followed, viz. Exod. xiv. 19, 20, Christ is 
not mentioned under the supreme title of Jehovah, (as 
in the preceding chapter, ver. 21,) but only as ‘an 
angel of God.’ But the angel appointed to this most 
gracious and merciful purpose of the Almighty was 
really of a supreme Divine dignity, infinitely superior 
to all other angels. or (in another parallel text on 
the same subject, wherein the title of angel is also 
given, viz. Exod. xxiii. 20 to 23,) God declared, say- 
ing, ‘My name is in him,’ (viz. the name Jehovah, 
signifying all time, past, present, and future, or the 
eternal Being.) —‘ Behold,’ (said God to the hosts of 
Israel,) “1 send AN ANGEL’ (or a messenger) ‘ defore 
thee, to keep thee in the way, (the object of intention 
before described,) ‘and lo bring thee into the place 
which I have prepared. Beware of him, [or rather, 
watch, (thyself,) or be respectful before him, v5 or 
in his presence,| ‘ and obey his voice,’ (i. 6. the worD 
of God, the true character of Christ, even before the 
creation ;) ‘ provoke him not,’ (or rather, murmur not, 
against him,) ‘for he will not pardon your transgres- 
sions, for MY NAME Is IN HIM,’ (not placed upon him, as 
the outward tokens of mere temporary authority are 
given, to be exhibited like the insignia of nobility, or 

1 


Observations on the pretended 


robes of magistrates, but really ‘in him,’ )39p3 ‘within 
him, i. e. thoroughly included in his personal exist- 
ence.) ‘ But if thou shalt indeed obey uis voice,’ (i. 6. 
* the word of God,’ the true figurative character of the 
Son of God,) “ and shalt do all that I speak,’ (for it is 
Jehovah, the Lord God, that speaketh in Christ,) ‘tien 
I will be an enemy to thine enemies, &c. ΤῈ is there- 
fore unquestionably evident, from the examination of 
all these texts, that Christ, whom St. Paul has declared 
to be ‘the rock that followed’ the Israelites, was also 
the Lord, or Jehovah, (as he is expressly called in the 
first text here cited, Exod. xiii. 21,) that ‘ went before’ 
the Israelites ‘ dy day, in a pillar of a cloud, to lead 
them in ‘ λό way, and by night in a pillar of fire,’ δια.» 
as expressly declared in the first text cited in this 
note ; and, therefore, an attempt to set up any mere 
mortal man, as the rock or foundation of the true 
catholic Church, must be attributed either to extreme 
ignorance of the Holy Scriptures, or to extreme 
wickedness ; but certainly, also, to the delusions of 
spiritual enemies.” 

That the power of the keys, or of binding and 
loosing, belonged equally to all the apostles, the 
author goes on to prove. 

“ But there is a testimony of high authority, which 
renders it unquestionable that this declaration of our 
Lord respecting the power of ‘ binding and loosing, 
related ‘ to them,’ (the other disciples.) ‘as well as to 
him :’—even another declaration, made by our Lord 
himself, ‘ ¢o his disciples, respecting the same iden- 
tical power, which our Lord attributed equally to all 
the disciples then present. 

“The particular discourse of our Lord to which I 
now refer seems to have been made at Capernaum, 
after the miracle of the fish (bearing the tribute 
money in his mouth) which Peter was sent to catch; 
as related in the 17th chapter of St. Matthew. And 


in the beginning of the very next chapter (the 18th) | 


we are informed as follows :—‘ At the SAME TIME came 
the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest 
tm the kingdom of heaven?’ Our Lord’s answer to this 
question (wherein he urges the necessity of a humi- 
liation like that of little children, as the proper dispo- 
sition to qualify mankind for the kingdom of heaven) 
is continued from the 2d verse to the 14th verse of 
this chapter ; which shows that the disciples, in genc- 
ral, were still present, as they would certainly wait 
for the desired answer to their own question; and 
then our Lord immediately afterwards proceeded to 
instruct them (from the 15th to the 17th verse) in the 
general duty of behaviour towards a brother that has 
trespassed against us. After which our Lord added, 
(in the 18th verse,) " Verily I say unto you, (ὑμιν, a 
plural pronoun, which must refer unto all the disciples 
that were then assembled,) ‘ Whatsoever yr sHALL 
BIND on earth,’ (δησητε, a verb in the second person 
plural, plainly including all the disciples that were then 
present,) ‘ shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever 
YE SHALL Loose on earth,’ (λυσητε, another plural 
verb,) ‘ shall be loosed in heaven.’ 

“ This is exactly the power of the keys, which the 
Chureh of Rome has, most absurdly, attributed to St. 
Peter wone, in order to invest the ishops of Rome 
(on the vain pretence of their being St. Peter’s suc- 


CHAP. IX. 


| 


supremacy of the bishop of Rome. 


cessors) with an exclusive claim to all these ecclesi- 
astical privileges of binding and loosing, which our 
Lord manifestly, in this parallel text, attributed to alc 
his faithful apostles, without any partial distinction. 

** But the importance of examining, not only paral- 
lel texts, but also more particularly the contewt, of any 
difficult sentence in Holy Scripture, for a more easy 
comprehension of the true meaning, is clearly exem- 
plified in the examination of the first text in question 
viz. Matt. xvi. 18, 19; for we are informed in the 
very next verse, the 20th, that our Lord ‘ THEN charged 
his disciples, (rote, then, that is, immediately after his 
discourse about the rock and keys,) ‘that they should 
tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ ;’ manifestly 
referring to the first circumstance of the context con- 
cerning himself, viz. the declaration of Peter, * Thou 
art the Christ, &c. (Matt. xvi. 16,) in answer to his 
own question to all the disciples—‘ Whom say ye that 
Lam? 

“That this question was not addressed to Peter 
alone is manifest by the plural pronoun and verb, 
(ipetc λεγετε,) * Whom say ve that I am? And there- 
fore St. Peter’s answer must be considered as intended 
not merely for himself, but also for his brethren, the 
other faithful witnesses of Christ’s miracles and doc- 
trines ; so that the substance of this answer—* Thou 
art the Christ, the Son of the living God’—must ne- 
cessarily be understood as the true foundation or rock 
of the Catholic Church, revealed to Peter by our hea- 
venly Father, as stated in the 17th and 18th verses. 

“ This declaration, therefore, that he was the Christ, 
was manifestly the subject of our Lord’s charge to the 
disciples, that ‘ they should tell no man ;’ that is, not 
until after the time of his sufferings and death, which 
were the next topics in the continuation of his dis- 
course. The declaration of Peter, therefore, demon- 
strated the true foundation, or rock, of the Church, 
which (as Christ himself testified) our heavenly Father 
had revealed to Peter. And it is also remarkable, that 
the very next discourse of our Lord to his disciples, 
recorded in the context, (ver. 21,) should produce that 
severe censure against Peter, which still farther de- 
monstrated that Peter could not be the rock on which 
Christ’s Church was to be built. (Matt. xvi. 21.)— 
‘From that time forth’ (azo τοτὲ) ‘began Jesus to 
show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Je- 
rasalem, and surreR many things of the elders, and 
chief priests, and scribes, and Br KiLLED, (all the pre- 
dicted consequences of his being ihe Curist, the cha- 
racter which Peter himself had declared.) ‘ and’ (that 
he should) ‘be raised again the third day. Then Pe- 
ter look him, (ver. 22,) ‘and began to rebuke him, 
saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, (or, rather, accord- 
ing to the Greck original, as rendered in the margin— 
‘ Pity thyself, Lord’)—‘ this shall not be unto thee. 
But he’ (Christ, ver. 23) ‘turned and said unto Peter, 

τῷ πέτρῳ, the same appellative (signifying a stone, or 
a small part of a rock) which was given to Peter by 
our Lord, in the 18th verse]— Get thee behind me, 
Satan, (said our Lord,) ‘how art an offence unto me; 
for thou savourest not the things that be of God; but 
those that be of men.’ 

“Thus a fair examination and comparison of the 
whole context, completely sets aside the vain suppo- 

429 


Christ commissions and sends SP. LUKE. forth seventy disciples. 


sition of the Romish Church, that Peter was the rock again this long-disputed question, on which they have 
of Christ's Church. And I sincerely hope that a simi-| vainly set up the pretended supremacy of the Romish 
lar attention to this whole context may prevent any| Church above all other episcopal Churches; and 
future attempts, that might otherwise be prompted by | that it may be silenced, and set at rest, for ever 
the prejudices of Roman Catholics, to bring forward | hereafter.” 


CHAPTER X. 


Christ appomts seventy disciples to go before him, two by two, to preach, heal, §c., 1-12. Pronounces woes 


on Chorazin and Capernaum, 13-16. 


The seventy return, and give account of their mission, 17-20. 


Christ rejoices that the things which were hidden from the wise and prudent had been revealed unto babes, 


and shows the great privileges of the Gospel, 21-24. 


life, and is answered, 25-29. 
Mary, 38-42. 


A. M. 4032. ees 

WIE AFTER these things, the Lord 

appointed other seventy also, 

CCI. 4. 

———_ and * sent them two and two before 
his face, into every city and place, whither he 
himself would come. 

2 Therefore said he unto them, ἢ The har- 
vest truly zs great, but the labourers are few : 
© pray ye tl ‘refore the Lord of the harvest, 
that he would send forth labourers into his 
harvest. 


a Matt. x. 1; Mark vi. 7. + Matthew ix. 37, 38; John iv. 35. 
© 2 Thess. iu. 1.—4 Matt. x. 16. 


The story of the good Samaritan, 30-37. 


A lawyer inquires how he shall inherit eternal 
The account of Martha and 


παρ διὰ A. Ν. 4032. 
3 Go your ways: “behold, I anos 
send you forth as lambs among An. Olymp. 
CCI. 4. 
wolves. a 
4 © Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes : 
and ‘ salute no man by the way. 
5 & And into whatsoever house ye enter, first 
say, Peace be to this house. 
6 And if the son of peace be there, your 
peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn 
to you again. 


© Matt. x. 9,10; Mark vi. 8; chap. ix. 3——f2 Kings iv. 29 
& Matt. x. 12. 


NOTES ON CHAP. X. 

Verse 1. The Lord appointed other seventy] Ra- 
ther, seventy others, not other seventy, as our transla- 
tion has it, which seems to intimate that he had ap- 
pointed seventy before this time, though, probably, the 
word other has a reference to the twelve chosen first : 
he not only chose twelve disciples to be constantly 
with him; but he chose seventy others to go before 
him. Our blessed Lord formed every thing in his 
Church on the model of the Jewish Church; and why? 
Because it was the pattern shown by God himself, the 
Divine form, which pointed out the heavenly substance 
which now began to be established in its place. As 


he before had chosen éwelve apostles, in reference to | 


the fwelve patriarchs, who were the chiefs of the twelve 


tribes, and the heads of the Jewish Church, he now | 


publicly appointed (for so the word avedevSey means) 
seventy others, as Moses did the seventy elders whom 
he associated with himself to assist him in the govern- 
ment of the people. Exod. xviii. 19; xxiv. 1-9. 
These Christ sent by /wo and two: 1. To teach them 
the necessity of concord among the ministers of right- 
eousness. 2. That in the mouths of two witnesses 
every thing might be established. And, 3. That they 
might comfort and support each other in their difficult 
labour. See on Mark vi. 7. Several MSS. and ver- 
sions have seveniy-two Sometimes the Jews chose 
six out of each tribe : this was the number of the great 
Sanhedrin. 


authority is questionable. 
430 


The names of these seventy disciples are , 
found in the margin of some ancient MSS., but this | 


Verse 2. That he would send forth] ExBaan.— 
There seems to be an allusion here to the case of reap- 
ers, who, though the harvest was perfectly ripe, yet 
were in no hurry to cut it down. News of this is 
brought to the Lord of the harvest the farmer, and he 
is entreated to exert his authority, and hurry them out; 
and this he does because the harvest is spoiling for 
want of being reaped and gathered in. See the notes 
on Matt. ix. 37, 38. 

Verse 3. Lambs among wolves.| See on Matt. x. 16. 

Verse 4. Carry neither purse nor scrip| See on 
Matt. x. 9, &c., and Mark vi. 8, &e. 

Salute no man by the way.) According to a canon 
of the Jews, a man who was about any sacred work 
| was exempted from all czvil obligations for the time ; 
| forasmuch as obedience to God was of infinitely great- 
/er consequence than the cultivation of private friend- 

ships, or the returning of civil compliments. : 

Verse 5. Peace be to this house.| See on Matt. 
x. 12. 

Verse 6. The son of peace] In the Jewish style, 
[ἃ man who has any good or bad quality is called the 
| son of it. Thus, wise men are called the children of 
| wisdom, Matt. xi. 19; Luke vii. 35. So, likewise, 
what a man is dvomed to, he is called the son of, as 
in Eph. ii. 3, wicked men are styled the children of 
wrath: so Judas is called the son of perdition, John 
xvii. 12; and a man who deserves to die is called, 2 
Sam. xii. 5, a son of death. Son of peace in the text 
not only means a peaceable, quiet man, but one also of 
ood report for his uprightness and benevolence. It 


fo 
Ιδ 


He structs them m 


Hees γὼ And in the same house remain, 
An. Olymp. i eating and drinking such things as 

sus they give: for *the labourer is 
worthy of his hire. Go not from house to 
house. 

8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and 
they receive you, eat such things as are set 
before you: 

9 ! And heal the sick that are therein, and 
say unto them, ™ The kingdom of God is come 
nigh unto you. 

10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and 
they receive you not, go your ways out into 
the streets of the same, and say, 

" Even the very dust of your city, which 
cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: 
notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the 
kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 

12 But I say unto you, that °it shall be 
more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for 
that city. 

13 » Wo unto thee, Chorazin! wo unto 


h Matt. x. 11.— i] Cor. x. 27,——* Matt. x. 10; 1 Cor. ix. 
4, &c.; 1 Tim. ν. 18——! Chap. ix. 2——™ Matt. ili. 2; iv. 17; 
x. 7; ver. 11.— Matt. x. 14; chap. ix.5; Acts xiul. 51; xviii. 
© Matt. x. 15; Mark vi. 11——P Matt. xi. 21——4 Ezek. 
iii. 6. Matt. xi. 23. 


would have been a dishonour to this mission, had the 
missionaries taken up their lodgings with those who 
had not a good report among them who were without. 

Verse 7. The labourer is worthy] See on Matt x. 
8 and 12. 

Go not from house to house.] See on Matt. x. 11. 
{τ would be a great offence among the Hindoos if a 
guest, after being made welcome at a house, were to 
leave it and go to another. 

Verse 9. The kingdom of God is come nigh unto 
you.] Eo ὑμας, is just upon you. This was the 
general text on which they were to preach all their 


sermons. See it explained, Matt. iii. 2. 

Verse 11. Even the very dust of your city] See 
on Matt. x. 14, 15. 

Verse 13. Wo unto thee, Chorazin !] See on Matt. 
xi. 21-24. 

Verse 15. To hell.] To hades. See this explain- 
ed, Matt. xi. 23. 

Verse 16. He that despiseth you, despiseth me] 


“ The holy, blessed God said: ‘ Honour my statutes, 
for they are my ambassadors: and a man’s ambassador 
is like to himself. If thou honour my precepts, it is 
the same as if thou didst honour me ; and if thou des- 
pise them, thou despisest me.” R. Tancum. “ He 
that murmurs against his teacher is the same as if he 
had murmured against the Divine Shekinah.” San- 
hedrin, fol. 110. 

Verse 17. The seventy returned again with joy] 
Bishop Pearce thinks they returned while our Lord 

1 


CHAP. X. 


relation to their conduct 


thee, Bethsaida! ° for if the mighty 4,™, #932 
works had been done in Tyre and oe 
Sidon, which have been done in 
you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting 
in sackcloth and ashes. 

14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre 
and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 

15 * And thou, Capernaum, which art * ex- 
alted to heaven, t shalt be thrust down to hell. 

16 “He that heareth you, heareth me; and 
‘ he that despiseth you, despiseth me ; τ and he 
that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. 

17 Ἵ And * the seventy returned again with 
joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject 
unto us through thy name. 

18 And he said unto them, ¥ I beheld Satan 
as lightning fall from heaven. 

19 Behold, * I give unto you power to tread 
on serpents and scorpions, and over all the 
power of the enemy: and nothing shall by 
any means hurt you. 

20 Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that 


5 See Gen. xi. 4; Deut. i. 28; Isa. xiv. 13; Jer. li. 53.——t See 
Ezek. xxvi. 20; xxxii. 18. “ Matt. x. 40; Mark ix. 37; John 
xill. 20. v1 Thess. iv. 8. w John v. 23.——* Verse 1. 
y John xii. 31; xvi.11; Rev. ix. 1; xii. 8, 9 τ Mark xvi. 18; 
Acts xxviii. 5. 


was on his slow journey to Jerusalem, and that they 
had been absent only a few days. 

Verse 18. I beheld Satan] Or, Satan himself,— 
τον Σαταναν, the very Satan, the supreme adversary,— 
falling as lightning, with the utmost suddenness, as a 
flash of lightning falls from the clouds, and at the 
same time in the most observable manner. The fall 
was both very sudden and very apparent. Thus 
should the fall of the corrupt Jewish state be, and thus 
was the fall of idolatry in the Gentile world. 

Verse 19. To tread on serpents, &e.] It is possible 
that by serpents and scorpions our Lord means the 
scribes and Pharisees, whom he calls serpents and a 
brood of vipers, Matt. xxiii. 33, (see the note there,) 
because, through the subtilty and venom of the old 
serpent, the devil, they opposed him and his doctrine ; 
and, by ¢rampling on these, it is likely that he means, 
they should get a complete viclory over such: as it 
was an ancient custom to trample on the kings and 
generals who had been taken in battle, to signify the 
complete conquest which had been gained over them. 
See Josh. x. 24. See also Rom. xvi. 20. See the notes 
on Mark xvi. 17, 18. 

Verse 20. Because your names are written in 
heaven.| This form of speech is taken from the ancient 
custom of writing the names of all the citizens ina 
public register, that the several families might be 
known, and the inheritances properly preserved. This 
custom is still observed even in these kingdoms, though 
not particularly noticed. Every child that is born in 

431 


Dwine things revealed to babes. 


A. M. 4032. πὶ ; F 
‘AD og” the spirits are subject unto you; 


An. Olymp. but rather rejoice, because * your 

CCl. names are written in heaven. 

21 7 » In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, 
and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these 
things from the wise and prudent, and hast 
revealed them unto babes: even so, Father ; 
for so it seemed good in thy sight. 

° All ἃ things are delivered to me of my 
Father: and © no man knoweth who the Son 
is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but 
the Sen, and he to whom the Son will reveal 
him. 

23 Ἵ And he tured him unto his disciples, 
and said privately, ἢ Blessed are the eyes which 
see the things that ye see: 

24 For I tell you, & that many prophets and 


ἃ Hxod. xxxii. 32; Psa. Ixix. 28; Isa. iv.3; Dan. xii. 1; Phil. 
iv. 3; Heb. xii. 23; Rey. xiii. 8; xx. 12; xxi. 27.——) Matt. 
xi. 25. © Matt. xxvil. 18; John 111. BINS ἐν. PA aig τον 
4 Many ancient copies add these words, And turning to his dis- 


ST. LUKE. 


The lawyer's question answered 


kings have desired to see those 4,M. 4082 
things which ye see, and have not An. Olymp 
seen them ; and to hear those things = 
which ye hear, and have not heard them. 

25 Ἵ And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, 
and tempted him, saying, » Master, what shall 
I do to inherit eternal life 1 

26 He said unto him, What is written in the 
law ? how readest thou 7 

27 And he answering, said, ‘ Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, 
and with all thy mind; and * ἽΝ neighbour 
as thyself. 

28 And he said unto him, Thou hast an- 
swered right: this do, and 1 thou shalt live. 

29 But he, willing to ™ justify himself, said 
unto Jesus, And ΒΗΘ is my neighbour ? 


ciples, he said. € John i. 18; vi. 44, 46.—S Matt. xill. 16. 

£1 Pet. i. 10. h Matt. xix. 16; xxii. 35— Deut. vi. 5. 

Bee xix. 18.— Lev. xviii. 5; Neh. ix.29; Ezek. xx.11, 13, 
; Rom. x. 5——™ Chap. xvi. 15. 


the land is ordered to be registered, with the names of 
its parents, and the time when born, baptized, or re- 
gistered; and this register is generally kept in the 
parish church, or insome public place of safety. Such 
a register as this is called in Phil. iv. 3; Rev. iii. 5, 
&c., the book of life, i. e. the book or register where 
the persons were enrolled as they came into life. It 
appears also probable, that when any person died, or 
behaved improperly, his name was sought out and eras- 
ed from the book, to prevent any confusion that might 
happen in consequence of improper persons laying 
claim to an estate, and to cut off the wnworthy from 
the rights and privileges of the peaceable, upright 
citizens. ΤῸ this custom of blotting the names of de- 
ceased and disorderly persons out of the public regis- 
ters, there appear to be allusions, Exod. xxxii. 32, 
where see the note; and Rev. iii. 5; Deut. ix. 14; 
xxv. 19; xxix. 20; 2 Kings xiv. 27; Psa. lxix. 28; 
cix. 13, and in other places. 

Verse 21. Rejoiced in spirit) Was truly and hearti- 
ly joyous: felt av inward triumph. But tw πνεύματι, 
τῳ ἁγίῳ, the ον Spirit, is the reading here of 
BCDKL, six others; the three Syriac, later Persic, 
Coptic, Aithiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, all the Ttala 
except one, and Augustin and Bede. ‘These might 
be considered sufficient authority to admit the word 
into the text. 

I thank thee] Bishop Pearce justly observes, the 
thanks are meant to be given to God for revealing 
them to babes, not for hiding them from the others. 
See on Matt. xi. 25. 

‘Thou hast hid| That is, thou hast not revealed them 
to the scribes and Pharisees, who idolized their own 
wisdom; but thou hast revealed them to the simple 
aud humble of heart. 

Verse 22. The Codex Alexandrinus, several other 


very ancient MSS , and some ancient versions, as well | sity. 


432 


as the margin of our own, begin this verse with, And 
turning to his disciples, he said. But as this clause 
begins ver. 23, it is not likely that it was originally in 
both. Griesbach has left these words out of the text, 
and Professor Wuirte says, Certissime delenda, “ These 
words should most assuredly be erased.” 

Verse 22. All things are delivered to me] See on 
Matt. xi. 27. 

Verse 23. Blessed axe the eyes which see the things 
that ye see] There is a similar saying to this among 
the rabbins, in Sohar. Genes., where it is said, “ Bless- 
ed is that generation which the earth shall bear, when 
the King Messiah cometh.” 

Verse 24. Many prophets] See on Matt. xiii. 11 
and 17. 

Verse 25. A certain lawyer] See on Matt. xxiv. 35. 

Verse 27. Thou shalt love the Lord] See this 
important subject explained at large, on Matt. xxii. 
37-40. 

Thy neighbour as thyself.| See the nature of sel/- 
love explained, on Matt. xix. 19. 


Verse 29. Willing to justify himself | Wishing to . 


make it appear that he was a righteous man, and that 
consequently he was in the straight road to the king- 
dom of God, said, Who is my neighbour? supposing 
our Lord would have at once answered, “ Every Jew 
is to be considered as such, and the Jews only.” Now 
as he imagined he had never been deficient in his con- 
duct to any person of his own nation, he thought he 
had amply fulfilled the law. This is the sense in 
which the Jews understood the word neighbour, as 
may be seen from Ley. xxix. 15,16, 17, and 18. But 
our Lord shows here, that the acts of kindness which 
aman is bound to perform to his neighbour when in 
distress, he should perform to any person, of whatever 
nation, religion, or kindred, whom he finds in neces- 
As the word πλησίον signifies one who is near 
1 


Account of the 
A. Μ. 4032. 
Δ. Ὁ. 28. Ε 
An. Olymp. certain man went down from Jerusa- 
ΞΕ lemto Jericho, and fell among thieves, 
which stripped him of his raiment, and wound- 
ed him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 

31 And by chance there came down a cer- 
tain priest that way: and when he saw him, 
» he passed by on the other side. 

82 And likewise a Levite, when he was at 
the place, came and looked on him, and passed 
by on the other side. 

33 But a certain ° Samaritan, as he journey- 
ed, came where he was: and when he saw 
him, he had compassion on him, 

34 And went to him, and bound up his 


» Psa. xxxviii. 11. © John iv. 9. 


Angl. Sax. nehycan, he that is next, this very cireum- 
stance makes any person our neighbour whom we 
know ; and, if in distress, an object of our most com- 
passionate regards. If a man came from the most 
distant part of the earth, the moment he is near you 
he has a claim upon your mercy and kindness, as you 
would have on his, were your dwelling-place trans- 
ferred to his native country. It is evident that our 
Lord uses the word πλησίον (very properly translated 
neighbour, from nae or naer, near, and buer, to dwell) 
in its plain, literal sense. Any person whom you know, 
who dwells hard by, or who passes near you, is your 
neighbour while within your reach. 

Verse 30. And Jesus answering] Rather, Then 
Jesus took him up. This I believe to be the meaning 
of the word ὑπολαβὼν ; he threw out a challenge, and 
our Lord ¢ook him up on his own ground. See Waxr- 
FIELD’s Testament. 

A certain man went down from Jerusalem] Or, A 
certain man of Jerusalem going down to Jericho. 
This was the most public road in all Judea, as it was 


‘the grand thoroughfare between these two cities for the 


courses of priests, twelve thousand of whom are said 
to have resided at Jericho. See Lightfoot. 

Fell among thieves] At this time the whole land 
of Judea was much infested with hordes of banditti; 
and it is not unlikely that many robberies might have 
been committed on that very road to which our Lord 
refers. 

Verse 31. And by chance] Kara συγκυρίαν proper- 
ly means the coincidence of time and circumstance. 
At the time in which the poor Jew was half dead, 
through the wounds which he had received, a priest 
eame where he was. So the priest’s coming while 
the man was in that stale is the coincidence marked 
out by the original words. 

Verses 31 and 32. Priest and Levite are mentioned 
here, partly because they were the most frequent tra- 
vellers on this road, and partly to show that these 
were the persons who, from the nature of their office, 
were most obliged to perform works of mercy; and 
from whom a person in distress had a right to expect 

Vou. 1. £28 =) 


CHAP. X. 


good Samaritan 


30 And Jesus answering said, A|wounds, pouring in oil and wine, a Na 


and set him on his own beast, and An. Olymp. 
brought him to an inn, and took —°C!* 
care of him. 

35 And on the morrow when he departed, 
he took out two ? pence, and gave them to the 
Hest: and said unto him, Take care of him: 
and whatsoever thou spendest more, when T 
come again, I will repay thee. 

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, 
was neighbour unto him that fell among the 
thieves ? 

37 And he said, He that showed mercy on 
him. ‘Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do 
thou likewise. 


P See Matt. xx. 2. 


immediate succour and comfort; and their inhuman 
conduct here was a flat breach of the law, Deut. xxii. 
1-4. 

Verse 33. Samaritan is mentioned merely to show 
that he was a person from whom a Jew had no right 
to expect any help or relief, because of the enmity 
which subsisted between the two nations. 

Verse 34. Pouring in oil and wine] These, beaten 
together, appear to have been used formerly as a com- 
mon medicine for fresh wounds. Bind up a fresh cut 
immediately in a soft rag or lint, moistened with pure 
olive oil, and the parts will heal by what is called the 
first intention, and more speedily than by any other 
means. 

An inn] Tlavdoyerov, from παν, all, and δέχομαι, Π 
receive; because it receives all comers. 

Verse 35. Two pence] Two denarii, about fifteen 
pence, English; and which, probably, were at that time 
of ten times more value there than so much is with us 
now. 

Verse 36. Which—was neighbour] Which fulfilled 
the duly which one neighbour owes to another? 

Verse 37. He that showed mercy] Or, so much 
mercy. His prejudice would not permit him to name 
the Samaritan, yet his conscience obliged him to ac- 
knowledge that he was the only righteous person of 
the three. 

Go, and do thou likewise] Be even to thy enemy 
in distress as kind, humane, and merciful, as this Sa- 
maritan was. As the distress was on the part of ἃ 
Jew, and the relief was afforded by a Samaritan, the 
lawyer, to be consistent with the decision he had al- 
ready given, must feel the force of our Lord’s infer- 
ence, that it was his duty to act to any person, of 
whatever nation or religion he might be, as this Sa- 
maritan had acted toward his countryman. It is very 
likely that what our Lord relates here was a real mat- 
ter of fact, and not a parable; otherwise the captious 
lawyer might have objected that no such case had 
ever existed, and that any inference drawn from it 
was only begging the question; but as he was, in 
all probability, in possession of the fact himself, he 

433 


Christ 1s entertained 


A.M. 4032. 38 Ἵ Now it came to pass, as 


An Glymp. they went, that he entered into a 

certain village : and a certain woman 

named 4 Martha received him into her house. 

-39 And she had a sister, called Mary, 

twhich also ‘sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard 
his word. ν᾿ 

40 But Martha was cumbered about much 


ST. LUKE. 


at the house of Martha. 


thou not care that my sister hath 4.™. apne 
left me to serve alone? bid her An. Olymp. 
therefore that she help me. ee 

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, 
Martha, Martha, *thou art careful and trou- 
bled about many things. 

42 But *one thing is needful: and Mary 
hath chosen that good part, which shall not 
be taken away from her. 


serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost 
4 John xi. 1; xii. 2, 3—1 Cor. vii. 32, &e— Chap. vii. 


35; Acts xxii. 3. 


Psa. xxvii. 4. “Matthew vi. 19, 21; xvi. 26; 
2 Cor. v. 16. 


t Matt. vii. 215; 


was forced to acknowledge the propriety of our Lord’s 
inference and advice. 

Those who are determined to find something al- 
Jegorical, evenin the plainest portions of Scripture, 
affirm that the whole of this relation is to be allego- 
rically considered ; and, according to them, the follow- 
ing is the true exposition of the text. 

The certain man means Adam—went down, his 
fall—from Jerusalem, pow ANY yorih shalom, he 
shall see peace, perfection, &c., meaning his state of 
primitive innocence and excellence—to Jericho, (WV 
yareacho, his moon,) the transitory and changeable 
state of existence in this world—+thieves, sin and Sa- 
tan—stripped, took away his righteousness, which was 
the clothing of the soul—wounded, infected his heart 
with all evil and hurtful desires, which are the wounds 
of the spirit—half dead, possessing a living body, 
carrying about a soul dead in sin. 

The priest, the moral law—the Levite, the cere- 
monial law—passed by, either could not or would not 
afford any relief, because by the law is the knowledge 
of sin, not the cwre of it. A certain Samaritan, Christ ; 
for so he was called by the Jews, John viii. 48—as 
he journeyed, meaning his coming from heaven to 
earth ; his being incarnated—came where he was, put 
himself in man’s place, and bore the punishment due 
to his sins—had compassion, it is through the love 
and compassion of Christ that the work of redemption 
‘vas accomplished—went to him, Christ first seeks 
the sinner, who, through his miserable estate, is inca- 
pable of seeking or going to Christ—bound up his 
wounds, gives him comfortable promises, and draws 
him by his love—pouring in oil, pardoning mercy— 
wine, the consolations of the Holy Ghost—set him on 
his own beast, supported him entirely by his grace and 
goodness, so that Ae no longer lives, but Christ lives 
in him—took him to an inn, his Church, uniting him 
with his people—took care of him, placed him under 
the continual notice of his providence and love— 
when he departed, when he left the world and ascend- 
ed to the Father—took out two pence, or denarii, the 
law and the Gospel; the one to convince of sin, the 
other to show how it is to be removed—gave them to 
the host, the ministers of the Gospel for the edifica- 
tion of the Chureh of Christ—take care of him, as 
tney are God's watchmen and God’s stewards, they 
ate to watch over the flock of Christ, and give to 
each his portion of meat in due season. What thou 
spendest more, if thou shouldst lose thy health and 

434 


life in this work—when I come again, to judge the 
world, 7] will repay thee, I will reward thee with an 
eternity of glory. 

Several primitive and modern fathers treat the text 
in this way. What I have given before is, I believe, 
the meaning of our blessed Lord. What I have given 
here is generally true in itself, but certainly does not 
follow from the text. Mr. Baxter’s note here is 
good: “They who make the wounded man Adam, 
and the good Samaritan Christ, abuse the passage.” 
A practice of this kind cannot be too strongly repre- 
hended. Men may take that advantage of the cir- 
cumstances of the case to illustrate the above facts 
and doctrines; but let no man say this is the mean- 
img of the relation ; no: but he may say, we may make 
this use of it. Though I cannot recommend this kind 
of preaching, yet I know that some simple upright 
souls have been edified by it. I dare not forbid 
a man to work by whom God may choose to work a 
miracle, because he follows not with us. But such a 
mode of interpretation I can never recommend. 

Verse 38. A certain village] If this village was 
Bethany, where Martha and Mary lived, at less than 
two miles’ distance from Jerusalem, see John xi. 1, 
18; xi. 2, then this must have happened Jater than 
Luke places it ; because, in chap. xix. 29, he repre- 
sents Jesus as having arrived after this at Bethany ; 
and what is said in chap. xiii. 22, and xvii. 11, seems 
to confirm that this visit of Jesus to Martha and Mary. 
ought to be placed later. Bishop Pearce. 

Received him) Kindly received, ὑπεδεξατο, she re- 
ceived him in a friendly manner, under her roof; and 
entertained him hospitably. So the word is used in 
the best Greek writers. Martha is supposed by some 
to have been a widow, with whom her brother Laza- 
rus and sister Mary lodged. 

Verse 39. Sat at Jesus’ feet] This was the posture 
of the Jewish scholars, while listening to the instrue 
tions of the rabbins. It is in this sense that St. Paul 
says he was brought up at the rerT of Gamaliel, 
Acts xxii. 3. 

Verse 40. Martha was cumbered| Uspieararo, per- 
plexed, from rept, about, and cxaw, I draw. She was 
harassed with different cares and employments at the 
same time ; one drawing one way, and another, ano- 
ther : a proper description of a worldly mind. But in 
Martha’s favour it may be justly said, that all her 
anxiety was to provide swilable and timely entertain- 
ment for our Lord and his disciples; for this is the 

(Cezar) 


On has discourse to her, 


sense in which the word διακονίαν, serving, should be 
taken. And we should not, on the merest supposition, 
attribute earthly-mindedness to a woman whose cha- 
racter stands unimpeachable in the Gospel ; and who, 
by entertaining Christ and his disciples, and providing 
liberally for them, gave the highest proof that she was 
influenced by liberality and benevolence, and not by 
parsimony or covetousness, 

Dost thou not care} Dost thou not think it wrong, 
that my sister thus leaves me to provide and prepare 
this supper, alone ? 

Help me.| Συναντιλαβηται, from σὺν, together, and 
avriAauBavouat, to support. The idea is taken from 
two pillars meeting together at the top, exactly over 
the centre of the distance between their bases, and 
thus mutually supporting each other. Order her to 
unite her skill and strength with mine, that the present 
business may be done with that speed and in that order 
which the necessity and importance of the case demand. 

Verse 41. Thou art careful and troubled] Thou art 
distracted, μερίμνας, thy mind is divided, (see on Matt. 
xiii. 22,) in consequence of which, τυρβαζῃ, thou art 
disturbed, thy spirit is thrown into a ¢umult. 

About many things.) Getting a variety of things 
ready for this entertainment, much more than are 
necessary on such an occasion. 

Verse 42. One thing is needful] This is the end of 
the sentence, according to Bengel. “ Now Mary hath 
chosen, &c.,” begins anew one. One single dish, the 
simplest and plainest possible, is such as best suits me 
and my disciples, whose meat and drink it is to do the 
will of our heavenly Father. 

Mary hath chosen that good ραν] That is, of hear- 
ing my word, of which she shall not be deprived ; it 
being at present of infinitely greater importance to 
attend to my teaching than to attend to any domestic 
eoncerns. While thou art busily employed in provid- 
ing that portion of perishing food for perishing bodies, 
Mary has chosen that spiritual portion which endures 
for ever, and which shall not be taken away from her; 
therefore I cannot command her to leave her present 
employment, and go and help thee to bring forward a 
variety of matters, which are by no means necessary 
at this time. Our Lord both preached and practised 
the doctrine of self-denial; he and his disciples were 
contented with a /itéle, and sumptuous entertainments 
are condemned by the spirit and design of his Gospel. 
Multos morbos, multa fercula fecerunt. SENECA. 
** Many dishes, many diseases. ” 

Bishop Pearce remarks that the word χρεία, need- 
ful, is used after the same manner for want of food in 
Mark ii. 25, where of David it is said, ypevav ecye, he 
had need, when it means he was hungry. I believe 
the above to be the true meaning of these verses ; but 
others have taken a somewhat different sense from 
them : especially when they suppose that by one thing 
needful our Lord means the salvation of the soul. To 
attend to ¢/is is undoubtedly the most necessary of all 
things, and should be the first, the grand concern of 
every human spirit; but in my opinion it is not the 
meaning of the words in the text. It is only preju- 
dice from the common use of the words in this way 
that could make such an interpretation tolerable. 


CHAP. X. 


and her sister Mary 


passage. Many eminent commentators, both ancient 
and modern, consider the text in the same way I have 
done. But this is termed by some, “ a frigid method 
of explaining the passage ;” well, so let it be; but he 
that fears God will sacrifice every thing at the shrine 
of rruru. I believe this alone to be the true meaning 
of the place, and I dare not give it any other. Ben- 
gelius points the whole passage thus: Martha, 
Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many 
things: but one thing is needful. Now, Mary hath 
chosen that good portion, which shall not be taken 
away from her. 


Tuat the salvation of the soul is the~first and 
greatest of all human concerns, every man must ac- 
knowledge who feels that he has a soul; and in humi- 
lity of mind to hear Jesus, is the only way of getting 
that acquaintance with the doctrine of salvation with- 
out which how can he be saved? While we fancy we 
are in no spiritual necessity, the things which concern 
salvation will not appear needful to us! A conviction 
that we are spiritually poor must precede our applica- 
tion for the true riches. The whole, says Christ, need 
not the physician, but those who are sick. Martha 
has been blamed, by incautious people, as possessing 
a carnal, worldly spirit ; and as Mary Magdalene has 
been made the chief of all prostitutes, so has Martha 
of all the worldly-minded. Through her affectionate 
respect for our Lord and his disciples, and through 
that alone, she erred. There is not the slightest inti- 
mation that she was either worldly-minded or careless 
about her soul; nor was she at this time improperly 
employed, only so far as the abundance of her affec- 
tion led her to make a greater provision than was ne- 
cessary on the occasion. Nor are our Lord’s words 
to be understood as a reproof; they are a kind and 
tender expostulation, tending to vindicate the conduct 
of Mary. ‘The utmost that can be said on the subject 
is, Martha was well employed, but Mary, on this occa- 
sion, better. 

If we attend to the punctuation of the original text, 
the subject will appear more plain. I shall transcribe 
the text from Bengel’s own edition, Stutgardiew, 1734, 
12mo. Luke x 41, 42.—yv. 41. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἰπεν 
av7n ὁ ἴησους, Μαρθα, Μαρθα, μεριμνᾷς Kat τυρβαζῃ περι 
noha: ἕνος de ect χρεία. Μαρια δὲ τὴν ἀγαθὴν pepida 
εξελεξατο, ἧτις οὐκ αὐὀπιρεθησεται ax’ αὐτης. “ Then 
Jesus answered her, Martha, Martha, thou art anx- 
iously careful and disturbed about many things ; but 
one thing is necessary. But Mary hath chosen that 
good portion which shall not be taken away from her.” 
I have shown, in my notes, that Martha was making 
a greater provision for her guests than was needful ; 
that it was in consequence of this that she required 
her sister’s help ; that Jesus tenderly reproved her for 
her unnecessary anxiety and superabundant provision, 
and asserted that but one thing, call it course or dish, 
was necessary on the occasion, yet she had provided 
many ; and that this needless provision was the cause 
of the anxiety and extra labour. Then, taking ocea- 
sion, from the circumstances of the case, to vindicate 
Mary’s conduct, and to direct his loving reproof more 
pointedly at Martha’s heart, he adds, Mary hath cho- 


Kypxe m doc. has several methods of interpreting this | sen a good portion; that is. she avails herself of the 


1 


435 


Christ teaches his 


present opportunity to hear my teaching, and inform 
herself in those things which are essential to the sal- 
vation of the soul. I cannot, therefore, order her to 
leave my teaching, to serve in what I know to be an 
unnecessary service, however kindly designed : for it 
would be as unjust to deprive her of this bread of life, 
after which she so earnestly hungers, as to deprive 
thee, or thy guests, of that measure of common food 
necessary to sustain life. All earthly portions are 
perishing : “ Meats for the belly, and the belly for 
meats, but God will destroy both it and them; but the 
work of the Lord abideth for ever ;” her portion, 
therefore, shall not be taken away from her. ‘This is 
my view of the whole subject ; and all the terms in the 
original, not only countenance this meaning, but ne- 
cessarily require it. The words, one thing is need- 
ful, on which we lay so much stress, are wanting in 
some of the most ancient MSS., and are omilted by 
some of the fathers, who quote all the rest of the pas- 
sage: a plain proof that the meaning which we take 
out of them was not thought of in very ancient times ; 
and in other MSS., versions, and fathers, there is an 
unusual variety of readings where even the thing, or 


ST. LUKE. 


disciples to pray. 


something like τὶ, is retained. Some have it thus; 
Martha, Martha, thou labourest much, and yet a little 
is sufficient, yea, one thing only. Others: And only 
one thing is required. Others: Thou art anxious 
and embarrassed about many things, when that which 
is needful is very small. Others: But here there need 
only a few things. Others: But a few things, or 
one only, 1s necessary. Now these are the readings 
of almost all the ancient versions; and we plainly 
perceive, by them, that what we term the one thing 
needful, is not understood by one of them as referring 
to the salvation of the soul, but to the provision THEN 
to be made. It would be easy to multiply authorities, 
but I spare both my own time and that of my reader. 
In short, I wonder how the present most exception- 
able mode of interpretation ever obtained; as having 
no countenance in the ¢fext, ancient MSS. or versions, 
and as being false in itself; for even Christ himself 
could not say, that sitting at his feet, and hearing his 
word, was the one thing NEEDFUL. Repentance, 
faith, prayer, obedience, and a thousand other things 
are necessary to our salvation, besides merely hearing 
the doctrines of Christ, even with the humblest heart. 


CHAPTER ΧΙ. 


Christ teaches his disciples to pray, 1—4. 
a dumb demon, 14. 
15-23. Miserable slate of the Jews, 24—26. 
to the people, 29-36. 
his hands, 37, 38. 


45-52. 
Sia ND it came to pass, that as he 
Ba Ola was praying in a certain place, 


when he ceased, one of his disciples 

said uto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John 
also taught his disciples. 

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, 

* Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed 

be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 


Shows the necessity of importunity in prayer, 5-13. 
The Jews ascribe this to the power of Beelzebub; our Lord vindicates his conduct, 
Who they ure that are truly blessed, 27, 28. He preaches 

A Pharisee invites him to dine with him, who takes offence because he washed not 
Our Lord exposes their hypocrisy, 39-44. 


Casts out 


He denounces woes against the lawyers, 


The scribes and Pharisees are greatly offended, and strive to entangle him in his words, 53, 54. 


will be done, as in heaven, so in 4,M. 4033. 
earth. 


bread. 

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also for 
give every one that is indebted to us. And 
lead us not into temptation; but deliver us 
from evil. 


a Matt. vi. 9. 


bOr for the day. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XI. 

Verse 1-5. Teach us to pray] See the nature of 
prayer, with an ample explanation of the different 
parts of the Lord’s Prayer, treated of in Matt. vi. 5— 
15. The prayer related here by Luke is not precisely 
the same as that mentioned by Matthew ; and indeed 
it is not likely that it was given at the same time. 
That in Matthew seems to have been given after the 
second passover ; and this in Luke was given probably 
after the third passover, between the feasts of taber- 
nacles, and the dedication. It is thus that Bishop 
Newcome places them in his Greek Harmony of the 
Gospels. 

There are many variations in the MSS. in this prayer ; 
but they seem to have proceeded principally from the 
desire of rendering this similar to that in Matthew. 
Attempts of this nature have given birth to multitudes 

436 


of the various readings in the MSS. of the New Tes- 
tament. It should be remarked, also, that there is no 
vestige of the doxology found in Matthew, in any copy 
of St. Luke’s Gospel. 

Verse 4. Lead us not into temptation, &c.] Dr. 
Lightfoot believes that this petition is intended against 
the visible apparitions of the devil, and his actual ob- 
sessions ; he thinks that the meaning is too much 
softened by our translation. Deliver us from evil, is 
certainly a very inadequate rendering of ῥυσαι ἥμας απὸ 
Tov πονήρου ; literally, Deliver us from the wicked one. 

Verse 6. Inhis journey is come] Or, perhaps more 
literally, A friend of mine is come to me out of his 
way, εξ édov, which renders the case more urgent—a 
friend of mine, benighted, belated, and who has lost 
his way, is come unto me. This was a strong reasor 
why he should have prompt relief. 


The necessity of 


A. iat ae 5 And he said unto them, Which 
An. Olymp. of you shall have a friend, and shall 

CCI. 

————— go unto him at midnight, and say 
unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves : 

6 For a friend of mine ° in his journey is 
come to me, and I have nothing to set before 
him? 

7 And he from within shall answer and say, 
Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and 
my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise 
and give thee. 

8 I say unto you, ἃ Though he will not rise 
and give him, because he is his friend, yet be- 
cause of his importunity he will rise and give 
him as many as he needeth. 

9 ° And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be 
given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you. 

10 For every one that asketh receiveth ; and 


CHAP. XI. 


importunity in prayer, 


he that seeketh findeth ; and to him 4,™ 4033. 
that knocketh it shall be opened. 

11 ‘Ifa son shall ask bread of 
any of you that is a father, will he give him 
a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish 
give him a serpent? 

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he ξ offer 
him a scorpion ? 

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give 
good gifts unto your children : how much more 
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 
to them that ask him ? 

14 4 * And he was casting out a devil, and 
it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the 
devil was gone out, the dumb spake ; and the 
people wondered. 

15 But some of them said, ‘ He casteth out 
devils through * Beelzebub the chief of the 
devils. 


ὋΣ δ᾽ m 
ΠΣ » 


© Or, out of his way. 4 Ch. xviii. 1, &ce.—* Matt. vii. 7; xxi. 22; 
Mark xi. 24; John xv. 7; James i. 6; 1 John iii. ‘99. 


Verse 7. My children are with me in bed] Or, I 
and my children are in bed; this is Bishop Prarce’s 
translation, and seems to some preferable to the com- 
mon one. See a like form of speech in 1 Cor. xvi. 
11, and in Eph. iii. 18. However, we may conceive 
tha’ he had his little children, ta παιδία, in bed with 
him; and this heightened the difficulty of yielding to 
his neighbour’s request. 

But if he persevere knocking. (At si ille perseve- 
raverit pulsans.) This sentence is added to the begin- 
ning of ver. 8, by the Armenian, Vulgate, four copies 
of the Itala, Ambrose, Augustin,and Bede. On these 
authorities (as I find it in no Greek MS.) [ cannot 
insert it as a part of the original text ; but it is neces- 
sarily implied; for, as Bishop Pearce justly observes, 
unless the man in the parable be represented as con- 
tinuing to solicit his friend, he could not possibly be 
said to use wmportunity : once only to ask is not to be 
importunate. 

Verse 9. And (or, therefore) I say unto you, Ask] 
Be importunate with God, not so much to prevail on 
him to save you, as to get yourselves brought into a 
proper disposition to receive that mercy which he is 
ever disposed to give. He who is not importunate 
for the salvation of his soul does not feel the need of 
being saved; and were God to communicate his mercy 
to such they could not be expected to be grateful for 
it, as favours are only prized and esteemed in propor- 
tion to the sense men have of their necessity and im- 
portance. See this subject explained Matt. vii. 7, 8. 

Verse 12. Offer him a scorpion?| Σκορπιον. The 
Greek 2tymologists derive the name from σκορπίζειν 
Tov wov, scattering the poison. But is there any simi- 
litude between a scorpion and an egg, that the one 
might be given and taken in place of the other? We 
know there is the utmost similitude between some fish, 
especially those of the eel kind, and serpents; and 

1 


£ Matt. vil. 9 — Gr. give. b Matt. ix. 32; xii. 22——i Matt. 
ix. 34; xil. 24. k Gr. Beelzebul, and so ver. 18, 19. 


that there are stones exactly similar to dread in their 
appearance ; from which we may conjecture that our 
Lord intended to convey the same idea of similitude 
between an egg and a scorpion. Perhaps the word 
scorpion here may be used for any kind of serpent 
that proceeds from an egg, or the word egg may be 
understood : the common snake is oviparous; it brings 
forth a number of eggs, out of which the young ones 
are hatched. If he asks an egg, will he, for one that 
might nourish him, give him that of a serpent. But 
Bochart states, that the body of a scorpion is like to 
an egg, especially if it be a white scorpion ; which sort 
Nicander, A®lian, Avicenna, and others, maintain to 
be the first species. Nor do scorpions differ much in 
size from an egg in Judea, if we may credit what the 
monks of i eae say, that there are about Jerusalem, 
and through all Syria, great scorpions, &c. Hieroz. 
l. iv. cap. xxix. col. 641, edit. 1692. To this it 
may be said, there may be such a similitude, between 
a white scorpion and an egg, if the /egs and tail of the 
former be taken away ; but how there. can be a resem- 
blance any other way, I know not. It is, however, 
a fact, that the alligator and crocodile come from eggs; 
two of those lie now before me, scarcely so large as 
the egg of the goose, longer, but not so thick. Now, 
suppose reference be made to one such egg, in which 
the young crocodile is hatched, and is ready to burst 
from its enclosure, would any father give such an egg 
to a hungry child? No. If the child asked an egg, 
he would not, instead of a proper one, give him that 
of the crocodile or the alligator, in which the young 
serpent was hatched, and from which it was just ready 
to be separated. 


Verse 13. The Holy Spirit] Or, as several MSS. 
have it, svev.a ἀγαθον, the good spirit. See on Matt. 
vii. 11. 


Verse 14. Gusting out a devil] See on Matt. xii. 22. 
437 


Zesus exhorts and 


16 And others, tempting him, 
An: Olymp. ‘sought of him a sign from heaven. 
™ But ™ he, knowing their 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29 


Secale Vs Nh73 
thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom 
divided against itself is brought to desolation ; 
and a house divided against a house falleth. 

18 If Satan also be divided against himself, 
how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say 
that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, 
by whom do your sons cast them out? there- 
fore shall they be your judges. 

20 But if I ° with the finger of God cast out 
devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come 
upon you. 

21 » When a strong man armed keepeth his 
palace, his goods are in peace : 

22 But 4 when a stronger than he shall come 
upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from 
him all his armour wherein he trusted, and 
divideth his spoils. 

23 *He that is not with me is against me: 
and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 

24 * When the unclean spirit is gone out of 
a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking 
rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return 
unto my house whence I came out. 

25 And when he cometh, he findeth ἐξ swept 
and garnished. 

26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven 
other spirits more wicked than himself; and 
they enter in, and dwell there: and ‘the last 
state of that man is worse than the first. 

27 Ἵ And it came to pass, as he spake these 
things, a certain woman of the company lifted 


ST. LUKE. 


reproves the Jews. 


up her voice, and said unto him, 
ἃ Blessed zs the womb that bare 
thee, and the paps which thou hast 
sucked. 

28 But he said, Yea, ἡ rather, blessed are 
they that hear the word of God, and keep it. 

29 9 ~ And when the people were gathered 
thick together, he began to say, This is an evil 
generation: they seek a sign; and there shall 
no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the 
prophet. 

30 For as * Jonas was a sign unto the Nine- 
vites, so shall also the Son of man be to this 
generation 

31 ¥ The queen of the south shall rise up in 
the judgment with the men of this generation, 
and condemn them: for she came from the 
utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom 
of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solo- 
mon is here. 

32 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the 
judgment with this generation, and shall con- 
demn it: for * they repented at the preaching 
of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas 
zs here. 

33 2 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, 
putteth 2 in a secret place, neither under a 
Ὁ bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which 
come in may see the light. 

34 ° The light of the body is the eye: there- 
fore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body 
also is full of light; but when ¢hie eye is evil 
thy body also as full of darkness. 

35 Take heed therefore that the light which 
is in thee be not darkness. 


A. M. 4033. 


1 Matthew xii. 38; xvi. 1——™ Matt. xii. 25; Mark iu. 24. 
® John ii. 25. © Exod. viii. 19. P Matt. xii. 29; Mark ili. 27. 
4 Isa. liii. 12; Col. ii. 15 — Matt. xii. 30-——* Matt. xii. 43. 
t John v. 14; Heb. vi. 4; x. 26; 2 Pet. ii. 20. 


« Chap. i. 28, 48. ¥ Matt. vii. 21; chap. viii. 21; James i. 
25. Ww Matt. xii. 38, 39. x Jonah i. 17; ii. 10.——¥ 1 Kings 
x. 1. z Jonah 111. 5—— Matt. v.15; Mark iv. 21; chap. vii. 
16.—» See Matt. v. 15. © Matt. vi. 22. 


Verse 19. 

Verse 20. 

Verse 24. 
xii. 43. 

Verse 27. A certain woman—lifled up her voice, 
and said| It was very natural for a woman, who was 
probably a mother, to exclaim thus. She thought that 
the happiness of the woman who was mother to such 
a son was great indeed; but our blessed Lord shows 
her that even the holy virgin could not be benefited 
by her merely being the mother of his human nature, 
and that they only were happy who carried Christ in 
their hearts. ‘True happiness is found in hearing the 
glad tidings of salvation by Christ Jesus, and keeping 
them in a holy heart, and practising them in an un- 
blamable life. 


Beelzebub| See on Matt. x. 25. 
Finger of God| See on Exod. viii. 19. 
When the unclean spirit] See on Matt. 


438 


Verse 29. This is an evil generation] Or, ‘This 
is a wicked race of men. See on Matt. xii. 38-42. 

Verse 31. The queen of the south, &c.| Perhaps 
it would be better to translate, A queen of the south, 
and the men of this race, shall rise up in judgment, 
ἄς. See the note on ver. 7. The 32d verse may 
be read in the same way. 

Verse 33. Noman, when he hath lighted, ὅτε. See 
on Matt. v. 15. Our Lord intimates, that if he worked 
a miracle among such an obstinate people, who were 
determined to disbelieve every evidence of his Messi- 
ahship, he should act as a man who lighted a candle 
and then covered it with a bushel, which must prevent 
the accomplishment of the end for which it was lighted. 
See also on Mark iv. 21, &e. 

Verse 34. The light of the body is the eye] Ov 

1 


Hypocrisy and condemnation 


A.M. 4033. 36 If thy whole body therefore 

An, Olymp. be full of light, having no part dark, 
the whole shall be full of light, as 
when “the bright shining of a candle doth 
give thee light. 

37 Ἵ And as he spake, a certain Pharisee 
besought him to dine with him: and he went 
in, and sat down to meat. 

38 And °when the Pharisee saw it, he 
marvelled that he had not first washed before 
dinner. 

39 ‘And the Lord said unto him, Now do 
ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the 
cup and the platter; but * your inward part is 
full of ravening and wickedness. 


CHAP. XI. 


of the Pharisees 


40 Ye fools, did not he that made 4,™ 40%" 

that which is without make that An. ae 
cell. 
which is within also? eee 

41 But rather give alms ‘ of such things as 
ye have ; and, behold, all things are elisa unto 
you. 

42 * But wo unto you, Pharisees! for ye 
tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, 
and pass over judgment and the love of God- 
these ought ye to have done, and not to leave 
the other undone. 

43 ! Wo unto you, Pharisees! for ye love 
the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and 
greetings in the markets. 

44 ™ Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, 


4Gr. a candle by its bright shining.——* Mark vii. 3— Matt. xxiii. 
25.—— Tit. 1. 15. Isa. lviii. 7 7; Dan. iv. 27; chap. xii. 33. 


iOr, as you are able. k Matt. xxiii. 23. ——! Matt. xxiii. 6; 
Mark xii. 38, 39.——™ Matt. xxiii. 27. 


the eye is the lamp of the body. See on Matt. vi. 
22, &e. 

The 35th and 36th verses are wanting in some 
MSS., and are variously read in others. 

Verse 36. The whole shall be full of light] Or, 
altogether enlightened ; i. e. when the eye is perfect, 
it enlightens the whole body. Every object within 
the reach of the eye is as completely seen as if there 
was an eye inevery part. Sothe eye is to every part 
of the body what the lamp is to every part of the house. 

When the light of Christ dwells fully in the heart, 
it extends its influence to every thought, word, and 
action; and directs its possessor how he is to act in 
all places and circumstances. It is of the utmost im- 
portance to have the soul properly influenced by the 
wisdom that comes from above. The doctrine that is 
contrary to the Gospel may say, Ignorance is the mo- 
ther of devotion; but Christ shows that there can be 
no devotion without heavenly light. Ignorance is the 
mother of superstition; but with this the heavenly 
light has nothing to do. 

Verse 37. To dine] Ὅπως αριςησῃ. The word apiorew 
signifies the first eating of the day. The Jews made 
but fo meals in the day; their ἄριστον may be called 
their breakfast or their dinner, because it was both, 

and was but a slight meal. Their chief meal was their 
δεῖπνον or supper, after the heat of the day was over ; 
and the same was the principal meal among the Greeks 
and Romans. Josephus, in his Life, says, sect. 54, 
that the legal hour of the apiarov, on the Sabbath, was 
the sixth hour, or at twelve o'clock at noon, as we call 
it. What the hour was on the other days of the week, 
he does not say; but probably it was much the same. 
Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 38. First washed] See on Mark vii. 2-4. 

Verse 39. Ye—make clean the outside] See on 
Mats. xxiii. 25. 

Verse 40. Did not he that made that which is with- 
out] Did not the maker of the dish form it so, both 
outwardly and inwardly, as to answer the purpose for 
which it was made? And can it answer this purpose 
without being clean in the inside as well as on the out- 

1 


side? God has made you such, both as to your bodies 
and souls, as he intended should show forth his praise ; 
but can you think that the purpose of God can be ac- 
complished by you while you only attend to external 
legal purifications, your hearts being full of rapine and 
wickedness? How unthinking are you to imagine 
that God can be pleased with this outwurd purifica- 
tion, when all within is unholy ! 

Verse 41. Give alms of such things as ye have} 
Meaning either what was within the dishes spoken of 
before ; or what was within their houses or power: or 
what they had at hand, for so τὰ evovra is used by the 
purest Greek writers. Cease from rapine: far from 
spoiling the poor by wicked exactions, rather give them 
alms of every thing you possess; and when a part of 
every thing you have is sincerely consecrated to God 
for the use of the poor, then all that remains will be 
clean unto you; you will have the blessing of God in 
your basket and store, and every thing will be sancti- 
fied to you. These verses are very difficult, and are 
variously translated and interpreted by critics and di- 
vines. I have given what I believe to be our Lord’s 
meaning, in the preceding paraphrase. For a descrip- 
tion of the rapine, &c., of the Pharisees, see on Matt. 
xxiii. 25. 

Verse 42. Ye tithe mint and rue] 
xxiii. 23. 

Verse 43. Ye love the uppermost seats] Every 
one of them affected to be a ruler in the synagogues. 
See on Matt. xxiii. 5. 

Verse 44. Ye are as graves which appear not} In 
Matt. xxiii. 27, our Lord tells them that they eractly 
resembled white-washed tombs: they had no fairness 
but on the outside: (see the note there :) but here he 
says they are like hidden tombs, graves which were 
not distinguished by any outward decorations, and were 
not elevated above the ground, so that those who walk- 
ed over them did not consider what corruption was 
within ; so they, under the veil of hypocrisy, covered 
their iniquities, so that those who had any intercourse 
or connection with them did not perceive what accom 
plished knaves they had to do with. 

439 


See on Matt. 


The wickedness and 


A. M. 4033. Jn ; 
-, M4033. hypocrites ! "for ye are as graves 


An, Olymp. which appear not, and the men that 
CCI. 
walk over them are not aware of them. 
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and 
said unto him, Master, thus saying thou re- 
proachest us also. 
46 And he said, Wo unto you also, ye law- 
yers! ° for ye lade men with burdens grievous 


to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the } 


burdens with one of your fingers. 

47 » Wo unto you! for ye build the sepul- 
chres of the prophets, and your fathers killed 
them. 

48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the 
deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed 
them, and ye !.uild their sepulchres. 

49 Therefoie also said the wisdom of God, 
41 will send them prophets and apostles, and 
some of them they shall slay and persecute : 


ST. LUKE. 


condemnation of lawyers. 
A. M. 4033. 


50 That the blood of all the pro- 4,™, 40% 
phets which was shed from the Age ae: 
foundation of the world, may be 
required of this generation ; 

51 * From the blood of Abel unto * the blood 
of Zacharias, which perished between the altar 
and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall 
be required of this generation. 

52 tWo unto you, lawyers! for ye have 
taken away the key of knowledge: ye enter 
not in yourselves, and them that were entering 
in ye " hindered. 

53 And as he said these things unto them, 
the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge 
him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak 
of many things : 

54 Laying wait for him, and τ seeking to 
catch something out of his mouth, that they 
might accuse him. 


3 Psa. v. 9. © Matt. xxiii. 4. ——P Matt. xxiii. 29-——4 Matt. 


Xxili. 34. τ Gen. iv. 8. 


82 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21. τ Matthew xxiii. 13. 


«Or, forbade. 
¥ Mark xii. 13. 


Verse 45. Thou reproachest us| He alone who 
searches th: heart could unmask these hypocrites ; 
and he did it so effectually that their own consciences 
acknowledged the guilt, and re-echoed their own 1e- 
proach. 

Verse 46. Ye lade men with burdens] By insist- 
ing on the observance of the traditions of the elders, 
to which it appears, by the way, they paid no great 
attention themselves. See on Matt. xxiii. 4. 

Verse 47. Ye build the sepulchres] That is, ye 
rebuild and beautify them. See on Matt. xxiii. 29. 

Verse 48. Truly ye bear witness}! Ye acknowledge 
that those of old who killed the prophets were your 
fathers, and ye are about to show, by your conduct 
towards me and my apostles, that ye are not degene- 
rated, that ye are as capable of murdering a prophet 
now, as they were of old. 

Verse 49. The wisdom of God| ‘These seem to 
be Luke’s words, and to mean that Jesus, the wisdom 
of God, (as he is called, 1 Cor. i. 24,) added the words 
which follow here, on that occasion: and this inter- 
pretation of the words is agreeable to that of Matthew, 
who makes Jesus speak in his own person: Where- 
fore behold, I send you prophets, &c., Matt. xxiii. 34. 
See the note there, and see Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 50. That the blood] That the particle iva 
may be translated so that, pointing out the event only, 
not the design or intention, Bishop Pearce has well 
shown in his note on this place, where he refers to a 
like use of the word in chap. ix. 45; xiv. 10; John 
x. 175 Rom. v..20);)xi.11; 1 ΟΣ 15, 3) &e: 

Verse 51. From the blood of Abel] See this sub- 
ject explained at large on Matt. xxiii. 34. 

Required] Ἐκζητηθησεται may be translated either 
by the word vested or revenged, and the latter word 
evidently conveys the meaning of our Lord. They are 
here represented as having this blood among them ; 

440 


and it is intimated that God will come by and by to 
require it, and to inguire how it was shed, and to pun- 
ish those who shed it. 

Verse 52. Ye have taken away the key of know- 
ledge} By your traditions ye have taken away the 
true method of interpreting the prophecies: ye have 
given a wrong meaning to those scriptures which speak 
of the kingdom of the Messiah, and the people are 
thereby hindered from entering into it. See on Matt. 
xxiii. 13. 

Verse 53. Began to urge him vehemently] Aetvac 
evexev, They began to be furious. They found them- 
selves completely unmasked in the presence of a vast 
concourse of people. See chap. xii. 1, (for we ean- 
not suppose that all this conversation passed while 
Christ was at meat in the Pharisee’s house, as Matthew, 
chap. xxill. 25, shows that these words were spoken 
on another occasion.) ‘They therefore questioned him 
on avariety of points, and hoped, by the multitude and 
impertinence of their questions, to puzzle or irritate 
him, so as to induce him to speak rashly, (for this is 
the import of the word αποςοματιζειν,) that they might 
find some subject of accusation against him. See 
Weistein and Kypke. 


A minister of the Gospel of God should, above all 
men, be continent of his tongue; his enemies, in cer- 
tain cases, will crowd question upon question, in order 
so to puzzle and confound him that he may speak un- 
advisedly with his lips, and thus prejudice the truth he 
was labouring to promote and defend. ‘The following 
is a good prayer, which all who are called to defend 
or proclaim the truths of the Gospel may confidently 
offer to their God. “ Let thy wisdom and light, O 
Lord, disperse their artifice and my darkness! Cast 
the bright beams of thy light upon those who have to 
defend themselves against subtle and deceitful men ? 
Raise and animate their hearts, that they may not be 

1 


a 


Οηγιδί preaches against 


wanting to the cause of truth. Guide their tongue, 
that they may not be deficient in prudence, nor expose 
thy truth by any indiscretions or unseasonable trans- 
ports of zeal. Let meekness, gentleness, and long- 
suffering influence and direct their hearts; and may 
they ever feel the full weight of that truth: The wrath 


CHAP. XII. 


hypocrisy and fear of man. 


of man worketh not the righteousness of God!” The 
following advice of one of the ancients is good: Στηϑὲ 
ἑδραιος ὡς ἀκμὼν τυπτόμενος, καλου yap adAnrov δερεσϑαι 
και νικᾷν. “ Stand thou firm as a beaten anvil: for it 
is the part of a good soldier to beflayed alive, and yet 
conquer.” 


CHAPTER XII. 


Christ preaches to his disciples against hypocrisy, and against timidity in publishing the Gospel, 1-5. 

cites them to have confidence in Divine providence, 6, η. 
Of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, 10. 

Warns the people against covetousness, 13-15. 


his cause, 8, 9. 
seculion, 11, 12. 
down his granaries to build greater, 16-21. 


plains the preceding discourse, 41—48. 
pel, 49-53. The signs of the times, 54-57. 
judgment seat of God, 58, 59. 


AM. 4033. N “the mean time, when there 
An. Οἱ man were gathered together an innu- 


merable multitude of people, inso- 
much that they trode one upon another, he 
began to say unto his disciples first of all, 
> Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, 
which is hypocrisy. 
2 ° For there is nothing covered that shall 
not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be 
known. 


3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in 
darkness shall be heard in the light ; and that 
which ye have spoken in the ear in closets, 
shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops. 


2 Matt. xvi. 6; Mark vii. 15——? Matt, xvi. 12. 
_ 26; Mans iv. 22; cnap. vill. 1”. 
NOTES ON CHAP. XII. 

Verse 1. An innumerable multitude of people] Tov 
μυριάδων του οχλου, myriads of people. A myriad is 
ten thousand, and myriads must, at the very lowest, 
mean twenty thousand. But the word is often used 
to signify a crowd or multitude which cannot be 
readily numbered. There was doubtless a vast crowd 
assembled on this occasion, and many of them were 
deeply instructed by the very important discourse 
which our Lord delivered. 

Leaven of the Pharisees} See Matt. xvi. 1-12. 

Which is hypocrisy.}| These words are supposed 
by some to be an addition to the text, because it does 
not appear that it is their hypocrisy which Christ 
alludes to, but their false doctrines. They had, how- 
ever, a large proportion of both. 

Verse 2. There is nothing covered] See the notes 
on Matt. v. 15; x. 26, 27; Mark iv. 22. 

Verse 4. Kill the body] See on Matt. x. 28. 

Verse 5. Fear him] Even the friends of God are 
commanded to fear God, as a being who has authority 
to send both body and soul into hell. Therefore it is 

1 


© Mait. x. 


Cautions against carking cares and anxieties, 22-32. 
necessity of living to God, and in reference to eternity, 33-40. 
The effects that should be produced by the preaching of the Gos- 
The necessity of being prepared to appear before the 


Exz- 
Warns them against denying him, or betraying 
Promises direction and support in per- 

Parable of the rich man who pulled 
The 
At the request of Peter, he farther ex- 


4 4And I say unto you, *my 4,™M; 4033. 


friends, Be not afraid of them that An. Olam 
kill the body, and after that have no - bees 
more that they can do: 

5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall 
fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed 
hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto 
you, Fear him. 

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two  far- 
things, and not one of them is forgotten before 
God? 

7 But even the very hairs of your head are 
all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of 
more value than many sparrows. 


4 Matt x. 28; Isa. li. 7,8, 12,13; Jer. i. 8. 
{866 Matt. x. 29. 


€ John xv. 14, 15. 


proper even for the most holy persons to maintain a 
fear of God, as the punisher of all unrighteousness. 
A man has but one life to Jose, and one soul to save; 
and it is madness to sacrifice the salvation of the soul 
to the preservation of the life. 

Verse 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two far- 
things ἢ See this explained on Matt. x. 29, from 
which place we learn that two sparrows were sold 
for one farthing, and here that five were sold for two 
farthings : thus we find a certain proportion—for one 
farthing you could get but two, while for two farthings 
you could get five. 

Verse 7. Fear not therefore] Want of faith in the 
providence and goodness of God is the source of all 
human inquietudes and fears. He has undertaken to 
save and defend those to the uttermost who trust in 
him. His wisdom cannot be surprised, his power 
cannot be forced, his love cannot forget itself. Man 
distrusts God, and fears that he is forgotten by him, 
because he judges of God by himself; and he knows 
that he is apt to forget his Maker, and be unfaithful 
to him. See on Matt. x. 29-31. 

441 


Cautions agamst covetousness. 


A. ates. 8 ¢ Also I say unto you, Whoso- 
An. Olymp. ever shall confess me before men, 


CON | him shall the Son of man also con- 


fess before the angels of God: 

9 But he that denieth me before men, shall 
be denied before the angels of God. 

10 And * whosoever shall speak a word 
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven 
him; but unto him that blasphemeth against 
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. 

τ And when they bring you unto the syna- 
gogues, and wnto magistrates, and powers, take 
ye no thought how or what thing ye shall an- 
swer, or what ye shall say: 

12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in 
the same hour what ye ought to say. 

13 Ἵ And one of the company said unto him, 
Master, speak to my brother, that he divide 
the inheritance with me. 


ST. LUKE. 


Parable of the ricn man 


14 And he said unto him, * Man, 4, Pe 
who made me a judge or a divider An ae 
over you? aide SES 

15 And he said unto them, ! Take heed, and 
beware of covetousness ; for a man’s life con 
sisteth not in the abundance of the things 
which he possesseth. 

16 And he spake a parable unto them, say- 
ing, The ground of a certain rich man brought 
forth plentifully ; 

17 And he thought within himself, saying, 
What shall I do, because I have no room 
where to bestow my fruits ? 

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull 
down my barns, and build greater; and there 
will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 

19 And I will say to my soul, ™ Soul, thou 
hast much goods laid up for many years ; take 
thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 


& Matt. x. 32; Mark viii. 38; 2 Tim. ii. 12; 1 John 11. 23. 
h Matt. xii. 31, 32; Mark iii. 28; 1 Johnv. 16. i Matt. x. 19; 


Mark xiii. 11; chap. xxi. 14. k John xviii. 36.—!1 Tim. vi. 
7, &c.— Eccles. xi.9; Ecclus. xi.19; 1 Cor. xv. 32; Jamesv. 5. 


Verse 8. Shall confess] See on Matt. x. 32, 33. 

Verse 10. Him that blasphemeth]. See the sin 
against the Holy Ghost explained, Matt. xii. 32. 

Verse 11. Unto magistrates and powers] See 
Matt. x. 17-20. 

Take ye no thought) See Matt. vi. 25; x. 19. 

Verse 13. Speak to my brother, that he divide) 
Among the Jews, the children had the inheritance of 
their fathers divided among them; the eldest had a 
double portion, but all the rest had equal parts. It is 
likely the person complained of in the text was the 
elder brother; and he wished to keep the whole to 
himself—a case which is far from being uncommon. 
The spirit of covetousness cancels all bonds and obli- 
gations, makes wrong right, and cares nothing for 
father or brother. 

Verse 14. A judge] Without some judgment given 
in the case, no division could be made; therefore 
Jesus added the word judge. Prarce. A minister 
of Christ ought not to concern himself with secular 
affairs, any farther than charity and the order of dis- 
cipline require it. Our Lord could have decided this 
difference in a moment; but the example of a perfect 
disengagement from worldly things was more necessary 
for the ministers of his Church than that of a charity 
applying itself to temporal concerns. He who preaches 
salvation to all should never make himself a party 
man; otherwise he loses the confidence, and conse- 
quently the opportunity of doing good to the party 
apainst whom he decides. Better to leave all these 
things to the civil magistrate, unless where a lawsuit 
may be prevented, and the matter decided to the satis- 
faction or acquiescence of both parties. 

Verse 15. Beware of covelousness] Or rather, 
Beware of all inordinate desires. 1 add πασης, all, on 
the authority of ABDKLM-Q, twenty-three others, 
both the Syriac, all the Persic, all the Arabic, Coptic, 

442 


Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, all the Itala, and seve- 
ral of the primitive fathers. 

Inordinate desires. ἹΠλεονεξιας, from πλείον, more, 
and eyev, to have; the desire to have more and more, 
let a person possess whatever he may. Such a dis 
position of mind is never satisfied ; for, as soon as one 
object is gained, the heart goes out after another. 

Consisteth not in the abundance] That is, dependeth 
not on the abundance. It is not superfluities that sup- 
port man’s life, but necessaries. What is necessary, 
God gives liberally ; what is superfluous, he has not 
promised. Nor can a man’s life be preserved by the 
abundance of his possessions : to prove this he spoke 
the following parable. 

Verse 16. The ground of a certain rich man, &c.| 
He had generally what is called good luck in his farm, 
and this was a remarkably plentiful year. 

Verse 17. He thought within himself | Began to be 
puzzled in consequence of the increase of his goods. 
Riches, though ever so well acquired, produce nothing 
but vexation and embarrassment. 

Verse 18. I will pull down, &e.] The rich are full 
of designs concerning this life, but in general take no 
thought about eternity till the time that their goods 
and their ives are both taken away. 

Verse 19. Soul, thou hast much goods] Great pos- 
sessions are generally accompanied with pride, idle- 
ness, and luxury; and these are the greatest enemies 
to salvation. Moderate poverty, as one justly observes, 
is a great talent in order to salvation; but it is one 
which nobody desires. 

Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.| This 
was exactly the creed of the ancient Atheists and Epi- 
cureans. Ede, bibe, lude ; post mortem nulla voluptas. 
What a wretched portion for an immortal spirit! and 
yet those who know not God have no other, and many 
of them not even this. 

1 


. We must not distrust 


A. M. 4033. 90 But God said unto him, Thou 
An, Oba. fool, this night ® thy ° soul shall be 
.-_———. required of thee: then whose 
shall those things be which thou hast provided ? 

21 So zs he that layeth up treasure for him- 
self, α and is not rich toward God. 

22 9 And he said unto his disciples, There- 
fore I say unto you, * Take no thought for your 
life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, 
what ye shall put on. 

23 The life is more than meat, and the body 
ts more than raiment. 

24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow 
nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor 
barn; and * God feedeth them: how much 
more are ye better than the fowls? 

25 And which of you with taking thought 
can add to his stature one cubit ? 

26 If ye then be not able to do that thing 

Or, do they require thy soul.—® Job xx. 22; xxvii. 8; Psa. 


hii. 7; James iv. 14. P Psa. xxxix. 6; Jer. xvii. 11.—®9 Matt. 
vi. 20; ver. 33; 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19; James ii. 5. 


CHAP. XII. 


the goodness of God 


which is least, why take ye thought Αι ΝΜ, 4033. 
for the rest? 

27 Consider the lilies how they 
grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet 
I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory 
was not arrayed like one of these. 

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is 
to-day in the field, and to-morrow is cast into 
the oven; how much more will he clothe you, 
O ye of little faith ? 

29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or 
what ye shall drink, ' neither be ye of doubt- 
ful mind. 

30 For all these things do the nations of the 
world seek after: and your Father knoweth 
that ye have need of these things. 

31 “ But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; 
and all these things shall be added unto you. 

32 Fear not, little flock; for Yit is your 

τ Matt. vi. 25. 


Live not in careful suspense. 
xi. 25, 26. 


5 Job xxxviii. 41; Psa. cxlvii. 9—t Or, 
4 Matt. vi. 33. ¥ Matthew 


Verse 20. Thou fool!| To imagine that a man’s 
comfort and peace can depend upon ¢emporal things ; 
or to suppose that these can satisfy the wishes of an 
immortal spirit ! 

This night] How awful was this saying! He had 
just made the necessary arrangements for the gratifi- 
cation of his sensual appetites ; and, in the very night 
in which he had finally settled all his plans, his soul 
was called into the eternal world! What a dreadful 
awakening of a soul, long’ asleep in sin! He is now 
hurried into the presence of his Maker; none of his 
worldly goods can accompany him, and he has not a 
particle of heavenly treasure! There is a passage 
much like this in the book of Ecclesiasticus, chap. xi. 
18,19. There is that waxeth rich by his wariness 
and pinching, and this is the portion of his reward : 
Whereas he saith, I have found rest, and now will eat 
continually of my goods; and yet he knoweth not 
what time shall come upon him; and that he must 
leave those things to others, and die. We may easily 
see whence the above is borrowed. 

Verse 21. So is he] That is, thus will it be. ‘This 
is not an individual case ; all who make this life their 
portion, and who are destitute of the peace and salva- 
tion of God, shall, sooner or later, be surprised in the 
same way. 

Layeth up treasure for himself] This is the essen- 
tial characteristic of a covetous man: he desires 
tiches; he gets them; he lays them up, not for the 
necessary uses to which they might be devoted, but 
for hiraself; to please himself, and to gratify his ava- 
ticious soul. Such a person is commonly called a 
miser, i. 6. literally, a wretched, miserable man. 

Verse 22. Take no thought] Be not anxiously care- 
jul. See on Matt. vi. 25. 

Verse 25. To his stature one cubit 3] See on Matt. 
ἘΠ 97. 

1 


Verse 28. Into the oven] See the note on Matt. 
vi. 30. 

Verse 29. Neither be ye of doubtful mind.| Or, wn 
anxious suspense, μη μετεωριζεσθε. Raphelius gives se- 
veral examples to prove that the meaning of the word 
is, lo have the mind agitated with useless thoughts, and 
vain imaginations concerning food, raiment, and riches, 
accompanied with perpetual uncertainty. 

Verse 30. The nations of the world seck after] Or, 
earnestly seek, exi{nrec from em, above, over, and 
ζητεω, I seek; to seek one thing after another, to be 
continually and eagerly coveting. This is the em- 
ployment of the nations of this world, utterly regard- 
less of God and eternity! It is the essence of heathen- 
ism to live only for this life; and it is the property 
of Christianity to lead men to live here in reference 
to another and better world. Reader! how art thou 
living 1 

Dr. Lightfoot observes on this place, that κόσμος, 
the world, and atv, world or age, have a meaning in 
the sacred writings which they have not in profane 
authors. Acov has relation to the Jewish ages, and 
κοσμος to the ages that are not Jewish: hence, by 
συντελείᾳ Tov αἰωνος, Matt. xxiv. 3, is meant the end 
of the Jewish age or world; and πρὸ χρονων αἰωνίων, 
Tit. i. 2, means before the Jewish world began; and 
hence it is that the term world is very often, in the 
New Testament, to be understood only of the Gen- 
tiles. 

Verse 32. Fear nol, little flock] Or, very little 
flock, +o μικρον ποιμνιον. This is what some term a 
double diminutive, and, literally translated, is, little 
little flock. Though this refers solely to the apostles 
and first believers, of whom it was literally true, yet 
we may say that the number of genuine believers has 
been, and is still, small, in comparison of heathens 
and false Christians. 

443 


The necessity of preparing 


A.M. 4033. Father’s good pleasure to give you 
An. Olymp. the kingdom. 

33 Ἵ ~ Sell that ye have, and 
give alms; *provide yourselves bags which 
wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that 
faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither 
moth corrupteth. 

34 For where your treasure is, there will 
your heart be also.’ 

35 Ἵ Ὁ Let your loins be girded about, and 
* your lights burning ; 

36 And ye yourselves like unto men that 
wait for their lord, when he will return from 
the wedding; that when he cometh and knock- 
eth, they may open unto him immediately. 

37 * Blessed are those servants, whom the 
Lord when he cometh shall find watching : 
verily I say unto you, that he shall gird him- 
self, and make them to sit down to meat, and 
will come forth and serve them. 


ST. LUKE. 


38 And if he shall come in the ΑΜ, 4083. 
second watch, or come in the third An. Olymp. 
watch, and find them so, blessed ee 
are those servants. 

39 ” And this know, that if the good man of 
the house had known what hour the thief would 
come, he would have watched, and not have 
suffered his house to be broken through. 

40 “ Be ye therefore ready also: for the 
Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think 
not. 

41 9 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, 
speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to 
all ? 

42 And the Lord said, ἃ Who then is that 
faithful and wise steward, whom fis Lord 
shall make ruler over his household, to give 
them their portion of meat in due season ? 

43 Blessed zs that servant, whom his Lord 
when he cometh shall find so doing. 


w Matt. xix. 21; Acts li. 45; iv. 34. x Matt. vi. 20; chap. 
xvi. 9; 1 Tim. vi. 19. ¥ Eph. vi. 14; 1 Pet. i. 13. z Matt. 
xxv. 1, &c. a Matt. xxiv. 46. > Matt. xxiv. 43; 1 Thess v. 


2; 2 Pet. iii. 10; Rev. iii. 3; xvi. 15.——¢ Matt. xxiv. 44; xxv, 
13; Mark xiii. 33; chap. xxi. 34, 36; 1 Thess. v. 6; 2 Pet. 11]. 
12.—4 Matt. xxiv. 45; xxv. 21; 1 Cor. iv. 2. 


It is your Father's good pleasure] Evdokycev, It 
hath pleased, &c., though this tense joined with an in- 
finitive has often the force of the present. Our Lord 
intimates, God has already given you that kingdom 
which consists in righteousness, peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost, and has undertaken to protect and save 
you to the uttermost; therefore, fear not ; the small- 
ness of your number cannot hurt you, for omnipotence 
itself has undertaken your cause. 

Verse 33. Sell that ye have] Dispose of your goods. 
Be not like the foolish man already mentioned, who 
laid up the produce of his fields, without permitting 
the poor to partake of God’s bounty : turn the fruits 
of your fields (which are beyond what you need for 
your own support) into money, and give it in alms; 
and the treasure thus laid out, shall be as laid up for 
yourselves and families in heaven. This purse shall 
not grow old, and this treasure shall not decay. Ye 
shall by and by find both the place where you laid up 
the treasure, and the treasure itself in the place ; for 
he who hath pity on the poor Jendeth unto the Lord; 
and he may rest assured, that whatever, for Christ’s 
sake, he thus lays out, it will be paid him again. 

Verse 34. Where your treasure is] Men fix their 
hearts on their treasures, and often resort to the place 
where they have deposited them, to see that all is safe 
and secure. Let God be the treasure of your soul, 
and let your heart go frequently to the place where his 
honour dwelleth. There is a curious parallel passage 
to this in Plautus, quoted by Bishop Pearce on Matt. 
vi. 21. Nam ego sum hic; animus domi est, sc. cum 
argento meo. “Jam here; but my heart is at home, 
i. e. with iny money.” 

Verse 35. Let your loins] Be active, diligent, de- 
termined, ready ; let all hinderances be removed out 

444 


of the way ; and let the candle of the Lord be always 
found burning brightly in your hand. See on ver. 37. 

Verse 36. That wait for their lord| See the notes 
on Matt. xxv. 1, &c. 

The wedding| How the Jewish weddings were ce- 
lebrated, see in the notes on Matt. viii. 12; xxii. 13. 

Verse 37. He shall gird himself] Alluding to the 
long garments which were worn in the eastern coun- 
tries ; and which, in travelling and serving, were tuck- 
ed up in their belts. That those among the Romans 
who waited on the company at table were girded, and 
had their clothes tucked up, appears from what Horace 
says, Sat.vi.b.ii. 1.107: Veluti succincrus cursitat 
Hospes, He runs about like a girded waiter. The host 
himself often performed this office. And ibid. vill. 10: 
Puer alté cinctus ; and that the same custom prevail- 
ed among the Jews appears from John xiii. 4, 5, and 
Luke xvii. 8. From this verse we may gather like- 
wise, that it was the custom of those days, as it was, 
not long since, among us, for the bridegroom, at the 
wedding supper, to wait as a servant upon the com- 
pany. See Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 38. If he shall come in the second watch] 
See the note on Matt. xiv. 25. 

Verse 40. Be ye therefore ready also] It is pretty 
evident that what is related here, from verse 35 to 49, 
was spoken by our Lord at another time. See Matt. 
xxiv. 42, &c., and the notes there. 

Verse 42. Faithful and wise steward] See on 
Matt. xxiv. 45; where the several parts of the steward’s 
office are mentioned and explained. Those appear to 
have been stewards among the Jews, whose business 
it was to provide all the members of a family, not 
only with food, but with raiment. 

Verse 45. Begin to beat, &c.] See the different 

1 


for death and judgment. . 


The effects produced by 

τ τ ἡ 44 ° Of a truth 1 say unto you, 
An. Olymp. that he will make him ruler over 
CCIL 1. 


all that he hath. 

45 ‘ But and if that servant say in his heart, 
My lord delayeth his coming ; and shall begin 
to beat the men-servants and maidens, and to 
eat and drink, and to be drunken; 

46 The lord of that servant will come in a 
day when he looketh not for him, and at an 
hour when he is not aware, and will * cut him 
in sunder, and will appoint him his portion 
with the unbelievers. 

47 And * that servant, which knew his lord’s 
will, and prepared not himself, neither did ac- 
cording to his will, shall be beaten with many 
stripes. 

48 ‘ But he that knew not, and did commit 
things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with 
few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is 
given, of him shall be much required: and 
to whom men have committed much, of him 
they will ask the more, 

49 “ΚΤ am come to send fire on the earth; 
and what will I, if it be already kindled ? 


© Matt. xxiv. 47.——! Matt. xxiv. 48.—- Or, cut him off, Matt. 
xxiv. 5].— Num. xv. 20; Deut. xxv. 2; John ix. 41; xv.22; 
Acts xvii. 30; James iv. 17—— Lev. v. 17; 1 Tim. i. 13. 


CHAP. XII. 


preaching the Gospel. 


50 But 11 have a baptism to be ΑΜ 4039. 
baptized with; and how am I = ων. 
™ straitened till it be accomplished ! --- 

51 "Suppose ye that I am come to give 
peace on earth? I tell you, Nay ; ° but rather 
division : 

52 »? For from henceforth there shall be five 
in one house divided, three against two, and 
two against three. 

53 The father shall be divided agaimst the 
son, and the son against the father ; the mother 
against the daughter, and the daughter against 
the mother; the mother-in-law against her 
daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against 
her mother-in-law. 

54 9 And he said also to the people, 4 When 
ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straight- 
way ye say, There cometh a shower; and so 
it 1s. 

55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye 
say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 

56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face 
of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that 
ye do not discern this time ? 


k Ver. 51.——! Matt. xx. 22; Mark x. 38. mQOr, pained. 
0 Matt. x. 34; ver. 49. © Mic. vil. 6; John vil. 43; ix. 16: 
x. 19.—P Matt. x. 35. —4 Matt. xvi. 2. 


parts of this bad minister’s conduct pointed out on Matt. 
xxiv. 48, 49. 

Verse 46. With the unbelievers.] Or, rather, the 
unfaithful ; τῶν azicwv. Persons who had the light 
and knowledge of God’s word, but made an improper 
use of the privileges they received. The persons men- 
tioned here differ widely from unbelievers or infidels, 
viz. those who were in a state of heathenism, because 
they had not the revelation of the Most High: the 
latter knew not the will of God, ver. 48, and, though 
they acted against it, did not do it in obstinacy; the 
former knew that will, and daringly opposed it. They 
were unfaithful, and therefore heavily punished. 

Verse 47. Shall be beaten with many stripes.] 
Criminals among the Jews could not be beaten with 
more than forty stripes; and as this was the sum of 
the severity to which a whipping could extend, it may 
be all that our Lord here means. But, in some cases, 
a man was adjudged to receive fourscore stripes! 
How could this be, when the law had decreed only 
forty ? Answer: By doubling the crime. He received 
forty for each crime; if he were guilty of two offences, 
he might receive fourscore. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 48. Shall be beaten with few] For petty of- 
fences the Jews in many cases inflicted so few as 
four, five, and six stripes. See examples in Lighi- 
foot. 

From this and the preceding verse we find that 
it is a crime to be ignorant of God’s will; because 
to every one God has given less or more of the means 

1 


of instruction. Those who have had much light, or 
the opportunity of receiving much, and have not im- 
proved it to their own salvation, and the good of others, 
shall have punishment proportioned to the light they 
have abused. On the other hand, those who have 
had little light, and few means of improvement, shall 
have few stripes,—shall be punished only for the abuse 
of the knowledge they possessed. See at the end of 
the chapter. 

Verse 49. Iam come to send fire] See this sub- 
ject largely explained on Matt. x. 34, &c. From the 
connection in which these words stand, both in this 
place and in Matthew, it appears as if our Lord in- 
tended by the word fire, not only the consuming in- 
fluence of the Ruman sword, but also the influence 
of his own Spirit in the destruction of sin. In both 
these senses this fire was already kindled: as yet, 
however, it appeared but as a spark, but was soon to 
break out into an all-consuming flame. 

Verse 50. But I have a baptism] The fire, though 
already kindled, cannot durn up till after the Jews 
have put me to death: then the Roman sword shall 
come, and the Spirtt of judgment, burning, and puri- 
fication shall be poured out. 


Verse 51. To give peace] See Matt. x. 34. 

Verse 52. Five in one house divided] See on Matt 
Ἐπ» 90. 

Verse 54. A cloud rise] See on Matt. xvi. 2, 3. 

Verse 56. This time 3] Can ye not discover from 


of the prophets, and from the events 
445 


the writings 


Of the Galileans 


A. M. 4033. 7 i 

A. D. 29 57 Yea, and why even of your 

Ἂς Olymp. selves judge ye not what is 
ight 7 


58 * When thou goest with thine adversary 
to the magistrate, " as thou art in the way, 
give diligence that thou mayest be delivered 


ST. LUKE. 


slam by Pilate 


from him ; lest he hale thee to the 
Judge, and the judge deliver thee to 
the officer, and the officer cast thee 
into prison. 

59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, 
till thou hast paid the very last t mite. 


τ Proy. xxv. 8; Matt. v. 25. 


8 See Psa. xxxii. 6; Isa. lv. 6——t See Mark xii. 42. 


which now take place, that this is the time of the 
Messiah, and that I am the very person foretold by 
them 1 

Verse 57. And why—judge ye| Even without the 
express declarations of the prophets, ye might, from 
what ye see and hear yourselves, discern that God 
has now visited his people in such a manner as he 
never did before. 

Verse 58. When thou goest with thine adversary] | 
This and the next verse are a part of our Lord’s ser- | 
mon upon the mount. See them explained Matt. v. 
25, 26. St. Luke is very particular in collecting and 
salting every word and action of our blessed Lord, 
but seldom gives them in the order of time in which | 
they were spoken or done. See the Preface to this | 
Gospel. 

Give diligence] Aoc epyactav, Give labour, do every 
thing in thy power to get fiee before a suit com- 
mences. 

The officer] Upaxtwp properly signifies such an of- 
ficer as was appointed to levy the jines imposed by the 
law for a violation of any of its precepts. See Aypke. 

Verse 59. Till thou hast paid the very last mite.| 
And when can this be, if we understand the text spi- 
ritually ὃ Can weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, 


pay to Divine justice the debt a sinner has contracted ? | 


This is impossible : let him who readeth understand. 


Tur subject of the 47th and 48th verses has been 
greatly misunderstood, and has been used in a very 
| dangerous manner. Many have thought that their 
ignorance of Divine things would be a sufficient ex- 
cuse for their crimes; and, that they might have but 
few stripes, they voluntarily continued in ignorance. 
But such persons should know that God will judge 
| them for the knowledge they might have received, but 
‘refused to acquire. ‘No criminal is excused because 
,he has been ignorant of the laws of his country, and 
| so transgressed them, when it can be proved that 
|those very laws have been published throughout the 
land. Much knowledge is a dangerous thing if it be 
| not improved; as this will ereatly aggravate the con- 
demnation of its possessor. Nor will it avail a per- 
son, in the land of light and information, to be igno- 
rant, as he shall be judged for what he might have 
known; and, perhaps, in this ease, the punishment of 
this voluntarily ignorant man will be even greater than 

that of the more enlightened ; because his crimes are 
aggravated by this consideration, that he refused te 
have the light, that he might neither be obliged te 
| walk in the light, nor account for the possession of 
it. So we find that the plea of ignorance is a mere 
refuge of lies, and none can plead it who has the 
book of God within his reach, and lives in a country 
blessed with the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ 


CHAPTER XIII. 


Christ preaches the necessity of repentance, from the punishment of the Galileans massacred by Pilate, 1-3. 


And by the death of those on whom the tower in Siloam fell, 4, 5. 


6-9. 
is incensed and is reproved by owr Lord, 14-17. 
ven, 20-21. 
* and our Lord’s answer, with the discourse thereon, 
him, 31, 32. 


Christ cures a woman who had been afflicied eighteen years, 10-13. 


He journeys towards Jerusalem, and preaches, 22. 


The parable of the barren fig tree, 
The ruler of the synagogue 
The parable of the mustard seed, 18,19; of the lea- 
The question, Are there few saved 2 


23-30. He is informed that Herod purposes to kill 


Predicts his own death at Jerusalem, and denounces judgments on that impenitent city, 


33-35. 
‘M5 co (THERE were present at that|Pilate had mingled with their sa- ree 
An Οἰχπιρ, season some that told him |crifices. A, Giymp. 
- of the *Galileans, whose blood! 2 And Jesus answering said unto = 
a Acts v. 37; | chap. xxiii. 6-12. 
NOTES ON CHAP. ΧΙ. tory is not recorded (as far as I can find) by Jose- 
Verse 1. At that season] At what time this hap- | phus: however, he states that the Galileans were the 


pened is not easy to determine; but it appears that 
it was now a piece of news which was told to Christ 
and his disciples for the first time. 
Whose blood Pilate had mingled} This piece of his- 
446 


most seditious people in the land: they belonged pro- 

perly to Herod’s jurisdiction; but, as they kept the 

great feasts at Jerusalem, they probably, by their tu- 

multuous behaviour at some one of them, gaye Pilate, 
1 


Necessity of repentance. 


A. M4033. them, Suppose ye that these Gali- 
An, Otymp. leans were sinners above all the 

cee Galileans, because they suffered 
such things ? 

3 I tell you, * Nay: but, except ye repent, 
ye shall all likewise perish. 

4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower 
in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that 
they were “sinners above all men that dwelt 
in Jerusalem ? 


© Eccles. ix. 2; Rom. ii. 8,9; 
Xi. 22. 


>John ix. 2; Acts xxviii. 4. 


who was a mortal enemy to Herod, a pretext to fall 
upon and slay many of them; and thus, perhaps, sa- 
erifice the people to the resentment he had against the 
prince. Archelaus is represented by Josephus as send- 
ing his soldiers into the temple, and slaying 3000 men 
while they were employed in offering sacrifices. Jose- 
phus, War, b. ii. e. 1, s. 3, and ii. ec. 5. Some sup- 
pose that this refers to the followers of Judas Gau- 
ionites, (see Acts v. 37,) who would not acknowledge 
the Roman government, a number of whom Pilate sur- 
rounded and slew, while they were sacrificing in the 
temple. See Josephus, Antig. lib. 18: but this is 
not very certain. 

Verse 4. The tower in Siloam] 'This tower was 
probably built over one of the porticoes near the pool, 
which is mentioned John ix. 7. See also Neh. iii. 15. 

Debtors, οφειλεται, a Jewish phrase for sinners. 
Persons professing to be under the law are bound by 
the law to be obedient to all its precepts ; those who 
obey not are reckoned dedtors to the law, or rather to 
that Divine justice from which the law came. A dif- 
ferent word is used when speaking of the Galileans : 
they are termed ἁμαρτωλοι, as this word is often used 
to signify heathens ; see the notes on chap. vii. 37 ; 
it is probably used here in nearly a similar sense. 
* Do ye who live in Jerusalem, and who consider your- 
selves peculiarly attached to the law, and under the 
strongest obligations to obey it—do ye think that those 
Galileans were more heathenish than the rest of the 
Galileans, because they suffered such things? No. It 
was not on this account that they perished : both these 
cases exhibit a specimen of the manner in which ye 
shall all perish, if ye do not speedily repent, and turn 
to God.” 

Verse 5. Ye shall all likewise perish.] Ὡσαυτως, 
ὁμοίως, In a like way, in the same manner. This pre- 
diction of our Lord was literally fulfilled. When the 
city was taken by the Romans, multitudes of the 
priests, ὅσοι, who were going on with their sacrifices, 
were slain, and their blood mingled with the blood of 
their victims ; and multitudes were buried under the 
ruins of the walls, houses, and temple. See Josephus, 
War, Ὁ. vi. ch. iv., v., vi.; and see the notes on 
Matt. xxiv. 

It is very wrong to suppose that those who suffer by 
the sword, or by natural accidents, are the most cul- 
pable before God. An adequate punishment for sin 
cannot be inflicted in this world: what God does here, 

1 


CHAP. XIII. 


Of the barren fig tree 


5 I tell you, N ay : but, except ye yh ap 
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. An. Olymp. 
5 CCIL 1. 

6 Ἵ He spake also this parable : 

° A certain man had a fig tree planted in his 
vineyard ; and he came and sought fruit there- 
on, and found none. 

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vine 
yard, Behold, these three years I come seek 
ing fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut 
it down; why cumbereth it the ground ? 


4 Or, debtors, Matt. xviii. 24; chap. xi. 4. 9138. v. 2; Matt, 


xxi. 19. 


in this way, is in general: Ist, through mercy, to 
alarm others; 2, to show his hatred to sin; 3, to 
preserve in men’s minds a proper sense of his provi- 
dence and justice; and 4, to give sinners, in one or 
two particular instances, a general specimen of the 
punishment that awaits all the perseveringly impeni- 
tent. 

Verse 6. A certain man] Many meanings are given 
to this parable, and divines may abound in them; the 
sense which our Lord designed to convey by it appears 
to be the following :— 

1. A person, τις, God Almighty. 2. Had a fiz tree, 
the Jewish Church. 3. Planted in his vineyard—es- 
tablished in the land of Judea. 4. He came seeking 
Sfruit—he required that the Jewish people should walk 
in righteousness, in proportion to the spiritual culture 
he bestowed on them. 5. The vine-dresser—the Lord 
Jesus, for God hath committed all judgment to the Son, 
John vy. 22. 6. Cut it down—let the Roman sword 
be unsheathed against it. 7. Let it alone—Christ is 
represented as intercessor for sinners, for whose sake 
the day of their probation is often lengthened ; during 
which time he is constantly employed in doing every 
thing that has a tendency to promote their salvation. 
8. Thou shalt cut it down—a time will come, that 
those who have not turned at God’s invitations and 
reproofs shall be cut off, and numbered with the trans- 
gressors. 

Verse 7. Behold these three years| From this cir- 
cumstance in the parable, it may be reasonably con- 
cluded that Jesus had been, at the time of saying this, 
exercising his ministry for three years past ; and, from 
what is said in verse 8, of letting it alone this year 
also, it may be concluded likewise that this parable 
was spoken about a year before Christ’s crucifixion ; 
and, if both these conclusions are reasonable, we may 
thence infer that this parable was not spoken at the 
time which appears to be assigned to it, and that the 
whole time of Christ’s public ministry was about four 
years. See Bishop Pearee. But it has already been 
remarked that St. Luke never studies chronological 
arrangement. See the Preface to this Gospel. 

Why cumbereth it the ground 2] Or, in other words, 
Why should the ground be also useless 2 The tree it- 
self brings forth no fruit; let it be cut down that a 
more profitable one may be planted in its place. Cut 
it down. The Codex Beze has added here, φερε τὴν 
afwnv, Bring the axe and cut it down. If this read 

447 


The woman bowed together 
Aen 8 And he answering said unto 
An. Olymp. him, Lord, let it alone this year 
OC! also, till I shall dig about it, and 
dung 11. 

9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then 
after that thou shalt cut it down. 

10 Ἵ And he was teaching in one of the 
synagogues on the Sabbath. 

11 And, behold, there was a woman which 
had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and 
was bowed together, and could in no wise lift 
up herself. 


12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her 


ST. LUKE. 


loosed on the Sabbath day 


to him, and said unto her, Woman, 4,™, 4035. 


thou art loosed from thine infir- ἈΠῸ ὌΝ 
mity. ane 
13 f And he laid As hands on her: and im- 
mediately she was made straight, and glorified 
God. 

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered 
with indignation, because that Jesus had healed 
on the Sabbath day; and said unto the peo- 
ple, 5 There are six days in which men ought 
to work : in them therefore come and be healed, 
and ἢ ποῖ on the Sabbath day. 

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, 


f Mark xvi. 18; Acts ix. 17.——® Exod. xx. 9. 


ing be genuine, it is doubtless an allusion to Matt. iil. 
10: Now the axe lieth at the root of the trees. If the 
writer has added it on his own authority, he probably 
referred to the place above mentioned. See the note 
on the above text. 

There is something very like this in the Tewzovka, 
or De Re Rustica of the ancient Greek writers on agri- 
culture. JI refer to cap. 83 of lib. x., p. 773; edit. 
Niclas, entitled, Aevépov axapzov καρποῴορειν, How to 
make a barren tree fruitful. Having girded yourself, 
and tied up your garments, take a bipen or axe, and 
with an angry mind approach the tree as if about to 
cut itdown. Then let some person come forward and 
deprecate the cutting down of the tree, making him- 
self responsible for its future fertility. Then, seem to 
be appeased, and so spare the tree, and afterwards it 
will yield fruit in abundance. “ Bean straw (manure 
of that material,) scattered about the roots of the tree, 
will make it fruitful.” That a similar superstition pre- 
vailed among the Asiatics, Michaelis proves from the 
Cosmographer én Alvardi, who prescribes the follow- 
ing as the mode to render a sterile palm tree fruitful : 
“The owner, armed with an axe, having an attendant 
with him, approaches the tree, and says, I must cut 
this tree down, because it is unfruitful. Let it alone, 
I beseech thee, says the other, and this year it will 
bring forth fruit. The owner immediately strikes it 
thrice with the back of his axe; but the other pre- 
venting him says, I beseech thee to spare it, and 1 will 
be answerable for its fertility. Then the tree becomes 
abundantly fruitful.” Does not our Lord refer to such 
a custom ? 

Verse 11. A woman which had a spirit of infirmi- 
ty] Relative to this subject ¢hree things may be con- 
sidered :— 

I. The woman’s infirmity. 

11. Her cure. And 

Ill. The conduet of the ruler of the synagogue on 
the occasion. 


1. The woman’s infirmity. 

1. What was its origin? Sty. Had this never en- 
tered into the world, there had not been either pain, 
distortion, or death. 

2. Who was the agent in it? Satan; ver. 16. 
God has often permitted demons ‘s a 22 and in the 

448 


n Matt. xii. 10; Mark iii, 2; chap. vi. 7; xiv. 3. 


bodies of men and women; and it is not improbable 
that the principal part of unaccountable and inexplica- 
ble disorders still come from the same source. 

3. What was the nature of this infirmity ? She was 
bowed together, bent down to the earth, a situation 
equally painful and humiliating ; the violence of which 
she could not support, and the shame of which she 
could not conceal. 

4, What was the duration of this infirmity? Eigh- 
teen years. A long time to be under the constant and 
peculiar influence of the devil. 

What was the effect of this infirmity? The woman 
was so bowed together that she could in no case stand 
straight, or look toward heayen. 


11. The woman’s cure. 


1. Jesus saw her, ver. 12. Notwithstanding her 
infirmity was great, painful, and shameful, she took 
care to attend the synagogue. While she hoped for 
help from God, she saw it was her duty to wait in the 
appointed way, in order to receive it. Jesus saw her 
distress, and the desire she had both to worship her 
Maker and to get her health restored, and his eye af- 
fected his heart. 

2. He called her to him. Her heart and her dis- 
tress spoke loudly, though her lips were silent; and, 
as she was thus calling for help, Jesus calls her to him- 
self that she may receive help. 

3. Jesus laid his hands on her. The hand of his 
holiness terrifies, and the hand of his power expels, 
the demon. Ordinances, however excellent, will be 
of no avail to a sinner, unless he apprehend Christ in 
them. 

4. Immediately she was made straight, ver. 13. 
This cure was—1. A speedy one—it was done in an 
instant. 2. It was a perfect one—she was made com- 
pletely whole. 3. It was a public one—there were 
many to attest and render it credible. 4. It was a 
stable and permanent one—she was loosed, for ever 
loosed from her infirmity. 5. Her soul partook of the 
good done to her body—she glorified God. As she 
knew before that it was Satan who had deund her, she 
knew also that it was God only that could loose her : 
and now, feeling that she is loosed, she gives God that 
honour which is due to his name. 

1 


Parable of the mustard seed. 


A.M. 453 Thou hypocrite, * doth not each one 
An, Olymp. of you on the Sabbath loose his ox 

Col or his ass from the stall, and lead 
him away to watering ? 

16 And ought not this woman, * being a 
daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, 
lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this 
bond on the Sabbath day? 

17 And when he had said these things, all 
his adversaries were ashamed: and all the 
people rejoiced for all the glorious things that 
were done by him. 

18 Ἵ 1 Then said he, Unto what is the king- 
dom of God like? and whereunto shall I re- 
semble it ? 

19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which 
a man took, and cast into his garden; and it 
grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls 
of the air lodged in the branches of it. 

20 4 And again he said, Whereunto shall I 
liken the kingdom of God? 


CHAP. XIII. 


On entering the strait gate. 


ae ; _ A.M. 4033. 
21 It is like leaven, which a wo Se 


man took and hid in three ™ measures An. Olymp. 
of meal, till the whole was leavened. ees 

22 "And he went through the cities and 
villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jeru- 
salem. 

23 9 Then said one unto him, Lord, ° Are 
there few that be saved? And he said unto 
them, 

24 » Strive to enter in at the strait gate : for 
4 many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, 
and shall not be able. 

25 * When once the master of the house is 
risen up, and ὅ hath shut to the door, and ye 
begin to stand without, and to knock at the 
door, saying, * Lord, Lord, open unto us ; and 
he shall answer and say unto you, "I know 
you not whence ye are : 

26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have 
eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast 
taught in our streets. 


i Chap. xiv. 5——* Chap. xix. 9—! Matt. xiii. 31; Mark 
iv. 30.—" See Matt. xiii. 33. Ὁ Matt. ix. 35; Mark vi. 6. 
©2 Esdr. viii. 1, 3. P Matt. vii. 13. 


Ill. The conduct of the ruler of the synagogue on 
the occasion. 


1. He answered with indignation, ver. 14. It would 
seem as if the demon who had left the woman’s body 
had got into Ais heart. It is not an infrequent case 
to find a person filled with rage and madness, while 
beholding the effects of Christ’s power upon others. 
Perhaps, like this ruler, he pretends zeal and concern 
for the honour of religion: “ These preachings, 
prayer meetings, convictions, conversions, &c., are not 
carried on in Ais way, and therefore they cannot be of 
God.” Let such take care, lest, while denying the 
operation of God’s hand, they be given up to demonic 
influence. 

2. He endeavours to prevent others from receiving 
the kind help of the blessed Jesus—He said unto the 
people, &c., ver. 14. Men of this character who have 
extensive influence over the poor, &c., do immense 
harm: they often hinder them from hearing that word 
which is able to save their souls. But for this also 
they must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 
- Reader, hast thou ever acted in this way ? 

3. Jesus retorts his condemnation with peculiar 
force ; ver. 15, 16. Thou Aypocrite—to pretend 
zeal for God’s glory, when it is only the workings 
of thy malicious, unfeeling, and uncharitable heart. 
Wouldst thou not even take thy ass to water upon the 
Sabbath day ? And wouldst thou deprive a daughter 
of Abraham (one of thy own nation and religion) of 
tits merey and goodness of God upon the Sabbath 1 
Was not the Sabbath instituted for the benefit of man? 

4. dis adversaries were ashamed, ver. 17. The 
mask of their hypocrisy, the only covering they had, 
is taken away; and now they are exposed to the 

Vou. I. {{ 29%") 


See John vii. 34; vill. 21; xiii, 33; Rom. ix. 31.—\ Psa 
xxxil. 6; Isa. lv. 6——* Matthew xxv. 10.—+t Chap. vi. 46. 
ἃ Matt. vil. 23; xxv. 12. 


just censure of that multitude whom they deceived, 
and from whom they expected continual applause. 

5. His indignation and uncharitable censure, not 
only turn to his own confusion, but are made the in- 
struments of the edification of the multitude—ihey 
rejoiced at all the glorious things which he did. Thus, 
O Lord! the wrath of man shall praise thee, and the 
remainder thereof thou shalt restrain. 

A preacher will know how to apply this subject to 
general edification. 

Verses 18, 19. The kingdom—is like a grain of 
mustard 5664] See on Matt. xiii. 31. 

Verse 21. Like leaven] See this explained, Matt. 
xiii. 33. 

Verse 22. Journeying toward Jerusalem.] Luke 
represents all that is said, from chap. ix. 51, as hav- 
ing been done and spoken while Christ was on his last 
journey to Jerusalem. See the note on chap. ix. 51, 
and xii. 58, and see the Preface. 

Verse 23. Are there few thai be saved 32] A ques- 
tion either of impertinence or curiosity, the answer to 
which can profit no man. The grand question is, 
Can I be saved? Yes. How ? Strive earnestly to en- 
ter in through the strait gate—aywritecte, agonize— 
exert every power of body and soul—let your salva- 
tion be the grand business of your whole life. 

Verse 24. Many——will seek] They seek—wish and 
desire; but they do not strive: therefore, because 
they will not agonize—will not be in earnest, they 
shall not get in. See this subject more particularly 
explained on Matt. vii, 13, 14. 


Verse 25. And hath shut to the door] See 
the notes on Matt. vii. 22, 23, and xxv. 10, 
11-41. 

449 


Jesus is informed that 


Ae 27 ¥ But he shall say, I tell you, I 
An. Olymp. know you not whence ye are ; “ de- 

uc ta part from me, all ye τ κοῖς οἵ 
iniquity. 

28 * There shall be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth, Y when ye shall see Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the 
kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 

29 And they shall come from the east, and 
from the west, and from the north, and from the 
south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 


ST. LUKE. 


Herod purposes to kill hum 


30 7 And, behold, there are last 4,™, 4038 
which shall be first, and there are An. Olymp. 
first which shall be last. SS 

31 % The same day there came certain of 
the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, 
and depart hence ; for Herod will kill thee. 

32 And he said unto them, Go ye and tell 
that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I de. 
cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day 
“7 shall be perfected. 


33 Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and to- 


Y Matt. vii. 23; xxv. 4] ; ver. 25.——W Psa. vi. 8; Matt. xxv. 41. 
x Matt. vill. 12; xiii. 42; xxiv. 5]. 


Verse 28. Abraham, and Isaac, &c.| See on Matt. 
viii. 12, where the figures and allusions made use of 
here are particularly explained. 

Verse 29. They shall come] That is, the Gentiles, 
in every part of the world, shall receive the Gospel of 
the grace of God, when the Jews shal] have reject- 
ed it. 

Verse 30. There are last which shall be first] See 
gn Matt. xix. 30. 

Verse 31. Depart hence, &c.] It is probable that 
the place from which Christ was desired to depart was 
Galilee or Perea; for beyond this Herod had no juris- 
diction. It can scarcely mean Jerusalem, though it 
appears from chap. xxiii. 7, that Herod Antipas was 
there at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion. 

Herod will kill thee.) Lactantius says that this 
Herod was the person who chiefly instigated the Jewish 
rulers to put our Lord to death: Tum Pontius, et 
wlorum clamoribus, et Herodis tetrarche instigatione, 
metuentis ne regno pelleretur, victus est :—fearing 
lest himself should be expelled from the kingdom, if 
Christ should be permitted to set up his. See Lacr. 


Inst. Div. lib. ‘iv. 6. xviii., and Bishop Pearce on 
Luke xxiii. 7. 
Verse 32. Tell that fox] Herod wasa very vicious 


prince, and lived in public incest with his sister-in- 
law, Mark vi. 17: if our Lord meant him here, it is 
hard tosay why the character of fox, which implies 
cunning, design, and artifice, to hide evil intentions, 
should be attributed to him, who never seemed studi- 
ous to conceal his vices. But we may suppose that 
Uhrist, who knew his heart, saw that he covered his 
desire for the destruction of our Lord, under the pre- 
tence of zeal for the law and welfare of the Jewish 
people. A fox among the Jews appears to have been 
the emblem of a wicked ruler, who united cunning 
with cruelty, and was always plotting how he might 
agerandize himself by spoiling the people. See a quo- 
tation in Schoettgen. 

The following observation from the judicious Bishop 
Pearce deserves attention. “Tt is not certain,” says 
he, “that Jesus meant Herod here: he might only 
have intended to call that man so, from whom the ad- 
vice of departing came, (whether from the speaker 
himself, or the person who sent him,) for it is proba- 
ble, that the advice was given craftily, and with design 
to frighten Jesus, and make him go from that place.” 

450 


¥ Matthew viii. 11. 5 Matthew xix. 30; xx. 16; Mark x. 31. 


a Heb. 11. 10. 


To-day and to-morrow] 1 am to work miracles for 
two days more, and on the third day I shall be put to 
death. But it is probable that this phrase only means, 
that he had but a short time to live, without specifying 
its duration. 

Perfected.| Or finished, Τ shall then 
have accomplished the purpose for which [ came into 
the world, leaving nothing wndone which the counsel 
of God designed me to complete. Hence, in reference 
to our Lord, the word implies his dying; as the plan 
of human redemption was not finished, till he bowed 
his head and gave up the ghost on the cross: see 
John xix. 30, where the same word is used. It is 
used also in reference to Christ’s death, Heb. ii. 10; 
v. 9; see also Acts xx. 24, and Heb. xii. 23. The 
word finish, &c., is used in the same sense both by 
the Greeks and Latins. See Kypxe. 

Verse 33. I must walk, &c.| I must continue to 
work miracles and teach for a short time yet, and then 
I shall die in Jerusalem: therefore I cannot depart, 
according to the advice given me, (ver. 31,) nor can 
a hair of my head fall to the ground till my work be 
all done. 

To-day and to-morrow, &c.| Kypke contends that 
the proper translation of the original is, 7 must walk 
to-day and to-morrow IN THE NEIGHBOURING COASTS? 
and that ezouzery is often understood in this way : see 
Mark i. 38, and his notes there. That Christ was 
now in the jurisdiction of Herod, as he supposes, is 
evident from ver. 31; that he was on his last journey 
to Jerusalem, chap. ix. 51; that he had just passed 
through Samaria, chap. ix. 52, 56; that as Samaria 
and Judea were under the Roman procurator, and 
Perea was subject to Herod Antipas, therefore he con- 
cludes that Christ was at this time in Perea; which 
agrees with Matt. xix. 1, and Mark x. 1, and Luke 
xvii. 11. He thinks, if the words be not understood 
in this way, they are contrary to ver. 32, which says 
that on it Christ is to die, while this says he is to live 
and act. 

Perish out of Jerusalem.| A man who professes to 
be a prophet can be tried on that ground only by the 
erand Sanhedrin, which always resides at Jerusalem ; 
and as the Jews are about to put me to death, under 
the pretence of my being a false prophet, therefore 
my sentence must come from ¢his city, and my death 


τελειουμαι. 


| take place in it. 


( 29* ) 


Christ predicts the 


A.M, 403" morrow, and the day following : for 


An. Olymp. it cannot be that a prophet perish 

CCI 1. 

out of Jerusalem. 

34 "Ὁ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest 
the prophets, and stonest them that are sent 
unto thee! how often would I have gathered 
thy children together, as a hen doth gather her 


υ Matt. xxiii. 37——¢ Lev. xxvi. 31,32; Psa. lxix. 25; Isa. i.7; 
Dan. ix. 27; Micah iii. 12. 

Verse 34. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem] See the note 

on Matt. xxiii. 37-39, where the metaphor of the hen 

is illustrated from the Greek Anthology. 

Verse 35. Your house] Ὁ οἶκος, the temple—called 
here your house, not my house—I acknowledge it no 
longer; I have abandoned it, and will dwell in it no 
more for ever. So he said, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17, 
when he delivered the temple into the hands of the 
Chaldeans—the house of your sanctuary. A similar 
form of speech is found, Exod. xxxii. 7, where the 
Lord said to Moses, Toy people, &c., to intimate that 


CHAP. XIV. 


destruction of Jerusavem 


Jae A. M, 4033. 
brood under her wings, and ye ὦ 
would not ! An. Olymp 


35 Behold, * your house is left seo 


unto you desolate : and verily I say unto you, 
Ye shall not see me, until the time come when 
ye shall say, ‘ Blessed is he that cometh in 
the name of the Lord. 


4 Psa. exviii. 26; Matt. xxi.9; Mark xi 10; chap. xix. 38; John 
xii. 13. 


he acknowledged them no longer for his followers. 
See the notes on Matt. xxiii. 21, 38. But some 
think that our Lord means, not the temple, but the 
whole commonwealth of the Jews. 

The principal subjects in this chapter may be found 
considered at large, on the parallel places in Matthew 
and Mark, to which the reader is referred. As to the 
account of the woman with the spirit of infirmity, 
which is not mentioned by any other of the evange- 
lists, see it largely illustrated in the notes on ver. 
10, &e. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


Christ heals a man ill of the dropsy, on a Sabbath day, 1-6. 
The parable of the great supper, 15-24. 
The parable of the prudent builder, who estimates the cost before he 


The poor to be fed, and not the rich, 12-14. 
become disciples of Christ, 25-27. 
commences his work, 28-30. 


And of the provident king, 31, 32. 


He inculcates humiiity by a parable, T-11. 
How men must 


The use of these parables, 33. The 


utility of salt while in its strength and perfection; and its total uselessness when it has lost its savour 


34, 35. 


eR AND it came to pass, “as he | the Sabbath day, that they watch- 4, M4083. 
ae went into the house of one of | ed him. sors τε 
‘“_ the chief Pharisees to cat bread on} 2 And, behold, there was a certain Ξ 
a Job v. 13, 15; Psa. xxxvii. 32; cxl. 5; | Jer. xx. 10; Mark iii. 2; chap. vi. 7; x1. 37. 
NOTES ON CHAP. XIV. bane of religious solemnity, giving and receiving visits 
Verse 1. Chief Pharisees] Or, one of the rulers | on the Lord’s day. 


of the Pharisees. A man who was of the sect of the 
Pharisees, and one of the rulers of the people. 

To eat bread on the Sabbaih day] But why is it 
that there should be an invitation or dinner given on 
the Sabbath day? Answer: The Jews purchased and 
prepared the best viands they could procure for the 
Sabbath day, in order to do it honour. See several 
proofs in Lightfoot. As the Sabbath is intended for 
the benefit both of the body and soul of man, it should 
not be a day of austerity or fasting, especially among 
the labouring poor. The most wholesome and nutri- 
tive food should be then procured if possible; that 
both body and soul may feel the influence of this 
Divine appointment, and give God the glory of his 
grace. On this blessed day, let every man eat his 
bread with gladness and singleness of heart, praising 
God. In doing this, surely there is no reason that a 
man should feed himself without fear. If the Sab- 
bath be a festival, let it be observed untc the Lord; 
and let no unnecessary acts be done; and avoid that 

1 


They watched him.] Or, were maliciously watchng, 
παρατηρουμενοι----ἴτοτη mapa, intens. or denoting iil, 
and typea, to observe, watch. Raphelius, on Mark iii. 
2, has proved from a variety of authorities that this 
is a frequent meaning of the word :—clam et insidiosé 
observare, quid alter agat—to observe privately and 
insidiously what another does. The context plainly 
proves that this is the sense in which it is to be taken 
here. The conduct of this Pharisee was most execra- 
ble. Professing friendship and affection, he invited 
our blessed Lord to his table, merely that he might 
have amore favourable opportunity of watching his 
conduct, that he might accuse him, and take away his 
life. In eating and drinking, people feel generally less 
restraint than at other times, and are apt to converse 
more freely. The man who can take such an ad- 
vantage over one of his ewn guesis must have a 
baseness of soul, and a fellness of malice, of which, 
we would have thought, for the honour of human na- 
ture, that devils alone were capable. Among the 

451 


A man healed of the dropsy. 


ἘΣ man before him which had the 
An, Oiymp. dropsy. 

--΄᾿ 3 And Jesus answering spake 
unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, ἢ Is 
it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day ? 

4 And they held their peace. And he took 
him, and healed him, and let him go ; 

5 And answered them, saying, ° Which of 
you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a 
pit, and will not straightway pull him out on 
the Sabbath day ? 

6 And they could not answer him again to 
these things. 

7 4 And he put forth a parable to those 
which were bidden, when he marked how they 
chose out the chief rooms ; saying unto them, 

8 When thou art bidden of any man to a 


ST. LUKE. 


Humility mceulcated. 


ἢ : ὃ : A. Μ. 4033. 
wedding, sit not down in the highest ,™, 40% 


room, lest a more honourable man An. Olymp. 
than thou be bidden of him ; πο ἃ 

9 And he that bade thee and him, come and 
say to thee, Give this man place; and thou 
begin with shame to take the lowest room. 

10 4 But when thou art bidden, go and sit 
down in the lowest room; that when he that 
bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, 
go up higher: then shalt thou have worship 
in the presence of them that sit at meat with 
thee. 

11 © For whosoever exalteth himself shall be 
abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be 
exalted. 

12 4 Then said he also to him that bade 
him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, 


¢ Exod. xxiii.5; Deut. xxii. 4; chap. xiii. 15. 
4 Prov. xxv. 6, 7. 


Matt. xii. 10. 


ὁ Job xxii. 29; Psa. xviii. 27; Prov. xxix. 23; Matt. xxii. 12, 
chap. xviii. 14; James iv. 6; 1 Pet. v. 5. 


Turks, if a man only taste salt with another, he holds 
himself bound, in the most solemn manner, never to 
do that person any injury. I shall make no apology 
for inserting the following anecdote. 

A public robber in Persia, known by the name of 
Yacoub, ibn Leits Saffer, broke open the treasury of 
Dirhem, the governor of Sistan. Notwithstanding the 
obscurity of the place, he observed, in walking forward, 
something that sparkled a little: supposing it to be 
some precious stones, he put his hand on the place, 
and taking up something, touched it with his tongue, 
and found it to be salt. He immediately left the trea- 
sury, without taking the smallest article with him! 
The governor finding in the morning that the treasury 
had been broken open, and that nothing was carried 
off, ordered it to be published, that ‘‘ Whoever the 
robber was who had broke open the treasury, if he 
declared himself, he should be freely pardoned, and that 
he should not only receive no injury, but should be re- 
ceived into the good graces of the governor.” Con- 
fiding in the promise of Dirhem, Yacoub appeared. 
The governor asked, How it came to pass that, after 
having broken open the treasury, he took nothing 
away! Yacoub related the affair as it happened, and 
added, “ J believed that I was become your FRIEND in 
eating of your saur, and that the Laws of that friend- 
ship would not permit me to touch any thing that ap- 
pertained to you.” D’ Herbelot. Bib. Orient. p. 415. 
How base must that man be, who professes Chris- 
vianity, and yet makes his own table a snare for his 
friend ! 

Verse 2. The dropsy.] Ὕδρωπικος, dropsical ; from 
ὕδωρ, water, and ww, the countenance, because in this 
disorder the face of the patient is often very much 
bloated. Probably the insidious Pharisee had brought 
this dropsical man to the place, not doubting that our 
Lord’s eye would affect his heart, and that he would 
instantly cure him; and then he could most plausibly 
accuse him for a breach of the Sabbath. If this were 

452 


the case, and it is likely, how deep must have been 
the perfidy and malice of the Pharisee ! 

Verse 4. They held their peace.| They could not 
answer the question but in the affirmative; and as they 
were determined to accuse him if he did heal the man, 
they could not give an answer but such as would con- 
demn themselves, and therefore they were silent. 

Verse 5. An ass or anox| See on chap. xiii. 15. 

Verse 7. They chose out the chief rooms| When 
custom and law have regulated and settled places in 
public assemblies, a man who is obliged to attend may 
take the place which belongs to him, without injury to 
himself or to others: when nothing of this nature is 
settled, the law of humility, and the love of order, are 
the only judges of what is proper. To take the high- 
est place when it is not our due is public vanity : ob- 
stinately to refuse it when offered is another instance 
of the same vice, though private and concealed. Hu- 
mility takes as much care 10 avoid the ostentation of an 
affected refusal, as the open seeking of a superior place. 
See Quesnel. In this parable our Lord only repeats 
advices which the rabbins had given to their pupils, 
but were too proud to conform to themselves. Rabbi 
Akiba said, Go two or three seats lower than the place 
that belongs to thee, and sit there till they say unto 
thee, Go up higher; but do not take the uppermost 
seat, lest they say unto thee, Come down: for it is 
better that they should say unto thee, Go up, go up; 
than that they should say, Come down, come down. 
See Schoetigen. 

Verse 11. For whosoever exalteth himself, &c.] 
This is the unchangeable conduct of God: he is ever 
abasing the proud, and giving grace, honour, and elory 
to the humble. 

Verse 12. Call not thy friends, &e.] Our Lord 
certainly does not mean that a man should not enter- 
tain at particular times, his friends, &c.; but what he 
inculeates here is charity to the poor; and what he 
condemns is those entertainments which are given to 

1 


The parable of 


re i call not thy friends, nor thy bre- 


An. Olymp. thren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy 

CCIL 1. 3 3 i 

rich neighbours ; lest they also bid 
thee again, and a recompense be made thee. 

13 But when thou makest a feast, call f the 
poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 

14 And thou shalt be blessed ; for they can- 
not recompense thee: for thou shalt be re- 
compensed at the resurrection of the just. 

15 Ἵ And when one of them that sat at 
meat with him heard these things, he said 
unto him, 5 Blessed zs he that shall eat bread 
in the kingdom of God. 

16 ἃ Then said he unto him, A certain man 
made a great supper, and bade many : 

17 And ‘ sent his servant at supper time to 
say to them that were bidden, Come; for all 
things are now ready, 

18 And they all with one consent began to 
make excuse. ‘The first said unto him, I 
have bought a piece of ground, and I must 
needs go and see it: I pray thee have me 
excused. 


f Neh. viii 10, 12; Tob. ii.2; iv. 7.——s Rev. xix. 9——4 Matt. 
xxii. 2.— Prov. ix. 2, 5. 


the rich, either to flatter them, or to procure a similar 
return; because the money that is thus criminally 
laid out properly belongs to the poor. 

Verse 14. For they cannot recompense thee] Be- 
cause you have done it for God’s sake only, and they 
cannot make you a recompense, therefore God will 
consider himself your debtor, and will recompense you 
in the resurrection of the righteous. There are many 
very excellent sayings among the rabbins on the ex- 
cellence of charity. They produce both Job and Abra- 
ham as examples of a very merciful disposition. “Job, 
say they, had an open door on each of the four quar- 
ters of his house, that the poor, from whatever direc- 
tion they might come, might find the door of hospita- 
lity open to receive them. But Abraham was more 


CHAP. XIV. 


the great supper 


19 And another said, I have Fie 
bought five yoke of oxen, and I go An, Olymp. 
to prove them: I pray thee have ἘΞ 
me excused. 

20 And another said, I have married a wite, 
and therefore I cannot come. 

21 So that servant came, and showed his 
lord these things. Then the master of, the 
house being angry said to his servant, Go out 
quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, 
and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, 
and the halt, and the blind. 

22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as 
thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go 
out into the highways and hedges, and compel 
them to come in, that my house may be filled. 

24 For I say unto you, * That none of those 
men which were bidden shall taste of my sup- 
per. 

25 Ἵ And there went great multitudes with 
him: and he turned, and said unto them, 

26 | If any man come to me, ™ and hate no; 


k Matt. xxi. 43; xxii. 8; Acts xiii. 46-——! Deut. xiii. 6; xxxiii. 
9; Matt. x. 37.——™ Rom. ix. 13. 


Verse 16-24. A certain man made a great supper, 
&c.] See a similar parable to this, though not spoken 
on the same occasion, explained, Matt. xxii. 1-14. 

Verse 17. Sent his servant] Messengers are sent 
to invite the guests to a Hindoo feast; when not only 
relations, but all persons of the same division of caste 
in the neighbourhood, are invited. A refusal to attend 
is considered as a great affront. 

Verse 22. And yet there is room.| On some occa- 
sions, so numerous are the guests that there is not 
room for them to sit in the court of the person who 
makes the feast, and a larger is therefore borrowed. 

Verse 23. Compel them to come in] Avayxacov, 
Prevail on them by the most earnest entreaties. The 
word is used by Matthew, chap. xiv. 22, and by Mark, 


charitable than Job, for he travelled over the whole | chap. vi. 45; in both which places, when Christ is 


land in order to find out the poor, that he might con- 
duct them to his house.” 

Verse 15. That shall eat bread in the kingdom of 
God.] This is spoken in conformity to the general 
expectation of the Jews, who imagined that the king- 
dom of the Messiah should be wholly of a secular na- 
wre. Instead of aprov, bread, EKMS-—V, more than 
one hundred others, with some versions and fathers, 
read apisov, a dinner. This is probably the best read- 
ing, as it is likely it was a dinner at which they now 
sat; and it would be natural for the person to say, 
Happy is he who shall dine in the kingdom of God. 
It does not appear that there was any but this person 
present, who was capable of relishing the conversa- 
tion of our Lord, or entering at all into its spiritual 
reference. 

1 


sald, ἀναγκάζειν, to constrain his disciples to get into 
the vessel, nothing but his commanding or persuading 
them to do it can be reasonably understood. The La- 
tins use cogo, and compello, in exactly the same sense, 
i. 6. to prevail on by prayers, counsels, entreaties, ὅσα. 
See several examples in Bishop Pearce, and in Kypxe. 
No other kind of constraint is ever recommended in 
the Gospel of Christ; every other kind of compulsion 
is antichristian, can only be submitted to by cowards 
and knaves, and can produce nothing but hypocrites. 
See at the end of the chapter. 

Verse 26. And hate not] Matthew, chap. x. 37, 
expresses the true meaning of this word, when he 
says, He who loveth his father and mother more than 
me. In chap. vi. 24, he uses the word hate in the 
same sense. When we read, Rom. ix. 13, Jacob have 

453 


The necessity of 


A.M. 4033. his father, and mother, and wife, 
An. Olymp. and children, and brethren, and sis- 

een ters, ἢ yea, and his own life also, 
he cannot be my disciple. 

27 And ° whosoever doth not bear his cross, 
and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 

28 For ? which of you, intending to build a 
tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the 
cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it ? 

29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foun- 
dation, and is not able to finish zt, all that be- 
hold zt begin to mock him, 

30 Saying, This man began to build, and 
was not able to finish. 

31 Or what king going to make war against 


ST. LUKE. 


leaving all for Christ 


another king, sitteth not down first, 4, M4033. 
and consulteth whether he be able An. Olymp. 
with ten thousand to meet him that Σ 
cometh against him with twenty thousand ? 

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great 
way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and de- 
sireth conditions of peace. 

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that 
forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my 
disciple. 

34 J 4 Salt 15 good: but if the salt have lost 
his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned ? 

35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for 
the dunghill; διμέ men cast it out. He that 
hath ears to hear, let him hear. 


Ὁ Rey. xii. 1]. 


© Matt. xvi. 24; Mark viii. 34; chap. ix. 23; 


2 Tim. iii. 12— Prov. xxiv. 27.——9 Matt. v.13; Mark ix. 50 


I loved, but Esau have I hated, the meaning is simply, 
T have loved Jacob—the Israelites, more than Esau— 
the Edomites; and that this is no arbitrary interpre- 
tation of the word hate, but one agreeable to the He- 
brew idiom, appears from what is said on Gen. xxix. 
30, 31, where Leah’s being hated is explained by Ra- 
chel’s being loved more than Leah. See also Deut. 
xxi. 15-17; and Bishop Pearce on this place. See 
also the notes on Matt. x. 37. 

Verse 27. Doth not bear his cross] See on Matt. 
x. 38; xvi. 24. 

Verse 28. To build a tower] Probably this means 
no more than a dwelling house, on the top of which, 
according to the Asiatic manner, battlements were 
built, both to take the fresh air on, and to serve for 
refuge from and defence against an enemy. It was 
also used for prayer and meditation. 

This parable represents the absurdity of those who 
undertook to be disciples of Christ, without consider- 
ing what difficulties they were to meet with, and what 
strength they had to enable them to go through with 
the undertaking. He that will be a true disciple of 
Jesus Christ shall require no less than the mighty 
power of God to support him; as both hell and earth 
will unite to destroy him. 

Verse 33. Whosoever he be of you] This seems 
to be addressed particularly to those who were ‘then, 
and who were to be, preachers of his Gospel; and 
who were to travel over all countries, publishing sal- 
vation to a lost world. 

Verse 34. Salt is good] See on Matt. v. 13, and 
Mark ix. 51. 


On the subject referred to this place from ver. 23, 
Compel them to come in, which has been adduced to 
favour religious persecution, I find the following sen- 
sible and just observations in Dr. Dodd’s notes. 

“Ist. Persecution for conscience’ sake, that is, in- 
flicting penalty upon men merely for their religious 
principles or worship, is plainly founded on a supposi- 
tion that one man has a right to judge for another in 
Matters of religion, which is manifestly absurd, and 

454 


has been fully proved to be so by many excellent writ- 
ers of our Church. 

“2nd. Persecution is most evidently inconsistent 
with that fundamental principle of morality, that we 
should do to others as we could reasonably wish they 
should do to us; a rule which carries its own demon- 
stration with it, and was intended to take off that bias 
of self-love which would divert us from the straight 
line of equity, and render us partial judges betwixt our 
neighbours and ourselves. I would ask the advocate 
of wholesome severities, how he would relish his own 
arguments if turned upon himself? What if he were 
to go abroad into the world among Papists, if he be a 
Protestant ; among Mohammedans if he be a Christian ? 
Supposing he were to behave like an honest man, a 
good neighbour, a peaceable subject, avoiding every 
injury, and taking all opportunities to serve and oblige 
those about him ; would he think that, merely heeause 
he refused to follow his neighbours to their altars or 
their mosques, he should be seized and imprisoned, his 
goods confiscated, his person condemned to tortures or 
death ?* Undoubtedly he would complain of this as a 
very great hardship, and soon see the absurdity and 
injustice of such a treatment when it fell upon him, 
and when such measure as he would mete to others 
was measured to him again. 

“3d. Persecution is absurd, as being by no means 
calculated to answer the end which its patrons profess 
to intend by it; namely, the glory of God, and the sal- 
vation of men. Now, if it does any good to men at 
all, it must be by making them truly religious ; but re- 
ligion is not a mere name or a ceremony. ‘True reli- 
gion imports an entire change of the heart, and it 
must be founded in the inward conviction of the mind, 
or it is impossible it should be, what yet it must be, ἃ 
reasonable service. Let it only be considered what 
violence and persecution can do towards producing 
such an inward conviction. A man might as reason- 
ably expect to bind an immaterial spirit with a cord, or 
to beat down a wall with an argument, as to convince 
the understanding by threats and tortures. Persecu- 
tion is much more likely to make men hypocrites than 

1 


Publicans and sinners draw 


sincere converts. They may perhaps, if they have 
not a firm and heroic courage, change their profession 
while they retain their sentiments; and, supposing 
them before to be unwarily in the wrong, they may 
learn to add falsehood and villany to error. How glo- 
rious a prize! especially when one considers at what 
an expense it is gained. But, 

“4th. Persecution tends to produce much mischief 
and confusion in the world. It is mischievous to 
those on whom it falls; and in its consequences so 
mischievous to others, that one would wonder any 
wise princes should ever have admitted it into their 
dominions, or that they should not have immediately 
banished it thence ; for, even where it succeeds so far 
as to produce a change in men’s forms of worship, it 
generally makes them no more than hypocritical pro- 
fessors of what they do not believe, which must un- 
doubtedly debauch their characters; so that, having 
been villains in one respect, it is very probable that 
they will be so in another, and, having brought deceit 
and falsehood into their religion, that they will easily 
bring it into their conversation and commerce. This 
will be the effect of persecution where it is yielded 
to; and where it is opposed (as it must often be by 
upright and conscientious men, who have the greater 
claim upon the protection and favour of government) 
the mischievous consequences of its fury will be more 
flagrant and shocking. Nay, perhaps, where there is 
no true religion, a native sense of honour in a gene- 
zuus mind may stimulate it to endure some hardships 
for the cause of truth. ‘ Obstinacy,’ as one well ob- 
serves, ‘may rise as the understanding is oppressed, 
and continue its opposition for a while, merely to 
avenge the cause of its injured liberty.’ 

“ Nay, 5th. The cause of truth itself must, human- 
ly speaking, be not only obstructed, but destroyed, 
should persecuting principles universally prevail. For, 
even upon the supposition that in some countries it 
might tend to promote and establish the purity of the 
Gospel, yet it must surely be a great impediment to 
its progress. What wise heathen or Mohammedan 
prince would ever admit Christian preachers into his 
dominions, if he knew it was a principle of their 
religion that, as soon as the majority of the people 


CHAP. AY. 


near to hear ow. Lord. 


were converted by arguments, the rest, and himself 
with them, if he continued obstinate, must be prose- 
lyted or extirpated by fire and sword? If it be, as the 
advocates for persecution have generally supposed, 
a dictate of the law of nature to propagate the true 
religion by the sword; then certainly a Mohammedan 
or an idolater, with the same notions, supposing him 
to have truth on his side, must think himself obliged 
in conscience to arm his powers for the extirpation of 
Christianity ; and thus a holy war must cover the face 
of the whole earth, in which nothing but a miracle 
could render Christians successful against so vast a 
disproportion in numbers. Now, it seems hard to be- 
lieve that to be a truth which would naturally lead to 
the extirpation of truth in the world; or that a Di- 
vine religion should carry in its own bowels the prin- 
ciple of its own destruction. 

“But, 6th. This point is clearly determined by the 
lip of truth itself; and persecution is so far from 
being encouraged by the Gospel, that it is most 
directly contrary to many of its precepts, and indeed 
to its whole genius. It is condemned by the example 
of Christ, who went about doing good; who came not 
to destroy men’s lives, but to save them; who waived 
the exercise of his miraculous power against his 
enemies, even when they most unjustly and cruelly 
assaulted him, and never exerted it to the corporal 
punishment, even of those who had most justly 
deserved it. And his doctrine also, as well as his 
example, has taught us to be harmless as doves ; 
to love our enemies; to do good to them that hate 
us; and pray for them that despitefully use and per- 
secute us.” 

From all this we may learn that the Church which 
tolerates, encourages, and practises persecution, under 
the pretence of concern for the purity of the faith. 
and zeal for God's glory, is not the Church of Christ ; 
and that no man can be of such a Church without 
endangering his salvation. Let it ever be the glory 
of the Protestant Church, and especially of the Church 
of England, that it discountenances und abhors all 
persecution on a religious account; and that it has 
diffused the same benign temper through that sTaTe 
with which it is associated 


CHAPTER XV. 


Publicans and sinners draw near to hear our Lord, at which the Pharisees are offended, 1,2. 
dicates his conduct in receiving them by the parable of the lost sheep, 3-7. 


Christ vin- 
The parable of the lost piece 


of money, 8-10; and the affecting parable of the prodigal son, 11-32. 


carte a (THEN ἃ drew near unto him all the 
gn Clymp publicans and sinners for to hear 
him 
a Matt. ix. 10. 
NOTES ON CHAP. XV. 
Verse 1. Publicans and sinners] TedAwvar καὶ 


ἅμαρτωλοι, tax-gatherers and heathens ; persons who 
neither believed in Christ nor in Moses. See the note 
on chap. vii. 36. Concerning the tar-gatherers, see 
the note on Matt. v. 46. 

1 


2 And the Pharisees and scnbes 4, ™; 4088, 
murmured, saying, This man receiv- ἀπ. Eee 
eth sinners, ἢ and eateth with them. = 


> Acts xi. 3; Gal. ii. 12. 


Verse 2. Receiveth sinners] πΠροσδεχεται. He 
receives them cordially, affectionately—takes them te 
his bosom; for so the word implies. What mercy 
Jesus receives sinners in the most loving, affectionate 
manner, and saves them unto eternal life! Reader, 
give glory to God for ever! 

455 


The parable of 
A.Mi‘sa 8. Ἵ And he spake this parable 
He; Olamp. unto them, saying, 
= 4 ¢ What man of you, having a 

hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth 
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilder- 
ness, and go after that which is lost, until he 
find it? 

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it 
on his shoulders, rejoicing. 


ST. LUKE. 


the lost sheep. 


6 And when he cometh home, 4,™. 103. 
he calleth together his friends and oat Oleae. 
neighbours, saying unto them, Re- — 
joice with me; for I have found my sheep 
4 which was lost. 

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be 
in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, 
ὁ more than over ninety and nine just persons, 
which need no repentance. 


¢ Matt. xviii. 12. 


Verse 4. What man of you] Our Lord spoke this 
and the following parable to justify his conduct in 
receiving and conversing with sinners or heathens. 

A hundred sheep| Parables similar to this are 
frequent among the Jewish writers. The whole flock 
of mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, belongs unto 
this Divine Shepherd; and it is but reasonable to 
expect, that the gracious proprietor will look after 
those who have gone astray, and bring them back to 
the flock. The lost sheep is an emblem of a heedless, 
thoughtless sinner: one who follows the corrupt dic- 
tates of his own heart, without ever reflecting upon 
his conduct, or considering what will be the issue of 
his unholy course of life. No creature strays more 
easily than a sheep ; none is more heedless ; and none 
so incapable of finding its way back to the flock, 
when once gone astray: it will bleat for the flock, 
and still run on in an opposite direction to the place 
where the flock is: this I have often noticed. No 
creature is more defenceless than a sheep, and more 
exposed to be devoured by dogs and wild beasts. FEyven 
the fowls of the air seek their destruction. I have 
known ravens often attempt to destroy lambs by picking 
out their eyes, in which, when they have succeeded, 
as the creature does not see whither it is going, it 
soon falls an easy prey to its destroyer. Satan is ever 
going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may 
devour ; in order to succeed, he blinds the understand- 
ing of sinners, and then finds it an easy matter to 
tumble them into the pit of perdition. Who but a 
Pharisee or a devil would find fault with the shepherd 
who endeavours to rescue his sheep from so much 
danger and ruin! 

Verse 7. Just persons, which need no repentance.| 
Who do not require such a change of mind and pur- 
pose as these do—who are not so profligate, and can- 
not repent of sins they have neyer committed. Dis- 
unetions of this kind frequently occur in the Jewish 
writings. There are many persons who have been 
brought up in a sober and regular course of life, 
attending the ordinances of God, and being true and 
just in all their dealings; these most materially differ 
from the heathens mentioned ver. 1, because they 
believe in God, and attend the means of grace: they 
differ also essentially from the tax-gatherers mentioned 
in the same place, because they wrong no man, and 
are upright in their dealings. Therefore they cannot 
repent of the sins of a heathen, which they have not 
practised ; nor of the rapine of a tax-catherer, of 

456 


| ment, which he sees to be necessary. 


41 Pet. ii. 10, 25. 


© Chap. v. 32. 


which they have never been guilty. As, therefore, 
these just persons are put in opposition to the taz- 
gatherers and heathens, we may at once see the scope 
and design of our Lerd’s words: these needed no 
repentance in comparison of the others, as not being 
guilty of their crimes. And as these belonged, by 
outward profession at least, to the flock of God, and 
were sincere and upright according to their light, they 
are considered as being in no danger of being Jost ; 
and as they fear God, and work righteousness accord- 
ing to their light, he will take care to make those 
farther discoveries to them, of the purity of his nature, 
the holiness of his law, and the necessity of the atone- 
See the case 
of Cornelius, Acts x. 1, &c. On this ground, the 
owner is represented as feeling more joy in conse- 
quence of finding one sheep that was Jost, there having 
been almost no hope of its recovery, than he feels at 
seeing ninety and nine still safe under his care. ‘‘ Men 
generally rejoice more over a small unexpected advan- 
tage, than over a much greater good to which they 
have been accustomed.” ‘There are some, and their 
opinion need not be hastily rejected, who imagine 
that by the ninety and nine just persons, our Lord 
means the angels—that they are in proportion to men, 
as ninety-nine are to one, and that the Lord takes 
more pleasure in the return and salvation of one sinner, 
than in the uninterrupted obedience of ninety-nine 
holy angels ; and that it was through his superior love 
to fallen man that he took upon him Avs nature, and 
not the nature of angels. I have met with the follow- 
ing weak objection to this: viz. “The text says just 
persons ; now, angels are not persons, therefore angels 
cannot be meant.” This is extremely foolish; there 
may be the person of an angel, as well as of a man; 
we allow persons even in the Godhead ; besides, the 
original word, δικαίοις, means simply just ones, and 
may be, with as much propriety, applied to angels as 
to men. Afterall, our Lord may refer to the Essenes, 
a sect among the Jews, in the time of our Lord who 
were strictly and conscientiously moral ; living 1 the 
utmost distance from both the hypocrisy anc pollu- 
tions of their countrymen. ‘These, when compared 
with the great mass of the Jews, needed no repentance. 
The reader may take his choice of these interpreta- 
tions, or make a better for himself. 1 have seex 
other methods of explaining these words: but they 
have appeared to me either too absurd or too impro- 
bable to merit partiealar notice. 
1 


Of the lost piece of money. 


re eo 8 § Either what woman having 


An. Olymp. ten f pieces of silver, if she lose 

= «prid piece, doth not light a candle, 
and sweep the house, and seek diligently till 
she find it ? 

9 And when she hath found it, she calleth 
her friends and her neighbours together, say- 
ing, Rejoice with me; for I have found the 
piece which I had lost. 

10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in 
the presence of the angels of God over one 
sinner that repenteth. 

11 Ἵ And he said, a certain man had two sons: 

12 And the younger of them said to his fa- 


CHAP. XV. 


Parable of the prodigal son. 


ther, Father, * give me the portion 4 i ΟΝ 

of goods that falleth to me. And he ii Oran. 
CCIL 1 

divided unto them ἢ his living. eae 

13 And not many days after, the younger 
son gathered all together, and took his journey 
into a far country, and there ‘ wasted his sub- 
stance with riotous living, 

14 And when he had spent all, there arose 
a mighty famine in that land; and he began 
to be in want. 

15 And he went and joined himself to a 
citizen of that country; and he sent him inte 
his fields to feed swine. 

16 And he would fain have filled his belly 


Drachma, here translated a piece of silver, is the eighth part 
of an ounce, which cometh to sevenpence halfpenny, and is 
equal to the Roman penny; Matt. xviii. 28. 


s Deut. xxi. 16; Psalms xvii. 14; Proverbs xix. 13, 14, 
h Mark xii. 44. ——1 Psa. Ixxiii. 27; Proverbs xxix. 3; 1 Pete: 
iv. 3. 


Verse 8. Ten pieces of silver] Apaypac dexa, ten 
drachmas. [I think it always best to retain the names 
of these ancient coins, and to state their value in Eng- 
lish money. Every reader will naturally wish to know 
by what names such and such coins were called in the 
countries in which they were current. The Grecian 
drachma was worth about sevenpence three farthings 
of our money ; being about the same value as the Ro- 
man denarius. 

The drachma that was lost is also a very expressive 
emblem of a sinner who is estranged from God, and 
enslaved to habits of iniquity. The longer a piece of 
money is lost, the less probability is there of its being 
again found ; as it may not only lose its colour, and 
not be easily observed, but will continue to be more 
and more covered with dust and dirt: or its value may 
be vastly /essened by being so trampled on that a part 
of the substance, together with the image and super- 
scription, may be worn off. So the sinner sinks deeper 
and deeper into the impurities of sin, loses even his 
character among men, and gets the image and super- 
scription of his Maker defaced from his heart. He who 
wishes to find the image of God, which he has lost by 
sin, must attend to that word which will be a lantern 
to his steps, and receive that Spirit which is a light 
to the soul, to convince of sin, righteousness, and judg- 
ment. He must sweep the house—put away the evil 
of his doings; and seek diligently—use every mean 
of grace, and cry incessantly to God, till he restore 
to him the light of his countenance. Though parables 
of this kind must not be obliged to go on all fours, as 
it is termed; yet they afford many useful hints to 
preachers of the Gospel, by which they may edify their 
hearers. Only let all such take care not to force 
meanings on the words of Christ which are contrary to 
their gravity and majesty. 

Verse 12. Give me the portion of goods] It may 
seem strange that such a demand should be made, and 
that the parent should have acceded to it, when he 
knew that it was to minister to his debauches that his 
profligate son made the demand here specified. But 
the matter will appear plain, when it is considered, that 
it has heen an immemorial custom in the east for sons 

1 


to demand and receive their portion of the inheritance 
during their father’s lifetime ; and the parent, how- 
ever aware of the dissipated inclinations of the child, 
could not legally refuse to comply with the applica- 
tion. It appears indeed that the spirit of this law was 
to provide for the child in case of ill treatment by the 
father: yet the demand must first be acceded to, be- 
fore the matter could be legally inquired into ; and 
then, “if it was found that the father was irreproach- 
able in his character, and had given no just cause for 
the son to separate from him, in that case, the civil 
magistrate fined the son in two hundred puns of cow- 
ries.” See Code of Gentoo laws, pr. dise. p. 56; see 
also do. chap. ii. sec. 9, p. 81, 82; xxi. sec. 10, p. 
301. 

Verse 13. Not many days after] He probably has- 
tened his departure for fear of the fine which he must 
have paid, and the reproach to which he must have 
been subjected, had the matter come before the civil 
magistrate. See above. 

Riotous living.) Zov ἀσωτως, in a course of life that 
led him to spend all: from a not, and caw 7 save. 
And this we are informed, ver. 30, was among har- 
lots; the readiest way in the world to exhaust the 
body, debase the mind, ruin the soul, and destroy the 
substance. 

Verse 14. A mighty famine in that land] As he 
was of a profligate turn of mind himself, it is likely he 
sought out a place where riot and excess were the 
ruling characteristics of the inhabitants; and, as pover- 
ty is the sure consequence of prodigality, it is no won- 
der that famine preyed on the whole country. 

Verse 15. To feed swine.| The basest and vilest 
of all employments; and, to a Jew, peculiarly degrad- 
ing. Shame, contempt, and distress are wedded to 
sin, and can never be divorced. No character could 
be meaner in the sight of a Jew than that of a swine- 
herd: and Herodotus informs us, that in Egypt they 
were not permitted to mingle with civil society, nor to 
appear in the worship of the gods, nor would the very 
dregs of the people have any matrimonial connections 
with them. Heron. lib. ii. cap. 47. 

Verse 16. With the husks] Κερατιων. 

457 


Bochart, 1 


The prodigal returns to his father, 


A.M. 1083. with the husks that the swine did 
ak ip: eat; and no man gave unto him. 

17 And when he came to himself, 
he said, How many hired servants of my father’s 
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish 
with hunger ! 

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will 
say unto him, Father, I have sinned against 
heaven, and before thee, 

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy 
son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 

20 And he arose, and came to his father. 
But * when he was yet a great way off, his 
father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, 
and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 


ST. LUKE. 


who kindly recewes him. 
21 And the son said unto him, 4,¥ 1083. 
Father, I have sinned against hea- An. Olymp. 


~ CCII. 1. 
ven, | and in thy sight, and am no ————_ 


more worthy to be called thy son. 

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring 
forth the best robe, and put it on him; and 
put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill 
it; and let us eat, and be merry: 

24 ™ For this my son was dead, and is alive 
again; he was lost, and is found. And they 
began to be merry. 

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and 
as he came and drew nigh to the house, he 
heard music and dancing. 


k Acts 11. 39; Eph. ii. 13, 17——! Psa. li. 4. 


m Ver. 32; Eph. ii. 1; v. 14; Rev. iii. 1. 


think, has proved that κεράτια does not mean husks : 
to signify which the Greek botanical writers use the 
word λοβοι ; several examples of which he gives from 
Theophrastus. He shows, also, that the original 
word means the fruit of the ceratonia or charub tree, 
which grows plentifully in Syria. ‘This kind of pulse, 
Columella observes, was made use of to feed swine. 
See Bocuart, Mieroz. lib. ii. cap. lvi. col. 707-10. 

Verse 17. When he came to himself | A state of 
sin is represented in the sacred writings as a course 
of folly and madness ; and repentance is represented 
as a restoration to sound sense. See this fully ex- 
plained on Matt. iii. 2. 

1 perish with hunger!) Or, I perish uere. 'ῶδε, 
here, is added by BDL, Syriac, all the Aradic and 
Persic, Coptic, Aithiopic, Gothic, Saxon, Vulgate, all 
the Jtala, and several of the fathers. 

Verse 18. Against heaven] Exc τὸν ovpavoy; that 
is, against God. The Jews often make use of this 
periphrasis in order to avoid mentioning the name of 
God, which they have ever treated with the utmost 
reverence. But some contend that it should be trans- 
lated, even unto heaven; a Hebraism for, I have sin- 
ned exceedingly—beyond all description. 

Verse 20. And kissed him.| Or, kissed him again 
and again; the proper import of κατεφιλησεν avtov. 
The father thus showed his great tenderness towards 
him, and his great affection for him. 

Verse 21. Make me as one of thy hired servants, 
is added here by several MSS. and versions; but it is 
evident this has been added, merely to make his con- 
duct agree with his resolution, ver. 19. But by this 
a very great beauty is lost: for the design of the in- 
spired penman is to show, not merely the depth of the 
profligate son’s repentance, and the sincerity of his 
conversion, but to show the great affection of the fa- 
ther, and his readiness to forgive his disobedient son. 
His tenderness of heart cannot wait till the son has 
made his confession ; his bowels yearn over him, and 
he cuts short his tale of contrition and self-reproach, 
by giving him the most plenary assurances of his par- 
doning love. 

Verse 22. Bring forth the best robe] Bring out 

458 


that chief garment, τὴν στολὴν τὴν πρωτην, the gar- 
ment which was laid by, to be used only on birth-days 
or festival times. Such as that which Rebecca had 
laid by for Esau, and which she put on Jacob when 
she made him personate his brother. See the notes on 
Gen. xxvil. 15. 

Put a ring on his hand| Giving a ring was in an- 
cient times a mark of honour and dignity. See Gen. 
xli. 42; 1 Kings xxi. 8; Esth. viii. 2; Dan. vi. 17; 
James ii. 2. 

Shoes on his feet] Formerly those who were capti- 
vated had their shoes taken off, Isa. xx. 1 ; and when 
they were restored to liberty their shoes were restor- 
ed. See 2 Chrou. xxviii. 15. In Bengal, shoes of 
a superior quality make one of the distinguishing parts 
of a person’s dress. Some of them cost as much as 
a hundred rupees a pair; £10 or £12. Reference 
is perhaps made here to some such costly shoes. It 
is the same among the Chinese: some very costly 
shoes and boots of that people are now before me. 

Verse 23. The fatted calf, and kill it] Θυσατε, Sa- 
crifice it. In ancient times the animals provided for 
public feasts were first sacrificed to God. The blood 
of the beast being poured out before God, by way of 
atonement for sin, the flesh was considered as conse- 
crated, and the guests were considered as feeding on 
Divine food. This custom is observed among the 
Asiaties to this day. 

Verse 24. Was dead] Lost to all good—given up 
to all evil. In this figurative sense the word is used 
by the best Greek writers. See many examples in 
Kypke. 

Verse 25. His elder son] Meaning probably persons 
of a regular moral life, who needed no repentance in 
comparison of the prodigal already described. 

In the field] Attending the concerns of the farm. 

He heard music| Συμφωνίας, a number of sounds 
mingled together, as in a concert. 

Dancing.| Χορων. But Le Clere denies that the 
word means dancing at all, as it properly means a 
chowr of singers. The symphony mentioned before 
may mean the musical instruments which accompanied 
the choirs of singers. 

1 


The elder brother upbraids his father. 


A. Μ. 4033. alla: ‘ 
pen τὸ 26 And he called one of the ser 


An, Olymp. vants, and asked what these things 
meant: 

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is 
come; and thy father hath killed the fatted 
calf, because he hath received him safe and 
sound. 

28 And he was ™ angry, and would not go 
in: therefore came his father out, and entreat- 
ed him. 

29 And he answering said to his father, ° Lo, 
these many years do I serve thee, neither trans- 


CHAP. XV. 


The father vindicates his conduct 


ail - A.M. 4033, 
gressed I Ρ at any time thy com- 4,™ 4035 


mandment; and yet thou never An. Olymp. 

° ᾿ CCIL 1. 
gavest me a kid, that I might make ———_. 
merry with my friends : 

30 But as soon as tlfis thy son was come, 
which hath devoured thy living with harlots, 
thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 

31 And he said unto him, 4 Son, thou ait 
ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 

32 It was meet that we should make merry, 
and be glad; * for this thy brother was dead, 
and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. 


© Genesis 


© Matt. xx. 15; Acts xiii. 46; Romans xi. 28, 31. 
xxxi. 38, 41. 


Verse 28. He was angry] ‘This refers to the in- 
dignation of the scribes and Pharisees, mentioned ver. 
1, 2. In every point of view, the anger of the old 
son was improper and unreasonable. He had already 
received λὲς part of the inheritance, see ver. 12, and 
his profligate brother had received no more than what 
was his just dividend. Besides, what the father had 
acquired since that division he had a right to dispose 
of as he pleased, even to give it all to one son; nor 
did the ancient customs of the Asiatic countries per- 
mit the other children to claim any share in such pro- 
perty thus disposed of. The following is an institute 
of the Gentoo daw on this subject: (Cope, chap. ii. sect. 
9, p. 79: “If a father gives, by his own choice, 
land, houses, orchards, and the earning of his own in- 
dustry, to one of his sons, the other sons shall not re- 
ceive any share of it.” Besides, whatever property 
the father had acquired after the above division, the 
son or sons, as the prodigal in the text, could have no 
elaim at all on, according to another institute in the 
above Asiatic laws, see chap. ii. sect. ii. p. 85, but 
the father might divide it among those who remained 
with him : therefore is it said in the text, “ Son, thou art 
ALWAYs with me,and Aut that I have is rine,” ver. 31. 

Verse 29. Never—a kid] It is evident from ver. 
12, that the father gave him his portion when his pro- 
fligate brother claimed his; for he divided his whole 
substance between them. And though he had not claim- 
ed it, so as to separate from, and live independently of, 
his father, yet he might have done so whenever he 
chose ; and therefore his complaining was both wndu- 
tiful and unjust. 

Verse 30. This thy son] Tris son of THINE— 
words expressive of supreme contempt : THIS son—he 
would not condescend to call him by his name, or to 
acknowledge him for his brother; and at the same 
time, bitterly reproaches his amiable father for his af- 
fectionate tenderness, and readiness to receive his once 
undutiful, but now penitent, child! 

For nim] Ihave marked those words in small ca- 
pttals which should be strongly accented in the pro- 
nunciation: this last word shows how supremely he 
despised his poor unfortunate brother. 

Verse 31. All that I have is thine.] See on ver. 28. 

Verse 32. This thy brother] Or, TH1s brother of 
ΤΗΙΝΕ. To awaken this ill-natured, angry, inhumane 

1 


P Matt. vi. 2; xv. 8; chap. xvi. 15; xviii. 11. AIsa.v.4; Matt. 
xx. 12.— Ver. 24; Psa. cxix. 176; Matt. xviii. 12. 


man to a proper sense of his duty, both to his parent 
and brother, this amiable father returns him his own 
unkind words, but in a widely different spirit. This 
son of mine to whom I show mercy is tTHy brother, 
to whom thou shouldst show bowels of tenderness and 
affection ; especially as he is no longer the person he 
was : he was dead in sin—he is guickened by the power 
of God: he was lost to thee, to me, to himself, and to 
our God; but now he is found: and he will be a com- 
fort to me, a help to thee, and a standing proof, to the 
honour of the Most High, that God receiveth sinners. 
This, as well as the two preceding parables, was de- 
signed to vindicate the conduct of our blessed Lord in 
receiving tax-gatherers and heathens ; and as the Jews, 
to whom it was addressed, could not but approve of 
the conduct of this benevolent father, and reprobate 
that of his elder son, so they could not but justify the 
conduct of Christ towards those outcasts of men, and, 
at least in the silence of their hearts, pass sentence of 
condemnation upon themselves. For the sublime, the 
beautiful, the pathetic, and the instructive, the history 
of Joseph in the Old Testament, and the parable of the 
prodigal son in the New, have no parallels either in 
sacred or profane history. 


Tue following reflections, taken chiefly from pious 
Quesnel, cannot fail making this incomparable parable 
still more instructive. 

Three points may be considered here: I. The de- 
grees of his fall. II. The degrees of his restoration ; 
and, III. The consequences of his conversion. . 

I. The prodigal son is the emblem of a sinner who 
refuses to depend on and be governed by the Lord. 
How dangerous is it for us to desire to be at our own 
disposal, to live in a state of independency, and to be 
our own governors! God cannot give to wretched 
man a greater proof of his wrath than to abandon him 
to the corruption of his own heart. 

Not many days, &c., ver. 13. The misery of a sin- 
ner has its degrees; and he soon arrives, step by step, 
at the highest pitch of his wretchedness. 

The first degree of his misery is, that he loses sight 
of God, and removes at a distance from him. There 
is a boundless distance between the love of God, and 
impure self-love ; and yet, strange to tell, we pass in 
a moment from the one to the other ! 

459 


Observations on the parable 


The second degree of a sinner’s misery is, that the 
love of God being no longer retained in the heart, car- 
nal love and impure desires necessarily enter in, reign 
there, and corrupt all his actions. 

The third degree is, that he squanders away all 
spiritual riches, and wastes the substance of his gra- 
cious Father in riot and debauch. 

When he had spent all, &c., ver. 14. The fourth 
degree of an apostate sinner’s misery is, that having 
forsaken God, and lost his grace and love, he can now 
find nothing but poverty, misery, and want. How 
empty is that soul which God does not fill! What 
a famine is there in that heart which is no longer nou- 
rished by the bread of life ! 

In this state, he joined himself—exoAdnSn, he ce- 
mented, closely united himself, and fervently cleaved 
to a citizen of that country, ver. 15. 

The fifth degree of a sinner’s misery is, that he ren- 
ders himself a slave to the devil, is made partaker of 
his nature, and incorporated into the infernal family. 
The farther a simmer goes from God, the nearer he 
comes to eternal ruin. 

The sixth degree of his misery is, that he soon finds 
by experience the hardship and rigour of his slavery. 
There is no master so cruel as the devil ; no yoke so 
heavy as that of si; and no slavery so mean and vile 
as for a man to be the drudge of his own carnal, shame- 
ful, and brutish passions. 

The seventh degree of a sinner’s misery is, that he 
has an insatiable hunger and thirst after happiness ; 
and as this can be had only in God, and he seeks it in 
the creature, his misery must be extreme. He desired 
to fill his belly with the husks, ver. 16. The pleasures 
of sense and appetite are the pleasures of swine, and 
to such creatures is he resembled who has frequent 
recourse to them, 2 Pet. ii. 22. 

11. Let us observe, in the next place, the several 
degrees of a sinner’s conversion and salvation. 

The first is, he begins to know and feel his misery, 
the guilt of his conscience, and the corruption of his 
heart. He comes to himself, beeause the Spirit of God 
Jirst comes to him, ver. 17. 

The second is, that he resolves to forsake sin and 
all the occasions of it; and firmly purposes in his soul 
to return immediately to his God. J will arise, &e., 
ver. 18. 

The third is, when, under the influence of the spirit 
of faith, he is enabled to look towards God as a com- 
passionate and tender-hearted father. I will arise 
and go to my father. 

The fourth is, when he makes confession of his sin, 
and feels himself utterly unworthy of all God’s fa- 
vours, ver. 19. 

The fifth is, when he comes in the spirit of obedi- 
ence, determined through grace to submit to the au- 
thority of God ; and to take his word for the rule of 
all his actions, and his Spirit for the guide of all his 
affections and desires. 

The sixth is, his putting his holy resolutions into 

460 


ST. LUKE. 


of the prodigal son 


practice without delay; using the light and power 
already mercifully restored to him, and seeking God 
in his appointed ways. And he arose and came, &c., 
ver. 20. 

The seventh is, God tenderly receives him with the 
kiss of peace and love, blots out all his sins, and re- 
stores him to, and reinstates him in, the heavenly fa- 
mily. His father—fell on his neck, and kissed him, ib. 

The erghth is, his being clothed with holiness, united 
to God, married as it were to Christ Jesus, 2 Cor. xi. 
2, and having his feet shod with the shoes of the pre- 
paration of the Gospel of peace, Eph. vi. 15, so that 
he may run the ways of God’s commandments with 
alacrity and joy. Bring the best robe—put a ring— 
and shoes, &c., ver. 22. 

Ill. The consequences of the sinner’s restoration 
to the favour and image of God are, first, the sacrifice 
of thanksgiving is offered to God in his behalf ; he en- 
ters into a covenant with his Maker, and feasts on the 
fatness of the house of the Most High. 

Secondly, ‘The whole heavenly family are called 
upon to share in the general joy; the Church above 
and the Church below both triumph ; for there is joy 
(peculiar joy) in the presence of the angels of God 
over one sinner that repenteth. See ver. 10. 

Thirdly, God publicly acknowledges him for his 
son, not only by enabling him to abstain from every 
appearance of evil, but to walk before him in newness 
of life, ver. 24. The tender-hearted father repeats 
these words at ver. 32, to show more particularly that 
the soul is dead when separated from God; and that 
it can only be said to be alive when united to him 
through the Son of his love. A Christian’s sin is a 
brother’s death; and in proportion to our concern for 
this will our joy be at his restoration to spiritual life. 
Let us have a brotherly heart towards our brethren, 
as God has that of a father towards his children, and 
seems to be afflicted at their Joss, and to rejoice at 
their being found again, as if they were necessary to 
his happiness, 

In this parable, the younger profligate son may re- 
present the Gentile world; and the elder son, who so 
long served his father, ver. 29, the Jewish people. 
The anger of the elder son explains itself at once— 
it means the indignation evidenced by the Jews at 
the Gentiles being received into the favour of God, 
and made, with them, fellow heirs of the kingdom of 
heaven. 

It may also be remarked, that those who were since 
called Jews and Gentiles, were at first one family, and 
children of the same father: that the descendants of 
Ham and Japhet, from whom the principal part of the 
Gentile world was formed, were, in their progenitors, 
of the primitive great family, but had afterwards fallen 
off from the true religion: and that the parable of the 
prodigal son may well represent the conversion of the 
Gentile world, in order that, in the fulness of time, 
both Jews and Gentiles may become one fold, urder 
one Shepherd and Bishop of all souls. 

1 


The parable of 


CHAP. XVI. 


the unjust steward 


CHAPTER XVI. 


The parable of the unjust steward, 1-8. 
offence, 14. 
divorce, 18. 


5 rt ND he said also unto his dis- 
An. Olymp. ciples, There was ἃ certain 


ἘΠῚ 1.) : 
————— rich man, which had a steward; 


“and the same was accused unto him that he 
had wasted his goods. 

2 And he called him, "and said unto him, 
How is it that I hear this of thee? give an 
account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest 
be no longer steward. 

3 Then the steward said within himself, 
What shall I do? for my lord taketh away 
from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to 
beg I am ashamed. 


aGen. xvill. 20. » Psa. 1. 10; Eccles. xii. 14. ©The 
word Batus in the original containeth nine gallons three quarts ; 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. 

Verse 1. A steward] οἰκονομος, from οἰκὸς, a 
house, or οἰκία, a family, and νέμω, I administer ; one 
who superintends domestic concerns, and ministers to 
the support of the family, having the products of the 
field, business, &e., put into his hands for this very 
purpose. See on chap. viii. 3. 

There is a parable very like this in Rab. Dav. 
Kimchi’s comment on Isaiah, chap. xl. 21: “The 
whole world may be considered as a house builded up : 
heaven is its roof; the stars its lamps ; and the fruits 
of the earth, the table spread. The owner and build- 
er of this house is the holy blessed God; and man is 
the steward, into whose hands all the dusiness of the 
house is committed. If he considers in his heart that 
the master of the house is always over him, and keeps 
his eye upon his work ; and if, in consequence, he act 
wisely, he shall find favour in the eyes of the master 
of the house: but if the master find wickedness in 
him, he will remove him, 1n7:p) {2 min pakidato, from 
hisstewarpsuirp. The foolish steward doth not think 
of this: for as his eyes do not see the master of the 
house, he saith in his heart, “1 will eat and drink what 
1 find in this house, and will take my pleasure in it ; 
nor shall I be careful whether there be a Lord over 
this house or not.’ When the Lord of the house 
marks this, he will come and expel him from the 
house, speedily and with great anger. Therefore it is 
written, He bringeth the princes to nothing.” As is 
usual, our Lord has greatly improved this parable, and 
made 1 in every circumstance more striking and im- 
pressive. Both ia the Jewish and Christian edition, 
it has great beauties. 

Wasted his goods.| Had been profuse and profli- 
gate ; and had embezzled his master’s substance. 

Verse 2. Give an account of thy, ὅς. Produce 
thy books of receipts and disbursements, that I may 
see whether the accusation against thee be true or 

1 


Christ applies this to his hearers, 9-13. 
Our Lord reproves them, and shows the immutability of the law, 15-17. 
The story of the rich man and the beggar, commonly called Dives and Lazarus, 19-31. 


The Pharisees take 
Counsels against 


4 I am resolved what to do, that, 4, M4033. 
when I am put out of the steward- fo en 
ship, they may receive me into their = 
houses. 

5 So he called every one of his lord’s debt- 
ors unto him, and said unto the first, How 
much owest thou unto my lord? 

6 And he said, A hundred © measures of oil 
And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit 
down quickly, and write fifty, 

7 Then said he to another, And how 
much owest thou? And he said, A hundred 
‘measures of wheat. And he said untc 


see Ezek. xlv. 10, 11,14 The word here interpreted a measure, 
in the original containeth about fourteen bushels and a pottle 


false. The original may be translated, Give up the 
business, tov Aoyov, of the stewardship. 

Verse 3. J cannot dig) He could not submit tc 
become a common day-labourer, which was both a se- 
vere and base employment: To beg I am ashamed. 
And as these were the only honest ways left him to 
procure a morsel of bread, and he would not submit 
to either, he found he must continue the system of 
knavery, in order to provide for his idleness and Juxu- 
ry, or else starve. Wo to the man who gets his 
bread in this way! The curse of the Lord must be on 
his head, and on his heart; in his basket, and in his 
store. 

Verse 4. They may receive me] That is, the debt- 
ors and tenants, who paid their debts and rents, not in 
money, but in Aind ; such as wheat, oil, and other pro- 
duce of their lands. 

Verse 6. A hundred measures of oil.) ‘Exazov 
βατους, A hundred baths. The n2 bath was the larg- 
est measure of capacity among the Hebrews, except 
the homer, of which it was the tenth part: see Ezek 
xlv. 11, 14. It is equal to the ephah, i. 6. to seven 
gallons and a half of our measure. 

Take thy bill), Thy accompt—ro γραμμα. The 
wriling in which the debt was specified, together with 
the obligation to pay so much, at such and such times. 
This appears to have been in the hand-writing of the 
debtor, and probably signed by the steward: and this 
precluded imposition on each part. To prevent all 
appearance of forgery in this case, he is desired to 
write it over again, and to cancel the old engagement. 
Tn carrying on a running account with a tradesman, it 
is common among the Hindoos for the buyer to receive 
from the hands of the seller a daily account of the 
things received ; and according to this account, writ- 
ten on a slip of paper, and which remains in the hands 
of the buyer, the person is paid. 

Verse 7. A hundred measures of wheat.] Ἕκατον 

461 


The parable of 


A.M. 4033, 3 ᾿ 
Point him, Take 


= pa: fourscore. 

a 8 And the lord commended the 
unjust steward, because he had done wisely : 
for the children of this world are, in their ge- 
neration, wiser than ὁ the children of light. 


thy bill, and write 


ST. LUKE. 


the unjust stewara. 


9 And I say unto you, f Make to ἀν δ, 4033. 
yourselves friends of the £ mammon ane cola 
of unrighteousness: that, when ye 


fail, they may receive you into everlasting 
habitations. 


10 © He that is faithful in that which is least, 


« John xii. 36; Eph. v. 8; 1 Thess. v. 5 Dan. iv. 27; Matt. 
vi. 19; xix. 21; chap. xi. 41; 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18, 19. 


& Or, riches. Matt. xxv. 21; chap. xix. 17. 


κηρους, a hundred cors. Kopoc, from the Hebrew 73 
cor, was the largest measure of capacity among the 
Hebrews, whether for solids or liquids. As the bath 
was equal to the ephah, so the cor was equal to the 
homer. It contained about seventy-five gallons and 
five pints English. For the same reason for which I 
preserve the names of the ancient coins, 1 preserve 
the names of the ancient measures. What idea can 
a mere English reader have of the word measure in 
this and the preceding verse, when the original words 
are not only totally different, but the quantity is as 
seven to seventy-five? The original terms should be 
immediately inserted in the text, and the contents in- 
serted in the margin. The present marginal reading 
is incorrect. I follow Bishop Cumberland’s weights 
and measures. See on chap. xv. 8. 

in the preceding relation, I have no doubt our Lord 
alluded to a custom frequent in the Asiatic countries : 
a custom which still prevails, as the following account, 
taken from Capt. Hadley’s Hindostan Dialogues, suffi- 
ciently proves. A person thus addresses the captain: 
* Your Sirkar’s deputy, whilst his master was gone to 
Caleutta, established a court of justice. 

“ Having searched for a good many debtors and 
their ereditors, he learned the accounts of their bonds. 

“« He then made an agreement with them to get the 
bonds out of the bondsmen’s hands for half the debt, 
if they would give him one fourth. 

“ Thus, any debtor for a hundred rupees, having 
given fifty to the creditor, and twenty-five to this 
knave, got his bond for seventy-five rupees. 

“ Having seized and flogged 125 bondholders, he 
has in this manner determined their loans, and he has 
done this business in your name.” Hadley’s Gram. 
Dialogues, p. 79. 5th edit. 1801. 

Verse 5. The lord commended] Viz. the master 
of this unjust steward. He spoke highly of the ad- 
dress and cunning of his iniquitous servant. He had, 
on his own principles, made a very prudent provision 
for his support; but his master no more approved of 
his conduct in this, than he did in his wasting his sub- 
stance defore. From the ambiguous and improper 
manner in which this is expressed in the common 
English translation, it has been supposed that our 
jlessed Lord commended the conduct of this wicked 
! : but the word κυρίος, there translated lord, sim- 
ply means the master of the unjust steward. 

The children of this world] Such as mind worldly 
things only, without regarding God or their souls. 
A phrase by which the Jews always designate the 
Gentiles. 

Children of light.| Such as are illuminated by the | 
Spirit of God, 


462 


as they may sudserve the great purposes of their sal 
vation, and become the instruments of good to others. 
But ordinarily the former evidence more carefulness 
and prudence, in providing for the support and comfort 
of this life, than the Jatter do in providing for another 
world. 

Verse 9. The mammon of unrighteotsness| Μα- 
μωνα της adiKcac—literally, the mammon, or riches, of 
injustice. Riches promise mucH, and perform No- 
THING : they excite hope and confidence, and deceive 
both : in making a man depend on them for happiness, 
they vob him of the salvation of God and of eternal 
glory. For these reasons, they are represented as 
unjust and deceitful. See the note on Matt. vi. 24, 
where this is more particularly explained. It is evi- 
dent that this must be the meaning of the words, be- 
cause the false or deceitful riches, here, are put in op- 
position to the true riches, ver. 11; i. 6. those Divine 
graces and blessings which promise all good, and give 
what they promise ; never deceiving the expectation 
of any man. To insinuate that, if a man have ac- 
quired riches by unjust means, he is to sanctify them, 
and provide himself a passport to the kingdom of God, 
by giving them to the poor, is a most horrid and blas- 


phemous perversion of our Lord’s words. ΠῚ gotten 
gain must be restored to the proper owners: if they 
are dead, then to their successors. 

When ye fail] That is, when ye die. The Sep- 


tuagint use the word exAevzerv in this very sense, Jer. 
xlii. 17, 22. See the note on Gen. xxv. 8. So does 
Josephus, War, chap. iv. 1, 9. 

They may receive you] That is, say some, the 
angels. Others, the poor whom ye have relieved will 
welcome you into glory. It does not appear that the 
poor are meant: 1. Because those who have relieved 
them may die a long time before them ; and therefore 
they could not be in heaven to receive them on their 
arrival. 2. Many poor persons may be relieved, who 
will live and die in their sins, and consequently never 
enter into heaven themselves. The expression seems 
to be a mere Hebraism:—they may receive you, for ye 
shall be received; i. 6. God shall admit you, if you 
make a faithful use of his gifts and graces. He who 
does not make a faithful use of whet he has received 
from his Maker has no reason to hope for eternal feli- 
city. See Matt. xxv. 33; and, for similar Hebraisms, 
consult in the original, chap. vi. 38; xii. 20; Rev. xii. 
Gin mvie 1. 

Verse 10. He that is faithful in that which is least, 

&c.] He who has the genuine principles of fidelity in 
him will make a point of conscience of carefully at- 
tending to even the smallest things; and it is by ha- 


and regard worldly things only as far | bituating himself to act uprightly in Midile things that 


1 


No man can serve two masters. 


A M- 4033. js faithful also in much: and he 
An Cee that is unjust in the least, is unjust 
“also in much. 

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in 
the unrighteous ‘ mammon, who will commit 
to your trust the true riches 7 

12 And if ye have not been faithful in that 
which is another man’s, who shall give you 
that which is your own ? 

13 * No servant can serve two masters: for 
either he will hate the one and love the other; 
or else he will hold to the one and despise the 
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

14 And the Pharisees also, ! who were co- 


i Or, riches —* Matt. vi. 24—! Matt. xxiii. 14—™ Chap. x. 29. 
© Psa. vii. 9. 9] Sam. xvi. 7.—P Matt. iv. 17; xi. 12,13; Luke 


CHAP. XVI. 


The Pharisees reprovea 


A. M. 4033. 
and "5.20, 
An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 


vetous, heard all these things ; 
they derided him. 

15 And he said unto them, Ye are 
they which ™ justify yourselves before men ; 
but "God knoweth your hearts; for ° thet 
which is highly esteemed among men is abo- 
mination in the sight of God. 

16 » The law and the prophets were until 
John: since that time, the kingdom of God is 
preached, and every man presseth into it. 

17 1 And it is easier for heaven and earth 
to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 

18 * Whosoever putteth away his wife, and 
marrieth another, committeth adultery; and 


vii. 29. 4 Psa. cil. 26,27; Isa. xl. 8; 1i.6; Matt. v.18; 1 Pet. 
i, 25.——" Matt. v. 32; xix. 9; Mark x. 11; 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. 


he acquires the gracious habit of acting with propriety 
fidelity, honour, and conscience, in matters of the 
greatest concern. On the contrary, he who does not 
act uprightly in smald matters will seldom feel himself 
bound to pay much attention to the dictates of honour 
and conscience, in cases of high importance. Can we 
reasonably expect that a man who is continually falling 
by little things has power to resist temptations io great 
evils 2 

Verse 12. That which is another man’s] Or rather 
another's, τῷ αλλοτρίῳ. That is, worldly riches, call- 
ed another’s: 1. Because they belong to God, and he 
has not designed that they should be any man’s portion. 
2. Because they are continually changing their pos- 
sessors, being in the way of commerce, and in provi- 
dence going from one to another. This property of 
worldly goods is often referred to by both sacred and 
profane writers. See a fine passage in Horace, Sat. 
l. ii. s. 2. v. 129. 


Nam propria telluris herum natura neque illum, 
Nec me, nec quemquam statuit. 

Nature will no perpetual heir assign, 

Nor make the farm his property, or mime. Francis. 


And the following in one of our own poets :— 


* Who steals my purse steals trash; 5 something, 
nothing ; 
*Twas mine, °tis his, and has been slave to shou- 
sands.” 


That which is your own ἢ Grace and glory, which 
God has particularly designed for you; which are the 
only proper satisfying portion for the soul ; and which 
no man can enjoy in their plenitude, unless he be faith- 
ful to the first small motions and influences of the 
Divine Spirit. 

Verse 13. No servant can serve two masters] The 
heart will be either wholly taken up with God, or 
wholly engrossed with the world. See on Matt. 
“4. 24s 

Verse 14. They derided him] Or rather, They 
treated him with the utmost contempt. So we may 
trausiate the original words εξεμυκτηριζον αὐτὸν, which 
literaliy signifies, in lum emunxerunt—but must not 

1 


be translated into English, unless, to come a little 
near it, we say, éhey turned up their noses at him ;— 
and why? Because they were lovers of money, and 
he showed them that all such were im danger of per- 
dition. As they were wedded to ‘his life, and not con- 
cerned for the odher, they considered him one of the 
most absurd and foolish of men, and worthy only of 
the most sovereign contempt, because he taught that 
spiritual and eternal things should be preferred before 
the riches of the universe. And how many thousands 
are there of the very same sentiment to the present 
day ! 

Verse 15. Ye—yustify yourselves] Ye declare 
yourselves to be just. Ye endeavour to make it appear 
to men that ye can still feel an insatiable thirst after 
the present world, and yet secure the blessings of ano- 
ther ; that ye can reconcile God and mammon,—and 
serve two masters with equal zeal and affection; but 
God knoweth your hearts——and he knoweth that ye 
are alive to the world, and dead to God and goodness. 
Therefore, howsoever ye may be esteemed among 
men, ye are an abomination before him. Sce the note 
on chap. vil. 29. ς 

Verse 16. The law and the prophets were until 
John| The law and the prophets continued to be the 
sole teachers till John came, who first began to pro- 
claim the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and 
now, he who wishes to be made a partaker of the 
blessings of that kingdom must rush speedily into it ; 
as there will be but a short time before an utter de- 
struction shall fall upon this ungodly race. They who 
wish to be saved must imitate those who take a cily 
by storm—rush into it, without delay, as the Romans 
are about to do into Jerusalem. See also on Matt. 


xi. 12. 
Verse 17. For heaven and earth to pass] See on 
Matt. v. 17, 18. 


Verse 18. Putieth away (or divorceth) his wife] 
See on Matt. v. 31, 32; xix. 9, 10; Mark x. 12, 
where the question concerning divorce is considered 
at large. These verses, from the 13th to the 18th 
inclusive, appear to be part of our Lord’s sermon or 
the mount; and stand in a much better connection 

463 


The rich mar, 


‘A. Μ. 4033. ;: ; 
Aon bo, whosoever marrieth her that is put 


An, Olymp. away from her husband, committeth 
SS  aililteny 

19 §| There was a certain rich man, § which 
was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared 


sumptuously every day ; 


5 Prov. xxxi. 22; 1 Mac. x. 62; 1 Pet. iii. 3, 4. 


ST. LUKE. 


and Lazarus 


20 And there was a ‘certain 4,™. 408s. 


beggar named Lazarus, which was An. Olymp. 
: : CCI. 1. 
laid at his gate, full of sores, —— 
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs 
which fell from the rich man’s table: more- 
over the dogs came and licked his sores. 


t Job ii. 7; Eccl. ix. 2; Acts iii. 2; 1 Pet. iv. 17. 


there than they do here; unless we suppose our Lord 
delivered the same discourse at different times and 
places, which is very probable. 

Verse 19. There was a certain rich man] In the 
Scholia of some MSS. the name of this person is said 
to be Ninive. This account of the rich man and La- 
zarus is either a parable or a real history. If it be 
a parable, it is what may be: if it be a history, it is 
that which has been. Wither a man may live as is 
here described, and go to perdition when he dies; or, 
some have lived in this way, and are now suffering the 
torments of an eternal fire. The account is equally 
instructive in whichsoever of these lights it is viewed. 
Let us carefully observe all the circumstances offered 
here to our notice, and we shall see—I. The crime 
of this man; and II. His ΡΟυΝΙΒΗΜΕΝΤ. 

1. There was a certain rich man in Jerusalem. 
Provided this be a real history, there is no doubt our 
Lord could have mentioned his name; but, as this 
might have given great offence, he chose to suppress 
it. His being rich is, in Christ’s account, the first 
part of his sz. To this circumstance our Lord adds 
nothing : he does not say that he was born to a large 
estate ; or that he acquired one by improper methods; 
or that he was haughty or insolent in the possession 
of it. Yet here is the first degree of his reprobation 
—he got all he could, and kept all to himself. 

2. He was clothed with purple and fine linen. Pur- 
ple was a very precious and costly stuff; but our Lord 
does not say that in the use of it he exceeded the 
bounds of his income, nor of his rank in life; nor is 
it said that he used his superb dress to be an agent 
to his crimes, by corrupting the hearts of others. 
Yet our Lord lays this down as a second cause of his 
perdition. 

3. He fared sumptuously every day. Now let it 
be observed that the Jaw of Moses, under which this 
man lived, forbade nothing on this point, but eacess in 
eating and drinking; indeed, it seems as if a person 
was authorized to taste the sweets of an abundance, 
which that law promised as a reward of fidelity. Be- 
sides, this rich man is not accused of having eaten 
food which was prohibited by the law, or of having 
neglected the abstinences and fasts prescribed by it. 
It is true, he is said to have feasted sumptuously 
every day; but our Lord does not intimate that this 
was carried to excess, or that it ministered to de- 
bauch. He is not accused of licentious discourse, of 
gaming, of frequenting any thing like our modern 
plays, balls, masquerades, or other impure and un- 
holy assemblies; of speaking an irreverent word 
against Divine revelation, or the ordinances of God. 
In a word, his probity is not attacked, nor is he ac- 
cused of any of those crimes which pervert the soul 

464 


or injure civil society. As Christ has described this 
man, does he appear culpable? What are his crimes? 
Why, 1. He was rich. 2. He was finely clothed. 
And 3. He feasted well. No other evil is spoken 
of him. In comparison of thousands, he was not 
only blameless, but he was a virtuous man. 

4. But it is intimated by many that “he was an 
uncharitable, hard-hearted, unfeeling wretch.” Yet 
of this there is not a word spoken by Christ. Let us 
consider all the circumstances, and we shall see that 
our blessed Lord has not represented this man as a 
monster of inhumanity, but merely as an indolent man, 
who sought and had his portion in this life, and was 
not at all concerned about another. 

Therefore we do not find that when Abraham ad- 
dressed him on the cause of his reprobation, ver. 25. 
that he reproached him with hard-heartedness, saying, 
«Lazarus was hungry, and thou gavest him no meat ; 
he was thirsty, and thou gavest him no drink, το. ;” 
but he said simply, Son, remember that thow didst 
receive thy good things in thy lifetime, ver. 25.— 
“Thou hast sought thy consolation upon the earth, 
thou hast borne no cross, mortified no desire of the 
flesh, received not the salvation God had provided 
for thee ; thou didst not belong to the people of God 
upon earth, and thou canst not dwell with them in 
glory.” 

There are few who consider that it is a crime for 
those called Christians to live without Christ, when 
their lives are not stained with transgression. If 
Christianity only required men to live without gross 
outward sin, paganism could furnish us with many 
bright examples of this sort. But the religion of 
Christ requires a conformity, not only in a man’s con- 
duct, to the principles of the Gospel; but also a ¢on- 
formity in his heart to the spirit and mind of Christ. 

Verse 20. There was acertain begger named Laza- 
rus| His name is mentioned, because his character 
was good, and his end glorious ; and because it is the 
purpose of God that the righteous shall be had in ever- 
lasting remembrance. Lazarus, 317 is a contraction 
of the word ἬΝ Eliezar, which signifies the help or 
assistance of God—a name properly given to a man 
who was both poor and afflicted, and had no help but 
that which came from heaven. 

Verse 21. And deswing to be fed with the crumbs] 
And it is likely this desire was complied with, for it is 
not intimated that he spurned away the poor man from 
the gate, or that his suit was rejected. And as we 
find, ver. 24, that the rich man desired that Lazarus 
should be sent with a little water to him, it is a strong 
intimation that he considered him under some kind of 
obligation to him; for, had he refused him a few 
crumbs in his lifetime, it is not reasonable to suppose 

1 


The rich man 


A. M. 4033. 
M4003. 22 And it came to pass, that the 


An. Oiymp. beggar died, and was carried by the 
ἐς τωρ angels into Abraham’s bosom: the 
tich man also died, and was buried; 
23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being 
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and 
Lazarus in his bosom: 


u Zech. xiv. 12. 


¥ 158, Ixvi. 24; Mark ix. 44, &e. 


CHAP. 


and Lazarus. 


XVI. 


24 And he cried and said, Father 4,™, 1089. 

Abraham, have mercy on me, and An. ee. 
κ᾿ COIL i. 

send Lazarus, that he may dip the 
tip of his finger in water, and ἃ cool my tongue ; 
for I Yam tormented in this flame. 

25 But Abraham said, Son, * remember that 
thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, 


w Job xxi. 13; chap. vi. 24, 


that he would now have requested such a favour from 
him; nor does Abraham glance at any such uncharit- 
able conduct on the part of the rich man. 

We may now observe, 

II. In what the punishment of this man consisted. 

1. Lazarus dies and is carried into Abraham’s bosom. 
By the phrase, Abraham's bosom, an allusion is made 
to the custom at Jewish feasts, when three persons re- 
clining on their left elbows on a couch, the person 
whose head came near the breast of the other, was said 
to lie in his bosom. So it is said of the beloved dis- 
ciple, John xiii. 25. Abraham's bosom was a phrase 
used among the Jews to signify the paradise of God. 
See Josephus’s account of the Maccabees, chap. xiii. 

Verse 22. The rich man also died, and was buried] 
There is no mention of this latter circumstance in the 
case of Lazarus; he was buried, no doubt—necessity 
required this: but he had the burial of a pauper, while 
the pomp and pride of the other followed him to the 
tomb. But what a difference in these burials, if we 
take in the reading of my old MS. Bree, which is sup- 
ported by several versions : fovrsothe the riche man ἴ5 
Deed: anv is buried in Helle. And this is also the read- 
ing of the Anglo-saxon, 4 p@y on helle gebypged, and 
was tn hell buried. In some MSS. the point has been 
wanting after evad7, he was buried; and the following 
«at, and, removed and set before ἐπάρας, he lifted up: 
so that the passage reads thus: The rich man died 
also, and was buried in hell ; and lifting up his eyes, 
being in torment, he saw, &c. But let us view the 
circumstances of this man’s punishment. 

Searcely had he entered the place of his punish- 
ment, when he lifted up his eyes on high; and what 
must his surprise be, to see himself separated from 
God, and to feel himself tormented in that flame ! 
Neither himself, nor friends, ever suspected that the 
way in which he walked could have led to such a per- 
dition. 

1. And seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his 
bosom, ver. 23. He sees Lazarus clothed with glory 
and immortality—this is the first circumstance in his 
punishment. What a contrast! What a desire does he 
feel to resemble him, and what rage and despair be- 
cause he is not like him! We may safely conclude that 
the view which damned souls have, in the gulf of per- 
dition, of the happiness of the blessed, and the con- 


viction that they themselves might have eternally 
enjoyed this felicity, from which, through their own 
fault, they are eternally excluded, will form no mean 
part of the punishment. of the lost. 

2. The presence of a good to which they never had 
any right, and of which they are now deprived, affects 
the miserable less than the presence of that to which | 

Vou. 1. € 301} 


they had a right, and of which they are now deprived. 
Even in hell, a damned spirit must αὐλοῦ the evil by 
which he is tormented, and desire that good that would 
free him from his torment. If a lost soul could be re- 
conciled to its torment, and to its situation, then, of 
course, its punishment must cease to be such. An 
eternal desire to escape from evil, and an eternal de 
sire to be united with the supreme good, the gratifica- 
tion of which is for ever impossible, must make a second 
circumstance in the misery of the lost. 

3. Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiv- 
edst thy good things, ver. 25. The remembrance of 
the good things possessed in life, and now to be en- 
joyed no more for ever, together with the remembrance 
of grace offered or abused, will form a third cireum- 
stance in the perdition of the ungodly. Son, remem- 
ber that thou in thy lifetime, &c. 

4. The torments which a soul endures in the hell 
of fire will form, through all eternity, a continual pre- 
sent source of indescribable wo. Actual torment in 
the flames of the bottomless pit forms a fourth circum- 
stance in the punishment of the lost. J am tormented 
in this flame, ver. 24. 

5. The known impossibility of ever escaping from 
this place of torment, or to have any alleviation of one’s 
misery in it, forms a fifth circumstance in the punish- 
ment of ungodly men. Besides all this, between us 
and you there is a great guif, ver. 26. The eternal 
purpose of God, formed on the principles of eternal 
reason, separates the persons, and the places of abode, 
of the righteous and the wicked, so that there can be 
no intercourse : They who wish to pass over hence to 
you, cannot; neither can they pass over, who would 
come from you hither. A happy spirit eannot go from 
heaven to alleviate their miseries ; nor can any of them 
escape from the place of their confinement, to enter 
among the blessed. There may be a discovery from 
hell of the paradise of the blessed; but there can be 
no intercourse nor connection. 

6. The iniquitous conduct of relatives and friends, 
who have been perverted by the bad example of those 
who are lost, is a source of present punishment to 
them ; and if they come also to the same place of tor- 
ment, must be, to those who were the instruments of 
bringing them thither, an eternal source of anguish 
Send Lazarus to my father’s family, for I have five 
brothers, that he may earnestly testify (διαμαρτυρηται) 
to them, that they come not to this place of torment. 
These brothers had probably been influenced by his 
example to content themselves with an earthly portion, 
and to neglect their immortal souls. Those who have 
been instruments of bringing others into hell shall suf- 
fer the deeper perdition on that account. 

465 


The rich man 


iis, el and likewise Lazarus evil things : 
oe Olymp. but now he is comforted, and thou 
art tormented. 

26 And beside all this, between us and you 
there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which 
would pass from hence to you cannot ; neither 
can they pass to us, that would come from 
thence. 

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, fa- 
ther, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s 
house : 


«Isa. vill. 20; xxxiv. 16; John v.39, 45; Acts xv. 21; xvii. 11. 


ST. LUKE. 


and Lazarus. 


28 For I have five brethren; that rina 
he may testify unto them, lest they An. Oban 
also come into this place of torment. = 

29 Abraham saith unto him, * They have 
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but 
if one went unto them from the dead, they will 
repent. 

31 And he said unto him, ff they hear not 
Moses and the prophets, ¥ neither will they be 
persuaded, though one rose from the dead. 


“ 
y John xii. 10, 11. 


Verse 29. They have Moses and the prophets| This 
plainly supposes they were all Jewish believers : they 
had these writings in their hands, but they did not per- 
mit them to influence their lives. 

Verse 30. If one went to them from the dead, &c.] 
Many are desirous to see an inhabitant of the other 
world, and converse with him, in order to know what 
passes there. Make way! Here is a damned soul, 
which Jesus Christ has evoked from the hell of fire ! 
Hear him! Hear him tell of his torments! Hear him 
utter his regrets! ‘“ But we cannot see him.” No: God 
has, in his merey, spared you for the present this pun- 
ishment. How could you bear the sight of this damned 
spirit? Your very nature would fail at the appearance. 
Jesus keeps him as it were behind the curtain, and 
holds a conversation with him in your hearing, which 
you have neither faith nor courage sufficient to hold 
with him yourselves. 

Verse 31. If they hear not Moses, &c.| This an- 
swer of Abraham contains two remarkable propositions. 
1. That the sacred writings contain such proofs of a 
Divine origin, that though all the dead were to arise, 
to convince an unbeliever of the truths therein declar- 
ed, the conviction could not be greater, nor the proof 
more evident, of the divinity and truth of these sacred 
records, than that which themselves afford. 2. That 
to escape eternal perdition, and get at last into eternal 
slory, a man is to receive the testimonies of God, and 
to walk according to their dictates. And these two 
things show the sufficiency and perfection of the sacred 
writings. What influence could the personal appear- 
ance of a spirit have on an unbelieving and corrupted 
heart? None, except to terrify it for the moment, and 
afterwards to leave it ten thousand reasons for wncer- 
tainty and doubt. Christ caused this to be exemplifi- 
ed, in the most literal manner, by raising Lazarus 
from the dead. And did this convince the unbeliey- 
ing Jews? No. They were so much the more en- 
raged ; and from that moment conspired both the death 
of Lazarus and of Christ! Faith is satisfied with such 
proofs as God is pleased to afford! Infidelity never 
nas enow. See a Sermon on this subject, by the 
author of this work. 

466 


grace: 


To make the parable of the wnjust steward still 
more profitable, let every man consider :— 

1. That God is his master, and the author of all 
the good he enjoys, whether it be spiritual or temporal. 

2. That every man is only a steward, not a pro- 
prietor of those things. 

3. That all must give an account to God, how they 
have used or abused the blessings with which they 
have been entrusted. 

4. That the goods which God has entrusted to our 
care are goods of body and soul: goods of nature and 
of birth and education: His word, Spiril, and 
ordinances: goods of life, health, genius, strength, 
dignity, riches; and even poverty itself is often a 
blessing from the hand of God. 

5. That all these may be improved to God’s honour, 
our good, and our neighbour’s edification and comfort. 

6. That the time is coming in which we shall be 
called to an account before God, concerning the use 
we have made of the good things with which he has 
entrusted us. 

7. That we may, even now, be accused before our 
Maker, of the awful crime of wasting our Lord’s 
substance. 

8. That if this crime can he proved against us, we 
are in immediate danger of being deprived of all the 
blessings which we have thus abused, and of being 
separated from God and the glory of his power for ever. 

9. That on hearing of the danger to which we are 
exposed, though we cannot dig to purchase salvation, 
yet we must beg, incessantly beg, at the throne of grace 
for merey to pardon all that is past. 

10. That not a moment is to be lost: the arrest of 
death may have gone out against us; and this very 
night—hour—minute, our souls may be required of us. 
Let us therefore learn wisdom from the prudent des- 
patch which a worldly-minded man would use to 
retrieve his ruinous circumstances; and watch and 
pray, and use the little spark of the Divine light which 
yet remains, but which is ready to die, that we may 
escape the gulf of perdition, and obtain some 
humble place in the heaven of glory. Our wants 
are pressing ; God calls loudly ; and eternity is at hand! 

( 30* ) 


Directions concerning 


CHAP. XVII. 


forgiveness of mjuries 


CHAPTER XVII. 


Christ teaches the necessity of avoiding offences, 1, 2. 


cacy of faith, 5, 6. 
lepers, 11-19. 


No man by his services or obedience can profit his Maker, 7-10. 
The Pharisees inquire when the kingdom of God shall commence ; Christ answers them, 


How to treat an offending brother, 3,4. The effi 


He cleanses ten 


and corrects their improper views of the subject, 20-37. 


tke TTHEN said he unto the disciples, 
An. Olymp. “It is impossible but that of- 

CCI. 1. } “ 

fences will come: but wo unto him, 
through whom they come ! 

2 It were better for him that a mill-stone 
were hanged about his neck, and he cast into 
the sea, than that he should offend one of these 
little ones. 

3 Ἵ Take heed to yourselves: ἢ If thy bro- 
ther trespass against thee, ° rebuke him; and 
if he repent, forgive him. 

4 And if he trespass against thee seven times 
in a day, and seven times ina day return again 
to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive 
him. 

5 Ἵ And the apostles said unto the Lord, 
Increase our faith. 


a Matt. xviii. 6, 7; Mark ix. 42; 1 Cor. xi. 19—— Matt. xviii. 


5, 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVII. 

Verse 1. It is impossible but that offences will come] 
Such is the corrupt state of the human heart that, 
notwithstanding all the influences of grace, and the 
promises of glory, men will continue to sin against 
God; and his justice must continue to punish. See 
on Matt. xviii. 6. 

Verse 2. A mill-stone] That drowning a person 
with a stone tied about the neck was an ancient mode 
of punishment, see proved in the note on Matt. xviii. 
6, 7, to which let the following be added. To have a 
mill-stone hanged about the neck, was a common pro- 
verb. “Samuel saith, A man may marry, and after 
that addict himself to the study of the law. Rab. 
Jochanan saith, No: shall he addict himself to the 
study of the law with a mill-stone about his neck ?” 

The place in Aristophanes, to which the reader is 
referred in the note on Matt. xviii. 6, is the following :-— 


Apap μετεωρον εἰς to BapaSpov euBaro, 
Ex tov λαρυγγος ἐκκρεμασας ὑπερβοδλον. 

“Lifting him up into the air, I will plunge him 
into the deep: a great stone being hung about his 
neck.” Aristoph. in Equit. ver. 1359. 

Verses 3, 4. If thy brother trespass] See the notes 
on Matt. xviii. 21, 22. 

Verse 5. Increase our faith.] This work of pardon- 
ing every offence of every man, and that continually, 
seemed so difficult, even to the disciples themselves, 
that they saw, without an extraordinary degree of 
faith, they should never be able to keep this command. 
But some think that this and what follows relate to 
what Matthew has mentioned, chap xvii. 19, 20. 

1 


6 *And the Lord said, If ye prin 


had faith as a grain of mustard seed, a ee 
ye might say unto this sycamine ἘΞ 

tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be 
thou planted in the sea ; and it should obey you. 

7 But which of you, having a servant plough 
ing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and 
by, when he is come from the field, Go and 
sit down to meat ? 

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make 
ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, 
ὁ and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; 
and afterward thou shalt eat and drink ? 

9 Doth he thank that servant. because he 
did the things that were commanded him? 1 
trow not. 

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done 


© Lev. xix. 17; Prov. xvii. 10; James v.19. 


ἃ Matt. xvii. 20; 
xxi. 21; Mark ix. 23; xi. 23. il 


© Chap. xii. 37. 


Verse 6. As a grain of mustard seed] A faith that 
increases and thrives as that is described to do, Matt. 
xiii. 32, where see the note. See also Matt. xvii. 20. 

This sycamine| The words seem to intimate that 
they were standing by such a tree. The sycamine is 
probably the same as the sycamore. Sycamore with 
us, says Mr. Evelyn, is falsely so called, being our 
acer majus, greater maple. The true sycamore is the 
ficus Pharaonis or Aigyptia, Pharaoh's, or Egyptian 

'g-tree ; called also, from its similitude in leaves and 
fruit, morosycus, or mulberry fig-tree. The Arabians 
call it guimez: it grows in Cyprus, Caria, Rhodes, 
and in Judea and Galilee, where our Lord at this time 
was: see ver. 11. St. Jerome, who was well ac- 
quainted with these countries, translates the word mul- 
berry-tree. 

Be thou plucked up by the root] See the note on 
Matt. xxi. 21, where it is shown that this mode of 
speech refers to the accomplishment of things very 
difficult, but not impossible. 

Verses 7-9. Which of you, having a servant] It is 
never supposed that the master waits on the servant 
—the servant is bound to wait on his master, and to 
do every thing for him to the uttermost of his power . 
nor does the former expect thanks for it, for he is 
bound by his agreement to act thus, because of the 
stipulated reward, which is considered as being equa 
in value to all the service that he can perform. 

Verse 10. We are unprofitable servants] This text 
has often been produced to prove that no man can live 
without committing sin against God. But let it be 
| observed, the text says unprofitable servants, not stn- 


ful servants. If this text could be fairly construed 
467 


Christ cleanses 


A.M. 4033. all those things which are command- 
An. a, ed you, say, We are ‘ unprofitable 

CCl servants: we have done that which 
was our duty to do. 

11 4 And it came to pass, 5 as he went to 
Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst 
of Samaria and Galilee. 

12 And as he entered into a certain village, 
there met him ten men that were lepers, 
h which stood afar off : 

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, 
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 


ST. LUKE. 


the ten lepers. 


14 And when he saw them he 4,™. 4033. 
said unto them, ‘Go show your- An. Olymp. 
selves unto the priests. And it cen 
came to pass, that, as they went, they were 
cleansed. 

15 And one of them, when he saw that he 
was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice 
glorified God, 

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, 
giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. 

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there 
not ten cleansed? but where are the nine ? 


{ Job xxii. 3; xxxv.7; Psa. xvi. 2; Matt. xxv. 30; Rom. iii. 12; 
xi. 35; 1 Cor. ix. 16, 17; Phil. 11. 


e Chap. ix. 51, 52; John iv. 4 ——» Lev. xiii. 46——i Lev. xiii 
2; xiv. 2; Matt. viii. 4; chap. v. 14. 


to countenance sinful imperfection, it would be easy 
to demonstrate that there is not one of the spirits of 
just men made perfect, in paradise, nor a ministering 
angel at the throne of God, but is sinfully imperfect : 
for none of these can work righteousness, in the 
smallest degree, beyond those powers which God has 
given them; and justice and equity require that they 
should exert those powers to the uttermost in the 
service of their Maker; and, after having acted thus, 
it may be justly said, They have done only what it was 
their duty to do. ‘The nature of God is illimitable, 
and all the attributes of that nature are infinitely 
glorious: they cannot be lessened by the transgres- 
sions of his creatures, nor can they be increased by 
the uninterrupted, eternal obedience, and unceasing 
hallelujahs, of all the intelligent creatures that people 
the whole vortex of nature. When ages, beyond the 
power of arithmetic to sum up, have elapsed, it may 
be said of the most pure and perfect creatures, “ Ye 
are unprofitable servants.” Ye have derived your 
being from the infinite fountain of life: ye are upheld 
by the continued energy of the Almighty: his glories 
are infinite and eternal, and your obedience and ser- 
vices, however excellent in themselves, and profitable 
to you, have added nothing, and can add nothing, to 
the absolute excellencies and glories of your God. 
Verse 11. He passed through the midst of Samaria 
and Galilee.|] He first went through Galilee, whence 
he set out on his journey ; and then through Samaria, 
of which mention is made, chap. ix. 51, 52. All who 
went from Galilee to Jerusalem must have necessarily 
passed through Samaria, unless they had gone to the 
westward, a very great way about. Therefore John 
tells us, chap. iv. 4, that when Jesus left Judea to go 
into Galilee, τ was necessary for him to pass through 
Samaria; for this plain reason, because it was the 
only proper road. “It is likely that our Lord set out 
from Capernaum, traversed the remaining villages of 
Galilee as far as Samaria, and then passed through the 
small country of Samaria, preaching and teaching every 
where, and curing the diseased, as usual.” Calmet. 
Verse 12. Ten—lepers] Concerning the leprosy see 
the note on Matt. viii. 2; and on Lev. xiii. and xiv. 
Which stood afar off| They kept at a distance, 


because forbidden by law and custom to come near | 
463 


to those who were sound, for fear of infecting them. 
See Lev. xiii. 46; Num. v. 2; 2 Kings xv. 5. 

Verse 13. They lifted up their voices] They cried 
with one accord—they were all equally necessitous, 
and there was but one voice among them all, though 
ten were engaged in crying at the same time. As they 
were companions in suffering, they were also compa- 
nions in prayer. Prayer should be strong and earnest, 
when the disease is great and inveterate. Sin is 
the worst of all leprosies ; it not only separates those 
to whom it cleaves from the righteous, but it separates 
them from God; and nothing but the pitymg heart 
and powerful hand of Christ Jesus can set any soul 
free from it. 

Verse 14. Show yourselves unto the priests.| Ac- 
cording to the direction, Lev. xiii. 2, &c. ; xiv. 2, &e. 
Our Lord intended that their cure should be received 
by faith: they depended on his goodness and power ; 
and though they had no promise, yet they went at his 
command to do that which those only were required 
by the law to do who were already healed. 

And—as they went] In this spirit of implicit faith; 
they were cleansed. God highly honours this kind of 
faith, and makes it the instrument in his hand of work- 
ing many miracles. He who will not believe till he 
receives what he calls a reason for rt, is never likely 
to get his soul saved. The highest, the most sove- 
reign reason, that can be given for believing, is that 
God has commanded it. 

Verse 15. One of them, when he saw that he was 
healed, &c.] It seems that he did not wait to go first 
to the priest, but turned immediately back, and gave 
publig praise to the kind hand from which he had re- 
ceived his cure. 

Verse 16. He was a Samaritan.] One who pro- 
fessed a very corrupt religion; and from whom much 
less was to be expected than from the other nine, who 
probably were Jews. 

Verse 17. Where are the nine2] Where are the 
numbers that from time to time have been converted 
to God? Are they still found praising him, with their 
faces on the dust, as they did at first? Alas! how 
many are turned back to perdition! and how many are 
again mingled with the world. Reader! art thou of 
this number ? 


CHAP 


A.M. 4033. 18 here are not found that re- 
An. Olymp. turned to give glory to God, save 
= this stranger. 

19 * And he said unto him, Arise, go thy 
way: thy faith hath made thee whole. 

20 § And when he was demanded of the 
Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should 
come, he answered them and said, The king- 
dom of God cometh not ! with observation : 

21 ™Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, 
lo there ! for, behold, * the kingdom of God is 
° within you. 

22 Ἵ And he said unto the disciples, » The 


The Pharisees inquire when the 


XVI. kingdum of God should come 


days will come, when ye shall desire 4,™ 4039. 

to see one of the days of the Son An. Olymp. 
: : CCIL 1. 

of man, and ye shall not see it. eee 

23 And they shall say to you, See here; 
or, see there; go not after them, nor follow 
them. 

24 * For as the lightning that lighteneth out 
of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the 
other part under heaven; so shall also the 
Son of man be in his day. 

25 * But first must he suffer many things, 
and be rejected of this generation. 

26 * And as it was in the days of Noe, so 


K Matt. ix. 22; Mark v. 34; x. 52; chap. vil. 50; vill. 48; 
xvili. 42 ——! Or, with outward show.——® Ver. 23. 5 Rom. 
xiv. 17. © Or, among you, John i. 26. 


Verse 18. This stranger.) Often God receives 
more praise and affectionate obedience from those who 
had long lived without his knowledge and fear, than 
from those who were bred up among his people, and 
who profess to be called by his name. The simple 
reason is, Those who have mucu forgiven will love 
much, chap. vii. 47. 

Verse 19. Thy faith hath made thee whole.| Thy 
faith hath been the mean of receiving that influence 
by which thou hast been cleansed. 

Verse 20. Cometh not with observation] With 
scrupulous observation. That this is the proper mean- 
ing of the original, μετα παρατηρήσεως, KypKe and 
others have amply proved from the best Greek writers. 
As if he had said: “ The kingdom of God, the glori- 
ous religion of the Messiah, does not come in such a 
way as to be discerned only by sagacious critics, or is 
. only to be seen by those who are scrupulously watch- 
ing for it; it is not of such a nature as to be confined 
to one place, so that men might say of it, Behold it is 
only here, or only there: for this kingdom of God is 
publicly revealed ; and behold it is among you ; I pro- 
claim it publicly, and work those miracles which prove 
the kingdom of God is come ; and none of these things 
are done in a corner.” 

Dr. Lightfoot has well observed that there are two 
senses especially in which the phrase “ kingdom of 
heaven,” is to be understood. 1. The promulgation 
and establishment of the Christian religion. 2. The 
total overthrow of the Jewish polity. The Jews ima- 
gined that when the Messiah should come he would 
destroy the Gentiles, and reign gloriously over the 
Jews: the very reverse of this, our Lord intimates, 
should be the case. He was about to destroy the 
whole Jewish polity, and reign gloriously among the 
Gentiles. Hence he mentions the case of the general 
deluge, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
As if he had said: “The coming of this kingdom 
shall be as fatal to you as the deluge was to the old 
world, and as the fire and brimstone from heaven were 
to Sodom and Gomorrah.” Our Lord states that this 
kingdom of heaven was within them, i. e. that they 
themselves should be the scene of these desolations, 
as, through their disobedience and rebellion, they pos- 

1 


PSee Matt. ix. 15; John xvii. 12. 9 Matt. xxiv. 23; Mark 
xiii. 21; chap. xxi. 8— Matt. xxiv. 27——* Mark viii. 31; 
ix. 31; x. 33; chap. ix. 22——* Gen. vii., Matt. xxiv. 37. 


sessed the seeds of these judgments. See on Matt. 
iii. 2. 

Verse 21. Lo here! or, lo there!] Perhaps those 
Pharisees thought that the Messiah was kept secret, 
in some private place, known only to some of their 
rulers; and that by and by he should be pro- 
claimed in a similar way to that in which Joash was 
by Jehoiada the priest. See the account, 2 Chron. 
xxiii. 1-11. 

Verse 22. When ye shall desire to see one of the 
days] As it was our Lord’s constant custom to sup- 
port and comfort the minds of his disciples, we cannot 
suppose that he intimates here that they shall be left 
destitute of those blessings necessary for their support 
in a day of trial. When he says, Ye shall desire to 
see one of the days of the Son of man, he either means, 
ye of this nation, ye Jews, and addresses his disciples 
as if they should bear witness to the truth of the de- 
claration ; intimating that heavy calamities were about 
to fall upon them, and that they should desire in vain 
to have those opportunities of returning to God which 
now they rejected; or, he means that such should the 
distressed state of this people be, that the disciples 
would through pity and tenderness desire the removal 
of those punishments from them, which could not be 
removed because the cup of their iniquity was full. 
But the former is more likely to be the sense of the 
place. 

Verse 23. And they shall say] Or, And iF they 
shall say. Two MSS., the Syriac and Armenian, 
have eav, IF. 

See here] KM, sixteen others, and the later Sy- 
riac, have ὃ χριστος, Behold the Christ is here. This 
is undoubtedly the meaning of the place. See on 
Matt. xxiv. 23. 

Verse 24. As the lightning, that lighteneth] See 
this particularly explained, Matt. xxiv. 27, 28. 

Verse 25. But first must he suffer many things] 
As the cup of the iniquity of this people shall not be 
full till they have finally rejected and crucified the Lord 
of life and glory, so this desolation cannot take place 
till after my death. 

Verse 26. As τὲ was in the days of Noe] See on 
Matt. xxiv. 38. 

469 


Caress stave of the 


An. a, Olymp. Son of man. 

27 They did eat, they: drank, they 
married wives, they were given in marriage, 
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and 
the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

28 ἃ Likewise also as it was in the days of 
Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, 
they sold, they planted, they builded ; 

29 But τ the same day that Lot went out of 
Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from 
heaven, and destroyed them all. 

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when 
the Son of man ~ is revealed. 

31 In that day, he * which shall be upon the 
housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him 
not come down to take it away; and he that 


ST. LUKE. 


= ΑΝ 4038. shall it be also in the days of the|is in the field, let him likewise not 4,M.4033 


world at Christ's coming 


A. D. 29. 
αὶ Olymp 
CCIL1. 


return back. 

32 Y Remember Lot’s wife. —— 

33 2 Whosoever shall seek to save his life 
shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life 
shall preserve it. 

34 51 tell you, in that night there shall be 
two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, 
and the other shall be left. 

35 Two women shall be grinding together ; 
the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

36 [ Two men shall be in the field; the one 
shall be taken, and the other left.] 

37 And they answered and said unto him, 
¢ Where, Lord? And he said unto them, 
Wheresoever the body 5, thither will the 
eagles be gathered together. 


u Gen. xix. ¥ Gen. xix. 16, 24. w 2 Thess. i. 7——* Matt. 
xxiv. 17; Mark xiii. 15——y Gen. xix. 26. z Matt. x. 39; 
xvi, 25; Mark viii. 35; chap. ix. 24; John xii. 25. 


Verse 27. They did eat, they drank, &c.] They 
spent their whole lives in reference to this world; and 
made no sort of provision for their immortal souls. So 
it was when the Romans came to destroy Judea; there 
Was a universal carelessness, and no one seemed to 
regard the warnings given by the Son of God. 

Verse 29. It rained fire and brimstone] Instead 
of τέ rained, Gen. xix. 24 justifies the insertion of the 
pronoun he, as implied in the verb e@pefe; for it is 
there said that Jehovah rained fire and brimstone from 
Jehovah out of heaven. 

Verse 31. He which shall be upon the housetop] 
See this explained on Matt. xxiv. 17. 

Verse 32. Remember Lot’s wife.] Relinquish 
every thing, rather than lose your souls. She looked 
back, Gen. xix. 26; probably she turned back also to 
carry some of her goods away—for so much the pre- 
ceding verse seems to intimate, and became a monu- 
ment of the Divine displeasure, and of her own folly 
and sin. It is a proof that we have loved with a cri- 
minal affection that which we leave with grief and 
anxiety, though commanded by the Lord to abandon it. 

Verse 33. Whosoever shall seek to save his life] 
These or similar words were spoken on another occa- 
sion. See on Matt. x. 39; xvi. 25, 26. 

Verses 34 and 36. On the subject of these verses 
see Matt. xxiv. 40, 41. The 36th verse is, without 
doubt, an interpolation; see the margin. It was pro- 


Matt. xxiv. 40, 41; 1 Thess. iv. 17. 
wanting in most of the Greek copies. 
xxiv. 28. 


Ὁ This 36th verse is 
© Job xxxix. 30; Matt. 


bably borrowed from Matt. xxiv. 40. The whole verse 
is wanting in ABEGHKLAQS, more than fifty others, 
the Coptic, Acthiopic, Gothic, Slavonic, and many of 
the fathers: Griesbach has left it out of the text.— 
Well might our translators say in the margin, This 
36th verse is wanting in most of the Greek copies. 
Griesbach thinks it might have been omitted on ac- 
count of the similar ending, (see the preceding verse,) 
or that it was borrowed from Matt. xxiv. 40. 

Verse 37. Where, Lord?) In what place shall ali 
these dreadful evils fall? The answer our Lord gives 
in a figure, the application of which they are to make 
themselves. Where the dead carcass is, there will be 
the birds of prey—where the sin is, there will the 
punishment be. See on Matt. xxiv. 28. 

Thither will the eagles (or vultures) be gathered 
together. The jackal or chakal is a devourer of dead 
bodies ; and the vulture is not less so: it is very re 
markable how suddenly these birds appear after the 
death of an animal in the open field, though a single 
one may not have been seen on the spot for a long 
period before. The following chapter seems to be a 
continuation of this discourse : at least it is likely they 
were spoken on the same occasion. Both contain 
truths which the reader should carefully ponder, and 
receive in the spirit of prayer and faith, that he may 
not come into the same condemnation into which these 
have fallen. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


Ihe parable of the importunate widow, 1-8. 
Christ, 15-17. 
reflections on his case, 24-27. What they shall 
approaching passion and death, 31-34. 

470 


Of the Pharisee and the publican, 9-14. 
The ruler who wished to know how he might inherit eternal life, 18-23. 


Infants brought to 
Our Lord's 


recewe who follow Christ, 28-30. He foretells his 


He restores a blind man to sight at Jericho, 35—43. 


1 


The parable of the CHAP 


AM «AND he spake a parable unto 
Ay Qivmp them to this end, that men ought 


* always to pray, and not to faint; 
2 Saying, There was ἢ ἴῃ a city a judge, 
which feared not God, neither regarded man : 
3 And there was a widow in that city; and 
she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of 
mine adversary. 
4 And he would not for a while ; but after- 


XVII. wunportunate widow. 
ward, he said within himself, 4. rate 


Though I fear not God, nor regard oP 
man ; eects θα 

5 ° Yet because this widow troubleth me, 1 
will avenge her, lest by her continual coming 
she weary me. 

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust 
judge saith. 

7 And ὁ shall not God avenge his own elect, 


«Chap. xi.5; xxi. 36; Rom. xii. 12; Eph. vi. 18; Col.iv.2; 1 Thess. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII. 

Verse 1. Men ought always to pray| Therefore the 
plain meaning and moral of the parable are evident ; 
viz. that as afflictions and desolations were coming 
on the land. and they should have need of much pa- 
tience and continual fortitude, and the constant influ- 
ence and protection of the Almighty, therefore they 
should be instant in prayer. It states, farther, that 
men should never cease praying for that the necessity 
of which God has given them to feel, till they receive 
a full answer to their prayers. No other meaning 
need be searched for in this parable: St. Luke, who 
perfectly knew his Master’s meaning, has explained it 
as above. 

Verse 2. A judge, which feared not God, neither 
regarded man] It is no wonder that our Lord calls 
this person an unrighteous judge, ver. 6. No person 
is worthy to be put in the sacred office of a judge who 
does not deeply fear God, and tenderly respect his 
fellow creatures. Because this person feared not God, 
he paid no attention to the calls of justice ; and be- 
cause he respected not man, he was unmoved at the 
complaint of the widow. Even among the heathens 
this was the character of a man totally abandoned to 
all evil. So Dion Cassius says of Vitellius, that he 
neither regarded gods nor men—ovte τῶν avdpurar, 
οὔτε των ϑεὼων εφροντιζεν. 

Verse 3. Avenge me of mine adversary.] The 
original, ἐκδικησον μὲ azo Tov αντιδικου μου, had better 
be translated, Do me justice against, or vindicate me 
from, my adversary. If the woman had come to get 
revenge, as our common translation intimates, I think 
our blessed Lord would never have permitted her to 
have the honour of a place in the sacred records. She 
desired to have justice, and that only; and by her 
importunity she got that which the unrighteous judge 
had no inclination to give, but merely for his own ease. 

Verse 4. He said within himself | How many ac- 
tions which appear good have neither the love of God, 
nor that of our neighbour, but only self-love of the 
basest kind, for their principle and motive ! 

Verse 5. She weary me.) Ὑπωπιαζῃ με, Stun me. 
A metaphor taken from boxers, who bruise each other, 
and by beating each other about the face blacken the 
eyes. See 1 Cor. ix. 27. 

Verse 6. Hear what the unjust judge saith.] Our 
blessed Lord intimates that we should reason thus 
with ourselves: “Ifa person of such an infamous 
character as this judge was could yield to the pressing 
and continual solicitations of a poor widow, for whom 

1 


v. 17.—— Gr. in a certain city. © Chap. xi. 8——+4 Rev. vi. 10. 


he felt nothing but contempt, how much more ready 
must God be, who is infinitely good and merciful, and 
who loves his creatures in the tenderest manner, to 
give his utmost salvation to all them who diligently 
seek it!” 

Verse 7. And shall not God avenge his own elect} 
And will not God the righteous Judge do justice for 
his chosen? Probably this may refer to the cruel usage 
which his disciples had met with, and were still re- 
ceiving, from the disobedient and unbelieving Jews; 
and which should be finally visited upon them in the 
destruction of their city, and the calamities whicl: 
should follow. But we may consider the text as 
having a more extensive meaning. As Godshas gra- 
ciously promised to give salvation to every soul that 
comes unto him through his Son, and has put his 
Spirit in their hearts, inducing them to ery unto him 
incessantly for it; the goodness of his nature and the 
promise of his grace bind him to hear the prayer: 
they offer unto him, and to grant them all that sal- 
vation which he has led them by his promise and Spi- 
rit to request. 

Which ery day and night unto him, &c.| This is a 
genuine characteristic of ‘the true elect or disciples of 
Christ. They feel they have neither light, power. 
nor goodness, but as they receive them from him: 
and, as he is the desire of their soul, they incessantly 
seek that they may be upheld and saved by him. 

Though he bear long with them?) Rather, and ur 
is compassionate towards THEM, and consequently not 
at all like to the unrighteous judge. Instead of paxpo- 
θυμων, and be long-suffering, as in our translation, ! 
read paxpobuuer, he is compassionate, which reading is 
supported by ABDLQ, and several others. The rea- 
son which our Lord gives for the success of his cho- 
sen, is, 1. They cry unto him day and night. 2. H: 
is compassionate towards TurM. In consequence οἱ 
the first, they might expect justice even from an un. 
righteous judge ; and, in consequence of the second. 
they are swre of salvation, because they ask it from 
that God who is towards them a Father of eternal love 
and compassion. There was little reason to expect 
justice from the unrighteous judge: 1. Because he 
was unrighteous ; and 2. Because he had no respec! 
for man: no, not even for a poor desolate widow. Bu: 
there is all the reason under heaven to expect mercy 
from God: 1. Beeause he is righteous, and he has 
promised it; and 2. Because he is compassionati 
towards his creatures ; being ever prone to give more 
than the most enlarged heart can request of him 

471 


The parable of the 


A.M. 4033. which cry day and night unto him, 
re. though he bear long with them ? 

8 I tell you “ that he will avenge 
them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son 
of man cometh, shail he find faith on the earth ? 

9 4 And he spake this parable unto certain 
f which trusted in themselves 5 that they were 
righteous, and despised others : 

10 Two men went up into the temple to 


ST. LUKE. ᾽ 


Pharisee and the publican 


pray; the one a Pharisee, and the 4,™, 4033. 
other a publican. An. Olymp. 

11 The Pharisee » stood and Crh 
prayed thus with himself, i God, I thank 
thee that I am not as other men are, ex- 
tortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this 
publican. 

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of 
all that I possess. 


¢ Heb. x. 37; 2 Pet. iii. 8, 9.— Ch. x. 29; xvi. 15.— Or, as being 


righteous. — Psa. exxxv. 2.— Isa. 1.15; lviii. 2; Rev. iii. 17. 


Every reader must perceive that the common trans- 
lation is so embarrassed as to be almost unintelligible ; 
while that in this note, from the above authorities, is 
as plain as possible, and shows this beautiful parable 
to be one of the most invaluable pieces in the word 
of God. 

Verse 8. He will avenge them speedily.] Or, He 
will do them justice speedily—ev τάχει, instantly, in 
a trice. 1. Because he has promised it; and 2. Be- 
cause he is inclined to do it. 

When the Son of man cometh] To require the pro- 
duce of the seed of the kingdom sown among this 
people. 

Shall he find faith on the earth 2| Or rather, Shail 
he find fidelity in this land? Shall he find that the 
soil has brought forth a harvest proportioned to the 
culture bestowed on itt? No! And therefore he de- 
stroyed that land. 

Verse 9. Despised] E&ov@evovvtac, Disdained, 
made nothing of others, treated them with sovereign 
contempt. Our Lord grants that the Pharisees made 
clean the outside: but, alas! what pride, vain glory, 
and contempt for others, were lodged within ! 

Verse 10. A Pharisee] For a description of the 
Pharisees and their tenets, see on Matt. xvi. 1. 

Publican.| See an account of these on Matt. v. 46. 
Both these persons went to the temple to pray, i. e. to 
worship God: they were probably both Jews, and felt 
themselves led by different motives to attend at the 
temple, at the hour of prayer: the one to return thanks 
for the mercies he had received ; the other to implore 
that grace which alone could redeem him from his sins. 

Verse 11. Stood and prayed thus with himself | 
Or, stood by himself and prayed, as some would 
translate the words. He probably supposed it dis- 
graceful to appear to have any connection with this 
penitent publican: therefore his conduct seemed to 
say, “Stand by thyself; I am more holy than thou.” 
He seems not only to have stood by himself, but also 
to have prayed by himself ; neither associating in per- 
son nor in petitions with his poor guilty neighbour. 

God, I thank thee, &c.] In Matt. v. 20, our Lord 
says, Unless your righteousness abound more than 
that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter 
into the kingdom of God: see the note there. Now, 
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is de- 
scribed here by a Pharisee himself. We find it was 
wofold: 1. It consisted in doing no harm to others. 
2. In attending all the ordinances of God, then esta- 
blished in the Jewish economy; and in these things 

472 


they were not like other men, the bulk of the inha- 
bitants of the land paying little or no attention to them. 
That the Pharisees were in their origina pure and 
holy people can admit of little doubt; but that they 
had awfully degenerated before our Lord’s time is suf- 
ficiently evident. They had lost the spirit of their 
institution, and retained nothing else than its external 


regulations. See on Matt. xvi. 1. 

1. This Pharisee did no harm to others—I am not 
rapacious, nor unjust, nor an adullerer. I seize no 
man’s property through false pretences. I take the 


advantage of no man’s ignorance in buying or selling. 
I avoid every species of uncleanness. In a word, I 
do to others as I wish them to do to me. How many 
of those called Christians are not half as good as this 
Pharisee! And, yet, he was far from the kingdom of 
God. 

2. He observed the ordinances of religion—T fast 
twice in the week. The Jewish days of fasting, in 
each week, were the second and fifth; what we call 
Monday and Thursday. These were instituted in re- 
membrance of Moses’ going up to the mount to give 
the law, which they suppose to have been on the fifth 
day ; and of his descent, after he had received the two 
tables, which they suppose was on the second day of 
the week. 

Verse 12. 7 give tithes of all that I possess.] Or, 
of all 1 acquire, κτωμαι. Raphelius has well observed, 
that this verb, in the present tense, signifies to acquire 
—in the preter, to possess: the Pharisee’s meaning 
seems to be, “ As fast as J gain any thing, I give the 
tenth part of it to the house of God and to the poor.” 
Those who dedicate a certain part of their earnings to 
the Lord should never let it rest with themselves, lest 
possession should produce covetousness. ‘This was the 
Pharisee’s righteousness, and the ground on which he 
builded his hope of final salvation. That the Phari- 
sees had a strong opinion of their own righteousness, 
the following history will prove :— 

“ Rabbi Simeon, the son of Jochai, said: The whole 
world is not worth thirty righteous persons, such as our 
father Abraham. If there were only thirty righteous 
persons in the world, I and my son should make two 
of them; but if there were but twenty, I and my son 
would be of the number; and if there were but fen, I 
and my son would be of the number: and if there 
were but five, I and my son would be of the five ; and 
if there were but ¢wo, I and my son would be those 
two; and if there were but one, myself should be thar 
one.” Bereshith Rabba, 5. 35, fol. 34. This is a 

1 


— 


————$—— 


The publican’s prayer. CHAP. 


A. M. 4033. 13 And the publican, standing 
An. Olymp. afar off, would not lift up so much 

cc 9 
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote 
upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to 
me a sinner. 

14 I tell you, this man went down to his 
house justified rather than the other: * for 
every one that exalteth himself shall be abased ; 
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 


XVIII. Children brought to Christ 


15 Ἵ 1 And they brought unto Δι δ 4033. 
him also infants, that he would touch 4n. Cyen- 
them: but when fis disciples saw ae as 
it, they rebuked them. 

16 But Jesus called them wnto him, and said, 
Suffer little children to come unto me, and 
forbid them not: for ™ of such is the kingdom 
of God. 

17 * Verily Isay unto you, Whosoever shall 


& Job xxii. 29; Matt. xxiii. 12; chap. xiv. 11; James iv. 6; 
1 Pet. v. 5, 6. 


genuine specimen of Pharisaic pride. No wonder that 
our Lord accused these of pride and vain glory: they 
were far from humility, and consequently far from 
righteousness. 

Verse 13. The publican, standing afar off] Not 
because he was a heathen, and dared not approach the 
holy place; (for it is likely he was a Jew ;) but because 
he was a true penitent, and felt himself utterly unwor- 
thy to appear before God. 

Would not lift up—his eyes] Holding down the 
head, with the eyes fixed upon the earth, was, 1. A 
sign of deep distress. 2. Of a consciousness and con- 
fession of guilt. And, 3. It was the very posture that 
the Jewish rabbins required in those who prayed to 
God. See Ezra ix. 6; and Mishna, in Berachoth, 
chap. v.; and Kypke’s note here. So the Pharisee 
appears to have forgotten one of his own precepts. 

But smote upon his breast] Smiting the breast was 
a token of excessive grief, commonly practised in all 
nations. It seems to intimate a desire, in the penitent, 
to punish that heart through the evil propensities of which 
the sin deplored had been committed. It is still used 
among the Roman Catholics in their general confessions. 

God be merciful to me] Ἱλασϑητι wor—Be propi- 
tious toward me through sacrifice—or, let an atone- 
ment be made for me. I am a sinner, and cannot be 
saved but in this way. The Greek word ἱλασκω, or 
iAackouat, often signifies to make expiation for sin ; and 
is used by the Septuagint, Psa. Ixv. 4 ; Ixxvili. 38 ; 
Ixxix. 9, for 155 kipper, he made an atonement. So 
ἕλασμος, a propitiation, is used by the same, for ANON 
chataah, a sacrifice for sin, Ezek. xliv. 27 ; and ἱλασ- 
τηρίον, the mercy seat, is, in the above version, the 
translation of N55 kapporeth, the lid of the ark of 
the covenant, on and defore which the dlood of the ex- 
piatory victim was sprinkled, on the great day of 
atonement. The verb is used in exactly the same 
sense by the best Greek writers. The following from 
Herodotus, lib. i. p. 19, edit. Gale, is full in point. 
Ovoinor μεγαλῃσι tov ev Δελφοισι Yeov IAASKETO. 
Cresus appeased, or made an atonement to, the Del- 
phic god by immense sacrifices. We see then, at once, 
the reason why our blessed Lord said that the tax-ga- 
therer went down to his house justified rather than the 
other :—he sought for mercy through an atonement for 
sin, which was the only way in which God had from 
the beginning purposed to save sinners. As the Phari- 
see depended on his doing no harm, and observing the 
ordinances of religion for his acceptance with God, ac- 
eording to the economy of grace and justice, he must 


1 Matt. xix. 13; Mark x. 13.——™1 Cor. xiv. 20; 1 Pet. ii. 2. 
Ὁ Mark x. 15. 


be rejected: for as all had sinned and come short of 
the glory of God, and no man could make an atone- 
ment for his sins, so he who did not take refuge in 
that which God’s mercy had provided must be exclud- 
ed from the kingdom of heaven. This was no new 
doctrine: it was the doctrine publicity and solemnly 
preached by every sacrifice offered under the Jewish 
law. Without shedding of blood there is no remission, 
was the loud and constant ery of the whole Mosaie 
economy. From this we may see what it is to have 
a righteousness superior to that of the scribes and Pha- 
risees. We must humble ourselves before God, which 
they did not : we must take refuge in the blood of the 
cross, Which they would not; and be meek and hum 
ble of heart, which they were not. 

Many suppose that the Pharisees thought they could 
acquire righteousness of themselves, independently of 
God, and that they did not depend on him for grace or 
power : but let us not make them worse than they were 
—for this is disclaimed by the Pharisee in the text, 
who attributes all the good he had to God: O God, I 
thank thee, that I am not as others—it is thou who 
hast made me to differ. But this was not sufficient : 
restraining grace must not be put in the place of the 
great atonement. Guilt he had contracted—and this 
cuilt must be blotted out; and that there was no way 
of doing this, but through an atonement, the whole 
Jewish law declared. See the note on Matt. v. 20. 

Verse 14. Went down to his house justified] His 
sin blotted out, and himself accepted. 

Rather than the other] Ἡ ἐκεῖνος: that is, the other 
was not accepted, because he ewalted himself—he 
made use of the mercies which he acknowledged he 
owed to God, to make claims on the Divine approba- 
tion, and to monopolize the salvation of the Most High! 
He was abased, because he vainly trusted that he was 
righteous, and depended on what he had been enabled 
to do, and looked not for a change of heart, nor for 
reconciliation to God. It is a strange perversion of 


the human mind, to attempt to make God our debtor 
by the very blessings which his mere mercy has con- 
ferred upon us! Jt was a maxim among the Jews, 
that whoever brought a sacrifice to the temple returned 
justified. But our Lord shows that this depended on 
the state of mind—if they were not humbled under a 
sense of sin, they were not justified, though they had 
even offered a sacrifice. 

Verses 15-17. They brought unto him also infants] 
On these verses the reader is requested to consult the 
notes on Matt. xix. 13, 14, and on Mark x. 16. 

473 


The ruler’s question answered. 


A. M. 4033. ; ; 
‘AD 36 ποῖ receive the kingdom of God as 


An. Olymp. a little child, shall in no wise enter 
therein. 

18 4 ° And a certain ruler asked him, say- 
mg, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit 
eternal life ? 

19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest 
thou me good? none zs good, save one, that 
is, God. 

20 Thou knowest the commandments, ? Do 
not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, 
Do not bear false witness, * Honour thy father 
and thy mother. 

21 And he said, All these have I kept from 
my youth up. 

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he 
said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: 
sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the 
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : 
and come, follow me. 

23 And when he heard this, he was very 
sorrowful: for he was very rich. 

24 “ And when Jesus saw that he was very 
sorrowful, he said, * How hardly shall they 
that have riches enter into the kingdom of 
God! 

25 For itis easier for a camel to go through 
a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter 
into the kingdom of God. 

26 And they that heard zt said, Who then 
can be saved ? 


ST. LUKE. 


Christ foretells his death. 


27 And he said, *'The things 4M. 403s. 
which are impossible with men, are An. Olymp. 
possible with God. et 

28 9 * Then Peter said, Lo, we have left 
all, and followed thee. 

29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto 
you, Y There is no man that hath left house, or 
parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for 
the kingdom of God’s sake, 

30 ~ Who shall not receive manifold more 
in this present time, and in the world to come 
life everlasting. 

31 9 * Then he took τέο him the twelve, 
and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Je- 
rusalem, and all things ¥ that are written by 
the prophets concerning the Son of man shall 
be accomplished. 

32 For 7 he shall be delivered unto the Gen- 
tiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully en- 
treated, and spitted on: 

33 And they shall scourge jum, and put him 
to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 

34 * And they understood none of these 
things: and this saying was hid from them, 
neither knew they the things which were 
spoken. 

35 Ἵν And it came to pass, that as he was 
come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man 
sat by the way side begging: 

36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he 
asked what it meant. 


° Matt. xix. 16; Mark x. 17——P Exod. xx. 12, 16; Deut. v. 
16-20; Rom. xii. 9—4 Eph. vi. 2; Col. 111. 20. Matt. 
Vi. Se 20; xix. 21; 1 Tim. vi. 19. ’s Prov. xi. 28; Matt. xix. 
23; Mark x. 23. eer er xxxil. 17; Zech. viii. 6; Matt. xix. 
26; chan 1. 37. 


uMatt. xix. 27. ¥ Deut. xxxill. 9 wJob xii. 10. 
X Matt. xvi. 21; xvii. 22; xx. 17; Mark x. 32. y Psa. xxii; 
Isa. hi. 2 Matt. xxvil. 2; chap. xxill. 1; John xviii. 28; Acts 
«Mark ix. 32; chap. ii. 50; ix.45; John x. 6; xii. 16. 
> Matt. xx. 29; Mark x. 46. 


| 
When a spiritual guide (a gooroo) visits his disciple, 
the latter takes his child to him for his blessing, forcing | 


the head of the child down to the gooroo’s feet, who 
gives what is called his blessing in some such words 
as these, Live long !—Be learned !—Be rich! 

Verses 18-23. A certain ruler] See the case of 
this person lasgely explained on Matt. xix. 16-22, and 
Mark x. 21, 22. 

Verse 24. How hardly shall they that have riches, 
&c.] See the notes on this discourse of our Lord, on 
Matt. xix. 24-30, and Mark x. 30. 

Verse 25. It is easier for a camel] Instead of 
καμηλον, a camel, S, and four other MSS., read καμιλον, 
acable. See the same reading noticed on the parallel 
place, Matt. xix. 24. 

Verse 28. We have left all] Our trades, our houses, 
and families. 
notes on Matt. iv. 20; xix. 27, ὅς. 

Verse 29. That hath left house, or parents, &c.] 
See on Matt. xix. 28, 29, and Mark x. 29, 30. 

474 


The reader is desired to consult the | 


Or brethren] H αδελῴφας, oR SISTERS, is added by 
the Cod. Beza@, and some others. 

Verse 31. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem] See the 
notes on this discourse, Matt. xx. 17-19, and Mark 
x. 32. 

Verse 33. And the third day he shail rise again.] 
See Hos. vi. 2; and let the reader observe that the 
passage should be read thus: In the third day he will 
raise HIM up, (13>) and we shall live before him: 
his resurrection shall be the pledge, token, and cause 
of ours. 

Verse 34. They understood none of these things] 
Notwithstanding all the information which Christ had 
given them concerning this awful subject, they could 
not as yet fully comprehend how the Messiah should 
suffer ; or how their Master, whose power they knew 
was unlimited, should permit the Jews and Gentiles 


| to torment and slay him as he here intimates they 


would. 
Verse 35. A certain blind man] Bartimeus. 
1 


See 


A blind man cured. 


A M433. 37 And they told him, that Jesus 


An. Olymp. of Nazareth passeth by. 

38 And [πὸ cried, saying, 
Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy 
on me. 

39 And they which went before rebuked 
him, that he should hold his peace: but he 
cried so much the more, Thou son of David, 
have mercy on me. 


40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to 


CHAP. XIX. 


Account of Zaccheus 


be brought unto him: and when ΔΑΝ 1033. 
he was come near, he asked him, An. Olymp. 

41 Saying, What wilt thou that I ae. 
shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, the 
I may receive my sight. 

42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy 
sight: ° thy faith hath saved thee. 

43 And immediately he received his sight, 
and followed him, ¢ glorifying God : and all the 
people, when they saw 7t, gave praise unto God. 


- Chap. xvii. 19, 


4 Chap. v. 26; Acts iv. 21; xi. 18. 


=== 
this transaction explained at large, on Matt. xx. 29- 
34, and Mark x. 46, &c. 


Verse 40. And when he was come near] See the 
remarkable account of the negro and white man, relat- 
ed on Mark x. 50. 


Verse 43. And all the people—gave praise unto 
God.| They saw the finger of God in what was done; 
and they gave him that praise which was due to his 
name. The Pharisees either saw not, or would not 
acknowledge this. The common people are often bet- 
ter judges of the work of God than the doctors them- 
selves. They are more simple, are not puffed up with 
the pride of learning, and are less liable to be warped 
by prejudice or self-interest. Happy are those spirit- 
ually blind persons, to whom Christ has given eyes, 
that they may know him: feet, that they may follow 
him: a tongue, that they may praise him: and a heart, 
that they may Jove him! A true conversion, which no 
way contradicts itself, but is followed by an edifying 


life, makes known the majesty and power of God in 
a more eminent manner than the greatest external 
miracles. Quesnel. 


For a practical use of the principal subjects in this 
chapter, see the parallel places in Matthew and Mark. 
How shall I be justified? is a most important ques- 
tion, which the parable of the Pharisee and the publi- 
can most distinctly answers. A deep consciousness 
of sin, humiliation of heart; and taking refuge by faith 
in the great atonement, is the way, and the only way. 
Even the worst transgressors, coming thus to God, are 
aecepted. Blessed news for penitent sinners !—for 
though they cannot boast of a righteousness equal to 
that of the seribes and Pharisees, yet they find they can, 
coming as the publican, be justified freely, through the 
blood of the cross, from all things, from which they 
could not be justified by the law of Moses. If this 
be so, how shall they escape who neglect so GREAT a 
SALVATION ! 


CHAPTER XIX. 


The conversion of Zaccheus, 1-10. 
11-27. 
the cily, and foretells its destruction, 41-44. 
45, 46. 
attentively, 47, 48. 


A. M. 4033. , 

ἡ: ΝΣ AND Jesus entered and passed 
eer through Jericho. 

ΞΘ Ὁ And, behold, there was a man 
named * Zaccheus, which was the chief among 


the publicans, and he was rich. 


The parable of the nobleman, his ten servants, and the ten pounds, 
Christ sends his disciples for a colt on which he rides into Jerusalem, 28-40. 


He weeps over 


Goes into the temple, and casts out the buyers and sellers. 
The chief priests and the scribes seek to destroy him, but are afraid of the people, who hear him 


3 And he sought to see Jesus 4, ™M. 1033. 
bwho he was; and could not for An. Olymp. 
the press, because he was little of : 
stature. 

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a 


a Ezra ii. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIX. 

Verse 1. Entered and passed through] Was pass- 
ing through. Our Lord had not as yet passed through 
Jericho—he was only passing through it; for the 
house of Zaeccheus, in which he was to lodge, ver. 5, 
was in it. 

Verse 2. Zaccheus] It is not unlikely that this 
person was a Jew by birth, see ver. 9; but because 
he had engaged in a business so infamous, in the eyes 
of the Jews, he was considered as a mere heathen, ver. 7. 

Chief among the publicans] Hither a farmer-gene- 

1 


> Chap. xxiii. 8. 


ral of the taxes, who had subordinate collectors under 
him: or else the most respectable and honourable man 
among that class at Jericho. 

He was rich.| And therefore the more unlikely to 
pay attention to an impoverished Messiah, preaching a 
doctrine of universal mortification and self-denial. 

Verse 3. And he sought to see Jesus who he was] 
So the mere principle of curiosity in him led to his 
conversion and salvation, and to that of his whole 
family, ver. 9. 

Verse 4. He ran before] The shortness of his sta 

475 


Account of the 


A. M. 4033. ι ΠΥ 
‘A Doo ΞΒΥΟΆΠΊΟΙΘ tree to see him: for he 


An, Olyinp. was to pass that way. 

=a 5 And when Jesus came to the 
place, he looked up, and saw him, and said 
unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and come 
down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. 

6 And he made haste, and came down, and 
received him joyfully. 

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, 
saying, ° That he was gone to be guest witha 
man that is a sinner. 

8 And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the 
Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I 


ST. LUKE. 


conversion of Zaccheus. 


give to the poor: and if 1 have 4, M; 4033. 
taken any thing from any man by An, Olymp. 
4false accusation, “1 restore him cone 
fourfold. 

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day 15 sai- 
vation come to this house, forasmuch as ‘he 
also is £a son of Abraham. 

10 For the Son of man is come to seek 
and to save that which was lost. 

11 9% And as they heard these things, he 
added and spake a parable because he was nigh 
to Jerusalem, and because ‘they thought that 
the kingdom of God should immediately appear 


© Matt. ix. 11; chap. v. 30. 4 Chap. iu. 14. © Exod. xxii. 


1; 1 Sam. xii. 3; 2 Sam. xii. 6. 


f Rom. iv. 11, 12, 16; Gal. iii. 7. 5 Chap. xiii. 16.— Matt. 
xvill. 11; see Matt. x. 6; xv. 24——i Acts i. 6. 


ture was amply compensated by his agility and mven- 
tion. Had he been as ¢al/ as the generality of the 
crowd, he might have been equally unnoticed with the 
rest. His getting into the tree made him conspicu- 
ous: had he not been so ow of stature he would not 
have done so. Even the imperfections of our persons 
may become subservient to the grace of God in our 
eternal salvation. As the passover was at hand, the 
road was probably crowded with people going to Je- 
tusalem ; but the fame of the cure of the blind man 
was probably the cause of the concourse at this time. 

Verse 5. Make hasle, and come down] With this 
Invitation, our blessed Lord conveyed heavenly influ- 
ence to his heart ; hence he was disposed to pay the 
most implicit and cheerful obedience to the call, and 
thus he received not the grace of God in vain. 

Verse 6. Received him joyfully.) He had now seen 
wuo he was, and he wished to hear wat he was; and 
therefore he rejoiced in the honour that God had now 
conferred upon him. 


our heart, without its being accepted! We lose much 
hecause we do not attend to the visitations of Christ : 
he passes by—he blesses our neighbours and our 
friends ; but, often, neither curiosity nor any other mo- 
tive is sufficient to induce ws to go even to the house 
of God, to hear of the miracles of merey which he 
works in behalf of those who seek him. 

Verse 7. To be guest with a man that is a sinner.] 
Meaning cither that he was a heathen, or, though by 
birth a Jew, yet as bad as a heathen, because of his 
unholy and oppressive office. See the note on chap. 
vil. 37. 

Verse 8. The half of my goods I give to the poor] 
Probably he had already done so for some time past ; 
though it is generally understood that the expressions 
only refer to what he now purposed to do. 

If I have taken any thing—by false accusation] 
Ἐσυκοφαντησα, from συκον, a fig, and dao, I show or 
declare ; for among the primitive Athenians, when the 
use of that fruz/ was first found out, or in the time of 
a dearth, when all sorts of provisions were exceedingly 
scarce, if was enacted that no figs should be exported 
from Attica; and this law (not being actually repeal- 

476 


How often does Christ make | 
the proposal of lodging, not only in our house, but in 


ed, when a plentiful harvest had rendered it useless, 
by taking away the reason of it) gave occasion to ill- 
natured and malicious fellows to accuse all persons 
they found breaking the letter of it; and from them 
all busy informers have ever since been branded with 
the name of sycophants. Porrrr’s Antiq. vol. i. ὃ. 
21, end. 

I restore him fourfold.| This restitution the Ro- 
man laws obliged the tax-gatherers to make, when it 
was proved they had abused their power by oppress- 
ing the people. But here was no such proof: the 
man, to show the sincerity of his conversion, does it 
of his own accord. He who has wronged his fellow 
must make restitution, if he have it in his power. He 
that does not do so cannot expect the mercy of God. 
See the observations at the end of Gen. xlii. and 
Num. v. 7. 

Verse 9. Jesus said unto him] Bishop Pearce 
observes: “ Probably Luke wrote αὐτοὺς, not avror, 
said unto them, i. e. to those who had before called 
Zaccheus a sinner; (ver. 7;) for Jesus here speaks 
of Zaccheus in the third person, he also is a son of 
Abraham, and therefore he was not then speaking to 
him.” This conjecture of this respectable prelate is 
supported by the margin of the later Syriac, and by 
every copy of the Jtala but two. 

To this house] Tw οἴκῳ τουτῳ, To this very house 
or family. As if he had said: “If he be a sinner, 
he stands in the greater need of salvation, and the Son 
of man is come to seck and save what was lost, ver. 
10; and therefore to save this lost soul is a part of 
my errand into the world.” See the sentiment con- 
tained in this verse explained on Matt. xviii. 11. 

Verse 11. And as they heard these things] I be- 
lieve the participle of the present tense, here, is used 
for the participle of the past, or rather that the parti- 
ciple of the present conveys sometimes the sense of 
the past: for this discourse appears to lave taken 
place the next day after he had lodged at the house 
of Zaccheus ; for the text says that he was then draw- 
ing nigh to Jerusalem, from which Jericho was dis- 
tant nineteen miles. I have not ventured to translate 
it so, yet I think probably the text should be read thus: 
| And after they had heard these things, he proceeded 
1 


Parable of the nobleman 

ne 12 * He said therefore, A certain 

An. Olymp. nobleman went into a far coun 
GCI. ty, 


to receive for himself a kingdom, 
and to return. 

13 And he called his ten servants, and deli- 
vered them ten ! pounds, and said unto them, 
Occupy till I come. 

14 ™But his citizens hated him, and 
sent a message after him, saying, We will 


k Matt. xxv. 14; Mark xiii. 34——! Mina, here translated a 
pound, is twelve ounces and a half: which, according to five 


CHAP. XIX. 


and his ten servants. 


: ; A.M, 4033. 
not have this man to reign ΤΟΣ 
over us. An. Olymp. 


ὃ CCl. 1. 
15 And it came to pass, that ———— 


when he was returned, having received the 
kingdom, then he commanded these servants 
to be called unto him, to whom he had given 
the ® money, that he might know how much 
every man had gained by trading. 

16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, 


shillings the ounce, is three pounds two shillings and six pence. 
m John i. 11. n Gr. silver, and so verse 23. 


to speak a parable, because they were nigh to Jeru- 
salem. 

Immediately appear.| Perhaps the generality of his 
followers thought that, on his arrival at Jerusalem, he 
would proclaim himself sing. 

Verse 12. A certain nobleman] In the following 
parable there are éwo distinct morals intended ; let it 
be viewed in these two points of light. 1. The beha- 
viour of the citizens to the nobleman; and, 2. The 
‘yehaviour of his own servants to him. 1. By the be- 
haviour of the citizens, and their punishment, (verses 
14, 27,) we are taught that the Jews, who were the 
people of Christ, would reject him, and try to prevent 
his reigning over them in his spiritual kingdom, and 
would for that crime be severely punished by the de- 
struction of their state. And this moral is all that 
answers to the introductory words, ver. 11. And they 
thought that the kingdom of God should immediately 
appear. 2. The other moral extends itself through 
the whole of the parable, viz. that the disciples of 
Christ, who are his servants, and who made a good 
improvement of the favours granted them by the Gos- 
pel, should be rewarded in proportion to the improve- 
ment made under the means of grace. This latter 
moral is all that is intended by Matthew in chap. xxv. 
14, &c., who mentions this parable as spoken by 
Christ after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem ; 
though Luke has here placed that event after the pa- 
rable. See Bishop Pearce. 

The meaning of the different parts of this parable 
appears to be as follows. 

A certain nobleman—The Lord Jesus, who was 
shortly to be crucified by the Jews. 

Went into a far country] Ascended to the right 
hand of the Divine Majesty. 

To receive a kingdom| To take possession of the 
mediatorial kingdom, the right to which, as Messiah, 
he had aequired by his sufferings: see Phil. ii. 8, 9; 
Heb. i. 3, 8, 9. In these words there is an allusion 
to the custom of those days, when they who had king- 
doms or governments given unto them went to Rome 
to receive that dignity from the emperors. Bishop 
Pearce. In proof of this, see Josephus, Ant. 1. xiv. 
α. xiv., where we find Herod went to Rome to receive 
the sanction and authority of the Roman emperor.— 
And, from lib. xvii. c. 3, we learn that his successors 
acted in the same way. 

And to return.] To judge and punish the rebel- 
lious Jews. 

Verse 13. Ten servants] ΑἸ] those who professed 

1 


to receive his doctrine. T’en was a kind of sacred 
number among the Hebrews, as well as seven. See 
chap. xiv. 31; xv. 8; Matt. xv. 1. 

Ten pounds] Ten minas. The Septuagint use the 
original word vaa for the Hebrew 737) maneh, from 
which it is evidently derived; and it appears from 
Ezek. xlv. 12, to have been equal to sixty shekels in 
money. Now suppose we allow the shekel, with Dean 
Prideaux, to be 3s., then the mina or maneh was equal 
to 91. English money. The impropriety of rendering 
the original word pound, will easily be seen by the 
most superficial reader. We shouid therefore retain 
the original word for the same reason so often before 
assigned. Surpas says, “ The talent was sixty minas, 
the mina one hundred drachms, the drachm six obolt, 
the obolus six chalci, the chalcus seven mites or lepta.” 

By the ten minas given to each, we may understand 
the Gospel of the kingdom given to every person who 
professes to believe in Christ, and which he is to im- 
prove to the salvation of his soul. The same word is 
given to all, that all may believe and be saved. 

Verse 14. His citizens] Or countrymen—the Jew- 
ish people, who professed to be subjects of the king- 
dom of God. 

Hated him] Despised him for the meanness of his 
birth, his crucifixion to the world, and for-the holiness 
of his doctrine. Neither mortification nor holiness 
suits the dispositions of the carnal mind. 

Sent a message after him] As, in ver. 12, there 
is an allusion to a person’s going to Rome, when elect- 
ed to be ruler of a province or kingdom, to receive 
that dignity from the hand of the emperor, so it is here 
intimated that, after the person went to receive this 
dignity, some of the discontented citizens took the op- 
portunity to send an embassy to the emperor, to prevent 
him from establishing the object of their hatred in the 
government. 

We will not have this man, &e.] The Jews reject- 
ed Jesus Christ, would not submit to his government, 
and, a short time after this, preferred even a murderer 
to him. Like cleaves to like. No wonder that those 
who murdered the Lord of glory should prefer a mur- 
derer, one of their own temper, to the Redeemer of 
their souls. 

Verse 15. When he was returned] When he came 
to punish the disobedient Jews; and when he shall 
come to judge the world. See the parable of the ἐα- 
lents, Matt. xxv. 14, &c. 

Verse 16. Lord, thy pound hath gained ten] The 
principal difference between this parable and that of 

477 


Parable of the nobleman 


Ay’ thy pound hath 


An, Olymp. pounds. 

——__ 17 And he said unto him, Well, 
thou good servant: because thou hast been 
° faithful in a very little, have thou authority 
over ten cities. 

18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy 
pound hath gained five pounds. 

19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou 
also over five cities. 

20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, 
here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up 
in a napkin : 

21 ? For I feared thee, because thou art an 
austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst 
not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 

22 And he saith unto him, 4 Out of thine 
own mouth will I judge thee, thow wicked ser- 
vant. * Thou knewest that I was an austere 
man, taking up that I laid not down, and reap- 
ing that I did not sow: 

23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my mo- 
ney into the bank, that at my coming I might 
have required my own with usury ? 

24 And he said unto them that stood by, 
Take from him the pound, and give it to him 
that hath ten pounds. 

25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath 
ten pounds.) 


gained ten 


ST. LUKE. 


and his ten servants 


26 For I say unto you, * That ΑἸ 4033. 
unto every one which hath shall be An. Olymp. 
given; and from him that hath ————— 
not, even that he hath shall be taken away 
from him. 

27 But those mine enemies, which would 
not that I should reign over them, bring hither, 
and slay them before me. 

28 9 And when he had thus spoken, the 
went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 

29 τ And it came to pass, when he was come 
nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount 
called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his 
disciples, 

30 Sayimg, Go ye into the village over 
against you ; in the which at your entering 
ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never 
man sat: loose him, and bring hum hither 

31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye 
loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Be- 
cause the Lord hath need of him. 

32 And they that were sent, went their 
way, and found even as he had said unto 
them. 

33 And as they were loosing the colt, the 
owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye 
the colt? 

34 And they said, The Lord hath need of 
him. 


© Matt. xxv. 21; chap. xvi. 10.—P Matt. xxv. 24——12 Sam. 
1.16; Job xv. 6; Matt. xii. 37.—— Matt. xxv. 26. 


s Matt. xiii. 12; xxv. 29; Mark iv. 25; chap. viii. 18——t Mark 
X1g2; ἃ Matt. xxi.1l; Mark xi. 1. 


the talents above referred to is, that the mina given 
to each seems to point out the gift of the Gospel, which 
is the same to all who hear it; but the talents distri- 
buted in different proportions, according to each man’s 
ability, seem to intimate that God has given different 
capacities and advantages to men, by which this one 
gift of the Gospel may be differently improved. 

Verse 17. Over ten cities.| This is to be under- 
stood as referring to the new kingdom which the noble- 
man had just received. His former trustiest and most 
faithful servants he now represents as being made go- 
vernors, under him, over a number of cities, according 
to the capacity he found in each; which capacity was 
known by the improvement of the minas. 

Verse 20. Lord, behold, here is thy pound] See 
Matt. xxv. 18. 

Verse 23. With usury 2] Σὺν τόκῳ, With its pro- 
duce, 1. e. what the loan of the money is fairly worth, 
after paying the person sufficiently for using it: for, 
in lent money, both the dender and borrower are sup- 
posed to reap profit. 

Verse 25. And they said unto him, Lord, he hath 
ten pounds.| This whole verse is omitted by the 
Codex Beze, a few others, and some copies of the 
Ποία. 

478 


It is probably an observation that some person | 


made while our Lord was delivering the parable, with 
a design to correct him in the distribution: as if 
he had said, “ Why give the mina to that person? 
he has got ten already ; give it to one of those who 
has fewer.” 

Verse 26. And from him that hath not] See this 
particularly explained Matt. xiii. 12. Perhaps it 
would be well, with Bishop Prarcr, to supply the 
word gained—give it to him who hath gaimed ten 
minas; for I say unto you, That unto every one who 
hath gained shall be given; and, from him who hath 
not gained, even that which he hath received, shall be 
taken away. 

Verse 27. Those—enemies—bring hither] The 
Jews, whom I shall shortly slay by the sword of the 
Romans. 

Verse 28. He went before] Joyfully to anticipate 
his death, say some. Perhaps it means that he walked 
at the head of his disciples; and that he and his dis- 
ciples kept on the road before other companies who 
were then also on their way to Jerusalem, in order to 
be present at the feast. 

Verses 9 -38. See this triumphal entry into Jeru- 
salem explusied at large on Matt. xxi. 1-11, and 
Mark xi. 1-10. 

1 


Christ rides into Jerusalem. 


A-M.4033. 856. And they brought him to Jesus: 


An Olymp. Υ and they cast their garments upon 
the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 

36 “ And as they went, they spread their 
clothes in the way. 

37 And when he was come nigh, even now 
at the descent of the mount of Olives, the 
whole multitude of the disciples began to 
rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for 
all the mighty works that they had seen ; 

38 Saying, * Blessed be the King that 
cometh in the name of the Lord: ¥ peace in 
heaven, and glory in the highest. 

39 And some of the Pharisees, from among 
the multitude, said unto him, Master, rebuke 
thy disciples. 

40 And he answered and said unto them, I 
tell you that if these should hold their peace, 
=the stones would immediately cry out. 

41 9 And when he was come near, he 
beheld the city, and * wept over it, 

42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, 
at least in this thy day, the things which 

τῷ Kings ix. 13; Matthew xxi. 7; Mark xi. τ; John xii. 14. 
w Matt. xxi. 8. x Psa. exviii. 26; hap, xi. 35. ¥ Chap. 11. 


14; Eph. ii. 14. 2 Hab. ii. 11,—= John xi. 35. Ὁ Isa. xxix. 
3,4; er. vi. 3, 6; chap. xxi. 20. ©] Kings ix. 7,8; Mic. iii. 12. 


Verse 38. Glory in the highest.] Mayst thou 
receive the uttermost degrees of glory! See on 
Matt. xxi. 9. 

Verse 40. If these should hold their peace, the 
stones would—cry out.] Of such importance is my 
present conduct to you and to others, being expressly 
predicted by one of your own prophets, Zech. ix. 9, 
as pointing out the triumph of humility over pride, and 
of meekness over rage and malice, as signifying the 
salvation which I bring to the lost souls of men, that, 
if this multitude were silent, God would give even to 
the stones a voice, that the advent of the Messiah 
might be duly celebrated. 

Verse 41. And wept over it] See Matt. xxiii. 37. 

Verse 42. The things which belong unto thy peace !] 
It is very likely that our Lord here alludes to the 
meaning of the word Jerusalem, Powyy from 7¥ yereh, 
he shall see, and DIY shalom, peace or prosperity. 
Now, because the inhabitants of it had not seen this 
peace and salvation, because they had refused to open 
their eyes, and behold this glorious light of heaven 
which shone among them, therefore he said, Now 
they are hidden from thine eyes, still alluding to the 
import of the name. 

Verse 43. Cast a trench about thee] This was 
literally fulfilled when this city was besieged by Titus. 
Josephus gives a very particular account of the build- 
ing of this wall, which he says was effected in three 
days, though it was not less than thirty-nine furlongs 
in circumference ; and that, when this wall and trench 

i 


CHAP. XIX. 


He weeps over the city. 


belong unto thy peace! but now Αι Ὁ 1” 
they are hid from thine eyes. An, Olymp 

43 For the days shall come upon vee 
thee, that thine enemies shall ” cast a trench 
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep 
thee in on every side, 

44 And ° shall lay thee even with the ground, 
and thy children within thee; and ἢ they shall 
not leave in thee one stone upon another; 
ὁ because thou knewest not the time of thy 
visitation. 

45 4 * And he went into the temple, and 
began to cast out them that sold therein, and 
them that bought ; 

46 Saying unto them, 5 ΤῈ is written, My 
house is the house of prayer: but "ye have 
made it a den of thieves. 

47 9 And he taught daily in the temple. 
But ‘ the chief priests and the scribes and the 
chief of the people sought to destroy him, 

48 And could not find what they might do: 
for all the people * were very attentive to 
hear him. 


4 Matt. xxiv. 2; Mark xiii. 2; chap. xxi. 6. © Dan. ix. 24; 
chap. 1. 68, 78; 1 Pet. 11. 12. ——"t Matt. xxi. 12; Mark xi. 11, 15; 
John ii. 14, 15. 2s Tsa, Ivi. 7—— Jer. vii. 11. i Marx xi. 18; 


John vii. 19; viii. 37——* Or, hanged on him, Acts xvi. 14. 


were completed, the Jews were so enclosed on every 
side that no person could escape out of the city, and 
no provision could be brought in, so that they were 
reduced to the most terrible distress by the famine 
which ensued. The whole account is well worth the 
reader’s attention. See Josephus, War, book v. chap. 
miisee/ 1; 25/3: 

Verse 44. The time of thy visitation.| That is, the 
time of God’s gracious offers of mercy to thee. This 
took in all the time which elapsed from the preaching 
of John the Baptist to the coming of the Roman 
armies, which included a period of above forty years. 

Verse 45. Went into the temple| See all this trans- 
action explained, Matt. xxi. 12-16. 

Verse 47. And he taught daily in the temple.| This 
he did for five or six days before his crucifixion. 
Some suppose that it was on Monday in the passion 
week that he thus entered into Jerusalem, and purified 


the temple; and on Thursday he was seized late at 


night: during these four days he taught in the temple, 
and lodged each night at Bethany. See the note on 
Matt. xxi. 17. 

Verse 48. Were very attentive to hear him.| Or, 
They heard him with the utmost attention, eSexpeyaro 
avrov akovor, literally, They hung upon him, hearing. 
The same form of speech is used often by both Greek 
and Latin writers of the best repute. 

Ex vultu dicentis, pendet omnium vultus. 
The face of every man Aung on the face of the 
speaker. 
479 


Parable of the vineyard let 


Pendetque iterum narrantis ab ore. 
Virg. Ain. iv. 79. 
And she hung again on the lips of the narrator. 
The words of the evangelist mark, not only the 
deepest attention because of the importance of the sub- 
ject, but also the very high gratification which the 
hearers had from the discourse. Those who read or 
hear the words of Christ, in this way, must inevitably 
become wise to salvation. 


ST. LUKE. 


out to wicked husbandmen. 


Tue reader is requested to refer to Matt. xxiv., and 
to Matt. xxv. 14, for more extensive information on 
the different subjects in this chapter, and to the other 
parallel places marked in the margin. The prophecy 
relative to the destruction of Jerusalem is one of the 
most circumstantial, and the most literally fulfilled, of 
any prediction ever delivered. See this particularly 
remarked at the conclusion of Matt. chap. xxiv., where 
the whole subject is amply reviewed. 


CHAPTER XX. 


The question concerning the authority of Christ, and the baptism of John, 1-8. 


yard let out to wicked husbandmen, 9-18. 
him, 19, 20. The question about tribute, 21-26. 
our Lord’s answer, 27—40. 


How Christ is the son of David, 41-44. 


The parable of the vine- 


The chief priests and scribes are offended, and lay snares for 


The question about the resurrection of the dead, and 
He warns his disciples against the 


hypocrisy of the scribes, whose condemnation he points out, 45-47. 


eee ND *it came to pass, that on 
Any oe one of those days, as he taught 


the people in the temple, and 
preached the Gospel, the chief priests and the 
scribes came upon fim with the elders, 

2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us > by 
what authority doest thou these thmgs? or 
who is he that gave thee this authority ? 

3 And he answered and said unto them, I 
will also ask you one thing; and answer me: 

4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, 
or of men? 

5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, 
If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, 
Why then believed ye him not? 

6 But andif we say, Of men; all the people 
will stone us: °for they be persuaded that 
John was a prophet. 

7 And they answered, that they could not 
tell whence it was. 

8 And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I 
you by what authority I do these things. 

9 Ἵ Then began he to speak to the people 
this parable: ¢ A certain man planted a vine- 
yard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went 
into a far country for a long time. 

10 And at the season he sent a servant to the 


husbandmen, that they should give A ear 


him of the fruit of the vineyard: A Obes, 
but the husbandmen beat him, and a 
sent him away empty. 

11 And again he sent another servant: and 
they beat him also, and entreated him shame- 
fully, and sent ham away empty. 

12 And again he sent a third: and they 
wounded him also, and cast him out. 

13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, 
What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: 
it may be they will reverence him when they 
see him. 

14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they 
reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the 
heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance 
may be ours. 

15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, 
and killed him. What therefore shall the lord 
of the vineyard do unto them? 

16 He shall come and destroy these husband- 
men, and shall give the vineyard to others, 
And when they heard τέ, they said, God forbid. 

17 And he beheld them, and said, What is 
this then that is written, 5 The stone which the 
builders rejected, the same is become the head 
of the corner ? 


a Matt. xxi. 23.—— Acts iv. 7; vii. 27.——¢ Matt. xiv. 55 xxi. 
26; chap. vii. 29. 


4 Matt. xxi. 33; Mark xii. 1. e Psalm exviil. 22; Matthew 
xxi. 42. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XX. 

Verse 1. One of those days] Supposed to have 
beer. one of the four last days of his life, mentioned 
chap. xix. 47, probably Tuesday before the passover. 

Verse 2. By what authority, &c.] See the note on 
Matt. xxi. 23-27. 

Verse 9. A certain man planted a vineyard, &c.] 

480 


See this parable largely explained, Matt. xxi. 33-46. 
See also on Mark xu. 4-9. 

Verse 10. That they should give him of the fruit] 
The Hindoo corn-merchants, that have lent money to 
husbandmen, send persons in harvest-time to collect 
their share of the produce of the ground. 

Verse 16. God forbid. Or, Let it not be, un yevotro. 

1 


The questions about tribute and 


ws: 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that 
An, Sivan. stone shall be broken; but ‘on 

᾿ whomsoever it shall fall, it will 
grind him to powder. 

19 § And the chief priests and the scribes 
the same hour sought to lay hands on him ; 
and they feared the people : for they perceived 
that he had spoken this parable against them. 

20 © And they watched Aim, and sent forth 
spies, which should feign themselves just men, 
that they might take hold of his words, that so 
they might deliver him unto the power and 
authority of the governor. 

21 And they asked him, saying, > Master, 
we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, 
neither acceptest thou the person of any, but 
teachest the way of God ' truly : 

22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto 
Cesar, or no? 

23 But he perceived their craftiness, and 
said unto them, Why tempt ye me? 

24 Show mea ἢ penny. Whose image and 
superscription hath it? They answered and 
said, Cesar’s. 

25 And he said unto them, Render therefore 
unto Cesar the things which be Cesar’s, and 
unto God the things which be God’s. 

26 And they could not take hold of his 
words before the people: and they marvelled 
at his answer, and held their peace. 

27 9 1Then came to him certain of the 
Sadducees, ™which deny that there is any 
resurrection ; and they asked him, 


CHAP. XX. 


the resurrection answered 


28 Saying, Master," Moses wrote 4, Μ' 4048, 
unto us, If any man’s brother die, An, cya 
having a wife, and he die without ee 
children, that his brother should take his wife, 
and raise up seed unto his brother. 

29 There were therefore seven brethren. 
and the first took a wife, and died without 
children. 

30 And the second took her to wife, and he 
died childless. 

31 And the third took her; and in lke 
manner the seven also: and they left no 
children, and died. 

32 Last of all the woman died also. 

33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife 
of them is she? for seven had her to wife. 

34 And Jesus answering said unto them, 
The children of this world marry, and are 
given in marriage : 

35 But they’ which shall be accounted 
worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrec- 
tion from the dead, neither marry, nor are 
given in marriage : 

36 Neither can they die any more: for ° they 
are equal unto the angels; and are the chil- 
dren of God, ? being the children of the re- 
surrection. 

37 Now that the dead are raised, 4 even 
Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth 
the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God 
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 

38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of 
the living; for * all live unto him. 


f Dan. ii. 34, 35; Matt. xxi. 44. £ Matt. xxii. 15.— Matt. 
xxii. 16; Mark xii. 14.—— Or, of a truth——* See Matt. xviii. 
28.—! Matt. xxii. 23; Mark xii. 18. 


™ Acts xxiii. 6, 8——" Deut. xxv. 8. ©] Cor. xv. 42, 49, 
52; 1 John iii. 2.——P Rom. viii. 23.——4 Exod. iii. 6. ——t Rom. 
vi. 10, 11. 


Our phrase, God forbid, answers pretty well to the 
meaning of the Greek, but it is no translation. 

Verse 18. Grind him to powder.] See on Matt. 
xxi. 44. 

Verse 20. They watched him] Παρατηρησαντες, 
Insidiously watching. See on chap. xiv. 1. 

Spies] Ἐγκαθετους, from ev, in, and καθιημι, I let 
down, to set in ambush. One who crouches in some 
secret place to spy, listen, catch, or hurt. Hesychius 
explains the word by evedpevovtec, those who lie in 
wait, or in ambush, to surprise and slay. Josephus 
uses the word to signify a person bribed for a particular 
purpose. See War, Ὁ. ii. 6. ii. s. 5, and b. vi. c. v. s. 2. 
No doubt the persons mentioned in the text were men 
of the basest principles, and were hired by the mali- 
cious Pharisees to do what they attempted in vain to 
perform. 

Verse 22. Is it lawful for us to gwe tribute unto 

Vou. T 2 


Cesar] See this insidious but important question 
considered at large on Matt. xxii. 16-22. 

Verse 29. There were therefore seven brethren] See 
on Matt. xxii. 23-33. 

Verse 34. The children of this world] Men and 
women in their present state of mortality and pro 
bation ; procreation being necessary to restore the 
waste made by death, and to keep up the population 
of the earth. 

Verse 36. Equal unto the angels] Who neither 
marry nor die. See the Jewish testimonies to the 
resurrection of the human body quoted at length on 
1 Cor. xv. 42. 

Verse 38. All live unto him.] There is a remark- 
able passage in Josephus’s account of the Maccabees, 
chap. xvi., which proves that the best informed Jews 
believed that the souls of righteous men were in the 
presence of God in a state of happiness. “ They 

481 


How Christ is David’s son. 


39 Then certain of the scribes 
An. Olymp. answering said, Master, thou hast 
eT well said. 

40 And after that, they durst not ask him 
any question at all. 

41 4 And he said unto them, * How say 
‘hey that Christ is David’s son ? 

42 And David himself saith in the book of 
Psalms, t The Lorp saith unto my Lord, Sit 
thou on my right hand, 

43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D, 29. 


Matthew xxii. 42; Mark xii. 35———t Psalm cx. 1; Acts 
11. 34. 


who lose their lives for the sake of God, τανε unto 
Gop, as do Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest 
of the patriarchs.” And one not less remarkable in 
Shemoth Rabba, fol. 159. ““ Rabbi Abbin saith, The 
Lord said unto Moses, Find me out ten righteous 
persons among the people, and I will not destroy thy 
people. Then said Moses, Behold, here am 7, Aaron, 
Fleazar, Ithamar, Phineas, Caleb, and Joshua; but 
God said, Here are but seven, where are the other three ? 
When Moses knew not what to do, he said, O Eternal 
God, do those live that are dead? Yes, saith God. 
Then said Moses, If those that are dead do live, re- 
member Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” So the resur- 
rection of the dead, and the immortality and imma- 
teriality of the soul, were not strange or unknown 
doctrines among the Jews. 

Verse 40. They durst not ask] Or, did not ven- 
ture to ask any other question, for fear of being again 
confounded, as they had already been. 

Verse 41. How say they| See the note on Matt. 
xxil. 42-46. 

Verse 43. Thy*footstool.] Literally, the footstool 
of thy feet. ‘They shall not only be so far humbled 
that the feet may be set on them; but they shall be 
actually subjected, and put completely under that Christ 
whom they now despise, and are about to crucify. 

Verse 46. Beware of the scribes] Take heed that 
ye be not seduced by those who should show you the 
way of salvation. See on Matt. xxiii. 4-14. 

1. How it can be supposed that the ancient Jewish 
Church had no distinet notion of the resurrection of the 
dead is to me truly surprising. The justice of God, 
so peculiarly conspicuous under the old covenant, might 
have led the people to infer that there must be a re- 
surrection of the dead, if even the passage to which 


ST. LUKE. 


Hypocrisy of the scribes 


44 David therefore calleth him 4,™. 1093. 
Lord; how is he then his son? An. Olymp 

45 9 "Then in the audience of ae 
all the people, he said unto his disciples, 

46 τ Beware of the scribes, which desire to 
walk in long robes, and “love greetings in 
the markets, and the highest seats in the 
synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts ; 

47 * Which devour widows’ houses, and for 
a show make long prayers; the same shall 
receive greater damnation. 


uMatt. xxiii. 1; Mark xii. 38. 


VY Matt. xxiii. 5.——w Chap. 
xi. 43. 


x Matt. xxiii. 14. 


our Lord refers had not made a part of their law. As 
the body makes a part of the man, justice requires that 
not only they who are marlyrs for the testimony of 
God, but also all those who have devoted their lives to 
his service, and died in his yoke, should have their 
bodies raised again. The justice of God is as much 
concerned in the resurrection of the dead, as either his 
power or mercy. To be freed from earthly incum- 
brances, earthly passions, bodily infirmities, sickness, 
and death, to be brought into a state of conscious ex- 
istence, with a refined body and a sublime soul, both 
immortal, and both ineffably happy—how glorious the 
privilege! But of this, who shall be counted worthy 
in that day ? Only those who have washed their robes, 
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and 
who, by patient continuing in well dog, have sought 
for glory and honour and immortality. 

2. A bad example, supported by the authority, re- 
putation, and majesty of religion, is a very subtle poi- 
son, from which it is very difficult for men to preserve 
themselves. It is a great misfortune for any people 
to be obliged to beware of those very persons who 
ought to be their rule and pattern. This isa reflection 
of pious Father Quesnel; and, while we admire its 
depth, we may justly lament that the evil he refers to 
should be so prevalent as to render the observation, 
and the caution on which it is founded, so necessary. 
But let no man imagine that bad and immoral ministers 
are to be found among one class of persons only. 
They are to be found in the branches as well as in the 
root: in the different sects and parties as well as in 
the mother or national Churches, from which the others 
have separated. On either hand there is little room 
for glorying.—Professors and ministers may change, 
but the truth of the Lord abideth for ever ! 


CHAPTER ΧΧΙ. 


The poor widow casting two mites into the treasury, 1-4. 
False Christs, 8. 


The signs of this desolation, 7. 
Persecutions against the godly, 12-19. 
umes, 23-28. 
29-33. 


Directions how to escape, 20-22. 
The parable of the fig tree, illustrative of the time when they may expect these calamities. 
The necessity of sobriety and watchfulness, 34-36. 


The destruction of the temple foretold, 5, 6 
Wars, 9,10. Earthquakes and fearful sights, 11 
The tribulation of those 


He teaches by day in the temple, and 


lodges by night in the Mount of Olives, and the people come early to hear him, 37, 38. 


482 


( 31%") 


Destruction of Jerusalem 


AM AND he looked up, *and saw 
An, Οἱ mp. the rich men casting their gifts 


into the treasury. 

2 And he saw also a certain poor widow 
casting in thither two ἢ mites. 

3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, 
© that this poor widow hath cast in more than 
they all: 

4 For all these have of their abundance cast 
in unto the offerings of God: but she of her 
penury hath cast in all the living that she had. 

5 § ‘And as some spake of the temple, 
how it was adorned with goodly stones and 
gifts, he said, 

6 As for these things which ye behold, the 
days will come, in the which ° there shall not 
be left one stone upon another, that shall not 
be thrown down. 

7 Ἵ And they asked him, saying, Master, 
but when shall these things be? and what sign 
will there be when these things shall come to 
pass ? 


CHAP. XXI. 


and the temple foretold 


8 And he said, ‘Take heed that 4,™, 4033. 
ye be not deceived: for many shall 5 il 
come in my name, saying, I am 
Christ ; 5 and the time draweth near: go ye 
not therefore after them. 

9 But when ye shall hear of wars and com- 
motions, be not terrified : for these things must 
first come to pass ; but the end is not by and by. 

10 "Then said he unto them, Nation shall 
rise against nation, and kingdom against 
kingdom : 

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers 
places, and famines, and pestilences ; and fear- 
ful sights and great signs shall there be from 
heaven. 

12 * But before all these, they shall lay their 
hands on you, and persecute yov, delivering 
you up to the synagogues, and * into prisons, 
1 being brought before kings and rulers ™ for 
my name’s sake. 

13 And *it shall turn to you for a testimony. 

14 ° Settle zt therefore in your hearts, not to 


4Mark xii. 41—>See Mark xii. 42——¢ 2 Cor. viii. 12. 
4 Matt. xxiv. 1; Mark xiii. 1—e Chap. xix. 44.——f Matt. xxiv. 
4; Mark xiii. 5; Eph. v. 6; 2 Thess. ii. 3——# Or, and the 
time, Matt. iii. Ἢ iv. 17. 


NOTES ON CHAP. ΧΧΙ. 

Verse 1. The rich men casting their gifts into the 
treasury.| See all this, from verse 1 to 4, explained 
on Mark xii. 41—44. 

Verse 2. A certain poor widow] A widow miserably 
poor: this is the proper import of zevcypav, and her 
being miserably poor heightened the merit of the action. 

Two mites.) Which Mark says, chap. xii. 42, make 
a farthing or quadrans, the fourth part of an as, or 
penny, as we term it. In Plutarch’s time we find the 
smallest piece of brass coin in use among the Romans 
was the quadrans, but it appears that a smaller piece 
of money was in circulation among the Jews in our 
Lord’s time, called here, and in Mark, chap. xii. 42,a 
lepton, i. 6. small, diminished, from λείπω, I fail. In 
ancient times our penny used to be marked with a deep 
indented cross, dividing the piece into four equal parts, 
which, when broken in ¢wo, made the half-penny, and, 
when broken into four, made the fourthing, what we 
have corrupted into farthing. Probably the Roman 
quadrans was divided in this way for the convenience 
of the poor. Our term mite seems to have been taken 
from the animal called by that name ; for as that ap- 
peared to our ancestors to be the smallest of all ani- 
mals, so this being the smallest of all coins was called 
by its name. Junius says that mifte was a small base 
coin among the Dutch. Our word mite seems to be a 
contraction of the Latin minutum,a small thing, whence 
the French miéte, a crumb, a very small morsel. See 
the note on Mark xii. 41. 

Verse 5. Goodly stones] Or, costly stones. It has 
been thought by some that this relates not so much 

1 


h Matt. xxiv. 7.——i Mark xiii. 9; Rev. ii. 10.—— Acts iv. 
3; v.18; xii. 4; xvi. 24.——! Acts xxv. 23.—— | Pet. ii. 13. 
0 Phil. i. 28; 2 Thess. i. 5. © Matthew x. 19; Mark xiii. 11: 
chap. xii. 11. 


to the stones of which the temple was built, as to the 
precious stones with which it was decorated. Tor an 
account of the stones of the temple, see on Mark xiii 1. 

And gifts] Or, consecrated things, avadnpace. 
Αναθημα properly signifies a thing consecrated to sa- 
cred uses: Avaeua signifies a thing devoted to a curse, 
or to destruction. They both come from the same 
root, ἀνατίθημι, I lay up, separate ; and though two 
meanings cannot be more opposite than those assign- 
ed to these words, yet in the words themselves a short 
vowel (e) in the place of a long one (7) makes all the 
difference between dlessing and cursing. 

Verse 6. One stone upon another] This was lite- 
rally fulfilled. See Matt. xxiv. 2. 

Verse 8. Many shall come in my name] Usurping 
my name : calling themselves the Messiah. See Matt. 
xxiv. 5. Concerning this prediction of the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and its literal accomplishment, see 
the notes on Matt. xxiv. 1-42. 

Verse 9. Commotions] Seditions and civil dissen- 
sions, with which no people were more agitated than 
the Jews. 

Verse 11. Fearful sights] What these were the 
reader will find in detail on Matt. xxiv. 7. 

Verse 12. Synagogues] Or, assemblies, &c. 
these all explained on Mark xiii. 9. 

Verse 13. Jt shall turn to you for a testimony.) 
That is, it shall turn out on your pari for a testimony 
to them (your persecutors) that you are thoroughly 
persuaded of the truth of what you teach, and that you 
are no impostors. 

Verse 14. Settleit therefore. &c.] $ 

483 


See 


See on Matt. x. 19 


Destruction of Jerusalem 


A. M. 4033. ἢ : 
M4033. meditate before, what ye shall an 
An. Olymp. swer: 


BEL 15 For dew give you a mouth 


and wisdom, ? which all your adversaries shall 
not be able to gainsay nor resist. 

16 4 And ye shall be betrayed both by pa- 
rents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends ; 
and * some of you shall they cause to be put 
to death. 

17 And ‘ye shall be hated of all men for 
my name’s sake. 

18 * But there shall not a hair of your head 
perish. 

19 In your patience possess ye your souls. 

20 ἃ And when ye shall see Jerusalem com- 
passed with armies, then know that the deso- 
lation thereof is nigh. 

21 Then let them which are in Judea flee 
to the mountains ; and let them which are in 
the midst of it depart out; and let not them 
that are in the countries enter thereinto. 

22 For these be the days of vengeance, 
that Yall things which are written may be 
fulfilled. 

23 ~ But wo unto them that are with child, 
and to them that give suck, in those days ! for 


P Acts vi. 10. 4 Micah vii. 6; Mark xiii. 12. τ Acts vil. 
59; xii. 2——= Matt. x. 22. t Matt. x. 30. 4 Matt. xxiv. 15; 
Mark xiii. 14. V Dan. ix. 26, 27; Zech. xi. 1. w Matthew 


“xxiv. 19. 


ST. LUKE. 


and the temple foretold 


there shall be great distress in the are 
land, and wrath upon this people. An. Olymp. 


24 And they shall fall by the Γ΄. 
edge of the sword, and shall be led away cap- 
tive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be 
trodden down of the Gentiles, * until the times 
of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 

25 “1 ¥ And there shall be signs in the sun, 
and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon 
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity : 
the sea and the waves roaring ; 

26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and 
for looking after those things which are com- 
ing on the earth: 7 for the powers of heaven 
shall be shaken. 

27 And then shall they see the Son of man 
* coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

28 And when these things begin to come to 
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads 
for ἢ your redemption draweth nigh. 

29 ¢ And he spake to them a parable: 
hold the fig tree, and all the trees ; 

30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and 
know of your own selves, that summer is now 
nigh at hand. 

31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things 


Be- 


x Dan. ix. 27; xii. 7; Rom. xi. 25. Y Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark 
xiii. 24; 2 Pet. iii. 10, 12. z Matt. xxiv. 29. a Matt. xxiv 
30; Rev. i. 7; xiv. 14.—— Rom. viii. 19, 23. © Matt. xxiv. 
32; Mark xiii. 28. 


Verse 15. I will give you a mouth and wisdom] 
Στομα, a mouth, must appear plain to-every person to 
be used here for a ready utterance, or eloquence in 
speaking. They shall have an abundance of wisdom 
to know what to say; and they shall have an irresisti- 
ble eloquence to say what they ought. 

Verse 18. But there shall not a hair of your head 
perish.| A proverbial expression for, Ye shall not suf- 
fer any essential injury. Every genuine Christian shall 
escape when this desolation comes upon the Jewish state. 

Verse 19. In your patience] Rather, your per- 
severance, your faithful continuance in my word 
and doctrine. Ye will preserve your souls. Ye shall 
escape the Roman sword, and not one of you shall pe- 
rish inthe destruction of Jerusalem. Instead of xrycac6e, 
possess, or preserve ye, | read κτήσεσθε, ye shall pre- 
serve. This reading is supported by AB-B, five 
others ; both the Syriac, all the Arabic, Authiopic, 
Vulgate, all the Itala except two, Origen, Macarius, 
and Tertullian. 

Verse 22. These be the days of vengeance] See 
on Matt. xxiv. 21. 

Verse 24. They shall fall by the edge of the sword] 
Those who perished in the siege are reckoned to be 
not less than eleven hundred thousand. See Matt. 
Xxiv. 22. 

And shall be led away captive] To the number of 

484 


ninety-seven thousand. See Josephus, War, b. vi. ec. 
ix. s. 2, 3, and on Matt. xxiv. 31. 

Trodden down of the Gentiles] Judea was so com- 
pletely subjugated that the very land itself was sold by 
Vespasian ; the Gentiles possessing it, while the Jews 
were either nearly all killed or led away into captivity. 

Of the Gentiles be fulfilled.| Till the different na- 
tions of the earth, to whom God shall have given the 
dominion over this land, have accomplished all that 
which the Lord hath appointed them to do ; and till the 
time of their conversion to God take place. But when 
shall this be? We know not.. The nations are still 
treading down Jerusalem, and the end is known only 
to the Lord. See the note on Matt. xxiv. 31. 

Verse 25. The sea and the waves roaring] Figu- 
ratively pointing out the immense Roman armies by 
which Judea was to be overrun and destroyed. 

Verse 26. Men’s hearts failing them for fear] Or, 
Men fainting away through fear, (Ἀποψυχοντων,) be- 
ng ready te die. 

Coming on the earth] Or, Coming upon this land, 
οἰκουμενῃ. See this translation of the word vindicated 
in the note on chap. il. 1. | 

Verse 29. He spake to them a parable] Illustrated 
all these predicted facts by the simile of a fig tree 
See this explained on Matt. xxiv. 32. 

Verse 31. The kingdom of God is nigh at hand.) 

1 


The necessity 


A.M, 03. come to pass, know ye that the king- 
An. Olymp. dom of God is nigh at hand. 
{ας 32 Verily I say unto you, This 
generation shall not pass away, till all be 
fulfilled. 

33 4 Heaven and earth shall pass away : but 
my words shall not pass away. 

34 Ἵ And " take heed to yourselves, lest at 
any time your hearts be overcharged with sur- 
feiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this 
life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 

35 For‘fas a snare shall it come on all them 


--ὄ--.--..- . 


4 Matt. xxiv. 35. ὁ Rom. xiii. 13; 1 Thess. v. 6; 1 Pet. iv. 7. 
{1 Thess. v. 2; 2 Pet. iii. 10; Rev. iii. 3; xvi. 15. 


CHAP. XXII. 


of watchfulness 


that dwell on the face of the whole 4,™. 4033. 
earth. An. Olymp. 

36 ® Watch ye therefore, and panes 
* pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy 
to escape all these things that shall come to 
pass, and ‘ to stand before the Son of man. 

37 * And in the day time he was teaching 
in the temple ; and ! at night he went out, and 
abode in the mount that is called the mount of 
Olives. 

38 And all the people came early in the 
morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. 


§ Matt. xxiv. 42; xxv. 13; Mark xiii. 33-——)Chap. xviii. 1. 
i Psa. i. 5; Eph. vi. 13.—— John viii. 1, 2 ——! Ch. xxii. 39. 


After the destruction of the Jewish state, the doctrine 
of Christ crucified shall be preached every where, and 
every where prevail. 

Verse 32. This generation] This race of men; but 
see on Matt. xxiv. 34, and Mark xiii. 30. 

Verse 34. Take heed to yourselves] See our Lord’s 
parable, relative to this matter, explained, Mark xiii. 34. 

Be overcharged] Literally, be made heavy, as is ge- 
nerally the case with those who have eaten or drank 
too much. Take heed that ye be not rendered secure 
by an improper use of lawful things: do not make this 
earth your portion: expect its dissolution, and prepare 
to meet your God. 

Verse 35. The face of the whole earth.| Or, of 
thts whole land. ‘The land of Judea, on which these 
heavy judgments were to fall. See ver. 25; see also 
chap. ii. 1. 

Verse 36] Watch ye therefore, and pray always] 
Perhaps we should connect ev παντὶ xaipw, continually, 
with ἀγρυπνεῖτε, watch, as it appears to be the most na- 
tural order. Indeed the word continually belongs equally 
to both watch and pray; and no man is safe, at any 
time, who does not attend to this advice as literally as 
possible. 


That shall come to pass} ‘That is, the tribulations 
which are on their way to overwhelm and destroy the 
Jewish people. These are sufficiently stated in the 
preceding verses. 

To stand before the Son of man.] To be acquitted, 
and to be condemned, are expressed, in Rom. xiv. 4, 
by standing and falling. Those who were faithful 
to the grace they had received were not only not de- 
stroyed in the destruction of Jerusalem, but became 
heralds of the grace and mercy of God to the nations. 
Thus they were counted worthy to stand before the 
Son of man—to minister salvation in his name. 

Verse 37. And in the day time] Or, every day— 
τας ἥμερας. This probably relates to the four last 
days of his life already mentioned. 

Abode in the mount] He taught all day in the tem- 
ple, and withdrew every evening, and lodged in Beth- 
any; a town at the foot, or on the declivity of the 
mount of Olives. See the note on Matt. xxi. 17. 

Verse 38. The people came early] He returned 
early from the mount of Olives, and the people came 
early in the morning to the temple to hear his teach- 
ing. For practical observations on the awful subject 
of this chapter, see Matt. xxiv. at the end. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


The chie iests and scribes plot our Lord’s destruction, 1, 2. 
pr Pp 


trays him, 3-6. 


Warns Peter against Satan’s devices, 31, 32. 


chief priests and captains of the temple, 52, 53. 
follows and denies his Master, 54-60. 
terly, 61, 62. 
fore the council, 66, 67. 
him, 71. 


Peter’s resolution, 33. 
his disciples to make prudent provision for their own support, 35-37. 

the Mount of Olives, and has his agony in the garden, 39-46. 
cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant, which Christ heals by a touch, 49-51. 


He acknowledges himself to be the Son of God, 68-70 


Judas, at the mstigation of the devil, be- 


He eats his last supper with his disciples, 7-18. Institutes the eucharist, 19, 20. An- 
nounces one of his disciples as the traitor, 21-23. 


The contention which should be greatest, 24-30. 

His denial foretold, 34. Tells 
The two swords, 38. He goes to 
Judas comes with a mob, 47,48. Peter 
He addresses the 


They lead him to the high priest’s house, and Peter 
Christ looks upon him, he is stung with remorse, and weeps bit- 
Jesus is mocked, and variously insulted, 63-65. 


The next morning he is questioned be- 
They condemr 


485 


Judas engages to betray Christ. 


Seats 085: ΝΟΥ athe feast of unleavened 
An. Olymp. bread drew nigh, which is call- 
pee” ed. the passover. 

2 And * the chief priests and scribes sought 
how they might kill him; for they feared the 
people. 

3 9 ¢ Then entered Satan into Judas sur- 
named Iscariot, being of the number of the 
twelve. 

4 And he went his way, and communed with 
the chief priests and captains, how he might 
betray him unto them. 

5 And they were glad, and ἃ covenanted to 
give him money. 

6 And he promised, and sought opportunity 


ST. LUKE. 


The disciples prepare the passover. 


to betray him unto them, “ ἴῃ the 4,™, 4083. 
absence of the multitude. An. Olymp. 

7 4% 'Then came the day of least 
unleavened bread, when the passover must 
be lulled. 

8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go, 
and prepare us the passover that we may eat. 

9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou 
that we prepare ? 

10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye 
are entered into the city, there shall a man 
meet you, bearing a pitcher of water: follow 
him into the house where he entereth in. 

11 And ye shall say unto the good man of 
the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where 


a Matt. xxvi. 2; Mark xiv. 1.—» Psa. ii. 2; John xi. 47; Acts 
ἦν. 27. © Matt. xxvi. 14; Mark xiv. 10; John xiii. 2, 27. 


4 Zech. xi. 12. © Or, without tumult.— Matthew xxvi. 17; 


Mark xiv. 12. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXII. 

Verse 1. The feast of unleavened bread, &c.| See 
this largely explained, Exod. xxiii. 14; Lev. xxiii. 
2-40, and on Matt. xxvi. 2. 

Verse 2. They feared the people.| The great mass 
of the people seem to have been convinced that Christ 
was at least a prophet sent from God ; and it is likely 
they kept steady in their attachment to him. The 
taultitude, who are represented as clamouring for his 
blood at the crucifixion, appear to have been a mere 
mob, formed out of the creatwres of the chief priests 
and Pharisees. 

Verse 3. Then entered Satan into Judas] The 
devil filled the heart of Judas with avarice ; and that 
infamous passion led him to commit the crime here 
specified. ‘This at once accounts for the whole of this 
most unprincipled and unnatural transaction. None 
but a devil, or he who is possessed by one, could have 
been guilty of it :—let the living lay this to heart.— 
A minister of the Gospel, who is a lover of money, is 
constantly betraying the interests of Christ. He can- 
not serve éwo masters; and while his heart is pos- 
sessed with the love of pelf, the love of God and zeal 
for perishing souls cannot dwell in him. What Satan 
could not do by the envy and malice of the high priests 
and Pharisees, he effects by Judas, a false and fallen 
minister of the Gospel of God. None are so danger- 
ous to the interests of Christianity as persons of this 
stamp. 

Verse 4. And captains] Among the priests who 
were in waiting at the temple, some were appointed 
φυλακες, for a guard to the temple; and over these 
were γρατήγοι, commanding officers: both sorts are 
ment oned by Josephus, War, b. vi. c. 5. 5. 3. Bp. 
Pearce. See another sense of captains, in the note 
on Matt. xxvii. 65. Dr. Lightfoot supposes these to 
have been the captains over the watches; for in three 
places the priests kept watch and ward in the temple, 
viz. in Beth Abtenes, in Beth Nitsots, and in Beth Mo- 
kad. The Levites also in twenty-one places more, 
Middoth, chap. i. Though these watches consisted 
of severa! persons in each, there was one set over 

486 


them, as the captain or head of that watch. He thinks 
that Matthew, chap. xxvii. 65, refers to one of 
these: Ye have a watch of your own; let some of 
them be sent to guard the sepulchre. The captain of 
the temple, he supposes to have been the chief or head 
of all these watches; and thus he was captain of the 
captains. In the same Talmudical tract it is said, 
The ruler of the mountain of the temple (i. e. captain 
of the temple) takes his walks through every watch 
with torches lighted before him: if he found any upon 
the watch, that was not standing on his feet, he said, 
Peace be with thee: but if he found him sleeping, he 
struck him with a stick, and he might also burn his 
clothes. And when it was said by others, What noise 
is that in the court? the answer was, It is the noise 
of a Levite under correction, whose garments they are 
burning, because he slept upon his watch. This cus- 
tom casts light on Rev. xvi. 15: Behold, I come as 
a thief: blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his 
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 
It is easy to distinguish this captain of the mountain 
of the temple from the ruler of the temple, or sagan: 
the former presided over the guards; the latter over 
the whole service of the temple. We have them 
both distinguished, Acts iv. 1: there is the caplain 
of the temple; and Annas, who was the sagan. See 
Lightfoot. 

Verse 5. They—covenanted to give him money.} 
Matthew says thirty pieces, or staters, of silver, about 
41. 10s. English, the common price of the meanest 
slave. See the note on Matt. xxvi. 15. 

Verse 6. And he promised] That is, to do it— 
εξωμολογησε: or, He accepted the proposal. See 
Wakefield. 

Verse 7. The passover] Πασχα, ver. 1, is the 
name of the festival; το πασχα here is supposed to be the 
name of that on which they feasted, viz. the sacrificed 
paschal lamb. But see the notes on Matt. xxvi., and 
especially the observations at the end of that chapter. 

Verse 8-13. He sent Peter and John, &c.] See 
the subject of these verses largely explained on Matt. 
xxvi. 17-19, and Mark xiv. 13, 15. 

1 


Christ wmstitutes 


Bs ΩΝ is the guestchamber, where I shall 
An Olymp. eat the passover with my disciples ? 
: 12 And he shall show you a large 
upper room furnished: there make ready. 

13 And they went, and found as he had said 
unto them: and they made ready the passover. 

14 And when the hour was come, he sat 
down, and the twelve apostles with him. 

15 And he said unto them, ® With desire I 
have desired to eat this passover with you be- 
fore I suffer: 

16 For I say unto you, I will not any more 
eat thereof, ‘ until it be fulfilled in the king- 
dom of God. 


17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, 


CHAP. XXII. 


the eucharast. 


and said, Take this, and divide ἐξ Αι ΝΜ, 4033. 
among yourselves : An. Olymp. 
x " P CCIL 1. 

18 For ΕἾ say unto you, I will not ————~ 
drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom 
of God shall come. 

19 Ἵ ᾿ And he took bread, and gave thanks, 
and brake τ, and gave unto them, saying, This 
is my body which is given for you: ™this do 
in remembrance of me. 

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, say- 
ing, "This cup is the new testament in my 
blood, which is shed for you. 

21 9° But, behold, the hand of him that 
betrayeth me 7s with me on the table. 

22 » And truly the Son of man goeth, 4 as 


5 Matt. xxvi. 20; Mark xiv. 17. 4 Or, Ihave heartily desired. 
iChap. xiv. 15; Acts x. 41; Rev. xix. 9——k Matt. xxvi. 29; 
Mark xiv. 25. 1 Matt. xxvi. 26; Mark xiv. 22. 


Verse 14. And when the hour was come] Thatis, 
the evening. See Matt. xxvi. 20, and Mark xiv. 17. 

Verse 15. With desire I have desired] A Hebraism 
for, I have desired most earnestly. Our Lord’s mean- 
ing seems to be, that, having purposed to redeem a 
lost world by his blood, he ardently longed for the time 
in which he was to offer himself up. Such love did 
the holy Jesus bear to the human race. This eucha- 
ristic passover was celebrated once, by way of antici- 
pation, before the bloody sacrifice of the victim of sal- 
vation, and before the deliverance it was appointed to 
commemorate ; as the figurative passover had been 
likewise once celebrated before the going out of Egypt, 
and the deliverance of God’s chosen people. Quesnel. 

Verse 16. Until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of 
God.| That is, until that of which the passover is a 
type is fulfilled in my death, through which the king- 
dom of God, or of heaven, (See Matt. iii. 2,) shall be 
established among men. 

Verse 17. He took the cup] This was not the 
sacramental cup, for that was taken after supper, ver. 
20, but was the cup which was ordinarily taken before 
supper. 

Divide it among yourselves] Pass the cup from 
one to another; thus the cup which Christ gave to the 
first person on his right hand continued to be handed 
from one to another, till it came to the last person on 
his left. 

Verse 18. I will not drink of the fruit of the vine] 
That is, before the time of another passover, the Holy 
Ghost shall descend, the Gospel of the kingdom be 
established, and the sacramental supper shall take place 
of the paschal lamb ; for in a few hours his crucifixion 
was to take place. See on Matt. xxvi. 29. 

Verse 19. Took bread] See the nature and design 
of the Lord’s Supper explained in the notes on Matt. 
XXvi. 26-29. 

This do in remembrance of me.] That the Jews, 
in eating the passover, did it to represent the suffer- 
ings of the Messiah, is evident from the tract Pesa- 


chim, fol. 119, quoted by Schoetigen. Why do we | away, and departing, 
1 


™ 1 Cor. xi. 24.——® 1 Cor. x. 16. © Psa. xli. 9; Matt. xxvi. 
21, 23; Mark xiv. 18; John xiii. 21, 26. P Matthew xxvi. 24. 
4 Acts ii. 23; iv. 28. 


call this the great hallel? (i. e. the hymn composed 
of several psalms, which they sung after the paschal 
supper.) Ans. Because in it these five things are con- 
tained: 1. The exodus from Egypt. 2. The divid- 
ing of the Red Sea. 3. The promulgation of the law. 
4. The resurrection of the dead. And, 5. The suf- 
ferings of the Messiah. The first is referred to, Psa. 
exiv. 1, When Israel went out of Egypt, ὅς. The 
second in Psa. exiv. 3, The sea saw it and fled. The 
third in Psa. exiv. 4, The mountains skipped like 
rams, &ce. The fourth in Psa. exvi. 9, I will walk 
before the Lord in the land of the living. The fifth 
in Psa. exv. 1, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but 
unto thy name give glory; for thy mercy and thy 
truth’s sake. See the note on Matt. xxvi. 30. 

Verse 20. This cup is the new testament in my 
blood| Perhaps it might be better to paraphrase the 
passage thus: This cup which is poured out for you, 
signifies the blood of the new covenant, which is shortly 
to be ratified iz (or by) the shedding of my bleod.— 
Or, This cup is the new covenant, poured out for you 
with my blood :—that is, the paschal sacrifice and my 
sacrifice happen together. But see Aypke. 

It does not appear that our Lord handed either the 
bread or the cup to each person; he gave it to him 


| who was next to him, and, by handing it from one to 


another, they shared it among themselves, ver. 17. 
In this respect the present mode of administering the 
Lord’s Supper is not strictly according to the original 
institution. 

Verse 21. The hand of him that betrayeth me, &c.] 
What can be desired more, says Dr. Lightfoot, as a 
demonstration that Judas was present at the eucharist? 
And, whereas the contrary is endeavoured to be proved 
out of John xiii., nothing is made out of nothing ; for 
there is not one syllable throughout that whole chap- 
ter of the paschal supper, but of a supper before the 
feast of the passover. 

Verse 22. The Son of man goeth| That is, he is 
about to die. Απερχεσϑαι, οἰχεσϑαι, abire, going, going 
are used, by the best Greek and 

487 


The dascyples contend 


Aft 6088. it was determined: but wo unto 


An. Olymp. that man by whom he is betrayed ! 

23 "And they began to inquire 
among themselves, which of them it was that 
should do this thing. 

24 9 * And there was also a strife among 
them, which of them should be accounted the 
greatest. 

25 * And he said unto them, The kings of 
the Gentiles exercise lordship over them ; and 
they that exercise authority upon them are 
called benefactors. 

26 “But ye shall not be so: ¥ but he that is 
greatest among you, let him be as the younger; 
and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 


ST. LUKE. 


who should be greatest. 


= : A. Μ. 4033. 
27 “For whether is greater, en 


he that sitteth at meat, or he re Olymp. 
that serveth? is not he that sit CC’ 
teth at meat? but *I am among you as he 
that serveth. 

28 Ye are they which have continued with 
me in ¥ my temptations. 

29 And *I appoint unto you a kingdom, as 
my Father hath appointed unto me ; 

30 That * ye may eat and drink at my table 
in my kingdom, ¥and sit on thrones judging 
the twelve tribes of Israel. 

31 9 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, be 
hold, ° Satan hath desired to have you, that he 
may ‘sift you as wheat : 


τ Matt. xxvi. 22; John xiii. 22, 25. 


3 Mark ix. 34; chap. 


2 Matthew xxiv. 47; chap. xii. 32; 2 Cor. i. 7; 2 Tim. ii. 12, 
©] Peter v. 8. 


ix. 46. t Matt. xx. 25; Mark x. 42.——* Matt. xx. 26; 1 Pet. | « Matt. viii. 11; chap. xiv. 15; Rey. xix. 9—— Psa. xlix. 14° 
v. 3. v Chap. ix. 48.—wW Chap. xii. 37. x Matt. xx. 28; | Matthew xix. 28; 1 Cor. vi. 2; Rev. iii. 21. 

John xiii. 13, 14; Phil. ii. 7,——y Heb. iv. 15. 4 Amos ix. 9. 

Latin writers, for death and dying. See Rosen-| Christ had distinguished by peculiar marks of his fa- 


muller. 

Verse 23. They began to inquire among themselves] 
See the notes on Matt. xxvi. 23, 24. 

Verse 24. There was also a strife among them] 
There are two different instances of this sort of con- 
tention or strife mentioned by the evangelists, each of 
which was accompanied with very different cireum- 
stances ; one by Matthew, in chap. xviii. 1, &c.; by 
Mark, chap. ix. 33, &c.; and by Luke, in chap. ix. 
46, &c. That contention cannot have been the same 
with this which is mentioned here. The other, related 
in Matt. xx, 20, &c., and Mark x. 35, &c., must be 
what Luke intended here to record ; and this strife or 
contention was occasioned by the request which Zebe- 
dee’s wife made to our Lord in favour of her sons, 
James and John; but, then, Luke has mentioned this 
very much out of the order of time, it having happen- 
ed while our Lord and his disciples were on their 
way to Jerusalem: Matt. xx. 17; Mark x. 32. See 
Bp. Pearce. 

Verse 25. Are called benefactors.| The very Greek 
word used by the evangelist, εὐεργεται, was the sur- 
name of some of the Ptolemies of Egypt; Péolemy 
Euergetes, i.e. the Benefactor. It was a custom 
among the ancient Romans to distribute part of the 
lands which they had conquered on the frontiers of 
the empire to their soldiers ; those who enjoyed such 
lands were called beneficiarii, beneficed persons; and 
the lands themselves were termed deneficia, benefices, 
as being held on the beneficence of the sovereign ; 
and it is no wonder that such sovereigns, however 
tyrannical or oppressive they might have been in other 
respects, were termed benefactors by those who were 
thus dependent on their bounty. 

Verse 26. Let him be as the younger] Dr. Light- 
foot justly conjectures that Peter was the eldest of all 
the disciples; and he supposes that the strife was 
kindled between him and the sons of Zebedee, James 
and John. These three disciples were those whom 

488 


vour ; and therefore it is natural to conclude that the 
strife lay between these three, the two brothers and 
Peter. Shall we or Peter be at the head? Neither, 
says our Lord. Let him, Peter, who is chief (ὁ μειζων, 
the eldest) among you, be as, John, ὁ vewrepoc, the 
younger. The younger part of the disciples do not 
appear to have taken any part in this contention ; and 
our Lord shows Peter, and the sons of Zebedee, that 
they must be as unambitious as the younger in order 
to be acknowledged as his disciples. Dr. Lightfoot 
thinks that Peter was the mover of this strife, and 
therefore our Lord rebukes him by name. 

Verse 29. 7 appoint unto you a kingdom, as my 
Father hath appointed unto me] The Codex Alewan- 
drinus, with some other MSS., the later Syriac, and 
Origen, read in the first clause, διαϑηκην, a covenant. 
7 appoint unto you a covenant, as my Father hath 
appointed unto me a kingdom :—Ye shall be ministers 
of the new covenant, as I am king in that spiritual 
kingdom to which it relates. This is a curious read- 
ing: but our Lord is probably to be understood as 
promising that they should get a kingdom—a state 
of blessedness, as he should get it—they must go 
through much tribulation in order to enter inio the 
kingdom of God. So the Son of man suffered that 
he might enter into his glory: for the joy that was 
set before him, he endured the cross, and despised the 
shame, and is set down on the right hand of God. 

Verse 30. Sit on thrones] See on Matt. xix. 28. 
Marcion left the whole of this verse out, according to 
Epiphanius : probably because he did not understand it. 

Verse 31. Simon, Simon] When a name is thus 
repealed in the sacred writings, it appears to be al- 
ways intended as an expression of Jove, manifested by 
a warning voice. As if he had said, While thou and 
the others are contending for supremacy, Satan is en- 
deavouring to destroy you all: but I have prayed for 
thee, as being in most danger. 

Satan hath desired—you] That is, all the apostles 

1 


Christ Joretells 


A.M. 4033. 32 But °I have prayed for thee, 
An. Vlymp. that thy faith fail not: ‘and when 
thou art converted, strengthen thy 


brethren. 
33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready 
to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 
34 8 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock 


ὁ John xvii. 9, 11, 15—f Psalms li. 13; John xxi. 15, 
1 ὶ 


but particularly the three contenders: the plural pro- 
noun, ὕμας, sufficiently proves that these words were 
not addressed to Peter alone. Satan had already got 
one, Judas ; he had nearly got another, Peter; and he 
wished to have αἰ. But we see by this that the devil 
cannot even tempt a man unless he receive permission. 
He desires to do all evil; he is permitted only to do 
some. 

Verse 32. 7 have prayed for thee] From the natu- 
ral forwardness and impetuosity of thy own spirit, thou 
wilt be brought into the most imminent danger ; but I 
have supplicated for thee, that thy faith may not ut- 
terly fail—exderty, from ex, out, and λείπω, I fail, to 
fall utterly or entirely off. Peter’s faith did fail, but 
not utterly: he did fall, but he did not fall off, apos- 
tatize, or forsake his Master and his cause finally, as 
Judas did. Every body sees, from Peter’s denial of 
his Lord, that his faith did fail, and his great courage 
too; and yet they read, in the common translation, 
that Christ prayed that it might not fail: can they 
then conceive that our Lord’s prayer was heard 1 The 
translation which I have given above removes this em- 
barrassment and apparent contradiction. It was cer- 
tainly Peter’s advantage that our Lord did pray for 
him ; but it was not so much for his honour that he 
should stand in need of such a prayer, beyond all 
others. Lightfoot. 

When thou art converted] Restored to a sense of 
thy folly and sin, and to me and my cause—establish 
these thy brethren. All the disciples forsook Jesus 
and fled, merely through fear of losing their lives ; 
Peter, who continued for a while near him, denied his 
Master with oaths, and repeated this thrice: our Lord 
seems to intimate that, after this fall, Peter would be- 
come more cautious and circumspect than ever; and 
that he should become uncommonly strong in the faith, 
which was the case; and that, notwithstanding the 
baseness of his past conduct, he should be a proper 
instrument for strengthening the feeble minded, and 
supporting the weak. His two epistles to the perse- 
cuted Christians show how well he was qualified for 
this important work. 

Verse 34. The cock shall not crow this day| Mat- 
thew, xxvi. 34, and Mark, xiv. 30, say, this night; 
both expressions are right, because the Jewish day, of 
twenty-four hours, began with the evening, and ended 
at the evening of the following day. On Peter’s de- 
maf, see the notes on Matt. xxvi. 31-35. 

Verse 35. When I sent you without purse] See 
the notes on Matt. x. 9, 10. 

Verse 36. He that hath no sword] Bishop Pearce 
supposes that the word μαγαίραν, sword, has been in- 


CHAP. XXII. 


the denial of Peter. 


shall not crow this day, before that 4,108. 
thou shalt thrice deny that thou Δ i 
knowest me. Senet 
35 9 And he said unto them, When I sent 
you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked 
ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. 
36 Then said he unto them, But now, he 


© Matt. xxvi. 34; Mark xiv. 30; John xiii. 38——4 Matt. x. 9 
chap. ix. 3; x. 4. 


serted here from what is said in ver. 38, as it is evi- 
dent our Lord never intended to make any resistance, 
or to suffer a sword to be used on the occasion; see 
Matt. xxvi. 52. The word stands rather oddly in the 
passage: the verse, translated in the order in which 
it stands, is as follows: And he who hath none, let him 
sell his garment and buy—a sword. Now it is plain 
that the verb πωλησατω, let him buy, may be referred 
to πηραν, a scrip, in the former part of the verse : there- 
fore if, according to the bishop’s opinion, the word 
sword be omitted, the passage may be understood 
thus: “ When I sent you out before, chap. x. 1, &c., 
I intended you to continue itinerants only for a few 
days, and to preach the Gospel only to your couwntry- 
men; therefore you had but little need of a staff, purse, 
or scrip, as your journey was neither dong nor expen- 
sive ; but now I am about to send you into all the 
world, to preach the Gospel to every creature ; and, 
as ye shall be generally hated and persecuted for my 
sake, ye shall have need to make every prudent pro- 
vision for your journey; and so necessary will it be 
for you to provide yourselves victuals, &c., for your 
passage through your inhospitable country, that, if any 
of you have no scrip or wallet, he should sell even his 
upper garment to provide one.” Others, who are for 
retaining the word sword, think that it was a prover- 
bial expression, intimating a time of great difficulty 
and danger, and that now the disciples had need to 
look to themselves, for his murderers were at hand. 
The reader will observe that these words were spoken 
to the disciples just before he went to the garden of 
Gethsemane, and that the danger was now so very 
near that there could be no time for any of them to go 
and sell his garment in order to purchase a sword to 
defend himself and his Master from the attack of the 
Jewish mob. 

Judea was at this time, as we have already noticed, 
much infested by robbers: while our Lord was with 
his disciples, they were perfectly safe, being shielded 
by his miraculous power. Shortly they must go into 
every part of the land, and will need weapons to de- 
fend themselves against wild beasts, and to intimidate 
wicked men, who, if they found them totally defence- 
less, would not hesitate to make them their prey, or 
take away their life. However the matter may be un- 
derstood, we may rest satisfied that these swords were 
neither to be considered as offensive weapons, nor in- 
struments to propagate the truth. The genius and 
spirit of the Christian religion is equally against doth. 
Perhaps, in this counsel of our Lord, he refers to the 
contention about supremacy : asif he had said, Instead 
of contending among yourselves about who shall be 

489 


Christ’s agony 


A.M. 4033. that hath a purse, let him take 7, 
An. Olymp. and likewise his scrip: and he that 
————— hath no sword, let him sell his gar- 
ment, and buy one. 

37 For I say unto you, that this that is 
written must yet be accomplished in me, 
i And he was reckoned among the transgressors : 
for the things concerning me have an end. 

38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are 
two swords. And he said unto them, It is 
enough. 

39 Ἵ * And he came out, and ' went, as he 
was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his 
disciples also followed him. 


ST. LUKE. 


in the garden. 


40 ™ And when he was at the 4,M, 4033. 
place, he said unto them, Pray that Aa, ὌΝ. 
ye enter not into temptation. easels 9 

41 "And he was withdrawn from them 
about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and 
prayed, 

42 Saying, Father, if thou be ° wimg, re- 
move this cup from me :, nevertheless ? not my 
will, but thine, be done. 

43 And there appeared 4 an angel unto him 
from heaven, strengthening him. 

44 * And being in an agony he prayed more 
earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great 
drops of blood falling down to the ground. 


1Jsa. 1111. 12; Mark xv. 28. k Matt. xxvi. 36; Mark xiv. 
32; John xvii. 1—!Chap. xxi. 37. τὸ Matt. vi. 13; xxvi. 
41; Mark xiv. 38; ver. 46. 


2 Matthew xxvi. 39; Mark xiv. 35. Gr. willing to remove. 
P John v. 30; vi. 38.—4 Matthew iv. 11. ‘John xii. 27; 
Heb. v. 7. 


the greatest, ye have more need to unite yourselves 
against the common enemy, who are now at hand: 
this counsel was calenlated to show them the neces- 
sity of union among themselves, as their enemies were 
both numerous and powerful. 

Verse 37. Must yet be accomplished| Probably 
Meaning that, though this prophecy did refer to some 
particular matter in the time of the prophet, yet it 
farther (ez) related to Christ, and could not have its 
complete accomplishment but in Ais crucifixion as a 
criminal. 

For the things concerning me have an end.| As if 
he had said, My work is now almost done; yours is 
only beginning ; I am now about to be crucified and 
numbered with the transgressors ; think what will be 
done to you, and what ought to be done by you; and 
then think if this be a time for you to be contending 
with each other. Lightfoot. 

Verse 38. Lord, behold, here are two swords. And 
he said unto them, It is enough.| These words cannot 
be well understood as being an answer to the supposed 
command of Christ, for every one who had no sword 
to go and sell his garment and buy one; for, in this 
case, they were not enough, or sufficient, as nine of 
the disciples must be without any instrument of de- 
fence ; but they may be understood as pointing out 
the readiness and determination of Peter, and perhaps 
some others, to defend our Lord: Thou shalt not be 
treated as a transgressor ; here are two swords, and 
we will fight for thee. In ver. 33, Peter had said, he 
was ready to go with Christ either to prison or death; 
which showed his strong resolution to stand by and 
defend his Master, even at the expense of his life. 
But, alas, he depended too much on himself! 

It is enough. The meaning probably is, there is 
enough said on the subject; as immediately after this 
he entered into his agony. 

I must here confess that the matter about the swords 
appears to me very obscure. J am afraid I do not 
understand it, and I know of none who does. Schoett- 
gen and Lightfoot have said much on the subject ; 
others have endeavoured to get rid of the difficulty by 

490 # 


translating μαχαιραν a knife, which was necessary on 
long journeys for providing forage and fuel; as they 
were to depend wholly on their own industry, under 
God, for all the necessaries of life, while going through 
the nations of the earth, preaching the Gospel to Jews 
and Gentiles. I cannot say which sense the reader 
should prefer. 

Verse 40. When he was at the place| Viz. Geth- 
semane. On this agony of our Lord see the notes on 
Matt. xxvi. 36-46. 

Verse 43. There appeared an angel—from heaven] 
It was as necessary that the fullest evidence should 
be given, not only of our Lord’s Divinity, but also of 
his humanity: his miracles sufficiently attested the 
former; his hunger, weariness, and agony in the 
garden, as well as his death and burial, were proofs 
of the latter. As man, he needs the assistance of an 
angel to support his body, worn down by fatigue and 
suffering. Sce at the end of ver. 44. 

Verse 44. Prayed more earnestly] With greater 
emphasis and earnestness than usual, with strong ery- 
ing and tears, Heb. vy. 7; the reason given for which 
is, that he was in an agony. Kypke well observes, 
Vox ἀγωνία summum animi angorem ef dolorem indi- 
cat ; et idem est, quod αδημονειν, Matt. xxvi. 37; Mark 
xiv. 34. “The word ἀγώνα (agony) points out the 
utmost anguish and grief of soul, and is of the same 
import with adjuovey in Matthew and Mark.” See 
the note on Matt. xxvi. 37. 

Drops of blood| See the note on Matt. xxvi. 38. 
Some have thought that the meaning of the words is, 
that the sweat was so profuse that every drop was as 
large as a drop of blood, not that the sweat was blood 
itself: but this does not appear likely. There have 
been cases in which persons in a debilitated state of 
body, or through horror of soul, have had their sweat 
tinged with blood. Dr. Mead from Galen observes, 
Contingere interdum, poros ex multo aut fervido spiritu 
adeo dilatari, ut etiam exeat sanguis per eos, fiatque 
sudor sanguineus. “Cases sometimes happen in 
which, through mental pressure, the pores may be so 
dilated that the blood may issue from them; so that 

1 


Christ 1s apprehended. 


A.M. 4033. 45 And when he rose up from 
Any γον. prayer, and was coming to his dis- 
—_ ciples, he found them sleeping for 


sorrow, 

46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? 
rise and * pray, lest ye enter into temptation. 

47 Ἵ And while he yet spake, * behold a mul- 
titude, and he that was called Judas, one of 
the twelve, went before them, and drew near 
unto Jesus to kiss him. 

48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betray- 
est thou the Son of man with a kiss? 

49 When they which were about him saw 
what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, 
shall we smite with the sword? 

50 4 And “one of them smote a servant of 
the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 

51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye 
thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed 
him. 

52 ἡ Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, 
and captains of the temple, and the elders, 
which were come to him, Be ye come out, as 
against a thief, with swords and staves? 

53 When I was daily with you in the temple 
ye stretched forth no hands against me: but 


CHAP. XXII. 


Peter denies him. 


“this is your hour, and the power 4,™, 1039. 
of darkness. 

54 * Then took they him, and 
led him, and brought him into the high priest’s 
house. ¥ And Peter followed afar off. 

55 *And when they had kindled a fire in 
the midst of the hall, and were set down 
together, Peter sat down among them. 

56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat 
by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, 
and said, This man was also with him. 

57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I 
know him not. 

58 *And after a little while, another saw 
him, and said, Thou art also of them. And 
Peter said, Man, I am not. 

59 ἡ And about the space of one hour after, 
another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a 
truth this fellow also was with him: for he is 
a Galilean. 

60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what 
thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet 
spake, the cock crew. 

61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon 
Peter. © And Peter remembered the word of 
the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before 


An. Olymp. 
CCI. 


s Ver. 40. Matt. xxvi. 47; Mark xiv. 43; John xviii. 3. 
& Matt. xxvi. 51; Mark xiv. 47; John xviii. 10. ¥ Matt. xxvi. 
55; Mark xiv. 48.—¥ John xii. 27.——* Matthew xxvi. 57. 
¥ Matt. xxvi. 58; John xviii. 15. 


% Matt. xxvi. 69; Mark xiv. 66; John xviii. 17, 18. a Matt. 
xxvi. 71; Mark xiv. 69; John xviii. 25. Ὁ Matt. xxvi. 73; 
Mark xiv. 70; John xviii. 26. © Matthew xxvi. 75; Mark 
xiv. 72. 


there may be a bloody sweat.” And Bishop Pearce 
gives an instance from Thuanus (De Thou) of an 
Italian gentleman being so distressed with the fear of 
death that his body was covered with a bloody sweat. 
But it is fully evident that the fear of death could 
have no place in the mind of our blessed Lord. He 
was in the bloom of life, in perfect health, and had 
never suffered any thing from disease of any kind ; this 
sweat was most assuredly produced by ἃ preter- 
natural cause. See at the end of the chapter. 

Verse 48. Belrayest thou the Son of man with a 
kiss?] Dost thou attempt to kiss me as a friend, 
while thou art delivering me up into the hands of my 
enemies? We need not wonder at all this, as Satan 
himself had entered into the heart of this traitor, see 
yer. 3; consequently we can expect nothing from him 
but what is fell, deceitful, and cruel. 

Verse 50. Cut off his right ear.| See the note on 
Matt. xxvi. 51. 

Verse 51. Suffer ye thus far.] Or, Suffer me to go 
thus far. As they had now a firm hold of Christ, 
Matt. xxvi. 50, he wished them to permit him to go 
as far as Malchus, whose ear was cut off, that he 
might heal it. See the objections brought against this 
interpretation answered by Kypke; and see the exam- 
ples he produces. However, the words may be under- 


stood as an address to his disciples : Let them proceed; | 


1 


make no resistance; for in this way only are the 
Scriptures to be fulfilled. 

Verse 53. JI was daily with you in the temple} 
Alluding to the four preceding days, during the whole 
of which he taught in the temple, see chap. xxi. 37, 
and Matt. xxi. 17. 

This is your hour, and the power of darkness.| 
That is, the time in which you are permitted to wnrein 
your malice ; which ye could not do before, because 
God did not permit you; and so perfectly are ye 
under his control that neither you nor the prince of 
darkness can proceed a hair’s breadth against me but 
through this permission: see at the end of the chapter. 
What a comfortable thought is it to the followers of 
Christ, that neither men nor demons can act against them 
but by the permission of their heavenly Father, and that 
he will not suffer any of those who trust in him to be 
tried above what they are able to bear, and will make 
the trial issue in their greater salvation, and in his glory 

Verse 56. A certain maid beheld him] Or, Atten- 
tively beholding him, atevicaca. And this she did by 
the help of the light of the fire at which Peter sat. 

Verse 57. And he denied him] See the notes on 
Matt. xxvi. 58, 69, &e. 

Verse 61. The Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.] 
See the note on Matt. xxvi. 75, where this delicate 
reproof is particularly noted. 

491 


Jesus 1s mocked and insulted. 


Ay Μ᾿ 4083. the “cock crow, thou shalt deny 
in Oia me thrice. 

_oCl 162 «And Peter went out, 
wept bitterly. 

63 Ἵ ° And the men that held Jesus mocked 
him, and smote ham. 

64 And when they had blindfolded him, 
they struck him on the face, and asked 
him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote 
thee ? 

65 And many other things blasphemously 
spake they against him. 

66 4‘ And assoon as it was day, § the elders 
of the people, and the chief priests, and the 


and 


ST. LUKE. 


The chief priests condemn ham. 


sani im 4. M. 4033. 
scribes came together, and led him 4,™,4039 


into their council, saying, Ἀπὸ Oe 
67 » Art thou the Christ? tell us. —————— 


And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye wil 
not believe: 

68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer 
me, nor let me go. 

69 ‘Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on 
the right hand of the power of God. 

70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of 
God? And he said unto them, * Ye say that Lam. 

71 | And they said, What need we any far- 
ther witness ? for we ourselves have heard of 
his own mouth. 


4 Matt. xxvi. 34, 75; John xiii. 38. © Matt. xxvi. 67, 68; 
Mark xiv. 65.—‘ Matthew xxvil. 1——£ Acts iv. 26; see 
Acts xxii. 5. 


h Matt. xxvi. 63; Mark xiv. 61. 
xiv, 62; Heb. 1.3; viii. 1. 
1 Matt. xxvi. 65; Mark xiv. 63. 


i Matthew xxvi. 64; Mark 
k Matt. xxvi. 64; Mark xiv. 62. 


Verse 62. And Peter went out] The word Peter 
is omitted by BDKLM, and many other good MSS., 
with some of the ancient versions. Griesbach leaves 
it out of the text. 

Verse 63. Mocked him, and smote him.] This and 
the following verses are placed by Matthew and Mark 
before the relation of Peter’s denial. For their expla- 
nation, see on Matt. xxvi. 67, 68. 

Verse 68. And if I also ask you} Concerning the 
Christ, in case ye cannot give me such an answer as 
may prove [ am not the Christ, ye will not let me go; 
for I know ye are determined to put me to death. 

Verse 69. Hereafter] From this very time, απὸ 
του νυν. The kingdom of God is now going to be set 
up. See the note on Matt. xvi. 27, 28. 

Verse 70. Art thou then the Son of God?] They 
all insisted on an answer to this question, and the high 
priest particularly put it to him, Matt. xxvi. 63. 

Verse 71. We ourselves have heard| We have 
heard him profess hirnself the Son of God; he is there- 
fore guilty of blasphemy, and, as an impious pretender 
to a Divine mission, we must proceed against and con- 
demn him to death. See the note on Matt. xxvi. 66. 
Thus they proceeded as far as they could; he must 
now be brought before Pilate, as the Jews had no 
power to put him~to death. His trial before Pilate is 
related in the subsequent chapter. 


On our Lord’s agony in the garden, related in the 
43d and 44th verses, much has been written, but to 
little purpose. The cause of this agony seems not to 
have been well understood ; and there have been many 
wild conjectures concerning it. Some think it was 
oceasioned by “the Divine wrath pressing in upon 
him; for, as he was bearing the sin of the world, God 
looked on and treated him as if he were a sinner.”— 
There is something very shocking in this supposition ; 
and yet it is truly astonishing how general it is. The 
ministry of the angel, in this case, is a sufficient refu- 
tation of this opinion ; for what sort of strength could 


an angel give Christ against God’s indignation? An- 
gelic strength could not enable him to bear either the | 
492 


sin of the world or God’s wrath. If an angel could 
have succoured him in this, an angel might have made 
the whole atonement. Indeed, the ministry of the an- 
gel, who must have been sent from God, and sent in 
love too, is a full proof that God’s wrath was not pour- 
ed out on our blessed Redeemer at this time. Dr. 
Lightfoot conjectures that his conflict in the garden 
was with a devil, who appeared to him in a bodily shape, 
most horrible ; and that it was through this apparition 
that he began to be sore amazed, and very heavy, 
Mark xiv. 33; for, as Satan assaulted the first Adam 
in a garden in a bodily shape, it is not unreasonable 
to conclude that in the same way he assaulted the se- 
cond Adam ina garden. St. Luke tells us, chap. iv. 
13, that when the devil had finished all his temptations, 
he departed from him for a season : this season in the 
garden, probably, was the season, or fit opportunity, 
for him to return—the prince of this world came and 
found nothing in him, John xiv. 30. But, though 
there was nothing in the immaculate Jesus on which 
Satan could work, yet he might, as the doctor sup- 
poses, assume some horrible shape, in order to appal 
his mind, and shake his firmness ; and the evangelist 
seems to intimate that he had desired to be permitted 
to try or sift the disciples in this way, see ver. 31; 
and it is probable that it is to some personal, horrid 
appearance, that the apostle alludes when he speaks 
of the messenger of Satan that buffeted him, 2 Cor. 
xii. 7. The angel, therefore, from heaven, may be 
supposed to come against this angel from hell; and, 
as the one appeared to terrify, the other appeared to 
strengthen him. It was not necessary to exert the 
Divine power to crush this devil, and therefore an an- 
gel from heaven is sent to counteract his influence. 
This is the sum of Dr. Lightfoot’s reasonings upon 
this very difficult subject. 

Others suppose that, while our Lord was praying 
intensely in the garden, the extreme fervour of his 
application to God in the behalf of the poor deluded 
Jews, and in behalf of the world, was too much for his 
human nature to support ; that he, in consequence, fell 
into a swoon, in which he had a vision of an angel 

1 


CHAP. 
Let these 


Christ 1s led to Pilate, 


coming from heaven to strengthen him. 
sentiments stand on their respective merits. 
What renders this circumstance more difficult is, 
that there is no mention of it in any of the other evan- 
gelists: and it is worthy of remark that, among many 
of the ancients, the authenticity of these dwo verses, 
the 43d and 44th, has been doubted, and in consequence 
they are omitted in several MSS., and in some versions 
and fathers. The Codex Alexandrinus and the Codex 
Vaticanus, the two oldest MSS. in the world, omit 
both verses; in some other very ancient MSS. they 
stand with an asterisk before them, as a mark of dubi- 
ousness; and they are both wanting in the Coptic 
Fragments published by Dr. Ford. They are however 
extant in such a vast number of MSS., versions, and 
JSathers, as to leave no doubt with most critics of their 
authenticity. After all that has been said, or perhaps 
can be said on this subject, there will remain myste- 
ries which only the bright light of the eternal world 
ean sufficiently illustrate. That Christ was now suffer- 
ing, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to 


XXIII. 


accused, and examined 


God, and that he was bearing in his body the punish- 
ment due to their sins, I have no doubt: and that the 
agony of his mind, in these vicarious sufferings, caused 
the effusion from his body, of the bloody sweat, may 
be easily credited without supposing him to be at all 
under the displeasure of his heavenly Father ; for, as 
God can see nothing but as it is, he could not see him 
as a sinner who was purity itself. In every act, Jesus 
was that beloved Son in whom the Father was ever ἢ 
well pleased. 

As to the angel strengthening him, probably no more 
is meant by it than a friendly sympathizing of one of 
those heavenly beings with their Lord in distress : 
this circumstance is the most difficult in the whole re- 
lation ; but, understood thus, the difficulty is removed ; 
for what strength could the highest angel in heaven 
afford to our blessed Lord in his atoning acts? Surely, 
none. The bare supposition is insupportable. But, 
if we allow that the angel came to sympathize with 
him during his passion, the whole account will appear 
plain and consistent. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


Christ is led to Pilate, and accused by the Jews, 1, 2. 
Pilate, understanding that he was of Galilee, sends him to Herod, by 
The chief priests and scribes vehemently accuse him, and Herod and his sol- 
Pilate and Herod become friends, 12. 
and people, pronounces Christ to be innocent, and offers to release him, 13-20. 
condemnation, and Pilate gives him up to their will, 21-25. 


The Jews virulently accuse him, 5. 
whom he is examined, 6-9. 
diers mock him, 10, 11. 


bewail him, and he foretells the destruction of the 
brought to Calvary, and are crucified, 32, 33. 


He prays for his crucifiers, 34. 


Pilate examines, and pronounces him innocent, 3, 4. 


Pilate, before the chief priests, rulers, 
The Jews clamour for las 
Simon bears his cross, 26. The people 
Jewish state, 27-31. He and two malefactors are 
He is derided, mocked, 


and insulted by the rulers, and by the soldiers, 35-37. The superscription on the cross, 38. The conduct 


of the two malefactors, to one of whom he promises paradise, 39-43. 
The centurion and many others are greatly affected at his death, 47-49. Joseph 


gives up the ghost, 46. 


of Arimathea begs the body, and puts it in his own new tomb, 50-53. 


ointments to embalm him, 54-56. 


A. M. 4033. τ : : 
A.D. 29. AND “the whole multitude of 
Re pe them arose, and led him unto 


CCIL. 1. F 
ee +, (Pilate. 

2 And they began to accuse him, saying, 
We found this fellow ἢ perverting the nation, 


The great darkness, 44,45. He 


The women prepare spices and 


and ° forbidding to give tribute to 4, ™ 403s. 
Cesar, saying, “that he himself is An. Olymp. 
ς CCIE. 1. 
Christ a King. see 
3 © And Pilate asked him, saying, Art 


thou the King of the Jews? And he 


2 Matthew xxvii. 2; Mark xv. 1; John xviii. 28.——? Acts 
xvii. 7. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII. 

Verse 1. The whole multitude] It seems most 
probable that the chief priests, elders, scribes, and cap- 
tains of the temple, together with their servants, de- 
pendents, and other persons hired for the purpose, 
made up the multitude mentioned here. The common 
people were generally favourers of Christ ; and for this 
reason the Jewish rulers caused him to be apprehended 
in the night, and in the absence of the people, chap. 
xxii. 6, and it was now but just the break of day, 
xxii. 66. 

Verse 2. Perverting the nation] The Greek word 
διαστρεφοντα, signifies stirring up to disaffection and 
rebellion. Many MSS, and versions add jyor, our 

1 


© See Matt. xvii. 27; xxii. 21; Mark xii. 17——4 John xix. 12. 
e Matt. xxvii. 11; 1 Tim. vi. 13. 


nation. They intimated that he not only preached 
corrupt doctrine, but that he endeavoured to make them 
disaffected towards the Roman government, for which 
they now pretended to feel a strong affection ! 
Several copies of the I/ala add, Destroying our law 
and prophets. Et solventem legem nostram et prophetas. 
Forbidding to give tribute to Cesar] These were 
the falsest slanders that could be invented. The whole 
of our Lord’s conduct disproved them. And his deci- 
sion in the case of the question about the lawfulness of 
paying tribute to Cesar, Matt. xxii. 21, was so fully 
known that we find Pilate paid not the least attention 
to such evidently malicious and unfounded accusations. 
Neither Christ nor any of his followers, from that day 
493 


Pilate sends Christ to Herod. 


A.M. 4033. answered him, and said, Thou 
An. Olymp. sayest it. 


poe -4 Then said Pilate to the ‘chief 


priests and to the people, ‘I find no fault in 
this man. 

5 And they were the more fierce, saying, 
He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout 
all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. 

6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked 
whether the man were a Galilean. 

7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged 
unto ὃ Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to 
Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at 
that time. 

8 9 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was 
exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see 
him of a long season, because * he had heard 
many things of him; and he hoped to have 
seen some miracle done by him. 


ΓΤ Pet. ii. 22. 5 Chap. iii. 1. h Chap. ix. 9. i Matthew 
xiv. 1; Mark vi. 14.— Isa. lili. 31 Acts iv. 27. 


ST. LUKE. 


He and Pilate becom ,riends 


9 Then he questioned with him *,M, 4033. 
in many words; but he answered ἐπ: Olymp. 
him nothing. ΠΟΘΩ͂Ν 

10 And the chief priests and scrmes stood 
and vehemently accused him. 

11 * And Herod with his men of war set him 
at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him 
in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to 
Pilate. 

12 “| And the same day ! Pilate and Herod 
were made friends together: for before they 
were at enmity between themselves. 

13 9 ™ And Pilate, when he had called togeth- 
er the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 

14 Said unto them, ™ Ye have brought this 
man unto me, as one that perverteth the peo- 
ple: and behold ° J, having examined him be- 
fore you, have found no fault in this man touch- 
ing those things whereof ye accuse him : 


m Matt. xxvii. 23; Mark xv.14; John xviii. 38; xix. 4. a Ver, 


2 © Ver. 4. 


9 2 


until now, ever forbade the paying tribute to Cesar ; 
that is, constitutional taxes to a lawful prince. 

Verse 4. I find no fault in this man.] According 
to John xviii. 36, 38, Pilate did not say this till after 
our bord had declared to him that his kingdom was 
not of this world ; and probably not till after he had 
found, on examining witnesses, (ver. 14 of this chap- 
ter,) that all their evidence amounted to no proof, of 
his having set up himself for a temporal king. See 
Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 5. Saying, He stirreth up the people, &c.] 
In the Codex Colbertinus, a copy of the ancient tala 
or Antehieronymian version, this verse stands thus: 
He stirreth up the people, beginning from Galilee, 
and teaching through all Judea unto this place; our 
wives and our children he hath rendered averse from 
us, and he is not baptized as we are. As the Jews 
found that their charge of sedition was deemed frivo- 
ious by Pilate, they changed it, and brought a charge 
equally false and groundless against his doctrine. 

Verse 7. Herod's jurisdiction] The city of Naza- 
reth, in which Christ had continued till he was thirty 
years of age, and that of Capernawn, in which he 
principally resided the last years of his life, were both 
in Lower Galilee, of which Herod Antipas was tetrarch. 
Pilate was probably glad of this opportunity to pay a 
little respect to Herod, whom it is likely he had irri- 
tated, and with whom he now wished to be friends. 
See ver. 12. 

Verse 10. The chief priests—vehemently accused 
him.| Corrupt priests and teachers are generally the 
most implacable enemies of Christ and his truth, Evil 
passions betray those who are slaves to them. An af- 
ected moderation would have rendered these aceusers 
less suspected, their accusations more probable, and 
the envy less visible than this vehemence: but envy 
seldom or never consults prudence; and God permits 

494 


this to be so for the honour of truth and innocence. 
Quesnel. 

Verse 11. A gorgeous robe] Ἐσθητα λαμπραν. MN 
probably means a white robe, for it was the custom of 
the Jewish nobility to wear such. Hence, in Rey. 
iil. 4, it is said of the saints, They shall walk with 
me in WHITE (garments,) because they are WORTHY. 
In such a robe, Herod, by way of mockery, caused 
our Lord to be clothed; but, the nobility among the 
Romans wearing purple for the most part, Pilate’s 
soldiers, who were Romans, put on Jesus a purple 
robe, Mark xv. 17; John xix. 2; both of them fol- 
lowing the custom of their own country, when, by 
way of mocking our Lord as a king, they clothed 
him in robes of state. See Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 12. Pilate and Herod were made friends] 1 
do not find any account of the cause of the enmity 
which subsisted between Herod and Pilate given by 
ancient authors ; and the conjectures of the modern¢ 
on the subject should be considered as mere guesses. 
It is generally supposed that this enmity arose from 
what is related chap. xiii. of the Galileans, whose blood 
Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. These 
were Herod’s subjects, and Pilate seems to have fallen 
on them at the time they were offering sacrifices to 
God at the temple. Wicked men cannot love one 
another: this belongs to the disciples of Christ. But 
when Christ, his truth, or his followers are to be per- 
secuted, for this purpose the wicked unite their coun- 
sels and their influence. The Moabites and Ammon- 
ites, who were enemies among themselves, united 
against poor Israel, and, as Rabbi Tanchum says, may 
be likened to two contending dogs, who, when the 
wolf comes, join together to destroy him ; each know- 
ing that, if he do not, the wolf will kill both in sue- 
cession: whereas, by their union, they may now kill 
or baffle him. There is a proverb among the rab- 

1 


Pilate wishes to release Christ. 


AM. .15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent 
An. Olymp. you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy 
of death is done unto him. 

16 ΡΤ will therefore chastise him, and release 
him. 

17 ‘(For of necessity he must release one 
unto them at the feast.) 

18 And "they cried out all at once, saying, 
Away with this man, and release unto us Ba- 
rabbas : 

19 (Who, for a certain sedition made in the 
city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) 

20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, 
spake again to them. 

21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, cru- 
cify him. 

22 And he said unto them the third time, 
Why, what evil hath he done? I have found 
no cause of death in him: I will therefore chas- 
tise him, and let him go. 


P Matt. xxvii. 26; John xix. 1—®9 Matt. xxvii. 15; Mark 
xv. 6; John xviii. 39. τ Acts iii. 14.——* Matthew xxvii. 26; 


bins, that, when the cat and weasel marry together, 
misery becomes increased. 

Verse 15. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to 
kim] That is, to see whether he could find that Christ 
had ever attempted to raise any disaffection or sedition 
among the Galileans, among whom he had spent the 
principal part of his life ; and yet Herod has not been 
able to find out any evil in his conduct. Your own 
accusations I have fully weighed, and find them to the 
last degree frivolous. 

Instead of ἀνεπεμψα yap ὑμας προς avrov, for I sent 
you to him, BHIKLM, and many other MSS., with 
some versions, read avereuev yap αὐτὸν προς jac, 
for he hath sent him to us. Asif he had said, 
“Herod hath sent him back to us, which is a sure 
proof that he hath found no blame in him.” 

Nothing worthy of death is done unto him.] Or 
rather, nothing worthy of death is committed by him, 
Ππεπραγμενον αὐτῳ, not, done unto him. This phrase is 
of the same sense with οὐδὲν mexpayev avtoc, he hath 
done nothing, and is frequent in the purest Attic wri- 
ters. See many examples in Kypke. 

Verse 17. For of necessity he must release one] 
That is, he was under the necessity of releasing one 
at this feast. The custom, however it originated, had 
now been so completely established that Pilate was 
obliged to attend to it. See on Matt. xxvil. 15. 

Verse 18. Away with this man] That is, Put him 
lo death-—atpe τοῦτον, literally, Take this one away, 
i.e. to punishment—to death. 

Verse 22. I have found no cause of death in him] 
T find no crime worthy of death in him. There is 
nothing proved against him that can at all justify me 
in putting him to death. So here our blessed Lord 
was in the most formal manner justified by his judge. 


CHAP. 


XXII. The Jews clamour for his death 


23 And they were instant with 4, 4088, 
loud voices, requiring that he might a tty 
be crucified. And the voices of them ΒΕ 
and of the chief priests prevailed. 

24 And * Pilate * gave sentence that it should 
be as they required. 

25 And he released unto them him that for 
sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom 
they had desired ; but he delivered Jesus to 
their will. 

26 Ἵ τ And as they led him away, they laid 
hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out 
of the country, and on him they laid the 
cross, that he might bear 7¢ after Jesus. 

27 And there followed hima great company 
of people, and of women, which also bewailed 
and lamented him. 

28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daugh- 
ters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep 
for yourselves, and for your children. 


Mark xv. 15; John xix. 16—t Or, assented ; Exodus xxiii. 2. 
ἃ Matt. xxvii. 32; Mark xv. 21; see John xix. 17. 


Now as this decision was publicly known, and perhaps 
registered, it is evident that Christ died as an innocent 
person, and not as a malefactor. On the fullest con- 
viction of his innocence, his judge pronounced him 
guiltless, after having patiently heard every thing that 
the inventive malice of these wicked men could allege 
against him; and, when he wished to dismiss him, a 
violent mob took and murdered him. 

Verse 26. Simon, a Cyrenian] 
XXvil. 32. 

Verse 27. Bewailed and lamented him.] Exoxzov7o, 
Beat their breasts. See on Matt. xi. 17. 

Verse 28. Weep not for me] Many pious persons 
have been greatly distressed in their minds, because 
they could not weep on reading or hearing of the suf- 
ferings of Christ. For the relief of all such, let it be 
for ever known that no human spirit can possibly take 
any part in the passion of the Messiah. His sufferings 
were such as only God manifested in the flesh could 
bear ; and, as they were all of an expiatory nature, no 
man can taste of or share in them. Besides, the suf- 
ferings of Christ are not a subject of sorrow to any 
man; but, on the contrary, of eternal rejoicing to the 
whole of a lost world. Some have even prayed to 
participate in the sufferings of Christ. The legend of 
St. Francis and his stigmata is well known.—He is 
fabled to have received the marks in his hands, feet, 
and side. 

Relative to this point, there are many unwarrantable 
expressions used by religious people in their prayers 
and hymns. To give only one instance, how often 
do we hear these or similar words said or sung : -—— 


See on Matt. 


τ Give me to feel thy agonies ! 
One drop of thy sad cup afford!” 
495 


Jesus 15 crucified 


29 * For, behold, the days are 
An. Olymp. coming, in the which they shall say, 
COM Blessed are the barren, and the 
wombs that never bare, and the paps which 
never gave suck. 

30 Then shall they begin to say to the 
mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover 
us. 

31 * For if they do these things in a green 
tree, what shall be done in the dry? 

32 4.7 And there were also two other male- 
factors led with him to be put to death. 

33 And *when they were come to the 
place which is called * Calvary, there they cru- 
cified him, and the malefactors, one on the right 
hand, and the other on the left. 


A M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. 


ST. LUKE. 


between two malefactors. 


34 Then said Jesus, Father, 4,™. 4033 
> forgive them; for ὁ they know not An. Olymp. 
what they do. And ‘they parted pe a 
his raiment, and cast lots. 

35 Ἵ And ‘the people stood beholding 
And the frulers also with them derided him, 
saying, He saved others ; let him save himself, 
if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 

36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming 
to him, and offering him vinegar, 

37 And saying, If thou be the king of the 
Jews, save thyself. 

38 5 Anda superscription also was written 
over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and 
Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE 
JEWS. 


Vv Matt. xxiv. 19; chap. xxi. 23. W 158. 11. 19; Hosea x. 8; 
Rey. vi. 16; ix. 6. x Proy. xi. 31; Jer. xxv. 29; Ezek. xx. 
47; xxi. 3,4; 1 Pet. iv. 17. YIsa. lili. 12; Matt. xxvii. 38. 
z Matt. xxvii. 33; Mark xv. 22; John xix. 17, 18. 


Reader! one drop of this cup would bear down thy 
soul to endless ruin; and these agonies would anni- 
hilate the universe. He suffered alone: for of the 
people there was none with him; because his suffer- 
ings were to make an atonement for the sins of the 
world: and in the work of redemption he had no 
helper. 

Verse 30. Mountains, fall on us| As this refers to 
the destruction of Jerusalem, and as the same expres- 
sions are used, Rev. vi. 16, Dr. Lightfoot conjectures 
that the whole of that chapter may relate to the same 
event. 

Verse 31. If they do these things in a green tree] 
This seems to be a proverbial expression, the sense of 
which is: If they spare not a tree which, by the 
beauty of its foliage, abundance and excellence of its 
fruits, deserves to be preserved, then the tree which 
is dry and withered will surely be cut down. If an 
innocent man be put to death in the very face of jus- 
tice, in opposition to all its dictates and decisions, by 
a people who profess to be governed and directed by 
Divine laws, what desolation, injustice, and oppres- 
sion may not be expected, when anarchy and confu- 
sion sit in the place where judgment and justice for- 
merly presided? Our Lord alludes prophetically 
to those tribulations which fell upon the Jewish 
people about forty years after. See the notes on 
Matt. xxiv. 

Verse 32. Two other malefactors] Ἕτεροι δυὸ 
kakoupyot, should certainly be translated two others, 
malefactors, as in the Bibles published by the King’s 
printer, Edinburgh. As it now stands in the text, it 
seems to intimate that our blessed Lord was also a 
malefactor. 

Verse 33. The place—called Calvary] See on 
Matt. xxvii. 33. 

They crucified him] See the nature of this punish- 
ment explained, Matt. xxvii. 35. 

Verse 34. They know not what they do.| If igno- 

496 


a Or, the place of a skull» Matt. v. 44; Acts vii. 60; 1 Cor 
iv. 12. © Acts iii. 17. ἃ Matt. xxvii. 35; Mark xv. 24; Johu 
xix, 23. € Psa. xxii. 17; Zech. xii. 10 -——f Matt. xxvii. 39; 
Mark xv. 29.— Matt. xxvii. 37; Mark xv. 26; John xix. 19. 


rance do not excuse a crime, it at least diminishes the 
atrocity of it. However, these persons well knew 
that they were crucifying an innocent man; but they 
did not know that, by this act of theirs, they were 
bringing down on themselves and on their country 
the heaviest judgments of God. Inthe prayer, Father, 
forgive them! that word of prophecy was fulfilled, 
He made intercession for the transgressors, Isa. lili. 12. 

Verse 35. Derided him] Treated him with the ut- 
most contempt, εξεμυκτηριζον, in the: most infamous 
manner. See the meaning of this word explained, 
chap. xvi. 14. 

Verse 36. Offering him vinegar] See on Matt. 
xxvil. 34. Vinegar or small sour wine, was a com- 
mon drink of the Roman soldiers; and it is supposed 
that wherever they were on duty they had a vessel of 
this liquor standing by. It appears that at least two 
cups were given to our Lord; one before he was 
nailed to the cross, viz. of wine mingled with myrrh, 
and another of vinegar, while he hung on the cross. 
Some think there were three cups: one of wine mixed 
with myrrh; the seconp, of vinegar mingled with 
gall; and the TuirD, of simple vinegar. Allow these 
three cups, and the different expressions in all tiie 
evangelists will be included. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 38. A superscription] See Matt. xxvil. 37. 

In letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew] The 
inscription was written in all these Janguages, which 
were the most common, that all might see the reason 
why he was put to death. The inscription was writ- 
ten in Greek, on account of the Hellenistic Jews, whe 
were then at Jerusalem because of the passover ; it 
was written in Late, that being the language of the 
government under which he was crucified ; and it was 
written in Hebrew, that being the language of the 
place in which this deed of darkness was committed. 
But, by the good providence of God, the inscription 
itself exeulpated him, and proved the Jews to be re- 
bels against, and murderers of, their king. See the 

1 


Account of the 


Ἐν ΤῊΝ 39 Ἵ “And one of the malefac- 
An, Olymp. tors which were hanged railed on 
—__ him, saying, If thou be Christ, save 
thyself and us. 

40 But the other answering rebuked him, 
saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou 
art in the same condemnation ? 

41 And we indeed justly, for we receive 


h Matt. xxvii. 44; 


note on Matt. xxvii. 37. It is not to be wondered at 
that they wished Pilate to alter this inscription, John 
xix. 21, as it was a record of their infamy. 

Verse 39. One of the malefactors which were hanged] 
It is likely that the two robbers were not nailed to 
their crosses, but only tied to them by cords, and thus 
they are represented in ancient paintings. If not 
nailed, they could not have suffered much, and there- 
fore they were found still alive when the soldiers 
came to give the coup de grace, which put a speedy 
end to their lives. John xix. 31-33. 

Verse 40. Dost not thou fear God] The sufferings 
of this person had been sanctified to him, so that his 
heart was open to receive help from the hand of the 
Lord : he is a genuine penitent, and gives the fullest 
proof he ean give of it, viz. the acknowledgment of 
the justice of his sentence. He had sinned, and he 
acknowledges his sin; his heart believes unto right- 
eousness, and with his tongue he makes confession 
unto salvation. While he condemns himself he bears 
testimony that Jesus was innocent. Bishop Pearce 
supposes that these were not robbers in the common 
sense of the word, but Jews who took up arms on the 
principle that the Romans were not to be submitted 
to, and that their levies of tribute money were op- 
pressive ; and therefore they made no scruple to rob 
all the Romans they met with. These Jews Josephus 
calls λῃσται, robbers, the same term used by the evan- 
gelists. This opinion gains some strength from the 
penitent thief’s confession: We receive the reward of 
our deeds—we rose up against the government, and 
committed depredations in the country ; but this man 
hath done nothing amiss—azorov, out of place, disor- 
derly,—nothing calculated to raise sedition or insur- 
rection; nor inconsistent with his declarations of 
peace and good will towards all men, nor with the 
nature of that spiritual kingdom which he came to 
establish among men; though he is now crucified 
under the pretence of disaffection to the Roman go- 
vernment. 

Verse 42. Lord, remember me, &e.] It is worthy 
of remark, that this man appears to have been the first 
who believed in the intercession of Christ. 

Verse 43. To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.] 
Marcion and the Manichees are reported to have left 
this verse out of their copies of this evangelist. This 
saying of our Tord is justly considered as a strong 
proof of the immateriality of the soul; and it is no 
wonder that those who have embraced the contrary 
opinion should endeavour to explain away this mean- 

Vo. I. ( 33°) 


CHAP. 


XXII. 


two malefactors. 


the due reward of our deeds: but go a 
this man hath done nothing am'ss. gg 
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, =: 
remember me when thou comest into thy 

kingdom ! 

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say 
unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me ip 
paradise. 


Mark xv. 32. 


ing. In order to do this, a comma is placed after 
onuepov, to-day, and then our Lord is supposed to have 
meant, “Thou shalt be with me after the resurrection; 
I tell thee this, To-pay.” JI am sorry to find men of 
great learning and abilities attempting to support this 
most feeble and worthless criticism. Such support a 
good cause cannot need ; and, in my opinion, even ἃ 
bad cause must be discredited by it. 

In paradise. The garden of Eden, mentioned 
Gen. ii. 8, is also called, from the Septuagint, the 
garden of Paradise. ‘The word }1}' Eden, signifies 
pleasure and delight. Several places were thus called: 
see Gen. iv. 16; 2 Kings xix. 12; Isa. xxxvii. 12; 
Ezek. xxvii. 23; and Amos i. 5; and such places 
probably had this name from their fertility, pleasant 
situation, &c., &c. In this light the Septuagint have 
viewed Gen. ii. 8, as they render the passage thus : 
egutevoev 6 Θεὸς παραδεισον ev Eden, God planted a 
paradise in Eden. Hence the word has been trans- 
planted into the New Testament ; and is used to signify 
a place of exquisite pleasure and delight. From this 
the ancient heathens borrowed their ideas of the gar- 
dens of the Hesperides, where the trees bore golden 
fruit; and the gardens of Adonis, a word which is evi- 
dently derived from the Hebrew }1)) Eden: and hence 
the origin of sacred groves, gardens, and other enclo- 
sures dedicated to purposes of devotion, some compa- 
ratively innocent, others impure. The word paradise 
is not Greek, but is of Asiatic origin. In Arabic and 
Persian it signifies a garden, a vineyard, and also the 
place of the blessed. Inthe Kushuf ul Loghat, a very 


celebrated Persian dictionary, the Uw9dpU) ε΄" mp Ε 


Jenet αἱ Ferdoos, Garden of Paradise, is said to have 
been “created by God out of light, and that the pro 
phets and wise men ascend thither.” 

Paradise was, in the beginning, the habitation of 
man in his state of innocence, in which he enjoyed that 
presence of his Maker which constituted his supreme 
happiness. Our Lord’s words intimate that this pen- 
itent should be immediately taken to the abode of the 
spirits of the just, where he should enjoy the presence 
and approbation of the Most High. In the Institutes 
of Menu, chap. Economics, Inst. 243, are the follow- 
ing words: “A man habitually pious, whose offences 
have been expiated, is instantly conveyed, after death, 
to the higher world, with a radiant form, and a body 
of ethereal substance.” The state of the blessed is 
certainly what our Lord here means: in what the 
locality of that state consists we know not. The Jews 
have a multitude of fables on the subject 

497 


Christ gives up the ghost. 


Ages. 44 ¥ ‘ And it was about the sixth 


An. Qiym. hour, and there was darkness over 
90 all the * earth, until the ninth hour. 
45 And the sun was darkened, and ! the veil 

of the temple was rent in the midst. 

46 9 And when Jesus had cried with a loud 
voice, he said, ™ Father, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit: ®and having said thus, he gave 
up the ghost. 

47 4 ° Now when the centurion saw what 
was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly 
this was a righteous man. 

48 And all the people that came together to 
that sight, beholding the things which were 
done, smote their breasts, and returned. 

49 » And all his acquaintance and the wo- 
men that followed him from Galilee, stood afar 
off, beholding these things. 

50 94 And, behold, there was a man named 


“i Matt. xxvii. 45 ; Mark xv. 33- 

; Mark xv. 38.— Psa. xxxi. 5; 
ean 50; Mark xv. 37; John xix. 30. 
Mark xv. 39. P Psa. xxxviii. 11; 


1 Pet. 11. 23» Matt. 
© Matthew xxvii. 54; 
Matt. xxvii. 55; Mark xv. 


ST. LUKE. 


k Or, land.——! Matt. xxvii. 


Joseph begs the body of Jesus 


Joseph, a counsellor; and he was 4,™, 4033. 
a good man, and a just: An. Olym| 
8 ὃ J COIL I. 


51 (The same had not consented : 
to the counsel and deed of them :) he was of 
Arimathea, a city of the Jews, ‘who also 
himself waited for the kingdom of God. 

52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged 
the body of Jesus. | 

53 * And he took it down, and wrapped it in 
linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn 
in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 

54 And that day was * the preparation, and 
the Sabbath drew on. 

55 Ἵ And the women also, ὃ which came 
with him from Galilee, followed after, and ¥ be- 
held the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 

56 And they returned, and τ prepared spices 
and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day, 
* according to the commandment. 


40; see John xix. 25.—4 Matt. xxvii. 57; Mark xv. 42; John 
xix. 38. τ Mark xv. 43; chap, 11. 25, 38. 5 Matthew &xvil. 
59; Mark xv. 46. τ Matthew xxvii. 02. 4 Chap. viii. 2. 
νυ Mark xv. 47. w Mark xvi. 1. x Exod. xx. 10. 


Verse 44. Darkness over all the earth] See the 
note on Matt. xxvii. 45. The darkness began at the 
siath hour, about our twelve o’clock at noon, and last- 
ed till the ninth hour, which answered to our three 
o'clock in the afternoon. 

Verse 45. The sun was darkened] See an examina- 
tion of the accounts of Phlegon, Thallus, and Diony- 
stus, on Matt. xxvii. 45. 

The veil—was rent] See Matt. xxvii. 51. 

Verse 46. Into thy hands Icommend my spirit] Or, 
Twill commit my spirit—I deposit my soul in thy 
hands. Another proof of the immateriality of the soul, 
and of its separate existence when the body is dead. 

Verse 48. And all the people] All were deeply af- 
dected except the priests, and those whom they had 
employed to serve their base purposes. The dark- 
ness, earthquake, &c., had brought terror and conster- 
nation into every heart. How dreadful is the state of 
those who, in consequence of their long opposition to 
the grace and truth of God, are at last given up to a 
xeprobate mind ! 

Verses 50,51. Joseph—of Arimathea] See the 
notes on Matt. xxvil. 57-60, and those especially on 
Mark xv. 43. 

Verse 54. And the Sabbath drew on.) Or, The 
Sabbath was lighting up, exedwore, 1. e. with the can- 
dles which the Jews light just before six in the even- 
ing, when the Sabéath commences. The same word 
is used for the dawning of the day, Matt. xxviii. 1. 
Wakefield. The Jews always lighted up candles on 
the Sabbath; and it was a solemn precept that, “if 
a man had not bread to eat, he must beg from door ‘to 
door to get a little oil to set up his Sabbath light.” 

498 


The night of the Sabbath drew on, which the Jews 
were accustomed to call the light. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 55. The women also, which came] These 
were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother 
of James, chap. xxiv. 10. To these three, Mark, in 
chap. xvi. 1, adds, Salome; but some think that this 
was only a surname of one of these Marys. 

Verse 56. Prepared spices and ointments! This 
was in order to embalm him; which sufficiently 
proves that they had no hope of his resurrection the 
third day. 

And rested the Sabbath day| For though the Jewish 
canons allowed all works, necessary for the dead, to 
be done, even on the Sabbath, such as washing and 
anointing, provided they moved not a limb of the dead 
person, yet, as the Jews had put Christ to death under 
the pretence of his being a malefactor, it would not 
have been either prudent or safe to appear too forward 
in the present business; and therefore they rested on 
the Sabbath. 


Certain copies of the Iéala have some remarkable 
additions in these concluding verses. The conclusion 
of the 48th verse, in one of them, is read thus: Beat- 
ing their breasts and their foreheads, and saying, Wo 
to us because of what is done this day, on account of 
our sins; for the desolation of Jerusalem is at hand. 
To ver. 52, another adds: And when Pilate heard 
that he was dead, he glorified God and gave the body 
to Joseph. On the circumstances of the crucifixion, 
see the observations at the end of Matt. xxvii., and 
consider how heinous sin must be in the sight of God, 
when it required such a sacrifice ! 

Ge S2zy 1) 


Angels announce the 


CHAP. 


XXIV. resurrection to the women 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


The women coming early to the sepulchre on the first day of the week, bringing their syces, find the stone 


rolled away, and the tomb empty, 1-3. 
4-8. 
ines the tomb, 11, 12. 
converses with them, 13-29. 
disappears, 30, 31. 
32-35. 
tion, 36-43. 


salem, 52, 53. 


A. M. 4033. Now “upon the first day of 


A Obymp. the week, very early in the 
———— morning, they came unto the se- 
pulchre, ἢ bringing the spices which they had 
prepared, and certain others with them. 

2 ° And they found the stone rolled away 
from the sepulchre. 

3 ‘And they entered in, and found not the 
body of the Lord Jesus. 

4 And it came to pass, as they were much 
perplexed thereabout, ° behold, two men stood 
by them in shining garments : 

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down 


ἃ Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark xvi. 1; John xx. 2. 
86. 
9. 


Ὁ Chap. xxiii. 
© Matt. xxvili. 2; Mark xvi. 4——4 Ver. 23; Mark xvi. 
e John xx. 12; Acts i. 10. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV. 

Verse 1. Bringing the spices) To embalm the body 
of our Lord: but Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea 
had done this before the body was laid in the tomb. 
See John xix. 39, 40. But there was a second em- 
balming found necessary: the first must have been 
hastily and imperfectly performed; the spices now 
brought by the women were intended to complete the 
preceding operation. 

And certain others with them.| This clause is 
wanting in BCL, two others; Coptic, Au//uopic, Vulgate, 
and in all the Jta/a except two. Dionysius Alexan- 
drinus, and Eusebius also omit it. The omission is 
approved by Mill, Bengel, Wetstein, Griesbach, and 
others. Bishop Pearce thinks it should be left out for 
the following reasons: 1. “ They who came to the 
sepulchre, as is here said, being the same with those 
who, in chap. xxiii. 55, are called the women which 
came with him from Galilee, there was no room for 
Luke (I think) to add as here, and some others came 
with them; because the words in chap. xxiii. 55, to 
which these refer, include all that can be supposed to 
be designed by the words in question. 2. Luke has 
named no particular woman here, and therefore he 
could not add and some others, &c., these words ne- 
cessarily requiring that the names of the women should 
have preceded, as is the case in ver. 10, where, when 
Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and Joanna, had 
been named, it is very rightly added, and other women 
that were with them.” 


- 
a 


They see a vision of angels, who announce Christ’s resurrection, 
The women return and tell this to the eleven, 9, 10. 


They believe not, but Peter goes and exam- 


Christ, unknown, appears to two of the disciples who were going to Emmaus, and 
While they are eating together, he makes himself known, and immediately 
They return to Jerusalem, and announce his resurrection to the rest of the disciples, 
Jesus himself appears to them, and gives them the fullest proof of the reality of his reswurrec- 
He preaches to them, and gives them the promise of the Holy Spirit, 44-49. 
them to Bethany, and ascends to heaven in their sight, 50, 51. 


He takes 


They worship him, and return to Jeru~ 


: ν é ‘7 Δ. Ν. 4033. 
their faces to the earth, they said ΓΕ oo 


unto them, Why seek ye ‘ the living Aap Oe 
among the dead ? i ee 

6 He is not here, but is risen: Sremember 
how he spake unto you when he was yet in 
Galilee, 

7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered 
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, 
and the third day rise again. 

8 And *they remembered his words, 

9 + And returned from the sepulchre, and 
told all these things unto the eleven, and to all 
the rest. 


f Or, him that liveth 7. £ Matt. xvi. 21; xvii. 23; Mark viii. 
31; ix. 31; chap. ix. 22—+ John ii. 22.——i Matt. xxviii. 8; 
Mark xvi. 10. 


Verse 93. They found the stone rolled away] An 
angel from God had done this before they reached the 
tomb, Matt. xxviii. 2. On this case we cannot help 
remarking, that, when persons have strong confidence 
in God, obstacles do not hinder them from undertaking 
whatever they have reason to believe he requires; 
and the removal of them they leave to him: and what 
is the consequence? They go on their way comforta- 
bly, and all difficulties, vanish before them. 

Verse 3. And found not the body of the Lord| His 
holy soul was in Paradise, chap. xxiii. 43; and the 
evangelist mentions the Jody particularly, to show that 
this only was subject to death. It is, I think, evident 
enough, from these and other words of Luke, that the 
doctrine of the materiality of the soul, made no part 
of his creed. 

Verse 5. Why seek ye the living among the dead 1] 
This was a common form of speech among the Jews, 
and seems to be applied to those who were foolishly, 
impertinently, or absurdly employed. As places of 
burial were unclean, it was not reasonable to suppose 
that the living should frequent them; or that if any 
was missing he was likely to be found in such places. 

Verse 7. Sinful men] Or heathens, avépwxus 
ἁμαρτωλων, i. 6. the Romans, by whom only he could 
be put to death; for the Jews themselves acknowledg- 
ed that this power was now vested in the hands of the 
Roman governor alone. See John xix. 15. 

Verse 8. They remembered his words.] Even the 
simple recollection of the words of Christ becomes 

499 


Christ appears to two disciples 


AM 10 Tt was Mary Magdalene, and 


An. Olymp. * Joanna, and Mary the mother of 

ea James, and other women that were 
with them, which told these things unto the 
apostles. 

11 ! And their words seemed to them as idle 
tales, and they believed them not. 

12 ἅ ™ Then arose Peter, and ran unto the 
sepulchre ; and stooping down, he beheld the 
linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, 
wondering in himself at that which was come 
to pass. 

13 Ἵ "And, behold, two of them went that 
same day to a village called Emmaus, which 
was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 

14 And they talked together of all these 
things which had happened. 


ST. LUKE. 


on their way to Emmaus 


15 And it came to pass, that, 4,™, 4033. 
while pc communed together and An. Ob 
reasoned, ° Jesus ας ἢ drew near ee 
and went with them. 

16 But » their eyes were holden that they 
should not know him. 

17 And he said unto them, What manner 
of communications are these that ye have one 
to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 

18 And the one of them, 4 whose name was 
Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou 
only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not 
known the things which are come to pass there 
in these days? 

19 And he said unto them, What things ? 
And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of 
Nazareth, * which was a prophet * mighty in 


Chap. viii. 3— Mark xvi. 11; ver. 25.——™ John xx. 3, 6. 
= Mark xvi. 12. © Matt. xviii. 20; ver. 36. 


P John xx. 14; xxi. 4. 4 John xix. 25. τ Matt. xxi. 11; chap. 
vii. 16; John iii. 2 2; iv. 19; vi.14; Acts ii. 22. 5 Acts vii. 22. 


often a source of comfort and support to those who are 
distressed or tempted: for his words are the words of 
eternal life. 

Verse 10. And Joanna] She was the wife of Chuza, 
Herod’s steward. See chap. viii. 3. 

Verse 12. Then arose Peter| John went with him, 
and got to the tomb before him. See John xx. 2, 3. 

The ‘inen clothes laid by themselves] Or, The linen 
clothes only. This was the fine linen which Joseph 
of Arimathea bought, and wrapped the body in: Mark 
xv. 46. Small as this circumstance may at first view 
appear, it is, nevertheless, no mean proof of the resur- 
rection of our Lord. Had the body been stolen away, 
all that was wrapped about it would have been taken 
away with it; as the delay which must have been oc- 
casioned by stripping it might have led to the detec- 
tion of the theft; nor would the disciples have run 
such arisk if they had stolen him, when stripping the 
body could have answered no end. This circumstance 
is related still more particularly by John, chap. xx. 
5,6, 7. Peter seeth the linen clothes lie, and the 
napkin that was ahout his head not lying with the 
linen clothes, but wraprrep together in a place by it- 
self. All these circumstances prove that the thing 
was done leisurely ; order and regularity being observ- 
ed through the whole. Hurry and confusion necessa- 
rily mark every act of robbery. 

Verse 13. Behold, two of them] This long and in- 
teresting account is not mentioned by Matthew nor 
John, and is only glanced at by Mark, chap. xvi. 12, 
13. One of these disciples was Cleopas, ver. 18, 
and the other is supposed by many learned men, both 
ancient and modern, to have been Luke himself. See 
the sketch of his life prefixed to these notes. Some 
Οἱ the ancient versions have called the other disciple 
Ammaus and Ammaon, reading the verse thus: Be- 
hold two of them, Ammaus and Cleopas, were going 
in that very day to a village about sixty furlongs dis- 


tant from Jerusalem. But the Persian says positively | 


500 


that it was Luke who accompanied Cleopas. See the 
inscription to section 140 of this Gospel in the Poly- 
glott. Dr. Lightfoot thinks it was Peder, and proves 
that Cleopas and Alpheus were one and the same per- 
son. 

Threescore furlongs.| Some MSS. say 160 fur- 
longs, but this is a mistake ; for Josephus assigns the 
same distance to this village from Jerusalem as the 
evangelist does. War, b. vii. c. 6. 5. 6. Αμμαοὺσ 
ἀπέχει τῶν Ἱεροσολυμων σταδιους ἑξηκοντα, Ammaus is 
sixty stadia distant from Jerusalem, about seven 
English miles and three-quarters. A stadiwm was 
about 243 yards, according to Arbuthnot. 

Verse 15. And reasoned] Συζητειν, concerning the 
probability or improbability of Christ being the Mes- 
siah, or of his resurrection from the dead. It was a 
laudable custom of the Jews, and very common also, 
to converse about the Jaw in all their journeyings ; and 
now they had especial reason to discourse together, 
both of the law and the prophets, from the transactions 
which had recently taken place. 

Verse 16. Their eyes were holden] It does not ap- 
pear that there was any thing supernatural here, for 
the reason why these persons (who were not apostles, 
see ver. 33) did not recollect our Lord is given by 
Mark, chap. xvi. 12, who says that Christ appeared to 
them in another form. 

Verse 18. Cleopas] The same as Alpheus, father 
of the Apostle James, Mark iii. 18, and husband of the 
sister of the virgin. John xix. 25. 

Art thou only a stranger] As if he had said, What 
has been done in Jerusalem, within these few days, 
has been so public, so awful, and so universally known, 
that, if thou hadst been but a lodger in the city for a 
single night, I cannot conceive how thou couldst miss 
hearing of these things: indeed, thou appearest to be 
the only person unacquainted with them. 

Verse 19. Which was a prophet] Ἀνὴρ προφητῆς, 
a man prophet, a genuine prophet; but this has been 

ι 


Christ showeth the necessity of CHAP. 


ΝΟ deed and word before God and all 
An, Olymp. the people : 

20 ‘And how the chief priests 
and our rulers delivered him to be condemned 
to death, and have crucified him. 

21 But we trusted "that it had been he 
which should have redeemed Israel: and be- 
side all this, to-day is the third day since these 
things were done. 

22 Yea, and ‘certain women also of our 
company made us astonished, which were early 
at the sepulchre ; 

23 And when they found not his body, they 
came, saying that they had also seen a vision 
of angels, which said that he was alive. 


XXIV. his death and resurrection 
24 And “certain of them which ce 


were with us went to the sepulchre, fe, rola 
and found it even so as the women “- 
had said: but him they saw not. 

25 Then he said unto them, O fools and 
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets 
have spoken ! 

26 * Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things, and to enter into his glory ? 

27 ¥ And beginning at * Moses and “all the 
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the 
Scriptures, the things concerning himself. 

28 And they drew nigh unto the village, 
whither they went: and ἢ he made as though 
he would have gone farther. 


Ὁ Chap. xxiii. 1; Acts xiii. 27, 28. “Chap. i. 68; ii. 38; 
Acts i. 6. ¥ Matt. xxviii. 8; Mark xvi. 10; ver. 9,10; John 
xx. 18.——* Ver. 12. 
y Ver. 45. 


-- Ver. 46; Acts xvii. 3; 1 Peteri. 11. 
2 Gen. iii. 15; xxii. 18; xxvi. 4; xlix. 10; Num. 


considered as a Hebraism: “for, in Exod. ii. 14, a 
man prince is simply a prince; and in 1 Sam. xxxi. 
3, men archers mean no more than archers.” But my 
own opinion is, that this word is often used to deepen 
the signification; so in the above quotations: Who 
made thee aman prince (i. e. a mighty sovereign) and 
a judge over us? Exod. ii. 14. And, the battle went 
sore against Saul, and the men archers (i. e. the stout, 
or well aiming archers) hit him, 1 Sam. xxxi. 3. So 
in Patmpuatus, de Incredib. c. 38. p. 47, quoted by 
Kypke, ἣν avnp βασιλεὺς peyac, He was a great and 
eminent king. So ἀνὴρ προφητης here signifies, he 
Was ἃ GENUINE prophet, nothing like those false ones 
by whom the people have been so often deceived ; and 
he has proved the divinity of his mission by his hea- 
venly teaching, and astonishing miracles. 

Mighty in—word] Irresistibly eloquent. Powerful 
in deed, working incontrovertible miracles. See Kypke 
in loco. 

Verse 21-24. Cleopas paints the real state of his 
own mind in these verses. In his relation there is 
scarcely any thing well connected ; important points 
are referred to, and not explained, though he consider- 
ed the person to whom he spoke as entirely unac- 
quainted with these transactions: his own hopes and 
fears he cannot help mixing with the narration, and 
throwing over the whole that confusion that dwells in 
his own heart. The narration is not at all in Luke’s 
style; but as it is probable he was the other disciple 
who was present, and had heard the words of Cleopas, 
he gave them in that simple, natural, artless manner 
in which they were spoken. Had the account been 
forged, those simple, natural touches would not have 
appeared. 

To-day is the third day] Our Lord had often said 
that he would rise again the third day; and though 
Alpheus had little hope of this resurrection, yet he 
could not help recollecting the words he had heard, 
especially as they seemed to be confirmed by the re- 
iation of the women, ver. 22-24. 

Verse 25. O fools and slow of heart to believe] 

1 


xxi.9; Deut. xviii. 15 —— Psa. xvi. 9, 10; xxii.; exxxii. 11; Isa 
vii. 14; ix. 6; xl. 10, 11; 1. 6; lili.; Jer. xxiii.5; xxxiii. 14,15 
Ezek. xxxiv. 23; xxxvii. 25; Dan. ix. 24; Mic. vii. 20; Mal. iti. 1 
iv. 2; see on John i. 45.—» See Gen. xxxii. 26; xlii.7; Mark vi. 48. 


Inconsiderate men, justly termed such, because they 
had not properly attended to the description given of 
the Messiah by the prophets, nor to Ais teaching and 
miracles, as proofs that He alone was the person they 
deseribed. 

Slow of heart—Backward, not easy to be persuad- 
ed of the truth, always giving way to doubtfulness and 
distrust. This very imperfection in them is a strong 
evidence of the truth of the doctrine which they af- 
terwards believed, and proclaimed to the world. Had 
they not had the fullest assurance of these things, 
they never would have credited them; and it is no 
small honour to the new-covenant Scriptures that such 
persons were chosen, first, to believe them ; secondly, 
to proclaim them in the world ; and, thirdly, to die on 
the evidence of those truths, the blessed influence of 
which they felt in their own hearts, and fully exem- 
plified in their lives. 

Verse 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered] 
Οὐχὶ eder παϑειν tov Xpicrov, Was it not necessary that 
the Christ should suffer. This was the way in which 
sin must be expiated, and, without this, no soul could 
have been saved. The suffering Messiah is he alone 
by whom Israel and the world can be saved. 

Verse 27. Beginning at Moses, &c.] What a ser- 
mon this must have been, where all the prophecies re- 
lative to the incarnation, birth, teaching, miracles, 
sufferings, death, and resurrection of the blessed Jesus 
were all adduced, illustrated, and applied to himself, 
by an appeal to the well known facts which had taken 
place during his life! We are almost irresistibly im- 
pelled to exclaim, What a pity this discourse had not 
been preserved! No wonder their hearts burned within 
them, while hearing such a sermon, from such a 
preacher. The law and the prophets had all borne 
testimony, either directly or indirectly, to Christ ; and 
we may naturally suppose that these prophecies and 
references were those which our Lord at this time ex- 
plained and applied to himself. See ver. 52. 

Verse 28. He made as though he would have gone 
farther.] That is, he was going on, as though he m- 

501 


They return to Jerusalem 
A.M. 4033. 29 But © they constrained him, 
An, Olymp. saying, Abide with us: for it is to- 
ΕΘΗ ward evening, and the day is far 
spent. And he went in tc tarry with them. 
30 And it came to pass. as he sat at meat 
with them, “he took bread, and blessed τέ, and 
brake, and gave to them. 
31 And their eyes were opened, and they 
knew him; and he © vanished out of their sight. 
32 And they said one to another, Did not 
our heart burn within us, while he talked with 
us by the way, and while he opened to us the 
Scriptures? 


ST. LUKE. 


and announce the resurrection 


33 And they rose up the same 4; M; 4083. 


hour, and returned to Jerusalem, An. Olymp. 
and found the eleven gathered to- tole 
gether, and them that were with them, 

34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and 
f hath appeared to Simon. 

35 And they told what things were done in 
the way, and how he was known of them in 
breaking of bread. 

36 4 δ And as they thus spake, Jesus him- 
self stood in the midst of them, and saith un 
to them, Peace be unto you. 

37 But they were terrified and affrighted, 


*Gen. xix. 3; Acts xvi. 15——4 Matt. xiv. 19. © Or, ceased 
to be seen of them ; see chap. iv. 30; John viii. 59. 


£1 Cor. xy. 5.——# Mark xvi. 14; John xx. 19; 
xv. 5 


1 Corinthians 


tended to go farther ; and so he doubtless would had 
they not earnestly pressed him to lodge with them.— 
His preaching had made a deep impression upon their 
hearts, ver. 32, and now they feel it their greatest 
privilege to entertain the preacher. 

This is a constant effect of the doctrine of Christ : 
wherever it is felt, the Author of it, the ever-blessed 
Jesus, is earnestly entreated to dwell in the heart ; 
and he who preaches it is amply provided with the 
necessaries of life by those who have received his 
testimony. 

Verse 29. For it is toward evening] And conse- 
quently both inconvenient and unsafe to proceed to ano- 
ther village. Reader! it is probably the eve of thy 
life, whether thou be old or young : thy day may have 
already declined, and there is, possibly, but a step be- 
tween thee and the eternal world! Hath the Lord 
Jesus taught thee by his word and Spirit to believe 
in him, that thou mightest be saved? Is he come into 
thy heart? Hast thou the witness of his Spirit that 
thy sin is blotted out through his blood? Rom. viii. 
16; Gal. iv. 6; 1 John v. 10, 11, 12. If thou have 
not, get thee to God right humbly.—Jesus is about to 
pass by, perhaps for ever! Ὁ, constrain him, by 
earnest faith and prayer, to enter into thy soul, and 
fodge with thee! May God open Tuy eyes! May he 
stir up and inflame Tuy heart ! 

And he went in} And so he will to thee, thou pe- 
nitent soul! Therefore take courage, and be not faith- 
less but believing. 

Verse 30. He took bread| This was the office of 
the master and father of a family; and this was our 
Lord’s usual custom among his disciples. Those whom 
Christ Jodges with he feeds, and feeds too with bread 
that himself hath d/essed, and this feeding not only 
strengthens, but also enlightens the soul. 

Verse 31. Their eyes were opened] But we are 
not to imagine that he administered the holy eucharist 
at this time ; there is not the most distant evidence of 
this. It was a mere family meal, and ended before it 
vas well begun. 

They knew him| His acting as father of the fa- 
mily, in taking, blessing, and distributing the bread 
among them, caused them to recollect those lips which 
they had often heard speak, and those hands by which 

502 


they had often been fed. Perhaps he also threw off 
the disguise which he had before assumed ; and now 
appeared in his own person. 

He vanished out of their sight.| Probably, during 
their surprise, he took the opportunity of withdrawing 
from the place; leaving them to reflect and meditate 
on what they had heard and seen. 

Verse 32. Did not our heart burn within us| His 
word was in our heart as a burning fire, Jer. xx. 9.— 
Our hearts waxed hot within us, and while we were 
musing the fire burned, Psa. xxxix. 3. In some such 
way as this the words of the disciples may be under- 
stood: but there is a very remarkable reading here in 
the Codex Beze; instead of καίομενὴ, burned, it has 
κεκαλυμμενη, veiled; and one of the Itala has, fuit 
excecatum, was blinded. Was not our heart veiled 
(blinded) when he conversed with us on the way, and 
while he unfolded the Scriptures to us, seeing we did 
not know him? Ν 

Verse 34. Saying, The Lord 1s risen indeed] The 
meaning here is, that these two disciples found the 
apostles, and those who were with them, unanimously 
testifying that Christ had risen from the dead. It is 
not the two disciples to whom we are to refer the word 
λεγοντας, saying ; but to the body of the disciples.— 
See the note on Mark xvi. 12. 

Verse 35. And they] ‘The two disciples who were 
just come from Emmaus, related what had happened 
to them on the way, going to Emmaus, and how he had 
been known unto them in the breaking of bread, while 
supping together at the above village. See on ver. 31. 

Verse 36. And as they thus spake] While the 
two disciples who were going to Emmaus were con- 
versing about Christ, he joined himself to their com- 
pany. Now, while they and the apostles are confirm- 
ing each other in their belief of his resurrection, Jesus 
comes in, to remove every doubt, and to give them 
the fullest evidence of it. And it is ever true that, 
wherever two or three are gathered together in his 
name, he is in the midst of them. 

Peace be unto you.] The usual salutation among 
the Jews. May you prosper in body and soul, and 
enjoy every heavenly and earthly good! See the 
notes on Matt. v. 9; x. 12. 

Verse 37. And supposed that they had seen a spirit.] 


Christ gwes the disciples 
A-M-4cs3- and supposed that they had seen 
An. Olymp. a spirit. 

38 And he said unto them, Why 
are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise 
in your hearts? 

39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is 
Γ myself: ‘handle me, and see; for a spirit 
hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. 

40 And when he had thus spoken, he showed 
them Ais hands and his feet. 

41 And while they yet believed not * for joy, 
and wondered, he said unto them, |! Have ye 
here any meat? 

42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled 
fish, and of a honeycomb. 


CHAP. 


XXIV. Full proof of lis resurrection. 


43 ™ And he took i, and did eat 4; M. 4038 
before them. An. Olymp. 

44 And he said unto them, ® These ἄρ... δὲ 
are the words which I spake unto you, while 1 
was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled 
which were written in the law of Moses, and in 
the prophets, and zz the psalms, concerning me. 

45 Then ° opened he their understanding, 
that they might understand the Scriptures, 

46 And said unto them, ? Thus it is written, 
and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to 
rise from the dead the third day : 

47 And that repentance and ‘remission of 
sins should be preached in his name * among 
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 


h Mark vi. 49.— John xx. 20, 27.—* Gen. xlv. 26——! John 
xxi. 5.——"™ Acts x, 41.——" Matt. xvi. 21; xvii. 22; xx. 18; Mark 
viii. 31; chap. ix. 22; xviii. 31; ver. 6. © Acts xvi. 14.—? Ver. 


26; Psa. xxii; Isa.1.6; liii.2, &c.; Acts xvii, 3-——4 Dan. ix. 24; 
‘Acts Xiil. 38, 46; 1 John i li. 12. τ Gen. xii. 3; Psa. xxii. 27; 
Isa. xlix. 6, 22; Jer. xxxi. 34; Hos. ii.23; Mie. iv.2; Mal.i. 11. 


But if there be no such thing as a disembodied spirit, 
would not our Lord have shown them their error? 
Instead of this, he confirms them in their opinion, by 
saying, A spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see 
me have, ver. 39; therefore he says, handle me and 
see me. They probably imagined that it was the soul 
only of our blessed Lord which they saw ; but they 
were soon fully convinced of the identity of his per- 
son, and the reality of his resurrection; for, 1. They 
saw his body. 2. They heard him speak. 3. They 
handled him. 4. They saw him eat a piece of broiled 
fish and honeycomb, which they gave him. In these 
things it was impossible for them to have been de- 
ceived. 

Verse 41. They—tbelieved not for joy| They were 
so overcome with the joy of his resurrection, that they 
did not, for some time, properly receive the evidence 
that was before them—as we phrase it, they thought 
the news too good to be true. 

Verse 44. The law—the prophets—the psalms] 
This was the Jewish division of the whole old cove- 
nant. The Law contained the five books of Moses; 
the propHets, the Jews divided into former and latter ; 
they were, according to Josephus, thirteen. “ Vhe 
PsatMs included not only the book still so named, but 
also three other books, Proverbs, Job, and Canticles. 
These all,” says the above author, “ contain hymns to 
God, and rules for the conduct of the lives of men.” 
Joseph. Cont. App. i. 8. This account is imperfect : 
the common Jewish division of the writings of the old 
covenant is the following, and indeed seems to be the 
same to which our Lord alludes :—- 

I. The Law, 70 thorah, including Genesis, Exo- 
dus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 

IJ. The propuets, ὉΠ 332), nabiaim, or teachers, 
including Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, 
and the two books of Kings: these were termed the 
former prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, 
Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habak- 
kuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: 
these were termed the latter prophets. 

1 


III. The naciocrapna, (holy writings,) Ὁ" 3102 ke- 
thuvim, which comprehended the Psalms, Proverbs, 
Job, Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, 
Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the two books 
of Chronicles. The Jews made anciently only twenty- 
two books of the whole, to bring them to the number 
of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet ; and this they 
did by joining Ruth to Judges, making the two books 
of Samuel only one; and so of Kings and Chronicles; 
joining the Lamentations to Jeremiah, and making the 
twelve minor prophets only one book. 

Verse 45. Then opened he their understanding] 
Διηνοιξεν, He fully opened. They had a measure of 
light before, so that they discerned the Scriptures to 
be the true word of God, and to speak of the Messiah : 
but they had not light sufficient to enable them to apply 
these Scriptures to their Lord and Master; but now, 
by the influence of Christ, they see, not only, the pro- 
phecies which pointed out the Messiah, but also the 
Messiah who was pointed out by these prophecies.— 
The book of God may be received in general as a Di- 
vine revelation, but the proper meaning, reference, and 
application of the Scriptures can only be discerned by 
the light of Christ. Even the very plain word of God 
is a dead letter to those who are not enlightened by 
the .grace of Christ; and why? because this word 
speaks of spiritual and heavenly things; and the car- 
nal mind of man cannot discern them. They who re- 
ceive not this inward ne continue dark and dead 
while they live. 

Verse 47. Repentance) See its nature fully ex- 
plained on Matt. iii. 1. 

Remission of sins] Ageow ἅμαρτιων, The taking 
away—removal of sins, in general—every thing that 
relates to the destruction of the power, the pardoning 
of the guilt, and the purification of the heart from the 
very nature of sin. 

Should be preached in his name] See the office of a 
proclaimer, herald, or preacher, explained in the note 
on Matt. iii. 1, and particularly at the end of that 
chapter. 

503 


Christ gives the ἀ:δοηρίος 


A. M. 4033. Ξ τα i 
‘4. Dog 48 And * ye are witnesses of these 


An. Olymp. things. 
49 Ἵ τ And, behold, I send the 
promise of my Father upon you: but tarry 


*John xv.27; Actsi.8, 22; ii.32; iii. 15.—+t Isa. xliv.3; Joel ii. 28; 


In his name—On his authority, and in virtue of 
the atonement made by him: for on what other ground 
could the inhabitants of the earth expect remission 
of sins? 

Among all nations] Because God wills the salvation 
of atu ; and Jesus Christ by his grace has tasted death 
for every man. Heb. ii. 9. 

Beginning at Jerusalem] Making the first overtures 
of mercy to my murderers! If, then, the sinners of 
Jerusalem might repent, believe, and be saved, none, 
on this side hell, need despair. 

Verse 48. Ye are witnesses of these things.| He 
gave them a full commission to proclaim these glad 
tidings of peace and salvation to a lost world. The 
disciples were witnesses not only that Christ had suf- 
fered and rose again from the dead; but also that he 
upens the understanding by the inspiration of his Spirit, 
that he gives repentance, that he pardons sin, and 
purifies trom all unrighteousness, and that he is not 
wuling that any should perish, but that a// should come 
unto the knowledge of the truth and be saved. And 
these are the things of which their successors in the 
Gospel ministry must bear witness. As far as a man 
steadily and affectionately proclaims these doctrines, 
so far God will bless his labour to the salvation of 
those who hear him. But no man ean with any pro- 
priety bear witness of that grace that saves the soul, 
whose own soul is not saved by that grace. 

Verse 49. The promise of my Father] That is, 
the Holy Ghost, promised, John xv. 26. See Acts 
dees allen. 

Until ye be endued with power] The energy of the 
Holy Ghost was to be communicated to them for three 
particular purposes. 1. That he might be in them, a 
sanctifying comforter, fortifying their souls, and bring- 
ing to their remembrance whatever Jesus had before 
spoken to them. 

2. That their preaching might be accompanied by 
his demonstration and power to the hearts of their 
hearers, so that they might believe and be saved. 

3. That they might be able to work miracles to 
confirm their pretensions to a Divine mission, and to 
establish the truth of the doctrines they preached. 

Verse 50. He led them out as far as to Bethany] 
Vhe difficulties in this verse, when collated with the 
accounts given by the other evangelists, are thus re- 
conciled by Dr. Lightfoot. 

“J. This very evangelist (Acts i. 12) tells us, that 
when the disciples came back from the place where 
our Lord had ascended, they retwrned from mount 
Olivet, distant from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. 
But now the town of Bethany was about fifteen fur- 
longs from Jerusalem, John xi. 18, and that is double 
a Sabvath day’s journey. 

“II. Josephus tells us that mount Olivet was but 
five furlongs from the city, and a Sabbath day’s journey 

504 


ST. LUKE. 


the promise of the Holy Ghost 


i a i] A. M. 4033. 
ye in the city of Jerusalem, until pies. 


ye be endued with power from on An. Olymp. 
fees CCIL.1. 
50 % And he led them out “as far as te 


John xiv. 16, 26; xv. 26; xvi.7; Actsi.4; ii.1, &e. ἃ Actsi.12 


was seven furlongs andahalf. Antiq. lib. 20, cap. 6. 
About that time there came io Jerusalem a certain 
Egyptian, pretending himself a prophet, and persuading 
the people that they should go out with him to the 
mount of Olives, 'O καὶ τῆς πολεὼς ἀντικρὺς κείμενον, 
ἀπεχει σταδια πεντε ; which, being situated on the front 
of the city, is distant five furlongs. These things are 
all true: 1. That the mount of Olives lay but five 
furlongs distant from Jerusalem. 2. That the town 
of Bethany was fifteen furlongs. 3. That the disci- 
ples were brought by Christ as far as Bethany. 4. 
That, when they returned from the mount of Olives, 
they travelled more than five furlongs. And, 5. Re- 
turning from Bethany, they travelled but a Sabbath 
day’s journey. All which may be easily reconciled, 
if we would observe :—That the first space from the 
city was called Bethphage, which 1 have cleared else- 
where from Talmudic authors, the evangelists them- 
selves also confirming it. That part of that mount 
was known by that name to the length of about a Sab- 
bath day’s journey, till it came to that part which is 
called Bethany. Yor there was a Bethany, a tract 
of the mount, and the town of Bethany. The town 
was distant from the city about fifteen furlongs, 7. e. 
about two miles, or a double Sabbath day’s journey : 
but the first border of this tract (which also bore the 
name of Bethany) was distant but one mile, or a single 
Sabbath day’s journey. 

“ Our Saviour led out his disciples, when he was 
about to ascend, to the very first region or tract of 
mount. Olivet, which was called Bethany, and was 
distant from the city a Sabbath day’s journey. And 
so far from the city itself did that tract extend itself 
which was called Bethphage; and when he was 
come to that place where the bounds of Bethphage 
and Bethany met and touched one another, he then 
ascended ; in that very place where he got upon the 
ass when he rode into Jerusale, Mark xi. 1. Where- 
as, therefore, Josephus saith ~,at mount Olivet was 
but five furlongs from the city, he means the first 
brink and border of it. But our evangelist must be 
understood of the place where Christ ascended, where 
the name of Olivet began, as it was distinguished from 
Bethphage.” 

Between the appearance of Christ to his apostles, 
mentioned in ver. 36, &c., almost all the forty days 
had passed, before he led them out to Bethany. They 
went by his order into Galilee, Matt. xxvi. 32 ; xxviii. 
10; Mark xiv. 28; xvi. 7; and there he appeared to 
them, as is mentioned by Matthew, chap. xxviii. 16, 
&c., and more particularly by John, chap. xxi. 1, &e. 
See Bishop Pearce. 

Lifted up his hands| Probably to lay them on 
their heads, for this was the ordinary way in which 
the paternal blessing was conveyed. See Gen. 
xlviii. 8-20. 

\ 


He ascends to heaven in CHAP. 


A, M- 4033. Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, 
An. Olymp. and blessed them. 

51 ‘And it came to pass, while 
he blessed them, he was parted from them, 
and carried up into heaven. 


v2 Kings ii. 11; Mark xvi. 19; John xx. 17; Acts i. 9; 


Verse 51. Carried up into heaven.] Avedepeto— 
τπίο that heaven from which he had descended, John i. 
18; iii. 18. This was forty days after his resurrec- 
tion, Acts i. 3, during which time he had given the 
most convincing proofs of that resurrection, not only to 
the apostles, but to many others—to upwards of five 
hundred at one time, 1 Cor. xv. 6. 

As in his life they had seen the way to the kingdom, 
and in his death the price of the kingdom, so in his 
ascension they had the fullest proof of the immortality 
of the soul, the resurrection of the human body, and 
of his continual intercession at the right hand of God. 

There are some remarkable circumstances relative 
to this ascension mentioned in Acts i. 4—12. 

Verse 52. They worshipped him] Let it be observed 
that this worship was not given by way of civil re- 
spect, for it was after he was parted from them, and 
carried back into heaven, that they offered it to him; 
but acts of civil respect are always performed in the 
presence of the person. They adored him as their 
God, and were certainly too much enlightened to be 
capable of any species of idolatry. 

Returned to Jerusalem with great joy| Having the 
fullest proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah ; 
and that they had a full commission to preach re- 
pentance and remission of sin to mankind, and that 
they should be Divinely qualified for this great work 
by receiving the promise of the Father, ver. 49. 

Verse 53. Were continually in the temple] Espe- 
cially till the day of pentecost came, when they re- 
ceived the promise, mentioned ver. 49. 

Praising and blessing God.| Magnifying his mercy, 
and speaking good of his name. Thus the days of 
their mourning were ended; and they began that life 
upon earth in which they still live in the kingdom of 
God. May the God of infinite love give the reader 
the same portion in time and in eternity, through 
the same glorious and ever-blessed Jesus! Amen 
and amen. 


Tere are various subscriptions to this book in 
the MSS. and versions. The following are the 
principal. 

Through the assistance of the Most High God, the 
Gospel of St. Luke the physician, the proclaimer of 
eternal life, is finished. Aras.—The most holy Gos- 
pel of Luke the Evangelist is completed. Syr.—The 
end of the holy Gospel according to Luke—writlen 
in Greek—published in Alexandria the Great,—in 
Troas,—in Rome,—in the confines of Achaia and 
Beotia,—in Bithynia,—in Macedonia,—in the Italic 
(or Latin) character, fifteen years after the ascension 
of Christ. 

Tt is likely, the word Amen was added by the 
Church, on the reading of this book; but there is no 

1 


XXIV. the presence of jus disciples. 
52 ~ And they worshipped him, A 4063. 


and returned to Jerusalem with ἘΠ ΘΊΤΕΙ: 
great joy " ------------- 

53 And were continually * in the temple, 
praising and blessing God. Amen. 


Eph. iv. 8——w Matt. xxviii. 9, 17.——* Acts ii. 46; v. 42. 


evidence that it was affixed by the evangelist. It is 
omitted by some of the best MSS. and versions. 

It is evident that, at the conclusion of this Gospel, 
St. Luke passes very rapidly over a number of inter- 
esting circumstances related by the other evangelists, 
and particularly by St. John, concerning the last forty 
days of our Lord’s sojourning on earth; but, to com- 
pensate for this, he has mentioned a variety of impor: 
tant particulars which the others have passed by, a 
list of which I think it necessary to subjoin. It seems 
as if the providence of God had designed that none of 
these evangelists should stand alone: each has his 
peculiar excellence, and each his own style and mode 
of narration. They are all witnesses to the truth in 
general ; and each most pointedly to every great fact 
of the Gospel history. In each there is something 
new ; and no serious reader ever finds that the perusal 
of any one supersedes the necessity of carefully con- 
sulting and reading the others. The same facts and 
doctrines are exhibited by all in different points of 
view, which renders them both impressive and inter- 
esting ; and this one circumstance serves to fix the 
narrative more firmly in the memory. We should 
have had slighter impressions from the Gospel history, 
had we not had the narrative at four different hands. 
This variety is of great service to the Church of God, 
and has contributed very much to diffuse the knowledge 
of the facts and doctrines contained in this history. 
Parallel passages have been carefully studied, and the 
different shades of meaning accurately marked out; 
and the consequence has been, what the wisdom of 


/God designed, the fuller edification of the faithful. 


It is not the business of a commentator to point out 
beauties in the composition of the sacred text.— 
Many might be selected from the evangelists in gene- 
ral, and not a few from Luke, who not only tells a 
true story, but tells it well; especially when he has 
occasion to connect the different parts of the narration 
with observations of his own. But this is his least 
praise: from his own account we learn that he took 
the utmost pains to get the most accurate and circum- 
stantial information relative to the facts he was to 
relate: see the note on chap. i. ver. 3. While, 
therefore, he thus diligently and conscientiously sought 
for truth, the unerring Spirit of God led him into all 
truth. Even he who expected the revelation of the 
Almighty, and to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, that 
he might correctly, forcibly, and successfully proclaim 
the truth and righteousness of his Maker, must stand 
upon his watch, and set himself upon his tower, and 
watch to see what God would speak 1x him, Hab. ii. 1. 
In a similar spirit we may expect the fruits of these 
revelations. He who carefully and conscientiously 
uses the means may expect the accomplishment of 
the end. 
505 


facts related by St. Luke, not 


1 cannot close these observations with a more pro- 
fitable word than what is contained in that truly apos- 
tolic and sublime prayer for the second Sunday in Ad- 
vent ; and may he who reads it weigh every word in 
the spirit of faith and devotion! “ Blessed God! who 
hast caused all holy scriptures to be written for our 
learning ; grant that’ we may in such wise hear them, 
read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, by 


ST. LUKE. 


mentioned by the other evange.ssts 


patience and comfort of thy holy word, we may em. 
brace and ever hold. fast the blessed hope of everlast- 
ing life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus 
Christ !” 

Now to him that loved us, and washed us from our 
sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and 
priests unto God and his Father, to Him be glory and 
dominion for ever and ever! Amen. 


FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES RELATED AT LARGE BY ST. LUKE, WHICH ARE EITHER NOT MEN 
TIONED AT ALL, OR BUT VERY TRANSIENTLY, BY THE OTHER EVANGELISTS. 


The conception of Elisabeth, chap. i. 5-25. 

The salutation of Mary, ibid. 26-38. 

Mary’s visit to Elisabeth, ibid. 39-56. 

The birth of John the Baptist, ibid. 57—79. 

The decree of Cesar Augustus, chap. i. 1-6. 

Apparition of the angel to the shepherds, ibid. 8-20. 

The circumcision of Christ, ibid. 21. 

The presentation of Christ in the temple, ibid. 22-38. 

Dispute with the doctors when twelve years of age, 
ibid. 40-52. 

Chronological dates at the commencement of our 
Lord’s ministry, chap. iii. 1, 2. 

Success of the preaching of John the Baptist, ibid. 
10-15. 

Christ’s preaching and miraculous escape at Naza- 
xeth, chap. iv. 15-30. 

Remarkable particulars in the eall of Simon, An- 
drew, James, and John, chap. v. 1-10. 

The calamities that fell on certain Galileans, chap. 
xiii. 1-9. 

Mission of the seventy disciples, chap. x. 1-16. 

The return of the seventy disciples, with an ac- 
count of their success, ibid. 17-24. 

Story of the good Samaritan, ibid. 25-37. 

Cure of the woman who had been diseased eighteen 
years, chap. xiil. 10-20. 

The question answered, Are there few that be 
saved? ibid. 22,23. 

Curing of the man with the dropsy, chap. xiv. 
1-24. 


Difficulties attending the prefession of Christianity, 
to be carefully preconsidered, ibid. 25-35. 

Parable of the lost sheep, and the lost piece of 
money, chap. xv. 1-10. 

Parable of the prodigal son, ibid. 11-32. 

Parable of the unjust steward, chap. xvi. 1-18. 

Parable of the rich man and the beggar, ibid 
19-31. 

Various instructions to his disciples, chap. xvii 
HA 

The refusal of the Samaritans to receive him into 
their city, chap. ix. 52-56; xvii. 11. 

The cleansing of the ten lepers, chap. xvii. 12-19. 

The Pharisees ask when the kingdom of God should 
come, and our Lord’s answer, ibid. 20—38. 

The Pharisee and the publican, chap. xviii. 1-14. 

Account of the domestic avocations of Martha and 
Mary, chap. x. 38—42. 

The account of Zaecheus, chap. xix. 2-10. 

The parable of the nobleman that went to obtain a 
kingdom, ibid. 11-28. 

Pilate sends Jesus to Herod, chap. xxiii. 6-16. 

Account of the women that deplored our Lord’s 
sufferings, ibid. 27—32. 

Remarkable particulars concerning the two thieves 
that were crucified with our Lord, ibid. 39-43. 

Account of the two disciples going to Emmaus, 
chap. xxiv. 13-35. 

Remarkable circumstances concerning his appear- 
ance to the eleven, after his resurrection, ibid. 37—49. 


Finished the correction for a new edition, Oct. 31, 1831.—A., C. 


506 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


Bikes al ck IN. 


WITH A SHORT ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE. 


OHN, the writer of this Gospel, was the son of a fisherman named Zebedee, and his mothers name 
was Salome. Compare Matt. xxvii. 56, with Mark xv. 40, and xvi. 1. His father Zebedee was 
probably of Bethsaida, and with his sons James and John followed his occupation on the sea of Galilee. 
The call of these two brothers to the apostleship 1s related, Matt. iv. 21, 22; Mark i. 19, 20; Luke v. 
1-10. John is generally supposed to have been about 25 years of age when he began to follow our Lord. 

Theophylact makes him one of the relatives of our Lord, and gives his genealogy thus: “ Joseph, 
the husband of the blessed Mary. had seven children by a former wife, four sons and three daughters—Martha, 
(perhaps, says Dr. Lardner, it should be Mary,) Esther, and Salome, whose son John was ; therefore Salome 
was reckoned our Lord’s sister, and John was his nephew.” If this relationship did exist, it may have 
been, at least in part, the reason of several things mentioned in the Gospels: as the petition of the two 
brothers for the two chief places in the kingdom of Christ; John’s being the beloved disciple and friend 
of Jesus, and being admitted to some familiarities denied to the rest, and possibly performing some of- 
fices about the person of his Master; and, finally, our Lord’s committing to him the care of his mother, 
as long as she should survive him. In a MS. of the Greek Testament in the Imperial Library of 
Vienna, numbered 34 in Lambecius’s catalogue, there is a marginal note which agrees pretty much with 
the account given above by Theophylact : viz. “ John the evangelist was cousin to our Lord Jesus Christ ac- 
cording to the flesh: for Joseph, the spouse of the God-bearing virgin, had four sons by his own wife, James, 
Simon, Jude, and Joses; and three daughters, Esther, and Thamar, and a third who, with her mother, 
was called Salome, who was given by Joseph in marriage to Zebedee: of her, Zebedee begot James, 
and John also the evangelist.” The writer of the MS. professes to have taken this account from the 
commentaries of St. Sophronius. 

This evangelist is supposed by some to have been the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana in Galilee : 
see chap. ii. 1. 

John was with our Lord in his transfiguration on the mount, Matt. xvii. 2; Mark ix. 2; Luke ix. 
28; during his agony in the garden, Matt. xxvi. 37; Mark xiv. 33; and when he was crucified, John 
Nix. 26. 

He saw our Lord expire upon the cross, and saw the soldier pierce his side with a spear, John xix. 34, 35. 

He was one of the first of the disciples that visited the sepulchre after the resurrection of Christ ; and was 
present with the other disciples, when Jesus showed himself to them on the evening of the same day on which 
he arose ; and likewise eight days after, chap. xx. 19-29. 

In conjunction with Peter, he cured a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb, for which he was 
cast into prison, Acts iii. 1-10. He was afterwards sent to Samaria, to confer the Holy Ghost on those wha 
had been converted there by Philip the deacon, Acts viii. 5-25. St. Paul informs us, Gal. ii., that John was 
present at the council of Jerusalem, of which an account is given, Acts xv. 

It is evident that John was present at most of the things related by him in his Gospel ; and that he was an 
eye and ear witness of our Lord’s labours, journeyings, discourses, miracles, passion, crucifixion, resurrection, 
and ascension. After the ascension he returned with the other apostles from mount Olivet to Jerusalem, 
and took part in all transactions previously to the day of pentecost: on which time, he, with the rest, partook 
of the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, by which he was eminently qualified for the place he afterwards 
held in the apostolic Church. 


1 507 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. sOHN. 


Some of the ancients believed that he went into Parthia, and preached the Gospel there ; and his first epistle 
has been sometimes cited under the name of the Epistle to the Parthians. 

Treneus, Husebius, Origen, and others, assert that he was a long time in Asia, continuing there till Trajan’s 
time, who succeeded Nerva, A. ἢ. 98. And Polyerates, bishop of Ephesus, A. D. 196, asserts that John 
was buried in that city. Jerome confirms this testimony, and says that John’s death happened in the 68th 
year after our Lord’s passion. 

Tertullian and others say that Domitian having declared war against the Church of Christ, in the 15th year 
of his reign, A. D. 95, John was banished from Ephesus, and carried to Rome, where he was immersed in a 
cauldron of boiling oil, out of which however he escaped unhurt; and that afterwards he was banished to the 
isle of Patmos, in the A’gean Sea, where he wrote the Apocalypse. Domitian having been slain in A. D. 96, 
his successor Nerva recalled all the exiles who had been banished by his predecessor; and John is supposed 
to have returned the next year to Ephesus, being then about ninety years of age. He is thought to have 
been the only apostle who died a natural death, and to have lived upwards of 100 years. Some say, having 
completed 100 years, he died the day following. This Gospel is supposed by learned men to have been writ- 
ten about A. D. 68 or 70; by others, A. D. 86; and, by others, A. D. 97; but the most probable opinion 
is that it was written at Ephesus about the year 86. 

Jerome, in his comment on Gal. vi., says that John continued preaching when he was so enfeebled with 
old age that he was obliged to be carried into the assembly ; and that, not being able to deliver any long dis- 
course, his custom was to say, in every meeting, My dear children, love one another! 'The holy virgin lived 
under his care till the day of her death, which is supposed to have taken place fifteen years after the crucifixion. 

John is usually painted holding a cup in his hand, with a serpent issuing from it: this took its rise from a 
relation by the spurious Procorus, who styles himself a disciple of St. John. Though the story is not worth 
relating, curiosity will naturally wish to be gratified with it. Some heretics had privately poisoned a cup of 
liquor, with which they presented him; but after he had prayed to God, and made the sign of the cross over 
it, the venom was expelled, in the form of a serpent ! 

Some of the first disciples of our Lord, misunderstanding the passage, John xxi. 22, 23, If I will that he 
tarry till I come, what is that to thee? believed that John should never die. Several in the primitive Church 
were of the same opinion; and to this day his death is doubted by persons of the first repute for piety and 
morality. Where such doctors disagree, it would be thought presumption in me to attempt to decide; other- 
wise 1 should not have hesitated to say that, seventeen hundred years ago he went the way of all flesh, and, 
instead of a wandering lot in a miserable, perishing world, is now glorified in that heaven of which his writ- 
ings prove he had so large an anticipation, both defore and after the crucifixion of his Lord. 

Eusebius (Hist. Hecles. lib. iii. cap. 24) treats particularly of the order of the Gospels, and especially of 
this evangelist : his observations are of considerable importance, and deserve a place here. Dr. Lardner has 
quoted him at large, Works, vol. iv. p. 224. 

“ Let us,” says he, “ observe the writings of this apostle which are not contradicted by any. And first of 
all must be mentioned, as acknowledged of all, the Gospel according to him, well known to all the Churches 
under heaven. And that it has been justly placed by the ancients the fourth in order, and after the other 
three, may be made evident in this manner. Those admirable and truly Divine men, the apostles of Christ 
eminently holy in their lives, and, as to their minds, adorned with every virtue, but rude im language, confid- 
ing in the Divine and miraculous power bestowed upon them by our Saviour, neither knew, nor attempted to 
deliver the doctrine of their Master with the artifice and eloquence of words. But using only the demonstra- 
tion of the Divine Spirit, working with them, and the power of Christ performing by them many miracles, they 
spread the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven all over the world. Nor were they greatly concerned about 
the writing of books, being engaged in a more excellent ministry, which was above all human power.  Inso- 
much that Paul, the most able of all in the furniture both of words and thoughts, has left nothing in writing, 
beside some very short (or a very few) epistles ; although he was acquainted with innumerable mysteries, hay- 
ing been admitted to the sight and contemplation of things in the third heaven, and been caught up into the 
Divine Paradise, and there allowed to hear unspeakable words. Nor were the rest of our Saviour’s followers 
unacquainted with these things, as the seventy disciples, and many other beside the twelve apostles. Never- 
theless, of all the disciples of our Lord, Matthew and John only have left us any memoirs: who too, as we 
have been informed, were compelled to write by a kind of necessity. For Matthew having first preached to 
the Hebrews, when he was about to go to other people, delivered to them in their own language the Gospel 
according to him, by that writing supplying the want of his presence with those whom he was then leaving. 
And when Mark and Luke had published the Gospels according to them, it is said that John, who all this while 
had preached by word of mouth, was at length induced to write for this reason. The three first written Gos- 
pels being now delivered to all men, and to John himself, it is said that he approved them, and confirmed the 
truth of their narration by his own testimony ; saying there was only wanting a written account of the things 
done by Christ in the former part, and the beginning of his preaching. And certainly that observation is very 
true. For it is easy to perceive that the other three evangelists have recorded only the actions of our Saviour 
for one year after the imprisonment of John, as they themselves declare at the beginning of their history. For, 
after mentioning the forty days’ fast, and the succeeding temptation, Matthew shows the time of the commence- 
ment of his account in these words: When he had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed out of 
Tudea into Galilee. In like manner, Mark: Now after that John, says he, was cast ito prison, Jesus came 

508 Fs 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. 


mto Galilee. And Luke, before he begins the account of the acts of Jesus, gives a like hint in this manner : 
that Herod added yet this, above all, that he shut up Johnin prison. For these reasons, as is said, the Apostle 
John was entreated to relate, in the Gospel according to him, the time omitted by the four evangelists, and 
the things done by our Saviour in that space, before the imprisonment of the Baptist. And they add, farther, 
that he himself hints as much, saying, This beginning of miracles did Jesus: as also in the history of the 
acts of Jesus he makes mention of the Baptist as still baptizing in A2non, nigh unto Salem. And it is thought 
that he expressly declares as much, when he says, For John was not yet cast into prison. John, therefore, 
in the Gospel according to him, relates the things done by Christ while the Baptist was not yet cast into pri- 
son. But the other three evangelists relate the things that followed the Baptist’s confinement. Whoever at- 
tends to these things will not any longer think the evangelists disagree with each other, forasmuch as the Gos- 
pel according to John contains the first actions of Christ, while the others give the history of the following 
time. And for the same reason John has omitted the genealogy of our Saviour according to the flesh, it 
having been recorded before by Matthew and Luke ; but he begins with his divinity, which had been reserved 
by the Holy Ghost for him, as the most excellent person.” ‘The whole of this chapter, with the preceding 
and following, may be profitably consulted by the reader. See also Lardner, Works, vol. iv. 224, and vi. 
156-222. 

Besides the Gospel before us, John is generally reputed to have been the author of the three epistles which 
go under his name, and of the Apocalypse. 'The former certainly breathe the genuine spirit of this apostle ; 
and are invaluable monuments of his spiritual knowledge and deep piety, as well as of his Divine inspiration : 
as the Gospel and Epistles prove him to have been an evangelist and apostle, his book of Revelations ranks 
him among the profoundest of the prophets. 

Learned men are not wholly agreed about the language in which this Gospel was originally written. Some 
think St. John wrote it in his own native tongue, the Aramean or Syriac, and that it was afterwards trans- 
lated, by rather an unskilful hand, into Greek. This opinion is not supported by strong arguments. That it 
was originally written in Greek is the general and most likely opinion. 

What the design of St. John was, in writing this Gospel, has divided and perplexed many critics and 
learned divines. Some suppose that it was to refute the errors taught by one Cerinthus, who rose up at that 
time, and asserted that Jesus was not born of a virgin, but was the real son of Joseph and Mary ; that, at 
his baptism, the Christ, what we term the Divine nature, descended into him, in the form of a dove, 
by whose influence he worked all his miracles; and that, when he was about to suffer, this Christ, or 
Divine nature, departed from him, and left the man Jesus to suffer death. See Dreneus, advers. Hereses. 

Others suppose he wrote with the prime design of confuting the heresy of the Gnostics, a class of mon- 
grels who derived their existence from Simon Magus, and who formed their system out of Heathenism, 
Judaism, and Christianity ; and whose peculiar, involved, and obscure opinions cannot be all introduced 
in this place. It is enough to know that, concerning the person of our Lord, they held opinions similar to 
those of Cerinthus ; and that they arrogated to themselves the highest degrees of knowledge and spirituality. 
They supposed that the Supreme Being had all things and beings included, in a certain seminal manner, in 
himself; and that out of Him they were produced. From God, or Bythos, the infinite Adyss, they de- 
rived a multitude of subaltern governors, called AZons ; whom they divided into several classes, among which 
we may distinguish the following nine. arnp, Father; Xapic, Grace ; Μονογενης, First-begotten ; Αληϑεια, 
Truth; Λογος, Word; Suc, Light; Zon, Life; Ανϑρωπος, Man; and Ἑκκλησια, Church; all these merging 
in what they termed Πληρωμα, Fulness, or complete round of being and blessings: terms which are of fre- 
quent occurrence in John’s Gospel, and which some think he has introduced to fix their proper sense, and to 
rescue them from being abused by the Gnostics. But this is not very likely, as the Gnostics themselves ap- 
pealed to St. John’s Gospel for a confirmation of their peculiar opinions, because of his frequent use of the 
above terms. These sentiments, therefore, do not appear to be tenable. 

Professor Michaelis has espdused the opinion, that it was written against the Gnostics and Sabians, and has 
advanced several arguments in its favour; the chief of which are the following. 

“The plan which St. John adopted, to confute the tenets of the Gnosties and the Sabians, was first 
to deliver a set of aphorisms, as counterpositions to these tenets; and then to relate such speeches and 
miracles of Christ as confirmed the truth of what he had advanced. We must not suppose that the 
confutation of the Gnostic and Sabian errors is confined to the fourteen first verses of St. John’s Gospel ; 
for, in the first place, it is evident that many of Christ’s speeches which occur in the following part 
of the Gospel, were selected by the evangelist with a view of proving the positions laid down in these 
fourteen verses ; and, secondly, the positions themselves are not proofs, but merely declarations made by the 
evangelist. It is true that for us Christians, who acknowledge the Divine authority of St. John, his bare word 
is sufficient ; but as the apostle had to combat with adversaries who made no such acknowledgment, the only 
method of convincing them was to support his assertion by the authority of Christ himself. 

“ Some of the Gnostics placed the ‘WORD’ above all the other ons, and next to the Supreme Being : 
put Cerinthus placed the ‘ Only begotten’ first, and then the ‘ WORD.’ Now St. John lays down the 
following positions :— 

“1. The Word and the Only begotten are not different, but the same person, chap. i. 14. ‘We beheld 
his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father.’ This is a strong position against the Grostics, who usually 
ascribed all the Divine qualities to the Only begotten. The proofs of this position are the testimony cf 

1 509 


PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. 


John the Baptist, chap. i. 18, 34; iii. 35, 36; the conversation of Christ with Nicodemus, chap. ii 
16, 18, in which Christ calls himself the only begotten Son; the speecn delivered by Christ to the Jews 
chap. vy. 17-47; and other passages, in which he calls God his Father. 

“2. The Word was never made, but existed from the beginning, chap. i. 1. The Gnosties granted that 
the Word existed before the creation; but they did not admit that the Word existed from all eternity. The 
Supreme Being, according to their tenets, and, according to Cerinthus, the only begotten Son likewise, as also 
the matter from which the world was formed, were prior in existence to the Word. This notion is contra- 
dicted by St. John, who asserts that the Word existed from all eternity. As a proof of this position may be 
alleged perhaps what Christ says, chap. vill. 58. 

“3. The Word was in the beginning with God, chap. i. 1, 2. The Gnosties must have maintained a 
contrary doctrine, or St. John, in confuting their tenets, would not have thought it necessary to advance this 
position, since God is omnipresent, and therefore all things are present with him. 

“4. The Word was God, chap. i. 1. The expression, GOD, must be here taken in its highest sense 
or this position will contain nothing contrary to the doctrine of the Gnostics. For they admitted that the 
Word was an Aon, and therefore a deity in the lower sense of the word. ‘The proofs of this position 
are contained in the 5th, 10th, (ver. 30,) and 14th (ver. 7, 11) chapters. 

“5. The Word was the creator of all things, chap. i. 3, 10. This is one of St. John’s principal posi- 
tions against the Gnostics, who asserted that the world was made by a malevolent being. The assertion, 
that the Word was the creator of the world, is equivalent to the assertion, that he was GOD in the highest 
possible sense. In whatever form or manner we may think of God, the notion of Creator is inseparable from 
the notion of Supreme Being. We argue from the creation to the Crearor; and this very argument is one 
proof of the existence of God. 

“6. In the Word was life, chap. i. 4. The Gnostics, who considered the different attributes or opera- 
tions of the Almighty, not as so many separate energies, but as so many separate persons, considered Life as 
a distinet Zon from the Word. Without this Avon, the world, they said, would be ina state of torpor; and 
hence they called it not only Life, but the Mother of the living ; from this Aon, therefore, might be expect- 
ed the resurrection of the dead and eternal life. The proofs of this position are in chap. iii. 15, 21; the 
whole of the sixth, and the greatest part of the eighth chapter, as also chap. xiv. 6, 9, 19. But no part of 
St. John’s Gospel is a more complete proof of this position than his full and circumstantial account of the 
resurrection of Lazarus, which the other evangelists had omitted.”—See more in Michaelis’s Introd -etion to 
the New Testament. And, for a general account of the Locos, see chap. i. at the end. 

Though it is likely that the Gnosties held all these strange doctrines, and that many parts in John’s Ges- 
pel may be successfully quoted against them, yet I must own I think the evangelist had a more general 
end in view than the confutation of their heresies. It is more likely that he wrote for the express pur 
pose of giving the Jews, his countrymen, proper notions of the Messiah and his kingdom ; and to prove that 
Jesus, who had lately appeared among them, was this Curist. His own words sufficiently inform us of his 
motive, object, and design, in writing this Gospel: These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus 
is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, ye might have life through his name, chap. xx. 31. This 
is a design as noble as it is simple; and every way highly becoming the wisdom and goodness of God 

510 1 


' THE GOSPEL 


ACCORDING TO 


ον Linde nc NG 


Usherian years of the World, 3999-4033.—Alexandrian years of the World, 5497-5531.—Antiochian years 
of the World, 5487—5521.—Constantinopolitan Sra of the World, 5503—5537.—Rabbinical years of the 
World, 3754—3788.—Years of the Julian Period, 4708—4742.—At®ra of the Seleucide, 307-341.—From 
B. C. 5, to A. D. 29.—From An. Olymp. CXCIII. 3, to CCII. 1.—Years of the building of Rome, 748— 
782.—Years of the Julian Afra, 41-75.—Years of the Cesarean ASra of Antioch, 44—78.—Years of 
the Spanish Ara, 34-68.—Years of the Paschal Cycle, or Dionysian Period, 529-31.—Years of the 
Christian Lunar Cycle, or Golden Number, 15-11.—Years of the Rabbinical Lunar Cycle, 12—8.—Years 
of the Solar Cycle, 4—10.—F rom the 25th year of the reign of the Emperor Augustus to the 18th of that 
of Tiberius. 

Ν, B. As it was impossible to ascertain the precise dates of several transactions recorded in this Gospel, I 
have constructed the above Chronology in all the “Zras which it includes, so as to comprehend the whole 
of our Lord’s life on earth, from his conception to his ascension, which is generally allowed to comprise 


the space of 34 years. 


Therefore, 34, added to the first date in any of the above Aras, gives the second 


date ; e. g. Usherian year of the world, 3999 X 344033, and so of the rest. 


CHAPTER I. 


The eternity of the Divine Logos, or Word of God, the dispenser of light and life, 1-5. 

The incarnation of the Logos or Word of God, 14. 
The priests and Levites question him concerning his mission and his baptism, 
His farther testimony on seeing Christ, 29-34. 
two of his disciples, who thereupon follow Jesus, 35-37. 
anvites his brother, Simon Peter; Christ’s address to him, 40—42. 
Christ’s character of Nathanael, 47. 


John the Baptist, 6-13. 
ing the Logos, 15-18. 


19-22. His answer, 23-28. 


vites Nathanael, 43-46. 
and this disciple, 48-51. 


Ante Orbem 
conditum. 


IN the beginning * was the Word, 
and the Word was ” with God, 
© and the Word was God. 


The mission of 
John’s testimony concern- 


He points him out to 
Christ’s address to them, 38, 39. Andrew 
Christ calls Philip, and Philip in- 
A remarkable conversation between him 


Ante Orbem 


2 4 The same was in the begin- ( 
5 conditum. 


ning with God. ‘ 
3 ° All things were made by him; and with 


Prov. viii. 22, 23, &c.; Col. 1.17; 1Johni. 1; Rev. i. 2; xix. 
13. » Proy. viii. 30; chap. xvii. 5; 1 John i. 2. 


NOTES ON CHAP. I. 

John’s introduction is from ver. 1 to ver. 18, in- 
elusive. Some harmonists suppose it to end with ver. 
14; but, from the connection of the whole, ver. 18 
appears to be its natural close, as it contains a reason 
why the Logos or Word was made flesh. Verse 15 
refers to ver. 6, 7, and 8, and in these passages John’s 
testimony is anticipated in order of time, and is very 
fitly mentioned to illustrate Christ’s pre-eminence.— 
Verses 16 and 17 have a plain reference to ver. 14. 
See Bp. Newcome. 


Verse 1. In the beginning] That is, before any 
hing was formed—ere God began the great work of 
creation. This is the meaning of the word in Gen. i. 
1, to which the evangelist evidently alludes. This 

1 


¢ Phil. ii. 6; 1 John v. 7.——4 Genesis i. 1. € Psa. xxxlii. 6; 
Col. i. 16; ver. 10; Eph. iii. 9; Heb. 1.2; Rey. iv. 11 


phrase fully proves, in the mouth of an inspired writer, 
that Jesus Christ was no part of the creation, as he 
existed when no part of that existed; and that conse- 
quently he is no creature, as all created nature was 
formed by him: for without him was nothing made 
thal is made, ver. 3. Now, as what was before cre- 
ation must be eternal, and as what gave being to all 
things, could not have borrowed or derived its being 
from any thing, therefore Jesus, who was before al! 
things and who made all things, must necessarily be 
the ETERNAL Gop. 

Was the Word] Or, existed the Logos. This 
term should be left untranslated, for the very same 
reason why the names Jesus and Christ are left un- 
translated. The first I consider as proper an apella- 
tive of the Saviour of the world as I do either of the 

511 


hrist the creator and 


A.M.1. out him was not any thing made 
ieunte. 


τὰ ue that was made. 

t 5 Η : : 

™ies6 4 {1ἢ him was life; and £ the life 
was the light of men. 


sT. JOHN. 


giver of ight and hfe 


5 And "the light shineth in dark- ΑΜ 
ness; and the darkness compre- B.C. 4004. 
5. Ante Diluv 
hended it not. 1656. 


6 9 i There was a man _ sent 


f Chapter v. 26; 1 John v. 11—s Chapter vill. 12; ix. 5; 
xil. 35, 46. 


h Chap. iii. 19.——i Malachi iii. 1; Matthew iii. 1; Luke iii. 
2; verse 33. 


two last. And as it would be highly improper to say, 
the Deliverer, the Anointed, instead of Jesus Christ, 
so I deem it improper to say, the Word, instead of 
the Logos. But as every appellative of the Saviour 
of the world was descriptive of some excellence in his 
person, nature, or work, so the epithet Λογος, Logos, 
which signifies a word spoken, speech, eloquence, doc- 
trine, reason, or the faculty of reasoning, is very pro- 
perly applied to him, who is the true light which light- 
eth every man who cometh into the world, ver. 9; who 
is the fountain of all wisdom; who giveth being, life, 
light, knowledge, and reason, to all men; who is the 
grand Source of revelation, who has declared God unto 
mankind ; who spake by the prophets, for the testwmony 
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, Rey. xix. 10; who 
has illustrated life and immortality by his Gospel, 2 
Tim. i. 10; and who has fully made manifest the deep 
mysteries which lay hidden in the bosom of the invi- 
sible God from all eternity, John i. 18. 

The apostle does not borrow this mode of speech 
from the writings of Plato, as some have imagined : 
he took it from the Scriptures of the Old Testament, 
and from the subsequent style of the ancient Jews.— 
It is true the Platonists make mention of the Logos 
in this way :—KaW ὃν, acc ovta, Ta yevoueva eyeveTo— 
tv whom, eternally existing, all things were made. 
But as Plato, Pythagoras, Zeno, and others, travelled 
among the Jews, and conversed with them, it is rea- 
sonable to suppose that they borrowed this, with many 
others of their most important notions and doctrines, 
from them. 

And the Word was God.] Or, God was the Logos: 
therefore no subordinate being, no second to the Most 
High, but the supreme eternal Jehovah. 

Verse 3. All things* were made by him] That is, 
by this Logos. In Gen. i. 1, Gop is said to have 
created all things: in this verse, Christ is said to have 
created all things: the same unerring Spirit spoke in 
Moses and in the evangelists: therefore Christ and 
the Father are Onr. To say that Christ made all 
things by a delegated power from God is absurd ; be- 
cause the thing is impossible. Creation means caus- 
ing that to exist that had no previous being: this is 
evidently a work which can be effected only by omni- 
potence. Now, God cannot delegate his omnipotence 
to another: were this possible, he to whom this omni- 
potence was delegated would, in consequence, become 
Gop; and he from whom it was delegated would cease 
to be such: for it is impossible that there should be 
two omnipotent beings. 

On these important passages I find that many emi- 
nently learned men differ from me: it seems they can- 
not be of my opinion, and I feel 1 cannot be of theirs. 
May He, who is the Light and the Truth, guide them 
and me into all truth! 

Verse 4. In him was life] Many MSS., versions, 

512 


and fathers, connect this with the preceding verse, 
thus: All things were made by him, and without him 
was nothing made. What was made had life in it; 
but THIS LIFE was the light of men. That is, though 
every thing he made had a principle of life in it, whe- 
ther vegetable, animal, or intellectual, yet this, that 
life or animal principle in the human being, was not 
the light of men; not that light which could guide 
them to heaven, for the world by wisdom knew not 
God, 1 Cor. i. 21. Therefore, the expression, in him 
was life, is not to be understood of life natural, but 
of that life eternal which he revealed to the world, 
2 Tim. i. 10, to which he taught the way, chap. xiv. 
6, which he promised to believers, chap. x. 28, which 
he purchased for them, chap. vi. 51, 53, 54, which he 
is appointed to give them, chap. xvii. 2, and to which 
he will raise them up, ver. 29, because he hath the life 
in himself, ver. 26. All this may be proved: 1. 
From the like expressions; 1 John y. 11, This is the 
promise that God hath given unto us, eternal life. and 
this life is in his Son: whence he is styled the true 
God and eternal life, ver. 20 ; the resurrection and the 
life, chap. xi. 25; the way, the truth, and the life, 
chap. xiv. 6. 2. From these words, ver. 7, John 
came to bear witness of this light, that all might be- 
lieve through him, viz. to eternal life, 1 Tim. i. 16; 
for so John witnesseth, chap. ii. 15, 36. And hence 
it follows that this life must be the light of men, by 
giving them the knowledge of this life, and of the way 
leading to it. See Whitby on the place. Is there 
any reference here to Gen. ui. 20: And Adam called 
his wife’s name Eve, mn chava, Zon, LIFE, because 
she was the mother of all living? And was not Jesus 
that seed of the woman that was to bruise the head 
of the serpent, and to give life to the world ? 

Verse 5. And the light shineth in darkness] By 
darkness here may be understood: 1. The heather. 
world, Eph. v. 8. 2. The Jewish people. 3. The 
fallen spirit of man. 

Comprehended it not.] Αὐτὸ ov κατελαβεν, Pre- 
vented it not—hindered it not, says Mr. Wakefield. 
who adds the following judicious note :—* Even in the 
midst of that darkness of ignorance and idolatry which 
overspread the world, this light of Divine wisdom was 
not totally eclipsed: the Jewish nation was a lamp 
perpetually shining to the surrounding nations; an: 
many bright luminaries, among the heathen, were never 
wanting in just and worthy notions of the attributes 
and providence of God’s wisdom ; which enabled them 
to shine in some degree, though but as lights ina dark 
place, 2 Pet. i. 19. Compare Acts xiv. 17; xvii 
28, 29.” 

Verse 6. Whose name was John.] This was 
John the Baptist; see his name and the nature 
of his office explained, Mark i. 4, and Matt. iii. 
1-3. 

1 


The mission of John 


ee from God, whose 
An, Olyimp. John. 

CXCIIL. 4. τ : 
7 * The same came for a witness, 
to bear witness of the Light, that all men 
through him might believe. 

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to 
bear witness of that Light. 


name wds 


k Acts xix. 4.—! Ver. 4; Isa. xlix. 6; 1 John ii. 8. 


CHAP. I. 


to be witness to Christ 


1 ri . i A. M. 3999 
9 That was the true Light, 4 3 
which lighteth every man thatcom- B.C. 5 to 


A. D. 29. 


eth into the world. 
10 He was in the world, and ™the world 
was made by him, and the world knew him not. 
11 "He came unto his own, and his own 
received him not. > 


o Luke xix. 14; Acts iii. 26; xiii. 46 


m Ver. 3; Heb.i. 2; xi.3. 


Verse 7. That all men through him might believe.] | 
He testified that Jesus was the true light—the true 
teacher of the way to the kingdom of glory, and the 
lamb or sacrifice of God, which was to bear away the 
sin of the world, ver. 29, and invited men to believe 
in him for the remission of their sins, that they might 
receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, ver. 32-34. 
This was bearing the most direct witness to the light 
which was now shining in the dark wilderness of 
Judea; and, from thence, shortly to be diffused over 
the whole world. 

Verse 9. Which lighteth every man] As Christ is 
the Spring and Fountain of all wisdom, so all the wis- 
dom that is in man comes from him; the human intel- 
lect is a ray from his brightness; and reason itself 
springs from this Logos, the eternal reason. Some of 
the most eminent rabbins understand Isa. Ix. 1, Rise 
and shine, for thy ticHT is come, of the Messiah; 
who was to illuminate Israel, and who, they believe, 
wus referred to in that word, Gen. i. 3, And God 
said, Let there be uicur; and there was light. Let 
a Messiah be provided; and a Messiah was accord- 
ingly provided. See Schoettgen. 

That cometh into the world.) Or, coming into the 
world—epyoevov εἰς Tov Kocuov: a common phrase 
among the rabbins, to express every human being. | 
As the human creature sees the light of the world as 
soon as it is born, from which it had been excluded 
while in the womb of its parent ; in like manner, this 
heavenly light shines into the soul of every man, to 
convince of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and it 
is through this light, which no man brings into the | 
world with him, but which Christ mercifully gives to | 
him on his coming into it, that what is termed con- 
science among men is produced. No man could dis- 
cern good from evil, were it not for this light thus 
supernaturally and graciously restored. There was 
much light in the law, but this shone only upon the 
Jews; but the superior light of the Gospel is to be 
diffused over the face of the whole earth. 

The following not only proves what is asserted in 
this verse, but is also an excellent illustration of it. 

The Gayartrt, or holiest verse of the Vrpas, i. 6. 
the ancient Hindoo Scriptures. 

“Let us adore the supremacy of that divine Sun, 
the Godhead who illuminates all, who re-creates all ; 
from whom all proceed; to whom all must return; 
whom we invoke to direct our understandings aright, 
in our progress towards his holy seat.” 


| 
Ϊ 


The ancient comment. 


“ What the sun and light are to this visible world, | 


that are the supreme good and truth to the intellectual | 
Vor. I. { 59. 1} 


and invisible universe; and, as our corporeal eyes 
have a distinct perception of objects enlightened by the 
sun, thus our souls acquire certain knowledge by me- 
ditating on the light of truth, which emanates from the 
Being of beings; ¢ha/ is the light by which alone our 
minds can be directed in the path to blessedness.” 
Sir Wm. Jones’s works, vol. vi. p. 417. 

Sir William observes that the original word Bhargas, 
which he translates Godhead, consists of three conso- 
nants, and is derived from dha, to shine; ram, to de- 
light ; and gam, to move :—the Being who is the 
light, the source of happiness, and the all-pervading 
energy. 

Verse 10. He was in the world] From its very 
commencement—he governed the universe—regulated 
his Churech—spake by his prophets—and often, as the 
angel or messenger of Jehovah, appeared to them, and 
to the patriarchs. 

The world knew him not.) Αὐτὸν οὐκ eyvo—Did 
not acknowledge him; for the Jewish rulers knew well 
enough that he was a teacher come from God; buc 
they did not choose to acknowledge him as such. 
Men love the world, and this love hinders them from 
knowing him who made it, though he made it only to 
make himself known. Christ, by whom all things 
were made, ver. 3, and by whom all things are con- 
tinually supported, Col. i. 16, 17; Heb. i. 3, has way 
every where, is continually manifesting himself by 
his providence and by his grace, and yet the foolish 
heart of man regardeth it not! See the reason, chap. 
iii. 19. 

Verse 11. He came unto his own] Ta ιδια---ἰο 
those of his own family, city, country :—and his own 
people, οἱ ιδιοι---- εἶδ own citizens, brethren, subjects. 

The Septuagint, Josephus, and Arrian, use these 
words, τὰ da and οἱ ἐδίοι, in the different senses given 
them above. 

Received him ποῖ] Would not acknowledge him 
as the Messiah, nor believe in him for salvation. 

How very similar to this are the words of Creeshna, 
(an incarnation of the Supreme Being, according to 
the theology of the ancient Hindoos!) Addressing 
one of his disciples, he says: “The foolish, being 
unacquainted with my supreme and divine nature, as 
Lord of all things, despise me in this human form; 
trusting to the evil, diabolic, and deceitful principle 
within them. They are of vain hope, of vain endea- 
yours, of vain wisdom, and void of reason; whilst 
men of great minds, trusting to their divine natures, 
discover that I am before all things, and incorruptible, 


jand serve me with their hearts undiverted by other 


beings.” See Bhagvat Geeta, p. 79. 
To receive Christ is to acknowledge him as the 
513 


Christ’s incarnation and 


A. M. 4030 oie . :- 
an oe 12 But ° as many as received him, 


A.D.26to to them gave he ? power to become 

the sons of God, even to them that 
believe on his name ; 

13 4 Which were born, not of blood, nor of 


ST. JOHN. 


reception in the world 


the will of the flesh, nor of the will 4; ΜΙ 1030 
of man, but of God. A. Ὁ. 26 to 


14 7" And the Word * was made —2-™_ 


‘ flesh, and dwelt among us, (and ἃ we beheld 
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of 


9 Isa. ἵν]. 5; Rom. viii. 15; Gal. iii. 26; 2 Pet. 1. 4; 1 John 
111. 1. ΡΟΥ, the right, or, privilege. 4 Chap. iii. 5 ; James 
i 18; 1 Pet. i. 23. 


τ Matthew i. 16, 20; Luke i. 31, 35; ii. 7; 1 Tim. iii. 1%, 
5 Rom, i. 3; Gal. iv. 4—t Heb. ii. 11, 14, 16, 17. “Isa. xl. 
5; Matt. xvii. 2; chap. 11. 11; xi. 40; 2 Pet. i. 17. 


promised Messiah; to believe in him as the victim 
that bears away the sin of the world; to obey his 
Gospel, and to become a partaker of his holiness, 
without which no man, on the Gospel plan, can ever 
see God. 

Verse 12. Gave he power] Ἐξουσιαν, Privilege, 
honour, dignity, or right. He who is made a child 
of God enjoys the greatest privilege which the Divine 
Being can confer on this side eternity. Those who ac- 
cept Jesus Christ, as he is offered to them in the Gospel, 
have, through his blood, a right to this sonship; for 
by that sacrifice this blessing was purchased ; and the 
‘ullest promises of God confirm it to all who believe. 
And those who are engrafted in the heavenly family 
have the highest honour and dignity to which it is 
possible for a human soul to arrive. What an aston- 
ishing thought is this! The sinner, who was an heir 
to all God’s curses, has, through the sacrifice of Jesus, 
a claim on the mercy of the Most High, and a right 
to be saved! Even justice itself, on the ground of its 
holy and eternal nature, gives salvation to the vilest 
who take refuge in this atonement; for justice has 
nothing to grant, or Heaven to give, which the blood 
of the Son of God has not merited. 

Verse 13. Which were born, not of blood] Who 
were regenerated, οὐκ εξ αἱματων, not of bloods—the 
union of father and mother, or of a distinguished or 
illustrious ancestry ; for the Hebrew language makes 
use of the plural to point out the dignity or excellence 
of a thing: and probably by this the evangelist in- 
tended to show his countrymen, that having Abraham 
and Sarah for their parents would not entitle them to 
the blessings of the new covenant; as no man could 
lay claim to them, but in consequence of being born of 
God; therefore, neither the will of the flesh—any 
thing that the corrupt heart of man could purpose or 
determine in its own behalf ; nor the will of man—any 
thing that another may be disposed to do in our behalf, 
can avail here; this new birth must come through the 
wil of God—through his own unlimited power and 
boundless mercy, prescribing salvation by Christ Jesus 
alone. It has been already observed that the Jews 
required circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice, in order 
to make a proselyte. They allow that the Israelites 
had in Egypt cast off circumcision, and were conse- 
quently out of the covenant ; but at length they were 
circumcised, and they mingled the blood of cireumci- 
sion with the blood of the paschal lamb, and from this 
union of bloods they were again made the children of 
God. See Lightfoot. This was the only way by 
which the Jews could be made the sons of God ; but 
the evangelist shows them that, under the Gospel dis- 
pensation, no person could become a child of God, but 
ny being spiritually regenerated. 

514 


Verse 14. And the Word was made flesh] That 
very person who was in the beginning—who was with 
God—and who was God, ver. 1, in the fulness of time 
became flesh—became incarnated by the power of the 
Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin. Allowing 
this apostle to have written by Divine inspiration, is 
not this verse, taken in connection with ver. 1, an 
absolute and incontestable proof of the proper and 
eternal Godhead of Christ Jesus ? 

And dwelt among us| Kat ἐσκηνωσεν ev ἡμιν, Ana 
tabernacled among us: the human nature which he 
took of the virgin, being as the shrine, house, or tem- 
ple, in which his immaculate Deity condescended tc 
dwell. The word is probably an allusion to the 
Divine Shechinah in the Jewish temple; and as God 
has represented the whole Gospel dispensation by the 
types and ceremonies of the old coyenant, sc the 
Shechinah in the tabernacle and temple pointed out 
this manifestation of God in the flesh. The word is 
thus used by the Jewish writers: it signifies with 
them a manifestation of the Divine Shechinah. 

The original word, σκήνοω, from σκία, a shadow, 
signifies: 1. To build a booth, tent, or temporary hut, 
for present shelter or convenience ; and does not pro- 
perly signify a dasting habitation or dwelling place ; 
and is therefore fitly applied to the human nature of 
Christ, which, like the tabernacle of old, was to be 
here only for a temporary residence for the eternal 
Divinity. 2. It signifies to erect such a building as 
was used on festival occasions, when a man invited 
and enjoyed the company of his friends. To this 
meaning of the word, which is a common one in the 
best Greek writers, the evangelist might allude, to 
point out Christ’s associating his disciples with him- 
self; living, conversing, eating, and drinking with 
them: so that, while they had the fullest proof of his 
Divinity by the miracles which he wrought, they had 
the clearest evidence of his Awmanity, by his taber- 
nacling among, eating, drinking, and conversing with 
them. Concerning the various acceptations of the 
verb σκηνοώ, see Raphelius on this verse. 

The doctrine of vicarious sacrifice and the incarna- 
tion of the Deity have prevailed among the most 
ancient nations in the world, and even among those 
which were not favoured with the letter of Divine re- 
velation. The Hindoos believe that their god has 
already become mcarnate, not less than nine times, 
to save the wretched race of man. 

On this subject, Creeshna, an inearnation of the 
supreme God, according to the Hindoo theology, is 
represented in the Bhagval Geeta, as thus addressing 
one of his disciples: “ Although I am not in my 
nature subject to birth or decay, and am the Lord of 
all created beings, yet, having command over my 

€ 33" 9) 


Johns testimony 


A.M. 4032. the Father,) ‘full of grace and 
An. Oven. truth 

15 Ἵ Ὁ John bare witness of him, 
and cried, saying, This was he of whom I 
spake, * He that cometh after me is prefer- 


¥ Colossians i. 19; u. 3, 9.——w Ver. 32; chap. 111. 32; v. 33. 
Matthew iii. 11; Mark i. 7; Luke iii. 16; verses 27, 30; 
chap. iii. 31. 


own nature, I am made evident by my own power; 
and, as often as there is a decline of virtue and an 
insurrection of vice and injustice in the world, I make 
myself evident; and thus I appear from age to age, 
for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the 
wicked, and the establishment of virtue.”  Geela, 
pp. 51, 52. 

The following piece, already mentioned, Luke i. 68, 
translated from the Sanscreet, found on a stone, in a 
cave near the ancient city of Gya in the East Indies, 
is the most astonishing and important of any thing 
found out of the compass of the Sacred Writings, and 
a proper illustration of this text. 

“The Deity, who is the Lord, the possessor of all, 
APPEARED in this ocean of natural beings, at the begin- 
ning of the Kalee Yoog (the age of contention and 
baseness.) He who is omnipresent, and everlastingly 
to be contemplated, the Supreme Being, the eternal 
One, the Divinity worthy to be adored—appearep 
here, with a portion of his Divine NatuRE. Reverence 
be unto thee in the form of (a) Bood-dha! Reverence 
be unto the Lord of the earth! Reverence be unto 
thee, an INCARNATION of the Deity, and the 
Eternal One! Reverence be unto thee, O GOD! in 
the form of the God of merey! the dispeller of pain 
and TrouBLE, the Lord of aut things, the Deity who 
overcometh the sins of the Kalee Yoog, the guardian 
of the universe, the emblem of merey towards those 
who serve thee! (ὦ) Οὐ M! the possessor of all 
things, in VITAL FORM! Thou art (c) Brahma, 
(d) Veeshnoo, and (e) Mahesa! Thou art Lord of 
the universe! Thou art under the form of all things, 
movable and immovable, the possessor of the whole! 
And thus I adore thee! Reverence be unto the 
BESTOWER of SALVATION, and the ruler of the 
faculties! Reverence be unto thee, the DESTROYER 
of the EVIL SPIRIT! O Damordara, (f) show 
me favour! I adore thee who art celebrated by a 
thousand names, and under various forms, in the 


(a) Bood-dha. 
bef tl 
(b) ΟΜ. A mystic emblem of the Deity, forbidden to 
be pronounced but in silence. It is a syllable formed of 
the Sanscreet letters 4,6 6, which in composition coa- 
lesce, and make 6, and the nasal consonant m. The first 
letter stands for the Creator, the second for the Preserver, 
and the third for the Destroyer. It is the same among 
the Hindoos as py Yehovah is among the Hebrews. 
(c) Brahma, the Deity in his creative quality. 
(4) Veeshnoo. He who filleth all space: the Deity in 
his preserving quality. 
(e) Makesa. The Deity in his destroying quality. 
This is properly the Hindoo Trinity: for these three 
ames belong to the same God. See the notes to the 
Bhagvat Geeta. 
(f) Damordara, or Darmadévé, the Indian god of virtue. 
1 


The name of the Deity, as author of 


CHAP. 1. 


concerning Christ. 


red before me: ¥ for he was _ be- 4,4 
fore me. An. Olymp. 
CCL 2 


16 And of his 5 fulness have all 
we received, and grace for grace. 
17 For *the law was given by Moses, but 


Υ Chap. viii. 58; Col. i. 17——* Chap. iii. 34; Eph. i. 6, 7,8; 
Col. i. 19; ii. 9, 10. a Exod. xx. 1, eet Deut. iv. 44, v. 1; 
Xxxili. 4. 


shape of Bood-dha, the God of mercy! 
tious, O most high God!” 
i. p. 284, 285. 

We beheld his glory] This refers to the transfigu- 
ration, at which John was present, in company with 
Peter and James. 

The glory as of the only begotten] That is, such a 
glory as became, or was proper to, the Son of God; 
for thus the particle ὡς should be here understood. 
There is also here an allusion to the manifestations οὐ 
God above the ark in the tabernacle: see Exod. xxv. 
22; Num. vii. 89; and this connects itself with the 
first clause, he tabernacled, or fixed his tent among us. 
While God dwelt in the tabernacle, among the Jews, 
the priests saw his glory; and while Jesus dwelt 
among men his glory was manifested in his gracious 
words and miraculous acts. 

The only begotten of the Father] That is, the only 
person born of a woman, whose human nature never 
came by the ordinary way of generation; it being a 
mere creation in the womb of the virgin, by the energy 
of the Holy Ghost. 

Full of grace and truth.| Full of favour, kindness, 
and mercy to men; teaching the way to the kingdom 
of God, with all the simplicity, plainness, dignity, 
and energy of truth. 

Verse 15. Of him] The glorious personage before 
mentioned : John the Baptist, whose history was well 
known to the persons to whom this Gospel eame in 
the beginning, dare witness; and he cried,—being 
deeply convineed of the importance and truth of the 
subject, he delivered his testimony with the utmost 
zeal and earnestness,—saying, This is he of whom 
I spake, He that cometh after me—for I am no other 
than the voice of the erier in the wilderness, Isa. x]. 
3, the forerunner of the Messiah. 

Was before me.| Speaking by the prophets, and 
warning your fathers to repent and return to God, as 
I now warn you; for he was before me—he was from 
eternity, and from him I have derived both my being 
and my ministry. 

Verse 16. This verse should be put in place of the 
Jifteenth, and the 15th inserted between the 18th and 
19th, which appears to be its proper place: thus 
John’s testimony is properly connected. 

And of his fulness] Of the plenitude of his grace 
and mercy, by which he made an atonement for sin 
and of the plenitude of his wisdom and iruth, by which 
the mysteries of heaven have been revealed, and the 
science of eternal truth taught, we have all received: 
all we apostles have received grace or mercy to pardon 
our sins, and truth to enable us so to wrile and speak, 
concerning these things, that those who attend to our 
testimony shall be unerringly directed in the way of 

515 


Be propi- 
Asiatic Researches, vol. 


No man hath seen 


A.M. 4030. » 8 
‘AD 26, "grace and “ truth came by Jesus 
An. Olymp. Christ. 
18 * No man hath seen God at any 


ST. JOHN. 


God at any tume 


Ὁ Romans iii. 24; v. 21; vi. 14. © Chap. viii. 32; xiv. 6. 
4 Exod. xxxiii. 20; Deut. iv. 12; Matthew xi. 27; Luke x. 22; 


chap. vi. 46; 1 Tim. i. 17; vi. 16; 1 John iv. 12, 20.—* Ver. 
14; chap. iil. 16, 18; 1 John iv. 9. 


salvation, and with us continue to receive grace upon 
grace, one blessing after another, till they are filled 
with all the fulness of God. I believe the above to 
be the meaning of the evangelist, and think it improper 
to distract the mind of the reader with the various 
translations and definitions which have been given of 
the phrase, grace for grace. It is only necessary to 
add, that John seems here to refer to the Gospel as 
succeeding the law: the law was certainly a dispen- 
sation both of grace and truth; for it pointed out the 
gracious design of God to save men by Christ Jesus ; 
and it was at least a most expressive and well-defined 
shadow of good things to come : but the Gospel, which 
had now taken place, introduced that plenitude of 
grace and truth to the whole world, which the law 
had only shadowed forth to the Jewish people, and 
which they imagined should have been restrained to 
themselves alone. In the most gracious economy of 
God, one dispensation of merey and truth is designed 
to make way for, and to be followed by, another and 
a greater: thus the law succeeded the patriarchal 
dispensation, and the Gospel the law; more and 
more of the plenitude of the grace of the Gospel 
becomes daily manifest to the genuine followers of 
Christ ; and, to those who are faithful unto death, a 
heaven full of eternal glory will soon succeed to the 
grace of the Gospel. To illustrate this point more 
fully, the following passage in Philo the Jew has been 
adduced: ‘God is always sparing of his first bless- 
ings or graces, (πρώτας yapitac,) and afterwards gives 
other graces upon them, (av7 ἐκείνων.) and a third sort 
upon the second, and always new ones upon old ones, 
sometimes of a different kind, and at other times of 
the same sort.” Vol. i. p. 254, ed. Mang. In the 
above passage the preposition ἀντί, for, is used thrice 
in the sense of ex, upon. To confirm the above 
interpretation Bp. Pearce produces the following 
quotations. Keclus. xxvi. 15: Xapic exe yapite γυνὴ 
αἰσχυντηρα---- Α modest woman is a grace upon a grace, 
i. e. a double grace or blessing. Euripides uses the 
very same phrase with John, where he makes Theocly- 
menus say to Helena, Xapic avte χαρίτος ελϑετω, 
May grace upon grace come to you! Helen y. 1250. 
ed. Barn. 

Verse 17. The law was given by Moses] Moses 
received the law from God, and through him it was 
given to the Jews, Acts vii. 38. 

But grace and truth) Which he had already men- 
tioned, and which were to be the subject of the book 
which he was now writing, came to all mankind 
through Jesus Christ, who is the mediator of the new 
covenant, as Moses was of the old: Heb. vill. 6; 
ix. 15; Gal. iii. 19. See a fine discourse on this 
text by Mr. Claude, “ Essay on the Composition of a 
Sermon,” vol. i. p. 119, &c. edit. Lond. 1788. 

The jaw of Moses, however excellent in itself, was 
little in comparison of the Gospel: as it proceeded 

516 


from the justice and holiness of God, and was intended 
to convict men of sin, that the way of the Gospel 
might be the better prepared, it was a law of rigour, 
condemnation, and death: Rom. iv. 15; 2 Cor. iii 
7,8. It was a law of shadows, types, and figures: 
Heb. x. 1, and ineapable of expiating sin by its sacri- 
fices: Rom. viii. 3; Heb. vii. 18, 19; x. 1, J1. 
But Christ has brought that grace which is opposed to 
condemnation: Rom. v. 15, 20,21; viii. 1; Gal. iii. 
10; and he is himself the spirit and substance of all 
those shadows: Col. ii. 19; Heb. x. 1. 

Jesus Christ.| Jesus the Curist, the Messiah, or 
anointed prophet, priest, and king, sent from heaven. 
To what has already been said on the important name 
Jesus, (See Matt. i. 21, and the places there referred 
to,) I shall add the following explanation, chiefly taken 
from Professor Schultens, who has given a better view 
of the ideal meaning of the root pw yashd, than any 
other divine or critic. 

He observes that this root, in its true foree, meaning 
and majesty, both in Hebrew and Arabic, includes the 
ideas of amplitude, expansion, and space, and should 
be translated, he was spacious—open—ample ; and, 
particularly, he possessed a spacious or extensive 
degree or rank: and is applied, 1, To a person pos- 
sessing abundance of riches. 2. To one possessing 
abundant power. 3. To one possessing abundant or 
extensive knowledge. 4. To one possessing abundance 
of happiness, beatitude, and glory. Hence we may 
learn the true meaning of Zech. ix. 9: Rejoice greatly, 
O daughter of Zion—behold, thy king cometh unto 
thee; he is sust, and having SALVATION :—jJw\1—he 
is possessed of all power to enrich, strengthen, teach, 
enlarge, and raise to glory and happiness, them who 
trust in him. Man by nature is in want and poverty : 
in abjectness and weakness: in darkness and igno- 
rance: in straits and captivity: in wretchedness and 
infamy. His Redeemer is called nw JESUS— 
he who looses, enlarges, and endows with salvation. 
1. He enriches man’s poverty: 2. strengthens his 
weakness: 3. teaches his ignorance: 4. brings him 
out of straits and difficulties: and 5. raises him to 
happiness, beatitude, and glory. And the aggregate 
of these is sanvaTion. Hence that saying, Mis 
name shall be called Jesus: for he shall save his 
people from their sins. See Schuliens Origines 
Hebrew, p. 15. 

Verse 18. No man hath seen God at any time] 
Moses and others heard his voice, and saw the cloud 
and the fire, which were the symbols of his presence ; 
but such a manifestation of God as had now taken 
place, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never before 
been exhibited to the world. It is likely that the word 
seen, here, is put for known, as in chap. ii. 32; 1 
John iii. 2, 6, and 3d Epist. ver. 11; and this sense 
the latter clause of the verse seems to require :—No 
man, how highly soever favoured, hath fully known 


The testimony of John to 


A 19 4 And this is ‘ the record of 
An. Olymp. John, when the Jews sent priests 
and Levites from Jerusalem to ask 
him, Who art thou? 

20 And 5 he confessed, and denied not; but 
cenfessed, I am not the Christ. 

21 And they asked him, What then? Art 
thou ἃ Elias? And he saith, Iam not. Art 
thou ‘ that * prophet? And he answered, No. 

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? 
that we may give an answer to them that sent 
us. What sayest thou of thyself? 


fChap. v. 33.——* Luke iii. 15; chap. iii. 28; Acts xiii. 25. 
h Mal. iv. 5; Matt. xvii. 10. 1 Deut. xviii. 15, 18. 


God, at any time, in any nation or age; the only be- 
gotten Son, (see on verse 14,) who ts in the bosom of 
the Father, who was intimately acquainted with all 
the counsels of the Most High, he hath declared him, 
ἐξηγήσατο, hath announced the Divine oracles unto 
men; for in this sense the word is used by the best 
Greek writers. See Kypke in loco. 

Lying in the bosom, is spoken of in reference to the 
Asiatic custom of reclining while at meals ; the person 
who was next the other was said to he in his bosom ; 
and he who had this place in reference to the master 
of the feast was supposed to share his peculiar regards, 
and to be in a state of the utmost favour and intimacy 
with him. 

Verse 19. And this is the record of John] He per- 
sisted in this assertion, testifying to the Jews that this 
Jesus was THE CurisT. 

Verse 20. He confessed, and denied not; but con- 
fessed| A common mode of Jewish phraseology. 
John renounces himself, that Jesus may be all in all. 
Though God had highly honoured him, and favoured 
him with peculiar influence in the discharge of his 
work, yet he considered he had nothing but what he 
had received, and therefore, giving all praise to his 
benefactor, takes care to direct the attention of the 
people to him alone from whom he had received his 
mercies. He who makes use of God’s gifts to feed 
and strengthen his pride and vanity will be sure to be 
stripped of the goods wherein he trusts, and fall down 
into the condemnation of the devil. We have nothing 
but what we have received; we deserve nothing of 
what we possess; and it is only God’s infinite mercy 
which keeps us in the possession of the blessings which 
we now enjoy. 

Verse 21. Art thou Elias 2| The scribes themselves 
had taught that Elijah was to come before the Messiah. 
See Matt. xvii. 10; and this belief of theirs they sup- 
perted by a literal construction of Mal. iv. 5. 

Ast thou that prophet ἢ The prophet spoken of by 
Moses, Deut. xviii. 15, 18. This text they had also 
misunderstood : for the prophet or teacher promised by 
Moses was no other than the Messiah himself. See 
Acts iii. 22. But the Jews had a tradition that Jere- 
miah was to return to life, and restore the pot of manna, 
the ark of the covenant, &c., which he had hidden that 

1 


CHAP. I. 


the priests and Levites 


23 'He said, 1 am the voice of 4,M, 4030. 

one crying in the wilderness, Make An. ἜΡΩΣ 
ΟΟΙ.2. 

straight the way of the Lord, as 

™ said the prophet Esaias. 

24 And they which were sent were of the 
Pharisees. 

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, 
Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that 
Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 

26 John answered them, saying, " I baptize 
with water: ° but there standeth one among you, 
whom ye know not; 


* Or a prophet.— Matt. iii. 3 ; wees 3; Luke iii. 4; uae 
iii. 28.——™ Isa. xl. 3. 2 Matt. iii. 11.» Mal. iii. 


the Babylonians might not get therm. Besides this, 
they had a general expectation that all the prophets 
should come to life in the days of the Messiah. 

I am not.| Iam not the prophet which you ex- 
pect, nor Elijah: though he was the Elijah that was 
to come; for in the spirit and power of that eminent 
prophet he came, proclaiming the necessity of refor- 
mation in Israel. See Matt. xi. 14; xvii. 10-13. 

Verse 22. That we may give an answer to them that 
sent us.] These Pharisees were probably a deputation 
from the grand Sanhedrin; the members of which, 
hearing of the success of the Baptist’s preaching, 
were puzzled to know what to make of him, and 
seriously desired to hear from himself what he pro- 
fessed to be. 

Verse 23. Iam the voice of one crying] See the 
notes on Matt. 111. 3; Mark i. 4, 5. 

Verse 25. Why baplizest thou then?] Baptism was 
a very common ceremony among the Jews, who never 
received a proselyte into the full enjoyinent of a Jew’s 
privileges, till he was both baptized and cireum- 
cised. But such baptisms were never performed 
except by an ordinance of the Sanhedrin, or in the 
presence of three magistrates: besides, they never 
baptized any Jew or Jewess, nor even those who were 
the children of their proselytes ; for, as all these were 
considered as born in the covenant, they had no need 
of baptism, which was used only as an introductory 
rite. Now, as John had, in this respect, altered the 
common custom so very essentially, admitting to his 
baptism the Jews in general, the Sanhedrin took it for 
cranted that no man had authority to make such changes, 
unless especially commissioned from on high ; and that 
only the prophet, or Elijah, or the Messiah himself, 
could have authority to act as John did. See the ob- 
servations at the conclusion of Mark. 

Verse 26. I baptize with waler] See on Mark i. 8. 
T use the common forin, though I direct the baptized 
to a different end, viz. that they shall repent of their 
sins, and believe in the Messiah. 

There standeth one among you] That is, the person 
whose forerunner I am is now dwelling in the land of 
Judea, and will shortly make his appearance among 
you. Christ was not present when John spoke thus, 
as may be seen from ver. 29. 

517 


John announces Jesus 


A.M. 4030. 97 p ΤῊ τῇ 
M1030, ΟἿ He it is, who coming after 


An. Olymp. me is preferred before me, whose 
_ CCl? shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to 
unloose. 

28 These things were done %in Bethabara 
beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

29 § The next day John seeth Jesus com- 
mg unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of 
God, * which t taketh away the sin of the world. 

30 "This is he of whom I said, After me 
cometh a man which is preferred before me: 
for he was before me. 

31 And I knew him not : but that he should 


P Ver. 15, 30; Acts xix. 4. 4 Judges vii. 24; chap. x. 40. 
τ Exod. xii. 3; Isa. lili. 7; ver. 36; Acts viii. 32; 1 Pet. i. 19; 
Rev. v. 6, &c.— Isa. 111. 11; 1 Cor. xv. 3; Gal. i.4; Heb. 
i. 3; ii. 17; ix. 28; 1 Pet. ii. 24; iti. 18; 1 John ii. 2; iii. 5; 


ST. JOHN 


as the Lamb of God. 


be made manifest to Israel, * there- 4, M4020. 


fore am I come baptizing with An. Olymp. 
water. Ἐπ ον ονς 

32 ~ And John bare record, saying, I saw 
the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, 
and it abode upon him. 

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent 
me to baptize with water, the same said unto 
me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit de- 
scending, and remaining on him, * the same is 
he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 

34 And I saw, and bare record that this is 
the Son of God. 


iv. 10; Rev. i. 5——* Or, beareth. 4 Ver. 15, 27. ¥ Mal. 
ii. 1; Matt. iii. 6; Luke i. 17, 76, 77; iii. 3, 4. Ww Matt. 11]. 
16; Mark i. 10; Luke iii. 22; chap. v. 32. x Matt. iii. 11; 
Acts 1.5; 11.4; x. 44; xix. 6. 


Verse 27. Is preferred before me] ‘Oc ἐμπροσθεν pov 
yeyover, Who was before me. This clause is wanting 
in BC*L, four others, the Coptic, Aithiopic, Slavonic, 
and two copies of the Jala, and in some of the primi- 
tive fathers. Griesbach has left it out of the text. 
Tt is likely that it was omitted by the above, because 
it was found in verses 15 and 30. At the end of this 
verse, EG, and ten others, with some copies of the 
Slavonic, add, He shall baptize you with the Holy 
Ghost and with fire. 

Verse 28. These things were done in Bethabara| 
It is very probable that the word Bethany should be 
inserted here, instead of Bethabara. ‘This reading, in 
the judgment of the best critics, is the genuine one. 
The following are the authorities by which it is sup- 
ported: ABCEGHLMSX, BV, of Matthai, upwards 
of a hundred others, Syriac, Armenian, Persic, Coptic, 
Slavonic, Vulgate, Saxon, and all the [tala, with some 
of the most eminent of the primitive fathers, before the 
time of Origen, who is supposed to have first changed 
the reading. Bethabara signifies literally the house 
of passage, and is thought to be the place where the 
Israelites passed the river Jordan under Joshua. There 
was a place called Bethany, about two miles from Jeru- 
salem, at the foot of the mount of Olives. But there 
was another of the same name, beyond Jordan, in the 
tribe of Reuben. It was probably of this that the 
evangelist speaks; and Origen, not knowing of this 
second Bethany, altered the reading to Bethabara. 
See Rosenmiiller. 

Verse 29. The next day] The day after that on 
which the Jews had been with John, ver. 19. 

Behold the Lamb of God, &e.| This was said in 
allusion to what was spoken Isa. lili. 7. Jesus was 
the true Lamb or Sacrifice required and appointed by 
God, of which those offered daily in the tabernacle 
and temple, Exod. xxix. 38, 39, and especially the 
paschal lamb, were only the types and representatives. 
See Exod. xii. 4,5; 1 Cor. νυ. 7. The continual 
morning and evening sacrifice of a lamb, under the 
Jewish law, was intended to point out the continual 
efficacy of the blood of atonement: for even at the 
throne of God Jesus Christ is ever represented as a 

518 


lamb newly slain, Rev. v. 6. But John, pointing to 
Christ, calls him emphatically, the Lamb of God :—all 
the lambs which had been hitherto offered had been 
furnished by men: this was provided by GOD, as the 
only sufficient and ayailable sacrifice for the sin of the 
world. In three essential respects, this lamb differed 
from those by which it was represented. 1st. It was 
the Lamb of God; the most excellent, and the most 
available. 2nd. It made an atonement for sin: it 
carried sin away in reality, the others only representa- 
tively. 3rd. It carried away the sim of the worup, 
whereas the other was offered only on behalf of the 
Jewish people. In Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 30, it is said, 
“The Messiah shall bear the sins of the Israelites.” 
But this salvation was now to be extended to the whole 
world. 

Verse 31. And I knew him not, &e.] John did noi 
know our Lord personally, and perhaps had never seen 
him, at the time he spoke the words in ver. 15. Nor 
is it any wonder that the Baptist should have been un- 
acquainted with Christ, as he had spent thirty years 
in the hill country of Hebron, and our Lord remained 
in a state of great privacy in the obscure city of Naza- 
reth, in the extreme borders of Galilee. 

But that he should be made manifest to Israel] One 
design of my publicly baptizing was, that he, coming 
to my baptism, should be shown to be what he is, by 
some extraordinary sign from heaven. 

Verse 32. 7 saw the Spirit descending, δε. See 
the notes on Matt. in. 16, 17. 

Verse 33. He that sent me—said unto me] From 
this we may clearly perceive that John had a most in- 
timate acquaintance with the Divine Being ; and re- 
ceived not only his call and mission at first, but every 
subsequent direction, by immediate, unequivocal inspi- 
ration. Who is fit to proclaim Jesus, but he who has 
continual intercourse with God; who is constantly re- 
ceiving light and life from Christ their fountain; who 
bears a steady, uniform testimony to Jesus, even in 
the presence of his enemies ; and who at all times 
abases himself, that Jesus alone may be magnified! 
Reformation of manners, and salvation of souls, will ac- 
company sucha person’s labours whithersoever he goeth 

1 


Two of John’s disciples 


gc i 35 Ἵ Again, the next day after, 
An. Olymp. John stood, and two of his disciples ; 
36 And looking upon Jesus as he 
walked, he saith, Υ Behold the Lamb of God! 

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, 
and they followed Jesus. 

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them fol- 
lowing, and saith.unto them, What seek ye? 
They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, 


y Verse 29. Or, abidest 


Verse 35. 
ver. 29. 

Two of his disciples} One of them was Andrew, 
ver. 40, and it is very likely that John himself was 
the other ; in every thing in which he might receive 
honour he studiously endeavours to conceal his own 
name. 

Verse 36. And looking upon Jesus] Attentively 
beholding, ἐμβλεψας, from ev, into, and βλέπω, to look 
—to view with steadfastness and attention. He who 
desires to discover the glories and excellencies of this 
Lamb of God, must ‘hus look onhim. At first sight, he 
appears only as a man among men. and as dying in 
testimony to the truth, as many others have died. But, 
on a more attentive consideration, he appears to be no 
1655 than God manifest in the flesh, and, by his death, 
making an atonement for the sin of the world. 

Behold the Lamb of God! By this the Baptist de- 
signed to direct the attention of his own disciples to 
Jesus, not only as the great sacrifice for the sin of the 
world, but also as the complete teacher of heayenly 
truth. 

Verse 37. And the two disciples heard him] And 
they perfectly understood their master’s meaning ; in 
consequence of which, they followed Jesus. Happy 
they who, on hearing of the salvation of Christ, imme- 
diately attach themselves to its author! Delays are 
always dangerous; and, in this case, often fatal. 
Reader! hast thou ever had Christ as a sacrifice for 
thy sin pointed out unto thee? If so, hast thou followed 
him? If not, thou art not in the way to the kingdom 
of God. Lose not another moment! Eternity is at 
hand! and thou art not prepared to meet thy God. 
Pray that he may alarm thy conscience, and stir up 
thy soul to seek till thou have found. 

Verse 38. What seek ye 3] These disciples might 
have felt some embarrassment in addressing our bless- 
ed Lord, after hearing the character which the Baptist 
gave of him; to remove or prevent this, he graciously 
accosts them, and gives them an opportunity of ex- 
plaining themselves to him. Such questions, we may 
conceive, the blessed Jesus still puts to those who in 
simplicity of heart desire an acquaintance with him. 
A question of this nature we may profitably ask our- 
selves: What seek ye? In this place? In the com- 
pany you frequent? In the conversation you engage 
in? In the affairs with which you are occupied? In 
the works which you perform? Do you seek the hu- 
miliation, illumination, justification, edification, or sanc- 
tification of your soul? The edification of your neigh- 

1 


The next day] After that mentioned 


CHAP. I. 


follow Jesus 


being interpreted, Master,) where 4,403 
z dwellest thou? 

39 He saith unto them, Come 
and see. ‘They came and saw where he dwelt, 
and abode with him that day: for it was 
* about the tenth hour. 

40 One of the two which heard John speak, 
and followed him, was ἢ Andrew, Simon Pe- 
ter’s brother. 


An. Olymy Ἃ 
CCI. 2. Ξ 


a That was two hours before night.——» Matt. iv. 18. 


bour? The good of the Church of Christ? Or, The 
glory of God? Questions of this nature often put to 
our hearts, in the fear of God, would induce us to do 
many things which we now leave undone , and to leave 
undone many things which we now perform. 

Rabbi] Teacher. Behold the modesty of these dis- 
ciples—we wish to be scholars, we are ignorani—we 
desire to be taught; we believe thou art a teacher 
come from God. 

Where dwellest thou 3] That we may come and re- 
ceive thy instructions. 

Verse 39. Come and see.] If those who know not 
the salvation of God would come at the command of 
Christ, they should soon see that with him is the foun- 
tain of life, and in his light they should see light. Rea- 
der, if thou art seriously inquiring where Christ dwelleth, 
take the following for answer: He dwells not in the 
tumult of worldly affairs, nor in profane assemblies, 
nor in worldly pleasures, nor in the place where 
drunkards proclaim their shame, nor in carelessness 
and indolence. But he is found in his temple, where- 
ever two or three are gathered together in his name, in 
secret prayer, in self-denial, in fasting, in self-exami- 
nation. He also dwells in the humble, contrite spirit, 
in the spirit of faith, of love, of forgiveness, of univer- 
sal obedience ; in a word, he dwells in the heaven of 
heavens, whither he graciously purposes to bring thee, 
if thou wilt come and learn of him, and receive the sal- 
vation which he has bought for thee by his own blood. 

The tenth hour| Generally supposed to be about 
what we call four o'clock in the afternoon. Ac- 
cording to chap. xi. 9, the Jews reckoned twelve hours 
in the day ; and of course each hour of the day, thus 
reckoned, must have been something longer or shorter, 
according to the different times of the year in that eli- 
mate. The sixth hour with them answered to our 
twelve o’clock, as appears from what Josephus says in 
his life, chap. liv. That on the Sabbath day it was the 
rule for the Jews to go to dinner at the sixth hour, 
(éxty dpa.) The Romans had the same way of reck- 
oning twelve hours in each of their days. Hence what 
we meet with in Hor. lib. ii. sat. vi. 1. 34: ante se- 
cundam signifies, as we should express it, before eight 
o’clock. And when, in lib. i. sat. vi. 1. 122, he says 
ad quartam jaceo, he means that he lay in bed “ll ten 
o'clock. See Bishop Pearce on this place. Dr. 
Macknight, however, is of opinion that the evangelist 
is to be understood as speaking of the Roman hour 
which was ten o’clock in the morning; and, as the 
evangelist remarks, they abode with him that day 

519 


The call of Peter, 
A.M. 4030. 41 He first findeth his own bro- 
An. alemp. ther Simon, and saith unto him, 

‘“ We have found the Messias, which 
is, being interpreted, ° the Christ. 

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And 
when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Si- 
mon, the son of Jona: ‘thou shalt be called 
Cephas, which is by interpretation, * A stone. 

43 |The day following Jesus would go forth 
into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto 
him, Follow me. 


ST. JOHN. 


Philip, and Nathanael 


44 Now ‘Philip was of Beth. 4,M, 4030 


saida, the city of Andrew and An. Olymp. 
Peter. ΗΚ. ΔῊ 
45 Philip findeth ¢ Nathanael, and saith 
unto him, We have found him of whom 
«Moses in the law, and the ' prophets did 
write, Jesus ‘of Nazareth, the son of 
Joseph. > 

46 And Nathanael said unto him, ! Can there 
any good thing come out of Nazareth? Phi 
lip saith unto him, Come and see. 


© Or, the anointed.——* Matt. xvi. 18.——® Or, Peter. £ Ch. 
xii. 21. s Chap. xxi. 2. Genesis ill. 15; xlix. 10; Deut. 
xviii. 18; see on Luke xxiv. 27. M 


iTsaiah iv. 2; vii. 14; ix. 6; lili. 2; Mic. v. 2; Zech. vi. 12; 
ix. 9; see more on Luke xxiv. 27. « Matthew ii. 23; Luke 
ii. 4.—! Chap. vii. 41, 42, 52. 


it implies that there was a considerable portion of time 
spent with our Lord, in which, by his conversation, he 
removed all their scruples, and convinced them that he 
was the Messiah. But, had it been the Jewish tenth 
hour, it would have been useless to remark their abid- 
ing with him that day, as there were only two hours 
of it still remaining. Harmony, vol. i. p. 52. 

Verse 41. Findeth his own brother Simon] Every 
discovery of the Gospel of the Son of God produces 
benevolence, and leads those to whom it is made to 
communicate it to others. Those who find Jesus find 
in him a treasure of wisdom and knowledge, through 
which they may not only become rich themselves, but 
be instruments, in the hand of God, of enriching others. 
These disciples, having tasted the good word of Christ, 
were not willing to eat their bread alone, but went and 
invited others to partake with them. Thus the know- 
ledge of Christ became diffused—one invited another 
to come and see: Jesus received all, and the number 
of disciples was increased, and the attentive hearers 
were innumerable. Every man who has been brought 
to an acquaintance with God should endeavour to bring, 
at least, another with him ; and his first attention should 
be fixed upon those of his own household. 

Verse 42. Cephas, which is by interpretation, A 
stone.| Ulerpoc signifies a stone, or fragment of a rock. 
The reason why this name was given to Simon, who 
was ever afterwards called Peter, may be seen in the 
notes on Matt. xvi. 18, 19, and particularly in Luke, 
at the end of chap. ix. 

Verse 43. Philip] This apostle was a native of 
Bethsaida in Galilee. Eusebius says he was a mar- 
nied man, and had several daughters. Clemens Alev- 
andrinus mentions it as a thing universally acknow- 
ledged that it was this apostle who, when commanded 
Sy our Lord to follow him, said, Let me first go and 
bury my father, Matt. viii. 21,22. Theodoret says he 
preached in the two Phrygias; and Eusebius says he 
was buried in Phrygia Pacatiana. He must not be con- 
founded with Philip the deacon, spoken of Acts vi. 5. 

Verse 45. Nathanael] This apostle is supposed to 
be the same with Bartholomew, which is very likely, 
for these reasons: 1. That the evangelists who men- 
tion Bartholomew say nothing of Nathanael; and 
that St. John, who speaks of Nathanael, says nothing 
of Bartholomew. 

520 


2. No notice is taken any where | 


of Bartholomew’s vocation, unless his and that of Nae 
thanael mentioned here be the same. 3. The name 
of Bartholomew is not a proper name ; it signifies the 
son of Ptolomy ; and Nathanael might have been his 
own name. 4. St. John seems to rank Nathanael 
with the apostles, when he says that Peter and Tho- 
mas, the two sons of Zebedee, Nathanael, and two 
other disciples, being gone a fishing, Jesus showed 
himself to them, John xxi. 2—4. 

Moses in the law] See Gen iii. 15; xxii. 18 ; xlix, 
10; Deut. xviii. 18. 

And the prophets] See Isa. iv. 2; vil. 14; ix. 5; 
xl. 10; lit. 1, &e.; Jer: xxii. 55 xxi. 14) 155 
Ezek. xxxiv. 23; xxxvii. 24; Dan. ix. 24; Mic. 
Ve WiZechwavis 2's τ Ὁ. ἘΠῚ Of 

Verse 46. Can there any good thing come oul of 
Nazareth®) Bp. Pearce supposes that the τὶ aya¥ov 
of the evangelist has some particular foree in it : for, 
in Jer. xxxiii. 14, God says, I will perform ‘hat good 
thing which I promised, &c.; and this, in ver. 15, is 
explained to mean, his causing the branch ef right- 
eousness (i.e. the Messiah) to grow up unto David, 
from whom Jesus was descended: in this view, Na- 
thanael’s question seems to imply, that not Nazareth, 
but Bethlehem, was to be the birth-place of the Mes- 
siah, according to what the chief priests and scribes 
had determined, Matt. ii. 4, 5, 6. If this conjecture 
be not thought solid, we may suppose that Nazareth, 
at this time, was become so abandoned that no good 
could be expected from any of those who dwelt in it, 
and that its wickedness had passed into a proverb : 
Can any thing good be found in Nazareth? Or, that 
the question is illiberal, and full of national prejudice. 

Come and see.| He who candidly examines the evi- 
dences of the religion of Christ will infallibly become 
a believer. No history ever published among men has 
so many external and internal proofs of authenticity 
as this has. A man should judge of nothing by first 
appearances, or human prejudices. Who are they who 
cry out, The Bible is a fable? Those who have never 
read it, or read it only with the fixed purpose to gain- 
say it. I once met with a person who professed to 
disbelieve every tittle of the New Testament, a chap- 
ter of which, he acknowledged, he had never read.— 
Τ asked him, had he ever read the Old? He answered, 
No And yet this man had the assurance to reject 

1 


Remarkable conversation 


A.M. 4030. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming 

An. Olymp. to him, and saith of him, Be- 
ἃ hold ™ an Israelite indeed, in whom 

is no guile! 

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence 

knowest thou me? Jesus answered and 

said unto him, Before that Philip called 

thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I 

saw thee. 

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, 


m Psa. xxxii. 2; lxxiii. 1; chap. viii. 39; Rom. ii. 28, 29; ix. 6. 
Ὁ Matt. xiv. 33. 


the whole as animposture! God has mercy on those 
whose ignorance leads them to form prejudices against 
the truth; but he confounds those who take them up 
through envy and malice, and endeavour to communi- 
cate them to others. 

Verse 47. Behold an Israelite indeed] A worthy 
descendant of the patriarch Jacob, who not only pro- 
fesses to believe in Israel’s God, but who worships him 
in sincerity and truth, according to his light. 

In whomis no guile!] Deceitfulness ever has been, 
and still is, the deeply marked characteristic of the 
Jewish people. To find a man, living in the midst of 
so much corruption, walking in uprightness before his 
Maker, was a subject worthy the attention of God him- 
self. Behold this man! and, while you see and ad- 
mire, imitate his conduct. 

Verse 48. Whence knowest thou me2} He was 
not yet acquainted with the divinity of Christ, could 
not conceive that he could search his heart, and there- 
fore asks how he could acquire this knowledge of him, 
or who had given him that character. It is the com- 
fort of the sincere and upright, that God knows their 
hearts ; and it should be the terror of the deceitful 
and of the hypocrite, that their false dealing is ever 
noticed by the all-seeing eye of God. 

Under the fig tree] Probably engaged in prayer 
with God, for the speedy appearing of the salvation 
of Israel; and the shade of this fig tree was perhaps 
the ordinary place of retreat for this upright man. It 
is not a fig tree, but τὴν συκην, THE fig tree, one par- 
ticularly distinguished from the others. There are 
many proofs that the Jewish rabbins chose the shade 
of trees, and particularly the fig /ree, to sit and study 
under. See many examples in Schoetigen. How true 
is the saying, The eyes of the Lord are through all 
the earth, beholding the evil and the good! Where- 
soever we are, whatsoever we are about, may a deep 
conviction of this truth rest upon our hearts, Thou God 
seest ME! 

Verse 49. Rabbi] That is, Teacher! and so this 
word should be translated. 

Thou art the Son of God] ‘The promised Messiah. 

Thou art the King of Israel.| The real descend- 
ant of David, who art to sit on that spiritual throne of 
which the throne of David was the type. 

Verse 50. Because I said—I saw thee, &c.] As 
thou hast credited my Divine mission on this simple 
proof, that [ saw thee when and where no human eye, 

1 


CHAP. I. 


between Jesus and Nathanael. 


Rabbi, "thou art the Son of God; A 
thou art ° the King of Israel. An. Olymp. 


50 Jesus answered and said unto 
him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee 
under the fig tree believest thou? thou shalt 
see greater things than these. 

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, + 
say unto you, ? Hereafter ye shall see heaven 
open, and the angels of God ascending and de- 
scending upon the Son of man. 


© Matt. xxi.5; xxvii. 11,42; ch. xviii. 37; xix. 3.—? Gen. xxviii. 12; 
Matt. iv. 11; Luke ii. 9,13; xxii. 43; xxiv.4; Acts i. 10, 


placed where mine was, could see thee, thy faith shall 
not rest merely upon this, for thow shalt see greater 
things than these—more numerous and express proofs 
of my eternal power and Godhead. 

Verse 51. Verily, verily] Amen, amen. The dou- 
bling of this word probably came from this cireum- 
stance : that it was written both in Hebrew js and in 
Greek μην, signifying, it is true. 

Heaven open] This seems to be a figurative ex- 
pression: 1. Christ may be understood by this saying 
to mean, that a clear and abundant revelation of God’s 
will should be now made unto men; that heaven itself 
should be /aid as it were open, and all the mysteries 
which had been shut up and hidden in it from eternity, 
relative to the salvation and glorification of man, sheuld 
be now fully revealed. 2. That by the angels of Ged 
ascending and descending, is to be understood, that a 
perpetual intercourse should now be opened between 
heaven and earth, through the medium of Christ, who 
was God manifested in the flesh. Our blessed Lord 
is represented in his mediatorial capacity as the am- 
bassador of God to men; and the angels ascending 
and descending upon the Son of man, is a metaphor 
taken from the custom of despatching couriers or mes- 
sengers from the prince to his ambassador in a foreign 
court, and from the ambassador back: to the prince.— 
This metaphor will receive considerable light when 
compared with 2 Cor. y. 19, 20: God was in Christ 
reconciling the world unto himself :—We are ambassa- 
dors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, 
we pray you in Christ’s stead to be reconciled to God. 
The whole concerns of human salvation shall be car- 
ried on, from henceforth, through the Son of man; 
and an incessant intercourse be established between 
heaven and earth. Some have illustrated this passage 
by the account of Jacob’s vision, Gen. xxviii. 12.— 
But though that vision may intimate that God had 
established at that time a communication between hea- 
ven and earth, through the medium of angels, yet it 
does not appear that our Lord’s saying here has any 
reference to it; but that it should be understood as 
stated above. 

What a glorious view does this give us of the Gos- 
pel dispensation! It is heaven opened to earth; and 
heaven opened on earth. The Church militant and 
the Church triumphant become one, and the whole 
heavenly family, in both, see and adore their common 
Lord. Neither the world nor the Church is left to the 

521 


Various testimomes concerning 


caprices of time or chance. The Son of man governs 
as he upholds 811. Wherever we are praying, study- 
ing, hearing, meditating, his gracious eye is upon us. 
He notes our wants, our weakness, and our petitions ; 
and his eye affects his heart. Let us be without guile, 
deeply, habitually sincere, serious, and upright; and 
then we may rest assured, that not only the eye, but 
the hand, of our Lord shall be ever upon us for good. 
Happy the man whose heart can rejoice in the reflec- 
tion, Thou God seest me! 


1. TESTIMONIES 
CONCERNING THE LOGOS, OR WORD OF GOD; 


From the Chaldee Targums. 


The person here styled the Logos is ealled M17 935 
debar yehovah, the Word of Jehovah, Gen. xv. 1, 4; 
1 Sam. iii. 7, 21; xv. 10; 1 Kings xiii. 9, 17; xix. 
9,15; Psa. evil. 20; and the Targums, or Chaldee 
paraphrases, frequently substitute “7 S11) meymra 
d’yay, the word of the Lord, for 717 Jehovah him- 
self. Thus the Jerusalem Targum in Gen. iii. 22, 
and both that and the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, 
in Gen. xix. 24. And Onkelos, on Gen. iil. 8, for 
the voice of the Lord God, has, the voice of the worv 
of the Lord. he Jerusalem Targum on Gen. i. 27, 
for, And God created man, has, The worn of Jehovah 
created, &c. Compare Targum Jonathan, on Isa. xlv. 
12; xlvili. 13; Jer. xxvii. 5. And on Gen. xxii. 14, 
that of Jerusalem says, Abraham invoked, δα 22 DW2 
πὶ beshem meynra d’yay, in the name of the worp 
of the Lord, and said, rHou art Jehovah. So Onkelos, 
Gen. xxviil. 20, 21, If the worp of Jehovah will be 
my help—then the worn of Jehovah shall be my God. 
See Parkhurst under the word AOTOS. 

After a serious reading of the Targums, it seems to 
me evident that the Chaldee term 71° meymra, or 
worpD, is taken personally, in a multitude of places in 
them. When Jonathan ben Uzziel speaks of the Su- 
preme Being as doing or saying any thing, he gene- 
rally represents him as performing the whole by this 
Meymra, or Worn, which he considers, not as a speech 
or word spoken, but as a person distinct from the Most 
High, and to whom he attributes all the operations of 
the Deity. To attempt to give the word any other 
meaning than this, in various places throughout the 
Targums, would, in my opinion, be flat opposition to 
every rule of construction; though, like the Greek 
word λόγος, it has other acceptations in certain places. 
See Lightfoot. 


2. Testimonies concerning the personality, attri- 
butes, and influence of the Worp of Gop, taken from 
the Zend Avesta, and other writings attributed to 
Zoroaster. 6 

“ Let thy terrible worp which I pronounce, Ὁ Or- 
musd! elevate itself on high. May it be great before 
thee, and satisfy my desires!” Zrnp Avesta, vol. i. 
Vendidad Sadeé, p. 104. 

Zoroaster consulted Ormusd, and spoke thus to him: 
“Ὁ Ormusd, absorbed in excellence, just Judge of the 
world, pure, who existest by thy own power, what is 
that great worp given by God, that living and power- 
ful worp, O Ormusd, tell me plainly, which existed 

522 


ST. JOHN. 


the Logos, or Word of God. 


before the heavens, before the water, before the earth, 
before the flocks, before the fire, the cu1np of OrmusD, 
before men, before the whole race of existing beings, 
before all the benefits, and before all the pure germs 
given by Ormusd?”’ Ormusd replied : ‘“ Pronounce 
that great worp well, that worp which existed before 
heaven was made, before the water, before the earth, 
before brute animals, before men, and before the holy 
angels (amschaspands.) 1 pronounced that word with 
majesty, and all the pure beings which are, and which 
have been, and which shall be, were formed. I con. 
tinue to pronounce it in its utmost extent, and abun- 
dance is multiplied.” Ibid. p. 138, 139. 

“ By his original worp, Ormusd created the world 
and vanquished Ahriman, the genius of evil.” Ibid. 
p- 140, not. 1. 

“The saints in heaven and earth pronounce the 
sacred worp :—under the character of Honover (i. e. 
pure desire) it is worshipped.” Ibid. 141. 

“ Ormusd, together with the luminous and excellent 
worpD, is invoked, to defend the true worshipper from 
the oppression of evil spirits.” Ibid. p. 174. 

“Man is healed by the supreme word.” 
324. 

‘¢ By this worp all defiled places are rendered pure : 
fire, water, earth, trees, flocks, men, women, stars, 
moon, sun, and the primeval light, with all the bless- 
ings given by Ormusd, are purified by it.” Ibid 
p- 368. 

The word of Ormusd is termed, “ Ezem baté, I 
Am ;” and is represented as “ putting every thing in a 
safe state—as the author of abundance; the source of 
all productions ; the holy, pure, precious, and desirable 
word, which watches over all the creation.” Ibid 
Jescht Rashne Rast. vol. ii. p. 239. 

It is called, “ The excellent, elevated, and victo- 
rious word: the source of light ; the principle of action, 
which smites and triumphs; which gives health ; dis- 
comfits wicked men and spirits; which exists through 
all the world, destroying the evil, and fulfilling the 
desires of the good.” Ibid. Jescht of Ormusd, vol. 
li. p. 145.. 

The Word is invoked as—*‘ The pure word—the 
most pure word: the strong—the most strong: the 
extended and ancient—the most extended and the 
most ancient: the victorious—the most victorious. 
the salutary—the most salutary: which gives health 
—is the abundant source of health, and cures wounds 
and diseases of all kinds.” Tbid. Jescht of Ardebe- 
hesht, vol. ii. p. 157. 

It is termed, “ The creator, or creating principle.” 
Ibid. Jescht of Farvardin, vol. ii. p. 252. 

** Prayer is made to the soul of the excellent worp, 
the body of which is supremely luminous.”  Thbid. p. 
262. 

“Through the wnole government of Ormusd, men 
are commanded to invoke that most pure and excellent 
worp.” Ibid. p. 264. 

That the word, in the above places, does not mean 
the sacred books of the Parsees, it is expressly said, 
that— The law of the Mazdejesnans (the disciples 
of Zoroaster) comes from this superexcellent Word.” 
Ibid. Si-Rouzé ; Mansrespand, p. 323, 354. 

“The law is the body under which the primitive 

1 


Ibid. p. 


Various testimonies concerni ng 


worp, which created the world, is manifested. The 
primitive worp therefore is worshipped in reading and 
reverencing that Jaw; and the effects produced in the 
soul by it are no less than a new creation, in some 
sort similar to that which this omnific Word formed in 
the beginning.” Ibid. vol. ii. p. 595. 

“The worn proceeds from the first principle, time 
without bounds, i. e. eternity: it is before all created 
beings, and by it all the creation of God has been 
formed.” Ibid. vol. ii. p. 592. 

T find a word of the same import, used in exactly 
the same sense, in the Zend Avesta, attributed to the 
ancient Persian lawgiver, Zoroas/er. 

One might suppose that Mohammed had the first 
chapter of St. John’s Gospel in his eye when he 
wrote ver. 33, of Surat xix., of his Koran :— 


at N55 ape οὐ as DUS 
Zalyka Isa thbno Mareema Kawlolhokki, This is Jesus 
the Son of Mary, the worn of TRvTH.—Some may 
understand the Arabic differently: This is a true 
word, that Jesus is the son of Mary. 


3. TESTIMONIES 
CONCERNING THE LOGOS, OR WORD OF GOD; 
From Philo Judeus. 


After I had begun my collections from Philo Judx- 
us relative to the Logos, I casually met with a work 
of the late very learned Mr. Jacob Bryant, entitled, 
The sentiments of Philo Judeus concerning the AO- 
TOS, or WORD of GOD. 8vo. Cambridge, 1797. 
From this valuable tract I shall make a few extracts, 
and beg leave to refer the reader to the pamphlet 
itself. 

“Philo Judeus speaks at large, in many places, of 
the word of God, the second person, which he mentions 
as (Sevrepoc Oeoc) the second divinity, the great cause of 
all things, and styles him, as Plato, as well as the 
Jews had done before, the Locos. Of the Divine Lo- 
gos, or Word, he speaks in many places, and maintains 
at large the divinity of the second person, and describes 
his attributes in a very precise and copious manner, 
styling him: 
mpwrov) Λογος, the second Deity, who is the Word of 
he Supreme God; ὃ Πρωτογονον vior, his first begot- 
ten Son; ©Etkwv Ocov, the Image of God; and 
ἃ Moin» τῆς tepac ἀγελης, The shepherd of his holy 
flock. In his treatise upon Creation, he speaks of the 
Worn, as © the Divine operator, by whom all things were 
disposed ; and mentions him as fsuperior to the angels 
and all created beings, and the image and likeness of 
God, and says that this image of the true God was es- 
teemed the same as God—% ὡς avrov (Θεον) κατανοου- 
σι. % This LOGOS, the Worv of Gon, says he, is 
superior to all the world, and more ancient ; being the 
vroaucter of all that was produced. ‘The eternal 
Word of the everlasting God is the sure and fixed 


ἃ tov devtepov Θεὸν ὃς ecw exetvov (θεου 


*Philo, Fragm. vol. ii. p. 625. De Agricult. vol. i. 
p. 303 © De Mundi Opif. vol. i. p. 6. 4 De Agricult. 
vol. i. p. 308. © De Mundi Opif. vol. i. p. 4. ‘De Pro. 
fugis. vol. i, p. 561. & De Somaniis, vol. i. p. 656. ἡ De 
Leg. Alleg. vol. i. p. 121. ‘De Plantatione. Naé, vol. i. 
p- 331. 

1 


CHAP. I. 


the Logos, οἱ Word of God 


Soundation, uponwiich all things depend. Hementions 
man as inneed of redemption, and says, What intelligent 
person, who views mankind engaged in unworthy and 
wicked pursuits, but * must be grieved to the heart, and 
call upon that only Saviour God, that these crimes may 
be extenuated, and that, by a ransom and price of re- 
demption being given for his soul, it may again obtain 
its freedom! It pleased God therefore to appoint his 
Locos to be a mediator. 1 70 his Worp the chief and 
most ancient of all in heaven, the great Author of the 
world gave this especial gift, that he should stand asa 
medium (or intercessor) between the Creator and the 
created; and he is accordingly the advocate for all 
mortals. The same™Woxp is the intercessor for 
man, who is always tending to corruption: and he 
is the appointed messenger of God, the governor of 
all things, to man in subjection to him. © He, there- 
fore, exhorts everu person, who is able, to exert him- 
self in the race which he is to run, to bend his course 
without P remission to the Divine Worpv above, who 
is the fountain of all wisdom; that, by drinking at 
this sacred spring, he, instead of death, may obtain 
the reward of everlasting life. He repeats, conti- 
nually, that the Locos is the express image of God. 

4 The Worp, by which the world was made, 1s the 
image of the supreme Deity. * As we perceive the 
sun’s light, though the sun itself is not seen; and be 
hold the brightness of the moon, though its orb may 
not appear to the eye ; so men look up to, and acknow- 
ledge, the likeness of God, in his minister the Logos, 
whom they esteem as God. He attempts to describe 
his nature by representing him as, ὃ not uncreated, 
like Ged ; nor yet created, as man; but of a Divine 
substance. ' For the Worp of God, which is above 
all the host of heaven, cannot be comprehended by 
human wisdom, having nothing in his nature that is 
perceptible to mortal sense. For, being the image of 
God, and the eldest of all intelligent beings, he is 
seated immediately next to the one God, without any 
interval of separation. This, in the language of 
Scripture, is sitting on the right hand of God. He 
adds, ἃ For not being liable to any voluntary or invo- 
luntary change, or falling off, he has God for his lot 
and portion, and his residence is in God. The like 
is mentioned in another place, where he is represented 
again as sinless, and as the great High Priest ot the 
world. ΟΥ̓ We maintain, that by the (true) High 
Priest is not meant aman, but the Divine Worn, who 
is free from all voluntary and involuntary transgres- 
stons ; being of heavenly parentage, born of God, and 
of that Divine Wisdom by which all things were pro- 
duced. He speaks to the same purpose in another 


k De Confus. Ling. vol. i. p. 418.1. 50. 1 Quis Rerum 
Divin. Heres. vol. i. pp. 501, 502. ™ Ibid. p. 501. 1. 49. 
2 For κηραινοντος ast προς To adfaprov, we should certain- 
ly read, πρὸς to φθαρτον. °De Profugis. vol. i. p. 560, 
1. 31. The present reading is ἀπλευςι, the meaning of 
which I do not comprehend. The true reading is pro- 
bably ἀπνευςι, from azvevcoc, without remission—indesi 
nenter, without stopping to take breath. % De Monarchia, 
vol. ii. 1. ii, p. 225. Tov de aoparov καὶ νοητὸν Θείον 
Aoyov εἰκονα λέγει Ocov. De Mundi Opif. vol. i. p. 6. 
De Somniis, vol. i. p. 656. 1. 33. * Quis Rerum Divin. 
Heres. vol. i. p. 502. ‘De Profugis. vol. i. p. 561. 1. 16. 
"Tbid. 224. ‘Ibid. p. 562. 1. 13. 

523 


Various testumonres concerning 


place, where he makes mention of the Worp. W Εν ᾧ 
καὶ Apyiepevc, 6 πρωτογονος αὐτου (Θεου) Θείος Λογος, 
In which presides that High Priest, the holy Worp, 
the first-born of God; at other times styled, πρεσβθυτα- 
τος υἷος Θεου, the Son of God, antecedent to all crea- 
tion. *Tovrov μὲν yap πρεσβυτατον viov ὁ των οντων 
ἀνετειλε ἸΤατῆρ, ov ἕτερωθι πρωτογονον ὠνομασε. It is 
manifest that every attribute which the sacred writers 
have given to Christ, in his mediatorial capacity, 
Philo has attributed to him in his Divine character, 
antecedent to creation, page 15-22. 

Mr. Bryant thinks that Philo derived all this know- 
ledge, concerning the Logos, from the apostles, and 
the works and conversation of Christian writers ; for 
it is very probable that Philo was contemporary with 
our Lord himself. Mr. B. is so well satisfied that 
Philo derived all this knowledge from these sources 
that he goes on to ask :— 

“Whence else could he have obtained so many 
terms which bear such an analogy with the expres- 
sions and doctrines in the apostolical writings? Such 
are Yio, Θεοῦ, Aoyog mpwroyovoc, πρεσβυτατος, αἴδιος, 
Λογος Δργίερευς, μεσος, μεθοριος, ἱκετης Tov ϑνητοῦυ, 
δημιουργος, Ποιμὴν τῆς ἱερας ayeAnc, Ὕπαρχος Θεου, 
obpaytc, εἰκὼν Θεου, φως, πνευμα Ocov, πνευμα πανσοῴον. 
We read farther concerning redemption, ἀπα---λυτρα 
kat σωςρα, the price and ransom for the soul, ἀντί 
Yavarov ζωὴν αἴδιον, and vovg avOpwrov ναὸς Θεου.---- 
To these other instances might be added equally 
significant ; few of which are to be found in the Greek 
version, or in any Jewish doctrines, at least in the 
aceeptation given. They were obtained either from 
tlie conversation, or from the writings, of the first 
Christians ; or rather from both.” Page 202. 

At p. 105, Mr. B. gives “A recapitulation of the 
characters and attributes of the Logos, with the col- 
lateral evidence from Seripture.” This, with some 


other matters of a collateral import, he argues in 52 | 


particulars, from which I have extracted the following, 
as being most closely allied to the subject, inserting 
the original words along with the translation. The 
references, in all cases, are to Dr. Mangey’s edition 
of Philo, 2 vols. fol. Lond. 1742. 

4. A LisT OF SOME OF THE PARTICULAR TERMS AND 
DOCTRINES FOUND IN Puito, with parallel passages from 
the New Testament. 


1. The Logos is the Son of God—vioc Θεου. De 
Agric. vol. i. p. 308; De Profug. ib. p. 562: com- 
pare Mark i. 1; Luke iv. 41; John i. 34; Acts 
vill. 37. 

2. ‘The second divinity —devrepoc Θεὸς Λογος. Fragm. 
vol. li. p. 625: comp. John i. 1; 1 Cor. i. 24. 

3. The first-begotten of God—Aoyoe πρωτογονος. 
De Somnits, vol. i. p. 653 : comp. Heb. i. 6; Col. i. 15. 

4. The image of God—ecwv τοῦ Ocov. De Mundi 
Opific. vol. i. p. 6, 414,419, 656: comp. Col. i. 15; 
Heb. i. 3; 2 Cor. iv. 4. 

5. Superior to angels—irepavw πάντων (αγγελωνὴ 
Λογος Θείος. De Profugis, vol. i. p. 561: comp. | 
Heb. i. 4, 6. 


w De Somniis, vol. i. p. 653. x De Confus. Ling. 
vol. i. p. 414, 
524 


ST. JOHN. 


the Logos, or Word of God 


6. Superior to all the world—'O Aoyoc—drepava 
παντὸς ect. De Leg. Allegor. vol. i. p. 121: comp. 
Heb. ii. 8. 

7. By whom the world was created—rov Θείον 
Aoyov tov ταυτα diakoouncavta. De Mund. Opif. vol. i 
p- 4: comp. Johni. 3; 1 Cor. viii. 6 ; Heb. i. 2,10 

8. The great substitute of God—irapyor tov Θεοῦ. 
De Agricult. vol. 1. p. 308: comp. John i. 3, and 
xvii. 4; Eph. iii. 9; Phil. ii. 7. 

9. The light of the world—®owe κοσμδ: and intel- 
lectual sun—#Acoc vontoc. De Somniis, vol. i. p. 6, 
414, 632, 633: comp. Johni. 4, 9; and viii. 12; 1 
Pet τις 0. 

10. Who only can see (οά---ᾧ μονῳ τὸν Θεὸν εξεςι 
καϑορᾳν. De Confus. Linguar. vol. 1. p. 418: comp. 
John i. 18, and vi. 46. 

11. Whoresides in God—ev αὐτῷ μονῳ κατοίκησει. De 
Profug. vol. i. p. 561: comp. John i. 1,18,and xiv.11. 

12. The most ancient of God’s works, and before 
all things—zpeoButatoc τῶν dca yeyove. De Confus. 
Ling. vol.i. p. 427; De Leg. Allegor. ib. p. 121: comp. 
John i. 2; and xvii. 5, 24; 2 Tim. i. 9; Heb. i. 2. 

13. Esteemed the same as God—Aoyov ὡς αὐτὸν 
(θΘεον) κατανοουσι. De Somniis, vol.i. p. 656: comp 
Mark ii. 7; Rom. ix. 5; Phil. ii. 6. 

14. The Logosis eternal—é αἴδιος Λογος. De Plant. 
Noa, vol. i. p. 332, and vol. ii. p. 604: comp. John 
xii. 34; 2 Tim.i. 9, andiv. 18; Heb. i. 8; Rev. x. 6. 

15. Beholds all things—ofvdepxesatoc, ὡς παντα 
edopav swat ixavoc. De Leg. Allegor. vol. i. p. 121 : 
comp. Heb. iv. 12, 13; Rev. li. 23. 

16. He unites, supports, preserves, and perfects the 
world—s te yap Tov ovtoc Λογος, δεσμος ὧν των ἁπαντῶν 
—OUvEeyEL τὰ μερὴ παντα, καὶ σφιγγει----περιεχει Ta bAa, 
καὶ πεπληρωκεν. De Prof. vol. i. p. 562 ; Fragm. vol. 
ii. p. 655: comp. John iii. 35; Col.i. 17; Heb. i. 3. 

17. Nearest to God without any separation—é eyyu- 
Tatw μηδενος οντὸς μεϑορίου διαςηματος. De Profug. 
vol. i. p. 561: comp. John i. 18, and x. 30, and xiv. 
11, and xvii. 11. 

18. Free from all taint of sin, voluntary or involun 
De 
Profug. vol. i. p. 561 : comp. John viii. 46; Heb. vii. 
26, and ix. 140-1 Bet. si. 22: 

19. Who presides over the imperfect and weak— 
οὗτος yap ἥμων των ατελων av ety Oeoc. De Leg. Alle- 
gor. vol. i. p. 128: comp. Matt. xi. 5; Luke v. 32; 
1 Dim. 1.15: 

20. The Logos, the fountain of wisdom—<Aoyov 
Θείον, ὃς σοφίας ecu πηγη. De Profug. vol. i. p. 560, 
566: comp. John iv. 14; vii. 38; 1 Cor.i. 24; Col. ii. 3. 

21. A messenger sent from God—zpeofevty¢ τοῦ 
ἥγεμονος προς To ὑπηκὸον. Quis Rer. Div. Heres. vol. i. 
p- 501: comp. John v. 36; viii. 29, 42; 1 Johniv. 9. 

22. The advocate for mortal man—ikern¢ μὲν ect Tov 
ϑνητου. Quis Rer. Div. Her. vol. i..p. 501: comp 
John xiv. 16; xvii. 20; Rom. viii. 34; Heb. vii. 25 

23. He ordered and disposed of all things-—dcecAe 
καὶ dievee παντα. Ib. p. 506: comp. Col. i. 15, 16; 
Heb. xi. 3. 

24. The shepherd of God’s floeck—vov opdov avrov 
Aoyov,—éc την ἐπιμελειαν τῆς lepac ταυτης ayeAnc. De 
Agricul. vol. i. p. 308: comp. John x. 14; Heb. xiii 
20; 1 Pet. ii. 25. 


tary—avev τροπὴς éxovotov—kat τῆς ακουσιου. 


1 


Ψαγιοιις testimonies concerning 


25. Of the power and royalty of the Logos—é τοῦ 
ἡγεμονος Aoyoc—kKar βασιλικὴ δυναμις αὐτου. De Pro- 
fug. vol. i. p. 561: comp. 1 Cor. xv. 25; Eph.i. 21, 
22; Heb. i. 2, 3; Rev. xvii. 14. 

26. The Logos is the physician, who heals all evil 
—rov ayyedov (ὃς ect Λογος) ὥσπερ latpov kakov. De 
Leg. Allegor. vol. i. p. 122: comp. Luke iv. 18; 
vii. 21; 1 Pet. ii. 24; James i. 21. 

27. The Logos is the seal of God—é de—ecw ἡ 
σῴραγις. De Profug. vol. i. pp. 547, 548; De Plant. 
Noa, ib. p. 332: comp. John vi. 27; Eph. i. 13; Heb. 
iene 
28. The sure refuge of those who seek him—e¢’ ὁν 
mpwrov καταφευγεῖν ὠφελιμωτατον. De Profug. ib. p. 
560 : comp. Matt. xi. 28; 1 Pet. il. 25. 

29. Of heavenly food distributed by the Logos 
equally to all who seek it—rnv ovparcov τροῴφην ψυχῆς. 
Quis Rer. Divin. Her. vol. i. p. 499: comp. Matt. 
y. 63 vii. 7; xiii, 10; xxiv. 14; xxviii. 19; Rom. 
x. 12, 18. 

30. Of men’s forsaking their sins, and obtaining 
spiritual freedom by the Logos—eAevdepra τὴς ψυχης. 
De Cong. Quer. Erud. Grat. vol. i. p. 534; De Prof. 
ib. pp. 561, 563: comp. John viii. 36; 1 Cor. vii. 22; 
ὉΠ ον iw. 17: Gal: v..1, 13: 

31. Of men’s being freed by the Logos from all 
corruption, and entitled to immortality—é ἑερος Λογος 
ἐτίμησε, yepac ἐξαίρετον dove, κληρον αϑανατον, τὴν eV 
αοϑαρτῳ yever ταξιν. De Cong. Quer. Erud. Grat. 
vol. i. p. 535: comp. Rom. viii. 21; 1 Cor. xv. 52, 53; 
TePet ἃ One. 

32. The Logos mentioned by Philo, not only as 
υἷος Ocov, the Son of God; but also, ἀγαπητὸν τεῖνον, 
his beloved Son. De Leg. Allegor. vol. i. p. 129: comp. 
Matt. iii. 17; Luke ix. 35; Col. i. 13; 2 Peter 
ἘΠῚ: 

33. The just man advanced by the Logos to the 
presence of his Creator—rw αὐτῷ λογῳ----ἰδρυσας πλη- 
σίον gavtov. De Sacrificiis, vol. i. p. 165: comp. 
John vi. 37, 44; xii. 26; xiv. 6. 

34. The Logos, the true high priest—apyvepeve, ὁ 
mpwroyovoc αὐτου Θείος Aoyoc De Somaniis, vol. i. p. 
653; De Profug. ib. p. 562: comp. Johni. 41; viil. 
46; Acts iv. 27; Heb. iv. 14; vii. 26. 

35. The Logos in his mediatorial capacity—Aoyoc 
apxtepeve μεϑοριος : of whom he says, Θαυμαζω καὶ Tov 
ueta σπουδὴς ἀαπνευςι ὅραμοντα συντονως ἱερον Aoyor, 
ἵνα cn μεσος Tov τεϑνηκοτων καὶ Tov ζωντων. “1 am 
astonished to see the Holy Logos running with so 
much speed and earnestness, that he may stand be- 
tween the living and the dead.” Quis Rer. Divinar. 
Heres. vol. i. p. 501: comp. 1 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. viii. 
1-6 ; ix. 11, 12, 24. 

These testimonies are truly astonishing: and if we 
allow, as some contend, that Philo was not acquainted 
either with the disciples of our Lord, or the writings 
of the New Testament, we shall be obliged to grant 
that there must have been some measure of Divine 
inspiration in that man’s mind, who could, in such a 
variety of cases, write so many words and sentences, 
so exactly corresponding to those of the evangelists 
and apostles 


1 


CHAP. I. 


the Logos, or Word of God. 


5. Testimonies concerning a Trinily among the 
Chinese, and concerning the Worp of God. 


Among the ancient Chinese characters which have 
been preserved, we find the following Δ, like the 
Greek delta, and since written MW According to the 


Chinese Dictionary Kang-hi, this character signifies 
union. According to Choueouen, a celebrated work, 
Ais three united in one. The Lieou chou tsing hoen, 
which is a rational and learned explanation of ancient 
characters, says : “ A signifies intimate union, harmony 
the chief good of man, of the heaven, and of the earth ; 
it is the union of three.” 

The book Se-Ai says, “ Formerly the empero- 
made a solemn sacrifice every three years to the Spi- 
rit Trinity in Unity.” 


- 


chin san Y. 
The word Tao in ordinary discourse signifies rule, 
law, wisdom, truth, way, word. In the text of Lao 
tse it signifies the Divinity. “Tao (says he) is an 
abyss of perfections which ecomprehends all beings. 
The Tao which can be described is not the eternal 
Tao. The Tao is its own rule and model. The Tao 
preserves the heavens, and sustains the earth. It is 
so elevated that none can reach it; so deep that none 
can fathom it; so immense that it contains the uni 
verse; and, notwithstanding, it is complete in the 
smallest things.” 

“He who is as visible, and yet cannot be seen, is 


denominated lieou u; he who can be heard, and yet 


speaks not to the ears, iz; he who is as tangible, and 
yet cannot be felt, is named ouci : in vain do you con- 
sult your senses concerning these three ; your reason 
alone can discourse of them, and it will tell you that 
they are but one: above, there is no light; below, 
there is no darkness. He is eternal. There is no 
name which can designate him. He bears no simili- 
tude to any created thing. He is an wnage without 
form; and a form without matter. His light is ‘en- 
compassed with darkness. If you look upwards, you 
cannot see his commencement: if you follow him, you 
cannot discover his end. What the Tao has always 
been, such he continues to be: for he is eternal, and 
the commencement of wisdom.” 

One of the missionaries at Peking, who wrote the 
letter from which I have made the above extracts, 
takes it for granted that the mystery of the Trinity was 
known among the ancient Chinese, and that the charac- 
ter A wasits symbol. Lettre sur les Characteres Chi- 
nots, 4to. Bruxelles, 1773. 


Ir is remarkable that Moses and the prophets, the 
ancient Chaldee Targumists, the author or authors of 
the Zend Avesta, Plato and the first philosophers of 
Greece, Philo the Jew, John and the apostles, and per- 
haps even Mohammed himself, should all so perfectly 
coincide in their ideas concerning a glorious person ir 
the Godhead! This must have been more than the effect 
of accident. Moses and the prophets received this 
Divine doctrine from God himself: it was afterwards 
confirmed to the apostles by Divine inspiration; and 
ancient philosophers and Jawgivers borrowed from both 

525 


The marriage at 


ST. JOHN. 


Cana in Galilee 


CHAPTER IL. 


The miracle at Cana in Galilee, where our Lord changed water into wine, 1-11. 
He purges the temple at the feast of the passover, 13-17. The Jews require a miracle, as a proof 
In answer he refers to his own death and resurrection, 19-- 
Many believe on him while at the feast of the passover, to whom Jesus would not trust himself, 


12. 
that he had authority to do these things, 18. 
22. 
23-25. 


a AND. the third day there was a 
re ὌΝΩΝ marriage in *Cana of Galilee ; 
CI. 3. 
and the Sea of Jesus was 
there : 
And both Jesus was called, » and his dis- 
ciples, to the marriage. 


He goes to Capernaum 


3 And when they wanted wine, ae 


the mother of Jesus saith unto him, An. Olymp. 
They have no wine. fal a 

4 Jesus saith unto her, 5 Woman, 4 what have 
I to do with thee? ©*mine hour is not yet 
come. 


aSee Josh. xix. 28——» Ver. 11; Deut. xvi. 14. 


© Ch. vii. 6 


NOTES ON CHAP. II. 

Verse 1. Cana of Galilee] This was a small city 
in the tribe of Asher, Josh. xix. 28, and by saying 
this was Cana of Galilee, the evangelist distinguishes 
it from another Cana, which was in the tribe of Eph- 
raim, in the Samaritan country. See Josh. xvi. 8; 
Xvil. 9. 

Some suppose that the ¢hird day, mentioned here, 
refers to the third day of the marriage feast: such 
feasts lasting among the Jews seven τε See Judg. 
xiv. 12, 17, 18, and Bishop Pearce. 

The mother of Jesus was there] Some of the an- 
cients have thought that this was the marriage of John 
the evangelist, who is supposed to have been a near 
relative of our Lord. See the sketch of his life pre- 
fixed to these notes. 

Verse 2. And both Jesus was called, and his disci- 
ples| There are several remarkable circumstances 
here. 1. This was probably the first Christian wed- 
ding that was ever in the world. 

2. The great Author of the Christian religion, 
with his disciples, (probably then only four or five 
in number, see chap. i. 37, &c.,) were invited to it. 

3. The first miracle Jesus Christ wrought was at 
it, and in honour of it. 

4. The mother of Christ, the most pure of all 
vurgins, the most holy of all wives, and the first 
Christian mother, was also at it. 

5. The marriage was according to God, or these 
holy persons would not have attended it. 

6. The bride and bridegroom must have been a holy 
pair, otherwise they would have had nothing to do with 
such holy company. 

Marriage is ever honourable in itself; but it is not 
at all times used honourably. Where Jesus is not in- 
vited to bless the union, no good ean be expected ; 
and where the disciples of sin and Satan are preferred 
to the disciples of Christ, on such occasions, it is a 
melancholy intimation that so bad a beginning will 
have a bad ending. Τ am afraid we may search long, 
before we find a marriage conducted on such principles 
as this appears to have been, even among those who 
make more than a common profession of the religion 
of Christ. 

Verse. 3. They have no wine.] Though the blessed 

528 


virgin is supposed to have never seen her son work a 
miracle before this time, yet she seems to have ex 
pected him to do something extraordinary on this oc- 
casion ; as, from her acquaintance with him, she must 
have formed some adequate idea of his power and 
goodness. 

Verse 4. Woman, what have I to do with thee 2} 
Te ἐμοὶ καὶ cot, γυναι: O, woman, what is this to thee 
and me? his is an abrupt denial, as if he had said : 
“ Wer are not employed to provide the necessaries for 
this feast: this matter belongs to others, who should 
have made a proper and sufficient provision for the 
persons they had invited.” The words seem to con- 
vey a reproof to the virgin, for meddling with that 
which did not particularly concern her. The holiest 
persons are always liable to errors of judgment: and 
should ever conduct themselves with modesty and hu- 
mility, especially in those things in which the provi- 
dence of God is particularly concerned. But here in- 
deed there appears to be no blame. It is very likely 
the bride or bridegroom’s family were relatives of the 
blessed virgin; and she would naturally suppose that 
our Lord would feel interested for the honour and com- 
fort of the family, and, knowing that he possessed extra- 
ordinary power, made this application to him to come 
forward to their assistance. Our Lord’s answer to his 
mother, if properly translated, is far from being dis- 
respectful. He addresses the virgin as he did the Sy- 
rophenician woman, Matt. xv. 28; as he did the Sa- 
maritan woman, Johniv. 21; as he addressed his dis- 
consolate mother when he hung upon the cross, chap 
xix. 26; as he did his most affectionate friend Mary 
Magdalene, chap. xx. 15, and as the angels had ad- 
dressed her before, ver. 13 ; and as St. Paul does the 
believing Christian woman, 1 Cor. vii. 16; in all 
which places the same term, γυναί, which occurs in 
this verse, is used; and where certainly no kind of 
disrespect is intended; but, on the contrary, complai- 
sance, affability, tenderness, and concern: and in this 
sense it is used in the best Greek writers. 

Mine hour is not yet come.| Or, my time, for in 
this sense the word dpa is often taken. My time for 
working a miracle is not yet fully come. What I do, 
I do when necessary, and not before. Nature is un- 
| steady—full of haste; and ever blundering, in conse 
1 


(πγιδὶ works his 


AM 13) 5 His mother saith unto the ser- 
An, ναι. vants, Whatsoever he saith unto 


you, do it. 

6 And there were set there six waterpots of 
stone, after the manner of the purifying of the 
Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots 
with water. And they filled them up to the 
brim. 

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, 


CHAP. II. 


Jirst miracle 


and bear unto the governor of the Ae. 408) 
feast. And they bare zt. sa Clsme. 
9 When the ruler of the feast had τ 
tasted * the water that was made wine, and 
knew not whence it was, (but the servants 
which drew the water knew,) the governor ΟἹ 

the feast called the bridegroom, 

10 And saith unto him, Every man at the be- 
ginning doth set forth good wine ; and when 
men have well drunk, then that which is worse 


€ Mark vii. 3. 
quence. It is the folly and sin of men that they are 
ever finding fault with the Divine providence. Accord- 
ing to them, God never does any thing in due timme— 
he is too early or too date: whereas it is utterly im- 
possible for the Divine wisdom to forestall itself; or 
for the Divine goodness to delay what is necessary. 

Verse 5. His mother saith, &c.] The virgin seems 
to have understood our Lord as hinted above. It was 
not yet time to grant them a supply, because the want 
had not as yet been generally felt. But, silently re- 
ceiving the respectful caution, she saw that the mira- 
cle should be wrought when it best suited the purposes 
of the Divine wisdom. 

Verse 6. After the manner of the purifying of the 
Jews| Or, for the purpose of the purifying of the 
Jews. The preposition xara, which I have translated, 
for the purpose, often denotes in the best Greek writers 
the final cause of a thing. See several examples pro- 
duced by Raphelius, from Arrian and Herodotus. 
These six vessels were set in a convenient place, for 
the purpose of the Jews washing their hands before 
they sat down to meat, and probably for other pur- 
poses of purification. See this custom referred to in 
Matt. xv. 2. As to the number siz, we need seek 
for no mystery in it; the number of pots was propor- 
tioned to the number of the guests. 

Containing two or three firkins apiece.| Measures 
or metretes, petpytac. Bishop Cumberland supposes 
that the Syrian metretes is here meant, which he com- 
putes to have held seven pints and one eighth of a pint; 
and, if this computation be right, the whole six water 
pots might have contained about fourteen gallons and 
a quart. Others make each metretes to contain ten 
gallons and two pints: see Arbuthnot. But the con- 
tents of the measures of the ancients are so very un- 
certain that it is best, in this and numberless other 
eases, to attempt to determine nothing. 

Verse 8. Governor of the feast.| The original word, 
αρχιτρικλινος, signifies one who is chief or head over 
three couches, or tables. In the Asiatic countries, 
they take their meals sitting, or rather reclining, on 
small low couches. And when many people are pre- 
sent, so that they cannot all eat together, three of these 
low tables or couches are put together in form of a 
crescent, and some one of the guests is appointed to 
take charge of the persons who sit at these tables. 
Ifence the appellation of architriclinus, the chief over 
three coucnes or tables, which in process of time be- 
vame applied to the governor or steward of a feast, let 

ι 


5 Chap. iv. 46. 


the guests be many or few; and such person, having 
conducted the business well, had a festive crown put 
on his head by the guests, at the conclusion of the 
feast. See Neelesiasticus, chap. xxxii. 1, 2, 3. It 
is very common for the Hindoos to appoint a person 
who is expert in conducting the ceremonies of a feast 
to manage as governor. This person is seldom the 
master of the house. 

And they bare it.) A question has been asked, “ Did 
our Lord turn all the water into wine which the six 
measures contained?” To which I answer: There is 
no proof that he did; and I take it for granted that he 
did not. It may be asked, “ How could a part he 
turned into wine, and not the whole?” To which I 
answer: The water, in all likelihood, was changed into 
wine as it was drawn out, and not otherwise. ‘“ But 
did not our Lord by this miracle minister to vice, by 
producing an excess of inebriating liquor?” No; for 
the following reasons: 1. The company was a select 
and holy company, where no excess could be permit- 
ted. And, 2. Our Lord does not appear to have fur- 
nished any extra quantity, but only what was neces- 
sary. “ But it is intimated in the text that the guests 
were nearly intoxicated before this miraculous addition 
to their wine took place ; for the evangelist says, ὁταν 
μεϑυσϑωσι, when they have become intoxicated.” 1 
answer: 1. It is not intimated, even in the most in- 
direct manner, that these guests were at all intoxicat- 
ed. 2. The words are not spoken of the persons at 
that wedding at all: the governor of the feast only 
states that such was the common custom at feasts of 
this nature ; without intimating that any such custom 
prevailed there. 3. The original word bears a widely 
different meaning from that which the objection forees 
upon it. The verbs peSucko and μεϑύυω, from pedu, 
wine, which, from era ϑύυεῖν, to drink after sacrificing, 
signify not only to inebriate, but to take wine, to drink 
wine, to drink enough: and in tkis sense the yerb is 
evidently used in the Septuagint, Gen. xliit. 34; Cant. 
v. 1; 1 Mace. xvi. 16; Hag. i. 6; Ecclus. τ 18: 
And the Prophet Isaiah, chap. lviii. 11, speaking of 
the abundant blessings of the godly, compares them to 
walered garden, which the Septuagint translate, ὦ, 
κηπος μεϑυων, by which is certainly understood, not a 
garden drowned with water, but one suffictently satu- 
rated with it, not having one drop too much, nor too littie. 

Verse 10. The good wine until now.| That which 
our Lord now made being perfectly pure, and highly 
nutritive. 

527 


Jesus goes to Jerusalem 


A. M. 4031. τ i 
My 83! but thou hast kept the good wine 


An. Olymp. until now. 

2 11 This beginning of miracles did 
Jesus in Cana of Galilee, "and manifested forth 
his glory; and his disciples believed on him. 

12 ¥ After this he went down to Capernaum, 
he, and his mother, and ' his brethren, and his dis- 
ciples : and they continued there not many days. 

13 7 * And the Jews’ passover was at hand : 
and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 

14 ! And found in the temple those that sold 
oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of 
money sitting : 


ST. JOHN. 


and purges the temple. 


15 And when he had made a 4,™, 4031. 
scourge of small cords, he drove An. Olymp. 
them all out of the temple, and the 
sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the 
changers’ money, and overthrew the tables ; 

16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take 
these things hence; make not ™my Father’s 
house a house of merchandise. 

17 And his disciples remembered that it was 
written, ® The zeal of thine house hath eaten 
me up. 

18 § Then answered the Jews and said 
unto him, ° What sign showest thou unto 


b Chap. 1. 14.——' Matt. xii. 46. k Exod. xii. 14; Deut. xvi. 
1, 16; ver. 23; chap. v.1; vi. 4; xi. 55. 


1 Matt. xxi. 12; Mark xi. 15; Luke xix. 45——™ Luke ii. 49. 
0 Psa. Ixix. 9. © Matt. xii. 38; chap. vi. 30. 


Verse 11. This beginning of miracles] It was pro- 
bably the first he ever wrought :—at any rate, it was 
the first he wrought after his baptism, and the first he 
wrought publicly. 

His glory} His supreme Divinity: chap. i. 14. 

His disciples believed on him.| Were more abun- 
dantly confirmed in their faith, that he was either the 
promised Messiah, or a most extraordinary prophet, in 
the fullest intercourse with the ever blessed God. 

Verse 13. And the Jews’ passover was at hand] 
This was the reason why he stayed but a few days at 
Capernaum, ver. 12, as he wished to be present at 
the celebration of this feast at Jerusalem. 

This was the first passover after Christ’s baptism. 
The second is mentioned, Luke vi. 1. The third, John 
vi. 4. And the fourth, which was that at which he was 
crucified, chap. xi. 55. From which it appears, 1. That 
our blessed Lord continued his public ministry about 
three years and a half, according to the prophecy of 
Daniel, chap. ix. 27. And, 2. That, having been 
baptized about the beginning of his thirtieth year, he 
was crucified precisely in the middle of his thirty-third. 
See Martin. 

Verse 14. Found in the temple those that sold oxen, 


&c.] This is a similar fact to that mentioned Matt. | 


xxi. 12; Mark xi. 15; Luke xix. 45. 
plained on Matt. xxi. 12. If it be the same fact, then 
John anticipates three years of time in relating it here ; 
as that cleansing of the temple mentioned by the other 


evangelists took place in the last week of our Lord’s | 


life. Mr. Mann, Dr. Priestley, and Bp. Pearce, contend 
that our Lord cleansed the temple only once ; and that 
was at the last passover. Calvin, Mr. Mede, L’ Enfant 
and Beausobre, Dr. Lardner, Bp. Hurd, and Bp. New- 
come, contend that he purged the temple ¢wice; and 
that this, mentioned by John, was the first cleansing, 
which none of the other evangelists have mentioned. 
Let the reader, says Bp. Newcome, observe the order 
of events. 

“ Jesus works his first miracle at Cana of Galilee, 
chap. ii. 11; then he passes a few days at Capernaum, 
which brings him on his way to Jerusalem, ver. 12. 
The passover being near, he goes up to Jerusalem, 
ver. 13, and casts the traders out of the temple, 
ver. 15, 16. At the passover he works many 

528 


See it ex-| 


miracles, ver. 23. While he is in Jerusalem, which 
city he does not leave till, chap. ili. 22, Nicodemus 
comes to him by night, chap. ili. 1, 2. Chap. iii. 2 
contains a reference to chap. ii. 23. After these 
things, Jesus departs from Jerusalem, and dwells and 
baptizes in Judea, chap. iii. 22. And all these in- 
cidents take place before John was cast into prison, 
ver. 24. But the second cleansing of the temple 
happens most clearly during the last week of our 
Lord’s life, after the death of the Baptist, and at a 
time when it would be absurd to say that afterwards 
Jesus dwelt and baptized in Judea.” 

The vindication of God’s house from profanation was 
the first and the Jast care of our Lord; and it is pro- 
bable he degan and finished his public ministry by this 
significant act. 

It certainly appears that John directly asserts an 
early cleansing of the temple, by the series of his his- 
tory; as the other three evangelists assert a later 
cleansing of it. And though the act mentioned here 
seems to be nearly the same with that mentioned by 
the other evangelists, yet there are some differences. 
St. John alone mentions the scourge of rushes, and the 
casting out of the sheep and oxen. Besides, there is 
a considerable difference in our Lord’s manner of doing 
it: in the cleansing mentioned by the three evangelists, 
he assumes a vast deal of authority, and speaks more 
pointedly concerning himself, than he appears to do in 
this cleansing mentioned by St. John: the reason 
which has been given is, In the first cleansing he was 


_just entering upon his public minisiry, and therefore 


avoided (as much as was consistent with the accom- 
plishment of his work) the giving any offence to the 
Jewish rulers; but, in the /ast cleansing, he was just 
concluding his ministry, being about to offer up his life 
for the salvation of the world, in consequence of which 
he speaks fully and without reserve. For answers to 
all the objections made against two cleansings of the 
temple, see the notes at the end of Bp. Newcome’s 
Greek Harmony of the Gospels, pp. 7, 8, 9. 

Verse 17. The zeal of thine house] See Psa. lix. 
10. Zeal to promote thy glory, and to keep thy wor- 
ship pure. 

Verse 18. What sign showest thou] See on Matt. 
xii. 38, and xvi. 1. When Moses came to deliver 

1 


Many believe on him CHAP. II. because of his maracles. 


A. a us, seeing that thou doest these| said this unto them; and they be- 4,™ 1081 
An. Olymp. things ? lieved the scripture, and the word 45, Clpop. 
ΕΞ 19 Jesus answered and said unto| which Jesus had said. pbs oa 
them, ? Destroy this temple, and in three days} 23 Ἵ Now when he was in Jerusalem at 
I will raise it up. the passover, in the feast day, many believed 
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years | in his name, when they saw the miracles which 
was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear | he did. 
it up in three days ? 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto 
21 But he spake 4 of the temple of his body.| them, because he knew all men, 
22 When therefore he was risen from the} 25 And needed not that any should testify 
dead, τ his disciples remembered that he had| of man: for *he knew what was in man 


ae xxvi. 61 ; xxvii. 40; Mark xiv. 58; xv. eae Col. ii. | τ Luke xxiv. 8——* 1 Sam. xvi. 7; 1 Chron. xxviii. 9; Matt. 
; Heb. viii. 2; so 1 Cor. tii. 16; vi. ‘lo; 2 Cor. vi. 16. ix.4; Mark ii. 8; ch. vi. 64; xvi.30; Acts i. 24; Rey. ii. 23. 


Israel, he gave signs, or miracles, that he acted under | pare it with Heb. 1. 5, and chap. v. 5, and with Acts 
a Divine commission. What miracle dost thou work | xiii. 33. They understood these scriptures in a sense 
to show us that thou art vested with similar authority? | in which they never before understood them. 

Verse 19. Destroy this temple] Tov ναὸν τοῦτον, It is the property of many prophecies never to be 
This very temple ; perhaps pointing to his body at the | understood except by their accomplishment ; but these 
same time. are so marked that, when their fulfilment takes place, 

Verse 20. Forty and six years was this temple in| they cannot be misunderstood, or applied to any other 
building| The temple of which the Jews spake was | event. 
begun to be rebuilt by Herod the Great, in the 18th Verse 23. Many believed in his name] They be- 
year of his reign: Jos. Ant. b. xv. c. 11, s. 1; and| lieved him to be the promised Messiah, but did not 
xx. 6. 9, 5. 5,7. But though he finished the main | believe in him to the salvation of their souls: for we 
work in nine years and a half, yet some additional | find, from the following verse, that their hearts were 
buildings or repairs were constantly carried on for many | not at all changed, because our blessed Lord could not 
years afterwards. Herod began the work sixteen years | trust himself to them. 
before the birth of our Lord: the transactions which Verse 24. He knew all men] Instead of παντας, all 
are here related took place in the thirtieth year of our | men, EXGH, and about thirty others, read πάντα, every 
Lord, which make the term exactly forty-six years. | man, or all things ; and this I am inclined to believe 
Rosenmiiller. Josephus, Ant. b. xx. ὁ. 8, 5. 5, 7, has | is the true reading. Jesus knew all things ; and why? 
told us that the whole of the buildings belonging to the | Because he made all things, chap. i. 3, and because he 
temple were not finished till Nero’s reign, when Aldinus, | was the all-wise God, ver. 1; and he knew all men, 
the governor of Judea, was succeeded by Gessius Flo- | because he alone searches the heart, and tries the reins. 


rus, which was eighty years after the eighteenth year | He knows who are sincere, and who are hypocritical : 
of Herod’s reign. See Bp. Pearce. he knows those in whom he ean confide, and those to 

Verse 21. Of the temple of his body.] Rather, the | whom he can neither trust himself nor his gifts. Read- 
temple, his body: his body had no particular temple : | er, he also knows thee: thy cares, fears, perplexities, 
but i¢ was the temple of his Divinity—the place in| temptations, afflictions, desires, and hopes ; thy helps 
which, as in the ancient temple, his Godhead dwelt. | and hinderances; the progress thou hast made in the 
See how the Jews perverted these words, Matt. xxvi. | Divine life, or thy declension from it. If he know 
60, and the notes there. thee to be hypocritical or iniquitous, he looks upon 

Verse 22. Remembered that he had said this unto | thee with abhorrence : if he know thee to be of a meek. 
them] Avrocc, to them, is wanting in AEHLMS, Matt. | and broken spirit, he looks on thee with pity, compla- 
BY, upwards of one hundred others ; both the Syriac, | cency, and delight. Take courage—thou canst say,. 
Persic, Arabic, Coptic, Aithiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, | Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that J do 
Vulgate, and Itala. Griesbach has left it out of the | love thee, and mourn because I love and serve thee so 
text. little : then expect him to come in unto thee, and make 

They believed the scripture] The scripture which| his abode with thee: while thy eye and heart are 
the evangelist immediately refers to may have been| simple, he will love thee, and thy whole soul shall 
Psa. xvi. 10. Compare this with Acts ii. 31, 32,and|be full of light. To him be glory and dominion for 
with chap. xiii. 35-37. See also Psa. ii. 7, and com- | ever! 


CHAPTER III. 


The conversation between Nicodemus and our Lord, about the new birth and faith in his testimony, 1-15 
The love of God, the source of human salvation, 16. Who are condemned, and who are approved, 17— 
21. Jesus and his disciples come to Judea, and baptize, 22. John baptizes in Ainon, 23, 24. The dis 

Vou. I. ( af") 529 


The discourse of our 


ST. JOHN. 
ciples of John and the Pharisees dispute about purifying, 25. 


Lord with Nicodemus. 


The discourse between John and his disct- 


ples about Christ, in which the excellence, perfection, and privileges, of the Christion dispensatian are 


pointed out, 26-36. 


ee TPHERE was a man of the Pha- 
risees, *named Nicodemus, a 
ruler of the Jews. 
2 >The same came to Jesus by night, and 
said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a 
teacher come from God: for “ no man can do 


An. Olymp, 
CCL.3. 


these miracles that thou doest, ἌΜΕ Au 
except "God be with him. ane Glyn: 


3 Jesus answered and said unto 
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, * Except 
a man be born f again, he cannot see the king 
dom of God. 


«Chap. vii. 50; xix. 39. b Ch. ix. 16, 33; 11. 23 ; vii. 13; xii. 42. 
ὁ Chap. ix. 16, 53; Acts 11. 22——4 Acts x. 38. 


6 Chap. i. 13; Gal. vi. 15; Tit. 111. 5; James i. 18; 1 Pet. i. 23; 
1 John iii. 9.——* Or, from above. 


NOTES ON CHAP. III. 

Verse 1. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.| One of 
the members of the grand Sanhedrin; for such were 
ordinarily styled rulers among the Jews. A person 
of the name of Nicodemus, the son of Gorion, is men- 
tioned in the Jewish writings, who lived in the time 
of: Vespasian, and was reputed to be so rich that he 
could support all the inhabitants of Jerusalem for ten 
years. But this is said in their usual extravagant 
mode of talking. 

Verse 2. Came to Jesus by night] He had matters 
of the utmost importance, on which he wished to con- 
sult Christ ; and he chose the night season, perhaps 
less through the fear of man than through a desire to 
have Jesus alone, as he found him all the day encom- 
passed with the multitude ; so that it was impossible 
for him to get an opportunity to speak fully on those 
weighty affairs concerning which he intended to con- 
sult him. However, we may take it for granted that 
he had no design at present to become his disciple ; 
as baptism and circumcision, which were the initiating 
ordinances among the Jews, were never administered 
in the night time. If any person received baptism by 
night, he was not acknowledged for a proselyte. See 
Wetstein. But as Jews were not obliged to be bap- 
tized, they being circumcised, and consequently in the 
covenant, he, being a Jew, would not feel any neces- 
sity of submitting to this rite. 

Rabbi] My Master, or Teacher, a title of respect 
given to the Jewish doctors, something like our Doctor 
of Divinity, i. e. teacher of Divine things. But as 
there may be many found among us who, though they 
bear the title, are no teachers, so it was among the 
Jews; and perhaps it was in reference to this that 
Nicodemus uses the word didackadoc, didaskalos, im- 
mediately after, by which, in chap. i. 39, St. John 
translates the word rabbi. Rabbi, teacher, is often 
no more than a title of respect : didaskalos signifies a 
person who not only has the name of teacher, but who 
actually does teach. 

We know that thou art a teacher come from God] 
We, all the members of the grand Sanhedrin, and all 
the rulers of the people, who have paid proper atten- 
tion to thy doctrine and miracles. We are all con- 
vineed of this, though we are not all candid enough to 
own it. It is possible, however, that οἰδαμεν, we 
know, signifies no more than, it is known, it is gene- 
rally acknowledged and allowed, that thou art a teacher 
come from God. 

530 


No man can do these miracles] It is on the evi- 
dence of thy miracles that I ground my opinion of 
thee. No man can do what thou dost, unless the om- 
nipotence of God be with him. 

Verse 3. Jesus answered] Not in the language of 
compliment :—he saw the state of Nicodemus’s soul, 
and he immediately addressed himself to him on a 
subject the most interesting andimportant. But what 
connection is there between our Lord’s reply, and the 
address of Nicodemus? Probably our Lord saw that 
the object of his visit was to inquire about the Mes- 
siah’s kingdom; and in reference to this he imme- 
diately says, Except a man be born again, &e. 

The repetition of amen, or verily, verily, among the 
Jewish writers, was considered of equal import with 
the most solemn oath. : 

Be born again] Or, from above: different to that 
new birth which the Jews supposed every baptized 
proselyte enjoyed ; for they held that the Gentile, who 
became a proselyte, was like a child new born. This 
birth was of water from below: the birth for which 
Christ contends is αἀνωϑεν, from above—by the agency 
of the Holy Spirit. Every man must have two births, 
one from heaven, the other from earth—one of his 
body, the other of his soul: without the first he can- 
not see nor enjoy this world, without the Jest he can 
not see nor enjoy the kingdom of God. As there is 
an absolute necessity that a child should be born into 
the world, that he may see its light, contemplate its 
glories, and enjoy its good, so there is an absolute 
necessity that the soul should be brought out of its 
state of darkness and sin, through the light and power 
of the gracé of Christ, that it may be able to see, wWevy, 
or, to discern, the glories and excellencies of the 
kingdom of Christ here, and be prepared for the enjoy- 
ment of the kingdom of glory hereafter. The Jews 
had some general notion of the new birth; but, like 
many among Christians, they put the acts of prose- 
lytism, baptism, &c., in the place of the Holy Spirit 
and his influence: they acknowledged that a man must 
be born again; but they made that new birth to con 
sist in profession, confession, and external washing. 
See on ver. 10. 

The new birth which is here spoken of compre- 
hends, not only what is termed justification or pardon, 
but also sanctification or holiness. Sin must be par- 
doned, and the impurity of the heart washed away, 
before any soul can possibly enter into the kingdom of 
God. As this new birth implies the renewing of the 

( 33s) 


The discourse of our 


wos 4031. ὦ. Nicodemus saith unto him, How 

An. Oly. can a man be born when he is old? 
CCL3 

can he enter the second time into 

his mother’s womb, and be born ? 

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto 
thee, ® Except a man be born of water and of 
ihe Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of God. 

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; 


® Mark xvi. 16; Acts ii. 38——» Ἐν from above. 


CHAP. III. 


Lord with Nicodemus 


and that which is born of the Spirit 4, Mgt leg 
is spirit. 

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, 
Ye must be born ἢ again. 

8 ‘The wind bloweth where it listeth, and 
thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not 
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth : 
so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto 


An. Olymp. 
CCL 3. 


iEecles. xi. 5; 1 Cor. ii. 11. 


whole soul in enteninaiies dai true ilitteete it is not 
a matter that may be dispensed with: heaven is a 
place of holiness, and nothing but what is like itself 
can ever enter into it. 

Verse 4. How can a man be born when he is old 3) 
It is probable that Nicodemus was pretty far advanced 
in age at this time; and from his answer we may 
plainly perceive that, like the rest of the Jews, and 
sike multitudes of Christians, he rested in the letter, 
without paying proper attention to the spirit: the 
shadow, without the thing signified, had hitherto satis- 
fied him. Our Lord knew him to be in this state, and 
this was the cause of his pointed address to him. 

Verse 5. Of water and of the Spirit] To the bap- 
tism of water a man was admitted when he became a 
proselyte to the Jewish religion ; and, in this baptism, 
he promised in the most solemn manner to renounce 
idolatry, to take the God of Israel for his God, and to 
have his life conformed to the precepts of the Divine 
law. But the water which was used on the oceasion 
was only an emblem of the Holy Spirit. The soul 
was considered as in a state of defilement, because of 
past sin: now, as by that water the body was washed, 
cleansed, and refreshed, so, by the influences of the 
Holy Spirit, the soul was to be purified from its de- 
filement, and strengthened to walk in the way of truth 
and holiness. 

When John came baptizing with water, he gave the 
Jews the plainest intimations that this would not suf- 
fice ; that it was only typical of that baptism of the 
Holy Ghost, under the similitude of fire, which they 
must all receive from Jesus Christ: see Matt. iii. 11. 
Therefore, our Lord asserts that a man must be born 
of water and the Spirit, i. 6. of the Holy Ghost, which, 
represented under the similitude of water, cleanses, 
refreshes, and purifies the soul. Reader, hast thou 
never had any other baptism than that of water? If 
thou hast not had any other, take Jesus Christ’s word 
for it, thou canst not, in thy present state, enter into 
the kingdom of God. I would not say to thee merely, 
read what it is to be born of the Spirit: but pray, O 
pray to God incessantly, till he give thee to feel what 
ss implied in it! Remember, it is Jesus only who bap- 
uzes with the Holy Ghost: see chap. i. $3. THe who 
receives not this baptism has neither right nor title to 
the kingdom of God; nor can he with any propriety 
be termed a Christian, because that which essentially 
distinguished the Christian dispensation from that of 
the Jews was, that its author baptized all his followers 
with the Holy Ghost. 

1 


| believe any thing, unless he ean comprehend it. 


Though baptism by water, into the Christian faith, 
was necessary to every Jew and Gentile that entered 
into the kingdom of the Messiah, it is not necessary 
that by water and the Spirit (in this place) we should 
understand ¢wo different things : it is probably only an 
elliptical form of speech, for the Holy Spirit under the 
similitude of water; as, in Matt. iii. 3, the Holy 
Ghost and fire, do not mean two things, but one, viz. 
the Holy Ghost under the similitude of fire—pervad- 
ing every part, refining and purifying the whole. 

Verse 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh] 
This is the answer to the objection made by Nicode- 
mus in ver. 4. Can a man enter the second time into 
his mother’s womb and be born? Our Lord here inti- 
mates that, were even this possible, it would not 
answer the end; for the plant will ever be of the 
nature of the seed that produces it—like will beget its 
like. The kingdom of God is spiritual and holy ; and 
that which is born of the Spirit resembles the Spirit ; 
for as he is who begat, so is he who is begotten of 
him. Therefore, the spiritual regeneration is essen- 
tially necessary, to prepare the soul for a holy and 
spiritual kingdom. 

Verse 8. The wind bloweth] Though the manner 
in which this new birth is effected by the Divine 
Spirit, be incomprehensible to us, yet we must not, on 
this ground, suppose it to be impossible. The wind 
blows in a variety of directions—we hear its sound, 
perceive its operation in the motion of the trees, &c., 
and feel it on ourselyes—but we cannot discern the 
air itself; we only know that it exists by the effects 
which it produces: so 15 every one who is born of the 
Spirit: the effects are as discernible and as sensible 
as those of the wind; but itself we cannot see. But 
he who is born of God knows that he is thus born: 
the Spirit itself, the grand agent in this new birth, 
beareth witness with his spirit, that he is born of God, 
Rom. viii. 16; for, he that believeth hath the w eel 
in himself, 1 John iv. 13, and v. 10; Gal. iv. 
And so does this Spirit work in and by him that τς 
though they see not the principle, ean easily discern 
the change produced; for whatsoever is born of God 
overcometh the world, 1 John vy. 4. 

Verse 9. How can these things be?) Our Lord 
had very plainly told him How these things could be, 
and illustrated the new birth by one of the most pro- 
per similes that could be chosen; but so intent was 
this great man on making every thing submit to the 
testimony of his senses that he appears unwilling to 
This 
531 


The discourse of our ST. JOHN. Lord with Nicodemus 
A. Μ. 4031. },; k = : m : A. M. 4031. 
ene. him, * How can these things scen ; and ™ye receive not our Wace 
An. Olymp. be? witness. Gir 

1. 3. 


10 Jesus answered and said unto 
him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest 
not these things ? 

11 ! Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak 
that we do know, and testify that we have 


12 If I have told you earthly 
things, and ye believe not, how shall ye be- 
lieve, if I tell you of heavenly things ? 

13 And ™no man hath ascended up to hea- 
ven but he that came down from heaven, even 


k Chap. vi. 52, 60.—! Matt. xi. 27; chap. i. 18; vil. 16; vi. 
28; xii. 49; xiv. 24. 


m Ver. 32. 


π Prov. xxx. 4; chap. vi. 33, 38, 51, 62; xvi. 28; 
Acts 11. 34; 1 Cor. xv. 47; Eph. iv. 9, 10. 


is the case with many—they profess to believe because 
they comprehend ; but they are impostors who speak 
thus : there is not a man inthe universe that can fully 
comprehend one operation, either of God or his instru- 
ment nature; and yet they must believe, and do 
believe, though they never did nor ever can fully 
comprehend, or account for, the objects of their faith. 

Verse 10. Art thou a master of Israel, &c.] Hast 
thou taken upon thee to guide the blind into the way 
of truth; and yet knowest not that truth thyself? Dost 
thou command proselytes to be baptized with water, 
as an emblem of a new birth; and art thou unac- 
quainted with the cause, necessity, nature, and effects 
of that new birth? How many masters are there still 
in Israel who are in this respect deplorably ignorant ; 
and, strange to tell, publish their ignorance and folly 
in the sight of the sun, by writing and speaking against 
the thing itself! It is strange that such people cannot 
keep their own secret. 

‘“ But water baptism is this new birth.” No. Jesus 
tells you, a man must be born of water and the Spirit ; 
and the water, and its effects upon the body, differ as 
much from this Spirit, which it is intended to repre- 
sent, and the effects produced in the soul, as real fire 
does from painted flame. 

“But I am taught to believe that this baptism is 
regeneration.” Then you are taught to believe a falsity. 
The Church of England, in which perhaps you are a 
teacher or a member, asks the following questions, 
and returns the subjoined answers. 

“Ὁ, How many sacraments hath Christ ordained 
in his Church ?” 

«Αἰ Two only, as generally necessary to salvation, 
that is to say, baptism and the supper of the Lord.” 

«Ὁ, How many parts are there in a sacrament 2” 

“ A. Two. The outward visible sign, and the in- 
ward spiritual grace.” 

“ Q. What is the outward visible sign, or form, in 
baptism ?” 

“A. Water, wherein the person is baptized, In the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost.” 

«Ὁ, What is the inward and spiritual grace 1” 

«Α΄. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto right- 
eousness ; for being by nature born in sin, and the 
children of wrath, we are hereby made the children 
of grace.” 

Now, I ask, Whereby are such persons made the 
children of grace? Not by the water, but by the 
death unto sin, and the new birth unto righteousness : 
i. 6. through the agency of the Holy Ghost, sin is de- 
stroyed, and the soul filled with holiness. 

532 


Verse 11. We speak that we do know] I and my 
disciples do not profess to teach a religion which we 
do not understand, nor exemplify in our conduct. A 
strong but delicate reproof to Nicodemus, who, though 
a master of Israel, did not understand the very rudi- 
ments of the doctrine of salvation. He was ignorant 
of the nature of the new birth. How wretched is the 
lot of that minister, who, while he professes to recom- 
mend the salvation of God to others, is all the while 
dealing in the meagre, unfruitful traffic of an unfelt 
truth! Let such either acquire the knowledge of the 
grace of God themselves, or cease to proclaim it. 

Ye receive not our witness.| It was deemed criminal 
among the Jews to question or depart from the autho 
rity of their teachers. Nicodemus grants that our 
Lord is a teacher come from God, and yet scruples to 
receive his testimony relative to the new birth, and 
the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom. 

Verse 12. If I have told you earthly things] Tf, 
after I have illustrated this new birth by a most ex- 
pressive metaphor taken from earthly things, and after 
all you believe not ; how can you believe, should I tell 
you of heavenly things, in such language as angels use, 
where earthly images and illustrations can have no 
place? Or, if you, a teacher in Israel, do not under- 
stand the nature of such an earthly thing, or custom 
of the kingdom established over the Jewish nation, as 
being born of baptism, practised every day in the 
initiation of proselytes, how will yon understand such 
heavenly things as the initiation of my disciples by 
the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire from heaven, 
if I should proceed farther on the subject ? 

Verse 13. No man hath ascended] This seems a 
figurative expression for, No man hath known ihe mys- 
teries of the kingdom of God; as in Deut. xxx. 12; 
Psa. xxiii. 17; Prov. xxx. 4; Rom. xi. 34. And 
the expression is founded upon this generally received 
maxim: That to be perfectly acquainted with the con- 
cerns of a place, it is necessary for a person to be on 
the spot. But our Lord probably spoke to correct a 
false notion among the Jews, viz. that Moses had as- 
cended to heaven, in order to get the law. It is not 
Moses who is to be heard now, but Jesus : Moses did 
not ascend to heaven; but the Son of man is come 
down from heaven to reveal the Divine will. 

That came down] The incarnation of Christ is 
represented under the notion of his coming down from 
heaven, to dwell upon earth. 

Which is in heaven.| Lest a wrong meaning should 
be taken from the foregoing expression, and it should 
be imagined that, in order to manifest himself upon 
earth, he must necessarily leave heaven ; our blessed 

1 


΄ 
The love of God in giving 


ΔΜ δ the Son of man which 
An. Olymp. heaven. 
14 4° And as Moses lifted up the 
serpent in the wilderness, even so ? must the 
Son of man be lifted up; 

τ That whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but « have eternal life. 


16 %* For God so loved the world, that he 


is in 


©Num. xxi. 9.——? Chap. viii. 28; xii. 32——4 Ver. 36; chap. 
vi. 47.— Rom. v. 8; 1 John iv. 9. 


Lord qualifies it by adding, the Son of man who is in 
heaven; pointing out, by this, the ubiquity or omni- 
presence of his nature: a character essentially belong- 
ing to God; for no being can possibly exist in more 
places than one at a time, but HE who fills the heavens 
and the earth. 

Verse 14. As Moses lifted up] He shows the 
reason why he descended from heaven, that he might 
be lifted up, i. 6. crucified, for the salvation of man- 
kind, and be, by the appointment of God, as certain a 
remedy for sinful souls as the brazen serpent elevated 
on a pole, Num. xxi. 9, was for the bodies of the 
Israelites, which had been bitten by the fiery serpents 
in the wilderness. It does not appear to me that the 
brazen serpent was ever intended to be considered as 
a type of Christ. It is possible to draw likenesses and 
resemblances out of any thing; but, in such matters as 
these, we should take heed that we go no farther than 
we can say, Thus it is written. Among the Jews, 
the brazen serpent was considered a type of the re- 
surrection—through it the dying lived; and so, by the 
voice of God, they that were dead shall be raised to 
life. As the serpent was raised up, so shall Christ be 
lifted up: as they who were stung by the fiery ser- 
pents were restored by looking up to the brazen ser- 
pent, so those who are infected with and dying through 
sin are healed and saved, by looking up to and believ- 
ing in Christ crucified. These are all the analogies 
which we can legitimately trace between the lifting up 
of the brazen serpent, and the crucifixion of Jesus 
Christ. The lifting up of the Son of man may refer 
to his mediatorial office at the right hand of God. 
See the note.on Num. xxi. 9. 

Verse 15. That whosoever believeth] Bp. Pearce 
supposes that this verse is only the conclusion of the 
16th, and that it has been inserted in this place by 
mistake. The words contain the reason of the subject 
in the following verse, and seem to break in upon our 
Lord’s argument before he had fully stated it. The 
words, μη ἀποληται αλλα, may not perish but, are omit- 
ted by some very ancient MSS. and versions. 

Verse 16. For God so loved the world] Such a love 
as that which induced God to give his only begotten 
Son to die for the world could not be described :— 
Jesus Christ does not attempt it. He has put an 
eternity of meaning in the particle οὕτω, so, and left a 
subject for everlasting contemplation, wonder, and 
praise, to angels and to men. The same evangelist 
uses a similar mode of expression, 1 Epist. iii. 1: 
Behold, war Manner of love, ποταπὴν ἀγαπην, the 
Father hath bestowed upon us. 

1 


CHAP. Il. 


his Son for the world 


gave his only begotten Son, that ΔΑΝ 4031. 
whosoever believeth in him should An. Olymp. 
not perish, but have everlasting life. = 

17 ‘For God sent not his Son into the world 
to condemn the world; but that the world 
through him might be saved. 

18 4 t He that believeth on him is not con 
demned : but he that believeth not is condemn- 


* Luke ix. 56; chap. v. 45; viii. 15; xii. 47: 1 John iv. 14. 
t Chap. v. 24; vi. 40, 47; xx. 3.. 


From the subject before him, let the reader attend 
to the following particulars. 

First, The world was in a ruinous, condemned state, 
about to perish everlastingly ; and was utterly without 
power to rescue itself from destruction. 

Secondly, That God, through the impulse of his 
eternal love, provided for its rescne and salvation, by 
giving his Son to die for it. 

Thirdly, That the sacrifice of Jesus was the only 
mean by which the redemption of man could be effect- 
ed, and that it is absolutely sufficient to accomplish this 
gracious design: for it would have been inconsistent 
with the wisdom of God, to have appointed a sacrifice 
greater in itself, or less in its merit, than what the 
urgent necessities of the case required. 

Fourthly, That sin must be an indescribable evil, 
when it required no less a sacrifice, to make atonement 
for it, than God manifested in the flesh. 

Fifthly, That no man is saved through this sacrifice, 
but he that delieves, i. e. who credits what God has 
spoken concerning Christ, his sacrifice, the end for 
which it was offered, and the way in which it is to be 
applied in order to become effectual. 

Sixthly, That those who believe receive a double 
benefit: 1. They are exempted from eternal perdition 
—that they may not perish. 2. They are brought to 
eternal glory—that they may have everlasting life. 
These two benefits point out tacitly the state of man : 
—he is guilty. and therefore exposed to punzshment : 
he is impure, and therefore unfit for glory. 

They point out also the ¢wo grand operations of 
grace, by which the salvation of man is effected. 1. 
Justification, by which the guilt of sin is removed, and 
consequently the person is no longer obnoxious to per- 
dition. 2. Sanctification, or the purification of his nature, 
by which he is properly fitted for the kingdom of glory. 

Verse 17. For God sent not, &c.] It was the 
opinion of the Jews that the Gentiles, whom they 
often term the world, n24y élmah, and ayy ND 
omoth hdolam, nations of the world, were to be de- 
stroyed in the days of the Messiah. Christ corrects 
this false opinion; and teaches here a contrary doc- 
trine. God, by giving his Son, and publishing his 
design in giving him, shows that he purposes the sal- 
vation, not the destruction, of the world—the Gentile 
people : nevertheless, those who will not receive the 
salvation he had provided for them, whether Jews or 
Gentiles, must necessarily perish ; for this plain reason, 
There is but one remedy, and they refuse to apply it. 

Verse 18. He that believeth] As stated before on 
ver. 16. 

533 


Who are condemned, 


A. Μ. 4031. 
enon ed already, because he hath not be- 


Aa Olymp. lieved in the name of the only be- 
gotten Son of God. 

19 And this is the condemnation, ὃ that light 
is come into the world, and men loved darkness 
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

20 For ¥ every one that doeth evil hateth the 
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds 
should be ™ reproved. 


ST. JOHN. 


and who approved 


21 But he that doeth truth com- 4,™; 43). 
eth to the light, that his deeds may An. Olymp. 
be made manifest, that they are eee 
wrought in God. 

22 Ἵ After these things came Jesus and his 
disciples into the land of Judea; and there he 
tarried with them, * and baptized. 

23 Ἵ And Jobn also was baptizing in AZnon, 
near to ¥ Salim, because there was much 


vill. 12. 


ἃ Chap. i. 4, 9, 10, 11; ¥ Job xxiv. 13,17; Eph. v. 13. 


w Or, discovered Chap. iv. 2.——yY 1 Sam. ix. 4. 


Is not condemned] For past sin, that being forgiven 
on his believing in Christ. 

But he that believeth not] When the Gospel is 
preached to him, and the way of salvation made plain. 

Is condemned already| Continues under the con- 
demnation which Divine justice has passed upon all 
sinners; and has this superadded, He hath not believed 
on the name of the only begotten Son of God, and 
therefore is guilty of the grossest insult to the Divine 
majesty, in neglecting, slighting, and despising the sal- 
vation which the infinite merey of God had provided 
for him. 

Verse 19. This is the condemnation] That is, this 
is the reason why any shall be found finally to perish, 
not that they came into the world with a perverted 
and corrupt nature, which is true ; nor that they lived 
many years in the practice of sin, which is also true ; 
but because they refused to receive the salvation which 
God sent to them. 

Light is come] That is, Jesus, the Sun of right- 
eousness, the fountain of light and life; diffusing his 
benign influences every where, and favouring men with 
a clear and full revelation of the Divine will. 

Men loved darkness] Have preferred sin to holi- 
ness, Belial to Christ, and hell to heaven. wn chashac, 
darkness, is frequently used by the Jewish writers 
for the angel of death and for the devil. See many 
examples in Schoeltgen. 

Because their deeds were evil.] An allusion to rob- 
bers and cut-throats, who practise their abominations 
in the night season, for fear of being detected. The 
sun is a common blessing to the human race—it 
shines to all, envies none, and calls all to necessary 
labour. If any one choose rather to sleep by day, 
that he may rob and murder in the night season, he 
does this to his own peril, and has no excuse :—his 
punishment is the necessary consequence of his own 
unconstrained actions. So will the punishment of 
ungodly men be. There was light—they refused to 
walk in it. They chose to walk in the darkness, that 
they might do the works of darkness—they broke the 
Divine law, refused the mercy offered to them, are 
arrested by Divine justice, convicted, condemned, and 
punished. Whence, then, dees their damnation pro- 
ceed? From THEMSELVES. 

Verse 20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the 
light] He who doth vile or abominable things: alluding 
to the subject mentioned in the preceding verse. 

The word φαυλος. evil or vile, is supposed by some 
tc come from the Hebrew wa phalas, to roll, and so 

534 


cover oneself in dust or ashes, which was practised in 
token of humiliation and grief, not only by the more 
eastern nations, see Job xlii. 6, but also by the Greeks 
and Trojans, as appears from Homer, Iliad xviii. 1. 
26; xxii. l. 414; xxiv. 1. 640; compare Virgil, Ain. 
x. 1. 844; and Ovid, Metam. lib. viii. 1. 528. From 
the above Hebrew word, it is likely that the Saxon 
ful, the English foul, the Latin vlis, and the English 
vile, are derived. See Parkhurst under φαυλος. 

Lest his deeds should be reproved.| Or discovered. 
To manifest or discover, is one sense of the original 
word, eAeyyw, in the best Greek writers; and it is 
evidently its meaning in this place. 

Verse 21. Wrought in God.] In his presence, and 
through his assistance. This is the end of our Lord’s 
discourse to Nicodemus ; and though we are not in- 
formed here of any good effects produced by it, yet 
we learn from other scriptures that it had produced 
the most blessed effects in his mind, and that from 
this time he became a disciple of Christ. He publicly 
defended our Lord in the Sanhedrin, of which he was 
probably a member, chap. vii. 50, and, with Joseph 
of Arimathea, gave him an honourable funeral, chap. 
xix. 39, when all his bosom friends had deserted him. 
See Dodd. 

Verse 22. Came—into the land of Judea] Jerusa- 
lem itself, where Christ held the preceding discourse 
with Nicodemus, was in Judea; but the evangelist 
means that our Lord quitted the city and its suburbs, 
and went into the country parts. The same distine- 
tion between Jerusalem and Judea is made, Acts 1. 8; 
x. 39; and in 1 Mace. iii. 34; and in2 Mace. i. 1, 
10. See Bp. Pearce. 

And baptized.] It is not clear that Christ did bap- 
tize any with water, but his disciples did—chap. iv. 
2; and what they did, by his authority and command, 
is attributed to himself. It is a common custom, in 
all countries and in all languages, to attribute the 
operations of those who are under the government and 
direction of another to him by whom they are directed 
and governed. Some however suppose that Christ at 
first did baptize ; but, when he got disciples, he left 
this work to them: and thus these two places are to 
be understood :—1. this place, of Christ’s baptizing 
before he called the twelve disciples ; and 2. chap. iv. 
2, of the baptism administered by the disciples, after 
they had been called to the work by Christ. 

Verse 23. In Anon] This clace was eight miles 
southward from Scythopolis, »vetween Salim and 
Jordan. 

1 


Farther testumony 


CHAP. 11. 


of John to Chrrst. 


A. Ὁ. 27. 


4M 4031. water there: *and they came, and|said, “1 am not the Christ, but A, Bi. 4091. 


An. Olymp. were baptized. 
24 For * John was not yet cast 


into prison. 

25 Ἵ Then there arose a question between 
some of John’s disciples and the Jews about 
purifying. 

26 And they came unto John, and said unto 
him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond 
Jordan, ὃ to whom thou barest witness, be- 
hold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to 
him. 

27 John answered and said, ° A man can 
4receive nothing, except it be given him 
from heaven. 

28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I 


f that I am sent before him. An. Olymp. 
29 © He that hath the bride is ἴῃ. ὦ 
bridegroom: but "the friend of the bride- 
groom, which standeth and heareth him, re- 
joiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s 
voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 

30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 

31 ‘He that cometh from above * is above 
all: | he that is of the earth is earthly ; and 
speaketh of the earth: ™ he that cometh from 
heaven is above all. 

32 And " what he hath seen and heard, that 
he testifieth ; and no man receiveth his testi 
mony. 

33 He that hath received his testimony ° hath 


% Matt. iii. 5, 6 ——* Matt. xiv. 3—— Chap. 1. 7, 15, 27, 34. 
= 1 Cor. iv. 7; Heb. ν. 4; James i. 17.——4 Or, take unto him- 
self. © Chap. i. 20, 27——f Mal. iii. 1; Mark i. 2; Luke 1. 
17.—+ Matt. xxii. 2; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 25, 27; Rev. xxi. 9. 


4 Cant. v. 1. i Verse 13; chap. vill. 23. k Matt. xxviii. 
18; chap. i. 15, 27; Rom. ix. 5. 11 Cor. xv. 47.——™ Chap. 
vi. 33; 1 Cor. xv. 47; Eph. i. 21; Phil. ii. 9——® Verse 11; 


chap. viii. 26; xv. 15.— Rom. iti. 4; 1 John v. 10. 


There was much water) And this was equally 
necessary, where such multitudes were baptized, 
whether the ceremony were performed either by dip- 
ping or sprinkling. But as the Jewish custom required 
the persons to stand in the water, and, having been 
instructed, and entered into a covenant to renounce 
all idolatry, and take the God of Israel for their God, 
then plunge themselves under the water, it is probable 
that the rite was thus performed at ποθ. The con- 
sideration that they dipped themselves, tends to remove 
the difficulty expressed in the note on Matt. iii. 6. 
See the observations at the end of Mark. 

Verse 25. John’s disciples and the Jews] Instead 
of Ιουδαίων, Jews, ABELS. M. BY, nearly 100 others, 
some versions and fathers, read Ἰουδαίου, a Jew, which 
Griesbach has admitted into the text. The person 
here spoken of was probably one who had been bap- 
tized by the disciples of our Lord; and the subject of 
debate seems to have been, whether the baptism of 
John, or that of Christ, was the most efficacious to- 
wards purifying. 

Verse 26. And they came unto John] That he 
might decide the question. 

Verse 27. A man can receive nothing, &c.] Or, 
A man can receive nothing from heaven, unless it be 
given him. I have received, not only my commission, 
but the power also by which I have executed it, from 
above. As [ took it up at God’s command, so I am 
ready to lay i. down when he pleases. I have told 
you from the beginning that I was only the forerunner 
of the Messiah; and was sent, not to form a separate 
party, but to point out to men that Lamb of God which 
takes away the sin of the world: ver. 28. 

Verse 29. He that hath the bride] The congrega- 
vion of believers. 

Is the bridegrvom| The Lord Jesus—the Head of 
the Church. See Matt. xxii. 2, &c., where the para- 
ble of the marriage feast is explained. 

The friend of the bridegroom] The person whom 

: 1 


the Greeks called the paranymph—there were two at 
each wedding : one waited on the bride, the other on 
the bridegroom : their business was to serve them, to 
inspect the concerns of the bridechamber, and after- 
wards to reconcile differences between husband and 
wife, when any took place. John considers himself 
as standing in this relation to the Lord Jesus, while 
espousing human nature, and converting souls to him- 
self: this is the meaning of standeth by, i. e. ready to 
serve. See the observations at the end of the chapter. 

Verse 30. He must increase] His present success 
is but the beginning of a most glorious and universal 
spread of righteousness, peace, truth, and good will 
among men. 

1 must decrease.| My baptism and teaching, as 
pointing out the coming Messiah, must cease ; because 
the Messiah is now come, and has entered publicly on 
the work of his glorious ministry. 

Verse 31. Is above αἰ] This blessed bridegroom, 
who has descended from heaven, ver. 13, is above all, 
superior to Moses, the prophets, and me. 

He that is of the earth} John himself, who was born 
in the common way of man. 

Speaketh of the earth] Cannot speak of heavenly 
things as Christ can do; and only represents Divine 
matters by these earthly ordinances ; for the spirit and 
meaning of which, you must all go to the Messiah 
himself. 

Verse 32. And no man receiveth his testimony.] 
Or, And this his testimony no man taketh up. That 
is, the testimony which John had borne to the Jews, 
that Jesus was the promised Messiah. No man taket 
up.—No person is found to tread in my steps, and to 
publish to the Jews that this is the Christ, the Saviour 
of the world. See this sense of the original fully 
proved and vindicated by Kypke in loc. 

Verse 33. Hath set to his seal| That is. hath hereby 
confirmed the truth of the testimony which he has 
borne ; as a testator sets his seal to an instrument in 

535 


Believers on Christ 


«Ὁ. 


34 ? For πα whom God hath sent 
speaketh the words of God: for God giveth 
not the Spirit 4 by measure wnto him. 


35 "The Father loveth the Son, and 


P Chap. vii. 16. 4 Chap. 1. 16.——" Matt. xi. 27; xxviii. 18; 
Luke x. 22; chap. v.20, 22; xiii. 3; xvii. 2; Heb. ii. 8. 


order to confirm it, and such instrument is considered 
as fully confirmed by having the testator’s seal affixed 
to it, so I, by taking up this testimony of Christ, and 
proclaiming it to the Jews, have fully confirmed it, as 
I know it to be a truth; which knowledge I have 
from the immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
See chap i. 33, 34. 

Verse 34. For God giveth not the Spirit by measure] 
He is the most perfect of all teachers, as having 
received the Holy Spirit as none before him ever did. 
Without measure—not for a particular tune, people, 
purpose, &c., but for the whole compass of time, and 
in reference to all eternity. Former dispensations of 
the Holy Spirit made partial discoveries of infinite 
justice and merey ; but now the swm of justice, in 
requiring such a sacrifice, and the plenitude of mercy, 
in providing it, shall, by that Spirit with which he 
baptizes, be made manifest to all the children of men. 
It is worthy of remark that this was fully done after 
the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of pentecost, 
Acts ii. 1, &c., as may be clearly seen in all the apos- 
tolic epistles. The Jews observe, that the Holy 
Spirit was given only in certain measures to the pro- 
phets ; some writing only one book, others two. So 
Rab. Acha. 

Verse 35. All things into his hand.| See on Matt. 
xi. 27. A principal design of John is, to show that 
Christ was infinitely above every teacher, prophet, and 
Divine messenger that had ever yet appeared. The 
prophets had various gifts: some had visions, others 
dreams ; some had the gift of teaching, others of com- 
forting, &c.; but none possessed all these gifts : Christ 
alone possessed their plenitude, and is all things in all. 

Verse 36. Hath everlasting life] He has already 
the seed of this life in his soul, having been made a 
partaker of the grace and spirit of him in whom he has 
believed. See on ver. 8. 

He that believeth not] Or, obeyeth not—arevdur : 
from a, negative, and πείϑω, to persuade, or πειϑομαι, 
to obey—the want of the obedience of faith. The per- 
son who will not be persuaded, in consequence, does 
not believe ; and, not having believed, he cannot obey. 

Shall not see life} Shall never enjoy it: there be- 
ing no way to the kingdom of God, but through Christ 
Jesus, Acts iv. 12. And none can expect to enter 
into this kingdom but those who oJey him; for to 
Such only he is the author of eternal salvation, Heb. 
Na 9. 

But the wrath of God abideth on him] Opyn, the 
displeasure of God. I should prefer displeasure to 
wrath, because the common acceptation of the latter 
( fury, rage) is not properly applicable here. Perhaps 
the original word is used in the same sense here as in 

536 


ST. JOHN. 


have everlasting life 


hath given all things into his 4,M, 4031 
hand. 

36 * He that believeth on the Son 
hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not 
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of 
God abideth on him. 


8 Hab. ii. 4; chap. i. 12; vi. 47; verses 15, 16; Romans i. 17; 
John νυ. 10. 


Rom. ii. 5; ili. 5; xiii. 4,5; Eph. v. 6; 1 Thess. i. 
10; v. 9; where it evidently means punishment, which 
is the effect of irritated justice. ‘Taken in this sense, 
we may consider the phrase as a Hebraism: punish- 
ment of God, i. e. the most heavy and awful of all 
punishments ; such as sin deserves, and such as it be- 
comes Divine justice to inflict. And this abideth on 
him—endures as long as his unbelief and disobedi- 
ence remain! And how shall these be removed in a 
hell of fire! Reader! pray God that thou mayest ne- 
ver know what this continuing punishment means! 


THERE are many very important topics brought for- 
ward in this chapter ; the principal of which have been 
already illustrated in the notes: the subject in the 29th 
verse is of great consequence, and requires some far- 
ther explanation. 

The friend of the bridegroom is the person called 
among the Jews 139} shoshabin; and παρανυμῴος, 
paranymph, among the Greeks. Several matters are 
found in the Jewish writings relative to these, which 
may serve to throw light, not only on the discourse of 
John, but also on other passages of Scripture. 

1. There were generally two shoshabinim; one 
for the dride, another for the bridegroom: though in 
many instances we find the shoshabin of the bride only 
mentioned. 

2. These officers were chosen out of the most inti 
mate and particular friends of the parties :—a brother 
might be shoshabin or paranymph to his brother. 

3. Though it is probable that such persons were not 
always found in ordinary weddings, yet they were 
never absent from the marriages of kings, princes, and 
persons of distinction. 

4. The Jews believe that this was an ordinance ap- 
pointed by God; and that he himself was shoshabin to 
Adam. But in Bereshith Rabba it is said, that God 
took the cup of blessing and blessed the first pair; and 
that Michael and Gabriel were shoshabins to Adam. 

5. So important was this office esteemed among 
them, that it was reckoned one of the indispensable 
works of charity : much depending on the proper dis- 
charge of it, as we shall afterwards find. 

6. Those who were engaged in this office, were ex- 
cused, for the time, from some of the severer duties 
of religion, because they had so much to do about the 
new-married pair, especially during the seven days of 
the marriage feast. 

These shoshabinim had a threefold office to fulfil. 
viz. before, at, and after the marriage: of each oi 
these in order. 

I. Before the marriage : it was the business of the 
shoshabin :— 

i 


Observations on the office of 


1. To procure a husband for the virgin, to guard 
her, and to bear testimony to her corporeal and men- 
tal endowments ; and it was upon this testimony of this 
friend that the bridegroom chose his bride. 

2. He was the internuncio between her and her 
spouse elect; carrying all messages from her to him, 
and from him to her: for before marriage young wo- 
men were very strictly guarded at home with their 
parents or friends. 

Il. At the wedding: it was the business of the 
shoshabin, if necessary,— 

1. To vindicate the character of the bride. 

2. To sleep in an apartment contiguous to the new- 
married pair, to prevent the bride from receiving injury. 

3. It was his office to see that neither the bride 
nor bridegroom should be imposed on by each other ; 
and therefore it was his business to examine and ex- 
hibit the tokens of the bride’s purity, according to the 
law, Deut. xxii. 13-21. Of their office, in this case, 
the rabbins thus speak: Olim in Judea paranymphi 
perscrutati sunt locum (lectum) sponsi et sponse— 
ad scrutandum et officiosé observandum ea, que sponst 
illa nocte fecerint: ne scilicet alter alteri dolo dam- 
num inferat: ne sponsus sanguinem virginitalis ag- 
noscat, illum celet aut tollat: et ne sponsa pannum 
sanguine tinclum secum inferat. 

4. When they found that their friend had got a pure 
and chaste virgin, they exulted greatly ; as their own 
character and the happiness of their friend, were at 
stake. To this the Baptist alludes, ver. 29, This my 
joy is fulfilled. 

5. They distributed gifts to the new-married couple, 
which, on their marriage, were repaid either by their 
friend, or by his father. The same thing is done at 
what are called the diddings, at marriages in Wales, 
to the present day. 

6. They continued with the bride and bridegroom 
the seven days of the marriage, and contributed vari- 
ously to the festivity and hilarity of the occasion. 

Ill. After marriage. 

1. The shoshabin was considered the patron and 
advocate of the wife, and in some sort her guardian, 
to which the apostle alludes, 2 Cor. xi. 2. He was 
generally called in to compose any differences which 
might happen between her and her husband, and re- 
concile them when they had been at variance. 

2. They appear to have had the keeping of the mar- 
riage contract, which in certain cases they tore, when 
they had reason to suspect infidelity on the part of the 
woman, by which the marriage was dissolved; and 
thus the suspected person was prevented from suffer- 
ing capitally. Schoettgen produces a case like this 
from R. Bechai, in legem, fol. 114. “A king visited 
foreign parts, and left his queen with her maids: they 
raised an evil report on her, and the king purposed to 
put her to death. The shoshabin hearing of it, tore 
the matrimonial contract, that he might have it to say, 
the marriage is dissolved. The king, having investi- 
gated the case, found the queen innocent: she was 
immediately reconciled vo her husband, and the sho- 
shabin was directed to write another contract.” 

1 


CHAP. II. 


the friend of the bridegroom. 


3. Schoettgen very modestly hazards a conjecture, 
that, if the husband had either abandoned or divorced 
his wife, the shoshabin took her, and acted to her as 
a brother-in-law ; which is probable from the place to 
which he refers, Judg. xiv. 20: But Samson’s wife 
was given to his companion, whom he had used as his 
friend: or, as both the Syriac and the Targum have 
it, she was given, WYIWW shoshebeeneyah, to his para- 
nymph; which is agreeable to the Alexandrian copy 
of the Septuagint, Καὶ συνῴκησεν ἡ yon Σαμψων τῳ 
Νυμφαγώγῳ avrov, d¢ nv ἑταιρος αὐτου. And Samson's 
wife dwelt (or cohabited) with his paranymph, who 
had been his companion. ‘The same reading is found 
in the Complutensian Polyglott. 

From the preceding particulars, collated with the 
speech of John in ver. 29, and with the words of St. 
Paul, 2 Cor. xi. 2, it is plain that Christ is repre- 
sented as the BripeGRoom: the Church, or his genu- 
ine disciples, the Brive: the ministers of the Gospel, 
the Ὁ) 2: Δ) SHOSHBEENIM, Whose great and important 
duty it is to present to the bridegroom a pure, uncon- 
taminated virgin, i. e. a Church without spot, or wrin- 
kle, or any such thing, Ephes. v. 27, alluding evi- 
dently to the office of the paranymph, on whom the 
bridegroom depended to procure him, for wife, a chaste 
and pure virgin. Hence that saying of St. Paul, who 
considered himself the paranymph to Jesus Christ: 7 
am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have 
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you 
as a chaste virgin to Christ, 2 Cor. xi. 2. 

From all these particulars, we see that the office of 
the shoshabin, or paranymph, was a very important 
one among the Jews ; and that, to it, some interesting 
references are made in the New Testament, the force 
and true meaning of which passages cannot be discern- 
ed without considering the character and office of the 
Jewish paranymph. See several good observations 
on this in Lightfoot’s notes on John ii. 1, and Schoett- 
gen, on chap. ili. 29. 

As the Christian Church was now to take place of 
the Jewish, and the latter was about to be cast off be- 
cause it was polluted, John, by using the simile of the 
bride, bridegroom, and paranympl, or friend of the 
bridegroom, points out, as it were prophetically, of 
what kind the Christian Church must be: it must be 
as holy and pure as an uncontaminated virgin, because 
it is to be the bride or spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ : 
and God honours the Baptist by making him the para- 
nymph; and indeed his whole preaching and baptism 
were excellently calculated to produce this great effect, 
as he strongly proclaimed the necessity of a total re- 
formation of heart and manners, among all classes of 
the people. See the notes on Matt. iii. 8-12, and on 
Luke iii. 10-14. He heard the bridegroom’s voice— 
he faithfully communicated what he had received from 
heaven, ver. 27, and he rejoiced exceedingly to find 
that he had got a people prepared for the Lord. The 
success of John’s preaching greatly contributed to the 
success of that of Christ and his disciples. For this 
purpose he was endued with power from on high, and 
chosen to be the paranymph of the heavenly bridegroom, 

537 


Jesus leaves Judea 


ST. JOHN. 


to pass into Galilee 


\ 


CHAPTER IV. 


Tesus, finding that the Pharisees took offence at his making many disciples, leaves Judea to pass into Gali- 


lee, 1-3. 


And passing through Samaria comes to Sychar, and rests at Jacob’s well, 4-6. 


While his 


disciples were gone to the city to buy meat, a woman of Samaria comes to draw water, with whom our Lord 
discourses at large on the spiritual nature of his religion, the perfection of the Divine nature, and the purity 


of his worship, 7-24. 
inform her townsmen, 25-30. 
Samaritans believe on him, 39-42. 


On his informing her that he was the Messiah, she leaves her pitcher, and goes to 
His discourse with his disciples in her absence, 31-38. 
He stays two days with them, and goes into Galilee, 43-45. 


Many of the 
He 


comes to Cana, and heals the son of a nobleman, in consequence of which he believes on him, with his 


whole family, 46-54. 


A. M. 4031. 
‘A.D. 97. W HEN therefore the Lord knew 
An. Gump, how the Pharisees had heard 


that Jesus made and * baptized more 
disciples than John. 

2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, » but 
his disciples, ) 

3 He left Judea, ° and departed again into 
Galilee. 


4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 


5 Then cometh he to a 4,M. 4031. 


5 . - . . Ὁ. 7. 
city of Samaria, which is called se ΘΙ: 


Sychar, near to the parcel of 
ground ‘that Jacob gave to his son 
Joseph. 


6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus there- 
fore, being wearied with jas journey, ° sat thus 
on the well: and it was about the sixth 
hour. 


2 Chap. ili. 22, 26. Ὁ Acts x. 48. © Matt. iv. 12.—4Gen. 


xxxili. 19; xlviii.22; Josh. xxiv. 32.—® Exod. ii. 15; Heb. iv. 15 


NOTES ON CHAP. IV. 

Verse 1. Jesus made and baptized, &e.| These 
seem to be quoted as the very words which were 
brought to the Pharisees ; and, from our Lord’s con- 
duct after this information, we may take it for granted 
that they were so irritated that they were determined to 
seek an occasion to take away his life ; in consequence 
of which, leaving Judea, he withdrew into Galilee. 

Verse 2. Jesus himself baptized not] See chap. iii. 22. 

Verse 4. And he must needs go through Samaria.] 
Or, It was necessary for him to pass through Samaria: 
for this plain reason, and no other, because it was the 
only proper road. Samaria lay northward of Judea, 
and between the great sea, Galilee, and Jordan; and 
there was therefore no going from Galilee to Jerusa- 
lem but through this province. See the note on Luke 
xvii. 11. From Jerusalem to Galilee through Sama- 
ria, according to Josephus, was three days’ journey. 
See his own life. 

Verse 5. A city—called Sychar] This city was 
anciently called Shechem. It seems to have been situ- 
ated at the foot of Mount Gerizim, in the province of 
Samaria, on which the temple of the Samaritans was 
built. After the ruin of Samaria by Salmanezer, 
Sychar, or Shechem, became the capital of the Sama- 
ritans; and it continued so, according to Josephus, 
Ant. 1. xi. c. 8, in the time of Alexander the Great. 
It was about ten miles from Shiloh, forty from Jeru- 
salem, and fifty-two from Jericho. It probably got 
the name of Sychar, which signifies drunken, from the 
drunkenness of its inhabitants. With this crime the 
Prophet Isaiah (ch. xxviil. 1, 3, 7, 8) solemnly charges 
the Ephraimites, within whose limits the city stood. 
This place is remarkable in the Scriptures: 1. As 
being that where Abram first stopped on his coming 
from Haran to Canaan. 2. Where God first appeared 
to that patriarch, and promised to give the land to his 
seed. 3. The place where Abram first built an altar 

538 


to the Lord, and called upon his name, Gen. xii. 7. 
The present name of this city is Neapolis, or Naplouse. 
See Calmet. 

That Jacob gave to his son Joseph.| Jacob had 
bought this field from the children of Hamor, the 
father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver, or 
lambs, Gen. xxxili. 19; and in it he built an altar, 
which he dedicated to El Elohey Yishrael, the strong 
God, the covenant God of Israel, ver. 19. This, Jacob 
left as a private or overplus inheritance to Joseph and his 
children. See Gen. xlviii. 21, 22, and Josh. xxiy. 32. 

Verse 6. Jacob's well was there.| Of this well 
Mr. Maundrell gives the following account. ‘ About 
one-third of an hour from Naplosa, the ancient Sychar 
and Sychem, stood Jacob’s well. If it be inquired, 
whether this be the very place, seeing it may be sus- 
pected to stand too remote from Sychar for the women 
to come and draw water, we may answer—that, in all 
probability, the city extended farther in former times 
than it does now, as may be conjectured from some 
pieces of a very thick wall, the remains perhaps of the 
ancient Sychem, still to be seen not far from hence. 
Over it stood formerly a large church, erected by the 
Empress Irene ; but of this the voracity of time, as- 
sisted by the hands of the Turks, has left nothing but 
a few foundations remaining. The well is covered at 
present with an old stone vault, into which you are Jet 
down by a very strait hole; and then, removing ἃ 
broad flat stone, you discover the well itself. It is 
dug in a firm rock, is about three yards in diameter, 
and thirty-five in depth, five of which we found full of 
water. This confutes a story frequently told to trav- 
ellers, ‘That it is dry all the year round, except on the 
anniversary of that day on which our blessed Saviour 
sat upon it; but then bubbles up with abundance ot 
water.’ At this well the narrow valley of Sychem 
ends, opening itself into a wide field, which probably 
is part of the ground given by Jacob to his son Joseph 

1 


Our Lord’s discourse with 


A. M. 4031. ἢ 
‘CD 27. 7 There cometh a woman of 


An. Olymp. Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith 
unto her, Give me to drink. 

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the 
city to buy meat.) 

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto 
him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest 
drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria ? 


CHAP. IV. 


the woman of Samarva 


for ‘ the Jews have no dealings with 4,M. 4031. 
the Samaritans. 

10 Jesus answered and said unto 
her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and 
who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink ; 
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he 
would have given thee £ living water. 

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thon 


An. Olymp. 
CCI1.3 


£2 Kings xvii. 24; Luke ix. 52, 53; Acts x. 28. 


It is watered by a fresh stream, running between it 
and Sychem, which makes it exceedingly verdant and 
fruitful.” See Maundrell’s Travels, 5th edit. p. 62. 

Cutting pools, or making wells for public use, ren- 
ders a man famous among the Hindoos. So this well 
had the name of Jacob, because he had digged it, and 
it was for public use. 

Sat thus] Chrysostom inquires what the particle 
thus, οὕτως, means here? and answers, that it simply 
signifies, he sat not upon a throne, seat, or cushion ; 
but (as the circumstances of the case required) upon 
the ground. This is a sense which is given to the 
word in the ancient Greek writers. See Raphelius, 
Wetstein, and Pearce. It is probably a mere exple- 
tive, and is often so used by Josephus. See several 
examples in Rosenmiiller. 

The sixth hour.| About twelve o’clock: see the 
notes on chap. i. 39. The time is noted here: 1. 
To accours for Christ’s fatigue—he had already trav- 
elled several hours. 2. To account for his thirst— 
the sun had at this time waxed hot. 3. To account 
for the disciples going to buy food, ver. 8, because 
this was the ordinary time of dinner among the Jews. 
See the note referred to above. Dr. Macknight thinks 
the sixth hour to be the Roman six o’clock in the af- 
ternoon. See note on chap. i. 29. 

Verse 7. There cometh a woman of Samaria to 
draw water] That this was the employment of the 
females, we see in different parts of the Sacred Wri- 
tings. See Gen. xxiv. 11, &c.; Exod. ii. 16, and 
the note at the end of that chapter. The Jews say 
that those who wished to get wives went to the wells 
where young women were accustomed to come and 
draw water; and it is supposed that women of ill 
fame frequented such places also. See several proofs 
in Schoeltgen. 

Verse 9. That thou, being aJew] Probably the in- 
habitants of Judea distinguished themselves from those 
of Samaria by some peculiar mode of dress; and by 
this the Samaritan woman might have known Christ : 
but it is likely that our Lord spoke the Galilean dia- 
lect. by which we find, from Mark xiv. 70, a Jew of 
tua: Ustrict might easily be known. 

The sews have no dealings with the Samaritans.] 
Perhaps better, Jews have no communion with Sama- 
ritans. These words appear to be added by the 
evangelist himself, in explanation of the woman’s 
question. The original word, συγχρωνται, has been 
variously translated and understood. It comes from 
¢ , logether, and χραομαι, I use, or borrow: hence it 
has been understood to mean, the Jews will be under 

1 


€ Isa. xii. 3; xliv. 3; Jer. ii. 13; Zech. xiii. 1; xiv. 8. 


no kind of obligation to the Samaritans—will borrow 
nothing from them—will not drink out of the same 
cup or well with them—will not sit down to meals 
with them, nor eat out of the same vessel—will have 
no religious connection, no commercial dealings with 
them. The,word communion, I think, fully expresses 
the sense of the original ; and, being as extensive in 
its meaning as our word dealings, is capable of as 
general an interpretation. The deadly hatred that 
subsisted between these two nations is known to all. 
The Jews cursed them, and believed them to be ac- 
cursed. Their most merciful wish to the Samaritans 
was, that they might have no part in the resurrection - 
or, in other words, that they might be annihilated. 

Verse 10. If thou knewest the gift of God] Awpeav 
signifies a free gift. A gift is any thing that is given, 
for which no equivalent has been or is to be returned : 
a free gift is that which has been given without ask- 
ing or entreaty. Such a gift of kindness was Jesus 
Christ to the world, chap. iii. 16; and through him 
comes the gift of the Spirit, which those who believe 
on his name were to receive. Christ was not an ob- 
ject of desire to the world—no man asked for him ; 
and God, moved thereto by his own eternal mercy, 
freely gave him. Through this great gift comes the 
Holy Spirit, and all other gifts which are necessary to 
the salvation of a lost world. 

Living water.] By this expression, which was com- 
mon to the inhabitants both of the east and of the 
west, is always meant spring water, in opposition to 
dead, stagnant water contained in ponds, pools, tanks, 
or cisterns ; and what our Lord means by it is evidently 
the Holy Spirit, as may be seen, chap. vil. 38, 39. 

As water quenches the thirst, refreshes and invigo- 
rates the body, purifies things defiled, and renders the 
earth fruitful, so it is an apt emblem of the gift of 
the Holy Ghost, which so satisfies the souls that re- 
ceive it that they thirst no more for earthly good : it 
purifies also from all spiritual defilement, on which ac- 
count it is emphatically styled the Holy Spirit; and it 
makes those who receive it fruitful in every good 
word and work. 

Verse 11. Thou hast nothing to draw with] Ovre 
avranua exerc, Thou hast no bucket. Good water is no 
plentiful in the east; and travellers are often obliged 
to carry leathern dottles or buckets with them, and a 
line also, to let them down into the deep wells, in 
order to draw up water. If the well was in our 
Lord’s time, as it was found by Mr. Maundrell, thirty- 
five yards deep, it would require a considerable line to 
reach it; and with such it is not likely that even the 

539 


Our Lord’s discourse with 


A.M. 4031. ; ° 
M4031. hast nothing to draw with, and the 


An. Olymp. well is deep: from whence then 
. 9618. hast thou that living water ? 

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, 
which gave us the well, and drank thereof 
himself, and his children, and his cattle? 

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Who- 
soever drinketh of this water shall thirst again : 

14 But "whosoever drinketh of the water 
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but 
the water that I shall give him ? shall be in 
him a well of water springing up into everlast- 
ing life. 


15 * The woman saith unto him, Sir, give 


ST. JOHN. 


the woman of Samaria. 


me this water, that I thirst not 4.M;4031- 
neither come hither to draw. An. Olymp. 


16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call 
thy husband, and come hither. 

17 The woman answered and said, I have 
no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast 
well said, I have no husband : 

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and 
he whom thou now hast is not thy husband : 
in that saidst thou truly. 

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, ! I per- 
ceive that thou art a prophet. 

20 Our fathers worshipped in ™ this moun- 
tain; and ye say, that in τ Jerusalem is the 


4 Chap. vi. 35, 58——+* Chap. vii. 38——k See chap. vi. 34; 
xvii. 2, 3; Rom. vi. 23; 1 John v. 20. 


1 Luke vii. 16; xxiv. 19; chap. vi. 14; vii. 40——™ Judg. ix. 7. 
n Deut. xii. 5, 11; 1 Kings ix. 3; 2 Chron. vii. 12. 


disciples of our Lord were provided. The woman 
might well say, The well is deep, and thou hast no- 
thing to draw with ; whence then hast thou that living 
water 2 

Verse 12. Our father Jacob] The ancient Samari- 
tans were undoubtedly the descendants of Jacob ; for 
they were the ten tribes that revolted in the reign of 
Rehoboam: but those in our Lord’s time were not 
genuine Israelites, but a corrupted race, sprung from 
a mixture of different nations, sent thither by Salma- 
nezer, king of the Assyrians. See 2 Kings xvii. 

Verse 14. Springing up into everlasting life.| On 
this account he can never thirst :—for how ean he lack 
water who has in himself a living, eternal spring? By 
this water our Lord means also his doctrine, explain- 
ing and promising the gifts and graces of the Holy 
Ghost, which proceed from Jesus Christ their fountain, 
dwelling in a believing heart. There is no eternal 
life without the Spirit; no Spirit without Christ ; and 
no Christ to give the Spirit, without dwelling in the 
heart: this his whole doctrine proclaims. 

Verse 15. Give me this water] She did not as yet 
comprehend our Lord’s meaning ; but her curiosity was 
much excited, and this was the design of our Lord, 
that he might have her mind properly prepared to re- 
ceive the great truths which he was about to announce. 

Verse 16. Call thy husband] Our Lord appears to 
have spoken these words for two purposes: 1. To 
make the woman consider her own state. 2. To show 
her that he knew her heart, and the secret actions of 
her life ; and was therefore well qualified to teach her 
heavenly truths. 

Verse 18. Thou hast had five husbands] It is not 
clear that this woman was a prostitute: she might have 
been legally married to those five, and might have been 
divorced through some misbehaviour of her own, not 
amounting to adultery; for the adulteress was to be 
put to death, both by the Jewish and Samaritan law, 
not divorced: or she might have been cast off through 
some caprice of her husband ; for, in the time of our 
Lord, divorces were very common among the Jews, 
so that a man put away his wife for any fault. See 
the note on Matt. v. 31. Some are so very fond of 

540 


exaggerating that nothing can pass through their hands 
without an increase: hence Heracleon says she had 
six husbands; and Jerome modestly gives her ‘wenty- 
two! Viginti duos habuistt maritos, et alle a quo 
sepelieris non est tuus. ‘Thou hast had twenty-two 
husbands, and he by whom thou shalt be buried is not 
thine.” /pist. xi. 

He whom thou now hast is not thy husband] Nvv ὃν 
ἔχεις, οὐκ ect cov avnp. Bishop Pearce would trans- 
late this clause in the following manner: There is no 
husband whom thou now hast—or, less literally, Thou 
hast no husband now: probably the meaning is, Thou 
art contracted to another, but not yet brought home : 
therefore he is not yet thy husband. See Rosenmiiller. 
Bishop Pearce contends that our Lord did not speak 
these words to her by way of reproof: 1. Because it 
is not likely that a woman so far advanced in years as 
to have had five husbands should have now been found 
living in adultery with a sixth person. 2. Because it 
is not likely that our Lord would not, in some part of 
his discourse, have reproved her for her fornication, 
especially if guilty of it under such gross circumstances. 
3. Nor is it likely that a woman of so bad a life should 
have had so much influence with the people of her 
city that they should, on her testimony, ver. 39-42, 
believe Jesus to be the Messiah. 4. Nor is it at ali 
likely that when a discovery of her guilt was made to 
her, by one whom she acknowledged to be a prophet, 
ver. 19, the first thing which came into her thoughts 
should be the important question in religion, about the 
place appointed by God for his worship, so warmly 
contested between the Jews and Samaritans. 5. Nor 
is it at all probable that a person of such a bad life, 
without any mentioned sign of repentance, should have 
been the first (perhaps the only private person) to 
whom Jesus is recorded as declaring himself to be the 
Christ, as he does to her, ver. 26. 

Verse 19. I percewe that thou art a prophet.] And 
therefore thought him well qualified to decide the grand 
question in dispute between the Jews and the Samari- 
tans: but she did not perceive him to be the Messiah. 

Verse 20. Worshwped in this mountain] Probably 
pointing to Mount Gerizim, at the foot of which Sychar 

1 


Our Lord’s discourse with 


a place where men ought to wor- 
An, Olrzp. ship. : 
: 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, 
believe me, the hour cometh, ° when ye shall 
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, 
worship the Father. 


22 Ye worship ° ye know not what: we know 


©Mal. i. 11; 1 Tim. ii. 8——P2 Kings xvii. 29.——1]sa. ii. 3. 
Luke xxiv. 47; Rom. ix. 4, 5. 


was situated. The patriarchs had worshipped here— 
Jacob builded an altar on this mountain, and worship- 
ped the true God: see Gen. xxii. 2; Xxxill. 20. 
Thus she could say, Our fathers worshipped in this 
mountain. On this mountain Sanballat had built them 
a temple, about 332 years before our Lord’s incarna- 
tion. See Joseph. Antiq. xi. c. viii. s. 4,and 2 Mace. 
vi. 2. 

Many heathens considered particular places as having 
a peculiar sanctity or fitness, for the worship of their 
deities, beyond others. Such places abound in Hin- 
dostan ; and in them they think men ought to worship. 

In the Hebrew Pentateuch, Deut. xxvii. 4, &ce., 
where the Israelites are commanded to build an altar 
on mount Eat, and offer sacrifices, &c., the Samaritan 
Pentateuch has Gerrizim instead of Ebal; and Dr. 
Kennicott strongly contends, Dissert. vol. ii. p. 20, 
&c., that Gerizim is the genuine reading: but our 
blessed Lord, by the following answer, shows that the 
place was a matter of little importance, as the Divine 
worship was no longer to be confined to either: ver. 
21. See the note on Deut. xxvii. 4. 

Verse 21. The hour cometh, ὅς. The time was 
now at hand in which the spiritual worship of God was 
about to be established in the earth, and all the Jewish 
rites and ceremonies entirely abolished. 

Worship the Father.| This epithet shows the mild, 
benignant, and tender nature of the Gospel dispensation. 
Men are called to worship their heavenly Father, and 
to consider themselves as his children. In reference 
to this, our Lord’s prayer begins, Our Fatuer, who 
art in heaven; &c. See ver. 23. 

Verse 22. Ye worship ye know not what} The Sa- 
maritans believed in the same God with the Jews; but, 
as they rejected all the prophetical writings, they had 
but an imperfect knowledge of the Deity: besides, as 
they incorporated the worship of idols with his wor- 
ship, they might be justly said to worship him whom 
they did not properly know. See the account of their 
motley worship, 2 Kings xvii. 26-34. But after 
Sanballat had built the temple on Mount Gerizim, the 
idolatrous worship of the Cutheans and Sepharvites, 
&c., was entirely laid aside; the same religious ser- 
vice being performed in the Samaritan temple which 
was performed in that at Jerusalem. 

We know wnat we worship] We Jews acknowledge 
all the attributes of his nature, and offer to him only 
the sacrifices prescribed in the law. 

Salvation 1s of the Jews.| Ex tov Ἰουδαίων εστιν, 
Salvation is from the Jews. Salvation seems here to 
mean the Saviour, the Messiah, as it does Luke ii. 30; 
Acts iv. 12; and so the woman appears to have under- 


CHAP. IV: 


the woman of Samaria. 


4 Ϊ Α. Μ. 4031 
for 4 salvation rae 


An. Olymp. 
CCL3.. 


what we worship: 
is of the Jews. 

23 But the hour cometh, and now 
is, when the true worshippers shall worship 
the Father in "spirit and in truth: for the 
Father seeketh such to worship him. 

24 * God zs a Spirit: and they that worship 


τ Philemon iii. 3—+*Chapter i. 17—t2 Corinthians 
iil. 17. 


stood it, ver. 25. The Messiah was to spring from 
the Jews—from them, the preaching of the Gospel, 
and the knowledge of the truth, were to go to all the 
nations of the world. It was to the Jews that the 
promises were made ; and it was in their prophetic 
Seriptures, which the Samaritans rejected, that Jesus 
Christ was proclaimed and described. See Isa. xi. 3. 

Verse 23. The true worshippers shall worship—in 
spirit] The worship of the Samaritans was a defective 
worship—they did not receive the prophetical writings : 
that of the Jews was a carnal worship, dealing only in 
the ledier, and referring to the spirit and design, which 
were at a distance, by types and ceremonies. The 
Gospel of Christ showed the meaning of all these 
carnal ordinances, and the legal sacrifices, which had 
all their consummation in his offering of himself: thus 
a spiritual dispensation took place of the carnal one 
which prefigured it. 2. The preaching of the Gospel 
discovered the true nature of God, of salvation, of the 
human soul, of earthly and of heavenly things ; and, 
because of this, it is put in opposition to the defective 
Samaritan worship. 

Verse 24. God is a Spirit] This is one of the first, 
the greatest, the most sublime, and necessary truths 
in the compass of nature! There is a God, the cause 
of all things—the fountain of all perfection—without 
parts or dimensions, for he is rrernat—filling the 
heavens and the earth—pervading, governing, and 
upholding all things: for he is an infinite spirir! 
This God can be pleased only with that which re- 
sembles himself: therefore he must hate sin and sin- 
fulness ; and can delight in those only who are made 
partakers of his own Divine nature. As all creatures 
were made by him, so all owe him obedience and reve- 
renee; but, to be acceptable to this infinite Spirit, the 
worship must be of a spiritual nature—must spring 
from the heart, through the influence of the Holy 
Ghost : and it must be in rruTH, not only in sincerity, 
but performed according to that Divine revelation which 
he has given men of himself. A man worships God 
in spirit, when, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, 
he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to 
the throne of God; and he worships him in truth, 
when every purpose and passion of his heart, and when 
every act of his religious worship, is guided and regu- 
lated by the word of God. “ The enlightened part of 
mankind,” says Abu’l Fazel, “knows that true right- 
eousness is an upright heart; and believe that God © 
can only be worshipped in holiness of spirir.” Ayeen 
Akbery, vol. iii. p. 254. 

« Of all worshippers,” says Creeshna, “I respect 
him as the most devout, who hath faith in me, and who 

541 


Our Lord's discourse with 


ΕΣ him must worship fim in spirit and 
An. Olymp. in truth. 

25 The woman saith unto him, I 
know that Messias cometh, which is called 
Christ: when he is come, “he will tell us all 
things. 

26 Jesus saith unto her, ‘I that speak unto 
thee am he. 

27 § And upon this came his disciples, and 
marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet 
no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why 
talkest thou with her 7 


ST. JOHN. 


the woman of Samarra 


28 The woman then left her 4,M 403). 
waterpot, and went her way into the An. Olymp. 
city, and saith to the men, Wei it 

29 Come, see a man WYwhich told me 
all things that ever I did: is not this the 
Christ ? 

30 Then they went out of the city, and 
came unto him. 

31 4 In the mean while, his disciples pray 
ed him, saying, Master, eat. 

32 But he said unto them, I have meat to 
eat that ye know not of. 


4 Ver. 29, 39. 


¥ Chap. ix. 37 ; Matt. xxvi. 63, 64; 


Mark xiv. 61, 62. Ww Ver. 25. 


serveth me with a soul possessed of my spirit.” Geeta, 
Ρ. 68. 

Verse 25. I know that Messias cometh] Instead of 
oda, I know, several excellent MSS. and versions read, 
οἰδαμεν, we know; as if she had said that all the Sa- 
maritans expected the advent of the Messiah. Though 
they did not receive the prophetic writings, yet the 
tradition of the advent of the Messiah, which was 
common among the Jews, and founded on promises 
contained even in the books of Moses, was generally 
received among the Samaritans also. 

Which is called Christ} This appears to be the 
evangelist’s explanation of the Hebrew word, accord- 
ing to his custom; chap. 1. 38, 41, 42; ix. 7, &e.; 
for we cannot suppose that the woman understood 
Greek, so as to translate the Hebrew word to our 
Lord; or that she should suppose that a person who 
was a Jew, ver. 9, and a prophet, ver. 19, could stand 
in need of this interpretation. 

He will tell us ali things.) Relative to the nature 
of God, the nature of his worship, and the proper 
place to adore him in. In a word, he will settle the 
great national question between Gerizim and Ebal ; 
and we shall then know certainly where we ought to 
worship. 

Verse 26. Jesus saith unto her, I—am he.] Our 
Lord never spoke in such direct terms concerning him- 
self to his own countrymen; nor even to his own dis- 
ciples, till a little before his death. The reason given 
by Bishop Pearce is the following : The woman being 
alone when Jesus said it, and being a Samaritan, he 
had no reason to apprehend that the Samaritans, if 
they knew his claim, would disturb his ministry before 
the time of his suffering came; which seems to have 
been the reason why he concealed it so long from his 
own countrymen. 

Verse 27. Came his disciples] From the town, 
whither they went to buy food, ver 8. 

Marvelled that he talked with the woman] Because 
it was contrary to the custom of the eastern countries ; 
and there are many canons, among the rabbins, 
against it. To the present time, if a man meet even 
his own wife in the street, he does not speak to her ; 


and this is done to keep up the appearance of a chas- | 
tity and temperance of which the eastern world knows | medium of earthly matters. 


542 


nothing. They might wonder how a Samaritan, in 
whom they could expect no spirituality, could listen 
to the conversation of their Master, who never spake 
but about Aeavenly things. 

Yet no man said, ὅς] They were awed by his 
majesty, and knew that he must have sufficient reasons 
to induce him to act a part to which he was not at all 
accustomed. A great man has said, “Converse 
sparingly, if at all, with women; and never alone.” 
Every minister of the Gospel will do well to attend to 
this advice. 

Verse 28. Left her waterpot] She was so penetrat- 
ed with the great truths which Jesus had announced 
that she forgot her errand to the well, and returned to 
the city without the water for which she came out ! 

Verse 29. All things that ever I did] The Jews 
believed that one essential characteristic of the Mes- 
siah would be, that he should be able to tell the seerets 
of all hearts. This they believed was predicted, Isa. 
Xi/9532 

When the famous impostor Barchochab, who rose 
up under the empire of Adrian, about a hundred years 
after the incarnation, professed himself to be the Mes- 
siah, after having been deceived by him for two years, 
they at last thought of putting his divinity to proof on 
this ground: they brought before him persons whom 
he did not know, some of whom were very vicious, 
and others of a different character ; they desired him to 
point out who were the righteous, and who were the 
wicked; which when he could not do, they rose up 
and put him to death. La Bible de Mariin. 

Verse 30. They went out of the city] Such ef- 
fect had the simple testimony of the woman on their 
minds. 

And came unto him.| Or, Were coming to him; for 
they did not reach him immediately ; all that discourse 
between him and his disciples, mentioned ver. 31 to 
39, inclusive, having taken place before the people o 
Sychar got to the well. See ver. 40. 

Verse 31. Master, eat.| They knew that he was 
greatly spent both with hunger and fatigue. 

Verse 32. I have meat to eat that ye know not of.) 
Our blessed Lord seizes every opportunity to raise the 
minds of his apostles to heavenly things, through the 
Nor does he force these 
1 


Our Lord’s discourse with his 


fh 4031. 33 Therefore said the disciples 
An. Olymp. one to another, Hath any man 
wa brought him aught to eat 7 
34 Jesus saith unto them, * My meat is to do 
the will of him that sent me, and tofinishhis work. 
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, 
and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto 
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the 


x Job xxiii, 12; chap. vi. 38 ; xvii. 4; xix. 30.—Y Matt. ix.37, Luke 


things into such service. Properly understood, earthly 
substances are the types, representatives, and shadows 
of heavenly things. 

Verse 33. Hath any man brought him aught to eat?) 
Has he got food in any preternatural way ? They could 
not help remembering the miraculous interventions of 
Divine providence in feeding Elijah by the ravens, at 
the brook Cherith, 1 Kings xvii. 4—6, and by the min- 
istry of an angel, chap. xix. 5—8, and our Lord’s pre- 
ternatural repast in the wilderness, after his victory 
over Satan, Matt. iv. 11. 

Verse 34. My meat is to do the will of him that 
sent me] In these words, our blessed Lord teaches a 
lesson of zeal and earnestness to his apostles, and to 
all their successors in the Christian ministry. Let the 
salvation of souls lie nearer your heart than life itself. 
Let eating and drinking, labour and rest, reading, think- 
ing, study, prayer, and all things, be directed to the ac- 
complishment of this great work. Ministers of Jesus! 
imitate your Lord! Souls are perishing for lack of 
knowledge—God has given you the key of the king- 
dom, the knowledge of his word—O open unto them 
the gate of life! They are dropping by thousands into 
hell! O pluck the brands out of the burning ! 

Verse 35. There are yet four months, and then 
cometh harvest 2] In Palestine, the harvest did not be- 
gin till after the passover, which was fixed on the 14th 
of the month Nisan, which answers to our March, and 
sometimes extends into April. The barley harvest 
was the first; after that the wheat; and both were 
finished by Pentecost. For, in the feast of Pentecost, 
the first fruits of all the harvest were carried to the 
temple, and waved before the Lord. See Lev. xxiii. 
11. The four months, of which our Lord speaks 
here, must be computed, according to M. Toynard, 
from Shebat, which was the eleventh month of the sa- 
ered year, and which commenced that year on the1 3th 
of January : from that, till the beginning of the wheat 
harvest, which began about a month after the passover, 
there were exactly four months. The passover was 
that year on the 15th of Nisan, or March 28; and 
Pentecost took place on the 17th of May. We 
may therefore suppose that it was about the 13th of 
January, or beginning of the month Shebat, that John 
the Baptist was cast into prison, and that Christ retir- 
ed into Galilee. The fixing of this epoch is of con- 
siderable importance. See Calmet’s Com. on this place. 

The following method of dividing the seasons among 
the Jews is thus stated in Bava Metsia, fol. 106. 
“Half Tisra, all Marheshvan, and half Cisleu, is py 
zerd, sEED-TIME. Half Cisleu, whole Teeth, and 

1 


CHAP. IV. 


disciples on the same subject. 


fields ; ¥ for they are white already to 4, M- 4031. 
harvest. 

36 * And he that reapeth receiveth ae 
wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal : 
“that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth, 
may rejoice together. 

37 And herein is that saying true, One 
soweth, and another reapeth. 


An. Olym 
3 


2 Dan. xii. 3.——* Chap. xv. 16; Amos ix. 13; Heb. xi. 40. 


x. 2, 


half Shebat, is ΠῚ choreph, winter. Half Shebat, 
whole Adar, and half Nisan, is ἪΡ kor, the winrer 
soustice. Half Nisan, all jar, and half Sivan, is 
ὙΥΡ katsir, narvest. Half Sivan, all Tammuz, and 
half Ad, is YP kyits, summer. Half Ad, all Elul, anc. 
half Tisri, is DN chum, the great neat.” The Jews 
sowed wheat and spelt in Tisri and Marheshvan; and 
barley in Shebat and Adar. Now let us reckon 
τετράμηνον, the four months, backwards, from the be- 
ginning of the darley harvest, or the middle of the 
month Nisan, and we shall go back to the middle of 
the month Cisleu, which will fall in with the begin- 
ning of our December, whence it will be easy to con- 
jecture what feast that was, mentioned chap. ν. 1, 
viz. the passover. See Lightfoot ; and see the note 
on chap. v. 1. 

After all that learned men have said on this passage, 
it does not appear that our Lord meant any thing by it 
more than an illustration of his present subject. 
Though there were ordinarily four months from seed- 
time to harvest, and that a man, after he had sowed 
his seed, must wait patiently till the regular and na- 
tural harvest came, yet it was not the case now :— 
the seed of life which he had sown but a few hours 
ago had already brought forth much fruit; therefore 
he says, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, 
over which it is likely the Samaritans were then com- 
ing in troops, guided by the woman who had already 
received the light of the Gospel of peace. 

The fields—are white already to harvest.| Multi- 
tudes of Samaritans are coming to believe on me, and 
to be saved unto eternal life. Probably they had a 
kind of white raiment. 

Verse 36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages] 
Or, And already the reaper receiveth wages. By mak- 
ing the word 757, already, the beginning of this verse, 
on the authority of some excellent MSS. and versions, 
a more consistent sense is obtained than from the com- 
mon arrangement, where ἤδη terminates the preceding 
verse. 

Already the heavenly sower, Jesus Christ, becomes 
the reaper of the produce of the seed which he had so 
lately sown; and receives the wages which he desir- 
ed, the high gratification of saving immortal souls ; 
and gathers in his fruit unto eternal life. So the sower 
and the reaper, who are here one and the same person 
rejoiced together, having seen the seed time and the 
harvest take place on the same day. The sower had 
not time to leave the field which he had sown, till it 
was full time to gather in the harvest! 

Verse 37. Herein is that saying true, One soweth, 

543 


Many of the Samaritans believe in 
A.M. 4031. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon 
aay Olymp. ye bestowed no labour: other men 
_—-“_ laboured, and ye are entered into 
their labours. 

39 9] And many of the Samaritans of that 
city believed on him ἢ for the saying of the 
woman, which testified, He told me all that 
ever I did. 

40 So when the Samaritans were come unto 
him, they besought him that he would tarry 


ST. JOHN. 


Christ on the woman s testimony 
with them: and he abode there two 4: ™. 4031 
days. An. Olymr 


41 And many more believed be- ee 


cause of his own word; 

42 And said unto the woman, Now we be- 
lieve, not because of thy saying: for * we have 
heard him ourselves, and know that this is in 
deed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. 

43 9 Now after two days he departed thence, 
and went into Galilee. 


> Ver. 29. 


and another reapeth.| Or, One is the sower, and 
another is the reaper. In what respects you, of this 
business, this proverb is true—One is the sower, &c., 
for I have sent you to reap, to preach my Gospel, and 
gain converts, where ye have not laboured—have not 
sown the first seeds of eternal life. Others have la- 
boured—the patriarchs and prophets, and ye are entered 
into the fruits of their labours. They announced the 
Messiah who was to come, and the expectation of the 
people was excited, and they longed for his appear- 
ance ; but they were gathered to their fathers before 
they could see the fruit of their labour. You are come 
to tell the people that the kingdom of God is among 
them, and that God has visited his people. 

The proverb which our Lord mentions above was 
taken from what ordinarily happens in the course of 
the Divine providence, where one takes a great deal of 
pains to procure that of which another reaps the benefit. 
See instances of this proverb, Lev. xxvi. 16: Ye 
shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall 
eat it. Micah vi. 15: Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt 
not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but not anoint 
thee with the oil. See also Hos. vii. 9. The 
Greeks had the same proverb: AAAou μὲν σπεροῦσι, 
αλλοι Sav αἀμησονται. So had the Latins: Als 
leporem excitasti. You have beat the bush, and an- 
other has found the hare. See the famous verses of 
Virgil beginning with, Sie ves non vobis, in which the 
fowls, the sheep, the bees, and the oxen, are elegantly 
brought in as illustrations of the propriety of the 
proverb. 


Sic vos non vobis nidificatis aves. 

Sic vos non vobis vellera fertis oves. 

Sic vos non vobis mellificatis apes. 

Sic vos non vobis fertis aratra boves. 
So you, ye dzrds, of wondrous skill possest, 
Not for yourselves construct the curious nest. 
So you, ye sheep, who roam the verdant field, 
Not for yourselves your snowy fleeces yield. 
So you, ye dees, who every flower explore, 
Not for yourselves amass the honied store. 
So you, ye patient Azne, inured to toil, 
Not for yourselves subdue the stubborn soil! 


B’shop Pearce gives this text a remarkable turn. The 

verse he translates mus: J sent you away, that ye 

might reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour; i. e. 

I did not send you to the city (ver. 8) for this purpose 

only, that ye might buy meat; but I sent you away 
544 


¢ Chap. xvu. 8; 1 John iv. 14. 


chiefly with this intent, that there might be a harvest 
for you to reap upon your return; though you sowed 
no seed, and bestowed no labour for that purpose. 
While you were gone, I sowed spiritual seed in the 
heart of a Samaritan woman; and she is gone, and is 
about to return with many of her city, whom she has 
brought to believe, (ver. 39-42.) These, and the 
many more which will believe upon hearing my doc- 
trine, (ver. 41,) will all be a harvest arising out of the 
seed which I sowed in your absence, and on which, 
therefore, ye bestowed no labour. We farther adds, 
that the Greek ϑερίζειν, stands for tov ϑεριίζειν, and 
such expressions are often used to signify, not the end 
and design, but the event only. Pearce’s Comment 

Verse 39. Many of the Samaritans—believed on 
him for the saying of the woman] This woman was 
the first apostle of Christ in Samaria! She went and 
told her fellow citizens that the Messiah was come ; 
and gave for proof, that he had told her the most secret 
things she had ever done: see on ver. 29. This 
word, which is twice repeated, in ver. 29 and here, 
strongly intimates that a more particular conversation 
had taken place, between our Lord and the Samaritan 
woman, than what is here related. 

Ver. 40. He abode there two days.| We are not 
told that he wrought any miracles among them; this 
does not appear to have been necessary : they were a 
simple-hearted, teachable people, and they credited 
him on the evidence of his own eternal truth. Why 
are not miracles wrought now? Miracles were only for 
the establishment of the doctrines of Christianity, 
where they were first preached ; we profess to believe 
these doctrines; therefore, to us, miracles would be 
useless. Where the doctrine is credited, no miracle 
is necessary : the Samaritans believed, and no miracle 
was wrought among them; for the simple reason, it 
was not necessary. 

Verse 42. We have heard him ourselves] On see 
ing and hearing our Lord, the faith of those who had 
already believed on the woman’s testimony was abun 
dantly confirmed; and, besides those, may others be- 
lieved who had not heard the woman speak. 

This is indeed the Christ] The promised Messiah 

The Saviour of the world.| Not of the Jews only, 
but of the Samaritans, and of the whole Gentile world. 

Verse 43. Went into Galilee.] Bishop Pearce 
thinks that some words have been lost from the end 
of this verse, which may be supplied thus : Went into 
Galilee, but not to Nazareth ; for Jesus himself had 

1 


A nobleman entreats 


44 For ὁ Jesus himself testified, 
An, , Olymp. that a prophet hath no honour in his 
3 own country. 

45 Then when he was come into Galilee, 
the Galileans received him, * having seen all 
the things that he did at Jerusalem at the 
feast: ‘ for they also went unto the feast. 

46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, 
® where he made the water wine. And there 
was a certain ὃ nobleman, whose son was sick 
at Capernaum. 

47 When he heard that Jesus was come 
out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, 


A. Μ. 4031. 
. 27. 


4 Matthew xiii. 57; Mark vi. 4; Luke iv. 24. 
lii. 2,—f Deut. xvi. 16. 


© Chap. ii. 23 ; 


CHAP. IV. 


Christ to cure his son 


and besought him that he would 4,™ 431. 
come aero, and heal his son; for An. Olymp. 
he was at the point of death. _ aaah 

48 Then said Jesus unto him, ‘ Except ye 
see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 

49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come 
down ere my child die. 

50 Jesus saith unto him, * Go thy way ; thy 
son liveth. And the man believed the word 
that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went 
his way. 

51 Andas he was now going down, his servants 
met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth 


s Chap. ii. 1, 11—Or, courtier, or ruler—i1 Cor. i. 22, 
k Psa. Ixxi. 20; Luke vii. 50. 


declared, &c. In Matt. xiii. 57; Mark vi. 4, and 
Luke iv. 24, which are the only texts where Jesus is 
said to have declared this, he always spake of Naza- 
reth only, and not of Galilee in general, a country 
where he lived for the most part, and wrought the 
greatest number of his miracles, and made the most 
converts. 

Verse 44. Jesus himself testified] He bore testi- 
mony to the general truth of the following proverb. 
See on Matt. xiii. 57. 

Verse 45. The Galileans received him] They re- 
zeived him as the promised Messiah, because of the 
miracles which they had seen him perform at Jerusa- 
lem, at the passover. See chap. ii. 23. 

Verse 46. Where he made the water wine.| See 
the notes on chap. ii. 1, ἄς. Cana was on the road 
from Nazareth to Capernaum and the Sea of Tiberias. 

A certain nobleman] An officer of the king’s court : 
for this is the meaning of the original word, βασιλικος, 
which the vulgate translates regulus, a little king. 
This officer belonged to Herod Antipas, who was then 
tetrarch of Galilee. Jerome calls him Palatinus, and 
says he was an officer of the king’s palace. Others 
think it was Chuza, mentioned Luke viii. 3; and 
others think it was Manaen, spoken of Acts xiii. 1. 
One of these opinions may be true, but all solid proof 
is wanting. This officer, whoever he was, appears 
to have had his ordinary abode at Capernaum, and 
hearing that Christ was at Cana, he came express from 
Capernaum thither, to entreat him to heal his child. 

Verse 48. Except ye see signs and wonders, &c.] 
Our Lord does not tell this man that he had no faith, 
but that he had not enough. If he had had none, he 
would not have come from Capernaum to Cana, to beg 
him to heal his son. If he had had enough, he would 
have been contented with recommending his son to our 
Lord, without entreating him to go to Capernaum. to 
heal him; which intimates that he did-not believe our 
Lord could do it ata distance. But the words are not 
addressed to the nobleman alone, but to all the Gali- 
lean Jews in general ; for our Lord uses the plural 
number, which he never does when addressing an in- 
dividual. These people differed widely from the peo- 
ple of Sychar: they had neither a love of the truth, 

Vou. I. Ὁ 35} 


nor simplicity of heart; and would not believe any 
thing from heaven, unless forced on their minds by the 
most striking miracles. They were favoured with the 
ministry of John Baptist; but, as that was not accom- 
panied with miracles, it was not generally credited. 
They require the miracles of Christ, in order that they 
may credit the advent of the Messiah. There are 
many like these Galileans still in the world: they 
deny that God can have any influence among men; 
and as to the operations of the Holy Spirit, they, in 
the genuine Galilean spirit, boldly assert that they will 
not credit any man who professes to be made a par- 
taker of them, unless he work a miracle in proof of his 
pretensions! These persons should know that the 
grace of working miracles was very different from that 
by which a man is saved; and that the former might 
exist, even in the most astonishing measure, where 
the latter did not. See 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 

Verse 49. Sir, come down, &c.] He did not think 
our Lord could cure him without being present, and 
seems here to feel himself hurt, because our Lord did 
not come at his first entreaty. It is difficult for a 
proud man, or a man in office, to humble himself, or to 
treat even God Almighty with proper respect. The 
spirit of this man seems not much unlike to that of 
Naaman the Syrian, 2 Kings v. 11. 

Verse 50. Go thy way; thy son liveth.| Had our 
Lord gone with him, as he wished, his unbelief could 
not have been fully removed ; as he would have still 
thought that our Lord’s power could not reach from 
Cana to Capernaum: in order to destroy his unbelief 
at once, and bring him into the fulness of the faith of 
his supreme power, he cures him, being apparently 
absent, by that energy through which he fills both the 
heavens and the earth. Here it may be observed, 
our blessed Lord did what this man requested him to 
do, but not in the way in which he wished it to be 
done. God will save all to the uttermost who cal] 
upon him, but not in the way in which they may desire. 
Eternal life is the free gift of God, and he has a right 
to give it as he pleases; and he always gives his gifts 
in that way in which his glory is best promoted, and 
our eternal interest secured. 

The man believed the word] And yet it appears 

54 


The nobleman’s son cured. 


AM al, 52 Then inquired he of them 


"Ἢ Gam. the hour when he began to 
—_ amend. And they said unto him, 

Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever 

teft him. 

53 So the father knew that 7t was at the same 


ST. JOHN. 


He and his family believe. 


hour in which Jesus said unto him, 4, ™, 4031. 


Thy son liveth: ‘and himself be- Age cae 
lieved, and his whole house. eet ΟΕ 

54 ‘This 2s again the second miracle that 
Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea 
into Galilee. 


1 Acts xviii. 8; 


xvi. 15, 34. 


that he had suspended his faith upon a certain condi- 
tion: “If I find on my return that my son is healed, 
I will believe that Jesus is the Messiah.” 

Verse 52. Then inquired he of them the hour] 
The servants, overjoyed to find their master’s son so 
suddenly restored, set off to meet him, that they might 
impart to him tidings which they knew would be so 
very agreeable; and he, intent on having his faith 
settled, began immediately to inquire what time it was 
when the fever left him, to see whether his cure was 
the effect of some natural cause, or whether it was 
done by the power of Christ. 

Yesterday at the seventh hour] At the time we 
would call one o'clock. Dr. Macknight thinks the Ro- 
man hour is intended; i. e. seven o’clock in the even- 
ing; and this he thinks is the reason why our Lord 
did not accompany the nobleman: for, as Cana was a 
day’s journey from Capernaum, had our Lord gone at 
that hour he must have travelled in the might, from 
which it might have been inferred that he could not 
cure the child without being personally present. Har- 
mony, vol. i. p. 52. 

Verse 53. So the father knew] He had the fullest 
proof that his son’s cure was supernatural, and that it 
was wrought by the Lord Jesus. 

Himself believed, and his whole house.| He and 
his whole family became true converts to the doctrine 
of the manifested Messiah. The whole family, im- 
pressed with the great kindness of God in sending 
health to the child, were the more easily led to believe 
in the Lord Jesus. The sickness of the child became 
the mean of salvation to all the household. They, no 
doubt, thought at first that God was dealing hardly 
with them, when threatening to remove the child ; but 
now they see that in very faithfulness God had afflict- 
ed them. Let us learn never to murmur against God, 
or think that he does not act kindly towards us. His 
wisdom cannot permit him to err; his goodness will 
not suffer him to do any thing to his creatures but 
what may be subservient to their best interests. By 
providential occurrences, apparently the most adverse, 
he may be securing our eternal salvation. 

There is an account in Beracoth, fol. 34, very simi- 
lar to this of the evangelist, and very possibly stolen 
from this holy source. ‘ When the son of Rab. Ga- 
maliel fell sick, he sent two of his disciples to R. 
Chanina, that he would pray to God for him. When 
he had seen them, he went on the roof of his house 
and prayed for him. He then came down and said to 
them, His fever has departed from him. They said 
unto him, Art thou a prophet? He answered, I am 
neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet ; but when 
{ can recite my prayers readily, I know I shall be 
heard. They then wrote down the hour; and, when 

546 


they returned to R. Gamaliel, he said to them, Ye 
have fulfilled your ministry—in respect to my son, all 
is complete. In that hour the fever ("2M chomah, 
ὁ muperoc) left him, and he desired water to drink.” 
Schoettgen very properly remarks, Ovum ovo non ma- 
gis simile est, atque hee fabula narrationi evangelice. 
“One egg is not more like to another, than this fable 
to the evangelical narration.” 

Verse 54. This—second miracle] The first miracle 
which Christ performed was in this same city of Cana, 
just after his baptism; and this second took place after 
his arrival here from Jerusalem, whence, we have 
seen, he was driven by the persecution raised against 
him by the scribes and Pharisees. By construing the 
word παλιν, again, with ελθων, he came, that confu- 
sion which is evident in the common version is entire- 
ly removed. 

Bishop Pearce says: “It seems probable to me 
that John, when he wrote this verse, either joined the 
word παλιν to ελθων, as he had done in ver. 46, or 
meant that it should be so joined in the construction.” 

John does not mention here the miracles which om 
Lord did at Capernaum on his first journey, chap. ii. 
11, nor those which he did at Jerusalem on the feast 
of the passover. See chap. ii. 12; Luke iv. 23. 


Tuere are several particulars in the preceding his- 
tory of the Samaritan woman which confirm the doc- 
trine of a particular providence, and show how God 
manages the most common occurrences in order to 
accomplish the designs of his mercy and love. 

The Gospel must be preached to the Samaritans : 
this is God’s purpose; and in this case, the wrath of 
man is caused to praise him. 

1. Christ finds it necessary to quit Judea because 
of the persecution raised up against him by the scribes 
and Pharisees, ver. 1-3. How worthy of admiration 
is that Divine providence that presses every thing into 
the accomplishment of its own designs! The doctors 
of Jerusalem oblige the Saviour to leave their city ; 
and a simple woman persuades all the inhabitants of a 
Samaritan city to open their gates and their hearts, 
and entreat the Redeemer of the world to enter in. 

2. Christ must pass through Samaria, ver. 4. He 
was so situated in Judea that he could not reach Gali- 
lee except through Samaria, without taking a large 
circuit, which the necessities of the present case could 
not admit. Thus, while he appears to fly only from 
the fury of his persecutors, he is in reality seeking the 
lost, and fully accomplishing the work he came into 
the world to perform. 

3. Christ being weary finds it necessary to sit down 
to rest himself by Jacob’s well, ver. 5, 6, spent with 
fatizue and hunger. How energetic was this fatigue! 

( 35* ) 


Jesus goes to the 


now actwe was this rest! Nothing can happen to 
Christ in vain—nothing can turn him out of the way 
of his merey—his great work he continues to carry 
on, without the smallest interruption, where we would 
have thought it must have been necessarily suspended. 

4. The disciples are obliged to go to the city to 
buy victuals, ver. 8, and Jesus was left alone. Even 
this circumstance was not only favourable to the con- 
version of the Samaritan woman, but even essentially 
necessary, as, without it, she could not have had that 
opportunity of conversing freely with our Lord; nor 
would it have been proper for him to have made that 
discovery of himself, in their presence, which we find 
he did during their absence. See the note on ver. 26. 

5. The Samaritan woman is induced at that very 
time to go and draw water. Even so small ἃ circum- 
stance as this becomes a necessary part in the econo- 
my of her salvation. There is not a circumstance in 
our life—not an occurrence in our business, but God 
will make it subservient to our salvation, if we have a 


CHAP. V. 


feast at Jerusatem 


simple heart and a teachable spirit. The steps of a 
good man especially are ordered of the Lord; and, 
while he acknowledges his Maker in all his ways, he 
will direct all his steps. A proper consideration of 
this great truth will produce both confidence and hu- 
mility. 

6. But this blessed doctrine may be abused; for 
some may suppose that God always acts according to 
a fixed necessity, through which, whatsoever was, 1s, 
or will be, has had its existence, mode of being, ope- 
ration, and direction, according to predetermined irre- 
vocable laws. This system makes God himself the 
necessary agent of eternal fate, as it supposes him to 
be constantly employed in doing what eternal neces- 
sity obliges him to perform ; and thus his infinite free- 
dom is bounded or acted upon by uncontrollable neces- 
sity. Perdition is not farther from glory than neces- 
sitating decrees are from a particular and gracious 
providence, by which the means of salvation are placed 
within the reach of every human being. 


CHAPTER V. 


The man who had been diseased thirty-eight years healed on the Sabbath day, 1-9. 
secute Christ, and seek to kill him, because he had done this cure on the Sabbath, 10-16. 


The Jews cavil, per 
Our Lord vin- 


dicates his conduct, and shows, from the testimony of the Father, the Scriptures, John the Baptist, and 


his own works, that he came from God, to be the light and salvation of the world, 17-39. 


He reproves 


the Jews for their obstinacy, 40; hatred to God, 41, 42 ; pride, 43, 44; and disbelief of their own law, 


45-47. 


AM AFTER “this there was a feast 
of the Jews; and Jesus went 


ae Olymp. 
up to Jerusalem. 


2 Now there is at Jerusalem ΑΥΜΕΥ ΤΟΙ 
>by the sheep © market ἃ pool, An, Olymp 


which in the Hebrew 


is called 


a Ley. xxiii. 2; Deut. xvi. 1; chap. ii. 13. 


NOTES ON CHAP. V. 

Verse 1. A feast] This is generally supposed, by 
the best critics, to have been the feast of the passover, 
which was the most eminent feast among the Jews. 
In several excellent MSS. the article is added, ἡ éop77, 
THE feast, the grand, the principal festival. Petavius 
supposes that the feast of Purim, or lots, is here meant; 
and one MS. reads ἡ σκηνοπηγία, the feast of Taber- 
nacles. Several of the primitive fathers believe Pen- 
tecost to be intended ; and they are followed by many 
of the moderns, because, in chap. vii. 2, mention is 
made of the feast of Tabernacles, which followed Pen- 
tecost, and was about the latter end of our September ; 
and, in chap. x. 22, mention is made of the feast of 
Dedication, which.was held about the latter end of 
November. See Bp. Pearce. See chap. x. 22. 

Calmet, however, argues that there is no other feast 
with which all the circumstances marked here so well 
agree as with the passover; and Bp. Newcome, who 
is of Calmet’s opinion, thinks Bp. Pearce’s argument 
concerning the succession of the feasts to be inconclu- 
sive; because it is assumed, not proved, that the three 
feasts which he mentions above must have happened 
in the same year. See much on the same subject in 
Bp. Newcome’s notes to his Harmony, p. 15, &c. 

Lightfoot has observed, that the other evangelists 

1 


b Neh. iii. 1; xii. 39.——* Or, gate. 


speak very sparingly of our Lord’s acts in Judea 
They mention nothing of the passovers, from our 
Lord’s baptism till his death, excepting the very last : 
but John points at them all. The first he speaks of, 
chap. ii. 13 ; the third, chap. vi. 4; the fourth, chap. 
xiii. 1; and the second in this place: for although he 
does not call it the passover, but a feast in general, 
yet the circumstances agree best with this feast ; and 
our Lord’s words, chap. iv. 35, seein to cast light on 
this subject. See the note there. 

Verse 2. There 1s] This is thought by some to be 
a proof that John wrote his Gospel Jefore the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem; and that the pool and its porticoes 
were still remaining. Though there can be little 
doubt that Jerusalem was destroyed many years before 
John wrote, yet this does not necessarily imply that 
the pool and its porticoes must have been destroyed 
too. It, or something in its place, is shown to tra 
vellers to the present day. See Maundrell’s Jour. p 
108. But instead of ec, 1s, both the Syriac, all the 
Arabic, Persic, Armenian, and Nonnus, read ἣν, was; 
which is to me some proof that it did not exist when 
these versions were made, and that the pool which is 
shown now is not the original. 

By the sheep market] Rather, gate: see Neh. iii 
1, 32; xii. 39. This was in all probability the gate 

547 


The miracle wrought at 


ST. JOHN. 


the pool of Bethesda. 


A M4031. tongue Bethesda, having five por-| 4 For ‘an angel went down ata 4,™M; 4031. 


a one ches! 

3 In these lay a great multitude 
of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting 
for the moving of the water. 


4 Matt. xxvili. 2; 
through which the sheep were brought which were 
offered in sacrifice in the temple. 

A pool} Bp. Pearce thinks the word κολυμβηϑρα 
should be translated Jath, and that this place was 
built for the purpose of bathing and swimming in. He 
observes that κολυμβᾷν signifies to swim, in Acts xxvii. 
43. In proof of this, he cites three of the old 7ίαϊα, 
which have natatoria, a bathing or swimming place. 

Bethesda} This word is variously written in the 
MSS. and versions: Bezatha—Bethzatha—Betzetha 
—Belzetha—Belzatha—Berzeta ; and many have 
Bethsaida. But the former reading is the genuine 
one. Bethesda, or according to the Hebrew AION} 
Bethchasdah, signifies literally, the house of mercy. 
Tt got this name probably from the cures which God 
mercifully performed there. It is likely the porticoes 
were built for the more convenient reception of the 
poor and distressed, who came hither to be healed. 
It does not appear that any person was obliged to pay 
man for what the mercy of God freely gave. Wicked 
as the Jewish people were, they never thought of 
levying a tax on the poor and afflicted, for the cures 
they received in these healing waters. How is it that 
a well-regulated state, such as that of Great Britain, 
can ever permit individuals or corporations to enrich 
themselves at the expense of God’s mercy, manifested 
in the sanative waters of Bristol, Bath, Buxton, &c.% 
Should not the accommodations be raised at the ex- 
pense of the public, that the poor might enjoy without 
cost, which they are incapable of defraying, the great 
blessing which the God of nature has bestowed on 
such waters? In most of those places there is a pro- 
fession that the poor may drink and bathe gratis; but 
it is little better than a pretence, and the regulations 
relative to this point render the whole nearly ineffi- 
sient. However, some good is done. 

Verse 3. Blind, halt, withered) To these the Codex 
Beza, three copies of the Jtala, and both the Persic, 
add παραλυτικων, paralytic ; but they are probably 
included among the withered. 

Waiting for the moving of the water.] This clause, 
with the whole of the fourth verse, is wanting in some 
MSS. and versions ; but I think there is no sufficient 
evidence against their authenticity. Griesbach seems 
to be of the same opinion ; for though he has marked 
the whole passage with the notes of doubtfulness, yet 
he has left it in the text. Some have imagined that 
the sanative virtue was communicated to the waters 
by washing in them the entrails of the beasts which 
were offered in sacrifice ; and that the angel meant 
no more than merely a man sent to stir up from the 
bottom this corrupt sediment, which, being distributed 
through the water, the pores of the person who bathed 
in it were penetrated by this matter, and his disorder 
repelled! But this is a miserable shift to get rid of 

548 


A.D. 27. 
certain season into the pool, and trou- ἀπ. cai 


bled the water : whosoever then first 
after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was 
made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 


1 Cor. ix. 24. 


the power and goodness of God, built on the merest 
conjectures, self-contradictory, and every way as 
unlikely as it-is insupportable. It has never yet been 
satisfactorily proved that the sacrifices were ever 
washed; and, could even this be proved, who can 
show that they were washed in the pool of Bethesda 7 
These waters healed a man in a moment of whatso- 
ever disease he had. Now, there is no one cause 
under heaven that can do this. Had only one kind 
of disorders been cured here, there might have been 
some countenance for this deistical conjecture—but 
this is not the case ; and we are obliged to believe the 
relation just as it stands, and thus acknowledge the 
sovereign power and mercy of God, or take the des- 
perate flight of an infidel, and thus get rid of the pas 
sage altogether. 

Verse 4. Angel] “ Of the Lord,” is added by AKL, 
about 20 others, the A&thiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, 
Vulgate, Anglo-Sazon, and six copies of the Itala: 
Cyril and Ambrose have also this reading. If this 
reading be genuine, and the authorities which support 
it are both ancient and respectable, it destroys Dr. 
Hammond's conjecture, that, by the angel, a messen- 
ger only, sent from the Sanhedrin, is meant, and that 
these cures were all performed in a natural way. 

Those who feel little or none of the work of God 
in their own hearts are not willing to allow that he 
works in others. Many deny the influences of God’s 
Spirit, merely because they never felt them. This is 
to make any man’s experience the rule by which the 
whole word of God is to be interpreted; and conse- 
quently to leave no more divinity in the Bible than 
is found in the heart of him who professes to ex- 
plain it. 

Went down] Κατεβαινεν, descended. The word 
seems to imply that the angel had ceased to descend 
when John wrote. In the second verse, he spoke of 
the pool as being s/z// in existence ; and in this verse 
he intimates that the Divine influence ceased from 
these waters. When it began, we know not; but it 
is likely that it continued no longer than till the cruci 
fixion of our Lord. Some think that this never took 
place before nor after this time. Neither Josephus, 
Philo, nor any of the Jewish authors mention this 
pool; so that it is very likely that it had not been long 
celebrated for its healing virtue, and that nothing of it 
remained when those authors wrote. 

Certain season] This probably refers to the time 
of the feast, during which only this miraculous virtue 
lasted. It is not likely that the angel appeared to the 
people—his descent might be only known by the 
ebullition caused in the waters. Was not the whole 
a type of Christ? See Zech. xiii. 1. He is the true 
Bethesda, or house of mercy, the fountain opened to 
the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusa- 

1 


Christ heals the man who was 


a 5 And a certain man was there, 


An. Olymp. which had an infirmity ° thirty and 
__—_— eight years. 

6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that 
he had been now a long time in that case, he 
saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ? 

7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, 1 
have no man, when the water is troubled, to 
put me into the pool: but while I am coming, 
another steppeth down before me. 


* Lam. iii. 39; Hab. ii. 3; Luke viii. 43-——S Matt. ix.6; Mark 
ii. 11; Luke v. 24——* Chap. ix. 14. 


lem, for sin and for uncleanness ; unto which all the 
diseased may come, and find health and life eternal. 

Verse 5. Had an infirmity thirty and eight years.| 
St. Chrysostom conjectured that blindness was the 
infirmity of this person: what it was, the inspired 
writer does not say—probably it was a palsy: his case 
was deplorable—he was not able to go into the pool 
nimself, and he had no one to help him; so that 
poverty and disease were here connected. The length 
of the time he had been afflicted makes the miracle 
of his cure the greater. There could have been no 
collusion in this case: as his affliction had lasted 
thirty-eight years, it must have been known to multi- 
tudes; therefore he could not be a person prepared 
for the occasion. All Christ's miracles have been 
wrought in such a way, and on such persons and occa- 
stons, as absolutely to preclude all possibility of the 
suspicion of imposture. 

Verse 6. Wilt thou be made whole?] Christ, by 
asking this question, designed to excite in this person 
faith, hope, and a greater desire of being healed. He 
wished him to reflect on his miserable state, that he 
might be the better prepared to receive a cure, and 
to value it when it came. Addresses of this kind are 
always proper from the preachers of the Gospel, that 
the hearts, as well of hardened as of desponding sin- 
ners, may be stirred up to desire and expect salvation. 
Do you wish to be healed? Do you know that you 
are under the power of a most inveterate and dangerous 
disease? If so, there is a remedy—have immediate 
recourse to the physician. Questions of this kind are 
frequently asked in the secret of our souls, by the 
inspirations of God’s Spirit. Happy those who pay 
attention to them, and give right answers. 

Verse 7. Sir, I have no man] Nat, Kupte—* Yes, 
sir; but I have no man :”—this is the reading of 
C*GH, fourteen others, both the Syriac, later Persic, 
Arabic, and Chrysostom. Reader, be thankful to God 
for health and outward comforts. When long affliction 
has been allied to deep poverty, how deplorable is 
the state ! 

Verse 8. Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.| Jesus 
speaks here as God. He speaks in no name but his 
own, and with an authority which belongs to God 
alone. And what is the consequence? The man 
became whole immediately ; and this sudden restora- 
tion to health and strength was an incontestable proof 
of the onmipotence of Christ. It has been remarked, 

1 


CHAP. V. 


diseased thirty-eight yer 5 


A. M. 4031. 
A. D. 27. 

An. Olymp 
CCL. 3. 


8 Jesus saith unto him, ‘ Rise, take 
up thy bed, and walk. 

9 And immediately the man was 
made whole, and took up his bed, and 
walked: and Son the same day was the 
sabbath. 

10 Ἵ The Jews therefore said unto him that 
was cured, It is the sabbath day : "it is not 
lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 

11 He answered them, He that made me 


h Exod. xx. 10; Neh. xii. 19; Jer. xvii. 21, &c.; Matt. xii. 2; 
Mark ii. 24; iii. 4; Luke vi. 2; xiii. 14. 


that our Lord, after having performed a miracle, was 
accustomed to connect some circumstance with it, 
which attested its truth. After the miracle of the five 
loaves, he ordered the fragments to be collected, which 
were more in quantity than the loaves themselves, 
though several thousands had been fed. When he 
changed the water into wine, he ordered some to be 
taken first to the steward of the feast, that he might 
taste and bear testimony to its genuineness and excel- 
lency. When he cured the lepers, he commanded 
them to show themselves to the priests, whose business 
it was to judge of the cure. So here, he judged it 
necessary, after having cured this infirm man, to order 
him not only to arise, but to take up his bed, and walk, 
which sufficiently attested the miracle which he had 
wrought. God’s work is ever known by its excellence 
and good effects. 

The bed of a poor Hindoo is seldom any thing 
besides a single mat, or a cloth as thick as a bed- 
quilt. Men carrying such beds may be seen daily on 
the highways. 

Verse 9. The same day was the sabbath.] Mr. 
Toynard supposes that this miracle was wrought on 
the 11th of Nisan, the sabbath before the passover, 
which was celebrated the 14th of Nisan, or 28th of 
March. But why did our Lord command this man to 
carry his bed on the sabbath, as the law prohibited 
all servile work, and especially the carrying of 
burthens? See Exod. xx. 8; Jer. xvii. 21; Neh. 
xiii. 15. To this it may be answered, 1. The man 
was a poor man, and if he had left his bed he might 
have lost it; and he could not have conveniently 
watched it till the next morning. 2. Christ showed 
by this that he was Lord of the sabbath: see Matt. 
xii. 8. 3. This was not contrary to the spirit of the 
law: the sabbath was made to honour God in, and 
this was a public monument of his power and good- 
ness. 4. It was consistent with the wisdom of Christ 
to do his miracles so that they might be seen and 
known by a multitude of people, and especially in 
Jerusalem, which was the capital of the country, and 
the centre of the Jewish religion; and this very 
circumstance of the healed man carrying his bed on 
the sabbath day must call the attention of many to 
this matter, and cause the miracle to be more gene- 
rally known. 

Verse 11. He that made me whole, &c.] The poor 
man reasoned conclusively :—He who could work such 

549 


Christ vindicates his miracles 


A.M. 4031. whole, the same said unto me, Take 


An, Olymp. up thy bed, and walk. 

== 12 Then asked they him, What 
man is that which said unto thee, Take up 
thy bed, and walk ? 

13 And he that was healed wist not who it 
was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, 
‘a multitude being in that place. 

14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the tem- 
ple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made 
whole: * sin no more, lest a worse thing come 
unto thee. | 

15 The man departed, and told the Jews 


Or, from the multitude that was.——* Matt. xii. 45; chap. viii. 
11.—— Chap. ix. 4; xiv. 10. 


a miracle must be at least the best of men: now a good 
ian will neither do evil himself, nor command others 
to do it: but he who cured me ordered me to carry 
my bed; therefore, there can be no evil in it. 

Verse 13. Jesus had conveyed himself away] Or, 
had withdrawn himself. And this he might easily do, 
as there was a crowd in the place. Some think the 
words indicate, that Jesus withdrew on seeing a multi- 
tude in the place, i. e. raising a tumult, because of 
the man’s carrying his bed. See the margin. He 
had not yet finished his work, and would not expose 
himself to the envy and malice of the Jewish rulers. 

Verse 14. Jesus findeth him in the temple] The 
man being conscious that it was through the mercy 
of God that he was restored, (though he did not as yet 
know distinctly who Christ was,) went to the temple 
to return thanks to God for his cure. Whether this 
was on the same day, or some other, does not distinctly 
appear : it was probably the same day, after he had 
carried home his couch. How many, when they are 
made well, forget the hand that has healed them, and, 
instead of gratitude and obedience to God, use their 
renewed health and strength in the service of sin! 
Those who make this use of God’s mercies may con- 
sider their restoration as a respite only from perdition. 

Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.] 
Our Lord, intending to discover to this man who he 
was, gave him two proofs of the perfection of his 
knowledge. 1. He showed him that he knew the 
secret of the past—sin no more: thereby intimating 
that his former sins were the cause of his long afflic- 
tion. 2. He showed him that he knew the future— 
lest a worse thing come unto thee: if thy iniquity be 
repeated, thy punishment will be increased. 

Verse 15. The man departed, and told the Jews] 
He did not say it was Jesus who had ordered him to 
carry his bed, but it was Jesus who had cured him ; 
and he left them to draw the inference, viz. That this 
Jesus must be the miraculous power of God. 

Verse 16. And sought to slay him] This clause is 
omitted by BCDL, some others, and several ancient 
versions. Grieshach has left it out of the text; and 
Professor White says, cerlissime delenda: but it does 
not appear to me that it should be omitted. However, 

550 


ST. JOHN. 


agamst the cavils of the Jews 


that it was Jesus which had made 4,™, 4031. 
him whole. An. Olymp. 
16 And therefore did the Jews —°Ch* 
persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because 
he had done these things on the sabbath day. 

17 Ἵ But Jesus answered them, ' My Father 
worketh hitherto, and I work. 

18 Therefore the Jews ™ sought the more to 
kill him, because he not only had broken the 
sabbath, but said also that God was his Fa- 
ther, Ὁ making himself equal with God. 

19 § Then answered Jesus and said unto 
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, ° The Son 


m Chap. vii. 19. = Chap. x. 30, 33; Phil. ii 6. © Ver. 30; 


chap. viii. 28; ix. 4; xii. 49; xiv. 10. 


it was true of the Jews, whether the words were origi- 
nally in the evangelist or not. For what cause did 
these persons seek to destroy our Lord? Because he 
had healed a poor man, who had been diseased thirty- 
eight years, and ordered him to carry home the couch 
on which he lay! How implacable must their malice 
have been! The spirit of religious persecution has 
always been the most fell and dangerous of all on this 
side perdition. Every other disposition appears to 
have its moderator; but this is wholly abandoned to 
the guidance of Satan, and has for its objects the men 
who know the truth, and who live to the glory of their 
God, and for the benefit of mankind. How strange 
that such should ever be objects of malice and hatred ! 
But the Satanic nature in fallen man is ever opposed 
to whatever comes from God. 

Verse 17. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.\ 
Or, As my Father worketh until now, &c., καϑως being 
understood. God created the world in six days: on 
the seventh he rested from all creating acts, and set 
it apart to be an everlasting memorial of his work. 
But, though he rested from creating, he never ceased 
from preserving and governing that which he had 
formed: in this respect he can keep no sabdaths ; for 
nothing can continue to exist, or answer the end pro- 
posed by the Divine wisdom and goodness, without the 
continual energy of God. So J work—I am constantly 
employed in the same way, governing and supporting 
all things, comforting the wretched, and saving the lost: 
and to me, in this respect, there is no sabdath. 

Verse 18. Making himself equal with God.|] This 
the Jews understood from the preceding verse: nor 
did they take a wrong meaning out of our Lord’s 
words; for he plainly stated that, whatever was the 
Father’s work, his was the same; thus showing that 
He and the Father were ONE. They had now found 
out two pretences to take away his life: one was that 
he had broken the Sabbath—e2ve, dissolved, as they 
pretended, the obligation of keeping it holy. The 
other was that he was guilty of blasphemy, in making 
himself egual to God: for both which crimes, a man, 
according to the law, must suffer death. See Num 
xv. 32; Lev. xxiv. 11, 14, 16. 

Verse 19. The Son can do nothing of himself] 

1 


Christ shows his 


AM, ‘81. can do nothing of himself, but what 


An. Olymp. he seeth the Father do: for what 
———— things soever he doeth, these also 
doeth the Son likewise. 

20 For »the Father loveth the Son, and 
showeth him all things that himself doeth : 
and he will show him greater works than these, 
that ye may marvel. 

21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, 
and quickeneth them, 4 even so the Son quick- 
eneth whom he will. 

22 For the Father judgeth no man, but * hath 


P Matt. ili. 17; chap. iii. 35; 2 Pet. i. 17. 4 Luke vii. 14; 
viii. 54; chap. xi. 25, 43.——* Matt. xi. 27; xxviii. 18; ver. 27; 


Because of his inseparable union with the Father : 
nor can the Father do any thing of himself, because 
of his infinite unity with the Son. 

What things soever he doeth, these also doeth the 
Son] God does nothing but what Christ does. What 
God does is the work of God, and proper to no crea- 
cure—Jesus does whatsoever God does, and therefore 
is no created being. The Son can do nothing but what 
he sees the Father do: now, any intelligent creature 
may do what God cannot do: he may err—he may 
sin. If Jesus can do nothing but what God does, then 
he is no creature—he can neither sin nor err, nor act 
impexfectly. The conclusion from our Lord’s argument 
is: If I have broken the Sabbath, so has God also; 
for I can do nothing but what I see him doing. He 
is ever governing and preserving ; I am ever employed 
in saving. 

Verse 20. Greater works than these] Two of these 
he immediately mentions : Raising the dead, ver. 21. 
And judging the world, ver. 22. 

That ye may marvel.| Or, So as to make you won- 
der. Our Lord sometimes speaks of himself as God, 
and sometimes as the ambassador of God. As he had 
a human and Divine nature, this distinction was essen- 
tially necessary. Many errors have originated from 
want of attention to this circumstance. 

Verse 21. As the Father raiseth up the dead| This 
he did in the case of the widow’s son at Sarepta, 1 
Kings xvii. 22, by the ministry of the Prophet Elijah. 
And again, in the case of the Shunamite’s son, 2 Kings 
iv. 32-35, by the ministry of the Prophet Elisha. 

The Son quickeneth whom he will.| He raiseth from 
death to life whomsoever he pleases. So he did, for 
he raised the ruler’s daughter, Mark v. 35-42; the 
widow’s son at Nain, Luke vii. 11-15; and Lazarus, 
at Bethany, John xi. 14—44. 

Whom he will. Here our Lord points out his sove- 
reign power and independence ; he gives life accord- 
ing to his own will—not being obliged to supplicate 
for the power by which it was done, as the prophets 
did; his own will being absolute and sufficient in every 
ease. 

Verse 22. The Father judgeth no man] This con- 
firms what he had said before, verse 17, 19, that the 
Father acts not without the Son, nor the Son without 
the Father ; their acts are common, their power equal. 

1 


CHAP. V. 


equality with the Father 


committed all judgment unto the 4,™ 403}. 
Son: An. Olymp. 
23 That all men should honour the eae 
Son, even as they honour the Father. * He 
that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the 

Father which hath sent him. 

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, t He that 
heareth my word, and believeth on him that 
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not 
come into condemnation ; " but is passed from 
death unto life. 

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour 


ch. iii. 35; xvii. 2; Acts xvii. 31; 1 Pet. iv. 5——— 1 John it. 23. 
© Chap. ili. 16, 18; vi. 40,47; vill.51; xx.31. 1 John iii. 14 


Verse 23. That all men should honour the Son, ἄτα. 
If then the Son is to be honoured, Even as the Father 
is honoured, then the Son must be God, as receiving 
that worship which belongs to God alone. To worship 
any creature is idolatry : Christ is to be honoured even 
as the Father is honoured; therefore Christ is not a 
creature; and, if not a creature, consequently the 
Creator. See chap. i. 3. 

He that honoureth not the Son] God will not receive 
that man’s adoration who refuses to honour Jesus, even 
as he honours him. ‘The Jews expected the Messiah 
as a great and powerful Prince ; but they never thought 
of a person coming in that character enrobed with all 
the attributes of Godhead. To lead them off from 
this error, our Lord spoke the words recorded in these 
verses. 

Verse 24. He that heareth my word] My doctrine 
—and believeth on him that sent me—he who credits 
my Divine mission, that I am come to give light and 
life to the world by my doctrine and death—hath eter 
nal life—the seed of this life is sown in his heart the 
moment he believes—and shall not come into con- 
demnation, εἰς κρισιν, into judgment—that which will 
speedily come on this unbelieving race ; and that which 
shall overwhelm the wicked in the great day. 

But is passed from death unto life.| Μεταβεβηκεν, 
Has changed his country, or place of abode. Deathis 
the country where every Christless soul lives. The 
man who knows not God lives a dying life, or a living 
death ; but he who believes in the Son of God passes 
over from the empire of death, to the empire of life. 
Reader! thou wast born in death: hast thou yet chang- 
ed the place of thy natural residence 1 Remember that 
to live in sin is to live in death; and those who live 
and die thus shall die eternally. 

Verse 25. The dead shall hear the voice] Three 
kinds of death are mentioned in the Scriptures: natu- 
ral, spiritual, and eternal. 

The first consists in the separation of the body and 
soul. The second in the separation of God and the 
soul. The third in the separation of body and soul 
from God in the other world. Answerable to these 
three kinds of death, there is a threefold life: Natu- 
ral life, which consists in the union of the soul and 
body. Spiritual life, which consists in the union of 
God and the soul, by faith and love. ternal life 

55 


Christ asserts the 


A.M. 4031. 


A.D. st, 18 coming, and now is, when ‘ the 
ae: dead shall hear the voice of the Son 
———— of God: and they that hear shall live. 

26 For as the Father hath life in himself, 


so hath he given to the Son to have life in 
himself ; 

27 And “hath given him authority to exe- 
cute judgment also, x because he is the Son 
of man. 

28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is com- 
ing, in the which all that are in the graves shall 
hear his voice, 


ST. JOHN. 


resurrection of all men 
: A. M. 4031. 
29 ¥ And shall come forth: 7 they 4, *; “93! 


that have done good, unto the resur- An. Coe. 
rection of life ; and they that have : 
done evil, unto the resurrection of damna 
tion. 

30 51 can of mine own self do nothing: as 
I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; 
because ὃ I seek not mine own will, but the will 
of the Father which hath sent me. 

31 9 ° If I bear witness of myself, my wit- 
ness is not true. 

32 4 There is another that beareth witness 


v Verse 28; Eph. ii. 1, 5; v. 14; Col. ii. 13——w Verse 22; 
Acts x. 42; xvii. 31. x Dan. vil. 13, 14.——¥ Isa. xxvi. 19; 
1 Thess. iv. 16; 1 Cor. xv. 52. 


z Dan. xii. 2; Matt. xxv. 32,33, 46 Ver. 19.——> Matt. xxvi. 
39; chap. iv. 34; vi. 38. © See chap. viii. 14; Rey. iii. 14. 
4 Matt. 111. 17; xvii. 5; chap. viii. 18; 1 John v. 6, 7, 9. 


which consists in the communion of the body and soul 
with God, by holiness, in the realms of bliss. 

Of the dead, our Lord says, the hour is coming, and 
now is, when they shall hear the voice of the Son of 
God, and live. The hour is coming, when all that 
sleep in the dust shall awake at the voice of the Son 
of man, and come to judgment : for he giveth life to 
the dead, ver. 21, 28,29. Again, the hour is coming, 
when some of those who have died a natural death 
shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live again 
here. It is likely that our Lord had not as yet raised 
any from the dead; and he refers to those whom he 
intended to raise: see on yer. 21. Lastly, the hour 
now is, when many who are dead in trespasses and 
sins, shall hear the voice (the word) of the Son of 
God, believe, and receive spiritual life through him. 

Verse 26. Hath he given to the Son to have life, &c.] 
Here our Lord speaks of himself in his character of 
Messiah, or envoy of God. 

Verse 27. Because he is the Son of man.| Because 
he is the Messiah ; for in this sense the phrase, Son 
of man, is often to be understood. But some join this 
to the next verse thus :—Marvel not at this, because 
he 1s the Son of man. 

Verse 28. Marvel not at this] I think it quite ne- 
cessary to follow here, as noted above, the punctuation 
of both the Syriac, the Armenian, Chrysostom, Dama- 
scenus, Theophylact, Euthymius, and others ; which 
is found also in some very good MSS. Theophylact 
says that the common method of reading this, which 
he highly objects to, was the invention of Paul of Sa- 
mosata. In ver 26 and 27, our Lord, speaking of 
himself as envoy of God, said, the Father had given 
him to have life in himself, so that, like any of the 
ancient prophets, he could vivify others; and that 
he had given him authority to execute judgment, pro- 
bably referring to that judgment which he was shortly 
to execute on this unbelieving nation, and apparently 
in direct reference to Dan. vii. 13, Behold one like 
the Son of man came with the clouds, &c., a place 
which the Jews expound of the promised Messiah. In 
this verse he anticipates an objec.ion, as if they had 
said: “This cannot be: thou art a man—thou wast 
porn among us.” Our Lord answers: Don’t marvel 
at this, Because I am a man—for greater things than 

552 


these shall be done by me: he who now addresses 
you, though disguised under the form of a man, shall 
appear in the great day to be the Judge of quick and 
dead: by his almighty power, he shall raise all the 
dead ; and, by his unerring wisdom and justice, shall 
adjudge the wicked to hell, and the righteous to hea- 
ven. The first sense, however, of this passage, ap- 
pears to some the most probable; though they both 
amount nearly to the same meaning. 

Verse 30. I can of mine own self do nothing] Be- 
cause of my intimate union with God. See on ver. 19. 

I seek not mine own will] I do not, I cannot at- 
tempt to do any thing without God. This, that is, the 
Son of man, the human nature which is the temple of 
my Divinity, chap. i. 14, is perfectly subject to the 
Deity that dwells in it. In this respect our blessed 
Lord is the perfect pattern of all his followers. In 
every thing their wills should submit to the will of 
their heavenly Father. Nothing is more common 
than to hear people say, J will do it because ¥ choose. 
He who has no better reason to give for his conduct 
than his own will shall in the end have the same reason 
to give for his eternal destruction. “I followed my 
own will, in opposition to the will of God, and now I 
am plunged in the lake that burneth with fire and 
brimstone.” 

Reader, God hath sent thee also to do his will :--- 
his will is that thou shouldst abandon thy sins, and be 
lieve in the Lord Jesus. Hast thou yet done it? 

Verse 31. If I bear witness] If I had no proof to 
bring of my being the Messiah, and equal to God, 
common sense would direct you to reject my testi- 
mony ; but the mighty power of God, by which I work 
my miracles, sufficiently attests that my pretensions 
are well founded. 

Bishop Pearce gives a different turn to this verse, 
by translating it interrogatively, thus: ‘Jf J only 
bear witness of myself, 1s not my wilness true? i. 6. 
is it, on that account, not true? In chap. vill. 14, he 
says, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record 
is true. And in verse 18, he says, I am one that 
bear witness of myself.” 

Verse 32. There is another] God the Father, who, 
by his Spirit in your prophets, described my person, 
office, and miracles. You read these scriptures, and 


1 


His testimony concerning 


A. M. 4031. 
A. Ὁ. 27. 


33 Ye sent unto John, ° and he 
bare witness unto the truth. 
34 But I receive not testimony from man: 


but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 
35 He was a buming and fa shining light: 


© Chap. i. 15, 19, 27, 32.——‘ 2 Pet. i. 19.——+ See Matt. xiii. 20; 


you cannot help seeing that they testify of me :—no 
person ever did answer the description there given, but 
myself; and I answer to that description in the fullest 
sense of the word. See ver. 39. 

And I know] Instead of oda, I know, οἰδατε, ye 
know, is the reading of the Coder Beze, Armenian, 
and two of the Itala. Ye believe the Scriptures to be 
of God, and that he cannot lie; and yet ye will not 
believe in me, though these Scriptures have so clearly 
foretold and described me! It is not one of the least 
evils attending unbelief, that it acts not only in oppo- 
sition to God, but it also acts inconsistently with itself. 
It receives the Scriptures in bulk, and acknowledges 
them to have come through Divine inspiration; and 
yet believes no part separately. With it the whole is 
true, but no part is true! The very unreasonableness 
of this conduct shows the principle to have come from 
beneath, were there no other evidences against it. 

Verse 33. Ye sent unto John] I am not without 
human testimony of the most respectable kind :—Ye 
sent to John, and he bare witness. There are several 
circumstances in John’s character which render his 
testimony unexceptionable. 1. He is consulted by 
the very enemies of Christ, as a very holy and extra- 
ordinary man. 2. He is perfectly free from all self- 
interest, having declined making the least advantage 
by his own reputation. 3. He is sincere, undaunted, 
and so averse from all kinds of flattery that he reproves 
Herod at the hazard of his liberty and life. 4. He 
was so far from being solicited by Christ to give his 
testimony that he had not even seen him when he gave 
it. See chap. i. 19-28. 

Verse 34. But I receive not testimony from man 
tonly.] I have no need of John’s testimony: the works 
that I do bear sufficient testimony to me, ver. 36. 

But these things I say, &c.] You believed John to 
be a prophet—a prophet cannot lie : he bore testimony 
that I am the Lamb of God, that beareth away the 
sin of the world, chap. i. 29 ; therefore, that ye may 
be saved by believing in me as such, I have appealed 
to John’s testimony. 

Verse 35. He was a burning and a shining light] 
Hy 6 λυχνος ὁ καίομενος και φαίνων, should be translated, 
He was a burning and a shining tamp. He was not 
τὸ φως Tov κοσμου, the light of the world, i.e. the sun; 
but he was ὁ λυχνοσ, a lamp, to give a clear and steady 
light till the sun should arise. It is supposed that 
John had been cast into prison about four months be- 
fore this time. See the note on chap. iv. 35. As 
his light continued no longer t» shine, our Lord says 
he was. 

The expression of Jamp our Lord took from the or- 


CHAP V. 


of me; and I know that the witness | and * ye were willing for a season 4,™; 4031. 
An. Olymp. which he witnesseth of me is true. | to rejoice in his light. 


John the Baptast. 


An. Olymp. 

36 Ἵ But * I have greater witness a 
than that of John: for ithe works which the Father 
hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, 
bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 


37 And the Father himself, which hath sent 


xxi. 26; Mark vi. 20.— 1 John v. 9. 


i Ch. ili. 2; x.25; xv. 24. 


doctors the lamps of Israel. A lighted candle is a 
proper emblem of a minister of God; and, Alters 
serviens consumor—* In serving others, I myself 
destroy :”—a proper motto. There are few who 
preach the Gospel faithfully that do not lose their 
lives by it. Burning may refer to the zeal with which 
John executed his message ; and shining may refer to 
the clearness of the testimony which he bore concern- 
ing Christ. Only to shine is but vanity ; and to burn 
without shining will never edify the Church of God. 
Some shine, and some burn, but few both shine and 
burn ; and many there are who are denominated pas- 
tors, who neither shine nor burn. He who wishes to 
save souls must both burn and shine: the clear light 
of the knowledge of the sacred records must fill his 
understanding ; and the holy flame of loving zeal 
must occupy his heart. Zeal without knowledge is 
continually blundering ; and knowledge without zeal 
makes no converts to Christ. 

For a season] The time between his beginning to 
preach and his being cast into prison. 

To rejoice] Ἀγαλλιασθηναι, To jump for joy, as we 
would express it. They were exceedingly rejoiced to 
hear that the Messiah was come, because they ex- 
pected him to deliver them out of the hands of the 
Romans ; but when a spiritual deliverance, of infinitely 
greater moment was preached to them, they rejected 
both it and the light which made it manifest. 

Verse 36. But I have greater witness] However 
decisive the judgment of such a man as John may be, 
who was the lamp of Israel, a miracle of grace, filled 
with the spirit of Elijah, and more than any prophet, 
because he pointed out, not the Messiah who was to 
come, but the Messiah who was already come: never 
theless, I am not obliged to depend on his testimony 
alone ; for I have a greater one, that of Him whom 
you acknowledge to be your God. And how do I 
prove that this God bears testimony to me? By my 
works; these miracles, which attest my mission, and 
prove by themselves that nothing less than unlimited 
power and boundless love could ever produce them. 
By my word only, I have perfectly and instantly healed 
a man who was diseased thirty and eight years. Ye 
see the miracle—the man is before you whole and 
sound. Why then do ye not believe in my mission, 
that ye may embrace my doctrine, and be saved ? 

Verse 37. The Father himself—hath borne wit- 
ness] That is, by his prophets. 

Ye have neither heard his voice] I make these 
words, with Bp. Pearce, a parenthesis: the sense is 
—*‘ Not that my Father ever appeared visibly or spake 
audibly to any of you; but he did it by the mouths of 


dinary custom of the Jews, who termed their eminent] his prophets.” Lately, however, he had added to their 


1 


553 


The command of Christ 


Aes. me, * hath borne witness of me. Ye 


ay papa. have neither heard his voice at any 
᾿ς time, ! nor seen his shape. 
38 And ye have not his word abiding in 
you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 
39 Ἵ ™Search the Scriptures; for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life: and ™ they are 
they which testify of me. 


K Matt. iii. 17; xvii. 5; chap. vi. 27; vili. 18——! Deut. 
iv. 12; chap. 1. 18; 1 Tim. i. 17; 1 John iv. 12. Jsaiah 
vill. 20; xxxiv. 16; Luke xvi. 29 ; verse 46; Acts xvii. 


ST. JOHN. 


to search the Scriptures. 


° And ye will not come to me, 4,™, 403) 
that ye might have life. An, Olymp. 


41 9 »] receive not honour from 
men. 

42 But I know you, that ye have not the 
love of God in you. 

43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye 
receive me not: if another shall come in 


11. 2 Deuteronomy xvill, 15, 18; Luke xxiv. 27; chap 
1. 45. © Chapter i. 11; iii. i9. ae Verse 34; 1 Thess 
ii. 6. 


testimony his own voice from heaven, on the day of 
Christ’s baptism. See Matt. iii. 17. 

Verse 38. Ye have not his word abiding in you) 
Though ye believe the Scriptures to be of God, yet ye 
do not let them take hold of your hearts—his word is 
in your mouth, but not in your mind. What a miser- 
able lot! to read the Scriptures as the true sayings of 
God, and yet to get no salvation from them! Thy 
word, says David, (Psa. exix. 11,) have I hid in my 
heart, that I might not sin against thee. This, these 
Jews had not done. Reader, hast thou ? 

Verse 39. Search the Scriptures] Epevvate τας 
ypadac. This should be translated, not in the wnpe- 
rative, but in the indicative mood—thus, Ye search 
the Scriptures diligently. That these words are com- 
monly read in the imperative mood is sufficiently 
known ; but this reading can never accord well with 
the following verse, nor can the force and energy of 
the words be perceived by this version. 

The rabbins strongly recommend the study of the 
Scriptures. The Talmud, Tract. Shabbath, fol. 30, 
brings in God thus addressing David: “I am better 
pleased with one day in which thou sittest and studiest 
the law, than I shall be with a thousand sacrifices 
which thy son Solomon shall offer upon my altar.” 

Perhaps the Scriptures were never more diligently 
searched than at that very time: first, because they 
were in expectation of the immediate appearing of the 
Messiah ; secondly, because they wished to find out 
allegories in them ; (see Philo ;) and, thirdly, because 
they found these scriptures to contain the promise of 
an eternal life. He, said they, who studies daily in 
the law, is worthy to have a portion in the world to 
come, Sohar. Genes. fol. 381. Hence we may infer: 
Ist. That the Jews had the knowledge of a future 
state before the coming of Christ; and 2ndly. That 
they got that knowledge from the Old ‘Testament 
Scriptures. 

The word epevvate, which might be translated, Ye 
search diligently, is very expressive. Homer, It. 
xviii. 1. 321, applies it to a Zion deprived of his whelps, 
who “scours the plains, and traces the footsteps of the 
man.” And in Opyss. xix. 1. 436, to dogs tracing 
their game by the scent of the foot. 

In the Septuagint, the verb spevvaw answers to the 
Hebrew wdn chapash, to search by uncovering ; to 
‘apn chakar, to search minutely, to explore; to \wn 
chashaph, to strip, make bare ; and to ww mashash, 
to feel, search by feeling. It is compounded of epew, 
T seek, and εὐνη, a bed ; “and is,” says St. Chrysos- 

554 


tom, “ἃ metaphor taken from those who dig deep, 
and search for metals in the bowels of the earth. They 
look for the bed where the metal lies, and break every 
clod, and sift and examine the whole, in order to dis- 
cover the ore.” Those who read the verse in the 
imperative mood consider it an exhortation to the dili- 
gent study of the Sacred Writings. Search; that is, 
shake and sift them, as the word also signifies : search 
narrowly, till the true force and meaning of every 
sentence, yea, of every word and syllable, nay, of every 
letter and yod therein, be known and understood. 
Confer place with place ; the scope of one place with 
that of another ; things going before with things coming 
after: compare word with word, letter with letter, and 
search the whole thoroughly. See Parkhurst, Min- 
tert, and Leigh. 

Leaving every translation of the present passage 
out of the question, this is the proper method of read- 
ing and examining the Scriptures, so as to become wise 
unto salvation through them. 

Verse 40. And ye will not come to me] Though 
ye thus search the Scriptures, in hopes of finding the 
Messiah and eternal life in them, yet ye will not come 
unto me, believe in me, and be my disciples, though so 
clearly pointed out by them, that ye may have that 
eternal life which can only come through me. 

Verse 41. 7 receive not honour from men.] Ἱ do 
not stand in need of you or your testimony. 1 act 
neither through self-interest nor vanity. Your salva- 
tion ean add nothing to me, nor can your destruction 
injure me: I speak only through my love for your 
souls, that ye may be saved. 

Verse 42. But I know you, that ye have not, &c.] 
Don’t say that you oppose me through zeal for God’s 
honour, and love for his name, because I make myself 
equal to him: no, this is not the ease. I know the 
dispositions of your souls ; and I know ye have neither 
love for his name, nor zeal for his glory. Incorrigible 
ignorance, and malicious jealousy, actuate your hearts. 
Ye read the Scriptures, but ye do not enter into their 
meaning. Had you been as diligent to find out the 
truth, as you have been to find out allegories, false 
glosses, and something to countenance you in your 
crimes, you would have known that the Messiah, who 
is equal with God, must be the Son of man also, and 
the inheritor of David’s throne; and that the very 
works which I do are those which the prophets have 
foretold the Messiah should perform. See Dan. vii: 
13, 14; Isa. ix. 6, 7; xi. 1-5, 10; xxxv. 4-6. 

Verse 43. I am come in my Father's name] With 

1 


The Jews reprenended for ‘eir 


» his own name, him ye will re- 
An. Olymp. ceive. 
44 1 How can ye believe, which 
receive honour one of another, and seek not 
‘the honour that cometh from God only? 

45 Ἵ Do not think that I will accuse you 
to the Father: ‘there is one that accuseth 


* Romans ii. 29.—— Romans 


4 Chapter xii. 43. 
ii. 12. 


all his influence and authority. Among the rabbins, it 
was essential to a teacher’s credit that he should be 
able to support his doctrine by the authority of some 
eminent persons who had gone before. Hence the 
form, Coming in the name of another. 

If another shall come in his own name] Having no 
Divine influence, and no other authority than his own, 
him ye will receive. That this was notoriously the 
case may appear from Josephus, Antiq. b. xviii. ο. 14 ; 
Acts v. 36, 37; Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. b. iv. c. 6. It 
is by the just judgment of God, that those who will not 
believe the truth of God shall be so given up as to be- 
lieve the most absurd of lies. For an account of these 
false Christs, see the notes on Matt. xxiv. 5. 

Verse 44. How can ye believe, which receive honour, 
ἄς. The grand obstacle to the salvation of the 
scribes and Pharisees was their pride, vanity, and self- 
Tove. They lived on each other’s praise. If they had 
acknowledged Christ as the only teacher, they must 
have given up the good opinion of the multitude ; and 
they chose rather to lose their souls than to forfeit 
their reputation among men! This is the ruin of mil- 
lions. They would be religious, if religion and worldly 
honour were connected ; but as the kingdom of Christ 
is not of this world, and their hearts and souls are 
wedded to the earth, they will not accept the salvation 
which is offered to them on these terms—Deny thy- 
self: take up thy cross, and follow ME. It is no 
wonder that we never find persons making any pro- 

ess in religion who mix with the world, and in any 
respect regulate their conduct by its anti-Christian 
customs, maxims, and fashions. 

From God only?) Or, from the only God—Iapa 
Tov zovov Θεου. Two of the ancient Slavonic versions 
read, From the only begotten Son of God. 

Verse 45. Do not think that I will accuse you] 
You have aecused me with a breach of the Sabbath, 
which accusation I have demonstrated to be false: I 
could, in return, accuse you, and substantiate the ac- 
cusation, with the breach of the whole law ; but this I 
need not do, for Moses, in whom ye trust, accuses you. 
You read his law, acknowledge you should obey it, 
and yet break it both in the letter and in the spirit. 
This law, therefore, accuses and condemns you. It 
was ἃ maxim among the Jews that none could accuse 
them but Moses: the spirit of which seems to be, that 
only so pure and enlightened a legislator could find 
fault with such a noble and excellent people! For, 
notwithstanding their abominations, they supposed 
themselves the most excellent of mankind! 

Verse 46. He wrote of me.| For instance, in re- 
citing the prophecy of Jacob, Gen. xlix. 10: The 

1 


CHAP. V. 


earthly-mindedness and unbelief 
eT A. M, 4031 
you, even Moses, in whom ye ΔΑ Ων 
trust. An. Olymp 
CCL 3 


46 For had ye believed Moses, ———— 
ye would have believed me: * for he wrote 
of me. 

47 But if ye believe not his writings, how 
shall ye believe my words ? 


Gen. iii. 15; xii. 3; xviii. 18; xxii. 18; xlix. 10; Deut. xviii. 
15, 18; chap. i. 45; Acts xxvi. 22. 


sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
from between his feet, until Suinon come; and unto 
him shall the gathering of the people be. And in 
Deut. xviii. 18: I will raise them up a Prophet from 
among their brethren like unto thee; and I will put 
my words in his mouth, &c. Confer this with Acts 
iii. 22, and vii. 37. Besides, Moses pointed out the 
Messiah in a multitude of symbols and figures, which 
are found in the history of the patriarchs, the ceremo- 
nial laws, and especially in the whole sacrificial 
system. All these were well-defined, though shadowy 
representations of the birth, life, sufferings, death, and 
resurrection of the Saviour of the world. Add to this, 
Moses has given you certain marks to distinguish the 
false from the true prophet, Deut. xiii. 1-3 ; xviii. 
22, which, if you apply to me, you will find that I am 
not a false but a true prophet of the Most High God. 

Verse 47. But if ye believe not his writings, &c.]} 
If you lay them not to heart—if you draw not those 
conclusions from them which their very letter, as well 
as their spirit, authorizes you to draw, how shall ye 
believe my words, against which ye have taken up the 
most ungrounded prejudice? It is no wonder that we 
find the Jews still in the gall of bitterness, and bond 
of iniquity: as they believe not Moses and the pro- 
phets, in reference to the Messiah, it is no marvel that 
they reject Christ and the apostles. Till they see and 
acknowledge, from the law and the prophets, that Christ 
must have come, they will never believe the Gospel. 
St. Paul says, 2 Cor. iii. 15, that even until this day, 
when Moses (i. 6. the law) is read, the vein is upon 
their hearts :—so that they see not to the end of tha 
which is abolished: ver. 13. Nor will this veil be 
taken away, @ill they turn from worldly gain and athe- 
ism (which appears to be their general system) fo the 
Lord, ver. 16; and then the light of the glory of God 
shall shine on them in the face (through the mediation 
and merits) of Jesus Christ. 

It appears that this discourse of our Lord had effec 
tually confounded these Jews, for they went away 
without replying—a manifest proof they had nothing 
to say. 


1. In all periods of their history, the Jews were 
both an incredulous and disobedient people: perhaps 
it was on this ground that God first chose them to be 
keepers of his testimonies; for had they not had the 
most incontrovertible proofs that God did speak, they 
would neither have credited nor preserved his oracles. 

Their incredulity is, therefore, no mean proof of the 
Divine authority of the law and the prophets. The 
apostles who were all Jews, partook deeply of the 

555 


Tesus is followed 


same spirit, as various places in the Gospel prove ; 
and, had not they had the fullest evidence of the divi- 
nity of their Master, they would not have believed, 
much less have sealed the truth with their blood.— 
Thus their incredulity is a strong proof of the authen- 
ticity of the Gospel. 

2. When a man, through prejudice, bigotry, or 
malevolence, is determined to disbelieve, both evidence 
and demonstration are lost upon him: he is incapable 
of conviction, because he is determined not to yield. 
This was, this is, the case with the Jews—there are 
facts before their eyes sufficient to convince and con- 


ST. JOHN. 


by a great multitude. 


found them; but they have made a covenant with un- 
belief, and therefore they continue blind, ignorant, and 
wicked ; obstinately closing their eyes against the light; 
and thus the wrath of God is coming upon them to the 
very uttermost. But shall not a rebellious and wicked 
Christian be judged worthy of more punishment ? Cer- 
tainly : for he professes to believe that truth which is 
able to make him wise unto salvation, by faith in Jesus 
Christ. Reader, it is an awful thing to trifle with the 
Gospel !—the God of it is pure, jealous, and holy.— 
Come unto him and implore forgiveness of thy past 
sins, that thou mayest have eternal life. 


CHAPTER VI. 


Jesus passes the sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude follow him, 1-4. 


loaves, and two fishes, 5-13. 
14. 


them, walking upon the water, 19-21. 
fleshly motives, 25-27. 


fended, and cavil, 41, 42. 
and Christ gives farther explanations, 52-59. 


are to be spiritually understood, 61-65. 


He feeds five thousand with five 


They acknowledge him to be the prophet that should come into the world, 
They purpose to force him to become their king ; and he withdraws from the multitude, 15. 
disciples take ship, and go towards Capernaum, and are overtaken with a storm, 16-18. 


The 
Christ comes to 


The people take boats and follow him, 22-24. He reproves their 
They profess a desire to be instructed, 28. 
them that he is the bread of life, and that they who reject him are without excuse, 29—40. 
He asserts and illustrates his foregoing discourse, 43-51. 


Christ preaches to them, and shows 
They are of- 
They again cavil, 


Several of the disciples are stumbled at his assertion, that 
unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood they could not have life, 60. 
Several of them withdraw from him, 66. 


He shows them that his words 
He questions the 


twelve, whether they also were disposed to forsake him, and Peter answers for the whole, 67-69. Christ 


exposes the perfidy of Judas, 70, 71. 


AM A082, FTER * these things Jesus went 
An. Olymp. over the sea of Galilee, which 
CChassit: eb 
is the sea of Tiberias. 
2 And δα great multitude followed him, 


because they saw his miracles which he did on 
them that were diseased. 


- A.M. 4032. 
3 And Jesus went up into a A. D.28. 


mountain, and there he sat with his eee 
disciples. ees naw δα 
4 ¢ And the passover, a feast of the Jews, 
was nigh. 
5 4 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, 


4 Matthew xiv. 15; Mark vi. 35; Luke ix. 10, 12——> Luke vi. 
ts 1χ..11: 


¢ Lev. xxiii. 5,7; Deut. xvi. 1; chap. 11. 13; v. 1.——#4 Matt. 
xiv. 14; Mark vi. 35; Luke ix. 12. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VI. 

Verse 1. After these things] This is a sort of 
indefinite expression, from which we can gather no- 
thing relative to the time in which these things hap- 
pened. It refers no doubt to transactions in the pre- 
ceding year. 

Jesus went over the sea of Galilee} Or, as some 
translate the words, by the side of the sea of Galilee. 
From Luke, chap. ix. 10, we learn that this was a 
desert place in the vicinity of Bethsaida. The sea of 
Galilee, Genesaret, and Tiberias, are the same in the 
New Testament with the sea of Cinnereth in the Old. 
Tiberias was a city in Galilee, situated on the western 
side of the lake. See on ver. 22. 

Verse 2. They saw his miracles which he did] 
John does not mention these miracles; but Matthew 
details them, from chap. xii. 2, to chap. xiv. 13.— 
John seems more intent on supplying the deficiencies 
of the other evangelists than in writing a connected 
history himself. 

Verse 3. Went up into a mountain] This moun- 
tain must have been in the desert of Bethsaida, in the 
556 


territories of Phihp, tetrarch of Galilee. Our Lord 
withdrew to this place for a little rest; for he and his 
disciples had been so thronged with the multitudes, 
continually coming and going, that they had not time 
to take necessary food. See Mark vi. 31. 

Verse 4. And the passover—was nigh.] This hap 
pened about ten or twelve days before the third pass- 
over which Christ celebrated after his baptism. Cal- 
met. For a particular account of our Lord’s four 
passovers see the note on chap. ii. 13. 

For thirty days before the passover there were 
great preparations made by the Jews, but especially 
in the last nineteen days, in order to celebrate the feast 
with due solemnity. Lightfoot supposes that what is 
here related happened within the last fifteen days.— 
See Calmet’s opinion above. 

Verse 5. Saw a great company] See this miracle 
explained at large on Matt. xiv. 13, &c.; Mark vi. 
31, &c.; Luke ix. 10, &e. 

In speaking of the passovers, and various other mat- 
ters, it does not appear that John follows any strict 
chronological order. 

1 


Fwe thousand fed with five 


a and saw a great company come unto 


An, Olymp. him, he saith unto Philip, Whence 
—_——— shall we buy bread, that these 
may eat? 

6 And this he said to prove him: for he 
himself knew what he would do. 

7 Philip answered him, °*'Two hundred 
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, 
that every one of them may take a little. 

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon 
Peter’s brother, saith unto him, 

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley 
loaves, and two small fishes: ‘ but what are 
they among so many ? 

10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. 
(Now there was much grass in the place.) So 


ὁ See Num. xi. 21, 22. 


From verse 15, it appears that our Lord had come 
down from the mountain, and fed the multitudes in a 
plain at the foot of it. 

Saith unto Philip] This, with what follows, to 
the end of the seventh verse, is not mentioned by any 
of the other evangelists. 

Philip was probably the provider for the disciples, 
as Judas was the treasurer. 

Whence shall we buy bread] Instead of ἀγοράσομεν, 
shall we buy, I should read ayopacapev, may we buy, 
which is the reading of ABDEHLS, Mt. VB, and many 
others. As Philip was of Bethsaida, chap. i. 44; xii. 
21, he must have been much better acquainted with 
the country in which they then were than any other 
of the disciples. 

Verse 6. This he said to prove him] To try his 
faith, and to see whether he and the other apostles 
had paid proper attention to the miracles which they 
had already seen him work; and to draw their atten- 
tion more particularly to that which he was now about 
to perform. This is an observation of the evangelist 
himself, who often interweaves his own judgment with 
the facts he relates, which St. Matthew rarely ever 
does. The other evangelists say that, previously to 
this miracle, he continued to instruct and heal the mul- 
titudes till it was near the close of the day. Matt. xiv. 
14, 15; Mark vi. 34, 35; Luke ix. 11, 12. 

Verse 7. Two hundred pennyworth] This sum, 
rating the denarius at 7$d., would amount to 6]. 9s. 
2d. of our money, and appears to have been more than 
our Lord and all his disciples were worth of this world’s 
goods. See the notes on Matt. xviii. 28. 

Verse 8. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith] 
The other evangelists attribute this answer to the 
apostles in general. See the passages referred to above. 

Verse 9. There is a lad here] Παιδαριον, a little 
boy, or servant, probably one who carried the apostles’ 
provisions, or who came on purpose to sell his bread 
and fish. 

Five barley loaves] Barley scarcely bore one-third 
of the value of wheat in the east: see Rev. vi. 6.— 
That it was a very mean fare appears from Hzek. xiii. 


CHAP. VI. 


barley loaves and two fishes 


the men sat down, in number about ay he 
five thousand. 

11 And Jesus took the loaves; 
and when he had given thanks he distributed 
to the disciples, and the disciples to them that 
were sat down; and likewise of the fishes as 
much as they would. 

12 When they were filled, he said unto his 
disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, 
that nothing be lost. 

13 Therefore they gathered them together, 
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of 
the five barley loaves, which remained over 
and above unto them that had eaten. 

14 Then those men, when they had seen 
the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a 


£2 Kings iv. 43. 


19, where the false prophetesses are said to pollute 
the name of God for handfuls of barley, i.e. for the 
meanest reward. And Plutarch, in Apoph. p. 174, 
speaking concerning the flight of Artaverxes Mnemon, 
says he was reduced to such distress as to be obliged 
to eat barley bread. See Kypke. From this and other 
circumstances we may plainly perceive that the self- 
denying doctrine preached by Christ and his apostles 
was fully exemplified in their own manner of living. 

Two small fishes] Avo οψαρια. The word opapiov 
signifies whatever is eaten with bread, to perfect the 
meal, or to make it easy of deglutition, or to help the 
digestion. There is no word in the English language 
for it, which is a great defect. The inhabitants of 
Scotland, and of the north and north-west of Ireland, 
use the word kytshen, by which they express what- 
ever is eaten with bread or potatoes, as flesh, fish, 
butter, milk, eggs, &c., no satisfactory etymology of 
which word I am able to offer. In the parallel places 
in the other three evangelists, instead of οψαρια, 
ἰχθυας is used; so that the word evidently means fish 
in the text of St. John: see on chap. xxi. 5. 

Verse 10. There was much grass in the place.] 
Perhaps newly mown grass, or hay, is meant, (so the 
Vulgate fenum,) and this circumstance marks out 
more particularly that the passover was at hand. In 
Palestine the grass is ready for mowing in March; 
and this miracle seems to have been wrought only a 
few days before the commencement of that festival - 
see ver. 4 

Verse 11. Jesus took the loaves] See the notes on 
Matt. xiv. 19-21. As there were five loaves and 
five thousand people, so there was one loaf to every 
thousand men, independently of the women and 
children. 

Verse 12. Gather up the fragments] “ Great will 
be the punishment of those who waste the crumbs of 
food, scatter seed, and neglect the law.” Synops. 
Sohar. Among the Jews the AND peah, or residue 
after a meal, was the property of the servitors. 

Verse 14. Tus is of a truth that prophet] Spoken 
of, Deut. xviii. 15, viz. the Messiah. How near were 

557 


The disciples taken in a storm. 


A.M 4032. truth that prophet that should 
An. Olymp. come into the world. 

15 Ἵ When Jesus therefore per- 
ceived that they would come and take him by 
force, to make him a king, he departed again 
into a mountain himself alone. 

16 ™ And when even was now come, his dis- 
ciples went down unto the sea, 

17 And entered into a ship, and went over 
the sea toward Capernaum. + And it was now 
dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 

18 And the sea arose by reason of a great 
wind that blew. 

19 So when they had rowed about five and 
twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walk- 


ST. JOHN. 


Jesus walks to them on the water. 


ing on the sea, and drawing nigh 4,M, 4032 
unto the ship: and they were Oo 
afraid. cere ΟΘΕΒΕ 

20 But he saith unto them, It 151; be not 
afraid. 

21 Then they willingly received him into the 
ship: ‘and immediately the ship was at the 
land whither they went. : 

22 Ἵ The day following, when the people 
which stood on the other side of the sea saw 
that there was none other boat there, save that 
one whereinto his disciples were entered, and 
that Jesus went not with his disciples into the 
boat, but that his disciples were gone away 
alone ; 


& Gen. xlix. 10; Deut. xviii. 15,18; Matt. xi. 3; chap. 1. 21; 
iv. 19, 25; vu. 40. 


these people at this time to the kingdom of 
heaven ! 

Verse 15. Take him by force, to make him a king] 
The Jews had often suffered by famine in those times 
in which their enemies were permitted to prevail over 
them; but, finding that Jesus had such power as to 
multiply a few loaves to feed thousands, they took it 
for granted that while he was at their head no evil 
could possibly happen to them, and therefore were 
determined immediately to proclaim him king, and 
rid themselves at once of Herod and the Romans. 
Our Lord perceiving this, either by some words which 
they had dropped, or by his penetration of their hearts, 
retired before the project had been fully formed, or 
could be put into execution. It was not till a consi- 
derable time afterwards that even the disciples fully 
understood that his kingdom was not of this world. 

Into a mountain} That on which he was with his 
disciples previously to his working this miracle; see 
ver. 3. 

St. Matthew, chap. xiv. 22, 23, and Mark, vi. 45, 
46, say that, before this, Jesus constrained his disci- 
ples to embark in the vessel, and go along the sea 
eoast towards Capernaum, or Bethsaida—see here 
ver. 17, and the note on Mark vi. 45; and that, after 
they were gone, he dismissed the multitudes, having, 
no doubt, given them such advices as the nature of 
the case required; after which he went into the 
mountain 10 pray. 

Worldly wisdom would have said, “ Declare thy- 
self king: yield to the desires of the people: this 
will be the readiest way of converting the Jews.” 
No. Jesus must die for the sin of the world.—No 
man’s heart can be turned to God by outward pomp 
or splendowr—no saving change can be brought 
about by any might er any power, but by the Spirit 
of the Lord of hosts. Zech. iv. 6. 

Verse 17. Toward Capernaum.] St. Mark says, 
chap. vi. 45, that our Lord commanded them to go 
along to Bethsaida; and in the course of the history 
we find they got neither to Bethsaida nor Capernaum, 
but landed in the country of Genesaret: Matt. xiv. 

558 


| 


h Matt. xiv. 23; Mark vi. 47.——' Matt. xiv. 25; Mark vi. 47, 
k Matt. xiv. 32; Mark vi. 51. 


34. Our Lord seems to have desired them to go 
either to Bethsaida or Capernaum, which were only a 
very few miles distant, and on the same side of the 
sea. The reason why they could reach neither was 
the storm which the evangelists say rose at the time, 
and the wind being contrary: the storm being pro- 
bably excited by the prince of the power of the air. 
Capernaum lay at the northern part of this sea, and 
they went along the Galilean or western coast. pro- 
bably expecting Christ to come to tnem, on which 
account they might keep in close by the land. But 
there are great difficulties in fixing the places men- 
tioned by the evangelists. By some writers Beth- 
saida and Capernaum are placed on opposite sides of 
this lake: by others on the same side. Sometimes 
when our translation speaks of passing over the sea, 
&c., a coasting voyage only is meant, as we find the 
disciples landing on the same side from which they 
had departed: see the note on ver. 22. 

Verse 19. Had rowed] Theit vessel was a small 
one only, something of the boat xind: as to sails, if 
they had any, they could not now venture to carry 
them, because of the storm. 

Five and twenty or thirty furlongs] Between three 
and four miles. The sea of Tiberias, on which they 
now were, was, according to Josephus, War, book iii. 
chap. 25, forty furlongs, or five miles in breadth ; and 
one hundred and forty furlongs, or eighteen miles, in 
length. Pliny, lib. v. chap. 15, makes it about si 
miles broad, and szxteen long. 

They see Jesus| See the notes on Matt. xiv. 25, ἅς 

Verse 21. Immediately the ship was at the land] 
How far they were from the place at which they 
landed, when our Lord came to them, we know not. 
But the evangelist seems to speak of their sudaen 
arrival there as extraordinary and miraculous. 

Verse 22. The people which stood on the other side] 
‘Ecykwc περαν the θαλασσῆς, Standing by the sea side. 
The people were not on the other side, i. e. in Perea, 
as our version states, but on that side where Beth- 
saida lay: see the notes on Matt. xiv. 25 and 34, and 
on Mark vi. 45. The Greek word, περᾶν, says Bishop 

1 


Great multitudes 


A. M. 4032. i 
Mi, 4032. 23 (Howbeit there came other 


An. Clymp. boats from Tiberias nigh unto the 
S place where they did eat bread, 
after that the Lord had given thanks :) 

24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus 
was not there, neither his disciples, they also 
took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seek- 
ing for Jesus. 

25 And when they had found him on the 


1Or, Work not. 

Pearce, seems to signify in Scripture sometimes on the 
side of, and sometimes on this side of : see Jos. v. 1. 
and 1 Mace. ix. 34. The Hebrew word 2) ἀναγ, 
signifies by the side: Exod. xxviii. 26, and is trans- 
lated on this side in Deut. iv. 29. It has the same 
meaning in the Septuagint, Deut. i. 5; iii. 8; iv. 46. 
Tlepav, says Vorstius, is the same with παρα, near to. 
This is evidently the meaning of the word in Matt. iv. 
15; as it appears, from what is said of the land of 
Zabulon and Nepthali, that by zepay is not meant 
beyond, but by the side of ; because those two tribes 
inhabited the western side of Jordan, which was the 
side lying nearest to Judea and Galilee: see on 
Matt. xix. 1. 

Verse 23. There came other boats] After Jesus and 
his disciples had departed. 

From Tiberias| Herod Antipas built this city 
near the lake of Genesaret, in the best parts of Gali- 
lee, and called it Tiderias, in honour of Tiberius, the 
Roman emperor: see Jos. Ant. book xviii. chap. 2. 
sect. 3. 

Verse 24. They also took shipping] That is, as 
many of them as could get accommodated with boats 
took them, and thus got to Capernaum; but many 
others doubtless went thither on foot, as it is not at 
all likely that five or six thousand persons could get 
boats enow to carry them. 

Verse 25. On the other side of the sea) That is, on 
the sea coast, to the northward of it, where Caper- 
naum lies in the land of Genesaret: but see the note, 
on ver. 17, 22. It was in one of the synagogues of 
Capernaum that he delivered the following discourse : 
see ver. 59. 

Verse 26. Ye seek me, not because ye saw, &c.] 
Though the miracle of the loaves was one of the most 
astonishing that ever was wrought upon earth; and 
though this people had, by the testimony of all their 
senses, the most convincing proof of its reality; yet 
we find many of them paid little attention to it, and 
regarded the omnipotent hand of God in it no farther 
than it went to satisfy the demands of their appetite ! 
Most men are willing to receive temporal good from 
the hands of God; but there are few, very few, who 
are willing to receive spiritual blessings. 

Verse 27. Labour not for the meat] That is, for 
that only, but also for the bread, ὅδε. Our Lord wills 
every man to be active and diligent in that employ- 
ment in which providence has placed him ; but it is his 
will also that that employment, and all the concerns of 


CHAP... Vil: 


follow Jesus 


A. M. 4032 
other side of the sea, they said unto ἃς ἢ 40 


him, Rabbi, when camest thou An. aap 
cc 

hither ? ---- 5 -- 

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily 
verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not be 
cause ye saw the miracles, but because ye aia 
eat of the loaves, and were filled. 

27 ! Labour not for the meat which perish 
eth, but ™ for that meat which endureth unto 


m Ver. 54; chap. iv. 14. 


But for that meat, &c.| He who labours not, in 
the work of his salvation, is never likely to enter into 
the kingdom of God. Though our labour cannot pur- 
chase it, either in whole or in part, yet it is the way 
in which God chooses to give salvation; and he that 
will have heaven must strive for it. Every thing that 
can be possessed, except the salvation of God, is a 
perishing thing: this is its essential character: it can 
last to us no longer than the body lasts. But, when 
the earth and its produce are burnt up, this bread of 
Christ, his grace and salvation, will be found remain 
ing unto eternal life. This is the portion after which 
an immortal spirit should seek. 

Him hath God the Father sealed.] By this expres- 
sion, our Lord points out the commission which, as the 
Messiah, he received from the Father, to be prophet 
and priest to an ignorant, sinful world. As a person 
who wishes to communicate his mind to another who 
is at a distance writes a letter, seals it with his own 
seal, and sends it directed to the person for whom it 
was written, so Christ, who lay in the bosom of the 
Father, came to interpret the Divine will to man, bear- 
ing the image, superscription, and seal of God, in the 
immaculate holiness of his nature, unsullied truth of 
his doctrine, and in the astonishing evidence of his 
miracles. But he came also as a priest, to make an 
atonement for sin; and the bread which nourishes unto 
eternal life, he tells us, ver. 51, is his Jody, which he 
gives for the life of the world; and to this sacrifice of 
himself, the words, him hath God the Father sealed, 
seem especially to relate. It certainly was a custom, 
among nations contiguous to Judea, to set a seal upon 
the victim which was deemed proper for sacrifice — 
The following account of the method of providing 
white bulls among the Egyptians, for sacrifices to their 
god Apis, taken from Heropotus, Euterpe, or b. ii. 
p. 117, casts much light upon this place. “They 
sacrifice white bulls to Apis; and for that reason make 
the following trial. If they find one black hair upon 
him, they consider him as unclean: that they may 
know this with certainty, the priest appointed for this 
purpose views every part of the animal, both standing 
and lying onthe ground. After this, he draws out his 
tongue, to see if he be clean by certain signs: in the 
last place, he looks upon the hairs of his tail, that he 
may be sure they are as by nature they should be.— 
If, after this search, the bull is found unblemished, he 
signifies it by tying a label to his horns ; then, having 
applied war, he seals it with his ring . and they lead 


life, should be subservient to the interest of his soul. | him away: for it is death to Serres one of these 


1 


559 


Christ discourses with the 


A. M. 4032. ae ip : 
A Doe” everlasting life, which the Son of 


An. Ofpup. man shall give unto you: * for him 
hath God the Father sealed. ι 

28 ‘Then said they unto him, What shall we 
do, that we might work the works of God? 

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, ° This 
is the work of God, that ye believe on him 
whom he hath sent. 

30 They said therefore unto him, ? What 
sign showest thou then, that we may see, and 
believe thee ? what dost thou work ? 

31 4 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert ; 


2 Matt. iii. 17; xvii. 5; Mark i. 11; ix. 7; Luke iii. 22; ix. 
35; chap. i. 33; v.37; vill. 18; Acts ii. 22; 2 Peter i. 17. 
91 John iii. 23. 


animals, wnless he have been marked with such a 
seal. 

The Jews could not be unacquainted with the rites 
and ceremonies of the Egyptian worship; and it is 
possible that such precautions as these were in use 
among themselves, especially as they were so strictly 
enjoined to have their sacrifices without spoT, and 
without blemish. Infinite justice found Jesus Christ 
to be without spot or blemish, and therefore sealed, 
pointed out and accepted him, as a proper sacrifice 
and atonement for the sin of the whole world. Col- 
late with this passage, Heb. vii. 26, 27, 28; Eph. v. 
27; 2 Pet. iii. 14; and especially Heb. ix. 13, 14: 
For if the blood of sutts and of goats, and the ashes 
of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth—how 
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the 
eternal Spirit offered himself wirnour spot to God, 
purge your consciences from dead works! 'The rab- 
bins talk much of the seal of God, which they suppose 
to be NON emeth, or truth; and that this is a repre- 
sentation of the unoriginated and endless perfections 
of God. This doctrine is just; but their method of 
proving it is not so satisfactory. Aleph δὰ, say they, 
is the first letter of the alphabet ; mem 1 the middle ; 
and tau Nn the last: these three letters make NON 
emeth, TRUTH, because God is the first—there was 
none before him; he is the mzddle—none mingles 
with him; and he is the /asi—there can be none 
after him. Hieros. Sanhed. fol. 18. See also 1 Pet. 
118: 19: 

Verse 28. That we might work the works of αοα 1] 
That is, Divine works, or such as God can approve. 

Verse 29. This is the work of God, that ye believe} 
There is nothing you can be employed in more accept- 
able to God than in yielding to the evidence set before 
you, and acknowledging me as your Messiah and the 
Saviour of a lost world. 

Verse 30. What sign] Τὶ σημειον, What miracle; 
so the word is evidently used, John ii. 11, 23, and in 
many other places. 

That we may see, and believe thee] That, having 

ven the miracle, we may Jelieve thee to be the pro- 

mised Messiah. They had already seen the miracle 

of the five loaves, and did not believe ; and it was im- 

possible for them to see any thing more descriptive of 
560 


ST. JOHN. 


Jews concerning the manna. 


as it is written, "He gave them 4.,M. 4032 
bread from heaven to eat. 

32 Then Jesus said unto them, 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave 
you not that bread from heaven; but my 
Father giveth you the true bread ‘rom 
heaven. 

33 For the bread of God is he which com- 
eth down from heaven and giveth life unto the 
world. 

34 * Then said they unto him, Lord, ever- 
more give us this bread. 


ae ΠΝ 
ΟΟΙ.4. 


P Matt. xii. 38; xvi. 1; Mark viii. 11 ; 1 Cor. 1. 39.--- Exod. 
xvi. 15; Num. xi. 7; Neh. ix. 1S. Wisd. xvi. 20; 1 Cor. x. 3. 
t Psa, Ixxviii. 24, 25. δ See chap. iv. 15. 


unlimited power and goodness. Even miracles them- 
selves are lost on persons whose hearts are fixed on 
the perishing things of the world, and whose minds 
are filled with prejudice against the truth. 

Verse 31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert] 
Their argument seems to run thus: Thou hast, we 
grant, fed five thousand men with five loaves and two 
small fishes; but what is this in comparison of what 
Moses did in the desert, who for forty years fed more 
than a million of persons with bread from heaven: do 
something like this, and then we will believe in thee, 
as we have believed in Moses. 

Verse 32. Moses gave you not that bread from 
heaven} Our Lord refutes the argument of the Jews, 
by proving: 1. That it was not Moses, but God, who 
gave the manna. 2. That this bread was not the érue 
bread, but was merely a type of it. 3. That God had 
given them now a bread infinitely more excellent. 
4. That himself is that heavenly nourishment of which 
he spake, and who was typified by the manna in the 
desert. 

To show that himself was the true bread from hea- 
ven, he proves two things: 1. That his doctrine was the 
true nourishment of the soul, and that those who were 
to be put in possession of the blessings promised in it 
must come to God by faith. 2. That he would give 
his body for the life of the world: that as bread is the 
staff that supports the natural life of man, so the sal- 
vation procured by his death should be that by which 
the bodies and souls of believers should be preserved 
unto life eternal. 

Verse 34. Lord, evermore give us this bread.| Ki- 
ther meaning, “ Let the miracle of the manna be re- 
newed, and continue among us for ever :” or, “ Let 
that bread of which thou hast spoken, become our con- 
stant nourishment.” The Jews expected that, when 
the Messiah should come, he would give them all man- 
ner of delicacies, and, among the rest, manna, wine, 
and spicy oil. From the following extract, we may 
see where Mohammed got his Paradise. ‘ Many af- 
firm, says Rab. Mayemon, that the hope of Israel is 
this: That the Messiah shall come and raise the dead; 
and they shall be gathered together in the garden of 
Eden, and shall eat and drink and satiate themselves 
all the days of the world. There the houses shall be 

1 


Christ 1s the true bread 


Sg 35 And Jesus said unto them, tI 

An. Olymp. am the bread of life: “he that 

cometh to me shall never hunger ; 

and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 

36 Y But I said unto you, That ye also have 
seen me, and believe not. 

37 “ All that the Father giveth me shall 


Ver. 48, 58.—" Chap. iv. 14; vii. 37.——¥ Ver. 26, 64.—" Ver. 45. 
x Matt. xxiv. 24; chap. x. 28, 29; 2 Tim. ii. 19; 1 John ii. 19. 


CHAP. VI. 


that came down from heaven 
come to me; and * him that cometh 4,102 
to me I will in no wise cast out. An, Digmp. 


38 For I came down from heaven 
Υ not to do mine own will, * but the will of him 
that sent me. 

39 And this is the Father’s will which hath 
sent me, * that of all which he hath given me 


y Matt. xxvi. 39; chap. v. 30. Chap. iv 34. 
28; xvii. 12; xviii. 9. 


a Chap. x. 


all builded with precious stones ; the beds shall be made 
of silk ; and the rivers shall flow with wine and spicy 
oil. He made manna to descend for them, in which 
was all manner of tastes; and every Israelite found 
in it what his palate was chiefly pleased with. If he 
desired fat in it, he had it. In it, the young man 
tasted bread, the old man honey, and the children oi. 
So shall it be in the world to come, (i. e. the days of 
the Messiah.) He shall give Israel peace, and they 
shall sit down in the garden of Eden, and all nations 
shall behold their condition ; as it is said, My servants 
shall eat, but ye shall be hungry, &c., Isa. lxv. 13.” 
See Lightfoot. 

Verse 35. Iam the bread of life} That is, the 
bread which gives life, and preserves from death. 

He that cometh to me] The person who receives 
my doctrine, and believes in me as the great atoning 
sacrifice, shall be perfectly satisfied, and never more 
feel misery of mind. All the guilt of his sins shall be 
dlotted out, and his soul shall be purified unto God ; 
and, being enabled to love him with all his heart, he 
shall rest, fully, supremely, and finally happy, in his 
God. 

Verse 37. All that the Father giveth me] The 
neuter gender, wav, is probably used here for the mas- 
culine, zac. 

Shall come to me] All that are drawn by the Fa- 
ther, ver. 44, i. e. all those who are influenced by his 
Spirit, and yield to those influences: for as many as 
are LED (not driven or dragged) by the Spirit of God, 
they are the children of God, Rom. viii. 14. God sent 
his prophets to proclaim his salvation to this people ; 
and he accompanied their preaching with the influence 
of his Spirit. Those who yielded were saved: those 
who did not yield to these drawings were lost. This 
Spirit still continued to work and to allure; but the 
people being uncircumcised both in heart and ears, they 
always resisted the Holy Ghost; as their fathers did, 
so did they: Acts vii. 51. And though Christ would 
have gathered them together, as a hen would her 
chickens under her wings, yet they would not. See 
the note on Matt. xxiii. 37. Those who come at the 
call of God he is represented here as giving lo Christ, 
because it is through his blood alone that they can be 
saved. God, by his Spirit, convinces of sin, righteous- 
ness, and judgment; those who acknowledge their ini- 
quity, and their need of salvation, he gives to Christ, 
i. e. points out unto them the Lamb of God, who takes 
away the sin of the world. Our Lord may here also 
refer to the calling of the Gentiles ; for these, accord- 
ing to the ancient promise, Psa. ii., were given to 
Christ; and they, on the preaching of the Gospel, 

Vou. I. ( 36 ) 


gladly came unto him. See ample proofs of this in 
the Acts of the Apostles. 

1 will in no wise cast out.] The words are exceed- 
ingly emphatical—ov py exBarw εξω, 7 will by πὸ 
means thrust out of doors; excellently rendered by 
Matthew of Erberg in his Italian Bible—Jo non cac- 
ciaro fuori, 1 will not chase him out of the house. 
Our blessed Lord alludes to the case of a person in 
deep distress and poverty, who comes to a nobleman’s 
house, in order to get relief: the person appears; and 
the owner, far from treating the poor man with aspe- 
rity, welcomes, receives him kindly, and supplies his 
wants. So does Jesus. Never did he reject the suit 
of a penitent, however grievous his crimes might have 
been. He is come to the house of mercy; he is 
lying at the threshold: the servants bid him come in 
—he obeys, and stands trembling, waiting for the ap- 
pearing of the Master, doubtful whether he is to be 
received or rejected: the Master appears, and not only 
grants his suit, but receives him into the number of 
his family : he alleges his unfitness, his unworthiness, 
his guilt, his crimes, his ingratitude: no matter, all 
shall be blotted out through the blood of the Lamb, 
and he be put among the children; and on none of 
these accounts shall he be put out of the house. The 
Gentiles shall be as welcome as the Jews; and the 
invitation to them be as free, as full, and as hearty : 
they shall become his adopted children, and never be 
cast out, as the Jews have been. O thou God of 
love! how able and wiLuiNe art thou to save the vilest 
of the vile, who come unto thee ! Thou art not the God 
of the Jews only ; thou art also the God of the Gen- 
tiles. Rejoice, therefore, ye Gentiles, with his people. 

Verse 38. Not to do mine own will] I am come, 
not to act according to human motives, passions, or 
prejudices ; but according to infinite wisdom, goodness, 
and mercy. Jewish passions and prejudices would 
reject publicans and sinners as those alluded to, and 
shut the gate of heaven against the Gentiles; but 
God’s mercy receives them, and I am come to mani- 
fest that mercy to men. 

Verse 39. I should lose nothing] It is the will of 
God that every soul who believes should continue in 
the faith, and have a resurrection unto life eternal. 
But he wills this continuance in salvation, without 
purposing to force the persons so to continue. God 
may will a thing ἐο be, without willing that it shall be. 
Judas was given to Christ by the Father, chap. xvii.. 
12. The Father willed that this Judas should continue 
in the faith, and have a resurrection unto life eternal : 
but Judas sinned and perished. Now it is evident that. 


!God willed that Judas might be saved, without willing 


561 


The Jews murmur because Jesus 


A, M, 4032. 1 should lose nothing, but should 
An. Olymp. raise it up again at the last day. 
_oCr* 40 And this is the will of him that 
sent me, ἢ that every one which seeth the Son, 
and believeth on him, may have everlasting 
life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

41 The Jews then murmured at him, be- 
cause he said, I am the bread which came 
down from heaven. 

42 And they said, “ Is not this Jesus, the son 
of Joseph, whose father and mother we know ? 
how is it then that he saith, I came down from 
heaven ? 

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto 


ST. JOHN. 


asserts himself to b_ the bread of life. 


ca Ἃ ὙΠ σ1η55, 
them, Murmur not among YOur- δε 
selves. 


An. Olymp. 
44 “No man can come to πὶ. 
except the Father which hath sent me draw 
him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

45 “ It is written in the prophets, And they 
shall be all taught of God. Every man 
therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of 
the Father, cometh unto me. 

46 £ Not that any man hath seen the Fa- 
ther, » save he which is of God, he hath seen 
the Father. 

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ' He that 
believeth on me hath everlasting life. 


> Ver. 27, 47, 54; chap. iii. 15, 16; iv. 14. © Matt. xiii. 55 ; 
Mark vi. 3; Luke iv. 22. ἃ Cant. i. 4; ver. 65. 9158. liv. 
13; Jer. xxxi. 34; Mic. iv. 2; Heb. viii. 10; x. 16. 


f Ver. 37——4 Chap. i. 18; v. 37.——} Matt. xi. 27; Luke x. 
22; chap. i. 18; vii. 29; viii. 19——'Chap. 111. 16, 18, 36; 
verse 40. 


that he must be saved infallibly and unconditionally. 
When a man is a worker together with the grace of 
God, he is saved; when he receives that grace of 
God in vain, he is lost—not through a lack of will or 
mercy in God, but through lack of his co-operation 
with Divine grace. God saves no man as a stock or 
a stone, but as a reasonable being and free agent. 
“That which thou hast heard, thou mayest hold fast, 
and persevere in, if thou wilt,” says St. Augustin. 
In eo quod audieras, et tenueras, perseverares, st 
velles. De Correct. & Grat. ec. 7. See Calmet. 

Raise it up again at the last day] The Jews be- 
lieved that the wicked should have no resurrection ; 
and that the principle that led to the resurrection of 
the body, in the righteous, was the indwelling Spirit of 
God. This is positively asserted in the Shir Hashirum 
Rabba. See Schoettgen. 

Verse 40. This is the will of him that sent me] 
Lest they should take a wrong meaning out of his 
words, as many have done since, he tells them that, 
far from any person being excluded from his mercy, it 
was the will of God that every one who saw him might 
believe and be saved. The power, without which they 
could not believe, he freely gave them; but the use of 
that*power was their own. God gives the grace of 
repentance and faith to every man; but he neither re- 
pents nor believes for any man. Each must repent 
for his own sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus, 
through the grace given, or perish. 

Verse 41. The Jews then murmured] Because 
the whole of his discourse went to prove that he was 
infinitely greater than Mcses; and that he alone could 
give present peace and eternal glory to men. 

Verse 44. Except the Father—draw him] But how 
is a man drawn? St. Augustin answers from the poet, 
Trahit sua quemque voluptas ; a man is attracted by 
that which he delights in. Show green herbage to a 
sheep, he is drawn by it: show nuts to a child, and 
he is drawn by them. They run wherever thé person 
runs who shows these things: they run after him, but 
they are not forced to follow: they run, through the 
desire they feel to get the things they delight in. So 
God draws man: he shows him his wants—he shows 

562 


the Saviour whom he has provided for him: the man 
feels himself a lost sinner; and, through the desire 
which he finds to escape hell, and get to heaven, he 
comes unto Christ, that he may be justified by his 
blood. Unless God thus draw, no man will ever come 
to Christ ; because none could, without this drawing, 
ever feel the need of a Saviour. See August. Tract. 
26, in Joan. and Calmet. 

Drawing, or alluring, not dragging, is here to be 
understood. ‘“ He,” say the rabbins, ‘“ who desires 
to cleave to the holy and blessed God, God lays hold 
of him, and will not cast him off.” Synops. Sohar. 
p- 87. The best Greek writers use the verb in the 
same sense of alluring, inciting, &e. 

Verse 45. It is written in the prophets| Isa. liv. 
13; Jer. xxxi. 34. 

They shall be all taught of God.| This explains the 
preceding verse. God teaches a man to know him- 
self, that, finding his need of salvation, he may flee to 
lay hold on the hope which his heavenly Father has 
set before him in the Gospel. God draws men by his 
love, and by showing them what his love has done for 
them. Fear repels, but love attracts. He who is 
ever preaching the terrors of the law, and representing 
God as a vindictive judge, will never bring sinners to 
him. They are afraid of this terrible God: but they 
love him, who so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might 
not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Verse 46. Not that any man hath seen the Father} 
He does not teach men by appearing personally before 
them, or by any other outward voice than that of his 
word and messengers; but he teaches by his Spirit. 
This teaching from God implies: 1. That they shall 
have proper instruction. 2. That they shall compre- 
hend it ; for, when God teaches, there is no delay in 
learning. And, 3. That this teaching should be by 
the influence of the Holy Ghost upon their minds. 

He whichis of God] That is, Christ alone : neither 
Moses nor any of the prophets had ever seen God: 
Jesus, who lay in the bosom of the Father, HE saw 
and revealed him, chap. i. 18. 

Verse 47. Hath everlasting life.| He is entitled 

(, 36* ) 


All must eat of Christ 


A. M. 4032, 48 kT am that bread of life. 

A. Ὁ. 28 

49 ' Your fathers did eat manna 
in the wilderness, and are dead. 

50 ™ This is the bread which cometh down from 
heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 
51 Iam the living bread ® which came down 
from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he 
shall live for ever: and ° the bread that I will 
give is my flesh, which I will give for the life 
of the world. 

52 ‘The Jews therefore ? strove among them- 


An. Olymp. 


k Ver. 33, 35——! Ver. 31—_— Ver. 51, 58. ——" Chap. iii. 13. 
© Heb. x. 5, 10. 


CHAP. VI. 


the living bread 


selves, saying, * How can this man Ἂς ΜΙ, 4032. 
give us his flesh to eat? 

53 Then Jesus said unto them, 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except * ye eat 
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you. 

54 * Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh 
my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise 
him up at the last day. 

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my 
blood is drink indeed. 


P Chap. vii. 43; ix. 16; x. 19. 1 Chap. iii. 9.——" Matthew 
xxvi. 26, 28,—+* Ver. 27, 40, 63; chap. iv. 14. 


to this, on his believing me to be the Messiah, and 
trusting in me alone for salvation. Our blessed Lord 
recapitulates here what he had said in the preceding 
discourse. The person who is saved is, 1. drawn by 
the Father; 2. hears his instructions; 3. accepts the 
salvation offered; 4. is given to Christ Jesus, that he 
may be justified by faith; 5. is nourished by the 
bread of life; 6. perseveres in the faith; 7. is not 
lost, but is raised up at the last day ; and 8. is made 
a partaker of eternal life. 

Verse 48. I am that bread of life.] I alone afford, 
hy my doctrine and Spirit, that nourishment by which 
the soul is saved unto life eternal. 

Verse 49. Your fathers did eat manna—and are 
dead.| That bread neither preserved their bodies 
alive, nor entitled them to life eternal ; but those who 
receive my salvation, shall not only be raised again in 
the last day, but shall inherit eternal life. It was an 
opinion of the Jews themselves that their fathers, who 
perished in the wilderness, should never have a resur- 
rection. Our Lord takes them on their own ground : 
Ye acknowledge that your fathers who fell in the wil- 
derness shall never have a resurrection ; and yet they 
ate of the manna: therefore that manna is not the 
bread that preserves to everlasting lite, according even 
to your own concession. 

Verse 50. This is the bread, &c.] I am come for 
this very purpose, that men may believe in me, and 
have eternal life. 

Verse 51. Is my flesh, which Iwill give, &c.] Our 
Lord explains his meaning more fully, in these words, 
than he had done before. Having spoken so much 
of the bread which feeds and nourishes the soul, 
and preserves from death, the attention of his hearers 
was fixed upon his words, which to them appeared in- 
explicable ; and they desired to know what their 
meaning was. He then told them that the bread 
meant his flesh, (his life,) which he was about to give 
up, to save the life of the world. Here our Lord 
plainly declares that his death was to be a vicarious 
sacrifice and atonement for the sin of the world; and 
that, as no human life could be preserved unless there 
was Oread (proper nourishment) received, so no soul 
could be saved but by the merit of his death. Reader, 
remember this: it is one of the weightiest, and 
one of the truest and most important sayings in the 
book of God. 

1 


Verse 52. How can this man give us his flesh to 
eat?) Our Lord removes this difficulty, and answers 
the question, in ver. 63. 

Verse 53. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of 
man] Unless ye be made partakers of the blessings 
about to be purchased by my blood, passion, and violent 
death, ye cannot be saved. As a man must eat bread 
and flesh, in order to be nourished by them, so a man 
must receive the grace and Spirit of Christ, in order 
to his salvation. As food in a rich man’s store does 
not nourish the poor man that needs it, unless it be 
given him, and he receive it into his stomach, so the 
whole fountain of merey existing in the bosom of God, 
and uncommunicated, does not save a soul: he who is 
saved by it must be made a partaker of it. Our 
Lord’s meaning appears to be, that, unless they were 
made partakers of the grace of that atonement which 
he was about to make by his death, they could not 
possibly be saved. Bishop Pearce justly observes 
that the ideas of eating and drinking are here bor- 
rowed to express partaking of, and sharing in. Thus 
spiritual happiness on earth, and even in heaven, is 
expressed by eating and drinking ; instances of which 
may be seen, Matt. vill. 11; xxvi. 29; Luke xiv. 15; 
xxii. 30; and Rev. ii. 17. Those. who were made 
partakers of the Holy Spirit are said by St. Paul, 1 
Cor. xii. 13, to be made to drink into (or of) one 
Spirut. This, indeed, was a very common mode of 
expression among the Jews. 

Verse 54. Hath eternal life] This can never be 
understood of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper. 
1. Because this was not instituted till a year after ; 
at the last passover. 2. It cannot be said that those 
who do not receive that sacrament must perish ever- 
lastingly. 3. Nor can it be supposed that all those 
who do receive it are necessarily and eternally saved. 
On the contrary, St. Paul intimates that many who 
received it at Corinth perished, because they received 
it unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body: not dis- 
tinguishing between it and a common meal; and not 
properly considering that sacrifice for sin, of which 
the sacrament of the Lord’s supper was a type: see 
1 Cor. xi. 30. 

Verse 55. My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood 
is drink indeed.| Or, rather, My flesh is the true meat, 
&c. In both clauses of this verse, instead of αληθως, 

| the adverb, I read αληθης, the adjective, agreeing with 
563 


All must eat of Christ, the 


A.M 4032. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and 


An. Olymp. drinketh my blood, * dwelleth in me, 

Re and I in him. 

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and 
I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, 
even he shall live by me. 

58 ἃ This is that bread which came down 
from heaven: not as your fathers did eat 
manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this 
bread shall live for ever. 

59 These things said he in the synagogue, 
as he taught in Capernaum. 


ST. JOHN. 


living bread, to ‘ave eternal life 


60 Ἵ * Many therefore of his dis- 4,™. 4032. 
ciples, when they had ΕΗ Ἔρις ne Olymp. 
said, This is a hard saying; who a 
can hear it? 

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his 
disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, 
Doth this offend you ? 

62 ~ What and if ye shall see the Son of 
man ascend up where he was before ? 

63 *It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the 
flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak 
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 


ΕἸ] John iit. 24; iv. 15, 16. ἃ Ver. 49, 50, 51. 
Matt. xi. 6. 


¥ Verse 66; 


w Chap. iii. 13; Mark xvi. 19; ri 9; Eph. iv. 8——* 2 Cor. 
ili. 


Bpwcic. This reading is supported by BCKLT, and 
twenty-one others; both the Arabic, Coptic, Sahidic, 
Armenian, two copies of the Itala, Clement, Origen, 
Cyril, Chrysostom, and Damascenus. Our Lord terms 
his flesh, the ¢rwe meat, and his blood the true drink, 
because those who received the grace merited by his 
death would be really nourished and supported thereby 
unto eternal life. He calls himself the true wine, 
chap xv. 1, in exactly the same sense in which he 
calls himself the true bread, ver. 32, and the true meat 
and drink in this verse. 

Verse 56. Dwelleth in me, and I in him.] Of all 
connections and unions, none is so intimate and com- 
plete as that which is effected by the digestion of ali- 
ments, because they are changed into the very sub- 
stance of him who eats them ; and this our Lord makes 
the model of that union which subsists between himself 
and genuine believers. He lives in them, and they in 
him ; for they are made partakers of the Divine nature: 
2 Pet. i. 4. To this verse the following addition is 
made in the Codex Beze, three copies of the Itala, 
and Victorinus. After these words—dwelleth in me, 
and I in him, they add, as the Father in me, and I 
in the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that 
unless ye receive the body of the Son of man as the 
bread of life, ye have not life in him. This is a very 
remarkable addition, and is between thirteen and four- 
teen hundred years old. 

Verse 57. So he that eateth me, even he shall live 
by me.| From which we learn that the union between 
Christ and his followers shall be similar to that which 
subsists between God and Christ. 

Verse 59. In the synagogue—in Capernaum.] 
From ver. 26, to this verse, the evangelist gives us 
the discourse which our Lord preached in the syna- 
gogue, in which he was repeatedly interrupted by the 
Jews ; but this gave him the fuller opportunity to pro- 
claim the whole truth relative to his passion and death, 
to edify the disciples, and confute these gainsayers. 

Verse 60. Many therefore of his disciples] So it 
appears that he had many more than the twelve, who 
constantly accompanied him. 

This is a hard saying; who can hear 11] Who 
can digest such doctrine as this? It is intolerable : 
it is impracticable. There is a similar saying in Ew- 

564 


ripides, to the σκληρος Aoyoc of the evangelist. Πότερα 
θελεις cor μαλϑακα pevdn λεγω, ἡ σκληρ᾽ αληθη, φραζε ; 
Tell me whether thou wouldst that I should speak 
unto thee, a SOFT Lik, or the HARSH TRUTH? ‘The 
wicked word of a lying world is in general better 
received than the holy word of the God of truth! 

Verse 61. Jesus knew in himself | By giving them 
this proof that he knew their hearts he also proved that 
he was God; that he could not be deceived himself, 
and that it was impossible for him to deceive any ; 
consequently, that the doctrine he taught them must 
be the truth of God. 

Verse 62. If ye shall see the Son of man ascend] 
Ye need not be stumbled at what I say concerning 
eating my flesh and drinking my blood, for ye shall 
soon have the fullest proof that this is figuratively 
spoken, for I shall ascend with the same body with 
which I shall arise from the dead; therefore my flesh 
and blood, far from being eaten by men, shall not even 
be found among them. 

Verse 63. It is the spirit that quickeneth] It is the 
spiritual sense only of my words that is to be attended 
to, and through which life is to be attained, 2 Cor. iii. 
6. Such only as eat and drink what I have mention- 
ed, in a spiritual sense, are to expect eternal life. 

The flesh profiteth nothing\ If ye could even eat 
my flesh and drink my blood, this would not avail for 
your salvation. These words contain a caution that 
the hearers should not understand his words in the 
strict literal sense, as if his body were really preap, 
and as if his flesh and blood were really to be eaten 
and drank. 

The words that I speak] Or, I have spoken. In- 
stead of λαλω, I speak, 1 read λελαληκα, I have spoken, 
on the authority of BCDKLT, thirteen others; the 
Syriac, all the Arabic, all the Persic, Coptic, Athiopic, 
Gothic, Slavonic, Vulgate, all the [tala ; Origen, Euse- 
bius, Athanasius, Basil, Cyril, Chrysostom, Tertullian, 
Ambrosius, Augustin, Gaudentius, and Vigilius Taps. 
This is an important reading, and plainly shows that 
our Lord’s words here do not refer to any new point 
of doctrine which he was then inculcating, but to what 
he had spoken concerning his being the living bread, 
and concerning the eating of his flesh, and drinking 
of his blood, in the preceding verses. 

1 


Several of his followers are 


A. M. 4032. 64 But ¥ there are some of you 


An. Olymp. that believe not. For * Jesus knew 
cert from the beginning who they were 
that believed not, and who should betray him. 
65 And he said, Therefore * said I unto you 
that no man can come unto me, except it 
were given unto him of my Father. 
66 Ἵ » From that time many of his disciples 
went back, and walked no more with him. 
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye 
also go away? 


y Ver. 36. 


= Chap. ii. 24, 25; xiii. 11.——+ Verses 44, 45. 
> Ver. 60. © Acts v. 20. 


Are spirit, and they are life.| As my words are to 
be spiritually understood, so the life they promise is 
of a spiritual nature: see Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 64. But there are some of you that believe 
not.] ‘This is addressed to Judas, and to those dis- 
ciples who left him: ver. 66. 

And who should betray him] Or, who would deliver 
him up. Because he knew all things; he knew from 
the first, from Judas’s call to the apostleship, and from 
eternity, (if the reader pleases,) who it was who would 
(not should) deliver him up into the hands of the Jews. 
Should, in the apprehension of most, implies necessity 
and compulsion ; would implies that he was under the 
influence of his own free will, without necessity or 
constraint. The former takes away his guilt : for what 
a man is irresistibly compelled to do, by the supreme 
authority of God, he cannot avoid; and therefore to 
him no blame can attach: but Judas having acted 
through his own free will, abusing his power, and the 
grace he had received, he was guilty of the murder of 
an innocent man, and deserved the perdition to which 
he went. 

Verse 65. Therefore said I unto you] Ver. 44: 
see the note there. 

Except it were given unto him] None can come at 
first, unless he be drawn by the Father; and none 
can continue, unless he continue under those sacred 
influences which God gives only to those who do not 
receive his first graces in vain. St. Augustin himself 
grants that it was the sole fault of these disciples that 
they did not believe, and were saved. Quare non 
POTERANT credere, si a me queratur, cito respondeo, 
quia NoteBant. If I be asked why these could not 
believe, I immediately answer, because they wouLp 
not. Aug. Tract. 53, in Joan. 

Verse 66. Many of his disciples went back] They 
no longer associated with him, nor professed to acknow- 
ledge him as the Messiah. None of these were of 
the twelve. Christ had many others who generally 
attended his ministry, and acknowledged him for the 
Messiah. 

Verse 67. Will ye also go away?) Or, Do ye also 
desire, &c. These words are very emphatical. Will 
you abandon me '—you, whom I have distinguished 
with innumerable marks of my affection—you, whom 
I have chosen out of the world to be my companions, 
—vyou, to whom I have revealed the secrets of tha 

1 


CHAP. VI. 


offended, and go back, 


68 Then Simon Peter answered 4,™- 1032 
him, Lord, to whom shall we go? ie. 
thou hast * the words of eternal life. =. 

69 ὁ And we believe and are sure that 
thou art that Christ, the Son of the living 
God. 

70 Jesus answered them, *Have not 1 
chosen you twelve, f and one of you is a devil ? 

71 He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of 
Simon: for he it was that should betray him, 
being one of the twelve. 


4 Matt. xvi. 16; Mark viii. 29; Luke ix. 20; chap. 1.49; xi. 27. 
¢ Luke vi. 13.——f Chap. xiii. 27. 


eternal world—you, who have been witnesses of all 
my miracles—you, whom I intend to seat with me on 
my throne in glory; will you go away? Reader, in 
what state art thou? Hast thou gone back from Christ, 
or art thou going back ἃ Wilt thou go? Thou, whom 
he has redeemed by his blood—chou, whom he has» 
upheld by his power, and fed by his providence—thou, 
into whose wounded soul he has poured the balm of 
pardoning merey—thou, whom he has adopted into the 
heavenly family—¢hou, whom he has comforted in so 
many tribulations and adversities—thou, whose multi- 
plied offences he has freely and fully pardoned ; wilt 
thou go away? 

Verse 68. Simon Peter answered] With his usual 
zeal and readiness, speaking in behalf of the whole, To 
whom shall we go? Where shall we find a more gra- 
cious master—a more powerful Redeemer—a more 
suitable Saviour? Thou alone hast the words of eter- 
nal life. None can teach the doctrine of salvation but 
thyself; and none can confer the gift of eternal life but 
thou alone. Reader, let me ask, whither art thou go- 
ing? Has the world—the devil—the flesh—the words 
of eternal life? Art thou turning thy back upon God 
and Christ? For thy zealous services, what has Satan 
to give thee? Death! hell! and eternal misery! O 
stop! Cleave to Jesus; he will give thee that happi- 
ness which, in vain, thou seekest in the pleasures of sin. 

Verse 69. We believe] On the authority of thy 
word ; and are sure—have known, eyvoxauev, by the 
evidence of thy miracles, that thou art the Christ, the 
promised Messiah. + pe gelyrat and piton dat Su eanc 
Lypt Loder Sunu. And we belyfath and witen that thu 
eart Crist Godes Son. Anglo-Sazon. How near is 
the mother to the daughter tongue ! 

Instead of Christ the Son of the living God, some 
excellent MSS., BCDL, and others, read ὁ ay.oc τοῦ 
Θεου, the holy one of God; and this reading Griesbach 
has received into the text, leaving out τοῦ ζωντος, the 
living. Xpicroc, and ἅγιος convey nearly the same 
meaning ; but the A¥thiopic, as usual, retains both. 
Tov ζωντος is omitted by BCDL, H, the Coptic, Sahidic, 
Armenian, later Persic, Vulgate, all the Itala but one, 
and by the Anglo-Saxon; which last Griesbach has 
not noticed. 

Verse 70. Have not I chosen you twelve] Have I 
not, in an especial manner, called you to believe in my 
name, and chosen you to be my disciples, and the pro- 

565 


Jesus continues in Galilee 


pagators of my doctrine ? Nevertheless, one of you is 
a devil, or accuser, enlisted on the side of Satan, who 
was a murderer from the beginning. 

Verse 71. He spake of Judas—for he it was that 
should betray him] Οὗτος yap nueAAev αὐτὸν παραδι- 
Sova, He who was about to deliver him up. By re- 
ferring to this matter so often, did not our blessed 
Lord intend to warn Judas? Was not the evil fully 
exposed to his view? And who dare say that it was 
wmpossible for him to avoid what he had so often been 
warned against ? When the temptation did take place, 
and his heart, in purpose, had brought forth the sin, 
might he not have relented, fallen at his injured mas- 
ter’s feet, acknowledge his black offence, and implored 
forgiveness ? And surely his most merciful Lord would 
have freely pardoned him. 


1. On the subject of the disciples sailing off without 
Christ, and the storm that overtook them, it may be 
necessary to make a few observations, chiefly for the 
encouragement of the labourers in God’s vineyard. It 
was the duty of the disciples to depart at the com- 
mandment of the Lord, though the storm was great, 
and the wind contrary. It was their duty to tug at 
the oar, expecting the appearing of their Lord and 
master. So it is the duty of the ministers of Christ to 
embark, and sail even into the sea of persecution and 
dangerous trial, in order to save souls. There may 
be darkness for a time—they must row. The waves 
may rise high—they must row on. The wind may be 
contrary—still they must tug at the oar. Jesus will 
appear, lay the storm, and calm the sea, and they shall 
have souls for their hire. The vessel will get to land, 
and speedily too. ‘There are particular times in which 
the Lord pours out his Spirit, and multitudes are 


ST. JOHN. 


on account of the Jews. 


quickly convinced and converted. ‘ Alas!” says one, 
(1 see no fruit of my labour; no return of my prayers 
and tears.” Take courage, man; tug on; thou shalt 
not labour in vain, nor spend thy strength for nought. 
What he does thou knowest not now, but thou shalt 
know hereafter. Great grace, and great peace await 
thee ; take courage, and tug on! 

2. When a man forsakes the living God, and gives 
way to avarice, which appears to have been the case 
with Judas, he is fit for any thing in which Satan may 
choose to employ him. Beware of the love of money! 
The cursed lust of gold induced a disciple of Christ to 
betray his God: and has it not been the ruin of mil- 
lions since? Few people love money merely for its 
own sake: they love it because it can provide them 
with the necessaries, conveniences, and comforts of 
life : those who have not God for their portion inces- 
santly long after these things, and therefore are covet- 
ous. While a man watches unto prayer, and abides 
in the love of Christ Jesus the Lord, so long he is 
safe, for he is contented with the -lot which God has 
given him in life. Reader, art thou like Judas (in his 
best state) put in trust for the poor, or for the Church 
of Christ. Do not covet; and take heed that thou 
grudge not; nor permit thy heart to be hardened by 
repeated sights and tales of wo. Thou art but a 
steward; act faithfully, and act affectionately. Be- 
cause the ointment that prefigured the death of our 
Lord was not applied just as Judas would have it, he 
took offence ; betrayed and sold his master ; saw and 
wished to remedy his transgression; despaired and 
hanged himself. Behold the fruit of covetousness ! 
To what excesses and miseries the love of money may 
lead, God alone can comprehend. If any man love 
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 


CHAPTER VII. 


Jesus continues in Galilee, 1. 


confounded by his preaching, 25-27. 
the people believe on him, 31. 
preaching on the last day of the feast, 37-39. 
mg him, 40-44. 
not bring him their employers are offended, 45—49. 


eae AFTER these things Jesus walk- 
An. Olymp. ed in Galilee: for he would 


CCIL. 1. ᾿ 
———— not walk in Jewry, * because the 
Jews sought to kill him. 


He continues to teach; they wish to slay him, 28-30. 
The Pharisees murmur, and our Lord reasons with them, 32-36. 


He is desired to go to the feast of tabernacles,2—5. His answer, 6-9. He 
goes up, and the Jews seek him at the feast, 10-13. 


The Jews are 
Many of 
His 


He teaches in the temple, 14-24. 


The people are greatly divided in their opinions concern- 
The officers, who were sent by the Pharisees to take him, return, and because they did 


Nicodemus reasons with them, 50-53. 


2 » Now the Jews’ feast of taber- eS 
nacles was at hand. An. Olymp 
CcIL 1 


3 5 His brethren therefore said 
unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, 


a Chap. v. 16, 18.—— Lev. xxiii. 34. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VII. 

Verse 1. After these things] St. John passes from 
the preceding discourse of our Lord, which he deliver- 
eda little before the passover, chap. vi. 4, to the Feast 
of Tabernacles, which happened six months after, and 
thus omits many things mentioned by the other evan- 
gelists, which our blessed Lord said and did during that 
time. He had already gone over Galilee four or five 

566 


© Matt. xii. 46; Mark iit. 31; Acts i. 14. 


times; and he continued there, because he found that 
the hatred of the Jews was such that they would 
kill him if they could meet with him in Judea; and 
his time to suffer was not yet come. 

For he would not walk in Jewry] Instead of this, 
some MSS., versions, and fathers read, ovyap etyev 
εξουσιαν, he had not authority, or liberty to walk, &c. 
That is, he was no longer tolerated, and could not 

TI 


Jesus 15 desired by his brethren to 


AM‘ that thy disciples also may see the 
An, Clyep. works that thou doest. 

—_ 4 For there is no man that doeth 
any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to 


4St. Mark, 


preach publicly in Judea, but at the risk of his life. 
He found greater scope for the exercise of his import- 
ant ministry in Galilee than in Judea, as the chief 
priests, &c., were continually plotting his death. 

Verse 2. Feast of tabernacles| This feast was cele- 
brated on the fifteenth day of the month Tisri, answer- 
ing to the last half of our September, and the first half 
of October. This month was the seventh of the eccle- 
siastical, and first of the civil, year. The feast took 
its name from the tents which were erected about the 
temple, in public places, in courts, and on the flat roofs 
of their houses, and in gardens; in which the Jews 
dwelt for eight days, in commemoration of the forty 
years during which their fathers dwelt in the wilder- 
ness. It was one of the /hvee solemn annual feasts in 
which all the males were obliged, by the law, to appear 
at Jerusalem. 

This feast was celebrated in the following manner. 
All the people cut down branches of palm trees, wil- 
lows, and myrtles, (and tied them together with gold 
and silver cords, or with ribbons,) which they carried 
with them all day, took them into their synagogues, 
and kept them by them while at prayers. On the other 
days of the feast they carried them with them into the 
temple and walked round the altar with them in their 
hands, singing, Hosanna! i. e. Save, we beseech thee! 
—the trumpets sounding on all sides. To this feast 
St. John seems to refer, Rev. vii, 9, 10, where he 
represents the saints standing before the throne, with 
palm branches in their hands, singing, Salvation to 
God, &c. On the seventh day of the feast, they went 
seven times round the altar, and this was called Ho- 
sanna rabba, the great Hosanna. See the notes on 
Matt. xxi. 9. But the ceremony at which the Jews 
testified most joy was that of pouring out the water, 
which was done on the eighth day of the feast. A 
priest drew some water out of the pool Siloam, in a 
golden vessel, and brought it into the temple ; and at 
the time of the morning sacrifice, while the members 
of the sacrifice were on the altar, he went up and pour- 
ed this water mingled with wine upon it, the people all 
the while singing, with transports of joy, Isa. xii., espe- 
cially ver. 6: With joy shall ye draw water out of 
the wells of salvation. To this part of the ceremony, 
our Lord appears to allude in ver. 37, of this chapter. 

During this feast many sacrifices were offered. On 
the first day, besides the ordinary sacrifices, they of- 
fered, as a burnt-offering, thirteen calves, fwo rams, 
and fourteen lambs with the offerings of flour and the 
libations of wine that were to accompany them. They 
offered also a goat for a sin-offering. On all the suc- 
ceeding days they offered the same sacrifices, only 
abating one of the calves each day, so that when the 
seventh day came, they had but seven calves to offer. 
On the eighth day, which was kept with greater so- 
lemnity than the rest, they offered but one calf, one 

1 


CHAP. VII. 


attend the feast of tabernacles. 


be known openly. If thou do these 4,™ 4033. 
things, show thyself to the world. An. pep. 
(5 For “neither did his brethren ᾿ 

believe in him.) 


chap. iii. 21. 


ram, and seven lambs, for a burnt-offering, and one goat 
for a sin-offering, with the usual offerings and libations. 
On this day, they also offered in the temple the first 
Fruits of their latter crops, or of those things which come 
latest to maturity. During the feast, the 113th, 114th, 
115th, 116th, 117th, 118th, and 119th Psalms were 
sung. Leo of Modena says that, though Moses ap- 
pointed but eight days, yet custom and the devotion of 
the people have added a ninth to it, which is called the 
joy of the law, because that on it they complete the 
reading of the Pentateuch. See Calmet’s Com. and 
Dict., and father Lamy. For the law relative to this 
institution, see Lev. xxiii. 39, 40, &c., and the notes 
there ; and Num. xxix. 16, &c. 

Verse 3. His brethren—said] It is generally sup- 
posed that these were the children of the sisters of his 
mother Mary; but some of the ancients have stated 
that Joseph had several children by a former wife. See 
the account of the evangelist prefixed to this Gospel. 
No solid proof can be alleged against this; nor can we 
pretend to say that these were not the children of Jo- 
seph and Mary. Our blessed Lord, it is true, was her 
first born, while she was yet a virgin; but no man 
can prove that he was her last. It is an article of faith, 
in the Popish Church, to believe in the perpetual vir- 
ginity of Mary ; and in this respect, without any rea- 
son, several Protes/ants seem to be Papists. However 
this may be, it is certain that the Hebrews gave the 
name of brethren to all the relatives of a particula 
family. See Gen. xxxi. 32, 46. 

That thy disciples also may see] That is, the disci- 
ples which he had made two years and six months 
before, at the passover: chap. ii. 23. 

Verse 4. No man that doeth any thing in secret, 
&c.] They took it for granted that Christ was influ- 
enced by the same spirit which themselves felt ; and 
that therefore he should use every opportunity of ex 
hibiting himself to the public, that he might get intc 
repute ; and they hoped that a part of his honour 
would be reflected back upon themselves, as being his 
near relations. They seem to have said: “Tt is too 
little to employ thyself in working miracles in Galilee 
in the country, and in small villages, among an ignorant 
and credulous people, from whom thou canst not get 
much credit: go to Jerusalem, the capital, and among 
the learned doctors, in the presence of the whole na- 
tion assembled at this feast, work thy miracles, and 
get thyself a name.” 

Verse 5. Neither did his brethren believe in him.} 
They did not receive him as the promised Messiah ; 
but, having seen so many of his miracles, they could not 
but consider him as an eminent prophet. They sup 
posed that, if he were the Messiah, he would wish te 
manifest himself as such to the world; and, because 
he did not do so, they did not lelieve that he was the 
salvation of Israel. 

567 


Tesus attends the feast. 


A:M4033. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, 


An. lyme. ° My time is not yet come: but 
___ your time is alway ready. 

7 ‘The world cannot hate you; but me it 
hateth, § because I testify of it, that the works 
thereof are evil. 

8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up 
yet unto this feast; "for my time is not yet 
full come. 

9 When he had said these words unto them, 
he abode still in Galilee. 

10 But when his brethren were gone up, 
then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, 
but as it were in secret. 


ST. JOHN. 


The Jews seek him 


11 “ Then‘ the Jews sought him ὦ Μ΄ 4038 


at the feast, and said, Where An. Olymp. 
Ξ CCIL. 1. 
is he ? 

12 And * there was much murmuring among 
the people concerning him: for 'some said, 
He is a good man: others said, Nay; but 
he deceiveth the people. 

13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him 
™ for fear of the Jews. 

14 § Now about the midst of the feast 
Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 

15 "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How 
knoweth this man ° letters, having never learned? 

16 Jesus answered them, and said, » My 


© Chap. ii. 4; viii. 20; ver. 8, 30.----- Chap. xv. 19.-- - Chap. 
Mi. 19.——h oe vill. 20; ver. 6. 1 Chap. xi. 56.— Chap. ix. 
16; x. 19——! Matt. xxi. 46; Luke vii. 16; chap. vi. 14; ver. 40. 


m Chap. ix. 22; xii. 42; xix. 38. 
2; Luke iv. 22; Acts ii. 7. © Or, learning- 
Viil. 28; xii. 49; xiv. 10, 24. 


o Matt. xiii. 54; Mark vi. 
P Chap. ii. 11; 


Verse 6. My time is not yet come] It is probable 
our Lord meant no more than this, that he had some 
business to transact before he could go to Jerusalem ; 
but his brethren, having nothing to hinder them might 
set off immediately. Others think he speaks of his 
passion: My time of suffering is not yet come : as ye 
are still in friendship with the world, ye need not be 
under any apprehension of danger: ye may go when 
ye please. The first sense I think is the best. 

Verse 7. The world cannot hate you] The Jews 
will not persecute you, because ye are in their senti- 
ments and interests. Ye also expect a worldly Mes- 
siah. 

But me it hateth] Because I condemn its injustice, 
its pride, its ambition, and its maxims, by my life and 
doctrine. It is very likely that the term world means 
here the Jewish people only : this is an acceptation in 
which ὁ κόσμος frequently occurs in this Gospel. See 
on chap. Xvii. 

Verse 8. Igo not up yet unto this feast] Porphyry 
accuses our blessed Lord of falsehood, because he said 
here, I will not go to this feast, and yet afterwards he 
xrent ; and some interpreters have made more ado than 
was necessary, in order to reconcile this seeming con- 
tradiction. To me the whole seems very simple and 
plain. Our Lord did not say, I will not go to this 
feast; but merely, I go not yet, ovrw, or am not go- 
mg, i. 6. at present; because, as he said ver. 6, and 
repeats here, his time was not yet come—he had other 
business to transact before he could go. And it is very 
likely that his business detained him in Galilee till the 
feast was half over: for we do not find him at Jeru- 
salem till the middle of the feast, ver. 14, i.e. till the 
feast had been begun four days. He might also be 
anwilling to go at that time, there being such a great 
concourse of people on the road to Jerusalem, and his 
enemies might say that he had availed himself of this 
time and multitude in order to excite sedition. 

Verse 10. But when his brethren were gone up] 
Having despatched his business, and the concourse of 
people being now past, he went up also. 

Verse 11. Then the Jews sought him] By Jews 
here are to be understood the scribes, Pharisees, and 

568 


rulers of the people, and not the inhabitants of the pro- 
vince of Judea. It appears, from the following verses, 
that many of the people were prejudiced in his favour, 
but they dared not to own it publicly for fear of the 
Jews, i. e. for fear of the rulers of the people. 

Verse 12. Some said, He is a good man] The mul- 
titude were divided in their opinions concerning him: 
those who knew him best said, He 15 a good man. 
Those who spoke according to the character given him 
by the priests, &e., said, Nay ; but he deceiveth the 
people. Those who spoke evil of him spoke out, be- 
cause they had the rulers on their side ; but those who 
spoke good of him were obliged to do it in private, 
because they feared these rulers. Calumny and slan- 
der are among the privileged orders ; they stalk abroad 
with their thousand brazen mouths, and blast the repu- 
tation of the followers of God. Benevolence and can- 
dour are only on sufferance; and a whzsper in secret 
is the most they are permitted to give in behalf of 
Christ and his followers, whose laws and maxims con- 
demn a vicious world, and goad it to revenge. 

Verse 14. The midst of the feast] Though the 
canons required him to be there on the first day, for 
the performance of a great variety of rites, yet, as these 
were in general the invention of their doctors, he might 
think it very proper neither to attend nor perform them. 

Verse 15. How knoweth this man letters, having 
never learned 2) The Jewish learning consisted in the 
knowledge of their own scriptures, and the traditions 
of their elders. In this learning our blessed Lord ex- 
celled. No person ever spoke with more grace and 
dignity, or knew better how to make a more proper 
use, or a happier application, of Jewish allegories and 
parables ; because none ever penetrated the sense of 
the Scriptures as he did; none ever cited them more 
successfully, or ever showed their accomplishment in 
so complete and satisfactory a manner. As these 
branches of learning were taught at the Jewish schools, 
and our Lord had never attended there, they were 
astonished to find him excelling in that sort of learn- 
ing, of which they themselves professed to be the sole 
teachers. 


Verse 16. My doctrine is net mine] Our blessed 


He shows the secret designs 


4M bg doctrine is not mine, but his that 
An. Olymp. sent me. 

17 «1 any man will do his will, 
he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be 
of God, or whether I speak of myself. 

18 * He that speaketh of himself seeketh his 
own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that 
sent him, the same is true. and no unrighteous- 
ness is in him. 


4 Ecclus. xxi. 11; chap. viii. 43" Chap. v. 41; viii. 50. 
* Exod. xxiv. 3; Deut. xxxiii. 4; John i. 17; Acts vii. 38. 


Lord, in the character of Messiah, might as well say, 
My doctrine is not mine, as an ambassador might say, 
I speak not my own words, but his who sent me: and 
he speaks these words to draw the attention of the 
Jews from the teaching of man to the teaching of God; 
and to show them that Ae was the promised Messiah, 
the very person on whom, according to the prophet, 
(Isa. xi. 2,) the Spirit of Jehovah—the Spirit of wis- 
dom, counsel, understanding, might, and knowledge, 
should rest. 

Verse 17. If any man will do his will, &e.] I will 
give you a sure rule by which ye may judge of my 
doctrine : If you really wish to do the will of God, 
begin the practice of it; and take my doctrine, and 
apply it to all that you know God requires of man; 
and if you find one of my precepts contrary to the 
nature, perfections, and glory of God, or to the pre- 
sent or eternal welfare of men, then ye shall be at 
liberty to assert that my doctrine is human and erro- 
neous, and God has not sent me. But if, on the con- 
trary, ye find that the sum and substance of my preach- 
ing is, That men shall love God with all their heart, 
soul, mind, and strength, and their neighbour as them- 
selves ; and that this doctrine must bring glory to God 
in the highest, while it produces peace and good will 
among men; then acknowledge that God has visited 
you, and receive me as the Messiah promised to your 
fathers. 

Verse 18. He that speaketh of himself, &c.},1 will 
give you another rule, whereby you shall know whether 
I am from God or not: If I speak so as to procure 
my own glory, to gratify vanity, or to secure and pro- 
mote my secular interests, then reject me as a deceiver 
and as a false prophet. But if I act only to promote 
the glory of God, to induce all men to love and obey 
him ; if I propose nothing but what leads to the per- 
fection of his law, and the accomplishment of its ordi- 
nances, you cannot help acknowledging me at least for 
a true prophet; and, if you add to this the proofs 
which I have given of my mission and power, you 
must acknowledge me as the mighty power of God, 
and the promised Messiah. 

And no unrighteousness is in him.] Or, there is no 
falsehood in him: so the word αδικεα should be trans- 
lated here ; and it is frequently used by the Septuagint 
for \pw sheker, a lie, falsehood, &c. See in Psa. ‘ii. 
3, exix. 29, 69, 104, 163; exliv. 8. This is its 
meaning in Rom. ii. 8; where ἀδικία, falsehood, is put 
in opposition co αληϑεια, truth. 

Verse 19. Did not Moses give you the law, ὅς. 

1 


CHAP. VII. 


of the Jews against hum 


19 *Did not Moses give you 4. Mi. 4033, 


the law, and yet none of you ao 
keepeth the law? *Why go ye — 
about to kill me? 

20 The people answered and said, * Thou 
hast a devil: who goeth about to kill 
thee ? 

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I 
have done one work, and ye all marvel. 


ΝΟ SR a Rae Be es 
t Matt. xii. 14; Mark iii. 6; chap. v. 16,18; x. 31, 39; xi. 53. 
ἃ Chap. viii. 48, 52; x. 20. 


The scribes and Pharisees announced our Lord to the 
multitude as a deceiver; and they grounded their ca- 
lumny on this, that he was not an exact observer of 
the law, for he had healed a man on the Sabbath day, 
chap. v. 9, 10; and consequently must be a false pro- 
phet. Now they insinuated, that the interests of reli- 
gion required him to be put to death: 1. As a violator 
of the law; and, 2. as a false prophet and deceiver 
of the people. ‘To destroy this evil reasoning, our 
Lord speaks in this wise: If I deserve death for curing 
a man on the Sabbath, and desiring him to carry home 
his bed, which you consider a violation of the law, you 
are more culpable than I am, for you circumcise a child 
on the Sabbath, which requires much more bustle, and 
is of so much less use than what I have done to the 
infirm man. But, if you think you do not violate the 
law by cireumcising a child on the Sabbath, how can 
you condemn me for having cured one of yourselves, 
who has been afflicted thirty and eight years? If you 
consider my conduct with the same eye with which 
you view your own, far from finding any thing criminal 
in it, you will see much reason to give glory to God. 
Why, therefore, go ye about to kill me, as a transgressor 
of the law, when not one of yourselves keeps it? 

Verse 20. Thou hast a devil] The crowd, who made 
this answer, were not in the secret of the chief priests. 
They could not suppose that any person desired to put 
him to death for healing a diseased man; and there- 
fore, in their brutish manner, they say, Thou hast a 
demon—thou art beside thyself, and slanderest the 
people, for none of them desires to put thee to death. 
The Codex Cyprius (K,) four others, and the margin 
of the later Syriac, attribute this answer to the Jews, 
i. e. those who were seeking his life. If the reading, 
therefore, of of Iovdavor, the Jews, be received instead 
of ὁ oy20c, the multitude, it serves to show the malice 
of his enemies in a still stronger light : for, fearing lest 
their wish to put him to death might not be gratified, 
and that his teaching should prevail among the common 
people ; to ruin his credit, and prevent his usefulness, 
they give out that he was possessed by a demon; and 
that, though he might be pitied as a miserable man, yet 
he must not be attended to as a teacher of righteous- 
ness. Malice and envy are ever active and indefati- 
gable, leaving no stone unturned, no mean unused, that 
they may ruin the object of their resentment. See 
the note on ver. 26. 

Verse 21. I have done one work] That of curing 
the impotent man, already referred to. See chap. v. 9. 

And ye all marvel.] Or, ye all marvel because of 

569 


Christ vindicates himself against the 


A.M. 4033. 99 v 
“poe ΟἿ ἡ Moses therefore gave unto 


An. Olymp. you circumcision ; (not because it 
ee Hof Moses, τ but of the fathers ;) 
and ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man. 

23 If aman on the Sabbath day receive cir- 
cumcision, * that the law of Moses should not 
be broken, are ye angry at me, because ¥ I 


have made a man every whit whole on the 
Sabbath day 7 


ST. JOHN. 


accusation of having broken the law. 


24 1 Judge not according to the 4,™, 4033. 
appearance, but judge - righteous a, Oe 
judgment. --ς. 

25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is 
not this he, whom they seek to kill? 

26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and 
they say nothing unto him. * Do the 
rulers know indeed that this is the very 
Christ ? 


v Lev. xii. 3.——w Gen. xvii. 10.—* Or, without breaking the 
law of Moses. 
this. Some have dca τοῦτο, in connection with ϑαυμα- 


ere, which the common pointing makes the beginning 
of the next verse, and which, in our common version, 
is translated therefore ; but this word conveys no 
meaning at all, in the connection in which it is thus 
placed. Proofs of this construction Kypke gives from 
Themistius, Strabo, and Athan. All the eminent 
critics are on the side of this arrangement of the words. 

Verse 22. But of the fathers} That is, it came from 
the patriarchs. Circumcision was not, properly speak- 
ing, one of the laws of the Mosaic institution, it having 
been given at first to Abraham, and continued among 
his posterity till the giving of the law: Gen. xvii. 9, 
10, ἄς. 

Ye—circumcise a man.| That is, a male child: for 
every male child was circumcised when ezght days old; 
and if the eighth day after its birth happened to be a 
Sabbath, it was nevertheless circumcised, that the law 
might not be broken, which had enjoined the cireum- 
cision to take place at that time, Lev. xii. 3. From 
this and several other circumstances it is evident that 
the keeping of the Sabbath, even in the strictest sense 
of the word, ever admitted of the works of necessity 
and mercy to be done on it; and that those who did 
not perform such works on that day, when they had 
opportunity, were properly violators of every Jaw found- 
ed on the principles of mercy and justice. If the Jews 
had said, Why didst thou not defer the healing of the 
sick man till the ensuing day? He might have well 
answered, Why do ye not defer the circumcising of 
your children to the ensuing day, when the eighth day 
happens to be a Sabbath t—which is a matter of in- 
finitely less consequence than the restoration of this 
long-afflicted man. 

Verse 23. Every whit whole] The law of cireum- 
cision required the removal of a small portion of flesh, 
which was considered a blot and reproach among the 
Hebrews, because it confounded them with the nations 
who were not in covenant with God. Christ, to this, 
opposes the complete cure of the infirm man, who was 
diseased throughout his whole body: if the one was 
permitted on the Sabbath day, for the reason already 
alleged, surely the other had stronger reasons to re- 
commend it. 

Some think that the original words, ὁλὸν ανϑρωπον, 
should be translated, the whole man; and that the 
meaning is, that the blessed Saviour made him whole 
both in body and soul. This makes the miracle the 
greater, and shows still more forcibly the necessity of 
doing it without delay. 

570 


y Chap. v. 8, 9, 16. z Deut. i. 16, 17; Prov. xxiv. 23; chap. 
viii. 15: James ii. 1—— Ver. 48. 


Battier ap. Wets. supposes that, instead of ὅλον, 
χωλὸν should be read—J have made a MAIMED man 
whole; but there is no countenance for this reading 
in any of the MSS., versions, or fathers. 

Verse 24. Judge not according to the appearance] 
Attend to the law, not merely in the Jetter, but in its 
spirit and design. Learn that the law which com- 
mands men to rest on the Sabbath day is subordinate 
to the law of mercy and love, which requires them to 
be ever active to promote God’s glory in the comfort 
and salvation of their fellow creatures; and endeavour 
to judge of the merit or demerit of an action, not from 
the first impression it may make upon your prejudices 
but from its tendency, and the motives of the person, 
as far as it is possible for you to acquaint yourselves 
with them ; still believing the dest, where you have no 
certain proof to the contrary. 

Verse 26. That this is the very Christ 3] In most 
of the common printed editions a/7Sw¢ is found, the 
very Christ; but the word is wanting in BDIKLTX, 
twenty-two others, several editions; all the Arabic, 
Wheelock’s Persic, the Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, 
Slavonic, Vulgate, and all the Itala but one ; Origen, 
Epiphanius, Cyril, Isidore, Pelusian, and Nonnus. 
Grotius, Mill, Bengel, and Griesbach, decide against it. 
Bishop Pearce says, I am of opinion that this second 
αληϑως, in this verse, should be omitted, it seeming 
quite unnecessary, if not inaccurate, when the word. 
αληϑὼς eyvacav, had just preceded it. 

Calmet observes that the multitude which heard out 
Lord at this time was composed of three different classes 
of persons: 1. The rulers, priests, and Pharisees, de- 
clared enemies of Christ. 2. The inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem, who knew the sentiments of their rulers con- 
cerning him. 3. The strangers, who from different 
quarters had come up to Jerusalem to the feast, and 
who heard Christ attentively, being ignorant of the 
designs of the rulers, &c., against him. 

Our Lord addresses himself in this discourse prin- 
cipally to his enemies. The strange Jews were those 
who were astonished when Christ said, ver. 20, that 
they sought to kill him, having no such design them- 
selves, and not knowing that others had. And the 
Jews of Jerusalem were those who, knowing the dis- 
position of the rulers, and seeing Christ speak openly, 
no man attempting to seize him, addressed each other 
in the foregoing words, Do the rulers know indeed thal 
this is the Christ? imagining that the chief priests, 
&e., had at last been convinced that Jesus was the 
Messiah. 


The Pharisees and chief priests 


A. τι — 27 » Howbeit we know this man 


A. D. 29. ᾿ : 
An. Olymp. whence he is; but when Christ 
CCIL 1. 

cometh, no man knoweth whence 


he is. 

28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he 
taught, saying, ° Ye both know me, and ye 
know whence I am. and “I am not come of 
myself, but he that sent me “ is true, f whom 
ye know not. 

29 But 51 know him: for I am from him, 
and he hath sent me 

30 Then "they sought to take him: but 
ino man laid hands on him, because his hour 
was not yet come. 


CHAP. VII. 


send officers to take Jesus 
81. And *many ofthe people δος ANA 


lieved on him, and said, When An, Olymp. 
Christ cometh, will he do more μονας 
miracles than these which this man_ hath 
done ? 

32 The Pharisees heard that the people mur 
mured such things concerning him; and the 
Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to 
take him. 

33 9 Then said Jesus unto them, 1 Yet a lit- 
tle while am I with you, and then I go unte 
him that sent me. 

34 Ye ™shall seek me, and shall not find me : 
and where I am, thither ye cannot come. 


b Matt. xiii. 55; Mark vi. 3; Luke iv. 22. © See chap. viil. 
14; . 28; xiv. 7. 4 Chap. v. 43; viii. 42. e Chap. v. 32; 
viil. 26; Rom. iii. 4 ——f Chap. i. 18; viii. 55.——s Matt. xi. 27; 


δ; 


ch. x. 15,——» Mark xi. 18; Luke xix. 47; χχ. 19; νου. 19; enap. 
viii. 37.—— Ver. 44; ch. viii. 20.— Matt. xii. 23; chap. ii. 2; 
viii. 30.—! Ch. xiii. 33; xvi. 16—™ Hos. ν. 6; ch. vill. 21; xiii. 33. 


Verse 27. No man knoweth whence he is.) The 
generality of the people knew very well that the Mes- 
siah was to be born in Bethlehem, in the city, and of 
the family, of David; see ver. 42. But, from Isaiah 
lili. 8, Who shall declare his generation ? they probably 
thought that there should be something so peculiarly 
mysterious in his birth, or in the manner of his appear- 
ing, that no person could fully understand. Had they 
considered his miraculous conception, they would have 
felt their minds relieved on this point. The Jews 
thought that the Messiah, after his birth, would hide 
himself for some considerable time ; and that when he 
began to preach no man should know where he had 
been hidden, and whence he had come. The rabbins 
have the following proverb: Three things come un- 
expectedly: 1. A thing found by chance. 2. The 
sting of a scorpion: and, 3. The Messiah. It was 
probably in reference to the above that the people said, 
No man knoweth whence he is. However, they might 
have spoken this of his parents. We know that the 
Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, of the family of 
David ; but no man can know his parents: therefore 
thay rejected him: chap. vi. 42, Is not this Jesus, the 
son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know ἢ 

Verse 28. Ye both know me, and ye know whence 
Iam} Perhaps they should be read interrogatively : 
Do ye both know me, and know whence Iam? Our 
Lord takes them up on their own profession, and ar- 
gues from it. Since you have got so much informa- 
tion concerning me, add this to it, to make it complete ; 
viz. that J am not come of myself ; am no self-created 
or self-authorized prophet; I came from God :—the 
testimony of John the Baptist, the descent of the Holy 
Ghost, the voice from heaven, the purity and excel- 
lence of my doctrine, and the multitude of my miracles, 
sufficiently attest this. Now, God is true who has 
borne testimony to me; but ye know him not, there- 
fore it is that this testimony is disregarded. 

Ver. 29. But I know him: for I am f-9m him] 
Instead of εἰμὲ, J am, some editions, the Syriac Hieros. 
read εἰμι, I came, according to the Attics. Nonnus 
confirms this reading by paraphrasing the word by 

1 


εληλυθα, I came. As the difference between the two 
words lies only in the accents, and as these are not 
found in ancient MSS., it is uncertain which way the 
word was understood by them: nor is the matter of 
much moment ; both words amount nearly to the same 
meaning, and εἶμι, I came, seems too refined. 

Verse 31. Will he do more miracles} It was the 
belief of the Jews, and they founded it upon Isa. xxxv 
5, that, when the Messiah came, he would do all kinds 
of miracles; and, in order that they might have the 
fullest proof of the Divine mission of Christ, it had 
pleased God to cause miracles to cease for between 
four and five hundred years, and that John the Baptist 
himself had not wrought any. His miracles, there- 
fore, were a full proof of his Divine mission. 

Verse 32. The people murmured such things] The 
people began to be convinced that he was the Mes- 
siah; and this being generally whispered about, the 
Pharisees, &c., thought it high time to put him to 
death, lest the people should believe on him; there- 
fore they sent officers to take him. 

Verse 33. Yet a little while am I with you) As 
he knew that the Pharisees had designed to take and 
put him to death, and that in about six months from 
this time, as some conjecture, he should be crucified, 
he took the present opportunity of giving this informa- 
tion to the common people, who were best disposed 
towards him, that they might lay their hearts to his 
teaching, and profit by it, while they had the privilege 
of enjoying it. 

The word αὐτοῖς, to them, in the beginning of this 
verse, is wanting in BDEGHLMS, more than eighty 
others, both the Syriac, later Persic, Coptic, Sahidic. 
Armenian, Gothic, Slavonic, Saxon, most copies of 
the Vulgate and the Jtala. It is omitted also by 
Euthymius, Theophylact, Augustin, and Bede. Our 
Lord did not speak these words to the officers who 
came to apprehend him, as αὐτοῖς here implies, but to 
the common people, merely to show that he was not 
ignorant of the designs of the Pharisees, though they 
had not yet been able to put them into practice. 

Verse 34. Ye shall seek me, and shall not fird 

571 


Christ teaches the people, 


A. M. 4033. i 
‘a Dow 39 Then said the Jews among 


Any Olvmp. themselves, Whither will he go, that 

__ we shall not find him? will he go 
unto ™ the dispersed among the ° Gentiles, and 
teach the Gentiles ? 

36 What manner of saying is this that he 
said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: 
and where I am, thither ye cannot come ? 

37 In the last day, that great day of the 
feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, * If any 
man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. 

38 * He that believeth on me, as the Scripture 


nTsa. xi.12; Jamesi.1; 1 Pet.i. 1. ° Or, Greeks. P Lev. 
xxill. 36. 4 58. lv. 1; chap. vi. 35; Rev. xxii. 17. * Deut. 
xvill, 15. 5 Proy. xvili. 4; Isa. xii. 3; xliv. 3; chap. iv. 14. 


ST. JOHN. 


and promises the Holy Spurit. 
hath said, 5 out of his belly shall flow 


rivers of living water. 

39 (* But this spake he of the 
Spirit, which they that believe on him should 
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet 
given; because that Jesus was not yet 
ἃ glorified.) 

40 Ἵ Many of the people therefore, when 
they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is 
’ the Prophet. 

41 Others said, ¥ This is the Christ. But 
some said, Shall Christ come * out of Galilee ? 


A. M. 4033, 
A. D. 29. 
An. Olymp. 
CCI. 1. 


tTsaiah xliv. 3; Joel ii. 28; chap. xvi. 7; Acts ii. 17, 33, 39. 
«Chap. xii. 16; xvi. 7. ¥ Deut. xviii. 15, 18; chap. i. 21; v2. 
14,—w Chap. iv. 42; vi. 69.——* Ver. 52; chap. i. 46. 


me] When the Roman armies come against you, you 
will vainly seek for a deliverer. But ye shall be cut 
off in your sins, because ye did not believe in me; 
and where I am—in the kingdom of glory, ye cannot 
come; for nothing that is unholy shall enter into the 
new Jerusalem. In this, and the thirty-sixth verse, 
εἰμὶ, IT am, is read by several εἶμι, I came, as in the 
twenty-ninth verse; and in these two last places the 
ZEthiopic, Arabic, three copies of the Itala, Nonnus, 
and Theophylact, agree. See the note on ver. 29. 

Verse 35. The dispersed among the Gentiles} Or 
Greeks. By the dispersed, are meant here the Jews 
who were scattered through various parts of that em- 
pire which Alexander the Great had founded, in Greece, 
Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor, where the Greek lan- 
guage was used, and where the Jewish Scriptures in 
the Greek version of the Septuagint were read.— 
Others suppose that the Gendies themselves are meant 
—others, that the ten tribes which had been long lost 
are here intended. 

Verse 37. In the last day, that great day of the 
feast} ‘This was the eighth day, and was called the 
great day, because of certain traditional observances, 
and not on account of any excellence which it derived 
from the original institution. On the seven days they 
professed to offer sacrifices for the seventy nations of 
the earth, but on the eighth day they offered sacrifices 
for Israel; therefore the eighth day was more highly 
esteemed than any of the others. It is probably to 
this that the evangelist refers when he calls the last 
day the great day of the feast. See the account of 
the feast of tabernacles, in the note on ver. 9. It was 
probably when they went to draw water from the pool 
Siloam, and while they were pouring it out at the foot 
of the altar, that our Lord spoke these words; for, as 
that ceremony pointed out the gracious influences of 
the Holy Spirit, our Lord, who was the fountain whence 
it was to proceed, called the people to himself, that, 
by believing on him, they might be made partakers of 
that inestimable benefit. 

Verse 38. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture 
hath said) He who receives me as the Messiah, ac- 
cording to what the Scripture has said concerning me; 
my person, birth, conduct, preaching, and miracles, 
heing compared with what is written there, as ascer- 

572 


taining the true Messiah. Out of his belly—tfrom 
his heart and soul; for in his soul shall this Spirit 
dwell. 

Living water.| As a true spring is ever supplied 
with water from the great deep, with which it has com- 
munication, so shall the soul of the genuine believer 
be supplied with light, life, love, and liberty, and all the 
other graces of the indwelling Spirit, from the indwell- 
ing Christ. The Jews frequently compare the gifts 
and influences of the Holy Spirit to water in general 
—to rain, fountains, wells, rivers, &e., ἄς. The 
Scriptures abound in this metaphor. Psa. xxxvi. 8, 
9; Isa. xliv. 3, 4; Joel ii. 23. 

Verse 39. Was not yet given] δεδομενον, given, 
is added by the Codex Vaticanus, (B,) the Syriac, all 
the Persic, later Syriac with an asterisk, three copies 
of the Slavonic, Vulgate, and all the [tala but ‘three ; 
and several of the primitive fathers. The word seems 
necessary to the completion of the sense. 

Certain measures of the Holy Spirit had been vouch- 
safed from the beginning of the world to believers and 
unbelievers : but that abundant effusion of his graces 
spoken of by Joel, chap. ii. 28, which peculiarly cha- 
racterized the Gospel times, was not granted till after 
the ascension of Christ: 1. Because this Spirit in its 
plenitude was to come in consequence of his atone- 
ment ; and therefore could not come till after his cru- 
cifixion. 2. It was to supply the place of Christ to 
his disciples and to all true believers; and therefore 
it was not necessary till after the removal of his bodily 
presence from among them. See our Lord’s own words, 
John xiv. 16-18, 26; xv. 26; xvi. 7-15. 

Verse 40. Of a truth this is the Prophet.| The 
great prophet, or teacher, spoken of by Moses, Deut. 
xviii. 15, which they improperly distinguished from 
the Messiah, ver. 41. Some no doubt knew that by 
the prophet the Messiah was meant; but others seem 
to have thought that one of the ancient prophets should 
be raised from the dead, and precede the appearing 
of the Messiah. 

Verse 41. Shall Christ come out of Galilee?) As 
the prophets had declared that the Messiah was to 
come from the tribe of Judah, and from the family of 
David, and should be born in the city of Bethlehem, 
these Jews, imagining that Christ had been born in 

1 


The people are divided in 


rk bot 42 ¥ Hath not the scripture said, 
An, Olymp. That Christ cometh of the seed of 

“ὃ David, and out of the town of Beth- 
lehem, * where David was ? 

43 So“ there was a division among the peo- 
ple because of him. 

44 And »some of them would have taken 
him ; but no man laid hands on him. 

45 % Then came the officers to the 
chief priests and Pharisees; πὰ they 
said unto them, Why have ye not brought 
him? 

46 The officers answered, ° Never man spake 
like this man. 


y Psa. exxxii. 11; Jer. xxiii. 5; Mic. v. 2; Matt. ii. 5; Luke 
ii. 4. 1] Sam. xvi. 1, 4. @ Verse 12; chap. ix. 16; x. 19. 
> Verse 30. © Matt. vii. 29. 


CHAP. VII. 


their opinions concerning Christ. 


47 Then answered them the Pha- 4,™,1083- 
risees, Are ye also deceived ? rai 


48 “Have any of the rulers or of 
the Pharisees believed on him ? 

49 But this people who knoweth not the 
law are cursed. 

50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (°* he that 
came ‘to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 

51 ® Doth our law judge any man, before it 
hear him, and know what he doeth ? 

52 They answered and said unto him, Art 
thou also of Galilee? Search, and look : for 
out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 

53 And every man went unto his own house. 


4 Chap. xii. 42; Acts vi. 7; 1 Cor. i. 20, 26; ii. 8. © Chap. 
iii. 2. € Gr. to him. ® Deut. i. 17; xvii. 8, &c.; xix. 15. 
hJsa, ix. 1, 2; Matt. iv. 15; chap. i. 46; verse 41. 


Galilee, concluded that he could not be the Messiah. 
Had they examined the matter a little farther, they 
would have found that he had his birth exactly as the 
prophets had foretold; but, for want of this necessary 
examination, they continued in unbelief, and rejected 
the Lord that bought them. Many still lose their souls 
nearly in the same way. They suffer themselves to 
be led away by common report, and become prejudiced 
against the truth, refuse to give it a fair hearing, or to 
examine for themselves. It is on this ground that 
deism and irreligion have established themselves, and 
still maintain their posts. 

Verse 42. Where David was 1] That is, where he 
was born, 1 Sam. xvi. 1, 4, and where he was before 
he became king in Israel. 

Verse 43. There was a division] Σχίσμα, a schism; 
they were divided in sentiment, and separated into 
parties. This is the true notion of schism. 

Verse 44. Would have taken him] Or, they wished 
to seize him. And this they would have done, and 
destroyed him too at that time, had they been wnani- 
mous ; but their being divided in opinion, ver. 43, was 
the cause, under God, why his life was at that time 
preserved. How true are the words of the prophet : 
The wrath of man shall praise thee ; and the remain- 
der thereof thou wilt restrain! Psalm Ixxvi. 10. 

Verse 45. Then came the officers) They had fol- 
lowed him for several days, seeking for a proper 
opportunity to seize on him, when they might fix 
some charge of sedition, &c., upon him; but the more 
they listened, the more they were convinced of his 
innocence, purity, and consummate wisdom. 

Verse 46. Never man spake like this man.] Though 
these officers had gone on the errand of their masters, 
they had not entered into their spirit. They were 
sent to apprehend a seditious man, and a false pro- 
phet. They came where Jesus taught; they found 
him to be a different person to the description they 
received from their masters, and therefore did not 
attempt to touch or molest him. No doubt they 
expected when they told their employers the truth, 
that they would have commended them, and acknow- 

ledged their uwn mistake; but these simple people 
τ 


a 


were not in the seerct of their masters’ malice. They 
heard, they felt, that no man ever spoke with so 
much grace, power, majesty, and eloquence. They 
had never heard a discourse so affecting and per- 
suasive. So Jesus still speaks to all who are simple 
of heart. He speaks pardon—he speaks holiness—he 
speaks salvation to all who have ears to hear. No 
man ever did or can speak as he does. He teaches 
THE TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but the 
TRUTH. 

Verse 48. Have any of the rulers—tbelieved on 
him?) Very few. But is this a proof that he is not 
of God? No, truly. If he were of the world, the 
world would Jove its own. The religion of Christ has 
been in general rejected by the rulers of this world. 
A life of mortification, self-denial, and humility, does 
not comport with the views of those who will have 
their portion in this life. It has ever been a mark of 
the truth of God that the great, the mighty, and the 
wise have in general rejected it. They are too much 
occupied with ¢hzs world to attend to the concerns 
of the neat. 

Verse 49. This people] Ὁ ox20c, This rabble. The 
common people were treated by the Pharisees with 
the most sovereign contempt: they were termed py 
YONI dm ha-arets, people of the earth; and were not 
thought worthy to have a resurrection to eternal life. 
Wagenseil and Schoeltgen have given many proofs 
of the contempt in which the common people were 
held by the Pharisees. Those who were disciples of 
any of the rabbins were considered as being in a much 
better state. When they paid well, they purchased 
their masters’ good opinion. 

Verse 50. Nicodemus—being one of them] That is. 
a Pharisee, and a ruler of the Jews : see on chap. iii. 1. 

Verse 51. Doth our law judge any man] Τὸν 
αἀνϑρωπον, the man, 1. e. who is accused. Perhaps 
Nicodemus did not refer so much to any thing in the 
law of Moses, as to what was commonly practised 
among them. Josephus says, Ant. b. xiv. ο. 9. 8. 3, 
That the law has forbidden any man to be put to 
death, though wicked, unless he be first condemned to 
die by the Sanhedrin. It was probably to this law, 

573 


Various readings 


which is not expressly mentioned in the five books of 
Moses, that Nicodemus here alludes. See laws relative 
to this point, Deut. xvii. 8, &e.; xix. 15. 

Verse 52. Art thou also of Galilee?) They knew 
very well that he was not; but they spoke this by 
way of reproach. As if they had said, thou art no 
better than he is, as thou takest his part. Many of 
the Galileans had believed on him, which the Jews 
considered to be a reproach. Art thou his disciple, as 
the Galileans are? 

Search, and look] Examine the Scriptures, search 
the public registers, and thou wilt see that out of 
Galilee there ariseth no prophet. Neither the Messiah, 
nor any other prophet, has ever proceeded from Gali- 
lee, nor ever can. This conclusion, says Calmet, was 
false and impertinent: false, because Jonah was of 
Gathheper, in Galilee : see 2 Kings xiv. 25, compared 
with Josh. xix. 13. The Prophet Nahwn was also a 
Galilean, for he was of the tribe of Suneon ; and 
some suppose that Malachi was of the same place. 
The conclusion was false, because there not having 
been a prophet from any particular place was no 
argument that there never could be one, as the place 
had not been proscribed. 

Verse 53. And every man went, &c.| The autho- 
rity and influence of Nicodemus, in this case, was so 
great that the Sanhedrin broke up without being 
able to conclude any thing. As the feast was now 
ended, they were not obliged to continue any longer 
in or about Jerusalem; and therefore all returned to 
their respective dwellings. 

This verse and the first eleven verses of the follow- 
ing chapter are wanting in several MSS. Some of 
those which retain the paragraph mark it with obelisks, 
as a proof of spuriousness. Those which do retain it 
have it with such a variety of reading as is no where 
else found in the sacred writings. Professor Gries- 
bach leaves the whole paragraph in the text with 
notes of doubtfulness. Most of the modern critics 
consider it as resting on no solid authority. 

The following, in the left-hand column, is a literal 
translation of the whole as it stands in the Codex 
Beza. That on the right is a connected view of it 
from other manuscripts. 


John, chap. vii. 53; ὙΠ]. 1-11. 
From the Codex Beze. From other MSS. 


Chap. vii. 53. And 53. Andevery one went 
every one went to his away to his own people. 
own house. (τα wWia αὑτου) Al. place. 

Chap. viii. 1. And Jesus 1. And Jesus went out 
went to the mount of to the mount of Olives. 
Olives. 

2. But he came again 
early into the temple, and 
all the people came unto 


2. But very early in the 
morning Jesus came again 
into the temple, and all 


hum the people came; and 
having sat down he taught 
them. 


574 


ST. JOHN. 


From the Codex Beze. 


3. And the scribes and 
Pharisees brought a wo- 
man unto him, taken in 
sin; and, setting her in 
the midst, 

4. ‘The priests say unto 
him, tempting him, that 
they might have an accusa- 
tion against him, Teacher, 
this woman was taken 
committing adultery, in 
the very act: 

5. Now Moses, in the 
law, gave orders to stone 
such; but what dost thou 
say now ? 

6. But Jesus, having 
stooped down, wrote with 
his finger upon the ground. 


7. But as they con- 
tinued asking he lifted up 
himself, and said unto 
them, Let him who is 
without sin among you, 
first cast a stone at her. 

8. And stooping down 
again, he wrote with his 
finger upon the ground. 


9. And each of the 
Jews went out, beginning 
from the oldest, so that 
all went out: and he was 
left alone, the woman 
being in the midst. 


10. And Jesus lifting 
up himself, said to the 
woman, Where are they ? 
Hath no one condemned 
thee ? 

11. Then she said unto 
him, No one, sir. Then 
he said, Neither do I con- 
demn thee; go, and from 
this time sin no more. 


See the notes on this 
chapter. 


of the manuscripts. 


From other MSS. 


3. And the chief priests 
and the Pharisees bring 
unto him a woman taken 
in adultery; and, having 
set her in the midst, 

4. They spoke, tempt- 
ing him, ‘Teacher, we 
found this one commit- 
ting adultery, in the very 
act: 


5. And in the law Moses 
commanded us to stone 
such: What dost thou 
say concerning her? 

6. But this they spoke 
tempting Aim, that they 
might find an accusatio> 
against him: but he 
knowing it, stooped down, 
(Al. bowed down,) and 
wrote with his finger upon 
the ground, seeming as if 
he did not hear. (AJ. pre- 
tending.) 

7. But as they con 
tinued asking him, having 
looked up, he saith, Let 
him who is without sin 
among you, first cast a 
stone at her. 

8. And stooping down 
again, he wrote with his 
finger upon the ground 
(the sins of every one of 
them.) 

9. And each one of 
them went out, (41. and 
hearing these things they 
departed one by one,) be- 
ginning from the oldest; 
and Jesus was left alone, 
and the woman in the 
midst of them. 

10. Jesus therefore look- 
ing up, saw her, and said, 
Woman, where are thy 
accusers? Hath no one 
condemned thee ? 

11. Then she said, No 
one, sir. And Jesus saiu, 
Neither will I judge thee ; 
go away, and henceforth 
sin no more. 


account in the following 


Account of the woman 


CHAP. VIII. 


taken wn adultery. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


The story of the woman taken in adultery, 1-11. 


Pharisees cavil, 13. Jesus answers, and shows his authority, 14-20. 
which he convicts them of sin, and foretelis their dying in it, because of their unbelief, 21-24. 
question him; he answers, and foretells his own death, 25-29. 
To whom he gives suitable advice, 31, 32. 
Jesus shows the vanity of their pretensions, and the wick- 
They blaspheme, and Christ convicts and reproves them, and asserts his 
They attempt to stone him, 59. 


this last discourse, 30. 
the nobility and advantages of their birth, 33. 
edness of their hearts, 34-47. 
Divine nature, 48-58. 


A. M. 4033. 

An. Olymp. Olives. 

———_ 2 And early in the morning he 
came again into the temple, and all the people 
came unto him; and he sat down, and taught 
them. 

3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought 
unto him a woman taken in adultery; and 
when they had set her in the midst, 


ESUS went unto the * mount of 


a Matt. xxi. 1; xxiv. 3; Mark xi. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VIII. 

Verse 3. A woman taken in adultery] Some of the 
popish writers say that her name was Susanna; that 
she was espoused to an old decrepid man, named 
Manasseh; that she died a saint in Spain, whither she 
had followed St. James. These accounts the judi- 
cious Calmet properly terms fadles. 

It is allowed that adultery was exceedingly com- 
mon at this time, so common that they had ceased to 
put the law in force against it. The waters of jealousy 
were no longer drunk, the culprits, or those suspected 
of this crime, being so very numerous; and the men 
who were guilty themselves dared not try their sus- 
pected wives, as it was believed the waters would have 
no evil effect upon the wife, if the husband himself 
had been criminal. See the whole of the process on 
the waters of jealousy in the notes on Num. v. 14, 
&c.; and see at the end of chap. xviii. 

Verse 5. That such should be stoned] It is not 
strictly true that Moses ordered adultery in general to 
be punished by stoning. The law simply says that 
the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. 
Ley. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22. The rabbins say they 
were strangled. This they affirm was the ordinary 
mode of punishment, where the species of death was 
not marked in the law. If the person guilty of an act 
of this kind had been betrothed, but not married, she 
was to be stoned: Deut. xxii. 23. But if she was 
the daughter of a priest, she was to be burned alive : 
Levit. xxi. 9. It appears, from Ezek. xvi. 38, 40, 
that adulteresses in the time of that prophet were 
stoned, and pierced with a sword. 

Selden and Fagius suppose that this woman’s case 
was the same with that mentioned, Deut. xxii. 23: 
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a hus- 
band, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her ; 
then ye shall stone them with stones that they die, the 
damsel because she cried not, and the man because he 
hath humbled his neighbour's wife. As the Pharisees 

i 


Jesus declares himself the light of the world, 12. The 
He delivers a second discourse, in 
They 


Many believe on him, in consequence of 
The Jews again cavil, and plead 
5 ’ 7 


4 They say unto him, Master, this 4, M1033: 
woman was taken in adultery, in An. Olymp. 
the very act. Tie ἃ 

5. >» Now Moses in the law commanded us, that 
such should be stoned : but what sayest thou ? 

6 This they said, tempting him, that they 
might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped 
down, and with Azs finger wrote on the ground, 


as though he heard them not. 


b Lev. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22. 


spoke of stoning the woman, it is possible this was her 
case ; and some suppose that the apparent indulgence 
with which our Lord treated her insinuates that she 
had suffered some sort of violence, though not entirely 
innocent. Therefore he said, J do not condemn thee, 
i. 6. to death, because violence had been used. Sin 
no more. Nevertheless thou art in certain respects 
guilty ; thou mightest have made more resistance. 

Verse 6. That they might have to accuse him.} 
Had our Lord condemned the woman to death, they 
might haye accused him to Pilate, as arrogating to 
himself the power of life and death, which the Romans 
had taken away from the Jews; besides, the Roman 
laws did not condemn an adulteress to be put to death. 
On the other hand, if he had said she should not be 
put to death, they might have represented him to the 
people as one who decided contrary to the law, and 
favoured the crime of which the woman was accused. 

With his finger wrote] Several MSS. add their 
sins who accused her, and the sins of all men. There 
are many idle conjectures concerning what our Lord 
wrote on the ground, several of which may be seen in 
Calmet. 

We never find that Christ wrote any thing before 
or after this ; and what he wrote at this time we know 
not. On this the pious Quesnel makes the following 
reflections :— 

“1. Sinee Jesus Christ never wrote but once that 
we hear of in his whole life; 2. since he did it only 
in the dust; 3. since it was only to avoid condemn- 
ing a sinner; and, 4. since he would not have that 
which he wrote so much as known; let men learn 
from hence never to write but when it is necessary or 
useful ; to do it with humility and modesty ; and todo 
it on a principle of charity. How widely does Christ 
differ from men! He writes his Divine thoughts 
in the dust: they wish to have theirs cut in marble, 
and engraved on brass.” Schools for children are 
frequently held under trees in Bengal, and the chil- 

575 


Account of the woman 


A. M. 4033. 2 Ee 
. M4033. 7 So when they continued asking 


An. Olymp. him, he lifted up himself, and said 

5 unto them, © He that is without 
sin among you, let him first cast a stone at 
her. 

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on 
the ground, 

9 And they which heard it, ἃ being convicted 
by their own conscience, went out one by one, 
beginning at the eldest, even unto the last : and 
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing 
in the midst. 


¢ Deut. xvii. 7; Rom. ii. 1—4 Rom. ii. 22. 
xii. 14; chap. iii. 17. 


6 Luke ix. 56; 


dren who are beginning to learn write the letters of 
the alphabet in the dust. This saves pen, ink, and 
paper. Warp. 

Verse 7. He that is without sin] Αναμαρτητος, 
meaning the same kind of sin, adultery, fornication, 
ἄς. Kypke has largely proved that the verb ἁμαρτανειν 
is used in this sense by the best Greek writers. 

Let him first cast a stone at her.) Or, upon her, 
ex avty. The Jewish method of stoning, according 
to the rabbins, was as follows: The culprit, half 
naked, the hands tied behind the back, was placed on 
a scaffold, ten or twelve feet high; the witnesses, who 
stood with her, pushed her off with great force: if 
she was killed by the fall there was nothing farther 
done ; but, if she was not, one of the witnesses took 
up a very large stone, and dashed it upon her breast, 
which generally was the coup de grace, or finishing 
stroke. This mode of punishment seems referred to, 
Matt. xxi. 44. However, this procedure does not 
appear to have been always attended to. See Lev. 
xxiv. 16, and ver. 59 of this chapter. 

Verse 9. Being convicted by their own conscience] 
So it is likely they were all guilty of similar crimes. 
Their own is not in the original, and is needless : 
being convicted by conscience is expressive enough. 

Beginning at the eldest even unto the last] Axo των 
πρεσβυτερων ἕως τῶν ἐσχατων, from the most honoura- 
ble to those of the least repute. In this sense the 
words are undoubtedly to be understood. 

The woman standing in the midst.| But if they 
all went out, how could she be in the midst? It is not 
said that all the people whom our Lord had been in- 
structing went out, but only her accusers: see ver. 
2. The rest undoubtedly continued with their teacher. 

Verse 11. Neither do I condemn thee] Bishop 
Pearce says: “It would have been strange if Jesus, 
when he was not a magistrate, and had not the wit- 
nesses before him to examine them, and when she had 
not been tried and condemned by the law and legal 
judges, should have taken upon him to condemn her. 
This being the case, it appears why Jesus avoided 
giving an answer to the question of the scribes and 
Pharisees, and also how little reason there is to con- 
clude from hence that Christ seems in this case not 
enough to have discouraged adultery, though he called 
it a sem. And yet this opinion took place so early 

576 


ST. JOHN. 


taken in adultery 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. 
An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 


10 When Jesus had lifted up him- 
self, and saw none but the woman, 
he said unto her, Woman, where are 
those thine accusers? hath no man 
ed thee ? 

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said 
unto her, * Neither do I condemn thee: go, 
and f sin no more. 

12 § Then spake Jesus again unto them, 
saying, I am the light of the world: he that 
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but 
shall have the light of life. 


condemn 


f Chap. v. 14.— Isa. xlix. 6, 8,9; Luke ii. 32; chap. i. 4, 5, 
9; ili. 19; ix. 5; xii. 35, 36, 46. 


among the Christians, that the reading of this story 
was industriously avoided, in the lessons recited out of 
the Gospels, in the public service of the churches ; as 
if Jesus’s saying, I do not condemn thee, had given too 
much countenance to women guilty of that crime. Ip. 
consequence of this, as it was never read in the 
churches, and is now not to be found in any of the 
Evangelistaria, and as it was probably marked in the 
MSS. as a portion not to be read there, this whole 
story, from ver. 1, to ver. 11, inclusive, came, in 
length of time, to be left out in some MSS., though in 
the greater part it is still remaining.” Thus far the 
judicious and learned bishop. How the passage 
stands in all the MSS. hitherto collated may be seen 
in Wetstein and Griesbach. After weighing what has 
been adduced in favour of its authenticity, and se- 
riously considering its state in the MSS., as exhibited 
in the Var. Lect. of Griesbach, 1 must confess, the 
evidence in its favour does not appear to me to be 
striking. Yet I by no means would have it expunged 
from the text. Its absence from many MSS., and the 
confused manner in which it appears in others, may 
be readily accounted for on the principles laid down 
by Bishop Pearce above. It may however be neces- 
sary to observe, that a very perfect connection sub- 
sists between ver. 52 of chap. vii. and ver. 12 of this 
chapter—all the intermediate verses having been 
omitted by MSS. of the first antiquity and authority. 
In some MSS. it is found at the end of this Gospel; 
in others a vacant place is left in this chapter; and in 
others it is placed after the 21st chapter of Luke. 
See at the end of this chapter. 

Verse 12. Then spake Jesus again unto them] Al- 
lowing the story about the woman taken in adultery to 
be authentic, and to stand here in its proper place, 
we may consider that our Lord, having begun to 
teach the people in the temple, was interrupted by the 
introduction of this woman by the scribes and Phari- 
sees ; and now, having dismissed them and the woman 
also, he resumes his discourse. 

1 am the light of the world] The fountain whence 
all intellectual light and spiritual understanding pro- 
ceed: without me all is darkness, misery, and death. 
The Divine Being was, by the rabbins denominated, 
The light of the world. So in Bamidbar Rabba: 
“The Israelites said to God, O Lord of the universe, 

1 


The Pharisees cavil 


A. M. 4033. 3 ; 
re 13 The Pharisees therefore said 


An. Olymp. unto him, ® Thou bearest record of 
—————. thyself; thy record is not true. 

14 Jesus answered and said unto them, 
Though I bear record of myself, yet my record 
is true : for I know whence I came, and whither 
I go; but ‘ye cannot tell whence I come, 
and whither I go. 


h Chap. v. 31.—— See chap. vii. 28; ix. 29.——* Chap. vii. 24. 
hap. ili. 17; xii. 47; xviii. 36. 


thou commandest us to light lamps to thee, yet thou 
art THE LIGHT OF THE WorLD: and with thee the 
light dwelleth.” Our Lord, therefore, assumes here 
a well known character of the Supreme Being; and 
with this we find the Jews were greatly offended. 

Shall not walk in darkness] He shall be saved from 
ignorance, infidelity, and sin. If he follow me, become 
my disciple, and believe on my name, he shall have 
my Spirit to bear witness with his, that he is a child 
of God. He shall have the light of life—such ἃ light 
as brings and supports /ife. The sun, the fountain of 
light, is also the fountain of life: by his vivifying in- 
fluences, all things live—neither animal nor vegeta- 
tive life could exist, were it not for his influence. 
Jesus, the Sun of righteousness, Mal. iv. 2, is the 
fountain of all spiritual and eternal tire. His light 
brings life with it, and they who walk in his light live 
in his life. This sentiment is beautifully expressed 
and illustrated in the following inimitable verse (all 
monosyllables except one word) of that second Spenser, 
Phineas Fletcher. Speaking of the conversion of a 
soul to God, he says :— 


“New LIGHT new LOVE, new LOVE new LIFE hath 
bred; 
A uire that lives by Love, and loves by LicHT : 
A ove to him, to whom all Loves are wed ; 
A LIGHT, to whom the sun is darkest night : 
Eye's uiGut, heart’s Love, soul’s only uire he is: 
Lire, soul, love, heart, uicuT, eve, and all are his: 
He eye, Lieut, heart, Love, soul ; He all my joy and 
bliss.” Purpwe Istanp, Can. I. v. 7. 
Some suppose our Lord alludes to the custom of 
lighting lamps or torches, on the first day of the feast 
of tabernacles. But as these words seem to have 
been spoken the day after that last and great day of 
the feast, mentioned chap. vii. 37, they may rather be 
considered as referring to the following custom: It 
has already been observed, that the Jews added a ninth 
day to this feast, which day they termed, The feast 
of joy for the law; and on that day they were accus- 
tomed to take all the sacred books out of the chest 
where they had been deposited, and put a lighted can- 
dle in their place, in allusion to Prov. vi. 23: For 
the commandment is a LAMP (ur CANDLE) and the law 
is life: or to Psa. exix. 105: Thy word is a Lamp 
unto my feet, and a LiGHT unto my path. If this cus- 
tom existed in the time of our Lord, it is most likely 
that it is to ἐξ he here alludes; as it must have hap- 
pened about the same time in which these words were 
spoken. See Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. xxi. 
Vou. I. Co 37a} 


CHAP. 


VIII. Jesus answers them 
5 k : - 1] A.M. 4033. 
4 Ye judge after the flesh; 'I “,%; 8 
udge no man. An. Olymp. 
judg CCl. ‘i 


16 And yet if I judge, my judg- 
ment is true: for ™I am not alone, but I and 
the Father that sent me. 

17 "It is also written in your law, that the 
testimony of two men is true. 

18 Iam one that bear witness of myself: 


m Ver. 29; chap. xvi. 32. ἢ Deut. xvii. 6; xix. 15; Matthew 
xvill. 16; 2 Cor. xiii. 1; Heb. x. 28. 


As the Messiah was frequently spoken of by the 
prophets under the emblem of light, see Isa. Ix. 1; 
xlix. 6; ix. 2, the Pharisees must at once perceive 
that he intended to recommend himself to the people 
as the Messiah, when he said, J am the light of the 
world. 

The rabbins think that the Messiah is intended ia 
Gen. i. 3, And God said, Let there be light, and there 
was light. “From this we may learn that the holy 
and blessed God saw the light of the Messiah and his 
works before the world was created; and reserved it 
for the Messiah, and his generation, under the throne 
of his glory. Satan said to the holy and blessed God, 
For whom dost thou reserve that light which is under 
the throne of thy glory? God answered: For him 
who shall subdue thee, and overwhelm thee with con- 
fusion. Satan rejoined, Lord of the universe, show 
that person to me! God said, Come and see him. 
When he saw him, he was greatly agitated, and fell 
upon his face, saying, Truly this is the Messiah, who 
shall cast me and idolaters into hell.” Yalcut Ru- 
beni, fol. 6. This is a very remarkable saying ; and, 
as it might have existed in the time of our Lord, to it 
he might have alluded in the verse before us. The 
thing itself is true: the Messiah is the light of the 
world, and by him Satan’s empire of idolatry is de- 
stroyed in the world, and the kingdom of light and 
life established. See several similar testimonies in 
Schoettgen. 

Verse 13. Thou bearest record] As if they had 
said, Dost thou imagine that we shall believe thee, in 
a matter so important, on thy bare assertion? Had 
these people attended to the teaching and miracles of 
Christ, they would have seen that his pretensions to: 
the Messiahship were supported by the most irrefraga~ 
ble testimony. 

Verse 14. I know whence I came] I came from 
God, and am going to God, and can neither do nor 
say any thing but what leads to and glorifies him. 

Verse 15. Ye judge after the flesh] Because 1 
appear in the form of man, judging from this appear- 
ance, ye think I am but a mere man—pay attention to 
my teaching and miracles, and ye shall then see that 
nothing less than infinite wisdom and unlimited power 
could teach and do what I have taught and performed. 
Our Lord speaks here exactly in the character of an 
ambassador. Such a person does not bring a second 
with him to vouch his trath ; his credentials from his 
king ascertain his character: he represents the king’s 
person. So our Lord represents the Father as bear- 
ing witness with him. The miracles which hé. 

577 


fesus foretells the unbelief 


4M. 4033. and ° the Father that sent me bear- 
An. Olymp. eth witness of me. 

19 Then said they unto him, 
Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, ” Ye 
neither know me, nor my Father: *if ye had 
known me, ye should have known my Father 
also. 

20 These words spake Jesus in *the trea- 
sury, as he taught in the temple: and ‘no 
man laid hands on him; for t his hour was not 
yet come. 

21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go 
my way, and “ye shall seek me, and ¥ shall 
die in your sins : whither I go, ye cannot come. 


ST. JOHN. 


and death of the Jews 


22 Then said the Jews, Will he 4,™, 4033. 
kill himself? because he saith, An. Olymp. 
Whither I go, ye cannot come. a 

23 And he said unto them, τ Ye are from 
beneath; I am from above: *ye are of this 
world; I am not of this world. 

24 YI said therefore unto you, that ye shal! 
die in your sins : 5 for if ye believe not that I 
am he, ye shall die in your sins. 

25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou ? 
And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that 
I said unto you from the beginning. 

26 I have many things to say and to judge 
of you: but *he that sent me is true: and 


© Chap. v. 37.—? Ver. 55; chap. xvi. 3——14 Chap. xiv. 7. 
* Mark xii. 41 —* Chap. vii. 30.—t Chap. vii. 8. ἃ Chap. 
vil. 345 xill. 33. 


wrought were the proof from heaven that he was the 
yromised Messiah: these were the great seal of all 
ais pretensions. 

Verse 19. Ye neither know me, &c.] Ye know 
neither the Messiah, nor the God that sent him. 

If ye had known me] Jf ye had received my teach- 
ing, ye would have got such an acquaintance with the 
nature and attributes of God as ye never could have 
had, and never can have any other way. That is a 
true saying, No man hath seen God at any time: the 
only begolten Son, who lay in the bosom of the Fa- 
ther. he hath peouarep him. The nature and perfec- 
tions of God never can be properly known, but in the 
light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is worthy of 
remark that, in all this discourse, our blessed Lord 
ever speaks of the Father and himself as two distinct 
persons. Therefore, the Father is not the Son, nor 
the Son the Father, as some persons vainly imagine ; 
though it is plain enough that the completest unity 
and equality subsists between them. 

Verse 20. The treasury] Lightfoot observes, from 
4,2 rabbins, that the treasury was in what was called the 
court of the women—that there were thirteen chests 
in it; in the ¢hirteenth only the women were permit- 
ted to put their offerings. Probably the other twelve 
were placed there in reference to the twelve tribes ; 
each perhaps inscribed with the name of one of Jacob’s 
twelve sons. 

It seems that our Lord sometimes sat in this court 
to teach the people. See Mark xii. 41, &c. 

His hour was not yet come.| The time was not 
arrived, in which he had determined to give himself 
up into the hands of his crucifiers. 

Verse 21. Then said Jesus again unto them] He 
had said the same things to them the day before. See 
chap. vil. 34. 

Ye shall seek me] When your calamities come upon 
you, ve shall in vain seek for the help of the Messiah, 
whom ye now reject, and whom ye shall shortly crucify. 

Verse 22. Will he kill himself?) They now un- 
derstood that he spoke concerning his death; but be- 
fore, chap. vii. 35, they thought he spoke of going to 

578 


Vv Verse 24.—— Chapter iii. 31——* Chapter xv. 19; xvii. 
16; 1 John iv. 5.——Y Ver. 21. τ Mark xvi. 16. a Chap. 
Vii. 28. 


some of the Grecian provinces, to preach to the dis- 
persed Jews. 

Verse 23. Ye are from beneath] Ye are capabie 
of murder, and of self-murder too, because ye have 
nothing of God in you. Ye are altogether earthly, 
sensual, and devilish. They verified this character in 
murdering the Lord Jesus ; and many of them after- 
wards, to escape famine, &c., put an end to their own 
lives. 

Verse 25. Who art thou 3] This marks the indig- 
nation of the Pharisees—as if they had said: Who 
art thou that takest upon thee to deal out threatenings 
in this manner against us ? 

Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said 
unto you from the beginning.] Rather, Just what I 
have already told you, i. e. that I am the light of the 
world—the Christ—the Saviour of mankind. There 
are a variety of renderings for this verse among the 
critics. Some consider τὴν ἀρχὴν (which makes the 
principal difficulty in the text) as the answer of our 
Lord. Who art thow2 I am τὴν apynv, the chief, 
the supreme; and have therefore a right to judge, 
and to execute judgment. But if our Lord had in- 
tended to convey this meaning, he would doubtless 
have said 7 Apyy, or ὁ ἄρχων, and not τὴν apynv, in the 
accusative case. This mode of reading appears to 
have been followed by the Vulgate, some copies of 
the Jtala, and some of the fathers ; but this construc- 
tion can never be reconciled to the Greek text. Oth- 
ers take τὴν ἀρχὴν as an adverb, in which sense it is 
repeatedly used by the best Greek writers ; and, con- 
necting the 25th with the 26th verse, they translate 
thus: I have indeed, as J assure you, many things 
to say of you, and to condemn in you. See Wake- 
field. Raphelius takes up the words nearly in the 
same way, and defends his mode of exposition with 
much critical learning; and to him I refer the reader. 
T have given it that meaning which I thought the most 
simple and plain, should any departure from our own 
version be thought necessary: both convey a good 
and consistent sense. 

Verse 26. I have many things to say and to judge 

{5 Ὁ 


Many of the Jews 


A.M. 4a © I speak to the world those things 
An, Olymp. which I have heard of him. 

27 They understood not that he 
spake to them of the Father. 

28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye 
have ° lifted up the Son of man, “then shall 
ye know that I am he, and ° that I do nothing 
of myself; but fas my Father hath taught 
me, I speak these things. 

29 And £ he that sent me is with me: δ the 
Father hath not left me alone; ἷ for I do always 
those things that please him. 

30 As he spake these words, * many believed 
on him, 


Ὁ Chap. iii. 32; xv. 15. © Chap. iii. 14; xii. 32. 4 Rom. 
i. 4. © Chap. v. 19, 30. € Chap. iil. 11. & Chap. xiv. 10, 
11.——* Ver. 16.—— Chap. iv. 34; v. 30; vi. 38. 


of you] Or, to speak and to condemn, ὅς. I could 
speedily expose all your iniquities—your pride and 
ambition, your hypocrisy and irreligion, your hatred to 
the light, and your malice against the truth, together 
with the present obstinate unbelief of your hearts, and 
show that these are the reasons why I say you will 
die in your sins; but these will appear in their true 
light: when, after you have crucified me, the judg- 
ments of God shall descend upon and consume you. 

He that sent me is true] Whatever he hath spoken 
of you by the prophets shall surely come to pass; his 
word cannot fail. 

Verse 28. When ye have lifted up] When ye have 
crucified me, and thus filled up the measure of your 
iniquities, ye shall know that I am the Christ, by the 
signs that shall follow; and ye shall know that what I 
spoke is true, by the judgments that shall follow. To 
be lifted up, is ἃ common mode of expression, among 
the Jewish writers, for 10 die, or to be killed. 

Verse 29. The Father hath not left me alone] 
Though ye shall have power to put me to death, yet 
this shall not be because he hath abandoned me. No 
—he is ever with me, because I do that which pleaseth 
him ; and it is his pleasure that I should lay down my 
life for the salvation of the world. Does not our Lord 
allude to the following scriptures '—Sacrifice and of- 
fering thou didst not desire ; my ears hast thou open- 
ed: (or, a body hast thou prepared me: Heb. x. 5 :) 
then said I, Lo, I come: this is written in the volume 
of the book concerning me. JI delight to do thy will, 
O my God! Thy law is in my heart. Psa. xl. 6, 7, 8. 

Verse 30. As he spake these words, many believed 
on him.] The same sun that hardens the clay softens 
the wax. This discourse, which proved the savour of 
death unto death to the obstinate Pharisees, became the 
savour of life unto life to many of the simple-hearted 
people. 

Verse 31. If ye continue in my word} Or, in this 
doctrine of mine. It is not enough to receive God's 
truth—we must retain and walk in it. And it is only 
when we receive the truth, love it, keep it, and walk 
in it, that we are the genuine disciples of Christ. 

1 


CHAP. VIL. 


believe in Jesus. 


31 Ἵ Then said Jesus to those 4,™. 4033. 
Jews which believed on him, If ye An, Olymp 
continue in my word, then are ye ———— 
my disciples indeed ; 

32 And ye shall know the truth, and ' the 
truth shall make you free. 

33 Ἵ They answered him, ™ We be Abra- 
ham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any 
man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free ? 

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, * Whosoever committeth sin is 
the servant of sin. 

35 And ° the servant abideth not in the house 
for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 


k Chap. vii. 31; x. 42; xi. 45. 1Rom, vi. 14, 18, 22; vill. 
2; James i. 25; ii. 12. m Lev. xxv. 42; Matt. 111.9; ver. 39, 
» Rom. vi. 16, 20; 2 Pet. ii. 19——® Gal. iv. 30. 


Verse 32. Ye shall know the truth] Shall have a 
constant experimental knowledge of its power and 
efficacy. 

And the truth shall make you free.) It was amaxim 
of the Jews, ‘ That no man was free, but he who ex- 
ercised himself in the meditation of the law.” Ne 
man is truly free, but he in whose heart the power of 
sin is destroyed, and who has received the Spirit of 
adoption, through which he cries, Abba! Father! See 
Rom. viii. 15. The bondage of sin is the most 
grievous bondage; and freedom from its guilt and 
influence is the greatest liberty. 

Verse 33. They answered] That is, the other Jews 
who had not believed—the carping, cavilling Pharisees 
already mentioned ; for the words cannot be spoken of 
the simple people who had already believed. See 
ver. 30. 

Were never in bondage to any man] This assertion 
was not only false, but it was ridiculous in the extreme ; 
seeing their whole history, sacred and profane, is full 
of recitals of their servitude in egypt, in Chaldea, un- 
der the Persians, under the Macedonians, and under 
the Romans. But those who are not under the influ- 
ence of the truth of God will speak and act according 
to the influence of the spirit of falsehood and error. If 
the words are to be restrained to themselves alone, they 
may be understood thus: We are Abraham’s seed ; 
and we were never in bondage. Both these propositions 
had a faint shadow of truth. 

Verse 34. Whosoever committeth sin τς the servant 
of sin.] Or, δουλος ἐστι, &e., is the slave of sin. 'This 
was the slavery of which Christ spoke ; and deliverance 
from it, was the liberty which he promised. 

Verse 35. And the servant abideth not in the house] 
Or, rather, Now the slave abideth not im the family. 
Asif Jesus had said: And now that Τ am speaking 
of a slave, I will add one thing more, viz. a slave has 
no right to any part of the inheritance in the family to 
which he belongs ; but the son, the Jegitimate son, has 
a right. He can make any servant of the family free, 
though no slave can. He ean divide or bestow the 

inheritance as he pleases. Our Lord seems here to 
579 


ΠΡ the Jews were of God, 
A.M. 4083. 36 PIf the Son therefore shall 
An. Olymp. make you free, ye shall be free 


CCIL. 1. . 
a. indeed. 


37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed ; but 

ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no 
place in you. 

38 ΤΊ speak that which I have seen with 
my Father: and ye do that which ye have 
seen with your father. 

39 They answered and said unto him, 
5 Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto 
them, t If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would 
do the works of Abraham. 


ST. JOHN. 


they would love Chrise 


40 » But now ye seek to kill me, 4, Μ΄, 4033. 


a man that hath told you the truth, An. Olymp. 
τ which T have heard of God : this en 
did not Abraham. 

41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then 
said they to him, We be not born of fornica- 
tion; “ we have one Father, even God. 

42 Jesus said unto them, * If God were your 
Father, ye would love me: ¥ for I proceeded 
forth and came from God ; 5 neither came I of 
myself, but he sent me. 

43 * Why do ye not understand my speech ? 
even because ye cannot hear my word. 


P Rom. viii. 2; Galatians v. 1—a9 Chap. vii. 19; verse 40. 
τ Chap. ili. 32; v. 19, 30; xiv. 10, 24——* Matt. iii. 9; ver. 33. 
t Rom. ii. 28; ix. 7; Gal. 1. 7, 29. 


u Ver. 37. v Ver. 26. w Isa. Ixiii. 16; Ixiv. 8; Mal. i. 6. 
x1 John ν. 1. ¥ Chap. xvi. 27; xvii. 8, 25. τ Chap. v. 43; 
vii. 28, 29.—— Chap. vii. 17. 


refer to the sending away of Ishmael, mentioned, Gen. 
xxi. 10-14. Only those who are genuine children can 
inherit the estate. If sons, then heirs: heirs of God, 
and joint heirs with Christ: Gal. iv. 21-31; Rom. 
vill. 17; and see Bishop Pearce’s Paraphrase. 

Verse 37. My word hath no place in you.] Or, this 
doctrine of mine hath no place in you. Ye hear the 
truths of God, but ye do not heed thein; the word of 
life has no influence over you; and how can it, when 
you seek to kill me because I proclaim this truth to you? 

It is a dismal omen when a person is regardless of 
the truth of God: it is more so to be provoked against 
it: but to persecute and endeavour to destroy those 
who preach it is the last degree of perverseness and 
obduracy. The word of God requires a heart which 
is empty. A heart filled with earthly projects, carnal 
interests, ambition, thoughts of raising a fortune, and 
with the love of the superfluities and pleasures of life, 
is not fit to receive the seed of the kingdom. Whena 
man shuts his heart against it by his passions, he at the 
same time opens it to all sorts of crimes. QursNen. 

From what is here said, it is manifest, says Dr. 
Lightfoot, that the whole tendency of our Saviour’s 
discourse is to show the Jews, that they are the seed 
of that serpent which was to bruise the heel of the 
Messiah : else what could that mean, ver. 44: Ye are 
of your father the devil, i.e. ye are the seed of the 
serpent. 

Verse 38. I speak that which I have seen] I speak 
nothing but that unchangeable, eternal truth which I 
have received from the bosom of God. 

Ye do that which ye have seen] Instead of ἑωρακατε, 
ye have seen, I think we should read nKovcarte, ye have 
heard, on the authority of BCKL, fifteen others ; 
Coptic, Aithiopic, Armenian, later Syriac in the mar- 
gin, Gothic, one copy of the Itala; Origen, Cyril, and 
Chrysostom. This reading, says Bishop Pearce, (who 
has adopted it,) seems preferable to the other, because 
it could not be said, with the same propriety, that the 
Jews had seen any thing with their father the devil, as 
it could that Jesus had seen with his. 

Jesus saw the Father, for he was the Worp that 
was with God from eternity. The Jews did not see, 
they only felt and heard, their father the devil. It is 

580 


the interest of Satan to keep himself out of sight, and 
to work in the dark. 

Verse 39. If ye were Abraham’s children] Gries- 
bach reads ece, ye are, instead of ητε, ye were, on the 
authority of BDL, Vulgate, four copies of the Itala ; 
Origen and Augustin. 

Ye would do the works of Abraham.| As the son 
has the nature of his father in him, and naturally imi- 
tates him, so, if ye were the children of Abraham, ye 
would imitate him in his faith, obedience, and upright- 
ness; but this ye do not, for ye seek to kill me—ye 
are watching for an opportunity to destroy me, merely 
because 1 tell you the truth: Abraham never did any 
thing like this; therefore, you have no spiritual rela- 
tionship to him. 

Verse 41. Ye do the deeds of your father.]| You 
have certainly another father than Abraham—one who 
has instilled his own malignant nature into you; and, 
as ye seek to murder me for telling you the truth, ye 
must be the offspring of him who was a murderer from 
the beginning, and stood not in the truth, ver. 44. 

We be not born of fornication} We are not a 
mixed, spurious breed—our tribes and families have 
been kept distinct-—we are descended from Abraham 
by his legal wife Sarah; and we are no idolaters. 

We have one Father, even God.] In the spiritual 
sense of father and son, we are not a spurious, that is, 
an idolatrous race; because we acknowledge none as 
our spiritual father, and worship none as such, but the 
true God. See Bishop Pearce. 

Verse 42. If God were your Father, ye would 
love me] I came from God, and it would be absurd 
to suppose that you would persecute me if you were 
under the influence of God. The children of the same 
father should not murder each other. 

Verse 43. Why do ye not understand my speech 3) 
Την λαλιαν τὴν sunv, This my mode of speaking— 
when illustrating spiritual by natural things: Aa/va re- 
fers to the manner of speaking ; Aoyoc, to the matter 
or subject on which he spoke. For λαλίαν, the Codex 
Beze had originally αληθειαν : why do ye not acknow- 
ledge this TRUTH of mine? A few other MSS. agree 
in this reading. 

Because ye cannot hear my word.] That is, ye 

ι 


The Jews proved to be the 


A.M. 4033. ΔΑ »Ye are of your father the 
An. Olymp. devil, and the lusts of your father 
—— yewill do. He was a murderer 
from the beginning, and ° abode not in the 
truth, because there is no truth in him. When 
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for 
he is a liar, and the father of it. 

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye be- 
lieve me not. 


> Matt. xiii. 38; 1 John iii. 8. © Jude 6. 


cannot bear my doctrine: it comes too close to you ; 
it searches your hearts, detects your hypocrisy, and 
exposes your iniquitous intentions and designs ; and as 
ye are determined not to leave your sins, so ye are 
purposed not to hear my doctrine. 

Verse 44. Ye are of your father the devil] Ye 
are the seed of the old serpent. See on ver. 37. 

The lusts of your father] Like father like son. 
What Satan desires, ye desire ; because ye are filled 
with his nature. Awful state of unregenerate men! 
They have the nearest alliance to Satan ; they partake 
of his nature, and have in them the same principles 
and propensities which characterize the very nature 
and essence of the devil! Reader, canst thou rest in 
this state? Apply to God, through Christ, that thou 
mayest be born again. 

He was a murderer from the beginning] It was 
through him that Adam transgressed ; in consequence 
of which death entered into the world, and slew him 
and all his posterity. This was the sentiment of the 
Jews themselves. In Sohar Kadash, the wicked are 
called, “ The cl.ildren of the old serpent, who slew 
Adam and all his descendants.” See Schoettgen. 

Abode not in the truth] He stood not in the truth— 
was once in a state of glorious felicity, but fell from 
it; and, being deprived of all good himself, he could 
not endure that others should enjoy any; therefore 
by his lies he deceived Eve, and brought her, her 
husband, and, through them, their posterity, into his 
own condemnation. 

He speaketh of his own] Ex τῶν ἐδιων λαλει, He 
speaketh of his own offspring, or, from his own dis- 
position, for he is the father and fountain of all error 
and falsity ; and all who are deceived by him, and par- 
take of-his disposition, falsity and cruelly, are his off- 
spring, for he is a liar, and the father of it—kac ὁ 
πατὴρ avrov—literally, his father also. There is con- 
siderable difficulty in this verse. The Cainites, and 
the Archontites, mentioned by Epiphanius, read it thus: 
“Ye are the children of your father the devil, because 
he is a liar, and his father was a liar. He was a 
man-slayer, and he did not remain in the truth. When 
he speaketh, he speaketh a lie of his own, (progenitors 
understood,) because his father also was a liar.” The 
consequences which the above heretics drew from this 
verse were the following. They said that the father 
of the Jews was a demon; that he also had a demon 
for his father; and that he had a demon for his father, 
ἄς. The Archontites maintained that Cain had a de- 
mon for his father, the spirit which our Lord speaks 

1 


CHAP. VIII. 


children of the wicked one 


: : A. M, 4033 
46 Which of you convinceth me Αἰ δ 1038 


of sin? And if I say the truth, An. Olymp. 
why do ye not believe me ? ite 

47 ὁ He that is of God heareth God’s words : 
ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not 
of God. 

48 9 Then answered the Jews, and said 
unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Sa 
maritan, and ° hast a devil ? 


4 Chap. x. 26, 27; 1 John iv. 6. ¢ Ch. vii. 20; x. 20; ver. 52. 


of here; and that the Jews proceeded from the race 
of Cain. 

Grotius, supposing that the devil who tempted Eve 
was not the prince of devils, but rather a subordinate 
one, seems to think he may be understood here, he is a 
liar, and his father also, which is the literal translation 
of the latter clause of the text, ὡς καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτου, 
as it has been read by many of the primitive fathers. 

Mr. Wakefield, by changing το, before ψευδος, into 
τις, gives the text the following translation :—‘ The 
devil is your father, and ye willingly perform the lusts 
of your father. He was a man-slayer from the first, 
and continued not in the truth, because there is no 
truth in him. When any one speaketh a lie, he speak 
eth according to his own kindred: for his father also 
is a liar.” Our own translation, that refers πατὴρ 
αὐτου to wWevdoc, a lie, and not to Ψψευςῆς, a liar, is pro- 
bably the most correct. 

Verse 46. Which of you convinceth me of sin?] 
Do you pretend to reject the traths which I announce, 
because my life does not correspond to the doctrines 
I have taught? But can any of you prove me guilty 
of any fault? You have maliciously watched all my 
steps; have you seen the smallest matter to reprove, 
in any part of my conduct? 

But it is probable that duapria, sin, is put here in 
opposition to αληθεία, truth, in the same verse, and 
then it should be rendered falsehood. The very best 
Greek writers use the word in the same sense: this, 
Kypxke proves by quotations from Polybius, Lucian, 
Dionysius Halicarnassensis, Plutarch, Thucydides, and 
Hippocrates. Rapuetivs adds a pertinent quotation 
from Herodotus, and shows that the purest Latin writers 
have used the word peccatum, sin, in the sense of error 
or falsehood. See the note on Gen. xiii. 13. 

Verse 47. He that is of God] Meaning probably 
himself: he who came from God, or was born of God— 
heareth the words of God—has the constant inspiration 
of his Spirit, speaks nothing but truth, and cannot pos- 
sibly err. 

Verse 48. Thou art a Samaritan] This was the 
same, among them, as heretic, or schismatic, among us. 
This is the only time in which the Jews gave our 
Lord this title of reproach ; and they probably ground- 
ed it on his having preached among them, and lodged 
in their villages. See the account in chap. iv. ; but 
Samaritan, among them, meant a person unworthy of 
any credit. 

Hast a devil?} Art possessed by an evil spirit; 
and art, in consequence, deranged. 

581 


Abraham rejoiced to see 


A.M. 4033. 49 Jesus answered, I have not a 


An. Qiyme. devil; but I honour my Father, 
__ and ye do dishonour me. 

50 And ‘I seek not mine own glory: there 
is one that seeketh and judgeth. 

51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, 5 Ifa man 
keep my saying, he shall never see death. 

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we 
know that thou hast a devil. ὃ Abraham is 
dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a 
man keep my saying, he shall never taste of 
«Θ»ήῆς 

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, 
which is dead? and the prophets are dead: 
whom makest thou thyself? 

54 Jesus answered, ‘ If] honour myself, my 
honour is nothing: * it is my Father that hon- 


f Chap. v. 41; vii. 18.——s Chap. v. 24; xi. 26— Zech. 1. 
5; Hebrews xi. 13.——i Chap. v. 31—— Chap. v. 41; xvi. 14; 
xvii. 1; Acts iii. 13. 


Verse 49. J have not a devil] The first part of 
the charge was too futile: if taken literally, it was 
both absurd and impossible; they did not believe it 
themselves, and therefore our Lord does not stop a 
moment to refute it; but he answers to the second 
with the utmost meekness and conclusiveness : I ho- 
nour God. This is what no demon can do, nor any 
man who is under such influence. 

Verse 50. I seek got mine own glory} Another 
proof that I am not influenced by any spirit but that 
which proceeds from God. But there is one that seek- 
eth—i. e. my glory—and judgeth—will punish you 
for your determined obstinacy and iniquity. 

Verse 51. Shall never see death.| As Moses pro- 
mised a long life, with abundance of temporal bless- 
ings, to those who should keep his statutes and ordi- 
nances, so he who keeps my doctrine shall not only 
have a long life, but shall never see death—he shall 
never come under the power of the death of the soul, 
but shall live eternally with me in glory. 

Verse 54. Your God] Many MSS. and most of 
the versions read 70», our, instead of ὕμων. The va- 
riation is of very little consequence. They called 
God their God, while enemies to him both in their 
spirit and conduct. 

Verse 56. Abraham rejoiced to see my day] Or, 
he earnestly desired to see my day ; ηγαλλιασατο, from 
ayay, very much, and ἅλλομαι, I leap—his soul leaped 
forward in earnest hope and strong expectation that he 
might see the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The meta- 
phor appears to be taken from a person who, desiring 
to see a long-expected friend who is coming, runs for- 
ward, now and then jumping up to see if he can dis- 
cover him. There is a saying very like this in Sohar 
Numer. fol. 61: “Abraham rejoiced because he could 
know, and perceive, and cleave to the Divine NAME.” 
The Divine name is 7) Yehovah; and by this they 
simply mean God himself. 

And he saw it] Not only in the first premise. Gen. 

582. 


ST. JOHN. 


the day of Christ 


oureth me; of whom ye say, that Αι ΝΜ 4033. 
he is your God: An. Olymp. 

55 Yet ye have not known him; Rereree 
but I know him: and if I should say, 1 know 
him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I 
know him, and keep his saying 

56 Your father Abraham ™ rejoiced to see 
my day : 5 and he saw zt, and was glad. 

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art 
not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen 
Abraham ? 

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, Before Abraham was, 5 1 am. 

59 | Then ? took they up stones to cast at 
him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of 
the temple, 4 going through the midst of them, 
and so passed by. 

1 Chap. vii. 28, 29.—m™ Luke x. 24. «Hebrews xi. 13 


° Exod. iii. 14; Isa. xlii. 13; chap. xvii. 5,24; Col.i.17; Rev 
1. 8.—P Chap. x. 31, 39; xi. 8. 4 Luke iv. 30. 


iii. 15, for the other patriarchs saw this as well as he; 
and not only in that promise which was made particu- 
larly to himself, Gen. xii. 7; xxii. 18, (compared with 
Gal. iii. 16,) that the Messiah should spring from his 
family ; but he saw this day especially when Jehovah 
appeared to him in a human form, Gen. xviii. 2, 17, 
which many suppose to have been a manifestation of 
the Lord Jesus. 

Verse 57. Thou art not yet fifty years old] Some 
MSS. read forty. The age of our blessed Lord has 
never been properly determined. Some of the primi- 
tive fathers believed that he was fifty years old when 
he was crucified; but their foundation, which is no 
other than these words of the Jews, is but a very un- 
certain one. Calmet thinks that our Lord was at this 
time about thirty-four years and ten months old, and 
that he was crucified about the middle of his thirty- 
sixth year; and asserts that the vulgar era is three 
years too late. On the other hand, some allow him 
to have been but thirty-one years old, and that his 
ministry had lasted but one year. Many opinions on 
this subject, which are scarcely worthy of being copied, 
may be found in Calmet. 

Verse 58. Before Abraham was, I am.| The fol- 
lowing is a literal translation of Calmet’s note on this 
passage :—“I am from all eternity. I have existed 
before all ages. You consider in me only the person 
who speaks to you, and who has appeared to you 
within a particular time. But besides this human 
nature, which ye think ye know, there is in me a 
Divine and eternal nature. Both, united, subsist to- 
gether in my person. Abraham knew how to distin- 
guish them. He adored me as his God; and desired 
me as his Saviour. He has seen me in my eternity, 
and he predicted my coming into the world.” 

On the same verse Bishop Pearce speaks as fol- 
lows :—“ What Jesus here says relates (I think) to 
his existence antecedent to Abraham’s days, and not 
to his having been the Christ appointed and foretold 

1 


Observations on 


CHAP. Ix. 


the preceding chapter 


hefore that time; for, if Jesus had meant this, the | hand, had he acquitted the woman, he might have been 
answer I apprehend would not have been a pertinent | considered, not only as setting aside the law of Moses, 


one. 
the Christ ; but if he had not had an existence before 
Abraham’s days, neither could he have seen Abraham, 
(as, according to our English translation, the Jews 
suppose him to have said,) nor could Abraham have 
seen him, as I suppose the Jews understood him to 
have said in the preceding verse, to which words of 
the Jews the words of Jesus here are intended as an 
answer.” 

Verse 59. Then took they up stones, &c.] It ap- 
pears that the Jews understood him as asserting his 
Godhead ; and, supposing him to be a blasphemer, 
they proceeded to stone him, according to the law: 
Lev. xxiv. 16. 

But Jesus hid himself In all probability he ren- 
dered himself invisidle—though some will have it that 
he conveyed himself away from those Jews who were 
his enemies, by mixing himself with the many who 
believed on him, (ver. 30, 31,) and who, we may sup- 
pose, favoured his escape. Pearce. 

But where did they find the stones, Christ and they 
yeing in the temple? It is answered: Ist. It is pro- 
bable, as the buildings of the temple had not been yet 
completed, there might have been many stones near 
the place ; or, 2dly. They might have gone out to the 
outer courts for them; and, before their return, our 
Lord had escaped. See Lightfoot and Calmet. 

Going through the midst of them, and so passed by.) 
These words are wanting in the Codex Bezae, and in 
several editions and versions. Erasmus, Grotius, 
Beza, Pearce, and Griesbach, think them not genuine. 
The latter has left them out of the text. But, not- 
withstanding ~vhat these critics have said, the words 
seem necessary to explain the manner of our Lord’s 
escape. Ist. He hid himself, by becoming invisible ; 
and then, 2dly. He passed through the midst of them, 
and thus got clear away from the place. See a simi- 
lar escape mentioned, Luke iv. 30, and the note there. 


Tue subjects of this chapter are both uncommon 
and of vast importance. 

1. The case of the woman taken in adultery, when 
properly and candidly considered, is both intelligible 
and edifying. It is likely that the accusation was 
well founded; and that the scribes and Pharisees 
endeavoured maliciously to serve themselves of the 
fact, to embroil our Lord with the civil power, or 
ruin his moral reputation. Our Lord was no magis- 
trate, and therefore could not, with any propriety, 
give judgment in the case; had he done it, it must 
have been considered an invasion of the rights and 
office of the civil magistrate, and would have afforded 
them ground for a process against him. On the other 


He might have been appointed and foretold for | but as being indulgent to a crime of great moral tur- 


pitude, and the report of this must have ruined his 
moral character. He disappointed this malice by re- 
fusing to enter into the case; and overwhelmed his 
adversaries with confusion, by unmasking their hearts, 
and pointing out their private abominations. It is 
generally supposed that our Lord acquitted the wo- 
man: this is incorrect; he neither acguilied nor con- 
demned her: he did not enter at all juridically into the 
business. His saying, Neither do I condemn thee, 
was no more than a simple declaration that he would 
not concern himself with the matter—that being the 
office of the chief magistrate ; but, as a preacher of 
righteousness, he exhorted her to abandon her evil 
practices, lest the punishment, which she was now 
likely to escape, should be inflicted on her for a repe- 
tition of her transgression. 

2. In several places in this chapter, our Lord shows 
his intimate union with the Father, both in will, doc- 
trine, and deed ; and though he neyer speaks so as to 
confound the persons, yet he evidently shows that such 
was the indivisible unity, subsisting between the Father 
and the Son, that what the one witnessed, the other 
witnessed ; what the one did, the other did; and that 
he who saw the one necessarily saw the other. 

3. The original state of Satan is here pointed out 
—he abode not in the truth, ver. 44. Therefore he 
was once in the truth, in righteousness and true holi- 
ness—and he fell from that truth into sin and false- 
hood, so that he became the father of lies and the first 
murderer. Our Lord confirms here the Mosaic ac- 
count of the fall of man, and shows that this fall was 
brought about by his lies, and that these lies issued in the 
murder or destruction both of the body and soul of man. 

4. The patience and meekness exercised by our 
Lord, towards his most fell and unrelenting enemies, 
are worthy the especial regard of all those who are 
persecuted for righteousness.—When he was reviled, 
he reviled not again. As the searcher of hearts, he 
simply declared their state, ver. 44, in order to their 
conviction and conversion: not to have done so, would 
have been to betray their souls. In this part of his 
conduct we find two grand virtues united, which are 
rarely associated in man, MEEKNEss and FIDELITY— 
patience to bear all insults and personal injuries; and 
boldness, in the face of persecution and death, to de- 
clare the truth. The meek man generally leaves the 
sinner unreproved : the bold and zealous man often 
betrays a want of due self-management, and reproves 
sin in a spirit which prevents the reproof from reach- 
ing the heart. In this respect also, our blessed Lord 
has left us an example, that we should follow his steps. 
Let him that readeth understand. 


CHAPTER IX. 
Account of the man who was born blind, 1-5. Christ heals him, 6,7. The man τς questioned by his neigh- 


bours, 8-12. 


He is brought to the Pharisees, who question him, 13-17, and then his parents, 18-23. 


They again interrogate the man, who, vindicating the conduct of Christ, is excommunicated by them, 24— 
34. Jesus, hearing of the conduct of the Pharisees, afterwards finds the man, and reveals himself to 


him, 35-38. 
1 


He passes sentence on the obduracy and blindness of the Pharisees, 39-41. 


583 


The account of the man 


A.M 4033. A ND as Jesus passed by, he saw 
ermine a man which * was blind from 


2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Mas- 


4 Acts ili. 2. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IX. 

Verse 1. And as Jesus passed by] This chapter 
is a continuation of the preceding, and therefore the 
word Jesus is not inthe Greek text: it begins simply 
thus—And passing along, καὶ παράγων, ὅς. Having 
left the temple, where the Jews were going to stone 
him, (chap. viii. 59,) it is probable our Lord went, 
according to his custom, to the mount of Olives. The 
next day, which was the Sabbath, ver. 14, he met a 
man who had been born blind, sitting in some public 
place, and asking alms from those who passed by, 
verse 8. 

Verse 2. Who did sin, this man, or his parents] 
The doctrine of the transmigration of souls appears to 
have been an article in the creed of the Pharisees, 
and it was pretty general both among the Greeks and 
the Asiatics. The Pythagoreans believed the souls 
of men were sent into other bodies for the punishment 
of some sin which they had committed in a pre- 
existent state. This seems to have been the founda- 
tion of the disciples’ question to our Lord. Did this 
man sin in a pre-ewistent state, that he is punished in 
this body with blindness? Or, did his parents commit 
some sin, for which they are thus plagued in their 
offspring ? 

Most of the Asiatic nations have believed in the 
doctrine of transmigration. The Hindoos still hold it ; 
and profess to tell precisely the sin which the person 
committed in another body, by the afflictions which he 
endures in this: they profess also to tell the cures for 
these. For instance, they say the headache is a 
punishment for having, in a former state, spoken irre- 
verently to father or mother. Madness is a punish- 
ment for naving been disobedient to father or mother, 
or to one’s spiritual guide. The epilepsy is a punish- 
ment for having, in a former state, administered poison 
to any one at the command of his master. Pain in 
the eyes is a punishment for having, in another body, 
coveted another man’s wife. Blindness is a punish- 
ment for having filed his mother: but this person 
they say, before his new dirth, will suffer many years’ 
torment in hell. See many curious particulars relative 
to this in the Aveen Axsery, vol. iii. p. 168-175; 
and in the Institutes of Menu, chap. xi. Inst. 48-53. 

The Jewish rabbins have had the same belief from 
the very remotest antiquity. Origen cites an apocry- 
phal book of the Hebrews, in which the patriarch 
Jacob is made to speak thus: 7 am an angel of God ; 
one of the first order of spirits. Men call me Jacob, 
hut my true name, which God has given me, is Israel : 
Orat. Joseph. apud Or1e. Many of the Jewish doc- 
tors have believed that the souls of Adam, Abraham, 
and Phineas, have successively animated the great 
men of their nation. Philo says that the air 1s full 
of spirits, and that some, through their natural pro- 
nensily, join themselves to bodies; and that others 

584 


ST. JOHN. 


why was born blind 


ter, » who did sin, this man or his 4,™, 4033 
parents, that he was born blind ? 

3 Jesus answered, Neither hath 
this man sinned, nor his parents : © but that the 


> Ver. 34. © Chap. xi. 4. 

have an aversion from such a union. See several 
other things relative to this point in his treatises, De 
Plant. Noe—De Gigantibus—De Confus. Ling.— 
De Somniis, &c.; and see Calmet, where he is 
pretty largely quoted. 

The Hindoos believe that the most of their misfor- 
tunes arise out of the sins of a former birth; and, in 
moments of grief not unfrequently break out into excla- 
mations like the following :—‘ Ah! in a former birth 
how many sins must I have committed, that 1 am thus 
afflicted!” “Iam now suffering for the sins of a 
former birth ; and the sins that I am now committing 
are to fill me with misery in a following birth. There 
is no end to my sufferings !” 

Josephus, Ant. Ὁ. xviii. c. 1, s. 3, and War, b. ii. 
6. 8, 5. 14, gives an account of the doctrine of the 
Pharisees on this subject. He intimates that the 
souls of those only who were pious were permitted to 
reanimate human bodies, and this was rather by way 
of reward than punishment ; and that the souls of the 
vicious are put into eternal prisons, where they are 
continually tormented, and out of which they can never 
escape. But it is very likely that Josephus has not 
told the whole truth here; and that the doctrine of 
the Pharisees on this subject was nearly the same with 
that of the Papists on purgatory. Those who are 
very wicked go irrecoverably to hell; but those who 
are not so have the privilege of expiating their venia 
sins in purgatory. Thus, probably, is the Pharisean 
doctrine of the transmigration to be understood 
Those who were comparatively pious went into other 
bodies, for the expiation of any remaining guilt which 
had not been removed previously to a sudden or pre- 
mature death, after which they were fully prepared 
for paradise ; but others who had been incorrigibly 
wicked were sent at once into hell, without ever being 
offered the privilege of amendment, or escape. For 
the reasons which may be collected above, much as I 
reverence Bishop Pearce, I cannot agree with his 
note on this passage, where he says that the words of 
the disciples should be thus understood :—Who did 
sin? This man, that he zs blind? or his parents, that 
he was born sot He thinks it probable that the dis 
ciples did not know that the man was born blind: if 
he was, then it was for some sin of his parents—if he 
was not born so, then this blindness came unto him as 
a punishment for some crime of Ais own. It may bo 
just necessary to say, that some of the rabbins believed 
that it was possible for an infant to sin in the 
womb, and to be punished with some bodily infirmity 
in consequence. See several examples in Lightfoot 
on this pleve. 

Verse 3. Neither hath this man sinned, nor hrs 
parents| That is, the blindness of this person is not 
occasioned by any sin of his own, nor of his parents, 
but has happened in the ordinary course of Divine 

1 


Jesus makes clay, and anoints 


A. M. 4033. works of God should be made mani- 
A. D.29. = 
An, Olymp. fest in him. 
Coll 4 4T must work the works of him 
that sent me, while it is day: the night com- 
eth when no man can work. 

5 As long as I am in the world, 5 I am the 
light of the world. 

6 When he had thus spoken, ‘he spat on 
the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and 


4 Chap. iv. 34; v.19, 36; xi. 9; xii. 35; xvii. 4. © Chap. i. 
5, 9; itl. 19; viii. 12; xii. 35, 46——l Mark vii. 33; viii. 23. 


providence, and shall now become the instrument of 
salvation to his soul, edification to others, and glory 
to Gop. Many of the Jews thought that marks on 
the body were proofs of sin in the soul. From a like 
persuasion, probably, arose that proverb among our 
northern neighbours—Mark him whom God marks. 

Verse 4. While it is day] Though I plainly per- 
ceive that the cure of this man will draw down upon 
me the malice of the Jewish rulers, yet I must accom- 
plish the work for which I came into the world while 
it is day—while the term of this life of mine shall 
last. It was about six months after this that our 
Lord was crucified. It is very likely that the day was 
now declining, and night coming on; and he took occa- 
sion from this circumstance to introduce the elegant 
metaphor immediately following. By this we are 
taught that no opportunity for doing good should be 
omitted—pay representing the opportunily : NIGHT, 
the loss of that opportunity. 

Verse 5. I am the light of the world.| Like the 
sun, it is my business to dispense light and heat every 
where ; and to neglect no opportunity that may offer 
to enlighten and save the bodies and souls of men. 
See chap. viii. 12. 

Verse 6. Anointed the eyes of the blind man] It 
would be difficult to find out the reason which induced 
our Lord to act thus. It is certain, this procedure 
can never be supposed to have been any likely medical 
means to restore sight to a man who was born blind ; 
this action, therefore, had no tendency to assist the 
miracle. If his eye-lids had been only so gummed 
together that they needed nothing but to be suppled 
and well washed, it is not likely that this could possi- 
bly have been omitted from his birth until now. The 
Jews believed that there was some virtue in spittle to 
cure the diseases of the eye; but then they always 
accompanied this with some charm. Our Lord might 
make clay with the spittle to show that no charms 
or spells were used, and to draw their attention more 
particularly to the miracle which he was about to 
work. Perhaps the best lesson we can learn from 
this is: That God will do his own work in his own 
way ; and, to hide pride from man, will often accom- 
plisn the most beneficial ends by means not only 
simple or despicable in themselves, but by such also as 
appear entirely contrary, in their nature and operation, 
2 the end proposed to be effected by them. 

Verse 7. Siloam] Called also Shiloah, Siloe, or 

1 


CHAP. IX. 


the eyes of the blind man 


he 5 anointed the eyes of the blind 4,033. 
man with the clay, An. Olymp 
CCILL 


7 And said unto him, Go, wash 
hin the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpre- 
tation, Sent.) + He went his way therefore, 
and washed, and came seeing. 

8 % The neighbours therefore, and they 
which before had seen him that he was blind, 
said, Is not this he that sat and begged ? 


+ Neh. iii. 


& Or, spread the clay upon the eyes of the blind man. 
15.——i See 2 Kings v. 14. 


Siloa, was a fountain under the walls of Jerusalem, 
towards the east, between the city and the brook 
Kidron. Calmet thinks that this was the same with 
En-rogel, or the fuller’s fountain, which is mentioned 
in Josh. xv. 7; xviii. 16; in 2 Sam. xvii. 17; and 
in 1 Kings i. 9. Its waters were collected in a great 
reservoir for the use of the city ; and a stream from it 
supplied the pool of Bethesda. 

By interpretation, Senr.] From the Hebrew now 
shalach, he sent: either because it was looked upon 
as a gift sent from God, for the use of the city; or 
because its waters were directed or sent by canals or 
pipes, into different quarters, for the same purpose. 
Some think there is an allusion here to Gen. xlix. 10; 
that this fountain was a ype of Shiloh, the Christ, the 
sent of God; and that it was to direct the man’s 
mind to the accomplishment of the above prophecy 
that our Lord sent him to this fountain. This sup- 
position does not appear very solid. The Turks have 
this fountain still in great veneration, and think the 
waters of it are good for diseases of the eyes. Light- 
foot says that the spring of Siloam discharged itself 
by a double stream into a twofold pool—the upper 
was called mow shiloach—the lower, Nw shelach ; 
the one signifying ἀπεσαλμενος sent, the latter, κωδίων 
fleeces ; and that our Lord marked this point so par- 
ticularly, to inform the blind man that it was not to 
Shelach, but to Shiloach, that he must go to wash his 
eyes. These two pools seem to be referred to in Isa. 
1 8} XID 

Verse 8. That he was blind] Ὅτι τυῴλος nv: but, 
instead of this, προσαιτης, when he begged, or was a 
beggar, is the reading of ABC*DKL, seven others, 
both the Syriac, both the Arabic, later Persic, Coptic, 
Ethiopic, Armenian, Sahidic, Gothic, Slavonic, Vul- 
vate, eight copies of the Jtala, and some of the primi- 
tive fathers. This is in all probability the true read- 
ing, and is received by Griesbach into the text. 

Beggars in all countries have a language peculiar 
to themselves. The language of the Jewish beggars 
was the following: 3 31 Deserve something by me 
—Give me something that God may reward you. 
yo V1 13t 13 137 O ye tender-hearted, do yourselves 
good by me. Another form, which seems to have 
been used by such as had formerly been in better cir- 
cumstances, was this: 828717972 DINON NINA ID 13 30 
Look back and see what I have been; look upon me 
now, and see what Iam. See Lightfoot. 

585 


The Pharisees cavil at the cure bi. JOHN. wrought on the blind man. 
A-M-4033. 9 Some said, This is he: others) 14 And it was the Sabbath day as gg 
eco: said, He is like him: but he said,| when Jesus made the clay, and κα iyo 


ΞΞ Wwamsjres 

10 Therefore said they unto him, How were 
thine eyes opened 2 

11 He answered and said, * A man that is 
called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine 
eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Si- 
loam, and wash: and 1 went and washed, and 
I received sight. 

12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? 
He said, I know not. 

13 Ἵ They brought to the Pharisees him 
that aforetime was blind. 


k Ver. 6, 7——! Ver. 33; chap. iii. 2 


opened his eyes. aan 

15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him 
how he had received his sight. He said unto 
them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and 1 
washed, and do see. 

16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, 
This man is not of God, because he keepeth 
not the Sabbath day. Others said, ! How can 
aman that is a sinner do such miracles ¢ And 
™ there was a division among them. 

17 They say unto the blind man again, What 
sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine 


m Chap. vii. 12, 43; x. 19. 


Verse 9. Some said, This is he] This miracle was 
not wrought in private—nor before a few persons— 
nor was it lightly credited. Those who knew him 
before were divided in their opinion concerning him : 
not whether the man who sat there begging was blind 
before—for this was known to all; nor whether the 
person now before them saw clearly—for this was 
now notorious; but whether this was the person who 
was born blind, and who used in a particular place to 
sit begging. 

Others said, He is like him] This was very natural : 
for certainly the restoration of his sight must have 
given him a very different appearance to what he had 
before. 

Verse 11. A man that is called Jesus| The whole 
of this relation is simple and artless in the highest 
degree. The blind man had never seen Jesus, but he 
had heard of his name—he felt that he had put some- 
thing on his eyes, which he afterwards found to be 
clay—but how this was made he could not tell, be- 
cause he could not see Jesus when he did it; there- 
fore he does not say, he made clay of spittle—but 
simply, he made clay, and spread it upon my eyes. 
Where a multitude of incidents must necessarily come 
into review, imposture and falsehood generally commit 
themselves, as it is termed; but, however numerous 
the circumstances may be in a relation of fact, simple 
truth is never embarrassed. 

Verse 12. Where is he?} They had designed to 
seize and deliver him up to the Sanhedrin, as a 
violater of the law, because he had done this on the 
Sabbath day. 

Verse 13. They brought to the Pharisees] These 
had the chief rule, and determined all controversies 
among the people; in every case of religion, their 
judgment was final: the people, now fully convinced 
that the man had been cured, brought him to the Pha- 
tisees, that they might determine how this was done, 
and whether it had been done legally. 

Verse 14. It was the Sabbath] Some of the ancient 
rabbins taught, and they have been followed by some 
moderns, not much better skilled in physic than them- 
selves, that the saliva is a cure for several disorders 
of the eyes; but the former held this to be contrary 

ARE 


to the law, if applied on the Sabbath. See Licut- 
Foot’s Hor. Talm. 

Verse 16. This man is not of God] He can neither 
be the Messiah, nor a prophet, for he has broken the 
Sabbath. The Jews always argued falsely on this 
principle. The law relative to the observation of the 
Sabbath never forbade any work but what was of the 
servile and unnecessary kind. Works of necessity and 
mercy never could be forbidden on that day by him 
whose name is mercy, and whose nature is love; for 
the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 
Sabbath; were it otherwise, the Sabbath wou be 
rather a curse than a blessing. 

How can a man that is a sinner, &c.] They knew 
very well that though magicians and impostors might 
do things apparently miraculous, yet nothing really 
good could be performed by them. We might have 
safely defied all the magicians in Egypt, who are said 
to have been so successful in imitating some of the 
miracles of Moses, to have opened the eyes of one 
blind man, or to have done any essential good either 
to the body or to the soul. 

And there was a division among them.] Σχισμα, a 
schism, a decided difference of opinion, which caused 
a separation of the assembly. 

Verse 17. He is a prophet.] They had intended to 
lay snares for the poor man, that, getting him to ac- 
knowledge Christ for the Messiah, they might put him 
out of the synagogue, ver. 22, or put him to death, 
that such a witness to the Divine power of Christ 
might not appear against them. But, as the mercy 
of God had given him his sight, so the wisdom of God 
taught him how to escape the snares laid for his ruin. 
On all thy glory there shall be a defence, says the 
prophet, Isa. iv. 5. When God gives any particular 
mercy or grace, he sends power to preserve it, and 
wisdom to improve it. The man said, He is a prophet. 
Now, according to a Jewish maxim, @ prophet might 
dispense with the observation of the Sabbath. See 
Grotius. If they allow that Jesus was a prophet, 
then, even in their sense, he might break the law of 
the Sabbath, and be guiltless: or, if they did not allow 
him to be a prophet, they must account for the miracle 
some other way than by the power of God; as from 

1 


The Pharisees question hun. 


A. M. 4033. ? 
ΠΡΟΣ eyes 1 


He said, "He is a prophet. 
An. Olymp. 
ccl 


18 But the Jews did not believe 
concerning him, that he had been 
blind, and received his sight, until they called 
the parents of him that had received his sight. 

19 And they asked them, saying, Is this 
your son, who ye say was born blind? how 
then doth he now sce 7 

20 His parents answered them and said, We 
know that this is our son, and that he was 
born blind : 

21 But by what means he now seeth, we 
know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we 
know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall 
speak for himself. 

22 These words spake his parents, because 
° they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed 
already, that if any man did confess that he was 
Christ, he ἡ should be put out of the synagogue. 


CHAP. IX. 


He confounds them. 


23 Therefore said his parents, He 4,™, 4033. 
is of age; ask him. An, Olymp. 

24 Then again called they the ———— 
man that was blind, and said unto him, 4 Give 
God the praise: ' we know that this man is a 
sinner. 

25 He answered and said, Whether he be a 
sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, 
that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 

26 Then said they to him again, What did 
he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? 

27 He answered them, Τ have told you 
already, and ye did not hear; wherefore 
would ye hear it again? will ye also be his 
disciples ? 

28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou 
art his disciple ; but we are Moses’ disciples. 

29 We know that God spake unto Moses : as 
for this fellow, * we know not from whence he is. 


" Chap. iv. 19; vi. 14. © Chap. vii. 13; xii. 42; xix. 38; Acts 


v. 13 


P Verse 34; chap. xvi. 2. 4 Joshua vii. 19; 1 Sam. vi. 5. 
τ Ver. 16——* Chap. viii. 14. 


Satan or his agents no good can proceed—to do this 
it was impossible. So the wisdom of God taught the 
poor man to give them such an answer as put them 
into a complete dilemma, from which they could not 
possibly extricate themselves. 

Verse 18. But the Jews did not believe] All the 
subterfuge they could use was simply to sin against 
their conscience, by asserting that the man had not 
bcen blind; but out of this subterfuge they were soon 
driven by the testimony of the parents, who, if tried 
farther on this subject, might have produced as wit- 
ness, not only the whole neighbourhood, but nearly the 
whole city : for it appears the man got his bread by 
publicly begging, ver. 8. 

That he had heen blind, and received his sight] 
This clause is omitted in some MSS., probably because 
similar words occur immediately after. There is, how- 
ever, no evidence against it, sufficient to exclude it from 
the text. 

Verse 21. He is of age] Ἡλικίαν exer, literally, he 
has siature, i. e. he is a full-grown man; and in this 
sense the phrase is used by the best Greek writers. 
See Kypke and Raphelius. Mature age was fixed 
among the Jews at thirty years. 

Verse 22. Put out of the synagogue.] That is, ex- 
communicated—separated from all religious connection 
witn those who worshipped God. This was the lesser 
kind of excommunication among the Jews and was 
termed nidui. The cherem, or anathema, was not used 
against the followers of Christ till after the resurrection. 

Verse 24. Give God the praise] Having called the 
man a second time, they proceeded to deal with him in 
the most solemn manner; and therefore they put him 
w his oath; for the words above were the form of an 
oath, proposed by the chief magistrate to those who 
were to give evidence to any particular fact, or to at- 
test any thing, as produced by or belonging to the Lord. 

1 


See Josh. vii. 19; 1 Sam. vi. 5, and Luke xvii. 18. 
But, while they solemnly put him to his oath, they 
endeavoured to put their own words in his mouth, viz. 
he is a sinner—a pretender to the prophetic character, 
and a transgressor of the law of God :—assert this, or 
you will not please us. 

Verse 25. Whereas I was blind, now I see.] He 
pays no attention to their cavils, nor to their perver- 
sion of justice; but, in the simplicity of his heart, 
speaks do the fact, of the reality of which he was 
ready to give them the most substantial evidence. 

Verse 27. I have told you already] So he did, ver. 
15. And did ye not hear? Ye certainly did. Why 
then do you wish to hear it again? Is it because ye 
wish to become his disciples? The poor man con- 
tinued steady in his testimony; and, by putting this 
question to them, he knew he should soon put an end 
to the debate. 

Verse 28. Then they reviled him] Ἑλοιδορησαν. 
Eustathius derives λοιδορία from λογος, a word, and 
dopv, a spear:—they spoke cutling, piercing words. 
Solomon talks of some who spoke like the piercings of 
a sword, Proy. xii. 18. And the psalmist speaks of 
words that are like drawn swords, Psa. lv. 21, words 
which show that the person who speaks them has his 
heart full of murderous intentions ; and that, if he had 
the same power with a sword as he has with his tongue, 
he would destroy him whom he thus reproaches. 

We are Moses’ disciples.| By this they meant that 
they were genuine Pharisees; for they did not allow 
the Sadducees to be disciples of Moses. 

Verse 29. We know not from whence he is.) As if 
they had said: We have the fullest assurance that the 
commission of Moses was Divine; but we have ne 
proof that this man has such a commission: and should 
we leave Moses, and attach ourselves to this stranger? 
No. 

587 


The man that was healed is 


30 The man answered and said 

An. Oiymnp unto them, t Why herein is a mar- 
CCiL 

vellous thing, that ye know not from 

whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine 
eyes! 

31 Now we know that "God heareth not 
sinners : but if any man be a worshipper of 
God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. 

32 Since the world began was it not heard 
that any man opened the eyes of one that was 
born blind. 

33 YIf this man were not of God, he could 
do nothing. 


A. as = 
A.D 


ST JOHN. 


cast out of the synagogue. 
M. 4033. 


34 Ἵ They answered and said 4,™ 10% 
unto him, ἡ Thou wast altogether Any Giym. 
born in sins, and dost thou teach 
us? And they * cast him out. 

35 Ἵ Jesus heard that they had cast him 
out; and when he had found him, he said unto 
him, Dost thou believe on ¥ the Son of God? 

36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, 
that I might believe on him? 

37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both 
seen him, and 7 it is he that talketh with thee. 

38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he 
worshipped him. 


t Chap. iii. 10. ἃ Job xxvii. 9; xxxv. 12; Psa. xviii. 41; 
xxxiv. 15; Ixvi. 18; Prov. i. 28; xv. 29; xxvill. 9; Isa. i. 15; 
Jer. xi. 11; xiv. 12; Ezek. viii. 18; Mic. iii. 4; Zech. vii. 13. 


Verse 30. Why herein is a marvellous thing] As if 
he had said, This is wonderful indeed! Is it possible 
that such persons as you are, whose business it is to 
distinguish good from evil, and who pretend to know 
a true from a false prophet, cannot decide in a case 
so plain? Has not the man opened my eyes? Is not 
the miracle known to all the town; and could any one 
do it who was not endued with the power of God? 

Verse 31. God heareth not sinners] I believe the 
word ἁμαρτωλων signifies heathens, or persons not pro- 
selyted to the Jewish religion; and therefore it is put 
in opposition to θεοσείβης, a worshipper of the true God. 
See the note on Luke vii. 37. But in what sense may 
it be said, following our common version, that God 
heareth not sinners? When they regard iniquity in 
their heart—when they wish to be saved, and yet abide 
in their sins—when they will not separate themselves 
from the workers and works of iniquity. In all these 
cases, God hearcth not sinners. 

Verse 32. Since the world began] Ek τοῦ αἰωνος, 
From the age—probably meaning from the cornmence- 
ment of time. Neither Moses nor the prophets have 
ever opened the eyes of a man who was born blind: 
if this person then were not the best of beings, would 
God grant him a privilege which he has _ hitherto 
denied to his choicest favourites ? 

Opened the eyes of one that was born blind.) It will 
readily appear that our Lord performed no surgical 
operation in this cure: the man was born blind, and 
he was restored to sight by the power of God; the 
simple means used could have had no effect in the 
eure ; the miracle is therefore complete. That there 
are cases, in which a person who was born blind may 
be restored to sight by surgical means, we know: but 
no such means were used by Christ: and it is worthy 
of remark that, from the foundation of the world, no 
person 4orn dlind has been restored to sight, even by 
surgical operation, till about the year of our Lord, 1728; 
when the celebrated Dr. Cheselden, by couching the 
eyes of a young man, 14 years of age, who had been 
born blind, restored him to perfect soundness. This 
was the effect of well directed surgery: that perform- 
ed by Christ was a miracle. 

Verse 33. If this man were not of God, &c.] A 

588 


v Ver. 16. w Ver. 2. 
y Matt. xiv. 33; xvi. 16; Marki. 1 
z Chap. iv. 26. 


x Or, excommunicated him, ver. 22. 
; chap. x. 36; 1 John v. 13. 


very just conclusion: God is the fountain of all good : 
all good must proceed from him, and no good can be 
done but through him ; if this person were not com- 
missioned by the good God, he could not perform such 
beneficent miracles as these. 

Verse 34. Thou wast altogether born in sins] 
Thou hast not only been a vile wretch in some other 
pre-existent state, but thy parents also have been 
grossly iniquitous; therefore thou and they are pun- 
ished by this blindness : Thou wast altogether born in 
sins—thou art no other than a sinful lump of deform- 
ity, and utterly unfit to have any cohnection with those 
who worship God. 

And they cast him out.) They immediately excom- 
municated him, as the margin properly reads—drove 
him from their assembly with disdain, and forbade his 
farther appearing in the worship of God. Thus a 
simple man, guided by the Spirit of truth, and continu- 
ing steady in his testimony, utterly confounded the 
most eminent Jewish doctors. When they had no 
longer either reason or argument to oppose to him, asa 
proof of their discomfiture and a monument of their 
reproach and shame, they had recourse to the secular 
arm, and thus silenced by political power a person 
whom they had neither reason nor religion to with- 
stand. They have had since many followers in their 
crimes. A false religion, supported by the state, has, 
by fire and sword silenced those whose truth in the 
end annihilated the system of their opponents. 

Verse 35. Dost thou believe on the Son of God 2) 
This was the same with, Dost thou believe on the 
Messiah? for these two characters were inseparable ; 
see chap. i. 34, 49; x. 36; Matt. xvi. 16; Mark i. 1. 

Verse 36. Who is he, Lord ?] It is very likely that 
the blind man did not know that it was Jesus the 
Christ who now spoke to him; for it is evident he 
had never seen him before this time; and he might 
now see him without knowing that he was the person 
by whom he was cured, till our Lord made that dis- 
covery of himself, mentioned in the following verse. 

Verse 38. And he said, Lord, I believe.| That is, 
I believe thou art the Messiah; and, to give the full 
est proof of the sincerity of his faith, he fell down 


before and adored him. Never having seen Jesus 
, 


Obduracy and blindness CHAP. X. of the Pharisees. 
A.M. 4033. 89 Ἵ And Jesus said, * For judg-| with him heard these words, ° and ee 
An. Olymp. ment I am come into this world,| said unto him, Are we blind also? An. Olymp. 


>that they which see not might see; 
and that they which see might be made blind. 
40 And some of the Pharisees which were 


@ Chap. v. 22, 27; see chap. iii. 17; xii. 47. 


before, but simply knowing that a person of that name 
had opened his eyes, he had only considered him as a 
holy man and a prophet; but now that he sees and 
hears him he is convinced of his divinity, and glorifies 
him as his Saviour. We may hear much of Jesus, 
but can never know his glories and excellencies till he 
has discovered himself to our hearts by his own Spirit ; 
then we believe on him, trust him with our souls, and 
trust in him for our salvation. The word xvpe has 
two meanings: it signifies Lord, or Sovereign Ruler, 
and Sir, a title of civil respect. In the latter sense 
it seems evidently used in the 36th verse, because the 
poor man did not then know that Jesus was the Mes- 
siah; in the former sense it is used in this verse— 
now the healed man knew the quality of his benefactor. 

Verse 39. For judgment I am come] I am come 
to manifest and execute the just judgment of God: 1. 
By giving sight to the blind, and light to the Gen- 
tiles who sit in darkness. 2. By removing the true 
light from those who, pretending to make a proper use 
of it, only abuse the mercy of God. In a word, sal- 
vation shall be taken away from the Jews, because 
they reject it; and the kingdom of God shall be given 
to the Gentiles. 

Verse 40. Are we blind also?| These Pharisees 
understood Christ as speaking of blindness in a spirit- 
ual sense, and wished to know if he considered them 
in that state. 

Verse 41. If ye were blind] If ye had not had suf- 
ficient opportunities to have acquainted yourselves with 
my Divine nature, by the unparalleled miracles which 
Thave wrought before you, and the holy doctrine which 
I have preached, then your rejecting me could not be 
imputed to you as sin; but because ye say, we see— 
we are perfectly capable of judging between a true 
and false prophet, and can from the Scriptures point 
out the Messiah by his works—on this account you 
are guilty, and your sin is of no common nature, it re- 
maineth, i. e. it shall not be expiated: as ye have 
rejected the Lord from being your deliverer, so the 
Lord has rejected you from being his people. When 
the Scripture speaks of sin remaining, it is always put 


41 Jesus said unto them, ἃ 1 ye ———— 
were blind, ye should have no sin; but now ye 
say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. 


b Matt. xiii. 13; Mark iv. 12.——¢ Rom. ii. 19.——4 Ch. xy. 22, 24. 


in opposition to pardon; for pardon is termed the 
taking away of sin, chap. i. 29; Psa. xxxii.5. And 
this is the proper import of the phrase, ἀφεσις Twp 
ἁμαρτίων, which oceurs so frequently in the sacred 
writings. 


1. Tue history of the man who was born blind and 
cured by our Lord is, in every point of view, in- 
structive. His simplicity, his courage, his constancy, 
and his gratitude are all so many subjects worthy of 
attention and emulation. He certainly confessed the 
truth at the most imminent risk of his life ; and there- 
fore, as Stephen was the first martyr for Christianity, 
this man was the first confessor. The power and 
influence of TRUTH, in supporting its friends and con- 
founding its adversaries, are well exemplified in him ; 
and not less so, that providence of God by which 
he was preserved from the malice of these bad men. 
The whole story is related with inimitable simplicity, 
and cannot be read by the most cold-hearted without 
extorting the exclamation, How forcible are right words ! 

2. It has already been remarked that, since the 
world began, there is no evidence that any man born 
blind was ever restored to sight by surgical means, 
till the days of Mr. Cheselden, who was a celebrated 
surgeon at St. Thomas’s Hospital, London. For 
though, even before the Christian era, there is 
reason to believe that both the Greek and Roman 
physicians performed operations to remove blindness 
occasioned by the cataract, yet we know of none of 
these ever attempted on the eyes of those who had 
been born blind, much less of any such persons being 
restored to sight. The cure before us must have 
been wholly miraculous—no appropriate means were 
used to effect it. What was done had rather a ten- 
dency to prevent and destroy sight than to help or 
restore it. The blindness in question was probably 
occasioned by a morbid structure of the organs of 
sight ; and our Lord, by his sovereign power, instan- 
taneously restored them to perfect soundness, without 
the intervention of any healing process. In this ease 
there could be neither deception nor collusion. 


CHAPTER X. 


Christ speaks the parable of the sheepfold, 1-6. 


revile and some vindicate our Lord, 19-21. 

dedication, 22-29. 

51. 

escapes, and retires beyond Jordan, 39, 40. 
1 


He vindicates his conduct, and appeals to his works, 32-38. 
Many resort to and believe on him there, 41, 42. 


Proclaims himself the door of the sheepfold, 7-10, and 
the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, 11-18. 
His discourse with the Jews at the temple, on the feast of 
Having asserted that he was one with the Father, the Jews atiempt to stone him, 30, 


The Jews are again divided, and some 


They strive to apprehend him; he 


589 


The parable of 


Aaa A038. VERILY, verily, I say unto you, 

«He that entereth not by the 
door into the sheepfold, but climb- 
eth up some other way, the same is a thief 
and a robber. 


An, Olymp. 
CCII. 1. 


ST. JOHN. 


the sheepfola 


2 But he that ὃ entereth in by the 4; ΝΜ 4033 
door is the shepherd of the sheep. ἀπ. Olymp. 


3 To him the porter openeth: ¢ and ΟΟΠ 1. 


the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his 
own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 


a Jer. xxiii. 21; Ezek. xxxiv. 23; Mic. ii. 12—» Psa. ex. 4; Matt. 


NOTES ON CHAP. X. 

Verse 1. Verily, verily, &c.] From ver. 6, we 
learn that this is a parable, i. e. a representation of 
heavenly things through the medium of earthly things. 
Some think our Lord delivered this discourse immedi- 
ately after that mentioned in the preceding chapter ; 
others think it was spoken not less than three months 
after. The former, says Bishop Pearce, was spoken 
at the feast of tabernacles, see chap. vii., or about the 
end of September, and this at the feast of dedication, 
orin December. See ver. 22. 

Christ, says Calmet, having declared himself to be 
the light of the world, which should blind some while 
it illuminated others, chap. ix. 41, continues his dis- 
course, and, under the similitude of a shepherd and 
his flock, shows that he was about to form his Church 
of Jews and Gentiles, and that into it he would admit 
none but those who heard his voice. The unbeliev- 
ing and presumptuous Jews, who despised his doc- 
trine, are the sheep which hear not the voice of 
the shepherd: the proud and self-sufficient Pharisees 
are those who imagine they see clearly while they 
are blind. The blind who become illuminated are the 
Gentiles and Jews who turn from their sins and believe 
in Jesus. 

The light of the world, the good shepherd, and the 
door which leads into the sheepfold, are all to be un- 
derstood as meaning Jesus Christ; the hireling shep- 
herds, the wilfully blind; the murderers and robbers 
are the false Christs, false prophets, scribes, Pharisees, 
wicked hireling priests, and ungodly ministers of all 
sorts, whether among primitive Jews or modern 
Christians. 

Our Lord introduces this discourse in a most solemn 
manner, Verily, verily !—Amen, amen !—it is true, it 
as true!—a Hebraism for, This is a most important 
and interesting truth; a truth of the utmost concern to 
mankind. At all times our Lord speaks what is infal- 
libly true ; but when he delivers any truths with this 
particular asseveration, it is either, 1. Because they 
are of greater importance ; or, 2. because the mind of 
man is more averse from them; or, 3. because the 
small number of those who will practise them may 
render them incredible. Quesnel. 

He that entereth not by the door] Christ assures 
us, ver. 7, that he is the door; whoever, therefore, 
enters not by Jesus Christ into the pastoral office, is 
no other than a thief and a robber in the sheepfold. 
And he enters not by Jesus Christ who enters with a 
prospect of any other interest besides that.of Christ 
and his people. Ambition, avarice, love of ease, a de- 
sire to enjoy the conveniences of life, to be distinguish- 
ed from the erowd, to promote the interests of one’s 
family, and even the sole design of providing against 
want—these are all ways by whieh ¢hieves and robbers 

590 


vii.15; Acts xx. 28—¢ Isa. xliii.1; Matt. xxv.34,41; Acts χχ. 31. 


enter into the Church. And whoever enters by any 
of these ways, or by simony, craft, solicitation, &c. 
deserves no better name. Acting through motives of 
self-interest, and with the desire of providing for him- 
self and his family, are innocent, yea, laudable, in a 
secular business; but to enter into the ministerial of- 
fice through motives of this kind is highly criminal 
before God. 

Verse 2. He that entereth in by the door] Observe 
here the marks, qualities, and duties of a good pastor : 
The first mark is, that he has a lawful entrance into 
the ministry by the internal call of Christ, namely, by 
an impulse proceeding from his Spirit, upon considera- 
tions which respect only his glory, and upon motives 
which aim at nothing but the good of his Church, the 
salvation of souls, the doing the will of God, and the 
sacrificing himself entirely to his service, and to that 
of the meanest of his flock. 

Verse 3. To him the porter openeth] Sir Isaac 
Newton observes that our Lord being near the temple, 
where sheep were kept in folds to be sold for sacri- 
fices, spoke many things parabolically of sheep, of 
their shepherds, and of the door to the sheepfold ; and 
‘discovers that he alluded to the sheepfolds which were 
to be hired in the market place, by speaking of such 
folds as a thief could not enter by the door, nor the 
shepherd himself open, but a porter opened to the shep- 
herd. In the porter opening the door to the true shep 
herd, we may discover the second mark of a true mi- 
nister—his labour is crowned with success. The Holy 
Spirit opens his way into the hearts of his hearers, and 
he becomes the instrument of their salvation. See Col. 


iv. 3; 2 Cor. ii. 12; 1 Cor. xvi. 9; Rev. iii. 8: 

The sheep hear his voice] A third mark of a good 
shepherd is that he speaks so as to instruct the peo- 
ple—the sheep hear wis voice ; he does not take the 
fat and the fleece, and leave another hireling on less 
pay to do the work of the pastoral office. No: him- 
self preaches Christ Jesus the Lord, and in that sim- 
plicity too that is best calculated to instruct the com- 
mon people. A man who preaches in such a language 
as the people cannot comprehend may do for a stage- 
player or a mountebank, but not ror a minister of Christ. 

He calleth his own sheep hy name| A fourth mark 
of a good pastor is that he is well acquainted with his 
flock; he knows them by name—he takes care to ac- 
quaint himself with the spiritual states of all those that 
are entrusted to him. He speaks to them concerning 
their souls, and thus getting a thorough knowledge of 
their state he is the better qualified to nrofit them by 
his public ministrations. He who has not a proper 
acquaintance with the Church of Christ, can never by 
his preaching build it up in its most holy faith. 

And leadeth them out.) A fifth mark of a good 
shepherd is, he leads the flock, does not lord it over 

1 


Jesus is the true 


re 4 And 4 when he putteth forth his 


An. Olymp. own sheep, he goeth before them, 
— and the sheep follow him: for they 
know his voice. ᾿ 
5 And “a stranger will they not follow, but 
will flee from him : for they know not the voice 
of strangers. 
6 This ‘ parable spake Jesus unto them: 
but they understood not what things they 


CHAP. X. 


shepherd of the sheep 


were which he _ spake unto AsM, Abbe 
them. An. Olymp 


: CCIL 1. 
7 Then said Jesus unto them —————— 


again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am 
the door of the sheep. 

8 All that ever came before me are thieves 
and robbers: but the sheep did not hear 
them. 

9 ®I am the door: by me if any man enter 


42 Sam. vii.8; Jer. xvii. 16; Matt. xxv. 32. ¢Gal.i.8; 1 Thess. 


God’s heritage; nor attempt, by any rigorous disci- 
pline not founded on the Gospel of Christ, to drive men 
into the way of life; nor drive them out of it, which 
many do, by a severity which isa disgrace to the mild 
Gospel of the God of peace and love. 

He leads them out of themselves to Christ, out of 
the follies, diversions, and amusements of the world, 
into the path of Christian holiness: in a word, he leads 
them, by those gentle yet powerful persuasions that 
flow from a heart full of the word and love of Christ, 
into the kingdom and glory of his God. 

Verse 4. He goeth before them] A sixth mark of 
a true pastor is, he gives them a good example: he 

_not only preaches, but he lives, the truth of the Gos- 
pel; he enters into the depths of the salvation of God ; 
and, having thus explored the path, he knows how to 
lead those who are entrusted to his care into the ful- 
ness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace. He who 
does not endeavour to realize in his own soul the truths 
which he preaches to others will soon be as salt with- 
out its savour; his preaching cannot be accompanied 
with that unction which alone can make it acceptable 
and profitable to those whose hearts are right with God. 
The minister who is in this state of salvation the sheep, 
genuine Christians, will follow, for they know his voice. 
It was the custom in the eastern countries for the 
shepherd to go at the head of his sheep, and they fol- 
lowed him from pasture to pasture. I have seen many 
hundreds of sheep thus following their shepherd on the 
extensive downs in the western parts of England. 

Verse 5. And a stranger will they not follow] 
That is, a man who, pretending to be a shepherd of 
the flock of God, is a stranger to that salvation which 
he professes to preach. His mode of preaching soon 
proves, to those whose hearts are acquainted with the 
truths of God, that he is a stranger to them; and 
therefore, knowing him to have got into the fold in an 
improper way, they consider him a thief, a robber, and 
a murderer; and who can blame them if they wholly 
desert his ministry? There are preachers of this kind 
among all classes. 

Verse 7. I am the door of the sheep.) It is through 
me only that a man can have a lawful entrance into 
the ministry ; and it is through me alone that mankind 
ean be saved. Instead of, 7 am the door, the Sahidic 
version reads, 7 am the shepherd ; but this reading is 
iound in no other version, nor in any MS. ΤῈ is evi- 
dently a mistake of the scribe. 

Verse 8. All that ever came before me] Or, as 
some translate, all that came instead of me, προ euov, 

1 


ν. 21—— Ezekiel xx. 49.——4 Chap. xiv. 6; Ephesians ii. 18 


i. e. all that came as the Christ, or Messiah, such as 
Theudas, and Judas the Gaulonile, who are mention- 
ed, Acts v. 36, 37; and who were indeed no other 
than thieves, plundering the country wherever they 
came ; and murderers, not only slaying the simple peo- 
ple who resisted them, but leading the multitudes of 
their followers to the slaughter. 

But our Lord probably refers to the scribes and 
Pharisees, who pretended to show the way of sal- 
yation to the people—who in fact stole into the fold 
and clothed themselves with the fleece, and devoured 
the sheep. 

The words, πρὸ euov, before me, are wanting in 
EGMS, Mt. BKV, seventy others; Syriac, Persic, 
Syriac Hieros., Gothic, Saxon, Vulgate, eleven copies 
of the Itala; Basil, Cyril, Chrysostom, Theophylact, 
Euthymius, Augustin, and some others. Griesbach 
has left them in the text with a note of doubtfulness. 
The reason why these words are wanting in so many 
respectable MSS., versions, and fathers, is probably 
that given by Theophylact, who says that the Mani- 
cheans inferred from these words that all the Jewish 
prophets were impostors. But our Lord has borne 
sufficient testimony to ¢heir inspiration in a variety of 
places. 

Κλεπτης, and λῃστῆς, the thief and the robber, should 
be properly distinguished ; one takes by cunning and 
stealth ; the other openly and by violence. It would 
not be difficult to find bad ministers who answer to 
both these characters. Tithes have been often en- 
forced and collected in a most exceptionable manner, 
and in a most disgraceful spirit. 

The reflection of pious Quesnel on this verse is well 
worth attention. A pastor ought to remember that 
whoever boasts of being the way of salvation, and the 
gate of heaven, shows himself to be a ¢hzef and an im- 
postor ; and though few are arrived at this degree of 
folly, yet there are many who rely too much upon 
their own talents, eloquence, and labours, as if the sal- 
vation of the sheep depended necessarily thereon : in 
which respect they are always robbers, since they rob 
the grace of Christ of the glory of saving the sheep. 
God often puts such pastors to shame, by not opening 
the hearts of the people to receive their word: while 
he blesses those who are humble, in causing them to 
be heard with attention, and accompanying their preach- 
ing with an unction which converts and saves souls. 
Let every man know that in this respect his sufficiency 
and success are of the Lord. 

Verse 9. Iam the door: by me if any man enter 

591 


Character of the false 


A. M. 4033. ; 
Dp. se in, he shall be saved, and shall go 


ae. in and out, and find pasture. 

“~_ 10 The thief cometh not, but for 
to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am 
come that they might have life, and that they 
might have zt more abundantly. 

11 “Iam the good sheperd: the good shep- 
herd giveth his life for the sheep. 
12 But he that is a hireling, and not the 


ST JOHN. 


shepherds and teachers. 


shepherd, whose own the sheep 4,M, 403s. 


are not, seeth the wolf coming, and An ae 
‘leaveth the sheep, and fleeth : and —————_ 
the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the 
sheep. 

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is a hire- 
ling, and careth not for the sheep. 

14 I am the good shepherd, and * know my 
sheep, and am known of mine. 


uTsa. xl. 11; Ezekiel xxxiv. 12, 23; xxxvii. 24; Heb. xiii. 20; 


&c.| Those who come for salvation to God, through 
Christ, shall obtain it : he shall be saved—he shall have 
his sins blotted out, his soul purified, and himself pre- 
served unto eternal life. This the scribes and Pha- 
risees could neither promise nor impart. 

Go in and out} This phrase, in the style of the 
Hebrews, points out all the. actions of a man’s life, and 
the liberty he has of acting, or not acting. A good 
shepherd conducts his flock to the fields where good 
pasturage is to be found; watches over them while 
there, and brings them back again and secures them in 
the fold. So he that is taught and ealled of God feeds 
the flock of Christ with those truths of his word of 
grace which nourish them unto eternal life; and God 
blesses together both the shepherd and the sheep, so 
that going out and coming in they find pasture : every 
occurrence is made useful to them; and all things 
work together for their good. 

Verse 10. But for to steal, and to kill, and to des- 
troy] Those who enter into the priesthood that they 
may enjoy the revenues of the Church, are the basest 
and vilest of thieves and murderers. Their ungodly 
conduct is a snare to the simple, and the occasion of 
much scandal to the cause of Christ. Their doctrine 
is deadly; they are not commissioned by Christ, and 
therefore they cannot profit the people. Their cha- 
racter is well pointed out by the Prophet Ezekiel, 
chap. xxxiv. 2, ἄς. Wo be to the shepherds of 
Israel, that do feed themselves! Ye eat the fat, and 
ye clothe you with the wool; ye kill them that are 
fed: but ye feed not the flock, ὅς. How can worldly- 
minded, hireling, fox-hunting, and card-playing priests 
read these words of the Lord, without trembling to the 
centre of their souls! Wo to those parents who bring 
up their children merely for Church honours and emo- 
luments! Suppose a person have all the Church’s 
revenues, if he have God’s wo, how miserable is his 
portion! Let none apply this censure to any one class 
of preachers, exclusively. 

That they might have life] My doctrine tends to 
life, because it is the true doctrine—that of the false 
and bad shepherds tends to death, because it neither 
comes from nor can lead to that God who is the foun- 
tain of life. 

Might have it more abundantly.] That they might 
have an abundance, meaning either of life, or of all 
necessary good things ; greater felicity than ever was 
enjoyed under any period of the Mosaic dispensation ; 
and it is certain that Christians have enjoyed greater 
blessings and privileges than were ever possessed by 

592 


1 Peter ii. 25; v. 4.——i Zech. xi. 16, 17——k 2 Tim. ii. 19. 


the Jews, even in the promised land. If περίσσον be 
considered the accusative fem. Attic, agreeing with 
Conv, (see Parkhurst,) then it signifies more abundant 
life, that is, eternal life; or spiritual blessings muck 
greater than had ever yet been communicated to man, 
preparing for a glorious zmmortality. Jesus is come 
that men may have abundance ; abundance of grace, 
peace, love, life, and salvation. Blessed be Jesus ! 

Verse 11. Iam the good shepherd] Whose cha- 
racter is the very reverse of that which has already 
been described. In verses 7 and 9, our Lord had 
called himself the door of the sheep, as being the sole 
way to glory, and entrance into eternal life ; here he 
changes the thought, and calls himself the shepherd, 
because of what he was to do for them that believe in 
him, in order to prepare them for eternal glory. 

Giveth his life for the sheep.| That is, gives up his 
soul as a sacrifice to save them from eternal death. 

Some will have the phrase here only to mean 
hazarding his life in order to protect others ; but the 
15th, 17th, and 18th verses, as well as the whole 
tenor of the new covenant, sufficiently prove that the 
first sense is that in which our Lord’s words should be 
understood. 

Verse 12. But he that is a hireling] Or, as my 
old MS. Bible reads it, the marchaunt, he who makes 
merchandise of men’s souls; bartering them, and his 
own too, for filthy lucre. Let not the reader apply 
this, or any of the preceding censures, to any particu- 
lar class or order of men: every religious party may 
have a hireling priest, or minister ; and where the pro- 
vision is the greatest there the danger is most. 

Whose own the sheep are not] A hireling priest, who 
has never been the instrument of bringing souls to God, 
will not abide with them in the time of danger or per- 
secution. They are not the produce of his labour, 
faith, and prayers: he has no other interest in their 
welfare than that which comes from the fleece and the 
fat. The hireling counts the sheep his own, no longer 
than they are profitable to him; the good shepherd 
looks upon them as his, so long as he can be profitable 
to them. 

Among the ancient Jews some kept their own flocks, 
others hired shepherds to keep them for them. And 
every owner must naturally have felt more interest in 
the preservation of his flock than the hireling could 
possibly feel. 

Verse 14. I—know my sheep] I know, ra eua, 
them that are mine: I snow their hearts, their wishes, 
their purposes, their circumstances ; and I approve of 

1 


Our Lord's farther 


A. Μ. 4033. | η a‘ 
reg 15 'As the Father knoweth me, 


An. Oiymp. even so know I the Father: ™ and 
SI lay down my life for the sheep. 
16 And * other sheep [ have, which are not 

of this fold: them also I must bring, and they 

shall hear my voice; ° and there shall be one 
fold, and one shepherd. 

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, ? be- 
cause I lay down my life, that I might take it 
again. 

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it 


CHAP. X. 


discourse with the Jews 


᾿ : A. M. 4033. 
down of myself. I have power to 4,™; τ 
lay it down, and Τα have power to An. yap. 
: ς ᾿ CCIL 1. 

take it again. * This commandment 
have I received of my Father. 

19 4 * There was a division therefore again 
among the Jews for these sayings. 

20 And many of them said, ‘He hath a 
devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? 

21 Others said, These are not the words of 
him that hath a devil. “Can a devil ¥ open 


the eyes of the blind? 


1 Matt. xi. 27. m Chap. xv. 13. ἢ 758. lvi. 8. © Ezek. 
xxxvii. 22; Eph. ii. 14; 1 Pet. ii. 25.—P Isa. lili. 7,8, 12; Heb. 
ii. 9.——4 Chap. ii. 19. 


them ; for in this sense the word ¢o know is often taken 
in the Seriptures. Homer represents the goatherds 
as being so well acquainted with their own, though 
mixed with others, as easily to distinguish them. 


Tove &', ds’ αἰπολια TAaTe’ atywy αἰπολοι avdpec 
Ῥεια διακρινεωσιν, eee Ke νόμῳ μιγεωσιν. Iliad. 2. 474. 


“« As goat-herds separate their numerous flocks 
With ease, though fed promiscuous.” 


And am known of mine.] They know me as their 
father, protector, and saviour; they acknowledge me 
and my truth before the world; and they approve of 
me, my word, my ordinances, and my people, and ma- 
nifest this by their attachment to me, and their zeal for 
my glory. The first clause of the 15th verse should 
be joined to the fourteenth. 

Verse 16. Other sheep I have] The Gentiles and 
Samaritans. As if our Lord had said, Do not imagine 
that I shall lay down my life for the Jews, exclusively 
of all other people; no: I shall die also for the Gen- 
tiles; for by the grace, the merciful design and loving 
purpose of God, I am to taste death for every man, 
Heb. ii. 9; and, though they are not of this fold now, 
those among them that believe shall be wnited with the 
believing Jews, and made one fold under one shepherd, 
Eph. ii. 13-17. 

The original word, avA7, which is here translated 
fold, signifies properly a court. It is probable that 
our blessed Lord was now standing in what was term- 
ed the inner court, or court of the people, in the tem- 
ple, see ver. 23; and that he referred to the outer 
courl, or court of the Gentiles, because the Gentiles 
who were proselytes of the gate were permitted to 
worship in that place; but only those who were cir- 
cumcised were permitted to come into the inner court, 
over the entrance of which were written, in large cha- 
racters of gold, these words, Let no uncircumcised per- 
son enter here! Our Lord therefore might at this time 
have pointed out to the worshippers in that court, when 
he spoke these words, and the people would at once 
perceive that he meant the Gentiles. 

Verse 17. Therefore doth my Father love me] As 
I shall be shortly crucified by you, do not imagine that 
Iam abandoned by my heavenly Father, and therefore 
fall thus into your hands. The Father loveth me par- 
ticularly on this account, because I am going to lay 

Vor. I. ( 38 


rChap. vi. 38; xv. 10; Acts ii. 24, 32——* Chap. vii. 43; ix. 
16. ‘ Chap. vil. 20; viii. 48, 52. ἃ Exod.iv. 11; Psa. xeiv. 
9; exlvi. 8.——* Chap. ix. 6, 7, 32, 33. 


down my life for the life of the world. Again, do not 
suppose that I shall be put to death by your rulers, be- 
cause I have not strength to resist them. I Lay DowN 
my life voluntarily and cheerfully ; no one can take it 
away from me, see ver. 18; and I shall give you the 
fullest proof of my supreme power by raising, in three 
days, that very crucified, wounded body from the grave. 

Verse 18. 7 have power] Or, authority, εξουσιαν. 
Our Lord speaks of himself here as man, or the Mes- 
siah, as being God’s messenger, and sent upon earth 
to fulfil the Divine will, in dying and rising again for 
the salvation of men. 

This commandment have I received] That is, I act 
according to the Divine commandment in executing 
these things, and giving you this information. 

Verse 19. There was a division] Σχίσμα, a schism, 
arent. They were divided in their opinions ; one part 
received the light, and the other resisted it. 

Again] There was a dissension of this kind before 
among the same people; see chap. ix. 16. 

Verse 20. He hath a devil, and is mad] So, then, 
a demoniac and a madman were not exactly the same 
in the apprehension of the Jews; no more than the 
effect is the same with the cause which produces it. 
Some will have it that, when the Jews told our Lord 
that he had a demon, they meant no more than that he 
was deranged ; but here these matters are evidently 
distinguished. They believed him to be possessed by 
a demon, who deranged his faculties, and that he must 
have been a wicked man, and a deceiver, thus to be 
put under the power of such a spirit. 

Verse 21. These are not the words of him that hath. 
a devil.| If he were deranged by an unclean spirit, 
his words would bear a similitude to the spirit tha: 
produced them; but these are words of deep sense, 
soberness, and piety: besides, could a demoniae open 
the eyes of blind men? This is not the work of a de- 
mon. Now we have seen that this man has restored 
a man who was born blind. Therefore it is demon- 
strably evident that he is neither a madman nor a de- 
moniac. 

Behold the usage which the blessed Lord received 
from his creatures! And behold with what meekness 
and gentleness he conducts himself !—not a word of 
impatience proceeds from his lips ; nor a look of con- 
tempt or indignation is seen in his face. And what 

593 


The Jews inquire of Jesus 


Ay Mais. 22 4 And it was at Jerusalem the 
op ΤῊΣ w feast of the dedication, and it was 


winter. 
23 And Jesus walked in the temple, * in 
Solomon’s porch. 
24 Then came the Jews round about him, 


ST. JOHN. 


whether he were the Christ. 


and said unto him, How long dost 4,™ 4033. 
thou ¥ make us to doubt? If thou An. Olymp. 
be the Christ, tell us plainly. aaa 

25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and 
ye believe not: * the works that I do in my 


Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 


wl Mac. iv. 59.—— Acts iii. 1]; v. 12. 


Υ Or, hold us in suspense—— Ver. 38; chap. iti. 2; v. 36. 


was he doing to merit all this? Why, he was instruct- 
ing the ignorant, and telling the wretched that he was 
just going to die to save their souls! Amazing love of 
God, and ingratitude and obduracy of men! Let not 
the disciple suppose that, in this respect, he shall be 
above his master. Whena minister of Christ has done 
his utmost to do good to his fellow creatures, let him 
not be surprised if he meet with nothing from many 
but reproaches and persecutions for his pains. The 
erand point is to take Jesus for an example of suffer- 
ing, and to be armed with the same mind. It appears 
that the words spoken by the friendly Jews prevailed ; 
and that the others were obliged to abandon the field. 

Verse 22. The feast of the dedication] This was a 
feast instituted by Judas Maccabeus, in commemora- 
tion of his purifying the temple after it had been de- 
filed by Antiochus Epiphanes. ‘This feast began on 
the twenty-fifth of the month Crslew, (which answers 
to the eighteenth of our December,) and continued for 
eight days. When Antiochus had heard that the Jews 
had made great rejoicings, on account of a report that 
had been spread of his death, he hastened out of Egypt 
to Jerusalem, took the city by storm, and slew of the 
inhabitants in three days forty thousand persons ; and 
forty thousand more he sold for slaves to the neigh- 
bouring nations. Not contented with this, he sacri- 
ficed a great sow on the altar of burnt offerings; and, 
broth being made by his command of some of the flesh, 
he sprinkled it all over the temple, that he might defile 
it to the uttermost. See Prideaux’s Connection, vol. 
iil. p. 236, edit. 1725. After this, the whole of the 
temple service seems to have been suspended for three 
years, great dilapidations having taken place also in 
various parts of the buildings: see 1 Mace. iv. 36, &c. 
As Judas Maccabeus not only restored the temple 
service, and cleansed it from pollution, &e., but also 
repaired the ruins of it, the feast was called ra ἐγκαίνια, 
the renovation. 

Tt was winter.| Χειμὼν nv, or, it was stormy or 
rainy weather. And this is the reason, probably, why 
our Lord is represented as walking in Solomon’s 
porch, or portico, ver. 23. Though it certainly was 
in winter when this feast was held, yet it does not 
appear that the word above refers so much to the 
lime of the year as to the state of the weather. In- 
deed, there was no occasion to add ἐξ was winter, 
when the feast of the dedication was mentioned, be- 
cause every body knew that, as that feast was held on 
the twenty-fifth of the month (δῖοι, it was in the 
winter season. 

John has here omitted all that Jesus did from the 
time when he left Jerusalem, after the feast of taber- 
nacles in September was ended, until the feast of the 
dedication in the December following; and he did it 

594 


probably because he found that the other evangelists 
had given an account of what our Lord did in the 
interval. St. Luke relates what our Lord did on his 
way from Galilee to Jerusalem, to this feast, chap. 
xvii. 11-37; xviii. 1-14. Observe, likewise, that 
this time here mentioned was the fourth time (ac- 
cording to John’s account) that Jesus went up to the 
feasts at Jerusalem in about a year: for, first, he 
went up to the feast of the passover, chap. ii. 13; 
next to the feast of pentecost, as it seems to have been, 
chap. v. 1; then to the feast of tabernacles, chap. vii. 
2, 10; and, lastly, to the feast of the passover in 
which he was crucified. John seems purposely to 
have pointed out his presence in Jerusalem at these 
four feasts, because all the other evangelists have 
omitted the mention of every one of them. See Bishop 
Pearce ; and see the note on chap. v. 1 

Verse 23. Solomon’s porch.| By what we find in 
Josephus, Ant. b. xx. c. 8, 5. 7, a portico built by 
Solomon, on the east side of the outer court of the 
temple, was left standing by Herod, when he rebuilt 


the temple. This portico was four hundred cubits 
long, and was left standing, probably, because of its 


grandeur and beauty. But when Agrippa came to 
Jerusalem, a few years before the destruction of the 
city by the Romans, and about eighty years after 
Herod had begun his building, (till which time what 
Herod had begun was not completed,) the Jews soli- 
cited Agrippa to repair this portico at his own expense, 
using for argument, not only that the building was 
growing ruinous, but that otherwise exghteen thousand 
workmen, who had all of them, until then, been em- 
ployed in carrying on the works of the temple, would 
be all at once deprived of a livelihood. 

Verse 24. How long dost thou make us to doubt 3] 
Or, How long dost thou kill us with suspense? Ἕως 
ποτε τὴν ψυχὴν ἡἥμων αἴρεις, literally, How long wilt 
thou take away our life? Mr. Markland would read 
atwpet¢ for αἰρεις, Which amounts nearly to the same 
sense with the above. The Jews asked this question 
through extreme perfidiousness : they wished to get 
him to declare himself king of the Jews, that they 
might accuse him to the Roman governor; and by it 
they insolently insinuated that all the proofs he had 
hitherto given them of his Divine mission were good 
for nothing. 

Verse 25. I told you, &e.] That is, I told you 
before what I tell you now again, that the works which 
1 do, bear testimony to me. I have told you that 7 
am the light of the world: the Son of God: the good 
shepherd: that Iam come to save—to give life—to 
give liberty—to redeem you: that, in order to this, I 
must die, and rise again; and that I am absolute 
master of my life, and of my death. Haye you not 

(-Sa8te™) 


Christ asserts himself to be the 


A.M. 4053. 26 But *ye believe not, because 
An, Olymp. ye are not of my sheep, as I said 
unto you. 

27 » My sheep hear my voice, and I know 
them, and they follow me. 

28 And I give unto them eternal life ; and 
© they shall never perish, neither shall any man 
pluck them out of my hand. 

29 ¢ My Father, * which gave them me, is 
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck 
them out of my Father’s hand. 


CHAP. X. 


Messiah, and to be one with Goa 
f A. M. 4033 
30 ‘I and my Father are 4,™, τς 
one. An, Olymp. 
CCIL1 


31 Ἵ Then ‘the Jews took up 
stones again to stone him. 

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works 
have I showed you from my Father ; for which 
of those works do ye stone me ? 

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a 
good work we stone thee not; but for blasphe- 


my; and because that thou, being a man, 
Ὁ makest thyself God. 


a Chap. viii. 47; 1 John iv. 6. > Ver. 4, 14. © Chap. vi. 37; 
xvii. 11, 12; xviii. 9. 


4 Chap. xiv. 28. ¢ Chap. xvii. 2, 6, &e.——f Chap. xvii. 11, 
22,——+ Chap. viii. 59—— Chap. v. 18. 


noticed my omniscience, in searching and discovering 
the very secrets of your heartst Have you not seen 
my omnipotence in the miracles which I have wrought ? 
Have not all these been sufficient to convince you ’— 
and yet ye will not believe !—See the works which 
bore testimony to him, as the Messiah, enumerated, 
Matt. xi. 5. 

Verse 26. Ye are not of my sheep) Ye have not 
the disposition of those who come unto me to be in- 
structed and saved : see what follows. 

Verse 27. My sheep hear my voice] But ye will 
not hear :—ny sheep follow me; but ye will neither 
follow nor acknowledge me. Any person who reads 
without prejudice may easily see, that our Lord does 
not at all insinuate that these persons could not be- 
lieve, because God had made it impossible to them ; 
but simply because they did not hear and follow 
Christ, which the whole of our blessed Lord’s dis- 
course proves that they might have done. ‘The sheep 
of Christ are not those who are included in any eter- 
nal decree, to the exclusion of others from the yearn- 
ings of the bowels of eternal mercy; but they are 
those who hear, believe in, follow, and obey the Sa- 
viour of the world. 

Verse 28. They shall never perish] Why? Be- 
cause they hear my voice, and follow me ; therefore I 
know, I approve of and love them, and give them 
eternal life. They who continue to hear Christ’s 
voice, and to follow him, shall never perish. They 
give themselves up to God—believe so on Jesus that 
he lives in their hearts: God hath given unto them 
eternal life, and this life is in his Son; and he that 
hath the Son hath life, 1 John v. 11, 12. Now it is 
evident that only those who have Christ living in and 
governing their souls, so that they possess the mind 
that was in him, are his sheep—are those that shall 
never perish, because they have this eternal life abiding 
in them: therefore to talk of a man’s being one of the 
elect—one that shall never perish—one who shall 
have eternal life—who shall never be plucked out of 
the hand of God, &c., while he lives in sin, has no 
Christ in his heart, has either never received or fallen 
away from the grace of God, is as contrary to com- 
mon sense as it is to the nature and testimonies of the 
Most High. Final perseverance implies final faith- 
fulness—he that endures to the end shall be saved— 
he that is faithful unto death shall have a crown of 

1 


life. And will any man attempt to say that he who 
does not endure to the end, and is unfaithful, shall 
ever enter into life? 

Verse 29. My Father—is greater than all] More 
powerful than all the united energies of men and 
demons. He who loves Ged must be happy; and he 
who fears Aim need fear nothing on this side eternity. 

Verse 30. 7 and my Father are one.) If Jesus 
Christ were not God, could he have said these words 
without being guilty of blasphemy? It is worthy of 
remark that Christ does not say, I and my Father, 
which my our translation very improperly supplies, 
and which in this place would have conveyed a widely 
different meaning: for then it would imply that the 
human nature of Christ, of which alone, I conceive, 
God is ever said to be the Father in Seripture, was 
equal to the Most High: but he says, speaking then 
as God over all, I and THe Father, eyo καὶ 6 πατὴρ ἐν 
eouev—the Creator of all things, the Judge of all men, 
the Father of the spirits of all flesh—are one, oNE in 
nature, ONE in all the attributes of Godhead, and one 
in all the operations of those attributes: and so it is 
evident the Jews understood him. See chap. xvii. 
11, 22. 

Verse 31. The Jews took up stones} To stone him 
as a blasphemer, Lev. xxiv. 14—16, because he said 
he was one with God. The evangelist adds the word 
again, because they had attempted to do this before, 
see chap. viii. 59 ; but it seems they were prevented 
from doing this now by the following discourse. 

Verse 32. Many good works have I showed you) 
I have healed your sick, delivered those of you who 
were possessed from the power of demons; I have fed 
multitudes of your poor, and I have taught you in all 
places, at all times, without expense, with patience ; 
and is this my reward ? 

To show good works or good things is a Hebraism, 
which signifies to do them really, to give good things 
liberally. The phrase is similar to the following : 
Who will sHow us any good? Psa. iv. 6; i. e. who 
shall give us good things. Snow us thy mercy, Psa. 
Ixxxv. 7; i. 6. give us to feel the effects of thy mercy. 
Thou hast suowep thy people hard things, Psa. |x. 
3; i.e. thou hast treated them with rigour. Thou 
hast sHoweD me great and sore troubles, Psa. 1xxi. 
20; i. e. thou hast exposed me to terrible hardships. 

Verse 33. But fo~ blasphemy] 1 have elsewhere 

595 


Christ vindicates himself from 


A. M. 4033. Te 
io «94. Jesus answered them, ‘Is it 


An. Olymp. not written in your law, I said, Ye 

CCIL 1. 2 

are gods ? 

35 If he called them gods, * unto whom the 
word of God came, and the scripture cannot 
be broken ; 

36 Say ye of him, } whom the Father hath 


ST. JOHN. 


the cavil.ing of the Jews. 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. 
An. Olymp. 
CCIl.1. 


37 ? If I do not the works of my 
Father, believe me not. 

38 But if I do, though ye believe 
not me, ‘believe the works: that ye may 
know, and believe, τ that the Father is in me, 
and I in him. 

39 %* Therefore they sought again to 


sanctified, and ™ sent into the world, Thou blas-| take him: but he escaped out of their 
phemest; ἢ because I said, lam ° the Son of God ? | hand, 

iPsa.Ixxxii. 6 ——* Rom. xiii. 1 —! Chap. vi. 27. τὰ Chap, | 1.35; chap. ix.35,37—P Chap. xv. 24.—49 Chap. v. 36; xiv. 10, 
iil. 17; v. 36, 37; viii. 42. 1 Chap. v. 17, 18; ver. 30. ©Tuke | 11. * Chap. xiv. 10, 11 ; xvu. 21.—* Chap. vii. 30, 44; viii. 59. 


shown that the original word, θλασφημειν, when ap- 
plied to men, signifies to speak injuriously of their 
persons, character, connections, ὅσο. ; but when applied 
to God it signifies to speak impiously, i. e. contrary 
to his nature, perfections, the wisdom of his provi- 
dence, or goodness of his works. 

Thou, being a man] ‘That is, only a man—makest 
thyself God. When Christ said before, ver. 30, I 
and the Father are one, had the Jews understood him 
(as many called Christians profess to do) as only say- 
ing he had a unity of sentiments with the Father, they 
would not have attempted to treat him for this as a 
blasphemer; because in this sense Abraham, Isaac, 
Moses, David, and all the prophets, were one with 
God. But what irritated them so much was that 
they understood him as speaking of a wnity of nature. 
Therefore they say here, thou makest thyself God ; 
which word they understood, not in a figurative, me- 
taphorical, or improper sense, but in the most literal 
meaning of the term. 

Verse 34. Is it not written in your law] The 
words. which our Lord quotes are taken from Psa. 
Ixxxii. 6, which shows that, under the word /aw, our 
Lord comprised the Jewish sacred writings in general. 
See also chap. xii. 34; xv. 25. 

Ye are gods?| That is, judges, who are called 
pbs elohim. That judges are here meant appears 
from Psa. Ixxxii. 2, &e., and also from what follows 
here. And this is probably the only place where the 
word ods is applied to any but the true God. See 
Parkhurst under the root 7x. 

Verse 35. Unto whom the word of God came] 
Bishop Pearce thinks that “the word λόγος, here, is 
put for Aoyo¢ κρίσεως, the word or matter of judgment, 
as in 2 Chron. xix. 6, where Jehoshaphat, setting up 
judges in the land of Judah, says: Take heed what ye 
do: judge not for men, but for the Lord, who is with 
you m judgment—?oyor τῆς κρίσεως, in the words or 
matters of judgment,—Sepv., which is nearly accord- 
ing to the Hebrew 0DwW1 7373 bedebar mishpat, in the 
word or matter of judgment. In Deut. i. 17, when 
a charge is given to the judges that they should not 
be afraid of the face of man, this reason is given: for 
the judgment is God’s. Hence it appears probable 
that Aoyoc is here used for Aoyo¢ Kpicewe : and it is call- 
ed Aoyoc Θεοῦ, because it is the judgment that properly 
belongs to God, and which they who give it on earth 
give only as acting in the stead of God. A way of 
speaking very like to this is found in Heb. iv. 13, 

596 


where the writer says, προς ὃν ἧμιν ὁ λογος, with whom 
we have to do, i. e. by whom we are to be judged.” 

But the words λόγος Θεοῦ may be here understood 
for the order, commission, or command of God; and 
so it properly signifies, Luke iii. 2; and in this sense 
it is found often employed in the Old Testament.— 
When it is there said that the word of the Lord came, 
&c., it means, God gave an order, commission, &c., to 
such a person, to declare or do such and such things. 

And the scripture cannot he broken] Av6nvat, dis- 
solved, rendered of none effect, i. e. it cannot be gain- 
sayed or set aside ; every man must believe this, be- 
cause it is the declaration of God. If those were 
termed gods who were only earthly magistrates, falli- 
ble mortals, and had no particular influence of the Di- 
vine Sprit; and that they are termed gods is evicden 
from that seripture which cannot be gainsayed; what 
greater reason then have I to say, I am the Son of 
God, and one with God, when, as Messiah, I have 
been consecrated, sent into the world, to instruct and 
save men; and when, as God, I have wrought miracles 
which could be performed by no power less than that 
of omnipotence ? 

Verse 37. If I do not the works, &c.] I desire 
you to believe only on the evidence of my works: if 
I do not do such works as God only can perform, then 
believe me not. 

Verse 38. Believe the works] Though ye do not 
now credit what I have said to you, yet consider my 
works, and then ye will see that these works prove 
that 7 am in the Father and the Father in me; and, 
consequently, that 7 and the Father are one. This 
seems to be the force of our Lord’s argument; and 
every man must see and feel that it is conclusive.— 
There was no possibility of weakening the force of 
this reasoning, but by asserting that these miracles 
were not wrought by the power of God ; and then they 
must have proved that not only a man, but a bad man, 
such as they said Jesus was, could work these mira- 
cles. As this was impossible, then the argument of 
Christ had a complete triumph. 

Verse 39. They sought again to take him] They 
could not reply to his arguments but by stones. The 
evidence of the truth could not be resisted; and they 
endeavoured to destroy the person who spoke it.-— 
Truth may confound the obstinately wicked, but it 
does not convert them; and it is a just judgment of 
God, to leave those to perish in their gainsayings who 
obstinately continue to gainsay and disbelieve 

1 


Account of the 


A. M. 4033 40 And went away again beyond 


. Ὁ. 29. 
An. Oly Jordan into the place t where John 
OEY at first baptized; and there he abode. 


41 And many resorted unto him, and said, 


Chap. i. 28. 


«Chap. iii. 30. 


But he escaped] In such a way as we know not, 
for the evangelist has not specified the manner of it. 

Verse 40. Beyond Jordan] Rather, to the side of 
Jordan, not beyond it. See the note on chap. vi. 22, 
and Matt. xix. 1. 

Where John at first baptized) That is, at Betha- 
dara: see chap. i. 28. Afterwards, John baptized 
at πον: chap. iii. 23. 

Verse 42. Many believed on him there.| The peo- 
ple believed on him: 1. because of the testimony of 
John the Baptist, whom they knew to be a good and 
a wise man, and a prophet of the Lord; and they 
knew he could neither deceive nor be deceived in this 
matter; and, 2. they believed because of the miracles 
which they saw Jesus work. These fully proved that 
all that John had said of him was true. The scribes 
und Pharisees with all their science could not draw a 
conclusion so just. Truth and common sense are often 
on the side of the common people, whom the insolently 
wise, the unsanctifiedly learned, and the tyrannically 
powerful sometimes disingenuously brand with the epi- 
thets of mod and swinish multitude. 


i. Tus and the preceding chapter contain two re- 
markable discomfitures of the Jewish doctors. In the 
former they were confounded by the testimony of a 
plain uneducated man, simply appealing to the various 
circumstances of a matter of fact, at which they cavil- 
led, and which they endeavoured to decry. In this 
chapter the wise are taken in their own craftiness : 
the Pharisees are confounded by that wisdom which 
is from above, speaking of and manifesting the deep 


CHAP. XI. 


sickness of Lazarus. 


John did no miracle: “but all 4,™, 4033. 


things that John spake of this man τὸ oa 
were true. ἐπ πος: - ἢ 
42 * And many believed on him there. 


¥ Chap. viii. 30; xi. 45. 

things of God. Sometimes God himself stops the 
mouths of gainsayers; at other times he makes the 
simplest of his followers too mighty for the most learn- 
ed among the doctors. Ancient and modern martyr- 
ologies of the people of God abound with proofs of both 
these facts. And the persecutions of the Protestants 
by the Papists in the reign of Queen Mary afford a 
very large proportion of proofs. In these the mighty 
power of God, and the prevalence of truth, were glo- 
riously apparent. Both the word of God and the Pro- 
testant cause were nobly illustrated by those transac- 
tions. May that abomination that maketh desolate 
never more sit in the holy place! 

2. It must be remarked, by every serious reader, 
that our Lord did frequently speak of himself to the 
Jews, as being not only sent of God as their Messiah, 
but as being one with him. And it is as evident that 
in this sense the priests and Pharisees understood him; 
and it was because they would not credit this that they 
accused him of blasphemy. Now, if our Lord was 
not the person they understood him to state himself to 
be, he had the fairest opportunity, from their strong 
remonstrances, to correct their misapprehension of his 
words, if they really had mistaken his meaning—but 
this he never attempts. He rather strengthens his 
assertions in his consequent discourses with them ; 
which, had not his positions been true, he could not 
have done, even as an honest man. He not only 
asserted himself to be equal with God, but wish- 
ed them to believe it to be true; and he amply 
confirmed this heavenly doctrine by the miracles he 
wrought. 


CHAPTER XI. 
Account of the sickness of Lazarus, 1. His sisters Martha and Mary send for Christ,2. Our Lord’s discour 


with his disciples on this sickness and consequent death, 3-16. 
Martha meets Christ—their conversation, 19-27. 
Mary goes out to meet him, in great distress, 28-33. 
He raises Lazarus from the dead, 43-46. 
The remarkable prophecy of Caiaphas, and the consequent pro- 
Jesus withdraws into a city called Ephraim, 54. 


the burying of Lazarus, 17, 18. 


34-42. 
council, and plot his destruction, 47, 48. 
ceedings of the Jews, 49-53. 
at the passover, 55-57. 


sae st OW a certain man was sick, 
λα Otrmp. named Lazarus, of Bethany, 
———— the town of * Mary and her sister 


Martha. 


2 Luke x. 38, 39. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XI. 
Verse 1. Lazarus, of Bethany] St. John, who sel- 
dom. relates any thing but what tht: other evangelists 
I 


He arrives at Bethany four days after 
She returns and 
Christ comes to the grave—his conversation there, 
The priests and Pharisees, hearing of this, hold a 


They lay wait for him 


2 (>It was that Mary which anoint- ὦ Sa" 
ed the Lord with ointment, and An. Me 
Ξ Σ Ε Ξ CCIL.3. 
wiped his feet with her hair, whose 

brother Lazarus was sick.) 


> Matt. xxvi. 7; Mark xiv. 3; chap. xii. 3. 


have omitted, does not tell us what gave rise to that 

familiar acquaintance and friendship that subsisted be- 

tween our Lord and this family. It is surprising that 
597 


Account of the sickness 


Sarees. 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto 


An. Olymp. him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom 

CCIL. 1. aes 

thou lovest is sick. 

4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sick- 
ness is not unto death, 5 but for the glory of 
God, that the Son of God might be glorified 
thereby. 


ST. JOHN. 


and death of Lazarus 


5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and 4,™. 4033. 


Ε A. D. 29. 
her sister, and Lazarus. An. ὄνων. 
6 When he had heard therefore ————— 


that he was sick, ¢he abode two days still in 
the same place where he was. 

7 Then after that saith he to hzs disciples, 
Let us go into Judea again. 


© Chap. ix. 3; ver. 40. 


the other evangelists have omitted so remarkable an 
account as this is, in which some of the finest traits 
in our Lord’s character are exhibited. The conjecture 
of Grotius has a good deal of weight. He thinks that 
the other three evangelists wrote their histories during 
the life of Lazarus ; and that they did not mention him 
for fear of exciting the malice of the Jews against him. 
And indeed we find, from chap. xii. 10, that they 
sought to put Lazarus to death also, that our Lord 
might not have one monument of his power and good- 
ness remaining in the land. Probably both Lazarus 
and his sisters were dead before St. John wrote.— 
Bethany was situated at the foot of the mount of 
Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem. Bishop Pearce 
observes that “there is a large gap in John’s history 
of Christ in this place. What is mentioned in the pre- 
ceding chapter passed at the feast of the dedication, 
ver. 22, about the middle of our December ; and this 
miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead seems to 
have been wrought but a little before the following 
passover, in the end of March, at which time Jesus 
was crucified, as may (he thinks) be gathered from 
verses 54 and 55 of this chapter, and from chap. xii. 
9.” John has, therefore, according to the bishop’s cal- 
culation, omitted to mention the several miracles which 
our Lord wrought for above three months after the 
things mentioned in the preceding chapter. 

Calmet says, Christ left Jerusalem the day after the 
dedication took place, which was the 18th of Decem- 
ber. He went then to Bethabara, where he continued 
preaching, and his disciples baptizing. About the 
middle of the following January Lazarus fell sick: 
Christ did not leave Bethabara till after the death of 
Lazarus, which happened about the 18th of the same 
month. 

Bishop Newcome supposes that our Lord might 
have stayed about a month at Bethabara. 

The harmonists and chronologists differ much in 
fixing dates, and ascertaining times. In cases of this 
nature, I believe men may innocently guess as well as 
they can; but they should assert nothing. 

Verse 2. It was that Mary which anointed] There 
is much disagreement between learned men relative to 
the two anointings of our Lord, and the persons who 
performed these acts. The various conjectures con- 
cerning these points the reader will find in the notes 
on Matt. xxvi. 7, &c., but particularly at the end of 
that chapter. 

Dr. Lightfoot inquires, Why should Bethany be 
called the town of Martha and Mary, and not of 
Lazarus? And he thinks the reason is, that Martha 
and Mary had been well known by that anointing of 

598 


4 Chap. x. 40. 


our Lord, which is mentioned Luke vii. 37; (see the 
note there ;) but the name of Lazarus had not been 
mentioned till now, there being no transaction by which 
he could properly be brought into view. He therefore 
thinks that the aorist aAenpaca, which we translate 
anointed, should have its full force, and be translated, 
who had formerly anointed ; and this he thinks to 
have been the reason of that familiarity which sub- 
sisted between our Lord and this family; and, on this 
ground, they could confidently send for our Lord when 
Lazarus fell sick. This seems a very reasonable con- 
jecture ; and it is very likely that the familiarity arose 
out of the anointing. 

Others think that the anointing of which the evan- 
gelist speaks is that mentioned chap. xii. 1, &c., and 
which happened about six days before the passover. 
St. John, therefore, is supposed to anticipate the ac- 
count, because it served more particularly to designate 
the person of whom he was speaking. 

Verse 3. He whom thou lovest is sick.] Nothing 
could be more simple, nor more modest, than this 
prayer: they do not say, Come and heal him: or, 
Command the disease to depart even where thou art, 
and it will obey thee :—they content themselves with 
simply stating the case, and using an indirect but a 
most forcible argument, to induce our Lord to show 
forth his power and goodness :—He is sick, and thou 
lovest him; therefore thou canst neither abandon him, 
nor ws. 

Verse 4. This sickness is not unto death] Not to 
final privation of life at this time ; but a temporary 
death shall be now permitted, that the glory of God 
may appear in the miracle of his resurrection. It is 
very likely that this verse contains the message which 
Christ sent back, by the person whom the afflicted 
sisters had sent to him; and this, no doubt, served 
much to strengthen their confidence, though their faith 
must have been greatly exercised by the death of their 
brother : for when this took place, though they buried 
him, yet they believed, even then, probably on the 
ground of this message, that Jesus might raise him 
from the dead. See ver. 22. 

Verse 5. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, 
and Lazarus.| Therefore his staying two days longer 
in Bethabara was not through lack of affection for this 
distressed family, but merely that he might have a 
more favourable opportunity of proving to them how 
much he loved them. Christ never denies a Jess fa- 
vour, but in order to confer a greater. God's delays, 
in answering prayers offered to him by persons in 
distress, are often proofs of his purpose to confer some 
great kindness; and they are also proofs that his 

1 


Account of the sickness CHAP. XI. and death of Lazarus 


A.M.4033. 8. His disciples say unto him, 
ae Gye. Master, ° the Jews of late sought to 
__ stone thee ; and goest thou thither 


but I go, that I may awake him out Bae: ag 
of sleep. An, Olymp. 

12 Then said his disciples, Lord, — 
if he sleep, he shall do well. 

13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but 
they thought that he had spoken of taking of 
rest in sleep, 

14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Laz- 
arus is dead. 

15 And Iam glad for your sakes that 1 
was not there, to the intent ye may believe ; 
nevertheless let us go unto him. 


again ? 

9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours 
in a day? ‘If any man walk in the day, he 
stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of 
this world. 

10 But if a man walk in the night, he 
stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 

11 These things said he: and after that he 
saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus " sleepeth ; 


ὁ Ch. x. 31—S Ch. ix. 4—+ Ch. xii. 35.——" So Deut. xxxi. | 16; Dan. xii.2; Matt. ix. 24; Acts. vii. 60; 1 Cor. xv. 18, 51. 


wisdom finds it necessary to permit an increase of the 
affliction, that his goodness may be more conspicuous 
in its removal. 

Verse 8. The Jews of late sought to stone thee] It 
was but a few weeks before that they were going to 
stone him in the temple, on the day of the feast of 
the dedication, chap. x. 31. - 

Verse 9. Are there not twelve hours in the day 3) 
The Jews, as well as most other nations, divided the 
day, from sun-rising to sun-setting, into twelve equal 
parts; but these parts, or hours, were longer or 
shorter, according to the different seasons of the year. 
See the note on chap. i. 39. 

Our Lord alludes to the case of a traveller, who 
has to walk the whole day: the day points out the 
time of life—the night that of death. He has al- 
ready used the same mode of speech, chapter ix. 4 : 
T must work the works of him that sent me, while it is 
day: the night cometh when no man canwork. Here 
he refers to what the apostles had just said—The 
Jews were but just now going to stone thee. Are 
there not, said he, éwelve hours in the day? I have 
not travelled these twelve hours yet—my last hour is 
not yet come; and the Jews, with all their malice and 
hatred, shall not be able to bring it a moment sooner 
than God has purposed. I am immortal till my work 
is done ; and this, that I am now going to Bethany to 
perform, is a part of it. When all is completed, then 
their hour, and that of the power of darkness, shall 
commence. See Luke xxii. 53. 

If any man walk in the day, he siumbleth πο] A 
traveller should use the day to walk in, and not the 
night. During the day he has the sun, the light of 
this world: he sees his way, and does not stumble : 
but, if he walk in the night, he stumbleth, because 
there is no light in it, ver. 10; i. e. there is no sun 
above the horizon. The words ev avtw, ver. 10, re- 
fer not to the man, but to the world, the sun, its light, 
not being above the horizon. Life is the time to fulfil 
the will of God, and to prepare for glory. Jesus is 
the light of the world; he that walks in his Spirit, 
and by his direction, cannot stumble—cannot fall into 
sin, nor be surprised by an unexpected death. But 
he who walks in the night, in the darkness of his own 


Reader! do not dream of walking to heaven in the 
night of thy death. God has given thee the warning: 
receive it, and begin to live to him, and for eternity. - 

Verse 11. Lazarus sleepeth] It was very common 
among the Jews to express death by sleep; and the 
expression, falling asleep—sleeping with their fathers, 
&e., were in great use among them. The Hebrews 
probably used this form of speech to signify their be- 
lief in the immortality of the soul, and the resurrec- 
tion of the body. 

It is certain that our Lord received no intimation 
of Lazarus’s death from any person, and that he knew 
it through that power by which he knows all things. 

Verse 12. If he sleep, he shall do well.] That is, 
if he sleep only, ὥς. Though the word sleep fre- 
quently meant death. (see Acts vii. 60; 1 Cor. xi. 30: 
xv. 18, 20,) yet, as it was an ambiguous term, the 
disciples appear here to have mistaken its meaning. 
Because, in certain acute disorders, the composing the 
patient to rest was a favourable sign; therefore the 
words, If he sleep, he shall do well, or recover, be- 
came a proverbial form of speech among the Jews. 
In most diseases, sleep is a very favourable prognos- 
tic : hence that saying of Menander :— 


Ὑπνος de πασῆς ecw ὑγιεια νοσου. 


Sleep is a remedy for every disease. See Grotius 
here. The meaning of the disciples seems to have 
been this: There can be no need for thee to go into 
Judea to awake our friend Lazarus; he will awake 
time enough, and his very sleep is a presage of his 
recovery : therefore do not hazard thy life by going. 

Verse 15. I am glad for your sakes that I was not 
there] ‘I tell you plainly, Lazarus is dead: and 1 am 
glad I was not there—if I had been, I should have 
been prevailed on to have healed him almost as 5001: 
as he fell sick, and I should not have had so striking 
an occasion to manifest the glory of God to you, and 
to establish you in the faith.” It was a miracle to 
discover that Lazarus was dead, as no person had 
come to announce it. It was a greater miracle to 
raise a dead man than to cure a sick man. And it 
was a still greater miracle, to raise one that was three 
or four days buried, and in whose body putrefaction 
heart, and according to the maxims of this dark world, | might have begun to take place, than to raise one that 
he stumbles—falls into sin, and at last falls into hell. | was but newly dead. See ver. 39. 

1 599 


Conversation between 


A.M. 4033. 16 Then said Thomas, which is 


An. Olymp. called Didymus, unto his fellow 
eee disciples, Let us also go, that we 
may die with him. 

17 Then when Jesus came, he found that 
he had Jain in the grave four days already. 

18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, 
‘ about fifteen furlongs off : 

19 And many of the Jews came to Martha 
and Mary, to comfort them concerning their 
brother. 


i That is, about two miles. k Chap. ix. 31. 


Verse 16. Thomas, which is called Didymus] 
Thomas, or DIS Thaom, was his Hebrew name, and 
signifies a ¢wi—one who had a brother or a sister 
born with him at the same time: Didymus, Δίδυμος, 
is a literal translation of the Hebrew word into Greek. 
In Gen. xxv. 24, Esau and Jacod are called ὉΠ 
thomeem, twins; Septuag. δίδυμα, from δίδυμος, a 
twin—from the Anglo-Saxon cpman, to double. 

Let us also go, that we may die with him.] That is, 
“Seeing we cannot dissuade our Lord from going, and 
his death is likely to be the inevitable consequence, 
let us give him the fullest proof we can of our love, 
by going and suffering death with him.” Some think 
Thomas spoke these words peevishly, and that they 
should be translated thus, Must we also go, and expose 
ourselves to destruction with him? which is as much 
as to say: “If he will obstinately go and risk his life 
in so imminent a danger, let ws act with more prudence 
and caution.” But I think the first sense is to be pre- 
ferred. When a matter is spoken which concerns the 
moral character of a person, and which may be under- 
stood in a good and a bad sense, that sense which is 
most favourable to the person should certainly be adopt- 
ed. This is taking things by the best handle, and both 
justice and mercy require it. The conduct of most 
men widely differs from this: of such an old proverb 
says, ‘‘ They feed like the flzes—pass over all a man’s 
whole parts, to light upon his sores.” 

Verse 17. He had lain in the grave four days 
already.| Our Lord probably left Bethabara the day, 
or the day after, Lazarus died. He came to Bethany 
three days after ; and it appears that Lazarus had been 
buried about four days, and consequently that he had 
been put in the grave the day or day after he died. 
Though it was the Jewish custom to embalm their 
dead, yet we find, from ver. 39, that he had not been 
embalmed; and God wisely ordered this, that the 
miracle might appear the more striking. 

Verse 18. Fifteen furlongs] About two miles: for 
the Jewish miles contained about seven furlongs and a 
half. So Lightfoot, and the margin. 

Verse 19, Many of the Jews came] Bethany being 
so nigh to Jerusalem, many of the relatives and friends 
of the family came, according to the Jewish custom, 
to mourn with the afflicted sisters. Mourning, among 
the Jews, lasted about thirty days: the three first days 
were termed days of weeping: then followed seven of 
lamentation. During the three days, the mourner did 

600 


ST. JOHN. 


our Lord and Martha. 


20 Then Martha, as soon as she 4,M. 1083. 
heard that Jesus was coming, went An. Olymp. 
and met him: but Mary sat sé#l/ in 
the house. 

21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if 
thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 

22 But I know, that even now, * whatsoever 
thou wilt ask of God, God will give 7t thee. 

23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall 
rise again. 

24 Martha saith unto him, !I know that he 


1 Luke xiv. 14; chap. v. 29. 


no servile work ; and, if any one saluted him, he did 
not return the salutation. During the seven days, he 
did no servile work, except in private—lay with his 
bed on the floor—did not put on his sandals—did not 
wash nor anoint himself—had his head covered—and 
neither read in the daw, the Mishnah, nor the Talmud. 
All the thirty days he continued unshaven, wore no 
white or new clothes, and did not sew up the rents 
which he had made in his garments. See Lightfoot, 
and see on ver. 31. 

Verse 20. Martha—went and met him] Some sup- 
pose she was the eldest of the two sisters—she seems 
to have had the management of the house. See Luke 
x. 40. 

Mary sat still in the house.] It is likely that by this 
circumstance the evangelist intended to convey the idea 
of her sorrow and distress; because anciently afflicted 
persons were accustomed to put themselves in this 
posture, as expressive of their distress; their grief 
having rendered them as it were immovable. See 
Ezra ix. 3,4; Neh.i. 4; Psa. exxxvii. 1; Isa. xlvii. 
1; Luke i. 79; and Matt. xxvii. 61. 

Verse 21. If thou hadst been here, my brother had 
not died.| Mary said the same words to him a little 
after, ver. 32, which proves that these sisters had not 
a complete knowledge of the omnipotence of Christ : 
they thought he could cure at hand, but not at a dis- 
tance ; or they thought that it was because he did not 
know of their brother’s indisposition that he permitted 
him to die. In either of these cases it plainly appears 
they had not a proper notion of his divinity ; and in- 
deed the following verse proves that they considered 
him in no other light than that of a prophet. Query— 
Was it not proper that Christ should, in general, as 
much as might be, hide the knowledge of his divinity 
from those with whom he ordinarily lodged? Had 
they known him fully, would not the reverence and awe 
connected with such a knowledge have overwhelmed 
them 1 

Verse 22. I know, that even now] She durst not ask 
so great a favour in direct terms; she only intimated 
modestly that she knew he could do it. 

Verse 23. Thy brother shall rise again.| That is. 
directly ; for it was by raising him immediately from 
the dead that he intended to comfort her. 

Verse 24. I know that he shall rise again in the 
resurrection] The doctrine of the resurrection of the 
dead was then commonly received ; and though it was 

1 


Conversation between 


i 4033. shall rise again in the resurrection 
An, Olymp. at the last day. 

ies 25 Jesus said unto her, I am ™ the 
resurrection, and the "life: ° he that believeth 
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in 
me shall never die. Believest thou this 7 

27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: ΡΤ be- 
lieve that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, 
which should come into the world. 

28 And when she had so said, she went her 
way, and called Mary her sister secretly, say- 
ing, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 

29 As soon as she heard that, she arose 
quickly, and came unto him. 


™Chap. v. 21; vi. 39, 40, 44.—* Chap. i. 4; vi. 35; xiv. 6; 
Col. ii. 4; 1 John i. 1,2; v. 11—° Ch. iii. 36; 1 John ν. 10, &c. 


our Lord who fully exemplified it by his own resurrec- 
tion, yet the opinion was common, not only among 
God’s people, but among all those who believed in the 
God of Israel. The Jewish writings after the cap- 
tivity are full of this doctrine. See 2 Mace. vii. 9, 
14, 23, 36; xii. 43; xiv. 46; Wisd. v. 1,7, 17; vi. 
6,7. See also Josephus and the Targums, passim. 

Verse 25. I am the resurrection, and the life] Thou 
sayest that thy brother shall rise again in the resurrec- 
tion at the last day ; but by whom shall he arise if not 
by me, who am the author of the resurrection, and the 
source of life? And is it not as easy for me to raise 
him now as to raise him then? Thus our blessed Lord 
raises her hope, animates her faith, and teaches her 
that he was not a mere man, but the essential principle 
and author of existence. 

Though he were dead] Every man who has believed 
or shall believe in me, though his believing shall not 
prevent him from dying a natural death, yet his body 
shall be reanimated, and he shall live with me in an 
eternal glory. And every one who is now dead, dead 
to God, dead in trespasses and sins, if he believe in 
me, trust on me as his sole Saviour, he shall live, shall 
be quickened by my Spirit, and live a life of faith, 
working by love. 

Verse 26. Shall never die.] Or, Shall not die for 
ever. Though he die a temporal death, he shall not 
continue under its power for ever; but shall have a 
resurrection to life eternal. 

Believest thou this 3] God has determined to work 
in the behalf of men only in proportion to their faith 
in him: it was necessary, therefore, that these persons 
should be well instructed concerning his nature, that 
they might find no obstacles to their faith. These 
sisters had considered him only as a prophet hitherto ; 
and it was necessary that they should now be farther 
instructed, that, as God was to exert himself, they 
might believe that God was there. 

Verse 27. Yea, Lord: I believe] Πεπιςευκα, I have 
believed. Either meaning that she had believed this 
for some time past, or that, since he began to teach her, 
her faith had been considerably increased : but verbs 

1 


CHAP. XI. 


ou Lord and Mary. 


30 Now Jesus was not yet come 4, M4033. 

into the town, but was in that place “- Gis. 
CCI. 1 

where Martha met him. —_. 

31 4 The Jews then, which were with her 
in the house, and comforted her, when they saw 
Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, 
followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave 
to weep there. 

32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus 
was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, 
saying unto him, * Lord, if thou hadst been 
here, my brother had not died. 

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, 
and the Jews also weeping which came with 
her, he groaned in the spirit, and * was troubled, 


P Matt. xvi. 16; chap. iv. 42; vi. 14, 69. 4 Ver. 19.—— Ver. 
21. Gr. "he troubled himself. 


preter, in Greek, are often used to signify the present. 
Martha here acknowledges Christ for the Messiah pro- 
mised to their fathers; but her faith goes no farther; 
and, having received some hope of her brother’s pre- 
sent resurrection, she waited for no farther instruction, 
but ran to call her sister. 

Verse 28. The Masier is come] This was the ap- 
pellation which he had in the family ; and from these 
words it appears that Christ had inquired for Mary, 
desiring to have her present, that he might strengthen 
her faith, previously to his raising her brother. 

Verse 30. Jesus was not yet come into the town] 
As the Jewish burying places were without their cities 
and villages, it appears that the place where our Saviour 
was, when Martha met him, was not far from the place 
where Lazarus was buried. See the note on Luke 
vii. 12. 

Verse 31. She goeth unto the grave to weep there.} 
It appears that it was the custom for the nearest rela- 
tives of the deceased to go at times, during the three 
days of weeping, accompanied by their friends and 
neighbours, to mourn near the graves of the deceased. 
They supposed that the spirit hovered about the place 
where the body was laid for ¢hree days, to see whether 
it might be again permitted to enter; but, when it saw 
the face change. it knew that all hope was now past. 
It was on this ground that the seven days of lamenta- 
tion succeeded the three days of weeping, because all 
hope was now taken away. They had traditions that, 
in the course of three days, persons who had died 
were raised again to life. See Lightfoot. 

Mr. Ward says: “I once saw some Mussulman 
women, near Calcutta, lying on the new-made grave 
of a relation, weeping bitterly. In this manner the 
Mussulman females weep and strew flowers over the 
graves of relations, at the expiration of four days, 
and forty days, after the interment.” 

Verse 33. He groaned in the spirit, &c.] Here the 
blessed Jesus shows himself to be truly man; and a 
man, too, who, notwithstanding his amazing dignity and 
excellence, did not feel it beneath him to sympathize 
with the distressed, and weep with those who wept. 

601 


Jesus comes to the 


A. M. 4033. 34 And said, Where have ye laid 


An, Olymp. him? They said unto him, Lord, 
come and see. 

35 Ὁ Jesus wept. 

36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he 
loved him! 

37 And some of them said, Could not this 
man, “which opened the eyes of the blind, 
have caused that even this man should not 


have died? 


' Luke xix. 41— Chap. ix. 6. 


After this example of our Lord, shall we say that it is 
weakness, folly, and sin to weep for the loss of relatives? 
He who says so, and can act in a similar case to the 
above according to his own doctrine, is a reproach to 
the name of man. Such apathy never came from 
God : it is generally a bad scion, implanted in a nature 
miserably depraved, deriving its nourishment from a 
perverted spirit or a hardened heart ; though in some 
cases it is the effect of an erroneous, ascetic mode of 
discipline. 

It is abolishing one of the finest traits in our Lord’s 
human character to say that he wept and mourned 
here because of sin and its consequences. No: Jesus 
had humanity in its perfection, and humanity unadul- 
terated is generous and sympathetic. A particular 
friend of Jesus was dead; and, as his friend, the affec- 
tionate soul of Christ was troubled, and he mingled 
his sacred tears with those of the afflicted relatives. 
Behold the man, in his deep, heart-felt trouble, and in 
his flowing tears! But when he says, Lazarus, come 
forth! behold the Gop! and the God too of infinite 
clemency, love, and power. Can such a Jesus refuse 
to comfort the distressed, or save the lost? Can he 
restrain his mercies from the penitent soul, or refuse 
to hear the yearnings of his own bowels? Can such 
a character be inattentive to the welfare of his crea- 
tures? Here is God manifested in the flesh ! living 
in human nature, feeling for the distressed, and suffer- 
ing for the lost! Reader! ask thy soul, ask thy heart, 
ask the bowels of thy compassions, if thou hast any, 
could this Jesus unconditionally reprobate from eternity 
any soul of man? Thou answerest, NO! God 
repeats, NO! Universal nature re-echoes, NO! and 
the tears and blood of Jesus eternally say, NO! 

Verse 35. Jesus wept.] The least verse in the 
Bible, yet inferior to none. Some of the ruthless 
ancients, improperly styled fathers of the Church, 
thought that weeping was a degradation of the charac- 
ter of Christ; and therefore, according to the testi- 
mony of Epiphanius, Anchorat. c. 13, razed out of 
the Gospel of St. Luke the place (chap. xix. 41) 
where Christ is said to have wept over Jerusalem. 

Verse 36. Behold how he loved him!] And when 
we see him pouring out his blood and life upon the 
cross for mankind, we may with exultation and joy cry 
out, Behold how he hath loved us! 

Verse 37. Could not this man, which opened the eyes, 
&c.] Through the maliciousness of their hearts, these 
Jews considered the tears of Jesus as a proof of his 

602 


ST. JOHN. 


grave of Lazarus. 


38 Jesus, therefore, again groaning Lp 
in himself, cometh to the grave. It An. one: 
was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. —_ 

39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. 
Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith 
unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for 
he hath been dead four days. 

40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto 
thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou should- 
est Y see the glory of God? 


τ Verses 4, 23. 


weakness. We may suppose them to have spoken 
thus: “If he loved him so well, why did he not heal 
him? And if he could have healed him, why did he 
not do it, seeing he testifies so much sorrow at his 
death? Let none hereafter vaunt the miracle of the 
blind man’s cure; if he had been capable of doing 
that, he would not have permitted his friend to die.” 
Thus will men reason, or rather madden, concerning 
the works and providence of God ; till, by his farther 
miracles of mercy or judgment, he converts or con- 
founds them. 

Verse 38. It was a cave, &c.] It is likely that 
several of the Jewish burying-places were made in the 
sides of rocks ; some were probably dug down like a 
well from the upper surface, and then hollowed under 
into niches, and a flat stone, laid down upon the top, 
would serve for adoor. Yet, from what the evangelist 
says, there seems to have been something peculiar in 
the formation of this tomb. It might have been a 
natural grotto, or dug in the side of a rock or hill, and 
the lower part of the door level with the ground, or 
how could Lazarus have come forth, as he is said to 
have done, ver. 441 

Verse 39. Take ye away the stone.) He desired to 
convince all those who were at the place, and especially 
those who took away the stone, that Lazarus was not 
only dead, but that putrescency had already taken 
place, that it might not be afterwards said that Lazarus 
had only fallen into a lethargy ; but that the greatness 
of the miracle might be fully evinced. 

He stinketh] The body is in a state of putrefaction. 
The Greek word ofw signifies simply to smell, whether 
the scent be good or bad ; but the circumstances of the 
case sufficiently show that the latter is its meaning 
here. Our translators might have omitted the uncouth 
term in the common text; but they chose literally 
to follow the Anglo-Saxon, nu he yemed; and it would 
be now useless to attempt any change, as the common 
reading would perpetually recur, and cause alt 
attempts at mending to sound even worse than that in 
the text. 

For he hath been dead four days.] Terapracoc yap 
eott, This is the fourth day, i. e. since his interment. 
Christ himself was buried on the same day on which 
he was crucified, see chap. xix. 42, and it 1s likely 
that Lazarus was buried also on the same day ou which 
he died. See on ver. 17. 

Verse 40. If thou wouldest believe, &c.] So it 
appears that it is faith alone that interests ine miracu- 

1 


Christ ratses Lazarus 


ee et) Then they took away the stone 
An. Olymp. from the place where the dead was 

Colt ‘Jaid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, 
and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast 
heard me. 

42 And I knew that thou hearest me aiways : 
but Ὁ because of the people which stand by I 
said it, that they may believe that thou hast 
sent me. 

43 And when he had thus spoken, he cried 
with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 

44 And he that was dead came forth, bound 


* Chap. xii. 30. * Chap, xx. 7.——¥ Chap. ii. 23; x. 42; xii. 


11, 18 


lous and saving power of God in behalf of men. Instead 
of δοξαν, the glory, one MS. reads δυναμιν, the mira- 
culous power. 

Verse 41. Where the dead was laid.| These words 
are wanting in BC*DL, three others; Syriac, Persic, 
Arabic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, Saxon, 
and in all the Jiala. Griesbach leaves them out of 
the text. 

Father, I thank thee] As it was a common opinion 
that great miracles might be wrought by the power 
and in the name of the devil, Jesus lifted up his eyes 
to heaven, and inyoked the supreme God before these 
unbelieving Jews, that they might see that it was by 
his power, and by his only, that this miracle was done ; 
that every hinderance to this people’s faith might be 
completely taken out of the way, and that their faith 
mignt stand, not in the wisdom of man, but in the 
power of the Most High. On this account our Lord 
says, he spoke because of the multitude, that they might 
see there was no diabolic influence here, and that 
God in his mercy had visited his people. 

Verse 43. He cried with a loud voice] In chap. v. 
25, our Lord had said, that the time was coming, in 
which the dead should hear the voice of the Son of 
God, and live. He now fulfils that prediction, and 
cries aloud, that the people may take notiee, and see 
that even death is subject to the sovereign command 
of Christ. 

Jesus Christ, says Quesnel, omitted nothing to save 
this dead person: he underwent the fatigue of a 
journey, he wept, he prayed, he groaned, he cried with 
a loud voice, and commanded the dead to come forth. 
What ought not a minister to do in order to raise a 
soul, and especially a soul long dead in trespasses 
and sins! 

Verse 44. Bound hand and foot with grave-clothes] 
Swathed about with rollers—xerprate, from κείρω, I cut. 
These were long slips of linen a few inches in breadth, 
with which the body and limbs of the dead were 
ewathed, and especially those who were embalmed, 
that the aromatics might be kept in contact with the 
flesh. But as it is evident that Lazarus had not been 
embalmed, it is probable that his limbs were not 
swathed ‘ogether, as is the constant case with those 
who are embalmed, but separately, so that he could 
come out of the tomb at the command of Christ, 

ι 


CHAP. ΧΙ. 


from the dead. 


ἔ - A.M. 4038. 
hand and foot with grave clothes: 4,™, 10% 


and * his face was bound about with Sad 
a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, — 
Loose him, and let him go. 

45 Then many of the Jews which came to 
Mary, 5 and had seen the things which Jesus 
did, believed on him. 

46 But some of them went their ways to the 
Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus 
had done, 

47 7 Then gathered the chief priests and 
the Pharisees a council, and said, * What do 


= Psa. ii. 2; Matt. xxvi. 3; Mark xiv. 1; Luke xxii. 2——= Ch. 
xii. 19; Acts iv. 16. 


though he could not walk freely till the rollers were 
taken away. But some will have it that he was 
swathed exactly like a mummy, and that his coming 
out in that state was another miracle. But there is no 
need of multiplying miracles in this case: there was 
one wrought which was a most sovereign proof of the 
unlimited power and goodness of God. Several of 
the primitive fathers have adduced this resurrection 
of Lazarus as the model, type, proof, and pledge of 
the general resurrection of the dead. 

Loose him, and let him go.| He would have the 
disciples and those who were at hand take part in this 
business, that the fullest conviction might rest on 
every person’s mind concerning the reality of what 
was wrought. He whom the grace of Christ converts 
and restores to life comes forth, at his call, from the 
dark, dismal grave of sin, in which his soul has long 
been buried: he walks, according to the command of 
Christ, in newness of life ; and gives, by the holiness 
of his conduct, the fullest proof to all his acquaintance 
that he is alive from the dead. 

Verse 45. Many of the Jews—believed on him.] 
They saw that the miracle was incontestable ; and 
they were determined to resist the truth no longer. 
Their friendly visit to these distressed sisters became 
the means of their conversion. How true is the say 
ing of the wise man, 7ὲ is beter to go to the house of 
mourning than to the house of feasting! Eccl. vii. 2. 
God never permits men to do any thing, through a 
principle of kindness to others, without making it 
instrumental of good to themselves. He that watereth 
shall be watered also himself, Prov. xi. 25. Therefore, 
let no man withhold good, while it is in the power of 
his hand to do it. Prov. iii. 27. 

Verse 46. But some of them went their ways] 
Astonishing! Some that had seen even this miracle 
steeled their hearts against it; and not only so, but 
conspired the destruction of this most humane, ami- 
able, and glorious Saviour! Those who obstinately 
resist the truth of God are capable of every thing that 
is base, perfidious, and cruel. 

Verse 47. Then gathered the chief priests and 
the Pharisees a council) The Pharisees, as such, had 
no power to assemble councils; and therefore only 
those are meant who were scribes or elders of the 
people, in conjunction with Annas and his son-in-law 

603 


The chief priests and Pharisees 


ἈΝ 1038, we! for this man doeth many 
An. Olymp. miracles. 

48 If we let him thus alone, all 
men will believe on him: and the Romans 
shall come and take away both our place 
and nation. 


49 And one of them, named ” Caiaphas, 


> Luke iii. 2; chap. xviii. 14; Acts iv. 6. 


ST. JOHN. 


take counsel against Jesus. 


i i ; A. M. 4033 
being the high priest that same year, 4,™; 4% 


said unto them, Ye know nothing An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 
at all, eek ae 555 
50 ° Nor consider that it is expedient for us, 
that one man should die for the people, and 
that the whole nation perish not. 
51 And this spake he not of himself: but 


© Chap. xviii. 14. 


Caiaphas, who were the high priests here mentioned. 
See chap. xviil. 13, 24. 

What do we?] This last miracle was so clear, 
plain, and incontestable, that they were driven now to 
their wit’s end. Their own spies had come and borne 
testimony of it. They told them what they had seen, 
and on their word, as being in league with themselves 
against Jesus, they could confidently rely. 

Verse 48. All men will believe on him] If we per- 
mit him to work but a few more miracles like these two 
last (the cure of the blind man, and the resurrection 
of Lazarus) he will be universally acknowledged for 
the Messiah ; the people will proclaim him king ; and 
the Romans, who can suffer no government here but 
their own, will be so irritated that they will send their 
armies against us, and destroy our temple, and utterly 
dissolve our civil and ecclesiastical existence. Thus, 
under the pretence of the public good, these men of 
blood hide their hatred against Christ, and resolve to 
put him to death. To get the people on their side, 
they must give the alarm of destruction to the nation : 
if this man be permitted to live, we shall be all de- 
stroyed! Their former weapons will not now avail. 
On the subject of keeping the Sabbath, they had been 
already confounded ; and his last miracles were so in- 
contestable that they could no longer ery out, He is a 
decewver. 

Both our place and nation.] Literally, this place, 
tov τοπὸν : but that the temple only is understood is 
clear from Acts vi. 13, 14; 2 Mace. i. 14; ii. 18; 
ili. 18; v. 16, 17; x. 7; where it is uniformly called 
the place, or the holy place, because they considered it 
the most glorious and excellent place in the world. 
When men act in opposition to God’s counsel, the very 
evils which they expect thereby to avoid will come 
upon them. They said, If we do not put Jesus to 
death, the Romans will destroy both our temple and 
nation. Now, it was because they put him to death 
that the Romans burnt and razed their temple to the 
ground, and put a final period to their political exist- 
ence. See Matt. xxii. 7; and the notes on chap. xxiv. 

Verse 49. Cuaiaphas being the high priest that 
same year| By the law of Moses, Exod. xl. 15, the 
office of high priest was for life, and the son of Aaron’s 
race always succeeded his father. But at this time 
the high priesthood was almost annual: the Romans 
and Herod put down and raised up whom they pleased, 
and when they pleased, without attending to any other 
rule than merely that the person put in this office 
should be of the sacerdotal race. According to Jo- 
septius, Ant. xviii. c. 3, the proper name of this per- 
son was Joseph, and Caiaphas was his surname. He 

604 


possessed the high priesthood for eight or nine years, 
and was deposed by Vitellius, governor of Judea. 
See on Luke iii. 2. 

Ye know nothing] Of the perilous state in which 
ye stand. 

Verse 50. Nor consider] Ye talk more at random 
than according to reason, and the exigencies of the 
case. There is a various reading here in some 
MSS. that should be noticed. Instead of οὐδε δια- 
λογιζεσθε, which we translate, ye do not consider, and 
which properly conveys the idea of conferring, or 
talking together, οὐδὲ λογίζεσθε, neither do ye reason 
or consider rightly, is the reading of ABDL, three 
others, and some of the primitive fathers. Griesbach, 
by placing it in his inner margin, shows that he thinks 
it bids fair to be the true reading. Dr. White thinks 
that this reading is equal, and probably preferable, to 
that in the text: Lectio equalis, forsitan preferenda 
recepte. 

That one man should die for the people} In saying 
these remarkable words, Caiaphas had no other inten- 
tion than merely to state that it was better to put 
Jesus to death than to expose the whole nation to ruin 
on his account. His maxim was, it is better to sacri- 
fice one man than a whole nation. In politics nothing 
could be more just than this; but there are two words 
to be spoken to it: First, The religion of God says, 
we must not do evil that good may come: Rom. iii. 
8. Secondly, It is not certain that Christ will be 
acknowledged as king by all the people; nor that he 
will make any insurrection against the Romans ; nor 
that the Romans will, on his account, win the temple, 
the city, and the nation. This Caiaphas should have 
considered. A person should be always sure of his 
premises before he attempts to draw any conclusion 
from them. See Calmet. This saying was prover- 
bial among the Jews: see several instances of it in 
Schoettgen. 

Verse 51. This spake he not of himself] Wicked 
and worthless as he was. God so guided his tongue 
that, contrary to his intention, he pronounced a pro- 
phecy of the death of Jesus Christ. 

I have already remarked that the doctrine of a 
vicarious atonement had gained, long before this time, 
universal credit in the world. Words similar to these 
of Caiaphas are, by the prince of all the Roman poets. 
put in the mouth of Neptune, when promising Venus 
that the fleet of Aneas should be preserved, and his 
whole crew should be saved, one only excepted, whose 
death he speaks of in these remarkable words :— 


“ Unum pro multis dabitur caput.” 


“One life shall fall, that many may be saved.” 
1 


Christ retires to Ephraim, 


A. M4033 being high priest that year, he pro- 
An, Olymp phesied that Jesus should die for 
* that nation ; 

52 And ‘not for that nation only, * but that 
also he should gather together in one the chil- 
dren of God that were scattered abroad. 

53 Then from that day forth they took coun- 
sel together for to put him to death. 

54 Jesus ‘ therefore walked no more openly 


4Jsa. xlix. 6; 1 John ii. 2. © Chap. x. 16; ‘as ii. 14, 15, 16, 
17.— Chap. iv. 1, 3; vii. 


Which victim the poet informs us was Palinurus, the 
pilot of AZneas’s own ship, who was precipitated into 
the deep by a Divine influence. See Vire. Ain. v. 
1. 815, &e. 

There was no necessity for the poet to have intro- 
duced this account. It was no historic fact, nor in- 
deed does it tend to decorate the poem. It even pains 
the reader’s mind ; for, after suffering so much in the 
sufferings of the pious hero and his crew, he is at 
once relieved by the interposition of a god, who pro- 
mises to allay the storm, disperse the clouds, preserve 
the fleet, and the lives of the men; but,—one must 
perish! 
ominously closes with the death of the generous Pali- 
nurus, who strove to the last to be faithful to his trust, 
and to preserve the life of his master and his friend. 
Why then did the poet introduce this? Merely, as it 
appears to me, to have the opportunity of showing in 
a few words his religious creed, on one of the most 
important doctrines in the world ; and which the sacri- 
ficial system of Jews and Gentiles proves that all the 
nations of the earth credited. 

As Caiaphas was high priest, his opinion was of 
most weight with the council; therefore God put 
these words in his mouth rather than into the mouth 
of any other of its members. It was a maxim among 
the Jews that no prophet ever knew the purport of his 
own prophecy, Moses and Isaiah excepted. They 
were in general organs by which God chose to speak. 

Verse 52. And not for that nation only, &c.] 
These, and the preceding words in ver. 51, are John’s 
explication of what was prophetic in the words of 
Caiaphas: as if John had said, He is indeed to die for 
the sins of the Jewish nation, but not for theirs alone, 
but for the sins of the whole world : see his own words 
afterwards, 1 John ii. 1, 2. 

Gather together in one] That he should collect into 
one body ;—form one Church out of the Jewish and 
Gentile believers. 

Children of God that were scattered abroad.] Pro- 
bably John only meant the Jews who were dispersed 
among all nations since the conquest of Judea by the 
Romans; and these are called the dispersed, chap. 
vii. 35, and Jamesi. 1; and it is because he refers 
to these only, that he terms them here, the children 
of God, which was an ancient character of the Jewish 
people: see Deut. xxxii. 5; Isa. xliii. 6; xlv. 11; 
Jer. xxxii. 1. Taking his words in this sense, then 
his meaning is this: that Christ was to die. not only 


CHAP. XI. 


The reader is again distressed, and the book | 


near to the wilderness. 


among the Jews; but went thence 4,™M. 4033. 
unto a country near to the wil- An. Olymp 

CCIE. 1. 
derness, into ἃ city called ———— 
5. Ephraim, and there continued with his dis 
ciples. 

55 Ἵ " And the Jews’ passover was nigh at 
hand: and many went out of the country up 
to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify 
themselves. 


& See 2 Chron. xiii. 19.—— Matt. xxvi. 17; Mark xiv. 12; Luke 
xxii. 1; chap. ii. 13; v. 1; vi. 4. 


for the then inhabitants of Judea, but for all the Jew- 
ish race wheresoever scattered ; and that the conse- 
quence would be, that they should be all collected from 
their various dispersions, and made one body. This 
comports with the predictions of St. Paul: Rom. xi. 
1-32. This probably is the sense of the passage ; 
and though, according to this interpretation, the apos- 
tle may seem to confine the benefits of Christ’s death 
to the Jewish people only, yet we find from the pas- 
sage already quoted from his first epistle, that his 
views of this subject were afterwards very much ex- 
tended; and that he saw that Jesus Christ was not 
only a propitiation for their sins (the Jews) but for the 
sins of the whole world: see his Ist epistle, chap. ii. 
yer. 2. All the truths of the Gospel were not reveal- 
ed at once, even to the apostles themselves. 

Verse 53. They took counsel together] Συνεβουλευ- 
σαντο, they were of one accord in the business, and 
had fully made up their minds on the subject ; and 
they waited only for a proper opportunity to put him 
to death. 

Verse 54. Walked no more openly] Παρῥήσιᾳ, He 
did not go as before through the cities and villages, 
teaching, preaching, and healing the sick. 

Near to the wilderness] Some MSS. add, of Sam 
phourein, or Samphourim, or Sapfurim. 

A city called Ephraim] Variously written in the 
MSS., Ephraim, Ephrem, Ephram, and Ephratha. 
This was a little village, situated in the neighbourhood 
of Bethel; for the scripture, 2 Chron. xiii. 19, and 
Josephus, War, b. iv. c. 8. 5. 9, join them both to- 
gether. Many believe that this city or village was 
the same with that mentioned, 1 Macc. v. 46; 2 Mace. 
xii. 57. Joshua gave it to the tribe of Judah, Josh. 
xv. 9; and Eusebius and Jerome say it was about 
twenty miles north of Jerusalem. 

And there continued] Calmet says, following Toy- 
nard, that he stayed there two months, from the 24th 
of January till the 24th of March. 

Verse 55. The Jews’ passover was nigh at hand] 
It is not necessary to suppose that this verse has any 
particular connection with the preceding. Most chro- 
nologists agree that our Lord spent at Jeast ¢wo months 
in Ephraim. This was the last passover which our 
Lord attended ; and it was at this one that he suffered 
death for the salvation of a lost world. As the pass- 
over was nigh, many of the inhabitants of Ephraim 
and its neighbourhood went up to Jerusalem, some 
time (perhaps seven or eight days, for so much time 

605 


The Jews lay wait for 


Sess ΘΟ yDhenaisouphit, theyiucfor 


oom. Jesus, and spake among them- 

— selves, as they stood in the temple, 
What think ye, * that he will not come to the 
feast ? 


ST. JOHN. 


him at the passover 


57 Now both the chief priests 4,M. 1033 
and the Pharisees 'had given ἃ com- 
mandment, that, if any man knew ———~— 
where he were, he should show it, that they 
might take him. 


i Chap. xi. 7.——* Chap. vii. 11. 


dead) before the feast, that they might purify them- 
selves, and not eat the passover otherwise than pre- 
seribed in the law. Many of the country people, in 
the time of Hezekiah, committed a trespass by not 
attending to this: see 2 Chron. xxx. 18, 19. Those 
mentioned in the text wished to avoid this inconve- 
nience. 

Verse 56. Then sought they for Jesus] Probably 
those of Lyhraim, in whose company Christ is sup- 
posed to have departed for the feast, but, having stayed 
behind, perhaps at Jericho, or its vicinity, the others 
had not missed him till they came to the temple, and 
then inquired among each other whether he would 
not attend the feast. Or the persons mentioned in the 
text might have been the agents of the high priest, 
&c., and hearing that Christ had been at Ephraim, 
came and inquired among the people that came from 
that quarter, whether Jesus would not attend the fes- 
tival, knowing that he was punctual in his attendance 
on all the Jewish solemnities. 

Verse 57. Had given a commandment] Had given 
order ; evtoAnv, positive order, or injunction, and per- 
haps with a grievous penalty, that no one should keep 
ihe place of his residence a secret. This was their 
hour, and the power of darkness ; and now they are 
fully determined to take away his life. The order 
here spdken of was given in consequence of the deter- 
mination of the council, mentioned ver. 48—53. 


Curist’s sympathy and tenderness, one of the prin- 
cipal subjects in this chapter, have already been par- 
ticularly noted on ver. 33. His eternal power and 
Godhead are sufficiently manifested in the resurrection 
of Lazarus. The whole chapter abounds with great 
and important truths, delivered in language the most 
impressive and edifying. In the whole of our Lord’s 
conduct in the affair of Lazarus and his sisters, we 
find majesty, humanity, friendship, and sublime devo- 
‘tion, blended in the most intimate manner, and illus- 

trating each other by their respective splendour and 
excellence. In every act, in every word, we see Gop 
manifested in the rLesH :—Man in all the amiableness 
and charities of his nature; Gop in the plenitude of 
his power and goodness. How sublime is the lesson 
of instruction conveyed by the words, Jesus wept ! 
The heart that feels them not must be in the gall of 
bitterness, and bond of iniquity, and consequently lost 
to every generous feeling. 
806 


1158. i. 15; Rom. iii. 15; 2 Tim. iv. 3. 


On the quotation from Virgil, on the 50th verse, a 
learned friend has sent me the following lines. 


My dear Sir,—TI have observed that in one part of 
your Commentary you quote these words of Virgil, 
Unum pro multis dabitur caput; and you are of 
opinion that Virgil here recognizes the doctrine of 
atonement. There is a passage in Lucan where this 
doctrine is exhibited more clearly and fully. It is in 
the second book, v. 306. Cato, in a speech to 
Brutus, declares his intention of fighting under the 
standard of Pompey, and then expresses the following 
sentiment :— 


O utinam, celique Deis Erebique liberet, 

Hoe caput in cunctas damnatum exponere penas ! 
Deyotum hostiles Decium pressére caterve : 

Me gemine figant acies, me barbara telis 

Rheni turba petat : cunctis ego pervius hastis 
Excipiam medius totius vulnera belli. 

Hic redimat sanguis populos : hae cede Inatur, 
Quidquid Romani meruerunt pendere mores. 


O, were the gods contented with my fall, 

If Cato’s life could answer for you all, 

Like the devoted Decius would I go, 

To force from either side the mortal blow, 

And for my country’s sake wish to be thought her foe. 
To me, ye Romans, all your rage confine, 

To me, ye nations from the barbarous Rhine, 

Let all the wounds this war shall make be mine. 
Open my vital streams, and let them run ; 

O, let the purple sacrifice atone, 


For all the ills offending Rome hath done! Rowe. 


A little after, v. 377, Lucan portrays the cha- 
racter of Cato with a very masterly hand; but he 
applies expressions to a mortal which are applicable to 
Christ alone. 


Uni quippe vacat, studiisque odiisque carenti, 
Humanum lugere genus. 


The golden mean unchanging to pursue ; 
Constant to keep the purposed end in view; 
Religiously to follow nature’s laws ; 

And die with pleasure in his country’s cause, 
To think he was not for himself design’d, 
But born to be of use to all mankind. 


: Rowr 


Jesus sups in the house of Lazarus, 


CHAP. XII. 


and Mary anownts his feet 


CHAPTER XII. 


Jesus sups in the house of Lazarus, and Mary anoits his feet, 1-3. 

Jesus vindicates Mary and reproves Judas, 7, 8. 
Lazarus lo death, because that through him many believed on Jesus, 9-11. 
triumph; the people meet him, and the Pharisees are troubled, 12-19. 


proves her, 4-6. 


22. Our Lord’s discourse on the subject, 23-26. 
from heaven, 27, 28. 
his death, 29-33. 
34-36. 


shows the danger of rejecting his words, 44-50. 


oe "THEN Jesus, six days before the 
An. Olymp. passover, came to Bethany, 
CCIl. 1. i 
“where Lazarus was which had 
been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 

2 There they made him a supper; and 
Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them 
that sat at the table with him. 

3 Then took * Mary a pound of ointment 
of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the 
feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair : 


a Chap. xi. 1, 43.——» Matt. xxvi. 6; Mark xiv. 3. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XII. 

Verse 1. Six days before the passover| Reckoning 
the day of the passover to be the last of the six. 
Our Lord came on our Sabbath, the first day of the 
Jewish week, to Bethany, where he supped; and on 
the next day he made his public entry into Jerusalem : 
ver. 12. Calmet thinks that this was about two 
months after the resurrection of Lazarus, on the 9th 
of Nisan, (March 29,) in the thirty-sixth year of our 
Lord’s age. It has been observed before that Calmet 
adds three years to the common account. 

Verse 3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment] 
See the note on Matt. xxvi. 7; see also Mark xiv. 3. 
Tt does not seem the most likely that this was the 
same transaction with that mentioned above. Some 
think that this was, notwithstanding that before is said 
to have been at the house of Simon the leper. The 
arguments, pro and con, are largely stated in the notes 
at the end of Matt. xxvi., to which I beg leave to 
refer the reader. 

Verse 5. Three hundred pence] Or denarii: about 
9]. 13s. 9d. of our money ; reckoning the denarius at 
7d. One of my MSS. of the Vulgate (a MS. of the 
14th century) reads, cccc denarii. 

Verse 6. Not that ue cared for the poor] There 
should be a particular emphasis laid ‘on the word he, 
as te evangelist studies to show the most determined 
detestation to his conduct. 

And bare what was put therein.] Or rather, as some 
eminent critics contend, And stole what was put in it. 
This seems the proper meaning of eSacafev; and in 
this sense it is used, chap. xx. 15: If thou hast 
STOLEN him away—et ov eBasacac avrov. In the same 
sease the word is used by Josephus, Ant. b. xii. ¢. 5, 
8. 4, where, speaking of the pillage of the temple by 

1 


Judas Iscariot finds fault, and re- 

The chief priests consult to put 
He enters Jerusalem m 
Greeks inquire after Jesus, 20— 
Speaks of his passion, and is answered by a voice 


The people are astonished at the voice, and Jesus explains it to them, and foretells 
They question him concerning the perpetuity of the Messiah, and he instructs them, 
Many believe not; and in them the saying of Isaiah is fulfilled, 37-41. 
rulers believe, but are afraid to confess him, 42, 43. 


Some of the chief 
He proclaims himself the light of the world, and 


and the house was filled with the gee 
odour of the ointment. An. Olymp. 

4 Then saith one of his disciples, ib ὧν νκν. 
Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should 
betray him, 

5 Why was not this ointment sold for three 
hundred pence, and given to the poor? 

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor ; 
but because he was a thief, and ἃ had the bag, 
and bare what was put therein 


¢ Luke x. 38, 39; chap. xi. 2.——4 Chap. xiii. 29. 


Antiochus, he says, Ta σκευὴ tov Θεοῦ Bacaca, He 
carried off, or stoLe, also the vessels of the Lord. 
See also Ant. b. viii. c. 2, s. 2, where the harlot says 
before Solomon, concerning her child, Basacaca de rov- 
μὸν εκ τῶν γονατων πρὸς αὑτην jeradepei—She STOLE 
away my child out of my bosom, and removed tt to 
herself. And Ibid. Ὁ. ix. ὁ. 4, 85. 5, speaking of the 
ten lepers that went into the Syrian camp, he says, 
finding the Syrians fled, They entered into the camp, 
and ate, and drank; and, having sToLEN away 
(eBasacav) garments, and much gold, they hid them 
without the camp. See the objections to this transla- 
tion answered by Aypke, and the translation itself vin- 
dicated. See also Pearce in loc., Wakefield, Toup. 
Em. ad Suid. p. iii. p. 203. If stealing were not 
intended by the evangelist, the word itself must be 
considered as superfluous; for, when we are told that 
he had the dag, we need not be informed that he had 
what was in it. But the apostle says he was a thief ; 
and because he was a thief, and had the common 
purse in his power, therefore he stole as much as he 
conveniently could, without subjecting himself to de- 
tection. And, as he saw that the death of Christ was 
at hand, he wished to seeure a provision for himself, 
before he left the company of the apostles. I see that 
several copies of the old Zéala version understood the 


word in this sense, and therefore have translated the 


word by auferebat, exportabat—took away, carried 
away. Jerome, who professed to mend this version, 
has in this place (as well as in many others) marred 
it, by rendering ἐβαςαζεν, by portabat. 

The γλωσσόκομον, which we translate dag, meant 
originally the little box, or sheath, in which the tongues 
or reeds used for pipes were carried; and thus it is 
interpreted by Pollux in his Onomasticon ; and this is 

607 


Our Lord’s entry 


A.M. 4033. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone : 


An. Dae. against the day of my burying hath 
ake kept this. 

8 For ° the poor always ye have with you ; 
but me ye have not always. 

9 % Much people of the Jews therefore 
knew that he was there: and they came not 
for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see 
Lazarus also, ‘ whom he had raised from the 
dead. 

10 £ But the chief priests consulted that they 
might put Lazarus also to death ; 

11 Because that by reason of him, many 
of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. 

12 7 ‘On the next day, much people that 
were come to the feast, when they heard that 
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 

13 Took branches of palm trees, and went 
forth to meet him, and cried, * Hosanna: Bless- 
ed zs the King of Israel, that cometh in the 
name of the Lord. 


© Matt. xxvi. 11; Mark xiv. 7——1 Chap. xi. 43, 44——s Luke 
xvi. 31. 4 Chap. xi. 45; ver. 18. i Matt. xxi. 8; Mark xi. 
8; Luke xix. 35, ὅδ, é&c.— Psa. exviii. 25, 26. 


agreeable to the etymology of the word. The Greek 
word is used in Hebrew letters by the Talmudists to 
signify a purse, scrip, chest, coffer, ὅθ. As our Lord 
and his disciples lived on charity, a bag or scrip was 
provided to carry those pious donations by which they 
were supported. And Judas was steward and trea- 
surer to this holy company. 

Verse 7. Let her alone: against the day of my 
burying hath she kept this.) Several MSS. and ver- 
sions read thus :—Adgec αὐτὴν, iva εἰς τὴν ἥμεραν Tov 
ἐνταφιασμου μου THpnoy—Let her alone, THAT she may 
keep it to the day of my embalming. This is the read- 
ing of BDLQ, four others, Arabic, Coptic, Althiopic, 
Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, Slavonic Vul- 
gate, all the Ztala but one; Nonnus, Ambrosius, Gau- 
dentius, and Augustin. This reading, which has the 
approbation of Mill, Bengel, Griesbach, Pearce, and 
others, intimates that only a part of the ointment was 
then used, and that the rest was kept till the time that 
the women came to embalm the body of Jesus: Luke 
xxiv. 1. See the notes on Matt. xxvi. 12, 13. 

Verse 9. Much people of the Jews] John, who 
was a Galilean, often gives the title of Jews to those 
who were inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

Verse 10. Consulted that they might put Lazarus 
also to death.| As long as he lived they saw an in- 
contestable proof of the Divine power of Christ ; there- 
fore they wished to put him to death, because many 
of the Jews, who came to see him through curiosity, 
became converts to Christ through his testimony.— 
How blind were these men not to perceive that he who 
had raised him, after he had been dead four days, 
could raise him again though they had slain him a 
thousand times ! 

608 


ST. JOHN. 


into Jerusalem 


14 1And Jesus, when he had 4, ™. 4033 
found a young ass, sat thereon; as he τι τ 
it is written, ee 

15 ™Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, 
thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt. 

16 These things ἃ understood not his disci- 
ples at the first; ° but when Jesus was glorified, 
» then remembered they that these things were 
written of him, and that they had done these 
things unto him. 

17 The people therefore that was with him, 
when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and 
raised him from the dead, bare record. 

18 °For this cause the people also met him, 
for that they heard that he had done this 
miracle. 

19 The Pharisees therefore said among them- 
selves, * Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing ? 
behold, the world is gone after him. 

20 Ἵ And there ὅ were certain Greeks among 
them, * that came up to worship at the feast: 


1 Matt. xxi. 7.——™ Zech. ix. 9. 1 Luke xviii. 34—° Chap. 
vii. 39. P Chap. xiv. 26.—1 Ver. 1]. τ Chap. xi. 47, 48 
5. Acts xvii. 4.——t 1 Kings viii. 41, 42; Acts viil. 27. 


Verse 12. On the next day] On what we call 
Monday. 

Verse 13. Took branches] See on Matt. xxi. 1 
&ec., and Mark xi. 1-6, where this transaction is 
largely explained. 

Verse 16. Then remembered they, &c.| After the 
ascension of Christ, the disciples saw the meaning of 
many prophecies which referred to Christ, and applied 
them to him, which they had not fully comprehended 
before. Indeed it is only in the light of the new cove- 
nant, that the old is to be fully understood. 

Verse 17. When he called] It appears that these 
people, who had seen him raise Lazarus from the dead, 
were publishing abroad the miracle, which increased 
the popularity of Christ, and the envy of the Pharisees. 

Verse 19. Ye prevail nothing] Lither by your 
threatenings or excommunications. 

The world is gone after him.| The whole mass 
of the people are becoming his disciples. This is a 
very common form of expression among the Jews, 
and simply answers to the French, tout le monde, and 
to the English, every body—the bulk of the people. 
Many MSS., versions, and fathers, add ὁλος, the WHOLE 
world. As our Lord’s converts were rapidly increas- 
ing, the Pharisees thought it necessary to execute 
without delay what they had purposed at their first 
council. See chap. xi. 53. 

Verse 20. Certain Greeks] There are three opi- 
nions concerning these: 1. That they were proselyles 
of the gate or covenant, who came up to worship the 
true God at this feast. 2. That they were real Jens, 
who lived in Grecian provinces, and spoke the Greek 
language. 3. That they were mere Gentiles, who 
never knew the true God; and, hearing of the fame 

1 


The necessity of 


A. M. 4033. 2] The same came therefore to 
An. Olymp. Philip, ἃ which was of Bethsaida of 

jth Galilee, and desired him, saying, 
Sir, we would see Jesus. 

22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and 
again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 

23 Ἵ And Jesus answered them, saying, 


«Chap. i. 44. ¥ Chap. xiii. 32; xvii. 1 ——" 1 Cor. xv. 36. 


of the temple, or the miracles of our Lord, came to 
offer sacrifices to Jehovah, and to worship him accord- 
ing to the manner of the people of that land. This 
was not an unfrequent case: many of the Gentiles, 
Romans, and others, were in the habit of sending sacri- 
fices to the temple at Jerusalem. Of these opinions 
the reader may choose; but the first seems best founded. 

Verse 21. The same came therefore to Philip] 
Some suppose that these Gentiles were of Phenicia 
or Syria, or perhaps inhabitants of Decapolis, near to 
che lake of Gennesareth and Bethsaida; and there- 
fore they addressed themselves to Philip, who was of 
the latter city, and probably known to them. The 
later Syriac calls them Arameans or Syrians. The 
Vulgate, and several copies of the Jtala, call them 
Gentiles. 

Sir, we would see Jesus.| We have heard much 
concerning him, and we wish to see the person of whom 
we have heard such strange things. The final salva- 
tion of the soul often originates, under God, in a prin- 
ciple of simple curiosity. Many have only wished to 
see or hear a man who speaks much of Jesus, his mi- 
racles, and his mercies ; and in hearing have felt the 
powers of the world to come, and have become genu- 
ine converts to the truths of the Gospel. 

Verse 22. Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.] 
pleasing to God is this union, when the ministers of 
his Gospel agree and unite together to bring souls to 
Christ. But where self-love prevails, and the honour 
that comes from God is not sought, this union never 
exists. Bigotry often ruins every generous sentiment 
among the different denominations of the people of God. 

Verse 23. The hour is come, that the Son of man, 
&c.] The time is just at hand in which the Gospel 
shall be preached to all nations, the middle wall of 
partition broken down, and Jews and Gentiles united 
in one fold. But this could not be till after his death 
and resurrection, as the succeeding verse teaches.— 
The disciples were the first fruits of the Jews; these 
Greeks, the first fruits of the Gentiles. 

Verse 24. Except a corn of wheat fall into the 
ground and die] Our Lord compares himself to a 
grain of wheat ; his death, to a grain sown and decom- 
posed in the ground; his resurrection, to the blade 
which springs up from the dead grain; which grain, 
thus dying, brings forth an abundance of fruit. I must 
die to be glorified; and, unless I am glorified, I can- 
not establish a glorious Church of Jews and Gentiles 
upon earth. In comparing himself thus to a grain of 
wheat, our Lord shows us :— 

1. The cause of his death—the order of God, who 
had rated the redemption of the world at this price ; 

Voz. I. ("ss 4 


CHAP. XII. 


How | 


the death of Chrast. 


YThe hour is come, that the Son ΡΟΣ 
of man should be glorified. An. Olymp. 
i ἈΝ CCIL 1. 
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, — 
~ Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground 
and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it 
bringeth forth much fruit. 


25 * He that loveth his life shall lose it; 


= Matt. x. 39; xvi. 25; Mark viii. 35; Luke ix. 24; xvii. 33. 


as in nature he had attached the multiplication of the 
corn to the death or decomposition of the grain. 

2. The end of his death—the redemption of a lost 
world ; the justification, sanctification, and glorification 
of men: as the multiplication of the corn is the end 
for which the grain is sown and dies. 

3. The mystery of his death, which we must credit 
without being able fully to comprehend, as we believe 
the dead grain multiplies itself, and we are nourished 
by that multiplication, without being able to compre- 
hend how itis done. The greatest philosopher that 
ever existed could not tell how one grain became thir- 
ty, sixty, a hundred, or a thousand—how it vegetated 
in the earth—how earth, air, and water, its component 
parts, could assume such a form and consistence, emit 
such odours, or produce such tastes. Nor can the 
wisest man on earth tell how the bodies of animals 
are nourished by this produce of the ground; how 
wheat, for instance, is assimilated to the very nature 
of the bodies that receive it, and how it becomes flesh 
and blood, nerves, sinews, bones, ἄς. All we can say 
is, the thing zs so; and it has pleased God that it 
should be so, and not otherwise. So there are many 
things in the person, death, and sacrifice of Christ 
which we can neither explain nor comprehend. All 
we should say here is, It is by this means that the 
world was redeemed—through this sacrifice men are 
saved: it has pleased God that it should be so, and 
not otherwise. Some say: ‘“ Our Lord spoke this ac- 
cording to the philosophy of those days, which was by 
no means correct.” But, I would ask, has ever a 
more correct philosophy on this point appeared? Is 
it not a physical truth that the whole Jody of the grain 
dies, is converted into fine earth, which forms the first 
nourishment of the embryo plant, and prepares it to 
receive a grosser support from the surrounding soil ; 
and that nothing lives but the germ, which was in- 
eluded in this body, and which must die also, if it did 
not receive, from the death or putrefaction of the body 
of the grain, nourishment, so as to enable it to unfold 
itself? Though the body of our Lord died, there was 
still the germ, the quickening power of the Divinity, 
which reanimated that body, and stamped the atone- 
ment with infinite merit. Thus the merit was multi- 
plied ; and, through the death of that one person, the 
man Christ Jesus united to the eternal WORD, sal- 
vation was procured for the whole world. Never was 
a simile more appropriate, nor an illustration more 
happy or successful. 

Verse 25. He that loveth his life] See on Matt. x. 
39; Luke xiv. 26. I am about to give up my life for 
the salvation of men; but I shall speedily receive it 

609 


The honour of those 


A.M. 4033. and he that hateth his life in this 
An, Olymp. world, shall keep it unto life 
: eternal. 

26 If any man serve me, let him follow me ; 
and ¥ where I am, there shall also my servant 
be: if any man serve me, him will my Father 
honour. i 

27 * Now is my soul troubled; and what 


v Chap. xiv. 3; xvii. 24; 1 Thess. iv. 17. z Matt. xxvi. 38, 39; 
Luke xii, 50; chap. xiii. 21. 


back with everlasting honour, by my resurrection from 
the dead. In this I should be imitated by my disciples, 
who should, when called to it, lay down their lives for 
the truth; and, if they do, they shall receive them 
again with everlasting honour. 

Verse 26. If any man serve me] Christ is a master 
in a twofold sense: 1. To instruct men. 2. To em- 
vloy and appoint them their work. He who wishes to 
serve Christ must become: 1. His disciple or scholar, 
that he may be taught: 2. His servant, that he may 
be employed by and obey his master. To such a per- 
son a twofold promise is given: 1. He shall be with 
Christ, in eternal fellowship with him; and 2. He 
shall be honoured by the Lord: he shall have an 
abundant recompense in glory; but how great, eye 
hath not seen, ear heard, nor hath it entered into the 
heart of man to conceive. 

How similar to this is the saying of Creeshna (an 
mearnation of the supreme God, according to the Hin- 
doo theology) to his disciple Avjoon! “If one whose 
ways were ever so evil serve me alone, he soon be- 
cometh of a virtuous spirit, is as respectable as the 
just man, and obtaineth eternal happiness. Consider 
this world as a finite and joyless place, and serve me. 
Be of my mind, my servant, my adorer,and bow down 
before me. Unite thy soul unto me, make me thy 
asylum, and thou shalt go unto me.” And again: 
Τ am extremely dear to the wise man, and he is dear 
to me—I esteem the wise man even as myself, be- 
cause his devout spirit dependeth upon me alone as his 
ultimate resource.” Bhagvat Geeta, pp. 71 and 82. 

The rabbins have an extravagant saying, viz. “ God 
15 more concerned for the honour of the just man than 
for his own.” 

Verse 27. Now is my soul troubled] Our blessed 
Lord took upon him our weaknesses, that he might 
sanctify them to ws. As aman he was troubled at the 
prospect of a violent death. Nature abhors death: God 
has implanted that abhorrence in nature, that it might 
become a principle of self preservation; and it is to 
this that we owe all that prudence and caution by which 
we avoid danger. When we see Jesus working mira- 
cles which demonstrate his omnipotence, we should be 
led to conclude that he was not man were it not for 
such passages as these. The reader must ever re- 
member that it was essentially necessary that he should 
be man; for, without being such, he could not have 
died for the sin of the world. 

And what shall I say? Father, save me from this 
hour] Και tt exw; πατερ, σωσον pe ek THE ρας ταυτῆης" 
which may be paraphrased thus; And why should I 

610 


ST. JOHN. 


wno serve Christ 


shall 1 say? Father, save ine from ὡς δ 1039- 
this hour: * but for this cause came An. Olymp. 
I unto this hour. _ Oe 

28 Father, glorify thy name. » Then 
came there a voice from heaven, saying, 
I have both glorified it, and will glorify it 
again. 

29 The people therefore that stood by, and 


a Luke xxii. 53; chap. xviii. 37——> Matthew 
melas 


say, Father, save me from this hour? when for this 
cause I am come to this hour. The common version 
makes our blessed Lord contradict himself here, by not 
attending to the proper punctuation of the passage, and 
by translating the particle τὶ what, instead of why or 
how. ‘The sense of our Lord’s words is this: ‘* When 
a man feels a fear of a sudden or violent death, it is 
natural to him to ery out, Father, save me from this 
death! for he hopes that the glory of God and his 
welfare may be accomplished some other way, less 
dreadful to his nature: but why should J say so, see- 
ing for this very purpose, that I might die this violent 
death for the sins of mankind, I am come into the 
world, and have almost arrived at the hour of my 
crucifixion.” 

Verse 28. Father, glorify thy name.| By the name 
of God is to be understood himself, in all his attributes : 
his wisdom, truth, mercy, justice, holiness, &c., which 
were all more abundantly glorified by Christ’s death 
and resurrection, (i. e. shown forth in their own ex- 
cellence,) than they had ever been before. Christ 
teaches here a lesson of submission to the Divine will. 
Do with me what thou wilt, so that glory may redound 
to thy name. Some MSS. read, Father, glorify my 
name: others, glorify thy Son. 

Then came there a voice from heaven, &e.| The 
following is a literal translation of Calmet’s note on 
this passage, which he has taken from Chrysostom, 
Theodoret, Theophylact, and others: “I have accom- 
plished my eternal designs on thee. I have sent thee 
into the world to make an atonement for the sin of the 
world, and to satisfy my offended justice. I will finish 
my work. Thou shalt shed thy blood upon the cross. 
My glory is interested in the consummation of thy 
sacrifice. But, in procuring my own glory, I shall 
procure thine. Thy life and thy death glorify me: I 
have glorified thee by the miracles which have accom- 
panied thy mission ; and I will continue to glorify thee 
at thy death, by unexampled prodigies, and thy resur- 
rection shall be the completion of thy glory and of thy 
elevation.” 

Christ was glorified: 1st. By the prodigies which 
happened at his death. 2. Inhis resurrection. 3. In 
his ascension, and sitting at the right hand of God. 
4, In the descent of the Holy Ghost on the apostles 
and 5. In the astonishing success with which the Gos- 
pel was accompanied, and by which the kingdom of 
Christ has been established in the world. 2 Cor. ii. 14. 

Verse 29. The people—said that it thundered: 
others—an angel spake to him.] Bishop Pearce says, 
Probably there was thunder as well as a voice, as in 

(maa, a. 


Christ shows the meaning 


a heard it, said that it thundered : 
Ap, Olymp. others said, An angel spake to him. 
= 30 Jesus answered and _ said, 
© This voice came not because of me, but for 
your sakes. 

31 Nowis the judgment of this world: now 


©Chap. xi. 42.——4 Matt. xij. 29; Luke x. 18; chap. xiv. 30; 
xvi. 11; Acts xxvi. 18; 2 Cor. iv. 4; Eph. ii. 2; vi. 12. 


Exod. xix. 16, 17, and some persons, who were at a 
small distance, might hear the thunder without hearing 
the voice ; while others heard the voice too; and these 
last said, “ An angel hath spoken to him.” 

Weitstein supposes that the voice was in the language 
then in use among the Jews; which the Greeks, not 
anderstanding, took for thunder ; the others, the Jews, 
who did understand it, said it was the voice of an angel. 
In Rev. vi. 1, the voice of one of the living creatures 
is compared to thunder ; and in chap. x. 3, the voice 
of an angel is compared to seven thunders. ‘The voice 
mentioned was probably very loud, which some heard 
distinctly, others indistinctly ; hence the variety of 
opinion. 

Verse 30. This voice came not because of me, but 
for your sakes.| Probably meaning those Greeks who 
aad been brought to him by Philip and Andrew. The 
Jews had freauent opportunities of seeing his miracles, 
and of being convinced that he was the Messiah ; but 
these Greeks, who were to be a first fruits of the 
Gentiles, had never any such opportunity. For their 
sakes, therefore, to confirm them in the faith, this 
miraculous voice appears to have come from heaven. 

Verse 31. Now is the judgment of this world| The 
judgment spoken of in this place is applied by some to 
the punishment which was about to fall on the Jewish 
people for rejecting Christ. And the ruler or prince, 
5 ἀρχων, of this world, is understood to be Satan, who 
had blinded the eyes of the Jews, and hardened their 
hearts, that they might not believe on the Son of God; 
but his kingdom, not only among the Jews, but in all 
the world, was about to be destroyed by the abolition 
of idolatry and the vocation of the Gentiles. 

The epithet poy Ww sar ha-dlam, prince of this 
world, is repeatedly applied to the devil, or to Samael, 
who is termed the angel of death. The Jews fabled 
that, into the hands of this chief, God had delivered all 
the nations of the earth, except the Israelites. See 
Lightfoot. The words are understood by others as 
addressed to these believing Greeks, and to have the 
rollowing meaning, which is extremely different from 
the other. “In a short time (four or five days after- 
wards) ye shall see what sort of a judgment this world 
passes. J, who am its ruler and prince, shall be cast 
out, shall be condemned by my own creatures, as an 
impious and wicked person. But do not be discouraged : 
though I be lifted up on the cross, and die like a male- 
factor, nevertheless I will draw all men unto myself. 
The Gospel of Christ crucified shall be the grand agent, 
in the hand of the Most High, of the conversion and 
salvation of a ruined world.” But see on chap. xiv. 
30, and xvi. 11. 

Verse 32. I—will draw all men unto me.) After I 

1 


CHAP. XII. 


of the voice from heaven 


shall the prince of this world be 4,™, 1035. 
cast out. 
32 And I, ° if I be lifted up from ————. 
the earth, will draw ‘all men unto me. 
33 £ This he said, signifying what death he 
should die. 


© Chap. iii. 14; viii. 23—— Rom. v. 18; Heb. ii. 9 ——+ Chap. 


xviil. 32. 


shall have died and risen again, by the preaching of my 
word and the influence of my Spirit, I shall attract and 
illuminate both Jews and Gentiles. It was one of the 
peculiar characteristics of the Messiah, that unto him 
should the gathering of the people be, Gen. xlix. 10. 
And probably our Lord refers to the prophecy, Isa. xi. 
10, which peculiarly belonged to the Gentiles: “ There 
shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ENSIGN 
of the people, to it shall the Gentites seek, and his 
rest shall be glorious.” There is an allusion here to 
the ensigns or colours of commanders of regiments, 
elevated on high places, on long poles, that the people 
might see where the pavilion of their general was, and 
so flock to his standard. 

Instead of zavrac, the Codex Beze, another, several 
versions, and many of the fathers, read πάντα, all men, 
or all things: so the Anglo-Saxon, Ic teo ealle Sing to 
me yylpon, J will draw all things to myself. But παντα 
may be here the accusative singular, and signify all men. 

The ancients fabled that Jupiter had a chain of gold, 
which he could at any time let down from heaven, and 
by it draw the earth and all its inhabitants to himself. 
See a fine passage to this effect in Homer, Iliad viia 
ver. 18-27. 

Ew aye, πειρησασϑε Seo, iva evdete παντες; 

Σειρὴν χρυσειην εξ ovpavotev κρεμασαντες" 

Tlavrec δ᾽ εξαπτεσϑε ϑεοι, πασαι τε ϑεαιναι. κ. τ. Ἅ. 


«ΝΟΥ prove me : let ye down the golden chain 
From heaven, and pull at its inferior links, 
Both goddesses and gods: but me your king, 
Supreme in wisdom, ye shall never draw 
To earth from heaven, strive with me as ye may. 
But I, if willing to exert my power, 
The earth itself, itself the sea, and you, 
Will lift with ease together, and will wind 
The chain around the spiry summit sharp 
Of the Olympian, that all things upheaved 
Shall hang in the mid heaven. So much am I, 
Alone, superior both to gods and men.—Cowrer. 


By this chain the poets pointed out the union be- 
tween heaven and earth; or, in other words, the go- 
vernment of the universe by the extensive chain of 
causes and effects. It was termed golden, to point out, 
not only the beneficence of the Divine Providence, but 
also that infinite philanthropy of God by which he in- 
fluences and by which he aitracts all mankind to him- 
self. It was possibly in allusion to this that our Lord 
spoke the above words. Should it be objected that it 
is inconsistent with the gravity of the subject, and the 
dignity of our Lord, to allude to the fable of a heathen 
poet, [ answer: 1. The moral is excellent, and, appli- 


'ed to this purpose, ‘xpresses beautifully our Lord’s 


611 


Christ exhorts the people 


A.M. 4033. 34 The people answered him, 
An Olymp. h We have heard out of the law, 
“that Christ abideth for ever: and 
how sayest thou, The Son of man must be 
lifted up? who is this Son of man? 
35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little 


h Psa. lxxxix. 36, 37; ex. 4; Isa. ix. 7; liii. 8; Ezekiel xxxvii. 
25; Dan. ii. 44; vii. 14, 27; Mic. iv. 7. 


ST. JOHN. 


to walk wn the ght 


while *is the light with you. * Walk Αἰ δ (088, 
while ye have the light, lest An. Olymp. 
darkness come upon you: for ! he es 
that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither 
he goeth. 

36 While ye have light, believe in the light, 


i Chap. i. 9; viii. 12; ix.5; ver. 46 Jer. xiii. 16; Eph. v. 
8.— Chap. xi. 10; 1 John ii. 11. 


gracious design in dying for the world, viz. That men 
might be united to himself, and drawn up into heaven. 
2. It is no more inconsistent with the gravity of the 
subject, and his dignity, for our blessed Lord to allude 
to Homer, than it was for St. Paul to quote Aratus and 
Cleanthes, Acts xvii. 28, and Epimenides, Tit. i. 12; 
for he spoke by the same Spirit. 

So justice was sometimes represented under the 
emblem of a golden chain, and in some cases such a 
chain was constructed, one end attached to the empe- 
tor’s apartment, and the other hanging within reach ; 
that if any person were oppressed he might come and 
lay hold on the chain, and by shaking it give the king 
notice that he was oppressed, and thus claim protection 
from the fountain of justice and power. In the Jehan- 
geer Nameh, a curious account of this kind is given, 
which is as follows. The first order which Jehangeer 
issued on his accession to the throne (which was A. H. 
1014, answering to A. D. 1605) was for the con- 
struction of the GoLDEN cHAIN of Justice. 11 was made 
of pure gold, and measured thirty yards in length, con- 
sisting of sixty links, and weighing, in the whole, four 
Hindostany maunds (about four hundred pounds avoir- 
dupois.) One end of the chain was suspended from 
the royal bastion of the fortress of Agra, and the other 
fastened in the ground near the side of the river. The 
intention of this was, that if the officers of the courts 
of law were partial in their decisions, or dilatory in the 
administration of justice, the injured parties might come 
themselves to this chain, and, making a noise by shak- 
ing the links of it, give notice that they were waiting 
to represent their grievances to his majesty. Hist. of 
Hindostan, p. 96, Calcutta, 1788. Such a communi- 
cation, prayer and faith establish between the most 
just and most merciful Gop, and the wretched and op- 
pressed children of men. ‘And I, if I be lifted up 
from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” O thou 
that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come! 
Psa. Ixv. 2. 

Verse 34. We have heard out of the law] That is, 
out of the sacred writings. The words here are quoted 
from Psa. ex. 4; but the Jews called every part of 
the sacred writings by the name, The Law, in opposi- 
tion to the words or sayings of the scribes. See on 
chap. x. 34. 

That Christ abideth for ever] There was no part of 
the law nor of the Seripture that said the Messiah 
should not die; but there are several passages that 
say as expressly as they can that Christ must die, and 
die for the sin of the world too. See especially Isa. 
hii. 1, &c.; Dan. ix 24, 27. But as there were 
several passages that spoke of the perpetuity of his 
Feign, as Isa. ix. 7 Ezek. xxxvii. 25; Dan. vii. 14, 

612 


they probably confounded the one with the other, and 
thus drew the conclusion, The Messiah cannot die ; 
for the Scripture hath said, his throne, kingdom, and 
reign shall be eternal. The prophets, as well as the 
evangelists and apostles, speak sometimes of the Di- 
vine, sometimes of the human nature of Christ: when 
they speak of the former, they show forth its glory, 
excellence, omnipotence, omniscience, and eternity ; 
when they speak of the latter, they show forth its hu- 
miliations, afflictions, sufferings, and death. And those 
who do not make the proper distinction between the 
two natures of Christ, the human and the Divine, will 
ever make blunders as well as the Jews. It is only 
on the ground of two natures in Christ that the Scrip- 
tures which speak of him, either in the Old or New 
Testament, can be possibly understood. No position 
in the Gospel is plainer than this, God was manifest 
in the flesh. 

Verse 35. Yet a little while is the light with you.] 
In answer to their objection, our Lord compares him- 
self to a light, which was about to disappear for a short 
time, and afterwards to shine forth with more abundant 
lustre ; but not to their comfort, if they continued to 
reject its present beamings. He exhorts them to fol- 
low this light while it was among them. The Christ 
shall abide for ever, it is true; but he will not always 
be visible. When he shall depart from you, ye shall 
be left in the thickest darkness; in impenitence and 
hardness of heart. Then shall ye wish to see one of 
the days of the Son of man, and shall not see it, Luke 
xvii. 99. Then shall ye seek me, but shall not find 
me, John vii. 34. For the kingdom of God shall be 
taken from you, and given to the Gentiles, Matt. xxi. 
43. Ifye believe not in me now, ye shall then wish 
ye had done it, when wishing shall be for ever fruitless, 

Instead of μεθ᾽ ὑμων, with you, ev ὑμιν, among you 
is the reading of BDL, seventeen others; Coptic 
Gothic, Slavonic, Vulgate, Itala; Cyril, Nonnus, and 
Victorinus. Griesbach has received it into the text. 
The meaning of both is nearly the same. 

Lest darkness come upon you] Ye have a good part 
of your journey yet to go : ye cannot travel safely but in 
the daylight—that light is almost gone—run, that the 
darkness overtake you not, or in it ye shall stumble, 
fall, and perish! 

Reader, is thy journey near anend? There may be 
but a very little time remaining tothee. O, run, fly 
to Christ, lest the darkness of death overtake thee, be- 
fore thy soul have found redemption in his blood ! 

Verse 36. Children of light] Let the light, the 
truth of Christ, so dwell in and work by you that ye 
may be all light in the Lord: that as truly as a child 
is the produce of his own parent, and partakes of his 

1 


The Jews would not believe, and 


AM * that ye may be ™the children of 
4a, Gymp. light. These things spake Jesus, 
—————_ and departed, and * did hide himself 
from them. 

37 % But though he had done so many mi- 
racles before them, yet they believed not on 
him : 

38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet 
might be fulfilled, which he spake, ° Lord, who 
hath believed our report? and to whom 


™ Luke xvi. 8; Eph. v.8; 1 Thess. v. 5; 1 John ii. 9, 10, 11. 
Ὁ Chap. vill. 59; xi. 54. 


nature, so ye may be children of the light, having no- 
thing in you but truth and righteousness. 

Did hide himself from them.| Wither by rendering 
himself invisible, or by suddenly mingling with the 
crowd, so that they could not perceive him. See chap. 
viii. 59. Probably it means no more than that he 
withdrew from them, and went to Bethany, as was his 
custom a little before his crucifixion; and concealed 
himself there during the night, and taught publicly 
every day in the temple. It was in the night season 
that they endeavoured to seize upon him, in the ab- 
sence of the multitude. 

Verse 37. Yet they believed not on him] Though 
the miracles were wrought for this very purpose, that 
they might believe in Christ, and escape the coming 
wrath, and every evidence given that Jesus was the 
Messiah, yet they did not believe ; but they were blind- 
ed by their passions, and obstinately hardened their 
hearts against the truth. 

Verse 38. That the saying of Esaias] Or, Thus 
the word of Isaiah was fulfilled. So 1 think iva 
(commonly rendered that) should be translated. For 
it certainly does not mean the end the Pharisees had 
in view by not believing ; nor the end which the pro- 
phet had in view in predicting the incredulity of the 
Jews ; but simply, such a thing was spoken by the 
prophet, concerning the Jews of his own time, and it 
had its literal fulfilment in those of our Lord’s time. 

Our report) The testimony of the prophets, con- 
cerning the person, office, sufferings, death, and sacri- 
fice of the Messiah. See Isa. lili. 1, &e. 

The arm of the Lord| The power, strength, and 
miracles of Christ. 

Verse 39. Therefore they could not believe] Why? 
Because they did not believe the report of the prophets 
concerning Christ ; therefore they credited not the mi- 
racles which he wrought as a proof that he was the 
person foretold by the prophets, and promised to their 
fathers. Having thus resisted the report of the pro- 
phets, and the evidence of Christ’s own miracles, God 
gave them up to the darkness and hardness of their 
own hearts, so that they continued to reject every 
overture of Divine mercy; and God refused to heal 
their national wound, but, on the contrary, commission- 
ed the Romans against them, so that their political ex- 
istence was totally destroyed. 

The prophecy of Isaiah was neither the cause nor 
the morwve of their unbelief: it was a simple predic- 

1 


CHAP. XII. 


so fulfil a prophecy of Isavah 


hath the arm of the Lord been re- 4,™, 4033 
vealed ? as — 

39 Therefore they could not be- ————- 
lieve, because that Esaias said again, 

40 » He hath blinded their eyes, and harden- 
ed their heart ; that they should not see with 
their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and 
be converted, and I should heal them. 

41 4 These things said Esaias, when he saw 
his glory, and spake of him. 


? Isa. vi. 9,10; Matthew xi. 14. 
4158. vi. 1. 


° Isa. lili. 1; Rom. x. 16. 


tion, which imposed no necessity on them to resist the 
offers of mercy. They might have believed, notwith- 
standing the prediction, for such kinds of prophecies 
always include a tacit condition ; they may believe, if 
they properly use the light and power which God has 
given them. Such prophecies also are of a general 
application—they will always suit somebody, for in 
every age persons will be found who resist the grace 
and Spirit of God like these disobedient Jews. How- 
ever, it appears that this prediction belonged especially 
to these rejecters and crucifiers of Christ; and if the 
prophecy was infallible in its execution, with respect 
to them, it was not because of the prediction that they 
continued in unbelief, but because of their own volun- 
tary obstinacy ; and God foreseeing this, foretold it by 
the prophet. Should I say that, they could not be- 
lieve, means, they would not believe, I should perhaps 
offend a generation of his children; and yet 1 am 
pretty certain the words should be so understood. 
However, that I may put myself under cover from all 
suspicion of perverting the meaning of a text which 
seems to some to be spoken in favour of that awful 
doctrine of unconditional reprobation, the very father 
of it shall interpret the text forme. Thus then saith 
St. Aveustin: Quare autem non POTERANT, si a me 
queratur, cilo respondeo; Quia NOLEBANT: MALAM 
quippe eorum VOLUNTATEM previdit Deus, et per pro- 
phetam prenunciavit. “If Tbe asked why they coup 
not believe? I immediately answer, Because THEY 
woutp not. And God, having foreseen their BaD 
wit1, foretold it by the prophet.” Aug. Tract. 53, 
in Joan. 

Verse 40. And I should heal them.| This verse is 
taken from Isa. vi. 9, and, perhaps, refers more to 
the judgments that should fall upon them as a nation, 
which God was determined should not be averted, 
than it does to their eternal state. To suppose that 
the text meant that God was unwilling that they 
should turn unto him, lest he should be obliged to 
save them, is an insupportable blasphemy. 

Verse 41. When he saw his glory] Isa. vi. 1, ὅσ. 
1 saw Jehovah, said the prophet, sitting upon a throne, 
high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 
Above it stood the seraphim; and one cried unto 
another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah, God 
of hosts; the whole earth shall be full of his glory! 
It appears evident, from this passage, that the glory 
whi :h the prophet saw was the glory of Jehovat ° 

613 


Jesus continues to 


A. M. 4033. i 
lanes 2 “ Nevertheless among the chief 


An. Glynn rulers also many believed on him; 

but * because of the Pharisees they 
did not confess him, lest they should be put 
out of the synagogue : 

43 * For they loved the praise of men more 
than the praise of God. 

44 9% Jesus cried and said, ἢ He that believeth 
on me, believeth not on me, but on him that 
sent me. 

45 And “he that seeth me, seeth him that 
sent me. 

46 *I am come a light into the world, that 
whosoever believeth on me should not abide 
im darkness. 


ST. JOHN. 


teach the peop e 
47 And if any man hear my ὭΣ Μ. Rey 


words, and believe not, * I judge re δ. Obymp 
him not‘ for *I came not to judge 
the world, but to save the world. 

48 ¥ He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not 
my words, hath one that judgeth him: # the 
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge 
him in the last day. 

49 For “1 have not spoken of myself; but 
the Father which sent me, he gave me a com- 
mandment, ? what I should say and what I 
should speak. 

50 And I know that his commandment is 
life everlasting : whatsoever I speak therefore 
even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. 


*Chap. vii. 13; ix. 22.—+* Chap. 
1 Pet. i. 21. 4 Chap. xiv. 9. 
Vili. 12; ix. 5, 39. 


v. 44.—t Mark ix. 37; 
Ver 35, 36; chap. iii. 19; 


w Chap. v. 453; viii. 15, 26———* Chap. iii. 17_~¥ Luke x 
16. 2 Deut. xviii. 19; Mark xvi. 16.— Chap. vill. 38; xiv. 
10.—> Deut. xviii. 18. 


John, therefore, saying here that it was the glory of 
Jesus, shows that he considered Jesus to be Jehovah. 
See Bishop Pearce. ‘Two MSS. and a few versions 
have Θεοῦ, and tov Ozov αὐτου, the glory of God, or 
of his God. 

Verse 42. Among the chief rulers—many believed 
on him] We only know the names of two of them, 
Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. 

But—they did not confess him] Or it: they were 
as yet weak in the faith, and could not bear the 
reproach of the cross of Christ. Besides, the prin- 
cipal rulers had determined to excommunicate every 
person who acknowledged Christ for the Messiah; 
see chap. ix. 22. 

Verse 43. They loved the praise of men] Δοξαν, 
the glory or honour that cometh from men. 

How common are these four obstacles of faith! 
says Quesnel: 1. Too great a regard to men. 2. 
Riches and temporal advantages. 3. The fear of 
disgrace. 4. The love of the praise of men. Abund- 
ance of persons persuade themselves that they love 
God more than the world, till some trying occasion 
fully convinces them of their mistake. It is a very 
great misfortune for a person not to know himself 
but by his falls; but it is the greatest of all not to 
rise again after he has fallen. This is generally 
occasioned by the love of the praise of men, because 
in their account it is more shameful to rise again 
than it was to fall at first. 

Verse 44. Jesus cried and said] This is our Lord’s 
conciuding discourse to this wicked people: probably 
this and the following verses should be understood 
as a part of the discourse which was left off at the 
36th verse. 

Jesus cried—he spoke these words aloud, and 
showed his earnest desire for their salvation. 

Believeth not on me, (only,) but on him that sent 
me.| Here he asserts again his indivisible unity with 
the Father :—he who believes on the Son believes on 
the Father: he who hath seen the Son hath seen the 

614 


Father: he who honours the Son honours the Father. 
Though it was for asserting this (his oneness with 
God) that they were going to crucify him, yet he 
retracts nothing of what he had spoken, but strongly 
reasserts it, in the very jaws of death ! 

Verse 46. I am come a light into the world] Pro- 
bably referring to what his forerunner had said, chap. 
i. 5. Before the coming of this Saviour, this sun of 
righteousness, into the world, all was darkness : at his 
rising the darkness is dispersed; but it only profits 
those whose eyes are open to receive the rays of this 
sun of righteousness. See on chap. i. 5; iii. 19; 
Vili. 12; and ix. 5. 

Verse 47. And believe not] Καὶ μὴ φυλαξῃ, And 
keep them not, is the reading of ABL, seven others ; 
Syriac, Wheelock’s Persian, two of the Arabic, Coptic, 
Sahidic, Athiopic, Armenian, later Syriac, Vulgate, 
six of the Itala, and some of the fathers. 

A man must hear the words of Christ in order to 
believe them; and he must Jelieve, in order to keep 
them ; and he must seep them in order to his salvation. 

I judge him not] 1 need not do it: the words of 
Moses and the prophets judge and condemn him. 
See the notes on chap. iii. 17, and v. 45. 

Verse 48. The word that I have spoken—shall 
judge him] Ye shall be judged according to my doc- 
trine: the maxims which ye have heard from my 
mouth shall be those on which ye shall be tried in the 
great day; and ye shall be condemned or acquitted 
according as ye have believed or obeyed them, or 
according as ye have despised and violated them. 
See this proved, Matt. xxv. 35, &c. 

Verse 49. For Ihave not spoken of myself] 1 have 
not spoken for my secular interest: I have not aimed 
at making any gain of you: I have not set up myself 
as your teachers in general do, to be supported by my 
disciples, and to be credited on my own testimony. ἢ 
have taught you, not the things of men, but the deep, 
everlasting truths of God. As Ais envoy, I came to 
you ; and his ¢ruth only I proclaim. 

1 


Christ washes the feet 


Gave me a commandment] Or, commission. So I 
understand the original word, evroAy. Christ, as the 
Messiah, received his commission from God: what he 
should command—every thing that related to the for- 
mation and establishment of the Christian institution : 
and what he should speak—all his private conversations 
with his disciples or others, he, as man, commanded 
and spoke through the constant inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit. 

Verse 50. I know that this commandment is life 
everlasting] These words of our Lord are similar to 
that saying in St. John’s first epistle, chap. v. 11, 12. 
This is the record, that God hath given unto us eter- 
nal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the 
Son hath life. God’s commandment or commission 
is, Preach salvation to a lost world, and give thyself a 
ransom for all; and whosoever believeth on thee 
shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Every 
word of Christ, properly credited, and carefully 
applied, leads to peace and happiness here, and to 
glory hereafter. What an amiable view of the 
Gospel of the grace of God does this give us! It is a 
system of eternal life, Divinely calculated to answer 
every important purpose to dying, miserable man. 
This sacred truth Jesus witnessed with his last breath. 
He began his public ministry proclaiming the king- 
dom of God; and he now finishes it by asserting 
that the whole commission is eternal life ; and, having 


CHAP. XIII. 


of his discyp.es 


attested this, he went out of the temple, and retired 
to Bethany. 


Tue public work of our Lord was now done; and 
the remnant of his time, previously to his crucifixion, 
he spent in teaching his disciples—instructing them in 
the nature of his kingdom, his intercession, and the 
mission of the Holy Spirit; and in that heavenly life 
which all true believers live with the Father, through 
faith in the Son, by the operation of the Holy G4est. 
Many persons are liberal in their condemnation of the 
Jews, because they did not believe on the Son of God; 
and doubtless their unbelief has merited and received 
the most signal punishment. But those who condemn 
them do not reflect that they are probably committing 
the same sort of transgression, in circumstances which 
heighten the iniquity of their sin. Will it avail any 
man, that he has believed that Christ has come in the 
flesh to destroy the works of the devil, who does not 
come unto him that he may have life, but continues to 
live under the power and guilt of sin? Paradoxical 
as it may seem, it is nevertheless possible, for a man 
to credit the four evangelists, and yet live and die an 
infidel, as far as his own salvation is concerned. 
Reader, it is possible to hold the truth in unrighteous- 
ness. Pray to God that this may not be thy con- 
demnation. For a farther improvement of the 
principal subjects of this chapter, see the notes on 
verses 24, 32, and 39. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


Christ washes the feet of his disciples, and gives them instructions concerning humility and charity, 1-17. 


He tells them that one of themselves will betray him, 18-20. 


Peter desires John to ask him, 21-25. 


Jesus shows that it is Judas Iscariot, 26. 
Judas, and he rises up and leaves the company, 27-30. 


The disciples doubting of whom he spoke, 
Satan enters into 
Christ shows his approaching death, and com- 


mands his disciples to love one another, 31-35. Peter, professing strong attachment te Christ.1s informed 


of his denial, 36-38. 


A. M. 4033. : 
rie Now “before the feast of the pass 
over, when Jesus knew that 
»his hour was come, that he should 
depart out of this world unto the Father, hav- 


An. Olymp. 
CCIL. ἘΣ 


ing loved his own which were in 4,™. 4033. 
the world, he loved them unto the An. Olymp 
CCIL 1. 

end. ee 

2 And supper being ended, ° the devil having 


« Matt. xxvi. 2; Luke xnii. 1. 


> Chap. xii. 23; xvii. 1, 11— Luke xxii. 3; ver. 27. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIII. 

Verse 1. Now before the feast of the passover, 
when Jesus knew, &e.} Or, as some translate, Now 
Jesus having known, before the feast of the passover, 
that his hour was come, ἄς. The supper mentioned 
in ver. 2 is supposed to have been that on the Thurs- 
day evening, when the feast of the passover began; 
and though, in our common translation, this passage 
seems to place the supper Jefore that feast, yet, ac- 
sording to the amended translation, what is here said 
is consistent with what we read in the other evange- 
lists. See Matt. xxvi. 2; John xii. 1. 

Having loved his own] His disciples. 

Which were in the world) Who were to continue 
longer in its troubles and difficulties. 

He loved them unto the end.} Continued his fervent 
affection towards them to his latest breath, and gave 

1 


them that convincing proof of it which is mentioned 
ver. 5. That the disciples alone are meant here 
every man must see. 

Verse 2. And supper being ended] Rather, δείπνου 
γενομένου, while supper was preparing. To support 
this new translation of the words, it may be remarked 
that, from ver. 26 and 30, it appears that the supper 
was not then ended: nay, it is probable that it was 
not then degun; because the washing of feet (ver. 5) 
was usually practised by the Jews Jefore they entered 
upon their meals, as may be gathered from Luke vii. 
44, and from the reason of the custom. I think that 
John wrote, not yevouevov, but γινομένου, as in BL. 
Cant. and Origen, which latter reading is approved 
by several eminent critics, and should be translated 
as above. By the supper I suppose to be meant, not 
only the eating of it, but the preparing and dressing 

615 


Christ washes the feet 


A.M. 4033. now put into the heart of Judas 
An. Olymp. Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray 
im him ; 

3 Jesus knowing ὃ that the Father had given 
all things into his hands, and “ that he was 
come from God, and went to God ; 

4 ‘He riseth from supper, and laid aside his 
garments ; and took a towel, and girded him- 
self. 

5 After that, he poureth water into a bason, 
and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to 


4 Matt. xi. 27; xxviii. 18; chap. iii. 35; xvii. 2; Acts li. 36; 
1 Cor. xv. 27; Heb. ii. 8. © Chap. vill. 42; xvi. 28.—f Luke 
xxii. 27; Phil. ii. 7, 8. 


ST. JOHN. 


of his disciples 


wipe them with the towel wherewith 4, M4098. 
he was girded. has Olymp. 
CCI. 1. 


6 Then cometh he to Simon 
Peter: and ὃ Peter said unto him, Lord, 
4 dost thou wash my feet ? 

7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What 
I do thou knowest not now ; ‘ but thou shalt 
know hereafter. 

8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never 
wash my feet. Jesus answered him, *If I 
wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 


& Gr. he.—— See Matthew iii. 14—— Verse 12.——k Chap. 
i. 5; 1 Cor. vi. 11; Ephesians v. 26; Titus iii. 5; Hebrews 
x. 22. 


of it, and doing all things necessary previously to the 
eating of it. The devil had, before this time of the 
supper, put it into Judas’s heart to betray his Master. 
See Matt. xxvi. 14, &c.; Mark xiv. 10, 11; and 
Luke xxii. 3, &c. See also Bishop Pearce, from 
whose judicious commentary the preceding notes are 
principally taken. 

Calmet observes that John, designing only to sup- 
ply what was omitted by the other evangelists, passes 
over all the transactions of the Tuesday, Wednesday, 
and Thursday, before the passion, and at once goes 
from Monday evening to Thursday evening. It is 
remarkable that St. John says nothing about the in- 
stitution of the holy sacrament, which Matthew, xxvi. 
26, &c., Mark, xiv. 22, &c., and Luke, xxii. 19, &c., 
describe so particularly. No other reason can be 
assigned for this than that he found it completely done 
by the others, and that he only designed to supply 
their defects. 

The devil having now put it into the heart] Judas 
formed his plot six days before this, on occasion of 
what happened at the house of Simon the leper: see 
Matt. xxvi. 14. Calmet. 

Verse 3. Knowing that the Father had given, &c.] 
Our Lord, seeing himself almost at the end of his 
race, and being abont to leave his apostles, thought it 
necessary to leave them a lesson of humility exempli- 
fied by himself, to deliver them from the bad influence 
of those false ideas which they formed concerning the 
nature of his kingdom. On all occasions previously 
to this, the disciples had shown too much attachment 
to worldly honours and dignities: if this ambition had 
not been removed, the consequences of it would have 
been dreadful in the establishment of the religion of 
Christ ; as after his death, it would have divided and 
infallibly dispersed them. It was necessary therefore 
to restrain this dangerous passion, and to confirm by 
a remarkable example what he had so often told them, 
—that true greatness consisted in the depth of humi- 
lity. and that those who were the willing servants of 
all should be the highest in the account of God. 

Verse 4. He riseth from supper] Not from eating, 
as Bishop Pearce has well observed, but from his 
place at table; probably the dishes were not as yet 
iaid down, though the guests were seated. Accord- 
ing to the custom of the Jews and other Asiatics, this 

616 


washing must have taken place before the supper. 
See on ver. 2. 

Laid aside his garments] That is, his gown or 
upper coat, with the girdle wherewith it was girded 
close to his tunic or under coat; and, instead of this 
girdle, he tied a towel about him: 1. that he might 
appear in the character of a servant; and 2. that he 
might have it in readiness to dry their feet after he 
had washed them. 

Verse 5. Poureth water into a bason, &c.| This 
was the office of the meanest slaves. When David 
sent to Abigail, to inform her that he had chosen her 
for wife, she arose and said: Behold, let thy hand- 
maid be a SERVANT, to WASH the FEET of the SERVANTS 
of my lord, 1 Sam. xxv. 41. Some of the ancients 
have supposed that our Lord began with washing the 
feet of Judas, to inspire him with sentiments of com- 
punction and remorse, to melt him down with kind- 
ness, and to show all his disciples how they should 
act towards their enemies. Dr. Lightfoot supposes 
he washed the feet of Peter, James, and John only ; 
but this is not likely : the verb ἀρχεσϑαι, in the sacred 
writings, signifies, not only to commence, but, to finish 
an act, Acts i. 1; and in the Septuagint, Gen. ii. 3. 
There is every reason to believe that he washed the 
feet of all the twelve. See on ver. 9. 

Verse 6. Lord, dost THou wash my feet?] Every 
word here is exceedingly emphatic. Peter had often 
seen the great humility of his Lord. but never saw 
his condescension so particularly marked as in this 
instance. 

Verse 7. What I do thou knowest not now, &c.] 
As if our Lord had said, Permit me to do it now, and 
I will shortly explain to you the nature of this action, 
and my motives for doing it. 

Thou shalt know hereafter.| Mera ταῦτα, after this 
business is finished. And so we find he explained 
the whole to them, as soon as he had finished the 
washing : see ver. 12-17. I cannot think that this 
refers to any particular instruction received on this 
head after the day of pentecost, as some have con 
jectured. 

Verse 8. If Iwash thee not, thou hast no part with 
me.] Thou canst not be my disciple unless I wash thee. 
It is certain Christ did not mean to exclude him from 
the apostolic office, if he should persist, through the 

1 


Christ teaches the disciples 


A.M. 4033. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, 
AX diymp. Lord, not my feet only, but also my 
ΟΠ. ; y i 


hands and my head. 

10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed 
needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean 
every whit ; and ' ye are clean, but not all : 

11 For ™ he knew who should betray him ; 
therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. 

12 So after he had washed their feet, and 
nad taken his garments, and was set down 


1 Chap. xv. 3.——" Chap. vi. 64——* Matthew xxiii. 8, 10; 
Luke vi. 46; 1 Cor. viii. 6; xii. 3; Phil. ii. 11—®° Luke 
xxii. 27. 


deepest reverence for his Master, to refuse to let him 
wash his feet: this act of his was emblematical of 
something spiritual ; of something that concerned the 
salvation of Peter; and without which washing he 
could neither be an apostle nor be finally saved ; 
therefore our Lord said, Jf I wash thee not, thou hast 
no part with me. There is a mystical washing by 
the blood of Christ, 1 John i. 7 ; and by his Spirit, 1 
Cor. vi. 11; Tit. iii. 5,6. It was the common cus- 
tom of our Lord to pass from sensible and temporal 
things to those which were spiritual and eternal ; and 
to take occasion from every thing that presented 
itself, to instruct his disciples, and to raise their souls 
to God. If the discourse was of dread, water, leaven, 
father, mother, riches, &c., he immediately changed 
the literal sense, and under the figure of these things, 
spoke of matters altogether spiritual and Divine. I 
have met with many good persons who have attempt- 
ed to imitate our blessed Lord in this, but I never 
knew one to succeed init. The reason is, it requires 
not only very deep piety, but sound sense, together 
with an accurate knowledge of the nature and proper- 
ties of the subjects which, in this way, the person 
wishes to illustrate; and very few can be found who 
have such deep, philosophical knowledge as such 
eases require. The large folio which a good-inten- 
tioned man printed on the metaphors is, alas! a stand- 
ing proof how little mere piety can do in matters of 
this kind, where the sciences, and especially practical 
philosophy, are totally wanting. Jesus Christ was a 
consummate philosopher : every subject appears grand 
and noble in his hands. See an ample proof in the 
preceding chapter, ver. 24. 

Verse 9. Lord, not my feet only, &c.] It appears 
that Peter entered into our Lord’s meaning, and saw 
that this was emblematical of a spiritual cleansing : 
therefore he wishes to be completely washed. 

Verse 10. He that is washed] That is, he who 
has been in the bath, as probably all the apostles had 
lately been, in order to prepare themselves the better 
for the paschal solemnity ; for on that occasion, it was 
the custom of the Jews to bathe twice. 

Needeth not save to wash his feet] To cleanse 
them from any dirt or dust that might have adhered 
to them, in consequence of walking from the bath to 
tne place of supper The washing, therefore, of the 
feet of such persons was all that was necessary, pre- 

i 


CHAP. XIII. 


he necessity of humility. 


: : A. M. 4033, 
again, he said unto them, Know ye 4, 40% 


what I have done to you? pair. 
13 "Ye call me Master and Lord : ———__ 


and ye say well; for so I am. 

14 °If I then, your Lord and Master, have 
washed your feet; Pye also ought to wash 
one another’s feet. 

15 For 41 have given you an example, that 
ye should do as I have done to you. 

16 * Verily, verily, I say unto you, The 


P Rom. xii. 10; Gal. vi. 1,2; 1 Pet. v. 5.——4 Matt. xi. 29; 
Phil. ii. 5; 1 Pet. ii. 21; 1 John ii. 6——* Matt. x. 24; Mark 
ix. 35; Luke vi. 40; chap. xv. 20. 


viously to their sitting down to table. The Hindoos 
walk home from bathing barefoot, and, on entering the 
house wash their feet again. To this custom our 
Lord evidently alludes. 

If these last words of our Lord had any spiritual 
reference, it is not easy to say what it was. .A com- 
mon opinion is the following: He who ts washed— 
who is justified through the blood of the Lamb, need- 
eth only to wash his feet—to regulate all his affections 
and desires; and to get, by faith, his conscience 
cleansed from any fresh guilt, which he may have 
contracted since his justification. 

Ye are clean, but not αἰ] Eleven of you are up- 
right and sincere ; the ¢welfth is a traitor. So it ap- 
pears he had washed the feet of all the twelve; but 
as no external ablutions can purify a hypocrite or a 
traitor, therefore Judas still remained unclean. 

Verse 12. Know ye what I have done] Our Lord 
had told Peter, in the presence of the rest, ver. 7, 
that he should afterwards know what was the intent 
and meaning of this washing; and now he begins to 
fulfil his promise; therefore I think it more likely 
that he gives a command, here, than asks a question, 
as he knew himself that they did not comprehend his 
design. On this account γινώσκετε might be trans- 
lated in the imperative mood, consweR what I have 
done. 

Verse 13. Ye call me Master and Lord] Ὁ διδασκα- 
Roc καὶ ὁ κυριος, similar to»’3> Rabbi, and Ὑ) Mar, 
titles very common among the Jewish doctors, as 
may be seen in Schoettgen. This double title was 
not given except to the most accredited teachers, "Δ 
‘1 Rabbi vemore, my master, my lord! 

Verse 14. Ye also ought to wash one another's 
feet.| That is, ye should be ready, after my example, 
to condescend to all the weakness of your brethren ; 
to be willing to do the meanest offices for them, and 
to prefer the least of them in honour to yourselves. 

Verse 16. The servant is not greater than his 
lord] Christ has ennobled the acts of humility by prac- 
tising them himself. The true glory of a Christian 
consists in being, in his measure, as humble as his 
Lord. 

Neither he that is sent] Οὐδὲ αἀποςολος, Nor an 
apostle. As I think these words were intended for 
the suppression of all worldly ambition and lordly con- 
duct in the apostles and their successors in the minis- 

617 


The disciples are informed that 


A. M. 4033. 
i Den. neither he that is sent, greater than 
COM he that sent him. 

17 "ΤΙ ye know these things, happy are ye 
if ye do them. 

18 Ἵ I speak not of you all: I know whom 
1 have chosen: but that the scripture may be 
fulfilled, ‘He that eateth bread with me hath 
lifted up his heel against me. 

19 Now ‘I tell you before it come, that 
when it is come to pass, ye may believe that 
I am he. 

20 ~ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that 
receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me ; 


ST. JOHN. 


one of them should betray him 


servant is not greater than his lord ;|and he that receiveth me, receiveth 4, ™. 4033. 


. D. 29. 
An. Olymp. 
CCII. 1. 


him that sent me. 

21 * When Jesus had thus said, 
¥ he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and 
said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that 5 one 
of you shall betray me. 

22 Then the disciples looked one on another, 
doubting of whom he spake. 

23 Now * there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom 
one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 

24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that 
he should ask who it should be of whom he spake 

25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast, saith 
unto him, Lord, who is it? 


5 James i. 25. Psa. xli. 9; Matt. xxvi. 23; ver. 92]. 
ἃ Chap. xiv. 29; xvi. 4. VY Or, From henceforth Matt. x. 
40; xxv. 40; Luke x. 16. 


uy, therefore I think the original word azocodoc, 
should be translated apostle, rather than he that is 
sent, because the former rendering ascertains and de- 
termines the meaning better. 

Verse 17. If ye know these things, happy, &c.] 
True happiness consists in the knowledge of God, and 
in obedience to him. A man is not happy because he 
knows much; but because he receives much of the 
Divine nature, and is, in all his conduct, conformed to 
the Divine will. ‘They who have read many books 
(says Menu) are more exalted than such as have sel- 
dom studied; they who retain what they have read, 
than forgetful readers ; they who fully understand, 
than such as only remember; and they who perform 
their known duty, than such as barely know it. Sa- 
cred knowledge and devotedness to God are the means 
by which a man can arrive at beatitude.” See Insti- 
tutes of Menu, c. xii. Inst. 103, 104. For a heathen 
this saying is very remarkable. 

Verse 18. I speak not of you all] This is a con- 
tinuation of that discourse which was left off at the 
tenth verse. The preceding verses may be read in a 
parenthesis. 

1 know whom I have chosen| 1 am not deceived in 
my choice; I perfectly foresaw every thing that has 
happened, or can happen. I have chosen Judas, not 
as a wicked man, nor that he should become such; 
but I plainly foresaw that he would abuse my bounty, 
give way to iniquity, deliver me into the hands of my 
enemies, and bring ruin upon himself. 

That the scripture may be fulfilled] Or, thus the 
scripture is fulfilled. Christ applies to Judas what 
David had said of his rebellious son Absalom, Psa. xli. 
9, who was one of the most express emblems of this 
traitor. See on chap. xii. 38, 39. 

He that eateth bread with me] That is, he who was 
in habits of the utmost intimacy with me. 

Hath lifted up his heel| An allusion to a restive, 
ill-natured horse, that sometimes kicks even the person 
who feeds and takes care of him. 

Verse 19. That—ye may believe] These frequent 
predictions of his death, so circumstantial in them- 

618 


x Matt. xxvi. 21; Mark xiv. 18; Luke xxii. 21——y Chap. 
xii. 27. 2 Acts i. 17; 1 John ii. 19. a Chap. xix. 26; xx. 
2; xxi. 7, 20, 24. 


selves, had the most direct tendency to confirm the 
disciples, not only in the belief of his being the Mes- 
siah, but also in that of his omniscience. 

Verse 20. He that receiveth whomsoever I send| 
See similar words, Matt. x. 40, &e. Our Lord spoke 
this to comfort his disciples: he showed them that, 
although they should be rejected by many, they would 
be received by several; and that whoever received 
them should reap the utmost benefit by it. 

Verse 21. Was troubled in spirit.} See the note 
on chap. xi. 33. 

And testified| Spoke with great earnestness. 

Shall betray me.| Wapadocer pe, Will deliver me up. 
Judas had already betrayed our blessed Lord, and he 
was now on the point of delivering him up into the 
hands of the chief priests. By all these warnings, 
did not our Lord intend that Judas should be bene- 
fited _—that he should repent of his iniquity, and turn 
and find mercy ? 

Verse 22. Looked one on another doubting of whom 
he spake.| See the notes on Matt. xxvi. 20-25. 
Every one but Judas, conscious of his own innocence, 
looked about upon all the rest, wondering who in that 
company could be such a traitor! Even Judas him- 
self is not suspected. Is not this a proof that his 
general conduct had been such as to subject him to n 
suspicion ? : 

Verse 23. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom) 
The Jews of those days, at their suppers, reclined, 
supported by their left arm, on couches placed round 
the table, as the Greeks and Romans did. On each 
couch there were two or three persons; and the head 
of one of them came near to the bosom of him who 
reclined above him on the same couch. ‘The person 
here mentioned was John, the writer of this history, 
who, being more tenderly loved by Christ than the 
rest, had always that place at table which was near- 
est to his Lord. 

Verse 25. He then lying on Jesus’ breast] Ἐπιπεέσων, 
laying his head against the breast of Christ, in a Jov- 
ing, respectful manner. As the expressions in the 
text are different here from those in the preceding 

1 


Christ pots out Judas 


“a 4033. 96 Jesus answered, He it is, to 
An. Olymp. whom I shall give a ἢ sop, when I 

CCIL. 1. 3 : 
᾿ς have dipped it. And when he had 
dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, 
the son of Simon. 

27 ° And after the sop, Satan entered into 
him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou 
doest, do quickly. 

28 Now no manat the table knew for what 
intent he spake this unto him. 

29 For some of them thought, because ἃ Judas 
had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, 
Buy those things that we have need of against 


6 Or, morsel. © Luke xxii. 3; chap. vi. 70—4 Chap. xii. 6. 


eChap. xii. 23. 


verse, it shows that John altered his position at table, 
in order to ask the question which Peter suggested, 
which he probably did by whispering to our Lord ; 
for, from ver. 28, we may learn that the other disci- 
ples had not heard what John said; and it is likely 
that the following words—TIt is he to whom TI shall 
give the morsel when I have dipped it, were whispered 
back by Christ to John. 

Verse 26. And when he had dipped the sop] Dr. 
Lightfoot observes that it was no unusual thing to dip 
a sop and give it to any person; and it is probable 
that the rest of the disciples considered it as given to 
Judas that he might hurry to do some work on which 
he wished to employ him, and not wait to finish his 
supper in a regular manner. They did not hear the 
question that John asked, nor our Lord’s answer ; but 
they no doubt heard the words, That thou doest do 
quickly—and might understand them as above. 

Verse 27. Satan entered into him.| He had enter- 
ed into him before, and now he enters again, to 
strengthen him in his purpose of delivering up his 
Master. But the morsel was not the cause of this 
entering in; the giving of it only marks the time in 
which the devil confirmed Judas in his traitorous pur- 
pose. Some have thought that this morsel was the 
sacrament of the Lord’s Supper: but this is an utter 
mistake. 

That thou doest, do quickly.| As if he had said: 
“Thou art past all counsel; thou hast filled up the 
measure of thy iniquity, and hast wholly abandoned 
*hyself to Satan; I will not force thee to turn from 
thy purpose, and without this thou wilt not. Thy 
designs are all known to me; what thou art deter- 
mined to do, and I to permit, do directly ; delay not, 
I am ready.” 

Verse 29. Buy those things that we have need of 
against the feast) Calmet’s observation here has weight 
tn it. “The disciples who thought that our Lord 
had said this to Judas, knew well that on the day of 
the passover there was neither buying nor selling in 
Jerusalem. This, therefore, did not happen on the 
paschal evening; for the feast, according to the com- 
mon opinion, must have begun the preceding evening, 

od Jesus have eaten the passover with his disciples 
1 


CHAP. XIII. 


Iscariot as the traitor 


the feast; or, that he should give 4,™, 103% 
something to the poor. An, Olymp. 

30 He then, having received the ———— 
sop, went immediately out: and it was 
night. 

31 9 Therefore when he was gone out, 
Jesus said, * Now is the Son of man glorified, 
and ἢ God is glorified in him. 

32 If God be glorified in him, God shall 
also glorify him in himself, and * shall straight- 
way glorify him. 

33 Little children, yet a little while I am 
with you. Ye shall seck me: ‘and as I said 


f Chap. xiv. 13; 1 Peter iv. 11. & Chap. xvii. 1, 4, 5, 6. 
4 Chap. xii. 23. i Chap. vii. 34; viii. 21. 


the night before his death; but it appears to me, by 
the whole text of St. John, that the passover did not 
begin till the time in which our Lord expired upon 
the cross. It was then that they were sacrificing the 
paschal lambs in the temple. It is therefore probable 
that the apostles believed that Judas went to purchase 
a lamb, and the other necessary things for the evening, 
and for the day of the passover.” On this subject the 
reader is requested to consult the observations at the end 
of Matt. xxvi., where the subject is considered at large. 

Give something to the poor.] It is well known that 
our Lord and his disciples lived on public charity ; 
and yet they gave alms out of what they had thus 
received. From this we learn that even those who 
live on charity themselves are expected to divide a 
little with those who are in deeper distress and want. 

Verse 30. He—went immediately out: and it was 
night.] He set off to Jerusalem from Bethany, which 
was about two miles distant; and, under the conduct 
of the prince of darkness, and in the time of darkness, 
he did this work of darkness. 

Verse 31. Now is the Son of man glorified] Nvv 
edofacbn, Hath been glorified. Now it fully appears 
that I am the person appointed to redeem a lost world 
by my blood. I have already been glorified by this 
appointment, and am about to be farther glorified by 
my death, resurrection, and ascension. 

Verse 32. And shall straightway glorify him.] Or, 
glorify him, εὐθυς, immediately ; as he did, not only 
in the miracles wrought at his death, but also in that 
remarkable case mentioned, chap. xviii. 6, when the 
whole crowd that came to seize him were driven back 
with a word of his mouth, and fell to the ground. 

Verse 33. Little children] Or, rather, beloved 
children. Texvia, a word frequently used by this apos- 
tle in his epistles. It is an expression which implies 
great tenderness and affection, and such as a fond mo- 
ther uses to her most beloved babes. Now that Judas 
was gone out, he could use this epithet without any 
restriction of meaning. 

Yet a little while] The end of my life is at hand ; 
Judas is gone to consummate his treason; I have but 
a few hours to be with you, and you shall be by and 
by scattered. 

619 


Christ foretells the 


A.M. 4033. unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye 


An. Olymp. cannot come; so now I say to you. 
34 * A new commandment I give 
unto you, That ye love one another; as I 
have loved you, that ye also love one another. 
35 | By this shall all men know that ye 
are my disciples, if ye have love one to 
another. 
36 9 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, 
whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, 


X Lev. xix. 18; chap. xv. 12, 17; Eph. v. 2; 1 Thess. iv. 9. 
James ii. 8; 1 Pet. i. 22; 1 Jobn ii. 7, 83 ili. 11, 23 ; iv. 21. 


Ye shall seek me] For a few days ye shall feel 
great distress because of my absence. 

Whither I go, ye cannot come] Your time is not 
up. The Jews shall die in their sins, martyrs to their 
infidelity ; but ye shall die in the truth, martyrs for 
your Lord. 

Verse 34. A new commandment I give unto you] 
In what sense are we to understand that this was a 
new commandment? Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
as thyself, was a positive precept of the law, Lev. xix. 
18, and it is the very same that Christ repeats here ; 
how then was it new2 Our Lord answers this ques- 
tion, Even as I have loved you. Now Christ more 
than fulfilled the Mosaic precept; he not only loved 
his neighbour as himself, but he loved him more than 
himself, for he laid down his life for men. In this 
he calls upon the disciples to imitate him; to be ready 
on all oceasions to lay down their lives for each other. 
This was, strictly, a new commandment: no system 
of morality ever prescribed any thing so pure and dis- 
interested as this. Our blessed Lord has outdone all 
the moral systems in the universe in two words: 1. 
Love your enemies ; 2. Lay down your lives for each 
other. 

Verse 35. By this shall all men know, &c.] From 
this time forward, this mutual and disinterested love 
shall become the essential and distinctive mark of all 
my disciples. When they love one another with pure 
hearts, fervently, even unto death, then shall it fully 
appear that they are disciples of that person who laid 
down his life for his sheep, and who became, by dying, 
a ransom for all. 

The disciples of different teachers were known by 
their habits, or some particular creed or rite, or point 
of austerity, which they had adopted ; but the disciples 
of Christ were known by this love which they bore to 
each other. The primitive Christians were particu- 
larly known by this among the Gentiles. Tertullian, 
in his Apology, gives us their very words: Vide, in- 
guiunt, ut se diligunt; et pro alterutro mori parati 
sunt. ‘See, said they, how they love one another, 
and are ready to lay down their lives for each other.” 

Verse 36. Thou canst not follow me now] Thou 
hast not faith strong enough to die for me, nor is thy 
work yet done ; but hereafter thou shalt suffer for my 
sake, and die in defence of my truth. See chap. xxi. 18. 

Verse 37. Why cannot I follow thee now 2) Peter 
srobably thought that our Lord intended to go some 

620 


ST. JOHN. 


denial of Peter 


Whither I go, thou canst not follow 4, ae 


me now; but ™thou shalt follow An. Clap 
CCIL1 
me aftevmandsh ne 

37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I 
follow thee now? I will ™lay down my life 
for thy sake. 

38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down 
thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say 
unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou 
hast denied me thrice. 


18; 2 Peter i. 14. 


1] John ii. 5; iv. 20——™ Chap. xxi. 
Luke xxii. 33, 34. 


2 Matt. xxvi. 33, 34, 35; Mark xiv. 29, 30,31 ; 


long journey, which would necessarily subject him to 
many inconveniences and fatigue; and he felt quite 
disposed to follow him in this supposed journey, at all 
hazards. He saw no reason, because he did not 
see our Lord’s meaning, why he could not follow 
him now. 

1 will lay down my life for thy sake.| Poor Peter! 
thou wast sincere, but thou didst not know thy own 
strength. Thou wast at this time willing to die, but 
when the time came wast not able. Christ must first 
die for Peter, before Peter can die for him. Let no 
man think he can do any thing good, without the im- 
mediate assistance of God. Peter’s denial should be 
an eternal warning to all self-confident persons : though 
there be sincerity and good will at the bottom, yet in 
the trial these cannot perform that office which be- 
longs to the power of God. We should εὐ], and then 
look to God for power to execute : without him we can 
do nothing. 

Verse 38. The cock shall not crow, &c.] See on 
Matt. xxvi. 34. Dr. Lightfoot has very properly re- 
marked that we must not understand these words, as 
if the cock should not crow at all before Peter had 
thrice denied his Master; but we must understand 
them thus: “The cock shall not have finished his 
crowing before thou wilt thrice deny me. When the 
time was near, the very night in which this was to 
happen, Christ said, This very night the cock shall 
not crow his second time, &c. But here, two days 
before that time, he says, the cock shall not crow; that 
is, shall not have done his crowing. The Jews, and 
some other nations, divided the cock-crowing into the 
first, the second, and the third times.” 


1. On Peter’s denial of our Lord much has been 
written: by one class he has been incautiously ex- 
cused, and by another rashly censured. Peter was 
self-confident, but he was certainly sincere, and, had 
he trusted more in God and less in himself, he would 
not have miscarried. He did not look to his Maker 
for strength, and therefore he fell. He was surprised, 
and found unarmed. It is a well-known fact that cir- 
cumstances have occurred in which persons of the most 
bold, intrepid, and adventurous minds have proved 
mere cowards, and acted to their own disgrace and 
ruin. Facts of this kind occur in the naval and mili 
tary history of this and every other country. No man 
is master of himself at all times; therefore prudence 

1 


oe me ee ee ee one 


\ 
| 


Christ comforts his disciples 


and caution should ever be united to courage. Peter 
had courage, but he had not caution : he felt a power- 
ful and determined will; but the trial was above his 
own strength, and he did not look to God for power 
from on high. He was warned by this miscarriage, 
but he dearly bought his experience. Let him that 
readeth understand. 

2. A fact which occurs in the English Martyro- 
logy will serve to illustrate the history of Peter’s de- 
nial and fall. In the reign of Queen Mary, when the 
Papists of this kingdom burned all the Protestants they 
could convict of denying the doctrine of transubstan- 
tiation, a poor man who had received the truth in the- 
ory, but had not as yet felt its power, was convicted 
and sentenced by their bloody tribunal to be burned 
alive. While they were drawing him to the place of 
execution, he was very pensive and melancholy ; and 
when he came within sight of the stake, &c., he was 
overpowered with fear and terror, and exclaimed, O! 
I can’t burn! I can’t burn! Some of the attending 
priests, supposing that he wished to recant, spoke to 
him to that effect. The poor man still believed the 
ruth—felt no disposition to deny it—but did not feel 
such an evidence of his Maker’s approbation in his 
own soul as could enable him to burn for it! He con- 
tinued in great agony, feeling all the bitterness of death, 
and calling on God to reveal himself through the Son 
of hislove. While thus engaged, Ged broke in upon 


CHAP. XIV 


with the promise of glory. 


his soul, and he was filled with peace and joy in be- 
lieving. He then clapped his hands, and exclaimed 
with a powerful voice, I can burn! I can burn! He 
was bound to the stake, and burned gloriously, triumph- 
ing in God through whom he had received the atone 

ment. This was a case in point. The man was con 

vineed of the truth, and was willing to burn for the 
truth; but had not as yet power, because he had not 
yet received an evidence of his acceptance with God. 
He pleaded for this with strong crying and tears, and 
God answered him to the joy of his soul; and then he 
was as able as he was willing to go to prison and to 
death. Without the power and consolation of the 
Spirit of God, who could be a martyr, even for Divine 
truth? We see now plainly how the case lies: no 
man is expected to do a supernatural work by his own 
strength; if left to that, in a case of this kind, his 
failure must be inevitable. But, in all spiritual mat 

ters, assistance is to be sought from God; he that 
seeks shall find, and he that finds Divine strength 
shall be equal to the task he is called to fulfil. Peter 
was ineautious and off his guard: the trial eame—he 
looked not for power from on high, and he fell: not 
merely because he was weak—not because God with- 
held the necessary assistance—but because he did not 
depend on and seek it. Inno part of this business can 
Peter be excused—he is every where blamable, and 
yet, through the whole, an object of pity. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


Christ comforts his disciples, on the event of his removal from them, by the consideration of his gong to 


prepare a place for them in heaven, 1-4. 
and ts answered, 5-7. 


Thomas questions him concerning the way to the Father, 
Philip proposes a difficulty, and Christ shows that he and the Father are one ; 


that he is Mediator between God and man; and that whatsoever is asked in his name shall be obtained, 8— 


14. 


He promises them the Holy Spirit as the Comforter and Spirit of truth, 15-18. 


Shows them that 


he is shortly to leave them, and that those who love him should be loved of the Father, 19-21. Jude asks 


a question, how Christ is to manifest himself to the disciples, and not to the Jews? 22. 


Christ answers, 


and shows that the manifestation is to be made to those who love God, and to them the Holy Spirit is to 


be an infallible teacher, 23-26. 
ments, 27-29. 


Laie ET *not your heart be trou- 
aa Ρ bled: ye believe in God, be- 


———___ lteve. also 1ῃ: me. 
| 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions : 


| a Ver. 27; chap. xvi. 3, 22. 
| NOTES ON CHAP. XIV. 

Verse 1. Let not your heart be troubled] After 
having answered St. Peter’s question, he addresses 
himself again to his disciples, and tells them not to be 

afflicted at his leaving them, nor to lose courage be- 
| cause of what he said concerning Peter’s denying him ; 
| that if they reposed their confidence in God, he would 
protect them ; and that, howsoever they might see him 
treated, they should believe in him more firmly, as his 
sufferings, death, and resurrection should be to them 
the most positive proof of his being the Messiah, the 
Saviour of the world. 


1 


| 
| 
| 


He bequeaths his peace to them, and fortifies them against discourage- 
Foretells his approaching death, 30, 31. 


I would have told gee 


» I go to prepare a place for An, Obi. 


if 7 were not so, 
you. 
you 


3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 


> Chap. xiii. 33, 36. 


Ye believe in God, believe also in me.] It is best to 
read both the verbs in the imperative mood :—Place 
your confidence in God, and in me as the Mediator 
between God and man, ver. 12-14; and expect the 
utmost support from God; but expect it all through 
me. ‘The disciples began to lose all hope of a secular 
kingdom, and were discouraged in consequence : Christ 
promises them a spiritual and heavenly inheritance, 
and thus lifts up their drooping hearts. 

Verse 2. In my Father’s house, &c.] The king- 
dom of glory. 

Many mansions] Though I have said before that 

621 


vhrist answers Philip, and shows 


A.M. 4033. ¢ J will come again, and receive 
An. Olymp. you unto myself; that dwhere I 


CCIL.1. 
ἘΠ am, there ye may be also. 


4 And whither I go ye know, and the way 
ye know. 

5 Ἵ Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know 
not whither thou goest; and how can we 
know the way ? 

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am ° the way, and 
fthe truth, and the life: ®no man cometh 
unto the Father, but by me. 

7 ‘If ye had known me, ye should have 
known my Father also: and from henceforth 
ye know him, and have seen him. 

8 Ἵ Philip saith unto him, Lord, show 


ST. JOHN. 


that he 1s one with the Father 


us the Father, and it suffi- 4; M4033 
ceth us. ‘Ans ΟἿ, ΤῊ 


9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I pee 


been so long time with you, and yet hast thou 
not known me, Philip? * he that hath seen me 
hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou 
then, Show us the Father 7 

10 Believest thou not that I !am im the Fa- 
ther, and the Father in me? the words that I 
speak unto you ™ I speak not of myself: but the 
Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and 
the Father in me: "or else believe me for 
the very works’ sake. 

12 Ἵ ° Verily, verily, I say unto you, He 


¢ Ver. 18,28; Acts i. 11—4 Chap. xii. 26 ; xvii. 24; 1 Thess. 
iv. 17. e Heb. ix. 8.—Chap. i. 17}; viii. 32—s Chap. 
14s ΧΙ ΣΟ h Chap. x. 9.—!Chap. viii. 19. 


k Chap. xii. 45; Col. 1. 15; Heb. i. 2. 
38; xvil. 21, 23. 
π Ch. v. 36; x. 38. 


1Ver. 20; chap. x. 
m Chap. v. 19; vii. 16; viii. 28; xii. 49. 
© Matt. xxi.21; Mark xvi. 17; Luke x.17. 


whither I am going ye cannot come now, yet do not 
think that we shall be for ever separated. I am going 
to that state of glory where there is not only a place 
of supreme eminence for myself, but also places for all 
my disciples ;—various degrees of glory, suited to the 
various capacities and attainments of my followers. 

Our Lord alludes here to the temple, which was call- 
ed the house of God, in the precincts of which there 
were a great number of chambers, 1 Kings vi. 5; Ezra 
vill. 29; Jer. xxxv. 2, 4; xxxvi. 10. 

If—not—I would have told you.] If your places 
were not prepared in the kingdom of God, I would not 
have permitted you to have indulged a vain hope con- 
cerning future blessedness. 

Verse 3. And if I go] And when I shall have gone 
and prepared a place for you—opened the kingdom of 
an eternal glory for your reception, and for the recep- 
tion of all that shall die in the faith, Z will come again, 
after my resurrection, and give you the fullest assur- 
ances of this state of blessedness ; and confirm you in 
the faith, by my grace and the effusion of my Spirit. 
Dr. Lightfoot thinks, and with great probability too, 
that there is an allusion here to Num. x. 33: And the 
ark of the Lord went before them, to search out a rest- 
ing place for them. 

Verse 4. And whither I go ye know] I have told 
you this so often and so plainly that ye must certainly 
have comprehended what I have said. 

Verse 5. Lord, we know not] Thomas, perhaps, 
thought that our Lord only spoke of his going some 
distance from the place where he then was. 

Verse 6. I am the way] That leads to the Father: 
—the ταύτη that teaches the knowledge of God, and 
directs in the way :—the Lire that animates all those 
who seek and serve him, and which is to be enjoyed 
evernally at the end of the way. 

Christ is the way: 1. By his doctrine, chap. vi. 68. 
2. By his example, 1 Pet. ii. 2d. 3. By his sacrifice, 
Heb. ix. 8,9. 4. By his Spirit, chap. xvi. 13. 

He is the, rrur#: 1. In opposition to all false reli- 
gions. 2. To the Mosaic law, which was only the 

22 


shadow, not the truth or substance, of the good things 
which were to come. And 3. In respect to all the 
promises of God, 2 Cor. i. 20. 

He is the tire, both in grace and glory; the life 
that not only saves from death, but destroys it. 

No man cometh unto the Father] By any other doc- 
trine, by any other merit, or by any other intercession 
than mine. 

Verse 7. If ye had known me, ye should have known 
my Father] Because I and the Father are one, chap. 
x. 30. Or, if ye had properly examined the intention 
and design of the law, ye would have been convinced 
that it referred to me; and that all that I have done 
and instituted was according to the design and intention 
of the Father, as expressed in that law. 

Verse 8. Show us the Father) As if he had said, 
We have seen and adored thee, and ow happiness will 
be complete if thou show us the Father. The demand 
of Philip was similar to that made by Moses, Exod. 
xxxiiil. 18. He wished to see the glory of God. In 
Peter, James, or John, this would have been inexcusa- 
ble ; but Philip had not seen the ¢ransfiguration on the 
mount. The Jewish history is full of the manifesta- 
tions which God made of himself, and especially when 
he gave the law. As Christ was introducing a new 
law, Philip wished to have an additional manifestation 
of God. 

Verse 9. He that hath seen me hath seen the Father] 
Could any creature say these words? Do they not 
evidently imply that Christ declared himself to his 
disciples to be the everlasting God? 

Verse 10. I am in the Father, and the Father in 
me 3] We are essentially one ; and those who have 
seen me have seen him who sent me. 

He doeth the works.| We are not only one in nature, 
but one also in operation. The works which I have 
done bear witness of the infinite perfection of my nature. 
Such miracles as I have wrought could only be per- 
formed by unlimited power. 

Verse 12. And greater works than these] The 
miracles which I have wrought could not have been 

1 


Christ promises to send the 


Pilko. that believeth on me, the works that 
Ax, Clymp. I do shall he do also; and greater 
works than these shall he do; be- 
cause I go unto my Father. 

13 *And whatsoever ye shall ask in my 
name that will I do, that the Father may be 
glorified in the Son. 

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, 
I will do 11. 


P Matt. vii. 7; xxi. 22; Mark xi. 24; Luke xi. 9; chap. xv. 7, 
6; xvi. 23, 24; James i. 5; 1 John iii. 22; v. 14.——4 Ver. 21, 
23; chap. xv. 10, 14; 1 John v. 3. 


CHAP. XIV. 


Holy Ghost to his disciples. 


A. M. 4033, 
A. D. 29. 
An. Olymp. 
ΟΠ. 1. 


15 Ἵ «1 ye love me, keep my 
commandments. 

16 And I will pray the Father, 
and τ he shall give you another Comforter, that 
he may abide with you for ever ; 

17 Even *the Spirit of truth; * whom the 
world cannot receive, because it seeth him 
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; 
for he dwelleth with you, “and shall be in you. 


* Chap. xv. 


‘Chap. xv. 26; xvi. 7; Rom. viii. 15, 26. 
Ὁ} John 


26; xvi. 13; 1 John iv. 6. 11 Cor. ii. 14. 
ii. 27. 


wrought but by the omnipotence of God; but that 
omnipotence can work greater. And those who be- 
lieve on my name shall, through my almighty power, 
be enabled to work greater miracles than those which 
T have ordinarily wrought. An impostor might seduce 
the people by false miracles; but he could not make 
his power and cunning pass to all those who were 
seduced by him: but 7 will give you this proof of the 
divinity of my mission and the truth of my doctrine. 

Perhaps the greater works refer to the immense 
multitudes that were brought to God by the ministry 
of the apostles. By the apostles was the doctrine of 
Christ spread far and wide; while Christ confined his 
ministry chiefly to the precincts of Judea. It is certainly 
the greatest miracle of Divine grace to convert the 
obstinate, wicked heart of man from sin to holiness. 
This was done in numberless cases by the disciples, 
who were endued with power from on high, while 
proclaiming remission of sins through faith in his 
blood. 

Some account for the greater works thus: 1. The 
very shadow of Peter healed the diseased, Acts νυ. 15. 
2. Diseases were cured, and demons cast out, by ap- 
plying to the persons handkerchiefs and aprons that 
had before touched the body of Paul, Acts xix. 12. 
3. By the word of Peter, Ananias and Sapphira were 
struck dead, Acts v.5,9,10. 4. Elymas the sorcerer 
was struck blind by the word of Paul, Acts xiii. 11. 
5. Christ only preached in Judea, and in the language 
only of that country ; but the apostles preached through 
the most of the then known world, and in all the lan- 
guages of all countries. But let it be remarked that 
all this was done by the power of Christ; and I think 
it still more natural to attribute the greater works to 
the greater number of conversions made under the 
apostles’ ministry. The reason which our Lord gives 
for this is worthy of deep attention :— 

Because I go unto my Father.] Where I shall be 
an Intercessor for you, that— 

Verse 13. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name] 
To enable you to perform these miracles, and to con- 
yert souls, may be granted you. JBesides, by going 
unto the Father, I shall receive the Holy Spirit, and 
send down his abundant influences into the hearts of 
those who believe. 

Verse 15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.] 
Do not be afflicted at the thought of my being separat- 
ed from you: the most solid proof ye can give of your 
attachment to and affection for me is to keep my com- 

1 


/ he goes unto the Father, ver. 12. 


mandments. This I shall receive as a greater proof 
of your affection than your tears. 

Verse 16. 7] will pray the Father] After having 
made an atonement for the sin of the world, I will be- 
come the Mediator between God and man ; and through 
my mediation and intercession shall all the blessings 
of grace and glory be acquired. 

Another Comforter] The word xapakAnrog signifies 
not only a comforter, but also an advocate, a defender 
of a cause, a counsellor, patron, mediator. Christ is 
thus termed, 1 John ii. 1, where the common trans- 
lation renders the word advocate. Christ is thus called, 
because he is represented as transacting the concerns 
of our souls with God; and for this cause, he tells us, 
The Holy Spivit 
is thus called, because he transacts the cause of God 
and Christ with us, explains to us the nature and im- 
portance of the great atonement, shows the necessity 
of it, counsels us to receive it, instructs us how to lay 
hold on it, vendicates our claim to it, and makes inter- 
cessions in us with unutterable groanings. As Christ 
acted with his disciples while he sojourned with them, 
so the Holy Ghost acts with those who believe in his 
name. 

For ever} As the death and atonement of Christ 
will be necessary to man till the conclusion of the 
world, so the office of the Holy Spirit must be con- 
tinued among men till the end of time: therefore says 
Christ, he shall continue with you for ever, teaching, 
comforting, advising, defending, and interceding for 
you and for all my followers to the end of time. 

Verse 17. The Spirit of truth] The Spirit, or Holy 
Ghost, whose essential office is to manifest, vindicate, 
and apply the truth. The Gospel of Christ may be 
thus called, because it exposes falsity, removes error, 
and teaches the knowledge of the true God—shows 
the way to him, saves from vanity and illusive hopes, 
and establishes solid happiness in the souls of those 
who believe. 

The world cannot receive] By the world, St. John 
means those who are influenced only by the desire of 
the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life, 
1 John ii. 16. Now these cannot receive the Spirit 
of the truth, because they see him not, have no spiritual 
discernment, attend to nothing but the dictates of their 
corrupt passions and affections, and will admit of no 
influence but what can be an object of ‘their senses. 
Hence all the deism and irreligion in the world. God, 
in the operation of his hands, and in the influences of 

623 


Ae that loves Christ will 


A. M. 4033. στὴ w Ξ 
enon 18 Ἵ1 will not leave you ¥ com 


An. Olymp. fortless : * I will come to you. 

19 Yet a little while, and the world 
seeth me no more ; but ¥ ye see me: 5 because 
I live, ye shall live also. 

20 At that day ye shall know that “1 am in 
my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 

21 >He that hath my commandments, and 
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and 
he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, 
and I will love him, and will manifest myself 
to him. 


Vv Matt. xxviii. 
y Chap. xvi. 16. 
xvii. 21, 23, 26. 


20.—w Or, orphans——* Ver. 3, 28. 
2] Cor. xv. 20.—=Ver. 10; chap. x. 38; 


his Spirit, is found every where except in the pervert- 
ed passions of men. In these alone do men of corrupt 
minds seek him; here only he is not to be found; and 
therefore they become infidels and atheists. 

But ye know him] Ye have already received a 
measure of the truth, and ye believe in this Spirit. 
Probably our Lord refers to the knowledge which they 
should afterwards attain: in this sense the passage has 
been understood by the Vulgate, Nonnus, and two 
copies of the Jtala, which read, Ye sHaLu know him. 

For he dwelleth with you] Or, asthe Athiopic, Vul- 
gate, Nonnus, and six copies of the [tala read, he shall 
dwell with you, (see above ;) and this, it is very evident, 
is the meaning of the evangelist, who not unfrequently 
uses tne present for the future tense. It is certain 
the Holy Spirit was not yet given tothe disciples so as to 
dwell in them; this St. John himself assures us, chap. 
vii. 39. And it is evidently of that Spirit and its in- 
fluences, which was not given till the day of pentecost, 
that our Lord here speaks. 

Verse 18. I will not leave you comfortless] Lite- 
rally, orphans. The original word opdavoc, is by some 
derived from ορῴνος, obscure, dark, because, says Min- 
tert, an orphan (one deprived of father and mother) is 
ittle esteemed, neglected, and is obliged to wander 
about in obscurity and darkness. Others derive it 
from the Hebrew spn charaph, to strip or make bare, 
despou, because such a child is destitute of comfort, 
direction, and support, and is a prey to misery and 
disease, to sin and to death. 

The disciples of a particular teacher among the He- 
brews called him father; his scholars were called his 
children, and, on his death, were considered as orphans. 
Christ calls his disciples children, beloved children, 
chap. xiii. 33; and, now that he is about to be remoy- 
ed from them by death, he assures them that they shall 
not be left fatherless, or without a teacher; for in a 
little time he should come again, (rise from the dead,) 
and, after his ascension, they should be made partakers 
of that Spirit which would be their comforter, advo- 
cate, teacher, and guide for ever. 

Verse 19. Because I live] As surely as I shall rise 
from the dead, so shall ye. My resurrection shall be 
the proof and pledge of yours. And because I live a 
life of intercession for you at the right hand of God, 

624 


ST. JOHN. 


keep has commandments 


22 °Judas saith unto him, not ΑΝ 1033 
Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou An. Olpange 
wilt manifest thyself unto us, and Se 
not unto the world? 

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, ἃ If 
a man love me, he will keep my words ; and 
my Father will love him, “ and we will come 
unto him, and make our abode with him. 

24 He that loveth me not, keepeth not my 
sayings: and ‘the word which ye hear is not 
mine, but the Father’s which sent me. 


25 These things have I spoken unto 


> Ver. 15, 23; 1 John ii. 5; v. 3. © Luke vi. 16.—4 Ver. 
15. 61 John ii. 24; Rev. iii. 20.— Ver. 10; chap. v. 19, 38; 
vil. 16; viii. 28; xii. 49. 


ye shall live a life of grace and peace here, and a life 
of glory hereafter. 

Verse 20. That Iam in my Father] After my re- 
surrection, ye shall be more fully convinced of this 
important truth, that I and the Father are one; for I 
will live in you by the energy of my Spirit, and ye 
shall live in me by faith, love, and obedience. 

Verse 21. He it is that loveth me] See on ver. 15. 

And will manifest myself to him.| All my faithful 
disciples shall see me after my resurrection ; and I will 
manifest my power and goodness to all those who be- 
lieve in and obey me, even to the end of the world. 

Verse 22. Judas] The same as Thaddeus and 
Lebbeus, the brother of James, and author of what is 
called the epistle of Jude. 

How is it] Or, how can it be—rt yeyovev, what is 
to happen 2—on what account is it? Judas, who was 
probably thinking that the kingdom of Christ should 
extend over all the earth, wonders how this can be, 
and yet Christ manifest himself only to his disciples 
and not to the world, ver. 19. To this our Lord, in 
amore express manner than he had done before 
answers :— 

Verse 23. Ifa man] Not only my present dis- 
ciples, but all those who shall believe on me through 
their word, or that of their successors : 

Love me] Receive me as his Saviour, and get the 
love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost : 

He will keep my words] Observe all my sayings, 
and have his affections and conduct regulated by my 
Spirit and doctrine : 

My Father will love him] Call him his child ; sup- 
port, defend, and preserve him as such. 

And we will come unto him] God the Father, through 
his Son, will continue to pour out his choicest blessings 
upon his head and upon his heart : 

And make our abode with him.| Will make his heart 
our temple, where God, the Father, Son, and Spirit 
shall rest, receive homage, and dwell to eternity. Thus 
will I manifest myself to the believing, loving, obedi- 
ent disciple, and not to the world, who will not receive 
the Spirit of the truth. 

Verse 24. He that loveth me not, &c.| Hence we 
learn that the man who is not obedient to the testi- 
monies of Christ does not Jove him ; and the Spirit of 

1 


Christ comforts his disciples 


ae YoU; 


sere You. = 

πες 26 But % the Comforter, which is 
the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in 
my name, “he shall teach you all things, and 
bring all things to your remembrance, whatso- 
ever I have said unto you. 

27 Ἵ ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I 
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I 
unto you. * Let not your heart be troubled, 
neither let it be afraid. 

28 Ye have heard how ΕΠ said unto you, 
I go away, and come again unto you. If ye 


being yet present with 


& Ver. 16; Luke xxiv.49; chap. xv. 26; xvi. 7——)Chap. ii. 
22; xii. 16; xvi. 13; 1 John ii. 20, 27.——i Phil. iv. 7; Col. iii. 
15.——* Ver. 1. 


this truth has said, He who loves not the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be accursed, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 

Verse 26. He shall teach you all things] If in the 
things which I have already spoken to you, there ap- 
pear to you any obscurity, the Holy Spirit, the Advo- 
cate, Counsellor, and Instrueter, will take away all 
your doubts, free you from all embarrassment, and give 
you a perfect understanding in all things: and this 
Spirit ye shall shortly receive. 

And bring all things to your remembrance] Here 
Christ promises them that inspiration of the Holy Spi- 
rit which enabled them not only to give a ¢rue history 
of his life and death, but also gave them the most per- 
fect recollection of all the words which he had spoken 
to them, so that they have been able to transmit to 
posterity the identical words which Jesus uttered in 
his sermons, and in his different discourses with them, 
the Jews, and others. 

Verse 27. Peace I leave with you] The Jewish 
form of salutation and benediction. A wish of peace 
among them is thus to be understood: May you pros- 
per in body and soul, and enjoy every earthly and 
heavenly good! For the meaning of this word, see 
Matt. v. 9. 

My peace I give unto you] Such tranquillity of soul, 
such uninterrupted happiness of mind, such everlasting 
friendship with God as I enjoy, may ye all enjoy! 
And such blessedness I bequeath unto you: it is my 
last, my best, my dying legacy. 

Not as the world giveth} Notas the Jews, in empty 
wishes : not as the people of the world, in empty com- 
pliments. Their salutations and benedictions are gene- 
rally matters of custom and polite ceremony, given 
without desire or design; but I mean what I say; 
what I wish you, that I will give you. To his fol- 
lowers Jesus gives peace, procures it, preserves it, and 
establishes it. He is the author, prince, promoter, and 
keeper of peace. 

Neither let it be afraid.] Myée δειλιατω, Let not your 
heart shrink back through fear of any approaching evil. 
This is the proper meaning of the word. In a few 
hours ye will be most powerfully assaulted; but stand 


CHAP. XIV. 


τη. prospect of his death 


loved me, ye would rejoice, because 4, M- 4033 
I said, ™I go unto the Father: for Ae Oa. 
"my Father is greater than I. — 

29 And ° now I have told you before it come 
to pass, that when it is come to pass ye might 
believe. 

30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: 
? for the prince of this world cometh, and hath 
nothing in me. 

31 But that the world may know that I love 
the Father; and ‘as the Father gave me com- 
mandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go 
hence. 


1 Ver. 3,18 — Ver. 12; chap. xvi. 16; xx. 17.—*" See ch. 
v. 18; x. 30; Phil. ii. 6. © Chap. xiii. 19; xvi. 4.——P Chay. 
xii. 31; xvi. 11——7 Chap. x. 18; Phil. ii. 8; Heb. v. 8. 


will result in your comfort and salvation, and in the 
redemption of a lost world. 

Verse 28. I go away] To the Father by my death. 

And come again unto you.] By my resurrection. 

Ye would rejoice) Because, as the Messiah, I am 
going to receive a kingdom, and power, and glory, for 
ever. Therefore as my friends ye should rejoice in 
my elevation, though for a while it may put you to the 
pain of being separated from me: besides, ] am going 
that I may send you the Holy Spirit, which shall fill 
you with the fulness of God: on your own account, 
therefore, ye should have rejoiced and not mourned. 

My Father is greater than 1.1} In ver. 24, Christ 
tells his disciples that the Father had sent him: i. e. 
in his quality of Messiah, he was sent by the Father 
to instruct, and to save mankind. Now, as the sender 
is greater than the sent, chap. xiii. 16, 50 in this sense 
is the Father greater than the Son; and in this sense 
was the passage understood by Origen, Jerome, Nova- 
tian, and Vigilius, who read the text thus: The Father, 
ὁ πεμψας, who sent me, is greater than I. It certainly 
requires very little argument, and no sophistry, to re- 
concile this saying with the most orthodox notion of 
the Godhead of Christ; as he is repeatedly speaking 
of his Divine and of his human nature. Of the former 
he says, I and the Father are one, chap. x. 30; and. 
of the /at/er he states, with the same truth, The Father 
is greater than I. 

Verse 29. I have told you before it come to pass} 
Lest my death should be a stumbling-block to you, I 
have spoken of it beforehand, and showed you the ne 
cessity of it, that when it happens ye may believe, that 
as I could predict it so clearly, and so circumstantially, 
so all the good which I have promised shall be the re 
sult may be confidently expected by you ; and that you. 
sorrow, if not entirely removed, may at least be much 
mitigated. 

Verse 30. The prince of this world] Tovrov, of this, 
is omitted by ABDEGHKLMS, Mt. BH, one hundred 
others; both the Syriac, later Persic, all the Arabie, 
and several of the primitive fathers. I rather think 
the omission of the pronoun makes the sense more 


firm :—the evil will only fall upon me; and this evil| general ; for, had he said Tu1s world, the words might 


Vou. I Gee} 


625 


The similitude of the 


have been restrained to the Jewish state, or to the 
Roman government. But who is the person called 
here the prince of the world? 

1. Mr. Wakefield thinks that Christ speaks here of 
himself, as he does in chap. xii. 31, (see the note there,) 
and translates this verse and the following thus: For 
the ruler of this world is coming ; and I have nothing 
now to do, but to convince the world that I love the 
Father, and do as he commanded me. On which he 
observes that our Lord speaks of what he shall be, 
when he comes again, and not of what he then was : 
compare ver. 18; chap. xvi. 16; xvii. 2; Matt. xxvii. 
18; Phil. ii. 9. And how often does he speak of 
himself, as the Son of man, in the third person! See 
his vindication of this translation in the third vol. of his 
New Testament. 

2. Others think that our Lord refers to the Roman 
government, the ruler of the world, who, by its deputy, 
Pilate, was going to judge him, but who should find 
vothing, (εύρησει οὐδεν, which is the reading found in 
some excellent MSS. and versions, and is followed by 
almost all the primitive fathers,) as a just cause of 
death in him—nothing in the whole of his conduct 
which was in the Jeast reprehensible ; and this indeed 
Pilate witnessed in the most solemn manner. See 
chap. xviii. $8; xix. 4, 12; see also Luke xxiii. 4, 
&c., and Matt. xxvii. 24. 

3. But the most general opinion is that Satan is 
meant, who is called the prince of the power of the air, 


Sas JORG 


vine and its branches 


Eph. ii. 2; and who is supposed to be the same that 
is called the god of this world, 2 Cor. iv. 4; and who 
at his last and most desperate trial, the agony in the 
garden, should be convinced that there was nolhing of 
his nature in Christ, nothing that would coincide with 
his solicitations, and that he should find himself com- 
pletely foiled in all his attacks, and plainly foresee the 
impending ruin of his kingdom. It is very difficult to 
ascertain the real meaning here: of the different opi- 
nions proposed above, the reader must take that which 
he deems the most likely. 

Verse 31. Arise, let us go hence.] Calmet supposes 
that Christ, having rendered thanks to God, and sung 
the usual hymn, Matt. xxvi. 50; Mark xiv. 26; rose 
from the table, left the city, and went towards the 
garden of Olives, or garden of Gethsemane, on the 
road to which, a part of the following discourse was 
delivered. It was now about midnight, and the moon 
was almost full, it being the 14th day of her age, about 
the time in which the Jewish passover was to be slain. 


Tue reader should carefully note the conduct of our 
Lord. He goes to die as a sacririce, out of love to 
mankind, in obedience to the Divine will, and with un- 
shaken courage. All our actions should be formed 
on this plan. They should have the Jove of God and 
man for their principle and motive ; his glory for their 
end; and his will for their rule. He who lives and 
acts thus shall live for ever. Amen 


CHAPTER XV. 


The union of Jesus Christ with his followers, represented by the parable of a vine and its branches, 1-11. 


He exhorts them to mutual love, 12. 
13-15. 


the Jews in rejecting Christ, 22-25. 
Comforter of the disciples, 26, 27. 


ack AM the “true vine, and my 
Ses Father is the husbandman. 


2 » Every branch in me that beareth 


Calls them his friends, and promises to lay down his life for them, 
Appoints them their work, and promises them success in it, 16. 
mutual love, 17, and foretells the opposition they would meet with from the world, 18-21. 


Renews the exhortation to 
The sin of 


The Holy Spirit is promised as a witness for Christ, and the 


not fruit he taketh away: and every 4, M: 4033. 


branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth Ἀπὸ Ola 
it, that it may bring forth more fruit. - 


aGen. xlix. 11; Deut. xxxii. 32; Isa. v. 1,2; Jer. ii. 21. 


> Matt. xv. 13; Isa. i. 25; Eph. v. 9, 26. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XV. 

Verse 1. I am the true vine] Perhaps the vines 
which they met with, on their road from Bethany to 
Gethsemane, might have given rise to this discourse. 
Some of the disciples were probably making remarks 
on the different kinds of them, and our Lord took the 
opportunity of improving the conversation, according 
to his usual manner, to the instruction of their souls. 
He might here term himself the true vine, or vine of 
he right sort, in opposition to the wid and barren vine. 
Some MSS. and several of the fathers read the verse 
thus: J am the true vine, ye are the branches, and my 
Father is the husbandman. Some think that, as this 
discourse followed the celebration of the Eucharist, 
our Lord took occasion from the fruit of the vine, used 
in that ordinance, to introduce this similitude. 

Verse 2. Every branch in me] I stand in the same 

626 


relation to my followers, and they to me, as the vine 
to the branches, and the branches to the vine. 

He taketh away] As the vine-dresser will remove 
every unfruitful branch from the vine, so will my Fa- 
ther remove every unfruitful member from my mystical 
body—such as Judas, the unbelieving Jews, the apos- 
tatizing disciples, and all false and merely nominal 
Christians, who are attached to the vine by faith in 
the word and Divine mission of Christ, while they live 
not in his life and Spirit, and bring forth no fruit to 
the glory of God; and also every branch which has 
been in him by true faith—such as have given way to 
iniquity, and made shipwreck of their faith and of their 
good conscience : all these he taketh away. 

He purgeth it) He pruneth. The branch which 
bears not fruit, the husbandman αἰρεὶ αὐτο, taketh rv 
away ; but the branch that beareth fruit, καϑαίρει αὐτο, 

C SF yp 


The same similitude 


A. M. 4033, 8. ὁ Now ye are clean through the 
An, Oly. word which I have spoken unto 
4 ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the 
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it 
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye 
abide in me. 
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: he 


€Chap. xiii. 10; xvii. 17; Eph. v. 26; 1 Peter i. 22—4Col. 
i. 23; 1 John ii. 6. 


he taketh away From it, i. e. he prunes away excres- 
cences, and removes every thing that might hinder its 
increasing fruitfulness. The verb καϑαίρω, from xara, 
intens. and αἰρω, I take away, signifies ordinarily to 
cleanse, purge, purify, but is certainly to be taken 
in the sense of pruning, or culling off, in this text, as 
the verb purgare is used by Horace, Epist. lib. i. ep. 
vii. v. 51. 
Cultello proprios purgantem leniter ungues. 

“ Composedly parinG his own nails with a penknife.” 


He who brings forth fruit to God’s glory, according 
to his light and power, will have the hinderances taken 
away from his heart; for his very thoughts shall be 
cleansed by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. 

Verse 3. Now ye are clean] Καϑαροι ἐστε, Ye are 
pruned. As our Lord has not changed the metaphor, 
tt would be wrong to change the expression. 

Through the word] Aca τὸν λογον, Through that 
word—that doctrine of holiness which T have inces- 
santly preached unto you, and which ye have received. 
Perhaps our Lord more immediately refers here to 
the words which he had spoken concerning Judas, 
chap. xiii. 21-30, in consequence of which Judas 
went out and finished his bargain with the chief 
priests: he being gone off, the body of the apostles 
was purified; and thus he might say, Now ye are clean 
through the word which I have spoken unto you. 

Verse 4. Abide in me] Hold fast faith and a good 
conscience ; and let no trials turn you aside from the 
truth. And I will abide in you—ye shall receive 
every help and influence from me that your souls 
can require, in order to preserve and save them 
to eternal life. 

These two things are absolutely necessary to our 
salvation: 1. That we continue closely united to 
Christ by faith and love, and live in and to him. 2. 
That we continually receive from him the power to do 
good; for as the branch, however good in itself, can- 
not bear fruit from itself, through its own juice, which 
it has already derived from the tree, and can be no 
longer supported than it continues in union with the 
parent stock, neither can ye, unless ye abide in me. 
As the branch partakes of the nature of the tree, is 
nourished by its juice, and lives by its life, so ye must 
be made partakers of my Divine nature, be wise in my 
wisdom, powerful in my might, and pure through my 
holiness. 

Verse 5. Without me ye can do nothing.) Xupic 
ἐμοῦ ov δυνασϑε ποιεῖν ovdev—Separated from me, ye 
can ἃ: nothing at all. God can do without man, but 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


continued and explained. 


; , δά! ee 
that abideth in me, and I in him, Αἰ δ 40% 


the same bringeth forth much An. er 
P coll. 

6 fruit: for without me ye can do 

nothing. 

6 Ifaman abide not in me, 5 he 1s cast 
forth as a branch, and is withered; and men 
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and 
they are burned. 


© Hos. xiv. 8; Phil. i. 11; iv. 13—— Or, severed from me, Acts 
iv. 12.——* Matt. iii. 10; vii. 19. 


man cannot do without God. Following the metaphor 
of our Lord, it would be just as possible to do any 
good without him, as for a branch to live, thrive, 
and bring forth fruit, while cut off from that tree 
from which it not only derives its juices, but its very 
existence also. 

Nearly similar to this saying of our Lord, is that of 
Creeshna (the incarnate God of the Hindoos) to his 
disciple Arjoon: “ God is the gift of charity ; God 
is the offering: God it the fire of the altar; by God 
the sacrifice is performed; and God is to be obtained 
by him who maketh God alone the object of his 
works.” And again: “Iam the sacrifice ; I am the 
worship ; I am the spices; I am the invocation; Iam 
the fire ; and I am the victim. Iam the Father and 
Mother of this world, and the Preserver. I am the 
Holy One, worthy to be known; the mystic figure 
OM; (see on chap. i. 14;) I am the journey of the 
good; the Comforter; the Creator; the Witness ; 
the resting-place ; the asylum, and the Friend. Iam 
the place of all things; and the inexhaustible seed 
of nature; I am sunshine, and I am rain; I now 
draw in, and now let forth.” See Bhagvat, Geeta, pp. 
54 and 89. Could such sentiments as these ever 
come from any other source than Divine revelation? 
There is a saying in Theophilus very similar to one 
of those above : Θεὸς ov χωρειται, αλλα αὐτὸς ἐστι τόπος 
τῶν ὁλων.----Ἕ(ἰοα is not comprehended, but he is the 
place of all things. 

Verse 6. If a man abide not in me] Our Lord in 
the plainest manner intimates that a person may as 
truly be united to him as the branch is to the tree that 
produces it, and yet be afterwards cut off and cast into 
the fire ; because he has not brought forth fruit to the 
glory of his God. No man can cut off a branch from 
a tree to which that branch was never united: it is 
absurd, and contrary to the letter and spirit of the 
metaphor, to talk of being seemingly in Christ—because 
this means nothing. If there was only a seemin, 
union, there could be only a seeming excision: so the 
matter is just where it began; nothing is done on 
either side, and nothing said to any purpose. 

He is cast forth] Observe, that person who abides 
not in Christ, in a believing, loving, obedient spirit, 15 
—1. Cut off from Jesus, having no longer any right or 
title to him or to his salvation. 2. He is withered- 
deprived of all the influences of God’s grace and 
Spirit ; loses all his heavenly unetion ; becomes indit- 
ferent, cold, and dead to every holy and spiritual word 
and work. 3. He is gathered—becomes (through 
the judgment of God) again united with backsliders 

627 


The incomparable 


A.M. 4033. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words 
Gia: abide in you, ἢ ye shall ask what ye 


will, and it shall be done unto you. 
8 ‘Herein is my Father glorified, that ye 
bear much fruit ; * so shall ye be my disciples. 
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I 
loved you: continue ye in my love. 
10 1 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall 
abide in my love; even as I have kept my 
Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 


ST. JOHN. 


love of Chiast 


11 These things have 1 spoken 4,™. 4033. 
unto you, that my joy might re- An, oe: 
main in you, and ™ that your joy ἜΣ 
might be full 

12 Ἵ * This is my commandment, That ye 
love one another, as I have loved you. 

13 ° Greater love hath no man than this, 
that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

14 » Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever 
IT command you. 


h Ver. 16; chap. xiv. 13, 14; xvi. 23-——i Matt. v. 16; Phil. 
ie 11.— Chap. vill. 31; xiii. 35——! Chap. xiv. 15, 21, 23. 
m Chap. xvi. 24; xvii. 13; 1 Johni. 4. 


n Chap. xiii. 34; 1 Thess. iv. 9; 1 Peter iv.8; 1 John iii. 11; 
iy. 21. © Chap. x. 11, 15; Rom. ν. 7, 8; Eph. Sones 1 John 
111. 16——P Chap. xiv. 15, 23 ; see Matt, xii. 50. 


like himself, and other workers of iniquity; and, 
being abandoned to his own heart and Satan, he is, 4. 
Cast into the fire—separated from God’s people, from 
God himself, and from the glory of his power. And, 
5. He is burned—is eternally tormented with the devil 
and his angels, and with all those who have lived and 
died in their iniquity. Reader! pray God that this 
may never be thy portion. 

Verse 7. If ye abide in me, &c.] “ Those,” says 
Creeshna, “ whose understandings are in him, (God,) 
whose souls are in him, whose confidence is in him, 
whose asylum is in him, are by the inspired wisdom 
purified from all their offences, and go from whence 
they shall never return.” Geeta, p. 59. 

Observe, in order to have influence with God, we 
must—1. Be united to Christ—if ye abide in me. 2. 
That in order to be preserved in this union, we must 
have our lives regulated by the doctrine of Christ— 
and my words abide in you. 3. That to profit by 
this union and doctrine, we must pray—ye shall ask. 
4. That every heavenly blessing shali be given to 
those who continue in this union, with a loving, obe- 
dient, praying spirit :—vye shall ask what ye will, &c. 

Verse 8. Herein is my Father glorified] Or, honoured. 
It is the honour of the husbandman to have good, 
strong, vigorous vines, plentifully laden with fruit : 
so it is the honour of God to have strong, vigorous, 
holy children, entirely freed from sin, and perfectly 
filled with his love. 

Verse 10. If ye keep my commandments, &c.] 
Hence we learn that it is impossible to retain a sense 
of God's pardoning love, without continuing in the 
obedience of faith. 

Verse 11. That my joy may remain in you] That 
the joy which I now feel, on account of your steady, 
affectionate attachment to me, may be lasting, I give 
you both warnings and directions, that ye may abide 
in the faith. 

That your joy might be full.] Or, complete— 
πληρωϑῃ, filled wp: a metaphor taken from a vessel, 
into which water or any other thing is poured, till it 
is full to the brim. The religion of Christ expels ail 
masery from the hearts of those who receive it in its 
fulness. It was to drive wretchedness out of the 
world that Jesus came into it. 

Bishop Pearce, by joining ev ἐμοὶ to yapa, and not 
to μείνῃ, translates the verse thus: These things have 

628 


I spoken, that my joy in you may remain—which is 
according to the meaning given to the first clause. 

Verse 12. That ye love one another] See on chap. 
xiii. 34. So deeply was this commandment engraven 
on the heart of this evangelist that St. Jerome says, 
lib. iii. ο. 6, Com. ad Galat., that in his extreme old 
age, when he used to be carried to the public assem- 
blies of the believers, his constant saying was, Lviéle 
children, love one another. His disciples, wearied at 
last with the constant repetition of the same words, 
asked him, Why he constantly said the same thing ? 
“Because (said he) it is the commandment of the 
Lord, and the observation of it alone is sufficient.” 
Quia preceptum Domini est, et, si solum jie, cufficit. 

Verse 13. That a man lay down his life for ‘is 
friends.| No man can earry his love for his friena 
farther than this: for, when he gives up his life, he 
gives up all that he has. This proof of my love for 
you I shal] give in a few hours; and the doctrine 
which I recommend to you 1 am just going to exem- 
plify myself. There are several remarkable cases, in 
heathen antiquity, where one friend offered his life 
for another. The two following will not stand dis- 
honourably even in the book of God; because every 
thing Zoving and pure, in heathen, Jew, or Christian, 
must come from the God of love and purity. 

When Cyrus had made war on the king of Armenia, 
and had taken him, his wife, and children, with 
Tigranes his son, and his wife, prisoners; treating 
with the old king concerning his ransom, he said, How 
much money wilt thou give me to have thy wife again? 
All that I have, replied the king. And how much 
wilt thou advance to enjoy thy children again? All 
that I can produce, answered the king. By reckoning 
thus, said Cyrus, you prize these at twice as much 
as you possess. Then, turning to Tigranes, he said, 
How much wilt thou give as a ransom, that thou 
mayest have thy wife? (Now Tigranes had been but 
lately married, καὶ ὑπερφιλων τὴν γυναίκα, and loved 
his wife exceedingly.) He answered, I will indeed, 
O Cyrus, καὶ τῆς ψυχης πριαιμην, ransom her even with 
MY LIFE, that she may be no longer in thraldom. See 
ΧΈΝΟΡΗ. Cyrop. lib. iii. 6. 2. 

The second example, which is too long to be in- 
serted, is that affecting account of the friendship of 
Nisus and Euryalus, given by Vorgil, in the ninth 
book of the ASneis. These two friends, leagued to- 

1 


The command of Christ 


A.M. 4033.15 Henceforth I call you not ser- 
An, Olymp. vants ; for the servant knoweth not 


what his Lord doeth: but I have 
called you friends; 4 for all things that I have 
neard of my Father, I have made known 
unto you. 

16 *Ye have not chosen me, but I have 
chosen you, and * ordained you, that ye should 


4 See Gen. xviti. 17; chap. xvii. 26; Acts xx. 27—— Chap. 
vi. 70; xiii. 18; 1 John iv. 10, 19. 


gether, had slain many of the Rutulians in a night 
attack : at last Huryalus was taken prisoner. Nisus, 
concealed in a thicket, slew several of the enemy’s 
chiefs with his javelins: Volscens, their general, not 
seeing the hand by which his officers were slain, 
determines to wreak his vengeance upon his prisoner. 
Nisus, seeing his friend about to be transfixed with 
the sword, rushing out of the wood where he lay hidden, 
suddenly cries :— 


Με! me! adsum qui rect! in ME convertite ferrum, 
O Rutuli! mea fraus omnis :—nihil 1ste—nec ausus, 
Nec potuit—Cealum hoc, et conscia sidera testor! 
Tantum infelicem NIMIUM DILEXIT AMICUM. 

fin. lib. ix. 1. 427, ἄς. 


“Me! me! he cried, turn all your swords alone 
On me !—the fact confess’d, the fault my own. 
He neither could, nor durst, the guiltless youth ; 
Ye moon and stars, bear witness to the truth! 
His only crime (if friendship can offend) 
Is too much love to his unhappy friend.” Drypen. 


Those who understand the beautiful original will at 
once perceive that the earnestness, confusion, disorder, 
impatience, and burning love of the FRIEND, are poorly 
imitated in the above tame translation. 

The friendship of David and Jonathan is well known: 
the latter cheerfully gave up his crown to his friend, 
though himself was every way worthy to wear it. But 
when all these instances of rare friendship and affec- 
tion are seen, read, and admired, let the affected reader 
turn his astonished eyes to Jesus, pouring out his 
blood, not for his friends, but for his ἘΝΈΜΙΕΒ ; and, in 
the agonies of death, making supplication for his mur- 
derers, with, Father, forgive them, for they know not 
what they do !—and then let him help exclaiming, if 
he can, 


“Ὁ Lamb of God, was ever pain, 
Was ever Love like THINE!” 


Verse 15. Henceforth I call you not servants] 
Which he at least indirectly had done, chap. xiii. 16; 
Matt. x. 24, 25; Luke xvii. 10. 

Ihave called you friends} I have admitted you 
into a state of the most intimate fellowship with my- 
self; and have made known unto you whatsoever I 
have heard from the Father, which, in your present 
circumstances, it was necessary for you to be in- 
structed in. 

Verse 16. Ye have not chosen me] Ye have not 
elected me as your Teacher: I have called you to be 
my disciples ; witnesses and depositories of the truth. 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


to love one another 


go and bring forth fruit, and that 4,™, 133. 
your fruitshould remain: that * what- ay 
soever ye shall ask of the Father in ss 
my name, he may give it you. 

17 “These things I command you, that ye 
love one another. 

18 Ἵ ‘If the world hate you, ye know that 
it hated me before it hated you. 


*Matt. xxviii. 19; Mark xvi. 15; Col. 1. 6. 


‘Ver.7; chap. 
xiv. 13. 4 Ver. 12. 


¥ 1 John iii. 1, 13. 


It was customary among the Jews for every person 
to choose his own teacher. 

And ordained you] Rather, I have appointed you: 
the word is εϑηκα, I have pur or placed you, i. 6. in 
the vine. 

Theodorus Mopsuensis, as quoted by Wetstein, ob- 
serves that εϑηκα is here used for edurevca; (I have 
planted ;) “and, in saying this, our Lord still makes 
use of the metaphor of the vine; as if he had said: 
I have not only planted you, but I have given you 
the greatest benefits, causing your branches to extend 
every where through the habitable world.” 

The first ministers of the Gospel were the choice 
of Jesus Christ; no wonder, then, that they were so 
successful. Those whom men have since sent, with- 
out the appointment of God, have done no good. The 
choice should still continue with God, who, knowing 
the heart, knows best who is most proper for the Gos- 
pel ministry. 

To be a genuine preacher of the Gospel, a man 
must—l. Be chosen of God to the work. 2. He 
must be placed in the true vine—united to Christ by 
faith. 3. He must not think to lead an idle life, but 
labour. 4. He must not wait till work be brought to 
him, but he must go and seek it. 5. He must labour 
so as to bring forth fruit, i. e. to get souls converted 
to the Lord. 6. He must refer all his fruit to God, 
who gave him the power to labour, and blessed him 
in his work. 7. He must take care to water what he 
has planted, that his fruit may remain—that the souls 
whom he has gathered in be not scattered from the 
flock. 8. He must continue instant in prayer, that 
his labours may be accompanied with the presence and 
blessing of God—Whatsoever ye shall asx. 9. He 
must consider Jesus Christ as the great Mediator be- 
tween God and man, proclaim his salvation, and pray 
in his name.—Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father 
in my name, ἄς. See Quesnel. 

Verse 18. If the world hate you} As the follow- 
ers of Christ were to be exposed to the hatred of the 
world, it was no small consolation to them to know 
that that hatred would be only in proportion to their 
faith and holiness; and that, consequently, instead of 
being troubled at the prospect of persecution, they 
should rejoice, because that should always be a proof 
to them that they were in the very path in which Je- 
sus himself had trod: Dr. Lardner thinks that zpwrov 
is a substantive, or at least an adjective used substan- 
tively, and this clause of the text should be translated 
thus: If the world hate you, know that it hated me, 
your cuir. It is no wonder that the world should 

629 


Ihe sin of the Jews 


AM 6088. 19 “If ye were of the world, the 


An. Olymp. world would love his own: but 

20 xb t of the world, but 

ecause ye are no v ; 
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore 
the world hateth you. 

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, 
y The servant is not greater than his lord. If 
they have persecuted me, they will also per- 
secute you: “if they have kept my saying, 
they will keep yours also. 

21 But *all these things will they do unto 
you for my name’s sake, because they know 
not him that sent me. 

22 >If I had not come and spoken unto 
them, they had not had sin: ὃ but now they 
have no “cloke for their sin. 


W1 John iv. 5. * Chap. xvii. 14. y Matt. x. 24; Lukevi. 
40; chap. xiii. 16. 2 Ezek. iii. 7. a Matt. x.22; xxiv. 9; 
chap. xvi. 3. Chap. ix. 41. ς Rom. i. 20; James iv. 17. 
4 Or, excuse. 61 John ii. 23——1 Chap. 111. 2; vii. 31; ix. 32. 


ST. JOHN. 


in rejecting Christ. 


23 ° He that hateth me hateth Αι ΝΜ, 4033. 
my Father also. An. Olymp. 
24 If I had not done among ee 
them ‘the works which none other man 
did, they had not had sin: but now have 
they both seen and hated both me and my 

Father. 

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word 
might be fulfilled that is written in their law, 
& They hated me without a cause. 

26 Ἵ »*But when the Conforter is come, 
whom I will send unto you from the Father, 
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth 
from the Father, ‘he shall testify of me : 

27 And * ye also shall bear witness, because 
‘ye have been with me from the beginning. 


& Psa. xxxv. 19; lxix. 4 Luke xxiv. 49; chap. xiv. 17, 26; 
xvi. 7, 13; Acts ii. 33.——il John v. 6——k Luke xxiv. 48; 
Acts i. 8,21, 22; ii.32; iii. 15; iv. 20,33; v.32; x.39; xill.31; 
1 Peter v. 1; 2 Peter i. 16— Luke i.2; 1 John i. 1, 2. 


hate you, when it hated me, your Lord and Master, 
whose lips were without guile, and whose conduct was 
irreproachable. See the doctor’s vindication of this 
translation, Works, vol. i. p. 306. 

Verse 19. Ye are not of the world—therefore, &c.] 
Q. this very account, because ye do not join in fellow- 
ship with those who know not God, therefore they hate 
you. How true is that saying— 


“ The laws of Christ condemn a vicious world, 
And goad it to revenge !” GampBo_p. 


Verse 20. If they have kept my saying] Or, doc- 
trine. Whosoever acknowledges me for the Christ 
will acknowledge you for my ministers. 

Some translate the passage thus: Jf they have 
WATCHED my sayings, 1. e. with an intent to accuse 
me for something which I have said, they will warcu 
yours also: therefore be on your guard. Taparnpeww 
has this sense, as we have had occasion to observe 
befure ; and perhaps τηρεῖν has the same sense here, 
as it is much more agreeable to the context. 

Verse 21. Because they know not him that sent 
me.| ‘This is the foundation of all religious persecu- 
tion: those who are guilty of it, whether in Church 
or state, know nothing about God. If God folerates 
a worship which professes to have him for its object, 
and which does not disturb the quiet or peace of soci- 
ety, no man has the smallest right to meddle with it; 
and he that does fights against God. His letting it 
pass is at least a tacit command that all should treat 
it as he has done. 

Verse 22. But now they have no cloke for their 
si.) They are without excuse. See the margin, and 
see the note on chap. ix. 41. Christ had done such 
works as demonstrated him to be the Messiah—yet 
they rejected him: here lay their sin; and this sin, 
and the punishment to which it exposed them, still 
remain ; for they still continue to reject the Lord that 
bought them. 


630 


Verse 25. Written in their law] See on chap x. 
34. These words are taken from Psa. lxix. 4. This 
psalm is applied to Christ, chap. 11. 17; xix. 28; to 
the vengeance of God against Judea, Acts i. 20. The 
psalm seems entirely prophetic of Christ. His deep 
abasement is referred to, ver. 2-5; his prayer for hia 
disciples and followers, ver. 6 ; that for himself, in the 
garden of Gethsemane, ver. 15-19; his crucifixion, 
ver. 20-22 ; the vengeance of God against the Jews, 
from ver. 23, to ver. 29; the glorious manner in which 
he gets out of all his sufferings, ver. 30; the aboli- 
tion of the Mosaic rites and ceremonies, ver. 31, com- 
pared with Isa. Ixvi. 3; and, finally, the establishment 
of the Gospel through the whole world, in the 33d 
and following verses. The reader will do well to con- 
sult the psalm before he proceeds. 

Verse 26. But when the Comforter is come] See 
on chap. xiv. 16. 

Verses 26, 27. He shall testify—and ye also shall 
bear witness] He shall bear his testimony in your 
souls, and ye shall bear this testimony to the world. 
And so they did, by their miracles, their preaching, 
their writings, their lives, and by their deaths. Our 
Lord appears to reason thus: In every respect the 
unbelief of the Jews is inexcusable. They believe 
not my doctrine, notwithstanding its purity and holi- 
ness. They believe not in the Father who sent me, 
notwithstanding I have confirmed my mission by the 
most astonishing miracles. One thing only remains 
now to be done, i. e. to send them the Holy Spirit, to 
convince them of sin, righteousness, and judgment , 
and this he shall do, not only by his influence upon 
their hearts, but also by your words: and when they 
shall have resisted this Spirit, then the cup of their 
iniquity shall be filled up, and wrath shall come upon 
them to the uttermost. 


Boer in what sense can it be said that Christ wrought 
more miracles than any other had done, ver. 24 ἴ- 
1 


Christ foretells the 


for Elijah and Elisha raised the dead ; cured diseases ; 
and made fire to come down from heaven. Did Christ 
do greater miracles than Moses did in Egypt—at the 
Red Sea—at the rock of Horeb, and at the rock of 
Kadesh? Did Christ do greater miracles than Jo- 
shua did, in the destruction of Jericho—in the passage 
of Jordan—in causing the sun and moon to stand still? 
To all this it may be answered, Christ’s miracles were 
greater: 1. As to their number. 2. As to their uti- 
lity—they were wrought to comfort the distressed, 
and to save the lost. 3. Christ wrought all his mira- 
cles by his own power alone ; and they wrought theirs 
through his power only. 4. Christ wrought his nu- 
merous miracles in the space of three or four years, 
and in the presence of the same people; and the 
others were wrought from time to time in different 
centuries. 

Some critics have confined the whole of this chap- 
ter to the apostles of our Lord, and the work of pro- 
pagating Christianity to which they had been called. 
The whole comment of Rosenmiiller on this chapter 
proceeds on this plan; and at once shows how nuga- 


CHAP. XVI. 


persecutions of his disciples 


tory it is. What Jearned labour has there been in the 
world, to banish the spirit of Christianity from the 
earth, while the Je/ter was professed to be scrupulously 
regarded! 1. The spiritual union spoken of by Christ 
is not merely necessary for his primitive disciples, but 
also for all who would be Christians on earth, and 
beatified spirits in heaven. 2. The brotherly love here 
inculeated is the duty and interest of every Christian 
soul on the face of the earth. 3. The necessity of 
adorning the Christian profession, by bringing forth 
corresponding fruits, is the duty of all who name the 
name of the Lord Jesus. 4. The appointment to, and 
preparation for, the work of the sacred ministry, must 
ever be primarily with Christ: for those who have no 
higher authority than that which they derive from man 
are never likely to be useful in Christianizing the 
world. 5. The persecution to which the apostles 
were exposed has been the common lot of Christians 
from the foundation of Christianity. 6. The conso- 
lations and influences of Christ’s Spirit have not been 
the exclusive privileges of the apostles; they are the 
birthright of all the sons and daughters of God 


CHAPTER XVI. 


Christ warns his disciples, and foretells the persecutions they should receive from the Jews, 1--4. 


his death, and promises them the Comforter, 5-7. 
world. 8-11. 


death and resurrection, at which his disciples are puzzled,,16—-18. 
Shows himself to be the Mediator between God and man, and that all prayers 
The disciples clearly comprehend his meaning, and express their 
He again foretells their persecution, and promises them his peace and sup- 


by a similitude, 19-22. 
must be put up in bis name, 23-28. 
strong faith in him, 29, 30. 


port, 31-33. 
A.M. 4033. ” & gic 

ab’sa” «THESE things have I spoken 
Spor dee unto you, that ye *should not 


2 » They shall put you out of the synagogues : 
yea, the time cometh, 5 that whosoever killeth 


a Matt. x1. 6; xxiv. 10; xxvi. 31. + Chap. ix. 22, 34; xii. 42. 
© Acts vili. 1; ix. 1; xxvi. 9, 10, 11. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. 

Verse 1. These things have I spoken] Particularly 
what is mentioned in the two last chapters. 

Be offended.) Ἵνα un σκανδαλισθητε, That ye should 
nol be stumbled. May not fall away from the faith, 
nor receive any injury to your souls, as that man does 
to his body who stuméles, or falls over a stone, or 
block, in the way which he has not discovered. 

Verse 2. They shall put you out of the synagogues] 
They will excommunicate you, and consider you as 
execrable, and utterly unworthy to hold any commerce 
with God by religion ; or with man by civil fellowship. 
See on chap. ix. 22. In these excommunications 
they were spoiled of all their substance, see Ezra x. 
8, and see also Heb. x. 34, and deprived of their 
character, their influence, and every necessary of life. 
Though the Jewish people had the most humane laws, 
yet they were a most vindictive and cruel people. 

That whosoever killeth you, &c.] This Paul found ; 

1 


His peculiar influences on the souls of the disciples, 12-15. 


Foretells 
Points out his operations among the Jews, and in the 
Speaks figuratively of his 
He explains and illustrates the whole 


you, will think that he doeth God a is 
service. 


unto you, because they have not known the 
Father, nor me. 


4 Chapter xv. 21; Romans x. 2; 1 Corinthians ii. 8; 1 Timothy 
i. 13. 


for more than forty Jews bound themselves under a 
curse that they would neither eat nor drink till they 
had killed Aim, Acts xxiii. 12, 13; and agreeably to 
this, it is said, in that Tract of the Talmud which is 
entitled Bammidbar, R. xxi.ad. Num. xxv. 13: “ He 
who sheds the blood of the ungodly, is equal to him 
who brings an offering to God.” What the Zealots 
did is notorious in history. They butchered any per- 
son, in cold blood, who, they pretended to believe, was 
an enemy to God, to the law, or to Moses ; and thought 
they were fulfilling the will of God by these human 
sacrifices. We had the same kind of sacrifices here in 
the time of our Popish Queen Mary. May God ever 
save our state from the Stuarts ! ‘ 

Verse 3. Because they have not known the Father} 
See on chap. xv. 25. Ignorance of the benevolence 
of GOD, and of the philanthropy of CHRIST, is the 
grand fountain whence all religious persecution and 
intolerance proceed. 

631 


Christ comforts the disciples 


A M.4033. 4 But “ these things have I told 


An. Olymp. you, that when the time shall come, 

CCU. 1. 

ye may remember that I told you 
of them. And ‘these things I said not 
unto you at the beginning, because I was 
with you. 

5 Ἵ But now δ] go my way to him that sent 
me; and none of you asketh me, Whither 
goest thou ? 

6 But because I have said these things unto 
you, ἢ sorrow hath filled your heart. 


7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth : it is ex- 


ST. JOHN. 


by the promise of the Comforter 


pedient for you that I go away : for 4,™M. 4033 
if I go not away, ithe Comforter An. Olymp. 
will not come unto you; but if I 

depart, I will send him unto you. 

8 And when he is come, he will 1 yeprove 
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of 
judgment : 

9 ™ Of sin, because they believe not on me, 

10 “Of righteousness, °because I go to 
my Father, and ye see me no more ; 

11 » Of judgment, because ‘the prince of 
this world is judged. 


© Chap. xiii. 19; xiv. 29. £See Matt. ix. 15.——+ Ver. 10, 
16; chap. vii. 33; xili. 3; xiv. 28—)Ver. 22; chap. xiv. 1. 
i Chap. vii. 39; xiv. 16, 26; xv. 26— Acts ii. 33; Eph. iv. 8. 


Verse 4. At the beginning] I would not trouble 
you by speaking of thése things pointedly at first, when 
I chose you to be my disciples, but have referred them 
to the present time, lest you should be discouraged; 
and now only declare them because it is absolutely 
necessary that you should be put upon your guard. 

Verse 5. None of you asketh me, Whither goest 
thou ?| In chap. xiii. 36, Peter had asked, Lord, 
whither goest thou 2—and Thomas much the same in 
chap. xiv. 5, both of whom had received an answer. 
But now, at the time when Jesus was speaking this, 
none of them asked this question, because their hearts 
were filled with sorrow: ver. 6. 

Verse 7. It is expedient—that I go away] In other 
places he had showed them the absolute necessity of 
his death for the salvation of men: see Matt. xx. 19; 
xxvi. 2; Mark ix. 31; x. 33; Luke ix. 44; xviii. 32. 
This he does not repeat here, but shows them that, by 
the order of God, the Holy Spirit cannot come to them, 
nor to the world, unless he first die; and consequently 
men cannot be saved but in this way. 

Verse 8. He will reprove|] Ἐλεγξει, He will demon- 
strate these matters so clearly as to leave no doubt on 
the minds of those who are simple of heart; and so 
fully as to confound and shut the mouths of those who 
are gainsayers. See Acts ii. 1, &e. 

The world| The Jewish nation first, and afterwards 
the Gentile world ; for his influences shall not be con- 
fined to one people, place, or time. 

Verse 9. Of sin] Of the sin of the Jews in not re- 
ceiving me as the Messiah, though my mission was 
accredited by the very miracles which the prophets 
foretold: see Isa. xxxv. 3-6. This was literally 
fulfilled on the day of pentecost, when the Spirit 
was given; for multitudes of Jews were then convinc- 
ed of this sin, and converted to God. See Actsii. 37. 

If we take this prediction of our Lord in a more 
general sense, then we may consider that it is one of 
the grand offices of the Holy Spirit to convince of sin, 
to show men what sin is, to demonstrate to them that 
they are sinners, and to show the necessity of an atone- 
ment for sin; and in this’sense the phrase, περὶ ἁμαρτίας, 
may be understood, and in this sense it is used in mul- 
titudes of places in the Septuagint, but the words, Le- 
cause they believe not in me, restrict the meaning par- 

632 


1Or, convince.——™ Acts ii. 22-37. 4 Acts li. 32. © Chap 
ἐπ 14; v. 32.—P Acts xxvi. 18.—4 Luke x. 18; chap. xi 
; Eph. ii. 2; Col. ii. 15; Heb. ii. 14. 


ticularly to the sim of the Jews in rejecting Jesus as 
the Messiah. 

Verse 10. Of righteousness] Of my innocence and 
holiness, because I go away to my Father ; of which 
my resurrection from the dead, and my ascension to 
heaven, shall be complete proofs. Christ was treated 
by the Jews as an impostor ; as a magician; as one 
possessed by the devil; as a wicked person, seducer, 
and destroyer of the Jaw. His vindication from these 
charges he chiefly referred to the Holy Spirit, the 
Advocate, who, by his influences on the minds of the 
people, and by his eloquence and energy in the ministry 
of the apostles, convinced both the Jews and the Gen- 
tiles that the sentence of the Jewish rulers was unjusi 
and infamous, and that the very person whom they 
had crucified was both Lord and Chrisi—Lord, the 
great governor of the universe ; and Christ, the Lord’s 
anointed, the promised Messiah. It was a matter of 
the utmost consequence to the Christian cause to have 
the innocence and holiness of its founder demonstrated, 
and the erime of the Jews in putting him to death 
made manifest to the world. This also has been lite- 
rally fulfilled: the universe that has heard of him be- 
lieves the righteousness and innocence of Jesus; and 
the Jews, his persecutors, are confounded and execrat- 
ed throughout the habitable globe. 

Verse 11. Of judgment] Of the false judgment of 
the Jews in condemning the Lord Jesus, who, as some 
think, is intended here by the ruler of this world: 
see chap. xiv. 30. Others think that Satan is meant 
whose usurped power over the world was now to be 
greatly restrained, and by and by totally destroyed : 
see chap. xii. 31; Col. ii. 15; Rev. xi. 15; xii. 10, 
11. Perhaps our Lord’s meaning is, that as a most 
astonishing judgment, or punishment, was now about 
to fall upon the Jews, in consequence of their obstinate 
infidelity, the Holy Ghost, by the ministry of the apos- 
tles, should demonstrate that this judgment, severe as 
it might seem, was amply merited by this worst of all 
people ; and may we not say that their continuance in 
the same crime sufficiently vindicates the judgment of 
God, not only in its being poured out upon them at 
first, but in continuing to pursue them? 

Tt is necessary to observe that it was one office of 
the Spirit to convince of a judgment to come; and 

sf 


—— 


The operations of the 


A.M. 4033. 1.1 have yet many things to say 


Ἀπ᾿ Grp. a you, * but ye cannot bear them 

13 Howbeit when he, *the Spirit of truth, 
is come, * he will guide you into all truth: for 
he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever 
he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will 
show you things to come. 


® Mark iv. 33; 1 Cor. iii. 2; Heb. v. 12——* Chap. xiv. 17; xv. 
26.— Chap. xiv. 26; 1 John ii. 20, 27. 


this he did particularly by the apostles, in declaring 
that God had appointed a day in which he would judge 
the world by him whom he had appointed for that 
purpose: Acts xvii. 31. And we find that while 
Peter was asserting this doctrine at Cesarea, Acts x. 
42, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Jews and 
the Gentiles which were present, ver. 44, &c., and 
many were converted unto the Lord. 

One general exposition may be given of these three 
verses. The Holy Spirit will convince the world of 
sim committed, and guilt and condemnation thereby in- 
eurred. Of righteousness—of the necessity of being 
pardoned, and made righteous through the blood of 
the Lamb, who, after being offered up for sin, went 
to the Father, ever to appear in his presence as our 
intercessor : and of judgment—of the great day there- 
of, when none shall be able to stand but those whose 
sins are pardoned, and whose souls are made right- 
eous. In all that our Lord says here, there seems to 
be an allusion to the office of an advocate in a cause, 
in a court of justice; who, by producing witnesses, 
and pleading upon the proof, convicts the opposite 
party of sin, demonstrates the righteousness of his 
client, and shows the necessity of passing judgment 
upon the accuser. 

The faith of the Gospel discovers unto us three dif- 
ferent states of man: it shows him: 1. Under sin, 
in which there is nothing but infidelity towards God, 
because there is no faith in Jesus Christ. 

2. Under grace, in which sin is pardoned, and 
righteousness acquired by faith in Christ; who is 
gone to the Father to carry on, by his intercession, the 
great work of redemption. 

3. In the peace and glory of heaven, where Christ 
will reign with his members; the devil, with his 
angels and servants, being banished into hell by the 
last judgment. 

Thus, in the Christian revelation, we are made 
acquainted with three grand truths, which contain the 
sum and substance of all true religion. 

The first is the general corruption of human nature, 
and the reign of sin till the coming of Christ. 

The second is the reparation of our nature by the 
Lord Jesus, and the reign of righteousness by his 
grace: Rom. v. 21. 

The third is the condemnation of sinners, and the 
total destruction of the kingdom of sin, and of all the 
power of the devil, by the last judgment. 

Verse 12. Ye cannot bear them now.] In illustra- 
tion of these three points, Christ had many things to 

1 


CHAP. XVI. 


Holy Spirit pointed out. 


14 He shall glorify me: for he 4, pte 

shall receive of mine, and_ shall ἀν ita 
CCI. 1. 

show it unto you. ------- 

15 “All things that the Father hath are mine : 
therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and 
show zt unto you. 

16 9 ‘A little while, and ye shall not see 
me: and again a little while, and ye shall 


“Matt. xi. 27; chap. iii. 35; xiii. 3; xvii. 10——¥ Ver. 10; chap 
Vii. 33; xiii. 38; xiv. 19. 


say; but he found that his disciples could only bear 
general truths ; yet, in saying what he did, he sowed 
the seeds of the whole system of theological know- 
ledge, and heavenly wisdom, which the Holy Spirit 
of this truth afterwards watered and ripened into a 
glorious harvest of light and salvation, by the ministry 
of the apostles. Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the 
things which the apostles could not bear now were 
such as these: 1. The institution of the Christian 
Sabbath, and the abolition of the Jewish. 2. The 
rejection of the whole Jewish nation, at the very time 
in which they expected to be set up and established 
for ever. 3. The entire change of the whole Mosaic 
dispensation, and the bringing the Gentiles into the 
Church of God. 

Verse 13. He will guide you] He will consider 
your feeble infant state; and, as a father leads his 
child by the hand, so will the Holy Spirit lead and 
guide you. 

The Vulgate, and some copies of the J¢ala, read, 
He will Teacu you all truth; but this and more is 
implied in the word ὁδηγησει, he will lead; besides, 
this reading is not acknowledged by any Greek MS. 

He shall not speak of himself| He shall teach 
nothing contrary to what I have taught you: 

But whatsoever he shall hear| Of the Father and 
me, that he shall speak, and thus show the intimate 
consent between himself, the Father, and Christ. It 
is one conjoint testimony, in which the honour and 
glory of the holy Trinity, and man’s salvation are 
equally concerned. 

And he will show you things to come.] He will 
fully explain every thing that may now appear dark 
or difficult to you; will give you such a knowledge 
of futurity as shall, in all necessary cases, enable you 
to foretell future events; and shall supply every re- 
quisite truth, in order to make the new covenant reve- 
lation complete and perfect. 

Verse 15. All things that the Father hath are mine] 
If Christ had not been equal to God, could he have 
said this without blasphemy ? 

And show it unto you.| As Christ is represented 
the Ambassador of the Father, so the Holy Spirit is 
represented the ambassador of the Son, coming vested 
with his authority, as the interpreter and executor of 
his will. 

Verse 16. A little while] ~He had but a few hours 
to live. 

And ye shall not see me] I shall be hidden from 
your view in the grave. 

633 


Christ explains the meanng 


. M, 4033. 5 
A.M. 1033. see me, “because I go to the 


An. Oly. Father. 

= 17 Then said some of his disci- 
ples among themselves, What is this that he 
saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not 
see me: and again a little while, and ye shall 
see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 

18 They said therefore, What is this that he 
saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he 
saith. 

19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous 
to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire 
among yourselves of that I said, A little while, 
and ye shall not see me: and again a little 
while, and ye shall see me? 

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye 
shall weep and lament, but the world shall re- 
ioice : and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sor- 
row shall be turned into joy. 

21 *A woman when she is in travail hath 


ST. JOHN. 


of the preceding discourse. 


sorrow, because her hour is come : Ae ee 


but as soon as she is delivered of the An. Olymp. 
child, she remembereth no more the a 
anguish, for joy that a man is born into the 
world. 

22 ¥ And ye now therefore have sorrow : 
but I will see you again, and 5 your heart shall 
rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 

23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing 
Ὁ Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatseoee 
ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will 
give τέ you. 

24 Hitherto have ye asked nothmg in my 
name: ask, and ye shall receive, "ἢ that your 
joy may be full. 

25 These things have I spoken unto you in 
© proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall 
no more speak unto you in “proverbs, but 1 
shall show you plainly of the Father. 

26 ° At that day ye shall ask in my name 


wVer. 28; chap. xiii. 3. χα 58. xxvi. 17. y Ver. 6. 
z Luke xxiv. 41,52; chap. xiv. 1,27; xx.20; Acts 11. 46; xili. 52; 


1 Peter i. 8. 
xv. 11. ὁ Or parables. —4 Or parables. 


a Matt. vii. 7; chap. xiv.13; xv. 16. 
© Ver. 23. 


» Chap. 


Again a little while] In three days after my death : 

Ye shall see me] I will rise again, and show my- 
self to you. Or, As I am going by my ascension to 
the Father, in a short time, ye shall see me personally 
no more; but in a little while I shall pour out my 
Spirit upon you, and others through your ministry ; 
and ye shall see me virtually in the great and won- 
derful work which shall then take place in the hearts 
and lives of men. 

This may also refer to his coming again to destroy 
the Jewish state, and also to judge the world; but how 
can this /atter be said to be in a little while 2 Because 
a‘thousand years are but as a day in the sight of God : 
Psa. xe. 4. 

Verse 18. What is this that he saith] They knew 
from what he had said that he was to die, but knew 
not what he meant by their seeing him again ina little 
time. 

Verse 20. Ye shall weep and lament] To see me 
erucified and laid in the grave. 

But the world shall rejoice] The chief priests, 
scribes, Pharisees, and persecuting Jews in general, 
will triumph, hoping that their bad cause is crowned 
with success. 

But your sorrow shall be turned into joy.] When ye 
see me risen from the dead. 

It is very evident that our Lord uses the word 
world, in several parts of this discourse of his, to sig- 
nify the wnbelveving and rebellious Jews. 

Verse 21. For joy that aman is born] Ανθρωπος is 
put here for a human creature, whether male or fe- 
male ; as homo among the Romans denoted either man 
or woman. 

Verse 22. Your joy no man taketh from you.] Or, 
shall take away.—Some excellent MSS. and versions 
read the verb in the future tense. Our Lord’s mean- 

634 


ing appears to have been this: that his resurrection 
should be so completely demonstrated to them, that 
they should never have a doubt concerning it; and 
consequently that their joy should be great and per- 
manent, knowing that the atonement was made, the 
victory gained, and the kingdom of heaven opened to 
all believers. Therefore it is said, Acts iv. 33, that 
with great power did the apostles give witness of the 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 

Verse 23. Ye shall ask me nothing.| Ye shall then 
be led, by that Spirit which guides into all truth, to 
consider me in the character of Mediator in the king- 
dom of God, and to address your prayers to the 
Father in my name—in the name of Jesus the Sa- 
viour, because I have died to redeem you—in the 
name of Christ the Anointer, because I have ascended 
to send down the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Verse 24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my 
name] Ye have not as yet considered me the great 
Mediator between God and man; but this is one of 
the truths which shall be more fully revealed to you 
by the Holy Spirit. 

Ask] In my name; and ye shall recewwe—all the 
salvation ye thus request ; the consequence of which 
shall be that your joy shall be full—ye shall be 
thoroughly happy in being made completely holy. 

Verse 25. In Proverbs] That is, words which, be- 
sides their plain, literal meaning, have another, viz. 
a spiritual or figurative one. I have represented 
heavenly things to you through the medium of earthly. 

The time cometh] Viz. the interval from his resur- 
rection to his ascension, which consisted of forty days, 
during which he instructed his disciples in the most 
sublime mysteries and truths of his kingdom. Actsi. 3. 

Verse 26. F say not unto you that I will pray the 
Father for you] I need not tell you that T will con 

1 


The disciples comprehend Christ, 


gts and I say not unto you, that I will 


As. ἀλλο pray the Father for you: 

are 27 f For the Father himself loveth 
ou, because ye have loved me, and £ have 

believed that I came out from God. 

28 ἈΤ came forth from the Father, and am 
come into the world: again, I leave the 
world, and go to the Father. 

29 Ἵ His disciples said unto him, Lo, now 
speakest thou plainly, and speakest no ' pro- 
verb. 

30 Now are we sure thac * thou knowest all 
things, and needest not that any man should ask 


€Chap. xiv. 21, 23.—s Ver. 30; chap. iii. 13; xvii. 8. 


© Chap. xiii. 3. Or, parable. k Chap. xxi. 17. 1 Ver. 27; 
chap. xvii. 8——™ Matt. xxvi.31; Mark xiv. 27——" Chap. xx. 


0.— ° Or, his own home. 


CHAP. XVI. 


and express their faith in lam. 


thee : by this ' we believe that thou 4, M; 4088, 
camest forth from God. An. Olymp. 
ΘΟΕ. 

31 Jesus answered them, Do ye ———— 
now believe ? 

32 ™ Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now 
come, that ye shall be scattered, " every man 
to °his own, and shall leave me alone: and 
pyet I am not alone, because the Father is 
with me. 

33 These things I have spoken unto you, 
that 4in me ye might have peace. *In the 
world ye shall have tribulation: * but be of 
good cheer; tI have overcome the world. 


P Chap. viii. 29; xiv. 10, 11. 4158. ix. 6; chap. xiv. 27; 
Rom. v. 1; Eph. ii. 14; Col. i. 20. τ Chap. xv. 19, 20, 21; 2 
Tim. iii. 12—=sChap. xiv. 1—t Rom. vui. 37; 1 John iv. 
4; ν. 4. 


inue your intercessor: I have given you already so 
many proofs of my love that ye cannot possibly doubt 
this: besides, the Father himself needs no entreaty 
to do you good, for he loves you, and is graciously 
disposed to save you to the uttermost, because ye have 
loved me and believed in me as coming from God, for 
she salvation of the world. 

Verse 28. I came forth from the Father] With 
whom I existed from eternity ir glory. 

Am come into the world) By my incarnation. 

I leave the world] By my death. 

And go to the Father.) By my ascension. These 
four words contain the whole economy of the Gospel 
of man’s salvation, and a consummate abridgment of 
the Christian faith. This gave the disciples a key to 
the whole of our Lord’s discourse; and especially to 
that part, ver. 16, that had so exceedingly embarrass- 
ed them, as appears by verses 17 and 18. 

Verse 29. Lo, now speakest thou plainly] The 
disciples received more light now, on the nature of 
Christ’s person and office, than they had ever done 
before. 


Verse 30. Now are we sure that thou knowest all 
things] Is not the following the meaning of the disci- 
ples? We believe that thou art not only the Messiah 
who camest out from God, but that thou art that God 
who searchest the heart and triest the reins, and 
needest not to be asked in order to make thee ac- 
quainted with the necessities of thy creatures ; for 
thou perfectly knowest their wants, and art infinitely 
disposed to relieve them. 

Verse 31. Do ye now believe ἢ And will ye con- 
tinue to believe? Ye are now fully convinced ; and 
will ye in the hour of trial retain your conviction, and 
prove faithful and steady ? 

Verse 32. The hour cometh] Ye shall shortly have 
need of all the faith ye profess: ye now believe me 
to be the Omniscient; but ye will find difficulty to 
maintain this faith when ye see me seized, condemned, 
and crucified as a malefactor. Yea, your faith will 
be then so shaken that ye shall run away, each striy- 
ing to save himself at his own home, or among his 
kindred. . 

1 


Verse 33. That in me ye might have peace.| I give 
you this warning as another proof that I know all 
things, and to the end that ye may look to me alone 
for peace and happiness. The peace of God is ever 
to be understood as including all possible blessedness— 
light, strength, comfort, support, a sense of the Divine 
favour, unction of the Holy Spirit, purification of heart, 
&c., &c., and all these to be enjoyed in Christ. 

In the world ye shall have tribulation] Or, as most 
of the very best MSS. read, ἔχετε, ye have—the 
tribulation is at hand; ye are just about to be plunged 
into it. 

But be of good cheer] Do not despond on account 
of what I have said: the world shall not be able to 
overcome you, how severely soever it may try you. 

I have overcome the world.| I am just now going 
by my death to put it and its god to the rout. 

My apparent weakness shall be my wiclory; my 
ignominy shall be my glory; and the victory which 
the world, the devil, and my adversaries in general, 
shall appear to gain over me, shall be their own last- 
ing defeat, and my eternal triumph.—Fear not ! 

Luther writing to Philip Melancihon, quotes this 
verse, and adds these remarkable words: “Such a 
saying as this is worthy to be carried from Rome to 
Jerusalem upon one’s knees.” 


One of the grand subjects in this chapter, the medi- 
ation of Christ, is but little understood by most Chris- 
tians. Christ having made an atonement for the sin 
of the world, has ascended to the right hand of the 
Father, and there he appears in the presence of God 
for us. In approaching the throne of grace, we keep 
Jesus as our sacrificial victim, continually in view : 
our prayers should be directed through him to the 
Father ; and, under the conviction that his passion and 
death have purchased every possible blessing for us, 
we should, with humble confidence, ask the blessings 
we need; and, as in him the Father is ever well 
pleased, we should most confidently expect the bless- 
ings he has purchased. We may consider, also, that 
his appearance before the throne, in his sacrificial 
character, constitutes the great principle of mediation 
or intercession. He has taken our nature into 

635 


Christ, as high priest, offers 


heaven; in that he appears before the throne : this, 
without a voice, speaks loudly for the sinful race 
of Adam, for whom it was assumed, and on whose 
account it was sacrificed. On these grounds every 


ST. JOHN. 


up the great sacrificial prayer 


penitent and every believing soul may ask and receive, 


and their joy be complete. By the sacrifice of Christ 
we approach God; through the mediation of Christ 
God comes down to man 


CHAPTER XVII. 


Christ prays the Father to glorify him, 1. 


In what eternal life consists, 2-3. 
his Father,.by fulfilling his will upon earth, and revealing him to the disciples, 4-8. 
that they may be preserved in unity and kept from evil, 9-16. 


Prays for them, 
Prays for their sanctification, 17-19. 


Prays also for those who should believe on him through their preaching, that they all might be brought 
into a state of unity, and finally brought to eternal glory, 20-26. 


AES HESE words spake Jesus, and 
An. Olymp lifted up his eyes to heaven, and 
CCIL ὃ : Ξ 
said, Father, *the hour is come; glo- 
rify thy Son, that thy Son also may Bln 
thee: 


2 » As thou hast given him power ἃς Ν 4033. 


_D. 29. 
over all flesh, that he should give An, Chey: 
eternal life to as many ° as on Be ee 
hast given him. 


3 And “this is life eternal, that they might 


aChap. xii. 23; xiii. 32. > Dan. vil. 14; Matt. xi. 27; xxviii. 
18; chap. iii. 35; v. 27; 1 Cor. xv. 25,27; Phil. ii. 10; Heb. 


25, 275 


i. 8. 
ix, 24. 


© Ver. 6, 9, 24; chap. vi. 37.——4Isa. liii. 11; Jer. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVII. 

Verse 1. These words spake Jesus] That is, what 
is related in the preceding chapters. We may con- 
sider our Lord as still moving on towards Gethsemane, 
not having yet passed the brook Cedron, chap. xviii. 1. 

Our Lord, who was now going to act as high priest 
for the whole human race, imitates in his conduct that 
of the Jewish high priest on the great day of expia- 
tion ; who, in order to offer up the grand atonement for 
the sins of the people— 

1. Washed himself, and put on clean linen gar- 
ments. This Christ appears to have imitated, chap. 
xiii. 4. He laid aside his garments, girded himself 
with a towel, &c. There is no room to doubt that he 
and his disciples had been at the Jath before: see 
chap. xi. 10. 

2. The high priest addressed a solemn prayer to 
God: 1. For himself: this Christ imitates, ver. 1-5. 
2. For the sons of Aaron: our Lord imitates this in 
praying for his disciples, ver. 9-19. 3. For all the 
people: our Lord appears to imitate this also in praying 
for his Church, all who should believe on him through 
the preaching of the apostles and their successors, ver. 
20-24. After which he returns again to his disci- 
ples, ver. 25, 26. See Caumer’s Dict. under Lxpia- 
tion ; and see La Grande Bible de M. Martin, in loc. 

I. Our Lord’s prayer for himself, ver. 1-5. 

Father] Here our Lord addresses the whole Divine 
nature, as he is now performing his last acts in his 
state of humiliation. 

Glorify thy Son] Cause him to be acknowledged 
as the promised Messiah by the Jewish people, and 
as the universal Saviour by the Gentile world; and 
let such proofs of his Godhead be given as shall serve 
to convince and instruct mankind. 

That thy son also may glorify thee] That by dying 
he may magnify thy law and make it honourable, 
~espected among men—show the strictness of thy 
justice, and the immaculate purity of thy nature. 

636 


Verse 2. As thou hast given him power] As the 
Messiah, Jesus Christ received from the Father un- 
versal dominion. All flesh, i. 6. all the human race, 
was given unto him, that by one sacrifice of himself 
he might reconcile them all to God; having by his 
grace tasted death for every inan, Heb. ii. 9. And 
this was according to the promise of the universal in- 
heritance made to Christ, Psa. ii. 8, which was to be 
made up of the heathen, and the uttermost parts of the 
land, all the Jewish people. So that he got all from 
God, that he might give his life a ransom for the whole 
See 2 Cor. v. 14, 15; Rom. v. 21; 1 Tim. ii. 4, 6. 

That he should give eternal life, &c.] As all were 
delivered into his power, and he poured out his blood 
to redeem all, then the design of God is that all should 
have eternal life, because all are given for this purpose 
to Christ; and, that this end might be accomplished, 
he has become their sacrifice and atonement. 

Verse 3. This is life eternal] ‘The salvation pur- 
chased by Christ, and given to them who believe, is 
called life: 1. Because the life of man was forfeited 


Shows that he has gtorified 


to Divine justice ; and the sacrifice of Christ redeemed _ 


him from that death to which he was exposed. 2. 
Because the souls of men were dead in trespasses and 
sins ; and Christ guickens them by his word and Spirit. 
3. Because men who are not saved by the grace of 
Christ do not live, they only exist, no good purpose of 
life being answered by them. But when they receive 
this salvation they dive—answer all the Divine pur- 
poses, are happy in themselves, wseful to each other, 
and bring glory to God. 4. It ts called eternal life 


to show that it reaches beyond the limits of time, and — 


that it necessarily implies—1. The immortality of the 
soul; 2. the resurrection of the body; and 3. that it 
is never to end, hence called αἰώνιος Cun, a life ever 
living ; from act, always, and wv, being or existence. 
And "indeed no words can more forcibly convey the 
idea of eternity than these. It is called ἡ αἰωνέος 
fan, THAT eternal life, by way of eminence. There 


Christ shows that he has 


A, M- 4033. know thee ° the only true God, and 
an Olymp. Jesus Christ, ‘ whom thou hast 
sent. 


4 ΕἸ have glorified thee on the earth: ἘΠ 
have finished the work ‘ which thou gavest me 
to do. 

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with 
thine own self with the glory * which I had 
with thee before the world was. 

6 Ἵ7Π| have manifested thy name unto the 
men ™which thou gavest me out of the 
world: thine they were, and thou gavest 


951 Cor. viii. 4; 1 Thess. i. 9——f Chap. iii. 34; v. 36, 37; 
vi. 29, 57; vii. ‘99; x. 36; xi, 42.——sChap. xill. 31; xiv. 
13. Chap. iv. 34; v. 36; ix. 3; xix. 30,— i Chap. xiv. 
31; xv. 10. 


may be an elernal existence without blessedness ; but 
this is that eternal life with which infinite happiness 
fs inseparably connected. 

The only true God] The way to attain this eternal 
life is to acknowledge, worship, and obey, the one only 
true God, and to accept as teacher, sacrifice, and Sa- 
viour, the Lord Jesus, the one and only true Messiah. 
Bishop Pearce’s remark here is well worthy the read- 
er’s attention :— 

«“ What is said here of the only true God seems said 
ir opposition to the gods whom the heathens worship- 
ped; not in opposition to Jesus Christ himself, who is 
called the true God by John, in 1 Epist. v. 20.” 

The words in this verse have been variously trans- 
lated: 1. That they might acknowledge thee, and 
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, to be the only true 
God. 2. That they might acknowledge thee, the only 
true God, and Jesus, whom thou hast sent, to be the 
Christ or Messiah. 3. That they might acknowledge 
thee to be the only true God, and Jesus Christ to be 
him whom thou hast sent. And all these translations 
the original will bear. From all this we learn that 
the only way in which eternal life is to be attained is 
by acknowledging the true God, and the Divine mission 
of Jesus Christ, he being sent of God to redeem men 
by his blood, being the author of eternal salvation to 
all them that thus believe, and conscientiously keep 
his commandments. 

A saying similar to this is found in the Institutes of 
Menu. Brigoo, the first emanated being who was pro- 
duced from the mind of the supreme God, and who 
revealed the knowledge of his will to mankind, is re- 
presented as addressing the human race and saying : 
“Of all duties, the principal is to acquire from the 
Upanishads (their sacred writings) a true knowledge 
of one supreme God; that is the most eralted of 
sciences, because it ensures eternal life. For in the 
knowledge and adoration of one God all the rules of 
good conduct are fully comprised.” See Institutes of 
Menu, chap. xii. Inst. 85, 87. 

Verse 4. I have glorified thee] Our Lord, consider- 
ing himself as already sacrificed for the sin of the world, 
speaks of having completed the work which God nad 
given him to do; and he looks forward to that time 

1 


CHAP. XVII. 


glorified his Father 
them me; and they have kept thy 4,™; 1095: 
word. Pr ll 


7 Now they have known that all Read 


things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee 

8 For I have given unto them the words 
"which thou gavest me; and they have re- 
ceived them, ° and have known surely that 1 
came out from thee; and they have believed 
that thou didst send me. 

9 I pray for them : ? I pray not for the world, 
but for them which thou hast given me; for 
they are thine. 


* Chap. i. 1, 2; x. 30; xiv. 9; Phil. ii. 6; Col. 1. 15, Vie 
Heb. i. 3 eae 26; Psa. xxii. 25. - Ver. 2,.9, 1b; 
chap. vi. 37, 39; x. 29; xv. 19. "Chap. vili. 28; xii. 49; xiv. 
10. ο Ver. 25; chap. xvi. 27, 30. 


P1 John νυ. 19. 
when, through the preaching of his Gospel, his sacri- 
fice should be acknowledged, and the true God should 
be known and worshipped by the whole world. 

Verse 5. Before the world was.) That is, from 
eternity, before there was any creation—so the phrase, 
and others similar to it, are taken in the sacred writ- 
ings: see ver. 24; Psa. χο. 9; Eph.i. 4. See chap. 
i. 1. Let the glory of my eternal divinity surround 
and penetrate my humanity, in its resurrection, ascen- 
sion, and in the place which it is to occupy at thy right 
hand, far above all creatures, Phil. ii. 6, 9. 

II. Our Lord’s prayer for his disciples, ver. 6—19. 

Verse 6. I have manifested thy name] Ed¢avepaca, 
T have brought it into ight, and caused it to shine in 
itself, and to illuminate others. A little of the Divine 
nature was known by the works of creation; a little 
more was known by the Mosaic revelation: but the 
full manifestation of God, his nature, and his attributes, 
came only through the revelation of Christ. 

The men which thou gavest me] That is, the apostles, 
who, having received this knowledge from Christ, were. 
by their preaching and writings, to spread it through 
the whole world. 

Out of the world] From among the Jewish people ; 
for in this sense is the word kocuoc to be understood 
in various parts of our Lord’s last discourses. 

Thine they were] Objects of thy choice; and thou 
gavest them to me from among this very unbelieving 
people, that they might be my disciples and the heralds 
of my salvation. 

And they have kept thy word.| Though their coun- 
trymen have rejected it; and they have received me 
as thy well beloved Son in whom thou delightest. 

Verse 8. I have given—them the words] I have de- 
livered thy doctrine to them, so that they have had a 
pure teaching immediately from heaven: neither Jewish 
fables nor fictions of men haye been mingled with it. 

And have known surely] Are fully convinced and 
acknowledge that I am the promised Messiah, and that 
they are to look for none other; and that my mission 
and doctrine are all Divine, ver. 7, 8. 

Verse 9. I pray not for the world] I am not yet 
come to that part of my intercession: see ver. 20. | 
am now wholly employed for my disciples. that they 

637 


Jesus prays for las disciples, 


A, M4033. 10. And all mine are thine, and 
An. Olymp. 4 thine are mine: and I am glorified 


E> in) them 

11 * And now I am no more in the world, 
but these are in the world, and I come to thee. 
Holy Father, * keep through thine own name 
those whom thou hast given me, * that they 
may be one, “as we are. 

12 While I was with them in the world, * I 
kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest 


4Chap. xvi. 15.— Chap. xili. 1; xvi. 28——s1 Peter i. 5; 
Jude 1. tVer. 21, ὅζο- “Chap. x. 30.—Y*Chap. vi. 39; 
x. 28; Heb. ii. 13. 


may be properly qualified to preach my salvation to 
the ends of the earth. Jesus here imitates the high 
priest, the second part of whose prayer, on the day of 
expiation, was for the priests, the sons of Aaron: see 
on ver. 1. These words may also be understood as 
applying to the rebellious Jews. God’s wrath was 
about to descend upon them, and Christ prays that his 
own followers might be kept from the evil, ver. 15. 
But he does not thus pray for the world, the rebellious 
Jews, because the cup of their iniquity was full, and 
their judgment slumbered not. 

Verse 10. I am glorified in them.] Christ speaks 
of the things which were not, but which should be, as 
though they were. He anticipates the glorifying of 
his name by the successful preaching of the apostles. 

Verse 11. 7 am no more in the world) Iam just 
going te leave the world, and therefore they shall stand 
in need of peculiar assistance and support. They 
have need of all the influence of my intercession, that 
they may be preserved in thy truth. 

Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast 
given me] Instead of οὖς δεδωκας μοι, THOSE whom thou 
hast given me, ABCKHLMS, Mt. BHYV, and nearly 
one hundred others, read ᾧ, which refers to the τῳ 
ovouatt cov, thy name, immediately preceding. The 
whole passage should be read thus: Holy Father, keep 
them through thy own name wuicu thou hast given me, 
that they may be one, ὅθ. By the name, here, it is 
evident that the doctrine or knowledge of the true God 
is intended ; as if our Lord had said, Keep them in that 
doctrine wxicu thou hast given me, that they may be 
one, ἅς. This reading is supported by the most ample 
evidence and indisputable authority. Griesbach has 
admitted it into the text, and Professor White in his 
CRISEQS says of it, Lectio indubie genuina, “ It is, 
without doubt, the genuine reading.” 

That they may be ΧΕ] That they, and all that be- 
lieve through their word, (the doctrine which I have 
given them,) may be one body, united by one Spirit to 
me their living head. The union which Christ recom- 
mends here, and prays for, is so complete and glorious 
as to be fitly represented by that union which subsists 
between the Father and the Son. 

Verse 12. I kept them in thy name] In thy doc- 
trine and truth. 

But the son of perdition] So we find that Judas, 
whom all account to have been lost, and whose case 

638 


ST. JOHN. 


that they may be kept in the truth. 
me I have kept, and wnone of 4M a 


them is lost, *but the son of per- An. Olymp 
dition; ¥that the scripture might poe 
be fulfilled. 

13 And now come I to thee; and these 
things I speak in the world, that they might 
have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 

14 21 have given them thy word ; * and the 
world hath hated them, because they are not 
of the world, » even as I am not of the world. 


Ww Chap. xviii. 9; 1 John ii. 19.——*Chap. vi. 70; xiii. 18, 
y Psa. cix. 8; Acts i. 20. zVer. 8. aChap. xv. 18, 19; 
1 John iii. 13.— Chap. viii. 23; ver. 16. 


at best is extremely dubious, was first given by God 
to Christ? But why was he lost? Because, says St. 
Augustin, he would not be saved: and he farther adds, 
After the commission of his crime, he might have re- 
turned to God and have found merey. Aug. Serm. 
125, n. 5; Psa. exlvi. n. 20; Ser. 352,n. 8; and in 
Psa. eviii. See Calmet, who remarks: Judas only 
became the son of perdition because of his wilful ma- 
lice, his abuse of the grace and instructions of Christ, 
and was condemned through his own avarice, perfidy, 
insensibility, and despair. In behalf of the mere pos- 
sibility of the salvation of Judas, see the observations 
at the end of Acts i. 

Perdition or destruction is personified; and Judas 
is represented as being her son, i. e. one of the worst 
of men—one whose crime appears to have been an 
attempt to destroy, not only the Saviour of the world, 
but also the whole Auman race. And all this he was 
capable of through the love of money! How many of 
those who are termed creditable persons in the world 
have acted his crime over a thousand times! To 
Judas and to all his brethren, who sell God and their 
souls for money, and who frequently go out of this 
world by a violent voluntary death, we may apply those 
burning words of Mr. Blair, with very little alteration : 


«Ὁ cursed lust of gold! when for thy sake 
The wretch throws up his interest in both worlds, 
First hanged in this, then damned in that to come.” 


That the scripture might be fulfilled.| Or, Thus the 
scripture is fulfilled: see Psa. xli. 9; cix. 8; com- 
pared with Acts i. 20. Thus the traitorous conduct 
of Judas has been represented and illustrated by that 
of Ahztophel, and the rebellion of Adsalom against his 
father David. Thus what was spoken concerning 
them was also fulfilled in Judas: to him therefore these 
scriptures are properly applied, though they were ori- 
ginally spoken concerning other traitors. Hence we 
plainly see that the treachery of Judas was not the 
effect of the prediction, for that related to a different 
case; but, as his was of the same nature with that of 
the others, to it the same scriptures were applicable. 

Verse 13. My joy fulfilled in themselves.] See 
on chap. xv. 11. 

Verse 14. Ihave given them thy word] Or, thy 
doctrine—rov Aoyov cov. In this sense the word λογος 
is often used by St. John. 

1 


He prays that they may be 
A. JM, 4038. 
ay Ὅν 


15 Ἵ I pray not that thou should- 
mp. est take them out of the world, but 
*that thou shouldest keep them 
from the evil. 

16 ‘They are not of the world, evenas I am 
not of the world. 

17 4° Sanctify them through thy truth : f thy 
word is truth. 

18 5 As thou hast sent me into the world, 
even so have I also sent them into the world. 


Matt. vi. 13; Gal. i. 4; 2 Thess. iii. 3; 1 John v. 18. 
4 Ver. 14. © Chap. xv. 3; Acts xv. 9; Eph. v. 26; 1 Peter 
i, 22.——f2 Sam. vii. 28; Psa. exix. 142,151; chap. viii. 40. 


And the world hath hated them] The Jewish rulers, 
&c., have hated them.—Why? Because they re- 
ceived the doctrine of God, the science of salvation, 
and taught it to others. They knew Jesus to be the 
Messiah, and as such they proclaimed him: our Lord 
speaks prophetically of what was about to take place 
How terrible is the perversion of human nature ! 
Men despise that which they should esteem, and en- 
deavour to destroy that without which they must be 
destroyed themselves ! 

Verse 15. That thou shouldest take them out of 
the world] They must not yet leave the land of Judea 
they had not as yet borne their testimony there, con- 
cerning Christ crucified and risen again from! the 
dead. ΤῸ take them away before this work was 
finished would not answer the gracious design of 
God.—1. Christ does not desire that his faithful 
apostles should soon die, and be taken to God. No 
but that they may live long, labour long, and bring 
forth much fruit. 2. He does not intimate that they 
should seclude themselves from the world by going to 
the desert, or to the cloisters; but that they should 
continue in and among the world, that they may 
have the opportunity of recommending the salvation 
of God. 3. Christ only prays that while they are in 
the world, employed in the work of the ministry, they 
may be preserved from the influence, τοῦ zovypov, of 
the evil one, the devil, who had lately entered into 
Judas, chap. xiii. 27, and who would endeavour to 
enter into them, ruin their souls, and destroy their 
work. A devil without can do no harm; but a devil 
within ruins all. 

Verse 17. Sanctify them] ‘Ayacov, from a, nega- 
mve, and yn, the earth. This word has two mean- 
ings: 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from 
earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to 
God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or 
pure. The prayer of Christ may be understood in 
both these senses. He prayed—1. That they might 
be fully consecrated to the work of the ministry, and 
separated from all worldly concerns. 2. That they 
might be holy, and patterns of all holiness to those to 
whom they announced the salvation of God. A minis- 
ter who engages himself in worldly concerns is a 
reproach to the Gospel; and he who is not saved from 
his own sins can with a bad grace recommend salya- 
tion to others. 

1 


CHAP. XVII. 


‘| that the word, κοσμος, 


sanctryfied and kept from evil. 


19 And » for their sakes 1 sanctify 4,™, 4038 

myself, that they also might be An, Olymp. 
CCIL 1 
‘ sanctified through the truth. ees 

20 Ἵ Neither pray I for these alone, but for 
them also which shall believe on me through 
their word ; 

21 * That they all may be one; 'as thou, 
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they 
also may be one in us: that the world may 
believe that thou hast sent me. 


7; Heb. x. 


& Chap. xx. 21. 
chap. x. 16; 


10.— Or, truly sanctified. 
Rom. xii. 5; Gal. iii. 28. 


h} Cor. i. 2, 30; 1 Thess. iv. 
k Ver. 11, 22, 23; 


1 Chap. x. 38; xiv. i 


Through thy truth] It is not only according to the 
truth of God that ministers are to be set apart to the 
sacred work ; but it is from that truth, and according 
to it, that they must preach to others. That doctrine 
which is not drawn from the truth of God can never 
save souls. God blesses no word but his own; be- 
cause none is truth, without mixture of error, but that 
which has proceeded from himself. Our Lord still 
acts here in reference to the conduct of the high 
priest, to whom it belonged to sanctify the priests, 
the sons of Aaron: see on ver. 1. 

Verse 18. As thou hast sent me—so have I also 
sent them] The apostles had the same commission 
which Christ had, considered as man—they were 
endued with the same Spirit, so that they could noi 
err, and their word was accompanied with the same 
success. 

Verse 19. I sanctify myself] 1 consecrate and 
devote myself to death—that I may thereby purchase 
eternal salvation forthem. There seems to be here 
an allusion to the entering of the high priest into the 
holy of holies, when, having offered the sacrifice, he 
sprinkled the blood before the ark of the covenant. 
So Jesus entered into the holiest of all by his own 
blood, in order to obtain everlasting redemption for 
men: see Heb. ix. 11-13. The word, ἁγιαζω, to 
consecrate or sanciify, is used in the sense of devoting 
to death, in Jer. xii. 3, both in the Hebrew and in 
the Septuagint: the Hebrew wap signifies also to 
sacrifice. 

III. Our Lord’s prayer for his Church, and for all 
who would believe on his name, through the preach- 
ing of the apostles and their successors : see on ver. 1. 

Verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone] This 
prayer extends itself through all ages, and takes in 
every soul that believes in the Lord Jesus. 

And what is it that Christ asks in behalf of his fol- 
lowers? The greatest of blessings: unity, peace, 
love, and eternal glory. 

Verse 21. That they all may be one] This prayer 
was literally answered to the first believers, who were 
all of one heart and of one soul: Acts iv. 32. And 
why is it that believers are not in the same spirit now ? 
Because they neither attend to the ewample nor to the 
truth of Christ. 

That the world may believe} We have already seen 
world, is used in several parts 

639 


Christ prays that they may be one 
A.M. 4033. 22 And the glory which thou 
ope: gavest me, 1 have given them; 

that they may be one, even as 
we are one: 

23 I in them, and thou in me, "that they 
may be made perfect in one; and that the 
world may know that thou hast sent me, and 
hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

24 ° Father, I will that they also, whom thou 
hast given me, be with me where I am; that 


mChap. xiv. 20; 1 Johni. 3; iii. 24. 1 Col. iii. 14. © Chap. 
xii. 26; xiv. 3; 1 Thess. iv. 17.——? Ver. 5. 

of this last discourse of our Lord to signify the Jewish 

people only. 

Christ will have all his members to be one in spirit 
-—one in rights and privileges, and one in the dlessed- 
ness of the future world. 

Verse 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I 
have given them] That is, the power to work miracles, 
and to preach unadulterated truth, say some; but as 
our Lord is not here praymg for the disciples, but for 
all those who should believe on him through their word, 
ver. 20, it is more natural to understand the passage 
thus. As Christ, according to his human nature, is 
termed the Son of God, he may be understood as say- 
ing: “1 have communicated to all those who believe, 
or shall believe in me, the glorious privilege of becom- 
tag sons of God; that, being all adopted children of 
the same Father, they may abide in peace, love, and 
unity.” For this reason it is said, Heb. ii. 11, Christ 
is not ashamed to call them brethren. However, our 
Lord may here, as in several other places, be using 
the past for the futwre ; and the words may therefore 
be understood of the glory which they were to share 
with him in heaven. 

Verse 23. That the world may know] That the 
Jewish people first, and secondly the Gentiles, may 
acknowledge me as the true Messiah, and be saved 
unto life eternal. 

Verse 24. That they may behold my glory] That 
they may enjoy eternal felicity with me in thy king- 
dom. So the word is used, chap. iii. 3; Matt. v. 8. 
The design of Christ is, that all who believe should 
love and obey, persevere unto the end, and be eternally 
united to himself, and the ever blessed God, in the 
kingdom of glory. 

Verse 25. The world hath not known thee] Has 
not acknowledged me. See on chap. i. 11, 12. 

And these have known] Here our Lord, returning 


ST. JOHN. 


with him, and finally glorifiea 


they may behold my glory which thou Αἰ δὲ £38 
hast given me: ? for thou lovedst me An. Olymp. 
before the foundation of the world. 

25 O righteous Father, 4 the world hath no* 
known thee; but *I have known thee, and 
’ these have known that thou hast sent me. 

26 *And I have declared unto them thy 
name, and will declare zt: that the love 
“wherewith thou hast loved me may be in 
them, and I in them. 


4Ch. xv. 21; xvi.3.— Ch. vii. 29; viii. 55; x. 15.—— Ver. 8; 
chap. xvi. 27.——t Ver. 6; chap. xv. 15. 4 Chap. xv. 9. 


to the disciples, speaks : Ist. Of their having received 
him as the Messiah ; 2dly. Of his making the Father 
known unto them; 3dly. Of his purpose to continue to 
influence them by the Spirit of truth, that they might 
be perfectly united to God, by an indwelling Saviour 
for ever. 

Verse 26. I have declared unto them thy name, &c.] 
I have taught them the true doctrine. 

And will declare 1] This he did: 1st. By the 
conversations he had with his disciples after his 
resurrection, during the space of forty days. 2dly. 
By the Holy Spirit which was poured out upon them 
on the day of pentecost. And all these declarations 
Jesus Christ made, that the love of God, and Christ 
Jesus himself, might dwell in them; and thus they 
were to become a habitation for God through the 
eternal Spirit. 


Ovr Lord’s sermon, which he concluded by the 
prayer recorded in this chapter, begins at ver. 13 of 
chap. xiii. and is one of the most excellent than can 
be conceived. His sermon on the mount shows men 
what they should do, so as to please God: this ser- 
mon shows them how they are to do the things pre- 
scribed in the other. In the former the reader sees 
a strict morality which he fears he shall never be able 
to perform : in ¢hzs, he sees all things are possible to 
him who believes ; for that very God who made him 
shall dwell in his heart, and enable him to do all that 
He pleases to employ him in. No man can properly 
understand the nature and design of the religion of 
Christ who does not enter into the spirit of the pre- 
ceding discourse. Perhaps no part of our Lord’s 
words has been less understood, or more perverted, 
than the seventeenth chapter of St. John. I have 
done what I could, in so small a compass, to make 
every thing plain, and to apply these words in that 
way in which I am satisfied he used them. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


vesus passes the brook Cedron, and goes to the garden of Gethsemane, 1. 


to the place with a troop of men to take him, 2, 3. 
4-6. 
to Caiaphas, 12-14. 


Christ concernng his doctrine, and Jesus answers, and is smitten, 19-23. 


24-27. 
640 


He addresses them again, and Peter smites Malchus, 7-11. 
Peter follows to the palace of the high priest, 15-18. 


Jesus is led to the judgment hall, and Pilate and the Jews converse about him, 28-32. 


Judas, having betrayed him, comes 
Jesus addresses them, and they fall to the ground, 
They seize him and lead him away 
The high priest questions 
Peter denies his Lord twice, 
Pilate 
1 


He passes the brook Cedron, 


the Jews, and declares Christ to be innocent, 38. 
his condemnation, 39, 40. 


AM, ‘0° WHEN Jesus had spoken these 

words, *he went forth with 
his disciples over » the brook Cedron, 
where was a garden, into the which he entered, 
and his disciples. 

2 And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew 
the place : (Ὁ for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither 
with his disciples.) 

3 “Judas then, having received a band of 
men and officers from the chief priests and 


‘An. Olymp. 
ὍΘΙ 


--.-.-Ξ.. . 


' a Matt. xxvi. 36; Mark xiv. 32; Luke xxii. 39.---ὐ Ὁ. Sam. 
xv. 23. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII. 

Verse 1. Over the brook Cedron] Having finished 
the prayer related in the preceding chapter, our Lord 
went straight to the garden of Gethsemane, Matt. xxvi. 
36, which was in the mount of Olives, eastward of 
Jerusalem. This mount was separated from the city 
by a very narrow valley, through the midst of which 
the brook Cedron ran: see 1 Macc. xii. 37; Joseph. 
War, b. v. c. 2, 5. 3. xii. 2. Cedron is a very small 
rivulet, about six or seven feet broad, nor is it con- 
stantly supplied with water, being dry all the year, 
except during the rains, It is mentioned in the Old 
Testament: 2 Sam. xv. 23; 1 Kings xv. 13; 2 
Kings xxiii. 4. And it appears the evangelist only 
mentions it here to call to remembrance what happen- 
ed to David, when he was driven from Jerusalem by 
his son Absalom, and he and his followers obliged to 
pass the brook Cedron on foot: see 2 Sam. xv. 23. 
All this was a very expressive figure of what happen- 
ed now to this second David, by the treachery of one 
of his own disciples. This brook had its name pro- 
bably from Wp Kadar, he was black; it being the 
place into which the blood of the sacrifices, and other 
filth of the city, ran. It was rather, says Lightfoot, 
the sink, or the common sewer, of the city, than a 
brook. Some copyists, mistaking Κεδρων for Greek, 
have changed τοῦ into των, and thus have written τῶν 
Kedpor, of cedars, instead of tov Κεόρων, the brook of 
Cedron: but this last is undoubtedly the genuine reading. 

A garden] Gethsemane: see on Matt. xxvi. 36. 

The Jewish grandees had their gardens and pleasure 
grounds without the city, even in the mount of Olives. 
This is still a common custom among the Asiatics. 

St. John mentions nothing of the agony in the gar- 
den ; probably because he found it so amply related by 
all the other evangelists. As that account should come 
in here, the reader is desired to consult the notes on 
Matt. xxvi. 36-47. See also Mark xiv. 30-36, and 
Luke xxii. 40-44. 

Verse 3. Judas—knew the place] As many had 
come from different quarters to celebrate the passover 
at Jerusalem, it could not be an easy matter to find 


lodging in the city : Jesus therefore chose to pass the | 
nignt m the garden with his disciples, which, from this | see Matt. xxvi. 48. 


verse, and from Luke xxii. 39, we find was his fre- 
Vou. I. ( @ ) 


CHAP. 


converses with Jesus, who informs him of the spiritual nature of his kingdom, 33-37. 
He seeks to discharge him, and the Jews clamour for 


XVIII. and goes to Gethsemane. 


Pilate returns to 


: . ΜΉ Δ. Μ. 4033. 
Pharisees, cometh thither with Δ. ΜΙ 4033. 


lanterns and torches and wea- An. Olymp. 

CCIL 1. 
pons. penet Sa 
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that 
should come upon him, went forth, and said 
unto them, Whom seek ye ? 

5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. 
Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And 
Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with 
them. 


¢ Luke xxi. 37; xxii. 39.——4 Matt. xxvi. 47; Mark xiv. 43; 
Luke xxii. 47; Acts i. 16. 


quent custom, though he often lodged in Bethany. 
But, as he had supped in the city this evening, Judas 
took it for granted that he had not gone to Bethany, 
and therefore was to be met with in the garden; and, 
having given this information to the priests, they gave 
him some soldiers and others that he might be the bet- 
ter enabled to seize and bring him away. 

Verse 3. A band] Τὴν σπειραν, The band or troop. 
Some think that the spira was the same as the Roman 
cohort, and was the tenth part of a legion, which con- 
sisted sometimes of 4200, and sometimes of 5000 
foot. But Raphelius, on Matt. xxvii. 27, has clearly 
proved, from Polybius, that the spira was no more 
than a tenth of the fourth part of a legion. And as 
the number of the legion was uncertain, and their 
divisions not at all egual, no person can tell how many 
the band or spira contained. See many curious par- 
ticulars in Raphelius on this point, vol. i. p. 351, edit. 
1747. This band was probably those Roman soldiers 
given by the governor for the defence of the temple’ 
and the officers were those who belonged to the Sanhedrin. 

With lanterns and torches] With these they had 
intended to search the corners and caverns, provided 
Christ had hidden himself; for they could not have 
needed them for any other purpose, it being now the 
fourteenth day of the moon’s age, in the month Nisan, 
and consequently she appeared full and bright. The 
weapons mentioned here were probably no other than 
clubs, staves, and instruments of that kind, as we may 
gather from Matt. xxvi. 55; Mark xiv. 48; Luke 
xxii. 52. The swords mentioned by the other evan- 
gelists were probably those of the Roman soldiers; 
the clubs and staves belonged to the chief priest’s offi- 
cers. 

Verse 4. Jesus—knowing all things, &c.] He had 
gone through all his preaching, working of miracles, 
and passion, and had nothing to do now but to offer uy. 
himself on the cross; he therefore went forth to meet 
them, to deliver himself up to death. 

Verse 5. Jesus of Nazareth.] They did not say 
this till after Judas kissed Christ, which was the sign 
which he had agreed with the soldiers, &c., to give 
them, that they might know whom they were to seize : 
Though some harmonists place 
the kiss after what is spoken in the ninth verse. 

G41 


Peter cuts off the ear of 


A. M. 4033. Ϊ 
ΠΣ ΡΝ 6 As soon then as he had said 


An, Olymp. unto them, I am he, they went back- 

CCII 

ward, and fell to the ground. 

7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek 
ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 

8. Jesus answered, I have told you that I 
am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go 
their way : 

9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which 
he spake, “ Of them which thou gavest me, 
have I lost none. 

10 Ἵ ‘Then Simon Peter having a sword 
drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, 
and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name 
was Malchus. 


ST. JOHN. 


the high priests servant. 


11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, AAO 


Put up thy sword into the sheath: An. Olymp. 
&the cup which my Father hath 
given me, shall I not drink it ? 

12 Ἵ Then the band and the captain ud 
officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him. 

13 And "led him away to * Annas first; for 
We was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was 
the high priest that same year. * 

14 ! Now Caiaphas was he, which gave coun- 
sel to the Jews, that it was e€pedient that one 
man should die for the people. 

15 4 ™And Simon Peter followed Jesus, 
and so did another disciple : that disciple was 
known unto the high priest, and went in with 


ὁ Chap. xvii. 12—f Matt. xxvi. 51; Mark xiv. 47; Luke xxii, 
29, 50.—£ Matt. xx. 22; xxvi. 39, 42.——4 See Matt. xxvi. 57. 
i Luke iii. 2. 


k And Annas sent Christ bound unto Caiaphas the high priest, 
ver. 24. 1Chap. xi. 50.—™ Matt. xxvi. 58; Mark xiv. 54; 
Luke xxii. 54. 


Verse 6. They went backward, and fell to the 
ground.| None of the other evangelists mentions this 
very important circumstance. Our Lord chose to give 
them this proof of λὲς infinite power, that they might 
know that their power could not prevail against him if 
he chose to exert his might, seeing that the very breath 
of his mouth confounded, drove back, and struck them 
down to the earth. Thus by the dlust of God they 
might have perished, and by the breath of his nostrils 
they might have been consumed: Job iv. 9. 

Verse 8. Let these go their way] These words are 
rather words of authority, than words of entreaty. I 
voluntarily give myself up to you, but you must not 
molest one of these my disciples. At your peril injure 
them. Let them go about their business. I have 
already given you a sufficient proof of my power: I 
will not exert it in my own behalf, for I will lay down 
my life for the sheep; but I will not permit you to in- 
jure the least of these. It was certainly the supreme 
power of Christ that kept the soldiers and the mob 
from destroying all the disciples present, when Peter 
had given them such provocation, in cutting off the ear 
of Malchus. ‘There were probably no other disciples 
with Christ than Peter, James, and John, at this time. 
see Matt. xxvi. 37; Mark xiii. 33. 

Verse 10. Having a sword] See the note on Luke 
XXxil. 36. 

Cut off his right ear.) He probably designed to 
have cloven his scull in two, but God turned it aside, 
and only permitted the ear to be taken off; and this he 
would not have suffered, but only that he might have 
the opportunity of giving them a most striking proof 
of his Divinity in working an astonishing miracle on 
the occasion: see the notes on Matt. xxvi. 51-56. 

The other three evangelists mention this transac- 
tion; but neither give the name of Peter nor of Mal- 
chus, probably because both persons were alive when 
they wrote; but it is likely both had been long dead 
before St. John published his history. 

Verse 11. The cup which my Father hath given me] 
The cup signifies sometimes the lot of life, whether 

642 


prosperous or adverse : here it signifies the final suf- 
ferings of Christ. 

Verse 12. The captain] Χιλίαρχος, The chiliarch, 
or chief over one thousand men—answering nearly to 
a colonel with us. See the note on Luke xxii. 4. He 
was probably the prefect or captain of the temple 
guard. 

Verse 13. To Annas] This man must have had 
great authority in his nation: 1. Because he had been 
a long time high priest; 2. Because he had no less 
than five sons who successively enjoyed the dignity 
of the high priesthood; and, 3. Because his son-in- 
law Caiaphas was at this time in possession of that 
office. It is likely that Annas was chief of the San- 
hedrin, and that it was to him in that office that 
Christ was first brought. Some think that Annas 
was still high priest, and that Caiaphas was only his 
deputy, though he did the principal part of the business, 
and that it is because of this that he is called high 
priest. But see the notes on Matt. 1]. 4, and Luke 
ili. 2. 

That same year.) The office was now no longer 
during life as formerly. See the note on chap. xi. 49. 

What is related in the 24th verse, Now Annas had 
sent him bound to Caiaphas, comes properly in after 
the 13th verse. One of the Vienna MSS. adds this 
verse here ; the later Syriac has it in the margin, and 
St. Cyril in the text. See the margin. 

Verse 14. Caiaphas was he which gave counsel, 
&c.] Therefore he was an improper person to sit in 
judgment on Christ, whom he had prejudged and pre- 
condemned: see on chap. xi. 50-52. But Christ 
must not be treated according to the rules of justice 
if he had, he could not have been put to death. 

Verse 15. And—another disciple] Not rH other 
disciple, for the article is omitted by AD, two others; 
some editions; Syriac, Persic, Gothic, and Nonnus. 
So the Vulgate is to be understood. ‘There are many 
conjectures who this disciple was: Jerome, Chrysostom, 
Theophylact, Nonnus, Lyra, Erasmus, Piscator, and 
others, say it was John. It is true John frequently 

{ 41* ) 


Peter comes to the high priest's palace. CHAP. 


“ib. Jesus into the palace of the high 
An. Olymp. priest. 

out. 16 "But Peter stood at the door 
without. Then went out that other disciple, 
which was known unto the high priest, and 
spake unto her that kept the door, and brought 
in Peter. 

17 Then said the damsel that kept the door 
unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s 
disciples? He saith, I am not. 

18 And the servants and officers stood there, 
who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: 


Ὁ Matt. xxvi. 69; Mark xiv. 66; Luke xxii. 54. 


mentions himself in the #hird person ; but then he has 
always, whom Jesus loved, as in chap. Xili. 23 ; xix. 26 ; 
xxi. 7, 20, except in chap. xix. 35, where he has 
plainly pointed out himself as writer of this Gospel ; 
but, in the place before us, he has mentioned no cir- 
cumstance by which that disciple may be known to 
be John. To this may be added that John being 
not only a Galilean, but a fisherman by trade, it is 
not likely that he should have been known to the 
high priest, as it is here said of that disciple who fol- 
jowed Jesus with Peter. See Bishop Pearce and 
Calmet. The conjecture of Grotius is the most likely : 
viz. that it was the person at whose house Jesus had 
supped. St. Augustin, Tract. 113, speaks like a man 
of sound sense : We should not decide hastily, says he, 
on a subject concerning which the Scripture is silent. 

Verse 17. Thedamsel that kept the door| Cezarius, 
a writer quoted by Calmet, says this portress was 
named Ballila. It is worthy of remark that women, 
especially old women, were employed by the ancients 
as porters. In 2 Sam. iv. 6, both the Septuagint and 
Vulgate make a woman porter to Ishbosheth. Anris- 
TOPHANES, in Vespis, v. 765, mentions them in the 
same office and calls them Syxic, Sekis, which seems 
to signify a common maid-servant :— 

Ὅτε τὴν ϑυραν ἀνεωξεν ἡ Σηκιὶς λαϑρα. 


And Evrirwes, Ττοαά. brings in Hecuba, com- 
plaining that she, who was wont to sit upon a throne, 
is now reduced to the miserable necessity of becom- 
irg a porter, or a nurse, in order to get a morsel of 
bread. And Prautus, Curcul. Act. i. sc. 1, mentions 
an old woman who was keeper of the gate :— 

Anus hic solet cubitare custos janitria. 

Why they, in preference to men, should be pitched 
ὌΡΟΣ for this office, I cannot conceive ; but we find 
the usage was common in all ancient nations. See 
the notes on Matt. xxvi. 69. 

Verse 18. Servants and officers] These belonged 
to the chief priests, &c.; the Roman soldiers had 
probably been dismissed after having conducted 
Christ to Annas. 

Verse 19. Asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his 
doctrinc.| He probably asked him by what autho- 
rity, or in virtue of what right, he collected disciples, 
formed a different sect, preached a new doctrine, and 

1 
© 


XVII. The high prrest questions Jesus 


] : A. M. 4033. 
and they warmed themselves: and 4,%, 0% 


Peter stood with them, and warmed ar 
himself. .-------. 

19 Ἵ The high priest then asked Jesus οἱ 
his disciples, and of his doctrine. 

20 Jesus answered him, °I spake openly to 
the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, 
and in the temple, whither the Jews always 
resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 

21 Why askest thou me? ask them which 
heard me, what I have said unto them: be 
hold, they know what I said. 


° Matt. xxvi 55; Luke iv. 15; chap. vii. 14, 26, 28; viii. 2. 


set himself up for a public reformer? As religion 
was interested in these things, the high priest was 
considered as being the proper judge. But all this, 
with what follows, was transacted by night, and this 
was contrary to established laws. For the Talmud 
states, Sanhed. c. iv. s. 1, that—‘ Criminal processes 
can neither commence nor terminate, but during the 
course of the day. If the person be acquitted, the 
sentence may be pronounced during that day ; but, if 
he be condemned, the sentence cannot be pronounced 
till the next day. But no kind of judgment is to be 
executed, either on the eve of the Sabbath, or the eve 
of any festival.” Nevertheless, to the lasting infamy 
of this people, Christ was judicially interrogated and 
condemned during the night; and on the night too 
of the passover, or, aceording to others, on the eve of 
that feast. Thus, as I have remarked before, all the 
forms of justice were insulted and outraged in the 
ease of our Lord. In this his humiliation his judg- 
ment was taken away. See Acts viii. 33. 

Verse 20. I spake openly to the world] To every 
person in the land indiseriminately—to the people 
at large: the τῷ xoouw, here, is tantamount to the 
French tout le monde, all the world, i. e. every person 
within reach. This is another proof that St. John 
uses the term world to mean the Jewish people only ; 
for it is certain our Lord did not preach to the Gen- 
tiles. The answer of our Lord, mentioned in this 
and the following verse, is such as became a person 
conscious of his own innocence, and confident in the 
righteousness of his cause. I have taught in the 
temple, in the synagogues, in all the principal cities 
towns, and villages, and through all the country. ! 
have had no secret school. You and your emissaries 
have watched me every where. No doctrine has 
ever proceeded from my lips, but what was agreeable 
to the righteousness of the law and the purity of 
God. My disciples, when they have taught, have 
taught in the same way, and had the same witnesses 
Ask those who have attended our public ministra- 
tions, and hear whether they can prove that I or my 
disciples have preached any false doctrines, have 
ever troubled society, or disturbed the state. Attend 
to the ordinary course of justice, call witnesses, let 
them make their depositions, and then proceed to 
judge according to the evidence brought before you. 

643 


Peter is questioned, 


i ΠΕ 22 And when he had thus spoken, 


An, Olymp. one of the officers which stood by 

Pstruck Jesus ‘with the palm of 
his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high 
priest so? 

23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken 
evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why 
smitest thou me 7 

(24 * Now Annas had sent him bound unto 
Caiaphas the high priest.) 

25 9 And Simon Peter stood and warmed 


ST. JOHN. 


and demes his Lord 


not thou also one of his disciples? 4,M. 4033. 
He denied zt, and said, 1 am not. An. Olymp. 

26 One of the servants of the π΄. 
high priest, being his kinsman whose ear 
Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the 
garden with him ? 

27 Peter then denied again: and * immedi- 
ately the cock crew. 

28 "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas 
unto ἡ the hall of judgment: and it was early: 
~ and they themselves went not into the judg- 


himself. * They said therefore unto him, Art|ment hall, lest they should be defiled; but 

P Jer. xx.2; Acts xxiii. 2——4 Or, with a rod. Matt. xxvi. u Matt. xxvii. 2; Mark xv. 1; Luke xxiii. 1; Acts iii. 
57. ‘Matt. xxvi. 69, 71; Mark xiv. 69; Luke xxii. 58. | 13. YOr Pilate’s house, Matt. xxvii. 27.——wActs x. 28; 
t Matt. xxvi. 74; Mark xiv. 72; Luke xxii. 60; chap. xili. 38. | xi. 3. 


Verse 22. One of the officers—struck Jesus] This 
was an outrage to all justice: for a prisoner, before 
he is condemned, is ever considered to be under the 
especial protection of justice ; nor has any one a right 
to touch him, but according to the direction of the 
law. But it has been observed before that, if justice 
had been done to Christ, he could neither have suffered 
nor died. 

Verse 24. Now Annas had sent him, &c.] It has 
been observed before that the proper place of this 
verse is immediately after the 13th; and, if it be 
allowed to stand here, it should be read in a paren- 
thesis, and considered as a recapitulation of what had 
been before done. 

Verse 27. And—the cock crew.| Peter denied our 
Lord three times :— 

Peter’s first denial. 


I. This took place, when he was without, or beneath, 
in the hall of Caiaphas’s house. He was not in the 
higher part where Christ stood before the high priest ; 
but wzthout that division of the hall, and in the lower 
part with the servants and officers, at the fire kindled 
in the midst of the hall, ver. 16, 18; and the girl 
who kept the door had entered into the hall, where 
she charged Peter. 


Peter’s second denial. 

II. This was in a short time after the first, Luke 
xxii. 58. Having once denied his Master, he naturally 
retired from the place where his accuser was to the 
vestibule of the hall, Matt. xxvi. 71, and it was the 
time of the first cock-crowing, or soon after midnight. 


After remaining here a short time, perhaps an hour, 
another girl sees him, and says to them who were 
standing by in the vestibule, that he was one of them. 
Peter, to avoid this charge, withdraws into the hall, 
and warms himself. The girl, and those to whom she 
had spoken, follow him; the communication between 
the two places being immediate. Here a man en- 
forces the charge of the girl, according to Luke ; and 
others urge it, according to St. John; and Peter 
denies Jesus vehemently. 
Peter’s third denial. 


III. He was now in the Aall, and also within sight 


of Jesus, though at such a distance from him that Je- | 
644 


sus could not know what passed, but in a supernatural 
way. And, about an hour after his second denial, 
those who stood by founded a third charge against 
him, on his being a Galilean, which St. Luke says, 
chap. xxii. 59, one in particular strongly affirmed ; 
and which, according to John, ver. 26, was supported 
by one of Malchus’s relations. This occasioned ἃ 
more vehement denial than before, and immediately the 
cock crew the second time, which is eminently called 
αλεκτοροφωνιαᾳ. ‘The first denial may have been be- 
tween our twelve and one; and the second between 
our two and three. 

At the time of the ¢hird denial, Luke xxii. 61 proves 
that Jesus was in the same room with Peter. We 
must farther observe that Matthew, chap. xxvi. 57, 
lays the scene of Peter’s denials in the house of Cai- 
aphas: whereas John, ver. 15-23, seems to intimate 
that these transactions took place in the house of An 
nas ; but this difficulty arises from the injudicious in- 
sertion of the particle ovv, therefore, in ver. 24, which 
should be omitted, on the authority of ADES, Mt. BH, 
many others; besides some versions, and some of the 
primitive fathers. Griesbach has left it out of the text. 
See Bishop Newcome’s Harm. notes, p. 48. 

The time of Peter’s denials happened during the 
space of the third Roman watch, or that division of 
the night, between twelve and three, which is called 
ahextopodwrea, or cock-crowing, Mark xiii. 35. Con- 
cerning the nature and progress of Peter’s denial, see 
the notes on Matt. xxvi. 58, 69-75. 

Verse 28. The hall of judgment] Exc to πραιτώριον, 
To the pretorium. 'This was the house where Pilate 
lodged ; hence called in our margin, Pilate’s house 
The pretorium is so called from being the dwelling 
place of the pretor, or chief of the province. It was 
also the place where he held his court, and tried causes. 

St. John has omitted all that passed in the house of 
Caiaphas—the accusations brought against Christ— 
the false witnesses—the insults which he received in 
the house of the high priest—and the assembling of 
the grand council, or Sanhedrin. These he found am- 
ply detailed by the other three evangelists; and for 
this reason it appears that he omitted them. John’s is 
properly a supplementary Gospel. 

Lest they should be defiled] The Jews considered 

1 * 


Pilate questions the Jews 


A M403. that they might eat the pass- 
An. Olymp. over. 


29 Pilate then went out unto them, 
and said, What accusation bring ye against 
this man? 

30 They answered and said unto him, If he 
were not a malefactor, we would not have de- 
livered him up unto thee. 

31 Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, 


x Matt. xx. 19; chap. xii. 32, 33. 


even the touch of a Gentile as a legal defilement ; and 
therefore would not venture into the pretorium, for 
fear of contracting some impurity, which would have 
obliged them to separate themselves from all religious 
ordinances till the evening, Lev. xv. 10, 11, 19, 20. 

That they might eat the passover.} Some main- 
tain that τὸ πασχα here does not mean the paschal 
lamb, but the other sacrifices which were offered dur- 
ing the paschal solemnity—for ‘his had been eaten 
the evening before; and that our Lord was crucified 
the day after the passover. Others have maintained 
that the paschal lamb is here meant; that this was the 
proper day for sacrificing it; that it was on the very 
hour in which it was offered that Christ expired on 
the eross ; and that therefore our Lord did not eat the 
paschal lamb this year, or that he ate it some hours 
before the common time. Bishop Pearce supposes 
that it was lawful for the Jews to eat the paschal lamb 
any time between the evening of Thursday and that 
of Friday. He conjectures too that this permission 
was necessary on account of the immense number of 
lambs which were to be killed for that purpose. When 
Cestiwus desired to know the number of the Jews, he 
asked the priests how he might accomplish his wish ? 
They informed him that this might be known by the 
number of the Jams slain at the passover, as never 
Jess than ten partook of one lamb, though twenty might 
feast on it. On this mode of computation he found the 
lambs to be 256,500; εἰκοσε πέντε μυριαδας ηριθμησαν, 
προς de ἑξακισχιλια καὶ πεντακοσια. See Josephus, 
Wear, δὲ νι. 6. 9. 8. 3. 

That Jesus ate a passover this last year of his life 
is sufficiently evident from Matt. xxvi. 17-19 ; Mark 
xiv. 12-18; Luke xxii. 8-15; and that he ate this 
passover some hours before the ordinary time, and was 
himself slain at that hour in which the paschal lamb 
was ordered by the law to be sacrificed, is highly pro- 
bable, if not absolutely certain. See the note on Matt. 
xxvi. 20, and at the conclusion of the chapter, where 
the subject, and the different opinions on it, are largely 
considered. 

Verse 29. Pilate then went out] This was an act 
ef condescension; but, as the Romans had confirmed 
iv the Jews the free use of all their rites and cere- 
monies, the governor could not do less than comply 
with them in this matter. He went out to them, that 
they might not be obliged to come into the hall, and 
thus run the risk of being defiled. 

Verse 30. If he were not a malefactor] So they 
did not wish to make Pilate the judge, but the exe- 

1 


CHAP. XVIII. 


concerning Christ 


and judge him according to your 4,™ 4033. 
law. The Jews therefore said unto An. ae 
him, It is not lawful for us to put eb 'tt 
any man to death: 

32 * That the saying of Jesus might be ful- 
filled, which he spake, signifying what death 
he should die. 

33 ¥ Then Pilate entered into the judgment 
hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto 


y Matt, xxvii. 11. 


cutor of the sentence which they had already illegally 
passed. 

Verse 31. It is not lawful for us to put any man 
to death} They might have judged Jesus according 
to their law, as Pilate bade them do; but they could 
only excommunicate or scourge him. They might have 
voted him worthy of death; but they could not put 
him to death, if any thing of a secular nature were 
charged against him. The power of life and death 
was in all probability taken from the Jews when Ar- 
chelaus, king of Judea, was banished to Vienna, and 
Judea was made a Roman province ; and this happened 
more than fifty years before the destruction of Jeru- 
salem. But the Romans suffered Herod, mentioned 
Acts xii., to exercise the power of life and death dur- 
ing his reign. See much on this point in Calmet and 
Pearce. After all, I think it probable that, though the 
power of life and death was taken away from the Jews, 
as far as it concerned affairs of state, yet it was con- 
tinued to them in matters which were wholly of an 
ecclesiastical nature ; and that they only applied thus 
to Pilate to persuade him that they were proceeding 
against Christ as an enemy of the state, and not as a 
transgressor of their own peculiar laws and customs. 
Hence, though they assert that he should die accord- 
ing to their law, because he made himself the Son of 
God, chap. xix. 7, yet they lay peculiar stress on his 
being an enemy to the Roman government ; and, when 
they found Pilate disposed to let him go, they asserted 
that if he did he was not Cesar’s friend, ver. 12. It 
was this that intimidated Pilate, and induced him to 
give him up, that they might crucify him. How they 
came to lose this power is accounted for in a different 
manner by Dr. Lightfoot. His observations are 
very curious, and are subjoined to the end of this 
chapter. 

Verse 32. That the saying of Jesus might be ful- 
filled) Or, thus the word was fulfilled. God per- 
mitted the Jews to lose the power of life and death, 
in the sense before stated, that according to the Ro- 
man laws, which punished sedition, &c., with the cross, 
Christ might be crucified, according to his own predic- 
tion : chap. xii. 32, and iii. 14. 

Verse 33. Art thou the King of the Jews ?] St. Luke 
says, expressly, xxiii. 2, that when the Jews brought 
him to Pilate they began to accuse him as a rebel, 
who said he was king of the Jews, and forbade the 
people to pay tribute to Cesar. It was in consequence 
of this accusation that Pilate asked the question men- 
tioned in the text. 

645 


Pilate questions Chrast ST. JOHN. 
AM 2088. him, Art thou the King of the|I am a king. To this end was 
ee ΟΡ. Jews? 


34 Jesus answered him, Sayest 
thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it 
thee of me? 

35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine 
own nation and the chief priests have delivered 
thee unto me: what hast thou done 7 

36 7 Jesus answered, * My kingdom is not 
of this world: if my kingdom were of this 
world, then would my servants fight, that I 
should not be delivered to the Jews: but now 
is my kingdom not from hence. 

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a 
king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that 


21 Tim. vi. 13. a Dan. 11. 44; vii. 14; Luke xii. 14; chap. 
vi. 15; viii. 15 ——> Chap. viii. 47 ; 1 Johniii.19; iv. 6. © Matt. 


Verse 34. Sayest thou this thing of thyself | That 
is, Is it because my enemies thus accuse me, or be- 
cause thou hast any suspicion of me, that thou askest 
this question 1 

Verse 35. Am Ia Jew?) That is, 1 am not a 
Jew, and cannot judge whether thou art what is called 
the Christ, the king of the Jews. It is thy own coun- 
trymen, and their spiritual rulers, who delivered thee 
up to me with the above accusation. 

What hast thou done?) If thou dost not profess 
thyself king over this people, and an enemy to Cesar, 
what is it that thou hast done, for which they desire 
thy condemnation ? 

Verse 36. My kingdom is not of this world] It is 
purely spiritual and Divine. If it had been of a secu- 
lar nature, then my servants would have contended— 
they would have opposed force with force, as the king- 
doms of this world do in their wars ; but as my kingdom 
is not of this world, therefore no resistance has been 
made. Eusebius relates, Hist. Eccles. lib. iii. ce. 20, 
that “ The relatives of our Lord were brought before 
Domitian, and interrogated whether they were of the 
family of David; and what sort the kingdom of Christ 
was, and where it would appear? They answered, 
that this kingdom was neither of this world, nor of an 
earthly nature; that it was altogether heavenly and 
angelical ; and that it would not take place till the end 
of the world.” 

Verse 37. Thou sayest} A common form of ex- 
pression for, yes, it is so. I was born into the world 
that I might set up and maintain a spiritual govern- 
ment: but this government is established in and by 
truth. All that love truth, hear my voice and attend 
to the spiritual doctrines I preach. It is by ¢ruth alone 
that I influence the minds and govern the manners of 
my subjects. 

Verse 38. What is truth?] Among the sages of 
that time there were many opinions concerning truth ; 
and some had even supposed that it was a thing 
utterly out of the reach of men. Pilate perhaps 
might have asked the question in a mocking way ; 
and his not staying to get an answer indicated that 

646 


concerning his kingdom 


A. M. 4033. 
, A. D. 29. 
I born, and for this cause came an ae 


I into the world, that I should bear 
witness unto the truth. Every one that ὃ is 
of the truth heareth my voice. 

38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth 7 
And when he had said this, he went out again 
unto the Jews, and saith unto them, 5 I find in 
him no fault αὐ all. 

39 4 But ye have a custom, that I should re- 
lease unto you one at the passover ; will ye there- 
fore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 

40 © Then cried they all again, saying, Not 
this man, but Barabbas. ἢ Now Barabbas was 
a robber. 


xxvii. 24; Luke xxiii. 4; chap. xix. 4, 6——4 Matt. xxvii. 15; 
Mark xv. 6; Luke xxiii. 17. € Acts ili. 14—f Luke xxiii. 19. 


he either despaired of getting a satisfactory one, or 
that he was indifferent about it. This is the case 
with thousands: they appear desirous of knowing the 
truth, but have not patience to wait in a proper way 
to receive an answer to their question. 

I find in him no fault) Having asked the above 
question, and being convinced of our Lord’s innocence, 
he went out to the Jews to testify his conviction, and 
to deliver him, if possible, out of their hands. 

Verse 39. But ye have a custom] Nothing relative 
to the origin or reason of this custom is known. 
Commentators have swam in an ocean of conjecture 
on this point. They have lost their labour, and made 
nothing out: see the notes on Matt. xxvii. 15; Luke 
xxii. 17. 

Verse 40. Barabbas was a robber] See Matt. 
xxvil. 16. 

The later Syriac has in the margin, ἀρχιλῃςῆς, ἃ 
chief robber, a captain of banditti, and it is probable 
that this was the case. He was not only a person 
who lived by plunder, but shed the blood of many of 
those whom he and his gang robbed, and rose up 
against the Roman government, as we learn from 
Luke xxiii. 19. There never existed a more perfi- 
dious, cruel, and murderous people than these Jews; 
and no wonder they preferred a murderer to the 
Prince of peace. Christ himself had said, If ye were 
of the world, the world would love its own. Like 
cleaves to like: hence we need not be surprised to 
find the vilest things still preferred to Christ, his 
kingdom, and his salvation. 


1. Ir is not easy to give the character of Pilate. 
From the manner of his conduct, we scarcely can tell 
when he is in jest or in earnest. He appears to have 
been fully convinced of the innocence of Christ; and 
that the Jews, through envy and malice, desired his 
destruction. On this ground he should have released 
him; but he was afraid to offend the Jews. He 
knew they were an uneasy, factious, and seditious 
people ; and he was afraid to irritate them. Fiar 
justitia, ruat celum! was no motto of his. For fear 

} 


When and how the Jews lost CHAP. 


of the clamours of this bad people, he permitted all 
the forms and requisitions of justice to be outraged, 
and abandoned the most innocent Jesus to their rage 
and malice. Inthis case he knew what was truth, but 
did not follow its dictates; and he as hastily abandon- 
ed the author of it as he did the question he had asked 
concerning it. Pilate, it is true, was disposed to pity 
—the Jews were full of malice and cruelty. They 
both, however, joined in the murder of our Lord. 
The most that we can say for Pilate is, that he was 
disposed to justice, but was not inclined to hazard 
his comfort or safety in doing it. He was an easy, 
pliable man, who had no objection to do a right thing if 
it should cost him no trouble ; but he felt no disposition 
to make any sacrifice, even in behalf of innocence, 
righteousness, and truth. In all the business Pilate 
showed that he was not a good man; and the Jews 
proved that they were of their father, the devil. See 
chap. xix. 8. 

2. As Dr. Lightfoot has entered into a regular ex- 
amination of when and how the Jews lost the power 
of life and death in criminal cases, it may be necessary 
to lay before the reader a copious abstract of his re- 
searches on this subject, founded on ver. 31, of the 
preceding chapter. 

“Tt cannot be denied that all capital judgment, or 
sentence upon life, had been taken from the Jews for 
abeve forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem, 
as they oftentimes themselves confess. But how 
came this to pass? It is commonly received that the 
Romans, at this time the Jews’ lords and masters, 
nad taken from all their courts a power and capacity 
of judging the capital matters. Let us superadd a few 
things here. Rabh Cahna saith, When R. Ismael 
bar Jose lay sick, they sent to him, saying, Pray, sir, 
teli us two or three things which thou didst once tell 
us in the name of thy Father. He saith to them, A 
hundred and fourscore years before the destruction 
of the temple, the wicked kingdom (the Roman em- 
pire) reigned over Israel, fourscore years before the 
destruction of the temple, they (the fathers of the 
Sanhedrin) determined about the uncleanness of the 
heathen land, and about glass vessels. Forty years 
before the destruction of the temple, the Sanhedrin 
removed and sat in the Taberne. What is the mean- 
ing of this tradition? Rabbi Isaac bar Abdimi saith, 
They did not judge judgments of mulcts. ‘The gloss 
is, Those are the judgments about fining any that | 
offered violence, that entice a maid, and the price of a) 
servant. When, therefore, they did not sit in the | 
room Gazith, they did not judge about these things, 
and so those judgments about mulcts or fines ceased. 
Avodoh Zarah. fol. 82. Here we have one part of | 
their judiciary power lost ; not taken away from them 
by the Romans, but falling of itself, as it were, out of 
ene hands of the Sanhedrin. Nor did the Romans 
indeed take away their power of judging in capital 
matters; but they, by their own oscitaney, supine and 
unreasonable lenity, lost it themselves, for so the Ge- 
mara goes on: Rabh Hachman bar Isaac saith, Let 
him not say that they did not judge judgments of 
mulets, for they did not judge capital judgments 
either. And whence comes this? When they saw 
that so many murders and homicides multiplied upon 

1 


XVIII. their power of life and death. 
them that they could not well judge and call them to 
account, they said, It is better for us thal we remove 
from place to place ; for how can we otherwise (sitting 
here and not punishing them) not contract guilt upon 
ourselves 2 

“They thought themselves obliged to punish mur- 
derers while they sat in the room Gazith, for the 
place itself engaged them to it. They are the words 
of the Gemarists, upon which the gloss. The room 
Gazith was half of it within, and half of it without, 
the holy place. The reason of which was, that it 
was requisite that the council should sit near the Di- 
vine Majesty. Hence it is that they say, Whoever 
constitutes an unfit judge is as if he planted a 
grove hy the altar of the Lord, as i is written, 
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee; and it 
follows presently after, Thou shalt not plant thee 
a grove near the altar of the Lord thy God, Deut. 
xvi. 18, 21. They removed therefore from Ga- 
zith, and sat in the Taberne; now though the Ta- 
berne were upon the mountain of the temple, yeu 
they did not sit so near the Divine Majesty there as 
they did when they sat in the room Gazith. 

“‘ Let us now in order put the whole matter toge- 
ther. 

“JT. The Sanhedrin were most stupidly and unrea- 
sonably remiss in their punishment of capital offenders : 
going upon this reason especially, that they counted it 
so horrible a thing to put an Israelite to death. For- 
sooth, he is of the seed of Abraham, of the blood and 
stock of Jsrael, and you must have a care how you 
touch such a one! 

“R. Eliezer bar Simeon had laid hold on some 
thieves. R. Joshua bar Korchah sent to him, saying, 
O thou vinegar, the son of good wine! (i. 6. O thou 
wicked son of a good father!) how long wilt thou de- 
liver the people of God to the slaughter! He an- 
swered and said, I root the thorns out of the vineyard. 
To whom the other: Let the Lord of the vineyard 
come and root them out himself. Bava Meziah, fol. 
83, 2. It is worth noting, that the very thieves of 
Israel are the people of God; and they must not be 
touched by any man, but referred to the judgment of 
God himself ! 

“ When R. Ismael bar R. Jose was constituted a 
magistrale by the king, there happened some such 
thing to him; for Elias himself rebuked him, saying, 
How long wilt thou deliver over the people of God to 
slaughter! Ibid. fol. 64, 1. Hence that which we 
alleged elsewhere: The Sanhedrin that happens to 
sentence any one to death within the space of seven 
years, is termed a destroyer. R. Eliezer ben Aza- 
riah saith it is so, if they should but condemn one 
within seventy years. Maccoth, fol. 7, 1. 

“TI. It is obvious to any one how this foolish re- 
missness, and letting loose the reins of judgment, would 
soon increase the numbers of robbers, murderers, and 
all kinds of wickedness; and indeed they did so 
abundantly multiply that the Sanhedrin neither could 
nor durst, as it ought, call the criminals to account. 
The law slept, while wickedness was in the height 
of its revels ; and punitive justice was so out of coun- 
tenance that as to uncertain murders they made no 


᾿ search, and against certain ones they framed no judg- 


647 


Jesus is scourged and 


ment. Since the time that homicides multiplied, the 
beheading the heifer ceased. Sotoh, fol. 47, 1. And 
in the place before quoted in Avodah: When they 
saw the numbers of murderers so greatly increase that 
they could not sit in judgment upon them, they said, 
Let us remove, &c., fol. 8, 2. So in the case of 
adultery, which we also observed in our notes on chap. 
viii. Sznce the time that adultery so openly advanced, 
under the second temple, they left off trying the 
adultress by the bitter water, gc. Maimon. m Sotoh, 
cap. 3. 

“So that, we see, the liberty of judging in capital 
matters was no more taken from the Jews by the Ro- 
mans than the beheading of the heifer, or the trial of 
the suspected wife by the bitter waters, was taken 
away by them, which no one will affirm. Jt is a 
tradition of R. Chara, from the day wherein the tem- 
ple was destroyed, though the Sanhedrin ceased, yet 
the four kinds of death (which were wont to be in- 
flicted by the Sanhedrin) did not cease. For he that 
had deserved to be stoned to death, either fell off from 
some house, or some wild beast tore and devoured him. 
He that had deserved burning, either fell into some 
fire, or some serpent bit him. He that had deserved 
to be slain (i. e. with the sword) was either delivered 
into the hands of some heathen king, or was murdered 
by robbers. He that had deserved strangling, was 
either drowned in some river, or choked by a squinancy. 

“ This must be observed from the evangelists, that 
when they had Christ in examination in the palace of 
the high priest all night, in the morning the whole 
Sanhedrin met that they might pass sentence of death 
upon him. Where then was this that they met? 
Questionless in the room Gazith—at least if they 
adhered to their own rules and constitutions: Thither 
they betook themselves sometimes upon urgent neces- 
sity. The gloss before quoted excepts only the case 
of murder, with which, amongst all their false accu- 
sations, they never charged Christ. 

“ But, however, suppose it were granted that the 
great council met either in the Taberne, or some other 


ST. JOHN. 


crowned with thorns 


place, (which yet agreed by no means with their own 
tradition,) did they deal truly, and as the matter really 
and indeed was, with Pilate, when they tell him, It is 
not lawful for us to put any man to death? He had 
said to them, Take ye him and judge him accordinz 
to your laws. We have indeed judged and condemr 
ed him, but we cannot put any one to death. Was 
this that they said in fact true! How came they 
then to stone the proto-martyr Stephen? How 
came they to stone Ben Sarda at Lydda? Hieros. 
Sanhed. fol. 25, 4. How came they to burn the 
priest’s daughter alive that was taken in adultery ? 
Bab. Sanhed. fol. 52, 1, and 51,1. It is probable 
that they had not put any one to death as yet, since 
the time that they had removed out of Gazith, and 
so might the easier persuade Pilate in that case 
But their great design was to throw off the odium of 
Christ’s death from themselves; at least among the 
vulgar crowd ; fearing them, if the council should have 
decreed his execution. They seek this evasion, there- 
fore, which did not altogether want some colour and 
pretext of truth; and it succeeded according to what 
they desired. Divine Providence so ordering it as 
the evangelist intimates, ver. 32, That the saying of 
Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake signifying 
what death he should die: that is, be crucified accor- 
ding to the custom of the Romans. While I am 
upon this thought, I cannot but reflect upon that pas- 
sage, than which nothing is more worthy observation 
in the whole description of the Roman beast in the 
Revelation, chap. xiii. 4. The dragon which gave 
power to the beast. We cannot say this of the As- 
syrian, Babylonish, or any other monarchy ; for the 
ΤΟΥ Scriptures do not say it. But reason dictates, 
and the event itself tells us, that there was something 
acted by the Roman empire in behalf of the dragon, 
which was not compatible with any other, that is, the 
putting of the Son of God to death. Which thing we 
must remember as often as we recite that article of 
our creed, ‘ He suffered under Pontius Pilate, that 
is, was put to death by the Roman empire ” 


CHAPTER XIX. 


Jesus is scourged, crowned with thorns, and mocked by the soldiers, 1-3. 
wearing the purple robe ; and the Jews clamour for his death, 4-8. 


Pilate, 9-11. 


crucified, 17-22. 
of John, 25-27. 


He ws brought forth by Puate. 


Conversation between our Lord and 


Pilate expostulates with the Jews on their barbarous demands ; but they become more in- 
veterale, and he delivers Christ into their hands, 12-16. 


He, bearing his cross, is led to Golgotha, ana 


The soldiers cast lots for his raiment, 23, 24. Jesus commends his mother to the care 
Jesus thirsts, receives vinegar, and dies, 28-30. 


The Jews request that the legs of 


those who were crucified might be broken; the soldiers break those of the two thieves, and pierce the side 


of Christ; the Scriptures fulfilled in these acts, 31-37. 


and Nicodemus brings spices to embalm it, 38—40. 


A. M. 4033. ap; 

HES) TTHEN Pilate therefore took 
An, lyme: Jesus, and scourged jim. 
———— 2 And the soldiers platted a crown 


Joseph of Arimathea begs the body of Christ ; 

He is laid in a new sepulchre, 41, 42. 

of thorns, and put zt on his head, ἀν δ, 4088. 

and they put on him a purple An. Olymp. 
ἕ CCIL.1. 

robe, 


a Matt. xx. 19; xxvil. 26; 


Mark xv. 15 ; Luke xviii. 33. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIX. 
Verse 1. Pilate—took Jesus, and scourged him.] 
That is, caused him to be scourged: for we cannot 
648 


with Bede suppose that he scourged him with his own 
hand. 
As our Lord was scourged by order of Pilate, it is 
1 


Pilate seeks to release Christ, but 


A.M. 4033. 3 And said, Hail, King of the 

A. Ὁ. 29. 
An. Obymp. Jews! and they smote him with 

CCIL. 1. 5 

their hands. 

4 7 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith 
unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, 
>that ye may know that I find no fault in him. 

5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown 
of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate 
saith unto them, Behold the man! 

6 ° When the chief priests therefore and of- 
ficers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify 
him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, 
Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no 
fault in him. 


CHAP. XIX. 


his death. 


A. M. 4033. 
Fes Ὄ 29. 

. Olymp. 
CCIL. , 


the Jews clamour for 


7 The Jews answered him, “We 
have a law, and by our law he 
ought to die, because *he made 
himself the Son of God. 

8 4 When Pilate therefore heard that say- 
ing, he was the more afraid ; 

9 And went again into the judgment hall, 
and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? ἢ But 
Jesus gave him no answer. 

10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest 
thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I 
have power to crucify thee, and have power 
to release thee ? 

11 Jesus answered, 5 Thou couldest have no 


>Chap. xviii. 38; ver. 6—* Acts iii. 13——4 Lev. xxiv. 16. 
© Matt. xxvi. 65; chap. v. 18; x. 33. 


probable he was scourged in the Roman manner, which 
was much more severe than that of the Jews. The 
latter never gave more than ‘thirty-nine blows; for the 
law had absolutely forbidden a man to be abused, or 
his flesh cut in this chastisement, Deut. xxv. 3. The 
common method of whipping or flogging in some places, 
especially that of a military kind, is a disgrace to the 
nation where it is done, to the laws, and to humanity. 
See Matt. xxvii. 26, and the note there. Though it 
Was customary to scourge the person who was to be 
crucified, yet it appears that Pilate had another end in 
view by scourging our Lord. He hoped that this would 
have satisfied the Jews, and that he might then have 
dismissed Jesus. This appears from Luke xxiii. 16. 

Verse 2. Platted a crown of thorns] See on Matt. 
xxvii. 29. 

Verse 5. And Pilate saith] The word Pilate, which 
we supply in our version, is added by one MS., the 
later Syriac, later Arabic, and the Coptic. 

Behold the man !| The man who, according to you, 
affects the government, and threatens to take away the 
empire from the Romans. Behold the man whom ye 
have brought unto me as an enemy to Cesar, and as 
a sower of the seeds of sedition in the land! In him 
1 find πὸ guilt; and from him ye have no occasion to 
fear any evil. 

Verse 6. Crucify n1m] Avrov, which is necessary 
to the text, and which is wanting in the common edi- 
tions, and is supplied by our version in Italics, is added 
here on the authority of almost every MS. and version 
of importance. As it is omitted in the common editions, 
it affords another proof, that they were not taken from 
the best MSS. 

Verse 7. We have alaw] In Lev. xxiv. 14-16, we 
find that blasphemers of God were to be put to death; 
and the chief priests having charged Jesus with blas- 
phemy, they therefore voted that he deserved to die. 
See Matt. xxvi. 65,66. They might refer also to the 
law against false prophets, Deut. xviii. 20. 

The Son of God.] It is certain that the Jews un- 
ierstood this in a very peculiar sense. When Christ 
called himself the Son of God, they understood it to 
imply positive equality to the Supreme Being ; and, if 


‘Isa. lili. 7; Matt. xxvii. 12, 14——s Luke xxii. 53; chap. 
vii. 30. 


they were wrong, our Lord never attempted to correct 
them. 

Verse 8. He was the more afraid] While Jesus 
was accused only as a disturber of the peace of the 
nation, which accusation Pilate knew to be false, he 
knew he could deliver him, because the judgment in 
that case belonged to himself; but when the Jews 
brought a charge against him of the most capital na- 
ture, from their own Jaws, he then saw that he had 
every thing to fear, if he did not deliver Jesus to their 
will. The Sanhedrin must not be offended—the po- 
pulace must not be irritated: from the former a com- 
plaint might be sent against him to Cesar; the latter 
might revolt, or proceed to some acts of violence, the 
end of which could not be foreseen. Pilate was cer- 
tainly to be pitied: he saw what was right, and he 
wished to do it; but he had not sufficient firmness of 
mind. He did not attend to that important maxim, 
Fiat justitia: ruat calum. Let justice be done, 
though the heavens should be dissolved. He had a 
vile people to govern, and it was not an easy matter 
to keep them quiet. Some suppose that Pilate’s fear 
arose from hearing that Jesus had said he was the Son 
of God; because Pilate, who was a polytheist, be- 
lieved that it was possible for the offspring of the gods 
to visit mortals; and he was afraid to condemn Jesus, 
for fear of offending some of the supreme deities. Per- 
haps the question in the succeeding verse refers to this. 

Verse 9. Whence art thou2] ‘This certainly does 
not mean, From what country art thou? for Pilate 
knew this well enough; but it appears he made this 
inquiry to know who were the parents of Christ; what 
were his pretensions, and whether he really were a 
demigod, such as the heathens believed in. To this 
question we find our Lord gave no answer. He had 
already toid him that his kingdom was not of this 
world; and that he came to erect a spiritual kingdom, 
not a temporal one: chap. xvili. 36, 37. This an- 
swer he deemed sufficient ; and he did not choose to 
satisfy a criminal curiosity, nor to enter then into any 
debate concerning the absurdity of the heathen worship. 

Verse 11. Hath the greater sin.] It isa sin in thee 
to condemn me, while thou art convinced in thy com 

649 


Pilate delwers up Jesus 


A, M. 4033. power at all against me, except it 


τῷ SN were given thee from above: there- 
——— fore he that delivered me unto thee 
hath the greater sin. 

12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to 
release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, 
4 Tf thou let this man go, thou art not Cesar’s 
friend: * whosoever maketh himself a king, 
speaketh against Cesar. 

13 When Pilate therefore heard that say- 
ing, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down 
in the judgment seat in a place that is called 


ST. JOHN. 


to be crucified. 


the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, 4, M4033. 
Gabbatha. An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1. 


14 And * it was the preparation 
of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and 
he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 

15 But they cried out, Away with him, 
away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto 
them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief 
priests answered, |! We have no king but Cesar. 

16 ™ Then delivered he him therefore unto 
them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, 
and led him away. 


» Luke xxiii. 2——# Acts xvii. 7—* Matt. xxvii. 62 ——!Gen. 


xlix. 10— Matt. xxvii. 26, 31 ; Mark xv. 15; Luke xxiii. 24. 


science that I am zmnocent: but the Jews who de- 
livered me to thee, and Judas who delivered me to 
the Jews, have the greater crime to answer for. Thy 
ignorance in some measure excuses thee ; but the rage 
and malice of the Jews put them at present out of the 
reach of mercy. 

Verse 12. Pilate sought to release him] Pilate made 
five several attempts to release our Lord ; as we may 
learn from Juke xxiii. 4, 15, 20, 22; John xix. 4, 
12, 13. 

Thou art not Cesar’s friend] Thou dost not act 
like a person who has the interest of the emperor at 
heart. Ambassadors, prefects, counsellors, &c., were 
generally termed the friends of the emperor. This 
insinuation determined Pilate to make no longer re- 
sistance : he was afraid of being accused, and he knew 
Tiberius was one of the most jealous and distrustful 
princes in the world. During his reign, accusations of 
conspiracies were much in fashion; they were founded 
on the silliest pretences, and punished with excessive 
rigour. See Calmet, Tacit. An. 1. i. 6. 72, 73, 74. 
Sueton. in Tiber. c. 58. 

Verse 13. The Pavement] Λιϑοόστρωτον, literally, a 
stone pavement: probably it was that place in the open 
court where the chair of justice was set, for the pre- 
fects of provinces always held their courts of justice 
in the open air, and which was paved with stones of 
various colours, like that of Ahasuerus, Esth. i. 6, of 
red, blue, white, and black marble; what we still term 
Mosaic work, or something in imitation of it; such as 
the Roman pavements frequently dug up in this and 
other countries, where the Romans have had military 
stations. 

Gabbatha.| That is, an elevated place; from 723 
gabah, high, raised up; and it is very likely that the 
judgment seat was considerably elevated in the court, 
and that the governor went up to it by steps; and per- 
haps these very steps were what was called the Pave- 
ment. John does not say that Lithostroton, or the 
Pavement, is the meaning of the word Gabbatha ; but 
that the place was called so in the Hebrew. The place 
was probably called Lithostroton, or the Pavement : 
the seat of judgment, Gabbatha, the raised or elevated 
place. 

In several MSS. and versions, the scribes not un- 
derstanding the Hebrew word, wrote it variously, 

650 


Gabbatha, Gabatha, Kapphatha, Kappata, Gennetha, 
Gennacsa, and Gennesar. Lightfoot conjectures that 
the pavement here means the room Gazith in the tem- 
ple, in which the grand council, called the Sanhedrin, 
held their meetings. 

Verse 14. It was the preparation of the passover] 
That is, the time in which they were just preparing to 
Jall the paschal lamb. Cities differ widely concern- 
ing the time of cur Lord’s crucifixion; and this verse 
is variously understood. Some think it signifies merely 
the preparation of the Sabbath; and that it is called 
the preparation of the passover, because the prepara- 
tion of the Sabbath happened that year on the eve of 
the passover. Others think that the preparation of the 
Sabbath is distinctly spoken of in ver. $1, and was 
different from what is here mentioned. Contending 
nations may be more easily reconciled than contending 
critics. 

The sixth hour] Mark says, chap. xv. 25, that it 
was the third hour. Tpiry, the third, is the reading 
of DL, four others, the Chron. Alew., Severus Antio- 
chen., Ammonius, with others mentioned by Theophy- 
lact. _Nonnus, who wrote in the fifth century, reads 
τρίτη, the third. As in ancient times all the numbers 
were written in the manuscripts, not at large but in 
numeral letters, it was easy for f three, to be mistaken 
for ς siz. The Codex Beze has generally numeral 
letters instead of words. Bengel observes that he has 
found the letter [7 gamma, THREE, exceedingly like the 
¢ episemon, six, in some MSS. The major part of 
the best critics think that τρίτη, the third, is the genuine 
reading. See the note on Mark xv. 25. 

Behold your king!| This was probably intended as 
an irony; and, by thus turning their pretended serious 
apprehensions into ridicule, he hoped still to release 
him. 

Verse 15. Away with him] Apov: probably this 
means, Kill him. In Isa. lvii. 1, it is said, καὶ avdpec, 
δικαιοι αἰρονται, and just men are taken away; that 
is, according to some, by a violent death. 

Verse 16. Then delivered he him] This was not till 
after he had washed his hands, Matt. xxvil. 24, to 
show, by that symbolical action, that he was innocent 
of the death of Christ. John omits this circumstance, 
together with the insults which Christ received from 
the soldiers. See Matt. xxvii. 26, &c.; Mark xv. 16, &e 

1 


Inscription on he cross. 


M. 4033. n : ᾿ 
ee 17. And he, bearing his cross, 


An. Olymp. ° went forth into a place called the 
sisal place of a skull, which is called in 
the Hebrew Golgotha : 

18 Where they crucified him, and two other 
with him, on either side one, and Jesus in 
the midst. 

19 4» And Pilate wrote a ttle, and put 1ὲ 
on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS 
OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE 
JEWS. 

20 This title then read many of the Jews : 
for the place where Jesus was crucified was 


CHAP. XIX. 


The soldiers divide his ravment 


nigh to the city : and it was written yg 
in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Ἀπ aa 

21 Then said the chief priests of -————- 
the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the 
Jews ; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 

22 Pilate answered, What I have written, I 
have written. 

23 4% Then the soldiers, when they had 
crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made 
four parts, to every soldier a part; and also 
his coat : now the coat was without seam, * wo- 
ven from the top throughout. 

24 They said therefore among thence ives 


Mark xv. 21, 22; uke 
Heb. xiii. 12. 


©Matt. xxvii. 31, 33; 
°Num. xv. 36; 


26, 33. 


| p Matt. ΧΧΨΊΙ. 37; ; Mark xv. 26; Luke Xxill. 38, Bae alt. XXVil. 


35; Mark xv. 24; Luke xxiii. 34. Or, wrought. 


Verse 17. Bearing his cross] He bore it all alone 
first ; when he could no longer carry the whole through 
-,eakness, occasioned by the ill usage he had received, 
Simon, a Cyrenian, helped him to carry it: see the 
note on Matt. xxvii. 32. ι 

Golgotha| See on Matt. xxvii. 33. 

Verse 18. Two other] Matthew and Mark in the 
parallel places calls them robbers or murderers ; they 
probably belonged to the gang of Barabbas. See about 
the figure of the cross, and the nature of crucifixion, 
on Matt. xxvii. 35. 

Verse 19. Pilate wrote a title] 
XXvil. 37. 

Verse 20. Hebrew,—Greek,—Latin.] See on Luke 
xxiii. 38. 


See on Matt. 


On Matt. xxvii. 37, I have given this title in He- 
brew, Greek, and Latin, as mentioned by this evan- 
gelist. The reader, however, will not be displeased to 
find the same title repeated here in a character which 
was written in the fourth century, and is probably 
nearly resembling that used in the earliest ages of 
Christianity. The Greek and Latin character, which 
is inserted here, is an exact fac-simile of that in the 
Codex Beza, cut and cast at the expense of the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge, for Dr. Kipling’s edition of that 
most venerable MS. which contains the Greek text of 
the four evangelists and Acts; and the Latin text of 
the same, as it existed before the time of St. Jerome. 
Having examined the MS. myself, I can say that these 
types are a very faithful representation of the original. 


In Hebrew, Ἑβραῖςι. 


STITT NID NIN) Pw" 


In Greek, ‘EAAnvict. 
wCcOoYC O NAZCPEor: O BACIAGCYC TON 10YAAIOON: 


In Latin, Ῥωμαῖςι. 


1GhSUS VAZARENUS REx rudAcoRuUM 


Verse 22. What I have written, I have written.] 
That is, I will not alter what I have written. The 
Roman laws forbad the sentence to be altered when 
once pronounced ; and as this inscription was consider- 
ed as the sentence pronounced against our Lord, there- 
fore, it could not be changed: but this form of speech 
is common in the Jewish writings, and means simply, 
what is done shall continue. Pilate seems to speak 
prophetically. This is the king of the Jews: they shall 
have no other Messiah for ever. 

Verse 23. To every soldier a part] So it appears 
there were four soldiers employed in nailing him to 
and rearing up the cross. 

The coat was without seam] Several have seriously 
doubted whether this can be literally understood, as 
they imagine that nothing with sleeves, &c. can be 
woven without a seam. But Baun, de Vest. Sacer. 
Heb. |. 1, c. 16, has proved, not only that such things 

3 


were done by the ancients, and are still done in the 
east, but himself got a loom made, on which these 
kinds of tunies, vents, sleeves, and all, were woven in 
one piece. See much on this subject in Calmet. The 
clothes of a Hindoo are always without a seam ; and the 
Brahmins would not wear clothes that were otherwise 
made. Besides, the Hindoos have no regular tailors. 

Our Lord was now in the grand office of high 
priest, and was about to offer the expiatory victim for 
the sin of the world. And it is worthy of remark that 
the very dress he was in was similar to that of the 
Jewish high priest. The following is the description 
given of his dress by Josephus, Ant. Ὁ. 111. ¢. 7, s. 4: 
“Now this coat (χίτων) was not composed of tio 
pieces, nor was it sewed together upon the shoulders 
and sides, but it was one long vestment, so woven as 
to have an opening for the neck; not an oblique one, 
but parted all along the back and breast: it was also 

651 


Jesus commends his mother 


A.M. 4033. Tet us not rend it, but cast lots 

A. D.29. 

An. Olymp. for it, whose it shall be: that the 
ς: scripture might be fulfilled, which 
saith, * They parted my raiment among them, 
and for my vesture they did cast lots. 
These things therefore the soldiers did. 

25 Ἵ * Now there stood by the cross of Jesus 
his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the 
wife of ἃ Cleophas, ἡ and Mary Magdalene. 

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, 


ST. JOHN. 


to the care of John. 


and ™ the disciple standing by, whom 4, ™ 4088, 
he leved, he saith unto his mother, An. Olymp. 
x Woman, behold thy son! as 

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy 
mother! And from that hour that disciple took 
her ¥ unto his own home. 

28 9 After this, Jesus knowing that ali 
things were now accomplished, * that the scrip- 
ture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 

29 Now there was set a vessel full of vine- 


w Chap. xill. 23; xx. 2; xxi. 7, 20, 24———* Chap. ii. 4——¥ Ch, 
i. 11; xvi. 32.— Psa. lxix. 21. 


5 Psa. xxii. 18. Matt. xxvii. 55; Mark xv. 40; Luke xxiii. 
49. “Or, Clopas. ¥ Luke xxiv. 18. 
parted where the hands were to come out.” A little 


before, the same author says, that “ the high priest had 
a long robe of a blue colour, which hung down to the 
feet, and was put over all the rest.” It is likely that 
this was the same with that upper garment which the 
soldiers divided among them, it being probably of a 
costly stuff. I may just add here, that I knew a woman 
who nit all kinds of clothes, even to the sleeves and 
button holes, without a seam; and have seen some of 
the garments which she made; that the thing is pos- 
sible I have the fullest proof. For an explanation of 
χίτων and ἱματιον, which we translate cloak, and coat, 
see the note on Luke vi. 29. 

Verse 24. That the scripture might be fulfilled] 
These words are found in the common printed text, in 
Matt. xxvii. 35; but they are omitted by ABDEF 
GHKLMSU, Mt. BHV, 150 others; the principal 
versions, Chrysostom, Tit. Bost., Euthymius, Theo- 
phylact, Origen, Hilary, Augustin, Juven. See 
Griesbach’s second edition. But in the text of John 
they are not omitted by one MS., version, or ancient 
commentator. 

The words are taken from Psa. xxii. 18, where it 
appears they were spoken prophetically of this treat- 
ment which Jesus received, upwards of a thousand 
years before it took place ! 

But it should be remarked that this form of speech, 
which frequently occurs, often means no more than 
that the thing so fell out that such a portion of Scrip- 
ture may be exactly applied to it. 

Verse 25. Mary the wife of Cleophas] She is said, 
in Matt. xxvii. 56, (see the note there,) and Mark xv. 
40, to have been the mother of James the Less, and 
of Joses; and this James her son is said, in Matt. 
x. 3, to have been the son of Alpheus; hence it 
seems that Alpheus and Cleopas were the same person. 
To which may be added, that Hegesippus is quoted 
by Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. 1. iii. e. 11, as saying that 
Cleopas was the brother of Joseph, the husband of 
the virgin. Theophylact says that Cleopas, (brother 
of Joseph, the husband of the virgin,) having died 
childless, his brother Joseph married his widow, by 
whom he had four sons, called by the evangelists the 
brothers of our Lord, and two daughters, the one 
named Salome, the other Mary, the daughter of 
Cleopas, because she was his daughter according to 
law, though she was the daughter of Joseph according 
to nature. There are several conjectures equally well 
founded with this ]ast to be met with in the ancient 

652 


| 


commentators ; but, in many cases, it is very difficult 
to distinguish the different Marys mentioned by the 
evangelists. 

Verse 26. The disciple—whom he loved] John, the 
writer of this Gospel. 

Woman, behold thy son!| This is a remarkable ex- 
pression, and has been much misunderstood. It con- 
veys no idea of disrespect, nor of unconcern, as has 
been commonly supposed. In the way of compel- 
lation, man! and woman! were titles of as much 
respect among the Hebrews as siz! and madam! are 
among us. But why does not Jesus call her mother ? 
Probably because he wished to spare her feelings ; he 
would not mention a name, the very sound of which 
must have wrung her heart with additional sorrow. 
On this account he says, Behold thy son! this was 
the language of pure natural affection: ‘ Consider 
this crucified man no longer at present as any relative 
of thine ; but take that disciple whom my power shall 
preserve from evil for thy son; and, while he consi- 
ders thee as his mother, account him for thy child.” 
It is probable that it was because the keeping of the 
blessed virgin was entrusted to him that he was the 
only disciple of our Lord who died a natural death, 
God having preserved him for the sake of the person 
whom he gave him in charge. Many children are 
not only preserved alive, but abundantly prospered in 
temporal things, for the sake of the desolate parents 
whom God hast cast upon their care. It is very likely 
that Joseph was dead previously to this; and that this 
was the reason why the desolate virgin is committed 
to the care of the beloved disciple. 

Verse 28. I thirst.| The scripture that referred to 
his drinking the vinegar is Psa. xix. 21. The fa- 
tigue which he had undergone, the grief he had felt, 
the heat of the day, and the loss of blood, were the 
natural causes of this thirst. This he would have 
borne without complaint ; but he wished to give them 
the fullest proof of his being the Messiah, by dis- 
tinctly marking how every thing relative to the Mes- 
siah, which had been written in the prophets, had its 
complete fulfilment in him. 

Verse 29. A vessel full of vinegar] This was pro- 
bably that tart small wine which we are assured was 
the common drink of the Roman soldiers. Our word 
vinegar comes from the French vin aigre, sour or tart 
wine ; and, although it is probable that it was brought 
at this time for the use of the four Roman soldiers 
who were employed in the crucifixion of our Lord, 

1 


Jesus gwes up the ghost. 


were y gar: and * they filled a sponge with 
Pr Oia. vinegar, and put zt upon hyssop, and 
cc 

put τὲ to his mouth. 

30 When Jesus therefore had received the 
vinegar, he said, ἢ It is finished: and he bowed 
his head, and gave up the ghost. 

31 ἽἼ The Jews therefore ° because it was the 
preparation, ὁ that the bodies should not remain 
upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (° for that 
Sabbath day was a high day,) besought Pilate 


CHAP. XIX. 


A soldier pierces his side. 


that their legs might be broken, and Αι δ 4033- 
that they might be taken away. 

32 Then came the soldiers, and 
brake the legs of the first, and of the other 
which was crucified with him. 

33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that 
he was dead already, they brake not his legs : 

34 But one of the soldiers with a spear 
pierced his side, and forthwith ἢ came there out 
blood and water. 


An. Olymp. 
CCIL 1 


& Matt. xxv. 48. © Chap. xvii. 4——¢ Ver. 42; Mark xv. 42. 


eut. xxi. 23. 


yet it is as probable that it might have been furnished 
for the use of the persons crucified; who, in that 
lingering kind of death, must necessarily be grievously 
tormented with thirst. This vinegar must not be 
confounded with the vinegar and gall mentioned Matt. 
xxvii. 34, and Mark xv. 23. That, being a stupifying 
potion, intended to alleviate his pain, he refused to drink ; 
but of this he took a little, and then expired, ver. 30. 

And put it upon hyssop| Or, according to others, 
putting hyssop about it. A great variety of conjec- 
tures have been produced to solve the difficulty in this 
text, which is occasioned by supposing that the sponge 
was put on a stalk of hyssop, and that this is the reed 
mentioned by Matthew and Mark. It is possible 
that the hyssop might grow to such a size in Judea 
as that a stalk of it might answer the end of a reed or 
cane in the case mentioned here; but still it appears 
to me more natural to suppose that the reed was a 
distinct thing, and that the hyssop was used only to 
bind the sponge fast to the reed; unless we may 
suppose it was added for some mystical purpose, as 
we find it frequently used in the Old Testament in 
rites of purification. The various conjectures on this 
point may be seen in Bowyer’s Conject. and in Calmet. 

Jerse 30. It is finished] Asif he had said: “1 
have executed the great designs of the Almighty—I 
have satisfied the demands of his justice—I have ac- 
complished all that was written in the prophets, and 
suffered the utmost malice of my enemies; and now 
the way to the holy of holies is made manifest 
through my blood.” An awful, yet a glorious finish. 
Through this tragical death God is reconciled to 
man, and the kingdom of heaven opened to every 
believing soul. 


* Shout heaven and earth, this sum of good to MAN!” 


See the note on Matt. xxvii. 50. 

The prodigies which happened at our Lord’s death, 
and which are mentioned by the other three evange- 
lists, are omitted by John, because he found the 
others had sufficiently stated them, and it appears he 
had nothing new to add. 

Verse 31. Jt was the preparation] Every Sabbath 
had a preparation which began at the ninth hour 
(that is, three o’clock) the preceding evening. Jose- 
phus, Ant. Ὁ. xvi. c. 6, 5. 2, recites an edict of the 
Emperor Augustus in favour of the Jews, which orders, 
“that no one shall be obliged to give bail or surety 
on the Sabbath day, nor on the preparation before it, 


© Lev. xxiii. 11,15; Num. xxviii. 17, 18; Isa. i. 13, 15. —! Zech. 
xii. 10; xii. 1, 6, 7; 1 John v. 5, 8. 


after the ninth hour.” The time fixed here was un- 
doubtedly in conformity to the Jewish custom, as 
they began their preparation at three o'clock on the 
Friday evening. 

That the bodies should not remain] For the law, 
Deut. xxi. 22, 23, ordered that the bodies of criminals 
should not hang all night; and they did not wish to 
have the Sabbath profaned by either taking them 
down on that day, or letting them hang to disturb 
the joy of that holy time. Probably their consciences 
began to sting them for what they had done, and 
they wished to remove the victim of their malice out 
of their sight. 

For that Sabbath day was a high day) 1. Because 
it was the Sabbath. 2. Because it was the day on 
which all the people presented themselves in the tem- 
ple according to the command, Exod. xxiii. 17. 5. 
Because that was the day on which the sheaf of the 
first fruits was offered, according to the command, 
Lev. xxiii. 10, 11. So that upon this day there hap- 
pened to be three solemnities in one.—Lightfoot. It 
might be properly called a high day, because the 
passover fell on that Sabbath. 

Their legs might be broken] Lactantius says, 1. iv 
c. 26, that it was a common custom to break the legs 
or other bones of criminals upon the cross; and this 
appears to have been a kind of coup de grace, the 
sooner to put them out of pain. 

Verse 34. With a spear pierced his side} The sol- 
dier who pierced our Lord’s side has been called by 
the Roman Catholic writers Longinus, which seems 
to be a corruption of Aoyyn, lonche, a spear or dart, 
the word in the text. They moreover tell us that 
this man was converted—that it was he who said, 
Truly this was the Son of God—that he travelled into 
Cappadocia, and there preached the Gospel of Christ, 
and received the crown of martyrdom. But this de- 
serves the same credit as the other legends of the 
Popish Church. 

Whether it was the right or the left side of Christ 
that was pierced has been a matter of serious discus- 
sion among divines and physicians; and on this sub- 
ject they are not yet agreed. That it is of no im- 
portance we are sure, because the Holy Ghost has not 
revealed it. Luke Cranache, a famous painter, whose 
piece of the crucifixion is at Augsburg, has put no 
wound on either side: when he was asked the reason 
of this—TZ will do it, said he, when I am informed 
WHICH side was pierced. 

653 


Jiseph begs the body of Christ, 
A.M. 4033. 35 And he that saw 7t bare re- 
os ian. cord, and his record is true: and 
- he knoweth that he saith true, that 
ye might believe. 

36 For these things were done, 8 that the 
scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of hima 
shall not be broken. 

37 And again another scripture saith, * They 
shall look on him whom they pierced. 

38 Ἵ ‘And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, 
being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly * for 
fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might 
take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave 
him leave. He came therefore, and took the 
body of Jesus. 


h Psa. xxii. 


5 Exod. xii. 46; Num. ix. 12; Psa. xxxiv. 20. 
i Matt. xxvii. 57; Mark xv. 


16, 17; Zech. xii. 10; Rev. 1. 7. 


ST. JOHN. 


and Nicodemus embalms 1 


39 And there came also ' Nico- 4,M; 4033: 
demus, which at the first came An. Olymp. 
to Jesus by night, and brought a 
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred 
pound werght. 

40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and 
™ wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as 
the manner of the Jews is to bury. 

41 Now in the place where he was crucified 
there was a garden; and in the garden a 
new sepulchre, wherein was never man 
yet laid. 

42 "There laid they Jesus therefore, ° be- 
cause of the Jews’ preparation day ; for the 
sepulchre was nigh at hand. 


1Chap. ii. 1, 
© Ver. 31. 


42; Luke xxiii. 50. Chap. ix. 22; xii. 42. 
2; vii. 50.—™ Acts v. 6. oJsa. 1111. 9. 


Blood and water.| It may be naturally supposed 
that the spear went through the pericardium and 
pierced the heart; that the water proceeded from 
the former, and the blood from the latter. Ambrose, 
Augustin, and Chrysostom, make the blood an emblem 
of the eucharist, and the water an emblem of baptism. 
Others represent them as the emblems of the old and 
new covenants. Protestants have thought them the 
emblems of justification, which is through the blood 
of the Lamb, and sanctification, which is through 
the washing of regeneration ; and it is in reference to 
the first notion that they mingle the wine with water 
in the sacrament of the Lord’s supper. The piercing 
appears to have taken place because his legs were not 
broken; and, as the law in this case stated that the 
criminals were to continue on the cross till they died, 
the side of our Lord was pierced to secure the accom- 
plishment of the law; and the issuing of the blood and 
water appears to be only a natural effect of the above 
cause, and probably nothing mystical or spiritual was 
intended by it. However, it affords the fullest proof 
that Jesus died for our sins. Dr. Lightfoot thinks 
that there is a reference here to the rock in the wil- 
derness which Moses smote twice, and which, accord- 
ing to the Jews, Shemoth Rabba, fol. 122, “ poured 
out blood at the first stroke, and water at the second.” 
Now St. Paul says, 1 Cor. x. 4, That rock was 


Christ; and here the evangelist says, the soldier | 


pierced his side, and there came out blood and water. 
St. John therefore, in what he asserts in the 35th and 
36th verses, wishes to call the attention of the Jews 
to this point, in order to show them that this Jesus 
was the true Messiah, who was typified by the rock in 
the wilderness. He knoweth that he saith true, that 
ye might believe. 

Verse 35. He that saw it] Most probably John 
himself, who must have been pretty near the cross to 
have been able to distinguish between the blood and 
the water, as they issued from the side of our blessed 
Lord. 

And he knoweth] This appears to be an appeal to 
the Lord Jesus, for the truth of the testimony which 
he had now delivered. But why sucha solemn appeal, 

654 


unless there was something miraculous in this matter ἢ 
It might appear to him necessary: 1. Because the 
other evangelists had not noticed it. 2. Because it 
contained the most decisive proof of the death of Christ: 
as a wound such as this was could not have been inflicted, 
(though other causes had been wanting,) without occa- 
sioning the death of the person; and on his dying for 
men depended the salvation of the world. Ana, 3. 
Because two important prophecies were fulfilled by 
this very circumstance, both of which designated more 
particularly the person of the Messiah. A bone of 
him shall not be broken, Exod. xii. 46; Num. ix. 12; 
Psa. xxxiv.20. They shall look upon him whom they 
pierced, Zech. xii. 10; Psa. xxi. 16. 

Verse 38. Joseph of Arimathea] See on Matt 
xxvii. 57-60; and particularly Mark xv. 42, 43. 

Verse 39. Nicodemus] See on chap. 11]. 1, &e. 

Myrrh and aloes} Which drugs were used to pre- 
serve bodies from putrefaction. Calmet says that the 
aloes mentioned here is a liquor which runs from an 
aromatic tree, and is widely different from that called 
aloes among us. 

Some have objectedthat a hundred pounds’ weight 
of myrrh and aloes was enough to embalm two hundred 
dead bodies; and instead of éxarov, a hundred, some 
critics have proposed to read ἑκατερων----α mixture of 
myrrh and aloes, of about a pound Each. See Bow- 
yer’s Conjectures. But it may be observed that great 
quantities of spices were used for embalming dead 
bodies, when they intended to show peculiar marks of 
respect to the deceased. A great quantity was used 
at the funeral of Avislobulus ; and it is said that five 
hundred servants bearing aromatics attended the fune- 
ral of Herod: see Josephus, Ant. Ὁ. xv. 6. 3, 5. 4; 
and Ὁ. xvii. ec. 8, 5. 3: and fourscore pounds of spices 
were used at the funeral of R. Gamaliel the elder. 
See Wetstein in loc. 

Verse 40. Wound it in linen] See on chap. xi. 34. 

Verse 41. There was a garden] It was an ancient 
custom for particular families to have burying places 
in their gardens. See 2 Kings xxi. 18, 26. 

New sepulchre] See on Matt. xxvii. 60. 

Verse 42. Because of the Jews’ preparation] From 


Mary comes to the sepulchre, 


this it may be conjectured that they had designed to 
have put him in a more magnificent tomb ; or, that 
they intended to make one expressly for himself after 
the passover: or, that they had designed to have put 
him somewhere else, but could not do it for want of 
time; and that they put him here because the tomb 
was nigh. It appears plainly, from embalming, &c., 
that none of these persons had any hope of the resur- 
rection of Christ. They considered him as a great 
and eminent prophet, and treated him as such. 


1. In the burial of our Lord, a remarkable prophecy 
was fulfilled: His death was appointed with the wicked ; 
and with a rich man was his tomb. See Lowth on 
Isa. lili. 9. Every thing attending his mock trial, his 
passion, his death, his burial, &c., afforded the fullest 
proof of his innocence. In still continuing to reject 
him, the Jews seem to have exceeded the ordinary 
bounds of incredulity and callousness of heart. One 
might imagine that a candid attention to the Gospel 
facts, collated with those passages in the law and in 
the prophets which they acknowledge to speak of the 
Messiah, would be sufficient to furnish them with the 
utmost evidence and fullest conviction that he is the 
Christ, and that they are to expect none other. But 
where people once make a covenant with unbelief, 
argument, reason, demonstration, and miracles them- 
selves, fail to convince them. As their conviction, 
through this obstinacy, is rendered impossible, it be- 
longs to God’s justice to confound them. At present 
they have scarcely any correct knowledge of the true 
God ; and, while they continue to reject the genuine 
faith, they are capable of crediting the most degrading 
absurdities. 

2. The holy sepulchre, or what has long passed 
for the burial place of our Lord, is now no more! On 


CHAP, XX. 


and finds the stone taken away. 


Holy Sepulchre was discovered to be on fire ; and be- 
tween five and six in the morning the burning cupola, 
with all the melting and boiling lead upon it, fell in. 
The excessive heat which proceeded from this immense 
mass of liquid fire, caused not only the marble columns, 
which supported the gallery, to burst; but likewise the 
marble floor of the Church, together with the pilasters 
and images in bas relief that decorate the chapel, con- 
taining the holy sepulchre, situated in the centre of 
the church. Shortly after, the massive columns which 
supported the gallery, fell down, together with the 
whole of the walls.” Thus has perished the famous 
church raised by the Empress Helena fourteen hun- 
dred years ago, over the place where the body of our 
blessed Lord was supposed to have been deposited, 
while he lay under the power of death. And thus 
has perished an engine of superstition, fraud, and im- 
posture. To the most sinful purposes has this holy 
sepulchre been abused. The Greeks and Armenians 
have pretended that, on every Haster-eve. fire descends 
from heaven, and kindles all the lamps and candles in 
the place; and immense crowds of pilgrims frequent 
this place, on these occasions, in order to witness this 
ceremony, to light a taper at this sacred flame, and 
with these candles to singe and daub pieces of linen, 
which are afterwards to serve for winding sheets ; for, 
says Mr. Maundrell, who was present, April 3rd, 1697, 
and witnessed the whole of this absurd and abominable 
ceremony, “it is the opinion of these poor people that, 
if they can but have the happiness to be buried in a 
shroud smutted with this celestial fire, it will certainly 
secure them from the flames of hell.” 

See the whole of his circumstantial account of this 
imposture, and the ridiculous and abominable cere- 
monies with which it is accompanied, in his Journey from 
Aleppo to Jerusalem, edit. 5th, pp. 94-97 ; and let the 


the following information the reader may depend: | reader thank God that he is not degraded with a super- 
“On the night of Ocober 11, 1808, the Church of the | stition that renders the grace of the Gospel of none effect. 


CHAPTER XX. 


Mary Magdalene, coming early to the sepulchre, finds it empty, and runs and tells Peter, 1, 2. 
John run to the tomb, and find allas Mary had reported, 3-10. 


tomb, 11-13. 


Jesus himself appears to her, and sends her with a message to the disciples, 14-18. 


Peter and 
Mary sees a vision of angels in the 


He 


appears to the disciples, gives the fullest proof of the reality of his resurrection, and communicates to 


them a measure of the Holy Spirit, 19-23. 


The determined incredulity of Thomas, 24, 25. 


Eight 


days after, Jesus appears again to the disciples, Thomas being present, to whom he gives the proofs he 


had desired, 26, 27. 
his case, 29. 


ed, 31. 
ia THE " first day of the week com- 
An, Olymp eth Mary Magdalene early, when 


it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, 


Thomas is convinced, and makes a noble confession, 28. 
Various signs done by Christ, not circumstantially related, 30. 


Our Lord's reflections on 
Why others are record- 


and seeth the stone taken away from 4,™; 4033. 
the sepulchre. An. Olymp. 
CCIL. 1. 


2 Then she runneth, and cometh 


“ 2 Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark 


NOTES ON CHAP. XX. 

All that John relates concerning the resurrection of 
our Lord he has collected partly from the account given 
by Mary Magdalene, and partly from his own observa- 
tions. From Mary he derived the information given, 
ver. 1, 2, and from ver. 11-18. From his own actual 
knowledge, what he relates, ver. 3-10, 19-29, and 

} 


xvi. 1; Luke xxiv. 1. 


the whole of chap. xxi. It is supposed that he details 
the account given by Mary, without altering any cir- 
cumstance, and without either addition or retrenchment. 
See Rosenmiiler. 

Verse 1. The first day of the week] On what we 
eall Sunday morning, the morning after the Jewish 
Sabbath. As Christ had been buried in haste, these 

655 


Mary sees a vision of 


Ss aia to Simon Peter, and to the ἢ other | not lying with the linen clothes, but 


An, Olyme. disciple whom Jesus loved, and 
—__—_. saith unto them, They have taken 
away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we 
know not where they have laid him. 

3 °¢ Peter therefore went forth, and that other 
disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 

4 So they ran both together: and the other 
disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the 
sepulchre. 

5 And he stooping down, and looking in, 
saw “the linen clothes lying; yet went he notin. 

6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, 
and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen 
clothes lie, 

7 And ° the napkin, that was about his head, 


ST. JOHN. 


angels at the sepulchre 


A. M. 4033. 
A.D. 29. 
wrapped together in a place by itself. An. Claes 


8 Then went in also that other 
disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and 
he saw, and believed. 

9 For as yet they knew not the £ scripture, 
that he must rise again from the dead. 

10 Then the disciples went away again unto 
their own home. 

11 “ ε But Mary stood without at the sepul- 
chre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped 
down, and looked into the sepulchre, 

12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the 
one at the head, and the other at the feet, where 
the body of Jesus had lain. 

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why 


bChap. ΧΙ. 23; xix. 26; xxi. 7, 20, 24. ¢ Luke xxiv. 12. 


4 Chap. xix. 40. 


e Chap. xi. 44.——f Psa. xvi. 10; Acts 11. 25-31; xiii. 34, 35. 
& Mark xvi. 8. 


holy women had bought aromatics, Mark xvi. 1; Luke 
xxiv. 1, to embalm him afresh, and in a more complete 
manner than it could have been done by Joseph and 
Nicodemus. John only mentions Mary of Magdala, 
because he appears to wish to give a more detailed 
history of her conduct than of any of the rest; but the 
other evangelists speak of three persons who went toge- 
ther to the tomb, viz. Mary of Magdala, Mary the mo- 
ther of James, and Salome: Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark xvi.1. 

Verse 2. Then she runneth] This was after the 
women had seen the angels, who said he was risen 
from the dead, Luke xxiv. 4. She told, not only 
Peter and John, but the other apostles also, Matt. 
Xxviii. 8; but only the two disciples above mentioned 
went to the tomb to see whether what she had said 
was true. 

They have taken away the Lord] She mentions 
nothing of what the angels had said, in her hurry and 
confusion ; she speaks things only by halves ; and pro- 
bably the vision of angels might have appeared to her 
only as an illusion of her own fancy, and not to be any 
farther regarded. 

Verse 4. Outrun Peter] Not because he had a 
greater desire to see into the truth of these things ; but 
because he was younger, and lighter of foot. 

Verse 5. Went he not in.| Why? Because he 
was fully satisfied that the body was not there. But 
why did he not seize upon the linen clothes, and keep 
them asa most precious relic? Because he had too 
much religion and too much sense; and the time of 
superstition and nonsense was not yet arrived, in which 
bits of rotten wood, rags of rotten cloth, decayed bones 
(to whom originally belonging no one knows) and 
bramble bushes, should become objects of religious 
adoration. 

Verse 6. Seeth the linen clothes lie] Oewper: from 
Beaouat, to behold, and épaw, to see—to look steadily 
at any thing, so as to discover what it is, and to be 
satisfied with viewing it. 

Verse 7. Wrapped together ina place by itself.] 


The providence of God ordered these very little mat-| was conjectured, on chap. xix. 42, 


656 


ters, so that they became the fullest proofs against 
the lie of the chief priests, that the body had been 
stolen away by the disciples. If the body had been 
stolen away, those who took it would not have stopped 
to strip the clothes from it, and to wrap them up, and 
lay them by in separate places. 

Verse 8. That other disciple] John. 

Saw] That the body was not there. 

And believed.| That it had been taken away, as 
Mary had said; but he did not believe that he was 
risen from the dead. See what follows. 

Verse 9. They knew not the scripture] Viz. Psa. 
xvi. 9,10: Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell— 
bw wad ayn Ν 2 ki lo tdazob naphshi Vsheol— 
For thou wilt not abandon my life to the grave, nor 
suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. It was cer- 
tainly a reproach to the disciples that they had not un- 
derstood this prophecy, when our Lord had given them 
often the most direct information concerning it. Christ 
had referred to the history of Jonah, Matt xii. 40, 
which was at once the type and the proof of his owr 
resurrection. However, this ingenuous confession of 
John, in a matter so dishonourable to himself, is a full 
proof of his sincerity, and of the truth of his narration. 

Verse 10. Unto their own home.| LEiither to their 
own houses, if they still had any ; or to those of their 
friends, or to those where they had a hired lodging, 
and where they met together for religious purposes. 
See ver. 19. 

Verse 11. But Mary stood without] She remain- 
ed some time after Peter and John had returned to 
their own homes. 

Verse 12. Seeth two angels] See on ver. 6. She 
knew these to be angels by their white and ghstering 
robes. Matthew and Mark mention but one angel— 
probably that one only that spoke, ver. 13. 

One at the head, and the other at the feet] So were 
the cherubim placed at each end of the mercy-seat : 
Exod. xxv. 18,19. Lightfoot. 

Verse 13. They have taken away my Lord] It 
that the body of 
1 


Tesus appears to Mary, who 


Srl weepest thou? She saith unto them, 
ee Because they have taken away my 


Lord, and I know not where they 
have laid him. 

14 ἡ And when she had thus said, she turned 
herself back. and saw Jesus standing, and 
i knew not that it was Jesus. 

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weep- 
est thou ? whom seekest thou ? She, supposing 
him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if 
thou have borne him hence, tell me where 
thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned 
herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which 
is to say, Master. 


h Matt. xxviii. 9; Mark xvi. 9——i Luke xxiv. 16, 31; ae 
xxi. 4. ——* Psa. xxii. 22; Matt. xxviii. 10; Rom. vili.29; Heb. 


our Lord was only put here for the time being, that, 
after the Sabbath, they might carry it to a more pro- 
per place. Mary seems to refer to this: They have 
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have 
aid him. This removal she probably attributed to 
some of our Lord’s disciples, or to some of his friends. 

Verse 14. She turned herself back] Or, eatpadn 
εἰς Ta οπίσω, she was turned back, i. 6. to go again 
with the other women to Jerusalem, who had already 
departed ; but she had not as yet gone so far as to be 
out of the garden. 

Knew not that it was Jesus] John has here omitted 
what the angels said to the women, about Christ’s be- 
ing risen; probably because it was so particularly re- 
lated by the other evangelists: Matt. xxviii, 5-7; 
Mark xvi. 6,7; Luke xxiv. 5,6, 7. Mary was so 
absorbed in grief that she paid but little attention to 
the person of our Lord, and therefore did not at first 
discern it to be him; nor could she imagine such an 
appearance possible, as she had no conception of his 
resurrection from the dead. She was therefore every 
way unprepared to recognize the person of our Lord. 

Verse 15. Supposing him to be the gardener] Kn- 
ποῦρος, the inspector or overseer of the garden, from 
κῆπος, a garden, and ovpoc, an inspector—the person 
who had the charge of the workmen, and the care of 
the produce of the garden ; and who rendered account 
to the owner. 

And I will take him away] How true is the pro- 
verb, Love feels no load! Jesus was in the prime of 
life when he was crucified, and had a hundred pounds 
weight of spices added to his body; and yet Mary 
thinks of nothing less than carrying him away with her, 
if she can but find where he is laid! 

Verse 16. Mary.) This word was no doubt spoken 
with uncommon emphasis; and the usual sound of 
Claist’s voice accompanied it, so as immediately to 
prove that it must be Jesus. What transports of joy 
must have filled this woman’s heart! Let it be re- 
marked that Mary Magdalene sought Jesus more fer- 
vently, and continued more affectionately attached to 
him than any of the rest; therefore to her first Jesus 

Vou. I. ( 42 ) 


CHAP. XX. 


announces the resurrection 


5. sal A. M. 4033 
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch “,") 00 


me not; for I am not yet ascended pei 
to my Father: but go to * my bre- == 
thren, and say unto them, !I ascend unto my 
Father, and your Father; and t.™my God, 
and your God. 

18 "Mary Magdalene came and told the dis- 
ciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he 
had spoken these things unto her. 

19 Ἵ ° Then the same day at evening, being 
the first day of the week, when the doors were 
shtit where the disciples were assembled for 
fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in 
the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be 
unto you. 


ii. 11.— Chap. xvi. 28——™ Eph. 1. 17 ——* Matt. xxviii. 10; 
Luke xxiv. ]0.—®° Mark xvi. 14; Luke xxiv. 36; 1 Cor. xv. 5. 


is pleased to show himself, and she is made the first 
herald of the Gospel of a risen Saviour. 

After Mary’s exclamation of Rabboni, and its inter- 
pretation by the evangelist, one MS., the later Syriac 
Syriac Mieros., and three copies of the Itala, add καὶ 
mpocedpapuev ἅψασϑαι αὐτου, And she ran to embrace, 
or cling to him. Then our Lord’s words come in with 
the reason for them. 

Verse 17. Touch me not] My pov ἅπτου, Cling 
not to me. Ἅπτομαι has this sense in Job xxxi. 7. 
where the Septuagint use it for the Hebrew p37 dabak. 
which signifies to cleave, cling, stick, or be glued to 
From Matt. xxviii. 9, it appears that some of the wo- 
men held him by the feet and worshipped him. This 
probably Mary did; and our Lord seems to have spo- 
ken to her to this effect: “‘ Spend no longer time with 
me now: I am not going immediately to heayven— 
you will have several opportunities of seeing me again: 
but go and tell my disciples, that I am, by and by, to 
ascend to my Father and God, who is your Father 
and God also. Therefore, let them take courage.” 

Verse 18. Told the disciples—that he had spoken 
these things] St. Mark says, chap. xvi. 11, that the 
afflicted apostles could not believe what she had said. 
They seem to have considered it as an effect of her 
troubled imagination. 

Verse 19. The doors were shut—for fear of the 
Jews| We do not find that the Jews designed to mo- 
lest the disciples: that word of authority which Christ 
spoke, chap. xviii. 8, Let these go away—had pre- 
vented the Jews from offering them any injury; but, 
as they had proceeded so far as to put Christ to death. 
the faith of the disciples not being very strong, they 


| were led to think that they should be the next victims 


if found. Some think, therefore, that they had the 
doors not only shut, but barricadoed : nevertheless Je- 
sus came in, the doors being shut, i. e. while they con- 
tinued shut. But how? By his almighty power: and 
farther we know not. Yet it is quite possible that no 
miraculous influence is here intended. The doors 
might be shut for fear of the Jews; and Jesus might 
open them, and enter in the ordinary way. Where 
657 


Jesus appears to the disciples and 
A. Μ. 4033. 


aes 20 And when he had so said, he 
ps showed unto them his hands and 
——_—_ his side. »” Then were the disciples 
glad, when ihey saw the Lord. 

21 ‘Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be 
unto you: tas my Father hath sent me, even 
so send I you. 

22 And when he had said this, he breathed 
on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the 
Holy Ghost : 

23 * Whose soever sins ye remit, they are 


P Chap. xvi. 22. 4 Matt. xxviii. 18; chap. xvii. 18, 19; Heb. 


iu. 1; 2 Tim. ii. 2. 


there is no need for a miracle, a miracle is never 
wrought. See on ver. 30. 

The evangelist has omitted the appearing of our 
Lord to the other women who came from the tomb, 
Matt. xxviii. 9, and that to the two disciples who 
were going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 13, &c., which all 
nappened in the course of this same day. 

Peace be unto you.| His usual salutation and bene- 
diction. May every blessing of heaven and earth 
which you need be granted unto you! 

Verse 20. He showed unto them his hands and his 
side.| So it appears that his body bore the marks of 
the nails and the spear; and these marks were pre- 
served that the disciples might be the more fully con- 
vineed of the reality of his resurrection. 

Verse 21. Even so send I you.] As I was sent to 
proclaim the truth of the Most High, and to convert 
sinners to God, I send you for the very same purpose, 
clothed with the very same authority, and influenced 
by the very same Spirit. 

Verse 22. He breathed on them] Intimating, by 
this, that they were to be made new men, in order to 
be properly qualified for the work to which he had 
called them; for in this breathing he evidently 
alluded to the first creation of man, when God 
breathed into him the breath of lives, and he became 
a living soul: the breath or Spirit of God (ΟΝ AN 
ruach Elohim) being the grand principle and cause 
of his spiritual and Divine life. 

Receive ye the Holy Ghost) From this act of our 
Lord, the influences of the Holy Spirit on the souls 
of men have been termed his inspiration; from in, 
into, and spiro, I breathe. Every word of Christ 
which is received in the heart by faith comes accom- 
panied by this Divine breathing ; and, without this, 
there is neither light nor life. Just as Adam was before 
God breathed the quickening spirit into him, so is 
every human soul till it receives this inspiration. 
Nothing 15 seen, known, discerned, or felt of God, but 
through this. To every private Christian this is essen- 
tially requisite; and no man ever did or ever can 
preach the Gospel of God, so as to convince and con- 
vert sinners, without it. ‘There are many (says 
pious Quesnel) who extol the dignity of the apostolic 
mission, and compare that of bishops and pastors with 
that of Christ; but with what shame and fear ought 
they to be filled, if they do but compare the life and 

658 


ST. JOHN. 


communicates the Holy Spirit 


remitted unto them; and whose so- 4, ™. 4033. 


ever sins ye retain, they are retained. An Glyn, 

24 4 But Thomas, ‘one of the sss 
twelve, ‘called Didymus, was not with them 
when Jesus came. 

25 The other disciples therefore said unto 
him, We have seen the Lord. But he said 
unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the 
print of the nails, and put my finger into the 
print of the nails, * and thrust my hand into his 
side, 1 will not believe. 


τ Matt. xvi. 19; xviii. 18—s Chap. xi. 16. Psa. Ixxviii.41, 
chap. xix. 34. 


deportment of Christ with the lives and conversation 
of those who glory in being made partakers of his 
mission. They may depend on it that, if sent at all, 
they are only sent on the same conditions, and for 
the same end, namely—to preach the truth, and to 
establish the kingdom of God, by opposing the cor- 
ruption of the world; and by acting and suffering 
to the end, for the advancement of the glory of God. 
That person is no other than a monster in the Church 
who, by his sacred office, should be a dispenser of 
the Spirit, and who, by the corruption of his own 
heart, and by a disordezly, worldly, voluptuous, and 
scandalous life, is, at the same time, a member and 
instrument of the devil.” 

Verse 23. Whose soever sins ye remit] See the note 
on Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18. It is certain God 
alone can forgive sins ; and it would not only be blas- 
phemous, but grossly absurd, to say that any creature 
could remit the guilt of a transgression which had 
been committed against the Creator. The apostles 
received from the Lord the doctrine of reconciliation, 
and the doctrine of condemnation. They who be- 
lieved on the Son of God, in consequence of their 
preaching, had their sins remitted; and they who 
would not believe were declared to lie under con- 
demnation. The reader is desired to consult the 
note referred to above, where the custom to which 


our Lord alludes is particularly considered. Dr. 
Lightfoot supposes that the power of life and death, 
and the power of delivering over to Satan, which was 
granted to the apostles, is here referred to. This was 
a power which the primitive apostles exclusively 
possessed. 

Verse 24. Thomas—called Didymus] See this 
name explained, chap. xi. 16. 

Was not with them] And, by absenting himself 
from the company of the disciples, he lost this pre- 
cious opportunity of seeing and hearing Christ; and 
of receiving (at this time) the inestimable blessing of 
the Holy Ghost. Where two or three are assembled 
in the name of Christ, he is in the midst of them. 
Christ had said this before : Thomas should have re- 
membered it, and not have forsaken the company of 
the disciples. What is the consequence 1—His 
unbelief becomes, Ist. Utterly unreasonable. Ten of 
his brethren witnessed that they had seen Christ, 
ver. 25; but he rejected their testimony. 2dly. His 

€ 42* ) 


‘Thomas receives full proof 


A.M. 4033. 26 4“ And afte: eight days again 
An, Olymp. his disciples were within, and ‘Tho- 
__ mas with them: then came Jesus, 
the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, 
and said, Peace be unto you. 

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither 
thy finger, and behold my hands; and © reach 
hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side : 


«Luke xxiv. 39; 1 Johni. 1. 


unbelief became obstinate: he was determined not 
to believe on any evidence tha it might please God 
to give him: he would believe «ccording to his own 
prejudices, or not at all. 3dly. His unbelief became 
presumptuous and insolent: a view of the person of 
Christ will not suffice; he will not believe that it is 
he, unless he can put his finger into the holes made by 
the nails in his Lord’s hand, and thrust his hand into 
the wound made by the spear in his side. 

Thomas had Jost much good, and gained much evil, 
and yet was insensible of his state. Behold the con- 
sequences of forsaking the assemblies of God’s peo- 
ple! Jesus comes to the meeting—a disciple is found 
out of his place, who might have been there ; and he 
is not only not blessed, but his heart becomes hardened 
and darkened through the deceitfulness of sin. It was 
through God’s mere merey that ever Thomas had an- 
other opportunity of being convinced of his error. 
Reader! take warning. 

Verse 26. After eight days] It seems likely that 
this was precisely on that day se’nnight, on which 
Christ had appeared to them before; and from this 
we may learn that this was the weekly meeting 
of the apostles ; and, though Thomas was not found 
at the former meeting, he was determined not to be 
absent from this. According to his custom, Jesus 
came again; for he cannot forget his promise—two 
or three are assembled in his name; and he has en- 
gaged to be among them. 

Verse 27. Then saith he to Thomas] Through his 
infinite compassion, he addressed him in a particular 
manner; condescending in this case to accommodate 
himself to the prejudices of an obstinate, though sin- 
cere, disciple. 

Reach hither thy finger, &c.] And it is very pro- 
bable that Thomas did so; for his unbelief was too 
deeply rooted to be easily cured. 

Verse 28. Thomas answered, &c.] Those who deny 
the Godhead of Christ would have us to believe that 
these words are an exclamation of Thomas, made 
through surprise, and that they were addressed to the 
Father and not to Christ. Theodore of Mopsuestia 
was the first, I believe, who gave the words this turn ; 
and the fifth G2cumenic council, held at Constanti- 
nople, anathematized him for it. This was not aecord- 
ing to the spirit of the Gospel of God. However, a 
Man must do violence to every rule of construction 
who can apply the address here to any but Christ. 
The text is plain: Jesus comes in—sees Thomas, 
and addresses him; desiring him to come to him, and 
put his finger into the print of the nails, ἅς. Thomas, 
perfectly satisfied of the reality of our Lord’s resur- 

1 


CHAP. XX. 


of the resurrection. 


and be not faithless, but believ- 4,™; 403. 
ing. An. Olymp. 


CCIL 1. 
28 And Thomas answered and ——— 


said unto him, My Lord and my God. 

29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because 
thou hast seen me, thou hast believed : ἡ bless- 
ed are they that have not seen, and yet have 
believed. 


v2 Cor. v. 7; 1 Pet. i. 8. 


rection, says unto him,—My Lorpv! and My Gop! 
2. 6. Thou art indeed the very same person,—my Lord 
whose disciple I have so long been ; and thou art my 
God, henceforth the object of my religious adoration. 
Thomas was the first who gave the title of God to Je- 
sus ; and, by this glorious confession, made some amends 
for his former obstinate incredulity. It is worthy of 
remark, that from this time forward the whole of the 
disciples treated our Lord with the most supreme re- 
spect, never using that familiarity towards him which 
they had often used before. The resurrection from 
the dead gave them the fullest proof of the divinity 
of Christ. And this, indeed, is the use which St. 
John makes of this manifestation of Christ. See ver. 
30, 31. Bishop Pearce says here: “ Observe that 
Thomas calls Jesus his God, and that Jesus does not 
reprove him for it, though probably it was the first 
time he was called so.” And, I would ask, could 
Jesus he jealous of the honour of the true God— 
could he be a prophet—could he be even an honest 
man, to permit his disciple to indulge in a mistake so 
monstrous and destructive, if it had been one ? 

Verse 29. Thomas] This word is omitted by al- 
most every MS., version, and ancient commentator of 
importance. 

Blessed are they, &e.| Thou hast seen, and there- 
fore thou hast believed, and now thou art blessed ; 
thou art now happy—fully convinced of my resurrec- 
tion ; yet no less blessed shall all those be who believe 
in my resurrection, without the evidence thou hast had. 
From this we learn that to believe in Jesus, on the 
testimony of his apostles, will put a man into the pos- 
session of the very same blessedness which they them- 
selves enjoyed. And so has God constituted the 
whole economy of grace that a believer, at eighteen 
hundred years’ distance from the time of the resur- 
rection, suffers no loss because he has not seen Christ 
in the flesh. The importance and exellence of im- 
plicit faith in the testimony of God is thus stated by 
Rab. Tanchum: “ Rab. Simeon ben Lachesh saith, 
The proselyte is more beloved by the holy blessed 
God than that whole crowd that stood before Mount 
Sinai; for unless they had heard the thundering, and 
seen the flames and lightning, the hills trembling, and 
the trumpets sounding, they had not received the saw. 
But the proselyte hath seen nothing of all this, and 
yet he hath come in, devoting himself to the holy 
blessed God, and hath taken upon him (the yoke of) 
the kingdom of heaven.” 

Reader! Christ died for thee !—believe, and thou 
shalt be saved, and become as blessed and as happy 
as an apostle. 

659 


Christ shows himself to the 


A. M. 4033. 30 9 ἡ And many other signs 


An. Olymp. truly did Jesus in the presence of 

(CCl, Te ὁ. ὅς: ὃ 4 
—— his disciples, which are not written 
in this book : 


w Chap. xxi. 25.——* Luke 1. 4. 


Verse 30. Many other signs truly did Jesus, &c.] 
That is, besides the two mentioned here. ver. 19 and 
ver. 26, viz. Christ’s entering into the house in a 
miraculous manner twice, notwithstanding the doors 
were fast shut: see on ver. 19. The other miracles 
which our Lord did, and which are not related here, 
were such as were necessary to the disciples only, 
and therefore not revealed to mankind at large. 
There is nothing in the whole revelation of God but 
what is for some important purpose, and there is no- 
thing left out that could have been of any real use. 

Verse 31. That ye might believe] What is here 
recorded is to give a full proof of the Divinity of 
Christ; that he is the promised Messiah; that he 
really suffered and rose again from the dead; and 
that through him every believer might have eternal life. 

Life} Several MSS., versions, and fathers read 
eternal life, and this is undoubtedly the meaning of the 
word, whether the various reading be admitted or not. 


Grortius has conjectured that the Gospel, as writ- 
ten by St. John, ended with this chapter, and that 
the following chapter was added by the Church of 


ST. JOHN. 


disciples at the sea of Tiberias, 


x : A. M. 4033, 
31 * But these are written that ye 4; ΜΙ 403: 


might believe that Jesus is the An. Olymp. 
Christ, the Son of God; ¥ and that cae 
believing ye might have life through his name 


Υ Chap. ili. 15, 16; v.24; 1 Pet. i. 9. 


Ephesus. This conjecture is supported by nothing 
in antiquity. It is possible that these two last verses 
might have formerly been at the conclusion of the 
last chapter, as they bear a very great similarity to 
those that are found there; and it is likely that their 
true place is between the 24th and 25th verses of the 
succeeding chapter ; with the latter of which they in 
every respect correspond, and with it form a proper 
conclusion to the book. Except this correspondence 
there is no authority for changing their present position. 

After reading the Gospel of John, his first Epistle 
should be next taken up: it is written exactly in the 
same spirit, and keeps the same object steadily in view. 
As John’s Gospel may be considered a supplement to 
the other evangelists, so his first Epistle may be con- 
sidered a supplement and continuation to his own 
Gospel. In some MSS. the epistles follow this Gospel, 
not merely because the transcribers wished to have all 
the works of the same writer together, but because 
there was such an evident connection between them. 
The first Epistle is to the Gospel as a pointed and 
forcible application is to an interesting and impressive 
sermon. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


Tesus shows himself to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, 1-5. 


He dines with his disciples, 12-14. 
sion to feed his sheep, 15-17. 


The miraculous draught of fishes, 6-11. 


Questions Peter concerning his love to him, and gives him commis- 
Foretells the manner of Peter's death, 18, 19. 


Peter inquires concern- 


ing John, and receives an answer that was afterwards misunderstood, 20-23. John’s concluding testimony 
concerning the authenticity of his Gospel, and the end for which it was written, 24, 25. 


AM. 4033. : 4 
fe τες AFTER these things J esus show 
Aa, Olymp ed himself again to the disciples 


at the sea of Tiberias; and on this 

wise showed he himself. : 
2 There were together Simon Peter, and 
Thomas called Didymus, and * Nathanael of 


a Chap. i. 45. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXI. 

Verse 1. Jesus showed himself again] After that 
our Lord had appeared several times to the women, 
and to the apostles at Jerusalem, and at the tomb, he 
bade them go into Galilee, giving them the promise 
of meeting them there: Matt. xxviii. 7; Mark xvi. 7. 
This promise we find he fulfilled in the way John 
relates here. This was the seventh appearance of our 
Lord after the resurrection. Matthew, chap. xxviii. 16, 
has but just mentioned it: of it the rest of the evan- 
gelists say nothing, and this is the reason why John 
gives it so particularly. 

Verse 3. Peter saith—I go a fishing.| Previously 

660 


Cana in Galilee, and » the sons of AM 


Zebedee, and two other of his dis- An. Olymp. 
5 CCIL.1. 
ciples. a 
3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go ἃ fishing. 
They say unto him, We also go with thee. 
They went forth, and entered into a ship imme- 


> Matt. iv. 21. 


to the crucifixion of our Lord, the temporal necessities 
of himself and his disciples appear to have been sup- 
plied by the charity of individuals: Luke viii. 3. As 
it is probable that the scandal of the cross had now shut 
up this source of support, the disciples, not fully know- 
ing how they were to be employed, purposed to return 
to their former occupation of fishing, in order to gain 
a livelihood; and therefore the seven, mentioned ver. 2, 
embarked on the sea of Tiberias, otherwise called the 
sea of Galilee. 

Verse 3. That night they caught nothing.] God had 
so ordered it, that they might be the more struck with 
the miracle which he afterwards wrought. 

1 


The miraculous 


hs ΟΝ diately; and that night they caught 


An. Olymp. nothing. 

ΟΠ. 4 
4 But when the morning was now 
come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the dis- 
ciples ° knew not that it was Jesus. 

5 Then“ Jesus saith unto them, ὁ Children, 
have ye any meat? ‘They answered him, No. 

6 And he said unto them, ἢ Cast the net on 
the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. 
They cast therefore, and now they were not 
able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 

7 Therefore * that disciple whom Jesus loved 
saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when 
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he 
girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was na- 
ked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 


© Chap. xx. 14——4 Luke xxiv. 41. 


¢ Or, Sirs. 


Verse 4. Knew not that it was Jesus.| Probably 
because it was either not light enough, or he was at 
too great a distance, or he had assumed another form, 
as in Mark xvi. 12; otherwise his person was so re- 
markable that all his disciples readily knew him when 
he was at hand: see ver. 12. 

Verse 5. Children] QUadia, a term of familiarity 
and affectionate kindness: it is the vocative case 
plural of racdcov, which is the diminutive of παις, and 
literally signifies little children, or beloved children. 
How the margin haS made sirs out of it I cannot 
conceive. 

Any meat] Upocdayiov, from προς, besides, and 
φαγω, I eat; any thing that is eaten with bread, or 
such like solid substances, to make the deglutition 
the more easy: here it evidently means any kind 
of fish ; and our Lord seems to have appeared at first 
in the character of a person who wished to purchase 
a part of what they had caught: see the note on 
chap. vi. 9. 

Verse 6. And ye shall find.| The Aithiopic, three 
copies of the Itala, and St. Cyril, add, They said there- 
fore unto him, we have laboured all the night and 
caught nothing, nevertheless at thy command we will 
let down the net. This is borrowed from Luke v. 5. 

For the multitude of fishes.| This was intended as 
an emblem of the immense number of souls which 
should be converted to God by their ministry, accord- 
ing to the promise of Christ, Matt. iv. 19. 

Verse 7. His -fisher’s coat] Or, his upper coat. 
Ἐπενδυτην, from ext, upon, and evdva, I clothe ; some- 
thing analagous to what we term a great coat or 
surtout. 

He was naked) He was only in his vest. Τύμνος, 
naked, is often used to signify the absence of this 
upper garment only. In 1 Sam. xix. 24, when Saul 
had put off his ‘varia, upper garments, he is said to 
have been γύμνος, naked; and David, when girded 
only with a linen ephod, is said to have been 
uncovered, in 2 Sam. vi. 14, 20. To which may be 
added what we read in the Sept. Job xxii. 6, Thou 
hast taken away the covering of the naked; ἀμφιασιν 

ν 


CHAP. XXI. 


draught of fishes 


8 And the other disciples came 4,™, 4033. 
in a little ship ; (for they were not a 
far from land, but as it were two = 
hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 

9 As soon then as they were come to land, 
they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid 
thereon, and bread. 

10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish 
which ye have now caught. 

11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net 
to land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty 
and three : and for all there were so many, yet 
was not the net broken. 

12 Ἵ Jesus saith unto them, "Come and 
dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, 
Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord, 


fLuke νυ. 4, 6, 7.—— Chap. xiii. 23; xx. 2,—— Acts x. 41. 


γυμνων, the plaid or blanket in which they wrapped 
themselves, and besides which they had none other. 
In this sense it is that Virgil says, Geor. i. 299: 
Nudus ara, sere nudus, i. e. strip off your upper gar- 
ments, and work till you sweat. See more examples 
in Bp. Pearce. 

Cast himself into the sea.| It is likely that they 
were in very shallow water ; and, as they were only 
two hundred cubits from the land, (about one hundred 
and thirty-two English yards,) it is possible that Peter 
only stepped into the water that he might assist them 
to draw the boat to land, which was now heavily laden. 
It is not likely that he went into the water in order to 
swim ashore ; had he intended this, it is not to be sup- 
posed that he would have put his great coat on, which 
must have been an essential hinderance to him in 
getting to shore. 

Verse 8. Dragging the net] It is probable that this 
was that species of fishing in which the net was 
stretched from the shore out into the sea; the persons 
who were in the boat, and who shot the net, fetched 
a compass, and bringing in a hawser, which was at- 
tached to the other end of the net, those who were on 
shore helped them to drag it in. As the net was sunk 
with weights to the bottom, and the top floated on the 
water by corks, or pieces of light wood, all the fish that 
happened to come within the compass of the net were 
of course dragged to shore. ‘The sovereign power of 
Christ had in this case miraculously collected the fish to 
that part where he ordered the disciples to cast the net. 

Verse 9. They saw a fire, &c.|] This appears to 
have been a new miracle. It could not have beer 
a fire which the disciples had there, for it is remarkea 
as something new ; besides, they had caught no fish, 
ver. 5, and here was a small fish upon the coals, 
and a loaf of bread provided to eat with it. The 
whole appears to have been miraculously prepared by 
Christ. 

Verse 12. Come and dine.] Acute, αριςησατε. 
Though this is the literal translation of the word, yet 
it must be observed that it was not dinner time, being 
as yet early in the morning, ver. 4; but Kypke has 

661 


Peter 1s questioned 


Ba 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh 


An. Olymp. bread, and giveth them, and fish 

CCIL.1. δ j 
——_—__ likewise. 

14 This is now ? the third time that Jesus 
showed himself to his disciples, after that he 
was risen from the dead. 

15 Ἵ So when they had dined, Jesus saith 
to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest 


ST. JOHN. 


concerning his love to Christ. 
A. M. 4033. 


thou me more than these? He 4, Ties 
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou An. Olymp. 
knowest that I love thee. He saith Ct 
unto him, Feed my lambs. 

16 He saith to him again the second time, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith 
unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love 
thee. * He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 


i See chap. xx. 19, 26. 


k Acts xx. 28; Heb. xiii. 20; 1 Pet. ii. 25; v.2, 4. 


largely shown that the original word is used by Ho- 
mer, Xenophon, and Plutarch, to signify breakfast, 
or any early meal, as well as what we term dinner. 
It might perhaps appear singular, otherwise it would 
be as agreeable to the use of the Greek word, to have 
translated it, come and breakfast. 

Durst ask him] V.ver since the confession of Tho- 
mas, a proper awe of the Deity of Christ had possess- 
ed their minds. 

Verse 13. And giveth them] Eating likewise with 
them, as Luke expressly says: chap. xxiv. 43. 

Verse 14. This is now the third time] That is, 
this was the third time he appeared unto the apos- 
tles, when all or most of them were together. He 
appeared to den of them, chap. xx. 19; again to eleven 
of them, ver. 26; and at this time to seven of them, 
ver. 2 of this chapter. But, when the other evan- 
gelists are collated, we shall find that this was the 
seventh time in which he had manifested himself after 
he arose from the dead. Ist. He appeard to Mary 
of Magdala, Mark xvi. 9; John xx. 15, 16. 2ndly, 
To the holy women who came from the tomb, Matt. 
xxviii. 9. 3dly, To the two disciples who went to 
Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 13, ἄς. 4thly, To St. Peter 
alone, Luke xxiv. 34. 5thly, To the ten, in the 
absence of Thomas, chap. xx. 19. 6thly, Hight 
days after to the eleven, 'Thomas being present, ver. 
26. 7thly, To the seven, mentioned in ver. 2 of 
this chapter ; which was between the eighth and for- 
tieth day after his resurrection. Besides these seven 
appearances, he showed himself, 8thly, To the dis- 
ciples on a certain mountain in Galilee, Matt. xxviii. 
16. If the appearance mentioned by St. Paul, 1 Cor. 
xv. 6, to upwards of 500 brethren at once—if this 
be not the same with his appearance on a mountain 
in Galilee, it must be considered the ninth. Accord- 
ing to the same apostle, he was seen of James, 1 
Cor. xv. 7, which may have been the tenth appear- 
ance. And, after this, to all the apostles, when, at 
Bethany, he ascended to heaven in their presence. 
See Mark xvi. 19, 20; Luke xxiv. 50-53; Acts i. 
3-12; 1 Cor. xv. 7. This appears to have been 
the eceventh time in which he distinctly manifested 
himself after his resurrection. But there might have 
been many other manifestations, which the evangelists 
have not thought proper to enumerate, as not being 
connected with any thing of singular weight or im- 
portance. 

Verse 15. Simon—lovest thou me] Peter had 
thrice denied his Lord, and now Christ gives him an 
opportunity in some measure to repair his fault by a 
triple confession. 

662 


More than these ?| This was a kind of reproach to 
Peter: he had professed a more affectionate attach- 
ment to Christ than the rest; he had been more for- 
ward in making professions of friendship and love than 
any of the others; and no one (Judas excepted) had 
treated his Lord so basely. As he had before inti- 
mated that his attachment to his Master was more than 
that of the rest, our Lord now puts the question to him, 
Dost thou love me more than these 2 To which Peter 
made the most modest reply—Thou knowest I love 
thee, but no longer dwells on the strength of his love, 
nor compares himself with even the meanest of his 
brethren. He had before cast the very unkind re- 
flection on his brethren, Though all be offended be- 
cause of thee, yet will I never be offended, Matt. xxvi. 
33. But he had now learned, by dreadful experience, 
that he who trusteth his own heart is a fool; and that 
a man’s sufficiency for good is of the Lord alone. 

The words, more than these, Bishop Pearce ininks 
refer to the provisions they were eating, or to their 
secular employments ; for says he, “ It does not seem 
probable that Jesus should put a question to Peter 
which he could not possibly answer; because he could 
only know his own degree of love for Jesus, not that 
of the other disciples.” But it appears to me that our 
Lord refers to the profession made by Peter, which 
I have quoted above. 

It is remarkable that in these three questions om 
Lord uses the verb ayaraw, which signifies to love af- 


fectionately, ardently, supremely, perfectly—see the 


note on Matt. xxi. 37; and that Peter always replies, 
using the verb φιλεω, which signifies to love, to like, to 
regard, to feel friendship for another. As if our Lord 
had said, ““ Peter, dost thou love me ardently and su- 
premely 1) ΤῸ which he answers, ‘“ Lord, I feel an 
affection for thee—I do esteem thee—but dare, at 
present, say no more.” 

There is another remarkable change of terms in this 
place. Inver. 15, and 17, our Lord uses the verb 
βοσκω to feed, and in ver. 16 he uses the word 
ποιμαιίνω, Which signifies to tend a flock, not only to 
feed, but to take care of, guide, govern, defend, &c., 
by which he seems to intimate that it is not sufficient 
merely to offer the bread of life to the congregation of 
the Lord, but he must take care that the sheep be pro- 
perly collected, attended to, regulated, guided, &c. ; 
and it appears that Peter perfectly comprehended our 
Lord’s meaning, and saw that it was a direction given 
not only to Aim, and to the rest of the disciples, but to 
all their successors in the Christian ministry ; for him- 
self says, 1 Hpist. chap. v. 2: Feed the flock of God 


(ποιμανατε To ποιμνίον Tov Θεοῦ) which is among You, 


Christ foretells the 


ἌΠΟ 17 He saith unto him the third 
An. Olymp. time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest 

CCIL 1. 3 
———— thou me? Peter was grieved be- 
cause he said unto him the third time, Lovest 
thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, ! thou 
knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love 
thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 

18 ™ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When 
thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and 
walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when 
thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy 
hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry 
thee whither thou wouldest not. 

19 This spake he, signifying ἃ by what death 
he should glorify God. And when he had 
spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 

20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the dis- 
ciple ° whom Jesus loved, following; which 
uso leaned on his breast at supper, and said, 


1Chap. ii. 24, 25; xvi. 30. m Chap. xiii. 36; Acts xii. 3, 4. 
=2 Pet. i. 14. © Chap. xiii. 23, 25; xx. 2.——P Matt. xvi. 27, 


taking the oversight (επισκοπουντες, acting as superin- 
tendents and guardians,) not by constraint, but wil- 
hingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. 
Every spiritual shepherd of Christ has a flock, com- 
posed of LamBs—young converts, and sHEEP—expe- 
rienced Christians, to feed, guide, regulate, and govern. 
To be properly qualified for this, his wisdom and holi- 
hess should always exceed those of his flock. Who 
1s sufficient for these things? The man who lives in 
God, and God in him. 

To the answer of Christ, in ver. 16, the later Syriac 
adds, If thou lovest me and esteemest me, feed my sheep. 

Verse 17. Peter was grieved] Fearing, says St. 
Chrysostom, lest Christ saw something in his heart 
which he saw not himself, and which might lead to 
another fall; and that Christ was about to tell him of 
it, as he had before predicted his denial. 

Verse 18. Thou shalt stretch forth thy hands] 
Wetstein observes that it was a custom at Rome to put 
the necks of those who were to be crucified into a 
yoke, and to stretch out their hands and fasten them 
to the end of it; and having thus led them through the 
city they were carried out to be crucified. See his 
note on this place. Thus then Peter was girded, 
chained, and carried whither he would not—not that 
he was unwilling to die for Christ ; but he was a man 
—he did not love death; but he loved his life less 
than he loved his God. 

Verse 19. Should glorify God.] Ancient writers 
state that, about thirty-four years after this, Peter was 
crucified ; and that he deemed it so glorious a thing to 
die for Christ that he begged to be crucified with his head 
downwards, not considering himself worthy to die in 
the same posture in which his Lord did. So Lusebius, 
Prudentius, Chrysostom, and Augustin. See Calmet. 

Follow me.| Whether our Lord meant by these 
words ‘hat “ster vis o walk with him a little way for 

1 


CHAP. XXI. 


manner of Peters death. 
Lord, which is he that betrayeth Αι δῇ 4048, 
thee 1 An. Olymp. 


᾿ 4 $ CCIL.1. 
21 Peter seeing him, saith to ——— 


Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do ? 

22 Jesus saith unto him, If J will that he tarry 
P till [come, what zs that to thee ? follow thou me. 

23 Then went this saying abroad among the 
brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet 
Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, 
If I will that he tarry till I come, what 7s that 
to thee? 

24 “ This is the disciple which testifieth of 
these things, and wrote these things: and ἃ we 
know that his testimony is true. 

25 τ And there are also many other things 
which Jesus did, the which, if they should be 
written every one, *I suppose that even the 
world itself could not contain the books that 
should be written. Amén. 


28; xxv. 31; 1Cor.iv.5; xi.26; Rev. 11.25; iii. 11: xxii. 7,20. 
4Chap. xix.35; 3 John 12—* Chap. xx. 30. s Amos vii. 10. 


a private interview, or whether he meant that he was 
to imitate his example, or be conformed to him in the 
manner of his death, is very uncertain. 

Verse 22. If Iwill that he tarry ull I come| 
There are several opinions concerning this: the fol- 
lowing are the principal. 1. Some have concluded 
from these words that John should never die. Many 
eminent men, ancients and moderns, have been and 
are of this opinion. 2. Others thought that our Lord 
intimated that John should live till Christ came to 
judge and destroy Jerusalem. On this opinion it is 
observed that Peter, who was the oldest of the apostles, 
died in the year 67, which, says Calmet, was six years 
before the destruction of Jerusalem; and that John 
survived the ruin of that city about thirty years, he be- 
ing the only one of the ¢welve who was alive when the 
above desolation took place. 3. St. Augustin, Bede. 
and others, understood the passage thus: If I will that 
he remain till 1 come and take him away by a natural 
death, what is that to thee? follow thou me to thy 
crucifixion. On this it may be observed, that all an- 
tiqnity agrees that John, if he did die, was the only 
disciple who was taken away by a natural death. 4. 
Others imagine that our Lord was only now taking 
Peter aside to speak something to him in private, and 
that Peter, seeing John following, wished to know 
whether he should come along with them; and that 
our Lord’s answer stated that John should remain in 
that place till Christ and Peter returned to him; and 
to this meaning of the passage many eminent critics 
incline. For nearly eighteen hundred years, the 
greatest men in the world have been puzzled with 
this passage. It would appear intolerable in me to at- 
tempt to decide, where so many eminent doctors have 
disagreed, and do still disagree. I rather lean to the 
fourth opinion. See the conclusion of the Preface to 
this Gospel. 

663 


Observations on the 


Verse 24. This is the disciple] It is, I think, very 
likely that these two verses were added by some of 
the believers at that time, as a testimony to the truth 
of the preceding narration ; and I allow, with Bishop 
Pearce and others, that it is possible that John may 
mean himself when he says we know, &c., yet, I think 
that it is very wnlzkely. It is certain that this Gospel 
loses no part of its authority in admitting the suffrage 
of the Church of God: it rather strengthens the im- 
portant truths which are delivered in it; and in the 
mouths of so many witnesses the sacred matters which 
concern the peace and salvation of the world, are still 
more abundantly established. See the last note on the 
preceding chapter. 

We know] Instead of οἰδαμεν, we know, some have 
written oda μεν, I know indeed; but this is mere con- 
jecture, and is worthy of no regard. It is likely 
that these verses were added by those to whom John 
gave his work in charge. 

Verse 25. Many other things] Before his disciples, 
is added by two MSS. The Scholia in several MSS. 
intimate that this verse is an addition; but it is found 
in every ancient version, and in Origen, Cyril, and 
Chrysostom. 

Could not contain, &e.| Origen’s signification of 
the word χωρεῖν is to admit of, or receive favourably. 
As if he had said, the miracles of Christ are so many, 
and so astonishing, that if the whole were to be detailed 
the world » 1d rot receive the account with proper 
faith ; but enough is recorded that men may believe 
that Jesus is the Son of God, and that in believing they 
may have life through his name: chap. xx. 31. 

We have already seen that this apostle often uses 
the term world to designate the Jewish people only ; 
and if it have this sense here, which is possible, it will 
at once vindicate the above exposition of the word 
yopew. As if he had said, Were I to detail all the 
signs and miracles which Jesus did among his disciples, 
and in the private families where he sojourned, the 
Jewish people themselves would not receive nor credit 
these accounts; but enough is written to prove that 
this Christ was the promised Messiah. 

Bishop Pearce has a very judicious note here, of 
which what follows is an abstract, with a few additions. 

Ewen the world itself, ὅδε. This is a very strong 
eastern expression, to represent the number of miracles 
which Jesus wrought. But, however strong and strange 
this expression may seem to us of the western world, 
we find sacred and other authors using hyperboles of 
the like kind and signification. In Num. xiii. 33, the 
spies who returned from the search of the land of 
Canaan say that they saw giants there of such a pro- 
digious size that they were in their own sight as grass- 
hoppers. In Dan. iv. 11, mention is made of a tree, 
whereof the height reached unto the heaven; and the 
sight thereof unto the end of all the earth. And the 
author of Keclesiasticus, in chap. xlvii. 15, speaking 
of Solomon’s wisdom, says, Thy soul covered the whole 
earth, and thou filledst it with parables: so here, by 
one degree more of hyperbole, it is said that the world 
would not contain all the books which should be writ- 
ten concerning Jesus’s miracles, if the particular ac- 
count of every one of them were given. In Josephus, 
Antiq. lib. xix. e. 20, God is mentioned as promising 

664 


ST. JOHN. 


nature of hyperboles 


to Jacob that he would give the land of Canaan to him 
and his seed; and then it is added, of πληρουσι πασαν, 
ὅσην ἡλιος ὁρᾳ, καὶ ynv Kat θαλασσαν. They shall file 
all, whatsoever the sun illuminates, whether earth or 
sea. Philo in his tract De Ebriet, 'T. i. p. 362, 10, 
is obseryed to speak after the same manner, οὐδὲ yap 
τῶν δωρεων ἱκανος οὐδεὶς χωρῆσαι τὸ adbovov πληθος, 
ἰσὼς δ᾽ ovd’ ὁ κοσμος. Neither is any one able to con- 
tain the vast abundance of gifts; nor is the world 
capable of it. And in his tract De Posterit. Caini, T. 
i. p. 253, 1. 38, he says, speaking of the fulness of 
God, Ovde yap εἰς (ει) πλουτον επιδεικνυσθαι βουληθειη 
τον ἑαυτου, χωρησαι av, ηπειρωθεισης καὶ θαλαττῆ ςν» 
ἦ συμπασα γη. ‘And should he will to draw out his 
fulness, the whole compass of sea and land could not 
contain it.” 

Homer, who, if not born in Asia Minor, had un 
doubtedly lived there, has sometimes followed the hy- 
perbolic manner of speaking which prevailed so much 
in the east, as in Iliad, b. xx. he makes A’neas say 
to Achilles :— 


AA aye μηκετι Tavta λεγωμεθα, νηπύυτιοι Oc, 

‘Ecaor’ ev μεσσῃ ὑσμινῃ δηϊΐοτητος. 

Ecu yap ἀμφοτεροισιν ονειίδεα μυθησασθαι 

Πολλὰ μαλ᾽ ovd’ av νηυς ἑκατονζυγος αχθος 
ἀροιτο. 

Στρεπτη de γλωσσ᾽ ecu βροτων, πολεες δ᾽ eve μυθοι, 

Tlavrovou ἐπέων δὲ πολὺς νομὸς ενθα καὶ ενθα. 

Ὅπποιον κ᾽ εἰπῃσθα επος, τοῖον κ᾽ επακουσαίς. 


Tliad, xx. v. 244-250. 


But wherefore should we longer waste the time 

In idle prate, while battle roars around ? 

Reproach is cheap. With ease we might discharge 

Gibes at each other, {1 a ship that asks 

A hundred oars should sink beneath the load. 

The tongue of man is voluble, hath words 

For every theme, nor wants wide field and long; 

And, as he speaks, so shall he hear again. 
Cowrrr. 


Few instances of any thing like these have been 
found in the western world; and yet it has been ob- 
served that Cicero, in Philip. ii. 44, uses a similar 
form: Presertim cum illi eam gloriam consecutt sunt, 
que vix celo capi posse videatur—* especially when 
they pursuea that glory which heaven itself seems 
scarcely sufficient to contain.” And Livy also, in vii- 
25, He vires populi Romani, quas vix terrarum capit 
orbis—* these energies of the Roman people, which 
the terraqueous globe can scarcely contain.” 

We may define hyperbole thus: it is a figure of 
speech where more seems to be said than is intended ; 
and it is well known that the Asiatic nations abound 
in these. In Deut. i. 28, cities with high walls round 
about them are said to be walled up to heaven. Now, 
what is the meaning of this hyperbole? Why, that 
the cities had very high walls: then, is the hyperbole 
a truth? Yes, for we should attach no other idea to 
these expressions than the authors intended to convey 
by them. Now, the author of this expression never 
designed to intimate that the cities had walls which 
reached to heaven; nor did one οἵ his countrymen 
understand it in this sense—they affixed no other idea 
to it, (for the words, in common use, conveyed no 

1 


ee 


Observations on 


other,) than that these cities had very high walls. 
When John, therefore, wrote, the world itself could 
not contain the books, &c., what would every Jew 
understand by it? Why, that it every thing which 
Christ had done and said were to be written, the books 
would be more in number than had ever been written 
concerning any one person or subject: i. 6. there 
would be an immense number of books. And so there 
would be ; for it is not possible that the ten thousandth 
part of the words and actions of such a life as our 
Lord’s was could be contained in the compass of one 
or all of these Gospels. 

There is a hyperbole very like this, taken from the 
Jewish writers, and inserted by Basnace, Hist. des 
Juifs, liv. iii. e. 1,8. 9. “ Jochanan succeeded Simeon 
—he attained the age of Moses—he employed forty 
years in commerce, and in pleading before the Sanhe- 
drin. He composed such a great number of precepts 
and lessons, that if the heavens were paper, and all 
the trees of the forest so many pens, and all the chil- 
dren of men so many scribes, they would not suffice to 
write all his lessons!” Now, what meaning did the 
author of this hyperbole intend to convey? Why, 
that Jochanan had given more lessons than all his con- 
temporaries or predecessors. Nor does any Jew in the 
universe understand the words in any other sense. It 
is worthy of remark that this Jochanan lived in the 
time of St. John; for he was in Jerusalem when it 
was besieged by Vespasian. See Basnage, as above. 

There is another quoted by the same author, ibid. 
6. vy. s. 7, where, speaking of Eliezar, one of the pre- 
sidents of the Sanhedrin, it is said: “ Although the 
firmament were vellum, and the waters of the ocean 
were changed into ink, it would not be sufficient to de- 
sersse all the knowledge of Eliezar; for he made not 
less than three hundred constitutions concerning the 
manner of cultivating cucumbers.” Now, what did 
the rabbin mean by this hyperbole? Why, no more 
than that Eliezar was the greatest naturalist in his 
time ; and had written and spoken more on that subject 
and others than any of his contemporaries. This Elie- 
zar flourished about seventy-three years after Christ. 
It is farther worthy of remark that this man also is 
stated to have lived in the time of St. John. John is 
supposed to have died A. D. 99. 

Hyperboles of this kind, common to the east and 
to the west, to the north and to the south, may be 
found every where ; and no soul is puzzled with them 
but the critics. The above examples, I trust, are suf- 
ficient to vindicate and explain the words in the text. 
Tt is scarcely necessary to add that the common French 
expression, tout le monde, which literally means the 
whole world, is used ina million of instances to signify 
the people present at one meeting, or the majority of 
them, and often the members of one particular family. 
And yet no man who understands the language ever 
imagines that any besides the congregation in the one 
case, or the family in the other, is intended. 

Amen.|] This word is omitted by ABCD, several 
others; Syriac, all the Arabic, and both the Persic ; 
the Coptic, Sahidic, Athiopic, Armenian, Syriac Hie- 
ros., Vulgate, and all the tala but three. 

The word {28 amen, which has passed unaltered 


CHAP. ΧΧΙ. 


the word Amen 


the sacred writings are extant, is pure Hebrew; and 
signifies to be steady, constant, firm, established, or 
confirmed. It is used as a particle of affirmation and 
adjuration. When a person was sworn to the truth of 
any fact, the oath was recited to him, and he bound 
himself by simply saying, {28 {DN amen, amen. See 
an instance of this, Num. v. 22. In Deut. xxvii. 15- 
26, it is to be understood in the same sense; the per- 
sons who use it binding themselves, under the curse 
there pronounced, should they do any of the things 
there prohibited. It is often used as a particle of 
affirmation, approbation, and consent, examples of 
which frequently occur in the Old Testament. When 
any person commenced a discourse or testimony with 
this word, it was considered in the light of an oath; 
as if he had said, I pledge my truth, my honour, and 
my life to the certainty of what I now state. 

Our Lord begins many of his discourses with this 
word, either singly, Amen, I say unto you; or doubled, 
Amen, amen, I say unto you; which we translate 
verily : as Christ uses it, we may ever understand it as 
expressing an absolute and incontrovertible truth. In- 
stances of the use of the single term frequently occur : 
see Matt. v. 18, 26; vi. 2, 5, 16; viii. 10; x. 15 
23, 42, &e., ἄς. ; but it is remarkable that it is doubled 
by St. John, see chap. i. 51; ili. 3,5,11; v. 19, 24, 
25; vi. 26, 32, 47,53; vill. 34, 51, 585 x..1, 7; 
xii. 24; xiii. 16, 20, 21, 38; xiv. 12; xvi. 20, 28; 
xxi. 18; and is never found iterated by any of the 
other evangelists. Some have supposed that the word 
Jos is contracted, and contains the initials of 0 18 
1292 Adonai Malec Neeman, my Lord the faithful 
King ; to whom the person who uses it is always un- 
derstood to make his appeal. Christ is himself called 
the Amen, ὁ Auyv, Rey. i. 18; iii. 14; because of the 
eternity of his nature and the unchangeableness of his 
truth. In later ages, it was placed at the end of all 
the books in the New Testament, except the Acts, the 
Epistle of James, and the third Epistle of John, merely 
as the transcriber’s attestation to their truth; and, per- 
haps, it is sometimes to be understood as vouching to 
the fidelity of his own transcript. 

The subscriptions to this Gospel, as well as to the 
preceding Gospels, are various in the different versions 
and manuscripts. The following are those which ap- 
pear most worthy of being noticed. 

“The most holy Gospel of the preaching of John 
the evangelist, which he spake and proclaimed in the 
Greek language at Ephesus, is finished.”—Syriac in 
Bib. Polyglott. 

‘With the assistance of the supreme God, the Gos- 
pel of St. John the son of Zebedee, the beloved of the 
Lord, and the preacher of eternal life, is completed 
And it is the conclusion of the four most holy and 
vivifying Gospels, by the blessing of God. Amen.”— 
Arasic in Bib. Polyglott. 

“The four glorious Gospels, of Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, and John, are completed..—Persic in Bib. 
Polygilott. 

Other subscriptions are as follow -— 

“The end of the holy Gospel of John—delivered 
thirty years—thirty-two years after the ascension of 
Christ—in the Isle of Patmos—in the Greek tongue 


into almost all the languages of the world in which | at Ephesus—under the reign of Domitian—written by 


A 


665 


Harmonized table of contents 


John when he was an exile in Patmos—under the 
Emperor Trajan—and delivered in Ephesus by Gaius 
the host of the apostles. John, having returned from 
his exile in Patmos, composed his Gospel, being 
100 years of age and lived to the age of 120.”— 
Sumas. 

In an Atthiopic MS. in the royal library in Paris, at 
the conclusion of this evangelist are these words :— 


ST. JOHN. 


of the four Gospels 


are 217. The clauses of the holy Gospel, even from 
its beginning to its end, namely, the writing of St. 
John, are completed.” 

It may be just necessary to inform the reader that 
the most ancient MSS. have searcely any subscription 
at all, and that there is no dependence to be placed on 
any thing of this kind found in the others; most of the 
transcribers making conclusions according to their dif- 


ferent fancies. See the concluding note of the pre- 
ceding chapter; and see the preface to this Gospel, 
where other subjects relative to it are discussed. 


‘** Now the sum of all the clauses of the four Gospels 
is 9700.—By the grace of the Lord, here are ended 
the four Gospels. The sections of the four Gospels 


A HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


Tue following harmonized Table of Contents of the four Gospels I have borrowed from Professor Michaelis 
Introduction to the New Testament, by Dr. Marsh, vol. iii. p. 40, &c., and think it will be of use to the reader 
in pointing out where the same transaction is mentioned by the evangelists; what they have in common, and 
what is peculiar to each. The arrangement of facts as they occur in St. Matthew is here generally followed, 
and the other evangelists collated with his account. From this table it will at once appear how little St. John 
has in common with the other three, except in the concluding part of his Gospel: and hence the propriety 
will be self-evident of considering his work in the light of a mest important supplement to the evangelical history. 

A few directions for the proper use of this table may be necessary; though it is in general so very plain 
that there is little danger of its being misunderstood. 

The sections, Nos. 1, 2, 3, &c., are produced in a sort of chronological order; and therefore are found 
prefixed to those facts in the different evangelists in the order of time in which those facts are supposed to 
have succeeded each other: 6. g. Luke’s Preface is sect. 1st., Matthew having nothing of the kind. The 
genealogy under Matt. sect. 24; Birth of John, sect. 3d, under Luke, &e. ; and thus the apparent irregularity 
of the numbers prefixed to the transactions mentioned in the different columns, headed by the names of the 
evangelists, is to be understood. The arrangement of Matthew is seldom altered; but the consecutive faets 
are numbered as nearly as possible, in the supposed chronological order of their occurrence. 

Besides this general harmonical Table of Contents of the four Gospels, I have added three others. The 
first is a Synopsis of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, constructed by Professor Griesbach, in order 
to show that the whole Gospel of Mark, twenty-four verses excepted, is contained nearly in the same words 
in Matthew and Luke. 

The second, a Table of forty-two sections, which contain such transactions as are common to the three 
first evangelists. 

And the third, a Table representing those passages in our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount which are found 
either in word or substance in certain places of St. Luke’s Gospel. These tables, it is hoped, will be con- 
sidered of real importance by every serious and intelligent reader. 


MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. 


1. Preface, i. 1-4. 
§ 2. Genealogy of Christ, : 
᾿Ξ: ili. 23-38. 
§ 3. Birth of John, i. 5-25. 
§ 4. Birth of Christ an- 
nounced to Mary, i. 26— 
38. 
§ 5. Mary’s visit to Elisa- 
beth, i. 39-56. 
§ 6. Joseph’s dream, i. 


18-24. : 
§ 7. Birth of John, 1. 57— 
80. 
§ 8. Birth of Christ, i. 25. ii. 1-20. 
ᾧ 9. Circumcision of Christ, 
᾿- 91. 


ᾧ 10. Presentation of Christ 
ir. the temple, 11. 22-40. 
666 J 


MATTHEW. 


§ 11. Jesus sought and 
worshipped by the wise 
men: Flight into Egypt, 
and return: Massacre of 
the children of Bethle- 
hem, ii. 1-23. 


§ 13. John preaches, iii. 
1-12. 

§14. Christ is baptized, iii. 
13-17. 

§ 15. Christ is tempted, iv. 
ἘΠῚ 


§ 22. Arrives in Galilee, 
calls several disciples, | 
and performs miracles, 
iy. 12-24. 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CCNTENTS. 


MARK 


i, 1-8. 
i. 9-11. 


i. 12, 13. 


i. 14-20. 


LUKE. 


§ 12. Education of Christ, 
and remarkable history 
of him in his 12th year 
at the Feast of the Pass- 
over, ii. 41-52. 

iii. 1-20. 


111. 21, 22. 


iv. 1-13. 


iv. 14. 


§ 24. Christ teaches in the 


JOHN. 


§ 16. Remarkable addition 
made by this evangelist, 
relative to the testimonies 
in favour of Christ, by 
which he obtained his 
first disciples, who soon 
increased in numbers, i. 
15-51. 

§ 17-20. History of Christ 
before the imprisonment 
of John. 

§ 17. Christ returns into 
Galilee, and turns water 
into wine at Cana, i. 
1=11. 

§ 18. Goes to Jerusalem 
at the Feast of the Pass- 
over, and drives the sell- 
ers out of the temple, ii 
13-22. 

ᾧ 19. Instructs Nicodemus 
in the nature of the new 
birth, ii. 23-iii. 21. 

§ 20. Remains in Judea; 
additional testimony of 
John Baptist concerning 
him, iii. 22-36. 

§ 21. Returns (after the 

. imprisonment of John) 
through Samaria to Gali- 
lee: conversation with 
the Samaritan woman : 
many Samaritans believe 
on him, iv. 1-42. 


iv. 43, 44. 


§ 23. Remarkable addition 
of a second miracle at 
Cana, by which the ab- 
sent son of a nobleman 
is instantly restored to 
health, iv. 45-54. 


667 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS 


MATTHEW. LUKE. JOHN. 


synagogue at Nazareth, 
iv. 15-30.* 
+ §25-30 History of a single day, and that 2 Sabbath.|§ 25-32. History of a single day, and that a Sabbath 

§ 25. Christ teaches in the 
synagogue at Caperna- 
um, and healsademoniac, 
i. 21-28. 

§ 26. Christ ascends a moun- 
tain, passes the night in 
prayer, and then chooses 
his apostles, iii. 13-19. 


iv. 31-37. 


vi. 12-16 

§ 27. Christ delivers a dis- 
course in which he con- 
demns the morality of the 
Pharisees, and opposes 
to it a better morality, 
which he commissions 
his apostles to teach, iv. 

25.3 Vi. Vi., Vil. 

§ 28. Cleanses a leper, viii. 

1-4, i. 40-45. 

§29. Heals the servant of 
a centurion, vill. 5-13. 

§ 30. Restores Peter’s mo- 
ther-in-law, and after the 
Sabbath was ended, se- 
veral other sick persons, 

vill, 14-17. i. 29-34. iv. 38-41. 
The day immediately following the preceding Sabbath. 
§ 31. Christ departs from 
Capernaum, i. 35-39. iv. 42-44. 

§ 32. Restores to life the 
young man at Nain, vil. 
11-17. 

§ 32. Petey’s large draught 
of fishes; of which no 
traces are discoverable 
with respect to the time 
when it happened, v.1-11 


vi. 17-49. 


v. 12-16. 


vil. 1-10. 


* “Tn point of chronology, this does not belong to the present place, even according to St. Luke: but I place it 
here because St. Luke has introduced it immediately after the preceding history. Perhaps it belongs to No. 50, 
though I have not placed it there, because it does not exactly agree with the accounts quoted in that article from St. 
Matthew and St. Mark.” 

+ Some critics and harmonists who agree in the main with Professor Michaelis, in this part of his Harmony, dis- 
sent in a few particulars. Michaelis thinks that all the transactions included from No. 25, to No. 30, happened on 
one day. And Professor Marsh states the argument thus :— - 

No. 27 is the Sermon on the Mount, related by Matthew, chap. v., vi., and vii. 

No. 28, 29, and 30. The cure of the leper—of the centurion’s servant—of Peter’s mother-in-law—and other such 
persons at Cxpernaum, are all related by St. Matthew, chap. viii. 1-17, as events which took place on the same day 
on which the Sermon on the Mount was delivered. 

No. 25, not mentioned by Matthew, took place, according to Mark i. 29, 30; Luke iv. 38, on the same day as 
the cure of St. Peter’s mother-in-law, No. 30. 

No. 26. Christ's choice of the twelve apostles (not mentioned by St. Matthew) imme iately preceded the Sermon 
on the Mount, according to Luke vi. 12-49; consequently all the events in Nos. 25-30, happened on the same day, 

Dr. Marsh allows the probability of Nos. 27-30 happening on the same day, but thinks Nos. 25, and 26, should not 
be referred to the same time. 

“ On these two articles,” says he, Matthew is totally silent, and therefore we have the authority only of St. Mark 
and St. Luke. But though St. Mark and St. Luke refer No. 25 to the same day as they refer No. 30, yet they both 
agree in referring No. 26 to a later day. We have no authority whatsoever, therefore, to refer No. 26 to that day 
assigned by our author; and even if we refer No. 25 to that day, it ought not to occupy the place which he has allot- 
ted to it, but should immediately precede No. 30, for the reason already assigned. On the other hand, if we refer 
No. 26 to that day, we must necessarily refer No. 25 to an earlier day; for on these two articles St. Mark and St 
Luke are our only guides, and they both agree in making a very distinct and circumstantial separation of them.”— 
Marsh's Notes to Michaelis’ Introd. vol. iii., part ii., pp. 69-71. 

668 1 


OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. JOHN. 


§ 33-37. Another history of a single day, which was likewise a Sabbath. 
ᾧ 33. Christ defends his dis- 
ciples who plucked ears 
of corn on the Sabbath, 


xii. 1-8. ii. 23-28. vi. 1-5. 
§ 34. Cures a withered 
hand, xii. 9-21. iii. 1-12. vi. 6-11. 


§ 35. Drives out a devil, 
and is accused of doing 
it by the assistance of 
Beelzebub, the prince of 
the devils; his answer, 

xii. 22-50. ill. 22-35. viii. 19-21; xi. 14-36. 

§ 36. Dines with a Phari- 

see ; conversation at ta- 

ble, xi. 37—xii. 12. 
§ 37. Preaches in parables, 
xiii. 1-53. iv. 1-34. viii. 4—18. 

§ 38. Christ endeavours to 
retire from the multitude, 
and sails to the other side 
of the lake Gennesaret. 
Account of one who offers 
himself to be a disciple 
of Christ; and of another, 
who requests permission 
to remain with his father, 


till his death, viii. 18-27. iv. 35-41. Vili. 22-25 ; ix. 57-62. 
§ 39. Drives out a devil, 

who calls himself Legion, 

viii. 28-34. v. 1-20. viii. 26-39. 
§ 40. Heals a paralytic 

person, ix. 1-8. ii. 1-12; v. 21. v. 17-26. 


§ 41. Calls Matthew and 
Levi; dines with tax- 
gatherers, ix. 9-17. ii. 13-22. v. 27-39. 
§ 42. Heals a woman af- 
flicted with a hemorr- 
hage, and restores the 
daughter of Jairus, who 
was supposed to be dead, 
ix. 18-26. v. 22-43. viii. 40-56. 
§ 43. Restores two blind 
men to sight, ix. 27-31. 
§ 44. Restores a dumb man 
to his speech, ix. 32-34. 
ᾧ 45. Sends out his twelve 
apostles, ix. 35—xi. 1. vi. 7-13. ix. 1-6, and (but at a later 
period) the seventy dis- 
ciples, x. 1-24.* 


§ 46. Answers John, who 

inquires of him whether 

he is the Messiah, xi. 

2-19. vii. 18-35. 
§ 47. Curses the cities in 

which he had performed 


* “T place the sending out of the seventy disciples in the same article with that of the twelve apostles, merely 
because the two facts resemb-e each other; for we have no knowledge of the precise period in which the former 
event happened. The evangelists themselves have often adopted a similar plan.” 

1 669 


MATTHEW. 


the greatest part of his 
miracles, xi. 20-30. 


§ 50. Christ comes to Na- 
zareth, where he is dis- 
respectfully treated, xiii. 
54-58. 


§ 51. Herod, who had be- 
headed John, is doubtful 
what he should believe 
of Christ, xiv. 1-12. 


§ 53. Five thousand men 
fea with five loaves and 
two fishes, xiv. 13-36. 

§ 54. Discourses on wash- 
ing of hands, clean and 
unclean meats, and other 


Jewish doctrines, xv. 
1-20. 
§ 55. Christ heals the 


daughter of a Canaanite 
woman, xv. 21—28. 

§ 56. Performs several mi- 
racles, xv. 29-31. 

§ 57. Feeds four thousand 
men with seven loaves 
and a few small fishes, 
Xv. 32-39. 

§ 58. Answers those who 
require a sign from hea- 
ven, xvi. 1—4. 

§ 59. Commands his disci- 
ples to beware of the 
leaven of the Pharisees, 
which command they 
misunderstand,xvi. 5-12. 


§ 61. Asks his disciples 
whom they suppose him 
to be. Peter answers 
that he is the Messiah, 
which Jesus confirms, 
xvi. 13-20. 

§ 62. Foretells his death 
on the cross, xvi. 21-28. 

δ 63. Is transfigured on a 

670 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS 


MARK. 


vi. 1-6. 


vi. 14-29. 


vi. 30-56. 


vil. 1-23. 


vii. 24-30. 


vii. 31-37. 


viii. 1-10. 


ὙΠ]. 11-13. 


viii. 14-21. 


§ 60. Restores a blind man 
to sight, viii. 22-26. 


viii. 27-30. 


viii. 31-ix. 1. 


LUKE. 


§ 48. Is anointed by a wo- 
man, who had led a sinful 
life, vii. 37-50. 

§ 49. Account of those who 
ministered to Christ on 
his travels, viii. 1-3. 

Perhaps chap. iv. 15-30, 
which I placed No. 24, 
belongs to this article, 
and contains the same 
history, but differently 
related. 


ix. 7-9. 


ix. 10-17. 


ix. 18-21. 
ix. 21-27. 


JOHN. 


§ 52. Account of several 
remarkable transactions 
and discourses at a great 
festival in Jerusalem, 
omitted by the other 
evangelists, chapter v- 
entire. 


vi. entire 


MATTHEW. 


lofty mountain beyond 
the Jordan, xvii. 1-13. 

4.64. Cures a lunatic, xvii. 
14-21. 

65. Again foretells his 
approaching sufferings, 
Xviil. 22, 23. 

ᾧ 66. Pays the half shekel 
as tribute for the service 
of the temple, chap. xvil. 
24-27. 

ᾧ 67. His discourses, occa- 
sioned by the dispute, 
Who was the greatest in 
the kingdom of heaven, 
Xvili. 1-20. 

§68. Answers Peter’s ques- 
tion, how often we must 
forgive, xviii. 21-35. 


OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


MARK. 


ix. 2-13. 


ix. 14-29. 


ix. 30-32. 


ix. 33-50 


LUKE. 


ix. 28-36. 


ix. 37-42. 


ix, 43-45. 


ix. 46-50; xvii. 1-4. 


§ 69-S3. Single scattered 
accounts, recorded only 
by St. Luke, some of 
which belong to the three 
or four last months of the 
life of Christ, others to 
an earlier period, and 
which are not arranged 
according to the order of 
time. 

§ 69. Christ is refused the 
offices of hospitality by 
the Samaritans, chap. ix. 
51-56. 

§ 70. Answers the ques- 
tion, Who is our neigh- 
bour, x. 25-37. 

§71. Visits Martha a second 
time: his discourse re- 
lative to her too anxious 
preparations for table, x. 
38—42. 

§ 72. Teaches his disciples 
to pray, xi. 1-13. 

§ 73. Discourses occasion- 

ed by the request which 

a person present had 

made to Christ, that he 

would command his bro- 
ther to divide with him 

his inheritance, chap. xii. 

13-59. 

§ 74. Discourses occasion- 

ed by Pilate’s having put 

to death several Gali- 
leans, and mingled their 
blood with their sacri- 

fices, xiii. 1-9. 

§ 75 Christ cures on the 

Sabbath-day an infirm 

woman, who was unable 

671 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS 


MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE 


to walk upright, chap. 
xii. 10-22. 

§ 76. Answers the ques- 
tion, Whether few or 
many will be saved, xii. 
23-30. 

§ 77. Replies to those who 
desire him to retire be- 
cause Herod sought to 
put him to death, xiii. 
31-35. 

i § 78. Dines with a Pharisee 
on the Sabbath day. His 
actions and discourses on 
that occasion, xiv. entire. 

§ 79. Dines with public- 
ans, and justifies his con- 
duct to those who censure 
him. Acceptation of the 
Gentiles, xv. entire. 

§ 80. On this occasion he 
instructs his disciples in 
the true use of riches, 
and defends his doctrine 
against the Pharisees, 
who deride it, xvi. entire. 

§ 81. His discourse on the 
extraordinary effects of 
faith, xvii. 5-10. 

§ 82. Heals ten lepers, 
of whom the Samaritan 
alone returned thanks, 
xvii. 11-19. 

§ 83. Answers the ques- 
tion, when the kingdom 
of God should come, xvii. 
20—xviil. 14. 


a Et 4 π΄ 0 ἘΞ ΞΘ 936 ὁ ----- 
a Se ee 


§ 84. Answers the ques- 

tion relative to divorces, 

xix. 1-12. x. 1-12. 
§ 85. Takes little children 

into his arms, and blesses 

them; and on this oc- 

casion reproves his dis- 

ciples, xix. 13-15. x. 13-16. xvill. 15-17. 
§ 86. Answers a rich young 

man, who asked him 

how he should obtain 

eternal life ; Christ’s im- 

portant discourse on this 

occasion with his disci- \ 

ples, xix. 16—xx. 16. x. 17-31. xviii. 18-30. 
§ 87. Discourses again on 

his approaching death, 

xx. 17-19. ΣΧ. 32-34. Xvili. 31-34. 
§ 88. The mother of the 

sons of Zebedee requests 

for them the first rank in 

the kingdom of Christ ; 

Christ’s answer, chap. 

xx. 20-28. x. 35-45, 

672 1 


OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


MATTHEW. 


§ 93. Restores two blind 
men to sight, xx. 29-34. 


§ 96. Christ is anointed 
at Bethany by Mary; 
he defends this action 
against the unjust cen- 
sure of his disciples, and 
particularly of Judas Is- 
cariot, who forms the 
resolution to betray him, 
xXxvi. 6-13. 

§ 97. Christ’s entry into 
Jerusalem, xxi. 1-11. 

§ 98. He goes as Lord into 
the temple, and again 
drives out the sellers; 
he curses a fig tree, xxi. 
12-22 


§ 99. Answers the ques- 
tion, by what power he 
does this, xxi. 23-46. 

§ 100. Parable of the ne- 
glected festival of a 
king, xxii. 1-14. 

§101. Answer to the ques- 
tion relative to tribute 
money, xxii. 15-22. 

§ 102. Answers to the ob- 
jection made by the Sad- 
ducees to the resurrec- 
tion of the dead, xxii. 
23-33. 

§103. Answer to the ques- 
tion, Which is the great 
commandment of the 
law? xxii. 34-40. 

§ 104. The question pro- 
posed, Whose son the 
Messiahis? xxii. 41-46. 

§ 105. Discourses against 
Vou. I ( 43 


) 


MARK. 


x. 46-52. 


xiv. 3-9. 


xi. 1-10. 


xi. 11-26. 


xi. 27-xii. 12. 


xii. 13-17. 


xii. 18-27. 


xii. 28-34. 


xii. 35-37. 


“LUKE. JOHN. 

§ 89-92. Supplement of several events and discourses 
omitted by the three first evangelists, which took 
place especially at Jerusalem, and which belong te 
the period between No. 53, and No. 88. 

§ 89. Christ’s actions and 
discourses at Jerusalem, 
at a feast of tabernacles, 
vii. 1—x. 21. 

§ 90. Discourses at Jeru- 
salem, at the festival of 
the dedication of the 
temple, x. 22-42. 

§ 91. Christ raises Lazarus 
from the dead, xi. 1-46. 

§ 92. Returns to Ephraim, 
xi. 54. 


xviii. 35-43. 
§ 94. Visits Zaccheus, xix. 
1-10. 
§ 95. Deseribes in a para- 


ble the Jews who reject- 
ed him, xix. 11-27. 


xii. 1-8. 


xix. 28-44, xii. 12-19. 


xix. 45-48. 


xx. 1-19. 


xx. 20-26. 


xx. 27-40. 


xx. 41-44. 
673 


MATTHEW. 


the Pharisees, ch. xxiii. 
entire. 


§ 107. Prophecy of the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, 
Xxiv. entire. 

§ 108. Addition to the pre- 
ceding prophecy, found 
only in the Gospel of St. 
Matthew, xxv. 1-30. 

δ 109. Christ answers the 
question relative to the 
last judgment, chap. xxv. 
31-46. 

§110. After the preceding 
discourses were ended, 
he again foretells his ap- 
proaching death, xxvi. 2. 


§ 113. Judas Iscariot pro- 
mises to betray Christ, 
and receives 30 pieces οὗ 
silver, xxvi. 3-5, 14-16. 

§ 114. Preparation for the 
feast of the passover, 
Xxvi. 17-19. 


§ 116. He sits down to 
table, and speaks of his 
betrayer, xxvi. 20-25. 


§ 118. Institutes the holy 
Supver, xxvi. 26-29. 


9 121. Christ goes into the 
garden of Gethsemane, 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


MARK. 


xii. 38-40. 
§ 106. Small alms-offering 
of a widow commended, 
xii. 41-44. 


ΧΙ. entire. 


- 10, 11. 


xiv. 12-16. 


xiv. 17-21. 


Xiv. 22-25. 


674 


xxii. 14. 


δ 117. Presents to his 
apostles the cup of the 
passover ; his discourse 
on that occasion, xxii. 
15-18. 


xxii. 19, 20. 

§ 119. After supper, he; 
speaks again of his be- 
trayer, Xxil. 21-23. 

§ 120. Another dispute 
among the apostles who 
should be the greatest 
in the kingdom of God, 
xxii. 24-30. 


( 43* 


JOHN. 


§ 111. Of the Greeks who 
wished to see Jesus; 
Christ’s discourse on this 
occasion, and the answer 
from heaven, xii. 20-36. 

§ 112. Discourse on the 
infidelity of the Jews, 
after the performance of 
so many miracles, xil. 
37-50. 


xiii. I. 

δ 115. Christ, before he 
eats the feast of the 
passover, washes the feet 
of his disciples, xiii. 1-20. 


xiii. 21-30. 


) 


MATTHEW. 


and foretells to Peter 
that he would deny him, 
xxvi. 30-35. 


ᾧ 123. Prayer that the cup 
might be removed from 
him, xxvi. 36-46. 

§ 124. Christ is taken into 
custody, xxvi. 47—56. 

§ 125. Brought before the 
Sanhedrin, and condemn- 
ed; is denied by Peter, 
xxvi. 57-75. 

§ 126. Christ is led before 
Pilate; Judas hangs him- 
self, xxvii. 1-10. 

§ 127. Christ is accused 
before Pilate, ch. xxvii. 
11-23. 

y 128. Is condemned to 
death, xxvil. 24-31. 
§129. And crucified, xxvii. 

32-38. 

§ 130. Is reviled on the 

cross, Xxvii. 39-49. 


§132. Extraordinary events 
at the death of Christ, 
xxvii. 50-54. 


§ 134. Burial of Christ, 
xxvil. 55-61. 

§ 135. Appointment of a 
guard at his sepulchre, 
Xxvil. 62-66. 


OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


MARK. LUKE. 


xiv. 26-31. xxii. 31-38. 


xiv. 32-42. xxii. 39-46. 


xiv. 43-52. xxii. 47-53. 


xiv. 53-72. xxii. 54-71. 


xv. 1. xxiii. 1. 


xv. 2-14. xxiii. 2-22. 


xv. 15-20. Xxili. 23-25. 


xv. 21-28. xxiii. 26-35. 


xv. 29-36. xxiii. 36-43. 


xv. 38-41. 


xxiii. 44-49. 


xv. 42-47. xxill. 50-55. 


δ 136. The women pur- 


ᾧ 137. Resurrection of 
Christ, and the first ac- 
counts of it, which are 
brought by the women, 
XXvill. 1-10. 


chase spices to embalm 


the body of Christ, xvi. 1. XXiil. 56. 


xvi. 2-8. xxiv. 1-12. 


§ 138. Farther accounts of 


§ 139. The guards bring 
the account to the chief 
priests, and are bribed 
to say that the disciples 

1 


the resurrection, brought 
by Mary Magdalene, who 
sees Christ alone, and is 
commanded to report it 
to the apostles, xvi. 9-11. 


JOHN. 


§ 122. His discourse on the 
way, Xiii. 31—xvil. 26 


xviii. 1-12 


xviii. 13-28. 


xviii. 29-xix. 12 
xix. 13-16 
xix. 17-24 
§ 131. Supplement of se- 
veral facts not recorded 


by the other evangelists, 
xix. 25-30. 


§ 133. Christ, on examina- 
tion, is found to be al- 
ready dead, and is more- 
over pierced witha spear, 
xix. 31-37. 


xix. 38-42. 


xx. 1-10 


xx. 11-18 


675 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


MATTHEW. JOHN. 


had stolen the body, 
xxviii. 11-15. 
§ 140. Christ shows him- 
self alive to the two dis- 
ciples who were going 
to Emmaus, xvi. 12, 13. xxiv. 13-35. 
§ 141. Christ shows him- 
self to the apostles, and 
to several disciples who 
were with them, xvi. 
14-18. xx. 19-23. 

§ 142. Eight days after, 

he shows himself to the 

eleven apostles, Thomas 
likewise being then pre- 

sent, xx. 24-31. 

§ 143. Christ shows him- 

self to two disciples and 

five apostles at the sea 
of Tiberias. Remarkable 
discourse with Peter and 

John, xxi. entire. 

ᾧ 144. Christ shows him- 
self in Galilee to all his 
disciples, on a mountain 
where Christ had ap- 
pointed them, ch, xxviii. 
16-20. 


TABLE II. 


Professor Griesbach, who believed that St. Mark constructed his Gospel from those of Matthew and Luke, 
has drawn up a Harmony of these three evangelists, in which he shows that, 24 verses excepted, the whole 
of St. Mark’s Gospel is contained in those of St. Matthew and St. Luke. His whole scheme in detail may 
be seen in his Synopsis Evang. Matt. Marc: § Luce, 8vo. Hal. 1774, From his Commentationes Theo- 
logice, Dr. Marsh gives the following table, which brings the whole into the narrowest compass. Let it be 
observed that the middle column contains the whole of St. Mark’s Gospel: those to the right and left contain 
the portions of St. Matthew’s Gospel, and St. Luke’s, which correspond to the stated portions of the Gospel 
according to St. Mark. 


MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. 
ii. 1-4, 22. i. 1-20. 
21-39. iv. 31-44. 
40; ii. 6. v. 12—vi. 11. 
xii. 15, 16. ili. 7-12. 
13-19. vi. 12-16. 
22, 23. 20, 21. 
24-32. 22-30. 
46-50. 31-35. 
xiii. 1-23. iv. 1-20. 
21-25. viii. 16-18. 
24-30. 26-29. 
31; 39: 90--39. 
34, 35. 33, 34. 
35-41. 22-25. 
v. 1-43. 26-56. 
53-58. vi. 1-6. 
7-13. ix. 1-6 


676 i 


OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. 
xiv. 1, 2. 14-16. 7-9. 
3-12. 17-29. 
30,31. 10. 
xiv. 13-21. 32-44. 11-17 
22—xvi. 12. 45-viii. 21. 
Vill. 22-26. 
xvi. 13—xviii. 9. 27-ix. 50. 18-51. 
xix. 1-12. x. 1-12. 
13 -xxiii. 1. 13-xii. 37. Xvill. 15—xx. 44. 
xii. 38-44. xx. 45—xxi. 4. 
xxiv. 1-36. xiii. 1-32. xxi. 5, seq. 
33-37. 
xxvi. 1—xxviii. 8 ἢ 
xxiv. 10-35. 
36—43. 
xxviil. 18-20. 
50-51. 


See Dr. Marsh’s Origin of the three first Gospels, p. 180. 


TABLE I. 


The following 42 sections, extracted from Eichhorn by Dr. Marsh, contain such transactions as are com- 
mon to the three former evangelists: St. Mark and St. Luke having precisely the same arrangement. From 
section 19 to the end, St. Matthew’s arrangement is the same with that of Mark and Luke; but he has 
arranged the subjects contained in the 18 first sections in a different manner. 


— ee 


eo ἐῶ ἐὉ ww 
a OF ὦ» ὡ Ὁ 


Cha oom aun LQ DEDEDE PP ADP PIMA A AP OO 
ww 
Ω Ὁ 


Owe πὸ Re 
RP SODRAARY 


. John the Baptist, Mark i. 2-8; Luke iii. 1-18; Matt. iii. 1-12. 
. Baptism of Christ, Mark i. 9-11; Luke iii. 21, 22; Matt. iii. 13-17. 
. Temptation of Christ, Mark i. 12, 13; Luke iv. 1-13; Matt. iv. 1-11. 


Christ’s return to Galilee, and arrival at Capernaum, Mark i. 14; Luke iv. 14, Matt. iv. 12, 13. 
Cure of Peter’s mother-in-law, Mark i. 29-34; Luke iv. 38-41; Matt. viii. 14-17. 

Cure of a leper, Mark i. 40-45: Luke v. 12-16; Matt. viii. 2-4. 

Cure of a person afflicted with the palsy, Mark ii. 1-12; Luke v. 17-26; Matt. ix. 1-8. 


. Call of St. Matthew, Mark ii. 13-22; Luke v. 27-39; Matt. ix. 9-17. 

. Christ goes with his disciples through the corn-fields, Mark ii. 23-28; Luke vi. 1-5; Matt. xii. 1-8 
. Cure of a withered hand, Mark iii. 1-6; Luke vi. 6-11; Matt. xii. 9-15. 

. Preparation for the Sermon on the Mount, Mark iii. 7-19; Luke vi. 12-16; Matt. iv. 23-25. 


Confutation of the opinion that Christ casts out devils by the assistance of Beelzebub, Mark iii. 20-30 , 
Matt. xii. 22-45 (perhaps formerly Luke also.) 

Arrival of the mother and brethren of Christ, Mark iii. 31-35; Luke viii. 19-21; Matt. xii. 46-50. 

Parable of the sower, Mark iv. 1-34; Luke viii. 4-18; Matt. xiii. 1-34. 

Christ crosses the sea, and.undergoes a storm, Mark iv. 35-41; Luke viii. 22-25 ; Matt. viii. 18-27. 

Transactions in the country of the Gadarenes, Mark v. 1-20; Luke viii. 26-39; Matt. viii. 28-34. 

The daughter of Jairus restored to life, Mark v. 21-43; Luke viii. 40-56; Matt. ix. 18-26. 

Christ sends out the twelve apostles, Mark vi. 7-13; Luke ix. 1-6; Matt. x. 1-42. 


. The fame of Christ reaches the court of Herod, Matt. xiv. 1-12; Mark vi. 14-29; Luke ix. 7-9. 
. Five thousand men fed, Matt. xiv. 13-21; Mark vi. 30-44; Luke ix. 10-17. - 
. Acknowledgment of the apostles that Christ is the Messiah, Matt. xvi. 13-28; Mark viii. 27; ix. 1; 


Luke ix. 18-27. 


. Transfiguration of Christ on the mount, Matt. xvii. 1-10; Mark ix. 2-9; Luke ix. 28-36. 
. Christ cures a demoniac whom his apostles were unable to cure, Matt. xvii. 14-21; Mark ix. 14-29; 


Luke ix. 37-43. 


. Christ foretells his death, Matt. xvii. 22, 23; Mark ix. 30-32; Luke ix 43-45. 
. Dispute among the disciples about precedence, Matt. xviii. 1-5 ; Mark ix. 33-37; Luke ix. 46-48. 
. Christ blesses children who are brought to him, and answers the question by what means salvation is 


to be obtained? Matt. xix. 13-30; Mark x. 13-31; Luke xviii. 15-30. 


. Christ again foretells his death, Matt. xx. 17-19; Mark x. 32-34; Luke xviii. 31-34. 
. Blind men at Jericho restored to sight, Matt. xx. 29-34; Mark x. 46-52; Luke xviii. 35-43. 


1 677 


HARMONIZED TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. 


. Christ’s public entry into Jerusalem, Matt. xxi. 1-11; Mark xi. 1-10; Luke xix. 29-44. 
. Christ expels the buyers and sellers from the temple, Matthew xxi. 12-14; Mark xi. 15-17; Luke 


xix. 45, 46. 


. Christ called to account by the chief priests and elders for teaching publicly in the temple; he answers 


them, and then delivers a parable, Matt. xxi. 23-27, 33-46 ; Mark xi. 27; xii. 12; Luke xx. 1-19. 


. On the tribute to Cesar, and marriage with a brother’s widow, Matt. xxii. 15-33; Mark xii. 13-34; 


Luke xx. 20-40. 


. Christ’s discourse with the Pharisees relative to the Messiah being called Lord, by David, Matt. xxii. 


41-46; Mark xii. 35-37; Luke xx. 41-44. 


. The Pharisees censured by Christ, Matt. xxiii. 1, ὥς. ; Mark xii. 38-40; Luke xx. 45-47. 

. Christ foretells the destruction of Jerusalem, Matt. xxiv. 1-36; Mark xiii. 1-36; Luke xxi. 5-36. 

. Prelude to the account of Christ’s passion, Matt. xxvi. 1-5; Mark xiv. 1,2; Luke xxii. 1, 2. 

. Bribery of Judas, and the celebration of the passover, Matt. xxvi. 14-29; Mark xiv. 10-25; Luke 


xxii. 3-23. 


. Christ goes to the Mount of Olives, Matt. xxvi. 30-46; Mark xiv. 26-42; Luke xxii. 39-46. 
- He is seized by a guard from the chief priests, Matt. xxvi. 47-58 ; Mark xiv. 43-54; Luke xxii. 47-55. 
. Peter’s denial of Christ, &c., Matt. xxvi. 69; xxvii. 19; Mark xiv. 66; xv. 10; Luke xxii. 56; 


Xxiil. 17. 


. The crucifixion and death of Christ, Matt. xxvii. 20-66; Mark xv. 11-47; Luke xxiii. 18-56 
. The resurrection, Matt. xxviii. 1, &c.; Mark xvi. 1, &c.; Luke xxiv. 1, ὅσ. 


See Dr. Marsh’s Origin of the three first Gospels, p. 193. 


* 
TABLE IV. 


The following table represents the passages in our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, contained in Matt. v., vi., 
and vii., which are found in word or substance in the Gospel according to Luke, in the parallel passages here 
noted in a collateral column. 


MATTHEW. LUKE. 
v. 3-6. vi. 20, 21. 
12. 22, 23. 

LG ἜΤ BIRT 
18. XVded d= 
25, 26. xii. 58, 59. 
32. xvi. 18. 
39-42. vi. 29, 30. 
44. 27, 28. 
45. 35. 
46, 47. 32, 33. 
48. 36. 

vi. 9-13. xi. 2-4. 
19-21. Day 84315 Bi 
22, 23. xi. 34-36. 

94. xvi. 13. 
25-33. xii. 22-31. 

vii. 1-5. vi. 37-42. 

7-11. xi. 9-15. 
12. vi. 31. 
13: ΧΗ. 24. 

16-21. vi. 43-46. 

22, 23. ΧΙ. 25-27. 

24-97. vi. 47-49 


See Dr. Marsh’s Origin of the three first Gospels, p. 400. 


Finished correction, Nov. 24. 1831.—A. C. 
678 1 


PREFACE 


TO THE 


OTS Orbe Eka? OS DEES 


(PuE book of the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES forms the fifth, and last, of the historical books of the 
New Testament. And on this account it has been generally placed at the end of the four Gospels ; 
though in several MSS. and versions it is found at the end of St. Paul’s Epistles, as many circumstances in 
them are referred to by the narrative contained in this book, which is carried down almost to the apostle’s death. 
This book has had a variety of names: IIpafere τῶν Ἀποστόλων, the Res Geste, Acts or Transactions of 
the Apostles, is the title it bears in the Codex Beza. Tpafete των ‘Aytwv Ἀποστόλων, The Acts of the Holy 
Apostles, is its title in the Codex Alexandrinus, and several others ; as well as in several of the ancient ver- 
sions, and in the Greek and Latin fathers. One or other form of the above title is followed by almost all the 
editors of the Greek Testament, and translators and commentators in general. By some it has been reckoned 
a fifth Gospel; and by Cicumenius it is termed, The Gospel of the Holy Spirit; and by St. Chrysostom, 
To Βιθλίον, Αποδειξις avactacewc, The Book, The Demonstration of the Resurrection. These two last cha- 
tacters are peculiarly descriptive of its contents. All the promises which Christ gave of the gifts and graces 
of the Holy Spirit are shown here to have been fulfilled in the most eminent manner ; and, by the effusion of 
the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of our blessed Lord has been fully demonstrated. The calling of the Gen- 
tiles is another grand point which is here revealed and illustrated. This miracle of miracles, as one terms 
it, which had been so frequently foretold by the prophets and by Christ himself, is here exhibited; and by 
this grand act of the power and goodness of God the Christian Church has been founded, and thus the taber- 
nacle and kingdom of God have been immutably established among men. It is truly a fifth Gospel, as it 
contains the glad tidings of peace and salvation to the whole Gentile world. 

All antiquity is unanimous in ascribing this book to St. Luke as the author; and, from the commencement 
of it, we see plainly that it can be attributed to no other; and it seems plain that St. Luke intended it as a 
continuation of his Gospel, being dedicated to Theophilus, to whom he had dedicated the former; and to 
which, in the introduction to this, he expressly refers : indeed he has taken up the narrative, in this book 
precisely in the place where he had dropped it in the other: The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, 
of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, &e.; and from this we 
may form a safe conjecture, that the two books were written at no greater a distance from each other than the 
time of the last occurrence recorded in this book. Some have supposed that this book was written from 
Alexandria ; but this dees not appear to be probable. The conjecture of Michaelis is much more likely, viz. 
that it was written from Rome, at which place St. Luke mentions his arrival, in company with St. Paul, 
shortly before the close of the book. See Acts xxviii. 16. 

Though the time in which the book of the Acts was written is not recorded, yet the same writer observes 
that, as it is continued to the end of the second year of St. Paul’s imprisonment, it could not have been written 
before the year 63; and, had it been written after that year, it is reasonable to conclude that it would have 
related some farther particulars relative to St. Paul; or would at least have mentioned the event of his 
imprisonment, in which the reader is so much interested. This argument seems conclusive, in reference to 
the date of this book. 

St. Luke’s long attendance upon St. Paul, and his having been himself eye-witness to many of the facts 
which he has recorded, independently of his Divine inspiration, render him a most respectable and credible 
historian. His medical knowledge, for he is allowed to have been a physician, enabled him, as Professor 
Michaelis has properly observed, both to form a proper judgment of the miraculous cures which were per- 
formed by St. Paul, and to give an account and authentic detail of them. It is worthy also of observation 
that St. Luke himself does not appear to have possessed the gift of miraculous healing. Though there can 
be no doubt that he was with St. Paul when shipwrecked at Malta, yet he was not concerned in’ healing the 
father of Publius the governor ; nor of the other sick persons mentioned Acts xxviii. 8, 9. These were all 

679 


PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


healed by the prayers of St. Paul, and the imposition of his hands, and consequently miraculously ; nor do we 
find any evidence that St. Luke was ever employed in this way. This is another proof of the wisdom of » 
God : had the physician been employed to work miracles of healing, the excellence of the power would have 
been attributed to the skill of the man, and not to the power of his Maker. 

The Acts of the Apostles have been generally considered in the light of a Church History, and, conse- 
quently, the first ecclesiastical history on record ; but Professor Michaelis very properly contends that it can- 
not have been intended as a general history of the Christian Church, even for the period of time it embraces, 
as it passes by all the transactions of the Church at Jerusalem, after the conversion of St. Paul; the propaga- 
tion of Christianity in Egypt; Paul’s journey into Arabia; the state of Christianity at Babylon; (1 Peter v. 
13 ;) the foundation of the Christian Church at Rome; several of St. Paul’s voyages; his thrice suffering 
shipwreck, &c., &c. See more particulars in Lardner and Michaelis. 

The object of St. Luke appears to have been twofold: 1. To relate in what manner the gifts of the 
Holy Spirit were communicated on the day of pentecost, and the subsequent miracles performed by the apos 
tles, by which the truth of Christianity was confirmed. 2. To deliver such accounts as proved the claim of 
the Gentiles to admission into the Church of Christ; a claim disputed by the Jews, especially at the time 
wnen the Acts of the Apostles were written. Hence we see the reason why he relates, chap. viii., the 
conversion of the Samaritans ; and chap. x., xi., the story of Cornelius, and the determination of the council 
in Jerusalem relative to the Levitical law; and for the same reason he is more diffuse in his account of St. 
Paul’s conversion, and his preaching to the Gentiles, than he is on any other subject. In such a restricted 
manner has St. Luke compiled his history, that Michaelis is of opinion that it was the intention of this 
apostle to record only those facts which he had either seen himself, or heard from eye witnesses. Introduct. 
vol. v. p. 326, ὥς. 

The book of the Acts has been uniformly and universally received by the Christian Church in all places 
and ages: it is mentioned and quoted by almost every Christian writer, and its authenticity and importance 
universally admitted. Arator, a subdeacon in the Church at Rome, in the sixth century, turned it into verse. 
In ancient times, personal history and important transactions, in most nations, were generally thus preserved ; 
as the facts, through the medium of verse, could be the more easily committed to memory. 

St. Luke’s narration bears every evidence of truth and authenticity. It is not a made up history. The 
language and manner of every speaker are different ; and the same speaker is different in his manner, accord- 
ing to the audience he addresses. The speeches of Stephen, Peter, Cornelius, Tertullus, and Paul, are all dif- 
ferent, and such as we might naturally expect from the characters in question, and the circumstances in which 
they were at the time of speaking. St. Paul’s speeches are also suited to the occasion, and to the persons be- 
fore whom he spoke. When his audience was heathen, though he kept the same end steadily in view, yet how 
different is his mode of address from that used when before a Jewish audience! Several of these peculiari- 
ties, which constitute a strong evidence of the authenticity of the work, shall be pointed out in the notes. See 
some good remarks on this head, in Michaelis’ Introduction, ubi supra. 

As St. Luke has not annexed any date to the transactions he records, it is not a very easy matter to adjust 
the chronology of the Acts; but, as in some places he refers to political facts, the exact times of which are 
well known, the dates of several transactions in his narrative may be settled with considerable accuracy. It 
is well known, for instance, that the famine mentioned chap. xi. 29, 30, happened in the fourth year of the 
Emperor Claudius, which answers to the forty-fourth of the Christian era. From facts of this nature, dates 
may be derived with considerable accuracy: all such dates are carefully noted at the top of the column, as 
in the preceding parts of this Commentary ; and the chronology is adjusted in the best manner possible. In 
some cases, conjecture and probability are the only lights by which this obscure passage can be illuminated. 
The dates of the commencement and the end of the book are tolerably certain; as the work certainly begins 
with the dwenty-ninth year of the Christian era, chap. i. and ii., and ends probably with the szwty-third, chap. 
XXvill. 30. 

In the book of the Acts we see how the Church of Christ was formed and settled. The apostles simply 
proclaim the truth of God relative to the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ ; and God accom- 
panies their testimony with the demonstration of his Spirit. What was the consequence? Thousands acknow- 
ledge the truth, embrace Christianity, and openly profess it at the most imminent risk of their lives. The 
change is not a change of merely one religious sentiment or mode of worship for another; but a change of 
tempers, passions, prospects, and moral conduct. ΑἸ] before was earthly, or animal, or devilish; or all these 
together ; but now all is holy, spiritual, and Divine: the heavenly influence becomes extended, and nations 
are born unto God. And how was all this brought about? Not by might nor power: not by the sword, nor 
by secuiar authority ; not through worldly motives and prospects ; not by pious frauds or cunning craftiness ; 
not by the force of persuasive eloquence: in a word, by nothing but the sole influence of truth itself, attested 
to the heart by the power of the Holy Ghost. Wherever religious frauds and secular influence have been 
used to found or support a Church, professing itself to be Christian, there, we may rest assured, is the fullest 
evidence that that Church is wholly antichristzan; and where such a Church, possessing secular power, has 
endeavoured to support itself by persecution, and persecution unto privation of goods, of liberty, and of life, it 
not only shows itself to be antichristian, but also diabolic. The religion of Christ stands in no need either of 
human cunning or power. It is the religion of God, and is to be propagated by his power: this the book of 
the Acts fully shows; and in it we find the true model, after which every Christian Church should be builded. 

680 1 


ts foal Ries 


——_— = 


PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 


As far as any Church ean show that it has followed this model, so far it is holy and apostolic. And when 
all Churches or congregations of people professing Christianity, shall be founded and regulated according to 
the doctrines and discipline laid down in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, then the aggregate. body may 
be justly called, The Holy, Apostolic, and Catholic Church. 

The simplicity of the primitive Christian worship, as laid down in the book of the Acts, is worthy of parti- 
cular notice and admiration. Here are no expensive ceremonies: no apparatus calculated merely to impress 
the senses, and produce emotions in the animal system, “ to help,” as has been foolishly said, “ the spirit of 
devotion.” The heart is the subject in which this spirit of devotion is kindled; and the Spirit of Gop alone 
is the agent that communicates and maintains the celestial fire; and God, who knows and searches that heart, 
is the object of its adoration, and the only source whence it expects the grace that pardons, sanctifies, and ren- 
ders it happy. No strange fire can be brought to this altar: for the God of the Christians can be worshipped 
only in spirit and truth; the truth revealed, directing the worship; and the Spirit given, applying that truth, 
and giving life and energy to every faculty and power. Thus God was worshipped in his own way, and through 
his own power ; every religious act, thus performed, was acceptable to him; the praises of his followers rose 
up as incense before the throne, and their prayers were heard and answered. As they had but one God, so 
they had but one Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. They received him as the gift of 
God’s eternal love ; sought and found redemption in his blood ; and, in a holy and useful life, showed forth the 
virtues of Him who had called them from darkness into his marvellous light; for no profession of faith was 
then considered of any worth that was not supported by that love to God and man which is the fulfilling of the 
law, which is the life and soul of obedience to the Divine testimonies, and the ceaseless spring of benevolence 
and humanity. This is the religion of Jesus Christ, as laid down and exemplified in this blessed book. 


“Ye different sects, who all declare, 
Lo! Curist is here, and Curist is there, 
Your stronger proofs divinely give, 
And show me where the Christians live.” 
1 681 


THE 


ἌΘΕΟΣ BE ΡΟΣ ΙΕ 


Usherian year of the world, 4033.—Alexandrian era of the world, 5531.—Antiochian year of the world 
5521.—Constantinopolitan year of the world, 5537.—Year of the era of the Seleucide, 341.—Year of 
the Spanish era, 67.—Year of the Christian era, 29.—Year of the Paschal Cycle, 30.—Year of the 
Jewish Cycle, 11.—Golden Number, 8.—Solar Cycle, 10.—Dominical Letter, B.—Jewish Passover, 
April 15.—Epact, 20.—Year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius Cesar, 18.—Year of the CCI. 
Olympiad, 1.—Year of Rome, 782.—Consuls, from Jan. 1, to July 1, L. Rubellius Geminus, and C. Ru 
fius Geminus; and, for the remainder of the year, Aulus Plautius and L. Nonius Asprenas. 

For an explanation of these wras, see the Advertisement prefixed to the Comment on the Gosnel of St 


Matthew. 


CHAPTER I. 


St. Luke's prologue, containing a repetition of Christ's history from his passion till his ascension, 1-9. Re- 


markable circumstances in the ascension, 10, 11. 
employment there, 12-14. 


The return of the disciples to Jerusalem, and their 


Peter's discourse concerning the death of Judas Iscariot, 15-20, and the ne- 
cessity of choosing another apostle in his place, 21, 22. 


Barnabas and Matthias being set apart by prayer, 


the apostles having given their votes, Matthias is chosen to succeed Judas, 23-26. 


A. M. 4033. 


ἜΧΕΝ HE former treatise have I made, 


O + Theophilus, of all that Je- 

sus began both to do and teach, 
2 Ὁ Until the day in which he was taken up, 
after that he, through the Holy Ghost, ° had 


given commandments unto the Ae 1035. 
apostles whom he had chosen: sh oar 


3 94To whom also he showed 
himself alive after his passion by many infalli- 
ble proofs, being seen of them forty days, and 


a Luke i. 3.——» Mark xvi. 19; Luke ix. 51; xxiv. 5] : ver. 
9; 1 Tim. iii. 16. © Matt. xxvili.19; Mark xvi. 15; John xx. 


21; chap. x. 41, 42.——4 Mark xvi. 14; Luke xxiv. 36; John xx 
19, 26; xxi. 1, 14; 1 Cor.xv. 5. 


NOTES ON CHAP. I. 

Verse 1. The former treatise] The Gospel accord- 
ing to Luke, whigh is here most evidently intended. 

O Theophilus] See the note on Luke i. 3. 

To do and teach] These two words comprise his 
miracles and sermons. ‘This introduction seems “to 
intimate that, as he had already in his Gospel given an 
account of the life and actions of our Lord, so in this 
second treatise he was about to give an account of the 
lives and acts of some of the chief apostles, such as 
Peter and Paul. 

Verse 2. After that he, through the Holy Ghost, 
&e.] This clause has been variously translated : the 
simple meaning seems to be this—that Christ com- 
municated the Holy Spirit to his disciples, after his 
resurrection, as he had not done before. In Luke 
xxiv. 45, it is said that he opened their understanding, 
that they might understand the Scriptures; and in 
John xx. 22, that he breathed on them, and said, re- 
ceive ye the Holy Ghost. Previously to this, we may 
suppose that the disciples were only on particular 
occasions made partakers of the Holy Spirit ; but from 
this time it is probable that they had a measure of this 
supernatural light and power constantly resident in 

682 


them. By this they were not only able to proclaim 
the truth, but to discern the meaning of all the Old 
Testament Scriptures which referred to Christ ; and 
to appoint whatever rites or ordinances were neces- 
sary for the establishment of his Church. There were 
many things which the apostles said, did, and decreed. 
for which they had no verbal instructions from our 
Lord, at least, none that are recorded in the Gospels ; 
we may therefore conclude that these were suggested 
to them by that Holy Spirit which now became resi- 
dent in them, and that it is to this that St. Luke refers 
in this verse, After that he, through the Holy Ghost, 
had given commandments unto the apostles. 

Verse 3. To whom—he showed himself alive—by 
many infallible proofs| Πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις ; by many 


| proofs of such a nature, and connected with such cir- 


cumstances, as to render them induditadle ; for this 
is the import of the Greek word rexuypiov. The 
proofs were such as these: 1. Appearing to severas 
different persons at different times. 2. His eating and 
drinking with them. 3. His meeting them in Galilee 
according to his own appointment. 4. His subjecting 
his body to be touched and handled by them. 5. His 
instructing them in the nature and doctrines of his 
1 


eT LD vn dnt ai ΠΝ 


τ» mg 


Mi pentumn 


x δὲ, (eee 
ea “2 
Lc Hii U: ἌΝ . 
ev | _ Comana 
Ἔ 
te ie 


\ y 
: IX Hadrian ἢ y sebate 
ΝΣ] 


΄ 


72 
ἢ 


Vie ay & 


anit ela sk. = 
Tt irgccus Arabiss 
Seen. 


«(σ᾽ tle 


ee PATRROTEAT TRE 


(3) 
bes 


il 


Cy δ οἵ ‘they 
© c0w. VTRIES- 


= Cravelled bp the τς 
Cor LPO ST Lis τῇ 55))) 


so 9) Ω. with the JQ 9 


Spun, ( ROUTES C OF SIPAUL 


Etricorium > ~~ thro ugh es 
eZ = 


S. = Sta & Murope 
» 


— 


Dissas 
_English Miles 


ne Oe 


ΠΕ 


whole lapse οἱ - JOM oN στ τυ κά υὐυώσχσαν τὸ αὐτο. ὙΠῸ US ὈΡΠΙΌΠ ΤΠΘΥ͂ σ0ἢ- 


683 


ΤῈΞΞΞ 


I ae 


Ι! Ives Lyles 


' 
lurganum 
Prom. %@ 


aN νὰ 


fe 


ΠΝ 


eo) mM LOL Meo 


\ \Sc codga 


te ri 


πῇ UAE gO ATT A TT 
ἐ ὦ \ : pad> 


ieee 
aa oA 


pes sy 
Daphe 


Alexam deta. 
OD Neel 
e 


me 


CRAP ἡ ofthe 
τ. COUNTRIES. 


APOSPLE 


with the 


)0 9 


aD 


thro ugh 


Lg 


Sta bs Kurope 


GCravelled bp We Sy 
ss) 9 


΄πουτεϑοῦ ΦΩΡΆΜΝ. L) 


cy 


Fyilia as 


Para ἢ 


nes απ ἄγεν, ς \ Cy 


Imbro eh 


oLafoli 


ἐς Δ : 
ae Cate SX ‘ AD 


x 


7 <a 
Hadriay y alts 5 


L 


B 


<4 
᾿Πλαπιωι 
=) Cases 
ϑ 2C'Salmone 
2 
Ϊ 
| 
OR 
| G 
Phy npr: 
Prolemuais Cyr 
ιν ᾿Ξ Ἰξηραννμοι) 
Ξ Bove a ν 
uvtoriom Πήγμν 
Ree στ το τ ΓΕ “ -----ς-- 
€ ΜΡ 
atabathpan> ew 
ΠΝ 


Rhodes a3” , 
ΗΑ Ξ, Ξ 

(oe 
ul 


ον 


£2 a 


pies BR 


= 
PHrgcus ὕνανύνων ἘΞ 
rie comune fon} 
rad 
=| A= = 
τ feaninms® §—_Archetats i ff 
So Ἔ ᾿ parm Prive 
ur 
x # \Anozarhus 


andi 


οἱ 
a ς, Το εορόσεσσε τ 
ae 


Sp Ay “OF i 
‘ one Le of - 


jure 
La aie 
{pare 


Ν᾽ Ppipnanio ΕΞ 
ιωχίϑηςς- hoe 


spepolla Ἷ 


i 
pyblual 


p aM PW bt | see 


“ 
pans 


—. ἘΞ | ae 5 
| Bi 
lee Does: Γ΄. 
= ν ᾿ 
vs > Viole A 
T ba 
| er ΜΝ 
| μισοῦν 
Tork 
| pe 
| lt ae ΠΣ 
= οἵ the 
RS Mine | Tiamat Ε 
So Tes παρ 9 ppom 
ve xy Fhe ἢ miinocora Arabi? (a 
τς " Tain 


i i i= ΠΣ ΤΠ {||} 


Christ promises the baptism 


CHAP. I. 


of the Holy Spi-it 


4M (038. Speaking of the things pertaining to[ 5 "For John truly baptized with a is eae 


An. Olymp. the kingdom of God : 

"ΕΒ And, ‘being assembled to- 
gether with them, commanded them that they 
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait 
tor the promise of the Father, * which, saith 
he, ye have heard of me. 


© Luke xxiv. 43, 49. Or, eating together with then —s Luke 
xxiv. 49; John xiv. 16, 26, 27; xv. 26; xvi. 7; chap. ii. 33. 


kingdom. 6. His appearing to upwards of five hun- 
dred persons at once, 1 Cor. xv. G. And, 7. Continu- 
ing these public manifestations of himself for forty days. 

The several appearances of Jesus Christ, during the 
forty days of his sojourning with his disciples, between 
his resurrection and ascension, are thus enumerated by 
Bishop Pearce: The first was to Mary Magdalene, 
and the other Mary, Matt. xxviii. 1-9. The second, 


_ to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, Luke 


= 


xxiv. 15. The third, to Simon Peter, Luke xxiv. 
34. The fourth, to ten of the apostles, Thomas being 
absent, Luke xxiv. 36, and John xx. 19. (All these 
four appearances took place on the day of his resur- 
rection.) The ΠΛ was to the eleven disciples, 
Thomas being then with them, John xx. 26. The 
sixth, to seven of the apostles in Galilee, at the sea 
of Tiberias, John xxi. 4. The seventh, to James, 1 
Cor. xv. 7, most probably in Jerusalem, and when 
Jesus gave an order for all his apostles to assemble 
together, as in Actsi. 4. The eighth, when they were 
assembled together, and when he led them unto 
Bethany, Luke xxiv. 50, from whence he ascended 
to heaven. But see the note on John xxi. 14, for 
farther particulars. 

Pertaining to the kingdom of God] Whatever con- 
cerned the doctrine, discipline, and establishment of the 
Christian Church. 

Verse 4. And, being assembled together] Instead 
of συναλιζομενος, being assembled together, several 
good MSS. and versions read συναυλίζομενος, living 
or eating together, which refers the conversation re- 
ported here to some particular time, when he sat at 
meat, with his disciples. See Mark xvi. 14; Luke 
xxiv. 41-44. See the margin. But probably the 
vommon reading is to be preferred; and the meeting 
on a mountain of Galilee is what is here meant. 

Tre promise of the Father} The Hoty Spirit, 
which indeed was the grand promise of the New 
Testament, as Jesus Curist was of the Old. And as 
Christ was the grand promise of the Old Testament, 
during the whole continuance of the old covenant; so 
is the Holy Ghost, during the whole continuance of 
the new. As every pious soul that believed in the 
coming Messiah, through the medium of the sacrifices 
cffered up under the law, was made a partaker of the 
merit of his death, so every pious soul that believes in 
Christ crucified is made a partaker of the Holy Spirit. 
Thus, as the benefit of the death of Christ extended 
from the foundation of the world till his coming in the 
flesh, as well as after, so the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit has been, and will be continued through the 
whole laps of time, till his coming again to judge the 


water ; ‘but ye shall be baptized An, Olymp. 
with the Holy Ghost not many -- 
days hence. 

6 When they therefore were come together, 
they asked of him, saying, * Lord, wilt thou at 


this time, 1 restore again the kingdom to Israel? 


h Matt. iii. 11; chap. xi. 16; xix.4.—i Joel iii. 18; chap. ii. 4 
xi. 15.— Matt. xxiv. 3— Isa. i. 26; Dan. vii.27; Amos ix. 11 


world. It is by this Spirit that sin is made known, 
and by it the blood of the covenant is applied; and 
indeed, without this, the want of salvation cannot be 
discovered, nor the value of the blood of the covenant 
duly estimated. How properly do we still pray, and 
how necessary is the prayer, “ Cleanse the thoughts 
of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that 
we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy 
name, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.”— 
Communion Service. 

Ye have heard of me.] In his particular conversa- 
tions with his disciples, such as those related John 
Xiv. 16-26 ; xv. 26; xvi. 7-15; to which passages, 
and the notes on them the reader is requested to refer : 
but it is likely that our Lord alludes more particularly 
to the conversation he had with them on one of the 
mountains of Galilee. 

Verse 5. Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost 
not many days hence.| This must refer to some con- 
versation that is not distinctly related by the evan- 
gelists ; as these identical words do not oceur in any 
of the preceding histories. The Codex Beze reads 
this passage thus: but ye shall be baptized with the 
Holy Ghost, which ye shall receive not many days 
hence. John baptized with water, which was a sign 
of penitence, in reference to the remission of sin; but 
Christ baptizes with the Holy Ghost, for the destruc- 
tion of sin, the illumination of the mind, and the con- 
solation of the heart. John’s baptism was in reference 
to the spiritual kingdom ; but Christ’s baptism estad- 
lished and maintained that kingdom. From this pas- 
sage we may also learn that baptism does not always 
mean being plunged or immersed in water ; for as this 
promise most evidently refers to the communication of 
the Holy Spirit on the following pentecost, and ther 
he sat upon each as a cloven tongue of fire, this cer 
tainly has more affinity to sprinkling than to plunging 
However, the mode of administering the sign is of very 
little consequence; and which is the best mode is 
exceedingly dubious: the stress should be laid on 
receiving the thing signified—the Holy Ghost, to illu- 
minate, regenerate, refine, and purify the heart. With 
this, sprinkling or immersion are equally efficient : 
without this, both are worth nothing. 

Verse 6. When they therefore were come together] 
It is very likely that this is to be understood of their 
assembling on one of the mountains of Galilee, and 
there meeting our Lord. 

At this time restore again the kingdom] That the 
disciples, in common with the Jews, expected the 
Messiah’s kingdom to be at least in part secular, I have 
often had occasion to note. In this opinion they con- 

683 


THE 


Christ promises the baptism 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. ξ 
Aan. Olymp. not for you to know the times or the 


seasons which the Father hath put 
in his own power : 
8 * But ye shall receive ° power, ? after that 


7 And he said unto them, ™ It is 


ACTS. of the Holy Spirit. 
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: 4, M1083. 


and 4 ye shall be witnesses unto me An. Olymp. 
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, be 
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of 
the earth. 


τ Matt. xxiv. 36; Mark xiii. 32; 1 Thess. v. 1——" Ch. ii. 1, 4. 
ὁ Or, the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you. 


P Luke xxiv. 49——9 Luke xxiv. 48; John xv. 27; ver. 22; ch. 
ii. 32. 


tinued less or more till the day of pentecost ; when the 
mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit taught them the 
spiritual nature of the kingdom of Christ. The king- 
dom had now for a considerable time been taken away 
from Israel; the Romans, not the Israelites, had the 
government. The object of the disciples’ question 
seems to have been this: to gain information, from 
their all-knowing Master, whether the time was now 
fully come, in which the Romans should be thrust out, 
and Israel made, as formerly, an independent kingdom. 
But though the verb aroxaficravew signifies to rein- 
state, to renew, to restore to a former state or master, 
of which numerous examples occur in the best Greek 
writers, yet it has also another meaning, as Schoetigen 
has here remarked, viz. of ending, abolishing, blotting 
out: so Hesychius says, ἀποκαταστασις is the same as 
τελείωσις, finishing, making an end of a thing. And 
Hippocrates, Aph. vi. 49, uses it to signify the termi- 
nation of a disease. On this interpretation the disci- 
ples may be supposed to ask, having recollected our 
Lord’s prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
the whole Jewish commonwealth, Lord, Wilt thou at 
this time destroy the Jewish commonwealth, which op- 
poses thy truth, that thy kingdom may be set up over 
all the land? This interpretation agrees well with all 
the parts of our Lord’s answer, and with all cireum- 
stances of the disciples, of time, and of place; but, 
still, the first is most probable. 

Verse 7. The times or the seasons] Xpovove ἡ και- 
ρους. Times here may signify any large portion of a 
period, era, or century—such as an Olympiad, lustrum 
or year; and seasons, the particular part, season, or 
opportunity in that period, &e., in which it might be 
proper to do any particular work. God has not only 
fixed the great periods in which he will bring about 
those great revolutions which his wisdom, justice, and 
mercy have designed, but he leaves himself at full 
liberty to choose those particular portions of such pe- 
tiods as may be best for the accomplishment of those 
purposes. Thus God is no necessary agent—every 
thing is put in his own power, ev τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ, under 
his control and authority ; nor will he form decrees of 
which he must become the necessary executor. The 
infinite /zberty of acting or not acting, as wisdom, jus- 
tice, and goodness shall see best, is essential to God ; 
nor can there be a point in the whole of his eternity 
in which he must be the necessary agent of a fixed 
and unalterable fate. Infinite, eternal liberty to act 
or not to act, to create or not create, to destroy or not 
destroy, belongs to God alone ; and we must take care 
how we imagine decrees, formed even by his own pre- 
science, in reference to futurity, which his power is 
from the moment of their conception laid under the 
necessity of performing. In every point of time and 

684 


eternity, God must be free to act or not to act, as may 
seem best to his godly wisdom. 

Verse 8. But ye shall receive power] Ληψεσθε dvva- 
μιν. Translating different terms of the original by the 
same English word is a source of misapprehension and 
error. We must not understand δυναμις, which we 
translate power in this verse, as we do efovova, trans 
lated by the same word in the preceding verse. In 
the one, God’s infinite authority over all times and 
seasons, and his uncompellable liberty of acting or not 
acting in any given case, are particularly pointed out: 
in the other, the energy communicated by him to his 
disciples, through which they were enabled to wark 
miracles, is particularly intended ; and δυναμίς, in gene- 
ral, signifies such power, and is sometimes put for that 
of which it is the cause, viz. a miracle. See Matt. 
vil. 22; xi. 20-23; xiii. 54, 58; Mark vi. 5; Luke 
x. 13; and Acts ii. 22. The disciples were to be 
made instruments in the establishment of the kingdom 
of Christ; but this must be by the energy of the Holy 
Ghost sent down from heaven; nevertheless, this 
energy would be given in such times and seasons, and 
in such measures, as should appear best to the infinite 
wisdom of God. Christ does not immediately answer 
the question of the disciples, as it was a point savour- 
ing too much of mere curiosity ; but he gave them such 
information as was calculated to bring both their faith 
and hope into action. St. Chrysostom has well ob- 
served, “that it is the prerogative of an instructer to 
teach his disciple, not what he wishes to learn, but 
what his master sees best for him :” Διδασκαλου τοῦτο 
cate pin & βουλεται ὁ μαθητης, αλλ᾽ ἁ συμφερει μαθειν, 
διδασκειν. 

Ye shall be witnesses—in all Judea, &c.] Though 
the word earth, 7 yn, is often used to denote Judea 
alone, yet here, it is probable, it is to be taken in its 
largest extent. All the inhabitants of the globe might 
at that period be considered divisible into three classes. 
1. The Jews, who adhered to the law of Moses, and 
the prophetic writings ; worshipping the true God only, 
and keeping up the temple service, as prescribed in 
their law. 2. The Samarirans, a mongrel people, 
who worshipped the God of Israel in connection with 
other gods, 2 Kings xvii. 5, &c., and who had no kind 
of religious connection with the Jews. See on Matt. 
x. 5. And, 3. The Genrines, the heathens through 
all other parts of the world, who were addicted to 
idolatry alone, and had no knowledge of the true Ged. 
By the terms in the text we may see the extent to 
which this commission of instruction and salvation was 
designed to reach: to the Jews; to the Samartians, 
and the uttermost part of the earth, i. 6. to the Gentile 
nations: thus, to the whole human race the Gospel of 
the kingdom was to be proclaimed. When the twelve 

1 


id 
γ 


——— 


Account of our Lord’s ascension. 


A.M. 4033. 9 + And when he had spoken 


A im. these things, while they beheld, * he 
“ was taken up; anda cloud received 
him out of their sight. 

10 @ And while they looked steadfastly to- 
ward heaven as he went up, behold, two men 
stood by them ‘in white apparel ; 

11 Which also said, "Ye men of Galilee, 
why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? this same 
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, 
¥ shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
him go into heaven. ῳ 


CHAP. 1. 


The disciples return to Jerusavem, 


A. M. 4033. 
12 9%“ Then returned they unto yt 


Jerusalem from the mount called An. Qiymp. 


Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a 
Sabbath day’s journey. 

13 And when they were come in, they went 
up *intoe an upper room, where abode both 
y Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, 
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Mat- 
thew, James the son of Alpheus, and 5 Simon 
Zelotes, and * Judas the brother of James. 

14 » These all continued with one accord in 
prayer and supplication, with ° the women, and 


r Luke xxiv. 51; John vi. 62——* Ver. 2.—t Matt. xxviii. 3 ; 
Mark xvi. 5; Luke xxiv. 4; John xx. 12; chap. x. 3,30—Ch. 
ii. 7; xiii. 31. ¥ Dan. vii. 13; Matt. xxiv. 30; Mark xiii. 26; 
Luke xxi. 27; John xiv. 3; 1 Thess.i. 10; iv. 16; 2 Thess. i. 


disciples were sent out to preach, Matt. x. 5, their 
_ commission was very limited—they were not to go in 
the way of the Gentiles, nor enter into any city of the 
Samaritans, but preach the Gospel to the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel: but here their commission is 
enlarged, for they are to go into all the world, and 
preach the Gospel to every creature. See Matt. 
xxviii. 18 

Verse 9. He was taken up] He was speaking face 
to face with them, and while they beheld he was taken 
up; he began to ascend to heaven, and they continued 
2 look after him till @ cloud received him out of their 
sight—till he had ascended above the region of the 
clouds, by the density of which all farther distinct vision 
was prevented. These circumstances are very remark- 
able, and should be carefully noted. They render in- 
supportable the theory that states, ‘that our Lord did 
not ascend to heaven; that his being éaken up signifies 
his going into some mountain, the top of which was 
covered with clouds, or thick vapours; and that the 
two men in white garments were two priests, or Le- 
vites, who simply informed the disciples of his revisit- 
ing them again at some future time.” One would 
suppose that an opinion of this kind could hardly ever 
obtain credit among people professing Christianity ; 
and yet it is espoused by some men of considerable 
learning and ingenuity. But the mere letter of the 
text will be ever sufficient for its total confutation. 
He that believes the text cannot receive such a mise- 
rable comment. Foreign critics and divines take a 
most sinful /atitude on subjects of this kind. 

Verse 10. Looked steadfastly] Keeping their eyes 
intensely fixed on their ascending Lord; continuing 
to look even after he had ascended above the region 
of the inferior clouds. 

Two men stood by them] Doubtless, angels in hu- 
man shape. 

In white apparel] As emblematical of their purity, 
happiness, and glory. 

Verse 11. Gazing up into heaven] Not to the top 
of a mountain, to which an unbridled fancy, influenced 
by infidelity, would intimate he had ascended, and not 
to heaven. 

This same Jesus] Clothed in human nature, shall 

1 


10; Rey. i. 7——* buke xxiv. 52. x Chap. ix. 37,39; xx. 8. 
y Matt. x. 2, 3, 4. zLuke vi. 15.—4Jude 1.—— Chap. 
ii. 1, 46. © Luke xxiii. 49, 55; xxiv. 10. 


so come in like manner—with the same body, descend- 
ing from heaven by his sovereign and all-controlling 
power, as ye have seen him go into heaven. Thus shall 
he come again to judge the quick and the dead. It 
was a very ancient opinion among Christians, that 
when Christ should come again to judge the world he 
would make his appearance on Mount Olivet. Some 
think that his coming again to destroy the Jewish 
nation is what the angels refer to. See a connected 
account of the different appearances of Christ at the 
end of this chapter. 

Verse 12. A Sabbath day’s journey.| See the dif- 


ficulties in this verse explained in the note on Luke 


xxiv. 50. A Sabbath day’s journey was seven furlongs 
and a half. Olivet was but five furlongs from Jeru- 
salem; and Bethany was fifteen. The first region or 
tract of Mount Olivet, which was called Bethany, was 
distant from the city a Sabbath day’s journey, or seven 
furlongs and a half; and the same distance did that 
tract called Bethphage extend from the city. When, 
therefore, our Lord came to the place where these two 
tracts touched each other, he there ascended, which 
place was distant from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's 


journey, as St. Luke here remarks. See the notes 


referred to above. 

Verse 13. They went up into an upper room] This 
was either a room in the temple, or in the house of 
one of the disciples, where this holy company was ac- 
customed to meet. In Luke xxiv. 53, it is said that, 
after their return from Mount Olivet, they were con- 
tinually in the temple, praising and blessing God: it 
is probable, therefore, that the upper room mentioned 
in this verse is that apartment of the temple mentioned 
above. But still it is not certain that this place should 
be so understood; as we have the fullest proofs that 
the upper rooms in private houses were used for the 
purpose of reading the law, and conferring together on 
religious matters. See several proofs in Lightfoot. 
Add to this, that the room here mentioned seems to 
have been the place where all the apostles lodged, οὗ 
σαν καταμενοντες, and therefore most probably a prt- 
vate house. 

Verse 14. These—continued—in prayer and sup- 


| plication] Waiting for the promise of the Father, ac 


. 685 


Peter's discourse concerning 


A. Ν. 4033. 
a p.35 Mary the mother of Jesus, and 


An. Olymp. with “his brethren. 
15 Ἵ And in those days Peter 
stood up in the midst of the disciples, and 
said, (the number ° of the names together were 
about a hundred and twenty,) 

16 Men and brethren, this scripture must 
needs have been fulfilled, ‘ which the Holy 
Ghost by the mouth of David spake before 
concerning Judas, which was guide to them 
that took Jesus. 


THE ACTS. 


the death of Judas Iscariot. 


17 For he was numbered with 4, ΝΜ 4088, 


us, and had obtained part of ᾿ this ak Clair 
ministry. --  - 

18 * Now this man purchased a field with 
the reward of iniquity ; and falling headlong, 
he burst asunder in the midst, and all his 
bowels gushed out. 

19 And it was known unto all [1.6 dwellers 
at Jerusalem ; insomuch as that field is ca'led 
in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, 
The field of blood 


ἃ Matt. xii. 55. 6 Rey. iii. 4——f Psa. xli. 9; John xiii. 18. 
& Luke xxii. 47 ; John xviii. 3—— Matt. x. 4; Luke vi. 16. 


iVer. 25; chap. xii. 25; xx. 24; xxi. 19——* Matt. xxvii. 5, 7, 
8.—_ Matt. xxvi. 15; 2 Pet. ii. 15. 


cording to the direction of our Lord, Luke xxiv. 49. 
The words καὶ ty δεησει, and in supplication, are 
omitted by ABC*DE, both the Syriac, the Coptic, 
ZEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, Itala, and some of the 
primitive fathers. On this evidence, Griesbach has 
left them out of the text; and others contend for the 
propriety of this omission, because, say they, τῇ προσ- 
evyn and ty dence, prayer and supplication, mean the 
same thing. Whether the reading be genuine or spu- 
rious, this inference is not just. Prayer may simply 
imply any address to God, in the way of petition or 
request ; supplication, the earnest, affectionate, and 
continued application to God for the blessing request- 
ed from him by prayer. Prayer asks, supplication 
expostulates, entreats, urges and re-urges the petition. 

With the women] Probably those who had been 
witnesses of his resurrection, with the immediate rela- 
tives of the apostles. Peter we know was married, 
Matt. viii. 14, and so might others of the disciples ; 
and therefore the wives of the apostles, as well as of 
other pious men, may be here intended. 

Verse 15. In the midst of the disciples} Μαθητων ; 
but instead of this, αδελῴων, brethren, is the reading 
of ABC, a few others, with the Coptic, Aithiopic, Ar- 
menian, and Vulgate. This seems the best reading, 
because of what immediately follows ; for it was not 
among the disciples merely that he stood, but among 
the whole company, which amounted to one hundred 
and twenty. It is remarkable that this was the num- 
ber which the Jews required to form a council in any 
city ; and it is likely that in reference to this the dis- 
ciples had gathered together, with themselves, the 
number of one hundred and twenty, chosen out of the 
many who had been already converted by the ministry 
of our Lord, the twelve disciples, and the seventy- 
two whom he had sent forth to preach, Luke x. 1, 
&c.; thus they formed a complete cowncz in presence 
of which the important business of electing a person 
in the place of Judas was to be transacted. 

Verse 16. The Holy Ghost by the mouth of David] 
This is a strong attestation to the Divine inspiration 
of the book of Psalms. They were dictated by the 
Holy Spirit, and spoken by the mouth of David. 

Verse 17. Obtained part of this ministry.) Etaye 
tov κλῆρον; He obtained the lot of this ministry—not 
that he or any of the twelve apostles, was chosen to 


man has in life, what comes to him in the course of 
the Divine providence, or as an especial gift of God’s 
goodness, it is used here, as in many other parts of 
the sacred writings, to signify office or station. On 
this subject the reader is referred to the notes on Lev. 
xvi. 8, 9; Josh. xiv. 2: see also this chap. ver. 26. 

Verse 18. Purchased a field with the reward of 
iniquity] Probably Judas did not purchase the field 
himself, but the money for which he sold his Lord 
was thus applied, see Matt. xxvii. 6-8. It is possi- 
sible, however, that he might have designed to pur- 
chase a field or piece of ground with this reward of 
his iniquity, and might have. been in treaty for it, 
though he did not close the bargain, as his bringing 
the money to the treasury proves: the priests, know- 
ing his intentions, might have completed the purchase, 
and, as Judas was now dead, applied the field thus 
bought for the burial of strangers, i. e. Jews from 
foreign parts, or others who, visiting Jerusalem, had 
died there. ‘Though this case is possible, yet the 
passage will bear a very consistent interpretation 
without the assistance of this conjecture ; for, in ordi- 
nary conversation, we often attribute to a man what 
is the consequence of his own actions, though such 
consequence was never designed nor wished for by 
himself: thus we say of a man embarking in a ha- 
zardous enterprise, he is gone to ssek his death; of 
one whose conduct has been ruinous to his reputation, 
he has disgraced himself ; of another who has suffer- 
ed much in consequence of his crimes, he has pur- 
chased repentance at a high price, &e., ὅδε. All these, 
though wndesigned, were consequences of certain acts, 
as the buying of the field was the consequence of 
Judas’s treason. 

And falling headlong, he burst asunder] It is very 
likely that the 18th and 19th verses are not the words 
of Peter, but of the historian, St. Luke, and should be 
read in a parenthesis, and then the 17th and 20th 
verses will make a connected sense. On the case of 
Judas, and the manner of his death, see the observa- 
tions at the end of this chapter. 

Verse 19. It was known unto all the dwellers at 
Jerusalem] The repentance of Judas, his dying tes- 
timony in behalf of our Lord’s innocence, and his 
tragical death, were publicly known; as was also the 
transaction about the purchase of the field; and hence 


this ministry by lot ; but as lot signifies the pertion ἃ arose the name by which it was publicly known 


586 


1 


Peter proposes the choosing a 


A.M. 4033. 90 For it is written in the. book 
An. Oly. of Psalms, ™ Let his habitation be 
“ desolate, and let no man dwell 
therein: and "his ° bishopric let another take. 
21 Wherefore of these men which have com- 
panied with us all the time that the Lord 
Jesus went in and out among us, 
22 » Beginning from the baptism of John, 
unto that same day that *he was taken up 


mPsa. Ixix. 25. Ὁ Psa. cix. 8. ©Or, office, or, charge. 
P Mark i. 14 Ver. 9.— John xv. 27; ver.8; chap. iv. 33. 


CHAP. I. 


disciple in the place of Judas 


from us, must one be ordained to Αἰ 103%: 


be a witness with us of his resur- An. oa 
rection. iE 

23 And they appointed two, Joseph called 
5 Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and 
Matthias. 

24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, 
t which knowest the hearts of all men, show 
whether of these two thou hast chosen, 


sChap. xv. 22.— 1 Sam. xvi. 7; 1 Chron. xxviii. 9; xxix. 
17; Jer. xi. 20; xvii. 10; chap. xv. 8; Rev. ii. 23. 


These circumstances must have lessened the credit of 
the chief priests, and have prepared the public mind 
to receive the Gospel of the kingdom, when preached 
to them after the day of pentecost. 

That field is called in their proper tongue, Acelda- 
ma] This proper tongue was not the Hebrew ; that had 
long ceased to be the proper tongue in Palestine: it 
was a sort of Chaldaio-Syriac which was commonly 
spoken. The word in the Syriac version is {So} ἴον 
chacal-demo, and literally signifies the field of blood ; 
because it was bought by the price of the life or blood 
of the Lord Jesus. 

Verse 20. For itis written in the book of Psalms] 
The places usually referred to are Psa. lxix. 25: Let 
their habitation be desolate, and let none dwell in their 
tents. And Psa. cix.8: Let his days be few, and let 
another take his office, wpa pekudato, his overseer- 
ship, his charge of visitation or superintendence, 
translated by the SepruaGint, τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν, VuL- 
GATE, episcopatum ; and we, following both, bishopric, 
but not with sufficient propriety ; for surely the office 
or charge of Judas was widely different from what we 
call bishopric, the diocess, estate, and emoluments of 
a bishop. Ἐπίσκοπος, episcopos, which was corrupted 
by our Saxon ancestors into biycop, discop, and by us 
into dishop, signifies literally an overseer or superinten- 
dent, from emt, over, and σκέπτομαι, I see, a person who 
had the inspection, overseeing, or. superintendence of 
others. The ancient ἐπίσκοποι were persons who had 
the care of different congregations of the Church of 
Christ ; who travelled, preached, enforced the disci- 
pline of the Church, and took care to prevent false 
doctrines, heresies, &c. Those who still deserve this 
title, and it is an august and noble one, walk by the 
same rule, and mind the same thing. Ἐπίσκοπος, epis- 
copus, or bishop, is a scriptural and sacred title ; was 
gloriously supported in the primitive Church ;. and 
many to the present day are not less ornaments to the 
title, than the title is ornamental to them. The best 
defences of the truth of God, and the Protestant faith, 
are in the works of the bishops of the British Churches. 

The words quoted from the Psalms were originally 
spoken against the enemies of David; and as David, 
ia certain particulars, was a type of Christ, the words 
are applied to Aim in an especial manner who had 
sinned against his own soul and the life of his Master. 

Verse 21. Which have companied with us] They 
judged it necessary to fill up this blank in the aposto- 

1 


late by a person who had been an eye witness of the 
acts of our Lord. 

Went in and out} A phrase which includes all the 
actions of life. 

Verse 22. Beginning from the baptism of John] 
From the time that Christ was baptized by John in 
Jordan ; for it was at that time that his public minis- 
try properly began. 

Must one be ordained] This translation misleads 
every reader who cannot examine the original text. 
There is no term for ordained in the Greek : yeveo@ar, 
to be, is the only word in the verse to which this in- 
terpretation can be applied. The New Testament 
printed at London, by Robert Barker, the king’s 
printer, in 1615, renders this and the preceding verse 
more faithfully and more clearly than our common 
version: Wherefore of these men who have companied 
with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus was conver- 
sant among us, beginning from the baptism of John, 
unto the day he was taken up from us, must one of 
them BE MADE a witness with us of his resurrection. 
The word ordained would naturally lead most readers 
to suppose that some ecclesiastical rite was used on 
the occasion, such as wposition of hands, &c., al- 
though nothing of the kind appears to have been em- 
ployed. 

Verse 23. They appointed two] These two were 
probably of the number of the seventy disciples; and, 
in this respect, well fitted to fill up the place. It is 
likely that the disciples themselves were divided in 
opinion which of these two was the most proper per- 
son, and therefore laid the matter before God, that he 
might decide it by the /ot. No more than two candi- 
dates were presented ; probably because the attention 
of the brethren had been drawn to those two alone, as 
having been most intimately acquainted with our Lord, 
or in being better qualified for the work than any of 
the rest; but they knew not which to prefer. 

Joseph called Barsabas| Some MSS. read Joses 
Barnabas, making him the same with Joses Barnabas, 
chap. iv. 36. But the person here is distinguished 
from the person there, by being called Justus. 

Verse 24. Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts 
Zu, κυριε, καρδιογνωστα. The word καρδιογνωστης, the 
searcher of hearts, seems to be used here as an attri 
bute of God; he knows the hearts, the most secret pur- 
poses, intentions, and dispositions of all men ; and be- 
cause he is the knower of hearts, he knew which of 

687 


The disciples cast lots, 


A: M4033. 25 "That he may take part of 


An. Olymp. this ministry and apostleship, from 
_“_ which Judas by transgression fell, 
that he might go to his own place. 


uVer. 17. 


THE ACTS. 


and Matthias is chosen 
n + A. M. 4033. 
26 And they gave forth their 4,™, 48: 
‘lots, and the lot fell upon Mat- a oly 


thias; and he was numbered with 
the eleven apostles. 


Vv Lev. xvi. 8, 9; Josh. xiv. 2. 


these men he had qualified the best, by natural and 
gracious dispositions and powers, for the important 
work to which one of them was now to be appointed. 

Verse 25. That he may take part of this ministry, 
&c.| Instead of τὸν κληρον, the lot, which we trans- 
late part, tov τοπον, the place, is the reading of ABC*, 
Coptic, Vulgate, and the Itala in the Codex Beze, and 
from them the verse may be read thus, That he may 
take the place of this ministry and apostleship, (from 
which Judas fell) and go to his own place ; but instead 
of wWzov, own, the Codex Alexandrinus, and one of 
Matthai’s MSS., read δικαίον, just—that he might go 
to his just or proper place. 

This verse has been variously expounded: 1. Some 
suppose that the words, that he might go to his own 
place, are spoken of Judas, and his punishment in hell, 
which they say must be the own place of such a per- 
son as Judas. 

2. Others refer them to the purchase of the field, 
nade by the thirty pieces of silver for which he had 
sold our Lord. So he abandoned the ministry and 
apostolate, that he might go to his own place, viz. that 
which he had purchased. 

3. Others, with more seeming propriety, state that 
his own place means his own house, or former occu- 
pation: he left this ministry and apostleship that he 
might resume his former employment in conjunction 
with his family, &c. This is primarily the meaning 
of it in Num. xxiv. 25: And Balaam returned to nis 
OWN PLACE, i. e. to his own country, friends, and em- 
ployment 

4. Others think it simply means the state of the 
dead in general, independently of either rewards or 
punishments ; as is probably meant by Eccl. iii. 20: 
All go unto oNE PLACE: all are of the dust, and all 
turn to dust again. 

But, 5. Some of the best critics assert that the 
words (as before hinted) belong to Matthias—/is own 
place being the office to which he was about to be 
elected. Should any object, this could not be called 
his own place, because he was not yet appointed to it, 
but hell might be properly called Judas’s own place, 
because, by treason and covetousness, he was fully 
prepared for that place of torment; it may be an- 
swered, that the own or proper place of a man is that 
for which he is elzgile from being qualified for it, 
though he may not yet possess such a place: so St. 
Paul, Every man shall receive His OWN reward, Tov 
+dcov μισθον, called there his own, not from his hav- 
mg it already in possession, for that was not to take 
place until the resurrection of the just; but from his 
being qualified in this 1.8 for the state of glory in the 
other. See the observations at the end of the chapter. 

Verse 26. They gave forth their lots] In what 
manner this or any other question was decided by lot, 
we cannot precisely say. The most simple form was 

688 


to put two stones, pieces of board, metal, or slips of 
parchment, with the names of the persons inscribed on 
them, into an urn; and after prayer, sacrifice, &c., 
to put in the hand and draw out one of the lots, and 
then the case was decided. 1 have considered this 
subject at large on Lev. xvi. 8, 9; and Josh. xiv. 2. 

He was numbered with the eleven apostles.| The 
word συγκατεψηφισθη, comes from σὺν, together with, 
κατα, according to, and ψηφος, a pebble or small stone, 
used for Jofs, and as a means of enumeration among 
the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians; hence the words 
calculate, calculation, &c., from calculus, a small stone 
or pebble. From this use of the word, though it sig- 
nifies in general to sum up, associate, &c., we may 
conjecture that the calculus or pebble was used on this 
occasion. The brethren agreed that the matter should 
be determined by lot; the lots were cast into the urn: 
God was entreated to direct the choice ; one drew out 
a lot; the person whose name was inscribed on it 
was thereby declared to be the object of God’s choice, 
and accordingly associated with the disciples. But it 
is possible that the whole was decided by what we 
commonly call éallot, God inclining the hearts of the 
majority to ballot for Matthias. Nothing certain can, 
however, be stated on this head. Thus the number 
twelve was made up, that these might be the fown- 
tains under God of the whole Christian Church, as 
the twelve sons of Jacob had been of the Jewish 
Church. For it has already been remarked that our 
Lord formed his Church on the model of the Jewish. 
See the notes on John xvii. 1, ἄς. As the Holy 
Ghost, on the day of pentecost, was to descend upon 
them and endue them with power from on high, it was 
necessary that the number ¢welve should be filled up 
previously, that the newly elected person might also 
be made partaker of the heavenly gift. How long it 
was found necessary to keep up the number twelve 
we are not informed: the original number was soon 
broken by persecution and death. 


On the death of Judas there is a great diversity 
of opinion among learned men and divines. 

1. It is supposed, following the bare letter of the 
text, that Judas hanged himself, and that, the rope 
breaking, he fell down, was burst with the fall, and 
thus fis bowels gushed out. 

2. That, having hanged himself, he was thrown 
on the dunghill, and, the carcass becoming putrid, 
the abdomen, which soonest yields to putrefaction, 
burst, and the bowels were thus shed from the body, 
and possibly torn out by dogs. 

3. That, being filled with horror and despair, he 
went to the top of the house, or to some eminence, 
and threw himself down; and thus, falling head- 
long, his body was broken by the fall, and his bowels 
gushed out. 

1 


Considerations on the death and 


4. That Satan, having entered into him, caught 
him up in the air, and thence precipitated him to the 
earth; and thus, his body being broken to pieces, 
his bowels gushed out. This is Dr. Lightfoot’s 
opinion, and has been noticed on Matt. xxvii. 5. 

5. Others think that he died or was suffocated 
through excessive grief; and that thus the terms in 
the text, and in Matt. xxvii. 5, are to be understood. 
The late Mr. Wakefield defends this meaning with 
great learning and ingenuity. 

6. Others suppose the expressions to be figura- 
tive: Judas having been highly ewalted, in being an 
apostle, and even the purse-bearer to his Lord and bro- 
ther disciples, by his treason forfeited this honour, and is 
represented as falling from a state of the highest dig- 
nity into the lowest infamy, and then dying through 
excessive grief. The Rev. John Jones, in his Illus- 
trations of the four Gospels, sums up this opinion thus : 
“So sensible became the traitor of the distinguished 
rank which he forfeited, and of the deep disgrace into 
which he precipitated himself, by betraying his Master, 
that he was seized with such violent grief as occasion- 
ed the rupture of his bowels, and ended in suffocation 
and death.” Ρ. 571. 

After the most mature consideration of this subject, 
on which I hesitated to form an opinion in the note on 
Matt. xxvii. 5, I think the following observations may 
lead to a proper knowledge of the most probable state 
of the case. 1. Judas, like many others, thought that 
the kingdom of the Messiah would be a secular king- 
dom ; and that his own secular interests must be pro- 
moted by his attachment to Christ. Of this mind all 
the disciples seem to have been, previously to the 
resurrection of Christ. 2. From long observation of 
his Master’s conduct, he was now convinced that he 
intended to erect no such kingdom ; and that conse- 
quently the expectations which he had built on the 
contrary supposition must be ultimately disappointed. 
3. Being poor and covetous, and finding there was 
no likelihood of his profiting by being a disciple of 
Christ, he formed the resolution (probably at the insti- 
gation of the chief priests) of betraying him for a sum 
of money sufficient to purchase a small inheritance, 
on which he had already cast his eye. 4. Well 
knowing the uncontrollable power of his Master, he 
might take it for granted that, though betrayed, he 
would extricate himself from their hands; and that 
they would not be capable of putting him either to 
pain or death. 5. That having betrayed him, and 
_ finding that he did not exert his power to deliver him- 
self out of the hands of the Jews, and seeing, from 
their implacable malice, that the murder of his most 
innocent Master was likely to be the consequence, 
he was struck with deep compunction at his own 
conduct, went to the chief priests, confessed his own 
profligacy, proclaimed the innocence of his Master, 
and returned the money for which he had betrayed 
him; probably hoping that they might be thus influ- 
enced to proceed no farther in this unprincipled bu- 
siness, and immediately dismiss Christ. 6. Finding 
that this made no impression upon them, from their 
own words, What is that to us? See thou to that,— 
and that they were determined to put Jesus to death, 
seized with horror at his crime and its consequences, 

Vou. 1. ( 44 ) 


CHAP. 1. 


final state of Judas Iscarvot 


the remorse and agitation of his mind produced a vio- 
lent dysentery, attended with powerful inflammation ; 
(which, in a great variety of cases, has been brought 
on by strong mental agitation;) and while the dis- 
tressful irritation of his bowels obliged him to with- 
draw for relief, he was overwhelmed with grief and 
affliction, and, having fallen from the seat, his bowels 
were found to have gushed out, through the strong 
spasmodic affections with which the disease was ac- 
companied. I have known cases of this kind, where 
the bowels appeared to come literally away by piece 
meal. 

Now, when we consider that the word ἀπηγξατο, 
Matt. xxvii. 5, which we translate hanged himself, is 
by the very best critics thus rendered, was choked, 
and that the words of the sacred historian in this 
place, falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, 
and all his bowels gushed out, may be no other thana 
delicate mode of expressing the circumstance to which 
I have alluded under observation 6, perhaps this way 
of reconciling and explaining the evangelist and his- 
torian will appear, not only probable, but the most 
likely. To strengthen this interpretation, a few facts 
may be adduced of deaths brought about in the same 
way with that in which Τ suppose Judas to have pe- 
rished. The death of Jehoram is thus related, 2 Chron. 
xxi. 18, 19: And after all this, the Lord smote him 
in his bowels with an incurable disease: and it came 
to pass that, after the end of two years, HIS BOWELS 
FELL ouT, by reason of his sickness; so he died of 
sore diseases; DNONNI bethachaluim, with inflamma- 
tions, or ulcers. The death of Herod was probably 
of the same kind, Acts xii. 23. That of Aristo- 
bulus, as described by Josephus, War, book i. chap. 
3, is of a similar nature. Having murdered his mother 
and brother, his mind was greatly terrified, and his 
bowels being torn with excruciating torments, he voided 
much blood, and died in miserable agonies. Again, in 
his Antig. book xv. chap. 10, sect. 3, he thus de- 
scribes the death of Zenodorus: ‘ His bowels burst- 
ing, and his strength exhausted by the loss of much 
blood, he died at Antioch in Syria.” 

Taking it for granted that the death of Judas was 
probably such as related above, collating all the facts 
and evidences together, can any hope be formed that 
he died within the reach of mercy? Let us review 
the whole of these transactions. 

I. It must be allowed that his crime was one of the 
most inexcusable ever committed by man: neverthe- 
less, it has some alleviations. 1. It is possible that 
he did not think his Master could be hurt by the Jews 
2. When he found that he did not use his power tc 
extricate himself from their hands, he deeply relented 
that he had betrayed him. 3. He gave every evi-. 
dence of the sincerity of his repentance, by going 
openly to the Jewish rulers: (1.) Confessing his owr 
guilt; (2.) asserting the innocence of Christ; (3.) re- 
turning the money which he had received from them ! 
and then, (4.) the genuineness of his regret was proved 
by its being the cause of his death. 

But, I]. Judas might have acted a much worse part 
than he did: 1. By persisting in his wickedness. 2. 
By slandering the character of our Lord both to the 
Jewish rulers and to the Romans; and, had he done 

689 


Considerations on the death and 


so, his testimony would have been credited, and our 
Lord would then have been put to death as a malefactor, 
on the testimony of one of his own disciples; and thus 
the character of Christ and his Gospel must have suf- 
fered extremely in the sight of the world, and these 
very circumstances would have been pleaded against 
the authenticity of the Christian religion by every in- 
fidel in all sueceeding ages. And, 3. Had he persist- 
ed in his evil way, he might have lighted such a flame 
of persecution against the infant cause of Christianity 
as must, without the intervention of God, have ended 
in its total destruction ἢ now, he neither did, nor en- 
deavoured to do, any of these things. In other cases 
these would be powerful pleadings. 

Judas was indisputably a dad man; but he might 
have been worse: we may plainly see that there were 
depths of wickedness to which he might have proceed- 
ed, and which were prevented by his repentance. Thus 
things appear to stand previously to his end. But is 
here any room for hope in his death? In answer to 
this it must be understood, 1. That there is presump- 
tive evidence that he did not destroy himself ; and, 2. 
That his repentance was sincere. If so, was it not 
possible for the mercy of God to extend even to his 
ease? It did so to the murderers of the Son of God; 
and they were certainly worse men (strange as this 
assertion may appear) than Judas. Even he gave 
them the fullest proof of Christ’s innocence : their buy- 
ing the field with the money Judas threw down was 
the full proof of it; and yet, with every convincing 
evidence before them, they crucified our Lord. They 
excited Judas to betray his Master, and crucified him 
when they had got him into their power ; and therefore 
St. Stephen calls them both the betrayers and murder- 
ers of that Just One, Acts vii. 52: in these respects 
they were more deeply criminal than Judas himself ; 
yet even to those very betrayers and murderers Peter 
preaches repentance, with the promise of remission of 
sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, Acts iii. 12-26. 
If, then, these were within the reach of mercy, and we 
are informed that a great company of the priests be- 
came obedient to the faith, Acts vi. 7, then certainly 
Judas was not in such a state as precluded the possi- 
bility of his salvation. Surely the blood of the cove- 
nant could wash out even his stain, as it did that more 
deeply engrained one of the other betrayers and mur- 
derers of the Lord Jesus. 

Should the 25th verse be urged against this possi- 
bility, because it is there said that Judas fell from his 
ministry and apostleship, that he might go to his own 
place, and that this place is hell; I answer, 1. It re- 
mains to be proved that this place means hell; and, 
2. It is not clear that the words are spoken of Judas 
at all, but of Matthias: his own place meaning that 
vacancy in the apostolate to which he was then elected. 
See the note on ver. 25. 

To say that the repentance of Judas was merely 
the effect of his horror; that it did not spring from 
compunction of heart; that it was legal, and not evan- 
gelical, &c., &c., is saying what none can with pro- 
priety say, but God himself, who searches the heart. 
What renders his case most desperate are the words 
of our Lord, Matt. xxvi. 24: Wo unto that man by 
whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good 

690 


THE ACTS. 


παῖ state of Judas Iscarvot 


for that man if he had not been born! I have con- 
sidered this saying in a general point of view in my 
note on Matt. xxvi. 24; and, were it not a proverbial 
form of speech among the Jews, to express the state 
of any flagrant transgressor, I should be led to apply 
it in all its literal import to the case of Judas, as I 
have done, in the above note, to the case of any damn- 
ed soul; but when 1 find that it was a proverbial say- 
ing, and that it has been used in many cases where 
the fixing of the irreversil,le doom of a sinner is not 
implied, it may be capable of a more favourable inter- 
pretation than what is generally given to it. I shall 
produce a few of those examples from Schoettgen, to 
which I have referred in my note on Matt. xxvi. 24. 

In Cuaciean, fol. 11. 2, it is said: ‘* Whoever con- 
siders these four things, if would have been better for 
him had he never come into the world, viz. That which 
is above—that which is delow—that which is before— 
and that which is behind ; and whosoever does not at- 
tend to the honour of his Creator, ἐξ were better for 
him had he never been born.” 

In Suemotu Rasea,sect. 40, fol. 135, 1,2, it is said: 
τ Whosoever knows the law, and does not do it, ἐξ had 
been better for him had he never come into the world.” 

In Vayixra Raspa, sect. 36, fol. 179, 4, and Mip- 
RasH CoHELeETH, fol. 91, 4, it is thus expressed: “ Jt 
were better for him had he never been created ; and τὲ 
would have been better for him had he been strangled 
in the womb, and never have seen the light of this world.” 

In Souar Genzs. fol. 71, col. 282, it is said: “If 
any man be parsimonious towards the poor, ἐ had been 
better for him had he never come into the world.” Ibid. 
fol. 84, col. 333: “If any performs the law, not for 
the sake of the law, ἐξ were good for that man had he 
never been created.” These examples sufficiently 
prove that this was a common proverb, and is used 
with a great variety and latitude of meaning, and seems 
intended to show that the case of such and such per- 
sons was not only very deplorable, but extremely dan 
gerous; but does not imply the positive impossibility 
either of their repentance or salvation. 

The utmost that can be said for the case of Judas 
is this: he committed a heinous act of sin and ingra- 
titude ; but he repented, and did what he could to undo 
his wicked act: he had committed the sin unto death, 
2. 6. a sin that involves the death of the body ; but who 
can say (if merey was offered to Christ’s murderers, 
and the Gospel was first to be preached at Jerusalem 
that these very murderers might have the first offer ot 
salvation through him whom they had pierced) that the 
same mercy could not be extended to the wretched 
Judas? I contend that the chief priests, &c., who in- 
stigated Judas to deliver up his Master, and who eru- 
ecified him—and who crucified him too as a malefactor 
—having at the same time the most indubitable evi- 
dence of his innocence, were worse men than Judas 
Iscariot himself; and that, if merey was extended to 
those, the wretched penitent traitor did not die out of 
the reach of the yearning of its bowels. And I con- 
tend, farther, that there is no positive evidence of the 
final damnation of Judas in the sacred text. 

I hope it will not displease the Humane reader that 
I have entered so deeply into the consideration of this 
most deplorable case. I would not set up knowing!y 

{45} 


The descent of the Holy Spirit 


any plea against the claims of justice ; and God for- 
bid that a sinner should be found capable of pleading 
against the cries of mercy in behalf of a fellow culprit! 
Daily, innumerable cases occur of persons who are be- 
traying the cause of God, and selling, in effect, Christ 


CHAP. II. 


on the day of pentecost. 


yet, while they live, we do not despair of their salva. 
tion, though they are continually repeating the sin of 
Judas, with all its guilt and punishment before their 
eyes! Reader! learn from thy Lord this lesson, 
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 


and their souls for money. Every covetous man, who 
is living for this world alone, is of this stamp. And 


The case is before the Judge, and the Judge of all the 
earth will do right. 


CHAPTER II. 


The day of pentecost being arrived, and the disciples assembled, the Holy Spirit descended as a mighty 
rushing wind, and in the likeness of fiery tongues sat upon them; in consequence of which, they were all 
enabled to speak different languages, which they had never learned, 1-4. An account of persons from 
various countries who were present, and were astonished to hear the apostles declare the wonderful works 
of God in their respective languages, 5-12. Some cavil, 13, and are confounded by Peter, who asserts 
that this work is of God; and that thereby a most important prophecy was fulfilled, 14-21. He takes 
occasion from this to preach Jesus to them, as the true Lord and only Messiah, 22-36. The people are 
alarmed and convinced, and inquire what they shali do, 37. He exhorts them to repent and be baptized 
in the name of Jesus, that they may receive remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, 38-40. 
They gladly receive his word, about three thousand are baptized and added to the Church in one day; 
they continue steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, 41, 42. The apostles work many miracles 5 
and the disciples have all things in common, and live in a state of great happiness and Christian fellow- 


ship, 43-47. 


A. M. 4033. a ente- 
ee ND when *the day of pente 
en cost was fully come, » they were 


———— all with one accord in one place. 


a Ley. xxiii. 15; Deut. xvi. 9; chap. xx. 16. 


A.M. 4033. 
2 And suddenly there came a ree 


sound from heaven, as of a rush- An. Olymp. 
; § ΐ ae ie ἘΠΕ: 
ing mighty wind, and “1 filled 


> Chap. i. 14. 


© Chap. iv. 31. 


NOTES ON CHAP. II. 

Verse 1. When the day of pentecost was fully come] 
The feast of pentecost was celebrated fifty days after 
the passover, and has its name πεντηκοστῆ from πεντη- 
κοντα, fifty, which is compounded of zevre, five, and 
ἥκοντα, the decimal termination. It commenced on 
the fiftieth day, reckoned from the first day of unleav- 
ened bread, i. e. on the morrow after the paschal lamb 
was offered. The law relative to this feast is found in 
Ley. xxiii. 15, 16, in these words: And ye shall count 
unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the 
day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering ; 
seven Sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the mor- 
row after the seventh Sabbath shail ye number fifty 
days. This feast was instituted in commemoration of 
the giving the law on Mount Sinai; and is therefore 
sometimes called by the Jews, WN ΠΣ shimchath 
torah, the joy of the law, and frequently the feast of 
weeks. There is a correspondence between the giving 
of the law, which is celebrated by this feast of pente- 
cost, together with the crucifixion of our Lord, which 
took place at the passover, and this descent of the 
Holy Spirit, which happened at this pentecost. 1. 
At the passover, the Israelites were delivered from 
Egyptian bondage: this was a type of the thraldom 
in which the human race were to Satan and sin. 2. 
At the passover, Jesus Christ, who was typified by the 
paschal lamb, was sacrificed for the sin of the world, 
and by this sacrifice redemption from sin and Satan is 
now procured and prociaimed. 3. On the pentecost, 
God gave his law on Mount Sinai, accompanied with 
thunderings and lightnings. On the pentecost, God 

1 


sent down his Holy Spirit, like a rushing mighty wind ; 
and tongues of fire sat upon each disciple, in order that, 
by his influence, that new law of light and life might 
be promulgated and established. Thus, the analogy 
between the Egyptian bondage and the thraldom oc- 
easioned by sin—the deliverance from Egypt, and the 
redemption from sin—the giving of the law, with all 
its emblematic accompaniments, and the sending down 
the Holy Spirit, with its symbols of light, life, and 
power, has been exactly preserved. 4. At the Jewish 
passover, Christ was degraded, humbled, and ignomi- 
niously put to death: at the following festival, the 
pentecost, he was highly glorified; and the all con- 
quering and ever during might of his kingdom then 
commenced. The Holy Spirit seems to have design- 
ed all these analogies, to show that, through all pre- 
ceding ages, God had the dispensation of the Gospel - 
continually in view; and that the old Jaw and its ordi- 
nances were only designed as preparatives for the new. 
They were all with one accord in one place.] It is 
probable that the sun here mentioned means the one 
hundred and twenty spoken of chap. i. 15, who were 
all together at the election of Matthias. With one 
accord, ὁμοθυμαδὸν ; this word is very expressive: it 
signifies that all their minds, affections, desires, and 
wishes, were concentred in one object, every man hav- 
ing the same end in view; and, having but one desire, 
they had but one prayer to God, and every heart utter- 
ed it. There was no person uninterested—none un- 
concerned—none lukewarm; all were in earnest; and 
the Spirit of God came down to meet their united faith 
and prayer. Wher any assembly of God’s people 
691 


The descent of the Holy Spirit 


A. M. 4033. 
Ri oo all the house where they were 


An, ἴντα. sitting. 
: 3 And there appeared unto them 


4 Chapter i. 


THE ACTS. 


on the day of pentecost. 


cloven tongues like as of fire, and A,M- 1033. 
it sat upon each of them. An. Olymp. 
4 And “they were all filled with 


CCIL 1. 
verse 5. 


meet in the same spirit they may expect every bless- 
ing they need. 

In one place.—Where this place was we cannot 
tell: it was probably in the temple, as seems to be in- 
timated in ver. 46, where it is said they were daily 
ὁμοθυμαδὸν ev τῳ lepw, with one accord in the temple ; 
and as this was the third hour of the day, ver. 15, 
which was the Jewish hour of morning prayer, as the 
ninth hour was the hour of evening prayer, chap. iii. 
1, it is most probable that the temple was the place in 
which they were assembled. 

Verse 2. A sound from heaven] Probably thunder 
is meant, which is the harbinger of the Divine presence. 

Rushing mighty wind] The passage of a large 
portion of electrical fluid over that place would not 
only occasion the sound, or thunder, but also the rush- 
ing mighty wind; as the air would rush suddenly and 
strongly into the vacuum occasioned by the rarefaction 
of the atmosphere in that place, through the sudden 
passage of the electrical fluid; and the wind would 
follow the direction of the fire. There is a good deal 
of similarity between this account and that of the ap- 
pearance of God to Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 11, 12, where 
the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire, were 
harbingers of the Almighty’s presence, and prepared 
the heart of Elijah to hear the small still voice; so, 
this sound, and the mighty rushing wind, prepared 
the apostles to receive the influences and gifts of the 
Holy Spirit. In both cases, the sound, strong wind, 
and fire, although natural agents, were supernaturally 
employed. See the note on chap. ix. 7. 

Verse 3. Cloven tongues like as of fire] The 
tongues were the emblem of the languages they were 
to speak. The cloven tongues pointed out the diver- 
sity of those languages ; and the fire seemed to inti- 
mate that the whole would be a spiritual gift, and be 
the means of bringing gAt and life to the souls who 
should hear them preach the everlasting Gospel in 
those languages. 

Sat upon each of them.] Scintillations, corusca- 
tions, or flashes of fire, were probably at first frequent 


through every part of the room where they were sit- | 


ting ; at last these flashes became defined, and a lam- 
bent flame, in the form of a cloven tongue, became sta- 
tionary on the head of each disciple ; a proof that the 
Spirit of God had made each his temple or residence. 
That unusual appearances of fire were considered em- 
blems of the presence and influence of God, both the 
Scriptures and the Jewish writings amply prove. Thus 
God manifested himself to Moses, when he appointed 
him to deliver Israel, Exod. iii. 2, 3; and thus he 
manifested himself when he delivered the Jaw on Mount 
Sinai, Exod. xix. 16-20. 
support the pretensions of their rabdins, as delivering 
their instructions by Divine authority and influence, 
represent them as being swrrounded with fire while 
they were delivering their lectures; and that their 
words, in consequence, penetrated and exhilarated the 
692 


The Jews, in order to. 


souls of their disciples. Some of the Mohammedans 
represent Divine inspiration in the same way.— 
In a fine copy of a Persian work, entitled Ajaeed al 
Makhlookat, or Wonders of Creation, now before me, 
where a marred account of Abraham’s sacrifice, men- 
tioned Gen. xv. 9—17, is given, instead of the burning 
lamp passing between the divided pieces of the vic- 
tim, ver. 17, Abraham is represented standing between 
four fowls, the cock, the peacock, the duck, and the 
crow, with his head almost wrapped in a flame of lam- 
bent fire, as the emblem of the Divine communication 
made to him of the future prosperity of his descend- 
ants. The painting in which this is represented is 
most exquisitely finished. This notion of the manner 
in which Divine intimations were given was not pecu- 
liar to the Jews: and Arabians; it exists in all coun- 
tries; and the glories which appear round the heads 
of Chinese, Hindoo, and Christian saints, real or sup- 
posed, were simply intended to signify that they had 
especial intercourse with God, and that his Spirit 
under the emblem of fire, sat upon them and became 
resident in them. There are numerous proofs of this 
in several Chinese and Hindoo paintings in my pos- 
session ; and how frequently this is to be met with ir 
legends, missals, and in the ancient ecclesiastical book. 
of the different Christian nations of Europe, every 
reader acquainted with ecclesiastical antiquity knows 
well. See the dedication of Solomon’s temple, 2 
Chron. vii. 1-3. 

The Greek and Roman heathens had similar notions 
of the manner in which Divine communications were 
given: strong wind, loud and repeated peals of thun- 
der, coruscations of lightning, and lambent flames 
resting on those who were objects of the Deity’s re- 
gard, are all employed by them to point out the mode 
in which their gods were reported to make their will 
known to their votaries. Every thing of this kind 
was probably borrowed from the account given by 
Moses of the appearance on Mount Sinai; for tradi- 
tions of this event were carried through almost every 
part of the habitable world, partly by the expelled Ca- 
naanites, partly by the Greek sages travelling through 
Asiatic countries in quest of philosophic truth; and 
partly by means of the Greek version of the Septua- 
gint, made nearly three hundred years before the Chris- 
tian era. 

“A flame of fire seen upon the head of any person 
was, among the heathens, considered as an omen from 
their gods that the person was under the peculiar care 
of a supernatural power, and destined to some extra- 
ordinary employment. Many proofs of this occur in 
the Roman poets and historians. Wetstein, in his note 
on this place, has made an extensive collection of them, 
I shall quote but one, which almost every reader of the 
Mneid of Virgil will recollect :— 

Talia vociferans gemitu tectum omne replebat : 

Cum subitum, dictuque oritur mirabile monstrum. 

Namque manus iter, mestorumque ora parentum, 


The apostles speak 


ee Aine. speak with other tongues, as the 
Spirit gave them utterance. 

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem, 
Jews, devout men, out of every nation under 
heaven. 

6 Now ‘when this was noised abroad, the 
multitude came together, and were £ confounded, 


© Mark xvi. 17; cor x. 46; xix. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 10, 28, 30; xiii. 1 
xiv. 2, &e. 


Ecce \evis summo de vertice visus Iuli 

Fundere lumen apex, tactugue innoxia molli 

Lambere flamma comas, οὐ circum tempora pasci. 

Nos pavidi trepidare metu, crinemque flagrantem 

Excutere, et sanctos restinguere fontibus ignes. 

At pater Anchises oculos ad sidera letus 

Extulit, et calo palmas cum voce tetendit: 

Jupiter omnipotens— 

Da auxilium, pater, atque hec omina firma. 
Vir. Amn. ii. v. 679. 


While thus she fills the house with clamorous cries, 

Our hearing is diverted by our eyes ; 

For while I held my son, in the short space 

Betwixt our kisses and our last embrace, 

Strange to relate! from young [ulus’ head, 

A lambent flame arose, which gently spread ᾿ 

Around his brows, and on his temples fed. 

Amazed, with running water, we prepare 

To quench the sacred fire, and slake his hair ; 

Bet old Anchises, versed in omens, rear’d 

His hands to heaven, and this request preferr’d : 

Tf any vows almighty Jove can bend, 

Confirm the glad presage which thou art pleased 
to send. Drypden. 


There is nothing in this poetic fiction which could 
be borrowed from our sacred volume; as Virgil died 
about twenty years before the birth of Christ. 

It may be just necessary to observe, that tongue of 
fire may be a Hebraism: for in Isa. v. 24, WN pw 
leshon esh, which we render simply fire, is literally a 
tongue of fire, as the margin very properly has it.— 
The Hebrews give the name of fongue to most things 
which terminate in a blunt point: so a day is termed 
in Josh. xv. 2, tw lashon, a tongue. And in ver. 5, 
of the same chapter, what appears to have been a 
promontory is called ὉΠ yw leshon hayam, a tongue 
of the sea. 

It sat upon each\ ‘That is, one of those tongues, 
like flames, sat upon the head of each disciple ; and the 
continuance of the appearance, which is indicated by 
the word sat, shows that there could be no illusion in 
the case. J still think that in all this case the agent 
was natural, but supernaturally employed. 

Verse 4. To speak with other tongues] At the 
building of Babel the language of the people was con- 
founded ; and, in consequence of this, they became 
scattered over the face of the earth: at this foundation 
of the Christian Church, the gift of various languages 
was given to the apostles, that the scattered nations 

1 


CHAP. II. 


A.M. 4033. the Holy Ghost, and began °to|because that every 


various languages 


man heard 4: M1033. 
them speak in his own lan- An. Olymp. 
guage. stems 
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, 
saying one to another, Behold, are not all these 
which speak " Galileans 7 
8 And how hear we every man in our own 


tongue, wherein we were born ? 


{Gr, 


when this voice was made. 
h Chap. 1. 11. 


£ Or, troubled in mind. 


might be gathered, and united under one shepherd and 
superintendent (επισκοπος) of all souls. 

As the Spirit gave them utterance.| The word 
αποφθεγγεσθαι seems to imply such utterance as pro- 
ceeded from immediate inspiration, and included ora- 
cular communications. 

Verse 5. Devout men, out of every nation] Hither 
by these we are simply to understand Jews who 
were born in different countries, and had now come up 
to Jerusalem to be present at the passover, and for 
purposes of traffic, or proselytes to Judaism, who had 
come up for the same purpose : for I cannot suppose 
that the term avdpec ευλαβεις, devout men, can be ap- 
plied to any other. At this time there was scarcely 
a commercial nation under heaven where the Jews had 
not been scattered for the purpose of trade, merchan- 
dize, &e., and from all these nations, it is said, there 
were persons now present at Jerusalem. 

Verse 6. When this was noised abroad] If we sup- 
pose that there was a considerable peal of thunder, 
which followed the escape of a vast quantity of elec- 
tric fluid, and produced the mighty rushing wind 
already noticed on ver. 2, then the whole city must 
have been alarmed; and, as various circumstances 
might direct their attention to the temple, having 
flocked thither they were farther astonished and con- 
founded to hear the disciples of Christ addressing the 
mixed multitude in the languages of the different coun- 
tries from which these people had come. 

Every man heard them speak in his own language.) 
We may naturally suppose that, as soon as any 
person presented himself to one of these disciples, he, 
the disciple, was immediately enabled to address him 
in his own language, however various this had been 
from the Jewish or Galilean dialects. If a Roman 
presented himself, the disciple was immediately en- 
abled to address him in Latin—if a Grecian, in 
Greek—an Arad, in Arabic, and so of the rest. 

Verse 7. Are not all these—Galileans ?] Persons 
who know no other dialect, save that of their own 
country. Persons wholly uneducated, and, conse- 
quently, naturally ignorant of those languages which 
they now speak so fluently. 

Verse 8. How hear we every man in our own 
tongue] Some have supposed from this that the mi- 
racle was not so much wrought on the disciples as on 
their hearers : imagining that, although the disciples 
spoke their own tongue, yet every man so understood 
what was spoken as if it had been spoken in the lan- 
guage in which he was born. Though this is by no 
means so likely as the opinion which states that the 

693 


Enumeration of the different people ‘THE ACTS. who were at Jerusalem 
Aap ses. 9 ᾿ Parthians, and Medes, and gers of Rome, Jews and _prose- a 
An. Olymp. Elamites, and the dwellers in| lytes, An. Olymp. 
CCIL1 CCIl. 1. 


————— Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and 
Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and 
in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and stran- 


11 * Cretes and Arabians, we do 


hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful 
works of God. 
12 And they were all amazed, and were in 


iGen. x.2; 1 Pet. i. 1. 


kIsa. xi. 14; Gal. iv. 25. 


disciples themselves spoke all these different lan- 
guages, yet the miracle is the same, howsoever it be 
taken ; for it must require as much of the miraculous 
power of God to enable an Arab to understand a Gali- 
lean, as to enable a Galilean to speak Arabic. But 
that the gift of tongues was actually given to the 
apostles, we have the fullest proof ; as we find parti- 
cular ordinances laid down by those very apostles for 
the regulation of the exercise of this gift; see 1 Cor. 
xiv. 1, &e. ; 

Verse 9. Parthians] Parthia anciently included the 
northern part of modern Persia: it was situated be- 
tween the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf, rather to 
the eastward of both. 

Medes| Media was a country lying in the vicinity 
of the Caspian Sea; having Parthia on the east, As- 
syria on the south, and Mesopotamia on the west. 

Elamites| Probably inhabitants of that country now 
called Persia: both the Medes and Elamites were a 
neighbouring people, dwelling beyond the Tigris. 

Mesopotamia} Now Diarbec in Asiatic Turkey ; 
situated between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates ; 
having Assyria on the east, Arabia Deserta with Ba- 
byloma on the south, Syria on the west, and Armenia 
on the north. It was called Padan-aram by the 
ancient Hebrews, and by the Asiatics is now ealled 
Maverannhar, i. e. the country beyond the river. 

Judea] This word has exceedingly puzzled com- 
mentators and critics ; and most suspect that it is not 
the true reading. Bishop Pearce supposes that Iov- 
δαιαν is an adjective, agreeing with Μεσοποταμίαν, and 
translates the passage thus: the dwellers in Jewish 
Mesopotamia. He vindicates this translation by show- 
ing that great numbers of the Jews were settled in this 
country: Josephus says that the ten tribes remained 
in this country till his time ; that “ there were count- 
less myriads of them there, and that it was impossible 
to know their numbers.”—Mupiadec arerpor, kar apiOuw 
γνωσθηναι μὴ δυναμεναι. See Ant. lib. xv. 6. 2, s. 2, 
and ec. 3, s. 1; Bell. Jud. lib. i. 6. 1, 2. This inter- 
pretation, however ingenious, does rot comport with 
the present Greek text. Some imagine that Ιουδαίαν 
is not the original reading; and therefore they have 
corrected it into Syriam, Syria; Armeniam, ARME- 
nia; Ινδίαν, ἸΝΡΙΑ ; Λυδίαν, Lyp1a; Ἰδουμαίαν, IpuMEa; 
Βιεθυνιαν, ΒΙΤΗΥΝΙΑ ; and Κιλικίαν, Cizicra: all these 
stand on very slender authority, as may be seen in 
Griesbach ; and the last is a mere conjecture of Dr. 
Mangey. If Judea be still considered the genuine 
reading, we may account for it thus: the men who 
were speaking were known to be Galileans ; now the 
Galilean dialect was certainly different from that spo- 
ken in Judea—the surprise was occasioned by a Jew 
being able to comprehend the speech of a Galilean, 

694 


without any interpreter and without difficulty ; and yet 
it is not easy to suppose that there was such a differ- 
ence between the two dialects as to render these 
people wholly unintelligible to each other. 

Cappapocita] Was an ancient kingdom of Asia, 
comprehending all that country that hes between 
Mount Taurus and the Euxine Sea. 

Pontus] Was anciently a very powerful kingdom 
of Asia, originally a part of Cappadocia ; bounded on 
the east by Colchis ; on the west by the river Halys ; 
on the north by the Black Sea; and on the south by 
Armenia Minor. The famous Mithridates was king 
of this country ; and it was one of the last which the 
Romans were able to subjugate. 

Asia] Meaning probably Asia Minor; it was that 
part of Turkey in Asia now called Natolia. 

Verse 10. Puryesa] A country in Asia Minor, 
southward of Pontus. 

Pampuyia] The ancient name of the country of 
Natolia, now called Caramania, between Lycia and 
Cilicia, near the Mediterranean Sea. 

Eeyrt] A very extensive country of Africa, 
bounded by the Mediterranean on the north ; by the 
Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez, which divide it 
from Arabia, on the east; by Abyssinia or Ethiopia 
on the south; and by the deserts of Barcaand Nubia 
on the west. It was called Mizraim by the ancient 
Hebrews, and now Mesr by the Arabians. It extends 
600 miles from north to south; and from 100 to 250 
in breadth, from east to west. 

Lisya] In a general way, among the Greeks, sig- 
nified Africa ; but the northern part, in the vicinity of 
Cyrene, is here meant. 

Cyrene] A country in Africa on the coast of the 
Mediterranean Sea, southward of the most western 
point of the Island of Crete. 

Strangers of Rome] Persons dwelling at Rome, and 
speaking the Latin language, partly consisting of 
regularly descended Jews and proselytes to the Jew- 
ish religion. 

Verse 11. Cretes] Natives of Crete, a large and 
noted island in the Levant, or eastern part of the 
Mediterranean Sea, now called Candia. 

Arabians] Natives of Arabia, a well known country 
of Asia, having the Red Sea on the west; the Persian 
Gulf on the east ; Judea on the north; and the Indian 
Ocean on the south. 

The wonderful works of God.| Such as the inear- 
nation of Christ ; his various miracles, preaching, death, 
resurrection, and ascension ; and the design of God to 
save the world through him. From this one cireum- 
stance we may learn that all the people enumerated 
above were either Jews or proselytes ; and that there 
was probably none that could be, strictly speaking, 

1 


Peter proves that by this event 


A. M. 4033. 
A. D. 29. ‘ 
An. Olymp. meaneth this ? 


13 Others mocking said, These 
men are full of new wine. 

14 4“ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, 
lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men 
of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, 
be this known unto you, and hearken to my 
words : 

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, 


1 Hosea viii. 12; Luke ix. 43——" 1 Thessalonians 
Vind 


called heathens among them. It may at first appear 
strange that there could be found Jews in so many 
different countries, some of which were very remote 
from the others; but there is a passage in Philo’s 
Embassy to Caius which throws considerable light on 
the subject. Ina letter sent to Caius by King Agrippa, 
he speaks of “the holy city of Jerusalem, not merely 
as the metropolis of Judea, but of many other regions, 
because of the colonies at different times led out of 
Judea, not only into neighbouring countries, such as 
Egypt, Phenicia, Syria, and Celosyria, but also into 
those that are remote, such as Pamphylia, Cilicia, and 
the chief parts of Asia as far as Bithynia, and the in- 
nermost parts of Pontus ; also in the regions of Europe, 
Thessaly, Beeotia, Macedonia, ®tolia, Attica, Argos, 
Corinth, and the principal parts of Peloponnesus. Not 
only the continents and provinces (says he) are full of 
Jewish colonies, but the most celebrated isles also, 
Eubeea, Cyprus, and Crete, not to mention the coun- 
tries beyond the Euphrates. All these (a small part 
of Babylon and some other prefectures excepted, 
which possess fertile territories) are inhabited by 
Jews. Not only my native city entreats thy cle- 
mency, but other cities also, situated in different parts 
of the world, Asia, Europe, Africa ; both islands, sea 
coasts, and inland countries.” Puinonts Opera, edit. 
Mangey, vol. ii. p. 587. 

It is worthy of remark that almost all the places 
and provinces mentioned by St. Luke are mentioned 
also in this letter of King Agrippa. These, being all 
Jews or proselytes, could understand in some mea- 
sure the wonderful works of God, of which mere 
heathens could have formed no conception. It was 
wisely ordered that the miraculous descent of the Holy 
Ghost should take place at this time, when so many 
from various nations were present to bear witness to 
what was done, and to be themselves subjects of his 
mighty working. These, on their return to their re- 


spective countries, would naturally proclaim what | 


things they saw and heard; and by this the way of 
the apostles was madeeplain; and thus Christianity 
made a rapid progress over all those parts in a very 
short time after the resurrection of our Lord. 

Verse 13. These men are full of new wine.] Ra- 
ther sweet wine, for γ7 εὐκοὺς, cannot mean the mustum, 
or new wine, as there could be none in Judea so early 
as pentecost. The Τλευκος, gleucus, seems to have 


CHAP. IJ. 


doubt, saying one to another, ! What |™ seeing it is but the third hour of 4,103. 


a prophecy of Joel’s was fulfilled. 


the day : 

16 But this is that which was 
spoken by the prophet Joel : 

17 ἡ And it shall come to pass in the last 
days, saith God, ° I will pour out of my Spirit 
upon all flesh : and your sons and Ρ your daugh 
ters shall prophesy, and your young men shall 
see visions, and your old men shall dream 
dreams : 


An. Olymp. 


2 Isa. xliv. 3; Ezek. xi. 19; xxxvi. 27; Joel ii. 28,29; Zech. xii. 
10; John vii. 38. © Chap. x. 45. P Chap. xxi. 9. 


Hesychius and Suidas: Τλευκοῦ, τὸ αποσταγμα τὴς 
«ταφυλης, πριν πατηθῃ. Gileucus is that which distils 
from the grape before it is pressed. ‘This must be at 
once both the strongest and sweetest wine. Calmet 
observes that the ancients had the secret of preserving 
wine sweet through the whole year, and were fond of 
taking morning draughts of it: to this Horace appears 
to refer, Sat. 1. ii. s. iv. ver. 24. 


Aufidius forti miscebat mella Falerno. 
Mendose: quoniam vacuis committere venis 
Nil nisi lene deceit: leni precordia mulso 
Prolueris melius. 


Aufidius first, most injudicious, quaffed 

Strong wine and honey for his morning draught. 

With lenient bev’rage fill your empty veins, 

For lenient must will better cleanse the reins. 

Francis. 

Verse 14. Peter, standing up with the eleven] They 
probably spoke by turns, not altogether; but Peter 
began the discourse. 

All ye that dwell at Jerusalem| Οἱ κατοικουντες 


| would be better translated by the word sojourn, be- 


cause these were not inhabitants of Judea, but the 
strangers mentioned in verses 9, 10, and 11, who had 
come up to the feast. 

Verse 15. But the third hour of the day| That is, 
about nie o’clock in the morning, previously to which 
the Jews scarcely ever ate or drank, for that hour was 
the hour of prayer. This custom appears to have been 
so common that even the most intemperate among 
the Jews were not known to transgress it; Peter 
therefore spoke with confidence when he said, these 
are not drunken—seeing it is but the third hour of 
the day, previously to which even the intemperate did 
not use wine. 

Verse 16. Spoken by the prophet Joel] The pro- 
pheey which he delivered so long ago is just now ful- 
filled ; and this is_another proof that Jesus whom ye 
have crucified is the Messiah. 

Verse 17. In the last days] he time of the 
Messiah ; and so the phrase was understood among 
the Jews. 

1 will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh] Rabbi 
Tanchum says, “ When Moses laid his hands upon 
Joshua, the holy blessed God said, In the time of the 
old text, each individual prophet prophesied ; but, in 


been a peculiar kind of wine, and is thus described by | the times of the Messiah, all the Israelites shall be 


1 


695 


The prophecy of Joel fulfilled. THE 


A M4033. 18 And on my servants and on 


An. Olymp. my handmaidens I will pour out 

CCI Ξ ἜΣ 

in those days of my Spirit; 4 and 
they shall prophesy : 

19 * And [I will show wonders in heaven 
above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, 
and fire, and vapour of smoke 

20 *'The sun shall be turned into darkness, 
and the moon into blood, before that great and 
ago day of the Lord come : 


ACTS. Peter preaches Jesus to them 


21 And it shall come to pass, gras aes. 


that * whosoever shall call on the An. Ofvune, 
name of the Lord shall be saved. ii 

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus 
of Nazareth, a man approved of God among 
you ἃ by miracles and wonders and signs, which 
God did by him in the midst of you, as ye 
yourselves also know: 

23 Him, ‘being delivered by the determinate 
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ἡ ye have 


~aChap. xxi. 4, 9, 10; 1 Cor. xii. 10,28; xiv. 1, &e.—* Joel 
i. 30, 31. s Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; “Luke xxi. 25. 
t Rom. x. 13. 


u John iii. 2; xiv. 10, 11; chap. x.38; Heb. ii. 4. ¥ Matt. 
xxvi. 24; Luke xxii. 22; xxiv. 44; chap. iii. 18; iv. 28——¥ Ch. 
v. 30. 


prophets.” And this they build on the prophecy 
quoted in this place by Peter. 

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy] The 
word prophesy is not to be understood here as imply- 
ing the knowledge and discovery of future events; 
but signifies to teach and proclaim the great truths of 
God, especially those which concerned redemption by 
Jesus Christ. 

Your young men shall see visions, &c.] These were 
two of the various ways in which God revealed him- 
self under the Old Testament. Sometimes he revealed 
himself by a symbol, which was a sufficient proof of 
the Divine presence : fire was the most ordinary, as it 
was the most expressive, symbol. Thus he appeared 
to Moses on Mount Horeb, and afterwards at Sinai ; 
to Abraham, Genesis xv. ; to Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 11, 
12. At other times he revealed himself by angelic 
ministry : this was frequent, especially in the days of 
the patriarchs, of which we find many instances in the 
book of Genesis. 

By dreams he discovered his will in numerous in- 
stances: see the remarkable case of Joseph, Gen. 
xxxvii. 5, 9; of Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 1, &c. ; xlvi. 2, 
&ec. ; of Pharaoh, Gen. xli. 1-7 ; of Nebuchadnezzar, 
Dan. iv. 10-17. For the different ways in which 
God communicated the knowledge of his will to man- 
kind, see the note on Gen. xv. 1. 

Verse 18. On my servants and on my handmaidens] 
This properly means persons of the lowest condition, 
such as male and female slaves. As the Jews asserted 
that the spirit of prophecy never rested upon a poor 
man, these words are quoted to show that, under the 
Gospel dispensation, neither bond nor free, male nor 
female, is excluded from sharing in the gifts and 
graces of the Divine Spirit. 

Verse 19. 7 will show wonders] It is likely that 
both the prophet and the apostle refer to the cala- 
mities that fell upon the Jews at the destruction of 
Jerusalem, and the fearful signs and portents that 
preceded those calamities. See the notes on Matt. 
xxiv. 5-7, where these are distinctly related. 

Blood, fire, and vapour of smoke] Skirmishes and 
assassinations-over the land, and wasting the country 
with fire and sword. 

Verse 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, 
and the moon into blood] These are figurative repre- 
sentations of eclipses, intended most probably to point 


out the fall of the ezvil and ecclesiastical state in | 


696 


Judea: see the notes on Matt. xxiv. 29. That the 
suN is darkened when a total eclipse takes place, and 
that the moon appears of a dloody hue in such cireum- 
stances, every person knows. 

Verse 21. Whosoever shall call on the name of the 
Lord shall be saved.| The predicted ruin is now im- 
pending ; and only such as receive the Gospel of the 
Son of God shall be saved. And that none but the 
Christians did escape, when God poured out these 
judgments, is well known ; and that aun the Christians 
did escape, not one of them perishing in these devasta- 
tions, stands attested by the most respectable authority. 
See the note on Matt. xxiv. 13. 

Verse 22. A man approved of God] ΑἈποδεδειγμενον, 
celebrated, famous. The sense of the verse seems to 
be this: Jesus of Nazareth, a man sent of God, and 
celebrated among you by miracles, wonders, and signs; 
and all these done in such profusion as had never been 
done by the best of your most accredited prophets 
And these signs, &c., were such as demonstrated his 
Divine mission. 

Verse 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate 
counsel} Bp. Pearce paraphrases the words thus: 
Him having been given forth; i. e. sent into the 
world, and manifested by being made flesh, and dwell- 
ing among you, as it is said in John i. 14; see alsa 
chap. iv. 28. 

Kypke contends that exdorov, delivered, does not 
refer to Gop, but to Judas the traitor: “the Jews 


received Jesus, delivered up to them by Judas; the 
immutable counsel of God so permitting.” 
By the determinate counsel, ὡρισμενῃ Bovdy; that 


counsel of God which defined the time, place, and cir- 
cumstance, according (προγνωσει) to his foreknowledge, 
which always saw what was the most proper time and 
place for the manifestation and crucifixion of his Son ; 
so that there was nothing caswal in these things, God 
having determined that the salvation of a lost world 
should be brought about in this way; and neither the 
Jews nor Romans had any power here, but what was 
given to them from aboye. It was necessary to show 
the Jews that it was not through Christ’s weakness Οὐ 
inability to defend himself that he was taken; nor 
was it through their malice merely that he was slain ; 
| for God had determined long before, from the founda- 
tion of the world, Rey. xiii. 8, to give his Son a sacri- 
fice for sin; and the weachery of Judas, and the 


malice of the Jews, were only the incidental means 
1 


Peter preaches Jesus 


is 4033. taken, and by wicked hands have 


an, Ὅρα. crucified and slain : 
——— 24 * Whom God hath raised up, 
having loosed the pains of death: because it 
was not possible that he should be holden of it. 
25 For David speaketh concerning him, ¥ I 
foresaw the Lord always before my face, for 
he is on my right hand, that I should not be 
moved : 


x Ver. 32; chap. iii. 15; iv. 10; x. 40; xiii. 30, 34; xvii. 31; 
Rom. iv. 24; viii. 11; 1 Cor. vi.14; xv.15; 2 Cor. iv. 14; Gal. 


CHAP. II. 


to the peopte 


26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, 4,™, 4048, 
and my tongue was glad ; moreover ἘΠ ΗΕ; 
also my flesh shall rest in hope : - 

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in 
hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One 
to see corruption. 

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways 
of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with 
thy countenance. 


i. 1; Eph. i. 20; Col. ii. 12; 1 Thess. i. 10; Heb. xiii. 20; 1 Pet. 
i. 21.——Y Psa. xvi. 8. 


by which the great counsel of God was fulfilled: the 
counsel of God intending the sacrifice, but never 
ordering that it should be brought about by such 
wretched means. This was permitted; the other 
was decreed. See the observations at the end of this 
chapter. 

By wicked hands have crucified and slain] 1 think 
chis refers to the Romans, and not to the Jews; the 
former being the agents, to execute the evil purposes 
of the latter. It is well known that the Jews acknow- 
ledged that they had no power to put our Lord to 
death, John xviii. 31, and it is as well known that the 
punishment of the cross was not a Jewish, but a Ro- 
man, punishment: hence we may infer that by dia 
χείρων avouwr, by the hands of the wicked, the Ro- 
mans are meant, being called avouor, without law, 
because they had no revelation from God; whereas 
the others had what was emphatically termed ὁ νόμος 
tov Θεου, the law of God, by which they professed to 
regulate their worship and their conduct. It was the 
Jews, therefore, who caused our Lord to be crucified 
by the hands of the heathen Romans. 

Verse 24. Whom God hath raised up] For, as God 
alone gave him up to death, so God alone raised him 
up from death. 

Having loosed the pains of death] It is generally 
supposed that this expression means, the dissolving of 
those bonds or obligations by which those who enter 
into the region of the dead are detained there till the 
day of the resurrection; and this is supposed to be 
the meaning of ni “an chebley maveth, in Psa. exvi. 
3, or ἜΝ ΣΙ chebley sheol, in Psa. xviii. 5, and in 
2 Sam. xxii. 6, to which, as a parallel, this place has 
been referred. But Kypke has sufficiently proved that 
Avew τας ὠδινας θανατου, signifies rather to REMOVE the 
pains or sufferings of death. So Lucian, De Conser. 
Hist., says, “a copious sweat to some, ελυσε tov πυρετον, 
REMOVES or carries off the fever.’ So Strrapo, speak- 
ing of the balm of Jericho, says, Aver de κεφαλαλγιας 
θαυμαστως---ἶξ wonderfully removes the headache, &c. 
That Christ did suffer the pains and sorrows of death 
in his passion is sufficiently evident; but that these 
were all removed, previously to his crucifixion, is fully 
seen in that calm manner in which he met it, with all 
its attendant terrors. If we take the words as com- 
monly understood, they mean that it was impossible 
for the Prince of Life to be left in the empire of death: 
his resurrection, therefore, was a necessary conse- 
quence of his own Divine power. 

1 


Instead of θανατου, of death, the Codex Beza, Syriac, 
Coptic, and Vulgate, have ‘Acov, of hell, or the place 
of separate spirits; and perhaps it was on no better 
authority than this various reading, supported but by 
slender evidence, that, He descended into hell, became 
an article in what is called the apostles’ creed. And 
on this article many a popish legend has been builded, 
to the discredit of sober sense and true religion. 

Verse 25. For David speaketh concerning him] The 
quotation here is made from Psalm xvi., which contains 
a most remarkable prophecy concerning Christ, every 
word of which applies to him, and to him exclusively. 
See the notes there. 

Verse 26. And my tongue was glad] In the Hebrew 
it is "12D 53) waiyagel kebodi, “ And my glory was 
glad :” but the evangelist follows the Septuagint, in 
reading καὶ ηγαλλιασατο ἣ γλωσσα pov, what all the 
other Greek interpreters in the Hexapla translate dofa 
μου, my glory. And what is to be understood by glory 
here? Why the sow, certainly, and not the tongue ; 
and so some of the best critics interpret the place. 

Verse 27. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell] Exc 
"Avdov, in hades, that is, the state of separate spirits, or 
the state of the dead. Hades was a general term 


-| among the Greek writers, by which they expressed this 


state; and this apes was Tartarus to the wicked, and 
Elysium to the good. See the explanation of the word 
in the note on Matt. xi. 23. 

To see corruption.| Dust thou art, and unto dust 
thou shalt return, was a sentence pronounced on man 
after the fall: therefore this sentence could be executed 
on none but those who were fallen; but Jesus, being 
conceived without sin, neither partook of human cor- 
ruption, nor was involved in the condemnation of fallen 
human nature ; consequently, it was impossible for his 
body to see corruption; and it could not have under- 
gone the temporary death, to which it was not natu- 
rally liable, had it not been for the purpose of making 
an atonement. It was therefore impossible that the 
human nature of our Lord could be subject to corrup- 
tion: for though it was possible that the soul and it 
might be separated for a time, yet, as it had not sinned, 
it was not liable to dissolution; and its immortality 
was the necessary consequence of its being pure from 
transgression. 

Verse 28. Thou hast made known to me the ways 
of life] That is, the way from the region of death, or 
state of the dead and separate spirits; so that I shall 
resume the same body, and live the same kind of life, 

697 


THE 


Peter proves that the 1 esurrection 


A. M. 4033. 99 Men and brethren, 7 let me 


An, iy. freely speak unto you *of the pa- 
triarch David, that he is both dead and 

buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 
30 Therefore being a prophet, ἢ and knowing 
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that 
of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, 
he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne: 
31 He seeing this before spake of the re- 
surrection of Christ, ὁ that his soul was not 
left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 


ACTS. — of Christ was foretold by David 


32¢This Jesus hath God raised 4,™, 403 
up, ° whereof we all are witnesses. dou Ole 

33 Therefore * being by the right = 
hand of God exalted, and 8 having received of 
the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he 
hath shed forth this, which ye nowsee and hear. 

34 For David is not ascended into the hea- 
vens: but he saith himself, 1 The Lorn said 
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know 


z Or, 7 may.—— 1 Kings ii. 10; chap. xiii. 36 ——» 2 Sam. vii. 
12,13; Psa. exxxii. 11; Luke i. 32,69; Rom.i.3; 2 Tim. ii. 8. 
¢ Psa. xvi. 10; chap. xiii. 35——4 Ver. 24. © Chap. i. 8. 


as I had before I gave up my life for the sin of the 
world. 

Verse 29. Let me speak freely—of the patriarch 
David) In Midris Tillin, it is said, in a paraphrase on 
the words, my flesh shall rest in hope, “ Neither worm 
nor insect had power over David.” It is possible that 
this opinion prevailed in the time of St. Peter; and, 
if so, his words are the more pointed and forcible ; and 
therefore thus applied by Dr. Lightfoot: ‘ That this 
passage, Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell, &c., is 
not to be applied to David himself appears in that I 
may confidently aver concerning him, that he was dead 
and buried, and never rose again; but his soul was left 
εἰς ddov, in the state of the dead, and HE saw corrup- 
tion; for his sepulchre is with us to this day, under 
that very notion, that it is the sepulchre of David, who 
died and was there buried; nor is there one syllable 
mentioned any where of the resurrection of his body, 
or the return of his soul εξ δου from the state of the 
dead.” To this the same author adds the following 
remarkable note: I cannot slip over that passage, 
Mieros. Chagig. fol. 78: Rab. Jose saith, David died 
at pentecost, and all Israel bewailed him, and offered 
their sacrifices the day following. This is a remark- 
able coincidence; and may be easily applied to him 
of whom David was a type. 

Verse 30. According to the flesh, he would raise up 
Christ] This whole clause is wanting in ACD, one of 
the Syriac, the Coptic, Aithiopic, Armenian, and Vul- 
gate; and is variously entered in others. Griesbach 
rejects it from the text, and Professor White says of 
the words, “ certissime delenda,” they should doubtless 
be expunged. This is a gloss, says Schoetigen, that 
has crept into the text, which I prove thus: 1. The 
Syriac and Vulgate, the most ancient of the versions, 
have not these words. 2. The passage is consistent 
enongh and intelligible without them. 3. They 
are superfluous, as the mind of the apostle concerning 
the resurrection of Christ follows immediately in the 
succeeding verse. The passage therefore, according 
to Bp. Pearce, should be read thus: Therefore being 
a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an 
oath, of the fruit of his loins, to set on his throne; and 
foreseeing that he (God) would raise up Christ, he 
spake of the resurrection of Christ, &c. ‘In this 
translation, the words which Peter quotes for David’s 

698 


f Chap. v.31; Phil. ii. 9; Heb. x. 12.—=s John xiv. 26; xv. 
26; xvi. 7,13; chap. i. 4——» Chap. x. 45; Eph. iv. 8.——' Psa. 
cx. 1; Matt. xxii. 44; 1 Cor. xv. 25; Eph. 1. 20; Heb. 1. 13. 


are exactly the same with what we read in the psalm 
above mentioned; and the circumstance of David’s 
foreseeing that Christ was to be raised up, and was the 
person meant, is not represented as a part of the oath; 
but is only made to be Peter’s assertion, that David, 
as a prophet, did foresee it, and meant it.” 

Verse 31. That his soul was not left in hell} The 
words ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτου, his soul, are omitted by ABCD, 
Syriac, Coptic, Asthiopic, and Vulgate. Griesbach 
has left them out of the text, and Professor White says 
again, cerlissime delenda. The passage may be thus 
read: “ He spake of the resurrection of Christ, that 
he was not left in hades, neither did his flesh see cor- 
ruption.” For the various readings in this and the 
preceding verse, see Griesbach. 

Verse 32. Whereof we all are witnesses.] That is, 
the whole 120 saw him after he rose from the dead, 
and were all ready, in the face of persecution and 
death, to attest this great truth. 

Verse 33. By the right hand of God exalted] Raised 
by Omnipotence to the highest dignity in the realms of 
glory, to sit at the night hand of God, and administer 
the laws of both worlds. 

The promise of the Holy Ghost] This was the pro- 
mise that he had made to them a little before he suf- 
fered, as may be seen in John xiv. and xvi., and after 
he had risen from the dead, Luke xxiv. 49, and which, 
as the apostle says, was now shed forth. 

Verse 34. David is not ascended] Consequently, he 
has not sent forth this extraordinary gift ; but it comes 
from his Lord, of whom he said, The Lord said unto 
my Lord, ὅς. See the note on these words, Matt. 
xxii. 44. 

Verse 35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool.| It 
was usual with conquerors to put their feet on the necks 
of vanquished leaders, as ermblematical of the state of 
subjection to which they were reduced, and the total 
extinction of their power. By quoting these words, 
Peter shows the Jews, who continued enemies to Christ, 
that their discomfiture and ruin must necessarily take 
place, their own king and prophet having predicted this 
in connection with the other things which had already 
been so literally and circumstantially fulfilled. This 
conclusion had the desired effect, when pressed home 
with the strong application in the following verse 

Verse 36. Both Lord and Christ.] Not only the 

1 


He exhorts the people to 


AM 43% assuredly, that God ‘hath made that 
An ἃ Gi. same Jesus, whom ye have cruci- 
fied, both Lord and Christ. 

37 9 Now when they heard this, | they were 
pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter 
and to the rest of the apostles, Men and bre- 
thren, what shall we do? 

38 Then Peter said unto them, ™ Repent, 
and be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins; and 


CHAP. II. 


repent and be baptized. 


ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ἂν ΝΜ 4083, 
Ghost. An. ate 

39 For the promise is unto you, ————— 
and ®to your children, and °to all that are 
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call. 

40 And with many other words did he tes- 
tify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from 
this untoward generation. 

41 9 Then they that gladly received his 


k Chap. v. 3!.——! Zech. xii. 10; Luke iii. 10; chap. ix.6; xvi. 
30.——™ Luke xxiv. 47; chap. iii. 19. 


Messiah, but the supreme Governor of all things and 
all persons, Jews and Gentiles, angels and men. In 
the preceding discourse, Peter assumes a fact which 
noue would attempt to deny, viz. that Jesus had been 
lately crucified by them. He then, 1. Proves his re- 
surrection. 2. His ascension. 3. His exaltation to 
the right hand of God. 4. The effusion of the Holy 
Spirit, which was the fruit of his glorification, and 
which had not only been promised by himself, but fore- 
cold by their own prophets: in consequence of which, 
5. It was indisputably proved that this same Jesus, 
whom they had crucified, was the promised Messiah ; 
and if so, 6. The Governor of the universe, from whose 
power and justice they had every thing to dread, as they 
refused to receive his proffered mercy and kindness. 

Verse 37. When they heard this, they were pricked 
in their heart] This powerful, intelligent, consecutive, 
aud interesting discourse, supported every where by 
prophecies and corresponding facts, left them without 
reply and without excuse ; and they plainly saw there 
was no hope for them, but in the merey of him whom 
they had rejected and crucified. 

What shall we do?) How shall we escape those 
judgments which we now see hanging over our heads ? 

Verse 38. Peter said unto them, Repent] Μετανο- 
yoave; Humble yourselves before God, and deeply de- 
plore the sins you have committed ; pray earnestly for 
mercy, and deprecate the displeasure of incensed jus- 
tice. Fora definition of repentance, see on Matt. iii. 2. 

And be baptized every one of you] Take on you 
the public profession of the religion of Christ, by 
being baptized in his name; and thus acknowledge 
yourselves to be his disciples and servants. 

For the remission of sins} Exc ἀφεσιν ἁμαρτίων, In 
- reference to the remission or removal of sins: bap- 
tism pointing out the purifying influences of the Holy 
Spirit; and it is in reference to that purification that 
it is administered, and should in consideration never 
be separated from it. For baptism itself purifies not 
the conscience ; it only points out the grace by which 
this is to be done. 

Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.) If ye 
faithfully use the segn, ye shall get the substance. 
Receive the baptism, in reference to the removal of 
sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, by whose 
agency alone the efficacy of the blood of the covenant 
is applied, and by whose refining power the heart is 
purified. 


It was by none baptized in πον name of | tical advantages connected with it; 


® Joel ii. 28; chap. iii. 25. © Chap. x.45; xi. 15,18; xiv. 27; 
xv. 3, 8, 14; Eph. ii. 13, 17. 


Christ that men took upon themselves the profession 
of Christianity ; and it was in consequence of this that 
the disciples of Christ were called CurisTrans. 

Verse 39. For the promise is unto you] Jews of 
the land of Judea: not only the fulfilment of the pro- 
mise which he had lately recited from the prophecy 
of Joel was made to them, but in this promise was also 
included the purification from sin, with every gift and 
grace of the Holy Spirit. 

To all that are afar off| To the Jews wherever 
dispersed, and to all the Gentile nations ; for, though 
St. Peter had not as yet a formal knowledge of 
the calling of the Gentiles, yet, the Spirit of God, by 
which he spoke, had undoubtedly this in view ; and 
therefore the words are added, even as many as the 
Lord our God shall call, i. e. all to whom, in the 
course of his providence and grace, he shall send the 
preaching of Christ crucified. 

Verse 40. Save yourselves from this untoward 
generation.] Separate yourselves from them: be ye 
saved, σωθητε : the power is present with you; make 
a proper use of it, and ye shall be delivered from their 
obstinate unbelief, and the punishment that awaits it in 
the destruction of them and their city by the Romans. 

Verse 41. They that gladly received his word] The 
word ἀσμένως, which signifies joyfully, readily, will- 


| ingly, implies that they approved of the doctrine de- 


livered ; that they were glad to hear of this way of 
salvation; and that they began immediately to act 
according to its dictates. This last sense is well ex- 
pressed in a similar phrase by Josephus: when speak- 


|ing of the young Israelites enticing the Midianitish 


women to sin, by fair speeches, he says, ai de acuevac 
δεξαμεναι τοὺς λογους συνῃεσαν avrotc, Ant. 1. iv. ce. 4. 
Then they who approved of their words consorted 
with them. The word is however omitted by ABCD, 
Coptic, Sahidic, Athiopic, Vulgate, the Itala of the 
Codex Beza, Clemens, and Chrysostom. 

Were baptized] That is, in the name of Jesus, ver. 
38, for this was the criterion of a Jew’s conversion ; 
and when a Jew had received baptism in this name 
he was excluded from all communication with his 
countrymen ; and no man would have forfeited such 
privileges but on the fullest and clearest conviction. 
This baptism was a very powerful means to prevent 
their apostasy ; they had, by receiving baptism in the 
name of Jesus, renounced Judaism, and all the poli- 
and they found it 
699 


THE 


Three thousand souls are added 


A.M 403. word were baptized: and the same 
An Qin. day there were added wnto them 
about three thousand souls. 
42 » And they continued steadfastly in the 
apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in break- 
ing of bread, and in prayers. 


PVer. 46; chap. i. 14; Rom. xii. 12; Eph. vi. 18; Col. iv. 
. 25. 


2; Heb. x 


indispensably necessary to make the best use of that 
holy religion which they had received in its stead. 
Dr. Lightfoot has well remarked, that the Gentiles 
who received the Christian doctrine were baptized in 
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy 
Ghost ; whereas the Jewish converts, for the reasons 
already given, were baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus. 

Were added—three thousand souls.| Upocerefyoav, 
They went over from one party to another. ‘The 
Greek writers make use of this verb to signify that 
act by which cities, towns, or provinces changed their 
masters, and put themselves under another govern- 
ment. So these 3000 persons left the scribes and 
Pharisees, and put themselves under the teaching of 
the apostles, professing the Christian doctrine, and 
acknowledging that Christ was come, and that he who 
was lately crucified by the Jews was the promised 
and only Messiah ; and in this faith they were baptized. 

These 3000 were not converted under one dis- 
course, nor in one place, nor by one person. All the 
apostles preached, some in one language, and some in 
another ; and not in one howse—for where was there 
one at that time that could hold such a multitude of 
people? For, out of the multitudes that heard, 3000 
were converted ; and if one in five was converted it 
must have been a very large proportion. The truth 
seems to be this: All the apostles preached in differ- 
ent parts of the city, during the course of that day ; 
and in that day, 7 ἥμερᾳ εκεινῃ, 3000 converts were 
the fruits of the conjoint exertions of these holy men. 
Dr. Lightfoot thinks that the account in this place is 
the fulfilment of the prophecy in Psalm ex. 1, &c. : 
The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right 
hand ; this refers to the resurrection and ascension of 
Christ. Thy people shall be willing in the day of 
thy power, ver. 3. This was the day of his power ; 
and while the apostles proclaimed his death, resurrec- 
tion, and ascension, the people came willingly in, and 
embraced the doctrines of Christianity. 

Verse 42. They continued steadfastly in the apos- 
iles’ doctrine] They received it, retained it, and acted 
on its principles. 

And fellowship] Κοινωνιᾳ, community ; meaning 
association for religious and spiritual purposes. The 
community of goods cannot be meant; for this is 
mentioned ver. 44, 45, where it is said, they had all 
things common. 

And in breaking of bread] Whether this means the 
holy eucharist, or their common meals, it is difficult 
to say. The Syriac understands it of the former. 
Breaking of bread was that act which preceded a feast 
or meal, and which was performed by the master of 

700 


ACTS. to the Church in one day. 


43 And fear came upon every 4.,M. 4033 


soul; and %many wonders and An. Olymp. 
CCIE 1. 
signs were done by the apostles. - 
44 And all that believed were together, ait 
‘had all things common ; 
45 And sold their possessions and goods, 


4Mark xvi. 17; chapter iv. 33; v. 12——*Chapter ιν. 
34. 


? 


the house, when he pronounced the blessing—what 
we would call grace before meat. See the form on 
Matt. xxvi. 26. 

And in prayers.| In supplications to God for an 
increase of grace and life in their own souls for 
establishment in the truth which they had received ; 
and for the extension of the kingdom of Christ in the 
salvation of men. Behold the employment of the 
primitive and apostolic Church. 1. They were 
builded up on the foundation of the prophets and 
apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the corner stone. 
2. They continued steadfastly in that doctrine which 
they had so evidently received from God. They 
were separated from the world, and lived in a holy 
Christian fellowship, strengthening and building up 
each other in their most holy faith. 4. They were 
frequent in breaking bread; in remembrance that 
Jesus Christ died for them. 5. They continued ir 
prayers ; knowing that they could be no longer faith- 
ful than while they were upheld by their God; and 
knowing also that they could not expect his grace to 
support them, unless they humbly and earnestly prayed 
for its continuance. 

Verse 43. And fear came upon every soul] Differ- 
ent MSS. and versions read this clause thus, And 
GREAT fear and TREMBLING came upon every soul in 
JerusaALemM. For several weeks past they had a series 
of the most astonishing miracles wrought before their 
eyes; they were puzzled and confounded at the man- 
ner in which the apostles preached, who charged them 
home with the deliberate murder of Jesus Christ, and 
who attested, in the most positive manner, that he was 
risen from the dead, and that God had sent down that 
mighty effusion of the Spirit which they now witness- 
ed as a proof of his resurrection and ascension, and 
that this very person whom they had crucified was 
appointed by God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 
They were in consequence stung with remorse, and 
were apprehensive of the judgments of God; and the 
wonders and signs continually wrought by the apos- 
tles were at once proofs of the celestial origin of theiz 
doctrine and mission, and of their own baseness, per- 
fidy, and wickedness. 

Verse 44. And all that believed] Oi πιστευοντες, 
The believers, i. e. those who conscientiously credited 
the doctrine concerning the incarnation, crucifixion, 
resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and had, 
in consequence, received redemption in his blood. 

Were together] Ext τὸ αὐτο. ‘“ These words signify 
either, in one time, chap. iil. 1; or in one place, chap. 
ii. 1; or in one thing. ‘The last of these three senses 
seems to be the most proper here; for it is not pro- 
bable that the believers, who were then 3000 in 

1 


The happy state of the 


A. M. 4033. 
\ M4033. and *parted them to all men, as 


Anrep: every man had need. 

46 * And they, continuing daily 
with one accord ἃ in the temple, and ¥ breaking 
bread “from house to house, did eat their 


‘sa. lviii. 77——t Chap. i. 14——" Luke xxiv. 53; chap. v. 42. 
¥ Chap. xx. 7. 


number, ver. 41, besides the 120 spoken of chap. i. 
15, were used all to meet at one time, or in one place, 
in Jerusalem.” See Bp. Pearce. 

And had all things common] Perhaps this has 
not been well understood. At all the public religious 
feasts in Jerusalem, there was a sort of community of 
goods. No man at such times hired houses or beds in 
Jerusalem ; all were lent gratis by the owners: Yoma, 
fol. 12. Megill. fol. 26. The same may be well 
supposed of their ovens, cauldrons, tables, spits, and 
other utensils. Also, provisions of water were made 
for them at the public expense. Shekalim, cap. 9. 
See Lightfoot here. Therefore a sort of community 
of goods was no strange thing at Jerusalem, at such 
times as these. It appears, however, that this com- 
munity of goods was carried farther ; for we are in- 
formed, ver. 45, that they sold their possessions and 
their goods, and parted them to all, as every man had 
need. But this probably means that, as in conse- 
quence of this remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of 
God, and their conversion, they were detained longer 
at Jerusalem than they had originally intended, they 
formed a kind of community for the time being, that 
none might suffer want on the present occasion; as 
no doubt the unbelieving Jews, who were mockers, 
ver. 13, would treat these new converts with the most 
marked disapprobation. That an absolute community 
of goods never obtained in the Church at Jerusalem, 
unless for a very short time, is evident from the apos- 
tolical precept, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, &c., by which collec- 
tions were ordered to be made for the poor; but, if 
there had been a community of goods in the Church, 
there could have been no ground for such recommend- 
ations as these, as there could have been no such dis- 
tinction as rich and poor, if every one, on entering the 
Church, gave up all his goods to a common stock. 
Besides, while this sort of community lasted at Jeru- 
salem, it does not appear to have been imperious upon 
any ; persons might or might not thus dispose of their 
gods, as we learn from the case of Ananias, chap. v. 
4. Nor does it appear that what was done at Jeru- 
salem at this time obtained in any other branch of the 
Christian Church ; and in this, and in the fifth chap., 
where it is mentioned, it is neither praised nor blamed. 
We may therefore safely infer, it was something that 
was done at this time, on this occasion, through some 
local necessity, which the circumstances of the infant 
Church at Jerusalem might render expedient for that 
place and on that occasion only. 

Verse 46. They, continuing daily with one accord 
in the temple] They were present at all the times of 
public worship, and joined together in prayers and 
praises to God ; for it is not to be supposed that they 
continued to offer any of the sacrifices prescribed by 
the law. 

1 


CHAP. II. 


prumtive Christians 


meat with gladness and singleness 4,™, 033: 
of heart, 

47 Praising God, and * having fa- ——_— 
vour with all the people. And ¥ the Lord added 
to the Church daily such as should be saved. 


An. Olymp. 
CCIL. 7 


w Or, at home. 13, 


xLuke ii. 52; chap. iv. 33; Rom. xis 
y Chap. v. 14; xi. 24. 


Breaking bread from house to house| This may sig- 
nify, that select companies, who were contiguous to 
each other, frequently ate together at their respective 
lodgings on their return from public worship. But 
κατ᾽ otxov, which we translate from house to house, is 
repeatedly used by the Greek writers for home, at home, 
(see margin,) for though they had all things in com- 
mon, each person lived at his own table. Breaking 
bread is used to express the act of taking their meals. 
The bread of the Jews was thin, hard, and dry, and 
was never cut with the knife as ours is, but was 
simply broken by the hand. 

With gladness and singleness of heart] A true pic- 
ture of genuine Christian fellowship. They ate their 
bread: they had no severe fasts; the Holy Spirit had 
done in their souls, by his refining influence, what 
others vainly expect from bodily austerities. It may 
be said also, that, if they had no severe fasts, they had 
no splendid feasts: all was moderation, and all was 
contentment. They were full of gladness, spiritual 
joy and happiness ; and singleness of heart, every man 
worthy of the confidence of his neighbour; and all 
walking by the same rule, and minding the same thing. 

Verse 47. Praising God] As the fountain whence 
they had derived all their spiritual and temporal bless- 
ings; seeing him in all things, and magnifying the 
work of his mercy. 

Having favour with all the people.| Every honest, 
upright Jew would naturally esteem these for the 
simplicity, purity, and charity of their lives. The 
scandal of the cross had not yet commenced; for, 
though they had put Jesus Christ to death, they had 
not yet entered into a systematic opposition to the doc- 
trines he taught. : 

And the Lord added to the Church daily such as 
should be saved.| Though many approved of the life 
and manners of these primitive Christians, yet they 
did not become members of this holy Church ; God per- 
mitting none to be added to it, but τοὺς σωζομενοῦυς, 
those who were saved from their sins and prejudices. 
The Church of Christ was made up of saints ; sinners 
were not permitted to incorporate themselves with it. 

One MS. and the Armenian version, instead of τοὺς 
σωζομένους, the saved, have τοῖς σωζομενοις, to them 
who were saved; reading the verse thus: And the 
Lord added daily to those who were saved. He united 
those who were daily converted under the preaching of 
the apostles to those who had already been converted. 
And thus every lost sheep that was found was brought 
to the flock, that, under the direction of the great 
Master Shepherd, they might go out and in, and find 
pasture. The words, to the Church, τῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ, are 
omitted by BC, Coptic, Sahidic, Althiopic, Armenian, 
and Vulgate ; and several add the words ex τὸ αὐτο, 
at that time, (which begin the first verse of the next 

701 


Observations on the 


chapter) to the conclusion of this. My old MS. Eng- 
lish Bible reads the verse thus: for so the Bord en= 
cresey fem that torven maad saat, eche Dav, into the 
same thing. Nearly the same rendering as that in 
Wiclif. Our translation of τοὺς σωζομενοῦυς, such as 
should be saved is improper and insupportable. The 
original means simply and solely those who were then 
saved ; those who were redeemed from their sins, and 
baptized into the faith of Jesus Christ. The same as 
those whom St. Paul addressed, Eph. ii. 8: By grace 
ye are saved, cote σεσωσμενοι ; or, ye are those who 
have been’saved hy grace. So in Titus iii. 5 : Accord- 
mg to his mercy he saved us, ἔσωσεν jac, by the 
washing of regeneration. And in 1 Cor. i. 18, we 
have the words tog σωζομένοις, them who are saved, 
to express those who had received the Christian faith ; 
in opposition to τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, to those who are lost, 
namely the Jews, who obstinately refused to receive 
salvation on the terms of the Gospel, the only way in 
which they could be saved; for it was by embracing 
the Gospel of Christ that they were put in a state of 
salvation ; and, by the grace it imparted, actually saved 
from the power, guilt, and dominion of sin. See 1 
Cor. xv. 2: I made known unto you, brethren, the 
Gospel which I preached unto you, which ye have re- 
ceived, and in which ye stand; and BY WHICH YE ARE 
SAVED, δ od καὶ σωζεσθε. Our translation, which in- 
deed existed long before our present authorized ver- 
sion, as may be seen in Cardmarden’s Bible, 1566, 
Beck’s Bible, 1549, and Tindall’s Testament, print- 
ed by Will. Tylle, in 1548, is bad in itself; but 
it has been rendered worse by the comments put on it, 
viz. that those whom God adds to the Church shall 
necessarily and unavoidably be eternally saved ; where- 
as no such thing is hinted by the original text, be the 
doctrine of the indefectibility of the saints true or false 
—which shall be examined in its proper place. 


ΟΝ that awful subject, the foreknowledge of God, 
something has already been spoken: see ver. 23. 
Though it is a subject which no finite nature can com- 
prehend, yet it is possible so to understand what re- 
lates to us in it as to avoid those rocks of presumption 
and despondency on which multitudes have been ship- 
wrecked. The foreknowledge of God is never spoken 
of in reference to himself, but in reference to ws: in 
him properly there is neither foreknowledge nor after- 
knowledge. Omuniscience, or the power to know all 
things, is an attribute of God, and exists in him as 
omnipotence, or the power to do all things. He can 
do whatsoever he will; and he does whatsoever is fit 
or proper to be done. God cannot have foreknow- 
ledge, strictly speaking, because this would suppose 
that there was something coming, in what we call 
Jfuturity, which had not yet arrived at the presence 
of the Deity. Neither can he have any afterknow- 
ledge, strictly speaking, for this would suppose that 
something that had taken place, in what we call prete- 
reily, or past time, had now got beyond the presence 
of the Diety. As God exists in all that can be eall- 
ed eternity, so he is equally every where: nothing 
can be fuéwre to him, because he lives in all futurity ; 
nothing can be past to him, because he equally exists 


in all past time: futurity and pretereity are relative ' 


702 


THE ACTS. 


foreknowledge of God 


terms to us; but they can have no relation to that 
God who dwells in every point of eternity ; with whom 
all that is past, and all that is present, and all that is 
fuiure to man, exists in one infinite, indivisible, and 
eternal NOW. As God’s omnipotence implies his 
power to do all things, so God’s omniscience implies 
his power to know all things; but we must take heed 
that we meddle not with the infinite free agency of this 
Eternal Being. Though God can do all things, he does 
not all things. Infinite judgment directs the operations 
of his power, so that though he can, yet he does nol 
do all things, but only such things as are proper to be 
done. In what is called illimitable space, he can make 
millions of millions of systems; but he does not see 
proper to do this. He can destroy the solar system, 
but he does not do it: he can fashion and order, in end- 
less variety, all the different beings which now exist, 
whether material, animal, or intellectual; but he does 
not do this, because he does not see it proper to be done. 
Therefore it does not follow that, because God can da 
all things, therefore he must do ail things. God is 
omniscient, and can know all things; but does it follow 
from this that ke must know ail things? Is he not as 
Sree in the volitions of his wisdom, as he is in the vo- 
litions of his power? The contingent as absolute, or 
the absolute as contingent? God has ordained some 
things as absolutely certain; these he knows as abso- 
lutely certain. He has ordained other things as con- 
tingent ; these he knows as contingent. It would he 
absurd to say that he foreknows a thing as only con- 
tingent which he has made absolutely certain. And it 
would be as absurd to say that he foreknows a thing to 
be absolutely certain which in his own eternal counsel 
he has made contingent. By absolutely certain, I mean 
a thing which must be, in that order, time, place, and 
form in which Divine wisdom has ordained it to be; 
and that it ean be no otherwise than this infinite counsel 
has ordained. By contingent, I mean such things as 
the infinite wisdom of God has thought proper to poise 
on the possibility of being or not being, leaving it to 
the will of intelligent beings to turn the seale. Or, 
contingencies are such possibilities, amid the succession 
of events, as the infinite wisdom of God has left to the 
will of inteiligent beings to determine whether any such 
event shall take place or not. To deny this would in- 
volve the most palpable contradictions, and the most 
monstrous absurdities. If there be no such things as 
contingencies in the world, then every thing is fired 
and determined by an unalterable decree and purpose 
of God; and not only all free agency is destroyed, but 
all agency of every kind, except that of the Creator 
himself; for on this ground God is the only operator, 
either in time or eternity: all created beings are only 
instruments, and do nothing but as impelled and acted 
upon by this almighty and sole Agent. Consequently, 
every act is his own; for if he have purposed them all 
as absolutely certain, having nothing contingent in them 
then he has ordained them to be so; and if no contin- 
gency, then no free agency, and God alone is the sole 
actor. Hence the dlasphemous, though, from the pre- 
mises, fav conclusion, that God is the author of all the 
evil and sin that are in the world; and hence follows 
that absurdity, that, as God can do nothing that is 
wrong, WHATEVER IS, 15 RIGHT. Sin is no more sin ; 
1 


ον» 0 Ψ ᾿ν 


Observations on the 


- avicious human action is no crime, if God have decreed 
it, and by his foreknowledge and will impelled the crea- 
-ture to act it. On this ground there can be no punish- 
ment for delinquencies ; for if every thing be done as 
God has predetermined, and his determinations must 
necessarily be all right, then neither the instrument nor 
the agent has done wrong. Thus all vice and virtue, 
praise and blame, merit and demerit, guilt and inno- 
cence, are at once confounded, and all distinctions of 
this kind confounded with them. Now, allowing the 
doctrine of the contingency of human actions, (and it 
must be allowed in order to shun the above absurdities 
and blasphemies,) then we see every intelligent crea- 
ture accountable for its own works, and for the use it 
makes of the power with which God has endued it; 
and, to grant all this consistently, we must also grant 
that God foresees nothing as absolutely and inevitably 
certain which he has made contingent; and, because 
he has designed it to be contingent, therefore he cannot 
know it as absolutely and inevitably certain. I con- 
elude that God, although omniscient, is not obliged, in 
consequence of this, to know all that he can know ; no 
more than he is obliged, because he is omnipotent, to 
do all that he can do. 

How many, by confounding the self and free agency 
of God with a sort of continual impulsive necessity, 
have raised that necessity into an all-commanding and 
overruling energy, to which God himself is made sub- 
ject! Very properly did Milton set his damned spirits 
about such work as this, and has made it a part of their 
endless punishment :—— 


Others apart sat on a hill retired, 
In thoughts more elevate; and reasoned high 
Of providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate; 
Fixed fate, free-will, foreknowledge absolute, 
And found no end, in wand’ring mazes lost. 
Parap. Lost, ὃ. ii. 1. 557. 
Among some exceptionable expressions, the follow- 
ng are also good thoughts on the free agency and fall 
if man :— 


I made him just and right, 

Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. 

Not free, what proof could they have given sincere 
Of true allegiance, constant faith or love, 

When only what they needs must do appeared, 

Not what they would? What praise could they receive? 
Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled, 

Made passive, both had served Necessity, 

Not ME. 
So without least impulse or shadow of fate, 

Or aught by me wnmutably foreseen, 

They trespass, authors to themselves in all 

Both what they judge, and what they choose, for so 
I formed them free, and free they must remain 

Till they enthrall themselves: I else must change 
Their namre, and revoke the high decree 
Unchangeable, eternal, which ordained 

Their freedom; they themselves ordained their fall. 
Ibid, b. iii. 1. 98, 103, 120. 


1 = 


CHAP. II. 


foreknowledge of God 


I shall conclude these observations with a short ex 
tract from Mr. Bird’s Conferences, where, in answer 
to the objection, “ If many things fall out contingenily, 
or as it were by accident, God’s foreknowledge of therm 
can be but contingent, dependent on man’s free will,” 
he observes: “It is one thing to know that a thing 
will be done necessarily ; and another, to know neces- 
sarily that a thing will be done. God doth necessarily 
foreknow all that will be done ; but he doth not know 
that those things which shall be done voluntarily will 
be done necessarily: he knoweth that they will be 
done; but he knoweth withal that they might have 
fallen out otherwise, for aught he had ordered to the 
contrary. So likewise God knew that. Adam would 
fall; and yet he knew that he would not fall necessa- 
rily, for it was possible for him not to have fallen. 
And as touching God's preordination going before his 
prescience as the cause of all events, this would be to 
make God the author of all the sin in the world; his 
knowledge comprehending that as well as other things. 
God indeed foreknoweth all things, because they will 
be done ; but things are not (therefore) done, because 
he foreknoweth them. It is impossible that any man, 
by his voluntary manner of working, should elude God's 
foresight ; but then this foresight doth not necessitate 
the will, for this were to take it wholly away. Fon 
as the knowledge of things present imports no neces- 
sity on that which is done, so the foreknowledge of 
things future lays no necessity on that which shail be, 
because whosoever knows and sees things, he knows 
and sees them as they are, and not as they are not; 
so that God’s knowledge doth not confound things, but 
reaches to all events, not only which come to pass, but 
as they come to pass, whether contingently or neces- 
sarily. As, for example, when you see a man walking 
upon the earth, and at the very same instant the sen 
shining in the heavens, do you not see the first as 
voluntary, and the second as natural? And though 
at the instant you see both done, there is a necessity 
that they be done, (or else you could not see them at 
all,) yet there was a necessity of one only before they 
were done, (namely, the sun’s shining in the heavens,) 
but none at all of the other, (viz. the man’s walking 
upon the earth.) The sun could not but shine, as be- 
ing a natural agent; the man might not have walked, 
as being a voluntary one.” This is a good argument; 
but I prefer that which states the knowledge of God 
to be absolutely free, without the contradictions which 
are mentioned above. ‘ But you deny the omniscience 
of God.”—No, no more than I deny his omnipotence, 
and you know [ do not, though you have asserted the 
contrary. But take heed how you speak about this 
infinitely free agent : if you will contradict, take heed 
that you do not dlaspheme. I ask some simple ques- 
tions on the subject of God’s knowledge and power: 
if you know these things better than your neighbour, 
be thankful, be humble, and pray to God to give yea 
amiable tempers; for the wrath of man worketh not 
the righteousness of God. May he be merciful to thee 
and me! 

᾿ 703 


The lame man αἱ the Beautiful 


THE ACTS. 


gate of the temple healed 


CHAPTER III. 


Peter and John go to the temple at the hour of prayer, and heal a man who had been lame from his mother’s 


womb, 1-8. 


The people are astonished, and the apostles inform them that it was net by their own power 


they had healed the man, but through the power of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, 9-16. 


Peter both excuses and reproves them, and exhorts them to repentance, 17-21. 


Shows that in Jesus 


Christ the prophecy of Moses was fulfilled ; and that all the prophets testified of Jesus and his salvation, 
22-24 ; and that, in him, the covenant made with Abraham is fulfilled ; and that Christ came to bless 
them by turning them away from their iiquities, 25, 26. 


A. Μ. 4033. i 2 
ΕΞ Now Peter and John went up to 
Aa, gee gether * into the temple at the 


—_——— hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 

2 And °acertain man lame from his mo- 
ther’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily 
at the gate of the temple which is called 


Beautiful, ἃ to ask alms of them that ei 
entered into the temple; An, Obymp, 
3 Who seeing Peter and John = 

about to go into the temple, asked an alms. 
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him 
with John, said, Look on us. 


«Chap. ii. 46.— Psa. lv. 17. 


NOTES ON CHAP. III. 

Verse 1. Peter and John went up together] The 
words ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτο, which we translate together, and 
which are the first words in this chapter in the Greek 
text, we have already seen, chap. ii. 47, are added by 
several MSS. and versions to the last verse of the 
preceding chapter. But they do not make so good a 
sense there as they do here; and should be translated, 


not ¢ogether, which really makes no sense here, but at | 


that time; intimating that this transaction occurred 
nearly about the same time that those took place which 
are mentioned at the close of the former chapter. 

At the hour of prayer] This, as is immediately 
added, was the ninth hour, which answers, in a general 
way, to our three o’clock in the afternoon. The third 
hour, which was the other grand time of public prayer 
among the Jews, answered, in a general way, to 
our nine in the morning. See the note on chap. ii. 
ver. 15. 

It appears that there were ¢hree hours of the day 
destined by the Jews to public prayer; perhaps they 
are referred to by David, Psa. lv. 17: Evenine and 
MORNING, and at NOON, will I pray and cry aloud. 
There are three distinct times marked in the book of 
the Acts. The rairp hour, chap. ii. 15, answering, 
as we have already seen, to nearly our nine o'clock in 
the morning; the ΒΙΧΤῊ hour, chap. x. 9, answering 
to about ¢welve with us; and the ninTH hour, men- 
tioned in this verse, and answering to our ¢hree in the 
afternoon. 

The rabbins believed that 4éraham instituted the 
time of morning prayer; Isaac, that at noon; and 
Jacob, that of the evening : for which they quote seve- 
ral seriptures, which have little reference to the subject 
in behalf of which they are produced. Others of the 
rabbins, particularly Tanchwm, made a more natural 
division. Men should pray, 1. When the sun rises ; 
2. when the-sun has gained the meridian; 3. when 
the sun has se/, or passed just under the horizon. At 
each of these three times they required men to offer 
prayer to God; and I should be glad to know that 
every Christian in the universe observed the same rule: 
it is the most natural division of the day; and he who 
conscientiously observes these three stated times of 

704 


¢ Chap. xiv. 8——4 John ix. 8. 


prayer will infallibly grow in grace, and in the know 
ledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Verse 2. A—man lame from his mother’s womb] 
The case of this man must have been well known: 1. 
from the long standing of his infirmity: 2. from his 
being daily exposed in a place so public. It appears 
that he had no power to walk, and was what we term 
a cripple, for he was carried to the gate of the temple, 
and /aid there in order to excite compassion. These 
circumstances are all marked by St. Luke, the more 
fully to show the greatness and incontestable nature 
of the miracle. 

The gate—which 15 called Beautiful] There are 
different opinions concerning this gate. Josephus ob- 
serves, Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5, sect. 3, that the tem- 
ple had nine gates, which were on every side covered 
with gold and silver; but there was one gate which 
was without the holy house, and was of Corinthian 
brass, and greatly excelled those which were only 
covered with gold and silver: πολὺ ty τιμῃ τας καταρ- 
γυρους Kat περιχρυσους bxepayovca. The magnitudes 
of the other gates were equal one to another ; but that 
of the Corinthian gate, which opened on the east, over 
against the gate of the holy house itself, was much 
larger : πεντήκοντα yap πηχων ovoad τὴν avacTacly, 
τεσσαράκοντα πηχεις τας θυρας εἰχε, καὶ τον κοσμον πολυ- 
τελεστερον, ἐπὶ δαψιλες παχος ἀργυροῦ τε καὶ χρυσου" ον 
its height was fifty cubits, and its doors were forty 
cubits, and it was adorned after a most costly manner, 
as having much richer and thicker plates of silver and 
gold upon them than upon the other. This last was 
probably the gate which is here called Beautiful; be 
cause it was on the outside of the temple, to which 
there was an easy access, and because it was evidently 
the most costly, according to the account in Josephus; 
but it must be granted that the text of Josephus is by 
no means clear. 

Verse 4. Look on us.]| He wished to excite and 
engage his attention that he might see what was done 
to produce his miraculous cure, and, it is likely, took 
this oceasion to direct his faith to Jesus Christ. See 
note on verse 16. Peter and John probably felt them- 
selves suddenly drawn by the Holy Spirit to pronounce 


the healing name in behalf of this poor man. 
1 


The people are filled with 
A.M. 4033. 5 And he gave heed unto them, 
An. Olymp. expecting to receive something of 

CCI. 1. 
== then. 

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold ! ave I 
none; but such as I have give I thee: “ ἴῃ 
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up 
and walk. 

7 And he took him by the right hand, and 
lifted him up: and immediately his feet and 
ancle bones received strength ; 

8 And he ‘leaping up, stood, and walked, 

_and entered with them into the temple, walk- 
ing, and leaping, and praising God. 

9 «© And all the people saw him walking and 
praising God : 


© Chap. iv. 10.—' Isa. xxxv. 6——£ Chap. iv. 16, 21. 


CHAP. Il. 


wonder at the muracle 


10 And they knew that it was he 4,™, 4033. 
which " sat for alms at the Beautiful Sa ol 
gate of the temple: and they were — 
filled with wonder and amazement at that 
which had happened unto him. 

11 And as the lame man which was healed 
held Peter and John, all the people ran toge- 
ther unto them in the porch ‘ that is called 
Solomon’s, greatly wondering. 

12 4 And when Peter saw zt, he answered 
unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why mar- 
vel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on 
us, as though by our own power or holiness 
we had made this man to walk? 

13 * The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and 


b Like John ix. 8— John x. 23; chap. v. 12— Chap. v. 30. 


Verse 5. Expecting to receive something of them.] 
Because it was a constant custom for all who entered 
the temple to carry money with them to give to the 
treasury, or to the poor, or to both. It was on this 
ground that the friends of the lame man laid him at the 
gate of the temple, as this was the most likely place 
to receive alms. 

Verse 6. Silver and gold have I none] Though it 
was customary for all those who entered the temple 
to carry some money with them, for the purposes 
mentioned above, yet so poor were the apostles that 
they had nothing to give, either to the sacred treasury, 
or to the distressed. The popish writers are very 
dexterous at forming analogies between St. Peter and 
the pope ; but it is worthy of note that they have not 
attempted any here. Even the judicious and generally 
liberal Calmet passes by this important saying of the 
person whom he believed to have been the first pope. 
Thomas Aquinas, surnamed the angelical doctor, who 
was highly esteemed by Pope Innocent IV., going one 
day into the pope’s chamber, where they were reckon- 
ing large sums of money, the pope, addressing him- 
self to Aquinas, said: “ You see that the Church 
is no longer in an age in which she can say, Silver 
and gold have I none?” “Τὶ is true, holy father,” 
replied the angelical doctor, “ nor can she now say to 
the lame man, Rise up and walk! This was a faith- 
ful testimony, and must have cut deep for the moment. 
One thing is very remarkable, that though the saints 
of this Church can work no miracles while alive, they 
work many when dead; and it is the attestation of 
those post mortem miracles that leads to their canoni- 
zation. Thomas a Becket, who did no good while he 
lived, is reported to have done much after his death. 
Many have visited his tomb, and, in days of yore, many 
were said to be healed of whatsoever disease they had. 
The age is more enlightened, and the tomb of this re- 
puted saint has lost all its power. 

Verse 7. Immediately his feet and ancle bones re- 
cewea strength] The suddenness of the cure was the 
proof of the miracle: his walking and leaping were 
the evidences of it. 

Verse 8. Walking and leaping, and praising God.) 

Vor. 1. ( 45 ) 


These actions are very naturally described. He walked, 
in obedience to the command of the apostle, rise up 
and walk : he leaped, to try the strength of his limbs, 
and to be convinced of the reality of the cure: he 
praised God, as a testimony of the gratitude he felt for 
the cure he had received. Now was fulfilled, in the 
most literal manner, the words of the Prophet Isaiah, 
chap. xxxv. 6: The lame man shall leap as a hart. 

Verse 9. And all the people saw him] The miracle 
was wrought in the most public manner, and in the 
most public place, and in a place where the best judg- 
ment could be formed of it; for, as it was a Divine 
operation, the priests, &c., were the most proper 
persons to judge of it; and under their notice it was 
now wrought. 

Verse 11. Held Peter and John] He felt the 
strongest affection for them, as the imstruments by 
which the Divine influence was conveyed to his dis- 
eased body. 

In the porch that is called Solomon’s] On this por 
tico see Bp. Pearce’s note, inserted in this work, 
John x. 23. 

Verse 12. As though by our own power] Avvapet, 
Miraculous energy. 

Or holiness] H εὑυσεβειᾳ, Meaning religious at- 
tachment to the worship of God. Do not think that 
we have wrought this miracle by any power of our 
own; or that any supereminent piety in us should” 
have induced God thus to honour us, by enabling us 
to work it. Instead of εὐσεβείᾳ, holiness, the Syriac 
of Erpen, Armenian, Vulgate, and some copies of the 
Ttala, have εξουσιᾳ, power or authority ; but the first 
appears to be the legitimate reading. 

Verse 13. The God of Abraham, &c.] This was 
wisely introduced, to show them that He whom they 
called their God had acknowledged Jesus Christ for 
his Son, and wrought this miracle in his name; and, 
by thus honouring Jesus whom they slew, he had 
charged home the guilt of that murder upon them. 

Denied him in the presence of Pilate] Ἡρνησασθε, 
Ye have renounced him as your king, and denounced 
him to death as a malefactor, when Pilate, convinced 
of his perfect innocence, was determined, κρίναντος, 

705 


Peter charges them with having 


A.M. 4033. of Jacob, the God of our fathers, 
‘hath glorified his Son Jesus ; 
whom ye ™delivered up, and ἃ de- 
nied him in the presence of Pilate, when he 
was determined to let him go. 

14 But ye denied ° the Holy One, ? and the 
Just, and desired a murderer to be granted 
unto you ; 

15 And killed the 4 Prince of life, τ whom 
God hath raised from the dead, * whereof we 
are witnesses. 


An. ae. 
CCIL 


THE ACTS. 


killed the Prince of hfe 


16 * And his name, through faith “-, M. 8 
in his name, hath made ihis man ἊΣ Op 
strong, whom ye see and know; = 
yea, re faith which is by him hath given 
him this perfect soundness in the presence of 
you all. 

17 And now, brethren, I wot that * throagh 
ignorance ye did 2zf, as did also your rulers. 

18 But Ythose things, which God before 
had * showed by the mouth of all his prophets, 
that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 


1 John vii. 39; xii. 16 5 xvii. 1—™ Matt. xxvii. 2.— Matt. xxvii. 
20; Mark xv. 1; Luke xxiii. 18, 20,21 ; John xviii. 40; xix. 15; 
chap. xiii. 28.» Psa. xvi. 10; Mark i. 24; Luke i. 35; chap. ii. 
27; iv.27. P Chap. vii. 52; xxii. 14. ana Or, ‘Author, Heb. ii. 


10; v.9; 1 Johny. 11. τ Ch, ii. 24, Ch. ii. 32. t Matt. 
ix. ρα; chap. iv. 10; xiv. 9. 4 Luke xxiii. 34; John xvi.3, ch. 
xiii. 27; 1 Cor. ii. 8; 1 Tim. 1. 13.— Luke xxiv. 44; ch. xxvi. 22, 
w Psa. xxii. ; Isa. 1. 6: Nii. 5, &e.; Dan. ix. 26; 1 Pet. i 3.10, 11. 


judged it proper and just, tolet him go. Pilate wished 
to act according to justice ; you acted contrary to jus- 
tice and equity in ali their forms. 

Verse 14. Ye denied the Hoty One] Tov ἁγιον. A 
manifest reference to Psa. xvi. 10: Thou wilt not 
suffer thy Hoty One to see corruption; where the 
original word 7) 17 Chasideyca, thy Horny One, is 
cranslated by the Septuagint, tov ‘Ocvov cov, a word of 
the same import with that used by Peter. 

And desired a murderer] Barabbas: the case must 
have been fresh in their own remembrance. Like 
cleaves to like, and begets its like: they were mur- 
derers themselves, and so Christ calls them, Matt. 
xxii. 7, and they preferred a murderer to the holy 
and righteous One of God. 

Verse 15. And killed the Prince of life] Tov apyn- 
γον tne Canc, The author of this life: not only imply- 
ing that all life proceeds from Jesus Christ as its 
source, but that the life-giving influence of that reli- 
gion which they were now proclaiming came all 
through him. Apyyyoc signifies a prime leader or 
author, a captain, from apyn, the beginning, head, or 
chief; and ayo, I lead. In Heb. ii. 10, Christ is 
ealled Apynyoc της σωτηρίας, the Captain of salvation. 
He teaches the doctrine of life and salvation, leads the 
way in which men should walk, and has purchased the 
eternal life and glory which are to be enjoyed at the 
end of the way. So the Jews preferred a son of 
death, a destroyer of life, to the Author and Procurer 
of Life and immortality ! 

Whereof we are witnesses.] They had now wrought 
a most striking miracle in the name of Christ, and im- 
mediately proposed themselves as witnesses of his 
resurrection from the dead; the miracle which they 
had thus wrought being an unimpeachable proof of this 
resurrection. 

Verse 16. And his name] JESUS, the Saviour: 
through faith in his name, as the Saviour, and author 
of life, and-all its concomitant blessings, such as health, 
&e. It is not quite clear whether the apostles refer 
to their own faith in Jesus, or to the faith of the Jame 
man. It is true Christ had promised that they should 
perform miracles in his name, Mark xvi. 17, 18. And 
that whatsoever they asked of the Father in his name, 
he would grant it, John xvi. 23. And they might 

706 


have been led at this time to make request unto 
God to be enabled to work this miracle ; and the faith 
they had in his unlimited power and unchangeable 
truth might have induced them to make this request. 
Or, the faith might have been that of the lame man}; 
the apostles, in the time they desired him to look on 
them, might have taught him the necessity of beliey- 
ing in Christ in order to his healing; and the man’s 
mind might have been prepared for this by the miracle 
of the gift of tongues, of which he must have heard ; 
and heard that this mighty effusion of the Spirit had 
come in the name and through the power of Christ. 
However the faith may be understood, it was cnly the 
means to receive the blessing, which the apostles most 
positively attribute, not to their power or holiness, but 
to Jesus Christ alone. Fazth always receives ; never 
gives. 

Verse 17. I wot] Ouida, I know. Wot is from the 
Anglo-Saxon, pitan, to know; and hence wit, science 
or understanding. 

Through ignorance ye did it] This is a very ten- 
der excuse for them; and one which seems to be ne- 
cessary, in order to show them that their state was not 
utterly desperate ; for if all that they did to Christ had 
been through absolute malice, (they well knowing who 
he was,) if any sin could be supposed to be wnpardon- 
able, it must have been theirs. Peter, foreseeing that 
they might be tempted thus to think, and consequently 
to despair of salvation, tells them that their offence 
was extenuated by their ignorance of the person they 
had tormented and crucified. And one must suppose 
that, had they been fully convinced that this Jesus was 
the only Messiah, they never would have crucifiea 
him; but they did not permit themselves to receive 
conviction on the subject. 

Verse 18. But these things—he hath so fulfilled.] 
Your ignorance and malice have been overruled by the 
sovereign wisdom and power of God, and have become 
the instruments of fulfilling the Divine purpose, that 
Christ must suffer, in order to n-ake an atonement for 
the sin of the world. All the prophets had declared 
this ; some of them in express terms, others indirectly 
and by symbols ; but, as the whole Mosaic dispensation 
referred to Christ, all that prophesied or ministered 
under it must have referred to him also. 

( ae 


a 


He exhorts the people 


A.M. 4033. 109 * Repent ye therefore, and be 


An. Olymp. converted, that your sins may be 
—_—— blotted out, when the times of re- 
freshing shall come from the presence of the 


Lord ; 


χα Chap. ii. 38.—y Chap. i. 11. 


Verse 19. Repent ye therefore] Now that ye are 
convinced that this was the Messiah, let your minds be 
changed, and your hearts become contrite for the sins 
you have committed. 

And be converted] Exispepare, Turn to God through 
this Christ, deeply deploring your transgressions, and 
believing on his name; that your sins may be blotted 
out, which are not only recorded against you, but for 
which you are condemned by the justice of God; and 
the punishment due to them must be executed upon 
you, unless prevented by your repentance, and turning 
to him whom ye have pierced. The blotting out of 
sins may refer to the ceremony of the waters of jea- 
lousy, where the curse that was written in the book 
was to be blotted out with the bitter water. See the 
note on Num. vy. 23. Their sins were written down 
against them, and cried aloud for punishment; for they 
themselves had said, His blood be upon us, and upon 
our children, Matt. xxvi. 25; and unless they took 
refuge in this sacrificial blood, and got their sins δίοί- 
ted out by it, they could not be saved. 

When the times of refreshing shall come] Dr. Light- 
foot contends, and so ought all, that ὅπως av ελθωσι 
καιροι ἀναψύξεως, should be translated, Tuat the times 
of refreshing may come. ἈΑναψυξις signifies a breath- 
ing time, or respite, and may be here applied to the 
space that elapsed from this time till the destruction 
of Jerusalem by the Romans. This was a time of 
respite, which God gave them to repent of their sins, 
and be converted to himself. Taking the word in the 
sense of refreshment in general, it may mean the whole 
reign of the kingdom of grace, and the blessings which 
God gives here below to all genuine believers, peace, 
love, joy, and communion with himself. See on ver. 21. 

Verse 20. Which before was preached unto you] 
Instead of προκεκηρυγμενον, before preached, ABCDE, 
fifty-three others, both the Syriac, all the Aradzc, the 
Armenian, Chrysostom, and others, have προκεχειρι- 
σμενον, who was before designed, or appointed; and 
this is without doubt the true reading. Christ cruci- 
fied was the person whom God had from the beginning 
appointed or designed for the Jewish people. It was 
not a triumphant Messiah which they were to expect ; 
but one who was to suffer and die. Jesus was this 
person ; and by believing in him, as thus suffering and 
dying for their sins, he should be again sent, in the 
power of his Spirit, to justify and save them. 

Verse 21. Whom the heaven must receive] He has 
already appeared upon earth, and accomplished the 
end of his appearing; he has ascended unto heaven, 
to administer the concerns of his kingdom, and there 
he shall continue till he comes again to judge the 
quick and the dead. 

The times of restitution of all things] The word 
ᾳποκαταστασίς, from azo, which signifies from, and 

1 


CHAP. Ll. 


to repentance 


20 And he shall send Jesus Christ. 4,™, 4033. 
which before was preached unto fe 
you. ws 
21 ¥ Whom the heaven must receive until the 
times of 5 restitution of all things, * which God 


2 Matt. xvii. 11.—— Luke i. 70. 


καθιστανειν, to establish or setile any thing, viz. in a 
good state; and, when azo is added to it, then this 
preposition implies that this good state, in which it is 
settled, was preceded by a bad one, from which the 
change is made to a good one. So in chap. i. 6, 
when the disciples said to Christ, Wilt thou at this 
time restore again (αποκαθιστανειοὴ the kingdom to 
Israel? they meant, as the Greek word implies, Wilt 
thou take the kingdom from the Romans, and give it 
back to the Jews? Now, as the word is here con- 
nected with, which God hath spoken by the mouth of 
all his holy prophets, it must mean the accomplishment 
of all the prophecies and promises contained in the Old 
Testament relative to the kingdom of Christ upon 
earth; the whole reign of grace, from the ascension 
of our Lord till his coming again, for of all these things 
have the holy prophets spoken; and, as the grace of 
the Gospel was intended to destroy the reign of sin, 
its energetic influence is represented as restoring all 
things, destroying the bad state, and establishing the 
good—taking the kingdom out of the hands of sin 
and Satan, and putting it into those of righteousness 
and truth. This is done in every believing soul ; 
all things are restored to their primitive order; and 
the peace of God, which passes all understanding, 
keeps the heart and mind in the knowledge and love 
of God. The man loves God with all his heart, soul, 
mind, and strength, and his neighbour as himself; and 
thus all the things of which the holy prophets have 
spoken since the world began, relative to the salvation 
of any soul, are accomplished in this case ; and when 
such a work becomes universal, as the Scriptures 
seem to intimate that it will, then all things will bo 
restored in the fullest sense of the term. As therefore 
the subject here referred to is that of which all the 
prophets from the beginning have spoken, (and the 
grand subject of all their declarations was Christ and 
his work among men,) therefore the words are to be 
applied to this, and no other meaning. Jesus Chris\ 
comes to raise up man from a state of ruin, and re 
store to him the image of God, as he possessed it a 
the beginning. 

All his holy prophets| Παντων, all, is omitted by 
ABCD, some others, one Syriac, the Coplic, J&thic 
pic, Armenian, and Vulgate. Griesbach leaves 
out of the text, and inserts the article των, which th: 
Greek MSS. have, in the place of πάντων. The 
text reads thus: Which he hath spoken by his holy 
prophets, &c. 

Since the world began.] Aw αἰωνος ; as αἰὼν signi 
fies complete and ever-during existence or eternity, 
it is sometimes applied, by way of accommodation, to 
denote the whole course of any ong period, such as the 
Mosaic dispensation. See the note on Gen. xxi. 33. 
Tt may therefore here refer to that state of things from 

707 


Peter shows that Jesus is the 


A.M. 4033. hath spoken by the mouth of all his 
A. D. 29 ; 

An. Olymp. holy prophets, since the world 
CCI. 1 

eee bean: 

22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, 


> A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up 
unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; hima 
shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall 
say unto you. 

23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, 
which will not hear that prophet, shall be de- 
stroyed from among the people. 


> Deut. xviii. 15,18, 19; chap. vil. 37. ¢ Chap. ii.39; Rom. 
ix. 4, 8; xv.8; Gal. iii. 26. ἃ Gen. xii.3; xvill.18; xxi. 18; 


the giving of the law; and as Moses is mentioned in 
the next verse, and none before him, it is probable 
that the phrase should be so understood here But, 
if we apply it to the commencement of time, the sense 
is still good: Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophe- 
sied of these things; and indeed the birth, life, mira- 
cles, preaching, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascen- 
sion, and reign of Jesus Christ, have been the only 
theme of all prophets and inspired men from the found- 
ation of the world. 

Verse 22. Moses truly said unto the fathers] On 
this subject the reader is requested to refer to the note 
at the end of Deut. xviii. From this appeal to Moses 
it is evident that Peter wished them to understand that 
Jesus Christ was come, not as an ordinary prophet, to 
exhort to repentance and amendment, but as a legis- 
lator, who was to give them a new law, and whose 
commands and precepts they were to obey, on pain of 
endless destruction. Therefore they were to under- 
stand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was that new 
law which should supersede the old. 

Verse 24. All the prophets from Samuel] Dr. 
Lightfoot observes: “ We have Moses and Samuel 
mentioned together in this place, as also Psa. xcix. 6, 
because there were few or no prophets between these 
two, 1 Sam. iii. 1, and the apparition of angels having 
been more frequent ; but, after the decease of Phineas, 
it is a question whether there was any oracle by Urim 
and Thummim, through the defect of prophecy in the 
high priests, till the times of Samuel. But then it 
revived in Abimelec, Abiather, &c.” The Jews have 
a saying, Hieros. Chagigah, fol. 77. ow ea Siow 
Ὁ Ν 22 Samuel was the chief of the prophets. Perhaps 
it was in reference to this that Peter said, All the 
prophets from Samuel, &c. 

Verse 25. Ye are the children of the prophets] 
This is the argumentum ad hominem: as ye are the 


THE ACTS. 


prophet foretold by Moses 


24 Yea, and all the prophets from 4,™ 4033. 


Samuel and those that follow after, 
as many as have spoken, have like- 
wise foretold of these days. 

25 ©° Ye are the children of the prophets, 
and of the covenant which God made with our 
fathers, saying unto Abraham, ¢ And in thy 
seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 

26 ° Unto you first, God, having raised up 
his Son Jesus, ἢ sent him to bless you, £ in turn- 
ing away every one of you from his iniquities. 


xxvi. 4; xxviii. 14; Gal. iii. 8. e Matt. x. 5; xv. 24; Luke 
xxiv. 47; chap. xiii. 32,33, 46.‘ Ver. 22——s Matt. i. 2]. 


children or disciples of the prophets, ye are bound to 
believe their predictions, and obey their precepts ; 
and not only so, but ye are entitled to their promises. 
Your duty and your interest go hand in hand; and 
there is not a blessing contained in the covenant which 
was made with your fathers but belongs to you. Now, 
as this covenant respected the blessings of the Gospel, 
you must believe in Jesus Christ, in order to be put in 
possession of all those blessings. 

Verse 26. Unto you first, God, having raised up] 
As you are the children of the prophets, and of the 
covenant, the first offers of salvation belong to you, 
and God thus makes them to you. ‘The great mission 
of Jesus Christ is directed first to you, that you may 
be saved from your sins. God designs to bless you 
but it is by turning each of you away from his ini- 
quities. The salvation promised in the covenant is α 
salvation from sin, not from the Romans; ard no 
man can have his sin blotted out who does not turn 
away from it. 


1. We may learn from this that neither political 
nor ecclesiastical privileges can benefit the soul, merely 
considered in themselves : a man may have Abraham 
for his father, according to the flesh ; and have Satan 
for his father, according to the spirit. A man may 
be a member of the visible Church of Christ, without 
any title to the Church triumphant. In short, if a 
man be not turned away from his imiquities, even 
the death of Christ profits him nothing. His name 
shall be called Jesus. for he shall save his people 
FROM their SINS. 

2. If Christ be the substance and sum of all that 
the prophets have written, is it not the duty and 
interest of every Christian, in reading the Scriptures, 
to search for the testimony they bear to this Christ, 
and the salvation procured by his death ? 


CHAPTER IV. 


The priests and Sadducees are incensed at the apostles’ teaching, and put them in prison, 1-3. 


of those who believed, 4. 
concerning their authority to teach, 5-7. 
Jesus, 8-12. 


708 


The number 


The rulers, elders, and scribes call the apostles before them, and question them 
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, answers, and proclaims 
They are confounded at his discourse and the miracle wrought on the lame man, yet com- 
mand them not to preach in the name of Jesus, 13- 


18. Peter and John refuse to obey, 19,20. Ther 
1 


The priests and Sadducees 


are farther threatened and dismissed, 21, 22. 
and prayer to God, 23-30. 
of the primitive disciples, 32-35. 
common stock, 36, 37. 


AM 20 AND as they spake unto the 
5. ϑὶ mp people, the priests, and the 


“captain of the temple, and the 
Sadducees, came upon them, 

2 » Being grieved that they taught the peo- 
ple, and preached through Jesus the resurrec- 
tion from the dead. 

3 And they laid hands on them, and put 
them in hold unto the next day: for it was 
now eventide. 

4 Howbeit many of them which heard the 


*Or, ruler ; Luke xxii. 4; chup. v. 24—— Matt. xxii. 23; Acts 
xxiii. 8. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IV. 

Verse 1. The priests] These persons had evi- 
denced the most implacable enmity against Christ from 
the beginning. 

The captain of the temple] See this office parti- 
cularly explained in the note on Luke xxii. 4. 

The Sadducees} Whose whole system was now 
in danger by the preaching of the resurrection of 
Christ ; for they believed not in the immortality of the 
soul, nor in any future world. These mace a common 
cause with the priests, &c., to suppress the evidence 
of Christ’s resurrection, and silence the apostles. 

Verse 2. Being grieved] δΔδιαπονουμενοι, They 
were thoroughly fatigued with the continuance of this 
preaching ; their minds suffered more labour, through 
vexation at the success of the apostles, than the bodies 
of the apostles did in their fatiguing exercise of preach- 
ing during the whole day. 

Verse 4. The number—was about five thousand.] 
That is, as I understand the passage, the one hundred 
and twenty which were converted before pentecost, 
the three thousand converted at pentecost, and one 
thousand eight hundred and eighty converted since the 
conversion of the three thousand ; making in the whole 
five thousand, or ὧσει about that number : there might 
have been more or less; the historian does not fix the 
number absolutely. A goodly flock in one city, as the 
commencement of the Christian Church! Some think 
all the five thousand were converted on this day; but 
this is by no means likely. 

Verse 5. Their rulers, and elders, and scribes] 
Those with the high priest Annas formed the Sanhe- 
drin, or grand council of the Jews. 

Verse 6. Annas] Though this man was not now 
actually in the office of high priest, yet he had pos- 
sessed it for eleven years, bore the title all his life, 
and had the honour of seeing five of his sons fill that 
eminent place after him—an honour that never hap- 
pened to any other person from the commencement of 
the Mosaic institution. He is the same who is called 
Ananus by Josephus, Ant. b. xx. ς 8. 

And Caiaphas] He was son-in-law to Annas, John 

1 


CHAP. 1V. 


persecute the apostles. 


They return to their own company, who all join in praise 
God answers, and fills them with the Holy Spirit, 31. 
The case of Joses, who sells his estate, and brought the money to the 


The blessed state 


word believed ; and the number of Αι δ 1033: 
the men was about five thousand. 

5 Ἵ And it came to pass on the 
morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 

6 And © Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, 
and John, and Alexander, and as many as 
were of the kindred of the high priest, were 
gathered together at Jerusalem. 

7 And when they had set them in the midst, 
they asked, ἃ By what power, or by what name, 
have ye done this? 


An. Olymp. 
CLL ἣν 


© Luke iii. 2; John xi. 49; xviii. 13.——4 Exod. ii. 14; Matt. 
xxi. 23; chap. vii. 27. 


xviii. 13, was now high priest, and the same who, a 
short time before, condemned Christ to be crucified. 

And John] Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, with great 
probability, that this was Jochanan ben Zaccai, who 
was very famous at that time in the Jewish nation.— 
Of him it is said in the Talmud, Jucas. fol. 60: ‘ Rab- 
bin Jochanan ben Zaccai the priest lived 120 years. 
He found favour in the eyes of Cesar, from whom he 
obtained Jafneh. When he died, the glory of wisdom 
ceased.” The following is a remarkable passage : 
Yoma, fol. 39: Forty years before the destruction of 
the city, (the very time of which St. Luke now treats,) 
when the gates of the temple flew open of their own 
accord, Rab. Jochanan ben Zaccai said, ‘‘O temple! 
temple! why dost thou disturb thyself? I know thy 
end, that thou shalt be destroyed, for so the Prophet 
Zachary hath spoken concerning thee : open thy doors, 
O Lebanon! that the fire may devour thy cedars.”— 
See Lightfoot and Schoettgen. 

And Alexander] This was probably Alexander Lysi- 
machus, one of the richest Jews of his time, who made 
great presents to the temple, and was highly esteemed 
by King Agrippa. See Calmet. He was brother to 
the famous Philo Judeus, and father of Alexander Ti- 
berius, who married Berenice, the daughter of Agrippa 
the elder, and was governor of Judea after Cuspius 
Fadus. See Josephus, Ant. 1. xix. c. 5, s. 1. 

Of the kindred of the high priest] Or rather, as 
Bp. Pearce renders it, “ of the race of the high priests, 
i. e. of the family out of which the high priests were 
chosen.” It may, however, comprehend those who 
belonged to the families of Annas and Caiaphas, and 
all who were connected with the sacerdotal family.— 
Luke distinctly mentions all these, to show how for- 
midable the enemies were against whom the infant 
Church of Christ had to contend. 

Verse 7. By what power, or by what name, have 
ye done this?] It seems that this council were con- 
vinced that the lame man was miraculously healed ; 
but it is very likely that they believed the whole to be 
the effect of magic ; and, as all intercourse with fami- 
liar spirits, and all spells, charms, &e., were unlawful, 

709 


Peter and John defend themselves, 


Asn, fo 8° Then Peter, filled with the 
An. Olymp. Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye 

i rulers of the people, and elders 
of Israel, 

9 If we this day be examined of the good 
deed done to the impotent man, by what means 
he is made whole ; 

10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the 
people of Israel, ἢ that by the name of Jesus 
Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom 
God raised from the dead, even by him doth 
this man stand here before you whole. 


THE ACTS. 


and prove that Jesus 1s the Chrast 


11 * This is the stone which was 4, ™ 4088, 
set at nought of you builders, which An. Ore: 
is ean the head of the corner. were 

12 ‘ Neither is there salvation in any other . 
for there is none other name under heaven 
given among men, whereby we must be 
saved. 

13 Ἵ Now when they saw the boldness of 
Peter and John, and perceived that they were 
unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled 
and they took knowledge of them, that they 
had been with Jesus. 


e Luke xii. 11, 12— Chap. iii.6, 16—s Chap. i1.24.—+ Psa. 
exvili. 22; Isa. xxviii. 16; Matt. xxi. 42. 


i Matt. 1. 21; chap. x. 43; Lea ii. 5, 6.——* Matt. xi. 25; 1 


or. 1. 27 


they probably hoped that, on the examination, this 
business would come out, and that then these disturb- 
ers of their peace would be put to death. Hence they 
inquired by what power, ev ποίᾳ δυναμει, by what su- 
pernatural energy ; or in what name, by what mode of 
incantation ; and who is the spirit you invoke, in order 
to do these things? False prophets, reputed witches, 
wizards, &c., were to be brought before the sanhedrin, 
to be by them judged, acquitted, or condemned, accord- 
ing to the evidence. Some think the words should be 
thus understood: Who gave you authority to teach 
publicly? This belongs to the sanhedrin. What, 
therefore, is your authority, and who is he who gave 
it to yout 

Verse 8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost] 
Which guided him into all truth, and raised him far 
above the fear of man; placing him in a widely differ- 
ent state of mind to that in which he was found when, 
in the hall of Caiaphas, he denied his Master, through 
fear of a servant girl. But now was fulfilled the pro- 
mise of Christ, Matt. x. 18, 19,20: And ye shall be 
brought before governors and kings for my sake ; but 
take no thought how or what ye shall speak ; for it 
is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that 
speaketh in you. 

Verse 9. The good deed done] Emu evepyeoia, 
The benefit he has received in being restored to per- 
fect soundness. 

Verse 10. By the name of Jesus Christ of Naza- 
reth] This was a very bold declaration in the presence 
of such an assembly; but he felt he stood on good 
ground. The cure of the lame man the day before 
was notorious; his long infirmity was well known; 
his person could be easily identified ; and he was now 
standing before them whole and sound: they them- 
selves therefore could judge whether the miracle was 
true or false. But the reality of it was not questioned, 
nor was there any difficulty about the instruments that 
were employed; the only question is, How have ye 
done this? and in whose name? Peter immediately 
answers, We have done it in the name of Jesus of 
Nazareth whom ye crucified, and whom God hath raised 
from the dead. 

Verse 11. This is the stone which was set at nought 
of you builders] By your rejection and crucifixion 
of Jesus Christ, you have fulfilled one of your own 

710 


prophecies, Psa. exviii. 22; and, as one part of this 
prophecy is now so literally fulfilled, ye may rest as- 
sured, so shall the other; and this rejected stone shall 
speedily become the head stone of the corner. See 
the note on Matt. xxi. 42. 

Verse 12. Neither is there salvation in any other] 
No kind of healing, whether for body or soul, can 
come through any but him who is called Jesus. The 
spirit of health resides in him; and from him alone its 
influences must be received. 

For there is none other name] Not only no other 
person, but no nume except that divinely appointed one, 
Matt. i. 21, by which salvation from sin can be ex- 
pected—none given under heaven—no other means 
ever devised by God himself for the salvation of a lost 
world. All other means were only subordinate, and 
referred to him, and had their efficacy from him alone. 
He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the 
world; and no man ever came, or can come, to the 
Father but by him. 

Verse 13. The boldness of Peter and John] Tv 
παρῥησιαν, The freedom and fluency with which they 
spoke ; for they spoke now from the immediate in- 
fluence of the Holy Ghost, and their word was with 
power. 

That they were unlearned and ignorant men} 
Αγραμματοι, Persons without literature, not brought up 
in nor given to literary pursifi ts—and ignorant, ἰδιωται, 
persons in private life, brought up in its oceupations 
alone. It does not mean zgnorance in the commor 
acceptation of the term; and our translation is very 
improper. In no sense of the word could any of the 
apostles be called ignorant men; for though their 
spiritual knowledge came all from heaven, yet in all 
other matters they seem to have been men of good, 
sound, strong, common sense. 

They took knowledge of them] Ereytvooxov may 
imply that they got information, that they had been 
disciples of Christ, and probably they might have seen 
them in our Lord’s company ; for there can be little 
doubt that they had often seen our Lord teaching the 
multitudes, and these disciples attending him. 

That they had been with Jesus.) Had they not haa 
his teaching, the present company would soon have 
confounded them ; but they spoke with so much powez 
and authority that the whole sanhedrin was confounded. 

1 


They are forbid preaching CHAP. IV. in the name of Jesus. 
A.M. 4098 14. And beholding the man which | them not to speak at all nor teach 4,%, “3 
a are was healed ' standing with them, }in the name of Jesus. Ae Gimp 


they could say nothing against it. 

15 But when they had commanded them to 
go aside out of the council, they conferred 
among themselves, 

16 Saying, ™ What shall we do to these men 7 
for that indeed a notable miracle hath been 
done by them is ® manifest to all them that 
dwell in Jerusalem ; and we cannot deny it. 

17 But that it spread no farther among the 
people, let us straitly threaten them, that they 
speak henceforth to no man in this name. 

18 ° And they called them, and commanded 


Chap. iii. 11——™John xi. 47. 
© Again, chap. v. 40.—P Chap. v. 29. 


nChapter iii. 9, 10. 
4 Chap. i. 8: ii. 32. 


He who is taught in spiritual matters by Christ Jesus 
has a better gift than the tongue of the learned. He 
who is taught in the school of Christ will ever speak 
to the point, and intelligibly too; though his words 
may not have that polish with which they who prefer 
sound to sense are often carried away. 

Verse 14. They could say nothing against it.) 
They could not gainsay the apostolic doctrine, for that 
wis supported by the miraculous fact before them. If 
the doctrine be false, the man cannot have been mi- 
raculously healed: if the man be miraculously healed, 
then the doctrine must be true that it is by the name 
of Jesus of Nazareth that he has been healed. But 
the man is incontestably healed ; therefore the doc- 
trine is true. 

Verse 16. A notable miracle hath been done] A 
miracle has been wrought, and this miracle is known, 
and acknowledged to be such; all Jerusalem knew 
that he was lame—lame from his birth, and that he 
had long begged at the Beautiful gate of the temple ; 
and now all Jerusalem knew that he was healed ; and 
there was no means by which such a self-evident fact 
could be disproved. 

Verse 17. But that it spread no farther] Not the 
news of the miraculous healing of the lame man, but 
the doctrine and influence which these men preach and 
exert. More than a thousand people had already pro- 
fessed faith in Christ in consequence of this miracle, 
(see ver. 4,) and if this teaching should be permitted 
to go on, probably accompanied with similar miracles, 
they had reason to believe that all Jerusalem (them- 
selves excepted, who had steeled their hearts against 
all good) should be converted to the religion of him 
whom they had lately crucified. 

Let us straitly threaten them] Ἀπειλῃ ἀπειλησωμεθα, 
Let us threaten them with threatening, a Hebraism, 
and a proof that St. Luke has translated the words of 
the council into Greek, just as they were spoken. 

That they speak—to no man in this name.] No- 
thing so ominous to them as the name of Christ cru- 
cified, because they themselves had been his erucifiers. 
On this account they could not bear to hear salvation 


preached to mankind through him of whom they had | 


19 But Peter and John answered 
and said unto them, ? Whether it be right in 
the sight of God to hearken unto you more 
than unto God, judge ye. 

20 4 For we cannot but speak the things 
which * we have seen and heard. 

21 So when they had farther threatened 
them, they let them go, finding nothing how 
they might punish them, * because of the peo 
ple: for all men glorified God for * that which 
was done. 

22 For the man was above forty years old, 


Chap. xxii. 15; 1 John i. 1, 3.—+* Matt. xxi. 26; Luke xx. 6, 
19; xxii. 2; chap. v. 26.——* Chap. iii. 7, 8. 


been the betrayers and murderers, and who was soon 
likely to have no enemies but themselves. 

Verse 18. Not to speak—nor teach in the name of 
Jesus.] Any other doctrine, and any other name, 
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites and infidels will 
bear, but the doctrine which is according to godliness, 
proclaiming salvation through the blood of Christ eru- 
cified, they will not bear. If their doctrine were not 
the truth of God it could not be so unpopular ; there 
is such an enmity in human nature against all that is 
good and true, that whatever comes from God is 
generally rejected by wicked men. 

Verse 19. Whether it be right in the sight of God] 
As if they had said: Worldly prudence and a consider- 
ation of our secular interests would undoubtedly induce 
us to obey you; but acting as before God, and follow- 
ing the dictates of eternal truth and justice, we dare 
not be silent. Can it be right to obey men contrary 
to the command and will of God? When he com- 
mands us to speak, dare we hold our tongue? We 
have received our authority from God through Christ, 
and feel fully persuaded of the truth by the Holy Spirit 
which now dwells in us; and we should be guilty of 
treason against God, were we on any consideration to 
suppress his testimony. Your own consciences tes- 
tify that we should be sinners against our heavenly 
King, were we to act according to your orders; and 
the conclusion is, that we cannot but speak what we 
have seen and heard. 

Verse 21. When they had farther threatened them] 
Προςαπειλησαμενοι, When they had added to their for- 
mer threatenings, repeating the former menaces, and 
adding new penalties. 

Finding nothing how they might punish them] Ox, 
as the Codex Beze reads, μὴ εὕρισκοντες αἰτίαν, πῶς 
κολασωνται, not finding a cause why they might pun- 
ish them. This reading is supported by the Syriac 
and Arabic. Bp. Pearce says, “* This is better sense 
and better Greek.” 

Because of the people] The people saw the miracle, 
confessed the finger of God, believed on the Lord 
Jesus, and thus became converts to the Christian 
faith; and the converts were now so numerous that 

711 


The disciples tell their brethren THE 


A. M. 4033. eee : 
ἌΣ Sao whom this miracle of healing 


An. Olymp. was showed. 

23 9 And being let go, “they 
went to their own company, and reported all 
that the chief priests and elders had said unto 
them. 

24 And when they heard that, they lifted up 
their voice to God with one accord, and said, 
Lord, ¥ thou art God, which hast made heaven, 
and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is : 

25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David 
hast said, ἡ Why did the heathen rage, and 
the people imagine vain things ? 


ACTS. what happened at the council 
26 The kings of the earth stood up, 4,™, ‘83? 


and the rulers were gathered together An. Oiymp. 
against the Lord and against his Christ. 

27 For * of a truth against ¥ thy holy child 
Jesus, * whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, 
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and 
the people of Israel, were gathered together, 

28 * For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy 
counsel determined before to be done. 

29 And now, Lord, behold their threaten- 
ings ; and grant unto thy servants, ἢ that with 
all boldness they may speak thy word, 

30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; 


ἃ Chap. xit. 12. 


V2 Kings xix. 15.——® Psa. ii. 1——* Matt. 
xxvi. 3; Luke xxii. 2; xxiii. 1, 8——y Luke i. 35. 


z Luke 


iv. 18; John x. 36. a Chap. 11. 23; iii. 18.——» Ver. 13, 31, 
ch. ix. 27; xili.46; xiv. 3; xix.8; xxvi.26; xxvili.31; Eph. νἱ. 19, 


the sanhedrin was afraid to proceed to any extremities, 
lest an insurrection should be the consequence. 

Verse 22. The man was above forty years old] 
The disease was of long standing, and consequently the 
more inveterate; but all difficulties, small or great, 
yield equally to the sovereign power of God. It is 
as easy with God to convert a sinner of forty or four- 
score, as one of ten years old. But he who now re- 
fuses to obey the call of God has neither reason nor 
revelation to support himself even in the most distant 
hope that he shall get, in a future time, the salvation 
which he rejects in the present. 

Verse 23. They went to their own company] This 
was properly the first persecution that had been raised 
up against the Church since the resurrection of Christ ; 
and as the rest of the disciples must have known that 
Peter and John had been cast into prison, and that 
they were to be examined before the sanhedrin, and 
knowing the evil disposition of the rulers toward their 
brethren, they doubtless made joint supplication to God 
for their safety. In this employment it is likely Peter 
and John found them on their return from the council, 
and repeated to them all their treatment, with the 
threats of the chief priests and elders. 

Verse 24. Lord, thou art God] Δεσποτα, cv ὁ Θεος, 
Thou God art the sovereign Lord. Thy rule is uni- 
versal, and thy power unlimited; for thou hast the 
heaven and its glories, the earth and the sea, and their 
endlessly varied and numerous inhabitants, under thy 
direction and control. 

Verse 25. By the mouth of thy servant David hast 
said] Several add, but impertinently, dia πνεύματος 
ἁγιου, by the Holy Spirit ; but it is sufficient that Gop 
has said it; and thus we find that David spoke by the 
inspiration of God; and that the second Psalm relates 
to Jesus Christ, and predicts the vain attempts made 
by Jewish and heathen powers to suppress Christianity. 

Verse 26. Against the Lord and against his Christ.] 
Kara του Xpiorov αὐτοῦ should be translated, against his 
ANOINTED, because it particularly agrees with ὁν expicac, 
whom thou hast anoinrep, in the succeeding verse. 

Verse 27. There is a parenthesis in this verse that 
is not sufficiently noticed: it should be read in con- 
nection with ver. 28, thus: For of a truth against 

712 


thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, (for to 
do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined 
before to be done,) both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with 
the Gentiles and people of Israel, were gathered together. 

It is evident that what God’s hand and counsel de- 
termined before to be done was not that which Herod, 
Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, (Romans,) and the people 
of Israel had done and were doing; for, then, their 
rage and vain counsel would be such as God himself 
had determined should take place, which is both im- 
pious and absurd; but these gathered together to hinder 
what God had before determined that his Christ or 
Anointed should perform ; and thus the passage is un- 
doubtedly to be understood. 

Were gathered together] Ev τῃ πολει tavty, In this 
very city, are added by ABDE, and several others; 
all the Syriac, the Coptic, Aihiopic, Armenian, Sla- 
vonian, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the primitive 
fathers. This reading Griesbach has received into 
the text. This makes the words much more emphatic; 
in this thy own city, these different and in all other 
cases dissentient powers are leagued together against 
| thine Anointed, and are determined to prevent the 
accomplishment of thy purpose. 

Verse 29. And now, Lord, behold their threaten- 
ings] It is not against ws, but against ¢hee, that they 
conspire: it is not to prevent the success of our 
preaching, but to bring to nought thy counsel: the 
whole of their enmity is against thee. Now, Lord, 
look upon it ; consider this. 

And grant unto thy servants] While we are endea- 
vouring to fulfil thy counsels, and can do nothing with- 
out thee, sustain our courage, that we may proclaim 
thy truth with boldness and irresistible power. 

Verse 30. By stretching forth thine hand to heal} 
Show that it is thy truth which we proclaim, and con- 
firm it with miracles, and show how highly thou hast 
magnified thy Son Jesus, whom they have despised 
and crucified, by causing signs and wanders to be 
wrought in his name. 

Thy holy child Jesus.| Tov ἅγιον παιδος cov shortd 
be translated, thy holy SERVANT, as in ver. 25. Δαβιὸ 
παιδος cov, thy servant David, not thy cuitp David» 
the word is the same in both places. 

1 


They are fillea 


A.M. 4083. ὁ and that signs and wonders may 
An, Olymp. be done ὁ by the name of ° thy holy 
CCIL 1. Ξ 

== child Jesus. 

31 Ἵ And when they had prayed, ‘ the place 
was shaken where they were assembled together ; 
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, 
Ε and they spake the word of God with boldness. 

32 And the multitude of them that believed 
h were of one heart and of one soul: ' neither 
said any of them that aught of the things which 


€ Chap. ii. 43 ; v. 12.—-4Ch. iii. 6, 16. © Ver. 27.——' Ch. 
1i.2,4; xvi. 26.——+ Ver. 29. ——® Ch. v.12; Rom. xv.5,6; 2 Cor. 


Verse 31. The place was shaken] This earthquake 
was an evidence of the presence of God, and a most 
direct answer to their prayer, as far as that prayer 
concerned themselves. The earthquake proclaimed the 
stretched-out arm of God, and showed them that re- 
sistance against his counsels and determinations must 
come to nought. 

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost] And, 
in consequence of this, they spake the word of God 
with boldness ; a pointed answer to a second part of 
their request, verse 29. A right prayer will always 
have a right and ready answer. Though these disci- 
ples had received the Holy Spirit on the day of pente- 
cost, yet they were capable of larger communications ; 
and what they had then received did not preclude the 
necessity of frequent supplies, on emergent occasions. 
Indeed, one communication of this Spirit always makes 
way and disposes for another. Neither apostle nor 
private Christian can subsist in the Divine life without 
frequent influences from on high. Had these disciples 
depended on their pentecostal grace, they might have 
sunk now under the terror and menaces of their com- 
pined and powerful foes. God gives grace for the 
time being, but no stock for futurity, because he will 
keep all his followers continually dependent on himself. 

With boldness.) Wavre τῷ θελοντι πιστευειν, To all 
who were willing to believe, is added by DE, two others, 
Augustin, Ireneus, and Bede. 

Verse 32. The multitude of them that believed] The 
whole 5000, mentioned verse 4, and probably many 
others, who had been converted by the ministry of the 
other apostles since that time. 

Were of one heart and of one soul] Were ina state 
of the most perfect friendship and affection. In all the 
5000 there appeared to be but one heart and one soul ; 
so perfectly did they agree in all their views, religious 
opinions, and holy affections. Some MSS. add, καὶ 
οὐκ nv διακρισις ev αὐτοῖς ovdeuta, and there was no kind 
of difference or dissension among them. This remark- 
able reading is found in the Codex Beze, another of 
great authority, E, two others, Ambrose, Bede, Cyprian, 
and Zeno. Diogenes Laertius relates of Aristotle, 
ἐρωτηθεις, Te ἐστι φιλος; being asked, What is a FRIEND? 
εφη, μια ψυχὴ δυο σωμασιν evotkovoa’ answered, ONE 
soul dwelling in Two bodies. This saying has been 
justly celebrated : but what would this wonderful phi- 
losopher have thought and said, had he seen these dis- 


CHAP. IV. 


with the Holy Ghost. 


he possessed was his own; but they 4, 4038. 
had all things common. lym 

33 And with * great power gave 
the apostles | witness of the resurrection of 
the Lord Jesus: and ™ great grace was upon 
them all. 

34 Neither was there any among them that 
lacked: ™for as many as were possessors of 
lands or houses sold them, and brought the 
prices of the things that were sold, 


xiii. 11; Phil. i. 27; ii. 2; 1 Pet. iii. 8.—iChap. ii. 


44. 
* Chap. 1. 8. -----ἰ Chap. i. 22——™ Chap. ii. 47. 


Ὁ Chap. ii. 45. 


ciples of Jesus, and friends of mankind: one soul 
dwelling in 5000 bodies ! 

They had all things common.] See the notes on chap. 
ii. 44, where this subject is examined. See below, 
ver. 34. 

Verse 33. With great power gave the apostles wit- 
ness] This power they received from the Holy Spirit, 
who enabled them, μεγαλῃ δυνάμει, with striking mira- 
cles, to give proof of the resurrection of the Lord Je- 
sus; for this is the point that was particularly to be 
proved: that he was slain and buried, all knew; that 
he rose again from the dead, many knew; but it was 
necessary to give such proofs as should convince and 
confound all. This preaching and these miracles de- 
monstrated this Divine truth: Jesus died for your sins— 
he rose again for your justification; behold what God 
works in confirmation of these glorious truths ; believe 
therefore in the Lord Jesus, and ye shall not perish, 
but have everlasting life. 

Great grace was upon them all.| They all received 
much of the favour or grace of God; and they had 
much favour with all who feared God. In both these 
ways this clause may be understood ; for χαρὶς means 
favour, whether that be evidenced by benevolence or 
beneficence, or by both. The favour of God is the be- 
nevolence of God; but his benevolence is never exerted 
without the exertions of his beneficence. Hence the 
grace or favour of God always implies a blessing or 
gift from the hand of his merey and power. The 
favour or benevolence of men may exist without dene- 
ficence, because it may not be in their power to com- 
municate any gift or benefit, though they are disposed 
to do it; or, 2dly. the persons who enjoy their favour 
may not stand in need of any of their kind acts; but 
it is not so with God: his good will is ever accompa- 
nied by his good work; and every soul that is an ob- 
ject of his benevolence stands in the utmost need of 
the acts of his beneficence. Hence, as he loved the 
world, he gave his Son a ransom for all. All needed 
his help; and, because they all needed it, therefore all 
had it. And truly we may say of the whole human 
race, for whom the Son of God tasted death, that great 
grace was upon all; for ALL have been purchased by 
his sacrificial death. _This by the way. 

Verse 34. Neither was there any among them that 
lacked] It was customary with the Jews to call the 
poor together, to eat of the sacrifices; but as the 

713 


The disciples have 


es. 35 ° And laid them down at the 


An. Olymp. apostles’ feet: P? and distribution 
ee was made unto every man according 
as he had need. 
36 And Joses, who by the es was sur- 


THE ACTS. 


all things in common. 
Pea Saga ice |< AM E40 ass 
named Barnabas, (which is, being in- Αι 40% 


terpreted, The son of consolation,) a An. Olymp. 
CCII. 1. 
Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 
37 4“ Having land, sold zt, and brought the 
money, and laid zt at the apostles’ feet. 


Ver. 3 37; eee v. eta, ii. 45 ; vi. 1. 


priests, &c., were incensed against Christ and Chris- 
tianity, consequently the Christian poor could have no 
advantage of this kind; therefore, by making a com- 
mon stock for the present necessity, the poor were 
supplied; so there was none among them that lacked. 
This provision therefore of the community of goods, 
which could be but temporary, was made both suitably 
and seasonably. See Bp. Pearce, and see the note on 
chap. 11. 44. 

Verse 35. Laid—down at the apostles’ feet] To 
show how cordially and entirely they parted with them. 
And they entrusted the management of the whole to 
those men to whom they found God had entrusted the 
gifts of his Holy Spirit, and the doctrine of the king- 
dom of heaven. 


Verse 36. Joses|] Or, Joseph, as many excellent 
MSS. read ; but who he was, farther than what is here 
said, we know not. 

Surnamed Barnabas| Or, Barsabbas, according to 
the Copiic. 

The son of consolation] Ὑἱος παρακλησεως ; As παρα- 
κλησις signifies exhortation, as well as consolation, and 
is indeed distinguished from the latter, 1 Cor. xiv. 3, 
the original name was probably $2] 72 Bar naba, or 
$023 72 Bar nebia, which signifies the son of prophecy 
or exhortation; and this is certainly one sense which 
prophecy has in the New Testament; and in this way 
Barnabas distinguished himself among the apostles. 
See chap. xi. 23. And Barnabas exuorten them all 
that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the 
Lord. 

A Levite, and of the country of Cyprus] Cyprus is 
an island in the Mediterranean Sea, off Cilicia, and not 
very distant from the Jewish coast. The Jews were 
yery numerous in that island: see Dion. Cas. lib. 68, 
69. Though he was a Levite, he might have had 
land of his own by private purchase. The Levites, as 
a tribe, had no land in Israel; but the individuals cer- 
tainly might make purchases any where in the country : 


4Ver. 34, 35; chap. v. 1, 2. 


but, as Barnabas was of Cyprus, his land probably lay 
there; and as it is likely that he was one of those 
strangers that came up to Jerusalem to the late feast, 
and was there converted, he might have sold his land 
in the island to some of his own countrymen who were 
at Jerusalem at this time; and so, being called to the 
work of the ministry, continued to associate with the 
apostles, travelling every where, and preaching the 
Gospel of the kingdom of God. He was the constant 
companion of St. Paul, till the separation took place 
on account of John Mark, mentioned chap. xv. 36—39. 


Ir is worthy of remark that the two apostles of the 
Gentiles, though of Jewish extraction, were both born 
in Gentile countries; Paul in Cilicia, Barnabas in 
Cyprus: this gave them many advantages; served to 
remove prejudices from the heathens; and gave them 
no doubt much facility in the Greek tongue, without 
which they could have done but little in Asia Minor, 
nor in most parts of the Roman empire where they 
travelled. How admirably does God determine even 
the place of our birth, and the bounds of our habita- 
tion! When under the influence of the grace of 
Christ, every thing is turned to a man’s advantage. 
The man whom he calls to his work he will take care 
to endue with every necessary qualification. And is 
it too much to say that God never did call a man to 
preach the Gospel whom he did not qualify in such a 
manner that both the workman and the work should 
appear to be of God? 

Some hayé said that ignorance is the mother of de- 
votion. Devotion and religion are both seandalized by 
the saying. Enlightened piety has ever been the most 
sincere, steady, and active. God makes those wise 
who turn unto him; and by experimental religion all 
the powers of the mind are greatly improved. Every 
genuine minister of Christ has an enlightened heart ; 
and, to this, it is his duty to add a well-cultivated mind. 
Ex quovis ligno Mercurius non fit: A blockhead never 
did, and never can, make a minister. 


CHAPTER V. 


The hypocrisy of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, and their awful death, 1-11. 
miracles, and the Church of God is increased, 12-16. 


The apostles work many 
The high priest and the Sadducees, being incen- 


sed against the apostles, seize and put them in prison, 17, 18. The angel of God delivers them, and com- 


mands them to go to the temple, and proclaim the Gospel, 19, 20. 


council together in the morning, 


sends to the prison to have the apostles brought before him, 21. 


The high priest, having gathered the 
The 


officers return, and report that they found the prison shut, and the watch set, but that the men had got out, 


22, 23. 
24, 25. 


A messenger arrives in the meanwhile, and says that the apostles are preaching in the temple, 
The captain and officers go and bring them before the council, who expostulate with them, 26—- 


28. The apostles defend themselves, and charge the council with the murder of Christ; and assert his 


resurrection from the dead and ascension to the right hand of God, 29-32. 


714 


The council are confounded, 
1 


——_—_aA&&e 


The hypocrisy of Ananias 
and purpose to slay the aposiles, 33. 


CHAP. V. 


Gamaliel gives them seasonable and prudent advice, 34-39. 


and has wife Sapphira 
The 


council agree to it, but, before they discharge the apostles, beat them, and command them not to teach in 


the name of Jesus, 40. 


41, 42. 
A.M, cir. 4034. UT a certain man named Ana- 
A. D. cir. 30. 2 ᾿ 4 . Ν 1 
‘An. Olymp. nias, with Sapphira his wife, 


cir. CCII. 2. 5 
—_—_—— sold a possession, 


2 And kept back part of the price, his wife 
also being privy fo it, *and brought a certain 
part, and laid 1: at the apostles’ feet. 

3 > But Peter said, Ananias, why hath ° Sa- 
tan filled thine heart “ to 116 to the Holy Ghost, 
and to keep back part of the price of the land ? 

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own ? 


ἃ Chap. iv. 37.——” Num. xxx. 2; Deut. xxiii. 21; Eccles. v. 4. 
© Luke xxii. 3. 


NOTES ON CHAP. V. 

Verse 1. But a certain man named Ananias] Of 
these unhappy people we have no farther account than 
what is recorded here. In reference to birth, con- 
nections, &c., their names are written in the dust. 
The import of his name, 733M chananiyah, the grace 
or mercy of the Lord, agrees very ill with his conduct. 

Verse 2. Kept back part of the price] Ananias and 
Sapphira were evidently persons who professed faith 
in Christ with the rest of the disciples. While all 
were making sacrifices for the present necessity, they 
came forward among the rest, pretending to bring all 
the money they had got for a possession, κτῆμα, (of 
what kind we know not,) which they had sold. A 
part of this price, however, they kept back, not being 
willing to trust entirely to the bounty of Providence, 
as the others did; thinking probably, that, as the 
whole was their own, they had a right to do with it 
as they pleased. And so they had: they were under 
no necessity to sell their possession; but the act of 
selling it for the ostensible purpose of bringing it into 
the common stock, left them no farther control over 
it, nor property in it; and their pretence, that the 
snoney which they brought was the whole produce of 
the sale, was a direct lie in itself, and an attempt to 
deceive the Holy Spirit, under whose influence they 
pretended to act. ‘This constituted the iniguity of 
their sin. 

Verse 3. Why hath Satan filled thine heart] The 
verb =Anpoew, which we translate to fill, Kypke has 
showed by many examples to signify, to instigate, excite, 
impel, &c., and it was a common belief, as well among 
the heathens as among the Jews and Christians, that, 
when a man did evil, he was excited to it by the in- 
fluence and malice of an evi spirit. It is strange 
that, by the general consent of mankind, sin against 
God has been ever considered so perfectly unnatural, 
and so eyil in itself, that no man would commit it 
unless impelled to it by the agency of the devil. The 
words of St. Peter here prove that such an agency is 
not fictitious: if there had been no devil, as some wish 
and perhaps feel it their interest to believe, or if this 
devil had no influence on the souls of men, Peter, 

1 


They depart rejoicing in their persecution, and continue to preach Jesus Christ, 


and after it was sold, was it not Aj M. oie 0M. 
in thine own power? why hast An. Olymp. 

᾿ 5 δ = δ cir. CCIL. 2. 
thou conceived this thing in ——~— 
thine heart ? thou hast not lied unto men, but 
unto God. , 

5 And Ananias hearing these words “ fell 
down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear 
came on all them that heard these things. 

6 And the young men arose, f wound him 
up, and carried him out, and buried him. 


4Or, to deceive, verse 9. Verse 10, 1]. f John 


xix. 40. 


under the agency of the Holy Spirit, would not have 
expressed himself in this way ; for, if the thing were 
not so, it would have been the most direct means to 
lead the disciples to form false opinions, or to confirm 
them in old and absurd prejudices. 

To lie to the Holy Ghost] Yevoacbar τὸ Tvevpa τὸ 
Ἅγιον, To deceive the Holy Spirit. Tvery lie is told 
with the intention to deceive ; and they wished to de- 
ceive the apostles, and, in effect, that Holy Spirit 
under whose influence they professed to act. Lying 
against the Holy Ghost is in the next verse said to be 
lying against God; therefore the Holy Ghost is 
GOD. 

To keep back part of the price] Νοσφισασθαι απὸ 
της Tyne. The verb νοσόιζειν, νοσφιζεσθαι, is used by 
the Greek writers to signify purloining part of the 
public money, peculation. The word is used here 
with great propriety, as the money for which the 
estate was sold was pudlic property; as it was for 
this purpose alone that the sale was made. 

Verse 4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine 
own?] See the note on ver. 2, and see that also on 
chap. 11. 44. 

Verse 5. Fell down, and gave up the ghost] Πεσὼν 
εξεψυξε, Falling down, he expired, breathed his last : 
“Gave up the ghost” is a very improper translation 
here. See the notes on Gen. xxv. 8, and on Matt. 
xxvii. 50. Two things may be remarked here: 1. 
That the sin of this person was of no ordinary magni- 
tude, else God would not have visited it with so signal 
a punishment. 2. That Peter must have had the 
power to discern the state of the heart, else he had 
not known the perfidy of Ananias. This power, 
commonly called the discernment of spirits, the apos- 
tles had as a particular gift, not probably always, but 
at select times, when God saw it necessary for the 
good of his Church. 

Verse 6. The young men arose] Some of the stout 
young men belonging to the disciples then present, 
who were the fittest to undertake a work of this kind 
which required considerable bodily exertion. 

Buried him.] This was on the same day in which 
he died. It was a clear case that he was dead, and 

715 


Anamas and Sapphira 


A.M. cir. 4034. 7. And it was about the space 


A. D. cir. 30. 4 
An. Olymp. of three hours after, when his 
cir. CCIL. 2. : Σ 
.-.  νυυᾷίο, not knowing what was done, 
came in. 


8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me 
whether ye sold the land for somuch? And 
she said, Yea, for so much. 

9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that 
ye have agreed together 5 to tempt the Spirit 
of the Lord ? behold, the feet of them which 
have buried thy husband are at the door, and 
shall carry thee out. 

10 * Then fell she down straightway at his 
feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young 


&Ver. 3; Matt. iv. 7——» Ver. 5.—— Ver. 5; chap. ii. 43; 
xix. 17.——* Chap. ii. 43; xiv.3; xix. 11; Rom.xv.19; 2 Cor. 


dead by a judgment of God that would not be revoked. 
As therefore it was no case of suspended animation, 
there was no reason to delay the burial. 

Verse 9. To tempt the Spirit of the Lord?] So 
the Holy Ghost, God, and the Spirit of the Lord, 
are the same person. 

Verse 10. Yielded up the ghost] See ver. 5. It 
was not by Peter’s words, nor through Peter’s prayers, 
nor through shame, nor through remorse, that this 
guilty pair died, but by an immediate judgment of God. 
The question of the salvation of Ananias and Sapphira 
has not been a little agitated ; and most seem inclined 
to hope that, though their sin was punished by this 
awful display of the Divine judgment, mercy was ex- 
tended te their souls. For my own part, I think their 
sin was what the apostle, 1 John v. 16, calls a sin 
unto death; a sin which must be punished with tem- 
poral death, or the death of the body, while merey 
was extended to the soul. It was right in this infant 
state of the Church to show God’s displeasure against 
deceit, fraud, and hypocrisy: had this guilty pair 
been permitted to live after they had done this evil, 
this long-suffering would have been infallibly abused 
by others; and, instead of leading them who had 
sinned to repentance, might have led them to hardness 
of hearl, by causing them to presume on the mercy 
of God. That hypocrisy may be afraid to show her 
face, God makes these two an example of his justice ; 
but, because they had not the ordinary respite, we 
may presume that God extended mercy to them, 
though cut off almost in the act of sin. Their case, 
however, cannot become a precedent, allowing them 
to have received mercy; because those who have 
seen in this case the severity of God must expect 
much sorer punishment, if, with such an example be- 
fore their eyes, they should presume on the mercy of 
their Maker : this would be doing evil that gopd might 
come, and the perdition of such would be just. 

Verse 11. Great fear came upon all the Church} 
This judgmenc answered the end for which it was in- 
flicted; a deeply religious fear occupied every mind, 
and hypocrisy and deception were banished from this 
holy assembly. On the word Church, see the obser- 

716 


THE ACTS. 


are struck dead 


men came in, and found her dead, 4:M. cir. 4°34 
5 2. ALND. ΟἿ ΙΝ 

and, carrying her forth, buried An. Olymp. 

her by her husband. WPS COlem 

11 ‘And great fear came upon all the 
Church, and upon as many as heard these 
things. 

12 Ἵ And * by the hands of the apostles 
were many signs and wonders wrought among 
the people; (1 and they were all with one ac- 
cord in Solomon’s porch. 

13 And ™ of the rest durst no man join him 
self to them : ἃ but the people magnified them 

14 And believers were the more added to 
the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) 


xii. 12; Heb. ii. 4. 


1 Chap. iii. 11; iv. 32.— John ix. 22; 
xii. 42; xix. 38. Ἵ i 


«Chap. 11. 47; iv. 21. 


vations at the end of Matt. xvi. It has been properly 
observed that we have in this place a native specimen 
of a New Testament Church: 1. Called by the Gospel; 
2. grafted into Christ by baptism; 3. animated by 
love; 4. united by all kinds of fellowship; 5. and 
disciplined by the exemplary punishment of hypocrites. 
See Dodd. 

Verse 12. By the hands of the apostles} This verse 
should be read with the 15th, to which it preperly 
belongs. 

Solomon’s porch.| See the note on John x. 23. 

Verse 13. And of the rest, durst no man join him- 
self to them] Who were these called the rest, Tov 
λοιπωνῖ Dr. Lightfoot thinks the 120 are intended, 
of which he supposes Ananias to have been one; who, 
all seeing such wonders wrought by the apostles, were 
afraid to associate themselves with them in any way 
of equality, as they saw that God put peculiar honour 
upon them. Calmet more rationally observes, that 
the Jewish nation was then divided into many differ- 
ent sects, who entertained widely different opinions on 
various articles. The apostles adopted none of these 
jarring sentiments, and none of the different sects 
dared to join themselves to them; neither Pharisees, 
Sadducees, nor Herodians, as such, were found in this 
simple, holy Church. The people felt the force and 
power of the apostles’ doctrine, and magnified them, 
no more attending to the teaching of the others: the 
apostles taught them as men having authority, and not 
as the scribes and Pharisees. This irritated the high 
priest and his Sadducean council, and led them to adopt 
the measures mentioned below, ver. 17. 

Verse 14. And believers were the more added to the 
Lord] Believers: 1. Those who credited the Divine 
mission of Christ. 2. That he was the Messiah. 3. 
That he died for their sins. 4. That he rose again. 
5. That he ascended into heaven. 
down the gift of the Holy Spirit. 7. That he ever 
appeared in the presence of God for them. 8. That 
it was he who gives repentance and remission of sins. 
And, 9. He by whom the world is to be judged. These 
were simple articles, of the truth of which they had 
the fullest evidence. 

1 


6. That he sent ~ 


Great and striking miracles CHAP. V. are wrought by the apostles 


4 sick folks, and them which were Mg ae 
vexed with unclean spirits: and Δα. Olymp. 
cir. CCIL. 2. 
they were healed every one. 
17 § ‘Then the high priest rose up, and all 
they that were with him, (which is the sect of 
the Sadducees,) and were filled with * indigna- 


tion. 


wi lee Insomuch that they brought 
An. Olymp. forth the sick ° into the streets, 
δἰ COM? and laid them on beds and couches, 
P that at the least the shadow of Peter passing 
by might overshadow some of them. 
16 There came also a multitude owt of the 


cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing 


4 Mark xvi. 17,18; John xiv.12. 


© Or, in every street. P Matt. ix. 21; xiv. 36; chap. xix. 12. τ Ch. iv. 1,2, 6.—— Or, envy. 


Now, before this conclusion can be valid, it must be 
proved: 1. That the shadow of Peter did actually cure 
the sick; 2. That this was a virtue common to all the 
apostles; 3. That all eminent saints possess the same 
virtue; 4. That the Jones, &e., of the dead, possess 
the same virtue with the shadow of the living; 5. 
That those whom they term saints were actually such ; 
6. That miracles of healing have been wrought by 
their relics ; 7. That touching these relics as neces- 
sarily produces the miraculous healing as they suppose 
the shadow of Peter to have done. I think there is 
not sufficient evidence here that Peter’s shadow healed 
any one, though the people thought it could ; but, al- 
lowing that it did, no evidence can be drawn from this 
that any virtue is resident in the relics of reputed or 
real saints, by which miraculous influence may be con- 
veyed. It was only in rare cases that God enabled 
even an apostle to work a miracle. 

After the words, might overshadow some of them, 
the Vulgate adds, et liberarentur ab infirmitatibus suis ; 
a Greek MS. (E) has nearly the same words, καὶ ῥυσ- 
Saow απο πασῆς ἀσθενείας ἧς evyov, and that they might 
be freed from all the infirmities which they had: afew 
other MSS. agree in the main with this reading. 

Verse 16. Sick folks, and them which were vexed 
with unclean spirits] Here it is evident that sick peo- 
ple are distinguished from those who were vexed with 
unclean spirits ; and therefore they were not one and 
the same thing. The same distinction is made Matt. 
iv. 24; x. 1; Marki. 32, 34; xvi. 17,18; and Luke 
iv. 40, 41, and vii. 21. 

Verse 17. The high priest—and—the sect of the 
Sadducees| Alpecic των Σαδδουκαίων, The heresy of the 
Sadducees. In this place, as well as in several others, 
the word aipecic, heresy, has no evil meaning in itself; 
it is a word of distinction, and may receive either a 
good or bad colouring from the persons or opinions de- 
signated by it. It signifies a sect or party, whether 
good or bad, distinguished from any other sect. Alpectc, 
heresy, comes from aipew, I choose, and was anciently 
applied to the different sects of the heathen philoso- 
phers, the members of each sect having chosen their 
own in preference to all the others. It has been ap- 
plied among ecclesiastical writers in the same way— 
when a man chooses one party of Christians, in prefer- 
ence to others, to be his companions in the way of 
salvation; and he chooses them and their creed and 
Christian discipline, because he believes the whole to 
be more consistent with the oracles of God than any 
of the rest. The Church of Rome has thought proper 
to attach a very Jad meaning to this innocent word, 
ean do so much, how much more may his Jones, or | and then apply it to all those who ean neither credit 
any thing that was in contact with his person, perform!” | her ¢ransubstantiation, depend on her purgatory, nor 

1 717 


Verse 15. Insomuch that they brought forth the 
sick] This verse is a continuation of the subject begun 
in the 12th. The following is the order in which all 
these verses should be read, from the 11th to the 15th. 


Verse 11. And great fear came upon all the Church, 
and upon as many as heard these things. 

Verse 13. And of the rest durst no man join him- 
self to them; but the people magnified them : 
Verse 14. And believers were the more added to 

the Lord, both men and women. 

Verse 12. (last clause.) And they were all with 
one accord in Solomon’s porch. 

Verse 12. (first clause.) And by the hands of the 
apostles were many signs and wonders wrought 
among the people ; 

Verse 15. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick 
into the streets, and laid ‘hem on beds and couches, 
&e., &e. 


How these different verses, and clauses of verses, got 
so intermingled and confounded as they are now in our 
common text, I cannot tell; but the above will appear 
at once to be the natural order in which they should 
be placed. 

That—the shadow of Peter passing by| 1 cannot 
see all the miraculous influence here that others pro- 
fess to see. The people who had seen the miracles 
wrought by the apostles pressed with their sick to 
share the healing benefit: as there must have been 
many diseased people, it is not likely that the apostles, 
who generally addressed such persons, prayed and 
used imposition of hands, could reach all those that 
were brought to them, as fast as the solicitude of their 
friends could wish. As, therefore, they could not get 
Peter or the other apostles, personally, to all their sick, 
they thought if they placed them on that side of the 
way where the shadow was projected, (the sun proba- 
bly now declining, and consequently the shadow length- 
ening,) they should be healed by the shadow of the man 
passing over them, in whose person such miraculous 
powers were lodged. But it does not appear that the 
persons who thus thought and acted were of the num- 
ber of those converts already made to the faith of 
Christ ; nor does it appear that any person was healed 
in this way. The sacred penman simply relates the 
impression made on the people’s minds; and how they 
acted in consequence of this impression. A popish 
writer, assuming that the shadow of Peter actually 
cured all on which it was projected, argues from this 
precarious principle in favour of the wonderful efficacy 
of relics! For, says he, “if the shadow of a saint 


The apostles ure imprisoned, 


A. M. cir. 4034. 
A. D. cir. 30. 
An. Olymp. 

cir. CCIL. 2. 


18 t And laid their hands on 
the apostles, and put them in the 
common prison. 

19 But “the angel of the Lord by night 
opened the prison doors, and brought them 
forth, and said, 

20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to 
the people Yall the words of this life. 

21 And when they heard that, they entered 
into the temple early in the morning, and 
taught. ~ But the high priest came, and they 


ΤῊΕ PAWS. 


and released by an angel 


that were with him, and called 4M, cir. 4034. 
the council together, and all An. Olymp— 
the senate of the children of τ’ 
Israel, and sent to the prison to have them 
brought. 

22 But when the officers came, and found 
them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 

23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut 
with ail safety, and the keepers standing with- 
out before the doors : but when we had opened, 
we found no man within. 


tLuke xxi. 12.——" Chap. xii. 7; xvi. 26. 


worship her relics. A heretic, in her acceptation, is 
one who is not a papist, and, because not a papist, ut- 
terly owt of the way and out of the possibility of being 
saved. These persons should recollect that, by a then 
persecuting brother, St. Paul, all the apostles, and the 
whole Church of Christ, were termed Ναζωραίων aipecic, 
the heresy of the Nazarenes, chap. xxiv. 5; and it 
was afler the way ‘which the persecuting Jews called 
heresy that St. Paul and the rest of the apostles wor- 
shipped the God of their fathers, ib. ver. 14; and it 
was according to the strictest HERESY in the Jewish 
Church, ἀκριβεστάτην aipecw, that St. Paul lived before 
his conversion, chap. xxvi. 5; and we find, from chap. 
XXvili. 22, that the whole Church of Christ was term- 
ed this heresy, ταυτης aipecewc, and this by persons 
who intended no reproach, but wished simply to dis- 
unguish the Christians from scribes, Pharisees, Sad- 
ducees, ὅθ. Heresy therefore, in its first acceptation, 
signifies simply a choice: afterwards it was applied to 
designate all those persons who made the same choice ; 
and hence the word sect and it became synonymous : 
in process of time it was applied to those professing 
Christianity who made, in some cases, a different 
choice as to some article of faith, or form of worship, 
from those which had obtained in that part of the 
Church with which they had been before connected. 
The majority, from whom they became thus separated, 
spoke evil of them, and treated them ill, because they 
presumed to choose for themselves on the foundation 
of the Holy Scriptures ; and because they would take 
nothing for the truth of God that was not accredited 
from heaven. Thus, when the people now called 
Protestants, began to examine their creed according 
to the Holy Scriptures, and, in consequence of this ex- 
amination, left out awricular confession, indulgences, the 
priests’ power to forgive sins, adoration of saints, an- 
gels, and relics, purgatory, and the doctrine of tran- 
substantiation, because they could not find them in the 
word of God, the papists called them heretzcs, by which 
they meant, in opposition to the meaning of the word, 
persons holding damnable errors; and, as such, they 
persecuted, διέ, and destroyed them wherever they 
had power. Now be it known to these persecutors, 
that the Protestants still choose to reject opinions and 
practices which they know to be unscriptural, absurd, 
and superstitious ; and which they have a thousand 
times demonstrated to be such: and, on this ground, 
may they still be Heretics! 
718 


‘to prevent them from preaching the Gospel. 


v John vi. 68; xvii. 3; 1 John v. 11.—¥* Chap. iv. 5, 6. 


Were filled with indignation.] Zndov, With zeal. 
Ζηλος, from few, to be hot, and Aa or λίαν, very much, 
signifies a vehement affection or disposition of the 
mind, which, according to its object, is either good or 
bad, laudable or blamable. Its meaning in this place 
is easily discerned; and not improperly translated zn- 
dignation, in our version. We need not be surprised 
that the Sadducees were filled with indignation, be- 
cause the apostles proclaimed the resurrection of Christ, 
and, through that, the general resurrection, which was 
diametrically opposed to their doctrine; for they de- 
nied the possibility of a resurrection, and believed not 
in the being of either angel or spirit; nor did they al- 
low of the existence of a spiritual world. See on chap. 
iv. 2. 

Verse 18. Put them in the common prison.] It be- 
ing too late in the evening to bring them to a hearing. 
To this verse the Codex Beze adds, καὶ επορευθὴ εἰς 
ἕκαστος εἰς τα ἰδια, And each of them went to his own 
house. 

Verse 19. But the angel of the Lord—opened the 
prison doors] This was done: 1. To increase the con- 
fidence of the apostles, by showing them that they 
were under the continual care of God; and, 2. To 
show the Jewish rulers that they were fighting against 
Him while persecuting his followers, and attempting 
This 
was another warning graciously given them by a good 
and merciful God, that they might repent, and so escape 
the coming wrath. 

Verse 20. All the words of this life.| All the doe 
trines of life eternal, founded on the word, death, and 
resurrection of Christ Jesus. This is another pen 
phrasis for Gospel. Go to the temple—the most pub 
lie place, and speak to the people—who come there t¢ 
worship according to the law, the words of this life— 
the whole doctrine of salvation from sin and death, 
and show that the law is fulfilled in the sacrifice of 
Jesus, and that, by his resurrection, he has brought 
life and immortality to light. 

Verse 21. Called the council together] Συνεδριον͵ 
The sanhedrin, all the senate; τὴν γερουσίαν, the 
elders, or what we would eall the aldermen. How 
these differed from the πρεσβυτεριον, presbytery, if 
they did differ, is not now known. 

Verse 23. The prison truly found we shut] All 
the doors were properly bolted, and the keepers at their 
post; but when we had opened, for it appears they 

1 


eae 


The apostles are brought be, ore 


A.M cir. 4034 24 Now when the high priest 


Aas ri 30. i 
Gimp. and * the captain of the temple 
ἐς δαὶ and the chief priests heard these 
things, = doubted of them whereunto this 
would grow. 

25 Then came one and told them, saying, 
Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are 
standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 

26 Then went the captain with the officers, 
and brought them without violence : ¥ for they 
feared the people, lest they should have been 
stoned. 

27 And when they had brought them, they 
set them before the council: and the high 
priest asked them, 


x Luke xxii. 4; ch. iv. 1. y Matt. xxi. 26. * Chap. iv. 18. 
«Chap. 11.23, 36; 111. 15; vii, 52.—> Matt. xxili.35; xxvii.25. 
© Chap. iv. 19—4 Chap. iii. 13, 15; xxii. 14. © Chap. x. 39; 


were alone in possession of the keys; how much must 
this have increased their astonishment when they found 
that the doors were not broken open, the guards pro- 
perly posted, and every thing as they left it, for they 
themselves had put the apostles in prison; but, when 
they had opened, there was no man within! 

Verse 24. They doubled of them whereunto this 
would grow.] They did not know what to think of the 
apostles, whether they had saved themselves by magic, 
or whether they were delivered by a real miracle ; and 
they were at a loss to tell what the issue of these 
things would be. 

Verse 25. Then came one and told them] While 
they were in the perplexity mentioned above, a mes- 
senger surprised them with the information that the 
very men whom they had imprisoned the preceding 
uight were standing in the temple and teaching the 
people ! 

Verse 26. Brought them without violence] On 
receiving the information mentioned above, proper offi- 
cers were sent to seize and bring them before the coun- 
cil. The officers, on reaching the temple, found the 
multitude gladly receiving the doctrine of the apos- 
tles, and so intent on hearing all the words of this life 
that they were afraid to show any hostility to the apos- 
tles, lest the people should stone them: we may there- 
fore conclude that the officers entreated them to 
accompany them to the council; and that they felt it 
their duty to obey every ordinance of man for the 
Lord’s sake, and so cheerfully went with them, trust- 
ing in the Lord their God. 

Verse 28. Did not we straitly command you] Ov 
παραγγελιᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν, With commanding did we 
not command you ; a Hebraism—another proof of the 
accuracy and fidelity of St. Luke, who seems always 
to give every man’s speech as he delivered it; not the 
suistance, but the very words. See chap. iv. 17. 

Not teach in this name?| That is, of JESUS as 
the Christ or Messiah. His saving name, and the 
doctrines connected with it, were the only theme and 
substance of their discourses. 

1 


CHAP. V. 


the council and examined 


. M. cir. 403 
28 Saying, * Did not we straitly 4-,¥ cr 4054 
command you that ye should not i a ΠΝ 
εἶτ. 


teach in this name? and, behold, 
ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine 
“and intend to bring this man’s ἢ blood 
upon us. 

29 Ἵ Then Peter and the other apostles 
answered and said, ° We ought to obey God 
rather than men. 

30 * The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, 
whom ye slew and ° hanged on a tree. 

31 ‘Him hath God exalted with his right 
hand to be £a Prince and "a Saviour, ' for to 
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of 
sins. 


xiii. 29; Gal. iii. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 24 f Chap. ii. 33, 36; Phil. ii. 
9; Hebrew i ii. 10; xii. 2. s Chapter iii. 15,——h Matt. i. 21. 
iLuke xxiv. 47; chap. 111. 26; xiii. 38; Eph. i. 7; Col. i. 14. 


Intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.) You 
speak in such a way of him to the people as to per- 
suade them that we have crucified an innocent man; 
and that we must on that account fall victims to the 
Divine vengeance, or to the fury of the people, whom, 
by your teaching, you are exciting to sedition against us, 

Verse 29. We ought to obey God rather than men.] 
The same answer they gave before, chap. iv. 19, 
founded on the same reason, which still stood good. 
We have received our commission from GOD; we 
dare not lay it down at the desire or command of 
men. See the note on chap. iv. 19. 

Verse 30. The God of our fathers raised up Je- 
sus] It was well to introduce this, that the council 
might at once see that they preached no strange Gad ; 
and that he who so highly honoured the patriarchs, 
Moses, and the prophets, had yet more highly honour- 
ed Jesus Christ in raising him from the dead and seat- 
ing him at his right hand, and proclaiming him as the 
only giver of salvation and the repentance which leads 
to it. 

Whom ye slew] They charge them again with the 
murder of Christ, as they had done before, chap. iv. 
10—12, where see the notes. 

Verse 31. Himhath God exalted with his right hand] 
By a supereminent display of his almighty power, for 
so the right hand of God often means ; he has raised 
him Eins the dead, and raised his human nature to 
the throne of his glory. Instead of defig, the right 
hand, the Codex Beze has dofy, to glory. 

A Prince] The leader or director in the way 
See the notes on chap. iii. 15 and 19. 

And a Saviour] Σωτηρα, A deliverer or preserver. 
The word σωτὴρ comes from cuw to save, deliver, pre- 
serve, escape from death ox danger, bring into a state 
of security or safety. Jesus and Saviour are nearly 
of the same import. See the note on John i. 17. He 
alone delivers from sin, death, and hell: by him alone 
we escape from the snares and dangers to which we are 
exposed; and it is by and in him, and in connection 
with him, that we are preserved blameless and harm 

719 


Gamaliel’s prudent 


Aen ee And we are his witnesses 
. . Cir. . Ξ . 
An. Olymp. of these things; and so 15 also 


Eee she Holy Ghost, 'whom God 


hath given to them that obey him. 
33 Ἵ ™ When they heard that, they were 
cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. 
34 Then stood there up one in the council, 
a Pharisee, named ® Gamaliel, a doctor of the 
law, had in reputation among all the people, 


THE ACTS. 


advice to the council. 


A. M. cir? 4034. 
A. D. cir. 30. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCII. 2. 


and commanded to put the apos- 
tles forth a little space ; 

35 And said unto them, Ye 
men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what 
ye intend to do as touching these men. 

36 For before these days rose up Theu 
das, boasting himself to be somebody; to 
whom a number of men, about four hundred, 
joined themselves: who was slain; and all, 


k John xv. 26, 27.——! Chap. ii. 4; x. 44. 


less, and made the sons of God without rebuke. He 
alone can save the soul from sin, and preserve it in 
that state of salvation. 

To give repentance] See this explained, Matt. iii. 2. 

Forgiveness of sins.) Ageow των ἁμαρτιων, The 
taking away of sins. This is not to be restrained to 
the mere act of justification ; it implies the removal of 
sin, whether its power, guilt, or impurity be consider- 
ed. Through Jesus we have the destruction of the 
power, the pardon of the guilt, and the cleansing from 
the pollution, of sin. And was Jesus Christ exalted 
a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remis- 
sion of sins to Ιββάει, ‘Then none need despair. If 
such as were now before the apostles could be saved, 
then the salvation of the very worst of transgressors, 
of any or all on this side perdition, is gloriously pos- 
sible. Yes, for he tasted death for every man ; and he 
prayed for his murderers, compared to some of whom 
Jupas himself was a saint. 

The two words in Italics, in this text, to be, are im- 
pertinently introduced ; it reads much better without 
them. 

Verse 32. We are his witnesses] The word avrov, 
his, is omitted by AD, and several others of good note ; 
the Syriac, all the Arabic, Asthiopic, and Vulgate. It 
does not seem to be necessary. 

Of these things] Tov ῥηματὼν τουτων, Of these 
transactions: i. e. of Christ’s life and miracles, and of 
your murderous proceedings against him. 

And so is also the Holy Ghost| In the gift of 
tongues lately communicated; and by his power and 
influence on our souls, by which we are enabled to 
give irresistible witness of our Lord’s resurrection. 

To them that obey him.| We obey Gop, not you ; 
and therefore God gives us this Spirit, which is in us 
a fountain of light, life, love, and power. The Spirit 
of God is given to the obedient: in proportion as a 
man who has received the first influences of it (for 
without this he cannot move in the spiritual life) is 
obedient to those influences, in the same proportion the 
gifts and graces, the light, life, and power, of the Holy 
Spirit, are increased in his soul. 

Verse 33. They were cut to the heart] Avexpiovto, 
Literally, they were sawn through, from δια through, 
and πρίω, to saw. They were stung to the heart, not 
with compunction nor remorse, but with spite, malice, 
and revenge: for, having the murder of Christ thus 
brought home to their consciences, in the first feelings 
of their malice and revenge, they thought of destroying 
the persons who had witnessed their nefarious conduct. 

720 


m Chap. ii, 37; vii. 54. 


Ὁ Chap. xxii. 3. 


Verse 34. A Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of 
the law] “ This,” says Dr. Lightfoot, “was Rabban 
Gamaliel the first; commonly, by way of distinction, 
called Rabban Gamaliel the elder. He was president 
of the council after the death of his own father, Rad- 
ban Simeon, who was the son of Hillel. He was St. 
Paul’s master, and the 35th receiver of the traditions, 
and on this account might not be improperly termed 
νομοδιδασκαλος, a doctor of the law, because he was one 
that kept and handed down the Cadala received from 
Mount Sinai. He died eighteen years before the 
destruction of Jerusalem, his son Simeon succeeding 
him in the chair, who perished in the ruins of the city.” 
Though probably no favourer of Christianity, yet, fora 
Pharisee, he seems to have possessed a more liberal 
mind than most of his brethren; the following advice 
was at once humane, sensible, candid, and enlightened. 

Verse 35. What ye intend todo] Τὶ μελλετε πράσσειν, 
What ye are about to do: they had already intended 
to destroy them ; and they were now about to do it. 

Verse 36. Rose up Theudas] Josephus, Ant. lib. 
xx. cap. 4, sect. 1, mentions one named Theudas who 
was the author of an insurrection; about whom there 
has been much controversy whether he were the per- 
son spoken of here by Gamaliel. Every circumstance, 
as related by Josephus, agrees well enough with what 
is referred to here, except the chronology; for the 
Theudas mentioned by Josephus made his insurrection 
when Fadus was governor of Judea; which was at 
least ten years after the time in which the apostles 
were brought before this council. Much labour has 
been thrown away in unsuccessful attempts to recon- 
cile the Azstorian and the evangelist, when it is very 
probable they speak of different transactions. Bp 
Pearce thinks “the whole difficulty will disappear if 
we follow the opinion of Abp. Usher, who imagined 
that Luke’s Theudas was the same with that Judas 
of whom Josephus gives this account, Ant. lib. xvii. 
cap. 12, sect. 5; and War, lib. ii. cap. 4, sect. 1: 
‘that a little after the death of Herod the Great, he 
raised an insurrection in Galilee, and aimed at getting 
the sovereignty of Judea,’ and that he was defeated 
and put to death, as is implied in sect. 10, of the same 
chapter. That Theudas and Judas might be names 
for the same person, Bp. Pearce thinks probable from 
the consideration, that the same apostle who is called 
Judas in John xiv. 22, and Luke vi. 16, and called 
Jude in Jude 1, is, in Mark iii. 18, called Thaddeus ; 
and, in Matt. x. 3, is also called Lebdeus. This 
apostle having the names Judas and Thaddeus and 

1 


The council agree to 


A. M. cir. 4034. as 


‘A. Ὁ. cir. 30. many as °obeyed him, 
An. Olymp. were scattered, and brought to 


cir. CCII. 2. 
ΒΞ uonpat: 


37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee 
in the days of the taxing, and drew away 
much people after him: he also perished ; 
and all, even as many as obeyed him, were 
dispersed. 

38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from 
these men, and let them alone: Ρ for if this 


© Or, believed. ——P? Prov. xxi. 30; Isa. viii. 10; Matt. xv. 13. 
4 Luke xxi. 15; 1 Cor. i. 25. 


CHAP VY. 


the advice of Gamalel. 


A. M. cir. 4034. 
A. D. cir. 30. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIL. 2. 


counsel or this work be of men, 
it will come to nought: 

39 But if it be of God, ye 
cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found 
even ‘to fight against God. 

40 And to him they agreed: and when 
they had ‘called the apostles, ‘and beaten 
them, they commanded that they should 
not speak in the name of Jesus, and let 
them go. 


Chap. vil. 51; ix. 5; xxiii. 9.——+*Chap. iv. 18 —+ Matt. x. 
17; xxiii. 34; Mark xiii. 9. 


Lebbeus given to him, two of these must have been 
the same; because no Jew had more than two names, 
unless when a patronymic name was given to him, as 
when Joseph surnamed Justus was called Barsabas, 
i. 6. the son of Saba. It is no unreasonable thing to 
suppose that Thaddeus and Theudas are the same 
name ; and that therefore the person called Theudas 
in Luke is probably the same whom Josephus, in the 
places above quoted, calls Judas.” 

Dr Lightfoot thinks that “Josephus has made a 
slip in his chronology ;” and rather concludes that the 
Theudas mentioned in the Ant. lib. xx. cap. 4, sect. 
1, is the person referred to in the text. I confess the 
matter does not appear to me of so much conse- 
quence ; it is mentioned by Gamaliel in a careless 
way, and St. Luke, as we have already seen, serupu- 
lously gives the words of every speaker. The story 
was no doubt well known, and there were no doubts 
formed on it by the Jewish council. We see plainly 
the end for which it was produced; and we see that 
it answered this end most amply ; and certainly we have 
no farther concern with Gamaliel or his story. 

Boasting himself to be somebody] Acyov εἰναι twa 
éavrov, Saying that he was a great personage, i. 6.» 
according to the supposition of Bp. Pearce, setting 
himself up to be king of the Jews: see the preceding 
note. After éavrov, himself, μεγαν, great one, is added 
py several very respectable MSS. and versions. 

Verse 37. Judas of Galilee] Concerning Judas of 
Galilee, Rabbi Abraham, in Jucasin, fol. 139, writes 
thus: “In this time there were three sects: for, be- 
sides the Pharisees and Sadducees, Judas of Galilee 
began another sect, which was called Essenes. They 
caused the Jews to rebel against the Romans, by as- 
serting that they should not obey strangers; nor call 
any one Lord (or Governor) but the holy blessed God 
above.” Rabbi Abraham makes a mistake here: the 
Essenes existed long before the days of Judas of Ga- 
lilee ; but it is very possible that he might have been 
one of that sect. 
made by Judas of Galilee, Ant. lib. xvii. cap. 1, and 
says it was when Cyrenius was governor of Syria: 
see the note on Luke ii. 2. Bp. Pearce supposes that 
there were two azoypada:, taxalions or enrolments ; 
and thatthe one mentioned here took place ten years 
after that mentioned in Luke ii. He observes also, 
in conformity with the note on the preceding verse, 
that the Judas mentioned here, was not only different 

Worx, 1. ( 46 ) 


Josephus mentions the insurrection | 


from that Judas or Theudas spoken of before, but that 
his pretence for rebellion was different; the former 
wished to have the empire of Judea; the latter only 
maintained that it was base and sinful to obey a hea- 
then governor. 

Verse 38. Refrain from these men] Do not molest 
them, leave them to God; for if this counsel and 
work be of man it will come to nought, like the rebel- 
lion of Theudas, and that of Judas of Galilee: for 
whatever pretends to be done in the name of God, 
but is not of him, will have his curse and not his 
blessing. He whose name is prostituted by it will 
vindicate his injured honour, and avenge himself. 

Verse 39. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow 
2t} Because his counsel cannot fail; and his work 
cannot be counteracted. If he be determined that this 
doctrine shall prevail, it is vain for us to attempt to 
suppress it. 

Les: haply ye be found—to fight against God. 
Μηποτε καὶ ϑεομαχοι εὑρεθητε. Some have thought 
that they saw a parallel to these words in the speech 
of Diomede, when, seeing Mars, associated with 
Hector, oppose the Grecians, he judged farther oppo- 
tion vain, and desired his troops to retire from the 
battle. 


Two & ater παρα εἷς ye θεων, ὃς Aovyov apuvver 

Kaz νυν ol παρα κεινος Apne, Gpotw avdpt eotkac. 
Αλλα προς Τρωας τετραμμενοι atev οπισσω 
Evxere, unde Θεοῖς μενεαίνεμεν dt μαχεσθαι. 


Tliad, lib. v. 603. 


Protected always by some power divine ; 

And Mars attends this moment at his side, 

In form aman. Ye therefore still retire, 

But facing still your foes: nor battle wage, 

However fierce, yet fruitless, with the gods. 
CowPer 


Verse 40. To him they agreed] That is, not to slay 
the apostles, nor to attempt any farther to imprison 
them ; but their malevolence could not be thus easily 
satisfied; and therefore they deat them—probably gave 
each of them thirty-nine stripes; and, having com- 
manded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, they 
let them go. It was of Jesus they were afraid: not 
of the apostles. They plainly saw that, if the doctrine 
of Christ was preached, it must prevail ; and, if it pre- 
vailed, they must come to nought. It was a wise say- 
ing of the popish bishops in the time of Queen Mary— 

721 


The Grecians murmur 


A M. cir. 4034. 
eos 41 “ And they departed from 
An. Olymp. the presence of the counsel, ἅ re- 


ΠΟΘ, ..- 
= joicing that they were counted 


worthy to suffer shame for his name. 


THE ACTS. 


against the Hebrews. 


Ἰ vj A.M. cir. 4034. 
4 And daily vin the temple, ἈΝ οἷς 4%) 
and in every house, “they ceased ἀπ. Olymp. 


. CCIL 2. 
not to teach and preach Jesus Stree 


Christ. 


4 Matt. v. 12; Rom. v. 3; 2 Cor. xii. 10; Phil. 1.29; Heb. x. 34; 


James 1. 2; 1 Pet. iv. 13, 16. 


¥ Chap. ii. 46—w Ch. iv. 20, 29. 


If we do not put down this PRINTING, τέ will put us 
down. They laboured to put down the printing, but 
they could not; and, under God, the printing, by 
exposing the wickedness of their doctrine and prac- 
tices, and especially by multiplying copies of the New 
Testament, did most effectually put them down. 

Verse 41. Rejoicing that they were counted worthy, 
4.1] The whole verse may be read thus: But they 
departed rejoicing from the presence of the sonhedrin, 
because they were deemed worthy to be dishonoured on 
account of THENAME. The word, αὐτου, his, is omitted 
by ABCD, several others; Erpen’s Syriac, and the 
Coptic. "THe Name, probably, by this time, distin- 
guished both the author of salvation and the sacred 
system of doctrine which the apostles preached. To 
rejoice in persecution, and triumph in the midst of 
pain, shame, disgrace, and various threatened deaths, 
is the privilege of the New Testament. Nothing of 
this kind, as far as [ can recollect, appears even in 
the choicest saints under the Old Testament dispen- 
sation. Some of them fretted and mourned, and 
sometimes even murmured; some merely possessed 
their souls in patience ; Christians exulted and tri- 
umphed in the God of their salvation. This is no 
mean proof of the additional light and evidence which 
the New Testament dispensation affords. 

Verse 42. Daily in the temple] That is, at the 
hours of morning and evening prayer ; for they felt it 


their duty to worship God in pudlic, and to help 
others to make a profitable use of the practice. Every 
man that professes Christianity should, in this respect 
also, copy their conduct : nor can any man be consi- 
dered to have any religion, let his sentiments be what 
they may, who does not attend on the public worship 
of his Maker. 

They ceased not to teach and preach Jesus.] Var 
from desisting, they became more zeulous, yea, inces- 
sant, in their work. They took advantage of the 
public assemblies in the temple, as well as of all pri- 
vate opportunities, to teach all the truths of their holy 
religion; and to preach, proclaim Jesus as the only 
Messiah, that he who was crucified rose from the 
dead, and was exalted a Prince and a Saviour at the 
right hand of God. How little must these men have 
regarded their lives, who in the midst of such danger 
could pursue a line of conduct which, to all human 
views, must terminate in their ruin. They loved their 
Master, they loved his work, they loved their thank- 
less countrymen, they loved their present wages— 
persecution and stripes, and hated nothing οἵ τ their 
own lives! These men were proper pers:ms :0 pe 
employed in converting the world. Preachers of the 
Gospel, look at those men, and learn at once your 
duty, your employment, and your interest. Live and 
preach like apostles, and God will crown your labours 
with similar success. 


CHAPTER VI. 


The Hellenistic Jews complain against the Hebrews, that their widows were neglected in the daily ministra- 


tion, 1. 
affairs of the Church, 2-6. 


To remedy the evil complained of, the apostles appoint seven deacons to superintend the temporal 
The progress of the word of God in Jerusalem, 7. 


Stephen, one of the 


deacons, becomes very eminent, and confounds various Jews of the synagogues of the Libertines, &c., 8— 


10. 
council with an angelic countenance, 15. 


A.M. cir. 4035. α ‘a 
“Mio 48°. A ND in those days, * when the 
An. Olymp. number of the disciples was 


ir. CCIL. 3. ᾿ς ἢ 
μι: ee multiplied, there arose ἃ mur- 


muring of the ἢ Grecians against the Hebrews, 


They suborn false witnesses against him, to get him put to death, 11-14. 


He appears before the 


because their widows were ne- oan ee a. 
glected °in the daily ministra- An. Olymp. 
eir. CCIL 3. 


tion. _ Sea 
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of 


aChap. 11. 41; iv. 4; v.14; ver. 7. 


>Chap. ix. 29; xi. 20. ¢ Chap. iv. 35. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VI. 

Verse 1. A murmuring of the Grecians against the 
Hebrews] Those who are here termed Grecians, 
Ἑλλήνισται, or Hellenists, were Jews who sojourned 
now at Jerusalem, but lived in countries where the 
Greek language was spoken, and probably in general 
knew no other. ‘They are distinguished here from 
those called Hebrews, by which we are to understand 
native Jews, who spoke what was then termed the 
Hebrew language, a sort of Chaldaio-Syriac. 

722 


It has been remarked that Greek words ending in 
στῆς imply inferiority. Ἕλληνες, Hellenes, was dis- 
tinguished from Ἑλληνισται : the former implies pure 
Greeks, native Greeks, who spoke the Greek tongue 
in its purity ; and the latter, Jews or others sojourning 
among the Greeks, but who spoke the Greek language 
according to the Hebrew idiom. Pythagoras divided 
his disciples into two classes; those who were capable 
of entering into the spiriz and mystery of his doctrine 
he called Πυθαγορειοι, Pythagoreans ; those who were 


465 ) 


The apostles counsel the disciples 


A.M. cir. 4035. 
A. D cir 3. the 
An. Olymp. 
cir, CCL 3. 


disciples unto them, and 
said, “It is not reason that we 
should leave the word of God, 
and serve tables. 

3 Wherefore, brethren, * look ye out among 
you seven men of honest report, full of the 


1 Exod. xviii. 17. 


© Deut. i. 13; ch. i.21; xvi.2; 1 Tim. iii. 7. 


CHAP. VI. 


to choose seven deacons. 
“ A.M. cir. 4035 
Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom We oe on: 
we may appoint over this An. Chee. 
. cir. a 
business. ew τ΄ 


4 But we ‘will give ourselves continu 
ally to prayer, and to the ministry of the 
word. 


§ Chap. ii. 42. 


of a different cast he termed Πυθάγορισται, Pythago- 
rists: the former were eminent and worthy of their 
master ; the latter only so so. The same distinction 
is made between those called Arrixoe and Arrixcorat, 
Aitics and Alticists, the pure and less pure Greeks, as 
between those called Ἕλληνες and Ἑλληνίσται, Hellenes 
and Hellenists, pure Greeks and Graecising Jews. See 
Jamblicus, De Vit. Pyth. cap. 18, and Schoeltgen on 
this place. 

The cause of the murmuring mentioned here seems 
to have been this: When all the disciples had put 
their property into a common stock, it was intended 
that out of it each should have his quantum of supply. 
The foreign or Hellenistic Jews began to be jealous, 
that their widows were neglected in the daily ministra- 
tion, that they either had not the proportion, or were 
not duly served; the Palestine Jews being partial to 
those of their own country. This shows that the com- 
munity of goods could never have been designed to 
become general. Indeed, it was no ordinance of God ; 
and, in any state of society, must be in general im- 
practicable. The apostles, hearing of this murmuring, 
came to the resolution mentioned below. 

Verse 2. Jt is not reason] Ovk ἀρεστον εστι, it is 
not pleasing, proper, or fitting, that we should leave 
the word of God, that we should give up ourselves, or 
confide to others, the doctrine of salvation which God 
has commanded us to preach unto the people. 

And serve tables.| Become providers of daily bread 

| 


for your widows and poor: others can do this, to whom 
our important office is not intrusted. 

Verse 3. Wherefore—look ye out among you seven | 
men] Choose persons in whom ye can all confide, who | 
will distribute the provisions impartially, and in due | 
time ; and let these persons be the objects of the choice | 
both of the Hebrews and Hellenists, that all cause of 
murmuring and discontent may be done away. Though 
seven was a sacred number among the Jews, yet there 
does not appear to be any mystery intended here. 
Probably the seven men were to take each his day of 
service ; and then there would be a superintendent for 
these widows, &c., for each day of the week. 

Of honest report] Μαρτυρουμενους, Persons to whose 
character there is authentic festmony, well known and 
accredited. 

Full of the Holy Ghost| Saved into the spirit of the 
Gospel dispensation ; and made partakers of that Holy 
Ghost by which the soul is sanctified, and endued with 
those graces which constitute the mind that was in 
Christ. 

And wisdom] Prudence, discretion, and economy ; 
for mere piety and uprightness could not be sufficient, 
where so many must be pleased, and where frugality, im- 
partiality, and liberality, must ever walk hand in hand. 

1 


Whom we may appoint] Instead of καταστήσωμεν 
we may appoint, καταστησομεν, we shall appoint, is the 
reading of ABCDE, and several others. It makes, 
however, very little difference in the sense. 

Verse 4. We will give ourselves continually to 
prayer] Προσκαρτερήσομεν, We will steadfastly and 
invariably attend, we will carefully keep our hearts to 
this work. The word is very emphatic. 

To prayer.—See this defined, Matt. vi. 5. Even 
apostles could not live without prayer; they had no 
independent graces; what they had could not be re- 
tained without an increase ; and for this increase they 
must make prayer and supplication, depending continu 
ally on their God. 

Ministry of the word.| Ataxovig τοῦ λογου, The dea 
conship of the word. The continual proclamation of 
the Gospel of their Lord; and, to make this effectual 
to the souls of the hearers, they must continue in prayer * 
a minister who does not pray much, studies in vain. 

The office of deacon, διάκονος, came to the Christian 
from the Jewish Church. Every synagogue had at 
least three deacons, which were called D°D30D parna- 
sim, from 0375 parnes, to feed, nourish, support, go- 
vern. The 0379 parnas, or deacon, was a sort of judge 
in the synagogue ; and, in each, doctrine and wisdom 
were required, that they might be able to discern and 
give right judgment in things both sacred and civil. 
The yn chazan, and wow shamash, were also a sort 
of deacons. The first was the priest’s depuly ; and 
the last was, in some cases, the deputy of this deputy, 
or the sub-deacon. In the New Testament the apos- 
tles are called deacons, 2 Cor. vi. 4; Eph. iii. 7; Col. 
i. 23: see also 2 Cor. xi. 15. Christ himself, the 
Shepherd and Bishop of souls, is called the deacon of 
the circumcision, λέγω de Χριστον ἴησουν διάκονον yeye- 
νησθαι περίιτομης, Rom. xv. 8. As the.word implies to 
minister or serve, it was variously applied, and pointed 
out all those who were employed in helping the bodies 
or souls of men; whether apostles, bishops, or those 
whom we call deacons. Some remark that there were 
two orders of deacons: 1. Ataxovot tne τραπέζης, dea- 
cons of the TABLE, whose business it was to take care 
of the alms collected in the Church, and distribute 
them among the poor, widows, ἅς. 2. Διάκονοι τοῦ 
λογου, deacons of the worp, whose business it was to 
preach, and variously instruct the people. It seems 
that after the persecution raised against the apostolic 
Church, in consequence of which they became dis- 
persed, the deaconship of tables ceased, as did also the 
community of goods; and Philip, who was one of 
these deacons, who at first served tables, betook him- 
self entirely to preaching of the word: see chap. viii. 
4, &c. In the primitive Church, it is sufficiently evi- 
dent that the deacons gave the bread and wine in the 

723 


Seven deacons are chosen 
A.M. cir. 4035. - 

ἊΝ ΩΝ αι 5 Ἷ And the saying pleased 
An. Bian. the whole multitude; and they 


ir. CCI. 3. 
ἘΞ — chose Stephen, %a man full 


of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and » Philip, 
and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, 


THE ACTS. 


by the disciples. 


q A. Rie cir. 4035, 
. cr. 91: 

pee Olymp, 

cir. CCI. 3. 


and Parmenas, and i Nicolas, 
proselyte of Antioch: 

6 Whom they set before the 
apostles : and * when they had prayed, ! they 
laid thezr hands on them. 


Ε Chapter xi. 24,——» Chapter vill. 5, 26; xxi. 8.—iRev. 


11. 6, 15. 


® Chap. 1. 24.——! Chap. viii. 17; ix. ts xiii. 3; 1 Tim. iv 14; 
Ve 22 5.2 Tim. 1. 


Eucharist to the believers in the Church, and carried 
it to those who were absent, Just. Mar. Apol. ii. p. 162; 
they also preached, and in some cases administered 
baptism. See Surcer on the words Acakovoc, Knpucca, 
and Βαπτίσμα. But it appears they did the two last by 
the special authority of the bishop. In the ancient 
Roman Church, and in the Romish Church, the num- 
ber of seven deacons, in imitation of those appointed 
by the apostles, was kept up; and in the council of 
Neocesarea it was decreed that this number should 
never be exceeded, even in the largest cities: vide 
Concil. Neocesar. Canon. xiv. Other Churches varied 
this number; and the Church of Constantinople had 
yot less than one hundred. Deacons were ordained 
by the bishops, by imposition of hands. 
ordained deacon till he was twenty-five years of age, 
and we find that it was lawf':! for them to have wives. 
See Suzcer under the word Acaxovoc, and see the note 
on Matt. xx. 26. 

In the Chureh of England, (the purest and nearest 
to the apostolical model in doctrine and discipline of 
all national Churches,) a deacon receives ordination by 
the imposition of the hands of a bishop, in consequence 
of which he can preach, assist in the sacrament of the 
Lord’s Supper, and in general perform any sacred of- 
fice, except consecrating the elements, and pronouncing 
the absolution. No person in this Church can be or- 
dained deacon till he be twenty-three years of age, 
unless by dispensation from the Abp. of Canterbury. 
There were deaconesses, both in the apostolic and pri- 
tmitive Church, who had principally the care of the 
women, and visited and ministered to them in those 
circumstances in which it would have been improper 
for a deacon to attend. They also assisted in preparing 
the female candidates for baptism. 

At present, the office for which the seven deacons 
were appointed is, in the Church of England, filled by 
the churchwardens and overseers of the poor ; in other 
Churches and religious societies, by elders, stewards, 
&c., chosen by the people, and appointed by the 
minister. 

Verse 5. Stephen, a man full of faith and of the 
Holy Ghost| A person every way properly fitted for 
his work; and thus qualified to be the first martyr of 
the Christian Church. 

Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch] A heathen Greek, 
who had not only believed in the God of Israel, but 
had also received circumcision, and consequently was 
a proselyte of the covenant; for, had he been only a 
pioselyte of the gate, the Jews could not have asso- 
cjated with him. On the word proselyte, see the note 
on Exod. xii. 43. As this is the only proselyte men- 
tioned here, we may presume that all the rest were 
native Jews. From this Nicolas, it is supposed that 

724 


None was | 


the sect called Nicolaitans, mentioned Rev. ii. 6, 15, 
derived their origin. Dr. Lightfoot doubts this, and 
rather inclines to derive the name “ from 85)D)) nicola, 
let us eal together; those brutes encouraging each 
other to eat meats offered to idols, like those in Isa. 
xxii. 13, who said, Let us eat flesh and drink wine, &c.” 
Both Irenaeus and Epiphanius derive this sect from 
Nicolas the deacon. Clemens Alexandrinus gives this 
Nicolas a good character, even while he allows that 
the sect who taught the community of wives pretended 
to derive their origin from him. See on Rey. ii. 6. 
Verse 6. And when they had prayed | Instead 
of και, and, the Codex Beze@ reads οἵτινες, who, refer- 
ring the act of praying to the apostles, which removes 
a sort of ambiguity. The apostles prayed for these 
persons, that they might in every respect be qualified 
for their office, and be made successful in it. And, 
when they had done this, they laid thei hands upon 
them, and by this rite appointed them to their office. 
—So then, it plainly appears that the choice of the 
Church was not sufficient: nor did the Church think 
it sufficient ; but, as they knew their own members 
best, the apostles directed them, ver. 3, to choose those 
persons whom they deemed best qualified, according to 
the criterion laid down by the apostles themselves, 
that they should be of honest report, and full of the 
Holy Ghost and wisdom. Let us examine the process 
of this business: 1. There was an evident necessity 
that there should be more helpers in this blessed work 
2. The apostles called the disciples together, that they 
might consider of this necessity and provide for it 
ver. 3. 3. They directed the disciples to choose out 
from among themselves such persons as they judged 
the most proper for the work. 4. They gave them 
the criterion by which their choice should be directed: 
not any man, not every man, not their nearest rela- 
tive, or bes! beloved friend ; but such as were of ho- 
nest report, whose public character was known to be 
unblemished ; and men who were full of the Holy 
Ghost, the influence of which would keep all right 
within, and direct their hearts into all truth; and men 
who were known to be men of prudence and economy, 
for not every good and pious man may be proper for 
such a work. 5. Seven persons being chosen by the 
disciples, according to this criterion, are presented to 
the apostles for their approbation and confirmation.— 
6. The apostles, receiving them from the hands of the 
Church, consecrated them to God by prayer, implor- 
ing his blessing on them and their labour. 7. When 
this was done, they laid their hands upon them in the 
presence of the disciples, and thus appointed them to 
this sacred and important work ; for it is evident they 
did not get their commission merely to serve tables, 
but to proclaim, in connection with and under the di- 
1 


Stephen does wonders and 


νὸς 4035. 7 And ™the word of God in- 
An. Olymp. creased; and the number of the 
cir. CCL. 3. 


disciples multiplied in Jerusa- 
lem greatly ; and a great company *of the 
priests were obedient to the faith. 

8 Ἵ And Stephen, ° full of faith and power, 


m Chap. xii. 24; xix. 20; Col. i. 6——* John xii. 42. 
rection of the apostles, the word of life. Let no man 
say that any of the things here enumerated was unne- 
cessary, and let no Church pretend or affect to do with- 
out them. 1. No preacher or minister should be pro- 
vided till there is a place for him to labour in, and 
necessity for his labour. 2. Let none be imposed 
upon the Church of Christ who is not of that Church, 
well known and fully approved by that branch of it 
with which he was connected. 3. Let none be sent 
to publish salvation from sin, and the necessity of a 
holy life, whose moral character cannot bear the strict- 
est scrutiny among his neighbours and acquaintance. 
4. Let none, however moral, or well reported of, be 
sent to convert souls, who has not the most solid rea- 
son to believe that he is moved thereto by the Holy 
Ghost. 5. Let those who have the power to appoint 
see that the person be a man of wisdom, i. e. sound 
understanding—for a witling or a blockhead, however 
upright, will never make a Christian minister ; and that 
he be a man of prudence, knowing how to direct his 
own concerns, and those of the Church of God, with 
discretion. 6. Let no private person, nor number of 
private members in a Church, presume to authorize 
such a person, though in every way qualified to preach 
the Gospel; for even the one hundred and twenty pri- 
mitive disciples did not arrogate this to themselves. 
7. Let the person be brought to those to whom God 
has given authority in the Church, and let them, after 
most solemnly invoking God, lay their hands upon 
him, according to the primitive and apostolic plan, and 
thus devote him to the work of the ministry. 8. Let 
such a one from that moment consider himself the 
property of God and his Church, and deyote all his 
time, talents, and powers, to convert sinners, and build 
up believers in their most holy faith. 9. And let the 
Church of God consider such a person as legitimately 
and divinely sent, and receive him as the ambassador 
of Christ. 

Verse 7. The word of God increased] By such 
preachers as the apostles and these deacons, no won- 
der the doctrine of God increased—became widely 
diffused and generally known; in consequence of 
which, the number of the disciples must be greatly 
multiplied: for God will ever bless his own word, 
when ministered by those whom he has qualified to 
proclaim it. 

A great company of the priests were obedient to 
the faith.| This was one of the greatest miracles 


wrought by the grace of Christ: that persons so in- to themselves at Jerusalem, in which they were ac 


tent on the destruction of Christ, his apostles, and his | 


doctrine, should at last espouse that doctrine, is asto- 

nishing; and that they who had withstood the evi- 

dence of the miracles of Christ should have yielded to 

the doctrine of his death and resurrection. is worthy 
1 


CHAP. VI. 


miracles among the people 


; ; A. M. cir. 4035 
did see pao and miracles “," D ci. oa 
among the people. An. Olymp. 

; . CCI. 3. 

9 Then there arose certain of ὦ 
the synagogue, which is called the synagogue 
of the ? Libertines, and Cyrenians, and 
Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and 


© Gal. v. 6.——P Chap. xxii. 28; xiii. 45; xvii. 18, 


of note. And from this we may learn that it is not 
by miracles that sinners are to be converted unto God, 
but by the preaching of Christ dying for their offences, 
and rising again for their justification. 

Instead of depewy, priests, a few MSS., and the Sy- 
riac, read Ἰουδαίων, Jews; for the copyists seem to 
be struck here with two difficulties: 1. That such 
persons as ¢hese priests could be converted. 2. That 
the word oyAoc, company, or multitude, could with 
propriety be applied to this class, which must have 
been inconsiderable in their numbers, when compared 
with the rest of the Jews. To preserve the ancient 
reading, which is undoubtedly genuine, some have al- 
tered the text by conjecture ; and, by putting a comma 
after οχλος, and a καὶ before τῶν ἱερεων, make the text 
read thus: And a great multitude, and some of the 
priests, were obedient to the faith. This conjecture 
is unnecessary, as there is no such difficulty here as 
to require so desperate an expedient, which is not re- 
commended by the evidence of a single MS. or ver- 
sion. 1. The grace of Christ Jesus can save even a 
murderous Jewish priest: his death is a grand atone- 
ment for all crimes and for the worst of sinners.— 
2. In the twenty-four courses of priests, there was 
not a multitude merely, but multitudes: indeed the 
number of ecclesiastics at Jerusalem was enormous. 
A great company out of these might be converted, 
and yet multitudes be left behind. 

Verse 8. Stephen, full of faith and power] In- 
stead of πίςεως, faith, χαριτος, grace, is the reading 
of ABD, several others, the Syriac of Erpen, the 
Coptic, Armenian, Vulgate, and some of the fathers. 
This reading Griesbach has admitted into the text.— 
Some MSS. join both readings. Stephen was full 
of faith—gave unlimited credence to the promises of 
his Lord ; he was full of grace—receiving the fulfil- 
ment of those promises, he enjoyed much of the unc- 
tion of the Divine Spirit, and much of the favour of 
his God; and, in consequence, he was full of power, 
δυνάμεως, of the Divine energy by which he was ena- 
bled to work great wonders and miracles among the 
people. 

Verse 9. The synagogue—of the Libertines, &e.] 
That Jews and proselytes from various countries had 
now come up to Jerusalem to bring offerings, and to 
attend the feast of pentecost, we have already seen, 
chap. ii. The persons mentioned here were foreign 
Jews, who appear to have had a synagogue peculiar 


customed to worship when they came to the public 
festivals. 

Various opinions have been entertained concerning 
the Libertines mentioned here: Bp. Pearce’s view of 
the subject appears to me to be the most correct. 

725 


Stephen disputes with the 


A.M. cir. 4035. 
A. D. cir. 31. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCII. 3. 


of Asia, disputing with Ste- 
phen. 

10 And ¢they were not able 
to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which 
he spake. 


~q Luke xxi. 15; chap. v. 39; see Exod. iv. 12; Isa. liv. 17. 


THE ACTS. 


Libertines, Cyrenians, §-c. 


11 * Then they suborned men 4,™, cit. 4035 
which said, We have heard him An. Olymp 
cir. CCII. 3 


speak blasphemous words against 
Moses, and against God. 
12 And they stirred up the people, and the 


T] Kings xxi. 10, 13; Matt. xxvi. 59, 60. 


“Tt is commonly thought that by this name is meant 
the sons of such Jews as had been slaves, and obtain- 
ed their freedom by the favour of their masters; but 
it is to be observed that with these Libertines the 
Cyrenians and Alerandrians are here joined, as hay- 
ing one and the same synagogue for their public wor- 
ship. And it being known that the Cyrenians (chap. 
ii. 10) lived in Ledya, and the Alexandrians in the 
neighbourhood of it, it is most natural to look for the 
Libertines too in that part of the world. Accordingly 
we find Swidas, in his Lexicon, saying, upon the word 
Λιβερτινοι, that it is ovoza tov εθνϑς, the name of a 
people. And in Gest. Collationis Carthagine habite 
inter Catholicos et Donatistas, published with Opta- 
tus’s works, Paris, 1679, (No. 201, and p. 57,) we 
have these words: Victor episcopus Ecclesie Catho- 
lice Lipertinensis dixit, Unitas est illic, publicam 
non latet conscientiam. Unity is there: all the world 
knows it. From these two passages it appears that 
there was in Libya a town or district called Labertina, 
whose inhabitants bore the name of Λιβερτινοι, Liber- 
tines, when Christianity prevailed there. They had 
an episcopal see among them, and the above-mention- 
ed Victor was their bishop at the council of Carthage, 
in the reign of the Emperor Honorius. And from 
hence i; seems vrobable that the town or district, and 
the people, existed in the time of which Luke is here 
speaking. They were Jews, (no doubt,) and came up, 
as the Cyrenian and Alexandrian Jews did, to bring 
their offerings to Jerusalem, and to worship God in the 
temple there. Cuneus, in his Rep. Hebr. ii. 23, says 
that the Jews who lived in Alewandria and Libya, and 
all other Jews who lived out of the Holy Land, ex- 
cept those of Babylon and its neighbourhood, were 
held in great contempt by the Jews who inhabited Je- 
rusalem and Judea; partly on account of their quitting 
their proper country, and partly on account of their 
using the Greek language, and being quite ignorant 
of the other. For these reasons it seems probable 
that the Libertines, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, had 
a separate synagogue; (as perhaps the Cilicians and 
those of Asia had;) the Jews of Jerusalem not suf- 
fering them to be present in their synagogues, or they 
not choosing to perform their public service in syna- 
gogues where a language was used which they did 
not understand.” 


It is supposed, also, that these synagogues had theo- 
logical, if not philosophical, schools attached to them; 
ard that it was the disciples or scholars of these schools 
who came forward to dispute with Stephen, and were 
enraged because they were confounded. Fr it is not 
an uncommon custom with those who have a bad cause, 
which can neither stand the test of Scripture nor rea- 
son, to endeavour to support it by physical when logi- 
cal force has failed; and thus 

"26 


“ Prove their doctrine orthodox, 
By apostolic blows and knocks.” 

Tn the reign of Queen Mary, when popery prevailed 
in this country, and the simplest women who had read 
the Bible were an overmatch for the greatest of the 
popish doctors ; as they had neither Scripture nor rea- 
son to allege, they burned them alive, and thus termi- 
nated a controversy which they were unable to main- 
tain. The same cause will ever produce the same 
effect : the Libertines, Cilicians, Cyrenians, and Alex- 
andrians, pursued this course: Stephen confounded 
them by Scripture and reason, and they beat his brains 
out with stones! This was the most effectual way to 
silence a disputant whose wisdom they could not resist. 
In the same way were the Protestants treated, when 
by Scripture and reason they had shown the absurdity 
and wickedness of that anti-christian system which the 
fire and the sword were brought forth to establish. 
These persecutors professed great concern at first for 
the souls of those whom they variously tortured, and 
at last burned ; but their tender mercies were cruel, 
and when they gave up the body to the flames, they 
most heartily consigned the soul to Satan. Scires 
é sanguine natos: their conduct proclaimed their 
genealogy. 

Verse 10. They were not able to resist the wisdom, 
&c.| He was wise, well exercised and experienced, in 
Divine things ; and, as appears by his defence, in the 
following chapter, well versed in the Jewish history. 
The spirit by which he spake was the Holy Spirit, and 
its power was irresistible. They were obliged either 
to yield to its teachings, or were confounded by its 
truth. Several MSS. add to this verse, because he 
reproved them with boldness, they could not resist the 
truth. This reading is not genuine, though it exists 
(but in different forms) in some good MSS. 

Verse 11. Then they suborned men] Ὕπεβαλον. 
They made underhand work ; got associated to them- 
selves profligate persons, who for money would swear 
any thing. 

Blasphemous words against Moses, and against 
God.| This was the most deadly charge they could 
bring against him. We have already seen, Matt. ix. 
4, that blasphemy, when against GOD, signifies speak- 
ing impiously of his nature, attributes, or works ; and, 
when against men, it signifies speaking injwriously of 
their character, blasting their reputation, &e. These 
false witnesses came to prove that he had blasphemed 
Moses by representing him as an impostor, or the like ; 
and GOD, by either denying his being, his providence, 
the justice of his government, &c. 

Verse 12. And they] The Libertines, &c., men- 
tioned before, stirred up the people—raised a mob 
against him, and, to assist and countenance the mob 
got the elders and scribes to conduct it, who thus mads 

1 


He τς summoned before the 


A.M. cir. <i elders, and the scribes, and came 


A. D. cir. ᾿ ς 

An. Olymp. upon him, and caught him, and 

cir. CCIL. 3. : ‘ 
—_——— brought him to the council, 

13 And set up false witnesses, which 


said, This man ceaseth not to speak blas- 
phemous words against this holy place, and 
the law : 


* Chap. xxv. 8. 


themselves one with the basest of the people, whom 
they collected; and then, altogether, without law 
or form of justice, rushed on the good man, seized him, 
and brought him to a council who, though they sat in 
the seat of judgment, were ready for every evil work. 

Verse 13. Against this holy place] The temple, 
that it shall be destroyed. 

And the law) That it cannot give life, nor save 
from death. It is very likely that they had heard 
him speak words to this amount, which were all as 
true as the spirit from which they proceeded; but 
they gave them a very false colouring, as we see 
in the succeeding verse. 

Verse 15. Saw his face, as it had been the face of 
am angel.| Sayings like this are frequent among the 
Jewish writers, who represent God as distinguishing 
eminent men by causing a glory to shine from their 
faces. Rabbi Gedalia said that, “ when Moses and 
Aaron came before Pharaoh, they appeared like those 
angels which minister before the face of the Lord; 
for their stature appeared greater, and the splendour 
of their faces was like the sun, and their eyes like 
the wheels of the sun; their beard like clusters of 
grapes, and their words like thunder and lightning ; 
and that, through fear of them, those who were pre- 
sent fell to the earth.” 

The like is said of Moses, in Debarim Rabba, fol. 
75, that “when Sammael (Satan) came to Moses, 


CHAPT 


CHAP. VII. 


council to answer for himself. 


A. M. cir. 4035. 
A. D. cir. 31. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIL. 3. 


14 * For we have heard him say, 
that this Jesus of Nazareth shall 
‘destroy this place, and shall 
change the "customs which Moses delivered us. 

15 And all that sat in the council, looking 
steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been 
the face of an angel. 


t Dan. ix. 26. 


“Or, rites. 


the splendour of his face was like the sun, and him- 
self resembled an angel of God.” The reader may find 
several similar sayings in Schoettgen. 

It appears that the light and power of God which 
dwelt in his soul shone through his face, and God gave 
| them this proof of the falsity of the testimony which 
was now before them; for, as the face of Slephen now 
shone as the face of Moses did when he came down 
from the mount, it was the fullest proof that he had not 
spoken blasphemous words either against Moses or God, 
else this splendour of heaven had not rested upon him. 

The history of the apostolic Church is a series of 
wonders. Every thing that could prevent such a 
Church from being established, or could overthrow it 
when established, is brought to bear against it. The 
instruments employed in its erection and defence had 
neither might nor power, but what came immediately 
from God. They work, and God works with them ; 
the Church is founded and built up; and its adver- 
saries, with every advantage in their favour, cannot 
overthrow it. Is it possible to look at this, without see- 
ing the mighty hand of God in the whole? He permits 
devils and wicked men to work—to avail themselves 
of all their advantages, yet counterworks all their plots 
and designs, turns their weapons against themselves, 
and promotes his cause by the very means that were 
used to destroy it. How true is the saying, There is 
‘neither might nor counsel against the Lord ! 


ER VII. 


Stephen, being permitted to answer for himself relative to the charge of blasphemy brought against him by 


his accusers, gives a circumstantial relation of the 
Charran, &c., 1-8. 
18,19. The history of Moses and his acts till 
idolatry af the Israelites in the wilderness, 38-43. 
tinued till the time of David, 44-46. 

fined to temples built by hands, 47-50. 


neglect of their own law against them, 51-53. 
54. He sees the glory of God, and Christ at the 
vision, 55, 56. They rushupon him, drag him ou 


The history of Jacob and Joseph, 9-17. 


call of Abraham, when he dwelt in Mesopotamia, in 
The persecution of their fathers in Egypt, 
the exodus from Egypt, 20-37. The rebellion and 

The erection of the tabernacle of witness, which con- 


Of the temple built by Solomon for that God who cannot be con- 
Being probably interrupted in the prosecution of his discourse, 
he urges home the charge of rebellion against God, 


persecution of his prophets, the murder of Christ, and 


They are filled with indignation, and proceed to violence, 


right hand of the Father; and declares the glorious 
t of the city, and stone him, 57, 58. He invokes the 


Lord Jesus, prays for his murderers, and expires, 59, 60. 


A. M. cir. 4035. FHSS : : ΓΗ αἱ A.M. cir. 4035. 
ΠΣ πὸ ΤῊΕΝ 5814 the high priest , and fathers, hearken; * The God 4,™) cr 408 
An. Olymp. * Are these things so? of glory appeared unto our father An. Cm, 

clr. a 


cir. CCIL. 3. 


2 Chap. vi. 13, 14——» John ix. 22; chap. xxii. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VII. 
Verse 1. Are these things so?] Hast thou predicted 
the destruction of the temple? And hast thou said 
1 


2 And he said, » Men, brethren, | Abraham, when he was in Meso- 


¢ Gen. xi. 27, 28; xii. 1-3. 


that Jesus of Nazareth shall change our customs, abo- 

lish our religious rites and temple service? Hast thou 

| spoken these blasphemous things against Moses, and 
727 


Stephen gives an account THE ACTS. of the call of Abraham. 
A Meir. 4035. potamia, before he dwelt in |not so muchas to set his foot on: 4- ee 
An. Givin. Charran, f yet he promised that he would ἀπ. Olymp 

cir. CCI. 3. cir. CCII 


3 And said unto him, ὁ Get 
thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, 
and come into the land which I shall show thee. 

4 Then © came he out of the land of the 
Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from 
thence, when his father was dead, he removed 
him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 

5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, 


give it to him for a possession, —————~"— 
and to his seed after him, when as yet he had 
no child. 

6 And God spake on this wise, 5 That his 
seed should sojourn in a strange land; and 
that they should bring them into bondage, and 
entreat them evil » four hundred years. 

7 And the nation to whom they shall be in 


Gen. xii. 1. e Gen, xi. 31; xii. 4, 5——f Gen. xii. 7; xiii. 


15; xv. 3,18; xvii.8; xxvi. 3. 


&Genesis xv. 13, 16— Exodus xii. 40; Galatians 
iii. 17. 


against God? Here was some colour of justice ; for 
Stephen was permitted to defend himself. And, in 
order to do this he thought it best to enter into a de- 
tail of their history from the commencement of their 
nation; and thus show how kindly God had dealt 
with ¢hem, and how ungraciously they and their fathers 
had requited Him. And all this naturally led him to 
the conclusion, that God could no longer bear with a 
people the cup of whose iniquity had been long over- 
flowing; and therefore they might expect to find wrath, 
without mixture of mercy. 

But how could St. Luke get all this circumstantial 
account? 1. He might have been present, and heard 
the whole; or, more probably, he had the account 
from St. Paul, whose companion he was, and who was 
certainly present when St. Stephen was judged and 
stoned, for he was consenting to his death, and kept 
the clothes of them who stoned him. See chap. vii. 
58; viii. 1; and xxii. 20. 

Verse 2. Men, brethren, and fathers] Rather, bre- 
thren and fathers, for avdpec should not be translated 
separately from αδελῴοι. Literally it is men-bretliren, 
a very usual form in Greek ; for every person knows 
that avdpec Αθηναίοι and avdpec Περσαι should not be 
translated men-Athenians and men-Persians, but sim- 
ply Athenians and Persians. See Acts xvii. 22. So, 
in Luke ii. 15, ἀνθρωποι ποιμενες should be translated 
shepherds, not men-shepherds. And ἀνθρωπος βασιλευς, 
Matt. xviii. 23, should not be translated man-king, 
but xing, simply. By translating as we do, men, 
brethren, and fathers, and putting a comma after men, 
we make Stephen address three classes, when in fact 
there were but ¢wo: the elders and seribes, whom he 
addressed as fathers ; and the common people, whom he 
calls brethren. See Bp. Pearce, and see chap. viii. 27. 

The God of glory appeared, &c.| As Stephen was 
now vindicating himself from the false charges brought 
against him, he shows that he had uttered no blas- 
phemy, either against God, Moses, or the temple ; but 
states that his accusers, and the Jews in general, were 
guilty of the faults with which they charged him : that 
they had from the beginning rejected and despised 
Moses, and had always violated his laws. He proceeds 
to state that there is no blasphemy in saying that the 
temple shall be destroyed: they had been without a 
temple till the days of David; nor does God ever con- 
fine himself to temples built by hands, seeing he fills 
both heaven and earth; that Jesus is the prophet of 

728 


whom Moses spoke, and whom they had persecuted, 
condemned, and at last put to death; that they were 
wicked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears, and 
always resisted the Holy Ghost as their fathers did. 
This is the substance of St. Stephen’s defence as far 
as he was permitted to make it : a defence which they 
could not confute ; containing charges which they most 
glaringly illustrated and confirmed, by adding the mur- 
der of this faithful disciple to that of his all-clorious 
Master. 

Was in Mesopotamia] In that part of it where Ur 
of the Chaldees was situated, near to Babel, and among 
the rivers, (Tigris and Euphrates,) which gave the 
name of Mesopotamia to the country. See the note 
on Gen. xi. 31. 

Before he dwelt in Charran] This is called Haran 
in our translation of Gen. xi. 31; this place also be- 
longed to Mesopotamia, as well as Ur, but is placed 
west of it on the maps. It seems most probable that 
Abraham had two ealls, one in Ur, and the other in 
Haran. He left Ur at the first call, and came to Ha- 
ran; he left Haran at the second call, and came into 
the promised land. See these things more particularly 
stated in the notes on Gen. xii. 1. 

Verse 4. When his father was dead] See the note 
on Gen. xi. 26. 

Verse 5. Gave him none mheritance] Both Abra- 
ham and Jacob had small parcels of land in Canaan; 
but they had them by purchase, not by God’s gift ; 
for, as Abraham was obliged to éuy a burying-place in 
Canaan, Gen. xxiii., it is obvious he had no mheritance 
there. 

And to his seed after him] See Gen. xii. 
xiii. 15, and the note there. 

Verse 6. That his seed should sojourn in a strange 
land} See Gen. xv. 13, 14. 

Four hundred years.) Moses says, Exod. xii. 40, 
that the sojourning of the children of Israel in Egypt— 
was 430 years. See the note there. St. Paun has 
the same number, Gal. iii. 17; and so has Josephus, 
Ant. lib. ii. cap. 1, sect. 9; in Bell. lib. v. cap. 9, 
sect. 4. St. Stephen uses the round number of 400, 
leaving out the odd tens, a thing very common, not 
only in the sacred writers, but in all others, those 
alone excepted who write professedly on chronological 
matters. 

Verse 7. Will 1 judge] Kpwo eyo, Γ will punish, 
for in this sense the Greek word is frequently taken 

1 


7; and 


He give an abstract of 


a. «Με, ir. 403 4035. bondage will I judge, said God : 
Pa ‘Gly. and after that shall they come 


forth, and + serve me in this place. 

8 * And he gave him the covenant of circum- 
cision: ‘and so Abraham begat Isaac, and 
circumcised him the eighth day: ™ and Isaac 
begat Jacob; and "Jacob begat the twelve 
patriarchs. 

9 “ ° And the patriarchs, moved with envy, 
sold Joseph into Egypt: »but God was with 
him, 

10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, 
4and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight 
of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him 
governor over Egypt and all his house. 


CHAP. VII. 


the history of Joseph. 


11 * Now there came a dearth 4- Sphee Sg 

over all the land of Egypt and ἀπ. Olymp. 
ae cir. CCI. 3. 

Chanaan, and great affliction : 

and our fathers found no sustenance. 

12 * But when Jacob heard that there was 
corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first : 

13 t And at the second time Joseph was made 
known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred 
was made known unto Pharaoh. 

14 "Then sent Joseph, and called his father 
Jacob to him, and ¥ all his kindred, threescore 
and fifteen souls. 

15 Ὁ So Jacob went down into Egypt, * and 
died, he, and our fathers, 

16 And ¥ were carried over into Sychem, and 


i Exod. iii, 12.——* Gen. xvii. 9, 10, 11——! Gen. xxi. 2, 3, 
4.——" Gen. xxv. 26. "Gen. xxix. 31, &c.; xxx. 5, &e.; 
xxxy. 18, 23.—— Gen. xxxvii. 4, 11,28; Psa. ev. 17.——? Gen. 
xxxix. 2, 21, 23. 


Gen. xli. 


37; xlii. 6——"Gen. xli. 54. sGen. xiii. 1. 
‘Gen. xly. 4, 16. uGen. xlv. 9, 27. Υ Gen. xlvi. 27; Deut. 
ας. 22, ~Gen. xlvi. 5. χρη. xlix. 33; Exod. i. 6. 


¥ Exod. xiii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 32. 


When,” says Bp. Pearce, “a malefactor is brought 
before a judge, the judge does ¢hree things: 1. he 
tries or judges him; 2. he then gives his judgment or 
sentence ; and, 3. he puts the law in execution, and 
punishes him. Hence κρίνω, at different times, signifies 
each of these things; and the sense of the word is to 
be determined by the context. Here it signifies to 
punish, as κρίμα is used for punishment, in Rom. xiii. 
2; 1 Cor. xi. 29, compared with ver. 30, 31.” The 
Egyptians, to whom the Israelites were in bondage, 
were punished by the ten plagues, described Exod. 
Wiles (Villes (1X5 ΣΧ.» ΣΙ Kile 

Verse 8. He gave him the covenant of circumcision] 
That is, he instituted the rite of circumcision, as a sign 
of that covenant which he had made with him and his 
posterity. See Gen. xvii. 10, &. 

And so Abraham begat Isaac] Kat οὗτως, And thus, 
in this covenant, he begat Isaac ; and as a proof that 
he was born under this covenant, was a true son of 
Abraham and inheritor of the promises, he circumcised 
him the eighth day; and this rite being observed in 
the family of Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons were 
born under the covenant; and thus their descendants, 
the twelve tribes, being born under the same covenant, 
and practising the same rite, were, by the ordinance 
of God, legal inheritors of the promised land, and all the 
secular and spiritual advantages connected with it. 

Verse 9. And the patriarchs] The twelve sons of 
Jacob, thus called because each was chief or head of 
his respective family or tribe. 

Moved with envy] Ζηλώσαντες. We translate ζηλος 
variously : zeal or fervent affection, whether its object 
ne good or bad, is its general meaning; and ζηλοω 
signifies to be indignant, envious, &e. See the note 
onchap. v.17. The brethren of Joseph, hearing of his 
dreams, and understanding them to portend his future 
advancement, filled with envy, (with which no ordinary 
portion of malice was associated,) sold Joseph into the 
land of Egypt, hoping by this means to prevent his fu- 
ture grandeur ; but God, from whom the portents came, 

1 


was with him, and made their envy the direct means 
of accomplishing the great design. 

Verse 10. Gave him favour and wisdom in the sight 
of Pharaoh} God gave him much wisdom, in conse- 
quence of which he had favour with the king of Egypt. 
See the whole of this remarkable history explained at 
large, Gen. xli—xlv. 

Verse 14. Threescore and fifteen souls.| There are 
several difficulties here, which it is hoped the reader 
will find satisfactorily removed in the note on Genesis 
xlvi. 20. It is well known that in Gen. xlvi., and in 
Deut. x. 22, their number is said to be threescore and 
ten; but Stephen quotes from the Septuagint, which 
adds five persons to the account which are not in the 
Hebrew text, Machir, Gilead, Sutelaam, Taham, and 
Edemj; but see the note referred to above. 

Verse 16. And were carried over to Sychem] “It 
is said, Gen. 1. 13, that Jacob was buried in the cave 
of the field of Machpelah before Mamre. And in Josh. 
xxiv. 32, and Exod. xiii. 19, it is said that the bones 
of Joseph were carried out of Egypt by the Israelites, 
and buried in Shechem, which Jacob bought from the 
sons of Hamor the father of Shechem. As for the 
eleven brethren of Joseph, we are told by Josephus, 
Ant. lib. ii. cap. 8. sect, 2, that they were buried in 
Hebron, where their father had been buried. But, 
since the books of the Old Testament say nothing about 
this, the authority of Stephen (or of Luke here) for 
their being buried in Sychem is at least as good as that 
of Josephus for their being buried in Hebron.”—Bp. 
Pearce. 

We have the uniform consent of the Jewish writers 
that all the patriarchs were brought out of Egypt, and 
buried in Canaan, but none, except Stephen, mentions 
their being buried in Sychem. As Sychem belonged 
to the Samaritans, probably the Jews thought it too 
great an honour for that people to possess the bones 
of the patriarchs; and therefore have carefully avoided 
making any mention of it. This is Dr. Lightfoot’s 
conjecture ; and it is as probable as any other. 

729 


Stephen giwes an abstract 


A.M. cir. 4035. Jaid in 5 the sepulchre that Abra- 

An. Olymp. ham bought for a sum of money 
_ cir CCH 3. of the sons of Emmor the father 
of Sychem. 

17 Ἵ But when *the time of the promise 
drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abra- 
ham, ἢ the people grew and multiplied in 
Egypt, 

18 Till another king arose, which knew not 
Joseph. 

19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, 
and evil entreated our fathers, ° so that they 
cast out their young children, to the end they 
might not live. 

20 *In which time Moses was born, and 


THE ACTS. 


of the lustory of Moses. 


e f i + A M. cir. 4035. 
was exceeding fair, and Dae 3b 
nourished up in his father’s An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIL. 3. 


house three months : Pe eee 

21 And £ when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s 
daughter took him up, and nourished him for 
her own son. 

22 And Moses was learned in all the wis- 
dom of the Egyptians, and was ἢ mighty in 
words and in deeds. 

23 ‘ And when he was full forty years old, 
it came into his heart to visit his brethren the 
children of Israel. 

24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, 
he defended him, and avenged him that was 
oppressed, and smote the Egyptian : 


a2Gen.xv. 13; ver. 6. b Exod. 


© Exod, 1. 22. 


= Gen. xxiii. 16; xxxv. 19. 
i. 7,8, 9; Psa. ev. 24, 25. 


4 Exod. ii. 2. 6 Heb. xi. 23. fOr, fair to God. Exod 
ii. 3-10.— Luke xxiv. 19.— Exod. 11. 11, 12. 


That Abraham bought for a sum of money] Two 
accounts seem here to be confounded: 1. The purchase 
made by Abraham of the cave and field of Ephron, 
which was in the field of Machpelah: this purchase 
was made from the children of Heth, Gen. xxiii. 3, 
10,17. 2. The purchase made by Jacob, from the 
sons of Hamor or Emmor, of a sepulchre in which the 
bones of Joseph were laid: this was in Syehem or 
Shechem, Gen. xxxiii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 32. The word 
Abraham, therefore, in this place, is certainly a mis- 
take; and the word Jacob, which some have supplied, 
is doubtless more proper. Bp. Pearce supposes that 
Luke originally wrote, ὁ ὠνήσατο tyne ἀργυρίου, which 
he bought for a sum of money: i. e. which Jacob bought, 
who is the last person, of the singular number, spoken 
of in the preceding verse. ‘Those who saw that the 
word wrycato, bought, had no nominative case joined 
to it, and did not know where to find the proper one, 
seem to have inserted Αβρααμ, Abraham, in the text, 
for that purpose, without sufficiently attending to the 
different circumstances of Ais purchase from that of 
Jacob's. 

Verse 18. Which knew not Joseph.| That is, did 
not approve of him, of his mode of governing the 
kingdom, nor of his people, nor of his God. See the 
note on Exod. 1. 8. 

Verse 19. The same dealt subtilly] Οὗτος κατασο- 
φισαμενος, A word borrowed from the Septuagint, who 
thus translate the Hebrew 19 ADM) nithchokmah lo, 
let us deal wisely with it, i. e. with cunning and de- 
ceit, as the Greek word implies ; and which is evi- 
dently intended by the Hebrew. See Gen. xxvii. 35, 
Thy brother came with subtiliy, which the Targumist 
explains by NDDINI be-chokma, with wisdom, that is, 
cunning and deceit. For this the Egyptians were so 
remarkable that αἰγυπτιαζειν, to Egyptize, signified to 
act cunningly, and to use wicked devices. Hence the 
Jews compared them to foxes ; and it is of them that 
Cant. chap. ii. 15, is understood by the rabbins: 
Take us the little foxes which spoil our vines ; destroy 
the Egyptians, who, having slain our male children, 
sought to destroy the name of Israel from the face of 
the earth. 

730 


To the end they might not live.| Might not grow up 
and propagate, and thus build up the Hebrew nation. 

Verse 20. Moses—was exceeding fair] Aceioc τῷ 
Θεῳ, Was fair to God, i. 6. was divinely beautiful. 
See the note on Exod. ii. 2. 

Verse 22. In all the wisdom of the Egyptians] 
Who were, at that time, the most intelligent and best 
instructed people in the universe. Philo says, Moses 
was taught arithmetic, geometry, poetry, music, medi- 
cine, and the knowledge of hieroglyphics. In Sohar 
Cadash, fol. 46, it is said, “that, of the ten portions 
of wisdom which came into the world, the Egyptians 
had nine, and that all the inhabitants of the earth had 
only the remaining portion.” Much of the same 
nature may be seen in the rabdins, though they apply 
the term wisdom here to magic. 

Was mighty in words and in deeds.) This may 
refer to the glorious doctrines he taught, and the 
miracles he wrought in Egypt. Josephus Ant. lib. ii. 
cap. 10, sect. 1, gives an account of his being gene- 
ral of an Egyptian army, defeating the Ethiopians, who 
had invaded Egypt, driving them back into their own 
country, and taking Saba their capital, which was 
afterwards called Meroé. But this, like many other 
tales of the same writer, is worthy of little credit. 

Phenix says the same of Achilles :— 


Μυθὼων τε ῥητηρ᾽ euevat, πρηκτηρα τε epyov. 1]. ix. v. 443. 
Not only an orator of words, but a performer of deeds. 


Verse 23. When he was full forty years old) This 
was a general tradition among the Jews: “ Moses 
was forty years in Pharaoh’s court, forty years in Mi- 
dian, and forty years he served Israel.” 

To visit his brethren] Probably on the ground of 
trying to deliver them from their oppressive bondage. 
This desire seems to have been early infused into his 
mind by the Spirit of God; and the effect of this de- 
sire to deliver his oppressed countrymen was his re- 
fusing to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter— 
see Heb. xi. 24, and thus renouncing all right to the 
Egyptian crown, choosing rather to endure affliction 
with the people of God than enjoy the pleasures of 
sin for a season. 

1 


Account of the deliverance 


A. M. cir. 4035. ἢ k " 
A pir gt 25 For he * supposed his bre- 
An. Olymp. thren would have understood 


OO how that God by his hand 


would deliver them: but they understood not. 

26 'And the next day he showed himself 
unto them as they strove, and would have set 
them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are bre- 
thren; why do ye wrong one to another ? 

27 But he that did his neighbour wrong 
thrust him away, saying, ™" Who made thee a 
ruler and a judge over us? 

28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the 
Egyptian yesterday ? 

29 " Then fled Moses at this saying, and 
was a stranger in the land of Madian, where 
he begat two sons. 

30 °And when forty years were expired, 
there appeared to him in the wilderness of 
mount Sinai, an angel of the Lord in a flame 
of fire in a bush. 

31 When Moses saw ἐΐ, he wondered at the 
zight: and as he drew near to behold it the 
voice of the Lord came unto him, 

32 Saying, ΡῚ am the God of thy fathers, 
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trem- 
bled, and durst not behold. 


CHAP. VII. 


of Israel by Moses 


33 Then ‘said the Lord to him, 
Put off thy shoes from thy feet : 
for the place where thou standest ——————- 
is holy ground. 

34 "I have seen, I have seen the affliction 
of my peovle which is in Egypt, and I have 
heard the groaning, and am come down to 
deliver them. And now come, I will send 


| thee into Egypt. 


35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, 
Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the 
same did God send to be a ruler and a deli- 
verer * by the hand of the angel which appeared 
to him in the bush. 

36 * He brought them out, after that he had 
"showed wonders and signs in the land of 
Egypt, ¥ and in the Red Sea, τ and in the wil- 
derness forty years. 

37 Ἵ This is that Moses, which said unto 
the children of Israel, * A prophet shall the 
Lord your God raise up unto you of your bre- 
thren, ¥ like unto me ; 7 him shall ye hear. 

38 * This is he that was in the church in 
the wilderness with ἢ the angel which spake to 
him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers : 
© who received the lively ‘oracles to give 
unto us: 


k Or, Now.—! Exod. ii. 13.—— See Luke xii. 14; chap. iv. 
7. ® Exod. 11. 15, 22; iv. 20; xvili. 3, 4. © Exod. iil. 2. 
P Matt. xxii. 32; Heb. xi. 16—®9 Exod. iii. 5; Josh. v. 15. 
© Exod. iii. 7——* Exod. xiv. 19; Num. xx. 16.—* Exod. xii. 
41; xxxiii. 1——" Exod. vii.—xi. and xiv; Psa. ev. 27. 


¥ Exod. xiv. 21-29, w Exod. xvi. 1, 35. * Deut. xviii. 15, 
18; chap. ii. 22——yOr, as myself. z Matt. xvii. 5. 
a Exod. xix. 3, 17. bTsa. Ixiii. 9; Gal. iii. 19; Heb. ii. 2 
¢ Exod. xxi.1; Deut. v. 27, 31; xxxiii.4; John i. 17——4 Rom. 
iii. 2. 


Verse 24. Smote the Egytian] See this explained, 
Exod. ii. 11, 12. 

Verse 25. He supposed his brethren would have 
understood, &c.|) He probably imagined that, as he 
felt from the Divine influence he was appointed to be 
their deliverer, they would have his Divine appoint- 
ment signified to them in a similar way ; and the act 
of justice which he now did in behalf of his oppressed 
countryman would be sufficient to show them that he 
was now ready to enter upon his office, if they were 
willing to concur. 

Verse 26. Unto them as they strove] Two Hebrews, 
See on Exod. ii. 13, &c. 

Verse 30. In a flame of fire in a bush.] See this 
and the following verses largely explained in the notes 
on Exod. iii. 1-8. 

Verse 36. He brought them out, after that he had 
showed wonders, ὅθ.) Thus the very person whom 
they had rejected, and, in effect, delivered up into the 
hands of Pharaoh that he might be slain, was the 
person alone by whom they were redeemed from their 
Egyptian bondage. And does not St. Stephen plainly 
say by this, that the very person, Jesus Christ, whom 
they had rejected and delivered up into the hands of 

1 


Pilate to be crucified, was the person alone by whom 
they could be delivered out of their spirttual bondage, 
and made partakers of the inheritance among the saints 
in light? No doubt they felt that this was the drift 
of his speech. 

Verse 37. This is that Moses, which said—A pro- 
phet, &c.] This very Moses, so highly esteemed and 
honoured by God, announced that very prophet whom 
ye have lately put to death. See the observations at 
the end of Deut. xvili. 

Verse 38. With the angel which spake to him| 
Stephen shows that Moses received the law by the 
ministry of angels; and that he was only a mediator 
between the angel of God and them. 

The lively oracles] Aoyta ζωντα, The living ora- 
acles. The doctrines of life, those doctrines—obedi- 


/ence to which entitled them, by the promise of God, 


to a long life upon earth, which spoke to them of that 
spiritual life which every true believer has in union 
with his God, and promised that eternal life which 
those who are faithful unto death shall enjoy with him 
in the realms of glory. 

The Greek word λογίον, which we translate oracle, 
signifies a Divine revelation, a communication from 

731 


Stephen relates the 


A. M. cir. 4035. 
A. Ὁ. cir. 31. 
An. Olymp. 
eir. CCIL. 3. 


39 To whom our fathers 
would not obey, but thrust hzm 
from them, and in their hearts 
turned back again into Egypt, 

40 ° Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go 
before us : for as for this Moses, which brought 
us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what 
is become of him. 

41 ‘And they made a calf in those days, 
and offered a sacrifice unto the idol, and re- 
joiced in the works of their own hands. 


THE ACTS. 


idolatry of the Israelutes 


42, Thenwis{Gedvituzneds, and: AM cir. 4055 
gave them up to worship *the An. Olymp. 
host of heaven; as it is written Be 
in the book of the prophets, ‘O ye house 
of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts 
and sacrifices by the space of forty years in 
the wilderness ? 

43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, 
and the star of your god Remphan, figures 
which ye made to worship them: and I will 
carry you away beyond Babylon. 


© Exod. xxxii. 1—— Deut. ix. 16; Psa. evi. 19. Psa. Ixxxi. 
12; Ezek. xx. 25, 39; Rom. i. 24; 2 Thess. ii. 11. 


h Deut. iv. 19; xvii. 3; 2 Kings xvii. 16; xxi. 3; Jer. xix. 13. 
i Amos ν. 25, 26. 


God himself, and is here applied to the Mosaic law ; 
to the Old Testament in general, Rom. ii. 2 ; Heb. v. 
12 ; and to Divine revelation in general, 1 Pet. iv. 11. 

Verse 39. In their hearts turned back again into 
Egypt] Became idolaters, and preferred their Kgyp- 
tian bondage and their idolatry to the promised land 
and the pure worship of God. See the whole of these 
transactions explained at large in the notes on Exod. 
XXXL. 

Verse 42. Then God turned, and gave them up, &c.] 
He left them to themselves, and then they deified and 
worshipped the sun, moon, planets, and principal stars. 

In the book of the prophets! As this quotation is 
found in Amos, chap. v. 25, by the book of the pro- 
phets is meant the twelve minor prophets, which, in the 
ancient Jewish division of the sacred writings, formed 
only one book. 

Have ye offered to me slain beasts) It is certain 
that the Israelites did offer various sacrifices to God, 
while in the wilderness ; and it is as certain that they 
scarcely ever did it with an upright heart. They were 
idolatrous, either in heart or act, in almost all their re- 
ligious services; these were therefore so very imper- 
fect that they were counted for nothing in the sight 
of God; for this seems to be strongly implied in the 
question here asked, Have ye offered to ΜῈ (exclusively 
and with an upright heart) slam beasts and sacrifices 
by the space of forty years? On the contrary, these 
forty years were little else than a tissue of rebellion 
and idolatry. 

Verse 43. Ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and 
the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made 
to worship them.| This is a literal translation of the 
place, as it stands in the Septuagint ; but in the He- 
brew text it stands thus: But ye have borne the taber- 
nacle of your Molech, and Chiun, your images, the 
star of your god which ye made to yourselves. This 
is the simple version of the place, unless we should 
translate 2337/9 N13D M8 DANWI venasatem eth Siccuth 
malkekem, ye took Sixura your king, (instead of ye 
took up the tabernacle of your Mourx,) as some have 
done. The place is indeed very obscure, and the two 
texts do not tend to cast light on each other. The 
rabbins say siccuth, which we translate tabernacle, is 
the name of an idol. Molech is generally understood 
to mean the sun; and several persons of good judg- 
ment think that by Remphan or Raiphan is meant the 

732 


planet Saturn, which the Copts call Ῥηφαν, Rephan. 
It will be seen above that instead of Remphan, or, as 
some of the best MSS. have it, Rephan, the Hebrew 
text has 1}}2 Chiun, which might possibly be a corrup- 
tion of {2° Reiphan, as it would be very easy to mis- 
take the 3 caph for > resh, and the vau shurek )\ for 3 
pe. ‘This emendation would bring the Hebrew, Septua- 
gint, and the deat of Luke, nearer together; but there 
is no authority either from MSS. or versions for this 
correction: however, as Chiun is mentioned in no other 
place, though Molech often occurs, it is the more likely 
that there might have been some very early mistake 
in the text, and that the Septuagint has preserved the 
true reading. 

It was customary for the idolaters of all nations to 
carry images of their gods about them in their jour- 
neys, military expeditions, &c. ; and these, being very’ 
small, were enclosed in little boxes, perhaps some of 
them in the shape of temples, called tabernacles ; or, 
as we have it, chap. xix. 24, shrines. These little 
gods were the penales and lares among the Romans, 
and the ¢selems or talismans among the ancient eastern 
idolaters. The Hebrew text seems to refer to these 
when it says, the tabernacle of your Molech, and Chiun, 
your images, 03°37¥ tsalmeycem, your tselems, τοὺς 
turove, the types or simulachres of your gods. See 
the note on Gen. xxxi. 19. Many of those small port- 
able images are now in my own collection, all of cop- 
per or brass; some of them the identical penates of the 
ancient Romans, and others the offspring of the Hindoo 
idolatry ; they are from an ounce weight to half a 
pound. Such images as these I suppose the idola- 
trous Israelites, in imitation of their neighbours, the 
Moabites, Ammonites, &c., to have carried about with 
them; and to such the prophet appears to me unques- 
tionably to allude. 

1 will carry you away beyond Babylon.| You have 
earried your idolatrous images about ; and I will carry 
you into captivity, and see if the gods in whom ye 
have trusted can deliver you from my hands. Instead 
of beyond Babylon, Amos, from whom’ the quotation 
is made, says, Z will carry you beyond Damascus 
Where they were carried was into Assyria and Media, 
see 2 Kings xvii. 6: now, this was not only beyond 
Damascus, but beyond Babylon itself ; and, as Stephen 
knew this to be the fact, he states it here, and thus 
more precisely fixes the place of their captivity. The 

1 


Te mentions also the 


bert τι ne 44 ¥ Our fathers had the taber- 
An. Olymp. nacle of witness in the wilder- 


ir. CCIL. 3. : 
—e ness, as he had appointed, 


* speaking unto Moses, ! that he should make 
it according to the fashion that he had seen. 
45 ™ Which also our fathers "that came after 
brought in with Jesus into the possession of the 
Gentiles, ° whom God drave out before the 
face of our fathers, unto the days of David ; 
46 » Who found favour before God, and 4 de- 
sired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 


¥ Or, who spake ——! Exod. xxv. 40; xxvi. 30; Heb. viii. 5. 
τῷ Josh. iii. 14——* Or, having received. © Neh, ix. 24; Psa. 
xliv. 2; Ixxviii.55; chap. xiii. 19. P1 Sam. xvi. 1 ; 2Sam. vii. 
1; Psa. Ixxxix. 19; chap. xiii. 22——49 1 Kings viii. 17; 1 Chron. 
xxii. 7; Psa. exxxii. 4, 5. 


CHAP. VII. 


erection of the tabernacle. 


qa A; M. cir. 4035, 
A. D. cir 31. 

An. Olymp. 

cir. CCII. 3. 


47 *But Solomon built him 
house. 

48 Howbeit, *the Most High 
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as 
saith the prophet, 

49 * Heaven is my throne, and earth 7s my 
footstool : what house will ye build me? saith 
the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 

50 Hath not my hand made all these things ? 

51 4 Ye “stiff-necked and ¥ uncircumcised 
in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy 


1 Kings vi. 1; viii. 20; 1 Chron. xvii. 12; 2 Chron. iii, 1. 
51 Kings viii. 27; 2 Chron. ii. 6; vi.18; chap. xvii. 24. ‘Isa. 
Ixvi. 1, 2; Matt. v. 34,35; xxiii. 22. υ Exod. xxxii. 9; xxxili. 
3; Isa. xlviil. 4. v Lev. xxvi. 41; Deut. x. 16; Jer. iv. 4; vi. 
10; ix. 26; Ezek. xliv. 9. 


Holy Spirit, in his farther revelations, has undoubted 
right to extend or illustrate those which he had given 
before. This case frequently occurs when a former 
prophecy is quoted in later times. 

Verse 44. Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness 
in the wilderness} That is, the tabernacle in which 
the two tables of stone written by the finger of God 
were laid up, as a testimony that he had delivered 
these laws to the people, and that they had promised 
to obey them. As one great design of St. Stephen 
was to show the Jews that they placed too much 
dependence on outward privileges, and had not used 
the law, the tabernacle, the temple, nor the temple 
service, for the purpose of their institution, he labours 
to bring them to a due sense of this, that conviction 
might lead to repentance and conversion. And he 
farther shows that God did not confine his worship to 
one place, or form. He was worshipped without any 
shrine in the times of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob, ἄς. He was worshipped with a tabernacle, 
or portable temple, in the wilderness. He was wor- 
shipped also in the fixed temple projected by David, 
but built by Solomon. He asserts farther that his in- 
finite majesty cannot be confined to temples, made by 
human hands; and where there is neither tabernacle 
nor temple, (in any part of his vast dominions,) he may 
be worshipped acceptably by the upright in heart. 
Thus he proves that neither tabernacle nor temple are 
essentially requisite for the true worship of the true 
God. Concerning the tabernacle to which St. Stephen 
here refers, the reader is requested to consult the notes 
on Exod. xxy. 8, &c., and the subsequent chapters. 

Speaking unto Moses] Ὁ λαλων, Who spake, as in 
the margin; signifying the angel of God who spake 
to Moses, or God himself. See Exod. xxv. 40. 

Verse 45. Brought in with Jesus] That is, with 
Josuua, whom the Greek version, quoted by St. Ste- 
phen, always writes Ijcovc, Jesus, but which should 
constantly be written Joshua in such cases as the pre- 
sent, in order to avoid ambiguity and confusion. 

Possession of the Gentiles] Tov εθνων, of the hea- 
thens, whom Joshua conquered, and gave their land to 
the children of Israel. 

Verse 46. Desired to find a tabernacle] This was 

1 


in David’s heart, and it met with the Divine approba- 
tion: see 2 Sam. vii. 2, &c., and see the purpose, 
Psalm exxxii. 2-5; but, as David had been a man of 
war, and had shed much blood, God would not permit 
him to build the temple ; but he laid the plan and made 
provision for it, and Solomon executed the design. 

Verse 48. The Most High dwelleth not in temples 
made with hands] Here St. Stephen evidently refers 
to Solomon’s speech, 1 Kings viii. 27. But will God 
indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven, and 
the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much 
less this house that I have builded? Both Solomon 
and St. Stephen mean that the mazesty of God could 
not be contained, not even in the whole vortex of na- 
ture; much less in any ¢emple which human hands 
could erect. 

As saith the prophet] The place referred to is Isa. 
Ixvi. 1, 2: Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my 
throne, and the earth my footstool. Where is the 
house that ye build unto me? And where is the place 
of my rest, §c., with which the quotation by Stephen 
agrees. 

Verse 50. Hath not my hand made all these things?) 
Stephen certainly had not finished his discourse, nor 
drawn his inferences from the facts already stated ; 
but it is likely that, as they perceived he was about to 
draw conclusions unfavourable to the temple and its 
ritual, they immediately raised up a clamour against 
him, which was the cause of the following very cutting 
address. 

Verse 51. Ye stiff-necked] Σκληροτραχηλοι. A meta- 
phor taken from untoward oxen, who cannot be broken 
into the yoke; and whose strong necks cannot be 
bended to the right or the left. 

Uncircumcised in heart and ears] This was a Jewish 
mode of speech, often used by the prophets. Cireum- 
cision was instituted, not only as a sign and seal of the 
covenant into which the Israelites entered with their 
Maker, but also as a type of that purity and holiness 
which the law of God requires; hence there was an 
excision of what was deemed not only superfluous but 
also injurious ; and, by this cutting off, the propensity 
to that crime which ruins the body, debases the mind. 
and was generally the forerunner of idolatry, was hap- 

733 


Stephen charges the Jews THE 


A.M. cir. 4035. : 
‘AD.ck. 81 Ghost: 
An. Olymp. 
eir. CCII. 3. 


as your fathers did, so 
do ye. 

52 ~ Which of the prophets 
have not your fathers persecuted? and they 


ACTS. 


have slain them which showed A.M) ci 4088, 
before of the coming of the n. Olymp. 

* Just One; of whom ye have 
been now the betrayers and murderers : 


with the murder of Christ. 


w 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16; Matt. xxi. 35; xxiii. 34, 37; 


1 Thess. ii. 15——* Chap. iii. 14. 


pily lessened. It would be easy to prove this, were 
not the subject too delicate. Where the spirit of dis- 
obedience was found, where the heart was prone to 
iniquity, and the ears impatient of reproof and counsel, 
the person is represented as uncircumcised in those 
parts, because devoted to iniquity, impatient of reproof, 
and refusing to obey. In Pirkey Eliezer, chap. 29, 
ΚΕ Rabbi Seira said, There are five species of uncircum- 
cision in the world; four in man, and one in trees. 
Those in man are the following :— 

“1. Uncircumcision of the Ear. Behold, cheir ear 
is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken, Jer. vi. 10. 

“2. The uncirecumcision of the tips. How shall 
Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised ues? 
Exod. vi. 12. 

“3. Uncireumcision of Heart. If then their uncir- 
cumcised HEARTS be humbled, Lev. xxvi. 41. Cir- 
cumcise therefore the FORESKIN of your HEART, Deut. 
x. 16: Jer. iv. 4. For all the house of Israel are 
uncircumcised in the HEART, Jer. ix. 26. 

“4. The uncireumcision of the riesH. Ye shall 
circumcise the ἘΠΈΒΗ of your FoRESKIN, &c., Gen. 
Swit LL” 

Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost} 1. Because 
they were uncircumcised in heart, they always resisted 
the tafluwences of the Holy Spirit, bringing light and 
conviction to their minds; in consequence of which 
they became hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, 
and neither repented at the preaching of John, nor 
eredited the glad tidings told them by Christ and the 
apostles. 2. Because they were uncircumcised in ears, 
they would neither hear nor obey Moses, the prophets, 
Christ, nor the apostles. 

As your fathers did, so do ye.) They were disobe- 
dient children, of disobedient parents: in all their 
generations they had been disobedient and perverse. 
This whole people, as well as this text, are fearful 
proofs that the Holy Spirit, the almighty energy of the 
living God, may be resisted and rendered of none effect. 
This Spirit is not sent to stocks, stones, or machines, 
but to human beings endued with rational souls ; there- 
fore it is not to work on them with that irresistible 
energy which it must exert on inert matter, in order 
to conquer the wis inertia, or disposition to abide eter- 
nally in a motionless state, which is the state of all 
inanimate beings; but it works upon understanding, 
will, judgment, conscience, &c., in order to enlighten, 
convinee, and persuade. If, after all, the wnderstand- 
mg, the eye of the mind, refuses to behold the light ; 
the will determines to remain obstinate ; the judgment 
purposes to draw false inferences; and the conscience 
hardens itself against every check and remonstrance, 
(and all this is possible to a rational soul, which must 
be dealt with in a rational way,) then the Spirit of God, 
being thus resisted, is grieved, and the sinner is left to 
reap the fruit of his doings. To force the man to see, 

734 


feel, repent, believe, and be saved, would be to alter the 
essential principles of his creation and the nature of 
mind, and reduce him into the state of a machine, the 
vis inerlie of which was to be overcome and conducted 
by a certain quantum of physical force, superior to that 
resistance which would be the natural effect of the cer- 
tain quantum of the vis inertie possessed by the sub- 
ject on and by which this agent was to operate. Now, 
man cannot be operated on in this way, because it is 
contrary ἰδ the laws of his creation and nature ; nor 
can the Holy Ghost work on that as a machine which 
himself has made a free agent. Man therefore may, 
and generally does, resist the Holy Ghost; and the 
whole revelation of God bears unequivocal testimony 
to this most dreadful possibility, and most awful truth. 
It is trifling with the sacred text to say that resisting 
the Holy Ghost here means resisting the laws of 
Moses, the exhortations, threatenings, and promises of 
the prophets, &c. These, it is true, the uncireumcis- 
ed ear may resist; but the uncircumcised heart is that 
alone to which the Spirit that gave the laws, exhorta- 
tions, promises, &c., speaks; and, as matter resists 
matter, so spirit resists spirit. These were not only 
uncircumcised in ear, but uncircumcised also in heart ; 
and therefore they resisted the Holy Ghost, not only 
in his declarations and institutions, but also in his 
actual energetic operations upon their minds. 

Verse 52. Which of the prophets have not your 
fathers persecuted?] Ye have not only resisted the 
Holy Ghost, but ye have persecuted all those who have 
spoken to you in his name, and by his influence: thus 
ye prove your opposition to the Spirit himself, by your 
opposition to every thing that proceeds from him. 

They have slain them, ὅσο.) Isaiah, who showed be- 
fore of the coming of Christ, the Jews report, was 
sawn asunder at the command of Manasseh. 

The coming of the Just One] Tov δικαίου, Meaning 
Jesus Christ ; emphatically called the just or righteous 
person, not only because of the unspotted integrity of 
his heart and life, but because of his plenary acquzttal, 
when tried at the tribunal of Pilate: I find no fault at 
all in him. The mention of this cireumstance served 
greatly to aggravate their guilt. The character of 
Just One is applied to our Lord in three other places 
of Scripture: chap. iii. 14; xxii. 14, and James v. 6. 

The betrayers and murderers] Ye first delivered 
him up into the hands of the Romans, hoping they 
would have put him to death; but, when they acquit- 
ted him, then, in opposition to the declaration of his 
innocence, and in outrage to every form of justice, ye 
took and murdered him. This was a most terrible 
charge ; and one against which they could set up no 
sort of defence. No wonder, then, that they were 
instigated by the spirit of the old destroyer, which 
they never resisted, to add another murder to that of 
which they had been so recently guilty 

1 


They cast lam out of 


Aa De ΤΠ 53 Y Who have received the 
An. Olymp. law by the disposition of angels, 


ir. CCIL. 3. 3. 
a and have not kept it. 


54 Ἵ * When they heard these things, they 
were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on 
him with thezr teeth. 

55 Buthe, * being full of the Holy Ghost, look- 
edup steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of 
God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 

56 And said, Behold, » I see the heavens 
opened, and the * Son of man standing on 
the right hand of God. 

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, 


σι Exod. xx. 1; Gal. iii. 19; Heb. ii. 2. Chap. v. 33. 
2Chap. vi. 5. b Ezek. i. 1; Matt. iii. 16; chap. x. 11. © Dan. 
vii. 13.—<¢1 Kings xxi. 13; Luke iv. 29; Heb. xiii. 12. 
© Ley. xxiv. 16. 


CHAP. VII 


the city and stone him 

‘ A. M. cir. 4035. 

and stopped their ears, and ran “5, ir. 2? 
upon him with one accord, An. Olymp. 


, ir. CCIL. 3. 
58 And ‘cast him out of the ~~ 


city, ° and stoned him: and the witnesses laid 
down their clothes at a young man’s feet, 
whose name was Saul. 

59 And they stoned Stephen, § calling upon 
God, and saying, Lord Jesus, * receive my 
spirit. 

60 And he ‘ kneeled down, and cried witha 
loud voice, * Lord, lay not this sin to their 


charge. And when he had said this, he fell 
asleep. 

€Deut. xiii. 9, 10; xvii. 7; chapter viii. 1; xxi. 20. 
sChap. ix. 14.—)Psa. xxxi. 5; Luke xxiii. 46—* Chap. 
ix. 40: xx. 36; xxi. 5: k Matthew v. 44; Luke vi. 28; 
xxiii. 34, 


Verse 53. By the disposition of angels] Exc διατα- 
yac ayyedwv. After all that has been said on this dif- 
ficult passage, perhaps the simple meaning is, that there 
were ranks, d.atayat, of angels attending on the Divine 
Majesty when he gave the law: a circumstance which 
must have added greatly to the grandeur and solemnity 
of the oceasion; and to this Psa. Ixviii. 17 seems to 
me most evidently to allude: The chariots of God are 
twenty thousand, even many thousands of angels: the 
Lord is among them as in Svat, in the holy place. It 
was not then by the mouths nor by the hands of angels, 
as prime agents, that Moses, and through him the peo- 
ple, received the law ; but God himself gave it, aecom- 
panied with many thousands of those glorious beings. 
As it is probable they might be assisting in this most 
glorious solemnity, therefore St. Paul might say, Gal. 
ill. 19, that it was ordained by angels, διαταγεις δι’ 
ayyeAwr, in the hand of a Mediator. And as they were 
the only persons that could appear, for no man hath 
seen God at any time, therefore the apostle might say 
farther, (if indeed he refers to the same transaction, 
see the note there,) the word spoken by angels was 
steadfast, Heb. ii. 3. But the circumstances of this 
ease are not sufficiently plain to lead to the knowledge 
of what was done by the angels in this most wonderful 
transaction ; only we learn, from the use made of this 
circumstance by St. Stephen, that it added much to the 
enormity of their transgression, that they did not keep 
a law, in dispensing of which the ministry of angels 
had been employed. Some think Moses, Aaron, and 
Joshua are the angels here intended ; and others think 
that the fire, light, darkness, cloud and thick darkness 
were the angels which Jehovah used on this occasion, 
and to which St. Stephen refers; but neither of these 
senses appears sufficiently natural, and particularly the 
latter. 

Verse 54. They were cul to the heart] Διεπριοντο, 
They were sawn through. See the note on chap. v. 33. 

They gnashed on him with their teeth.] They were 
determined to hear him no longer; were filled with 
rage against him, and evidently thirsted for bis blood. 

Verse 55. Saw the glory of God] The Shekinah, 
the splendour or manifestation of the Divine Majesty. 

1 


And Jesus standing on the right hand of God| In 
his official character, as Mediator between God and 
man. 

Stephen had this revelation while in the Sanhedrin ; 
for as yet he had not been forced out of the city. See 
ver. 58. 

Verse 57. They—stopped their ears] As a proof 
that he had uttered blasphemy, because he said, He 
saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This 
was a fearful proof against them; for if Jesus was at 
the right hand of God, then they had murdered an in- 
nocent person; and they must infer that God’s justice 
must speedily avenge his death. They were deter 
mined not to suffer a man to live any longer who could 
say he saw the heavens opened, and Jesus Christ stand- 
ing at the right hand of God. 

Verse 58. Cast him out of the city, and stoned 
him] They did not however wait for any sentence to 
be pronounced upon him; it seems they were determin- 
ed to stone him first, and then prove, after it had been 
done, that it was done justly. For the manner of 
stoning among the Jews, see the note on Ley. xxiv. 23. 

The witnesses laid down their clothes] Το illustrate 
this whole transaction, see the observations at the end 
of this chapter. 

Verse 59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon 
God] The word God is not found in any MS. or ver- 
sion, nor in any of the primitive fathers except Chry- 
sostom. It is not genuime, and should not be inserted 
here: the whole sentence literally reads thus: And 
they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying, Lord Jesus, 
receive my spirit! Here is a most manifest proof that 
prayer is offered to Jesus Christ ; and that in the most 
solemn circumstances in which it could be offered, viz. 
when a man was breathing his last. This is, properly 
speaking, one of the highest acts of worship which can 
be offered to God; and, if Stephen had not conceived 
Jesus Christ to be Gop, could he have committed his 
soul into his hands ? 

We may farther observe that this place affords a full 
proof of the immateriality of the soul; for he could 
not have commended his spirit to Christ, had he be- 
lieved that he had no spirit, or, in other words, that his 

738 


Observations on the punishment 


body and soul were one and the same thing. Allow- 
ing this most eminent saint to have had a correct notion 
of theology, and that, being full of the Holy Ghost, 
as he was at this time, he could make no mistake in 
matters of such vast weight and importance, then these 
two points are satisfactorily stated in this verse: 1. That 
Jesus Christ is Gon; for Stephen died praying to him. 
2. That the soul is immaterial; for Stephen, in dying, 
commends his departing spirit into the hand of Christ. 

Verse 60. He kneeled down] That he might die as 


THE ACTS. 


the subject of his heavenly Master—acting and suffer- | 


mg in the deepest submission to his Divine will and 
permissive providence ; and, at the same time, show- 
ing the genuine nature of the religion of his Lord, 
in pouring out his prayers with his blood in behalf of 
his murderers ! 

Lay not this sin to their charge.| That is, do not 
impute it to them so as to exact punishment. How 
much did the servant resemble his Lord, Father, for- 
give them, for they know not what they do! This was 
the cry of our Lord in behalf of Azs murderers ; and 
the disciple, closely copying his Master, in the same 
spirit, and with the same meaning, varies the expres- 
sion, crying with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to 
their charge! What an extent of benevolence! And 
in what a beautiful light does this place the spirit of the 
Christian religion! Christ had given what some have 
supposed to be an impossible command, Love your ene- 
mies ; pray for them that despitefully use and persecute 
you. And Stephen shows here, in his own person, how 
practicable the grace of his Master had made this 
sublime precept. 

He fell asleep.| This was a common expression 
among the Jews to signify death, and especially the 
death of goodmen. But this sleep is, properly speaking, 


not attributable to the soul, but to the body; for he | 


had commended his spirit to the Lord Jesus, while his 
body was overwhelmed with the shower of stones 
cast on him by the mob. 

After the word εκοιμηθη, fell asleep, one MS. adds, 
ev εἰρηνῃ in peace ; and the Vulgate has, in Domino, 
in the Lord. Both these readings are true, as to the 
state of St. Stephen; but I believe neither of them 
was written by St. Luke. 

The first clause of the next chapter should come 
in here, And Saul was consenting unto his death: 
never was there a worse division than that which 
separated it from the end of this chapter: this should 
be immediately altered, and the amputated member 
restored to the body to which it belongs. 


1. Txoucu I have spoken pretty much at large on 
the punishment of stoning among the Jews, in the 
note on Ley. xxiv. 23, yet, as the following extracts 
will serve to bring the subject more fully into view, in 
reference to the case of St. Stephen, the reader will 
not be displeased to find them here. 

Dr. Lightfoot sums up the evidence he has collected 
on this subject, in the following particulars :— 

“I. The place of stoning was without the sanhe- 
drin, according as it is said, bring forth him that hath 
cursed without the camp, Lev. xxiv. 14. Jt is a 
tradition, the place of stonmg was without three 


of stoning among the Jews. 


camp of the Divine Presence; the mountain of the 
temple, the camp of the Leyites; and Jerusalem, the 
camp of Israel. Now, in every sanhedrim, in what- 
ever city, the place of stoning was without the city, as 
it was at Jerusalem. 

“We are told the reason by the Gemarists, why 


|the place of stoning was without the sanhedrin, and 


again without three camps: viz. If the Sanhedrin go 
forth and sit without the three camps, they make the 
place for stoning also distant from the sanhedrin, 
partly lest the sanhedrin should seem to kill the man; 


| partly, that by the distance of the place there may be 


ἃ little stop and space of time before the criminal come 
to the place of execution, if peradventure any one 
might offer some :23timony that might make for him; 
for in the expectation of some such thing— 

“JJ. There stood one at the doo of the sanhedrin 
having a handkerchief in his hand, 2~4 a horse at such 
a distance as it was only within sigs. ΣΦ any one 
therefore say, ‘I have something to offer in behalf of the 
condemned person,’ he waves the handkerchief, and 
the horseman rides and calls back the people. Nay, 
if the man himself say, I have something to offer in my 
own defence, they bring him back four or five times 
one after another, if it be any thing of moment that he 
hath to say.” I doubt they hardly dealt so gently 
with the innocent Stephen. 

“TIT. If no testimony arise that makes any thing 
for him, then they go on to stoning him: the crier 
prociaiming before him, ‘ N. the son of N. comes forth 
to be stoned for such or such a crime. Ν. and N. 
are the witnesses against him; if any one have any 
thing to testify in his behalf, let him come forth and 
give his evidence.’ 

“TV. When they come within ten cubits of the 
place where he must be stoned, they exhort him to 
confess, for so it is the custom for the malefactor to 
confess, because every one that confesseth hath his 
part in the world to come, as we find in the instance 
of Achan, &c. 

“V. When they come within four cubits of the 
place, they strip off his clothes, and make him naked. 

“VI. The place of execution was twice a man’s 
height. One of the witnesses throws him down upon 


| his loins ; if he roll on his breast, they turn him on 


his loins again. If he die so, well. If not, then the 
other witness takes up a stone, and lays it upon his 
heart. If he die so, well. If not, he is stoned by all 
Israel. 

“ VII. All that are stoned, are hanged also, &c.* 
These things I thought fit to transcribe the more 
largely, that the reader may compare this present 
action with this rule and common usage of doing it. 

(6, It may be questioned for what crime this per 
son was condemned to die? You will say for blas- 
phemy: for we have heard him speak blasphemous 
words against Moses and against God. But no one is 
condemned as a blasphemer, unless for abusing the 
sacred name with four letters, viz. WW Ὑ ΘΗ ΟΥ̓ΔΗ. 
Hence it is that although they oftentimes accused our 
Saviour as a blasphemer, yet he was not condemned 
for this, but because he used witchcraft and deceivea 
Israel, and seduced them into apostasy. And those 


camps. ‘he gloss tells us that the court was the | are reckoned among persons that are to be stoned : 


736 


1 


Observations on the 


He that evilly persuades; and he that draws into 
apostasy ; and he that is a conjuror. 

“2. It may farther be questioned whether our 
blessed martyr was condemned by any formal sentence 
of the sanhedrin, or hurried in a tumultuary “manner 
by the people, and so murdered: it seems to be the 
latter.” 

2. The defence of Stephen against the charges 
produced by his accusers must be considered as being 
tndirect ; as they had a show of truth for the ground 
of their accusations, it would have been improper at 
once to have roundly denied the charge. There is no 
doubt that Stephen had asserted and proved Jesus to 
be the Christ or Messtan; and that the whole nation 
should consider him as such, receive his doctrine, obey 
him, or expose themselves to the terrible sentence 
denounced in the prophecy of Moses: Whosoever will 
not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in 
my name, I will require it of him, Deut. xviii. 19 ; 
for they well knew that this word implied that Divine 
judgments should inevitably fall upon them. To make 
proper way for this conclusion, Stephen enters into a 
detail of their history, showing that, from the begin- 
ning, God had in view the dispensation which was now 
opening, and that his designs were uniformly opposed 
by their impious forefathers. That, notwithstanding 
all this, God carried on his work: First, by revealing 
his will to Asranam, and giving him the rife of cir- 
cumcision, which was to be preserved among his de- 
scendants. Secondly, to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. 
Thirdly, to the whole congregation of Israel at Mount 
Sinai, and variously in the wilderness. Fourthly, by 
instituting the tabernacle worship, which was completed 
in the promised land, and continued till the days of 
Solomon, when the temple was builded, and the wor- 
ship of God beeame fixed. Fifthly, by the long race 
of prophets raised up under that temple, who had been 
all variously persecuted by their forefathers, who de- 
parted from the true worship, and frequently became 
idolatrous ; in consequence of which God gave them 
up into the hands of their enemies, and they were 
carried into captivity. How far St. Stephen would 
have proceeded, or to what issue he would have brought 
his discourse, we can only conjecture, as the fury of 
his persecutors did not permit him to come to a con- 
clusion. But this they saw most clearly, that, from 


CHAP. VIII. 


martyrdom of Stephen 


his statement, they could expect no merey at the hana 
of God, if they persisted in their opposition to Jesus 
of Nazareth, and that their temple and political exist 
ence must fall a sacrifice to their persevering obsti 
nacy. Their guilt stung them to the heart, and they 
were determined rather to vent their insupportable 
feelings by hostile and murderous acts, than in peni- 
tential sorrow and supplication for mercy. The issue 
was the martyrdom of Stephen; aman of whom the 
sacred writings give the highest character, and a man 
who illustrated that character in every part of his con- 
duct. Stephen is generally called the proto-martyr, 
i. 6. the First martyr or witness, as the word paprup 
implies; the person who, at the evident risk and 
ultimate loss of his life, bears testimony to TRUTH. 
This honour, however, may be fairly contested, and 
the palm at least divided between him and John the 
Baptist. The martyrdom of Stephen, and the spirit 
in which he suffered, have been an honour to the cause 
for which he cheerfully gave up his life, for eighteen 
hundred years. While Christianity endures, (and it 
will endure till ¢ime is swallowed up in eternity,) the 
martyrdom of Stephen will be the model, as it has 
been, for all martyrs, and a cause of triumph to the 
Church of God. 

3. I cannot close these observations without making 
one remark on his prayer for his murderers. Though 
this shows most forcibly the amiable, forgiving spirit 
of the martyr, yet we must not forget that ¢his, and 
all the excellent qualities with which the mind of this 
blessed man was endued, proceeded from that Hoty 
Guost of whose influences his mind was full. The 
prayer therefore shows most powerfully the matchless 
benevolence of Gop. Even these most unprincipled, 
most impious, and most brutal of all murderers, were 
not out of the reach of nis mercy! His Spirit in- 
fluenced the heart of this martyr to pray for his des- 
troyers ; and could such prayers fail? No: Saul of 
Tarsus, in all probability, was the first fruits of them. 
St. Augustine has properly remarked, Si Stephanus 
non orasset, ecclesia Paulum non haberet. If Stephen 
had not prayed, the Church of Christ could not have 
numbered among her saints the apostle of the Gentiles. 
Let this example teach us at once the spirit that be- 
comes a disciple of Christ, the efficacy of prayer, and 
the unbounded philanthropy of God 


CHAPTER VIII. 


A general persecution is raised against the Church, 1. 
Philip the deacon goes to Samaria, preaches, works many miracles, converts 


followers of Christ, 3, 4. 


many persons, and baptizes Simon the sorcerer, 5-13. 


Stephen’s burial, 2. Saul greatly oppresses tne 


Peter and John are sent by the apostles to Sama- 


ria; they confirm the disciples, and by prayer and imposition of hands they confer the Holy Spirit, 14-17. 


Simon the sorcerer, seeing this, offers them money, to enable him to confer the Holy Spirit, 18, 19. 
15 sharply reproved by Peter, and exhorted to repent, 20-23. 


implores an interest in the apostle’s prayers, 24. 
villages of Samaria, return to Jerusalem, 25. 
Gaza, to meet an Ethiopian eunuch, 26. 

Gospel to him, and baptizes him, 27-38. 


He 
He appears to be convinced of his sin, and 
Peter and John, having preached the Gospel in the 


An angel of the Lord commands Philip to go towards 
He goes, meets, and converses with the eunuch, preaches the 
The Spirit of God carries Philip to Azotus, passing through 


which, he preaches in all the cities till he comes to Cesarea, 39, 40. 


Vor. I. (C279 5) 


737 


A general persecution ts THE ACTS. raised against the Church 
A.M. cir. 4036. a i 9 4 A.M. cir. 4036. 
ee AND Saul was consenting unto] 2 And devout men carried Ste- *)0,° oo. 
An. Cyme. his death. Andatthat time] phen to Ais burial, and ©made An. Olymp. 

clr, . ἃ, 


there was a great persecution 
against the Church which wasat Jerusalem ; and 
> they were all scattered abroad throughout the re- 
gions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 


cir. CCII. 4. 


great lamentation over him. 

3 As for Saul, “he made havoc of the Church, 
entering into every house, and haling men and 
women, committed them to prison. 


«Chap. vii. 58; xxii. 20.—> Chap. x1. 19. 


ς Gen. xxiii. 2; 
1.10; 2 Sam. iii. 31. 


4 Chap. vii. 58; ix. 1, 13, 21; xxii. 4; xxvi. 10,11; 1 Cor. xv. 
9; Gal. i. 13; Phil. in. 6; 1 Tim. 1. 13. 


NOTES ON CHAP. VIII. 

Verse 1. Saul was consenting unto his death.| So 
inveterate was the hatred that this man bore to Christ 
and his followers that he delighted in their destruction. 
So blind was his heart with superstitious zeal that he 
thought he did God service by offering him the blood 
of a fellow creature, whose creed he supposed to be 
erroneous. The word συνευδοκὼν signifies gladly con- 
senting, being pleased with his murderous work ! How 
dangerous is a party spirit; and how destructive may 
zeal even for the true worship of God prove, if not 
inspired and regulated by the spirit of Christ ! 

It has already been remarked that this clause be- 
longs to the conclusion of the preceding chapter; so 
it stands in the Vulgate, and so it should stand in every 
version. 

There was a great persecution] The Jews could 
not bear the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection ; for this 
point being proved demonstrated his innocence and 
their enormous guilt in his erucifixion; as therefore 
the apostles continued to insist strongly on the resur- 
rection of Christ, the persecution against them became 
hot and general. 

They were all scattered abroad—eacept the apos- 
41.5.1] Their Lord had commanded them, when perse- 
cuted in one city, to flee to another: this they did, but, 
wherever they went, they proclaimed the same doc- 
trines, though at the risk and hazard of their lives. 
Tt is evident, therefore, that they did not flee from 
persecution, or the death it threatened ; but merely in 
obedience to their Lord’s command. Had they fled 
through the fear of death, they would have taken care 
uot to provoke persecution to follow them, by continu- 
ing to proclaim the same truths that provoked it in the 
first instance. 

That the apostles were not also exiled is a very re- 
markable fact: they continued in Jerusalem, to found 
and organize the infant Church; and it is marvellous 
that the hand of persecution was not permitted to touch 
them. Why this should be we cannot tell; but so it 
pleased the great Head of the Church. Bp. Pearce 
justly suspects those accounts, in Eusebius and others, 
that state that the apostles went very shortly after 
Christ’s ascension into different countries, preaching 
and founding Churches. He thinks this is inconsistent 
with the various intimations we have of the continu- 
ance of the apostles in Jerusalem; and refers particu- 
larly to the following texts: ver. 1, 14, and 25, of this 
chapter; chap. ix. 26,27; xi. 1,2; xu. 1, 2, 3, 4; 
xv. 2, 4, 6, 22, 23; chap. xxi. 17, 18; Gal. i. 17, 18, 
19; ii. 1,9. The Church at Jerusalem was-the first 
CurisTIAN Church ; and consequently, the doast of the 
Church of Rome is vain and unfounded. From this 
738 


time a new era of the Church arose. Hitherto the 
apostles and disciples confined their labours among 
their countrymen in Jerusalem. Now persecution 
drove the latter into different parts of Judea, and 
through Samaria; and those who had received the 
doctrine of Christ at the pentecost, who had come up 
to Jerusalem from different countries to be present at 
the feast, would naturally return, especially at the 
commencement of the persecution, to their respective 
countries, and proclaim to their countrymen the Gospel 
of the grace of God. To effect this grand purpose, 
the Spirit was poured out at the day of pentecost ; 
that the multitudes from different quarters, partaking 
of the word of life, might carry it back to the different 
nations among whom they had their residence. One 
of the fathers has well observed, that “ these holy fu- 
gitives were like so many lamps, lighted by the fire of 
the Holy Spirit, spreading every where the sacred 
flame by which they themselves had been illuminated.” 

Verse 2. Devout men carried Stephen to his burial] 
The Greek word, cvvexouccar, signifies not only to carry, 
or rather to gather up, but also to do every thing ne- 
cessary for the interment of thedead. Among the Jews, 
and indeed among most nations of the earth, it was 
esteemed a work of piety, charity, and mercy, to bury 
the dead. The Jews did not bury those who were 
condemned by the Sanhedrin in the burying place of 
the fathers, as they would not bury the στον with the 
innocent ; and they had a separate place for those who 
were stoned, and for those that were burnt. According 
to the Tract Sanh. fol. 45, 46, the stone wherewith 
any one was stoned, the post on which he was hanged, 
the sword by which he was beheaded, and the cord by 
which he was strangled, were buried in the same place 
with the bodies of the executed persons. As these per- 
sons died under the curse of the law, the instruments 
by which they were put to death were considered as 
unclean and accursed, and therefore buried with their 
bodies. Among the ancients, whatever was grateful 
or useful to a person in life was ordinarily buried with 
him; thus the sword, spear, shield, &c., of the soldier 
were put in the same grave; the failhful dog of the 
hunter, &c., &c. And on this principle the wife of a 
Brahman burns with the body of her deceased husband. 

Made great lamentation over him.] This was never 
done over any condemned by the Sanhedrin—they only 
bemoaned such privately ; this great lamentation over 
Stephen, if the same custom then prevailed as after- 
wards, is a proof that Stephen was not condemned by 
the Sanhedrin; he probably fell a sacrifice to the fury 
of the bigoted incensed mob, the Sanhedrin not inter- 
fering to prevent the illegal execution. 

Verse 3. Saul made havoc of the Church] The 

ae) 


Philip preaches to the Samaritans, 


A. M. οἷν, 4036. 4 Therefore *they that were 
‘An. Olymp. scattered abroad went 

An. Olymp. scattered abroad went eve 
cir. cc 4. 5 "y 


where preaching the word. 

5 Then Philip went down to the city of 
Saniaria, and preached Christ unto them. 

6 And the people with one accord gave heed 
unto those things which Philip spake, hearing 
and seeing the miracles which he did. 

7 For ‘unclean spirits, crying with loud 


¢ Matt. x. 23; chap. xi. 19.——! Chap. vi. 5. 


word ἐλυμαίνετο, from λυμαίνω, to destroy, devastate, 
ravage, signifies the act of ferocious animals, such as 
bears, wolves, and the like, in seeking and devouring 
their prey. This shows with what persevering rancour 
this man pursued the harmless Christians ; and thus 
we see in him what bigotry and false zeal are capable 
of performing. 

Entering into every house] For, however it might 
be to others, a Christian man’s house was not His castle. 

Haling men and women] Neither sparing age nor 
sex in the professors of Christianity. The word συρὼν 
signifies dragging them before the magistrates, or 
dragging them to justice. 

Committed them to prison.] For, as the Romans 
alone had the power of life and death, the Sanhedrin, 
by whom Saul was employed, chap. xxvi. 10, could do 
no more than arrest and imprison, in order to inflict 
any punishment short of death. It is true, St. Paul 
himself says that some of them were put to death, see 
chap. xxvi. 10; but this was either done by Roman 
authority, or by what was called the judgment of zeal, 
i. e. when the mob took the execution of the laws into 
their own hands, and massacred those whom they pre- 
tended to be blasphemers of God: for these sanctified 
their murderous outrage under the specious name of 
zeal for God's glory, and quoted the example of Phi- 
neas as a precedent. Such persons as these formed a 
sect among the Jews; and are known in ecclesiastical 
history by the appellation of Zealots or Sicarii. 

Verse 4. They that were scattered—went every 
where preaching] Thus the very means devised by 
Satan to destroy the Church became the very instru- 
ments of its diffusion and establishment. What are 
counsel, or might, or cunning, or rage, or malice, 
against the Lord, whether they are excited by men or 
devils! 

Verse 5. Then Philip] One of the seven deacons, 
chap. vi. 5, called afterwards, Philip the Evangelist, 
chap. xxi. 8. 

The city of Samaria] At this time there was no 
city of Samaria existing: according to Josephus, Ant. 
lib. xiii. cap. 10, sect. 3, Hyreanus had so utterly de- 
molished it as to leave no vestige of it remaining. 
Herod the Great did afterwards build a city on the 
same spot of ground; but he called it Σεβαςη, i. 6. 
Augusta, in compliment to the Emperor Augustus, as 
Josephus tells us, Ant. lib. xv. cap. 8, sect. 5; War, 
lib. i. cap. 2. sect. 7; and by this name of Sebasté, or 
Augusta, that city, if meant here, would in all proba- 
bility have been called, in the same manner as the 

1 


CHAP. VIII. 


who give heed unto his word. 


voice, came out of many that 4M) cr. 4036. 
were possessed with them: and An. Olymp. 


5 7 ir. CCIL. 4. 
many taken with palsies, and that 2. 


were lame, were healed. 

8 And there was great joy in that city. 

9 Ἵ But there was a certain man, called Si- 
mon, which beforetime in the same city ἢ used 
sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, 
' giving out, that himself was some great one : 


& Mark xvi. 17.—— Chap. xiii. 6—— Chap. v. 36. 


town called Strato’s Tower, (which Herod built on the 
sea coasts, and to which he gave the name of Cesarea, 
in compliment to Augustus Cesar,) is always called 
Cesarea, wherever it is mentioned in the Acts of the 
Apostles. Bp. Pearce. 

As Sychem was the very heart and seat of the Sa- 
maritan religion, and Mount Gerizim the cathedral 
church of that sect, it is more likely that i¢ should be 
intended than any other. See Lightfoot. As the Sa- 
maritans received the same law with the Jews, as they 
also expected the Messiah, as Christ had preached to 
and converted many of that people, John iv., it was” 
very reasonable that the earliest offers of salvation 
should be made to them, before any attempt was made 
to evangelize the Gentiles. The Samaritans, indeed, 
formed the connecting link between the Jews and the 
Gentiles ; for they were a mongrel people, made up 
of both sorts, and holding both Jewish and Pagan rites. 
See the account of them on Matt. x. 5. 

Verse 6. The people with one accord gave hecd] 
He had fixed their attention, not only with the gravity 
and importance of the matter of his preaching, but also 
by the miracles which he did. 

Verse 7. For unclean spirits, crying with loud 
voice, came out of many that were possessed] Hence 
it is evident that these unclean spirits were not a spe- 
cies of diseases; as they are here distinguished from 
the paralytic and the lame. There is nothing more 
certain than that the New Testament writers mean 
real diabolic possessions by the terms unclean spirits, 
devils, &c., which they use. It is absolute trifling to 
deny it. If we, in our superior sagacity, can show that 
they were mistaken, that is quite a different matter! 

Verse 8. There was great joy in that city.) No 
wonder, when they heard such glorious truths, and 
were the subjects of such beneficent miracles. 

Verse 9. A certain man called Simon] In ancient 
ecclesiastical writers, we have the strangest account 
of this man; they say that he pretended to be the 
Father, who gave the law to Moses; that he came in 
the reign of Tiberius in the person of the Son; that 
he descended on the apostles on the day of pentecost, 
in flames of fire, in quality of the Holy Spirit ; that 
he was the Messiah, the Paraclete, and Jupiter ; that 
the woman who accompanied him, called Helena, was 
Minerva, or the first intelligence ; with many other 
extravagancies which probably never had an exist- 
ence. All that we know to be certain on this subject 
is, that he used sorcery, that he bewitched the people, 
and that he gave out himself to be some great one. 

739 


Simon the sorcerer and many 


A. M. cir. 4036. 
A D. cir. 32. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCII. 4. 


10 To whom they all gave 
heed, from the least to the great- 
est, saying, This man is the great 
power of God. 

11 And to him they had regard, because that 
of long time he had bewitched them with sor- 
cerles. 

12 But when they believed Philip preaching 
the things * concerning the kingdom of God, 
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were bap- 
tized, both men and women. 

13 Then Simon himself believed also: and 
when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, 


® Chap. i. 3 Gr. signs and great miracles ——® Chap. ii. 38. 


This might be sufficient, were not men prone to be 
wise above what is written. 

Our word sorcerer, from the French sorcier, which, 
from the Latin sors, a lot, signifies the using of lots to 
draw presages concerning the future; a custom that 
prevailed in all countries, and was practised with a 
great variety of forms. On the word Jot see the note, 
Lev. xvi. 8, 9; and Josh. xiv. 2. 

The Greek word, μαγευων, signifies practising the 
rites or sotence of the Magi, or pyle Mughan, the 
worshippers of fire among the Persians ; the same as 


U3 Majoos, and lege Majooseean, from 


which we have our word magician. 
Matt. ii. 1. 

And bewitched the people of Samaria] E&icov, 
Astonishing, amazing, or confounding the judgment 
of the people, from εξιςημι, to remove out of a place 
or state, to be transported beyond one’s self, to be out 
of one’s wits; a word that expresses precisely the 
same effect which the tricks or legerdemain of a jug- 
gler produce in the minds of the common people who 
behold his feats. It is very likely that Simon was a 
man of this east, for the east has always abounded in 
persons of this sort. The Persian, Arabian, Hindoo, 
and Chinese jugglers are notorious to the present 
day ; and even while I write this, (July, 1813,) three 
Indian jugglers, lately arrived, are astonishing the 
people of London; and if such persons can now interest 
and amaze the people of a city so cultivated and 
enlightened, what might not such do among the 
grosser people of Sychem or Sebasté, eighteen hun- 
dred years ago? 

That himself was some great one.] That the feats 
which he performed sufficiently proved that he pos- 
sessed a most powerful supernatural agency, and could 
do whatsoever he pleased. 

Verse 10. This man is the great power of God.) 
That is, he is invested with it, and ean command and 
use it. They certainly did not believe him to be God; 
but they thought him to be endued with a great super- 
natural power. 

There is a remarkable reading here in several MSS. 
which should not pass unnoticed. In ABCDE, several 
others, together with the Aithiopic, Armenian, later 
Syriac, Vulgate, Itala, Origen, and Ireneus, the word 

740 


See the note on 


THE ACTS. 


of the Samaritans baptized. 

7 ; lmi- A.M. cir. 4036. 
and w ondered, beholding the mi- ΡΣ τῷ 
racles and signs which were An. Olymp. 
cir. CII 4. 


done. τε τ 

14 Ἵ Now, when the apostles which were 
at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received 
the word of God, they sent unto them Peter 
and John ; 

15 Who, when they were come down, pray- 
ed for them, ™ that they might receive the Holy 
Ghost. 

16 For ™as yet he was fallen upon none of 
them ; only ° they were baptized in Ρ the name 
of the Lord Jesus. 


0 Ch. xix. 2.——® Matt. xxviii. 19 ; ch. ii.38.—P Ch. x. 48; xix. 5. 


καλουμενὴ is added before μεγαλη, and the passage 
reads thus, This person is that power of God which 1s 
caLLeD the Great. This appéars to be the true read- 
ing; but what the Samaritans meant by that power of 
God which they termed the Great, we know not. 
Simon endeavoured to persuade the people that he was 
a very great personage, and he succeeded. 

Verse 12. But when they betieved Philip] So it is 
evident that Philip’s word came with greater power 
than that of Simon; and that his miracles stood the 
test in such a way as the feats of Simon could not. 

Verse 13. Simon himself believed also] He was 
struck with the doctrine and miracles of Philip—he 
saw that these were real; he knew his own to be 
fictitious. He believed therefore that Jesus was the 
Messiah, and was in consequence baptized. 

Continued with Philip, and wondered] Eficato, He 
was as much astonished and confounded at the mira- 
cles of Philip as the people of Samaria were at his 
legerdemain. It is worthy of remark that eficato 
comes from the same root, εξιςημι, as the word εξιςων, 
in ver. 9, and, if our translation bewitched be proper 
there, it should be retained here; and then we should 
read, Then Simon himself believed and was baptized, 
and continued with Philip, being BewircueED, behold- 
ing the miracles and signs which were done. We 
may see, from this circumstance, how improper the 
term Jewitched is, in the 9th and 11th verses. 

Verse 14. The word of God] The doctrine of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

They sent unto them Peter and John] There was 
no individual ruler among the apostles—there was not 
even a president of the council; and Peter, far from 
being chief of the apostles, is one of those sent, with 
the same commission and authority as John, to confirm 
the Samaritans in the faith. 

Verse 15. When they were come down] The very 
same mode of speaking, in reference to Jerusalem 
formerly, obtains now in reference to London. The 
metropolis in both cases is considered as the centre ; 
and all parts, in every direction, no matter how dis- 
tant, or how situated, are represented as Jelow the 
metropolis. Hence we so frequently hear of persons 
going up to Jerusalem : and going down from the same. 
So in London the people speak of going down to the 
country ; and, in the country, of going wv to London. 

1 


Simon offers the apostles money, 


A.M. cir. 4036. 17 'Then « laid they their hands 
A. Ὁ. cir. 32 
An. oc on them, and they received the 


cir. C 


Holy Ghost. 

18 Ἵ And when Simon saw that through 
laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy 
Ghost was given, he offered them money, 

19 Saying, Give me also this power, that 
on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive 
the Holy Ghost. 

20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money 
perish with thee, because * thou hast thought 


4 Chap. vi. 6 ; xix. 6; Heb. vi.2.——* Matt. x. 8; see 2 Kings 
v. 16. s Chap. ll. 38); x. 45; xi. 17—+ Dan. iv. 27; 2 Tim. 


Tt is necessary to make this remark, lest any person 
should be Jed away with the notion that Jerusalem was 
situated on the highest ground in Palestine. It is a 
mode of speech which is used to designate a royal or 
tmperial city. 

Prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy 
Ghost.] It seems evident, from this case, that even 
che most holy deacons, though full of the Holy Ghost 
themselves, could not confer this heavenly gift on 
others. This was the prerogative of the apostles, and 
they were only instruments ; but they were those 
alone by which the Lord chose to work. They prayed 
and laid their hands on the disciples, and God sent 
down the gift ; so, the blessing came from God dy the 
apostles, and not from the apostles to the people. 
But for what purpose was the Holy Spirit thus given? 
Certainly not for the sanctification of the souls of the 
people: this they had on believing in Christ Jesus ; 
and this the apostles never dispensed. It was the 
muraculous gifts of the Spirit which were thus com- 
municated: the speaking with different tongues, and 
those extraordinary qualifications which were neces- 
sary for the successful preaching of the Gospel; and 
doubtless many, if not all, of those on whom the apos- 
tles laid their hands, were employed more or less in 
the public work of the Church. 

Verse 17. Then laid they their hands on them] 
Probably only on some select persons, who were 
thought proper for public use in the Chureh. They 
did not lay hands on all; for certainly no hands in 
this way were laid on Simon. 

Verse 18. When Simon saw, &c.] By hearing 
these speak with different tongues and work miracles. 

He offered them money] Supposing that the dis- 
pensing this Spirit belonged to them—that they could 
give it to whomsoever they pleased; and imagining 
that, as he saw them to be poor men, they would not 
object to take money for their gift; and it is probable 
that he had gained considerably by his juggling, and 
therefore could afford to spare some, as he hoped to 
make it all up by the profit which he expected to de- 
rive from this new influence. 

Verse 20. Thy money perish with thee] This is an 
awful declaration; and imports thus much, that if he 
did not repent, he and his ill-gotten goods would perish 
together ; his money should be disstpated, and his 
soul go into perdition. 

1 


CHAP. VIII. 


and is reouked by Peter. 


that ‘the gift of God may be 4: aa 4036, 
cir. 32. 
purchased with money. ‘An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIL. 4. 


21 Thou hast neither part nor 
lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right 
in the sight of God. 

22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, 
and pray God, ‘if perhaps the thought of 
thine heart may be forgiven thee. 

23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall 
of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 

24 Then answered Simon, and said, ἡ Pray 


li. 25. ἃ Hebrews xii. 15. νυ Gen. xx. 7, 17; Exod. viii. 8; 
Num, xxi. 7; 1 Kings xiii. 6; Job xiii. 8; James v. 16. 


That the gift of God may be purchased] Peter 
takes care to inform not only Simon, but all to whom 
these presents may come, that the Spirit of God is the 
gift of God alone, and consequently cannot be pur- 
chased with money ; for what reward can He receive 
from his creatures, to whom the silver and the gold 
belong, the cattle on a thousand hills, the earth and 
its fulness ! 

Verse 21. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this 
matter] Thou hast no part among the faithful, and no 
lot in this ministry. That the word κληρος, which 
we translate lot, is to be understood as implying a 
spiritual portion, office, &c., see proved in the note on 
Num. xxvi. 55. 

Thy heart is not right] It is not through motives 
of purity, benevolence, or love to the souls of men, 
that thou desirest to be enabled to confer the Holy 
Ghost; it is through pride, vain glory, and love of 
money: thou wouldest now give a little money that 
thou mightest, by thy new gift, gain much. 

Verse 22. Repent therefore of this thy wicked- 
ness] St. Peter did not suppose his case to be utterly 
hopeless ; though his sin, considered in its motives and 
objects, was of the most heinous kind. 

If perhaps the thought of thine heart may be for- 
given thee.| His sin, as yet, only existed in thought 
and purpose; and therefore it is said, if perhaps the 
thought of thine heart may be forgiven. 

Verse 23. The gall of bitterness| A Hebraism for 
excessive bitterness: gall, wormwood, and such like, 
were used to express the dreadful effects of sin in the 
soul; the bitter repentance, bitter regret, bitter suffer- 
ings, bitter death, &c., &c., which it produces. In 
Deut. xxix. 18, idolatry and its consequences are 
expressed, by having among them a root that beareth 
GALL and wormwoop. And in Heb. xii. 15, some 
grievous sin is intended, when the apostle warns them, 
lest any root of BITTERNESS springing up, trouble you, 
and thereby many be defiled. 

Bond of iniquity.) An allusion to the mode in 
which the Romans secured their prisoners, chaining 
the right hand of the prisoner to the left hand of the 
soldier who guarded him; as if the apostle had said, 
Thou art tied and bound by the chain of thy sin; justice 
hath laid hold upon thee, and thou hast only a short 
respite before thy execution, to see if thou wilt repent. 

Verse 24. Pray ye to the Lord for me] The 

741 


Philip is directed by an 


ae οον Gee vied to the Lord for me, that 
An. Olymp. none of these things which 
cir. CCII. 4. 

ema ye have spoken come upon 
me. 


25 And they, when they had testified and 
preached the word of the Lord, returned to 
Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in 


words of Peter certainly made a deep impression on 
Simon’s mind; and he must have had a high opinion 
of the apostle’s sanctity and influence with God, when 
he thus commended himself to their prayers. And we 
may hope well of his repentance and salvation, if the 
reading of the Codex Beze, and the margin of the 
later Syriac may be relied on: Pray ye to the Lord 
for me, that none (τουτων τῶν κακων) OF ALL THOSE 
EVILS which ye have spoken (uot) TO ME, may come 
upon me: (ὃς πολλα κλαιὼν ov διελιμίανεν) WHO WEPT 
GREATLY, and DID NoT cease. ‘That is, he was an 
incessant penitent. However favourably this or any 
other MS. may speak of Simon, he is generally sup- 
posed to have “ grown worse and worse, opposing the 
apostles and the Christian doctrine, and deceiving 
many cities and provinces by magical operations ; till 
being at Rome, in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, 
he boasted that he could fly, and when exhibiting be- 
fore the emperor and the senate, St. Peter and St. 
Paul being present, who knew that his flying was oc- 
easioned by magic, prayed to God that the people might 
be undeceived, and that his power might fail; in con- 
sequence of which he came tumbling down, and died 
soon after of his bruises.” This account comes in a 
most questionable shape, and has no evidence which 
can challenge our assent. To me, zé and the rest of 
the things spoken of Simon the sorcerer appear utterly 
unworthy of credit. Calmet makes a general collec- 
tion of what is to be found in Justin Martyr, Ireneus, 
Tertullian, Eusebius, Theodoret, Augustine, and 
others, on the subject of Simon Magus ; and to him, 
if the reader think it worth the pains, he may refer. 
The substance of these accounts is given above, and 
‘n the note on yer. 9; and to say the least of them 
they are all very dubious. The tale of his having 
an altar erected to him at Rome, with the inscrip- 
tion, Simoni sancto deo, “To the holy god Simon,” 
has been founded on an utter mistake, and has 
been long ago sufficiently confuted. See the in- 
scriptions in Gruter, vol. i. p. 96, inscript. No. 5, 
ΣΙ: 

Verse 25. And they, when they had—preached— 
returned to Jerusalem] That is, Peter and John re- 
turned, after they had borne testimony to and confirm- 
ed the work which Philip had wrought. 

Verse 26. Arise, and go toward the south] How 
cireumstantially particular are these directions! Every 
thing is so precisely marked that there is no danger 
of the apostle missing his way. He is to perform 
some great duly; but what, he is not informed. The 
road which he is to take is marked out ; but what he 
is to do in that road, or how far he is to proceed, he 
is not told! It is GOD who employs him, and re- 
quires of him implicit obedience. If he do his will, 

. 742 


THE ACTS. 


angel to go toward Gaza 


A. M. cir. 4036. 
A. D. cir. 32. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCII. 4. 


many villages of the Samari- 
tans. 

26 § And the angel of the 
Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go 
toward the south, unto the way that goeth 
down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is 
desert. 


according to the present direction, he shall know, by 
the issue, that God hath sent him on an errand wor- 
thy of his wisdom and goodness. We have a similar 
instance of circumstantial direction from God in chap. 
ix. 11: Arise, go into the street called Straight, and 
inquire in the house of Judas for one Saul of Tarsus, 
&c. And another instance, still more particular, in 
chap. x. 5, 6: Send men to Joppa, and call for one 
Simon, whose surname is Peter; he lodgeth with one 
Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea-side. 
God never sends any man on a message, without giv- 
ing him such directions as shall prevent all mistakes 
and miscarriages, if simply and implicitly followed. 
This is also strictly true of the doctrines contained in 
his word: no soul ever missed salvation that simply 
followed the directions given in the word of God. 
Those who will refine upon every thing, question the 
Divine testimony, and dispute with their Maker, can- 
not be saved. And how many of this stamp are 
found, even among Christians, professing strict god- 
liness ! 

Gaza, which is desert.| Attn esw ἐρημος, This is 
the desert, or this is in the desert. Gaza was a town 
about two miles and a half from the sea-side ; it was 
the last town which a traveller passed through, when 
he went from Phenicia to Egypt, and was at the 
entrance into a wilderness, according to the account 
given by Arrian in Exped. Alex. lib. ii. cap. 26, p. 
102. [Ed. Gronoy.] That it was the last inhabited 
town, as a man goes from Phenicia to Egypt, ext τῇ 
ἀρχῃ τῆς Epnuov, on the commencement of the desert. 
See Bp. Pearce. 

Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the word desert is add- 
ed here, because at that time the ancient Gaza was 
actually desert, having been destroyed by Alexander, 
and pevovca ερῆμος, remaining desert, as Strabo, lib. 
xvi. p. 1102, says; and that the angel mentioned this 
desert Gaza to distinguish it from another city of the 
same name, in the tribe of Ephraim, not far from the 
place where Philip now was. On this we may ob- 
serve that, although Gaza was desolated by Alexander 
the Great, as were several other cities, yet it was 
afterwards rebuilt by Gabinius. See Josephus, Ant. 
lib. xv. cap. 5, sect. 3. And writers of the first cen- 
tury represent it as being flourishing and populous in 
their times. See Wetstezn. 

Schoettgen thinks that ἔρημος, desert, should be re- 
ferred, not to Gaza, but to édoc, the way; and that it 
signifies a road that was less frequented. If there 
were two roads to Gaza from Jerusalem, as some 
have imagined, (see Rosenmiiller,) the eunuch might 
have chosen that which was desert, or less frequented, 
for the sake of privacy in his journeying religious ex- 
ercises. 

1 


He travels toward Gaza, and 


CHAP. VU. 


meets an Ethiopian eunuch 


A.M. cir. 4036. . ¢ ᾿ A.M. cir. 4036 
Pes 5 gl And he arose and went : who had the charge of all *,")°" 3 
An Olymp and, behold, τ aman of Ethiopia,|her treasure, and * had come 42. roy 
. . . cl. vil. 4, 
* an eunuch of great authority|to Jerusalem, for to  wor- 
under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, |ship, 
oh eae ae ee ee 
w Zeph. iii. 10. x John xii. 20. 


Verse 27. A man of Ethiopia] Avnp Αἰθιοψ should 
pe translated an Ethiopian, for the reasons given on 
chap. vii. ver. 2. 

An eunuch] See this word interpreted, on Matt. 
xix. 12. The term eunuch was given to persons in 
authority at court, to whom its literal meaning did not 
apply. Potiphar was probably an eunuch only as to 
his office; for he was a married man. See Gen. 
xxxvii. 36; xxxix. 1. And it is likely that this 
Ethiopian was of the same sort. 

Of great authority] Avvacnc, A perfect lord cham- 
berlain of the royal household; or, rather, her trea- 
surer, for it is here said, he had charge of all her 
treasure, ἣν exc xaone της γαζῆς αὐτῆς. The apparent 
Greek word Taga Gaza, is generally allowed to be 
Persian, from the authority of Servius, who, in his 
comment on én. lib. i. ver. 118 :— 


Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto, 
Arma virtiim, tabuleque, et Troia Gaza per undas. 


“ And here and there above the waves are seen 
Arms, pictures, precious goods, and floating men.” 
Dryvden. 
The words of Servius are: ‘“ Gaza Persicus sermo 
est, et significat divitias ; unde Gaza urbs in Pales- 
tina dicitur, quod in ea Cambyses rex Persarum cum 
AXgyptiis bellum inferret divitias suas condidit.” 
Gaza is a Persian word, and signifies ricHEs: hence 
Gaza, a city in Palestine, was so called because 
Cambyses, king of Persia, laid up his treasures in it, 
when he waged war with the Egyptians. The near- 
est Persian word of this signification which I find is 


ges gunj, or ganz, and sce gunja, which signi- 
The 
Arabie ais kluzaneh, comes as near as the Per- 


fy a magazine, store, hoard, or hidden treasure. 


sian, with the same meaning. Hence or makh- 
zen, called magazen by the Spaniards, and magazine 
by the English; a word which signifies a collection 
of stores or treasures, or the place where they are 
laid up. It is scarcely necessary to remark that this 
name is given also to certain monthly publications, 
which are, or profess to be, a store of treasures, or 
repository of precious, or valuable things. 

But who was Candace? It is granted that she is 
not found in the common lists of Ethiopic sovereigns 
with which we have been favoured. But neither the 
Abyssinians nor the Jews admitted women in their 
genealogies. J shall not enter into this controversy, 
but shall content myself with quoting the words of 
Mr. Bruce. “ It is known,” says he, “ from credible 
writers engaged in no controversy, that this Candace 


and we shall have oceasion often to mention her suc- 
cessors and her kingdom, as existing in the reign of 
the Abyssinian kings, long after the Mohammedan 
conquest : they existed when I passed through A/sara, 
and do undoubtedly exist there to this day.”—Bruce’s 
Travels, vol. li. page 431. 

It does not appear, as some have imagined, that 
the Abyssinians were converted to the Christian faith 
by this eunuch, nor by any of the apostles ; as there 
is strong historic evidence that they continued Jews 
and Pagans for more than three hundred years after 
the Christian era. Their conversion is with great 
probability attributed to Frumentius, sent to Abyssinia 
for that purpose by Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, 
about A. D. 330. See Bruce as above. 

The Ethiopians mentioned here are those who in- 
habited the isle or peninsula of Meroe, above and 
southward of Egypt. It is the distriet which Mr. 
Bruce caiis Atsara, and which he proves formerly 
bore the name of Meroe. This place, according to 
Diodorus Siculus, had its name from Meroé, daughter 
of Cambyses. king of Persia, who died there in the 
expedition which her father undertook against the 
Ethiopians. ‘Strabo mentions a queen in this very 
district named Candace: his words are remarkable. 
Speaking of an insurrection of the Ethiopians against 
the Romans he says: Τούτων δ᾽ ησαν Kat οἱ της βασι- 
λισσης ςρατηγοι τῆς Κανδακῆης, ἡ Ka? ἡμας ηρξεὲ τῶν 
Αἰθιοπων, ἀνδρικὴ τις γυνη, πεπηρωμενῇῆ Tov οφθαλμον, 
« Among these were the officers of Queen Canpace, 
who in our days reigned over the Ethiopians. She 
was a masculine woman, and blind of one eye.” 
Though this could not have been the Candace men- 
tioned in the text, it being a little before the Christian 
wra, yet it establishes the fact that a queen of this 
name did reign in this place ; and we learn from others 
that it was a common name to the queens of Ethiopia. 
Pliny, giving an account of the report made by Nero’s 
messengers, who were sent to examine this country, 
says, Aldificia oppidi (Meroés) pauca: regnare fe- 
minam CANDACEN; quod nomen mullis jam annis ad 
reginas transit. Hist. Nat. lib. vi. cap. 29, ad fin. 
They reported that “the edifices of the city were 
few: that a woman reigned there of the name of Can- 
dace ; which name had passed to their queens, suc- 
cessively, for many years.” To one of those queens 
the eunuch in the text belonged; and the above is 
sufficient authority to prove that queens of this name 
reigned over this part of Ethiopia. 

Had come to Jerusalem for to worship] Which is 
a proof that he was a worshipper of the God of Israel: 
but how came he acquainted with the Jewish religion? 
Let us, for a little, examine this question. In 1 Kings 


reigned upon the Nile in Adbara, near Egypt. Her} x. 1, &c., we have the account of the visit paid to 
capital also, was taken in the time of Augustus, a few | Solomon by the queen of Sheba, the person to whom 


years before the conversion of the slave by Philip: | our Lord refers, Matt. xii. 42, and Luke xi. 31. 


1 


It 
743 


Philip joins himself to the 


A.M. cir. 4036. 28 Was returning, and sitting 
An. Olymp. in his chariot, Y read Esaias the 
cir. CCIL. 4. 


prophet. 

29 Then *the Spirit said unto Philip, Go 
near, and join thyself to this chariot. 

30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard 


THE ACTS. 


chariot of the eunuch. 


him *read the Prophet Esaias, Δ τ ΟἿ 4036. 
Ξ . D. cir. 32. 
and said, Understandest thou An. Ouane, 
what thou readest ? geet aces ee 
31 And he said, » How can I, except some 
man should guide me? And he desired 
Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 


y Col. iil. 16. 


z Chap. xiil. 2. 


a Rom. xii. 11.——» Eph. iii. 3, 4. 


has been long credited by the Abyssinians that this 
queen, who by some is called Balkis, by others Ma- 
queda, was not only instructed by Solomon in the Jew- 
ish religion, but also established it in her own empire 
on her return; that she had a son by Solomon named 
Menilek, who succeeded her in the kingdom; and, 
from that time till the present, they have preserved 
the Jewish religion. Mr. Bruce throws some light 
upon this subject: the substance of what he says is 
the following: “There can be no doubt of the expe- 
dition of the queen of Sheba; as Pagan, Moor, Arab, 
Abyssinian, and all the countries round, vouch for it, 
nearly in the terms of Scripture. Our Saviour calls 
her queen of the south; and she is called, in 1 Kings 
x. 1, &c., 2 Chron. ix. 1, &e., queen of Sheba or 
Saba; for Saba, Azab, and Azaba, all signify the 
south: and she is said to have come from the wtter- 
most parts of the earth. In our Saviour’s time the 
boundaries of the known land, southward, were Rap- 
cam or Prassum; which were the uttermost parts of 
the known earth, and were with great propriety so 
styled by our Lord. The gold, myrrh, cassia, and 
frankincense, which she brought with her, are all pro- 
ducts of that country. The annals of the Abyssinians 
state that she was a pagan when she left Saba or Azad, 
to visit Solomon; and that she was there converted 
and had a son by Solomon, who succeeded her in the 
kingdom, as stated above. All the inhabitants of this 
country, whether Jews or Christians, believe this ; and, 
farther, that the 45th Psalm was a prophecy of her 
journey to Jerusalem ; that she was accompanied by 
a daughter of Hiram from Tyre; and that the latter 
part of the Psalm is a prophecy of her having a son by 
Solomon, and of his ruling over the Gentiles.” Tya- 
vels, vol. il. page 395, &c. All this being granted, 
and especially the Scripture fact of the queen of She- 
ha’s visit, and the great probability, supported by un- 
interrupted tradition, that she established the Jewish 
religion in her dominions on her return, we may at 
once see that the eunuch in question was a descendant 
of those Jews ; or that he was a proselyte in his own 
country to the Jewish faith, and was now come up at 
the great feast to worship God at Jerusalem. Mr. 
Bruce may be right; but some think that Saba, in 
Arabia Felix, is meant: see the note on Matt. xii. 42. 

Verse 28. Sitting in his chariot, read Esaias the 
prophet.| He had gone to Jerusalem to worship : he 
had profited by his religious exercises: and even in 
travelling, he is improving his time. God sees his 
simplicity and earnestness, and provides him an in- 
structer, who should lead him into the great truths of 
the Gospel, which, without such a one, he could not 
have understood. Many, after having done their duty, 
as they call it, in attending a place of worship, forget 

744 


the errand that brought them thither, and spend their 
time, on their return, rather in idle conversation than 
in reading or conversing about the word of God. It is 
no wonder that such should be always learning, and 
never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Verse 29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip| This 
holy man having obeyed the first direction he received 
from God, and gone southward without knowing the 
reason why, it was requisite that he should now be in- 
formed of the object of his mission: the Spirit savd 
unto him, go near, and join thyself, &e. The angel 
who had given him the first direction had departed ; 
and the influence of the Holy Spirit now completed 
the information. It is likely that what the Spirit did 
in this case was by a strong impression on his mind, 
which left him no doubt of its being from God. 

Verse 30. Heard him read the Prophet Esaias] 
The eunuch, it seerns, was reading aloud, and appa- 
rently in Greek, for that was the common language in 
Egypt; and, indeed, almost in every place it was un- 
derstood. And it appears that it was the Greek ver- 
sion of the Septuagint that he was reading, as the 
quotation below is from that version. 

Verse 31. How can I, except some man should 
guide me2] This is no proof that “the Scriptures 
cannot be understood without an authorized interpret- 
er,” as some of the papistical writers assert. How 
could the eunuch know any thing of the Gospel 
dispensation, to which this scripture referred? That 
dispensation had not yet been proclaimed to him ; he 
knew nothing about Jesus. But where that dispensa- 
tion has been published, where the four Gospels and 
the apostolic epistles are at hand, every thing relative 
to the salvation of the soul may be clearly apprehended 
by any simple, upright person. There are difficulties 
it is true, in different parts of the sacred writings, which 
neither the pope nor his conclave can solve ; and seve- 
ral which even the more enlightened Protestant can- 
not remove ; but these difficulties do not refer to matters 
in which the salvation of the soul is immediately con- 
cerned: they refer to such as are common to every 
ancient author in the universe. These difficulties, be- 
ing understood, add to the beauty, elegance, and just- 
ness of the language, thoughts, and turns of expression ; 
and these, only the few who are capable of understand- 
ing are able to relish. As to all the rest, all that re- 
lates to faith and practice, all in which the present 
and eternal interest of the soul is concerned, “ the 
wayfaring man, though a fool, (quite illiterate,) shall 
not err therein.” 

That he would come up, and sit with him.] Se 
earnestly desirous was he to receive instruction rela- 
tive to those things which concerned the welfare of 
his soul. 

1 


Philip explains the passage 


A.M. cir. 4036. 32 The place of the scripture 
A. D. cir. 32. 4 : 

An, Olymp. which he read was this, ° He 
cir. CCI. 4. 


was led as a sheep to the slaugh- 
ter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, 
so opened he not his mouth : 

33 In his humiliation his judgment was ta- 
ken away: and who shall declare his gene- 
ration ? for his life is taken from the earth. 

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and 
said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the pro- 
phet this? of himself, or of some other man? 

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, ὁ and be- 
gan at the same scripture, and preached unto 
him Jesus. 


Isa. 1], 7, 8——4 Luke xxiv. 27; chap. xviii. 28. 
47.—! Matt. xxviil. 19; Mark xvi. 16. 


Verse 32. The place of the scripture] Ueptoyn τὴς 
γραφης, The section, or paragraph. 

Verse 33. In his humiliation, his judgment was 
taken away] He who was the fountain of judgment 
and justice had no justice shown him (mercy he needed 
not) in Ais humiliation; viz. that time in which he 
emptted himself, and appeared in the form of a servant. 

Who shall declare his generation] Τὴν yeveav 
αὐτου: Answering to the Hebrew 19)7 doro, which 
Bp. Lowth understands as implying his manner of 
hfe. It was the custom among the Jews, when they 
were taking away any criminal from judgment to exe- 
cution, to call out and inquire whether there was any 
person who could appear in behalf of the character 
of the criminal—whether there was any who, from 
intimate acquaintance with his manner of life, could 
say any thing in his favour? This circumstance 
I have noticed before, and it has been particularly re- 
marked in the case of Stephen: see at the end of chap. 
vii. In our Lord’s ease, this benevolent inquiry does 
not appear to have been made; and perhaps to this 
breach of justice, as well as of custom, the prophet re- 
fers ; and this shows how minutely the conduct of those 
pad men was known seven hundred years before it took 
place. God can foreknow what he pleases, and can 
do what he pleases; and all the operations of his infi- 
nite mind are just and right. Some think that, who 
shall declare his generation? refers to his eternal Son- 
ship ; others, to his miraculous conception by the Holy 
Spirit, in the womb of the virgin; others, to the mul- 
titudinous progeny of spiritual children which should 
be born unto God, in consequence of his passion and 
meritorious death. Perhaps the first, which refers to 
the usual custom in behalf of the criminal, is the best 
and most natural sense. 

Verse 34. Of whom speaketh the prophet this] 
This was a very natural inquiry: for in the text itself, 
and in its circumstances, there was nothing that could 
determine the meaning, so as to ascertain whether the 
prophet meant himself or some other person ; and the 
very inquiry shows that the eunuch had thought deeply 
on the subject. 

Verse 35. Began at the same scripture] He did 


CHAP VIII. 


ὁ Chap. x. 
lap. ‘ 


which the eunuch was reading. 


36 And as they went on their τες 4036. 
5 . Ὁ. cir. 32. 
way, they came unto a certain An. Olymp. 
ci cir, CCII. 4. 
water: and the eunuch said, —H-——— 
See, here is water; ° what doth hinder me to 
be baptized ? 

37 And Philip said, f If thou believest with 
all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answer- 
ed and said, * I believe that Jesus Christ is the 
Son of God. 

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand 
still: and they went down both into the wa- 
ter, both Philip and the eunuch; and he bap- 
tized him. 

39 And when they were come up out of the 


5 Matt. xvi. 16; John vi. 69; ix. 35, 38; xi. 27; chap.ix.20; 1 John 
ive Los vou; lor 


not confine himself to this one scripture, but made this 
his text, and showed, from the general tenor of the 
sacred writings, that Jesus was the Christ, or Messiah; 
and that in his person, birth, life, doctrine, miracles, 
passion, death, and resurrection, the Scriptures of the 
Old Testament were fulfilled. This preaching had the 
desired effect, for the eunuch was convinced of the 
truth of Philip’s doctrine, and desired to be baptized 
in the name of Jesus. 

Verse 36. See, here is water] He was not willing 
to omit the first opportunity that presented itself of 
his taking upon himself the profession of the Gospel. 
—By this we may see that Philip had explained the 
whole of the Christian faith to him, and the way by 
which believers were brought into the Christian Church, 

Verse 37. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of 
God.| He believed that Jesus, whom Philip preached 
to him, was THe Curist or Messiah, and consequently 
the Son of God. 

This whole verse is omitted by ABCG, several 
others of the first authority, Erpen’s edit. of the Arabic, 
the Syriac, the Coptic, Sahidic, ASthiopic, and some 
of the Slavonic: almost all the critics declare against 
it as spurious. Griesbach has left it out of the text, 
and Professor White in his Crisews says, “" Hic versus 
certissime delendus,” this verse, most assuredly, should 
be blotted out. It is found in E, several others of 
minor importance, and in the Vulgate and Arabic. In 
those MSS. where it is extant it exists in a variety of 
forms, though the sense is the same. 

Verse 38. And they went down] They alighted 
from the chariot into the water. While Philip was 
instructing him, and he professed his faith in Christ, 
he probably plunged himself under the water, as this 
was the plan which appears to have been generally 
followed among the Jews in their baptisms; but the 
person who had received his confession of faith was 
he to whom the baptism was attributed, as it was ad- 
ministered by his authority. 

Verse 39. The Spirit of the Lord caught away 
Philip] Perhaps this means no more than that the 
Holy Spirit suggested to the mind of Philip that he 
should withdraw abruptly from the eunuch, and thus 

745 


Phihp goes to 


A. M. cir. 4036 
Rae | WAST 
An, Olymp. 
cir. CCI. 4. 


ithe Spirit of the Lord 
caught away Philip, that the 
eunuch saw him no more: and 
he went on his way rejoicing. 


h) Kings xviii. 12; 2 Kings 


THE ACTS. 


Azotus and Caesarea. 


40 But Philip was found at 4, M cir. 4086, 
Azotus : and passing through, he An, Olymp. 
preached in all the cities, till he ~~ —~ matali 
came to Cesarea. 


ii. 16; Ezek. iii. 12, 14. 


leave him to pursue his journey, reflecting on the im- 
portant incidents which had taken place. Some sup- 
pose that the angel of the Lord, and the Spirit of the 
Lord, are the same person throughout this chapter. 
There is a remarkable reading in the Codex Alexan- 
drinus which exists thus in two lines :— 


TINAATIONETIENECENEMITONEYNOYXON 
The Spirit of the Lord fell upon the eunuch : 


ATTEAOCAEKYHPIIACENTONOIAIIIIION. 
But the angel of the Lord snatched away Philip. 


This reading is found in several other MSS. and in 
some versions. Many think that the Spit or angel 
of God carried off Philip in some such manner as the 
Apocrypha represents the transportation of Habakkuk, 
who was taken up by the hair of the head, and carried 
from Judea to Babylon! For such an interposition there 
was no need. When Philip had baptized the eunuch, 
the Spirit of God showed him that it was not the will 
of God that he should accompany the eunuch to Meroe, 
but, on the contrary, that he should hasten away to 
Ashdod; as God had in that, and the neighbouring 
places, work sufficient to employ him in. 

Verse 40. Philip was found at Azotus] From the 
time he left the eunuch, he was not heard of till he got 
to Azotus, which, according to Dr. Lightfoot, was 
about 34 miles from Gaza, and probably it was near 
Gaza that Philip met the eunuch. The Azotus of the 
New Testament is the Ashdod of the Old. It was 
given by Joshua to the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 47. It 
was one of the five lordships which belonged to the 
Philistines, and is a seaport town on the Mediterranean 


Sea, between Gaza on the south, and Joppa or Jaffa 
on the north. Herodotus reports, lib. ii. cap. 157, 
that Psammeticus, king of Egypt, besieged this city 29 
years, which, if true, is the longest siege which any 
city or fortress ever endured. 

Preached in all the cities, till he came to Cesarea.| 
This was Cesarea in Palestine, formerly called Strato’s 
Tower, built by Herod the Great in honour of Augus- 
tus. There was an excellent harbour here made by 
Herod; and, after the destruction of Jerusalem, it be- 
came the capital of the whole land of Judea. It must 
be always distinguished from Caesarea Philippi, which 
was an inland town not far from the springs of Jordan. 
Whenever the word Cesarea occurs without Philippi, 
the former is intended. As Philip preached in all the 
cities of Palestine till he came to Caesarea, he must 
have preached in the different cities of the Philistine 
country, Ashdod, Akkaron, and Jamnia, and also in 
the principal parts of Samaria, as these lay in his way 
from Gaza to Cesarea. As there was a readier dis- 
position to receive the word in those places, the Spirit 
of the Lord, under whose guidance he acted, did not 
suffer him to accompany the eunuch to Abyssinia. 
It appears, from chap. xxi. 8, that Philip settled at 
Cesarea, where he had a house and family, four of his 
unmarried daughters being prophetesses, It is likely 
that his itinerant mission ended here ; though he con- 
tinued occasionally to perform the work of an evan- 
gelist, and to bring up his family in the knowledge and 
fear of God, which is the most imperious duty that any 
master of a family can be called on to perform, and 
which it is impossible for any man to accomplish by 
substitute ; and which none can neglect without endan- 
gering his own salvation. 


CHAPTER IX. 


Saul, bent on the destruction of the Christians, obtains letters from the high priest, authorizing him to seize 
those whom he should find at Damascus, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, 1,2. On his way to Da- 
mascus, he has a Divine vision, is convinced of his sin and folly, is struck blind, and remains three days 
without sight, and neither eats nor drinks, 3-9. Ananias, a disciple, is commanded in a vision to go and 
speak to Saul, and restore his sight, 10-16. Ananias goes and lays his hands on him, and he receives 
his sight, and is baptized, 17-19. Saul, having spent a few days with the Christians at Damascus, goes 
to the synagogues, proclaims Christ, and confounds the Jews, 20-22. The Jews lay wait to kill him, but 
the disciples lel him down over the walls of the city in a basket, by night, and he escapes to Jerusalem, 23— 
25. Having wished to associate with the disciples there, they avoid him; but Barnabas takes and brings 
him to the apostles, and declares his conversion, 26, 27. He continues in Jerusalem preaching Christ, 
and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, who endeavour to slay him; but the disciples take him to Cesarea, 
and send him thence to his own city Tarsus, 28-30. About this time, the Churches, being freed from 
persecution, are edified and multiplied, 31. Peter heals Eneas at Lydda, who had been afflicted with the 
palsy eight years: in consequence of which miracle, all the people of Lydda and Saron are converted, 32 
-35. Account of the sickness and death of a Christian woman named Tabitha, who dwelt at Joppa; and 
her miraculous restoration to life by the ministry of Peter, 36-41. Gracious effects produced among the 
inhabitants of Lydda by this miracle, 42, 43. 

746 1 


Saul continues to persecute 


Bayes τ τος in , Saul, yet nee 
An. Olym threatenings ; e 
cir, CCIIL | gs and slaughter 


against the disciples of the Lord, 
went unto the high priest, 


ἃ Chap. viii. 3; Gal. i. 13; 1 Tim. i. 13. 


NOTES ON CHAP. IX. 

Verse 1. Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and 
slaughter] The original text is very emphatic, ez 
ἐμπνεὼων ἀπειλῆς καὶ govov, and points out how deter- 
minate Saul was to pursue and accomplish his fell pur- 
pose of totally destroying the infant Church of Christ. 
The mode of speech introduced above is very frequent 
in the Greek writers, who often express any vehement 
and hostile affection of the mind by the verb πνεεὶν, to 
breathe, to pant ; so Theocritus, Idyll. xxii. ver. 82 : 


Ἐς μεσσον cuvayov, φονον αλλαλοισι πνεοντες. 
They came into the assembly, breathing mutual slaughter. 


Euripides has the same form, πῦρ πνεουσα καὶ 
oovor, breathing out fire, and slaughter. Iphig.inTaur. 


And Aristophanes more fully, referring to all the 
preparations for war :— 


Adda πνεοντας δορυ καὶ hoyx ag και λευκολοφοὺς 
τρυφαλειας, 
Και πηληκας, καὶ κνημίδας, καὶ ϑύυμους ἑπταβοειους. 


They breathed spears, and pikes, and helmets, and 
crests, and greaves, and the fury of redoubted 
heroes. 


The figure is a favourite one with Homer: hence 
uevea TvELoVvTEC Αβαντες, the Abantes breathing 
strength.—ll. ii. 536. And how frequently he speaks 
of his fierce countrymen as, μένεα πνείοντες AyxatoL, 
the Greeks breathing strength, see Il. iii. 8; xi. 508 ; 
xxiv. 364, which phrase an old Scholiast interprets, 
being filled with strength and fury. St. Luke, who 
was master of the Greek tongue, chose such terms as 
best expressed a heart desperately and incessantly bent 
on accomplishing the destruction of the objects of its 
resentment. Such at this time was the heart of Saul 
of Tarsus; and it had already given full proof of its 
malignity, not only in the martyrdom of Stephen, but 
also in making havoc of the Church, and in forcibly 
entering every house, and dragging men and women, 
whom he suspected of Christianity, and committing 
them to prison. See chap. vill. 3. 

Went unto the high priest} As the high priest was 
chief in all matters of an ecclesiastical nature, and the 
present business was pretendedly religious, he was the 
proper pérson to apply to for letters by which this viru- 
lent persecutor might be accredited. The letters must 
necessarily be granted in the name of the whole San- 
hedrin, of which Gamaliel, Saul’s master, was at that 
time the head; but the Aigh priest was the proper 
organ through whom this business might be negotiated. 

Verse 2. Letlers to Damascus to the synagogues] 
Damascus, anciently called ΤΡ 2 Damask, and ΠΣ 
Darmask, was once the metropolis of all Syria. It was 
situated at fifty miles’ distance from the sea; from 
which it is separated by lofty mountains. It is washed 


CHAP. 1X. 


the Christan Church. 

oe ὃ A. Μ. cir. 4037. 

2 And desired of him letters to ptedess 
Damascus to the synagogues, An. Olymp. 


Z : ir. CCHI 1. 
that if he found any ὃ of this a Sc δεν 


way, whether they were men or women, 


Gr. of the way: so chap. xix. 9, 23. 


by two rivers, Amara or Abara, which ran through it, 
and Pharpar, called by the Greeks Chrysorrhoas, the 
golden stream, which ran on the outside of its walls. - 
It is one of the most ancient cities in the world, for it 
existed in the time of Abraham, Gen. xiv. 15; and 
how long before is not known. The city of Damascus 
is at present a place of considerable trade, owing to its 
being the rendezvous for all the pilgrims from the north 
of Asia, on their road to and from the temple of Mecca. 
It is surrounded with pretty strong walls, which have 
nine gates, and is between four and five miles in cir- 
cumference. It contains about 100,000 inhabitants, 
some say more, the principal part of whom are Arabs 
and Turks, with whom live, in a state of considerable 
degradation, about 15,000 Christians. Damascus, 
like other places uf importance, has passed through the 
hands of many masters. It was captured and ruined 
by Tiglath Pileser, who carried away its inhabitants 
to Kin, beyond the Euphrates, about 740 years before 
the Christian era; and thus was fulfilled the prophecy 
of Isaiah, chap. xvii. 1-3, and that of Amos, chap. i. 
4,5. It was also taken by Sennacherib, and by the 
generals of Alexander the Great. Metellus and Lelius 
seized it, during the war of Pompey with Tigranes ; 
before Christ 65. It continued under the dominion of 
the Romans till the Saracens took possession of it, in 
A. Ὁ. 634. It was besieged and taken by T'eemour 
lenk, A. D. 1400, who put all the inhabitants to the 
sword. The Egyptian Mamelukes repaired Damascus 
when they took possession of Syria; but the Turkish 
Emperor Selim having defeated them at the battle of 
Aleppo in 1516, Damascus was brought under the 
government of the Turks, and in their hands it still 
remains. In the time of St. Paul it was governed by 
Aretas, whose father, Obodas, had been governor of it 
under Augustus. Damascus is 112 miles south of 
Antioch; 130 N. N. E. of Jerusalem; and 2708.8. 
W. of Diarbek. Longitude 37° east: latitude 33° 
45’ north. The fruit tree called the Damascene, vul- 
garly° Damazon, and the flower called the Damask 
rose, were transplanted from Damascus to the gardens 
of Europe; and the silks and linens, known by the 
name of Damasks, were probably first manufactured 
by the inhabitants of this ancient city. 

Any of this way] That is, this religion, for so 717 
derec in Hebrew, and ὁδος, hodos, in Hellenistic Greek, 
are often to be understood. 71" 717 derec Yehovah, 
the way of the Lord, implies the whole of the worship 
due to him, and prescribed by himself: the way or path 
in which he wills men to walk, that they may get safely 
through life, and finally attain everlasting felicity. The 
Jewish writers designate the whole doctrine and prac- 
tice of Christianity by a similar expression, 7 
a-axyun derec hanotsarim, the way, doctrine, or sect of 
the Christians. 

Whether they were men or women] Provided they 

741 


THE 


Saul, going to Damascus, 1s met 


A.M. cir, 4037. ig i 
Ect 4037. he might bring them bound unto 
An. Olymp. Jerusalem. 


ir. CCIIL 1. : 
aoe. | AGMA es) He journeyed, he 


came near Damascus: and suddenly there 
shined round about him a light from heaven : 
4 And “he fell to the earth, and heard a 


ACTS. by Jesus Christ on the way. 


voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, Δ, δ cit. 4037 
° why persecutest thou me 7 An. Olymp. 

5 And he said, Who art thou, CCM! 
Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom 
thou persecutest: ‘7t is hard for thee to kick 
against the pricks. 


¢ Chap. xxii. 6; xxvi. 12; 1 Cor. xv. 8——4 Dan. viii. 17; x. 9. 


were Jews; for no converts had as yet been made 
among the Gentiles; nor did the power of the high 
priest and Sanhedrin extend to any but those who be- 
longed to the synagogues. Pearce. 

In every country where there were Jews and syna- 
gogues, the power and authority of the Sanhedrin and 
high priest were acknowledged: just as papists in all 
countries aéknowledge the authority of the pope. And 
as there can be but one pope, and one conclave, so 
there could be but one high priest, and one Sanhedrin; 
and this is the reason why the high priest and sanhe- 
drin at Jerusalem had authority over all Jews, even 
in the most distant countries. 

Verse 3. Suddenly there shined round about him] 
This might have been an extraordinary flash of the 
electric fluid, accompanied with thunder, with which 
God chose to astonish and confound Saul and his com- 
pany ; but so modified it as to prevent it from striking 
them dead. Thunder would naturally follow such a 
large quantity of this fluid as appears to have been 
disengaged at this time; and owt of this thunder, or 
immediately after it, Christ spoke in an awful and dis- 
tinct voice, which appears to have been understood by 
Saul only. 


Verse 4. And he fell to ihe earth] Being struck 
down with the lightning: many persons suppose he 
was on horseback, and painters thus represent him ; 
but this is utterly without foundation. Painters are, 
in almost every case, wretched commentators. 

Verse 5. Who art thou, Lord?| Tic et, Kupie; 
Who art thou, Sir? He had no knowledge who it 
was that addressed him, and would only use the term 
Kupie, as any Roman or Greek would, merely as a term 
of civil respect. 

Tam Jesus whom thou persecutest] “ Thy enmity 
is against me and my religion ; and the injuries which 
thou dost to my followers I consider as done to 
myself.” 

The following words, making twenty in the origi- 
nal, and thirty in our version, are found in no Greek 
MS. The words are, It is hard for thee to kick against 
the pricks: and he trembling and astonished said, 
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? and the Lord 
said unto him. It is not very easy to account for such 
a large addition, which is not only not found in any 
Greek MS. yet discovered, but is wanting in the Jala, 
Erpen’s Arabic, the Syriac, Coptic, Sahidic, and most 
of the Slavonian. It is found in the Vulgate, one of 
the Arabic, the Althiopic, and Armenian ; and was pro- 
bably borrowed from chap. xxvi. 14, and some mar- 
ginal notes. It is wanting also in the Complutensian 
edition, and in that of Bengel. Griesbach also leaves 
it out of the text. 

It is hard for thee &c.] 

748 


Σκληρον σοι προς KevTpa | 


© Matt. xxv. 40, ὅζο.-----ἰ Chap. v. 39. 


λακτιζειν. This is a proverbial expression, which exists, 
not only in substance, but even in so many words, both 
in the Greek and Latin writers. Kevtpov, kentron, 
signifies an ox goad, a piece of pointed iron stuck in 
the end of a stick, with which the ox is urged on when 
drawing the plough. The origin of the proverb seems 
to have been this: sometimes it happens that a restive 
or stubborn ox kicks back against the goad, and thus 
wounds himself more deeply : hence it has become a 
proverb to signify the fruitlessness and absurdity of re- 
belling against lawful authority, and the getting into 
greater difficulties by endeavouring to avoid trifling 
sufferings. So the proverb, Incidit in Scyllam qua 
vult vitare Charybdim. Out of the cauldron into the 
fire. “* Out of bad into worse.” The saying exists, 
almost in the apostolic form, in the following writers. 
Evripiwes, in Bacch. ver. 793 :— 


Θυοιμ᾽ av αὐτῳ μαλλον, ἡ ϑυμουμενος 
Προς κεντρα λακτιζοιμι, ϑνητος wv, Oew. 


“T, who am a frail mortal, should rather sacrifice 
to him who is a cop, than, by giving place to 
anger, kick against the goads.” 


And Aiscuytus, in Agamemnon, ver. 1633 :— 
Προς kevTpa μη λακτιζε 
Kick not against the goads. 

And again in Prometh. Vinct. ver. 323 :— 


Προς κεντρα κωλον EKTEVELC, ὅρων ὅτι 
Tpayve μοναρχος ovd’ ὑπευθυνος κρατει. 


“Thou stretchest out thy foot against goads, see- 
ing the fierce monarch governs according to his 
own will.” 


Resistance is of no use: the more thou dost rebel, 
the more keenly thou shalt suffer. See the Scholi- 
ast here. 

Pinpar has a similar expression, Pyth. ii. ver. 
171-5 :— 

Φερειν δ᾽ ελαφρως 

Exavyeviov λαβοντα 

Ζυγον γ᾽ apnyet. ἼΤοτι κεντρον de Tot 
Λακτιζεμεν, τελεθει 

Ολεσθηρος οιμος. 


“Tt is profitable to bear willingly the assumed yoke 
To kick against the goad is pernicious conduct.” 


Where see the Scholiast, who shows that “ it is ridi- 
culous for a man to fight with fortune : for if the unruly 
ox, from whom the metaphor is taken, kick against 
the goad, he shall suffer still more grievously.”— 
Terence uses the same figure. Phorm. Act i. scen 
2, ver. 27 :— 


1 


He 1s directed to go to CHAP. IX. Damascus to receive imstructions 


A.M. cir. 4037. § And he, trembling and asto- 
A. D. cir. 33. x 3 
An. Olymp. nished, said, Lord, © what wilt 
= “ thou have me to do? And the 

Lord sajd unto him, Arise, and go into the 


city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 


————— ΄τ΄το τ΄“ »;Ὰ»ΔΣτὟτῳἭἝ----ς-.ῦ-.»... τ: 


§ Luke iii. 10; chap. ii. 37; xvi. 30. 


h «hh son A.M. cir. 4037 
7 And ἃ the men which jour paneer 4 


neyed with him stood speechless, λπὶ Olvmp. 
. . . clr. 4. 
hearing a voice, but seeing no —————- 


man. 
8 And Saul arose from the earth: and when 


5 Dan. x. 7; see chap. xxil. 9; xxvi. 13. 


Venere in mentem mihi istec: nam inscitia est, 
Adversum stimulum calces. 


the greatest importance I shall close with the advice 
of one greater than the Roman agriculturist: Fathers, 
provoke not your children to anger, lest they be dis- 
couraged, Col. iii. 21; but bring them up (ev παιδειᾳ 
Kat νουθεσίᾳ Kupiov) in the discipline and admonition 
of the Lord, Eph. vi. 4, using the authority that God 
has given you with a steady hand, actuated by a ten- 
der and feeling heart. 

Verse 6. Trembling] Under a strong apprehension 
of meeting the judgment he deserved. 

And astonished] At the light, the thunder, and the 
voice. 

Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?| The word 
Kupte, Lord, is here to be understood in its proper 
sense, as expressing authority and dominion: in the 
5th verse it appears to be equivalent to our word sir. 

The pride of the Pharisee is now brought down to 
the dust; and the fury of the persecutor is not only 
resirained, but the lion becomes a lainb. What wilt 
thou have me to do? Wilt thou condescend to em- 
ploy me among thy meanest servants ? 

Go into the city, and it shall be told thee, &c.| Jesus 
could have informed him at once what was his will 
concerning him; but he chose to make one of those 
very disciples whom he was going to bring in donds to 
Jerusalem the means of his salvation: 1. To show 
that God will help man by man, that they may learn 
to love and respect each other. 2. That in the bene- 
yolence of Ananias he might see the spirit and ten- 
dency of that religion which he was persecuting, and 
of which he was shortly to become an apostle. 

Verse 7. Stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing 
no man.| The men were evveot, stupified, hearing τῆς 
φωνης, the voice or thunder, but not distinguishing the 
words, which were addressed to Saul alone ; and which 
were spoken oud of the thunder, or in a small, still 
voice, after the peal had ceased. The remarkable 
case, 1 Kings xix. 11—13, may serve to illustrate that 
before us. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the 
mount before the Lord; and the Lord passed by, and 
a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 
in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; and after the wind 
an earthquake ; and after the earthquake a fire; and 
after the fire a still small voice; and when Elijah 
heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went 
out, and stood in the entering in of the cave, and be- 
hold, there came a voice unto him, and said, WHAT Dost 
THOU HERE, Exisan! The thunder must have been 
heard by all; the small, still voice by Saul alone. This 
consideration amply reconciles the passage in the text 
with that in chap. xxii. 9, where Paul says, They that 
were with me saw the light and were afraid, but they 
heard not the voice of him that spake withme. They 
vity, may be profitably used.” In reference to the | had heard the thunder which followed the escape of the 
same subject, which all concerned should feel to be of | lightning, but they heard not the voice of him that spake 

1 749 


“ These things have come to my recollection, for it 
is foolishness for thee to kick against a goad.” 


Ovip has the same idea in other words, T'rist. lib. ii. 
ver. 15 :— 


At nunc (tanta meo comes est insania morbo) 
Saxa malum refero rursus ad icta pedem. 
Scilicet et victus repetit gladiator arenam ; 
Et redit in tumidas naufraga puppis aquas. 


But madly now I wound myself alone, 
Dashing my injured foot against the stone : 
So to the wide arena, wild with pain, 

The vanquish’d gladiator hastes again ; 

So the poor shatter’d bark the tempest braves, 
Launching once more into the swelling waves. 


Intelligent men, in all countries and in all ages of 
the world, have seen and acknowledged the folly and 
wickedness of fighting against God; of murmuring at 
the dispensations of his providence; of being impa- 
tient under affliction ; and of opposing the purposes of 
his justice and mercy. The words contain a universal 
lesson, and teach us patience under affliction, and sub- 
jection to the sovereign will of God; and they espe- 
cially show the desperate wickedness of endeavouring, 
ΟΥ̓ persecution, to hinder the dissemination of the truth 
of God in the earth. He that kicks against this goad 
does it at the risk of his final salvation. The fable 
of the viper and the file is another illustration of this 
proverb: it gnawed and licked the file, till it destroyed 
its teeth and wasted away its tongue. The maxim in 
the proverb should be early inculeated on the minds 
of children and scholars; when chastised for their 
faults, resistance and stubbornness produce increased 
coercion and chastisement. And let parents and mas- 
ters learn that the oft-repeated use of the goad and 
ferula seldom tend to reclaim, but beget obduracy and 
desperation. The advice of Columella to the plough- 
man, having some relation to the proverb in the text, 
and a strong bearing on this latter part of the subject, 
is worthy of the most serious regard: ‘‘ Voce potius 
quam verberibus terreat ; ultimaque sint opus recusan- 
tibus remedia plage. Nunquam stimulo lacessat ju- 
vencum, quod retrectantem calcitrosumque eum reddit: 
nonnunquam tamen admoneat flagello.” Conumenna, 
De Re Rustica, lib. ii. cap. 2, in fine. “ Let the hus- 
bandman intimidate his oxen more by his voice than by 
blows, to which he should never have recourse but in 
extreme cases. A young steer should never be goad- 
ed, for this will induce him to ‘ick and run back; but 
on proper occasions the whip, as an incentive to acti- 


THE 


Ananias has a vision 


A.M. cir. 4037. 1; τ 
ae. his eyes were opened, he saw no 
An. Olymp. man; but they led him by the 


cir. CCIIL. 1. cas 
a. handsiand brought him into Da- 


mascus. 

9 And he was three days without sight, and 
neither did eat nor drink. 

10 f And there was a certain disciple at 
Damascus ' named Ananias; and to him said 
the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, 
Behold, I am here, Lord. 


ACTS. 


concerning Sau: 


A. M. cir. 4037 
A. D. cir. 33 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIIL 1. 


11 And the Lord said unto him, 
Arise, and go into the street which 
is called Straight, and inquire in 
the house of Judas for one called Saul * of 
Tarsus ; for, behold, he prayeth, 

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named 
Ananias coming in, and putting fas hand on 
him, that he might receive his sight. 

13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have 
heard by many of this man, ! how much evil 


i Chap. xxii. 12. 


X Chap. xxi. 39; xxii. 3——! Ver. 1. 


to Saul; they did not hear the words, I am Jesus whom 
thou persecutest, &c.; but they saw and heard enough 
to convince them that the whole was supernatural ; for 
they were all struck down to the earth with the splen- 
dour of the light, and the sound of the thunder, which 
I suppose took place on this occasion. It has been a 
question among divines, whether Jesus Christ did 
really appear to Saul on this occasion. The argu- 
ments against the real appearance are not strong. St. 
Luke tells us that those who were with him heard the 
yoice, but they saw no man; which is a strong inti- 
mation that he saw what they did not. Ananias, it 
seems, was informed that there had been a real ap- 
pearance, for, in addressing Saul, ver. 17, he says, The 
Lord Jesus that APPEARED unto THEE in the way as 
thou camest, gc. And Barnabas intimates thus much, 
when he brought him before the apostles at Jerusalem, 
for he declared unto them how he had srrn the Lord 
in the way, and that he had spoken unto him; and, 
chap. xxii. 14, where the discourse of Ananias is given 
more at large, he says, The God of our fathers hath 
chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will, and ser 
that Just ong, and shouldest wear the voice of his 
mouth ; so we find that hearing the voice, or words of 
his mouth, was not what is called the appearance ; for, 
besides this, there was an actual manifestation of the 
person of Christ. But St. Paul’s own words, 1 Cor. 
ix. 1, put the subject out of dispute: Am 7 not an 
apostle? Am Inot free? Have 1 nor szen Jesus 
Curist our Lorp?t To which may be added, 1 Cor. 
zy. 8, And last of all, Hz WAS SEEN OF ME ALSO, as 
of one born out of due time. 

Verse 8. When his eyes were opened, he saw no man} 
Instead of ovdeva, no man, the Codex Alexandrinus, the 
Syriac, Vulgate, and some others, have οὐδεν, nothing. 
He not only saw no man, but he saw nothing, being 
quite blind; and therefore was led by the hand to 
Damascus, μη βλεπων, being without sight 

Verse 9. Neither did eat nor drink.| The anxiety 
of his mind and the anguish of his heart were so great 
that he had no appetite for food; and he continued in 
ictal darkness and without food for three days, till 
Ananias proclaimed salvation to him in the name of 
the Lord Jesus. 

Verse 10. A certain disciple—named Ananias] A 
general opinion has prevailed in the Greek Church that 
this Ananias was one of the seventy-two disciples, and 
that he was martyred; and they celebrate his martyr- 
dom cn the first of October. It has been farther stated 

750 


that his house was turned into a church, which remains 
to the present day, though now occupied as a Turkish 
mosque ; but even the Mohammedans have the tradi- 
tion, and treat his memory with great respect. How- 
ever this may be, from chap. xxii. 12, we learn, what 
is of more importance, that he was a devout man ac- 
cording to the law, having a good report of all the 
Jews that dwelt there. See on ver. 17. 

To him said the Lord in a vision] Ev ὁραματι, In a 
strong impression made upon his mind, which left no 
doubt concerning its heavenly origin, nor of the truth 
of the things represented by it. It is very probable 
that the whole took place in a dréam. 

Verse 11. Arise, and go into the street which is 
called Straight] How very particular is this direction! 
And it was necessary that it should be so, that he might 
see the whole to be a Divine communication ; the house 
was probably one in which Saul was accustomed to 
reside when at Damascus; and where he was known 
as a native of Tarsus. 

Tarsus was a city of Cilicia, seated on the Cydnus, 
and now called Tarasso. It was, at one period, the 
capital of all Cilicia, and became a rival to Alexandria 
and Athens in the arts and sciences. The inhabitants, 
in the time of Julius Cesar, having shown themselves 
friendly to the Romans, were endowed with all the 
privileges of Roman citizens; and it was on this ac- 
count that St. Paul claimed the rights of a Roman 
citizen ; a circumstance which, on different occasions, 
was to him, and the cause in which he was engaged, 
of considerable service. 

Behold, he prayeth] He is earnestly seeking to know 
my will, and to find the salvation of his soul; there- 


fore, go speedily, and direct him. Some have laid 
needless stress on these words, as if they intimated, 
that “though Saul as a Pharisee had often said his 
prayers, yet he had never prayed them till now.” This 
is not correct: he could himself testify that, while he 
was a Pharisee, he had lived in all good conscience 
towards God; and consequently, in that time, made 
many faithful and fervent prayers; but he was pray- 
ing now for instruction, and his prayers were speedily 
answered. 

Verse 12. Hath seen in a vision] While God pre- 
pares Ananias, by a vision, to go and minister to Saul, 
he at the same time prepares Saul, by another vision, 
to profit by this ministry. 

Verse 13. Lord, I have heard by many of this man] 
This was all done in a dream, else this sort of reason 

1 


The Lore speaks to Ananias 


A.M. cir. 4037. 
Sr 437 he hath done to thy saints at 
Anse. Jerusalem : 
cir. CCIIL. 1. c 

14 And here he hath authority 
from the chief priests to bind all ™ that call en 
thy name. 

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: 
for "he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear 


m Ver. 21; chap. vii. 59; xxii. 16; 1 Cor. i. 2; 2 Tim. ii. 22. 
= Chap. xiii. 2; xxii. 21; xxvi. 17; Rom. i. 1; 1 Cor. xv. 10; 
Gal. i. 15; Eph. iii. 7, 8; 1 Tim. 1.7; 2 Tim. i. 11. 


ing with his Maker would have been intolerable in Ana- 
nias. Saul had been a nolorious persecutor ; many 
could testify of his outrageous acts against the poor 
followers of Christ. 

Thy saints) That is, the Christians, or followers of 
Christ. ‘Aycoe signifies not only holy persons, but also 
consecrated persons; from a, negative, and yn, the earth; 
persons who are separated from all earthly uses, and 
consecrated to the service of God alone. 

Verse 14. And here he hath authority, &e.] Ananias 
had undoubtedly heard of Saul’s coming, and the com- 
mission he had received from the chief priests; and 
ne was about to urge this as a reason why he should 
nave no connection with so dangerous a man. 

Verse 15. Go thy way] He was thus prevented 
from going farther in his reasoning on this subject. 

He is a chosen vessel unto me| The word σκεῦος in 
Greek, and Ὁ keley in Hebrew, though they literally 
signify a vessel, yet they are both used to signify any 
kind of instrument, or the means by which an act is 
done. In the Tract. Sohar Ewod. fol. 87, on these 
words of Boaz io Ruth, chap. ii. ver. 9, When thou art 
athirst, go unto the vessels and drink, &ce., there are 
these remarkable words; “~5D keley, vessels ; that is, 
the righteous, who are called the vessels or instruments 
of Jehovah : for it is decreed that the whole world shall 
bring gifts to the King Messiah; and these are the 
vessels of the Lord: vessels, I say, which the holy 
and blessed God uses, although they be brittle; but 
they are brittle only in this world, that they may esta- 
blish the law and the worship with which the holy and 
blessed God is worshipped in this world; neither can 
this ministry be exercised but by vessels or instruments.” 

This mode of speech was common also among the 
Greek and Roman writers. So Potysius, speaking 
of Damocles, Excerpta, vol. 111. lib. 13, [Edit. Ernesti,] 
says, Hv ὑπηρετικον σκεῦος, Kat πολλας EXwY εφορμας 
εἰς πραγματῶν οἰκονομίαν. * He was a useful instru- 
nent, and fit for the management of affairs.” We find 
Paul, in 1 Thess. iv. 4, using the same word, σκεῦος, 
for the body, agreeable to the expression of Lucretius, 
iii. 441, Corpus, quod vas quasi constitit ejus. “The 
Bopy, which is the vesseL or instrument of the soul.” 
See Bp. Pearce on this passage. 

Chosen vessel.—Zxevog exdoyye is properly a He- 
braism, for an excellent or well-adapted instrument. 
Every reader of the Bible must have noticed how 
often the word chosen is used there to signify excelling 
or eminent: so we use the word choice, “ choice men,” 
eminent persons; “choice things,” excellent articles. 
So in Jer. xxii. 7: They shall cut down thy choice 
i 


CHAP. IX. 


m a vision concernng Saul 


ο ; A. M. cir. 4037. 
my name before ° the Gentiles, ae Lah onl 
and Ρ kings, and the children of δι. Olymp. 

ew. CCLL 1. 
Israel ; paar, 
16 For 41 will show him how great things 
he must suffer for my name’s sake. 
17 *And Ananias went his way, and enter- 
ed into the house; and * putting his hands on 


ο Rom. i.5; xi. 13; Gal. ii. 7,8.——P Chap. xxv. 22,23; xxvi. 
1, &c.——4 Chap. xx. 23; xxi. 11; 2Cor. xi. 23. τ Chap. xxii. 
12, 13.—* Chap. viii. 17. 


cedars, VIW8 W131) 113) vecaretu MIBCHAR arazeyca ; 
καὶ exkowouat τας Ek λεκτας κεδρους cov, Serr. They 
shall cut the most ExceLLEeNt of thy cedars; or thy 
cedar trees, which are the most excellent of their kind, 
they will cut down. Whoever considers the character 
of St. Paul, his education, attainments in natural know- 
ledge, the distinguished part he took—first against 
Christianity, and afterwards, on the fullest conviction, 
the part he took in its favour—will at once perceive 
how well he was every way qualified for the great 
work to which God had called him. 

To bear my name before the Gentiles] To carry 
the ensign of the cross among the Greeks and Romans ; 
and, by the demonstration of the Spirit, to confound 
their wisdom and learning, and prove that neither sal- 
vation nor happiness could be found in any other. 
Hence he was emphatically called, the apostle of the 
Gentiles, 1 Tim. ii. 7; 2 Tim. i. 11. See also Gal. 
ii. 7, 8, and Eph. iii. 8. 

Verse 16. How great things he must suffer] In 
stead of proceeding as a persecutor, and inflicting suf 
ferings on others, I will show him how many things he 
himself must suffer for preaching that very doctrine 
which he has been hitherto employed in persecuting. 
Strange change indeed! And with great show of 
reason, as with incontrovertible strength of argument, 
has a noble writer, Lord Lyttleton, adduced the con- 
version of Saul of Tarsus, and his subsequent conduct, 
as an irrefragable proof of the truth of Christianity. 

Some think that the words, J will show him, &c.. 
refer to a visionary representation, which Christ was 
immediately to give Saul, of the trials and difficulties 
which he should have to encounter; as also of that 
death by which he should seal his testimony to the 
truth. Ifso, what a most thorough conviction must 
Saul have had of the truth of Christianity, cheerfully 
and deliberately to give up all worldly honours and 
profits, and go forward in a work which he knew a 
violent death was to terminate ! 

Verse 17. Brother Saul] As he found that the 
Head of the Church had adopted Saul into the hea 
venly family, he made no seruple to give him the right 
hand of fellowship, and therefore said, Brother Saul. 

The Lord, even Jesus] Of what use is this intru- 
sive word even here? It injures the sense. St. Luke 
never wrote it; and our translators should not have 
inserted it. The Lord Jesus, the sovereign Jesus 
who appeared unto thee in the way, hath sent me, that 
thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the 
Holy Ghost. Christ could have cured him as miracu- 
lously by his own power, without human mezns, as 

751 


THE 


Ananias comes to Saul, 


gana 4037. him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, 
An. Olymp. even Jesus, that appeared unto 


ir. CCIIL. 1. : 
a thee anpihe way as thou camest, 


hath sent me, that thou mightest receive 
thy sight, and tbe filled with the Holy 
Ghost. 

18 And immediately there fell from his eyes 


ACTS. who recewes his sight. 


as it had been scales: and he 4,M, οἷς 4037. 
received sight forthwith, and An. Olymp. 
: cir. CCI. 1. 

arose, and was baptized. --- 

19 And when he had received meat, he was 

strengthened. "Then was Saul certain days 
with the disciples which were at Damascus. 

20 And straightway he preached Christ in 


t Chap. ii. 45 iv. 31; viii. 17; xiii. 52. 


uChap. xxvi. 20. 


he had enlightened his heart without them; but he 
will honour man by making him his agent, even in 
working miracles. 

And be filled with the Holy Ghost.] So it appears 
that the Holy Spirit was given to him at this time, 
and probably by the imposition of the hands of 
Ananias. To say that it would be degrading to an 
apostle to receive the Holy Ghost by means of one 
who was not an apostle isa very flimsy argument 
against the evidence which the text affords that Saul 
did receive this Spirit by the ministry of Ananias: 
besides, Saul was not an apostle at this time; he was 
not even a Christian ; and the Holy Ghost, which he 
received now, was given more to make him a thorough 
Christian convert than to make him an apostle. No 
person will deny that he was baptized by Ananias; 
anid certainly there was as strong an objection against 
an apostle receiving baptism from one who was not an 
apostle as there could be in receiving the Holy Spirit 
from such a person. It is very likely that Ananias 
was either one of the seventy disciples commissioned 
by Jesus Christ himself, or one of those who had been 
converted on the day of pentecost. If he were the 
former, any authority that man could have he had. 
But who was the instrument is a matter of little im- 
portance ; as the apostleship, and the grace by which 
it was to be fulfilled, came immediately from Jesus 
Christ himself. Nor has there ever been an apostle, 
nor a legitimate successor of an apostle, that was not 
made such by Christ himself. If we consider the au- 
thority as coming by man, or through any description 
of men, we should be arrested and confounded by the 
difficult question, Who baptized the apostles? Jesus 
Christ baptized no man, John iv. 2. Who then bap- 
tized Peter? Can the Roman conclave answer this 
question? I trow not. It would be as difficult to 
answer it as to prove Peter’s supremacy. We have 
no evidence who baptized the apostles, who them- 
selves baptized so many others. The truth is, none 
but Christ ever made an apostle ; and none but him- 
self can make and qualify a Christian minister. 

Verse 18. There fell from his eyes as it had been 
scales| This was real: he had been so dazzled with 
the brightness of the light that we may suppose the 
globe of the eye, and particularly the cornea, had suf- 
fered considerable injury. The structure of the cornea 
was doubtless much disturbed, and the whole of that 
humour would be rendered opaque, and incapable of 
permitting the rays of light to pass through the dif- 
ferent humours to the retina, where all the images of 
things transmitted through the lenses, or humours, are 
distinctly painted. In the miraculous cure the mem- 

752 


brane was restored to its primitive state, and the 
opaque matter separated from the cornea, in the form 
of thin Zamine or scales. This being done, the light 
would have as free a passage as formerly, and the re- 
sult would be distinct vision. 

And arose, and was baptized.| That he was baptized 
by Ananias there is every reason to believe; as he 
appears to have been the chief Christian at Damascus. 
As baptism implied, in an adult, the public profession 
of that faith into which he was baptized, this baptism 
of Saul proved, at once, his own sincerity, and the 
deep and thorough conviction he had of the truth of 
Christianity. 

Verse 19. When he haz received meat, he was 
strengthened] His mind must have been greatly worn 
down under his three days’ conviction of sin, and the 
awful uncertainty he was in concerning his state ; 
but when he was baptized, and had received the Holy 
Ghost, his soul was Divinely invigorated; and now, 
by taking food, his bodily strength, greatly exhausted 
by three days’ fasting, was renewed also. The body 
is not supported by the bread of life, nor the soul by 
the bread that perisheth: each must have its proper 
aliment, that the whole man may be invigorated, and 
be enabled to perform all the functions of the animal 
and spiritual life with propriety and effect. 

Then was Saul certain days with the disciples] 
Doubtless under instructions, relative to the doctrines 
of Christianity ; which he must learn particularly, in 
order to preach them successfully. His miraculous 
conversion did not imply that he must then have a 
consummate knowledge of every Christian doctrine. 
To this day we find that even the genuine Christian 
convert has a thousand things to learn; and for his 
instruction he is placed in the Church of Christ, where 
he is built up on his most holy faith by the ministry 
and experience of the disciples. Without the com- 
munion of saints, who is likely to make a steady and 
consistent Christian; even though his conversion 
should have been the most sincere and the most 
remarkable ? 

Verse 20. Preached Christ in the synagogues] In- 
stead of Xpicov, Christ, Ijcovv, Jesus, is the reading 
of ABCE, several others of high importance, together 
with the Syriac, Coptic, Aithiopic, Armenian, Slavo- 
nic, and Vulgate. 

The great question to be determined, for the con- 
vietion of the Jews, was that Jesus was the Son of 
God. That the Christ, or Messiah, was to be the 
Son of God, they all believed. Saul was now con- 
vinced that Jesus, whom they had crucified, and who 
had appeared to him on the way, was the Son of God 

1 


Saut preaches in the synagogues. 


A.M, cir. 37 the synagogues, ἡ that he is the 

An. Olymp. Son of God. 

cir. CCUL. 1. 4 
————._ 21 But all that heard him were 
amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroy- 
ed them which called on this name in Jerusa- 
lem, and came hither for that intent, that he 
might bring them bound unto the chief priests ? 
22 But Saul increased the more in strength, 
*and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Da- 
mascus, proving that this is very Christ. 

23 9 And after that many days were fulfil- 
led, ¥ the Jews took counsel to kill him : 


CHAP. IX. 


The Jews lay wait for him. 


24 * But their laying await was So i 
known of Saul. And they watch- ἀπ. Olymp. 
ed the gates day and night to Seine 
kill him. 

25 Then the disciples took him by night, and 
“Jet him down by the wall in a basket. 

26 9 And » when Saul was come to Jerusa- 
lem, he assayed to join himself to the disci- 
ples: but they were all afraid of him, and 
believed not that he was a disciple. 

27 © But Barnabas took him, and brought 
him to the apostles, and declared unto them 


¥ Chap. viii. 37 Chap. viax.3; ver.1; Gal.i. 13, 23—* Ch. 
xviil. 28. ——¥ Chap. xxi. 12, xxv. 3; 2 Cor. xi. 26. 


or Messiah; and therefore as such he proclaimed him. 
The word Christ should be changed for Jesus, as the 
latter is, without doubt, the genuine reading. 

The first offers of the grace of the Gospel were 
uniformly made to the Jews. Saul did not at first 
offer Jesus to the heathens at Damascus; but to the 
synagogues of the Jews. 

Verse 21. 15 not this he that destroyed them] 
Ὁ πορθησας. The verb πορθεὶν has three acceptations 
in the Greek writers: 1. To treat one as an enemy, 
to spoil him of his goods. 2. To lead away captive, 
to imprison. 3. To slay. Paul was properly πόρθων, 
a destroyer, in all these senses. 1. He acted as the 
most determined enemy of the Christians: Being ex- 
ceedingly mad against them, he persecuted them to 
strange cities, chap. xxvi. 11. 2. He shut up many 
of the saints in prison, chap. viii. 3; ix. 14; xxvi. 
10. 3. He persecuted them unto death—gave his 
voice against them, that they might be destroyed, and 
was a principal instrument in the martyrdom of Ste- 
phen. He breathed threatenings and slaughter. See 
chap. vii. 58; viii. 1; ix. 1; xxvi. 10,11. There- 
fore these three meanings οἵ the original word are all 
exemplified in the conduct of Saul. 

Verse 22. Confounded the Jews] Svvexvve, Over- 
whelmed them so with his arguments that they were 
obliged to blush for the weakness of their own cause. 

Proving that this] Οὗτος, This person, viz. Jesus, 
is very Christ; ecw ὁ Xpicoc, is THE Curist, or Mes- 
siah. See on ver. 20. 

Verse 23. And after that many days were fulfilled] 
What follows relates to transactions which took place 
about three years after his conversion, when he had 
come a second time to Damascus, after having been 
in Arabia. See Gal. i. 17, 18. What he did in 
Arabia we know not; he probably preached Christ in 
different Jewish synagogues; but with what fruit we 
are not told. St. Luke, who could not have been 
ignorant of this part of his history, passes it over in 
silence; and any assertion, at this distance of time, 
relative to his employment in Arabia for those three 
years, must be both foolish and impertinent. 


22 Cor. xi. 32. 
xxii. 17; Gal. i. 17, 18. 


4So Josh. ii. 15; 1 Sam. xix. 12. 


» Chap. 
© Chap. iv. 36; xiii. 2. 


at war with Herod, his son-in-law, who had put away 
his daughter in order to marry Herodias, his brother 
Philip’s wife. As Herod was supported by the Ro- 
mans, Saul’s enemies might intimate that he was in 
league with them or Herod; and, as the gates of the 
city were constantly watched and shut, that no spy 
might enter, and no fugitive get away, they thought it 
would be easy to apprehend him; and doubtless got 
orders for the different officers at the gates to be on 
the look-out that he might not be permitted to escape. 

Verse 25. Let him down by the wall] Favoured, 
probably, by a house built against or upon the wall, 
through the window of which they could lower him in 
a basket ; and by thismeans he made hiseseape. His 
escape was something similar to that of the spies at 
Jericho, Josh. ii. 15. 

Verse 26. He assayed to join himself to the disev- 
ples] Exsipato κολλασθαι, He endeavoured to get 
closely united to them, to be in religious fellowship 
with them. 

Believed not that he was a disciple.| They did not 
suppose it possible that such a person could be con- 
verted to the faith of Christ. The full power of Di- 
vine grace, in the conversion of the soul, was not yet 
completely known. 

Verse 27. Barnabas—brought him to the apostles}, 
That is, to Peter and James; for others of the apos- 
tles he saw none, Gal.i. 19. It appears that he went 
up at this time to Jerusalem merely to see Peter, with 
whom he abode fifteen days, Gal. i. 18. How it came 
that the apostles and Church at Jerusalem had not 
heard of Saul’s conversion, which had taken placa 
three years before, is not easy to be accounted for. 
The following considerations may help: 1. It is cer- 
tain that intelligence did not travel speedily in these 
primitive times; there were few open roads, and πὸ 
regular posts, except those between military stations. 
2. Though there were many Jews in Damascus, and 
several Christians, yet the city was heathen, and under 
a heathen king, with whom the Jews at Jerusalem 
could have little commerce. 3. Though Herod had 


| married the daughter of Aretas, yet, as he had put 


Verse 24. They watched the gates day and night | her away, there were great animosities between the 
to kill him] At this time Damascus was under the | two courts, which at last broke out into an open war; 


government of Aretas, king of Arabia, who was now 
Vou. I. ( 48 ) 


| this must have prevented all social and commercia’ 


753 


THE 


ae £010. how he had seen the Lord in the 

An. Olymp. way, and that he had spoken to 
or CON * him, ἃ and how he had preached 
boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 

28 And © he was with them, coming in and 
going out, at Jerusalem. 

29 And he spake boldly in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, and disputed against the ἢ Gre- 
clans: &but they went about to slay him. 


Saul preaches at Jerusalem. 


“Ver. 20, 22. 


6 Gal. i. 18——f Chap. vi. 1; xi. 20.—+ Ver. 


ACTS. The Churches have peace 


30 Which when the brethron 4,™, cir. 4040 
knew, they brought him down to An. Olymp. 
Cesarea, and sent him forth to ee sete 
Tarsus. 

31 » Then had the Churches rest throughout 
all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were 
edified ; and walking in the fear of the Lord, 
‘and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were 
multiplied. 


23; 2 Cor. xi. 26.— See chap. viii. 1 — 1 Cor. iii. 16; vi. 19. 


intercourse. 4. The Christians were at that time 
greatly persecuted by the Jews, and therefore the few 
that dwelt at Damascus could have little connection, 
if any, with their brethren at Jerusalem. 5. It might 
be the interest of the Jews at Jerusalem, supposing 
they had heard of it, to keep the fact of Saul’s conver- 
sion as quiet as possible, that the Christian cause might 
not gain credit by it. 6. They might have heard of 
his conversion; but either did not fully credit what 
they had heard, or were not satisfied that the person 
who now presented himself was the man; for it is not 
likely that all the Christians at Jerusalem had been 
personally acquainted with Saul. 

Verse 28. He was with them coming in and going 
out] Freely conversing and associating with them; 
but this seems to have continued only fifteen days. 
See Gal. i. 18. 

Verse 29. Disputed against the Grecians| That is, 
the Hellenistic Jews, viz. those who lived in Grecian 
cities, spoke the Greek language, and used the Sep- 
tuagint version for their scriptures. And thus the 
Syriac version has interpreted this place. See the 
note on chap. vi. 1, where this subject is largely ex- 
plained. 

Verse 30. They brought him down to Caesarea] 
Calmet contends that this was Cesarea of Palestine, 
and net Cesarea Philippi; it being his opinion, and 
indeed that of others, that where this word occurs 
without any addition, in the New Testament, Cesarea 
of Palestine is meant, and not Caesarea Philippi. 
See on chap. viii. 40. 

Sent him forth to Tarsus.| This was his own city; 
and it was right that he should proclaim to his own 
countrymen and relatives that Gospel through which 
he was become wise to salvation. 

Verse 31. Then had the Churches rest] Instead of 
ai εκκλησιαι, the Churches, ABC, several others, the 
Syriac, Coptic, AEthiomc, Armeman, and Vulgate, 
have# ἐκκλησία, the Church. Every assembly of God’s 
people was a Church; the aggregate of these assem- 
blies was THe Cuurcn. The word εἰρηνην, which 
we translate rest, and which literally signifies peace, 
evidently means, in this place, prosperity ; and in this 
sense both it and the Hebrew 0)w shalom are re- 
peatedly used. But what was the cause of this rest 
or success 2 Some say, the conversion of Saul, who 
before made havoe of the Church; but this is not 
likely, as he could not be a universal cause of perse- 
cution and distress, however active and virulent he 


Christian Church. Besides his own persecution, re- 
lated above, shows that the opposition to the Gospel 
continued with considerable virulence three years 
after his conversion ; therefore it was not Saul’s ceas- 
ing to be a persecutor that gave this rest to the 
Churches. Dr. Lardner, with a greater show of 
probability, maintains that this rest was owing to the 
following circumstance : Soon after Caligula’s aeces- 
sion to the imperial dignity, the Jews at Alexandria 
suffered very much from the Egyptians in that city ; 
and at length their oratories were all destroyed. In 
the third year of Caligula, A. D. 39, Petronius, who 
was made president of Syria in the place of Vitellius, 
was sent by the emperor to set up his statue in the 
temple at Jerusalem. This was a thunder-stroke to 
the Jews, and so occupied them that they had no time 
to think of any thing else; apprehending that their 
temple must be defiled, and the national religion de- 
stroyed, or themselves run the risk of being extermi- 
nated if they rebelled against the imperial decree. 

The account given by Josephus will set this in a 
clear point of view. ‘Caligula sent Petronius to go 
with an army to Jerusalem, to set up his statues in 
the temple, enjoining him if the Jews opposed it, to 
put to death all that made resistance, and to make all 
the rest of the nation slaves. Petronius therefore 
marched from Antioch into Judea, with three legions, 
and a large body of auxiliaries raised in Syria. All 
were hereupon filled with consternation, the army being 
come as far as Ptolemais. The Jews, then, gathering 
together, went to the plain near Ptolemais, and en- 
treated Petronius in the first place for their laws, in 
the next place for themselves. Petronius was moved 
with their solicitations, and, leaving his army and the 
statues, went into Galilee, and called an assembly of 
the heads of the Jews at Tiberias; and, having ex- 
horted them without effect to submit to the emperor’s 
orders, said, ‘ Will ye then fight against Cesar? 
They answered that they offered up sacrifices twice 
every day for the emperor and the Roman people ; 
but that if he would set up the images, he ought first 
of all to sacrifice the whole Jewish nation; and that 
they were ready to submit themselves, their wives and 
children, to the slaughter.” Philo gives a similar ae- 
count of this transaction. See Lardner’s Credibility, 
Works, vol. i. p. 97, &e. 

It appears, therefore, that, as these transactions 
took place about the time mentioned in the text, their 
persecution from the Romans diverted them from per 


might have been during the time of his enmity to the | secuting the Christians; and THEN had the Churches 


754 


zona) 


Peter comes to Lydda, 


A.M. cir. 4041. ς 2 
“Mi. cir. {041,32 Ἵ And it came to pass, as 


An. ya: Peter passed * throughout all 
εἶν. CCIV. 1. 
quarters, he came down also to 
the saints which dwelt at Lydda. 
33 And there he found a certain man named 


* Chap. viii. 14. 


rest throughout all Judea and Galilee, and Samaria ; 
the terror occasioned by the imperial decree having 
spread itself through all those places. 

Were edified] Οἰκοδομουμεναι, A metaphor taken 
from a building. 1. The ground is marked out; 2. 
the ichnograph, or dimensions of the building, ascer- 
tained; 3. the foundation is digged; 4. the founda- 
tion stone laid; 5. the walls builded up with course 
upon course; 6. the top-stone brought on; 7. the 
roof raised, and the whole covered in; and, 8. the 
interior part fitted up and adorned, and rendered con- 
venient for the intended inhabitant. This figure fre- 
quently occurs in the sacred writings, especially in the 
New Testament. It has its reason in the original 
ereation of man: God made the first human being as 

: shrine or temple, in which himself might dwell. 
Sin entered, and the heavenly building was destroyed. 
The materials, however, though all dislocated, and 
covered with rubbish and every way defiled, yet exist ; 
no essential power or faculty of the soul having been 
lost. The work of redemption consists in building up 
this house as it was in the beginning, and rendering 
it a proper habitation for God. The various powers, 
faculties, and passions, are all to be purified and re- 
fined by the power of the Holy Spirit, and order and 
harmony restored to the whole soul. All this is beau- 
tifully pointed out by St. Peter, 1 Epist. chap. ii. 4, 5: 
To whom (Jesus Christ) coming as unto a LIVING 
sToNE, chosen of God and precious, ye also, as LIVING 
STONES, are BUILT UP a spiritual HOUSE, a holy priest- 
hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God by Jesus 
Christ. And St. Paul, who, from his own profession 
as a tent-maker, could best seize on the metaphor, and 
press it into this spiritual service, goes through the 
whole figure at large, in the following inimitable words: 
Ye are the πουβεηοι of God, and are BuiLT upon 
he rounpation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus 
Christ himself being the chief conneR-STONE, in whom 
all the BUILDING, FITLY FRAMED together, groweth 
unto @ HOLY TEMPLE in the Lord: in whom ye also 
are BUILDED together for a HABITATION of God, through 
the Spirit, Eph. ii. 19-22.  Ldification signifies, 
therefore, an increase in the light, life, and power of 
God; being founded on the doctrine of Christ crucifi- 
ed; having the soul purified from all unrighteousness, 
and fitted, by increasing holiness, to be a permanent 
residence for the ever-blessed God. 

Walking in the fear of the Lord] Keeping a con- 
tinually tender conscience ; abhorting all sin; having 
respect to every Divine precept; dreading to offend 
him from whom the soul has derived its being and its 
blessings. Without this salutary fear of God there 
never can be any circumspect walking. 

In the comfort of the Holy Ghost} In a conscious- 


ness of their acceptance and union with God, through | 


1 


CHAP. IX. 


and heals Eneas 


j A. M. cir. 4041 

Eneas, which had kept ΗΝ ian re Dect ΠΗ 
i r i An. : 
eight years, and was sick of the ae ae 

palsy. 


34 And Peter said unto him, Eneas, ! Jesus 
Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make 


1Chap. 111. 6, 16; iv. 10. 


his Spirit, by which solid peace and happiness are 
brought into the soul; the truly religious man knowing 
and feeling that he is of God, by the Spirit which is 
given him: nothing less can be implied in the comfort 
of the Holy Ghost. 

Were multiplied.| No wonder that the Church of 
God increased, when such lights as these shone among 
men. This is a short, but full and forcible descrip- 
tion of the righteousness, purity, and happiness of the 
primitive Church. 

Verse 32. As Peter passed throughout all quarters] 
Ava πάντων, Bp. Pearce thinks, should be translated, 
not through all quarters, but through all the saints.— 
The Churches having rest, the apostles made use of 
this interval of quiet to visit the different congrega- 
tions, in order to build them up on their most holy 
faith. Of Saul we hear no more till chap. xi. 30, 
which is supposed to be about five years after this time; 
eight in all from his conversion. Peter, it seems, had 
continued in Jerusalem all the time that the Churches 
were in a state of persecution throughout the whole 
land. Great as he was, he never evidenced that sleady 
determinate courage by which St. Paul was so emi- 
nently distinguished; nor did he ever suffer half so 
much for God and his truth. 

To the saints] The Jews, who had been converted 
to Christianity. 

Which dwelt at Lydda.] A town in the tribe of 
Ephraim, almost on the border of Judea, and nigh 
unto Joppa: it was about ten leagues from Jerusalem, 
and was afterwards known by the name of Diospelis, 
or the city of Jupiter. 

Verse 33. A certain man named Encas] This 
name has been celebrated in the annals of heathen 
poetry, in that beautiful work of the poet Virgil, called 
the “ποῖά; which gives an account of the misfor- 
tunes, travels, wars, &c., of a Trojan prince of this 
name, after the destruction of his native city, Troy. 
On the difference of names which so frequently occurs 
in some parts of the Scriptures, Calmet makes the fol- 
lowing judicious remarks : As both Greek and Hebrew, 
or Syriac, were commonly spoken in Palestine, most 
persons had tivo names, one Greek and the other He- 
brew. Thus Peter was called Cephus in Hebrew, and 
Petros in Greek. Paul was called Saul in Hebrew, 
and Paulos in Greek. The person in ver. 36, Tabi- 
tha in Hebrew, and Dorcas in Greek. And the para- 
lytic person cured by Peter, Hananiah in Hebrew, 
and Aineas in Greek. So Thomas was the Hebrew 
name of the apostle who in Greek was called Di- 
dymus. 

Had kept his bed eight years} This was occasioned 
by a palsy ; and now inveterate and hopeless, through 
its long standing. 

Verse 34. Jesus Christ maketh thee whole] Not 

755 


Account of the character, 


A. Μ. cir. 4041. i Ξ 
ΕΟ Ὁ thy bed. And he arose imme 
An. Olymp. diately. 


cir, CCIV.1- 45. ‘And all that dwelt in Lydda 


and ™ Saron saw him, and " turned to the Lord. 
36 Ἵ Now there was at Joppa a certain dis- 
ciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation 


THE ACTS. 


and death of Dorcas 


is called ° Dorcas: this woman 4,™. cir. 4041, 
A. Ὁ. cir. 37. 
was full ?of good works and ἀπ. Olymp. 
almsdeeds which she did. Se BONAR 
37 And it came to pass in those days, that 
she was sick, and died: whom when they had 
washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. 


m] Chron. v. 16. 


0 Chap. xi. 21. 


© Or, Doe, or Roe. 


Peter, for he had no power but what was given him 
from above. And, as an instrument, any man could 
heal with this power as well as Peter; but God chose 
to put honour upon those primitive preachers of his 
word, that men might see that they were commission- 
ed from heaven. 

Arise, and make thy bed.] Give now full proof 


h] Tim. ii. 10; Tit. iii, 8——4 Chap. 1. 13. 


because of sin, though the spirit be life because of 
righteousness. 

Whom when they had washed] Waving the fullest 
proof that she was dead, they prepared for her inter 
ment. In most nations of the world it was customary 
to wash their dead before they buried them, and before 
they laid them out to lie in state, as Homer tells us 


that Jesus Christ was made thee whole, by arising, | was the case with the body of Patroclus :— 


and by making thy bed. He was at home, and there- 
fore was not commanded, as the paralytic person, to 
take up his bed; but he was ordered to make it— 
strew it afresh, that all might see that the cure was 
perfect. 

Verse 35. All that dwelt in Lydda and Saron saw 
him] Saron was that champaign country that lay be- 
tween Joppa and Lydda. The long affliction of this 
man had been well known; and his cure, consequently, 
became a subject of general examination : it was found 
to be real. It was known to have been performed by 
the grace and mercy of Christ; and the consequence 
of all this conviction was that all these people became 
Christians. 

Verse 36. Now there was at Joppa] This was a 
sea-port town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 
about a day’s journey from Jerusalem. It is supposed 
to be the same which is called in the Old Testament 
Japho, which belonged to the tribe of Dan, Josh. xix. 
46. It is at present called Jaffa, and is still a place 
of considerable note. 

A certain disciple named Tabitha] This word is 


more properly Syriac than Hebrew. ἰδ. tebitho 
is the word in the Syriac version, and is their manner 
of writing the Hebrew °3¥ tsebi; the 0 teth being 
changed for the ¥ tsaddi. The word 2 adic, and 
the feminine [2a tabitho, have the same meaning 
as the Hebrew 3 ν ¢sebi and the Greek Aopxac, Dor- 
cas, and signify the gazel or antelope; and it is still 
customary in the east to give the names of beautiful 
animals to young women. ‘The comparison of fine 
eyes to those of the antelope is continually occurring 
in the writings of the Arabic and Persian poets. The 
person in the text probably had her name in the same 
way. She was very beautiful, and was therefore called 
Tabitha and Dorcas. 

This woman was full of good works] She spent 
her life in acts of kindness and charity. Her soul was 
full of love to God and man; and her whole time was 
filled wp with works of piety and mercy. 

Verse 37. She was sick, and died] Even her ho- 
liness and usefulness could not prevent her from sick- 
ness and death. Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt 
return, is a decree that must be fulfilled, even on the 
saints; for the body is dead, sentenced to death, 

756 


Ὡς εἰπων, ἑταροισιν εκεκλετο διος Αχιλλευς, 

Αμφι πυρι ςησαι τριποδα μεγαν, obpa Taxica 

Πάτροκλον Aovoecav— 

Και τοτὲ δὴ λουσαν τε, και ηλειψαν λιπ᾽ ελαιῳ- - 
Tliad xvii. 343. 


So saying, he bade his train surround with fire 
A tripod huge, that they might quickly cleanse 
Patroclus from all stains of clotted gore. 
They on the blazing hearth a tripod placed, 
Infused the water, thrust dry wood beneath, 
And soon the flames, encompassing around 
Its ample belly, warm’d the flood within. 
Soon as the water in the singing brass 
Simmer’d, they dathed him, and with limpid oil 
Anointed. 

They stretch’d him on his bed, then cover’d him 
From head to feet with linen texture light, 
And with a wide unsullied mantle last.”—Cowprr. 


The waking or watching of the dead was also prac 
tised among the ancient Greeks, as we learn from a 
preceding paragraph, where Achilles, addressing his 
dead friend Patroclus, tells him :— 

Toopa de μοι Tapa vyvat κορωνισι κείισεαι αὑτως" 
Auge de ce Tpwar καὶ Aapdavidec βαθυκολποι 
Κλαυσονται, νυκτας Te καιἡματα δακρυχεουσαι 
Il. xviii. 338. 
“ Mean time, among 

My lofty galleys thou shalt lie, with tears 

Mourn’d day and night, by Trojan captives fair 

And Dardan, compassing thy bier around.” 

Cowper. 


A similar description is given by Virgil of the fune 
ral obsequies of Misenus, Aineid vi. ver. 212. 


Nec minus interea Misenum in littore Teucri 
Flebant, et cineri ingrato suprema ferebant. 


* * * * ᾿Ξ * * * 


Pars calidos latices et aéna undantia flammis 
Expediunt, corpusque lavant frigentis et ungunl 
Fit cemitus: tum membra toro defleta reponunt, 
Purpureasque super vestes, velamina nota, 
Conjiciunt, ὅτ. 

“ Meanwhile, the Trojan troops, with weeping eyes, 
To dead Misenus pay his obsequies. 

1 


Peter restores Dorcas to life. 


38 And forasmuch as Lydda 
was nigh to Joppa, and the 
disciples had heard that Peter 
was there, they sent unto him two men, desir- 
ing him that he would not "delay to come to 
them. 

39 Then Peter arose and went with them. 
When he was come, they brought him into 
the upper chamber: and all the widows stood 
by him weeping, and showing the coats and 
garments which Dorcas made, while she was 
with them. 


A. M. 
A.D. 
An. Olymp. 

cir. ccly 1 


cir, 4041. 
. cir. 37. 


ἃ Mark 


* Or, be grieved —— Matt. ix. 25,——t Chap. vii. 60. 


First from the ground a lofty pile they rear 

Of pitch-trees, oaks, and pines, and unctuous fir : 

The fabric’s front with cypress twigs they strew ; 

And stick the sides with boughs of baleful yew ; 

The topmost part his glitt’ring arms adorn : 

Warm waters then, in brazen cauldrons borne, 

Are μοι ἃ to wash his body, joint by joint ; 

And fragrant oils the stiffen’d limbs anoint. 

With groans and cries Misenus they deplore. 

Then on a bier with purple cover’d o’er 

The breathless body, thus bewail’d, they lay.” 

Drypex 

These rites, in many respects, resemble those still 
ased among the native Irish. See the account of the 
funeral ceremonies of the Egyptians, in the notes on 
Gen. chap. 1. 3. The primitive Christians washed 
the bodies of their dead, not only out of decency and 
affectionate respect to them, but as a token of their firm 
belief in the resurrection of the dead. 

Verse 38. Sent unto him—desiring—that he would 
not delay to come} ‘Tabitha died at Joppa, and Peter 
was at Lydda, about four leagues distant. But why 
did they send for Peter? We cannot tell. It is not 
likely that they had any expectation that he should 
raise her from the dead ; for none of the apostles had 
as yet raised any; and if God did not choose to re- 
store Stephen to life, this favour could not be reason- 
ably expected in behalf of inferior persons. However, 
they might hope that he who cured Eneas at Lydda 
might cure Dorcas; for it is probable that they had 
sent for Peter before she died; and in this sense we 
might understand the ἀπεςείλαν of the text. 

Verse 39. Showing the coats and garments] Xitwvac 
καὶ ἱματια, the outer and inner garments. These, it 
appears, she had made for the poor, and more parti- 
eularly for poor widows, in whose behalf she had 
incessantly laboured. 

Verse 40. Peter put them all forth, and kneeled 
down and prayed] It was not even known to Peter 
that God would work this miracle: therefore he put 
all the people out, that he might seek the will of God 
by fervent prayer, and during his supplications be liable 
neither to distraction nor interruption, which he must 
have experienced had he permitted this company of 
weeping widows to remain in the chamber. 

And turning—to the body] Sapa, The lifeless body, 
for the spirit had already departed. 

1 


CHAP. IX. 


Many believe in consequence 


40 But Peter *put them all 4,™, cir. 4041 
SD RCIN, 37. 
forth, and tkneeled down, and An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIV. 1. 


prayed ; and turning him to the 
body "said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened 
her eyes ; and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 

41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted hei 
up, and when he had called the saints and 
widows, he presented her alive. 

42 And it was known throughout all Joppa ; 
Y and many believed in the Lord. 

43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many 
days in Joppa, with one τ Simon a tanner. 


ν. 41, 42; John xi. 43. ¥ John xi. 45; xii. 11—w Ch. x. 6. 


Said, Tabitha, arise.| During his wrestling with 
God, he had, undoubtedly, received confidence that she 
would be raised at his word. 

And when she saw Peter, she sat up.| As Dorcas 
was a woman so eminently holy, her happy soul had 
doubtless gone to the paradise of God. Must she 
not therefore be filled with regret to find herself thus 
called back to earth again? And must not the remem- 
brance of the glories she had now lost fill her with dis- 
like to all the goods of earth? No: for, 1. As a saint 
of God, her Maker’s will must be hers; because she 
knew that this wild must be ever dest. 2. It is very 
likely that, in the case of the revivescence of saint or 
sinner, God mercifully draws a veil over all they have 
seen or known, so that they have no recollection of 
what they have either seen or heard. Even St. Paul 
found it impossible to tell what he had heard in the 
third heaven, though he was probably not in the state 
of the dead. Of the economy of the invisible world 
God will reveal nothing. We walk here by faith, and 
not by sight. 

Verse 41. Saimts and widows] In primitive times 
the widows formed a distinct part of the Christian 
Church. 

Verse 42. Many believed in the Lord.| That is, 
in Christ Jesus, in whose name and through whose 
power they understood this miracle to be wrought. 
This miracle, as well as that at Lydda, was not only 
the mean of strengthening the faith of the disciples, 
and gaining credit to the cause of Christianity, but also 
of bringing many sincere converts to the Lord, so that 
the Church was thereby both duilded up and multiplied 


Verse 43. He tarried many days in Joppa] Taking 
advantage of the good impression made on the people’s 
minds by the miracle, he preached to them the great 
truths of Christianity, and thus established them in the 
faith. 

Simon a tanner.| Whether the original word 
Bupceve signifies a tanner or a currier, is of little con- 
sequence. The person who dealt in the hides, whether 
of clean or unclean animals, could not be in high repute 
among the Jews. Even in Joppa, the trade appears 
to have been reputed unclean; and therefore this Si- 
mon had his house by the sea side. See chap. x. 6. 
Of the trade itself the Talmudists speak with great 
contempt; they reckon it among Jlemishes. See proofs 
in Schoettgen. 

"57 


Observations on the 


1. Tuus terminates what has not been improperly 
called the first period of the Christian Church, which 
began at the day of pentecost, chap. ii., and continued 
to the resurrection of Dorcas; a period of about ezght 
years. During the whole of this time the Gospel was 
preached to the Jews only, no Gentile being called be- 
fore Cornelius, the account of whose conversion, and 
the Divine vision that led to it, are detailed in the fol- 
lowing chapter. Salvation was of the Jews: theirs 
were the fathers, the covenants, and the promises, and 
from them came Christ Jesus; and it was right that 
they should have the first offer of a salvation which, 
while it was alight to lighten the Gentiles, was to be 
the glory of the Israelitish people. When they utterly 
rejected it, then the apostles turned unto the Gentiles. 
Among them the Christian Church was founded; and 
thus the reprobates became the elect, and the elect 
became reprobates. Reader! behold the goodness and 
severity of God! Towards them that fell, severity ; 
but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his 
goodness ; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off, Rom. xi. 
22. Thou canst only stand by faith; and be not high- 
minded, but fear. Nothing less than Christ dwelling 
in thy heart by faith can save thy soul unto eternal life. 

2. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is one of the 
most remarkable facts recorded in the history of the 
Christian Church. When we consider the man; the 
manner in which he was brought to the knowledge of 
the truth; the wmpression made on his own mind and 
heart by the vision he had on his way to Damascus, 
and the effect produced in all his subsequent life, we 
have a series of the most convincing evidences of the 
truth of the Christian religion. In this light he ever 
viewed the subject himself; the manner of his conver- 
sion he ever appealed to, as the most proper apology 
for his conduct; and, on several most important occa- 
sions, he not only refers to it, but enters into a detail 
of its cireumstances, that his hearers might see that the 
excellency of the power was of Gop and not of man. 

Saul of Tarsus was not a man of a light, fickle, and 
uncultivated mind. His natural powers were vast, his 
character the most decided, and his education, as we 
learn from his historian, and from his writings, was at 
once both liberal and profound. He was born and 
brought up in a city which enjoyed every privilege 
of which Rome itself could boast, and was a success- 
ful rival both of Rome and Athens in arts and science. 
Though a Jew, it is evident that his education was not 
confined to matters that concerned his own people and 
country alone. He had read the best Greek writers, 
as his style, allusions, and quotations sufficiently prove ; 
and, in matters which concern his own religion, he was 
instructed by Gamaliel, one of the most celebrated doc- 
tors the synagogue had ever produced. He was evi- 
dently master of the three great languages which were 
spoken among the only people who deserved the name 
of nations—the Hebrew, and its prevailing dialect, the 
Chaldaio-Syriac ; the Greek, and the Latin ; languages 
which, notwithstanding all the cultivation through which 
the earth has passed, maintain their rank, which is a 
most decisive superiority over all the languages of the 
universe. Was it likely that such a man, possessing 
such a mind, cultivated to such an extent, could have 
been imposed on or deceived? The circumstances of 

758 


THE ACTS. 


conversion of St. Paul. 


his conversion forbid the supposition: they do more; 
they render it zmpossible. One consideration on this 
subject will prove that imposture in this ease was im- 
possible : he had no communication with Christians ; 
the men that accompanied him to Damascus were of 
his own mind—virulent, determined enemies to the 
very name of Christ ; and his conversion took place in 
the open day, on the open road, in company only with 
such men as the persecuting high priest and Sanhedrin 
thought proper to be employed in the extermination of 
Christianity. In such circumstances, and in such com- 
pany, no cheat could be practised. But was not he the 
deceiver 2 The supposition is absurd and monstrous, for 
this simple reason, that there was no motive that could 
prompt him to feign what he was not; and no end that 
could be answered by assuming the profession of Chris- 
tianity. Christianity had in it such principles as must 
expose it to the hatred of Greece, Rome, and Judea. 
It exposed the absurdity and folly of Grecian and Ro- 
man superstition and idolatry, and asserted itself to be 
the completion, end, and perfection of the whole Mosaic 
economy. It was therefore hated by all those nations, 
and its followers despised, detested, and persecuted. 
From the profession of such a religion, so cireum- 
stanced, could any man, who possessed even the most 
moderate share of common sense, expect secular emo- 
lument or advantage? No! Had not this apostle of 
the Gentiles the fullest conviction of the truth of Chris- 
tianity, the fullest proof of its heavenly influence on his 
own soul, the brightest prospect of the reality and 
blessedness of the spiritual world, he could not have 
taken one step in the path which the doctrine of Christ 
pointed out. Add to this, that he lived long after his 
conversion, saw Christianity and its influence in every 
point of view, and tried it in all circumstances. What 
was the result? The deepest conviction of its truth ; so 
that he counted all things dross and dung in compari- 
son of the excellency of its knowledge. Had he con- 
tinued a Jew he would have infallibly risen to the first 
dignities and honours of his nation; but he willingly 
forfeited all his secular privileges and well grounded 
expectations of secular honour and emolument, and 
espoused a cause from which he could not only have 
no expectation of worldly advantage, but which, most 
evidently and necessarily, exposed him to all sorts of 
privations, sufferings, hardships, dangers, and death 
itself! These were not only the unavoidable conse- 
quences of the cause he espoused; but he had them 
fully in his apprehension and constantly in his eye. 
He predicted them, and knew that every step he 
took was a progressive advance in additional suffer- 
ings, and the issue of his journey must be a violent 
death ! 

The whole history of St. Paul proves him to be one 
of the greatest of men; and his conduct after he be- 
came a Christian, had it not sprung from a Divine 
motive, of the truth of which he had the fullest con- 
viction, would have shown him to be one of the weakest 
of men. The conclusion therefore is self-evident, that 
in St. Paul’s call there could be no imposture, that in 
his own mind there could be no deception, that his 
conversion was from heaven, and the religion he pro- 
fessed and taught, the infallible and eternal truth of 
Jehovah. In this full conviction he counted not his 

1 


Account of Cornelius, 


life dear unto him, but finished his rugged race with 
joy, cheerfully giving up his life for the testimony of 
Jesus; and thus his luminous sun set in dlood, to rise 
again in glory. The conversion of St. Paul is the 
triumph of Christianity ; his writings, the fullest exhi- 
oition and defence of its doctrines; and his life and 
death, a glorious illustration of its principles. Armed 


CHAP. X. 


a Roman centurion. 


with the history of Paul’s conversion and life, the 
feeblest believer needs not fear the most powerful infi- 
del. The ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles 
will ever remain an inexpugnable fortress to defend 
Christianity and defeat its enemies. Reader, hath 
not God so done his marvellous works that they may 
be had in everlasting remembrance ? 


CHAPTER X. 


An angel appears to Cornelius, a centurion, and directs him to send to Joppa, for Peter, to instruct him m 


the way of salvation, 1-6. He sends accordingly, 7, 8. 
Peter has a remarkable vision, by which he is taught how he should treat the Gentiles, 9-16. 
sengers arrive at the house of Simon the tanner, and deliver their message, 17-22. 


While the messengers are on their way to Joppa, 
The mes- 
They lodge there 


that night, and on the morrow Peter accompanies them to Caesarea, where they find Cornelius and his friends 


assembled, waiting the coming of Peter, 23, 24. 


Peter makes an apology for his coming, and inquires 
Sor what purpose Cornelius had sent for him, 25-29. 
unto him Jesus, as the Saviour of the world, and the Judge of quick and dead, 34-43. 


Cornelius answers, 30-33. And Peter preaches 


While he speaks. 


the Holy Ghost descends on Cornelius and his company ; and they speak with new tongues, and magnify 


God, 44-46. 

A.M. cir. 4045. i i 
ene cia TPHERE was a certain man in 
An. Olymp. Cesarea called Cornelius, a 
cir. CCV. 1. 


centurion of the band called the 
Italian band, 


2Ver. 22: chap. viii. 2; xxii. 12. 


NOTES ON CHAP. X. 

I have already observed (see the conclusion ef the 
preceding chapter) that hitherto the apostles confined 
their labours among the Jews and circumcised prose- 
lytes, not making any offer of salvation to the Gentiles ; 
for they had fully imbibed the opinion that none could 
enter into the kingdom of God, and be finally saved, 
unless they were circumcised, and became obedient to 
the law of Moses. ‘This prejudice would have ope- 
rated so as finally to prevent them from preaching the 
Gospel to the Gentiles, had not God, by a particular 
interposition of his merey and goodness, convinced 
Peter, and through him all the other apostles, that he 
had accepted the Gentiles as well as the Jews, and 
would put no difference between the one and the other, 
purifying their hearts by faith, and giving the Gentiles 
the Holy Ghost, as he had before given it to the Jews. 
The means which he used to produce this conviction 
in the minds of the apostles are detailed at length in 
the following chapter. 

Verse 1. There was a certain man in Caesarea] This 
was Cesarea of Palestine, called also Strato’s Tower, 
as has been already noted, and the residence of the 
Roman procurator. 

A centurion] Ἕ κατονταρχης, The chief or captain of 
100 men, as both the Greek and Latin words imply. 
How the Roman armies were formed, divided, and 
‘narshalled, see in the notes on Matt. xx. A centurion 
among the Romans was about the same rank as a 
eaplain among us. 

The band called the Italian band] The word 
σπεῖρα, which we translate band, signifies the same as 
cohort or regiment, which sometimes consisted of 555 
infantry, and 66 cavalry; but the cohors prima, or 
first cohort, consisted of 1105 infantry, and 132 ca- 
] 


Peter commands them to be baptized in the name of the Lord, 47, 48. 


2 * A devout man, and one that Ἀ- Μ' οἷν 4045. 
> feared God with all his house, An. Olymp. 
᾿ cir. CCY. 1. 
which gave much alms to the ————— 
people, and prayed to God alway. 


> Verse 35. 


valry, in the time of Vegetius. But the cavalry are 
not to be considered as part of the cohort, but rather a 
company joined to it. A Roman /egion consisted of ten 
cohorts ; the first of which surpassed all the others, 
both in numbers and in dignity. When in former 
times the Roman legion contained 6000, each cohort 
consisted of 600, and was divided into three manipuli ; 
but both the legions and cohorts were afterwards 
various in the numbers they contained. As there 
were doubtless many Syrian auailiaries, the regiment 
in question was distinguished from them as consisting 
of Italian, i. 6. Roman, soldiers. The Italian cohort 
is not unknown among the Roman writers: Gruler 
gives an inscription, which was found in the Forum 
Sempronii, on a fine table of marble, nine feet long, 
four feet broad, and four inches thick; on which are 
the following words :— 


L. MAESIO. L. F. POL 

RVFO. PROC. AVG. 

TRIB. MIL. LEG. X. 

APPOLLINARIS. TRIB. 

con. min. ITALIC. vorunr. 

QVAE. EST. IN. SYRIA. PRAEF. 
FABRVM. BIS. 


See Gruter’s Inscriptions, p. cecexxxiii—iy. 


This was probably the same cohort as that men- 
tioned here by St. Luke ; for the ¢enth legion men- 
tioned in the above inscription was certainly in Judea, 
A. Ὁ. 69. Tacitus also mentions the Jtalica legio, 
the Italic legion, lib. i. 6. 59, which Junius Blesus 
had under his command in the province of Lyons. We 
| learn, from the Roman historians, that the fifth, tenth, 
land fifteenth legions were stationed in Judea; and the 
third, fourth, sixth, and twelfth in Syria. The Italic 

759 


THE 


Cornelius is directed 


A. M. cir. 4045. 3 ¢ He saw in a vision evi- 
A. D. cir. 41. ᾿ 
An. Olymp. dently, about the ninth hour of 


ir, CCV. 1. { 
Bees the day, an angel of God coming 


in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, 
and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto 


© Ver. 30; chap. xi. 13. 


ACTS. to send for Peter 

i i A.M. cir. 4045 
him, Thy prayers and thine alms! "eee 
are come up for a memorial be- An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 1. 


fore God. eee das Oe 
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for 
one Simon, whose surname is Peter : 
6 He lodgeth with one ἃ Simon a tanner, 


4 Chap. ix. 43. 


legion was in the battle of Bedriacum, fought, A. D. 
69, between the troops of Vitellius and Otho ; and per- 
formed essential services to the Vitellian army. See 
Tacitus, Hist. lib. ii. cap. 41. The issue of this 
battle was the defeat of the Othonians, on which 
Otho slew himself, and the empire was confirmed to 
Vitellius. 

Wherever he sees it necessary, St. Luke carefully 
gives dates and facts, to which any might have re- 
course who might be disposed to doubt his state- 
ments: we have had several proofs of this in his Gos- 
pel. See especially chap. i. 1, &c., and iii. 1, &c., 
and the notes there. 

Verse 2. A devout man] EvceBye, from ev, well, and 
σεβομαι, I worship. A person who worships the true 
God, and is no zdolater. 

One that feared God] Φοβουμενος tov Θεον, One 
who was acquainted with the true God, by means of 
his word and laws; who respected these laws, and 
would not dare to offend his Maker and his Judge. 
This is necessarily implied in the fear of God. 

With all his house| He took eare to instruct his 
family in the knowledge which he himself had re- 
ceived; and to establish the worship of God in his 
house. 

Gave much alms] His love to God led him to love 
men; and this love proved its sincerity by acts of 
beneficence and charity. 

Prayed to God alway.) Felt himself a dependent 
creature ; knew he had no good but what he had 
received; and considered God to be the fountain 
whence he was to derive all his blessings. He prayed 
to God alway ; was ever in the spirit of prayer, and 
frequently in the act. What an excellent character 
is this! And yet the man was a Gentile! He was 
what a Jew would repute common and unclean: see 
ver. 28. He was, therefore, not circumcised ; but, as 
he worshipped the true God, without any idolatrous 
mixtures, and was in good report among all the nation 
of the Jews, he was undoubtedly what was called a 
proselyte of the gate, though not a proselyte of justice, 
because he had not entered into the bond of the cove- 
nant by circumcision. This was a proper person, 
being so much of a Jew and so much of a Gentile, to 
farm the connecting link between both people ; and 
God chose him that the salvation of the Jews might 
with as little observation as possible be transmitted to 
the Gentiles. 
whom the door of faith was opened to the heathen 
world, was a proof of the wisdom and goodness of 
God. The man who was chosen to this honour was 
not a profligate Gentile ; nor yet a circumcised prose- 
lyte. He was a Gentile, amiable and pure in his 
manners ; and, for his piety and charitableness, held 

760 


The choice of such a person, through | 


in high estimation among all the nation of the Jews. 
Against such a person they could not, with any grace, 
be envious, though God should pour out upon hzm the 
gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse 3. He saw in a vision evidently] The text 
is as plain as it can be, that an angel of God did appear 
to Cornelius. This was in a vision, i. 6. a superna- 
twral representation ; and it was φανερως, manifestly, 
evidently made; and at such a time too as precluded 
the possibility of his being asleep; for it was about 
the ninth hour of the day, answering to our three 
o’clock in the afternoon, (see note on chap. iii. 1,) the 
time of public prayer, according to the custom of the 
Jews, and while Peter was engaged in that sacred 
duty. The angelic appearance to Cornelius was some- 
thing similar to that made to Daniel, chap. ix. 20-23, 
and that especially to Zachariah, the father of John 
Baptist, Luke i. 11, &c. 

Verse 4. Thy prayers and thine alms are come up 
for a memorial] Being all performed in simplicity 
and godly sincerity, they were acceptable to the Most 
High. 

Come up for a memorial: This form of speech is 
evidently borrowed from the sacrificial system of the 
Jews. Pious and sincere prayers are high in God’s 
estimation ; and therefore are said to ascend to him, 
as the smoke and flame of the burnt-offering appeared 
to ascend to heaven. 

These prayers and alms came up for a memorial 
before God: this is a manifest allusion to the meat- 
offering, which, in Ley. ii. 16, is said to be WIN 
azkerah, a memorial, (speaking after the manner of 
men,) to put God in remembrance that such a person 
was his worshipper, and needed his protection and 
help. So the prayers and alms of Cornelius ascended 
before God as an acceptable sacrifice, and were re- 
corded in the kingdom of heaven, that the answers 
might be given in their due season. 

Verse 6. Simon a tanner] See the note on chap. 
ix. 43. 

What thou oughtest to do.| From this it appears 
that matters of great moment had oceupied the mind 
of Cornelius. He was not satisfied with the state of 
his own soul, nor with the degree he possessed of 
religious knowledge ; and he set apart a particular 
time for extraordinary fasting and prayer, that God 
might farther reveal to him the knowledge of his will. 
Perhaps he had heard of Jesus, and had been per- 
plexed with the different opinions that prevailed con- 
cerning him, and now prayed to God that he might 
know what part he should take; and the answer to 
this prayer is, “* Send to Joppa for Simon Peter, he 
shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” This clause 
so explanatory, is wanting in almost every MS. and 

ἢ 


Peter is instructed by 


A. Μ. cir. 4045. 
A. ge 4]. 
An. mp. 
cir. cev. lL 


whose house is by the sea side : 
*he shall tell thee what thou 
oughtest to do. 

7 And when the angel which spake unto 
Cornelius was departed, he called two of his 
household servants, and a devout soldier of 
them that waited on him continually ; 

8 And when he had declared all these things 
unto them, he sent them to Joppa. 

9 Ἵ On the morrow, as they went on their 
journey, and drew nigh unto the city, ‘ Peter 
went up upon the house-top to pray about the 
sixth hour : 


© Chap. xi. 14——f Chap. xi. 5, &c. 


Griesbach and some others have left 
But see chap. xi. 14, where it 


version of note. 
it out of the text. 
stands in substance. 

Verse 7. And a devout soldier] It has alreaay veen 
remarked that Cornelius had taken care to instruct his 
family in Divine things; and it appears also that he 
had been attentive to the spiritual interests of his regi- 
ment. We do not find that it was then, even among 
the Romans, considered a disgrace for a military officer 
to teach his men lessons of morality, and piety towards 
God, whatever it may be in some Christian countries 
in the present time. 

Verse 8. He sent them to Joppa.] It has been pro- 
perly remarked, that from Joppa, Jonah was sent to 
preach to the Gentiles of Nineveh; and from the same 
place Peter was sent to preach the Gospel to the Gen- 
tiles at Cesarea. 

Verse 9. On the morrow, as they went on their 
journey| From Joppa to Cesarea was about twelve 
or fifteen leagues ; the messengers could not have left 
the house of Cornelius till about two hours before sun- 
set; therefore, they must have travelled a part of the 
night, in order to arrive at Joppa the next day, towards 
noon.—Calmet. Cornelius sent two of his household 
servants, by way of respect to Peter; probably the so/- 
dier was intended for their defence, as the roads in 
Judea were by no means safe. 

Peter went up upon the house-top to pray] It has 
often been remarked that the houses in Judea were 
builded with flat roofs, on which people walked, con- 
versed, meditated, prayed, &c. The house-top was 
the place of retirement; and thither Peter went for 
the purpose of praying to God. In Bengal, some of 
the rich Hindoos have a room on the top of the house, 
in which they perform worship daily. 

Verse 10. He became very hungry] It seems that 
this happened about dinner-time; for it appears that 
they were making ready, παρασκευαζοντων, dressing the 
victuals for the family. The dinner among the an- 
cients was a very slight meal; and they had no break- 
fast: their supper was their principal meal. And, in 
very ancient times, they ate only once in the day. 
Supper was the meal at which they saw their friends, 
the business of the day being then finished. 

He fell into a trance) Exerecev ex’ αὐτὸν excacic, An 

1 


CHAP. X. 


a remarkable vision. 


A. M. cir. 4045. 
10 And he became very hungry, Dine at 
and would have eaten: but while An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 1. 


they made ready, he fell into a 
trance, 

11 5 And saw heaven opened, and a certain 
vessel descending unto him, as it had been a 
great sheet knit at the four corners, and let 
down to the earth: 

12 Wherein were all manner of four-footed 
beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creep- 
ing things, and fowls of the air. 

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, 
Peter; kill, and eat. 


© Chap. vii. 56; Rev. xix. 11. 


ecstasy fell upon him. A person may be said to be 
in an ecstasy when transported with joy or admiration, 
so that he is insensible to every object but that on which 
he is engaged. Peter’s ecstasy is easily accounted 
for: he went up to the house-iop τὸ pray: at first he 
felt keen hunger; but, being earnestly engaged with 
God, all natural appetites became absorbed in the in- 
tense application of his soul to his Maker. While 
every passion and appetite was under this Divine in- 
fluence, and the soul, without let or hinderance, freely 
conversing with God, then the visionary and symbolical 
representation mentioned here took place. 

Verse 11. And saw heaven opened] His mind now 
entirely spiritualized, and absorbed in heavenly con- 
templation, was capable of discoveries of the spiritual 
world; a world which, with its πλήρωμα, or plenitude 
of inhabitants, surrounds us at all times; but which we 
are incapable of seeing through the dense medium of 
flesh and blood, and their necessarily concomitant 
earthly passions. Much, however, of such a world and 
its economy may be apprehended by him who is puri- 
fied from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and who 
has perfected holiness in the fear of God. But this is 
a subject to which the enthusiast in vain attempts to 
ascend. The turbulent working of his imagination, 
and the gross earthly crudities which he wishes to ob- 
trude on the world as revelations from God, afford a 
sufficient refutation of their own blasphemous pre- 
tensions. 

A great sheet, knit at the four corners] Perhaps in- 
tended to be an emblem of the universe, and its various 
nations, to the four corners of which the Gospel was 
to extend, and to offer its blessings to all the inhabit- 
ants, without distinction of nation, &c. 

Verse 12. All manner of four-footed beasts, &c.} 
Every species of guadrupeds, whether wild or domestic ; 
all reptiles, and all fowls. Consequently, both the 
clean and unclean were present in this visionary repre- 
sentation: those that the Jewish law allowed to be 
sacrificed to God, or proper for food ; as well as those 
which that law had prohibited in both cases: such as 
the deasts that do not chew the cud; fish which have 
no scales ; fowls of prey, and such others as are spe- 
cified in Lev. xi., where see the notes. 

Verse 13. Rise, Peter; kill and eat.] θΘυσον και 

761 


THE 


The servants of Cornelius 


ἈΠΆΙΡΙοΙΣ ἀρ. 14 ButePeter said, Not so, 
An. Olymp. Lord; "for I have never eaten 
cir. CCV. 1 : : 

any thing that is common or 
unclean. 


15 And the voice spake unto him again the 
second time, ' What God hath cleansed, that 
call not thou common. 

16 This was done thrice: and the vessel 
was received up again into heaven. 

17 § Now while Peter doubted in himself 
what this vision which he had seen should 
mean, behold, the men which were sent from 


ACTS. come to Peter at Joppa. 

: ἜΣ" A. Μ. εἶν. 4045. 
ΟΕΒΒΒΗΜΕ had made inquiry for ty oa 
Simon’s house, and stood before An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 1. 


the gate, pe th Se 

18 And called, and asked whether Simon, 
which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. 

19 While Peter thought on the vision, * the 
Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek 
thee. 

20 ! Arise therefore, and get thee down, and 
go with them, doubting nothing: for I have 
sent them. 

21 Then Peter went down to the men 


hLeviticus xi. 4; xx. 25; Deuteronomy xiv. 3, 7; Ezekiel 
iv. 14. 


iMatt. xv. 11; ver. 28; Rom. xiv. 14,17, 20; 1 Cor. x.25; 1 Tim. 
iv. 4; Tit. 1. 15— Chap. xi. 12—! Chap. xv. 7. 


gaye, Sacrifice and eat. Though this verb is sometimes 
used to signify the slaying of animals for food, yet, as 
the proper notion is to slay for the purpose of sacrifice, 
it appears to me to be better to preserve that meaning 
here. Animals that were offered in sacrifice were 
considered as given to God; and, when he received 
the life, the flesh was given to those who offered the 
sacrifice, that they might feed upon it; and every sa- 
crifice had in it the nature of a covenant; and cove- 
nants were usually made by eating together on the flesh 
of the sacrifice offered on the occasion, God being 
supposed to be invisibly present with them, and par- 
taking of the feast. The Jews and Gentiles are cer- 
tainly represented by the clean and unclean animals in 
this large vessel: these, by the ministry of the Gospel, 
were to be offered up a spiritual sacrifice to God. 
Peter was to be a prime instrument in this work ; he 
was to offer them to God, and rejoice in the work of 
his hands. The spirit of the heavenly direction seems 
to be this: “ The middle wall of partition is now to be 
pulled down; the Jews and Gentiles are called to be- 
come one flock, under one shepherd and bishop of souls. 
Thou, Peter, shalt open the door of faith to the Gen- 
tiles, and be also the minister of the circumcision. 
Rise up; already a blessed sacrifice is prepared: go 
and offer it to God; and let thy soul feed on the fruits 
of his mercy and goodness, in thus showing his gracious 
design of saving both Jews and Gentiles by Christ 
erucified.” 

Verse 14. Common or unclean.] By common, κοινοῦ, 
whatever was in general use among the Gentiles is to 
be understood ; by ἀκαθαρτον, unclean, every thing that 
was forbidden by the Mosaic law. However, the one 
word may be considered as explanatory of the other. 
The rabbins themselves, and many of the primitive fa- 
thers, believed that by the wnclean animals forbidden 
by the law the Gentiles were meant. 

Verse 15. What God hath cleansed] God, who 
made at first the distinction between Jews and Gen- 
tiles, has a right to remove it, whenever and by what- 
ever means he pleases: he, therefore, who made the 
distinction, for wise purposes, between the clean and 
the unclean, now pronounces all to be clean. He had 
authority to do the first; he has authority to do the 
last God has purposed that the Gentiles shall have 

762 


the Gospel preached to them: what he therefore has 
cleansed, “ that call not thou common.” 

Verse 16. This was done thrice] For the greater 
certainty, and to make the deeper impression on the 
apostle’s mind. 

And the vessel was received up again into heaven.} 
Both Jews and Gentiles came equally from God; and 
to him, doth, by the preaching of the Gospel, shall 
again return. 

Verse 17. While Peter doubted—the men—stood 
before the gate] In all this we find an admirable dis- 
play of the economy of Providence. Cornelius prays, 
and has a vision which prepares him to receive instruc- 
tion from Peter: Peter prays, and has a vision which 
prepares and disposes him to give instruction to Cor- 
nelius. While he is in doubts and perplexity what the 
full meaning of the vision might be, the messengers, 
who had been despatched under the guidance of an 
especial Providence, came to the door; and the Holy 
Spirit gives him information that his doubts should be 
all cleared up by accompanying the men who were now 
inquiring for him. How exactly does every thing in 
the conduct of Providence occur; and how completely 
is every thing adapted to time, place, and occasion! 
All is in weight, measure, and number. Those simple 
occurrences which men snatch at, and press into the 
service of their own wishes, and call them providential 
openings, may, indeed, be links of a providential chain, 
in reference to some other matter; but unless they he 
found to speak the same language in all their paris, 
oceurrence corresponding with occurrence, they are 
not to be construed as indications of the Divine will in 
reference to the claimants. Many persons, through 
these misapprehensions, miscarrying, have been led to 
charge God foolishly for the unsuccessful issue of some 
business in which their passions, not his providence, 
prompted them to engage. 

Verse 21. Which were sent unto him from Corne- 
lius| This clause is wanting in almost every MS. of 
worth, and in almost all the versions. 

Behold, I am he whom ye seek| A sudden, unex- 
pected speech, like the address of Aineas to Dido; 
when the cloud in which he was involved sud- 
denly dissipated, and he appeared with the excla- 
mation, 


1 


Peter accompanies 


A.M cir. 401. which were sent unto him from 
a Bene. Cornelius ; and said, Behold, I 
am he whom ye seek: what zs 

the cause wherefore ye are come? 

22 And they said, ™ Cornelius the centurion, 
a just man, and one that feareth God, and 
“of good report among all the nation of the 
Jews, was warned from God by a holy angel, 
to send for thee into his house, and to hear 
words of thee. 

23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. 
And on the morrow Peter went away with 
them, ° and certain brethren from Joppa accom- 
panied him. 

24 And the morrow after they entered into 
Cesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, 
and had called together his kinsmen and near 
friends. 


™ Ver. 1, 2, &c. «Chap. xxii. 12. © Ver. 45; chap. xi. 12. 
PChap. xiv. 14,15; Rev. xix. 10; xxii. ’9. 


coram, quem queritis, adsum! 
Ain. lib. i. 595. 

What is the cause wherefore ye are come?) He 
still did not know the full import of the vision; but 
being informed by the Holy Spirit that three men 
were seeking him, and that he should go with them, 
without scruple, he instantly obeyed; and finding 
them at the door, desired to know why they sought him. 

Verse 22. Cornelius the centurion, §c.] They gave 
him the simple relation which they had received from 
their master. For the character of Cornelius, see the 
comment on verse 2. 

To hear words of thee.| But of what kind they 
could not as yet tell. 

Verse 23. Then called he them in, &c.] They had 
already walked a long journey in a short time, and 
needed refreshment; and it was thought expedient 
they should rest that night with Simon the tanner. 

Certain brethren fram Joppa| They were six in 
number, as we learn from chap. xi. 12. It was ne- 
eessary that there should be several witnesses of the 
important transactions which were about to take place ; 
as on no slight evidence would even the converted 
Jews believe that repentance unto life, and the Holy 
Spirit, should be granted to the Gentiles. 

Verse 24. His kinsmen and near friends.| Svyye- 
vetc, His relatives, and ἀναγκαίους φίλους, his necessary 
friends ; but the Syriac makes ἀναγκαίους an epithet 
as well as συγγενεῖς, and thus the passage may be read, 
his kinsmen, his domestics, and his friends. It appears 
that he had collected the whole circle of his intimate 
acquaintance, that they also might profit by a revelation 
which he expected to come immediately from heaven ; 
and these amounted to many persons: see ver. 27. 

Verse 25. Fell down at his feet, and worshipped 
him.] As Peter’s coming was announced by an angel, 
Cornelius might have supposed that Peter himself was 
an angel, and of a superior order; seeing he came to 
announce what the first angel was not employed to| 

1 


CHAP. X. 


them to Caesarea 


25 9 And as Peter was 4.M. cir. 4045. 
: , 7 " A. D. cir. 41. 
coming in, Cornelius met him, An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 1. 


and fell down at his feet, and 
worshipped him. 

26 But Peter took him up, saying, ? Stand 
up; I myself also am a man. 

27 And as he talked with him, he went in, 
and found many that were come together. 

28 And he said unto them, Ye know how 
4 that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is 
a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of 
another nation; but *God hath showed me 
that I should not call any man common or 
unclean. 

29 Therefore came I unto you without gain- 
saying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask there- 
fore, for what intent ye have sent for me ? 

30 And Cornelius said, Four day s ago I was 


4 John iv. 9; XViii. 28; cae xi. 3; Gal. ii. 12, 14—* Chap. 
xv. 8, 9 3 Eph. li. 6. 


declare: it was, probably, in ~ consequence of this 
thought that he prostrated himself before Peter, offer- 
ing him the highest act of civil respect; for there was 
nothing in the act, as performed by Cornelius, which 
belonged to the worship of the true God. Prostra- 
tions to superiors were common in all Asiatic coun- 
tries. The Coder Beze, and the later Syriac in the 
margin reads this verse differently from all other MSS. 
and versions ; thus, But as Peter drew nigh to Cesa- 
rea, one of the servants ran before, and told that he 
was come: then Cornelius leaped up, and met him, 
and, falling at his feet, he worshipped him. This is 
a very remarkable addition, and relates circumstances 
that we may naturally suppose did actually take place. 

Verse 26. I myself also am a man.] “I am not an 
angel; I am come to you simply, on the part of God, 
to deliver to you the doctrine of eternal life.” 

Verse 27. And as he talked with him] Cornelius 
had met Peter at some short distance from his house, 
and they conversed together till they went in. 

Verse 28. Ye know how that it is an unlawful 
thing, &c.] He addressed the whole company. among 
whom, it appears, there were persons well acquainted 
with Jewish customs; probably some of them were 
Jewish proselytes. 

But God hath showed me, &c.| He now began to 
understand the import of the vision which he saw at 
Joppa. A Gentile is not to be avoided because he is 
a Gentile ; God is now taking down the partition wall 
which separated them from the Jews. 

Verse 29. I ask—for what intent ye have sent for 
me 3] Peter had been informed of this by the servants 
of Cornelius, ver. 22; but, as all the company might 
not have been informed of the circumstances, he, as it 
were, invites him to tell his story afresh, that his 
friends, &c., might be the better prepared to receive 
the truth, which he was about to dispense, in obedi- 
ence to his Divine commission. 

Verse 30. Four days ago I was fasting until this 

763 


THE 


Cornelius relates his 


A, M cir. 4045. fasting until this hour ; and at the 
An. Oiymmp. ninth hour I prayed in my house, 
ir. CCV. 1 


and, behold, *a man stood before 
me ‘im bright clothing, 

31 And said, Cornelius, "thy prayer is 
heard, ἡ and thine alms are had in remembrance 
in the sight of God. 

32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither 
Simon, whose surname is Peter ; he is lodged 
in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea 
side; who, when he cometh, shall speak unto 
thee. 


ACTS. 


vision to Peter 


1 A.M. cir. 4045 
A. D. cir. 41. 
An. Oye 
cir. CCV. 1 


33 Immediately therefore 
sent to thee ; and thou hast well 
done that thou art come. Now 
therefore are we all here present before God, 
to hear all things that are commanded thee 
of God. 

34 9 Then Peter opened his mouth, and 
said, ἡ Of a truth I perceive that God is no 
respecter of persons : 

35 But *in every nation, he that feareth 
him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted 
with him. 


5 Chap. i. 10.— Matt. xxviii. 3; Mark xvi.5; Luke xxiv. 4. 
"Ver. 4, &c.; Dan. x. 12. v Heb. vi. 10. Ww Deut. x. 17; 
2 Chron. xix.7; Job xxxiv. 19; Rom.ii.11; Gal.ii.6; Eph. vi. 


9; Col. iii. 25; 1 Pet. i. 17. x Chap. xv.9; Rom. ii. 13, o7; 
iit, 22, 29; x. 12, 13; 1 Cor. xii. 13; Gal. 111. 28; Eph. i. 13, 
18; 111. 6. 


hour] It was then about three o’clock in the afternoon ; 
and it appears that Cornelius had continued his fasts 
from three o’clock the preceding day to three o’clock 
the day following; not that he had fasted four days 
together, as some suppose, for even if he did fast four 
days consecutively, he ate one meal on each day. 
It is however necessary to remark that the word v7- 
cevor, fasting, is wanting in ABC, one other; the 
Coptic, Hihiopic, Armeman, and Vulgate; but it has 
not been omitted in any edition of the Greek Testa- 
ment. 

Verse 31. Thy prayer is heard] See the note on 
ver. 4. Cornelius prayed, fasted, and gave alms. It 
was in this way he looked for salvation; not to pur- 
chase it: a thought of this kind does not appear to 
have entered into his mind ; but these were the means 
he used to get his soul brought to the knowledge of 
the truth. The reader must recollect that in the case 
of Cornelius there was no open vision; he used the 
light and power which God had already given; and 
behold how mightily God increased his gifts! He 
that hath, i. e., that uses what he has, shall receive ; 
and no man can expect any increase of light or life, 
who does not improve the grace already given. 

Verse 33. Are we all here present before God] 
Instead of before Gop, the Codex Beze, Syriac, 
AEthiopic, Armenian, and Vulgate, read before THEE. 
The people were all waiting for the preacher, and 
every heart was filled with expectation; they waited 
as before God, from whose messenger they were about 
to hear the words of life. 

Verse 34. God is no respecter of persons] He does 
not esteem a Jew, because he is a Jew; nor does he 
detest a Gentile because he is a Gentile. It was a 
fong and deeply rooted opinion among the Jews, that 
God never would extend his favour to the Gentiles ; 
and that the descendants of Jacob only should enjoy 
nis peculiar favour and benediction. Of this opinion 
was St. Peter, previously to the heavenly vision men- 
tioned in this chapter. He was now convinced that 
God was no respecter of persons; that as all must 
stand before his judgment seat, to be judged according 
to the deeds done in the body, so no one nation, or 
people, or individual, could expect to find a more fa- 
vourable decision than another who was precisely in 

764 


the same moral state; for the phrase, respect of per- 
sons, is used in reference to unjust decisions in a court 
of justice, where, through favour, or interest, or bribe, 
a culprit is acquitted, and a righteous or innocent per- 
son condemned. See Lev. xix. 15; Deut. i. 16, 17, 
and xvi. 19. And as there is no iniquity (decisions 
contrary to equity) with God, so he could not shut out 
the pious prayers, sincere fasting, and benevolent 
alms-giving of Cornelius; because the very spring 
whence they proceeded was his own grace and mercy. 
Therefore he could not receive even a Jew into his 
favour (in preference to such a person) who had either 
abused his grace, or made a less godly use of it than 
this Gentile had done. 

Verse 35. Butlin every nation he that feareth him, 
ἄτα. Inevery nation he who, according to his light and 
privileges, fears God, worships him alone, (for this is 
the true meaning of the word,) and worketh righteous- 
ness, abstains from all evil, gives to all their due, in- 
jures neither the body, soul, nor reputation of his 
neighbour, 7s accepted with him. It is not therefore 
the nation, kindred, profession, mode or form of wor- 
ship, that the just God regards; but the character, 
the state of heart, and the moral deportment. For 
what are professions, &c., in the sight of that God 
who trieth spirits, and by whom actions are weighed ! 
He looks for the grace he has given, the advantages 
he has afforded, and the improvement of all these 
Let it be observed farther, that no man can be accept- 
ed with this just God who does not live up to the ad- 
vantages of the stale in which providence has placed 
him. Why was Cornelius accepted with God while 
thousands of his countrymen were passed by? Be 
cause he did not receive the grace of God in vain; 
he watched, fasted, prayed, and gave alms, which they 
did not. Had he not done so, would he have been 
accepted? Certainly not; because it would then 
appear that he had received the grace of God in vain, 
and had not been a worker together with him. Many 
irreligious men, in order to get rid of the duties and 
obligations of Christianity, quote this verse in their 
own favour, while they reject all the Gospel besides ; 
and roundly assert, as they think on the authority of 
this text, that they need neither believe in Jesus Christ, 


attend to his Gospel, nor use his ordinances ; for, if 
1 


Peter preaches to Cornelius 


A.M. cir, 4045. 86. The word which God sent 

An. Olymp. unto the children of Israel, 
ae. Y preaching peace by Jesus Christ: 
(the is Lord of all :) 


37 That word, I say, ye know, which was 


¥ Isa. lvii. 19; Eph. ii. 14, 16, 17; Col. i. 20.——* Matt. xxviii. 
18; Rom. x. 12; 1 Cor. xv.27; Eph. i. 20, 22; 1 Pet. iii. 22; 


they fear God and work righteousness, they shall be 
infallibly accepted with him. Let such know that if 
they had been born and still were living in a land 
where the light of the Gospel had never shone, and 
were there conscientiously following the glimmering 
ray of celestial light which God had granted, they 
might, with some show of reason, speak in this way ; 
but, as they are born and live under the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, God, the just Judge, will require that 
they fear him, and work righteousness, AccorDING to 
the Licut afforded by that very GospeL. ‘The sinceri- 
ty, watching, praying, fasting, and alms-giving of Cor- 
nelius will not be sufficient for them who, as it may 
be justly said, live in splendours of Christianity. In 
such a state, God requires that a man shall love him 
with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; and his 
neighbour as himself. In the face of such a requisi- 
tion as this, how will the poor heathen virtue of one 
born in the pale of Christianity appear? And if God 
requires all this, will not a man need all the grace 
that has been brought to light by the revelation of 
Jesus Christ to enable him to do it? 

Verse 36. The word which God sent, &c.] Few 
verses in the New Testament have perplexed critics 
and divines more than this. The ancient copyists 
seem also to have been puzzled with it; as the great 
variety in the different MSS. sufficiently proves. A 
foreign critic makes a good sense by connecting this 
with the preceding verse, thus: In every nation he 
that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted 
with him, according to that doctrine which God sent 
unto the children of Israel, by which he published 
peace (i. e. reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles) 
by Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all; and, because 
Lord of ail, both of Jews and Gentiles, therefore he 
must be impartial; and, because impartial, or no re- 
specter of persons, therefore, in every nation, whether 
Judea, Greece, or Italy, he that feareth God, and 
worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 

I believe τὸν Aoyov, the word, in this verse, should 
be translated, that doctrine ; and probably ῥημα, which 
we translate that word in verse 37, should be omitted, 
as it is in the Codex Beze, and its Παῖα version; and 
if ὁν. which is in verse 36, be even left out, as it is in 
ABC, Coptic and Vulgate, the whole may be literally 
read thus: As to the doctrine sent to the children of 
Israel, preaching the glad tidings of peace (ευαγγελι- 
ζομενος etpnvnv) by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all, ye 
know what was done (το yevouevov) through all Judea, 
beginning after the baptism which John preached. 
Jesus, who was from Nazareth, whom God anointed 
with the Holy Ghost, and with mighty power (δυναμει) 
went about doing good, and healing all that were 
tyrannically oppressed (xaraduvacevouevouc) by the devil, 

1 


CHAP. Χ. 


and his company. 


A. M. cir. 4045. 
A. D. cir. 41. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 1. 


published throughout all Judea, 
and “began from Galilee, after 
the baptism which John preached; ——————. 

38 How » God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 
with the Holy Ghost and with power: who 


Rey. xvii. 14; xix. 16—+ Luke iv. 14. —» Luke iv. 18; chap. 
ii. 22; iv. 27; Heb. i. 9. 


for God was with him. Critics have proposed a great 
variety of modes by which they suppose these verses 
may be rendered intelligible; and the learned reader 
may see many in Wolfius, Kypke, Rosenmiiller, and 
others. Kypke contends that the word Kvpioc, Lord, 
is to be understood adjectively, and ought to be refer- 
red to Aoyoc, and the 36th verse will then stand thus : 
The word which he sent to the children of Israel, 
preaching peace by Jesus Christ, that word has autho- 
rity over all. This amounts nearly to the same sense 
with the expositions given above ; and all proclaim this 
truth, which the apostle laboured to establish, namely, 
that God intended the salvation of all men by Jesus 
Christ ; and therefore proclaimed reconciliation to all, 
by him who is Lord, maker, preserver, redeemer, and 
judge of all. And of this the apostle was now more 
convinced by the late vision; and his mission from him 
who is Lord of all to Cornelius, a heathen, was a full 
illustration of the heavenly truth; for the very meet- 
ing of Peter, once a prejudiced Jew, and Cornelius 
once an unenlightened Gentile, was a sort of first fruits 
of this general reconciliation, and a proof that Jesus 
was Lorp of ALL. 

Verse 37. That word—ye know] This account of 
Jesus of Nazareth ye cannot be unacquainted with ; 
because it has been proclaimed throughout all Judea 
and Galilee, from the time that John began to preach. 
Ye have heard how he was anointed with the Holy 
Ghost, and of the miracles which he performed ; how 
he went about doing good, and healing all kinds of 
demoniacs and, by these mighty and beneficent acts, 
giving the fullest proof that God was with him. This 
was the exordium of Peter’s discourse; and thus he 
begins, from what they knew, to teach them what they 
did not know. 

St. Peter does not intimate that any miracle was 
wrought by Christ previously to his being baptized by 
John. Beginning at Galilee. Let us review the 
mode of Christ’s manifestation. 1. After he had been 
baptized by John, he went into tl > desert, and remain- 
ed there forty days. 2. He then returned to the Bap- 
tist, who was exercising his ministry at that time at 
Bethany or Bethabara ; and there he made certain dis- 
ciples, viz., Andrew, Bartholomew, Peter, and Philip. 
3. Thence he went to the marriage at Cana, in Ga- 
lilee, where he wrought his first miracle. 4. And 
afterwards he went to Capernaum in the same coun- 
try, by the sea of Galilee, where he wrought many 
others. This was the manner in which Christ mani- 
fested himself; and these are the facts of which Peter 
presumes they had a perfect knowledge, because they 
had been for a long time notorious through all the land. 

Verse 38. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth] Here 
the apostle refers to Christ as the promised Messiah ; 

765 


Peter proclaims the death 


A. M.cir. 4045. 1, j Ξ 
‘a Dew. 41. Went about doing good, and heal 
An. Olymp. ing all that were oppressed of 


ir. CCV. 1. - Ξ 4 
a the devil; © for God was with him. 


39 And “we are witnesses of all things 
which he did both in the land of the Jews, and 
in Jerusalem; * whom they slew and hanged 
on a tree: 

40 Him ‘ God raised up the third day, and 
showed him openly ; 

41 δ Not to all the people, but unto witnesses 


THE ACTS. 


and resurrection of Christ 


chosen before of God, even to us, A: M. cir. 4045 
a ἧ Σ i a A. Ὁ. cir. 41. 
who did eat and drink with him An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV..1. 


after he rose from the dead. 

42 And ‘he commanded us to preach unto 
the people, and to testify * that it is he which 
was ordained of God to be the Judge of 1 quick 
and dead. 

43 ™'To him give all the prophets witness, that 
through his name, ® whosoever believeth in him 
shall receive remission of sins. 


= John iii. 2. 4 Chap. ii. 32. © Chap. v. 30. £ Chap. ii. 
24. £ John xiv. 17, 22; chap. xii. 31—— Luke xxiv. 30, 43; 
John xxi. 13. iMatt. xxvii. 19, 20; chap. i. 8—* John v. 
22, 27; chap. xvii. 31. 


1 Rom. xiv. 9, 19; 2 Cor. v. 10; 2 Tim. iv. 1; 1 Pet. iv. 5. 
m Isa. liti.11; Jer. xxxi. 34; Dan. ix. 24; Mic. vii. 18; Zech. 
xiii. 1; Mal. iv. 2; chap. xxvi. 22. Chap. xv. 9; xxvi. 18; 
Rom. x. 11; Gal. iii. 22. 


for, as Messiah signifies the anointed one, and Christ 
has the same signification in Greek, and the Messiah, 
according to the prophets, and the expectation of the 
Jews, was to work miracles, Peter proclaims Jesus as 
the Messiah, and refers to the miracles which he 
wrought as the proof of it. This delicate, but for- 
cible allusion is lost by most readers. 

Verse 39. We are witnesses of all] In this speech 
St. Peter may refer, not only to the twelve apostles, 
but to the six brethren whom he had brought with him. 

Whom they slew] As the truth of the resurrection 
must depend on the reality of the death of Christ, it 
was necessary that this should be stated, and shown 
to rest on the most indubitable evidence. 

Verse 40. Him God raised up the third day] He 
lay long enough under the power of death to prove that 
he was dead; and not too long, lest it should be sup- 
posed that his disciples had time sufficient to have 
practised some deceit or imposture ; and, to prevent 
this, the Jews took care to have the tomb well guard- 
ed during the whole time which he lay there. 

Verse 41. Not to all the people] In the order of 
Divine providence, the public were to be no longer 
instructed by Jesus Christ personally ; but it was ne- 
cessary that those who were to preach redemption in 
his name should be thoroughly furnished to this good 
and great work ; therefore, the time he spent on earth, 
after his resurrection, was devoted to the instruction 
of his disciples. 

Witnesses chosen before of God] That is, God 
chose such men to attest this fact as were every way 
best qualified to give evidence on the subject ; per- 
sons who were always to be found; who might at all 
times be: confronted with those, if any such should offer 
themselves, who could pretend to prove that there was 
any imposture in this case; and persons who, from 
the very circumstances in which they were placed, 
must appear to have an absolute conviction of the truth 
of all they attested. The first preachers of the Gos- 
pel must be the witnesses of its facts; and these first 
preachers musi be put in such circumstances as to de- 
monstrate, not only that they had no secular end in 
view, nor indeed could have any, but also that they 
should be able to evince that they had the fullest con- 
viction of the reality of the eternal world, and of their 
Master’s existence in glory there; as they carried their 
lives continually in their hands, and regarded them not, 

aah 


so that they might fulfil the ministry which they had 
received from their Lord, and finish their course with 
joy- 

But why was not Christ, after his resurrection, 
shown to all the people? 1. Because it was impossible 
that such a thing could be done without mob and tumult. 
Let it only be announced, “ Here is the man who was 
dead three days, and who is risen from the dead !”— 
what confusion would be the consequence of such an 
exposure! Some would say, This is he; others, He 
is like him; and so on; and the valid testimony must 
be lost in the confusion of the multitude. 2. God 
chose such witnesses whose testimony should be un- 
impeachable; the men who knew him best, and who 
by their depositions in proof of the fact should evidently 
risk their lives. And, 3. as multitudes are never called 
to witness any fact, but a few selected from the zest, 
whose knowledge is most accurate, and whase veracity 
is unquestionable, therefore, God showed not Christ 
risen from the dead to all the people, but to witnesses 
chosen by himself ; and they were such as perfectly 
knew him before, and who ate and drank with him 
after his resurrection, and consequently had the fullest 
proof and conviction of the truth of this fact. 

Verse 42. And he commanded us to preach] By 
thus assuring them that Jesus Christ was appointed to 
judge the world, he at once showed them the necessity 
of subjection to him, that they might stand in the day 
of his appearing. 

The Judge of quick and dead.) The word quick 
we retain from our ancient mother tongue, the Saxon 
cpican, to live, hence epic and cpica, life, and cpice, 
grass; and from this our quicks, quick-set hedges, 
fences made of living thorns, &e. By quick and dead 
we are to understand: 1. All that had lived from the 
foundation of the world till that time; and all that 
were then alive. 2. All that should be found alive at 
the day of judgment, as well as all that had died pre- 
viously. 

Verse 43. To him give all the prophets witness] 
See Isa. ix..6%5 lil..7; liti. 5,63; lix: 20; Jer. xxi 
34; Dan. ix. 24; Mic. vii. 18, &c.; and Zech. xiii. 
1. As Jesus Christ was the sum and substance of 
the law and the Mosaie dispensation, so all the pro- 
phets bore testimony, either directly or indtrectly, to 
him; and, indeed, without him and the salvation he 
has promised, there is scarcely any meaning in the 

1 


The Holy Ghost falls on the 


CHAP. X. 


Gentiles, and they are baptized 


. M. cir. 45. Ἷ } A. M. cir. 4048 

A. M- cir. 4045. 44 4 While Peter yet spake |and magnify God. Then answer- 4") οἷν. 1]. 
An. Olymp. these words, ° the Holy Ghost fell | ed Peter, An. Olymp. 
clr. 


on all them which heard the word. 
45 And they of the circumcision which 
believed were astonished, as many as came 
with Peter, ° because that on the Gentiles also 
was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, 


© Chap. ιν. 31; viii. 15, 16, 17; xi. 15——? Ver. 23.—4 Chap. 
xi. 18; Gal. ili. 14. 


Mosaic economy, nor in most of the allusions of the 
prophets. 

Remission of sins.] The phrase, agectg ἁμαρτιων, 
means simply the taking away of sins; and this does 
not refer to the guilt of sin merely, but also to its 
power, nature, and consequences. All that is implied 
in pardon of sin, destruction of its tyranny, and puri- 
fication from its pollution, is here intended ; and it is 
wrong to restrict such operations of mercy to pardon 
alone. 

Verse 44. While Peter yet spake] It is not very 
likely that the words recorded by St. Luke are all 
that the apostle spoke on this occasion; but, while he 
continued to discourse with them on this subject, the 
Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word ; and 
his descent was known by their being enabled to speak 
with different kinds of tongues. In what manner this 
gift was bestowed we cannot tell; probably it was in 
the same way in which it had been given on the day 
of pentecost ; for as they spake with tongues, which 
was the effect of the descent of the Spirit as flaming 
tongues on the heads of the disciples on the day of 
pentecost, it is very likely that the same appearance 
now took place. 

Verse 45. They of the circumcision—were asto- 
nished] Because it was a maxim with them that the 
Shechinah or Divine influence could not be revealed 
to any person who dwelt beyond the precincts of the 
promised land. Nor did any of them believe thet the 
Divine Spirit could be communicated to any Gentile. 
[τ is no wonder, therefore, that they were amazed when 
they saw the Spirit of God so liberally given as it was 
on this occasion. 

Verse 46. And magnify God.] They had got new 
τ hearts as well as new tongues; and, having believed 
with the heart unto righteousness, their tongues made 
confession unto salvation; and God was magnified for 
the merey which he had imparted. 

Verse 47. Can any man forbid water] These had 
evidently received the Holy Ghost, and consequently 
were become members of the mystical body of Christ ; 
and yet St. Peter requires that they shall receive bap- 
tism by water, that they might become members of the 
Christian Clurch. In other eases, they received bap- 
tism first, and the Spirit afterwards by the imposition 
of hands: see chap. xix. 4—6, where the disciples who 
had received only the baptism of John were baptized 
again with water in the name of the Lord Jesus ; and, 
after even this, the apostles prayed, and laid their 
nands on them, before they were made partakers of 

i 


ir. CCV. 1. 
47 Can any man forbid water, ree niall 


that these should not be baptized, which have 
received the Holy Ghost ‘as well as we? 

48 * And he commanded them to be baptized 
tin the name of the Lord. Then prayed they 
him to tarry certain days. 


τ Chap. xi. 17; xv. 8, 9; Rom. x. 12—*1 Cor. i. 17—t Chap. 
li. 38; vill. 16. 


the Holy Ghost. So we find that Jesus Christ had 
his water baptism as well as John; and that even he 
who gave the baptism of the Holy Ghost required the 
administration of water baptism also. Therefore the 
Laptism of the Spirit did not supersede the baptism by 
water ; nor indeed can it; as baptism, as well as the 
supper of our Lord, were intended, not only to be 
means of grace, but standing, irrefragable proofs of 
the truth of Christianity. 

Verse 48. To be baptized in the name of the Lord.) 
That is, inthe name of Jesus Christ; which implied 
their taking upon them the public profession of Chris- 
tianity, and believing on Christ Jesus as their Saviour 
and Sovereign ; for, as they were baptized in his name, 
they professed thereby to be his disciples and followers. 

Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.) They 
felt the necessity of farther instruction, and prayed hitn 
to continue his ministry a little longer among them ; 
and to this he no doubt consented. This was, pro- 
perly speaking, the commencement of the Christian 
Church, as composed of Jews and Gentiles, partaking 
of the same baptism, united under the same Head, made 
partakers of the same Spirit, and associated in the 
same aggregate body. Now was the middle wall of 
partition broken down, and the Gentiles admitted to 
the same privileges with the Jews. 


1. Gop is wonderful in all his works, whether they 
be works of creation, providence, or grace. Every 
thing proclaims his power, his wisdom, and his good- 
ness. Every where we learn this truth, which is in- 
dispensably necessary for all to know who desire to 
acknowledge God in all their ways, that “there is no- 
thing which concerns their present or eternal welfare 
in which God does not interest himself.” We often, 
to our great spiritual detriment, lose sight of this truth, 
because we think that the masesty of God is too great 
to be occupied with those common occurrences by 
which we are often much affected, in things which 
relate, not only to our present, but also to our elernal 
interests. This is impossible; for God is our father, 
and, being every where present, he sees our state, and 
his eye affects his heart. 

2. Let the reader examine the chain of Providence 
(composed indeed of very minute links) brought to 
light ir the conversion of Cornelius, the instruction of 
Peter, and opening the door of faith to the Gentiles, 
and he will be convinced that “God has way every 
where, and that all things serve the purposes of his 
will.” We have already seen how particularly, both 

767 


Peter returns, and is accused 


by gracious and providential workings, God prepared 
the mind of Cornelius to receive instruction, and the 
mind of Peter to give it ; so that the receiver and giver 
were equally ready to be workers together with God. 
This is a general economy. He who feels his want 
may rest assured that, even then, God has made the 
necessary provisions for his supply ; and that the very 
sense of the want is a proof that the provision is al- 
ready made. Why then should we lose time in de- 
ploring wretchedness, for the removal of which God 
has made the necessary preparations ἢ Mourning over 
our miseries will never supply the lack of faith in 
Christ, and very seldom tends even to humble the 
heart. 

3. As the eye of God is ever upon us, he knows 
our ¢rials as well as our wants; and here, also, he 


THE ACTS. 


of having eaten with Gentiles 


makes the necessary provision for our support. We 
may be called to suffer, but his grace will be sufficient 
for us; and, as our troubles increase, so shall the 
means of our support. And even these trials and temp- 
tations will be pressed into our service, for all things 
work together for good to them that love God, Rom 
Vili. 28. 

4. We must beware neither to despise outward rites 
in religion, nor to rest in them. Most people do either 
the one or the other. God gives us cutward helps, 
because he knows we need them. But do we not 
sometimes imagine ourselves to be above that which, 
because of our scantiness of grace, is really above us? 
We certainly may over-rate ourselves, and under-rate 
God’s bounties. He who is taught by the Spirit of 
God will be saved from both. 


CHAPTER XI. 


Peter returns to Jerusalem, and 1s accused of having associated with the Gentiles, 1-3. 
self, by relating at large the whole business concerning Cornelius, 4-17. 


He defends him 
His defence is accepted, 


and the whole Church glorifies God for having granted unto the Gentiles repentance unto life, 18. An 
account of the proceedings of those who were scattered abroad by the persecution that was raised about 
Stephen; and how they had spread the Gospel among the circumcision, in Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch 


19-21. 
His character, 24. 
first called Curistians, 25, 26. 
reign of the Emperor Claudius, 27, 28. 
hands of Barnabas and Saul, 29, 30. 


Aue te” AND the apostles and breth- 
= am ren that were in Judea heard 
.-.  . that the Gentiles had also receiv- 
ed the word of God. 
2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusa- 
lem, * they that were of the circumcision con- 
tended with him, 


The Church at Jerusalem, hearing of this, sends Barnabas to confirm them in the faith, 22,23. 
He goes to Tarsus to seek Saul, whom he brings to Antioch, where the disciples are 
Certain prophets foretell the dearth which afterwards took place in the 
The disciples send relief to their poor brethren in Judea, by the 


: b τ A.M. cir. 4046 
3 Saying, Thou wentest inh} Py A 
to men uncircumcised, ὁ and didst An pegs 


eat with them. ἜΞΞΞΞΞΞ ΥΘΣ 
4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the 
beginning, and expounded zt “by order unto 
them, saying, 
5 51 was in the city of Joppa praying : and 


aChap. x. 45; Gal. 11. 12——» Chap. x. 28. © Gal. 11. 12. 
@ 


4 Luke i. 3. 


© Chap. x. 9, &c. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XI. 

Verse 1. And the apostles and brethren that were 
in Judea| According to Calmet, Judea is here put 
in opposition to Caesarea, which, though situated in 
Palestine, passed for a Greek city, being principally 
inhabited by Pagans, Greeks, or Syrians. 

Verse 2. Contended with him] A manifest proof 
this that the primitive Church at Jerusalem (and no 
Church can ever deserve this name but the Jerusalem 
Church) had no conception of St. Peter’s supremacy, 
or of his being prince of the apostles. He is now 
called to account for his conduct, which they judged 
to be reprehensible; and which they would not have 
attempted to do had they believed him to be Christ’s 
vicar upon earth, and the infallible Head of the Church. 
But this absurd dream is every where refuted in the 
New Testament. 

Verse 3. Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised | 
In a Jew, this was no small offence ; and, as they did 
not know the reason of St. Peter’s conduct, it is no 
wonder they should call him to account for it, as they 

768 


considered it to be a positive transgression of the law 
and custom of the Jews. There is a remarkable ad- 
dition here in the Codex Beze, which it will be well 
to notice. The second verse of the chapter begins 
thus :— 

Now Peter had a desire for a considerable time to 
go to Jerusalem: and having spoken to the brethren, 
and confirmed them, speaking largely, he taught them 
through the countries, (i. e. as he passed to Jerusalem,) 
and, as he met them, he spoke to them of the grace of 
God. But the brethren who were of the circumcision 
disputed with him, saying, &ce. 

Verse 4. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the 
beginning, and expounded it by order] E&eribero αὐτοῖς 
This is the very style of St. Luke: see his 
Gospel, chap. i. ver. 3. To remove their prejudice, 
and to give them the fullest reasons for his conduct, he 
thought it best to give them a simple relation of the 
whole affair; which he does, as we have seen in the 
preceding chapter, with a few additional circumstances 
here: see the notes before. 

1 


καθεξης. 


Peter defends his associating 


A. Magi 408 4046. in a trance I saw a vision, A cer- 
An. Olymp. tain vessel descending, as it had 
cir. CCV. 2 


been a great sheet, let down 
from heaven by four corners; and it came 
even to me: 

6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine 
eyes, I considered, and saw four-footed beasts 
of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping 
things, and fowls of the air. 

7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, 
Peter; slay and eat. 

8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing 
common or unclean hath at any time entered 
into my mouth. 

9 But the voice answered me again from 
heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not 
thou common. 

10 And this was done three times : 
were drawn up again into heaven. 

11 And, behold, immediately there were 
three men already come unto the house where 
I was, sent from Caesarea unto me. 

12 And ‘the Spirit bade me go with them, 
nothing doubting. Moreover, £ these six 


and all 


f John xvi. 13; ch. x. 19; xv.7.—# Ch.x. 23.—h Ch. x. 30.— Ch. 
ii. 4. «Matt. iii 11; John i. 26,33; chap. i.5; xix. 4. 


Verse 12. These six brethren] Probably pointing to 
them, being present, as proper persons to confirm the 
truth of what he was delivering. 

Verse 14. Thou and all thy house shall be saved.] 
This is an additional circumstance: before, it was 
said, chap. x. 6, Peter shall tell thee what thou oughtest 
to do; and, in ver. 33, who, when he cometh, shall speak 
unto thee. But, in Peter’s relation, the matter is more 
explicitly declared, he shall tell thee words whereby 
thou and thy house shall be saved. He shall announce 
to you all the doctrine of salvation. 

Verse 16. Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.) 
These words are very remarkable. The words of our 
Lord, as quoted chap. i. 5, to which St. Peter refers 
here, have been supposed by many to be referred to the 
apostles alone; but here it is evident that St. Peter 
believed they were a promise made to all Christians, 
i. 6. to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who should be- 
lieve on Jesus Christ. Therefore, when he saw that 
the Holy Ghost fell upon those Gentiles, he considered 
it a fulfilment of our Lord’s promise: ye, that is, all 
that will believe on me, shall be baptized with the Holy 
Ghost—not many days hence, i. 6. in a short time this 
Spirit shall be given, which is to abide with you for 
ever. Hence we learn that the promise of the Holy 
Spirit is given to the whole body of Christians—to all 
that believe on Christ as dying for their sins, and rising 
for their justification. 

Verse 17. God gave them the like gift, &c.] Viz. 
the Holy Spirit, and its various gifts and graces, in the 
same way and in the same measure in which he gave 

Vou. I ( 49 ) 


CHAP. XI. 


with uncircumcised Gentiles 


brethren accompanied me, and we 4;,M cir. 4046. 
entered into the man’s house. An. Olymp. 

13 And * he showed us how he "°° uae. 
had seen an angel in his house, which stood 
and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and 
call for Simon, whose surname is Peter ; 

14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou 
and all thy house shall be saved. 

15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost 
fell on them, ‘as on us at the beginning. 

16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, 
how that he said, * John indeed baptized with 
water; but !ye shall be baptized with the 
Holy Ghost. 

17 ™ Forasmuch then as God gave them the 
like gift as he did unto us, who believed on 
the Lord Jesus Christ: " what was I, that I 
could withstand God? 

18 When they heard these things, they held 
their peace, and glorified God, saying, ° Then 
hath God also to the Gentiles granted repent- 
ance unto life. 

19 4 » Now they which were scattered abroad 
upon the persecution that arose about Stephen 


1Jsa. xiv. 3; Joel ii. 28; iii. 18——™ Chap. xv. 8, 9" Ch. 
x. 47. © Rom. x. 12, 13; xv. 9, 16——P Chap. viii. 1. 


them to us Jews. What was I, that I could withstand 
God? It was not I who called them to salvation; it 
was God; and the thing is proved to be from God 
alone, for none other could dispense the Holy Spirit. 
Verse 18. They held their peace] Their prejudices 
were confounded ; they considered the subject, and saw 
that it was from God: then they glorified him, because 
they saw that he had granted unto the Gentiles re- 
pentance unto life. As the word μετανοία, which we 
translate repentance, signifies literally a change of mind, 
it may be here referred to a change of religious views, 
ἄς. And as repentance signifies a change of life and 
conduct, from evil to good, so the word peravoca may 
be used here to signify a change from a false religion 
to the true one; from idolatry, to the worship of the 
true God. Rosenmiiller thinks that, in several cases, 
where it is spoken of the Jews, it signifies their change 
from a contempt of the Messiah to reverence for him, 
and the consequent embracing of the Christian religion. 
The Christians who were present were all satisfied 
with St. Peter’s account and apology ; but it does not 
appear that all were ultimately satisfied, as we know 
there were serious disputes in the Church afterwards 
on this very subject: see chap. xv. 5, &c., where 
Christian believers, from among the Pharisees, insisted 
that it was necessary to circumcise the converted Gen- 
tiles, and cause them to keep the law of Moses. This 
opinion was carried much farther in the Church at Je- 
rusalem afterwards, as may be seen at large in chap. xxi. 
Verse 19. The persecution that arose about Stephen} 
That is, those who were obliged to flee from Jerusa- 
769 


The Gospel 15 preached in different 


A. M_ cir. 4046. travelled as far as Pheenice, and 

An. Olymp. Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching 
οἷν COV-2_ the word to none but unto the 
Jews only. 

20 And some of them were men of Cyprus 
and Cyrene, which, when they were come to 
Antioch, spake unto 4 the Grecians, preaching 
the Lord Jesus. 


21 And*the hand of the Lord was with 


aChap. vi. 1; ix. 29——* Luke i. 66; chap. il. 47. 


THE ACTS. 


places by other disciples 
them : and a great number believ- Α΄ δ. cir. 4047 
A. D. cir. 43. 

ed, and * turned unto the Lord. An. Olymp. 


22 § Then tidings of these eens 


things came unto the ears of the Church 
which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth 
‘Barnabas, that he should go as far as 
Antioch : 

23 Who, when he came, and had seen the 
grace of God, was glad, and “exhorted them 


5 Chap. ix. 35. 


τ Chap. ix. 27. 


u Chap. xiil. 43; xiv. 22. 


lem at the time of that persecution in which Stephen lost 
his life. See chap. vi. 1. 

Phenice| Phenicia, a country between Galilee and 
Syria, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in- 
cluding Tyre, Sidon, ὅθ. It is often mentioned as a 
part of Syria. See chap. xxi. 2, 3. 

Cyprus) An island of the Mediterranean Sea, over 
against Syria. See on chap. iv. 36. 

Antioch] A city of Syria, built by Antiochus Seleu- 
cus, near the river Orontes; at that time one of the 
most celebrated cities of the east. For the situation 
of all these, see the map accompanying this book. 

Unto the Jews only.| For they knew nothing of the 
vision of St. Peter; and did not believe that God would 
open the 47 of faith to the Gentiles. The next verse 
informs us that there were others who were better in- 
structed. See below. 

Verse 20. Men of—Cyrene] The metropolis of the 
Cyrenaica; a country of Africa, bounded on the east 
by Marmariea, on the west by the Regio Syrtica, on 
the north by the Mediterranean, and on the south by 
the Sahara. Cyrene is now called Cairoan. This city, 
according to Eusebius, was built in the 37th Olympiad, 
about 630 years before Christ. In consequence of a 
revolt of its inhabitants, it was destroyed by the Ro- 
mans; but they afterwards rebuilt it. It was for a 
long time subject to the Arads, but is now in the 
hands of the Turks. 

Spake unto the Grecians] ‘EAAnvicac, The Hellenists. 
Who these were, we have already seen, chap. vi. and 
ix. 29, viz. Jews living in Greek cities, and speaking 
the Greek language. But, instead of Ἕλληνιςας, Gre- 
clans, Ἕλληνας, Greeks, is the reading of AD*, Syriac, 
all the Arabic, Coptic, Aithiopic, Vulgate, some copies 
of the Itala, Eusebius, Chrysostom, Theophylact, and 
(Ecumenius. On this evidence, Griesbach has admit- 
ted it into the text; and few critics entertain any doubt 
of the genuineness of the reading. ‘This intimates that, 
besides preaching the Gospel to the Hellenistic Jews, 
some of them preached it to heathen Greeks ; for, were 
we to adopt the common reading, it would be a sort 
of actum agere; for it is certain that the Hellenistic 
Jews had already received the Gospel. See chap. 
vi. 1. And it is likely that these Cyprians and Cy- 
renians had heard of Peter’s mission to Caesarea; and 
they followed his example by offering the Christian 
faith to the heathen. It is worthy of remark that the 
Jews generally called all nations of the world Greeks ; 
as the Asiatics, to the present day, call all the nations 
of Europe Franks 

770 


Verse 21. The hand of the Lord was with them] 
By the hand, arm, and finger of God, in the Scripture, 
different displays or exertions of his power are intend- 
ed. Here it means that the energy of God accompa- 
nied them, and applied their preaching to the souls of 
all attentive hearers. Without this accompanying 
influence, even an apostle could do no good; and can 
inferior men hope to be able to convince and convert 
sinners without this? Ministers of the word of God, 
so called, who dispute the necessity and deny the being 
of this influence, show thereby that they are intruders 
into God’s heritage ; that they are not sent by him, and 
shall not profit the people at all. 

A great number believed] That Jesus was the Christ; 
and that he had died for their offences, and risen again 
for their justification. Because the apostles preached 
the truth, and the hand of God was with them, there- 
fore, a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord, 
becoming his disciples, and taking him for their portion. 

Verse 22. The Church which was in Jerusalem] 
This was the original, the mother Church of Chris- 
tianity ; not the Church of Rome; there were Chris- 
tian Churches founded in many places, which exist to 
the present day, before Rome heard the Gospel of the 
kingdom. A Christian Church means a company of 
believers in Christ Jesus, united for the purposes of 
Christian fellowship, and edification in righteousness, 

They sent forth Barnabas] It seems, then, that the 
Church collectively had power to commission and 
send forth any of its own members, whom it saw God 
had qualified for a particular work. There must have 
been, even at that time, an acknowledged superiority 
of some members of the Church beyond others. The 
apostles held the first rank; the deacons (probably 
the same as those called prophets, as being next 
chosen) the second; and perhaps those called evange- 
lists, simply preachers of the truth, the third rank. 
Those who knew most of God and sacred things, who 
were most zealous, most holy, and most useful, un- 
doubtedly had the pre-eminence. 

Verse 23. Had seen the grace of God] That is, 
had seen the effects produced by the grace of God. 
By the grace of God, we are to understand: 1. His 
favour. 2. The manifestations of that favour in the 
communication of spiritual blessings. And, 3. Prin- 
ciples of light, life, holiness, &c., producing effects 
demonstrative of the causes from which they sprung. 
Barnabas saw that these people were objects of the 
Divine approbation ; that they were abundantly blessed 
and edified together as a Christian Church; and that 

( 49" 7) 


Barnabas goes to Tarsus, CHAP. XI. and brings Saul to Antioch. 
A.M cir. 4047. all, that with purpose of heart! 25 Then departed Barnabas to ἃς ee og 
An. Olymp, they would cleave unto the |* Tarsus, for to seek Saul: An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 3 cir. CCV. 3, 


——— αἴ. 

24 For he was a good man, and ἡ full of the 
Holy Ghost and of faith: τ and much people 
was added unto the Lord. 


¥ Chap. vi. 5.—— Ver. 21; chap. v. 14. 


they had received especial influences from God, by his 
indwelling Spirit, which were to them incentives to 
faith, hope, and love, and also principles of conduct. 

Was glad,| Not envious because God had blessed 
the labours of others of his Master’s servants; but re- 
joiced to find that the work of salvation was carried 
on by such instruments as God chose, and conde- 
scended to use. They who cannot rejoice in the con- 
version of sinners, because they have not been the 
means of it, or because such converts or their minis- 
ters have not precisely the same views of certain doc- 
trines which they have themselves, show that they 
have little, if any thing, of the mind that was in Christ 
in them. 

With purpose of heart they would cleave unto the 
Lord.| These converts had begun well; they must 
continue and persevere: God gave them the grace, 
the principle of life and action; it was their business 
to use this. If they did not, the gift would be re- 
sumed. Barnabas well knew that they must have 
the grace of God in them to enable them to do any 
good; but he knew, also, that its being in them did 
not necessarily imply that it must continue there. 
God had taught him that if they were not workers 
together with that grace they would receive it in vain ; 
i. e., the end for which it was given would not be 
answered. 
τῆς καρδιας, with determination of heart, with set, fired 
purpose and resolution, that they would cleave unto 
the Lord, zpocuevew τῳ Κυρίῳ, to remain with the 
Lord ; to continue in union and fellowship with him ; 
to be faithful in keeping his truth, and obedient in the 
practice of it. To be a Christian is to be united to 
Christ, to be of one spirit with him: to continue to be 
a Christian is to continue in that union. It is absurd 
to talk of being children of God, and of absolute, final 
perseverance, when the soul has lost its spiritual union. 
There is no perseverance but in cleaving to the Lord: 
he who in his works denies him does not cleave to him. 
Such a one is not of God; if he ever had the salvation 
of God, he has lost it ; he is fallen from grace; nor is 
here a word in the book of God, fairly and honestly 
understood, that says such a person shall adsolutely 
and unavoidably arise from his fall. 

Verse 24. For he was a good man] Here is a pro- 
per character of a minister of the Gospel. 

1. He is a good man: his bad heart is changed ; 
his evil dispositions rooted out ; and the mind that was 
in Christ implanted in him. 

2. He is full of the Holy Ghost. He is holy, be- 
cause the Spirit of holiness dwells in him: he has not 
a few transient visitations or drawings from that 
Spirit ; it is a resident in his soul, and it fills his heart. 
It is light in his understanding ; it is discrimination 

1 


He therefore exhorted them, ty προθέσει |° 


26 And when he had found ————— 
him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it 
came to pass, that a whole year they assem- 
bled ¥ themselves with the Church, and taught 


x Chap. ix. 30. ¥ Or, in the Church. 


in his judgment ; it is fired purpose and determina - 
tion in righteousness in his will; it is purity, it is 
love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, meekness, tem- 
perance, and fidelity in his affections and passions. In 
a word, it has sovereign sway in his heart; it governs 
all passions, and is the motive and principle of every 
righteous action. 

3. He was full of faith. He implicitly credited 
his Lord; he knew that he could not lie—that his 
word could not fail; he expected, not only the fulfil 
ment of all promises, but also every degree of help, 
light, life, and comfort, which God might at any time 
see necessary for his Church; he prayed for the Di- 
vine blessing, and he believed that he should not pray 
in vain. His faith never failed, because it laid hold 
on that God who could not change. Behold, ye 
preachers of the Gospel! an original minister of Christ. 
Emulate his piety, his faith, and his usefulness. 

Much people was added unto the Lord.| No won- 
der, when they had such a minister, preaching by the 
power of the Holy Ghost, such a Gospel as that of 
Jesus Christ. 

Verse 25. To Tarsus, for to seek Saul] The per- 

secution raised against him obliged him to take refuge 
in his own city, where, as a Roman citizen, his person 
was in safety. See chap. ix. 29, 30. 
Verse 26. He brought him unto Antioch] As this 
city was the metropolis of Syria, and the third city for 
importance in the whole Roman empire, Rome and 
Alexandria alone being more eminent, Barnabas might 
think it expedient to have for his assistance a person 
of such eminent talents as Saul; and who was espe- 
cially appointed by Christ to proclaim the Gospel to the 
Gentiles. Saul appears also to have been a thorough 
master of the Greek tongue, and, consequently, the 
better qualified to explain the Gospel to the Greek phi- 
losophers, and to defend it against their cavils. Bar- 
nabas, also being a native of Cyprus, chap. iv. 36, 
where the Greek language was spoken, was judged to 
be proper for this mission, perhaps on this account, as 
well as on account of his disinterestedness, holiness, 
and zeal. 

And the disciples were called Christians first at 
Antioch.] It is evident they had the name Christians 
from CHRIST their master; as the Platonists and 
Pythagoreans had their name from their masters, Plate 
and Pythagoras. Now, as these had their name from 
those great masters because they attended their teach 
ing, and credited their doctrines, so the disciples were 
ealled Christians because they took Christ for their 
teacher, crediting his doctrines, and following the rule 
of life laid down by him. It has been a question, by 
whom was this name given to the disciples? Some 
think they assumed it; others, that the inhabitants of 

771 


Agabus the prophet 
A. Meir. 4047. much people; and the disciples 
An. Olymp. were called Christians first in 


ir, CCV. 3. E 
ee. bAntiochs 


27 Ἵ And in these days came 2 prophets 
from Jerusalem unto Antioch. 


zChap. ii. 17; xiii. 1; xv. 32; xxi. 9; 1 Cor. xii. 28; 


Antioch gave it to them; and others, that it was given 
by Saul and Barnabas. This latter opinion is favoured 
by the Codex Beza, which reads the 25th and 26th 
verses thus: And hearing that Saul was at Tarsus, 
he departed, seeking for him; and having found him, 
he besought him to come to Antioch ; who, when they 
were come, assembled with the Church a whole year, 
and instructed a great number; and there they first 
called the disciples at Antioch Christians. 

The word ypyaticac in our common text, which we 
translate were called, signifies in the New Testament, 
to appoint, warn, or nominate, by Dwine direction. 
In this sense, the word is used, Matt. ii. 12 ; Luke ii. 
26; and in the preceding chapter of this book, ver. 
22. If, therefore, the name was given by Divine ap- 
pointment, it is most likely that Saul and Barnabas 
were directed to give it ; and that, therefore, the name 
Christian is from God, as well as that grace and holi- 
ness which are so essentially required and implied in 
the character. Before this time, the Jewish converts 
were simply called, among themselves, disciples, i. e. 
scholars ; believers, saints, the Church, or assembly ; 
and, by their enemies, Nazarenes, Galileans, the men 
of this way or sect; and perhaps by other names 
which are not come down to us. They considered 
themselves as one family; and hence the appellation 
of brethren was frequent among them. It was the 
design of God to make all who believed of one heart 
and one soul, that they might consider him as their 
Father, and live and love like children of the same 
household. A Christian, therefore, is the highest 
character which any human being can bear upon earth ; 
and to receive it from God, as those appear to have 
done—how glorious the title! It is however worthy 
of remark that this name occurs in only three places in 
the New Testament: here, and in chap. xxvi. 28, and 
in 1 Pet. iv. 16. 

Verse 27. Came prophets from Jerusalem] Though 
the term prophet is used in the New Testament simply 
to signify a teacher, (see the note on Gen. xx. 7, where 
the subject is largely explained,) yet here it evidently 
means also such as are under Divine inspiration, and 
foretold future events. This was certainly the case 
with Agabus, ver. 28, though, perhaps, his ordinarv 
character was that of a teacher or preacher. It seems 
from various scriptures, Rom. xii., 1 Cor. xiii. and 
xiv., that the prophets of the New Testament were— 
1. Teachers or preachers in general. 2. Persons 
who, on special occasions, were under the influence of 
the Divine Spirit. and then foretold certain future 
events. 3. Pe. uns who recited hymns to the honour 
of God in the public assemblies of the Christians. 4. 
Persons who prayed in those assemblies, having some- 
times the gift of tongues, at other times not. From 
Ephes. 11. 20, and iii. 5, we learn that the prophets 

772 
© 


THE ACTS. 


foretells a great famine 


28 And there stood up one cf 4.,M. cir. 4047 
ib A. D. cir. 43. 
them named * Agabus, and signi- An. Olymp. 
fied by the Spirit that there should °°"? 
be great dearth throughout all the world: which 
came to pass in the days of Claudius Cesar. 


Eph. iv. 11.—= Chap. xxi. 10. 


of the Christian Church were inferior to the apos- 
tles; but, from ver. 11 of Eph. iv., we see that they 
were superior to all other teachers, even to evangelists 
and pastors. 

Verse 28. Agabus] This prophet, of whom we 
know nothing, is once more mentioned, chap. xxi. 10. 
He was probably a Jew, but whether converted now 
to Christianity we cannot tell. 

Great dearth throughout all the world) The words 
εφ᾽ ὁλην την οἰκουμενην probably here mean the land of 
Judea; though sometimes by this phrase the whole 
Roman empire is intended. In the former sense the 
disciples appear to have understood it, as the next 
verse informs us; for they determined to send relief 
to their brethren in Judea, which they could not have 
done had the famine been general. It does not ap- 
pear that they expected it to extend even to Antioch 
in Syria, where they then were, else they would have 
thought of making provision for themselves. 

It is wel! known from history that there were seve- 
ral famines in the reign of Claudius. Dion Cassius, 
lib. Ix., mentions a severe famine in the first and second 
year of the reign of Claudius, which was sorely felt in 
Rome itself. This famine, it is supposed, induced 
Claudius to build a port at Ostia, for the more regular 
supply of Rome with provisions. 

A second famine happened about the fourth year of 
this reign, which continued for several years, and 
greatly afflicted the Jand of Judea. Several authors 
notice this, but particularly Josephus, Ant. lib. xx. 
cap. 5, sect. 2, where, having mentioned Tiberius 
Alexander as succeeding to the procuratorship in the 
place of Cuspius Fadus, he says that, “during the 
government of these procurators, a great famine afflict- 
ed Judea.” Ere tovtote δὴ καὶ Tov μεγαν λιμὸν κατα 
την Ἰουδαιαν συνεβη γενεσθαι. 

A third famine is mentioned by Eusebius, in An. 
Abrahami, which commences with the calends of Oc- 
tober, A. D. 48, which was so powerful “ in Greece 
that a modius (about half a bushel of grain) was sold 
for six drachms,” about three shillings and sixpence 
English. Vid. Eused. in Chron. edit. Scalig. The 
same author mentions another famine in Rome, in the 


| tenth year of Claudius, of which Orosius gives the de- 


tails, lib. vil. 

A fourth famine, which took place in the eleventh 
year of Claudius, is mentioned by Tacitus, Annal. lib. 
xii. sect. 43, in which there was so great a dearth of 
provisions, and famine in consequence, that it was 
esteemed a Divine judgment. Frugum quoque egestas, 
et orta ex ea fames, in prodigium accipiebatur. At 
this time, the same author tells us, that in all the stores 
of Rome there were no more than fifteen days’ provi- 
sion ; and, had not the winter been uncommonly mild, 
the utmost distress and misery must have prevailed 

1 


Lhe disciples send relief to 


A. Μ. cir. 4047, 
A. D. cir. 43. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCY. 3. 


29 Then the disciples, every 
man according to his ability, de- 
termined to send ἢ relief unto the 
brethren which dwelt in Judea : 


> Rom. xv. 26; 1 Cor. xvi. 1; 2 Cor. ix. 1. 


It may now be inquired, to which of these famines 
in the reign of Claudius does the prophecy of Agabus 
refer? Most learned men are of opinion that the 
famine of which Agabus prophesied was that mention- 
ed above, which took place in the fourth year of this 
emperor. A. Ὁ. 47. This famine is particularly 
mentioned by Josephus, ἀπὲ. lib. xx. cap. 2, sect. 5, 
who describes it as “a very great famine, in which 
many died for want of food.”—* That Helena, queen 
of Adiabene, who had embraced the Jewish religion, 
sent some of her servants to Alexandria, to buy a great 
quantity of corn ; and others of them to Cyprus, to buy 
a cargo of dried figs, which she distributed to those 
who were in want.” And ineap. 5, sect. 2, he says that 
this happened “when Tiberius Alexander succeeded 
Cuspius Fadus ; and that under these procurators the 
famine happened in which Queen Helena, at a vast ex- 
pense, procured relief to the Jews.” Dr. Hudson’s 
note on this passage in Josephus deserves to be copied : 
“ This,” says he, “is that famine foretold by Agabus, 
Acts xi. 28, which happened when Claudius was con- 
sul the fourth time, (A. D. 47,) and not that which 
happened when Claudius was consul the second time, 
and Cecina was his colleague, (A. D. 42,) as Sca- 
liger says, upon Eusebius, p. 174. Now when Jose- 
phus had said, a little after, cap. 5, sect. 2, that 
Tiberius Alexander succeeded Cuspius Fadus as pro- 
curator, he immediately subjoins, under these procu- 
rators there happened a great famine in Judea.” From 
this it is evident that this famine must have continued 
several years, as it existed under doth these procura- 
tors. Fadus, says Mr. Whiston, was not sent into 
Judea till after the death of Agrippa, i. e. towards the 
end of the fourth year of Claudius, in the end of A. D. 
44, or beginning of 45. So that this famine, foretold 
by Agabus, happened on the fifth, sixth, and seventh 
years of Claudius, A. D. 45, 46, and 47. See Whis- 
ton’s Josephus; and see Krebs’? Observat. in Nov. 
Test. on this place. 

Verse 29. Then the disciples—determined to send 
relief| These were probably Gentile converts; and as 
they considered themselves receiving the spiritual 
blessings, which they now so happily enjoyed, through 
the means of the Christians in Judea, they resolved to 
communicate to them a portion of their temporal goods; 
and every man did this according to his ability, i. e. 
he gave a certain proportion of the property with which 
the providence of God had entrusted him. The com- 
munity of goods had for some time ceased. 

Verse 30. And sent it to the elders] These probably 
mean those who first believed on Christ crucified, 
either of the seventy disciples mentioned Luke, chap. 
x., or the one hundred and twenty mentioned, chap. i. 
15, or the seven deacons, chap. vi. 5. Some have 
divided the primitive disciples into three classes: 1. 
The αὐτόπται, those who were eye witnesses. 2. The 
aropyat, those who were the first fruits, or converts 


CHAP. XI. 


their brethren in Judea 
30 ° Which also they did, 4,,™, cir. 4047. 
and sent it to the elders by ἀπ. Qiyme. 
the hands of Barnabas and ~~~ 
Saul. 


© Chap. xii. 25. 


of the apostles’ preaching. 3. The διαδοχοι, those 
who were the successors of the preceding, from whom 
they had received the doctrines of the Gospel. It is 
likely the deacons are meaut, whose office it was to 
take care of the poor. See chap. vi. 1, &e. 


1. Amone many highly interesting subjects which 
have come under review in the preceding chapter, 
we must have particularly noticed, 1. The care the 
Church of Christ took to have young converts con- 
firmed in the truths they had received, and built up on 
their most holy faith, ver. 22. It was indispensably 
necessary that a foundation should be laid; and it was 
not less so that a proper superstructure should be rais- 
ed. For this work, it was requisite that different gifts 
and talents should be employed, and Barnabas and Saul 
must be sent to confirm in the faith those whom the 
disciples, who had been scattered by the persecution 
raised about Stephen, had converted to Christ, ver. 
19-22. It is a great thing to have souls converted 
to the Lord; it is greater to have them built up on 
their most holy faith ; and few persons, even among the 
ministers of Christ, have talents for doth. EXEven when 
Pau planted, it required Apotos to water. A frequent 
interchange of godly ministers in the Church of Christ 
is of the utmost consequence to its stability and increase. 

2. It appears that CurisTrans was the first general 
appellative of the followers of our blessed Lord; and 
there is presumptive evidence, as we have seen, that 
this appellative came by Divine appointment. How 
very few of those who profess this religion are satis- 
fied with this title! That very Church that arrogates 
all to itself has totally abandoned this title, and its 
members call themselves Roman Catholics, which is 
absurd; because the adjective and substantive include 
opposite ideas : catholic signifies universal ; and Ro- 
man signifies of or belonging to Rome. If it be merely 
Roman, it cannot be catholic; if it be catholic, it ean- 
not be confined to Rome; but it is not catholic nor 
universal, in any sense of the word, for it contains but 
a small part of the people who profess Christianity. 
The term Prolestant has more common sense in it; 
but not much more piety. Almost all sects and parties 
proceed in the same line; but Christian is a title sel- 
dom heard of, and the spirit and practice of Christianity 
but rarely occur. When all return to the spirit of the 
Gospel, they will probably resume the appellative of 
Christians. 

3. An early fruit of Christianity was mercy to the 
poor; and especially to the poor followers of Christ. 
He has left the poor ever with us, as his representa - 
tives, to exercise our bowels of commiseration, and 
thus teach us to feel and practise mercy. To every 
man professing Christianity, the religion of Jesus 
Christ says most authoritatively, With every man who 
is pinched by poverty, share what the providence of 
God has not made absolutely necessary for thy awn 

773 


Herod kills James, and 


support. What God has given us more than we need 
is entrusted to us for the benefit of those that are in 
poverty and affliction. He who can, and does not, 
help the poor, is a disgrace to Christianity ; and he who 
does not lend his hand for the support of the cause of 


THE ACTS. 


casts Peter into prison 


God is a worthless member of the Church of Christ. 
He who shows no mercy shall have judgment without 
mercy. And he who spends in pampering the flesh 
what should be given to the poor shall have a fearful 
account to give in the day of the Lord. 


CHAPTER XII. 


Herod persecutes the Christians, 1. 
makes incessant prayer for his deliverance, 5. 
6-10. 
was delivered, 11-17. 
to be put to death, 18, 19. 
mission, 20. 
smites him, and he dies a miserable death, 21-23. 


Kills James, 2. 


And casts Peter into prison, 3, 4. The Church 


An angel of God opens the prison doors and leads him out, 
Peter rejoices, and comes to the house of Mary, where many were praying, and declares how he 
The soldiers who kept the prison are examined by Herod, and he commands them 
Herod is enraged against the people of Tyre, but is appeased by their sub- 
He makes an oration to the people, receives idolatrous praises, and an angel of the Lord 


The word of God increases, 24. Barnabas and Saul, 


having fulfilled their ministry, return from Jerusalem accompanied by John Mark, 25. 


PES ee ite OW about that time Herod 
‘An. Olymp. the king * stretched forth his 


ir. CCV. 4. J 
oS ©" *_ hands to vex certain of the Church. 


2 And he killed James ἢ the brother of John 
with the sword. 

3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, 
he proceeded farther to take Peter also. Then 


a Or, began. Ὁ Matt. iv. 21; xx. 23. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XII. 

Verse 1. Herod the king] This was Herod 
Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, and grandson of 
Herod the Great ; he was nephew to Herod Antipas, 
who beheaded John the Baptist, and brother to Hero- 
dias. He was made king by the Emperor Caligula, 
and was put in possession of all the territories formerly 
held by his uncle Philip and by Lysanias ; viz. Iturea, 
Trachonitis, Abilene, with Gaulonitis, Batanga, and 
Penias. Τὸ these the Emperor Claudius afterwards 
added Judea and Samaria ; which were nearly all the 
dominions possessed by his grandfather, Herod the 
Great. See Luke iii. 1; see also an account of the 
Herod family, in the note on Matt. ii. 1. 

To vex certain of the Church.| That is, to destroy 
its chief ornaments and supports. 

Verse 2. He killed James the brother of John with 
the sword.| This was James the greater, son of Zebe- 
dee, and must be distinguished from James the less, 
son of Alpheus. This latter was put to death by 
Ananias the high priest, during the reign of Nero. 
This James with his brother John were those who 
requested to sit on the right and left hand of our Lord, 
see Matt. xx. 23; and our Lord’s prediction was now 
fulfilled in one of them, who by his martyrdom drank 
of our Lord’s cup, and was baptized with his baptism. 
By the death of James, the number of the apostles was 
reduced to eleven; and we do not find that ever it was 
filled up. The apostles never had any successors: God 
has continued their doctrine, but not their order. 

By killing with the sword we are to understand be- 
heading. Among the Jews there were four kinds of 
deaths: 1. Stoning; 2. burning; 3. killing with the 
sword, or beheading ; and, 4. strangling. The third 

774 


c A.M. cir. 4048. 
were °the days of unleavened ai ee 
bread. 


An. Olymp. 
4 And ¢when he had appre- LE 2 
hended him, he put fim in prison, and de- 
livered h2m to four quaternions of soldiers tc 
keep him; intending after Easter to bring 
him forth to the people. 


¢ Exod. xii. 14, 15; xxiii. 15.—4 John xxi. 18. 


was a Roman as well as a Jewish mode of punish- 
ment. Killing with the sword was the punishment 
which, according to the Talmud, was inflicted on those 
who drew away the people to any strange worship, 
Sanhedr. fol. iii. James was probably accused of this, 
and hence the punishment mentioned in the text. 

Verse 3. He proceeded—to take Peter also.| He 
supposed that these two were pillars on which the in- 
fant cause rested ; and that, if these were removed, the 
building must necessarily come down. 

The days of unleavened bread.| About the latter 
end of March or beginning of April ; but whether in the 
third or fourth year of the Emperor Claudius, or earlier 
or later, cannot be determined. 

Verse 4. Four quaternions of soldiers} That is. 
sirteen, or four companies of fowr men each. who had 
the care of the prison, each company taking in turn 
one of the four watches of the night. 

Intending after Easter to bring him forth] Mer 
τὸ πασχα, Afler the passover. Perhaps there never 
wus a more unhappy, not to say absurd, translation than 
that in our text. But, before I come to explain the 
word, it is necessary to observe that our term called 
Easter is not exactly the same with the Jewish passover. 
This festival is always held on the fourteenth day of the 
first vernal full moon; but the Easter of the Christians, 
never till the next Sabbath after said full moon ; and, to 
avoid all conformity with the Jews in this matter, if the 
fourteenth day of the first vernal full moon happen on 
a Sabbath, then the festival of Easter is deferred till the 
Sabbath following. The first vernal moon is that 
whose fourteenth day is either on the day of the ver- 
nal equinox, or the next fourteenth day after it. The 


!vernal equinox, according to a decree of the council 


1 


peter is delivered out 


A.M. cir. 4048. 5 Peter therefore was kept in 
A. D. an 44. A hae a 
An, Olymp. prison: but “ prayer was made 
cir. coy. a P pray 


without ceasing of the Church 
unto God for him. 

6 And when Herod would have brought 
him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping 
between two soldiers, bound with two chains : 
and the keepers before the door kept the 
prison. 

7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came 
upon him, and a light shined in the prison: 
and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him 
up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains 
fell off from his hands. 


© Or, instant and earnest prayer was made ; 2 Cor. i.11; Eph. vi. 
18; 1 Thess. v. 17. 


CHAP. XII. 


of prison by an angel. 


A. M. cir. 4048. 
A. D. cir. 44. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 4. 


8 And the angel said unto him, 
Gird thyself, and bind on thy 
sandals. And so he did. And 
he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about 
thee, and follow me. 

9 And he went out, and followed him; and 
£ wist not that it was true which was done by 
the angel; but thought "he saw a vision. 

10 When they were past the first and the 
second ward, they came unto the iron gate that 
leadeth unto the city ; ' which opened to them 
of his own accord: and they went out, and 
passed on through one street; and forthwith 
the angel departed from him. 


€ Chapter v. 19.——S Psa. exxvi. 1—— Chapter x. 3, 17; xi. 5. 
i Chap. xvi. 26. 


of Nice, is fixed to the 21st day of March; and there- 
fore the first vernal moon is that whose fourteenth day 
falls upon the 21st of March, or the first fourteenth 
day after. Hence it appears that the next Sabbath 
after the fourteenth day of the vernal moon, which is 
ealled the Paschal term, is always Easter day. And, 
therefore, the earliest Paschal term being the 21st of 
March, the 22d of March is the earliest Easter pos- 
sible ; and the 18th of April being the latest Paschal 
ize, the seventh day after, that is the 25th of April, 
is the /atest Easter possible. 

The term Easter, inserted here by our translators, 
they borrowed from the ancient Anglo-Saxon service- 
books, or from the version of the Gospels, which al- 
ways translates the to πασχα of the Greek by this term; 
e. g. Matt. xxvi. 2: Ye know that after two days is 
the feast of the passover. pice ge Sat wren cpam dagum 
beod Eartpo. ὅδ᾽ ge that aefter twam Dagum beoth 
Lastvo. Ibid. ver. 19: And they made ready the 
passover. and hig gegeanpodon hym €ayrcen-Senunga.— 
And hig gegearwodon pym Laster-thenunga (i. e. the 
paschal supper.) Prefixed to Matt. xxviii. 1, are these 
words : Dyyyeealon €apten wren. This part to be read 
on Easter even. And, before ver. 8, these words: 
Dyy yeeal on Fpiged@ez on Sepe odSpe Eartne-pucan. Mark 
xiv. 12: And the first day of unleavened bread when 
they killed the passover. 

_ hum, da hi €apcpon ofFpodon. 


And Sam fonman d#ze azimo= 

And tham forman daege 
azimorum, tha pf Gastron offrodon. Other examples 
occur in this version. Wiclif used the word paske, 
i. e. passover; but Tindal, Coverdale, Becke, and 
Cardmarden, following the old Saxon mode of trans- 
lation, insert Easter: the Geneva Bible very properly 
renders it the passover. The Saxon €apten, €apcpe, 
€ayctpo, Captpa, and €artpon, are different modes of 
spelling the name of the goddess Easter, whose festi- 
val was celebrated by our pagan forefathers on the 
month of April; hence that month, in the Saxon ca- 
lendar, is called €arten-monat, Easter month. Every 
view we can take of this subject shows the gross im- 
propriety of retaining a name every way exceptionable, 
and palpably absurd. 

Verse 5. Prayer was made without ceasing] The 
1 


Greek word exrevye signifies both fervour and earnest- 
ness, as well as perseverance. These prayers of the 
Church produced that miraculous interference men- 
tioned below, and without which Peter could not have 
thus escaped from the hands of this ruthless king. 

Verse 6. Sleeping between two soldiers, bound with 
two chains] Two soldiers guarded his person; his 
right hand being bound to the left hand of one, and his 
left hand bound to the right hand of the other. This 
was the Roman method of guarding their prisoners, 
and appears to be what is intimated in the text. 

Verse 7. Smote Peter on the side] He struck him 
in such a way as was just sufficient to awake him from 
his sleep. 

His chains fell off from his hands.] he chains 
mentioned above, by which he was bound to the two 
soldiers. 

Verse 8. Gird thyself] It seems Peter had put 
off the principal part of his clothes, that he might sleep 
with more comfort. His resuming all that he had 
thrown off was a proof that every thing had been done 
leisurely. There was no evidence of any hurry; nor 
of any design to elude justice, or even to avoid meet- 
ing his accusers in any legal way. It appears that 
the two soldiers were overwhelmed by a deep sleep, 
which fell upon them from God. 

Verse 9. He—wist not] He knew not; from the 
Anglo-Saxon, piytan, or yican, to know. He supposed 
himself to be in a dream. 

Verse 10. The first and—second ward] It is sup- 
posed that ancient Jerusalem was surrounded by ‘three 
walls: if so, then passing through the gates of these 
three walls successively is possibly what is meant by 
the expression in the text. The prison in which he 
was confined might have been that which was at the 
outer wall. 

Tron gate] This was in the innermost wall of the 
three, and was strongly plated over with iron, for the 
greater security. In the east, the gates are often thus 
secured to the present day. Pitts says so of the gates 
of Algiers; and Pocock, of some near Antioch. Per- 
| haps this is all that is meant by the iron gate. One of 
| the quaternions of soldiers was placed at each gate. 

775 


THE 


Peter comes to the house of Mary, 


a et ra 11 And when Peter was come 
An. Olymp. to himself, he said, Now I know 


ir. CCV. 
ον ΘΟ pay surety, that * the Lord hath 


sent his angel, and 1 hath delivered me out of 
the hand of Herod, and from all the expecta- 
tion of the people of the Jews. 

12 And when he had considered the thing, 
™he came to the house of Mary, the mother 
of » John, whose surname was Mark; where 
many were gathered together ° praying. 

13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the 
gate, a damsel came ? to hearken, named 


eekg 


ACTS. where the arscuples are praying 
A. M. cir. 4048, 
A. Ὁ. cir. 44. 
An. Olymp. 


14 And when she knew Peter’s 
voice, she opened not the gate for ἃ 
gladness ; but ran in, and told ees 
how Peter stood before the gate. 

15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad 
But she constantly affirmed that it was even 
so. Then said they, 4 It is his angel. 

16 But Peter continued knocking: and when 
they had opened the door, and saw him, they 
were astonished. 

17 But he, * beckoning unto them with the 
hand to hold their peace, declared unto them 
how the Lord had brought him out of the pri- 


k Psa, xxxiv. 7; Dan. iii. 285. vi. 22; Heb. i. 14.—1 Job v. 
19; Psa. xxxlll. 18, 19; xxxiv. 22; xii. 2; xcviil. 10; 2 Cor. 
i. 10; 2 Peter ii. 9. Chap. iv. 23, 


Chap. xv. 37. ©Ver. 5—POr, to ask who was there. 
4 Gen. τ 16; Matt. xviii. 10—Chap. xiii. 16; xix. 38; 
xxi. 40. 


Which opened—of his own accord] Influenced by 
the unseen power of the angel. 

The angel departed from him.] Having brought 
him into a place in which he no longer needed his as- 
sistance. What is proper to God he always does: 
what is proper to man he requires him to perform. 

Verse 11. When Peter was come to himself] Every 
thing he saw astonished him; he could scarcely credit 
his eyes; he was in a sort of ecstasy ; and it was only 
when the angel left him that he was fully convinced 
that all was real. 

Now I know—that the Lord hath sent his angel] 
The poor German divine is worthy of pity, who en- 
deavoured to persuade himself and his countrymen 
that all this talk about the angel was mere illusion; 
that Peter was delivered in a way which he could not 
comprehend, and therefore was led to attribute to a 
particular providence of God what probably was done 
by the prefect of the prison, who favoured him! But 
it is the study of this writer to banish from the word 
of God all supernatural influence ; and to reduce even 
the miracles of Christ to simple operations of nature, 
or to the workings of imagination and the prejudices 
of a weak and credulous people. Such men should at 
once cast off the mask which so thinly covers their in- 
fidelity, and honestly avow themselves to be, what 
they are, the enemies of revelation in general, and of 
the Christian religion in particular. Peter could say, 
Now I know of a certainty that the Lord hath sent his 
angel, and delivered me, §c. No such thing, says 
Mr. K., Peter was deceived ; it was not the Lord, it 
was the prefect or some other person.—Now we know 
that Peter spake by the Holy Ghost; but we have no 
such testimony of Mr. E. nor of any of his associates. 

And all the expectation of the—Jews.] It seems 
they had built much on the prospect of having him 
sacrificed, as they already had James. 

Verse 12. And when he had considered] When 
he had weighed every thing, and was fully satisfied 
of the Divine interposition, ie went to the house of 
Mary, the mother of John Mark, the author of the 
Gospel, where it appears many were gathered together 
making prayer and supplication, and probably for Pe- 
ter’s release. 

776 


Verse 13. As Peter knocked] The door was pro- 
bably shut for fear of the Jews; and, as most of the 
houses in the east have an area before the door, it 
might have been at this outer gate that Peter stood 
knocking. 

A damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.| She 
came to inquire who was there. Rhoda signifies a 
rose; and it appears to have been customary with the 
Jews, as Grotius and others remark, to give the names 
of flowers and trees to their daughters: thus Susannah 
signifies a lily, Hadassah, a myrtle, Tamar, a palm 
tree, &c., &e. 

Verse 15. It is his angel.] It was a common opinion 
among the Jews that every man has a guardian angel, 
and in the popish Church it is an article of faith. The 
Jews also believed that angels often assumed the like 
ness of particular persons. They have many stories 
of the appearance of Elijah in the likeness of different 
rabbins. As ayyeAo¢ signifies in general a messenger, 
whether Divine or human, some have thought that the 
angel or messenger here means a servant or person 
which the disciples supposed was sent from Peter to 
announce something of importance to the brethren : 
was also an opinion among the Jews, even in the time 
of the apostles, as appears from Philo, that the depart- 
ed souls of good men officiated as ministering angels ; 
and it is possible that the disciples at Mary’s house 
might suppose that Peter had been murdered in the 
prison; and that his spirit was now come to announce 
this event, or give some particular warning to the 
Church. 

Verse 17. Declared—how the Lord had brought him 
out of the prison.| He still persisted in the belief that 
his deliverance was purely supernatural. It seems that 
some modern critics could have informed him of his 
mistake. See ver. 11. 

Show these things unto James, and to the brethren} 
That is, in one word, show them to the Church, at the 
head of which James undoubtedly was; as we may 
clearly understand by the part he took in the famous 
council held at Jerusalem, relative to certain differ ἢ 
ences between the believing Jews and Gentiles. See 
chap. xv. 13-21. There is still no supremacy for 
} Peter. He who was bishop or overseer of the Church 

1 


ii 


Herod 1s greatly displeased, when 


A.M. cir. 4048, 
moran 595: 
An. ΟἹ 


And he said, Go, show 
these things unto James, and to 
the brethren. And he departed, 
and went into another place. 

18 Now as soon as it was day, there was 
no small stir among the soldiers, what was 
become of Peter. 

19 And when Herod had sought for him, 
and found him not, he examined the keepers, 
and commanded that they should be put to 
death. And he went down from Judea to 
Cesarea, and there abode. 

20 § And Herod * was highly displeased 


ip. 


CHAP. XII. 


he hears of the escape of Peter. 


with them of Tyre and Sidon : gta 4048 
: . Ὁ. cir. 44. 

but they came with one accord An. Olymp. 
cir. CCV. 4. 


to him; and, having made Blastus 
‘the king’s chamberlain their friend, desired 
peace ; because "their country was nourished 
by the king’s country. 

21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in 
royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made 
an oration unto them. 

22 And the people gave a shout, say 
ing, It is the voice of a god, and not of a 
man. 

23 And immediately the angel of the Lord 


5 Or, bare an hostile mind, intending war. ‘Gr. that was over 


the king’s bed-chamber. Ὁ] Kings v. 9, 11; Ezek. xxvii. 17. 


at Jerusalem was certainly at the head of the whole 
Church of God at this time ; but James was then bishop 
or inspector of the Church at Jerusalem, and, conse- 
quently, was the only visible head then upon earth. 

He departed—into another place.| Some popish wri- 
ters say that he went to Rome, and founded a Christian 
Church there. Those who can believe any thing may 
believe this. Where he went we know not; but it is 
probable that he withdrew for the present into a place 
of privacy, till the heat of the inquiry was over relative 
to his escape from the prison; for he saw that Herod 
was intent on his death. 

Verse 19. Commanded that they should be put to 
death.| He believed, or pretended to believe, that the 
escape of Peter was owing to the negligence of the 
keepers: jailers, watchmen, &c., ordinarily suffered 
the same kind of punishment which should have been 
inflicted on the prisoner whose escape they were sup- 
posed to have favoured. 

He went down from Judea to Cesarea] How soon he 
went down, and how long he stayed there, we know not. 

Verse 20. Highly displeased with them of Tyre] On 
what account Herod was thus displeased is not related 
by any historian, as far as I have been able to ascer- 
tain. Josephus, who speaks of this journey of Herod 
to Cesarea, says nothing of it; and it is useless for us 
to conjecture. 

Having made Blastus—their friend] Blastus was 
probably a eunuch, and had considerable influence over 
his master Herod ; and, to reach the master, it is likely 
they bribed the chamberlain. 

Desired peace) The Tyrians and Sidonians being 
equally subjects of the Roman government with the in- 
habitants of Galilee, Herod could not go to war with 
them ; but, being irritated against them, he might pre- 
vent their supplies: they therefore endeavoured to be 
on peaceable, i. e. friendly, terms with him. 

Their country was nourished by the king’s country. ] 
That is, they had all their supplies from Galilee ; for 
Tyre and Sidon, being places of trade and commerce, 
with little territory, were obliged to have all their pro- 
visions from the countries under Herod’s jurisdiction. 
This had been the case even from the days of Solo- 
mon, as we learn from 1 Kings v. 11; where it is 
said that Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand mea- 


sures of wheat, for food to his household ; and twenty 
measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram 
year by year. See also Ezek. xxvii. 17. 

Verse 21. Upon a set day, §c.| A day on which 
games, &c., were exhibited in honour of the Roman 
emperor. What this refers to, we learn from Jose- 
phus. “Herod, having reigned three years over ALL 
Judea, (he had reigned over the tetrarchy of his bro- 
ther Philip four years before this,) went down to Ce- 
sarea, and there exhibited shows and games in honour 
of Claudius, and made vows for his health. On the 
second day of these shows, he put on a garment made 
wholly of silver, and of a contexture most truly won- 
derful, and came into the theatre early in the morning ; 
at which time the silver of his garment, being illumi- 
nated by the first reflection of the sun’s rays, shone 
out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent 
as to spread a horror over those who looked intently 
upon him; and presently his flatterers cried ont. one 
from one place, and another from another, ‘ He is a 
god:’ and they added, ‘Be thou merciful to us, for 
although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a 
man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior lo 
mortal nature.’ Nor did the king rebuke them, nor 
reject their impious flattery. But, looking up, he saw 
an owl on a certain rope over his head, and immedi- 
ately conceived that this bird was to him a messenger 
of ill tidings; and he fell into the deepest sorrow ; a 
severe pain also arose in his bowels, and he died after 
five days’ severe illness.” This is the sum of the 
account given by Josephus, Ant. lib. xix. cap. 8, 
sect. 2. [See Whiston’s edition.] Notwithstanding 
the embellishments of the Jewish historian, it agrees 
in the main surprisingly with the account given here 
by St. Luke. Josephus, it is true, suppresses some 
circumstances which would have been dishonourable to 
this impious king; and, according to his manner, puts 
a speech in Herod’s mouth, when he found himself 
struck with death, expressive of much humility and 
contrition. But this speech is of no authority. When 
Josephus takes up and pursues the dhread of mere his- 
torical narration, he may be safely trusted ; but when- 
ever he begins to embellish, or put speeches in the 
mouths of his actors, he is no longer to be credited. 
He even here transforms an angel of the Lord into an 

777 


Herod 15 smitten of God and dies. 


A.M. cit. 4048... smote him, because Ὁ he gave not 
An. Olymp. God the glory : and he was eaten 


ir. CCV. 4. 
or COV. + of worms, and gave up the ghost. 


24 Ἵ But *the word of God grew and mul- 
tiplied. 


v1 Sam. xxv. 38; 2 Sam. xxiv. 17. w Psa. exv. 1.—*Isa. 
lv. 11; chap. vi. 7; xix. 20; Col. i. 6. 


owl, and introduces it most improbably into his narra- 
tion; as if an owl, a bird of all others that can least 
bear the light, should come and perch on the pavilion 
of the king, when the sun was shining with the most 
resplendent rays ! 

Verse 23. The angel of the Lord smote him] His 
death was most evidently a judgment from God. 

Because he gave not God the glory| He did not 
rebuke his flatterers, but permitted them to give him 
that honour that was due to God alone. See on ver. 21. 

And was eaten of worms} Whether this was the 
morbus pedicularis, or whether a violent inflammation 
of his bowels, terminating in putrefaction, did not actu- 
ally produce worms, which, for several days, swarmed 
in his infected entrails, we cannot tell. It is most 
likely that this latter was the case ; and this is at once 
more agreeable to the letter of the text, and to the 
circumstances of the case as related by Josephus. 

And gave up the ghost.) That is, he died of the 
disorder by which he was then seized, after having lin- 
gered, in excruciating torments, for five days, as Jose- 
phus has stated. Antiochus Epiphanes and Herod the 
Great died of the same kind of disease. See the obser- 
vations at the end of chap. i. relative to the death of Judas. 

Verse 24. But the word of God| The Christian 
doctrine preached by the apostles grew and multiplied — 
became more evident, and had daily accessions; for 
the spirit of revelation rested on those men, and God 
was daily adding to that word as circumstances re- 
quired, in order to complete that testimony of his which 
we now find contained in the New Testament. As 
there is in the original an allusion to the vegetation of 
grain, (yvfave, τ grew, as corn grows, the sialk and 
the ear; kat ἐπληθυνετο, it was multiplied, as the corn 
is in the full ear,) there is probably a reference to the 
parable of the sower and his seed; forthe seed is the 
word of God, and the doctrine of the kingdom. It 
was liberally sown; it grew vigorously, and became 
greatly multiplied. And why? Because it was the 
word, the doctrine of God—there was no corruption 
in it; and because God watered it with the dew of 
heaven from on high. 

Verse 25. Returned from Jerusalem] That is, to 
Antioch, after the death of Herod. 

When they had fulfilled their ministry] When they 
had carried the alms of the Christians at Antioch to 
the poor saints at Jerusalem, according to what is 
mentioned, chap. xi. 29, 30, to support them in the 
time of the coming famine. 

778 


THE ACTS. 


The word of God increases 


25 Ἵ And Barnabas and Saul AM. cin, a 
returned from Jerusalem, when ἀπ. Olymp. 
they had fulfilled their ¥minis- °°" * 
try, and 2 took with them * John, whose sur 
name was Mark. 


yOr, charge, chap. xi. 29, 30. % Chap. xiii. 5, 13; xv. 37. 
aVer. 12. 


And took with them John, whose surname was Mark.| 
This was the son of Mary, mentioned ver. 12. He 
accompanied the apostles to Cyprus, and afterwards in 
several of their voyages, till they came to Perga in 
Pamphylia. Finding them about to take a more exten- 
sive voyage, he departed from them. See the case, 
chap. ΧΙ. 13, and xv. 37—40. 


1. Wuen the nature, spirit, and tendency of Chris- 
tianity are considered, we may well be astonished that 
it should ever find a persecutor among the souls it was 
designed to instruct and save! Devils can have no 
part in it, and therefore we may naturally expect them, 
through envy and malice, to oppose it ; but that men, 
for whose use and salvation the wisdom and mercy of 
God made it, should reject its offers of mercy, and 
persecute to death those who proclaimed it, is the most 
unaccountable thing that can be conceived. What a 
proof is this of mere maliciousness, where the perse- 
cutor not only serves no self-interest by it, but des- 
troys, as far as he can, all that could promote his own 
present and eternal happiness! This argues such 
blindness of understanding, hardness of heart, and de- 
rangement of mind, as can be accounted for only on 
the supposition of a nature totally fallen from God, 
righteousness, and truth. The Jews crucify Christ, 
and martyr Stephen ; and Herod murders James; and 
both join together to persecute the followers of Christ 
and destroy his cause. Reader, consider the conse- 
quences: this bad people were permitted to remain till 
they had filled up the measure of their iniquity, and 
were then cut off by a most terrible judgment; and 
Herod was visited for his transgressions in such a 
most awful way as strongly marked the displeasure of 
God against persecutors. If a man contend with a 
man, the contest is in a certain way equal—the pot- 
sherds strive with the potsherds of the earth ; but when 
a man enters the lists against his Maker, as every 
persecutor does, wo unto that man !—he must be torn 
in pieces, when there is none to deliver. 

2. How true is the saying, there is neither counsel 
nor might against the Lord! In the midst of all 
troubles and afflictions, that kingdom of heaven which 
is like a grain of mustard seed grew and increased, 
and became a mighty tree which is now filling the 
whole earth, and fowl of every wing are flying to lodge 
in its branches. Ride on, and be thou prosperous, 
O Christ! We wish thee good luck with thine 
honour. 


1 


Saul and Barnabas are set CHAP. XIII. apart to the work of the Lord 


CHAPTER XIII. 


Of the prophets and teachers in the Church of Antioch, 1. 
appoints Saul and Barnabas to a particular work, 2, 3. They depart, and travel to Seleucia, Cyprus, 
and Salamis, preaching in the Jewish synagogues, 4,5. At Paphos they meet with Bar-Jesus or Elymas, 
a Jewish sorcerer, who endeavoured to prevent the deputy of the island from receiving the Christian faith, 
6-8. Saul, for the first time called Paul, denounces the judgments of God upon him, and he is struck 
blind, 9-11. The deputy, seeing this, is confirmed in the faith, 12. Paul and his company leave Paphos, 
and come to Pamphylia, where John Mark leaves them, and returns to Jerusalem, 13. Paul and Barnabas 
proceed to Antioch; and, coming into a synagogue of the Jews, are requested by the rulers of it to preach 
to the people, 14,15. Paul preaches, and proves that Jesus is the Christ, 16-41. The Gentiles desire 
the sermon to be preached to them the next Sabbath, and many of the Jews and proselyles receive the 
Christian faith, 42,43. The next Sabbath the whole city attend ; and the Jews, filled with envy, contra- 
dict and blaspheme, 44, 45. Paul and Barnabas with great boldness show that, by the order of God, the 
Gospel was to be preached first to them; but, seeing they had rejected it, it should now be taken from 


By command of the Holy Spirit the Church 


them, and sent to the Gentiles, 46, 47. 


Holy Ghost, 51, 52. 


gs Ἂς oe \ OW there were * in the Church 
An. Olymp. that was at Antioch certain 


cir. CCVL 1. 
——_—___—. prophets and teachers ; as ἢ Bar- 


nabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and 
ὁ Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, ἃ which had 


been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and 
Saul. 


The Gentiles rejoice and receive the truth, 48, 49. 
raise a persecution against the apostles, and expel them, 50. 


The Jews 
They come to Iconium, full of joy and the 


2 As they ministered to the 4,M. cir. 40). 
Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost δα. Olymp. 


- ~ cir. CCVI. 1. 
said, “ Separate me Barnabas and —————— 


Saul for the work ‘whereunto I have called them 

3 And £ when they had fasted and prayed 
and laid their hands on them, they sent them 
away. 


ἃ Chap. xi. 27; xiv. 26; xv. 35.— Chap. xi. 22-26. © Rom. 
xvi. 21.—4 Or, Herod’s foster-brother—® Num. viii. 14; chap. 
tx. 15; xxii. 21; Rom. i. 1; Gal. i. 15; ii. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIII. 

Verse 1. Certain prophets and teachers] ἸΤροφηται 
καὶ διδασκαλοι. It is probable that these were not 
distinct offices: both might be vested in the same 
persons. By prophets we are to understand, when 
the word is taken simply, persons who were frequently 
inspired to predict future events; and by teachers, 
persons whose ordinary office was to instruct the 
people in the Christian doctrine. These also, to be 
properly qualified for the office, must have been 
endued with the influence of the Holy Spirit; for, as 
but a very small portion of the Scriptures of the New 
Testament could have as yet been given, it was 
necessary that the teachers should derive much of 
their own teaching by immediate revelation from God. 
On prophets and teachers, see the note on chap. xi. 27. 

Barnabas} Of whom see before, chap. xi. 22-24. 

Simeon—Niger] Or Simeon the Black, either be- 
cause of his complexion, or his hair. It was on reasons 
of this kind that surnames, surnoms, name upon name 
were first imposed. Of this Simeon nothing farther 
is known. 

Lucius of Cyrene| See chap. xi. 20. 

Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod] 
Our margin has given the proper meaning of the 
original word cvvtpodoc, a foster-brother ; i. e. Manaen 
was the son of the woman who nursed Herod Antipas; 
and the son, also, whose milk the young Herod shared. 
Of a person whose name was Manaen or Menahem, 
and who was in the court of Herod, we read several 
things in the Jewish writers. They say that this 
man had the gift of prophecy, and that he told Herod, 

1 


f Matthew ix. 38; chapter xiv. 26; Romans x. 15; Eph. iii. 
7, 8; 1 Timothy ii. 7; 2 Timothy i. 11; Hebrews v. 4. 
s Chapter vi. 6. 


when he was but a child, that he would be king. 
When Herod became king he sent for him to his 
court, and held him in great estimation. Jt might 
have been the son of this Menahem of whom St. Luke 
here speaks. Dr. Lightfoot has shown this to be at 
least possible. 

Verse 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted] 
On Mondays and Thursdays it was usual with the 
more pious Jews to attend the public service in their 
synagogues, and to fast: the former is what we are 
to understand by ministering to the Lord. On the 
Sabbaths they attended the service in the synagogue, 
but did not fast. The Greek word, λειτουργουντων, 
signifies performing the office of praying, supplicating, 
rendering thanks, &c.: hence the word Aeirepyca, 
liturgy, the work of prayer, &c., from λέτη, supplica- 
tion, according to some ; or rather from λείτος, common, 
and epyov, work, the common or public work, in which 
all the people were engaged. 

The Holy Ghost said| A revelation of the Divine 
will was made to some person then present ; probably 
to either Simeon, or Lucius, or Manaen, mentioned 
before. 

Separate me Barnabas and Saul] Consecrate, ox 
set them apart, for the particular work whereunto 1 
have called them. How this was done, we find in the 
next verse. 

Verse 3. And when they had fasted and prayed, 
and laid their hands on them] 1. They fasted: this 
was probably done by the whole Church. 2. They 
prayed, that God would bless and prosper them in 
their work. 3. They laid hands upon them; thus 

779 


Saul and Barnabas preach m 


A.M. cir. 4049. 


THE ACTS. 


4 So they, being sent forth by | of the Jews: and they had also ae cir, 4049. 


the synagogues of the Jews 


A. Ὁ. cir. 45. al . D. cir. 45. 

An. Olymp. the Holy Ghost, departed unto! * John to their minister. An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVL1. ς. : cir. CCVL 1. 
———"—_ Seleucia; and from thence they 


sailed to ἢ Cyprus. 
5 And when they were at Salamis, ' they 
preached the word of God in the synagogues 


6 Ἵ And when they had gone 
through the isle unto Paphos, they found a 
‘certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, 
whose name was Bar-Jesus : 


h Chap. iv. 36——' Ver. 46. 


solemnly appointing them to that particular work. But 
was it by this fasting, praying, and imposition of hands 
that these men were qualified for this work? No. 
God had already called them to it, ver. 2, and he who 
called them had qualified them. Both their call and 
their qualification came from God ; but he chose that 
they should have also the sanction of that Church of 
which they had been members ; and therefore he said, 
Separate me, §c. The ordination of elders among 
the Jews was by three persons; and here we find 
three, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen, ordaining two 
others, Barnabas and Saul. But how did the Jews 
ordain? Not by imposition of hands: this is strictly 
forbidden, see Maimon. Sanh. chap. 4. “ After what 
manner is the ordaining of elders forever? Not that 
they should lay their hands on the head of an elder; 
but only that they should call him Rabdz, and say to 
him, Behold, thou art ordained, and hast power of 
judging, &e.” Tt is remarkable that the imposition of 
hands in the ordaining of elders was not used among 
the ancient Jews, probably never under the first tem- 
ple; and rarely, if ever, under the second. See 
Lightfoot on this place. The Church at Antioch, 
however, did depart from this custom: they put their 
hands on the heads of Barnabas and Saul ; thus desig- 
nating them to be the persons whom they, under the 
direction of the Holy Spirit, sent to preach the Gospel 
of Christ to the heathen. 

When the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas 
and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them, 
and the elders of the Church, in consequence, prayed, 
fasted, and laid their hands upon them, they certainly 
understood that by acting thus they fulfilled the mind 
of the Spirit. Hence, is it not evident that, when the 
elders of the Chureh of God have good reason to be- 
lieve that He has called certain persons to the work 
of the ministry, and qualified them for that work, they 
should proceed as the elders of the Church of Antioch 
did ; and by fasting, prayer, and imposition of hands, 
separate those persons for the work whereunto God 
has called them. Such persons will consider them- 
selyes accountable to GOD and his Church, and should 
take care how they use the gift and authority received 
from oth. Is it not being wise above what is written 
to say, “ When God has called and given authority, 
there is no need of ordination or appointment from 
man?’ 1 would just ask the objector, Why, then, 
when God had called Barnabas and Saul to the work, 
did he command the Church to separate them to him 
for that very work? And why did they, in obedience, 
fast, pray, and lay hands upon them? {shall dispute 
with no man about the superior excellence of the 
episcopal or presbyterian form in ordination : if all the 


preliminaries be right, they may be both equally good, | solute than Paphos. 


780 


k Chap. xii. 25; xv. 37.——1 Chap. viii. 9. 


for all that I have ever been able to learn to the con- 
trary; but that there should be some proper scriptural 
form attended to, I am fully satisfied. Besides, if the 
plan of the Church at Antioch were regularly and 
faithfully followed, in sending forth the ministers of 
the Gospel, no man can prove that God would not 
own them in an especial manner, and more particularly 
prosper their work. But, O ye rulers of the Church! 
be careful, as ye shall answer it to God, never to lay 
hands on the head of a man whom ye have not just 
reason to believe God has ealled to the work; and 
whose eye is single, and whose heart is pure. Let 
none be sent to teach Christianity, who have not expe- 
rienced it to be the power of God to the salvation of 
their own souls. If ye do, though they have your 
authority, they never can have the blessing nor the 
approbation of God. “7 sent them not: therefore 
they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.” 
Jer. xxiil. 32. 

Verse 4. Being sent forth by the Holy Ghost] By 
his influence, authority, and under his continual direc- 
tion. Without the firsl, they were not qualified to 
gd; without the second, they had no authority to go ; 
and without the ¢hird, they could not know where to go. 

Departed unto Seleucia] This is generally under- 
stood to be Seleucia of Pieria, the first city on the 
coast of Syria, coming from Cilicia; near the place 
where the river Orontes pours itself into the sea. 

They sailed to Cyprus.| A well known island in 
the Mediterranean Sea. See on chap. iv. 36. 

Verse 5. Salamis] The capital of the island of Cy- 
prus ; afterwards called Constantia, and now Salina, 
situated on the eastern part of the island. 

They preached the word of God] Tov λογον, The 
doctrine of God, the Christian religion, emphatically 
so called. 

They had also John to their minister.] This was 
John Mark, of whom we heard, chap. xii. 25 ;—for 
their minister, ὑπηρέτην, to assist them in minor offices, 
as deacon or servant, that they might give themselves 
wholly to the. doctrine of the Lord. 

Verse 6. Gone through the isle] Ὅλην, The wHOLE 
isle, is added here by ABCDE, several others, both 
the Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, 
and Ttala ; and also by several of the Greek fathers ; 
and this must be the true reading, for it is evident they 
ran through the whole island from east to west. 

Unto Paphos] This town, next in importance to 
Salamis, was situated on the western part of the isle ; 
and having gone from Salamis to this place is a proot 
that they had gone through the whole island from east 
to west, according to the reading noticed above. 
There was probably no town in the universe more dis- 
Here Venus had a superb tem 

1 


The apostles are opposed 


A.M. cir. 4049, 


hae fe Which was with the deputy 


of the country, Sergius Paulus, 
a prudent man; who called for 
Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the 
word of God. 


8 But ™ Elymas, the sorcerer, (for so is his 


τὰ Exod, vii. 11; 2 Tim. ili. 8. 


ple: here she was worshipped with all her rites ; and 
from this place she was named the Paphian Venus, 
the queen of Paphos, &c. This temple and whole 
vity were destroyed by an earthquake ; so that a ves- 
tige of either does not now remain. There are two 
islands which go by this name, both adjoining, and on 
the west side of the island of Cyprus. One is called 
Old Paphos, the other New Paphos ; the latter is pro- 
bably the island here mentioned, though they are often 
confounded. On this island there is a Christian Church, 
dedicated to St. George, in which service is performed 
by the Greek ministers. It is a bishop’s see, suffragan 
to the Abp. of Nicosia. ὴ 

A certain sorcerer] Twa μαγον, A magician, one 
who used magical arts, and pretended to have com- 
merce with supernatural agents. A person who dealt 
in sleight of hand, or leger-de-main. Such as I have 
supposed Simon Magus to be. See the note on chap. 
vill. 9. 

A false prophet] A deceiver, one who pretended to 
have a Divine commission; a fortune teller. 

Bar-Jesus| That is, the son of Jesus or Josnua; as 
Bar-jona is the son of Jonah; Bar-tholomew, the son 
of Thalmi, &c. 


Verse 7. The deputy of the country] ἈΑνθυπατῳ, 
The proconsul. Rosenmiiller and others remark, that in 
those days the RomaMs sent two different kinds of 
governors into the provinces. Some of the provinces 
were Cesarean or imperial, and into those they sent 
propretors ; others belonged to the senate and people 
of Rome, and into those they sent proconsuls. Cyprus 
had formerly been an imperial province ; but Augustus, 
who made the distinction, had given it to the people, 
whence it was governed by a proconsul. See Dion 
Cass. Hist. Rom. lib. iv. p. 523. [Edit. Leunclav.] 

Sergius Paulus] This proconsul is not mentioned 
any where else: he became a Christian, had his name 
written in the book of life, and, probably on that very 
account, blotted out of the Fasti Consulares. 

A prudent man] Avdpt cover», A man of good sense, 
of a sound understanding, and therefore wished to hear 
the doctrine taught by these apostles; he did not per- 
secute the men for their preaching, but sent for them 
that he might hear for himself. 

Verse 8. But Elymas, the sorcerer, (for so is his 
name by interpretation)| That is, Elymas is the inter- 
pretation of the word payoc, or sorcerer; not of the 
word Bar-Jesus as some have imagined ; and to sup- 
port which they have been led into strange etymologies 
on the word Bap-Iycovc, Bar-Jesus. But how is 
Elymas, E?vpac, the interpretation of the word payor, 
magician or sorcerer? Ans. Both names are Asiatic ; 
but neither Hebrew nor Greek. I have already ob- 


CHAP. XIII. 


by Elymas the sorcerer 


- “+ A. M. cir. 4049. 
name by interpretation, ) With- en er. 45. 
stood them, seeking to turn away — An. Olymp. 


the deputy from the faith. Bente 


9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) 
" filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on 
him, 


5 Chap. iv. 8. 


Persian means an idolater, a worshipper of fire, and 
sometimes what we term a magician. Elymas is from 
the Arabic pic ilm, knowledge, science, doctrine, 
art; from alama, he was wise, skilled, &c.; hence 

aks aleem or alymon, a doctor or learned man, and, 
with the Greek termination, ελυμας, Elymas, the inter- 
pretation of Fond mogh, Greek payoc, magos, a magi- 
cian, a wise man, doctor, &c. 

Verse 9. Saul, who also is—Paul] This is the 
first time the name Paul occurs, and the last time 
in which this apostle is called Saul, as his common or 
general name. 

Saul, sw Shaiil, was the name of the first Israel 
itish king, and signifies asked, sought ; from Syw shaal. 
he asked, inquired, &c. 

Paul, Paulus, if derived from the Latin, signifies 
little, dwarfish: but if from the Hebrew, nba pala, it 
signifies extraordinary, wonderful; and this appears 
to have been the derivation assigned to it by δὲ, Je- 
rome, com. in Ep. Pauli ad Philem., who translates it 
mirabilis, wonderful ; and Hesychius must have had 
the same in view, for he defines it thus, Παῦλος, 
θαυμαςος, ἡ εκλεκτος, συμβουλος, Paul, wonderful, or 
elect, counsellor. The lexicographer had probably 
here in view, Isa. ix. 6: his name shall be called 
(yr ΝΞ. pelé yoéts) wonderful, counsellor ; which 
he might corrupt into paulus, and thus make his θαυ- 
μαςος συμβουλος out of it by way of explanation. Til- 
ler, however, supposes the συμβουλος of Hesychius to 
be corrupted from συνδουλος fellow servant, which is a 
term not unfrequently applied to apostles, &c., in the 
New Testament, who are called the servants of God ; 
and it is used by Paul himself, Col. i. 7, and iv. 7. 
The Latin original is the most probable. It is well 
known that the Jews in the apostolic age had frequently 
two names; one Hebrew, the other Greek or Roman. 
Saul was born of Jewish parents, a Hebrew of the 
Hebrews; he had therefore his first name from that 
language, sw Shaiil, asked or begged; as it is pos- 
sible he might have been a child for whom his parents 
had addressed their fervent petitions to God. The 
case of Samuel is one in point. See 1 Sam, i. 9-18. 
As he was born in Tarsus, in Cilicia, he was conse 
quently born a freé Roman citizen; and hence his 
parents would naturally give him, for cognomen, some 
name borrowed from the Latin tongue; and Paulus, 
which signifies little, might indicate that he was at his 
birth a small or diminutive child. And it is very 
likely that he was low in stature all his days ; and that 
it is to this he refers himself, 2 Cor. x. 10, for his 
bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. 
If he were small in stature, his voice would be natu- 


served, in the note on Matt. ii. 1, that ἕο mogh in | rally low and feeble; and the Greeks, who were fond 


1 


781 


Llymas, withstanding Paul 


Δ δ θῖν nes. 10 And said, O full of all 
‘An. Olymp.  subtilty and all mischief, ° thou 
cir. CCVI. 1. 


child of the devil, thou enemy 
of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to per- 
vert the right ways of the Lord? 

11 And now, behold, » the hand of the Lord 


THE ACTS. 


and Barnabas, 1s struck blind 


is upon thee, and thou shalt be 4,™M cir. 4049. 
blind, not seeing the sun for asea- An. Olymp. 
cir, COVI. 1 


son. And immediately there fell ————— 
on him a mist and a darkness: and he went 
about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 

12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was 


© Matt. xiii. 38; John viii. 44; 1 John iii. 8; Eccles. i. 


30; Rom. i. 29. P Exod. ix. 3; 1 Sam. v. 6. 


of a thundering eloquence, would despise him on this 
very account. 

Filled with the Holy Ghost] Therefore the sentence 
he pronounced was not from himself, but from God. 
And indeed, had he not been under a Divine influence, 
it is not likely he would have ventured thus to accost 
this sorcerer in the presence of the governor, who, no 
doubt, had -greatly admired him. 

Verse 10. O full of all subtilly] AodAov, Deceit, 
pretending to supernatural powers without possessing 
any, and having only cunnimg and deceit as their 
substitutes. 

And—mischief | Ῥᾳδιουργιας, from ῥᾷδεος, easy, and 
ἔργον, a work ; one who is ready at his work ; a word 
which excellently well defines a juggler, one who is 
expert at sleight of hand; though it is often employed 
to signify an abandoned and accomplished villain. 

Child of the devil] Yie διαβολου, Son of the devil, 
possessing his nature ; filled with his cunning ; and, in 
consequence, practising deceit. 

Enemy of all righteousness| Εχύρεπασης δικαιοσυνης ; 
Opposed in thy heart to all that is just, true, and good. 

Wilt thou not cease to pervert, &c.] Ov avon δια- 
cpedwv. Wilt thou not cease perverting? He had 
probably laboured in this bad work from the beginning 
of Paul’s ministry in the place ; and God in his mercy 
had borne with him; and no doubt the apostle had 
warned him, for thus much seems implied in the re- 
proof. What a terrible character is given of this 
bad man! He no doubt passed among the people for 
what we call a clever fellow ; and he was so clever as to 
hide himself under a pretty dense mask ; but God, who 
searches the heart, plucked it off, and tells him, and 
those who were perverted by him, what an accomplish- 
ed deceiver and knave he was. 

The right ways of the Lord] Tac ddovg Κυρίου τας 
evfevac, The ways of the Lord, the straight ways. 
This saying is very emphatical. The ways of Ely- 
mas were crooked and perverse; the ways of the 
Lord, the doctrine taught by him, plain and straight. 
What is here said of the conduct and teaching of 
Elymas, for he was a false prophet, is true of all false 
doctrine: it is complex, devious, and tortuous : while 
the doctrine of God is simple, plain, and straight; di- 
recting in the way, the sure way, that leads to present 
peace and everlasting happiness. From the phraseo- 
logy which the apostle employs in this terrible address 
to Elymas, we may learn, as well as from his name 
Bar-Jesus, that he was by birth and education a Jew. 
On this account he was the greater enemy to Christian- 
ity ; and on this same account he was the less excusable. 

Verse 11. The hand of the Lord is upon thee] 
The power of God is now about to deal with thee in 
the way of justice. 

782 


Thou shalt be blind) Every word here proves the 
immediate inspiration of Paul. He was full of the 
Holy Ghost when he began this address: by the light 
of that Spirit he discerned the state of Elymas, and 
exposed his real character ; and, by the propheti¢ in- 
fluence of that same Spirit, he predicted the calamity 
that was about to fall upon him, while as yet there 
was no sign of his blindness! Mark this! 

Not seeing the sun for a season.| In the midst of 
judement God remembers mercy. This blindness 
was not to be perpetual: it was intended to be the 
means of awakening and softening the hard heart of 
this poor sinner. There is an ancient tradition, and 
it is mentioned both by Origen and Chrysostom, that 
Elymas, in consequence of this becaine a sincere con- 
vert to the religion of Christ. Origen says: “ And 
Paul by a word striking him blind, who was with the 
proconsul, Sergius Paul, dia τῶν πόνων emicpeder αὐτὸν 
εἰς θεοσεβειαν, by anguish converted him to godliness.” 
And, commenting on—Thou shalt be blind, not seeing 
the sun, aypt katpov, for a season, asks, “ And why 
for a season? ‘That, being smitten on account of his 
transgressions, and brought to repentance, he might at 
last be deemed worthy to see the sun, not only with 
his body, but with his mind; that the Divine virtue 
might be proclaimed in restoring him to sight, and his 
soul, believing, might receive godliness.” Com. in 
Exod., vol. i. p. 117, edit. de la Rue, Par. 1733. 

There fell on him a mist and darkness] Ayu, 
achlus, is a disordered state of the eye, in which the 
patient sees through a thick mist. his thick mist, 
or perturbed state of the eye, took place first: it in- 
creased, and σκοτος, thick, positive darkness, was the 
issue. ‘ 

He went about] Mepiayav. Not knowing how to 
take a right step, he groped about in great uncer- 
tainty ; and, not being able to find his way, he sought 
for some persons to lead him by the hand. This state 
of Elymas is inimitably expressed in one of the car- 
toons of Raphael, now at Hampton-court, (and lately 
engraved, in the true spirit of the original, by Mr. 
Thomas Holloway,) in which his whole figure ex- 
presses the depth of distress, concern, uncertainty, and 
confusion ; and, to use a word common in exhibiting 
this matchless piece of painting, he is blind from head 
to foot. In this manner the text authorizes the painter 
to express the state of this miserable culprit. 

Verse 12. The deputy—believed] ‘This was a proof 
that the doctrine was true ; and that the power of God, 
from which nothing could be concealed, and which 
nothing could resist, was with these preachers. 

Being astonished] ExxAnocouevoc, Being struck with 
astonishment, as Elymas was struck with blindness. 
Thus the word of God is a two-edged sword-: it smites 

1 


Paul preaches to the Jews 


A. M. cir. 4049. 
A. D. cir. 45. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVI. 1. 


done, believed, being astonished 
at the doctrine of the Lord. 

13 % Now when Paul and his 
company loosed from Paphos, they came to 
Perga in Pamphylia: and 4 John departing 
from them returned to Jerusalem. 

14 But when they departed from Perga, they 


4Chap. xv. 38.—* Chap. xvi. 13; xvii. 2; xviii. 4. 


the sinner with judgment or compunction; and the 
sincere inquirer after truth, with conviction of its own 
worth and excellence. 

Verse 13. Paul and his company loosed from Pa- 
phos} They sailed away from this island, leaving, it 
may be presumed, Elymas a sincere and deeply hum- 
bled penitent; and Sergius Paul, a thorough and happy 
believer in the doctrine of Christ. 

Previously to this time, St. Luke always mentions 
Barnabas before Paul; but after this he mentions Paul 
always first; probably after seeing how God had dis- 
tinguished him in the late proceedings at Cyprus ; as 
much of the Holy Spirit now rested upon him. 

They came to Perga in Pamphylia] As Perga was 
not a maritime town, it is conjectured that the apostles 
sailed up the river Cestrus, in order to come to this 
place, which, according to Strabo, was situated about 
sixty leagues up this river, and near to which was a 
famous temple dedicated to Diana. For Pamphylia, 
see chap. ii. 10. 

And John departing from them] Why John Mark 
left his brethren at this place we are not informed ; 
probably he went to visit his pious mother Mary at 
Jerusalem, and to see Peter, to whom he is supposed 
to have been much attached. It certainly was not 
with the approbation of Paul that he left them at this 
place, as we learn from chap. xv. 38; yet his de- 
parture does not seem to have merited the displeasure 
of Barnabas ; for John Mark having met these apos- 
tles at Antioch, when Paul purposed to revisit the va- 
rious places where they had planted the word of God, 
Barnabas was willing to take him with them; but Paul 
would not consent, because he had departed from them 
from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work, 
chap. xv. 35-39; and this occasioned a separaticen 
between Barnabas and Paul. It does not appear that 
John Mark was under any obligation to accompany 
them any longer or any farther than he pleased. He 
seems to have been little else than their servant, and 
certainly was not divinely appointed to this work, as 
they were; and consequently might leave them inno- 
cently, though not kindly, if they could not readily 
supply his place. In this respect John Mark might 
be to blame; but Barnabas, whose nephew he was, 
could look over this fault more easily than Paul, who 
could not find those motives to pass by what was re- 
prehensible in his conduct which natural affection might 
furnish to his brother apostle. 

Verse 14. They came to Antioch in Pisidia] This 
place is mentioned thus to distinguish it from Antioch 
in Syria, with which it had nothing in common but 
the name. There were several cities and towns in 
various districts of these countries called Antioch: some 

1 


CHAP. XIII. 


at Antioch in Pisidia. 


A M. cir. 4049 
and A. D. cir. 45. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVI. 1. 


came to Antioch in Pisidia, 
τ went into the synagogue on the 
Sabbath day, and sat down. —— 4... 

15 And " after the reading of the law and the 
prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto 
them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have 
* any word of exhortation for the people, say on 


*Luke iv. 16; ver.27———t Heb. xiii. 22. 


have reckoned up not less than twelve. Pisidia, in 
which this was situated, was a province of Asia Minor, 
near to Pamphylia, having Phrygia on the north, and 
Pamphylia on the south. The position of all these 
places may be seen on the map. 

Into the synagogue on the Sabbath day| Though 
Paul was now on a special mission to the Gentiles, 
yet he availed himself of every opportunity, in every 
place, of making the first offer of salvation to the Jews. 

Verse 15. After the reading of the law and the 
prophets) A certain portion of the Jaw and another of 
the prophets, was read every Sabbath; and the law 
was so divided as to be read over once every year. 
In the notes at the conclusion of Deuteronomy, 1 have 
considered this subject at large, and given a complete 
table of the Parashoth, sections of the law, and Haph- 
taroth, sections of the prophets, which are read every 
Sabbath in the year in the Jewish synagogues. To 
have an exact view of every part of the Jewish eccle- 
siastical economy, the reader will do well to consult 
the above mentioned ¢adle, and those which follow it : 
they have been drawn up with great care, attention, 
and indescribable labour. 

It has been a question, in what language were the 
law and prophets read in a synagogue of Pisidia, for 
in that district Strabo informs us that four languages 
were spoken, viz. the Pisidian, the Solyman, the 
Greek, and the Lydian. Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, 
with great probability, that the Scriptures were read 
in the original Hebrew ; and that an interpreter ren- 
dered the reading to the people in their mother tongue. 
There is no doubt that the Jews and proselytes under- 
stood the Greek tongue well; and they certainly had 
the Septuagint version among them. 

The rulers of the synagogue} These were the per- 
sons whose business it was to read the appointed 
sections, and to take care of the synagogue and its 
concerns ; and to see that all was done decently and 
in order. 

Sent unto them] Seeing them to be Jews, they 
wished them to give some suitable address to the 
people, i. e. to the Jews who were then engaged in 
Divine worship; for the whole of the following dis- 
course, which greatly resembles that of St. Stephen, 
chap. vii., is directed to the Jews alone; and this was 
probably spoken either in Hebrew or Greek. 

Ye men and brethren] Avdpec αδεῖφοι, Men brethren, 
a Hebraism for, “Ye men who are our brethren,” i. e. 
Jews, as we ourselves are; but avdpec is often an 
expletive, as we have already seen. See the note 
on chap. vii. 2. 

If ye have any word of exhortation] Ex ect λογος 
ev ὑμιν παρακλησεως" If ye have any subject of con- 

783 


Paul gies a history of God's 


A.M. cir. 4049. 16 Then Paul stood up, and| 18 And 
An. Olymp. ἃ beckoning with hs hand, said, 


ir. CCVL 1. 
eee’ Men of Israel, and τ ye that fear 


God, give audience. 

17 The God of this people of Israel τ chose 
our fathers, and exalted the people * when 
they dwelt as strangers in the land of 
Egypt, Yand with a high arm brought he 
them out of it. 


ἃ Chap. xii. 17——¥ Ver. 26, 42, 43; chap. x. 35.——w Deut. 
vii. 6, 7. * Exod. i. 1; Psa. ev. 23,24; chap. vii. 17.—¥ Exod. 
vi. 6; xiii. 14, 16. z Exod. xvi. 35; Num. xiv. 33, 34; Psa. 
xcv. 9, 10; chap. vil. 36. 


THE ACTS. 


dealings with theur fathers. 


Ζ 5 A.M. cir. 4049 
about the time of AD ae 


An. Olymp. 


forty years *suffered he their ἷ 
cir. CCVI. 1. 


manners in the wilderness. ----  -. 
19 And when he had destroyed seven na- 
tions in the land of Canaan, ¢ he divided their 
land to them by lot. 
20 And after that “he gave unto them judges 
about the space of four hundred and fifty years, 
* until Samuel the prophet. 


ἃ Gr. erporro-dopyaev, perhaps for ἐτροφο-φορῆσεν, bore or fed 
them, as the nurse beareth or feedeth her child ; Deut.i.31; 2 Mac.vii. 
27, according to the LX X. and so Chrysostom.— Deut. vii. 1. 
¢ Josh. xiv. 1,2; Psa. Ixxvili. 55.—4 Judg. ii. 16—e 1 Sam. iii. 20. 


solation, any word ot comfort to us, who are sojourn- 
ers in this strange land, speak it. The Consolation 
of Israel was an epithet of the Messiah among the 
Jews; and it is probable that it was in reference to 
him that the rulers of the synagogue spoke. That 
παρακλησις is to be understood here as meaning conso- 
dation, and this in reference to the Messiah, the whole 
of the following discourse will prove to the attentive 
reader ; in which Paul shows the care and protection 
of God towards his people Israel, and the abundant 
provision he had made for their salvation by Jesus 
Christ. They wished for consolation, and he declared 
unto them glad tidings, and many felt the power and 
comfort of the doctrine of the cross. 

Verse 16. Men of Israel] Ye that are Jews by 
birth; and ye that fear God—ye that are proselytes 
to the Jewish religion. In this discourse Paul proves 
that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent from God, not 
only for the salvation of the Jews, but of the whole hu- 
man race. And this he does, not with the rhetorician’s 
arts, but in a plain, simple detail of the history of 
Christ, and the most remarkable transactions of the 
people of God, which referred to his manifestation in 
the flesh. Rosenmiiller. 

Verse 17. The God of—our fathers] The apostle 
begins his discourse with the Egyptian bondage, and 
their deliverance from it, as points the most remark- 
able and striking in their history ; in which the provi- 
dence and mighty power of God, exerted so frequently 
in their behalf, were peculiarly conspicuous. 

Exalted the people] Even when they were strangers 
in the land, and greatly oppressed, God exalted them ; 
made them a terror to their enemies, and multiplied 
them greatly. 

With a high arm] A literal translation of the He- 
brew phrase, 799 113 bezerod ramah, with a lifted- 
up arm, to protect them and destroy their enemies.— 
The meaning of the phrase is, a manifest display of 
the Divine power. 

Verse 18. About the time of forty years] The 
space of time between their coming out of Egypt, and 
going into the promised land. 

Suffered he their manners] Ἑτροποφορησεν avrove ; 
He dealt indulgently with them: howsoever they be- 
haved towards him, he mercifully bore with, and kindly 
treated them. But instead of ετροποφορησεν, ACH, 
some others, with the Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, ΖΕ λῖο- 


uw, and some of the fathers, read erpododopycev, which | 


784 


signifies, he nourished and fed them, or bore them 
about in his arms as a tender nurse does her child.— 
This reading confifms the marginal conjecture, and 
agrees excellently with the scope of the place, and is 
a reading at least of equal value with that in the com- 
monly received text. Griesbach has admitted it, and 
excluded the other. Both, when rightly understood, 
speak nearly the same sense ; but the latter is the most 
expressive, and agrees best with Paul’s discourse, and 
the history to which he alludes. See the same form 
of expression, Num. xi. 12; Exod. xix. 4; Isa. xlvi 
3, 4, and Ixiii. 9. 

Verse 19. Destroyed seven nations] The Canaan- 
ites, Hittites, Girgasites, Amorites, Hivites, Peresites, 
and Jebusites. The rabbins frequently call them nyaw 
nya Shebaah Omoth, the Seven Nations. 

Verse 20. And after that he gave unto them judges 
about the space of four hundred and fifty years] This 
is a most difficult passage, and has been termed by 
Scaliger, Crux Chronologorum. 'The apostle seems 
here to contradict the account in 1 Kings vi. 1: And 
it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year 
after the children of Israel were come out of the land 
of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, he 
began to build the house of the Lord. 

Sir Norton Knatchbull, in his annotations upon diffi- 
cult texts, has considered the various solutions pro- 
posed by learned men of the difficulty before us; and 
concludes that the words of the apostle should not be 
understood as meaning how long God gave them judges, 
but when he gave them; and therefore proposes that 
the first words of this verse, Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, ὡς erect 
τετρακοσίοις καὶ πεντήκοντα, should be referred to the 
words going before, ver. 17, that is, to the time WHEN 
the God of the children of Israel chose their fathers. 

“‘ Now this time wherein God may properly be said 
to have chosen their fathers, about 450 years before 
he gave them judges, is to be computed from the birth 
of Isaac, in whom God may properly be said to have 
chosen their fathers ; for God, who had chosen Abra- 
ham out of all the people of the earth, chose Isaac at 
this time out of the children of Abraham, in whose fa- 
mily the covenant was to rest. To make this compu- 
tation evident, let us observe that from the birth of 
Isaac to the birth of Jacob are 60 years; from thence 
to their going into Egypt, 130; from thence to the 
exodus, 210; from thence to their entrance into Ca- 
naan, 40; from that to the division of the land (aba: 

1 


He declares Jesus to be 


A.M. cir. 4049. 91 f And afterward they de- 
A. Ὁ. cir. 45. 
An. Olymp. sired a king; and God gave unto 
eir. CCVI. 1. 


them Saul the son of Cis, a man 
of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of 
forty years. 

22 And when "he had removed him, he 
raised up unto them David to be their king; 
to whom also he gave testimony, and said, ‘ [ 
have found David the son of Jesse, * a man 
after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all 
my will. 


[1 Sam. viii. 5; x. 1.—+£1 Sam. xv. 23, 26, 28; xvi.1; Hos. 
xiit. 11.—— 1 Sam. xvi. 13; 25am. ii.4; v. 3. i Psa. Ixxxix. 
20.— 1 Sam. xiii. 14; chap. vii. 46. 1158. xi. 1; Luke i. 


CHAP. XIII. 


the pronased Saviour 


23 1Of this man’s seed hath 4M. cir. 4049 
God, according ™ to his promise, An. Olymp: 
raised unto Israel "a ‘Saviour, ——————- 
Jesus : 

24 °When John had first preached before 
his coming the baptism of repentance to all the 
people of Israel. 

25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, 
® Whom think ye that I am? 1 am not he 
But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose 
shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. 


32, 69; chap. ii.30; Rom. i.3.——™ 2 Sam. vil. 12; Psa. exxxii. 
11. π Matt. i. 21; Rom. xi. 26. © Matt. iii. 1; Luke iii. 3. 
P Matt. iii. 11; Mark i. 7; Luke iii. 16; John i. 20, 27. 


which time it is probable they began to settle their 
government by judges) 7 years; which sums make 
447: viz.60 + 1304+2104+40+ 7= 447. And 
should this be reckoned from the year Jefore the birth 
of Isaac, when God established his covenant between 
himself and Abraham, and all his seed after him, Gen. 
xvii. ver. 19, at which time God properly chose their 
Sfathers, then there will be 448 years, which brings it 
to within fwo years of the 450, which is sufficiently 
exact to bring it within the apostle’s ὡς, about, or 
nearly. 

“Some have made the period 452 years; which, 
though two years more than the apostle’s round num- 
ber, is still sufficiently reconcilable with his qualify- 
ing particle ὡς, about. And it may be added that the 
most correct writers often express a sum totally, but 
not exactly: so, with Demosthenes and Plautus, we 
find that called a talent where some drachms were 
either wanting or abounding.” 

The sacred writers often express themselves in the 
same way : 6. g. He made a molten sea, ten cubits from 
the one brim to the other; and a line of thirty cubits 
did compass it about. Now we know that the cireum- 
ference of any circle is only in round numbers to its 
diameter as three to one; but, correctly, is consider- 
ably more, nearly as 22 to 7. But even the Spirit of God 
does not see it necessary to enter into such niceties, 
which would only puzzle, and not instruct the com- 
mon reader. 

Calmet has paraphrased these passages nearly to 
the same sense: the text may be thus connected ; 
ver. 19: And having destroyed seven nations in the 
land of Canaan, he divided thei> land to them by lot, 
about one hundred and fifty years after. 
wards he gave them judges, to the time of Samuel the 
prophet. The paraphrase of Calmet is the following : 
“ The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers 
in the person of Avraham ; he promised him the land 
of Canaan; and four hundred and fifty years after this 
promise, and the birth of Isaac, who was the son and 
heir of the promise, he put them in possession of that 
land which he had promised so long before.” As this 
view of the subject removes all the principal difficul- 
ties, I shall not trouble my reader with other modes 
of interpretation. 

Verse 21. Saul the son of Cis] In all proper names 

Vou. I. {80 } 


And after- | 


quoted from the Old Testament, we should undoubtedly 
follow, as nearly as possible, the same orthography : 
wp Kish, was the name of this king’s father, and so 
we spell it in the Old Testament, and yet have trans- 
formed it into Cis in the New, where the orthography 
is almost entirely lost. 

The space of forty years.| Reckoning from the 
time of his anointing by Samuel to the time of his death, 
from A. M. 2909 to 2949. 

Verse 22. David—a man after mine own heart] 
That is, a man who would rule the kingdom according 
to God’s will. Dr. Benson’s observation on this point 
is very judicious: “ When it is said that David was 
a man after God’s own heart, it should be understood, 
not of his private, but of his public, character. He 
was a man after God’s own heart, because he ruled 
the people according to the Divine will. He did not 
allow of idolatry; he did not set up for absolute power. 
He was guided in the government of the nation by the 
law of Moses, as the standing rule of government, and 
by the prophet, or the Divine oracle, whereby God gave 
directions upon particular emergencies. Whatever 
Saul’s private character was, he was not a good king 
in Israel. He did not follow the law, the oracle, and 
the prophet ; but attempted to be absolute, and thereby 
to subvert the constitution of the kingdom. That this 
was the meaning of David's being a man after God's 
own heart will easily appear by comparing 1 Sam. xv. 
28; xxviii. 17, 18; 1 Chron. x. 13, 14; Psa. Ixxviii 
70, &c.; Ixxxix, 20, &c.” 

Verse 23. Of this man’s seed hath God—raised— 
a Saviour] That Jesus Christ came in a direct and 
indisputable line from David, according to both pro- 
mise and prophecy, may be seen in the notes on Matt. 
i. 1, &e., and particularly in the notes at the end of 
Luke iii. And that the Messiah was promised to come 
from the family of David, see Isa. xi. 1, 2, and Jer. 
xxiii. 5, 6. 

Verse 24. John—preached—the baptism of repent 
ance] On the nature and effects of John’s preaching, 
see the notes on Matt. iii. 1, &c.,and Luke iii. 10-15. 

Verse 25. As John fulfilled his course} As John 
was fulfilling his race, he said, §c. It has been sup- 
posed that the word ὅρομον, course, or race, is used 
here to point out the short duration of the Baptist’s 


ministry, and the fervent zeal with which he performed 
. 


THE 


Paw prowams salvation 


Bis 4019. 26 Men and brethren, chil- 
‘An. Olymp. dren of the stock of Abraham, 
cir. CCVL 1. 


and whosoever among you fear- 
eth God, ‘to you is the word of this salvation 
sent. 

27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and 
their rulers, * because they knew him not, nor 
yet the voices of the prophets * which are read 
every Sabbath day, t they have fulfilled them 
in condemning him. 

28 "And though they found no cause of 
death im him, ἡ yet desired they Pilate that he 
should be slain. 

29 ἡ And when they had fulfilled all that was 


ACTS. through the death of Christ. 
i i Τ “7 A.M. cir. 4049. 

written of him, * they took far, ΑΛ τὰ Το 

down from the tree, and laid him An. αι, Olymp., 


im ἃ sepulchre. 
90 »¥ But God raised him from the dead: 
31 And *he was seen many days of them 

which came up with him * from Galilee to Je- 

rusalem, ἢ who are his witnesses unto the people. 

32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, 
how that the ° promise which was made unto 
the fathers, 

33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their 
children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, 
as it is also written in the second Psalm, 
4 Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 


4 Matt. x. 6; Luke xxiv. 47; ver. 46; chap. iii. 26——" Luke 
xxiil. 34; chap. i. 17; 1 Cor. 11. 8. s Ver. 14, 15; chap. xv. 
21. t Luke xxiv. 20, 44; chap. xxvi. 22; xxviii. 23. υ Matt. 
xxvil. 22; Mark xv. 13, 14; Luke xxiii. 21, 22; John xix. 6, 15. 
ieee 11. 13, 14. w Luke xviii. 31; ; xxiv. 44; John xix. 28, 

θ, 37. 


x Matt. xxvii. 59; Mark xv. 46; Luke xxiii. 53; John xix 
38. Υ Matt. xxviii. 6; chap. ii. 24; iii. 13, 15, 26; v. 30 
zMatt. xxviii. 16; chap. i. 3; 1 Cor. xv. 5, 6, 7. a Chap. 1. 
11. Chap. i. 8; ii. 325; iii. 15; v. 32. © Gen. 111.15; xii. 
3; xxii. 18; chap. xxvi. 6; Rom. iv. 13; Gal. ii. 16——4 Psa. 
ii. 7; Heb. i. 5; v. 5. 


it. It signifies properly his ministry, or life. A man’s 
work, employment, function, &c., is his race, course, 
or way of life. John had a ministry from God ; and 
he discharged the duties of it with zeal and diligence ; 
bore the fatigues of it with patience and resignation ; 
and was gloriously successful in it, because the hand 
of the Lord was with him. 

Verse 26. Men and brethren] This should have 
beex traaslated brethren simply. See the note on 
chap. vii. 2. 

Children of the stock of Abraham] All ye that are 
Jews. 

And whosoever among you feareth God] That is, 
all ye who are Gentiles, and are now proselytes to the 
Jewish religion. 

The word of this salvation] The doctrine that con- 
tains the promise of deliverance from sin, and the 
means by which it is brought about; all which is 
founded on Jesus, of the stock of David, dying and 
rising again for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles. 

Verse 27. Because they knew him not] A gentle 
excuse for the persecuting high priests, &c. They 
did not know that Jesus was the Christ, because they 
did not know the prophets: and why did they not 
know the prophets, which were read every Sabbath 
day? Because they did not desire to know his will ; 
and therefore they knew not the doctrine of God: 
nor did they know that, in condemning Christ, they 
fulfilled those very Scriptures which were read every 
Sabbath day in their synagogues. 

Verse 28. They found no cause of death in him] 
No reason why he should be condemned. Though 
they accused him of several things, yet they could not 
substantiate the most trifling charge against him; and 
yet, im opposition to all justice and equity, desired 
Pilate to put him to death! This paints their perfidy 
in the strongest light. 

Verse 29. They took him down from the tree] The 
apostle passes rapidly over several circumstances of 

786 


. 


his death, that he might establish the fact of his re- 
surrection. 

Verse 30. But God raised him from the dead] And 
thus gave the fullest proof of his innocenee God 
alone can raise the dead; and he would not work a 
miracle so very extraordinary, but on some extraordi< 
nary occasion. 

Verse 31. He was seen many days, 4.1 The thing 
was done but a very short time since ; and many of 
the witnesses are still alive, and ready to attest the 
fact of this resurrection in the most unequivocal manner. 

Verse 32. We declare unto you glad tidings] We 
proclaim that Gospel to you which is the fulfilment 
of the promise made unto the fathers. 

Verse 33. Written in the second Psalm] Instead of 
τῷ ψαλμῳ τῳ devtepw, the second Psalm, πρωτῳ parpw, 
the first Psalm, is the reading of D, and its [tala ver- 
sion, and several of the primitive fathers. Griesbach 
has received it into the text; but not, in my opinion, 
on sufficient evidence. The reason of these various 
readings is sufficiently evident to those who are ac- 
quainted with Hebrew MSS. In many of these, twe 
Psalms are often written as one; and the first and 
second Psalms are written as one in seven of Ken- 
nicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS. Those who possessed 
such MSS. would say, as it is written in the First 
Psalm ; those who referred to MSS. where the two 
Psalms were separate, would say, in the sEconD 
Psalm, as they would find the quotation in question in 
the first verse of the second Psalm. There is, there- 
fore, neither contradiction nor difficulty here; and it 
is no matter which reading we prefer, as it depends on 
the simple circumstance, whether we consider these 
two Psalms as parts of one and the same, or whether 
we consider them as two distinct Psalms. 

Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.} 
It has been disputed whether this text should be under- 
stood of the incarnation or of the resurrection of our 
Lord. If understood of his incarnation, it can mean 

ς yao” ») 


CHAP. 


The prophecies concerning 


gr ee 34 And as concerning that he 
An. Olymp. raised him up from the dead, 


cir. CCVI. 1. 
—___——. now no more to return to cor- 


ruption, he said on this wise, °I will give you 
the sure ‘ mercies of David. 

35 Wherefore he saith also in another Psalm, 
£ Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see 
corruption, 

36 For David, "after he had served his own 


© Isa. lv. 3.— Gr. ra ὅσια, holy, or, just things; which word 
the LXX. both in the place of Isa. lv. 3, and in many others, 
use for that which is in the Hebrew, mercies. & Psa. xvi. 10; 


XII. his death and resurrection. 


; ; A. M. cir. 4049 
generation by the will of God, 4.,M. cir 404 


1 fell on sleep, and was laid unto 
his fathers, and saw  corrup- 
tion: 

37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no 
corruption. 

38 Be it known unto you therefore, men 
and brethren, that * through this man is preach 
ed unto you the forgiveness of sins : 


chap. ii. 31.—— Or, after he had in his own age served the will of 
God ; ver. 22; Psa. |xxviii. 72.——'1 Kings i. 10; chap. i. 
29, Jer. xxxi. 34; Dan. ix. 24; Luke xxiv. 47; 1 John 11.12. 


no more than this, that the human nature of our 
blessed Lord was begotten by the energy of the Holy 
Spirit in the womb of the blessed virgin; for as to his 
Divine nature, which is allowed to be God, it could 
neither be created nor begotten. See some reasons 
offered for this on Luke i. 35; and, if those be deemed 
insufficient, a ¢housand more may be added. But in 
the above reasons it is demonstrated that the doctrine 
of the eternal Sonship of Christ is absolutely irrecen- 
cilable to reason, and contradictory to itself. Evrr- 
nity is that which has had no beginning, nor stands 
in any reference to time: Son supposes time, gene- 
ration, and father ; and time also antecedent to such 
generation: therefore the rational conjunction of these 
two terms, Son and eternity, is absolutely impossible, 
as they imply essentially different and opposite ideas. 

If the passage in question be understood of the 
resurrection of Christ, it points out that the human 
nature, which was produced by the power of God in 
the womb of the virgin, and which was the Son of 
God, could see no corruption ; and therefore, though 
it died for sin, must be raised from the dead before it 
saw corruption. ‘Thus God owned that human nature 
10 be peculiarly his own; and therefore Jesus Christ 
was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the 
resurrection from the dead, Rom. i. 4. 

Verse 34. No more to return to corruption] To 
the grave, to death, the place and state of corruption; 
for so we should understand the word διαφθοραν in 
the text. 

The sure mercies of David.| Ta basa Δαβιὸ τα πιςα. 
These words are quoted literatim from the Sepluaginé 
version of Isa. lv. 3; where the Hebrew is ΠῚ *30N 
DNNIN chasdey David ha-neemanim, of which the 
Greek is a faithful translation ; and which sure mer- 
cies of David St. Paul considers as being fulfilled in 
the resurrection of Christ. From this application of 
tue words, it is evident that the apostle considered 
the word David as signifying the Messiah; and then 
the sure or faithful mercies, being such as relate to 
the new covenant, and the various blessings promised 
in it, are evidently those which are sealed and con- 
firmed to mankind by the resurrection of Christ ; and 
it is in this way that the apostle applies them. Had 
there not been the fullest proof of the resurrection of 
Christ, not one of the promises of the new covenant 
could have been considered as sure or faithful. If he 
did not rise from the dead, then, as said the apostle, 
your faith and our preaching are vain, 1 Cor. xy. 14. 


The following observations of Bp. Pearce are judi- 
cious: “ For the sense of these words, we must have 
recourse to what God said to David in 2 Sam. vii. 
11, 12, &c., explained by what is said in Psa. Ixxxix. , 
3, 4, 28, 29, 36, where frequent mention is made of 
a covenant established by God with David, and sworn 
to by God, that David’s seed should endure for ever, 
and his throne as the days of heaven, and as the sun, 
to all generations. This covenant and this oath are 
the sure and sacred things of which Isaiah, lv. 3, 
speaks; and Luke in this place. And Paul under- 
stood them as relating to the kingdom of Jesus, (the 
Son of David,) which was to be an everlasting king 
dom; and if an everlasting one, then it was necessary 
that Jesus should have been (as he was) raised from 
the dead; and, to support this argument, Paul, in the 
next verse, strengthens it with another, drawn from 
Psalm xvi. ver. 10.” See also the note among the 
marginal readings. 

Verse 36. David—fell on sleep—and saw corrup- 
tion] David died, was buried, and never rose again ; 
therefore, David cannot be the person spoken of here: 
the words are true of some other person; and they 
ean be applied to Jesus Christ only; and in him they 
are most exactly fulfilled. See the notes on chap. 
ii. 29, 30, &e. 

Verse 38. Be it known unto you, therefore] This 
is the legitimate conclusion: seeing the word of God 
is true, and he has promised an endless succession to 
the seed of David; seeing David and all his family 
have failed in reference to the political kingdom, a 
spiritual kingdom and a spiritual succession must be 
intended, that the sure covenant and all its blessings 
may be continued. Again: seeing the person by 
whom this is to be done is to see no corruption —— 
seeing David has died, and has seen (fallen under the 
power of) corruption ;—seeing Jesus the Christ has 
wrought all the miracles which the prophets said he 
should work ;—seeing he has suffered all the indig- 
nities which your prophets said he must suffer ;— 
seeing after his death he has most incontestably risen 
again from the dead, and has not fallen under the 
power of corruption—then he must be the very per- 
son in whom all the predictions are fulfilled, and the 
person through whom all the blessings of the covenant 
must come. 

Through this man is preached unto you the for- 
giveness of sins] See the notes on chap. v. 30, 31. 
Remission of sins, the removal of the power, guilt, and 

787 


The danger of despising and 


A.M: cir. 4049. 39 And 'by him all that be- 
. Ὁ. cir. 45, 5 Ξ ξ ; 
An. Olymp. lieve are justified from all things, 


ir. CCVI. 1. 7 
Jeera from which ye could not be 


justified by the law of Moses. 


1158. liti. 11; Rom. ili. 28; viii. 3; Heb. wii. 19. 


pollution of sin comes alone through this man, whom 
ye crucified, and who is risen from the dead. 

Verse 39. And by him] On his account, and through 
him, all that believe in his Divine mission, and the end 
for which he has been manifested, namely, to put away 
sin by the sacrifice of himself, are justified from all 
things, from the guilt of all transgressions committed 
against God ; from which ye could not be justified by 
the law of Mcses; because it is impossible that the 
blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer 
sprinkling the unclean, or any other rite or service of 
this kind, could take away sin from the soul, cancel its 
guilt in the conscience, or make an atonement to the 
Divine justice; but this is the sacrifice which God 
has required ; this is every way suited to the end for 
which it has been instituted; and this is the sacrifice 
alone which God can accept. Your law says, ‘“ Do 
this, and ye shall live;” and, “ Cursed is every one 
that continueth not in all things that are written in the 
book of the law to do them.” Ye have not done these 
things required; ye have not continued in any good 
thing ; ye have not only not done all things command- 
ed, but ye have done none, none as they ought to be 
done ; and therefore ye are under the curse. The Gos- 
ΤῈ] says, Believe on the Lord Jesus ; credit his Divine 
mission ; consider his death an atonement for sin; be- 
lieve in his resurrection, as a proof that the atonement 
is made; believe that he suffered, died, and rose again 
for your justification; and that for his sake God, 
though he be infinitely just, can be the justifier of 
all who believe in him. By the law of Moses there 
is neither justification nor salvation: in Jesus Christ 
there are both, and all the sure mercies of David. 
Therefore, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye 
shall be justified from all things, from which ye could 
not be justified by the law of Moses. 

Verse 40. Beware—lest that come upon you, &c.] 
If you reject these benefits, now freely offered to you 
in this preaching of Christ crucified, you may expect 
such judgments from the hand of God as your fore- 
fathers experienced, when, for their redellion and their 
contempt of his benefits, their city was taken, their 
temple destroyed. and themselves either slain by the 
sword, or carried into captivity. Itis evident that St. 
Paul refers to Hab. i. 5-10; and in those verses 
the desolation by the Chaldeans is foretold. Never 
was there a prophecy more correctly and pointedly ap- 
plied. These Jews did continue to slight the benefits 
offered to them by the Lord; and they persevered in 
their rebellion: what was the consequence? The Ro- 
mans came, took their city, burnt their temple, slew 
apwards of a million of them, and either carried or sold 
the rest into captivity. How exactly was the prophecy 
in both cases fulfilled ! 

Verse 41. Behold, ye despisers] There is a remark- 
able difference here between the Hebrew text in Ha- 

788 


THE ACTS. 


rejecting the Gospel of Chrost. 


40 Beware, therefore, lest that 4; ΜῈ cir. 4049. 
come upon you, which is spoken An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVI.1. 


of ™in the prophets : Bee eae EL Ά 
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and 


mJsa, xxix. 14; Hab. i. 5. 


bakkuk, and that in the Septuagint, which is a little 
abridged here by St. Paul. I shall exhibit the three 
texts. Heb. :— 

δ p72 Spa Sys 3 ANN MONA wR Ὁ .2 ἸΝῪ 
WD 3 ΝΠ Ret bageyim vehabitu vehitammehu ; 
temahu ki poal poel bimeycem, lo teaminu ki yesupar 
Behold, ye among the heathen, (nations,) and regard, 
and be astonished ; be astonished, for I am working a 
work in your days, which, when it shall be told, ye 
will not credit. See Houbigant. 

Sept. Idere of καταφρονηται, kat exiBAepate, και Oav 
μασατε θαυμασια, kat αφανισθητε" διοτι Epyov eyw εργαζομα" 
εν ταῖς ἥμεραις ὕμων, ὁ ov μη πιςεύυσητε, εαν τις ἐκδιηγη- 
ται ὑμιν. See, ye despisers, and look attentively, and 
be astonished, (or hide yourselves,) for | work a work 
in your days, which, if any one will tell to you, ye will 
not believe. 

St. Luke. [dere ol καταφρονηται, [καὶ επιβλεψατε,} 
kat θαυμασατε, [θαυμασια,] και αφανισθητε" ὁτι epyov eya 
ἐργαζομαι εν ταῖς ἥμεραις ὑμων, εργον ᾧ οὐ μη πιςευσητε, 
eav τις ἐκδιηγηται ὑμιν. Behold, ye despisers, and won- 
der, and be astonished, (or hide yourselves,) for I work 
a work in your days, which, if any one will tell unto 
you, ye will not believe. 

I have taken Luke’s quotation from the best MSS. 
and I have quoted the Septuagint according to the 
Codex Alexandrinus ; and the quotations are exactly 
the same, not only in words, but almost in letters, with 
the exception of ἐπιβλέψατε and θαυμασία, which the 
evangelist omits; and which [have included in crotchets 
in the text of St. Luke, merely that the place of the 
omission may be the better seen. It may now be ne- 
cessary to inquire how St. Luke and the Septuagint 
should substitute ye despisers, for ye among the hea- 
then, in the Hebrew text ? 

Without troubling myself or my readers with labo- 
rious criticisms on these words, with which many 
learned men have loaded the text, I will simply state 
my opinion, that the prophet, instead of Ὁ.}}3 dagoyim, 
among the heathen, wrote 0°12 bogadim, despisers, 
or transgressors: a word which differs only in a sin- 
gle letter, 1 daleth, for \vau; the latter of which 
might easily be mistaken by a transcriber for the other, 
especially if the horizontal stroke of the 7 daleth hap- 
pened to be a little faint towards the left ; as, in that 
case, it would wear the appearance of a1 vaw; and 
this is not unfrequently the case, not only in MSS., 
but even in printed books. It seems as evident as it 
can well be that this was the word which the Septuagznt 
found in the copy from which they translated: their 
evidence, and that of the apostle, joined to the consi- 
deration that the interchange of the two letters men- 
tioned above might have been easily made, is quite 
sufficient to legitimate the reading for which I con- 
tend. Howbigant and several others are of the same 
mind. 


1 


The effects of Paul's discourse 


ee a 4049. perish: "for I work a work in 
An. Olym our days, a work which ye shall 
cir. or, 7 i es hich y 


in no wise believe, though a man 
declare it unto you. 

42 Ἵ And when the Jews were gone out 
of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that 
these words might be preached to them ° the 
next Sabbath. 

43 Now when the congregation was broken 
up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes 
followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking 
to them, ἡ persuaded them to continue in 4 the 


grace of God. 


alsa. xxviii. 14; Gen. xxvii. 12. © Gr. In the week between, 
or, in the Sabbath between. P Chap. xi. 23; xiv. 22. 4 Tit. 
ii. 11; Heb. xii. 15; 1 Pet. v. 12. Char xvill. 6; 1 Pet. 


CHAP. XIII. 


on the Jews and Gentiles 


44 {And the next Sabbath day 4, M. bce = 
came almost the whole city to- ve or 


cir. 


gether to hear the word of God. 

45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, 
they were filled with envy, and * spake against 
those things which were spoken by Paul, 
contradicting and blaspheming. 

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, 
and said, * It was necessary that the word of 
God should first have been spoken to you: 
but *seeing ye put it from you, and judge 
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, “we 
turn to the Gentiles : 


iv. 4; Sada 10.—* Matt. x. 65 chap. iii. 26 ; ver. 26; Rom. i. 
16. t Exod. xxxii. 10; Deut. xxxil. 21; Isa. lv.5; Matt. xxi. 
43; Rom. x. 19. u Chap. xviii. 6; xxviii. 28. 


The word ἀφανίσθητε, which we translate perish, 
signifies more properly disappear, or hide yourselves ; 
as people, astonished and alarmed at some coming evil, 
betake themselves to flight, and hide themselves in 
order to avoid it. 

Verse 42. When the Jews were gone out] That 
part of them in whom the words of the prophet were 
fulfilled, viz. those who, though they had the clearest 
relation of so interesting a history, would not believe 
it: they shut their eyes against the light, and hardened 
their hearts against the truth. There were other Jews 
in the assembly that did believe, and were saved. 

. The Gentiles besought] There is some doubt whe- 
ther the original, παρεκαλουν ta εθνη, should be trans- 
lated the Gentiles besought ; or they besought the Gen- 
tiles: for the words will bear either; but the latter 
sense more naturally. When the Jews retired, deter- 
mining not to credit what was spoken, the apostle, see- 
ing the Gentiles of a better mind, requested them to 
come and hear those words, or doctrines, the next 
Sabbath. But, the next, τὸ μεταξυ, as Hesychius de- 
fines it, μετ᾽ ολιγον, ava pecov, shortly, or betwixt, may 
mean the after part of the same Sabbath, or the course 
of the ensuing week, between the two Sabbaths ; for 
Mondays and Thursdays, or the second and fifth days 
of the week, were times in which those who feared 
God usually met together in the synagogue ; for it is 
a maxim with the rabbins, that no three days should 
elapse without reading of the law. 

On this verse there is a great number of various 
readings: instead of, when the Jews were going out 
of the synagogue, ABCDE, several others of great 
repute, with all the Syriac, the Coptic, Avthtopic, 
Armenian, Vulgate, and Itala, read, As they were 
going out, they entreated that inese words should be 
preached unto them in the course of the week, or the 
next Sabbath. So that, according to this well accre- 
dited reading, the words, ex τῆς συναγωγης τῶν Ἰουδαι- 
wv, are left out in the first clause, av7wv being put in 
their place ; and ra εθνη, the Gentiles, is wholly omitted 
in the second clause. The most eminent critics approve 
of this reading ; indeed it stands on such authority as to 
render it almost indubitable. Of the avrwy, them, which 
is subsututed for the first clause, Professor White says, 

1 


lectio indubie genuina: this reading is undoubtedly 
genuine, and of the ra εθνη εἰς, he says, certissime 
delenda: they should certainly be expunged. We are 
therefore to understand the words thus : that, “ as they 
were going out on the breaking up of the assembly, some 
of them desired that they might have these doctrines 
preached to them on the ensuing week or Sabbath.” 
And thus all the ambiguity of the verse vanishes 

Verse 43. Many of the Jews] Direct descendants 
from some of the twelve tribes, and religious prose- 
lytes, heathens who had been converted to Judaism, 
and, having submitted to circumcision, had become 
proselytes of the covenant: though some think that 
the expression means proselytes of the gate—persons 
who believed in one God, like the Jews, but who had 
not received circumcision. 

Persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.) 
That is, that they should continue to credit the Gos- 
pel; to receive the spirit and influence of it; to bring 
forth the fruits of that spirit; and thus continue under 
the favour and approbation of God. 

Verse 44. The next Sabbath day] The good news 
had spread far and wide, by means of the converted 
Jews and proselytes. 

Almost the whole city] Jews, proselytes, and Gen- 
tiles, came together to hear tov Aoyov tov Θεοῦ, this 
doctrine of God, this Divine teaching, by which so 
many of their kindred and acquaintance had become 
so wise and happy. It is not by public discourses 
merely that people are converted to God ; but by the 
private teaching and godly conduct of those who have 
received the truth ; for, as these are scattered through - 
out society, they are a Jeaven in every place. 

Verse 45. The Jews—were filled with envy] See 
on chap. v. 17. These could not bear the Gentiles, 
who believed in Christ, to be egual with them; and 
yet, according to the Gospel, it was really the case. 

Contradicting] The arguments and statements 
brought forward by the disciples; and blaspheming, 
speaking impiously and injuriously of Jesus Christ. 
This is probably what is meant. 

Verse 46. Waxed bold] Παρῥησιασαμενοι ; Having 
great liberty of speech ; astrong, persuasive, and over- 
powering eloquence. They had eternal truth for the 

789 


Paul and Barnabas abandon the 


Av. ein, 4049. 47 For so hath the Lord com- 
An. Olymp. manded us, saying, YI have set 


ir. CCVI. 1. 3 ᾿ 
ee thee tobe a light of the Gentiles, 


that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the 
ends of the earth. 


VIsa. xlii. 6; xlix. 6; Luke ii. 32. 


basis of this discourse; a multitude of zncontestable 
facts to support it; an all-persuading eloquence to 
illustrate and maintain what they had asserted. 

Should first have been spoken to you] When our 
Lord gave his apostles their commission to go into all 
the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, 
he told them they must begin first at Jerusalem, Mark 
xvi. 15; Luke xxiv. 47. In obedience therefore to 
this command, the apostles (in every place where they 
preached) made their first offers of the Gospel to ihe 
Jews. 

Ye put it from you] Ἀπωθεισθε avtov, Ye disdain 
this doctrine, and consider it contemptible: so the 
word is frequently used. 

And judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life] 
Was this meant as a strong irony2 “Ye have such 
humbling thoughts of yourselves, that ye think the 
blessings of the Gospel too good to be bestowed on 
such worthless wretches as ye are.” Or did the 
apostle mean that, by their words and conduct on this 
occasion, they had passed sentence on themselves, 
and, in effect, had decided that they were unworthy of 
the grace of the Gospel; and God now ratifies that 
judgment by removing those blessings from them, and 
sending them to the Gentiles 2 

Verse 47. For so the Lord commanded us] The 
apostles could quote a pertinent scripture for every 
thing they did; because the outlines of the whole 
Gospel dispensation are founded in the /aw and the 
prophets; and they were now building the Church 
of God according to the pattern shown them in the 
Mount. In the things of God, no man nor minister 
should go farther than he can say, Thus if is written, 
and thus it behoves me to do; and let him see that 
his quotations are fairly made, and not a detached 
passage or member of a sentence produced, because it 
seems to look like the system he wishes to establish. 

1 have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles] This 
quotation is from Isa. xlix. 6, and was most fully in 
point. The Jews could not resist the testirnony of 
their own prophet; and the Gentiles rejoiced to find 
that the offers of salvation were to be made so speci- 
fically to them. 

For salvation unto the ends of the earth.| The very 
name of the Messiah, viz. Jesus, announced the design 
and end of his mission. He is the Saviour, and is 
to be proclaimed as such to the ends of the earth; to 
all mankind ; to every nation, and people, and tongue; 
and, wherever the Gospel is preached, there is a free, 
full, and sincere offer of salvation to every soul that 
hears it. And the offer is proof sufficient, in itself, 
that there is a power to receive its blessings given to 
those to whom the offer is made; as it would be of 
no use to offer them a salvation which it was designed 
they either should not or could not receive. A son 

790 


THE ACTS. 


Jews, and turn to the Gentile: 
48 And when the Gentiles An ci 
heard this, they were glad, and An. Olymp. 


glorified the word of the Lord : ck alata 


“and as many as were ordained to eterna’ 
life believed. 


w Chap. ii. 47. 


of Satan might be capable of such dissimulation and 
bad faith ; but the holy God cannot. 

Verse 48. As many as were ordained to eternal 
life believed.| This text has been most pitifully misun- 
derstood. Many suppose that it simply means that 
those in that assembly who were fore-ordained, or 
predestinated by God’s decree, to eternal life, believed 
under the influence of that decree. Now, we should 
be careful to examine what a word means, before we 
attempt to fiw its meaning. Whatever τεταγμενοι may 
mean, which is the word we translate ordained, it is 
neither προτεταγμενοι nor προορίσμενοῖ which the apos- 
tle uses, but simply τετάγμενοι, which includes no idea 
of pre-ordination or pre-destination of any kind. And, 
if it even did, it would be rather hazardous to say that 
all those who believed at this time were such as actu- 
ally persevered unto the end, and were saved unto 
eternal life. But, leaving all these precarious mat- 
ters, what does the word τεταγμένος mean? The verb 
ταττω OY Tasow signifies to place, set, order, appoint, 
dispose; hence it has been considered here as imply- 
ing the disposition or readiness of mind of several 
persons in the congregation, such as the religious pro» 
selytes mentioned ver. 43, who possessed the reverse 
of the disposition of those Jews who spake against 
those things, contradicting and blaspheming, ver. 45. 
Though the word in this place has been variously 
translated, yet, of all the meanings ever put on it, 
none agrees worse with its nature and known signifi- 
cation than that which represents it as intending those 
who were predestinated to eternal life: this is no 
meaning of the term, and should never be applied to 
it. Let us, without prejudice, consider the scope of 
the place: the Jews contradicted and blasphemed ; 
the religious proselytes heard attentively, and received 
the word of life: the one party were utterly indis- 
posed, through their own stubbornness, to receive the 
Gospel; the others, destitute of prejudice and prepos- 
session, were glad to hear that, in the order of God, 
the Gentiles were included in the covenant of salva- 
tion through Christ Jesus; they, therefore, in this 
good state and order of mind, believed. Those who 
seek for the plain meaning of the word will find it 
here: those who wish to make out a sense, not from 
the Greek word, its use among the best Greek wri- 
ters, and the obvious sense of the evangelist, but from 
their own creed, may continue to puzzle themselves 
and others; kindle their own fire, compass themselves 
with sparks, and walk in the light of their own fire, 
and of the sparks which they have kindled; and, in 
consequence, lie down in sorrow, having bidden adieu 
to the true meaning of a passage so very simple, taken 
in its connection, that one must wonder how it ever 
came to be misunderstood and misapplied. Those 
who wish to see more on this verse may consult Ham 

1 


The Jews expel the apostles, 


A.M, cir.4049. 49 And the word of the Lord 
An. Olymp. was published throughout all the 


cir. CCVI. 1. A 
ODIO 


50 Ἵ But the Jews stirred up the devout and 
honourable women, and the chief men of the 
city, and * raised persecution against Paul and 


x2 Tim. iii. 11.—y Matt. x. 14; Mark vi. 11; Luke ix. 5; 


CHAP. XIV. 


who come to Iconum 


. A. M.cir 4049 

apa and expelled them out *,’ Deir 4 
ot their coasts. An. Olymp. 
cir. ccvi | 


51 ¥ But they shook off the dust 
of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. 
52 And the disciples * were filled with joy, 
and with the Holy Ghost. 


* Matt. v.12; John xvi. 22; chap. ii. 46. 


chap. xviii. 6. 


mond, Whitby, Schoettgen, Rosenmiiller, Pearce, Sir 
Norton Knatchbull, and Dodd. 

Verse 49. The word of the Lord was published, §c.] 
Those who had come from different parts, and were 
converted, carried the glad tidings to their respective 
neighbourhoods; and thus the doctrine was published 
throughout all the region of Pisidia, where they then 
were. See on ver. 44. 

Verse 50. Devout and honourable women] It is 
likely that these were heathen matrons, who had be- 
come proselytes to the Jewish religion; and, as they 
were persons of affluence and respectability, they had 
sonsiderable influence with the civil magistracy of the 
place, and probably their husbands were of this order ; 
and it is likely that they used that influence, at the 
instigation of the Jews, to get the apostles expelled 
from the place. 

Verse 51. They shook off the dust of their feet 
«gainst them] This was a very significant rite ; by it, 
they in effect said: Ye are worse than the heathen: 
even your very land is accursed for your opposition to 
God, and we dare not permit even its dust to cleave 
to the soles of our feet ; and we shake it off, in depart- 
ing from your country, according to our Lord’s com- 
mand, (Matt. x. 14,) for a testimony against you, that 
we offered you salvation, but ye rejected ἐξ and perse- 
euted us. The Jews, when travelling in heathen 
countries, took care, when they came to the borders 
of their own, to shake off the dust of their feet, lest 
any of the unhallowed ground should defile the sacred 
land of Israel. 

Came unto Iconium.] According to Strabo, Ico- 
nium was a small fortified town, the capital of Lyca- 
onia, at present called Cogni. “ Lycaonia was a 
province at the back of Pamphylia, higher up in Asia 
Minor, and to the north-east of Pamphylia.” Pearce. 


Verse 52. The disciples were filled with joy and 
with the Holy Ghost.| Though in the world they had 
tribulation, yet in Christ they had peace; and, while 
engaged in their Master’s work, they always had their 
Master’s wages. The happiness of a genuine Chris- 
tian lies far beyond the reach of earthly disturbances, 
and is not affected by the changes and chances to 
which mortal things are exposed. The martyrs were 
more happy in the flames than their persecutors could 
be on their beds of down. 

St. Paul’s sermon at Antioch has been thus analyzed. 

1. His prologue, ver. 16, addressed to those who 
fear God. 

2. His narrative of God’s goodness to Israel: 1. In 
their deliverance from Egypt. 2. In their sup- 
port in the wilderness. 3. In his giving them 
the land of Canaan. 4. In the judges and kings 
which he had given for their governors, ver. 17-22. 

3. His proposition, that Jesws was the Christ, the 
Saviour of the world, ver. 23. 

4. The illustration of this proposition, proving its 
truth: 1. From Christ’s stock and family, ver. 23. 
2. From the testimony of his forerunner, ver. 24. 
3. From the resurrection of Christ, ver. 30; 
which was corroborated with the testimony of 
many Galileans, ver. 31, and of the prophets, 
David, ver. 33, 35, and Isaiah, ver. 34. 

5. He anticipates objections, relative to the unjust 
condemnation, death and burial of Christ, ver. 
27-29. ἢ 

6. His epilogue, in which he excites his audience 
to embrace the Gospel on two considerations : 1. 
The benefits which they receive who embrace 
the Gospel, ver. 38, 39. 2. The danger to 
which they were exposed who should despise and 
reject it, ver. 40, 41 


CHAPTER XIV. 


Paul and Barnabas, having preached at Iconium with great success, are persecuted, and obliged to flee to 


Lystra and Derbe, 1-6. 


Here they preach, and heal a cripple; on which, the people, supposing them to 


be gods, are about to offer them sacrifices, and are with difficulty prevented by these apostles, 7-18. Cer- 
tain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, coming thither, induce the people to stone Paul ; who, being dragged 
out of the city as dead, while the disciples stand around him, rises up suddenly, and returns to the city, 


and the next day departs to Derbe, 19, 20. 


Having preached here, he and Barnahas return to Lystra, 


Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the disciples, and ordaining elders in every Church, 21-23. They pass 


through Pisidia and Pamphylia, 24. 


Through Perga and Attalia, 25; and sail to Antioch in Syria, 26. 


When, having called the disciples together, they inform them of the door of faith opened to the Gentiles, 
and there abode a long time with the Church, 27, 28. ς 


1 


791 


THE 


Paul and Barnabas preach in a 


A.M. cir. 4049. - ‘ 
Abana, AND it came to pass in Ico 
sone nium, that they went both 


ir. CCVI. 1. o 
pees together into the synagogue of the 


Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude, 
both of the Jews and also of the Greeks, be- 
lieved. 

2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the 
Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected 
against the brethren. 

3 Long time therefore abode they speaking 
boldly in the Lord, * which gave testimony 
unto the word of his grace, and granted signs 
and wonders to be done by their hands. 

4 But the multitude of the city was divided : 


ACTS. 


and part held with the Jews, and A.M cir. 4050 
part with the Ὁ apostles. An. Olymp. 

5 And when there was an ee Ee: 
assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of 
the Jews with their rulers, ° to use them de- 
spitefully, and to stone them, 

6 They were ware of zt, and “fled unto 
Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and un- 
to the region that lieth round about : 

7 And there they preached the Gospel 

8 “| ° And there sat a certain man at Lys 
tra, 1mpotent in his feet, being a cripple from 
his mother’s womb, who never had walked: 

9 The same heard Paul speak: who stead 


Jewish synagogue at Iconvum. 


aMark xvi. 20; Heb. ii. 4. —> Chap. xiii. 3. 


©2 Tim. iii. 11.—4 Matt. x. 23. 


© Chap. ili. 2. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIV. 

Verse 1. In Iconium] See the conclusion of the 
preceding chapter. 

So spake] Και λαλησαι οὑτως, With such power and 
demonstration of the Spirit, that a great multitude 
both of the Jews, genuine descendants of one or other 
of the twelve tribes, and also of the Greeks, Ἕλληνων, 
probably such as were proselytes of the gate. believed, 
received the Christian religion as a revelation from 
God, and confided in its Author for salvation, accord- 
ing to the apostles’ preaching. 

Verse 2. Stirred up the Gentiles] Tov εθνων, Such 
as were mere heathens, and thus distinguished from 
the Jews, and the Greeks who were proselytes. 

Evil affected) Ἑκακωσαν, Irritated or exasperated 
their minds against the brethren, the disciples of 
Christ: one of their appellations before they were 
ealled Christians at Antioch. See on chap. xi. 26. 

Verse 3. Long time therefore ubode they] Because 
they had great success, therefore they continued a long 
time, gaining many converts, and building up those 
who had believed, in their most holy faith ; notwith- 
standing the opposition they met with, both from the 
unbelieving Jews and heathens. 

Speaking boldly] Ἰαρῥησιαζομενοι, Having great 
liberty of speech, a copious and commanding eloquence, 
springing from a consciousness of the truth which 
they preached. 

The word of his grace] The Gospel of Jesus Christ, 
which is the doctrine of God’s grace, mercy, or favour 
to mankind. 

And granted signs and wonders to be done] For no 
apostle could work a miracle by himself; nor was any 
sign or wonder wrought even by the greatest apostle, 
but by an especial grant or dispensation of God. This 
power was not resident in them at all times; it was 
only now and then communicated, when a miracle was 
necessary for the confirmation of the truth preached. 

Verse 4. The multitude of the city was divided] 
The Jews treated the apostles as false teachers, and 
their miracles as impositions ; and many of the people 
held with them: while the others, who had not hard- 
ened their hearts against the truth, felt the force of it ; 


and, being without prejudice, could easily discern the ! 


792 


miracles to be the work of God, and therefore held 
with the apostles. 

Verse 5. An assault made] ‘Opun, A desperate at- 
tempt was made by thei rulers, i. e. by the heathen 
rulers of the people, and the rulers of the synagogue. 

To use them despitefully] To expose them, bring 
them into contempt, and make them appear as mon- 
sters, or movers of sedition; and then to stone them 
for this falsely alleged crime. 

Verse 6. They were ware of it) They were in- 
formed of the scheme, and of the attempt that was 
about to be made, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe ; 
they did not leave the province of Lycaonia, but went 
to other towns and cities. Lystra lay to the south 
and Derbe to the north of Iconium, according to the 
general opinion. Strabo, Geogr. lib. xii., tells us ex- 
pressly, that Iconium was within Lycaonia, Thence 
are the Lycaoman hills plain, cold, naked, and pastures 
for wild asses.—About these places stands Iconium, 
a town built in a better soil. Ptolemy also, Tab. 
Asie, i. cap. 6, places Iconium in Lycaonia. How 
comes it, then, that St. Luke does not eall Iconium a 
city of Lycaonia, as well as Derbe and Lystra? Pliny, 
Hist. Nat. lib. v. cap. 27, solves this difficulty, by 
stating, that there was granted a tetrarchy out of 
Lycaonia, on that side which borders upon Galatia, 
consisting of fourteen cities ; the most famous of which 
is Iconium. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 7. And there they preached the Gospel.] 
Wherever they went, they were always employed in 
their Master’s work. Some MSS. of considerable 
note add here, and all the people were moved at their 
preaching, but Paul and Barnabas tarried at Lysira. 

Verse 8. Impotent in his feet] Αδυνατος τοις ποσιν, 
He had no muscular power, and probably his ancle 
bones were dislocated; or he had what is commonly 
termed club feet; this is the more likely, as he is 
said to have been lame from his mother’s womb, and 
to have never walked. 

Verse 9. That he had faith to be healed] How did 
this faith come to this poor heathen? Why, by hear- 
ing the word of God preached : for it is said, the same 
heard Paul speak. And it appears that he credited the 
doctrine he heard, and believed that Jesus could, if he 

1 


Paul heals a crypple 


A, Moir 4g.” fastly beholding him, and ‘ per- 
An. Olymp. ceiving that he had faith to be 
cir, CCVL. 2. 

healed, 

10 Said with a loud voice, * Stand up- 
right on thy feet. And he leaped, and 
walked. 

11 And when the people saw what Paul had 


{ Matt. viii. 10; ix. 28, 29.—— Isa. xxxv. 6. 


would, make him whole. Besides, he must have heard 
of the miracles which the apostles had wrought, see 
ver 3; and this would raise his expectation of receiv- 
ing a cure. 

Verse 10. Said with a loud voice] After this clause 
the following is found in CD, and several others, either 
in the text or margin: cov λέγω ev Tw ονοματι Tov Κυρίου 
ἴησου Xpicov, I say unto thee, In the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, “stand upright on thy feet.” This 
reading is also in several versions ; and though it may 
not stand on such evidence as to entitle it to a place 
in the text, yet it is not likely that St. Paul would 
not have used the sacred name on such an occasion ; 
especially as this appears to have been the usual form. 
See chap. iii. 6. 

He leaped and walked.| Giving the fullest proof of 
nis restoration: his leaping, however, might have 
been through joy of having received his cure. 

Verse 11. Saying, in the speech of Lycaonia] 
What this language was has puzzled the learned not a 
little. Calmet thinks it was a corrupt Greek dialect ; 
as Greek was the general language of Asia Minor. 
Mr. Paul Ernest Jablonski, who has written a disser- 
tation expressly on the subject, thinks it was the same 
language with that of the Cappadocians, which was 
mingled with Syriac. That it was no dialect of the 
Greek must be evident from the circumstance of its 
being here distinguished from it. We have sufficient 
proofs from ancient authors that most of these pro- 
vinees used different languages; and it is correctly 
remarked, by Dr. Lightfoot, that the Carians, who 
dwelt much nearer Greece than the Lycaonians, are 
called by Homer, βαρβαροφωνοι, people of a barbarous 
or strange language ; and Pauwsanias also called them 
Barbari. That the language of Pisidia was distinct 
from the Greek we have already seen; note on chap. 
xiii. ver. 15. We have no light to determine this 
point ; and every search after the language of Lycao- 
nia must be, at this distance of time, fruitless. 

The gods are come down to us in the likeness of 
men.| From this, and from all heathen antiquity, it is 
evident : 1. That the heathen did not consider the 
Divine nature, how low soever they rated it, to be 
like the human nature. 2. That they imagined that 
these celestial beings often assumed human forms to 
eisit men, in order to punish the evil and reward the 
good. The Metamorphoses of Ovid are full of such 
visitations ; and so are Homer, Virgil, and other poets. 
The angels visiting Abraham, Jacob, Lot, &c., might 
have been the foundation on which most of these hea- 
then fictions were built. 

The following passage in Homer will cast some 
light upon the point :— 


CHAP. XIV. 


who had never walked. 


A. M. cir. 4050 
A. Ὁ. cir. 46. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVI. 2. 


done, they lifted up their voices, 
saying, in the speech of Lycao- 
nia, "The gods are come down 
to us ‘in the likeness of men. 

12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and 
Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief 
speaker. 


Ka τε Θεοι, ξεινοισιν εοικοτες αλλοδαποισις 
Παντοιοι τελεθοντες, ἐπιςρωφωσι ποληᾶς, 
Ανθρωπὼν ὕβριν τε Kat εὐνομίην εφορωντες. 


Hom. Odyss. xvii. ver. 485. 


For in similitude of strangers oft, 

The gods, who can with ease all shapes assume, 

Repair to populous cities, where they mark 

The outrageous and the righteous deeds of men. 
CowPer. 


Ovin had a similar notion, where he represents Jupiter 
coming down to visit the earth, which seems to be 
copied from Genesis xviii. 20, 21: And the Lord 
said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, 
and because their sin is grievous, I will go down now, 
and see whether they have done altogether according 
to the cry of it, which is come unto me: and if not, I 
will know. 


Contigerat nostras infamia temporis aures : 

Quam cupiens falsam, summo delabor Olympo. 

Et deus humana lustro sub imagine ¢erras. 

Longa mora est, quantum nove sit ubique repertum, 

Enumerare: minor fuit ipsa infamia vero. 
Metam. lib. i. ver. 211. 


The clamours of this vile, degenerate age, 

The cries of orphans, and the oppressor’s rage, 

Had reached the stars: “ 7 will descend,” said I, 

In hope to prove this loud complaint a lie. 

Disguised in human shape, I travelled round 

The world, and more than what I heard, I found. 
Drvyven. 


It was a settled belief among the Egyptians, that 
their gods, sometimes in the likeness of men, ard 
sometimes in that of animals which they held sacred 
descended to the earth, and travelled through differ- 
ent provinces, to punish, reward, and protect. The 
Hindoo Avatars, or incarnations of their gods, prove 
how generally this opinion had prevailed. Their 
Poorana are full of accounts of the descent of Brahma, 
Vishnoo, Shiva, Naradu, and other gods, in human 
shape. We need not wonder to find it in Lyeaonia. 

Verse 12. They called Barnabas, Jupiter; and 
Paul, Mercurius] The heathens supposed that Jupiter 
and Mercury were the gods who most frequently as- 
sumed the human form; and Jupiter was accustomed to 
take Mercury with him on such expeditions. Jupiter 
was the supreme god of the heathens; and Mercury 
was by them considered the god of eloquence. And 
the ancient fable, from which I have quoted so largely 
above, represents Jupiter and Mercury coming to this 
very region, where they were entertained by Lycaon, 
from whom the Lycaonians derived their name. See 

793 


THE 


Preparation to offer sacrifice 


A.M, cit. 4050 18. Then the priest of Jupiter, 
. Ὁ. cir. 46. Ἶ Ξ Ξ 
An. Olymp. which was before their city, 


cir. CCVI. 2. 
brought oxen and garlands unto 


the gates, ‘and would have done sacrifice 
with the people. 


ACTS. 


14 Which when the apos- 4, M cir. 4050 

A. D. cir. 46. 

tles, Barnabas and Paul, heard ἀπ. Ole mes 

of, they rent their clothes, “~~~ 

and ran in among the people, crying 
out, 


unto Paul and Barnavas. 


k Dan. 11. 46. 


1 Matt. xxvi. 65. 


the whole fable in the first book of Ovid’s Metamor- 
phoses. 

As the ancients usually represented Jupiter as rather 
an aged man, large, noble, and majestic ; and Mercury 
young, light, and active, the conjecture of Chrysostom 
is very probable, that Barnabas was a large, noble, 
well-made man, and probably in years; and St. Paul, 
young, active, and eloquent; on which account, they 
termed the fermer Jupiter, and the latter Mercury. 
That Mercury was eloquent and powerful in his words 
is allowed by the heathens ; and the very epithet that 
is applied here to Paul, ην ὁ ἡγουμενος τοῦ Aoyov, he 
was the chief or leader of the discourse, was applied to 
Mercury. So Jamblichus de Myster. Init. Θεὸς 6 τῶν 
Roywv ἡγεμων 6 Ἕρμης. And Macrobius, Sat. i. 8: 
Scimus Mercurium vocis et sermonis potentem. We 
know that Mercury is powerful both in his voice and 
eloquence. With the Lycaonians, the actions of these 
apostles proved them to be gods ; and the different parts 
they took appeared to them to fix their character, so that 
one was judged to be Jupiter, and the other Mercury. 

Verse 13. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was 
before their city] There is a meaning here, which ordi- 
nary readers will not readily apprehend. Many cities 
were put under the protection of a particular deity ; and 
the image of that deity placed at the entrance, to sig- 
nify that he was the guardian and protector. ΤῸ this 
St. Luke, every where as accurate as he is circum- 
stantial, refers. Lystra, it appears, was under the 
guardianship of Jupiter Propulaius, Atoc προπυλαιου, 
which St. Luke translates, tov Avoc tov οντὸς πρὸ τῆς 
πολεως, the Jupiter that was before the city, which is 
another term for Jupiter Custos, or Jupiter the guar- 
dian. All these deities, according to the attributes they 
sustained, had their peculiar priests, rites, and sacri- 
δος; and each a peculiar service and priest for the 
office he bore; so that Jupiter Brontes, Jupiter the 
thunderer, had a different service from Jupiter Custos, 
Jove the guardian. Hence we can see with what 
accuracy St. Luke wrote: the person who was going 
to offer them sacrifices was the priest of Jupiter Custos, 
under whose guardianship the city of Lystra was, and 
whom the priest supposed had visited the city in a 
human form; and Barnabas, probably for the reasons 
already assigned, he imagined was the person; and as 
Mercury, the god of eloquence, was the general at- 
tendant of Jupiter, the people and the priest supposed 
that Paul, who had a powerful, commanding eloquence, 
was that god, also disguised. A beautiful figure of 
such an image of Jupiter as, I suppose, stood before 
the gate of Lystra, still remains ; and a fine engraving 
of it may be seen in Gruter’s Inscriptions, vol. i. p. XX. 
Jupiter is represented naked, sitting on a curule or 
consular chair; in his right hand he holds his thunder, 
and a long staff in his left; at his right, stands the 

794 


eagle prepared for flight; and, above, the winged cap 
and caduceus of Mercury. On the base is the inscrip- 
tion, Iupprrer Custos Domus Aue. Jupiter, the guar- 
dian of the house of Augustus. As the preserver or 
guardian of towns, he was generally styled Jupiter 
Custos, Serenus and Servator. His name, Jupiter, 
i. e. juvans pater, the helping father, entitled him, in 
those days of darkness, to general regard. On this 
false god, who long engrossed the worship of even the 
most enlightened nations on the earth, much may be 
seen in Lactantius, Divinar. Institution. lib. i. ; in the 
Antiquité eapliquée of Montfaucon; and various in- 
scriptions, relative to his character as guardian, &e., 
may be seen in Gruter, as above. 

Oxen and garlands} That is, oxen adorned with 
flowers, their horns gilded, and neck bound about with 
fillets, as was the custom in sacrificial rites. They also 
crowned the gods themselves, the priests, and gates of 
the temples, with flowers. Of this method of adorning 
the victims, there are numerous examples in the Greek 
and Latin writers. A few may suffice. Thus Ovip :— 


Victima labe carens et prestantissima forma 
Sistitur ante aras; et vittis presignis et auro. 
Ovip, Met. lib. xv. ver. 130. 


The fairest victim must the powers appease, 

So fatal ’tis sometimes too much to please : 

A purple fillet his broad brow adorns 

With flowery garlands, crown, and gilded horns. 
Dryden. 

Hue Anius niveis circumdata tempora vittis 

Concutiens, et tristis ait :-———— 

Ibid. lib. xiii. ver. 643. 


The royal prophet shook his hoary head, 
With fillets bound; and, sighing, thus he said 
Catcorr. 


-fovet ignibus aras, 
Muneribus deos implet: feriuntque secures 
Colla torosa boum vinctorum cornua vittis. 

Ibid. lib. vii. ver. 427. 


Rich curling fumes of incense feast the skies, 
A hecatomb of voted victims dies, 

With gilded horns, and garlands on their head, 
In all the pomp of death to th’ altar led. Tate. 


Vircit also refers to the same rites and circum- 
stances :— 


δῶρο in honore deim medio stans hostia ad aram 

Lanea dum nivea circumdatur infula vitta, 

Inter cunctantes cecidit moribunda ministros 
Vire. Georg. lib. ili. ver. 486. 


The victim ox that was for altars pressed, 
Trimmed with white ribbons, and with garlands 


dressed, 
1 


The apostles with difficuity restrain 


lM cir. 4000. 15 And saying, Sirs, ™ why 
An. Ohymp. do ye these things? "We also 
cir. CCVI. 2. 


are men of like passions with 
you, and preach unto you that ye should turn 
from ° these vanities Ρ unto the living God, 
4which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, 
and all things that are therein : 


m Chap. x. 26. ἢ James v. 17; Rev. xix. 10.——® | Sam. xii. 
21; 1 Kings xvi. 13; Jer. xiv. 22; Amos ii. 4; 1 Cor. viii. 4. 
ΡῚ Thess. i. 9——1% Gen. i. 1; Psa. xxxili. 6; exlvi. 6; Rev. xiv. 7. 


CHAP. XIV. 


the people from thew design 


ΣῊ A. Μ. cir. 4050 
16 Ὁ ho in times past suffered ie Teck ae 
all nations to walk in their own An. pimp. 
cir. CCVI. 2. 
ways. Pied bute 
17 * Nevertheless he left not himself with 
out witness, in that he did good, and " gave us 
rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling 


our hearts with food and gladness. 


r Psa. Ixxxi. 12; chap. xvii. 30; 1 Pet. iv.3—* Chap. xvii. 27 ; 
Rom. i. 20.—t Lev. xxvi.4; Deut. xi. 14; xxviii. 12; Jobv.10; 
Psa. Ixv. 10; Ixviii. 9; exlvii. 8; Jer. xiv. 22; Matt. v. 45. 


Sunk of himself, without the god’s command, 
Preventing the slow sacrificer’s hand. | Drypen. 
Many similar examples may be seen in Wetstein and 
others. 

At the time of worship, the Hindoo priests place 
garlands of flowers on the head of the image. Whether 
the garlands were intended to decorate the oxen or the 
apostles, we cannot say; but in either case the con- 
duct of the Lycaonians was conformable to that of the 
modern Hindoos. 

Verse 15. We also are men of like passions with 
you] This saying of the apostles has been most strange- 
ly perverted. A pious commentator, taking the word 
passion in its vulgar and most improper sense, (a bad 
temper, an evil propensity,) and supposing that these 
holy men wished to confess that they also had many 
sinful infirmities, and wrong tempers, endeavours to 
illustrate this sense of the word, by appealing to the 
contention of Paul and Barnabas, &c., ἄς. But the 
expression means no more than, “ we are truly human 
beings, with the same powers and appetites as your 
own; need food and raiment as you do; and are all 
mortal like yourselves.” 

That ye should turn from these vanities] That is, 
from these idols and false gods. How often false gods 
and idolatry are termed vanity in the Scriptures, no 
careful reader of the Bible needs to be told. What a 
bold saying was this in the presence of a heathen mob, 
intent on performing an act of their superstitious wor- 
ship, in which they no doubt thought the safety of the 
state was concerned. The ancient fable related by 
Ovid, Metam. lib. i. ver. 211-239, to which reference 
has already been made, will cast some light on the 
conduct of the Lystrians in this ease. The following 
is its substance :—*t Jupiter, having been informed of 
the great degeneracy of mankind, was determined him- 
self to survey the earth. Coming to this province, 
(Lycaonia,) disguised in human shape, he took up his 
residence at the palace of Lycaon, then king of that 
country: giving a sign of his godhead, the people 
worship him. Lycaon sneers, doubts his divinity, and 
is determined to put it to the trial. Some ambassadors 
from the Molossian state having just arrived, he slew 
one of them, boiled part of his flesh, and roasteu the 
rest, and set it before Jupiter: the god, indignant at 
the insult, burnt the palace, and turned the impious 
king into a wolf.” From this time, or, rather, from this 
fable. the whole province was called Lycaonia. The 
sumpie people now seeing such proofs of supernatural 
power, in the miracles wrought by Barnabas and Paul, 
thought that Jupiter had again visited them; and fear- 
1 


ing lest they should meet with his indignation, should 
they neglect duly to honour him, they brought owen and 
garlands, and would have offered them sacrifice, had 
they not been prevented by the apostles themselves. 
This circumstance will account for their whole con- 
duct; and shows the reason why Jupiter was the tute- 
lar god of the place. As, therefore, the people took 
them for gods, it was necessary for the apostles to show 
that they were but men; and this is the whole that is 
meant by the ὁμοιοπαθεις ανθρωποι, men of like passions, 
fellow mortals, in the text, which has been so pitifully 
mistaken by some, and abused by others. 

The living God] Widely different from those stocks 
and stones, which were objects of their worship. 

Which made heaven and earth] And as all things 
were made by his power, so all subsist by his providence ; 
and to him alone, all worship, honour, and glory are due. 

Verse 16. Who in times past suffered all nations. 
gc.] The words πάντα τὰ evn, which we here trans- 
late, all nations, should be rendered, all the Gentiles 
merely to distinguish them from the Jewish people. 
who having a revelation, were not left to walk in thew 
own ways ; but the heathens, who had not a revelation, 
were suffered to form their creed, and mode of wor- 
ship, according to their own caprice. 

Verse 17. He left not himself without witness] 
Though he gave the Gentiles no revelation of his will, 
yet he continued to govern them by his gracious pro- 
vidence ; doing them good in general; giving them 
rain to fertilize their grounds, and fruitful seasons as 
the result; so that grass grew for the cattle and corn 
for the service of man. 

Filling our hearts with food| Giving as much 
food as could reasonably be wished, so that gladness, 
or general happiness, was the result. Such was the 
gracious provision made for man, at all times, that the 
economy and bounty of the Divine Being were equally 
evidenced by it. He never gives less than is neces- 
sary, nor more than is sufficient. His economy for- 
bids men to waste, by giving them in general no pro 
fusion. His bounty forbids them to want, by giving 
as much as is sufficient for all the natural wants of his 
creatures. By not giving too much, he prevents lua- 
ury and riot: by giving enough, he prevents discon- 
tent and misery. Thus he does mankind good, by 
causing his rain to descend upon the just and the un- 
just, and his sun to shine upon the evil and the good 
Thus he is said not to have left himself without wit- 
ness: for his providential dealings are the witnesses 
of his deing, his wisdom, and his bounty; and thus 
the invisible things of God, even his eternal power and 

795 


Paul is stoned αἱ Lystra, 


A. M. cir, 4050. 
A. D. cir. 46. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVI. 2. 


18 And with these sayings 
scarce restrained they the people, 
that they had not done sacrifice 
unto them. 

19 4 "And there came thither certain Jews 
from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the 
people ; * and, having stoned Paul, drew him 
out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 

20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round 
about him, he rose up, and came into the city : 


THE ACTS. 


and muraculously restored 


A. M. cir. 4050. 
and the next day he departed 4,™. ci 405 
with Barnabas to Derbe. An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVI. 2. 
21° And* when) they: had ——————— 
preached the Gospel to that city, and * had 
taught many, they returned again to Lystra, 
and to Iconium and Antioch, 

22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and 
Υ exhorting them to continue in the faith; and 
that 7 we must through much tribulation enter 
into the kingdom of God. 


4 Chap. xiii. 45.- w Matt. 


xxviii. 19. 


V¥2'Cor. x1. 25; 2 Tim. iu. 11. 
* Gr. Had made many disciples. 


y Chap. xi. 23; xiil. 43- Z Matt. x. 38; xvi. 24; Luke xxii. 
28, 29; Rom. viii. 17; 2 Tim. ii. 11, 125 111. 12. 


Godhead, were clearly seen, being understood by the 
things which are made, Rom. i. 20. Therefore those 
who continued to worship stocks and stones were with- 
out excuse. These were great and striking truths ; 
and into what detail the apostles now went, we can- 
not say; but it is likely that they spoke much more 
than is here related, as the next verse states that, with 
all these sayings, they found it difficult to prevent the 
people from offering them sacrifice. 

Verse 19. There came thither certain Jews from 
Antioch] Those were, no doubt, the same who had 
raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, at 
Tconium and Antioch, before : they followed the apos- 
tles with implacable malice ; and what they could not 
do themselves they endeavoured to do by others, whose 
minds they first perverted, aud then irritated to deeds 
of fell purpose. 

And having stoned Paul| Alas! of what real 
worth is popular fame? How uncertain, and how 
unworthy to be counted! These poor heathens acted 
just like the people of Malta, chap. xxviii. 4-6. When 
the viper fastened on the hand of Paul, they concluded 
he was a murderer: when they found it did him no 
damage, they changed their minds, and said he was a 
cop! When the Lycaonians saw the miracles that 
Paul did, they said he was the god Mercury: when 
the persecuting Jews came, they persuaded them that 
he was an impostor; and then they endeavoured to 
stone him to death. 

Supposing he had been dead.| They did not leave 
stoning him till they had the fullest evidence that he 
was dead; and so, most probably, he was. 

Verse 20. The disciples stood round about him] 
No doubt in earnest prayer, entreating the Author of 
hfe that his soul might again return to its battered 
tenement. 

He rose up| Miraculously restored, not only to life, 
but to perfect soundness ; so that he was able to walk 
into the city, that his persecutors might see the mighty 
power of God in his restoration, and the faith of the 
young converts be confirmed in the truth and goodness 
of God. It is strange that neither the young converts 
at Lystra, nor Barnabas, were involved in this perse- 
cution! Itseems to have had Paul alone for its object ; 
and, when they thought they had despatched him, they 
did not think of injuring the rest. 

Verse 21. Preached the Gospel to that city] Derbe, 
a city in the same province. See on ver. 6. 

796 


They returned again to Lystra, and to Iconiwn] 
Behold the cowrage of these Christian men! They 
counted not their lives dear to them, and returned to 
do their Master’s work in the very places in which 
they had been so grievously persecuted, and where 
one of them had been apparently stoned to death !— 
The man who knows he is God’s ambassador, and that 
his life depends on his fidelity to his Master, knows 
he has nothing but his God to fear. 

Verse 22. Confirming the souls of the disciples} 
The word disciple signifies literally a scholar. The 
Church of Christ was a school, in which Christ him- 
self was chief Master; and his apostles, subordinate 
teachers. All the converts were disciples or scholars, 
who came to this school to be instructed in the know- 
ledge of themselves and of their Gop : of their duty to 
Him, to the Church, to society, and to themselves.— 
After having been initiated in the principles of the 
heavenly doctrine, they needed line upon line, and pre- 
cept upon precept, in order that they might be con- 
jirmed and established in the truth. Though it was a 
great and important thing to have their heads, their 
understanding, properly informed, yet, if the heart 
was not disciplined, information in the understanding 
would be of little avail; therefore they confirmed the 
souts of the disciples. As there must be some par- 
ticular standard of truth, to which they might continu- 
ally resort, that their faith might stand in the power 
of God, it was necessary that they should have such 
a system of doctrine as they knew came from God. 
These doctrines were those which contained all the 
essential principles of Christianity, and this was called 
THE FAITH; and, as they must have sound principles, 
in order that they might have righteous practices, so 
it was necessary that they should condinue in that faith, 
that it might produce that obedience, without which 
even faith itself, however excellent, must be useless 
and dead. 

Again, as the spirit of the world would be ever op- 
posed to the spirit of Christ, so they must make up 
their minds to expect persecution and /ridulation in 
various forms, and therefore had need of confirmed 
souls and strong faith, that, when trials came, they 
might meet them with becoming fortitude, and stand 
unmoved in the cloudy and dark day. And as the 
mind must faint under trouble that sees no prospect 
of its termination, and no conviction of its use, it was 
necessary that they should keep in view the kingdom 

1 


The upostles return to Antioch, and CHAP. XIV. 


ae cir, 4050. 93 And when they had * ordain- 
. Ὁ. cir. 46. a 
An, Olymp. ed them elders in every Church, 


Ra ςς and had prayed with fasting, 


they > commended them to the Lord, on whom 
they believed. 

24 And after they had passed throughout Pi- 
sidia, they came to Pamphylia. 

25 And when they had preached the word 
in Perga, they went down into Attalia : 


26 And thence sailed to Antioch, “ from 


«Titus i. 5.— Chapter i. 26; xi. 26——¢ Chapter xiii. 1, 3. 
4 Chap. xv. 40. 


of God, of which they were subjects, and to which, 
through their adoption into the heavenly family, they 
had a Divine right. Hence, from the apostles’ teach- 
ing, they not only learned that they should meet with 
tribulation, much tribulation, but, for their encourage- 
ment, they were also informed that these were the very 
means which God would use to bring them into his own 
kingdom ; so that, if they had ¢ridulation in the way, 
they had a heaven of eternal glory as the end to which 
they were continually to direct their views. 

Verse 23. When they had ordained them elders] 
Elder seems to be here the name of an office. These 
were all young or new converts, and yet among them 
the apostles constitute elders. They appointed persons 
the most experienced, and the most advanced in the 
Divine life, to watch over and instruct the rest. But 
what is the meaning of the word χειροτονησαντες, which 
we translate ordained? The word ordain we use in 
an ecclesiastical sense, and signify by it the appoint- 
ment ot a person to an office in the Church, dy the 
imposition of the hands of those who are rulers in that 
Church. But yeporovia signifies the holding up or 
stretching out the hand, as approving of the choice of 
any person to a particular work: whereas χειροθεσια 
signifies the imposition of hands. “ Zonaras gives 
the proper meaning of the word in the text, in his 
Scholia upon the first canon of the apostles, Nov μὲν 
xelporovia καλειται, κ. τ. A. * Nowadays, a course of 
prayers and invocation on the Holy Spirit, when one 
is initiated into the priesthood, and receives consecra- 
tion, is called χείροτονια, cheirotonia, so termed be- 
cause the bishop extends his hand over him whom he 
blesses, when he is chosen into holy orders. Anciently, 
the choice or suffrage was called cheirotonia; for, 
when it was lawful for the multitude in their cities to 
choose their priests or bishops, they met together, and 
some chose one man, some another ; but, that it might 
appear whose suffrage won, they say the electors did 
use ἐκτείνειν tac χείρας, to stretch forth their hands, 
and by their hands so stretched forth, or up, they were 
numbered who chose the one, and who the other; and 
him who was elected by the most suffrages they placed 
in the high priesthood. And from hence was the name 
cheirotonia taken, which the fathers of the councils are 
found to have used, calling their suffrage cheirotonia.’ 
St. Paul, 2 Cor. viii. 19, intimates that St. Luke was 
thus appointed to travel with him χειροτονηθεις ὑπὸ 
τῶν ἐκκλησίων, who was chosen of the Churches. Igna- 

1 


relate thewr success to the Church. 


whence they had been 4 re- 4M, cir. 4050. 
commended to the grace of ra) it 
God for the work which they —————— 
fulfilled. 

27 And when they were come, and had 
gathered the Church together, * they rehearsed 
all that God had done with them, and how he 
had f opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. 

28 And there they abode long time with the 
disciples. 


© Chap. xv. 4,12; xxi. 19—1 Cor. xvi.9; 2 Cor. ii. 12; Col. 
iv. 3; Rev. iii. 8. 


tius, in his epistle to the Philadelphians, uses the same 
term, πρέπον ecw ὑμιν, ὡς ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεου, χειροτονῆσαι 
ἐπίσκοπον, ye ought, as a Church of God, to choose 
your bishop.” Much more on this subject may be 
seen in Sir Norlon Knatchbull, who contends that 
cheirotonia implies simply appointment or election, but 
not what he calls ordination by the imposition of hands. 
I believe the simple truth to be this, that in ancient 
times the people chose by the cheirotonia (lifting up 
of hands) their spiritual pastor; and the rulers of the 
Church, whether aposiles or others, appointed that per- 
son to his office by the cheirothesia, or imposition of 
hands ; and perhaps each of these was thought to be 
equally necessary: the Church agreeing in the elec- 
tion of the person; and the rulers of the Chureh ap- 
pointing, by imposition of hands, the person thus elect 
ed. See the note on chap. vi. 6. 

And had prayed with fasting] This was to implore 
God’s special assistance ; as they well knew that, without 
his influence, even their appointment could avail nothing. 

Commended them to the Lord] To his especial 
care and protection. 

Verse 24. Passed throughout Pisidia, they came 
to Pamphylia.| See the note on chap. xiii. 13. 

Verse 25. They went down into Attalia] This 
was a sea-port town in Pamphylia. Thus we find 
the apostles travelled from Derbe to Lystra; from 
Lystra to Iconium; from Iconium to Antioch of Pisi- 
dia; from Antioch to Perga in Pamphylia; and from 
Perga to Attalia; and it appears that they travelled 
over three provinces of Asia Minor, Pamphylia, Lyca- 
onia, and Pisidia. See Calmet, and see the map. 

Verse 26. And thence sailed to Antioch] This was 
Antioch in Syria; and to reach which, by sea, they 
were obliged to coast a part of the Mediterranean Sea, 
steering between Cyprus and Cilicia; though they 
might have gone the whole journey by dand. 

Whence they had been recommended—for the work 
which they fulfilled.| The reader will recollect that 
it was from this Antioch they had been sent to preach 
the Gospel to the heathen in Asia Minor: see chap. 
xiii. 1, 2; and that they fulfilled that work: see in 
the same chapter, ver. 48; and the circumstantial 
account of their travels and preaching given in this 
chapter. 

Verse 27. Had gathered the Church together] The 
Church by which they had been sent on this very 
important and successful mission. 

797 


Paul and Barnabas continue. 


They rehearsed all that God had done with them) 
Not what they had done themselves; but what Gop 
made them the ins/ruments of working. 

And how he had opened the door of faith} How 
God by his providence and grace had made a way 
for preaching Christ crucified among the heathen; 
and how the heathen had received that Gospel which, 
through faith in Christ Jesus, was able to save their souls. 

Verse 28. And there they abode long time] How 
long the apostles tarried here we cannot tell; but we 
hear no more of them till the council of Jerusalem, 
mentioned in the following chapter, which is generally 
supposed to have been held in the year 51 of our Lord; 
and, if the transactions of this chapter took place in 
A. D. 46, as chronologers think, then there are five 
whele years of St. Paul's ministry, and that of other 
apostles, which St. Luke passes by in perfect silence. 
It is very likely that all this time Paul and Barnabas 
were employed in extending the work of God through 
the different provinces contiguous to Antioch ; for St. 
Paul himself tells us that he preached the Gospel so 
far as Illyria, Rom. xv. 19, on the side of the Adriatic 
Gulf: see its situation on the map. Many of the 
tribulations and perils through which the Apostle Paul 
passed are not mentioned by St. Luke, particularly 
those of which he himself speaks, 2 Cor. xi. 23-27. 
He had been five times scourged by the Jews ; thrice 
beaten by the Romans; thrice shipwrecked ; a whole 
night and day in the deep, probably saving his life 
upon a plank; besides frequent journeyings, and perils 
trom his countrymen, from the heathen, from robbers, 
in the city, in the wilderness, in the sea, among false 
brethren, &c., &e. Of none of these have we any 
circumstantial account. Probably most of these hap- 
pened in the five years which elapsed between the 
apostles’ return to Antioch, and the council of Jerusalem. 


In reading the Acts of the Apostles we may have 
often occasion to remark that in preaching the Gospel 
they carefully considered the different circumstances 
of the Jews and the Gentiles, and suited their address 
accordingly. When speaking to the former of the 
necessity of crediting the Gospel, because without: it 
they could not be saved, they took care to support all 
‘heir assertions by passages drawn from the Law and 
the PROPHETS, as every Jew considered those books to 
be of Divine authority, and from their decision there 
was no appeal. But, in addressing the Gentiles, who 
had no revelation, they drew the proofs of their doc- 
trine from the visible creation ; and demonstrated, by 
plain reasoning, the absurdity of their idolatrous wor- 
ship, and called them off from those vanities to the 
worship of the diving and true God, who made and 
governs all things, and who gave them such proofs of 
his being, wisdom, and goodness, in the provision made 
for their comfort and support, that they had only to 


THE ACTS. 


a long tume at Antioch. 


reflect on the subject in order to be convinced of its 
truth. And while, in consequence, they saw the 
absurdity of their own system, they would at once 
discover the reasonableness of that religion which was 
now offered to them, in the name and on the authority 
of that God who had fed and preserved them all their 
life long, and girded them when they knew him not. 
The Gentiles felt the force of these reasonings, yielded 
to the truth, and became steady followers of Christ 
crucified ; while the Jews, with all their light and 
advantages, hardened their hearts against it, though 
they had no other arguments than what contradiction 
and blasphemy could provide! Publicans and harlots 
enter into the kingdom of heaven before them. Do not 
many, even in the present day, copy their example, 
revile the truth, take up with the shadow instead of the 
substance, and rest just as much in the letter of Chris- 
tianity, as ever the Jews did in the letter of the iaw 3 
This is a deplorable fact which cannot be successfully 
controverted. 

2. We have already had occasion to note five years 
of a chasm in the apostolic history. God himself does 
not choose to have all the labours and sufferings of 
his servants recorded. Their recompense is in hea- 
ven; and it is enough that God knows their work, 
who alone can reward it. And yet every faithful 
servant of God will feel that the reward is all of 
grace, and not of debt; for the amount of their good 
is just the sum of what God has condescended to do 
by them. How studious are men to record the small- 
est transactions of their lives, while much of the life 
and labours of Jesus Christ and his apostles are writ- 
ten in the sand, and no longer legible to man; or 
written before the throne, where they are seen only 
by God and his angels. In many cases, the silence 
of Scripture is not less instructive than its most pointed 
communications. 

3. We cannot consider the effect produced on the 
minds of the people of Lystra, without being surprised 
that @ single miracle, wrought imstrumentally by men, 
should excite so much attention and reverence, and 
that we should be unmoved by the myriads wrought by 
the immediate hand of Gop. 

4. How difficult it is to get men brought to worship 
God, though they have the highest reasons and most 
powerful motives for it; and yet how ready are they 
to offer an incense to man that is due only to God 
himself! We applaud the apostles for rejecting with 
horror the sacrifices offered to them: common sense’ 
must have taught them this lesson, even independently 
of their piety. Let us beware that we take not that 
praise to ourselves which belongs to our Maker. Gross’ 
flattery is generally rejected, because a man cannodv 
receive it without being rendered ridiculous; but who 
rejects even inordinate praise, if it be delicately and 
artfully prepared! 


CHAPTER XV. 


Certain teachers from Judea insist on the necessity of the converted Gentiles being circumcised, 1. 
and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to consult the apostles on this subject, 2. 


Paw 
They come to Jerusalem, 


and inform the apostles of the conversion of the Gentiles; and of the trouble which certain Pharisees haa 


798 


1 ° 


GHAP-5 MY: 


occasioned concerning circumcision, 3-5. The apostles having assembled to consider the question, Peter 
delivers his opinion, 6-11. Barnabas and Paul relate their success among the Gentiles, 12. James deli- 
vers his judgment, 13-21. The apostles and elders agree to what he proposes, and send Judas and Silas 
with Paul and Barnabas to the converted Gentiles, 22 ; and send an epistle containing their decree to the 
Churches of Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, 23-29. Paul and his company return, and read the episile to 
the brethren at Antioch, which produces great joy ; and Judas and Silas preach to them, 30-32. Judas 
returns to Jerusalem, but Silas continues with Paul and Barnabas, teaching and preaching, 33-35. Pau. 
proposes to Barnabas to visit the Churches where they had preached ; and, on the latter determining to 


Certain Jewish teachers insist on the necessity of curcumeision, 


take John Mark with them, Paul refuses, 36-38. 
sails to Cyprus, 39. 


40, 41. 
A.M, cir 4055. Α ND ® certain men which came 
An. Olymp. down from Judea taught the 


cir. CCVIL3. 
——— brethren, and said, ὃ Except ye 


be circumcised ° after the manner of Moses, 
ve cannot be saved. 


A.M. cir. 4056. 2 When therefore Paul and Bar- 
A. D. cir. 52. ἃ < 
An. Olymp. Nabas had no small dissension and 


oir COVIL 4: disputation with them, they deter- 


mined that ἃ Paul and Barnabas, and certain 


«Gal. ii. 12. 


b John-vii. 22; ver. 5; Gal. v. 2; Phil. iii. 2; 
Col. ii. 8, 11, 16. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XV. 

Verse 1. Except ye be circumcised, &c.] The per- 
sons who taught this doctrine appear to have been 
converts to Christianity; but, supposing that the 
Christian religion was intended to perfect the Mosaic, 
and not to supersede it, they insisted on the necessity 
of circumcision, because, by that, a man was made 
debtor to the whole law, to observe all its rites and 
ceremonies. This question produced great disturbance 
in the apostolic Church; and, notwithstanding the 
decree mentioned in this chapter, the apostles were 
frequently obliged to interpose their authority in order 
to settle it; and we find a whole Church, that at 
* Galatia, drawn aside from the simplicity of the Christian 
faith by the subtilty of Judaizing teachers among them- 
selves, who insisted on the necessity of the converted 
Gentiles being circumcised. 

Ye cannot be saved.] Ye can neither enjoy God’s 
béessing in time, nor his glory in eternity. Such an 
assertion as this, from any reputable authority, must 
necessarily shake the confidence of young converts. 

Verse 2. No small dissension and disputation] Paul 
and Barnabas were fully satisfied that God did not 
design to bring the converted Gentiles under the yoke 
of circumcision: they knew that Jesus Christ was the 
end of the law for righteousness (justification) to every 
one that believed; and therefore they opposed the 
Judaizing teachers. This was one of the first eontro- 
versies in the Christian Church; but, though the 
difference of sentiment was considerable, it led to 
no breach of Christian charity nor fellowship among 
themselves. 

They determined that Paul, &c.] This verse is 
read very differently in the Codex Beze@: Tevouevne 
δὲ ἐκτάσεως Kat ζητήσεως οὐκ ολιγης τῷ TlavaAw καὶ τῳ 
Βαοναβᾳ συν αὐτοις. ελεγεν yap ὁ Παυλος μενεῖν οὗτως, 
καθως ἐπιςευσαν, διϊσχυριζομενος. οἱ de εληλυθοτες απὸ 
Ἱεοουσαλημ, παρηγγειλαν αὐτοῖς, τῷ Παυλῳ καὶ τῳ Βαρ- 


They disagree; and Barnabas, taking John Mark, 


And Paul, taking Silas, goes through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the Churches, 


A. M. cir. 4056. 
other of them, should go up to ιν 4 
Jerusalem unto the apostles and Δα. Olymp. 


= ἢ cir. ΟΟΥ̓ΤῚ. 4. 
elders about this question. ιν bree πὶ 


3 And ° being brought on their way by the 
Church, they passed through Phcenice and 
Samaria, ‘declaring the conversion of the 
Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all 
the brethren. 

4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, 


©Gen. xvii. 10; Lev. xii. 3. 4 Gal. ii. 1. © Rom. xv. 24; 
1 Cor. xvi. 6, 11.— Chap. xiv. 27. 


vaBa και τισιν αλλοις, avaBaweww προς τους Ἀποςολους Kat 
Πρεσβυτεροὺυς εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὅπως κριθωσιν ex’ αὐτοῖς 
(avtwr) περι Tov ζητηματος τουτου. But when Paul and 
Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with 
them, Paul said, with strong assurance, that they 
should remain so as they had believed. But those who 
came from Jerusalem charged Paul and Barnabas and 
certain others to go up to the apostles and elders to 
Jerusalem, that a determination might be made by 
them concerning this question. 

And certain other of them] If this be the journey 
to which St. Paul alludes, Gal. ii. 1-5, then he had 
Titus with him; and how many others went from the 
Church of Antioch we cannot tell. This journey was 
14 years after Paul’s conversion, and was undertaken 
by express revelation, as he informs us, Gal. ii. 2, 
which revelation appears to have been given to certain 
persons in the Church of Antioch, as we learn from 
this verse, and not to Paul and Barnabas themselves. 

Verse 3. Being brought on their way by the Church] 
That is, the members of the Church provided them 
with all necessaries for their journey ; for it does not 
appear that they had any property of their own. 

Declaring the conversion of the Gentiles] Much 
stress is laid on this: it was a miracle of God's merey 
that the Gentiles should be received into the Church 
of God; and they had now the fullest proof that the 
thing was likely to become general, by the conversion 
of Cornelius, the conversion of the people of Antioch, 
of Cyprus, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Lycaonia, &c., &e. 

Verse 4. They were received of the Church] The 
whole body of Christian believers. 

The apostles} Wither the whole or part of the 
twelve ; though we read of none but John, Peter, and 
James. See Gal. ii. 9. 

And elders| Those who were officers in the Church, 
under the apostles. 

They declared) To this council they gave a suc 

799 


THE 


reter delwers his opinion on 


Aves cir. 4056. they were received of the Church, 
. D. cir. 52. 
An. Olymp. and of the apostles and elders ; 


ir. COVIL 4. 
One® and * they declared all things that 


God had done with them. 

5 But there ἢ rose up certain of the sect of 
the Pharisees which believed, saying, * That it 
was needful to circumcise them, and to command 
them to keep the law of Moses. 

6 And the apostles and elders came together 
for to consider of this matter. 

7 4 And when there had been muchdisputing, 
Peter rose up, and said unto them, * Men and 
brethren, ye know how that a good while ago, 


& Ver. 12; chap. xiv. 27; xxi. 19.— Or, rose up, said they, 
certain.— Ver. 1_— Chap. x. 20; xi. 12.—!1 Chron. xxviii. 


ACTS. the subject of curcumcision 


A.M. cir. 4056. 
that Aye po tir 82. 
An. Olymp. 
εἶτ. CCVII. 4. 


God made choice among us, 
the Gentiles by my mouth should 
hear the word of the Gospel, and 
believe. 

8 And God, ! which knoweth the hearts, bare 
them witness, ™ giving them the Holy Ghost, 
even as he did unto us; 

9 "And put no difference between us and 
them, ° purifying their hearts by faith. 

10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, ” to 
put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, 
which neither our fathers nor we were able to 
bear ? 


9; chap. i. 24———™ Chap. x. 44. 
15, 28, 43; 1 Cor.i.2; 1 Pet. i. 22. 


. Rom. x, 11.—° Chap. x. 
P Matt. xxiii.4; Gal. v. 1. 


cinet account of the great work which God had wrought 
by them among the Gentiles. This was St. Paul’s 
third journey to Jerusalem after his conversion. See 
an account of his first journey, chap. ix. 26, and of 
his second in chap. xi. 30. 

Verse 5. But there rose up certain of the sect of the 
Pharisees| ‘This verse appears to be part of the decla- 
ration made by Paul and Barnabas to this council : 
for, having stated how God blessed their ministry 
among the Gentiles, they proceed to declare how all 
the good work was likely to be destroyed by certain 
Pharisees, who, having received the Christian faith, 
came down to Antioch, and began to teach the neces- 
sity of circumcision, &c., and thus filled the minds of 
the young converted Gentiles with doubtful disputations. 
See the margin. 

Verse 6. The apostles and elders came together] 
This was the first council ever held in the Christian 
Church ; and we find that it was composed of the apos- 
tles and elders simply. 

Verse 7. When there had been much disputing] By 
those of the sect of the believing Pharisees ; for they 
strongly contended for circumcision ; and at the head 
of these, tradition tells us, was Cerinthus, a name 
famous in the primitive Church, as one who laboured 
to unite the law and the Gospel, and to make the sal- 
vation promised by the latter dependent on the per- 
formance of the rites and ceremonies prescribed by the 
former. Though the apostles and elders were under 
the inspiration of the Almighty, and could by this in- 
spiration have immediately determined the question, 
yet it was highly necessary that the objecting party 
should be permitted to come forward and allege their 
reasons for the doctrines they preached ; and that these 
reasons should be fairly met by argument, and the 
thing proved to be useless in itself, inexpedient in the 
present case, and unsupported by any express authority 
from God, and serving no purpose to the Gentiles, who 
in their uncircumcised state, by believing in Christ 
Jesus, had been made partakers of the Holy Ghost. 

Peter rose up, and said] This was after the matters 
in dispute had been fully debated; and now the apos- 
tles, like judges, after hearing counsel on both sides, 
proceed to give judgment on the case. 

800 


A good while ago] Αφ᾽ ἡμερων ἀρχαίων, From the 
days of old: a phrase which simply signifies some 
years ago; and, if he here refers to the conversion of 
Cornelius, (see chap. x.,) he must mean about ten 
years before this time ; but it is more likely that he 
refers to that time when Christ gave him the keys of 
the kingdom of heaven, that he might open the door 
of faith to the Gentiles. . 

God made choice among us] That is, he chose me 
to be the first apostle of the Gentiles. 

Verse 8. And God which knoweth the hearts| O 
καρδιογνωςης coc. We had this epithet of the Divine 
Being once before; see chap. i. 24, and the note 
there : it occurs no where else in the New Testament. 

Bare them witness] Considered them as proper or 
fit to receive the Gospel of Christ. It is properly 
remarked by learned men, that μαρτυρεῖν τίνι, to bear 
witness to any person, signifies to approve, to testify 
in behalf of. Here it signifies that, as God evidently 
sent the Gospel to the Gentiles, and, by the preaching 
of it, conveyed the Holy Spirit to them who believed, 
and as he can make no improper judgment of any who 
knows all hearts and their secrets, therefore what he 
had done was right: he saw that it was time for them 
to receive the Gospel ; and he saw that they might be 
safely trusted with this heavenly deposit; and the 
experience of eighteen hundred years has justified the 
conduct of God. 

Verse 9. Put no difference between us and them] 
Giving them the Holy Spirit, though wneircumcised, 
just as he had given it to us who were circumcised : 
an evident proof that, in the judgment of God, circum- 
cision was no preparation to receive the Gospel of 
Christ. And as the purification of the heart by the 
Holy Spirit was the grand object of the religion of 
God, and that alone by which the soul could be pre- 
pared for a blessed immortality, and the Gentiles had 
received that without circumcision, consequently, the 
shadow could not be considered of any worth, now the 
substance was communicated. 

Verse 10. Now therefore why tempt ye God] As 
God, by giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, evi- 
dently shows he does not design them to be circum- 
cised, in order to become debtors to the law, to fulfil all 

1 


Barnabas and Paul relate their 


A M. cir. 4056. 1] But ‘we believe that through 
A. D. cir. 52. 
An, Olymp. the grace of the Lord Jesus 
~*~ Christ we shall be saved, even 
as they 


12 Ἵ Then all the multitude kept silence, 
and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, de- 


Rom. iii. 24; Eph. ii. 8; Tit. ii. 11; iii. 4, 5. 


its precepts, &c., why will ye provoke him to displea- 
sure by doing what he evidently designs shall not be 
done? 

A yoke—which neither our fathers nor*we were 
able to bear 3] This does not refer to the moral law— 
that was of eternal obligation—but to the ritual law, 
which, through the multitude of its sacrifices, ordinan- 
ces, &c., was exceedingly burthensome to the Jewish 
people. And had not God, by an especial providence, 
rendered both their fields and their flocks very fruitful, 
they could not possibly have borne so painful a ritual. 

There is a curious story in Midrash Shochar, tof 
in Yalkut Simeoni, part i. fol. 229, where Korah is 
represented as showing the oppressive nature of the 
law, and avarice of its priests, in justification of his 
rebellion. ‘ There was,” said he, “a widow in our 
neighbourhood who had two orphan children: she had 
one field; and. when she began to plough it, one came 
and said, Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass 
together. When she went to sow it, he said, Thow 
shalt not sow thy field with divers seeds. When she 
began to reap, and to gather the sheaves together, he 
said, Leave a handful and the corners of the field for 
the poor. When she prepared to thresh it, he said, 
Give me the wave-offering, and the first and second 
tithes. She did as she was commanded, and then 
went and sold her field, and bought two ewes, that she 
might clothe herself and family with the wool, and get 
profit by the lambs. When they brought forth their 
Jambs, Aaron came and said, Give me the firstlings, for 
the holy blessed God hath said, All the first born, 
whatsoever openeth the womb, shall be thine. She 
yielded to his demands, and gave him two lambs. 
When shearing time came, he said, Give me the 
first fruits of the wool. When the widow had done 
this, she said, I cannot stand before this man; I will 
kill my sheep and eat them. When she had killed the 
sheep, Aaron came and said, Give me the shoulder, 
and the jaws, and the ventricle. The widow said, 
Though I have killed my sheep, I am not delivered 
from this man; I therefore consecrate the whole to 
God. Then Aaron said, Aut belongs to me, for the 
holy blessed God hath said, Every thing that is con- 
secrated in Israel shall be his, i. e. the priest’s. He 
therefore took the whole carcasses, and marched off, 
leaving the widow and her orphan daughters over- 
whelmed with affliction.” This is a terrible picture 
of the requisitions of the Mosaic ritual ; and, though 
exaggerated, it contains so many true features that it 
may well be said, This is a yoke which neither we nor 
our fathers were able to bear. See Schoettgen. In 
the same vexatious way may the tithes of the national 
Church in this country be exacted, and in this very 

Vor. I (7261) ) 


CHAP. XV. 


success among the Gentiles 


claring what miracles and won- org a 
ders God had * wrought among ἜΣ ΘΙ a 
the Gentiles by them. — 

13 9 And after they had held their peace, 
‘James answered, saying, Men and brethren, 
hearken unto me: 


τ Chap. xiv. 27.——* Chap. xii. 17. 


way is the exaction frequently exercised. 
time that these abuses should be corrected. 

Verse 11. Through the grace of the Lord Jesus 
Christ we shall be saved] This seems to be an answer 
to an objection, “ Has not God designed to save us, 
the Jews, by an observance of the law; and them, the 
Gentiles, by the faith of the Gospel?” No: for we 
Jews can be saved no other way than through the 
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ; and this is the way 
in which the Gentiles in question have been saved. 
There is but one way of salvation for Jews and Gen- 
tiles, the grace, mercy, or favour coming by and 
through the Lord Jesus, the Christ ; this is now fully 
opened to the Gentiles; and we believe we shall be 
saved in the same way. 

Verse 12. All the multitude kept silence] The 
strong facts stated by St. Peter could not be contro- 
verted. His speech may be thus analyzed: 1. Cir- 
cumcision is a sign of the purification of the heart. 
2. That purification can only be effected by the Holy 
Ghost. 3. This Holy Spirit was hitherto supposed 
to be the portion of those only who had received cir- 
cumeision. 4. But the Gentiles, who were never 
circumcised, nor kept any part of the law of Moses. 
have had their hearts purified by faith in Christ Jesus. 
5. As God, therefore, has given them the thing sig- 
nified, he evidently does not intend that the sign 
should be administered. 6. Should we impose this 
burthensome rite, we should most evidently be pro- 
voking God, who plainly shows us that he intends no 
more to save in this way. 7. Therefore it is evi- 
dent that both Jews and Gentiles are to be saved 
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Gave audience to Barnabas and Paul] These apos- 
tles came forward next, to corroborate what Peter had 
said, by showing the miracles and wonders which 
God had by them wrought among the Gentiles. Peter 
stated facts: Paul and Barnabas confirmed the state- 
ment. 

Verse 13. James answered] He was evidently pre- 
sident of the council, and is generally called bishop of 
Jerusalem. The rest either argued on the subject, 
or gave their opinion; James alone pronounced the 
definitive sentence. Had Peter been prince and head 
of the apostles, and of the Church, he would have ap- 
peared here in the character of judge, not of mere 
counsellor or disputant. ‘The popish writers say that 
τς James presided because the council was held in his 
own church.” These men forget that theré was not 
then what they term a Church on the face of the 
earth. The Church, or assembly of believers, then 
met in private houses ; for there was no building for 
the exclusive purpose of Christian worship then, nor 

801 


I is high 


St. James delivers his judgment 


A.M. cir. 4056. 
A. D. cir. 52. 
An. Olymp. 

οἷν. CCVIL 4. 


14 τ Simeon hath declared how 
God at the first did {1510 the 
Gentiles, to take out of them 
a people for his name. 

15 And to this agree the words of the pro- 
phets; as it is written, 

16 After this I will return, and will build again 
the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down ; 


THE ACTS. 


concerning the disputed point. 


and I will build again the ruins ὡς ΔΙ cir. 4056. 
§ ὶ . D. cir. 52. 
thereof, and I will set it up: An. Olymp. 
17 That the residue of men Beal ΘΟ ΥΤΕΤΑῚΣ 
might seek after the Lord, and ali the Gentiles, 
upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, 
who doeth all these ‘things. 
18 Known unto God are all his works from 
ihe beginning of the world. 


t Verse 7. 


ull Jong after. ‘These writers also forget that the 
pope pretends to be the head of the catholic or univer- 
sal Church; and, consequently, no man can preside 
where he is present, but himself. Peter did not pre- 
side here ; and this was the first ecclesiastical coun- 
2il, and now, if ever, he should have assumed his cha- 
racter of prince and chief; but he did not; nor did 
any of the other apostles invite him to it, which they 
would have done had they thought that Jesus Christ 
constituted him head of the Church. From this very 
circumstance there is the most demonstrative evidence 
that Peter was no pope, and that the right of his pre- 
tended successor is a nonentity. 

Verse 14. Simeon hath declared] It is remarkable 
that James does not give him even the ditle which he 
reecived from our Lord at the time in which he is 
supposed to have been made head of the Church, and 
vicar of Christ upon earth; so that, it is evident, 
James did not understand our Lord as giving Peter 
any such pre-eminence; and, therefore, he does not 
even call him Peter, but simply Stmeon. It is truly 
surprising that such a vast number of important pre- 
tensions should rest on such slight foundations! If 
tradition, no matter how interrupted or precarious, did 
not lend its support, feeble as that necessarily must be, 
the cause tried by plain Scripture would fall to the 
ground. 

To take out of them a people for his name.] To 
form among the Gentiles, as he had among the Jews, 
a people called by his name and devoted to his honour. 

Verse 15. And to this agree the words of the 
prophets| Peter had asserted the fact of the conver- 
sion of the Gentiles; and James shows that that fact 
was the fulfilment of declarations made by the prophets. 

Verse 16. Afler this I will return, and will build 
again, §c.| These two verses, 16th and 17th, are 
quoted from Amos ix. 11, 12, nearly as they now 
stand in the best editions of the Septuagint, and evi- 
dently taken from that version, which differs conside- 
rably from the Hebrew text. As St. James quoted 
them as a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles into 
the Church of God, it is evident the Jews must have 
understood them in that sense, otherwise they would 
have immediately disputed his application of them to 
the subject in question, and have rejected his conclu- 
sion by denying the premises. But that the words 
were thus understood by the ancient Jews, we have 
their own testimony. In Sanhedr. fol. 69, we have 
these rermarkable words: “Rabbi Nachman said to 
Rabbi Isaac, ‘Whence art thou taught when Bar 

Naphli will come Y He saith unto him, ‘ Who is this 
802 


« Amos ix. 11, 12. 
Bar Napili? The other replied, ‘ He is the Messi- 
ah.’ ‘Dost thou then call the Messiah Bar Naphli ? 
‘Yes,’ said he, ‘for it is written, In that day I will 
build again the tabernacle of David, noDI7 πλ- 
NOPHELETH, which is falling down.’” 'This is evidently 
a quotation from Amos ix. 11, and a proof that the 
Jews understood it to be a prophecy concerning the 
Messiah. See Lightfoot. 

Verse 17. That the residue of men might seek] 
Instead of this, the Hebrew has, That they may pos- 
sess the remnant of Edom. Now it is evident that, 
in the copy from which the Seventy translated, they 
found wo yidreshu, they might seek, instead of 
wr yireshu, they may possess, where the whole dif- 
ference between the two words is the change of the ° 
yod for a Ἢ daleth, which might be easily done ~ and 
they found D718 adam, man, or men, instead of DTN 
Edom, the Idumeans, which differs from the other 
only by the insertion of 1 σαῖς between the two last 
letters. None of the MSS. collated by Kennicott and 
De Rossi confirm these readings, in which the Septw- 
agint, Arabic, and St. James agree. It shows, how- 
ever, that even in Jerusalem, and in the early part of 
the apostolic age, the Septuagint version was quoted 
in preference to the Hebrew text; or, what is tanta- 
mount, was quoted in cases where we would have 
thought the Hebrew text should have been preferred, 
because better understood. But God was evidently 
preparing the way of the Gospel by bringing this 
venerable version into general credit and use ; which 
was to be the means of conveying the truths of Chris- 
tianity to the whole Gentile world. How precious 
should this august and most important version be to 
every Christian, and especially to every Christian 
minister! A version, without which no man ever did 
or ever can critically understand the New Testament. 
And I may add that, without the assistance afforded 
by this version, there never could have been a correct 
translation of the Hebrew text, since that language 
ceased to be vernacular, into any language. Without 
it, even St. Jerome could have done little in translating 
the Old Testament into Latin; and how much all the 
modern versions owe to St. Jerome’s Vulgate, which 
owes so much to the Septuagint, most Biblical scho- 
lars know. 

Verse 18. Known unto God are all his works from 
the beginning] As if he had said, This is not a new 
counsel of God: he had purposed, from the time he 
ealled the Israelites, to make the Gentiles partakers 
of the same grace and mercy; and ultimately to de- 
stroy those rites and ceremonies which separated them 
(Mole) 


The Gentiles are required 


A.M. cir. 4056. 19 Wherefore ’ my sentence 
A. De cir. 52. 
An. Olymp. is, that we trouble not them, 


COV ΟΣ ὁ. : 
 ~which from among the Gentiles 


“are turned to God: 

20 But that we write unto them, that they 
abstain * from pollutions of idols, and ¥ from 
fornication, and from things strangled, * and 
from blood. 

21 For Moses of old time hath in every city 


CHAP. XV. 


to abstain from rdolatry. 


A.M, cir. 4056. 
A. D. cir. 52. 
An. Olymp. 

οἷν, CCVIL. 4. 


them that preach him, * being 
read in the synagogues every 
Sabbath day ea 

22 Ἵ Then pleased it the apostles, and elders, 
with the whole Church, to send chosen men 
of their own company to Antioch with Paul 
and Barnabas; namely, Judas, surnamed ” Bar- 
sabas, and Silas, chief men among the bre- 
thren : 


Y See ver. 28. 1 Thess. i. 9. * Gen. xxxv. 2; Exod. 
xx. 3, 23; Ezek. xx. 30; 1 Cor. viii. 1; Rev. ii. 14, 20; x. 
20, 28. 


fromm each other. He therefore has sent the Gospel 
of his Son, proclaiming equally peace to him that is 
afar off, the Gentiles, and to him that is nigh, the Jews. 

The whole of this verse is very dubious: the prin- 
cipal part of it is omitted by the most ancient MSS.., 
and Griesbach has left γνωςα av αἰωνος doubtful, and has 
thrown ect τῷ Oew πάντα τὰ epya αὑτου out of the text. 
Of the former clause, Professor White, in his Crisews, 
says, “forsitan delenda,”’ “ probably these words 
should be blotted out.” And of the latter clause he 
says, “certissime delenda,” “most assuredly these 
should be blotted out.” Supposing the whole to be 
genuine, critics have laboured to find out the sense. 
Some very learned men, and particularly Schleusner, 
contend that the word yvoca, from γινώσκειν, to know, 
should be understood here in the same sense in which 
ΣῪ yada is in many parts of the Old Testament, which 
not only signifies fo know, but to approve, love, &c. 
They therefore would translate the passage thus : 41] 
the works of God are ever dear unto him. And, if 
so, consequently we might naturally expect him to be 
merciful to the Gendiles, as well as to the Jews; and 
the evidence now afforded of the conversion of the 
Gentiles is an additional proof that all God’s works 
are equally dear to him. 

Verse 19. Wherefore my sentence is| Ato ἐγὼ κρίνω, 
Wherefore I judge. There is an authority here that 
does not appear in the speech of St. Peter; and this 
authority was felt and bowed to by all the council; 
and the decree proposed by St. James adopted. 

Verse 20. But that we write unto them] Four 
things are prohibited in this decree: 1. Pollutions of 
idols ; 2. fornication ; 3. things strangled; 4. blood. 


By the first, poLLUTIONS of 1DoLs, or, as it is in ver. | 


29, meats offered to idols, not only all idolatry was 
forbidden, but eating things offered in sacrifice to idols, 
knowing that they were thus offered, and joining with 
idolaters in their sacred feasts, which were always an 
incentive either to idolatry itself, or to the impure acts 
generally attendant on such festivals. 

By the second, rornicaTion, all uncleanness of every 
kind was prohibited ; for πορνεία not only means for- 
nication, but adullery, incestuous mixlures, and espe- 
cially the prostitution which was so common at the 
idol temples, viz. in Cyprus, at the worship of Venus ; 
and the shocking disorders exhibited in the Bacchana- 
lia, Lupercalia, and several others. 

By the ¢hird, ΤΗ͂ΝΟΝ sTRANGLED, we are to under- 
stand the flesh of those animals which were strangled 

1 


ΥἹ Cor. vi. 9, 18; Gal. v.19; Eph. v.3; Col. iii. 5; 1 Thess. 
iv. 3; 1 Pet. iv. 3. «Gen. ix. 4; Lev. iii. 17; Deut. xii. 16, 
23.— Chap. xiii. 15, 27.—— Chap. i. 23. 


for the purpose of keeping the blood in the body, as 
such animals were esteemed a greater delicacy. 

By the fourth, BLoop, we are to understand, not 
only the thing itself, for the reasons which I have 
assigned in the note on Gen. ix. 4, and for others 
detailed at the end of this chapter; but also all eru- 
elly, manslaughter, murder, &c., as some of the 
ancient fathers have understood it. 

Instead of tov αἱματος, blood, some have conjectured 
that we should read yorpecac, swine’s flesh; for they 
cannot see, first, that there can be any arm in eating 
of blood ; and, secondly, that, as the other ‘Aree things 
neither have nor can have any moral evil in them, it 
would seem strange that they should be coupled with a 
thing which, on all hands, is confessed to have much 
moral turpitude. Answers to such trifling objections 
will be found at the end of the chapter. It is only 
necessary to add that this yorpeac, which is the eritical 
emendation of Dr. Bentley, is not supported by one 
MS. or version in existence. 

At the close of this verse, the Coder Beza, and 
several others, add a fifth thing, And not to do to 
others what they would not have done to themselves. 
Though this is a very ancient reading, it does not 
appear to be genuine. 

Verse 21. Moses of old time hath m every city] 
The sense of this verse seems to be this: As it was 
necessary to write to the Gentiles what was strictly 
necessary to be observed by them, relative to these 
points, it was not so to the converted Jews ; for they 
had Moses, that is, the law, preached to them, κατὰ 
πολιν, in the city, that is, Antioch; and, by the read- 
ing of the law in the synagogues every Sabbath day, 
they were kept in remembrance of those institutions 
which the Gentiles, who had not the law, could not 
know. Therefore, James thought that a letter to the 
converted Gentiles would be sufficient, as the con- 
verted Jews had already ample instruction on these 
points. 

Verse 22. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, 
with the whole Church| James determined what ought 
to be done; and the whole assembly resolved how 
that should be done. 

Chosen men of their own company| Paul and Bar- 
nabas were to return: they could have witnessed to 
the Church at Antioch what was done at the council 
at Jerusalem; but as it was possible that their testi- 
mony might be suspected, from the part they had 
already taken in this question at Antioch, it was 

803 


The apostolical decree 15 


A. M. cir. 4056. : 
Tae (99 And they wrote letters by 
An. Olymp. them after this manner: The 
cir. CCVIL. 4 ᾽ 


apostles, and elders, ἀπά _bre- 
thren, send greeting unto the brethren which are 
of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and 
Cilicia : 

24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that ° cer- 
tain which went out from us have troubled you 
with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye 
must be circumcised, ane keep the law: to 
whom we gave no such commandment : 

25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled 
with one accord, to send chosen men unto you 
with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 

26 4 Men that have hazarded their lives for 
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, 


THE ACTS. 


sent unto the Gentiles. 


who shall also tell you the same ὡδί οἶς 406 
things by “ mouth. An. Olymp. 
28 For it seemed good to the EE bla 
Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you ne 
greater burden than these necessary things ; 
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to 
idols, and 5 from blood, and from things stran- 
gled, and from fornication : from which if ye 
keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. 
30 So when they were dismissed, they came 
to Antioch: and when they had gathered the 
multitude together, they delivered the epistle : 
31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced 
for the ὃ consolation. 
32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also 
themselves, ‘ exhorted the brethren with many 
words, and confirmed them. 


¢Ver.1; Gal. ii. 4; v. 12; Tit. i. 10, 11——‘Chap. xiii. 50; 
xiv. 19; 1 Cor. xv. 30; 2 Cor. xi. 23, 26. © Gr. word. 


f Verse 20; chapter xxi. 25; Rev. ii. 14, 20. Lev. xvii. 14. 
Or, exhortation ——+ Chap. xiv. 22; xviii, 23. 


225 


necessary that a deputation from the council should 
accompany them. Accordingly, Judas and Silas are 
sent to corroborate by their oral testimony what was 
contained in the letters sent from the council. 

Verse 23. Send greeting unto the brethren—of the 
Gentiles] There was no occasion to send such a 
letter to the brethren which were of the Jews, because 
that law which had been so long read in their syna- 
gogues taught them all those things; and therefore 
the epistle is sent exclusively to the Gentiles. The 
word greeting is in the original χαίρειν, to be well, to 
be safe; a very usual form in Greek epistles, the word 
εὐχομαι being understood, J wish thee to be well. 

Verse 24. Certain which went out from us] So the 
persons who produced these doubtful disputations at 
Antioch, &c., had gone out from the apostles at Je- 
rusalem, and were of that Church: persons zealous 
for the law, and yet, strange to tell, so conscientiously 
attached to the Gospel that they risked their personal 
safety by professing it. 

To whom we gave no such commandment] As, 
therefore, they went out from that Church, they 
should have taught nothing which was not owned 
and taught by it; much less should they have taught 
in opposition to it. 

Verse 26. Men that have hazarded their lives] 
This was a high character of Paul and Barnabas: 
they had already suffered much in the cause of Christ, 
and exposed their lives to the most imminent danger, 
and were intent on the same work, notwithstanding 
the increasing dangers in the way. 

Verse 27. Judas and Silas—shall—tell you the 
same things] These were proofs that the testimony 
of Paul and Barnabas was true; and that the letter 
was not forged, as they could witness the same things 
which the letter contained. 

Verse 28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, 
and to us| ‘Lhe whole council had met under his 
direction; had consulted under his influence ; and 

804 


gave forth their decree from his especial inspi- 
ration. 

Necessary things] They were necessary, howsoever 
burthensome they might appear; and necessary, not 
only for the time, place, or occasion; but for all times, 
all places, and all occasions. See this proved in the 
observations at the end of this chapter. 

Verse 29. Ye shall do well.| But, if they did not 
keep themselves from these things, they would do ill ; 
that is, they would sim against God, whose Spirit had 
commanded them to keep from these things. And 
who can do any of these forbidden things, and keep 
either a guiltless or a tender conscience ? 

Fare—well.| An old English form of expressing 
good wishes and good will. It is compounded of ranan, 
to go, and pel, much, well, very much. Go well, go 
prosperously !—tantamount with good speed! may you 
succeed well! may God direct you! Like to that 
other form of sound words, God be with you! cor- 
rupted now into good by to ye! And of the same 
meaning with adiew! ἃ Dieu, to God; that is, I com- 
mend you to God. All these terms savour not only 
of good will, or benevolence, but also of piety. Our 
pious ancestors believed that nothing was_ safe, 
nothing protected, nothing prosperous, over which the 
shield of God was not extended ; and, therefore, in 
their familiar good wishes, they gave each other to 
God. The Greek word ephwo6e, errhosthé, here used, 
from ῥωννυμι, to strengthen, mate strong, has nearly 
the same signification : be stroug, courageous, active, 
be in health, and be prosperous! What a pity that 
such benevolent and pious wishes should degenerate 
into cool formalities, or unmeaning compliments ! 

Verse 31. They rejoiced for the consolation.] Τὶ 
Was not a matter of small moment to have a question 
on which such stress was laid decided by an apostolic 
council, over which the Spirit of God presided. 

Verse 32. Judas and Silas, being prophets] That 
is, being teachers in the Church. This signification 

1 


Paul and Barnabas disagree 


A.M, cir. 4056. 88. And after they had tarried 
. D. cir. 52. 
An. Olymp. there a space, they were let 


cir. CCVIL. 4. 3 
eee, - go in peace from the brethren 


unto the apostles. 

34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide 
there still. 

35 'Paul also and Barnabas continued in 
Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of 
the Lord, with many others also. 


A. M. cir. 4057. 36 9] And some days after, Paul 
A. D. cir. 53. . 
An. Olymp. Said unto Barnabas, Let us go 
εἶτ. CCVIIL. 1. 


again and visit our brethren ™ in 
¥) Cor. xvi. 11; Heb. xi. 31. 1 Chap. xiii. 1——™ Chap. xiii. 
4, 13, 14, 51; xiv. I, 6, 24, 25. 


of the word prophet we have often already seen. See 
the notes on chap. xi. 27, and xiii. 1. 

Exhorted the brethren] To abide steadily attached 
to God, and to each other, in peace, love, and unity. 

And confirmed them.] In the blessed truths they 
had already received. 

Verse 33. They were let go] That is, both had 
liberty to depart; but Silas chose to stay a little 
longer with the brethren. 

Verse 34. Notwithstanding it pleased Silas, &c.] 
This whole verse is wanting in ABEG, a great num- 
ber besides, with the Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, Slavonic, 
Vulgate, and some of the fathers. It does not appear 
to have been originally in the text. 

Verse 36. Let us go—and visit our brethren in 
every city] This heavenly man projected a journey 
to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Salamis, 
Paphos, Perga, Iconum, Lystra, Derbe, Antioch in 
Pisidia, and elsewhere ; for in all these places he had 
preached and founded Churches in the preceding year. 
He saw it was necessary to water the seed he had 
planted ; for these were young converts, surrounded 
with impiety, opposition, and superstition, and had 
few advantages among themselves. 

Verse 37. Barnabas determined to take with them 
John| John Mark was his sister’s son; and natural 
affection might have led him to the partiality here 
mentioned. 

Verse 38. But Paul thought not good to take him 
with them] On this subject, see the note on chap. 
xii. 13. 

Verse 39. The contention was so sharp between 
them] For all this sentence, there is only in the Greek 
text ἐγένετο οὖν παροξυσμος ; there was therefore a 
paroxysm, an incitement, a stirring up, from παροξυνω, 
compounded of παρα, intensive, and ofvve, to whet, or 
sharpen: there was a sharp contention. But does this 
imply anger or ill-will on either side? Certainly not. 
Here, these two apostles differed, and were strenuous, 
each in support of the part he had adopted. 
as an ancient Greek commentator has it, “ being influ- 
enced only with the love of righteousness ; Barnabas 
being actuated by love to his relative.” John Mark 
had been tried in trying circumstances, and ne failed ; 
Paul, therefore, would not trust him again. The affec- 
tion of Barnabas led him to hope the best, and was 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


“ Paul,” 


about John Mark. 


A. M. cir. 4057 
A. D. cir. 53. 
An. Olymp. 

cir. ΟΟΥ̓ΤΙΙ. 1. 


every city where we have preach- 
ed the word of the Lord, and see 
how they do, 

37 And Barnabas determined to take with 
them " John, whose surname was Mark. 

38 But Paul thought not good to take him 
with them, °who departed from them from 
Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 

39 And the contention was so sharp between 
them, that they departed asunder one from the 
other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed 
unto Cyprus ; 


= Chap. xii. 12,25; xiii. 5; Col. iv. 10 ; 2 Tim. iv.11; Phil. 24. 
© Chap. xiii. 13. 


therefore desirous to give him another trial. Barnabas 
would not give up: Paul would not agree. They 
therefore agreed to depart from each other, and take 
different parts of the work : each had an attendant and 
companion at hand; so Barnabus took John Mark, 
and sailed to Cyprus: Paul took Silas, and went into 
Syria. John Mark proved faithful to his uncle Bar- 
nabas ; and Silas proved faithful to his master Paul. 
To all human appearance it was best that they sepa- 
rated; as the Churches were more speedily visited, 
and the work of God more widely and more rapidly 
spread. And why is it that most men attach blame 
to this difference between Paul and Barnabas? And 
why is it that this is brought in as a proof of the sin 
ful imperfection of these holy apostles? Because 
those who thus treat the subject can never differ with 
another without feeling wrong tempers; and then, as 
destitute of good breeding as they are of humility, they 
attribute to others the angry, proud, and wrathful dis- 
positions which they feel in themselves ; and, because 
they cannot be angry and sin not, they suppose that 
even apostles themselves cannot. Thus, in fact, we 
are always bringing our own moral or immoral qualifi- 
cations to be a standard, by which we are to judge of 
{πὸ characters and moral feelings of men who were 
actuated by zeal for God’s glory, brotherly kindness, 
and charity. Should any man say there was sin in 
this contention between Paul and Barnabas, I answer, 
there is no evidence of this in the text. Should he 
say, the word rapofvcuoc, paroxysm, denotes this, I 
answer, it does not. And the verb παροξυνομαι is often 
used in a good sense. So Isocrates ad Demosth. cap. 
| Xx. μαλιςα δ᾽ av παροξυνθειὴς ορεχϑηναι τῶν καλων 
᾿εργων" “Βαυΐ thou wilt be the more stirred up to the 
love of good works.” And such persons forget that 
this is the very form used by the apostle himself, Heb. 
X. 24: καὶ κατανοωμεν αλληλους εἰς παροξυσμον aya- 
πης Kat καλὼν ἐργων" which, these objectors would be 
highly displeased with me, were I to translate, Let us 
consider one another to an angry contention of love 
and good works. From these examples, it appears 
| that the word is used to signify incttement of any kind; 
, and, if taken in a medical sense, to express the burn- 
| ing fit of an ague: it is also taken to express a strong 
excitement to the love of God and man, and to the 
| fruits by which such love can be best proved; and, in 
805 


Paul travels through Syria and 


sae a Ager: 40 And Paul chose Silas, and de- 
An. Olymp. parted, ?being recommended by 


ir, CCVII. 1. 
cir, COVII!. 1. the brethren unto the grace of God. 


THE ACTS. 


Cilicia, confirming the Churches 


41 And he went through Syria 4, δ 
and Cilicia, the 


4 confirming An. Olymp. 
Churches. 


cir. CCVIII. 1. 


PChap. xiv. 26. 


4 Chap. xvi. 5. 


the case before us, there was certainly nothing con- 
trary to this pure principle in either of those heavenly 
men. See also Kypke on Heb. x. 24. 

Verse 40. Being recommended—unto the grace of 
God.|} Much stress has been laid upon this, to show 
that Barnabas was in the wrong, and Paul in the right, 
because ‘the brethren recommended Paul and Silas 
to the grace of God; but they did not recommend 
Barnabas and John Mark: this proves that the Church 
condemned the conduct of Barnabas, but approved that 
of Paul.” Now, there is no proof that the Church did 
not recommend Barnabas to the grace of God, as well 
as Paul; but, as St. Luke had for the present dropped 
the story of Barnabas, and was now going on with 
that of Paul and Silas, he begins it at this point, viz. 
his being recommended by the brethren to the grace 
of God ; and then goes on to tell of his progress in 
Syria, Derbe, Lystra, &c., ἅς. See the next chapter. 
And with this verse should the following chapter be- 
gin; and this is the division followed by the most cor- 
rect copies of the Greek text. 

Verse 41. Confirming the Churches.| This was 
the object of his journey : they were young converts, 
and had need of establishment ; and there is no doubt 
that, by showing them the decision made at the late 
council of Jerusalem, their faith was greatly strength- 
ened, their hope confirmed, and their love increased. 
It was this consideration, no doubt, that led some an- 
cient MSS. and some versions to add here, They de- 
livered them the decrees of the apostles and elders to 
keep ; which clause certainly was not an original part 
of the text, but seems to have been borrowed from the 
fourth verse of the following chapter. Some have 
thought that the fourth and fifth verses of the next 
chapter really belong to this place; or that the first, 
second, and third verses of it should be read in a pa- 
renthesis ; but of this there does not appear to be any 
yarticular necessity. ; 


On the precept concerning blood, I have referred, 
not only to my note on Gen. ix. 4, but also to addi- 
tional observations at the end of this chapter: for these 
observations I am indebted to an excellent work of 
Dr. Delaney, entitled, Revelation exammed with Can- 
dour; a work of uncommon merit, and too little known. 
Tt is in three small volumes octavo, and comprises a 
number of dissertations on the most important facts 
and histories in the sacred writings; and especially 
those which have been cavilled at by deists and free- 
thinkers of every description. In every case he is 
master of his subject; and, in every instance, his 
pretended Anakim opponents are grasshoppers in his 
hands. 

“As to the precept before us, of not eating the dlood 
with the flesh of the creatures, it is evident that, be- 
sides the reason expressly assigned by God himself for 
this prohibition, there are also several others (very 
wise and very important) why it should be made. 

806 


1. “In the first place, then, let me ask any man, 
that is capable of rational reflection, Whether he ima- 
gines it would be hard or unreasonable in almighty 
God, when he granted man a right to take away the 
lives of other creatures for food, to make such a reserve 
in that grant as might be a perpetual monition to man- 
kind that God was the author and giver of life? It 
is certain, such a monition could have no ill effect, and 
might, at the same time, be of infinite advantage, in 
keeping up a constant sense of dependence upon God, 
and gratitude to him, in the minds of his creatures.— 
And what could answer these ends better than reserv- 
ing the blood for sacred use, and assigning that very 
reason, because it was the life, as a natural and neces- 
sary monition to mankind that God was the author and 
giver of life 1 

2. “When God gave man the fruits of the earth 
for food, yet he gave them with an exception to the 
fruit of the tree of knowledge; and in the same ana- 
logy, when he gives him the flesh of the creatures for 
food, he gives it with an exception to the blood. Un- 
limited grants would but inflame our vanity, and blot 
out that sense of dependence upon the Divine Being 
which is equally necessary to our humility and our 
happiness. 

3. “Again: If God foresaw that an unlimited grant 
would be the cause of much unnecessary cruelty to the 
creatures, that surely was a sufficient reason with in- 
finite goodness why a limitation should be made.— 
Now, if we find such cruelties wantonly exercised, 
where such limitations are not known, or not regarded, 
then surely we must conclude that the limitation was 
merciful, and wise, and well appointed. Plutarch tells 
us that it was customary in his time to run red hot 
spits through the bodies of live swine, and to stamp 
upon the udders of sows ready to farrow, to make their 
flesh more delicious. And, I believe, Christians have 
heard of whipping pigs, and torturing other creatures 
to death, for the same reasons. Could these cruelties 
be committed, if such men thought themselves bound 
in conscience to abstain from all unnecessary cruelty 
to the creatures, and to blood them to death, with 
all the despatch they could, before they touched them 
for food 1 

4. “But this is not all: cruelties are congenial ; 
and rise, by an easy gradation, from being practised 
upon brutes, to be exerted even against men. Thus 
it is notorious that the Scythzans, from drinking the 
blood of their cattle, proceeded to drink the blood of 
their enemies, (as Herodotus assures us they did ;) 
and the same practice existed among the ancient Scan- 
dinavians ; they drank the δίοοά of their enemies out 
of their skulls: this was a double barbarity. And 
certainly the most natural means of guarding mankind 
against such cruelties, was to guard them against the 
least approaches to it, by obliging them to abstain re- 
ligiously from blood, and all unnecessary cruelty to the 
brute creation. And, if evil foreseen to the brute ere- 

1 


Dissertation concermng the 


ation from eating their blood was a wise reason why 
such food should be prohibited to men, evil foreseen to 
man himself, from such an allowance, will, I believe, 
be owned a very good additional reason for such a pro- 
hibition ; and will any man say that the Scythian cru- 
elty now mentioned is no evil. 

5. “Again: All animals that feed upon blood are 
observed to be much more furious than others. Will 
any man say that much of their fury is not owing to 
their food? Have not creatures of the same kind 
been found to differ greatly in their tempers, from the 
difference of their diet? I believe it will be allowed 
that blood is a very hot, inflaming food. Even flesh 
is an inflaming, fastidious diet, inspiring pride and in- 
solence ; and, therefore, with infinite wisdom was mur- 
der so solemnly and immediately prohibited by God, 
upon the permission of animal food to mankind. 

6. “ Bull’s blood was a common poison with the an- 
cients : can we imagine there was any peculiar malig- 
nity in the blood of that creature, above any other !— 
Or may we not rather imagine that the malignity is 
now only abated by the mixtures commonly conveyed 
into the stomach with it? It is doubtless matter of 
snuch consolation to be assured that the poison of our 
fuxury is well qualified. 

7. “We of these nations, who are wont to feed 
largely upon flesh, are observed to be remarkably sub- 
ject to evil, scorbutic thabits; and, if physicians are 
right in ascribing these evils to our food, I believe it 
can searcely be denied that the grosser, less digested 
tuices of that food contribute much more towards them 
vhan those juices which are purer, and more digested ; 
and therefore blood, as the grossest of all animal juices, 
must of necessity do most mischief. And, as grosser, 
less digested juices are less salutary, they must for 
that very reason be less elegant, and less pleasing to 
an untainted palate ; and, whereas it is found by ex- 
perience that bathing and cleanliness are a great re- 
lief from scorbutic infections, there is no doubt that 
this was the very reason why God prescribed washing 
the clothes, and bathing in water, as the constant pe- 
nalties of eating flesh with the blood in it. 

8. “ And as all flesh which hath the blood drained 
from it, is more salutary, and will keep better, and 
will consequently be more useful, it is evident that the 
ends of life and health will be better answered by drain- 
ing away the blood, with all the care we can, from all 
the flesh we eat; but then it must be owned that the 
purposes of luxury, as well as cruelty, will be far bet- 
ter served by the contrary practice. 

9. * And forasmuch as the τὸ πνίκτὸν κρεας (suf- 
focated or strangled flesh) was in high esteem in point 
of deliciousness with all the ancients, and is so stili 
with the present patrons of luxury, it is evident that 
the apostles, in enjoining abstinence from dlood and 
things strangled, did so far prohibit luxury and intem- 
perance, as well as cruelty. 

10. “ Besides this, where the ends of luxury can- 
not be served by blooding, the temptations to cruelty 
are cut off; and in this is manifested the wisdom of 
God, in prescribing such a death to the creatures as 
would most effectually prevent all temptations to cruelty. 
And God’s intention in this matter, once known, is an 
effectual prohibition of all unnecessary cruelty in kill- 

1 


CHAP. XV. 


unlawfulness of eating blood 


ing the creatures, to all that fear him; though neither 
this, nor any thing else, can absolutely correct the evil 
dispositions of men, or put cruelty out of their power. 

11. “ Farther yet: Maimonides assures us that the 
eating of blood gave oceasion to one kind of early idol- 
atry among the Zadii in the east, the worship of de- 
mons, whose food, as they imagined, was blood ; and 
therefore they who adored them had communion with 
them by eating the same food. And it is remarkable 
that, though they did eat blood in honour of their 
demons, yet even they thought it foul and detestable 
food. And it is certain that Arnodius upbraids the 
heathen with tearing and devouring goats alive, in 
honour of Bacchus, in that affected fury. to which they 
wrought themselves up in the celebration of his mad 
and monstrous rites. 

12. “ Now, if God had not foreseen these cruelties, 
corruptions, and inconveniences, consequent to the eat- 
ing of blood, should we justly deem him infinitely wise ? 
And if, foreseeing them, he had not yet prohibited 
them in their cause, (which was at once the wisest and 
the most effectual prohibition,) could we justly deem 
him infinitely good and gracious to his creatures? 
When, therefore, we find him infinitely wise in fore. 
seeing, and infinitely good in forbidding, such abomi- 
nable practices, do we yet hesitate to conclude such 
prohibitions the effects of infinite wisdom and goodness # 

* But here it may be asked, if one main intention of 
almighty God, in prohibiting blood and things strangled, 
was to restrain men from luxury, as well as cruelty, 
why did he not rather choose to prohibit luxury and 
cruelty in express terms ? 

1. “To this I answer, that prohibiting the means 
was the sure way to prohibit the end. If God had 
only prohibited luxury and cruelty in general, every 
man’s own temper, the custom of his country, his 
humanity or inhumanity, his temperance or gluttony, 
would have been the measures of that luxury and cru- 
elty ; and then some would have been cruel as Canm- 
bals, savage as Scythians and Scandinavians, and 
luxurious as Sybariles, without imagining they were 
so; and others, as falsely and foolishly merciful and 
abstemious as the Pythagoreans ; and so either the 
command would have been disobeyed, or the blessing 
defeated : though, at the same time, this conduct hath 
no way precluded God from giving particular express 
prohibitions, both of luxury and cruelty, in several 
parts of the Seriptures. 

2. “But still it may be imagined that Christians 
are now some way or other exempted from this absti- 
nence; and therefore, to remove all mistakes of this 
kind, I now proceed to show that this prohibition of 
eating blood lies upon all mankind to this day, and 
upon Christians in a peculiar manner. 

* And the proof of this lies within the compass of 
one plain argument, obvious to every capacity ; which 
is as follows - 

“Tf the eating of blood never was permitted, either 
before the flood, or after the flood, or under the law, 
or under the Gospel, then, surely, no man in his senses 
will say it is now lawful to eat it. Now, that it never 
was permitted in any of these periods, is undeniable. 
Nay, the argument is yet stronger; for it was not only 
not permitted in any of these periods, but, in truth, 

807 


Dissertation concerning the 


it is plainly enough prohibited in the first of them ; 
and, I think, as clearly prohibited in all the rest. 

“ First, I say, the eating of any living creature, and 
consequently of blood, is not only not granted before 
the flood, but plainly enough prohibited, in that part 
of the curse denounced upon man after the fall: ‘ Cursed 
is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat 
of it, all the days of thy life ; thorns also and thistles 
shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb 
of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat 
bread, till thou return to the ground.’ Can any thing 
be plainer than that man is here condemned to eat 
bread, and the herb of the field, to the day of his death? 

“ And thus we see that man had no right to the 
blood of the creatures before the flood. That he had 
no right after this, from the grant made to Noah; that 
no man had any right to it from any concession in the 
law of Moses, but quite the contrary, is undoubted. 
The only question then is, whether any such permis- 
sion hath been made under the Gospel? And that 
there hath not, but the direct contrary, [ now come to 
prove, from the fifteenth chapter of the Acts; where 
we read that, after a long and solemn debate upon the 
question, Whether the Gentile converts to Christianity 
were obliged to observe the law of Moses ‘—it was 
at last determined that they were not; and that no 
more should be required of them than to abstain from 
pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from 
things strangled, and from blood. And, accordingly, 
a most solemn decree was drawn up to that purpose, by 
the apostles and elders, and the whole Church at Je- 
rusaier and transmitted im letters to the brethren at 
Aiiioch, Syria, and Cilicia, by four deputies of princi- 
pal note: Paul and Barnabas, Judas and Silas. And 
those letters were conceived in these terms: For τί 
seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, ὅσ. See 
verses 28, 29. 

“ Now, if this decree be obligatory upon all Chris- 
tians, then can it no longer be a doubt with any Chris- 
tian, whether he is obliged to abstain from blood and 
things strangled. And if the direction of any one 
apostle, inspired of God, be obligatory, certainly it can 
be no doubt whether a solemn decision of ail the apos- 
tles, expressly declaring the joint determination of the 
Holy Ghost, in the point, be also obligatory. 

“The only question then is, whether this apostolic 
decree hath been since repealed; and this will best 
appear by considering the arguments for this repeal, 
produced by the advocates for eating blood: which I 
now come to examine. 

1. “ First, then, it is said that this decree of the 
apostles was only temporary, to prevent giving offence 
to the Jews, in the infancy of the Christian religion ; 
and, consequently, the reason of it is long since ceas- 
ed; and that cessation is a virtual repeal. 

2. “Jn answer to this, I desire it may be consider- 
ed whether the reasons now mentioned, for abstaining 
from blood, do not equally extend to all ages and 
nations of the world ; and, if they do, it is evident this 
injunction of the apostles had no peculiar relation, 
either to the infancy of the Christian religion, or to the 
peopie ot the Jews; unless it be thought that the Jews 
are the only people in the world who are obliged to 
abstain from cruelty to the creatures, or to recognize 

808 


THE ACTS. 


uniawfulness of eating blood. 


God as the author and giver of life ; or that this natior. 
only were entitled to the atonement made by blood , 
and, if so, how came sacrifices to be instituted imme- 
diately after the fall? And how came blood to be pro- 
hibited to all the sons of Noah, before there was any 
such thing as a Jew in the world? This pretence, then, 
seems very ill founded. 

3. “Τὸ may indeed be urged with much more plau- 
sibility by Christians, that blood being consecrated to 
the making of atonement for sin, as a type of the 
sacrifice of Christ, and that atonement being now 
received by his blood, as St. Paul expresses it, in the 
fifth chapter of his epistle to the Romans, the reason 
of abstinence in this point is now ceased; and, conse- 
quently, that this abstinence is no longer a duty. 

4. “ But then it must be remembered, in answer to 
this reasoning, that the apostolic decree against blood 
was passed many years after this atonement was made ; 
and surely it is no more unreasonable to abstain from 
blood now, in commemoration of the atonement made 
by the blood of Christ for the sins of the whole world, 
than it was before to abstain from it in the view of that 
atonement. 

5. “ Again, it is objected, that creatures which died 
of themselves, and consequently had the blood in them, 
might be given to the stranger, or sold to an alien ; and 
it is evident that the stranger and alien were in this 
case permitted to eat blood. 

6. “And what then? The question is, concerning 
the eating of blood separate from the creature, or eat- 
ing the blood designedly left in the creature, to serve 
any end of luxury or cruelty ; and eating blood in either 
of these ways is what I esteem to be unlawful: the 
eating of blood, as such, was never imagined an action, 
simply, and in itself, sinful ; though it was, and is, eri- 
minal, in certain circumstances, from the reason and 
nature of things, as well as the Divine prohibition ; and 
it was prohibited for very wise and very important rea- 
sons; and when those reasons ceased, as in the instance 
objected, the prohibition ceased too: and therefore this 
objection is so far from overthrowing the doctrine laid 
down that, in truth, it confirms it; for what can be a 
clearer proof that the reasons of any Divine prohibition 
are rightly assigned than this, that, as soon as those 
reasons cease, the prohibition ceases also? When the 
creature died of itself, its blood could neither be poured 
out upon the altar, for atonement ; nor abused to idol- 
atry ; nor reverenced, in recognition of God’s being the 
author and giver of life ; nor spilt, to prevent cruelty 
in the use of the creatures ; and, therefore, there, such 
a small portion of it as could not be separated from the 
flesh was permitted to be eaten with it: in effect per- 
mitted even to the Jew, under a very light penalty; 
but, where there was a possibility either of cruelty or 
abuse, there it was more strictly prohibited; and, for 
this reason, when a creature was torn by a beast, there 
the flesh was not to be touched by any human creatvre, 
but thrown to the dogs; as you may read in the 22d 
chapter of Exodus, at the 31st verse ; and the reason 
of this distinction is obvious : if men were permitted to 
make any advantage of creatures torn to death by beasts, 
what an inlet to all manner of cruelty (as well as villany) 
might such a permission be! And who can say where 
it would end? Nay, who knows how far such dilacera- 

1 


Dissertation concerning the 


tions might even be counterfeited to the purposes of 
idolatry, or indulgence in blood ? 

7. “Again: I must beseech all Christians seriously 
to attend to the tenor of the words, by which absti- 
nence from blood and things strangled is enjoined : § It 
seemed good unto the Holy Ghost, and to us, (say the 
apostles,) to lay upon you no greater burthen than these 
necessary things: that ye abstain from meats offered 
to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and 
from fornication.’ If these abstinences were only in- 
tended to be enjoined for a season, could they properly 
be enjoined under the denomination of ‘ necessary 
things’ 15 that the proper appellation for duties of a 
transient, temporary observance ' Did neither the apos- 
tles, nor the Holy Ghost, know the distinction between 
necessary and expedient? Or, suppose it not convenient 
to make that distinction at that time, how came things 
of a temporary and things of an eternal obligation to be 
placed upon the same foot of necessity, in the same 
decree ὃ Or, were fornication and idol pollutions only 
to be abstained from for a time? And in compliment 
to the infirmity of the Jews? What monstrous absur- 
dities are these! And what a train of them are they 
obliged to maintain, who assert this decree to be only 
of temporary obligation ! 

“ But to proceed: If this was only a temporary 
necessity, how long did this necessity last ? 

8. “'To this Dr. Hammond answers, that it lasted 
till the Jews and Gentiles were formed into one com- 
munion; and St. Augustine says that it lasted till the 
time that no carnal Israelite appeared in the Church 
of the Gentiles; and, again, that it lasted till the tem- | 
ple and the Jewish polity were destroyed. 

9. “To all this I answer, that, if the two first 
opinions are admitted, then, the necessity of observing 
the apostolic decree continues to this day ; first, be- 
cause the Jews and Gentiles are indisputably not yet 
fully formed into one communion; and, secondly, be- 
cause there was never any time wherein there was not 
some carnal Israelite in the Church; and 1 think it 
must be notorious to many of my readers, that there 
are some such even in this part of the Christian Church, 
at this day ; and so doubtless in every Christian Church 
overgthe face of the whole earth; and therefore both | 
these opinions are wild and unsupported. 

10. “ As to the third opinion, viz., that the ne- 
cessity of observing this decree lasted only till the | 
destruction of the Jewish temple and polity; to this I | 
answer, that, whatever may be thought of the neces- 
sity of this decree, it is evident that the wisdom of it, 
and the advantage of that abstinence which was due to 
it, extended much farther. Since, without this, that 
calumny imputed to Christians, of killing infants in 
their assemblies, and drinking their blood, could never 
be so easily and so effectually confuted; for nothing 
could do this so thoroughly as demonstrating that it 
was a fundamental principle with Christians to touch 
no blood of any kind; and what could demonstrate 
this so effectually as dying in attestation to the truth | 
of it, as it is notorious, both from the apologists and 
ecclesiastical historians, that many Christian martyrs | 
did ? 

11. “But it is farther urged, that this apostolic 
decree was only given to the Jewish proselytes; and 


CHAP. XV. 


unlawfulness of eating blood 


consequently, the necessity of abstaining from blood, 
and things strangled, related to them only : this they 
tell us appears, ‘in that the apostle, when he preach- 
ed in any city, did it as yet in the synagogues of the 
Jews; whither the Gentiles could not come, unless 
they were proselytes of the gate.’ 

“ Now this opinion, I think, will be sufficiently eyn- 
futed by demonstrating these two things: first, that, 
before the passing of this decree, St. Paul preached 
Christianity to the whole body of the Gentiles at An- 
tioch ; and, secondly, that this decree is directed to 
the Gentiles at large, and not to the Jewish proselytes. 

1. “Now, this transaction at Antioch happened 
seven years before the decree against blood, and 
things strangled, was passed by the apostles at Jeru- 
salem. Can any man in his senses doubt, after this, 
whether the apostles preached to the Gentiles before 
the passing of that decree? When it appears, from 
the words now recited, that the apostles not only 
preached to the Gentiles, but preached to them in 
contradistinction to the Jews? And does any man 
know the Jews so little as to imagine that, when the 
apostles turned to the Gentiles from them, the Jews 
would after this suffer those apostles to preach to the 
Gentiles in their synagogues? Besides, the text says, 
that the word of the Lord was published throughout 
all the region; consequently, the apostles were so far 
from confining themselves to the Jewish synagogue 
that they were not confined even to the extent of that 
ample city, but preached throughout the whole country. 
This opinion, then, that the apostles preached only 
to the Jews and proselytes before the passing of this 


| decree at Jerusalem, is demonstrably false ; and, if 


they preached to the Gentiles at large, to whom else 
can that decree be directed? It is directed to the 


Gentile converts at large ; and who can we imagine 


those converts were, but those to whom Christianity 
was preached, 7. e. the Gentiles at large? 

2. “But this is yet farther demonstrated from St. 
James’s sentence, in this fifteenth chapter of the Acts, 
upon which the apostolic decree is founded. His 
words are these :— 

“19. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble 
not them which from among the Gentiles are turned 
to God. 

“90. But that we write unto them, that they ab- 
stain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and 
from things strangled, and from blood. 

“21. For Moses of old time hath in every city 
them that preach him, being read in the synagogues 
every Sabbath day. 

“What then? What if Moses had those that 
preached him in the synagogues every Sabbath ? 
Why, then, there was no necessity of writing upon 
these points to any of those who were admitted into 
the synagogues; because they knew, from the writ- 
ings of Moses, that all these things were, from the 
foundation of the world, unlawful to the whole race of 
Adam. 

“‘ My sentence (says the apostle) is, that we write to 
the Gentile converts upon these points; for Moses 
hath those of old in every city that preach him, 7. e. 
there is no necessity of writing to any Jewish con- 
vert, or to any proselyte convert to Christianity, to 

809 


Dissertation concerning the THE 
abstain from these things; because all that are ad- 
mitted into the synagogues (as the proselytes were) 
know all these things sufficiently already; and ac- 
cordingly upon this sentence of St. James, the decree 
was founded and directed; doubtless, from the nature 
of the thing, directed to those whom it was fitting and 
necessary to inform upon these points, 7. 6. those who 
were unacquainted with the writings of Moses ; for 
the decree, as far as it contained a direction to certain 
duties, could give no information to any others. 

3. “ Again: An objection is raised against this doc- 
trine from the conclusion of the decree, ye do well: 
insinuating that, though they should do well to observe 
it, yet they did no ill in not observing it. 

“T answer, that doing well, in the style of Scrip- 
ture, as well as common speech, is acting agreeably 
to our duty ; and doing well in necessary things must 
certainly be acting agreeably to necessary duty; and 
certainly the same duty cannot at the same time be 
necessary and indifferent. 

4. “ But it is objected that, if the points contained 
in this decree are points of the Mosaic law, the decree 
has no relation to the question in debate; for the de- 
bate was, Whether the Gentile converts to Christianity 
should be obliged to observe the law of Moses ? 

(1 answer that the decree hath the clearest relation 
to the question, inasmuch as it is a decision that the 
Gentile converts were not obliged to observe the law 
of Moses. It hath at the same time a plain relation 
to the point in question ; for what could be more pro- 
per than to take that occasion to let the Gentiles 
know that they were obliged to the observance of 
such duties as were obligatory antecedently to the 
law of Moses, though they were exempted from 
that law ? 

5. “Aoain: It is urged that this decree could only 
oblige those to whom it was directed, 7. e. the Gen- 
tiles of Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia. 

“ As if the decree, and the reason of it, did not 
equally extend to all Gentile converts throughout the 
whole world, And as if this doctrine were only taught 
and received in those particular regions; when it is 
evident, beyond the possibility of beiug denied or 
doubted, that all Christians, in every region of the 
earth, were taught, and actually embraced the same 
doctrine, at least, for the first three hundred years 
after Christ. 

6. “ But it is still objected, that this dispute could 
not have happened otherwise than between Gentile and 
Judaizing converts; and, consequently, the decision of 
it must have respect to the conduct which it was then 
necessary the Gentiles’should hold, with regard to the 
Jews, who could not converse with them upon the foot 
of a friendly communication, could not sit at meat, &c., 
ualess the Gentiles abstained from blood, &e. 

“Consequently, that this necessity is now ceased. 

“Tn answer to this, admitting the premises, I must 
own I cannot see how this conclusion follows from 
them, as long as there are Jews and Mohammedans in 
the world to be converted to the Christian religion. 

“ Fornication, idolatry, luxury, and cruelty to the 
creatures, are prohibited by this decree ; and an ori- 


ginal precept from God to Noah, of manifold advantage | God. 


ACTS. 


unlawfulness of cating blood 


could stand in need of a particular occasion to prohi- 
bit those enormities, or to restore this blessing ? 

“ Fornication did not appear to the heathen world 
to be contrary to the law of nature ; (nor do the liber- 
tines of the age see it to be so to this day;) and, as 
they had no restraints upon intemperance, their luxury 
of food greatly contributed to make them abandoned. 
How then could the apostles, whose business it was 
to reform the world, pretend to amend mankind, with- 
out recovering them from these corruptions? And 
what more effectual method could they take to recover 
them than a most solemn and sacred injunction of ab- 
stinence in those points contained in the decree of 
Jerusalem? And that the apostles had nothing less 
than this in view from that decree is, I think, fairly 
and fully to be collected from these words of St. Luke, 
Acts xvi. 4,5: And as they (i. e. Paul and his compan 
ions) went through the cities, they delivered them the 
decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles 
and elders which were at Jerusalem, and so were the 
Churches established in the faith, and increased im 
number daily. 

““ Now the decree here referred to is evidently the 
decree concerning blood, &c., from the observance of 
which the Churches were not only increased, by open- 
ing the way to a more friendly communication with 
the Jews, and so facilitating their admission into the 
Christian Church, but they were likewise established 
in the faith. Does this expression mean nothing ? 
Might we not conclude from it, with some appearance 
of reason, that the Christian religion had been defect- 
ive without this establishment ἢ 

7. ‘ But there are yet two other main fundamental 
objections against this doctrine, taken from the decla- 
rations of our Saviour, St. Peter, and St. Paul. 

“ And the first of them is built upon those words 
of our blessed Saviour, in the 15th chapter of St. Mat- 
thew, at the eleventh verse. Not that which goeth 
into the mouth defileth the man, hut that which cometh 
out of the mouth. From hence it is inferred that a 
man may eat or drink any thing without sin, notwith- 
standing the apostolic decree. 

“ But surely no Christian would say this that saw 
the absurdities of this assertion : for, if this declaration 
of our Saviour’s destroys the validity of the apostolic 
decree, then it will follow :— 

“ First, That this decree was repealed just twenty 
years before it was made, which is surely a very ex- 
traordinary supposition ; for whoever locks into the 
chronology of his Bible will find that these words of 
our Saviour were spoken twenty years before the 
apostolic council was held at Jerusalem. 

“ Secondly, It will follow that the whole body of 
the apostles did, after full debate and mature delibera- 
tion, make a most solemn decree, in direct contradiction 
to the plain, express declaration of their blessed Lord 
and Saviour. 

“ And this supposition is surely as modest and as 
Christian as the first was extraordinary : nay, more 
they made this decree under the immediate direction 
and influence of the Spirit of God, and yet made it in 
direct contradiction to the declaration of the Son ot 
T am really at a loss to think whether the ab- 


to mankind, restored ; is it to be believed the apostles | surdity or the blasphemy of these suppositions is most 
1 


810 


Dissertation concerning the 


shocking. Let us quit them, then, and examine our 
Saviour’s words by the common rules of reason. 

8. “And, to clear this point, I lay this down as a 
plain rule of interpretation, That general expressions 
ought not to be extended beyond the reason of them, 
and the occasion of their being delivered. For exam- 
ple, St. Paul, in the tenth chapter of his first epistle 
to the Corinthians, answering the arguments of those 
converts who pretended they might innocently eat of 
those things offered to idols, even in the idol temple, 
uses these words, All things are lawful for me, but all 
things are not expedient. Will any man infer from 
hence that murder, and adultery, and incest, were law- 


fulto St. Paul? Or that he thought they were? No, 
surely! What, then, can he mean by them? I an- 


swer that the reason and occasion of them must deter- 
mine that question, and to determine the plain sense of 
those words to be this: All things that are lawful to 
any other man are also lawful to me; but every thing 
that is lawful to be done is not always expedient ; though 
the liberty you took of eating in the idol temple were 
awful, yet, if it give offence, you ought not to take it. 

9. “In the same manner should that general ex- 
pression of our Saviour’s be interpreted, Not that which 
goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but that which 
cometh out of the mouth, that defileth the man. Does 
any man imagine that our Saviour meant to give full 
license to gluttony and intemperance by this declara- 
tion? Or that a man might deliberately swallow 
poison by virtue of these words ; or, in general, might 
innocently eat any thing which the law of God at that 
time forbade to be eaten? These were strange ab- 
surdities to be supposed : the sense of the declaration, 
then, must be drawn from the reason and occasion of 
it, which was this: The Pharisees were offended with 
our Saviour’s disciples for sitting down to meat before 
they washed their hands, contrary to the tradition of 
the elders ; as if such a violation of a traditional pre- 
cept were sin and a pollution. In answer to this, 
after our Saviour had shown the iniquity and absurdity 
of their traditions, he adds, Not that which goeth into 
the mouth defileth the man. Now, the question is, 
what he meant by those words? And if he himself 
had not told us, I really think that the occasion and 
common sense would teach us to understand no more 
by them than this, that it is not any little soil or filth 
taken into the mouth, from eating with unwashed 
hands, that can be said to defile a man; nothing of 
that kind can be called a pollution. This, I say, is 
the plain, natural, obvious sense of those words. In- 
deed, the latter part of the declaration is not so plain ; 
but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth 
the man. This part of it, I say, is not so intelligible ; 
neither was it so to the disciples, and therefore Peter 
desired his Lord to declare this parable unto them. 
And accordingly he did so, by showing that whatso- 
ever pollution was taken in at the mouth was cast out 


into the draught, but what came out of the mouth | 


came forth from the heart, as did evil thoughts of all 
kinds ; and then he adds these are the things that defile 
the man—but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not 
the man. 
10. “1 now come to the last objection of weight, 
which is this: that the distinction of clean and unclean 
A 


CHAP. XV. 


unlawfulness of eating blood. 


meats is plainly taken away in the New Testament, 
and particularly by that voice from heaven in St. Peter's 
vision; and that St. Paul clearly determines the law- 
fulness of eating any thing sold in the shambles, or 
set before us on the table, asking no questions for con- 
science’ sake. 

“To the first part of this objection, I answer, that 
the distinction of meats, clean and unclean, commonly 
supposed to be introduced and established by the law 
of Moses, is plainly taken away by the voice from 
heaven, accompanying St. Peter’s vision; but how 
does this concession affect the prohibition of blood, es- 
tablished before the law of Moses? And which hath 
nothing to do with the distinction of creatures, clean 
and unelean, taken away at that time. 

11. “But to cut this dispute short, I shall only ob- 
serve that the very command to St. Peter, in that 
vision, is so far from taking away the prohibition of 
blood given to Noah that it clearly establishes it. The 
words are these: Rise, Peter; kill and eat. Now 
the Greek word ϑυσον, which is here translated ἀπ, 
does in the original signify to sacrifice ; and the plain 
sense of the command is this, that Peter should slay 
those creatures as creatures were wont to be slain for 
sacrifice, that is, that he should first draw away the 
blood, and then eat them. And no man that pretends 
to any knowledge in the Greek tongue will say that 
this word has or can have any other meaning in this 
place; and therefore the very command which takes 
away the distinction of creatures clean and unelean, is 
so far from taking away the prohibition of blood that it 
establishes it. 

“ Besides, I desire it may be observed that this com- 
mand to St. Peter was given in the forty-first year 
from our Saviour’s birth; or, in other words, in the 
year of our Lord 41; and the decree of the apostles 
at Jerusalem was in the year of our Lord 52, i. e. the 
prohibition of blood was established eleven years after 
the distinction of meats, clean and unclean, was taken 
away. Ill-fated decree! to be again repealed so many 
years before it was made ! 
~ 19. “ Thus have I defended a Divine revelation and 
command: acommand of easy, unexpensive observance ; 
preventive of cruelty, luxury, and many other evils ; 
and conducive to much good; manifestly contributing 
to the healthfulness and simplicity, and, in consequence 
of both these, to the elegance and delicacy of food. 

“A command in its nature negative and absolute 
as that of the forbidden fruit. 

«A command given by God himself to Noah. re- 
peated to Moses, and ratified by the apostles of Jesus 
Christ; given immediately after the flood, when the 
world, as it were, began anew, and the only one given 
on that great occasion; repeated with awful solemnity 
to that people whom God separated from the rest of 
mankind to be holy to himself; repeated with dreadful 
denunciations of Divine vengeance both against the 
Jew and the stranger that should dare to transgress it ; 
and ratified by the most solemn and sacred council that 
ever was assembled upon earth, acting under the imme- 
diate influence of the Spirit of God ; transmitted from 
that sacred assembly to the several Churches of the 
neighbouring nations, by the hands of no meaner mes- 
sengers than two bishops and two apostles ; asserted 

811 


Dissertation concerning the 


by the best writers and most philosophic spirits of their 
age—the Christian apologists; and sealed with the 
blood of the best of men—the Christian raartyrs ; con- 
firmed by the unanimous sentences of fathers, emperors, 
and councils, and one of these as low as the sixth cen- 
tury. Reverenced (in conformity to the practice and 
principles even of Jews and Mohammedans) by the whole 
Church of God for the first 300 years after Christ, and 
by all the Churches of the east to this day—Churches 
allowed to be more extensive, and not more corrupt, 
than that which vaunts itself catholic and infallible. 
And will any man after this dare to vilify this command t 
Will any man in his senses pronounce a precept so given, 
so repeated, and so ratified by God himself, unmeaning 
and unimportant ἢ Can we imagine that it was assert- 
ed by the most learned men of the early ages of Chris- 
tianity without knowledge? Or obeyed by the most 
holy, even unto death, without conscience? Or reve- 
renced by the whole Church of God without reason? 
And shall we, after all this, condemn this command, 
because light libertines revile, and insolents despise it ? 
Or, at best, because some learned men have given 
very weak and ungrounded, very unlearned reasons, 
for believing it repealed !—reasons which I have now 
sufficiently refuted and exposed. And shall such rea- 
sons and such authorities weigh against God, and the 
inspirations of his Holy Spirit? Against the apostles, 
and apologists, and martyrs, and the whole Church of 
God, for the three first and purest ages of the Chris- 
uan erat Let ethers glory in their Christian liberty 
as they like best; but, perhaps, to some of these we 
may say with St. Paul, Your glorying is not good ; 
know ye not that a litile leaven leaveneth the whole 
lump 2 

13. “Tf mine be an error, it must pe owned at the 
same time that it is an error on the sure side: it is 
innocent: it is an error infinitely better authorized, and 
nearer allied to religion, virtue, and humanity, than its 
contrary ; for, (not to mention the precepts of apostles, 
the opinions of fathers, and the decrees of couneils,) if 
I err, I err with the most men (not heathen) and with 
the best; with the whole Christian world of the best 
ages, and the whole eastern world to this day. I err 
on the side of humanity and health, and a religious 


THE ACTS. 


uniawfulness of eating blood. 


gratitude to the Author and Giver of life for every 
creature slain for my support! I err in opposition 
to a practice manifestly brutal and savage; a prac- 
tice which human nature abhors; a savage prac- 
tice, which overran the west, together with the Goths 
and Vandals; a practice instituted by Scythian barba- 
rity, and established by popery—established with other 
works of darkness, in the ages of error and ignorance, 
and their necessaty consequences, immorality and irre- 
ligion. 

14. “ But though all this be demonstrably true, yet 
am I sufficiently sensible that I have all this time been 
speaking in a great measure to appetite, which hath no 
ears; and to prejudice, which hath no eyes; to per- 
verseness, incapable of attention; and to pride, inca- 
pable of conviction; and am so far from being able to 
bring some men to reason, that I am myself, perhaps, 
become the object of their pity for attempting it; that 
I have been feeding the raillery of libertines, and the 
scoffs of infidels; that even dulness will droll on this 
occasion, and stupidity break stale jests. Alas! who 
is so ignorant as not to know that the scorner, foe to 
every virtue and excellence in life! must, in that very 
character, be the sworn enemy of every part of reli- 
gion—of that religion by which every virtue lives and 
is esteemed in the world? Who is so ignorant as not 
to know that this meanest denomination of men sub- 
sists upon earth, like the meanest species of insects, 
by teasing and tainting to the utmost of their malignant 
might, and then feeding where they have infected ? 
But, God be praised! their impotence affects nothing 
but infirmity ; and the slightest fence is security against 
them. Some difference, I hope, will be allowed be- 
tween us on this oceasion. I write from the dictates 
of a good conscience ; it is theirs to see if they re- 
proach not from the influence of an evil: 1 write from 
the clearest conviction ; let them beware that they rail 
not from corruption. This I will say without scruple, 
I reason from the light of an humble, an honest, and a 
diligent inquiry ; and, if they ridicule, they ridicule from 
the depth of a lazy and a conceited ignorance. How 
far that ignorance will acquit them at the great day of 
account, God only knows.”—Detaney’s Revelation 
examined with Candour, vol. ii. p. 18, ἄς. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


Paul, coming to Derbe and Lystra, meets with Timothy, the son of a Jewess by a Greek father, whom he 
circumcises, and takes with him into his work, 1-3. As they pass through the different cities, they deliver 
the apostles’ decrees to the Churches ; and they are established in the faith, and daily increase in numbers, 
4,5. They travel through Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, and to Troas, 6-8. Where Paul has a vision, re- 
lative to his preaching in Macedonia, 9,10. Leaving Troas, he sails to Samothracia and Neapolis, and 
comes to Philippi in Macedonia, 11,12. Lydia, a seller of purple, receives the apostles’ teaching ; and 
she and her family are baptized, 13-15. A young woman, with a spirit of divination, dispossessed by 
St. Paul, 16-18. Her masters, finding their gain by her soothsaying gone, make an attack upon Paul 
and Silas, drag them before the magistrates, who command them to be beaten, thrust into the closest prison, 
and their feet made fast in the stocks, 19-24. Paul and Silas singing praises at midnight, the prison 
doors are miraculously opened, and all the bonds of the prisoners loosed, 25, 26. The keeper being 
alarmed, supposing that the prisoners were fled, is about to kill himself, but 1s prevented by Paul, 27, 28. 
He inquires the way of salvation, believes, and he and his whole family are baptized, 29-34. The neat 
morning the magistrates order the apostles to be dismissed, 35,36. Paul pleas his privilege as a Roman, 

812 Σ 


Paul and Timothy deliver the 


CHAP. XVI. 


apostolical decrees to the Churches. 


and accuses the magistrates of injustice, who, heing alarmed, come themselves to the prison, deliver them, 


and beg them to depart from the city, 37-39. 
the brethren, and depart, 40. 


A. Μ. cir. 4057, "THEN came he to * Derbe and 
A. D. cir. 53. 
An. Olymp. Lystra: and, behold, a cer- 


clr. ΟΟΥ̓́ΠΙ οὐ, Bee 
—————- tain disciple was there, ἢ named 


Timotheus, © the son of a certain woman, which 
was a Jewess, and believed; but his father 
was a Greek: 

2 Which ‘was well reported of by the bre- 
thren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 

3 Him would Paul have to go forth with 
him; and ° took and circumcised him because 


They leave the prison, enter into the house of Lydia, comfort 


e A. Μ. cir. 4057. 
A. D. cir. 53. 
An. Olymp. 

cir. CCVIII. 1. 


of the Jews which were in thos 
quarters: for they knew all that 
his father was a Greek. 

4 And as they went through the cities, they 
delivered them the decrees for to keep, £ that 
were ordained of the apostles and elders which 
were at Jerusalem. 

5 And so were the Churches established 
in the faith, and increased in number daily. 

6 Now when they had gone throughout 


2 Chap. xiv. 16.——» Chap. xix. 22; Rom. xvi.21; 1 Cor. iv. 17; 
nil. ii. 19; 1 Thess. ii. 2; 1 Tim. i. 2; 2 Tim. 1. 2. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. 

Verse 1. A certain disciple] Bishop Pearce would 
read the latter part of this verse and the beginning of 
the next thus—A certain disciple named Timotheus, 
ithe son of a certain Jewish woman that believed, but 
of a father who was a Greek,) who was well reported 
of by the brethren, ὅτε. 

This Timothy was the same person to whom St. 
Paul wrote those two noble epistles which are still ex- 
tant. His mother’s name was Eunice, as we learn 
from 2 Tim. i. 5. What his father’s name was we 
know not ; he was either a mere heathen, or, at most, 
only a proselyte of the gate, who never submitted to 
circumcision : had he submitted to this rite, he would, 
no doubt, have circumcised his son; but the son being 
without it is a proof that the father was so too. Some 
MSS. state that Timothy’s mother was now a widow ; 
but this does not appear to be well founded. 

Verse 2. Which was well reported of] These 
words are spoken of Timothy, and not of his father. 
At this time Timothy must have been very young ; 
for, several years after, when appointed to superintend 
the Church at Crete, he appears to have been then so 
young that there was a danger of its operating to the 
prejudice of his ministry: 1 Tim. iv. 12, Let no man 
desmse thy youth. He had a very early religious edu- 
cation from his godly mother Eunice, and his not less 
pious grandmother Lois; and, from his religious in- 
structions, was well prepared for the work to which 
God now called him. 

Verse 3. Took and circumcised him] For this sim- 
ple reason, that the Jews would neither have heard 
him preach, nor would have any connection with him, 
had he been otherwise. Besides. St. Paul himself 
could have had no access to the Jews in any place, had 
they known that he associated with a person who was 
uncircumcised : they would have considered both to be 
unclean. The circumcision of Timothy was a merely 
prudential regulation; one rendered imperiously ne- 
cessary by the circumstances in which they were then 
placed; and, as it was done merely in reference to 
this, Timothy was laid under no necessity to observe 
the Mosaic ritual; nor could it prejudice his spiritual 
state because he did not do it in order to seek justifi- 

1 


©2 Tim. i. 5.——4 Chap. vi. 3. el Cor. ix. 20; Gal. i. 3; 
see Gal. vy. 2.——! Chap. xv. 28, 29.——s Chap. xv. 4]. 


cation by the law, for this he had before, through the 
faith of Christ. In Gal. ii. 3-5, we read that Paul 
refuses to circumcise Titus, who was a Greek, and 
his parents Gentiles, notwithstanding the entreaties of 
some zealous Judaizing Christians, as their object was 
to bring him under the yoke of the law: here, the case 
was widely different, and the necessity of the measure 
indisputable. 

Verse 4. They delivered them the decrees for to 
keep] Ta doypara, τα κεκριμενα ὑπο των Ἀποςολων. — 
Bishop Pearce contends that ta δογματα, the decrees, 
is a gloss which was not in the text originally ; and 
that the ra κεκριμενα, the judgments or determinations 
of the apostles, was all that was originally written here. 
He supports his opinion by a reference to the word 
κρίνω, I judge, used by James, chap. xv. 19, whence 
the whole decision, as it referred—1. to the inexpedi- 
ency of circumcising the Gentiles; and, 2. to the ne- 
cessity of observing the four precepts laid down, was 
called ra κεκρίμενα, the things that were judged, or de- 
cided on; the judgments of the apostolic council.— 
Instead of κεκρίμενα, the Syriac has a word that an- 
swers to yeypayeva, the decrees that were written. The 
word doyuza, from doxew, to think proper, determine, 
decree, signifies an ordinance or decree, properly and 
deliberately made, relative to any important point, and 
which, in reference to that point, has the force of law. 
Our term dogma, which we often abuse, is the Greek 
word in English letters. 

Verse 5. And so were the Churches established] 
The disputations at Antioch, relative to circumcision, 
had no doubt spread far and wide among other Church- 
es, and unhinged many. The decrees of the apostles 
came in good time, and prevented farther mischief : 
the people, saved from uncertainty, became established 
in the faith; and the Church had a daily accession of 
converted souls. 

Verse 6. Were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to 
preach the word in Asia.] The Asia mentioned here 
could not be Asia Minor in general, for Galatia, Phry- 
gia, Pisidia, Lyeaonia, and Pamphylia, were provinces 
of it, and in these the apostles preached ; but it was 
what was called Proconsular Asia, which included only 
Tonia, Holia, and Lydia. The apostles were not suf 

813 


Paul, by a vision m the night, THE 
A. M. cir. 4057. 
A. D. cir. 53. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVIIL. 1. 


Phrygia and the region of Gala- 
tia, and were forbidden of the 
Holy Ghost to preach the word 


in Asia, 

7 After they were come to Mysia, they as- 
sayed to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit suf- 
fered them not. 

8 And they passing by Mysia, *came down 
to Troas. 

9 § And a vision appeared to Paul in the 
night: There stood a ‘man of Macedonia, 


ACTS. 15 mvited to go to Macedoma, 


A. M. cir. 4057 
Come A. D. cir. 53. 
and An. Olymp. 
εἴτ. CCVIII. 1. 


and prayed him, saying, 
over into Macedonia, 
help us. 

10 And after he had seen the visicr tmme- 
diately we endeavoured to go * into Macedo- 
nia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had 
called us for to preach the Gospel unto them. 

11 Therefore loosmg from 'Troas, we came 
with a straight course to Samothracia, and the 
next day to Neapolis. 

12 And from thence to + Philippi, waich 15 


h2 Cor. ii. 12; 2 Tim. iv. 13——' Chap. x. 30. 


k2 Cor. ii. 13.— Phil. 1.1. 


fered to visit these places at this time ; but they after- 
wards went thither, and preached the Gospel with suc- 
cess ; for it was in this Proconsular Asia that the seven 
Churches were situated. God chose to send his ser- 
vants to another place, where he saw that the word 
would be affectionately received ; and probably those 
in Proconsular Asia were not, as yet, sufficiently pre- 
pared to receive and profit by it. 

Verse 7. After they were come to Μηδία] 'They 
passed through Phrygia into Mysia, which lay between 
Bithynia on the north, Phrygia on the east, AZolia on 
the south, and the Mediterranean on the west. 

But the Spirit suffered them not.) God saw that 
that was not the most proper time to preach the word 
at Bithynia; as he willed them to go immediately to 
Macedonia, the people there being ripe for the word of 
life. Instead of to πνευμα, the Spirit merely, to πνευμα 
Incov, the Spirit of Jesus, is the reading of ABCDE, 
several others, with both the Syriac, the Coptic, ALthi- 
opic, Armenian, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the fa- 
thers. The reading is undoubtedly genuine, and should 
be immediately restored to the text. 


Verse 8. Came down to Troas.]| The Troad, or | 


part of Phrygia Minor in which the celebrated city 
of Troy was formerly situated. This city was first 
built by Dardanus, who was its king, and from whom 
it was called Dardania; from Tros, his grandson, it 
was called Troja, or Troy; and from his son, Zlus, it 
was called Jlium. It has been long so completely de- 
stroyed that no ascertainable vestige of it remains ; 
insomuch that some have even doubted of its existence. 
Those who contend for the reality of the history of 
Troy suppose it to have stood on the site of the modern 
village Bounarbachi, about twelve miles from the sea, 


on an eminence, at the termination of a spacious plain. | 


Verse 9. A vision appeared to Paul in the mght} 
Whether this was in a dream, or whether a represen- 
tation made to the senses of the apostle, we cannot tell. 
A man of Macedonia appeared to him, and made this 
simple communication, Come over into Macedonia, 
and help us. 

Some suppose that the guardian angel of Mace- 
donia appeared to St. Paul in a human shape; others, 
that it was a Divine communication made to his ima- 
gination in a dream. 

Verse 10. We endeavoured to go into Macedonia] 
This is the first place that the historian St. Luke re- 
fers to himself: we endeavoured, ὅς. And, from 

814 


| this, it has been supposed that he joined the company 
of Paul, for the first time, at Troas. 

Assuredly gathering] Συμβιβαζοντες, Drawing an 
inference from the vision that had appeared. 

That the Lord had called us for to preach] That 
is, they inferred that they were called to preach the 
Gospel in Macedonia, from what the vision had said, 
come over and help us; the help meaning, preach to 
us the Gospel. Instead of ὁ Kupioc, the Lord, mean- 
ing Jesus, several MSS., such as ABCE, several 
others, with the Coptic, Vulgate, Theophylact, and 
Jerome, have ὁ Θεὸς, Gop. Though this stands on 
very reputable authority, yet the former seems to be 
the better reading; for it was the Spirrr of Jesus, 
ver. 7, that would not suffer them to go into Bithynia, 
because he had designed that they should immediately 
preach the Gospel in Macedonia. 

Verse 11. Loosing from Troas] Setting sail from 
this place. 

With a straight course to Samothracia| This was 
an island of the AXgean Sea, contiguous to Thrace, 
and hence called Samothracia, or the Thracian Samos 
It is about twenty miles in circumference, and is now 
called Samandrachi by the Turks, who are its present 
masters. 

And the next day to Neapolis.| There were many 
cities of this name; but this was a sea-port town of 
Macedonia, a few miles eastward of Philippi. Neapolis 
signifies the new city. 

Verse 12. And from thence to Philippi] This 
was a town of Macedonia, in the territory of the 
Edones, on the confines of Thrace, situated on the side 
of asteep eminence. It took its name from Philip 11.. 
king of Macedon. It is famous for two battles, fought 
between the imperial army, commanded by Octavianus, 
afterwards Augustus, and Mark Antony, and the repub- 
lican army, commanded by Brutus and Cassius, in 
which these were successful; and a second, between 
Octavianus and Antony on the one part, and Brutus 
on the other. In this battle the republican troops were 
cut to pieces, after which Brutus killed himself. It 
was to the Church in this city that St. Paul wrote the 
epistle that still goes under their name. This place 
is still in being, though much decayed, and is the see 
of an archbishop. 

The chief city of that part of Macedonia] This 
| passage has greatly puzzled both critics and commen- 
_tators. It is well known that, when Paulus Amilvus 
1 


Lydia and her household recewe 


A.M. cir. 4057. πὶ 
A. D. cir. 53. 
An. Olymp. 
εἶτ. CCOVIIL 1. 


the chief city of that part of 
Macedonia, and a colony: and 
we were in that city abiding 


certain days. 

13 And on the "Sabbath we went out of 
thé city by a river side, where prayer was 
wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake 
unto the women which resorted thither. 

14 Ἵ And a certain woman named Lydia, a 
seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which 


m Or, the first" Gr. Sabbath day—® Luke xxiv. 45.—? Gen. 


CHAP. XVI. 


the Gospel, and are baptized 


worshipped God, heard us: whose 4. ™; cir. 4057 
ὁ heart the Lord opened, that she Rhu ΟΗΝ 
attended unto the things which ———— 
were spoken of Paul. 

15 And when she was baptized, and her 
household, she besought us, saying, If ye have 
judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come 
into my house, and abide there. And ? she 
constrained us. 

16 Ἵ And it came to pass, as we went to 


xix. 3; xxxiii.11; Judg.xix.21; Luke xxiv. 29; Heb. xiii. 2. 


had conquered Macedonia, he divided it into four parts, 
uepn, and that he called the country that lay between 
the rivers Strymon and Nessus, the first part, and 
made Amphipolis its chief city, or metropolis ; Phi- 
lippi, therefore, was not its chief city. But Bishop 
Pearce has, with great show of reason, argued that, 
though Amphipolis was made the chief city of it by 
Paulus Amilius, yet Philippi might have been the 
chief city in the days of St. Paul, which was two 
hundred and twenty years after the division by P. 
JEmilius. Besides, as it was at this place that Au- 
gusius gained that victory which put him in possession 
of the whole Roman empire, might not he have given 
to it that dignity which was before enjoyed by Amphi- 
polis? This is the most rational way of solving this 
difficulty ; and therefore I shall not trouble the reader 
with the different modes that have been proposed to 
alter and amend the Greek teat. 

And a colony] That is, a colony of Rome ; for it 
appears that a colony was planted here by Julius 
Cesar, and afterwards enlarged by Augustus; the 
people, therefore, were considered as freemen of Rome, 
and, from this} call themselves Romans, ver. 21. The 
Jewish definition of 9p kolonia (for they have the 
Latin word in Hebrew letters, as St. Luke has it 
here, κολωνία, in Greek letters) is, a free city, which 
does not pay tribute. 

Verse 13. By a river side, where prayer was wont 
to be made] Οὗ ενομιζετο προσευχὴ εἰναι, where it was 
said there was a proseucha. The proseucha was a 
place of prayer, or a place used for worship, where 
there was no synagogue. It was a large building un- 
covered, with seats, asin an amphitheatre. Buildings 
of this sort the Jews had by the sea side, and by the 
sides of rivers. See this subject considered at large 
in the note on Luke vi. 12. It appears that the apos- 
tles had heard from some of the Gentiles, or from 
some of the Jews themselves, that there was a place 
of prayer by the river side ; and they went out in quest 
of it, knowing that, as it was the Sabbath, they should 
find some Jews there. 

Spake unto the women] Probably this was before 
the time of their public worship, and while they were 
waiting for the assembling of the people in general; 
and Paul improved the opportunity to speak concern- 
ing Christ and salvation to the women that resorted 
thither. 

Verse 14. Lydia, a seller of purple] She probably 
had her name from the prevince of Lydia, in which 

1 


the city of Thyatira was situated. The Lydian wo- 
men have been celebrated for their beautiful purple 
manufactures. 

Which worshipped God] That is, she was a pro- 
selyte to the Jewish religion; as were probably all 
the women that resorted hither. 

Whose heart the Lord opened] As she was a sin- 
cere worshipper of God, she was prepared to receive 
the heavenly truths spoken by Paul and his compa- 
nions ; and, as she was faithful to the grace she had 
received, so God gave her more grace, and gave her 
now a Divine conviction that what was spoken by Paul 
was true; and therefore she attended unto the things 
—she believed them and received them as the doctrines 
of God; and in this faith she was joined by her whole 
family, and in it they were all baptized. 

Verse 15. If ye have judged me to be faithful to 
the Lord| The meaning seems to be this: If my pre- 
sent reception of the Gospel of Christ be a proof to 
you that I have been faithful to the Lord, in the light 
previously imparted, and that I am as likely to be faith- 
ful to this new grace as [ have been to that already 
received, and, consequently, not likely by light or fickle 
conduct to bring any discredit on this Divine work, 
come into my house, and abide there. It is wrong to 
suppose that this woman had not received a measure 
of the light of God before this time. 

And she constrained us.| She used such entreaties 
and persuasions that at last they consented to lodge 
there. 

Verse 16. As we went to prayer] Etc προσευχην, 
Into the proseucha: see on ver. 13, and on Luke vi 
12. The article, τὴν, is added here by ABCE, seve- 
ral others, Origen and Theophylact: this makes the 
place more emphatic, and seems to determine the above 
meaning of προσευχὴν to be right—not the act of prayer 
or praying to God, but the place, the oratory, in which 
these proselytes assembled for the purpose of praying, 
reading the law and the prophets, and such like exer- 
cises of devotion. It appears that the apostles spent 
some time here; as it is evident, from this and the 
following verses, that they often resorted to this place 
to preach the Gospel. 

Possessed with a spirit of divination] Ἐχουσαν 
xvevua πυθωνος, Having a spirit of Python, or of 
Apollo. Pytho was, according to fable, a huge serpent, 
that had an oracle at Mount Farnassus, famous for 
predicting future events; Apollo slew this serpent, and 
hence he was called Pythius, and became celebrated 

815 


Paul cast the spurt of THE 
A.M. cir. 4057. : i 4 pos- 
A Doug. 33” Prayer, a certain: damsel 1 pos 
An. Olymp. sessed with a spirit ‘of divina- 


BOCVIIA. - : 
aes tion met us, which brought her 


nrasters *much gain by soothsaying : 

17 The same followed Paul and us, and 
cried, saying, These men are the servants of 
the most high God, which show unto us the 
way of salvation. 


18 And this did she many days. But Paul, 


41 Sam. xxviii. 7. 


τ Or, of Python.— Chap. xix. 24. 
Mark 1. 25, 34. 


t See 


ACTS. divination out of a damset 


‘being grieved, turned and said eae oe 
to the spirit, I command thee, An. Olymp. 
in the name of Jesus Christ, eee 
to come out of her. "And he came out the 
same hour. 

19 Ἵ And τ“ when her masters saw that the 
hope of their gains was gone, ἡ they caught 
Paul and Silas, and *drew them into the 
y market-place, unto the rulers, 


uMark xvi. 17. w2 Cor. vi. 5. 


vChap. xix. 25, 26. 
x Matt. x. 18. Or, court. 


as the foreteller of future events; and all those, who 
either could or pretended to predict future events, were 
influenced by the spirit of Apollo Pythius. As often- 
times the priestesses of this god became greatly agitat- 
ed, and gave answers apparently from their bellies, 
when their mouths remained close, πυθων was applied 
to the ἐγγαςριμυθοι, or ventriloguists. Hesychius de- 
fines πυθων, δαίμονιον μαντικον, a divining demon; and 
it was evidently such a one that possessed this young 
woman, and which Paul expelled, ver. 18. See on 
this subject the notes on Levit. xix. 31, and Deut. 
xviii. 11. 

Brought her masters much gain by soothsaying] 
Mavrevovern, By divination, or what we call telling 
fortunes. Our term soothsaying coming from the 
Anglo-Saxon pod, truth; and yegan, to say, i. 6. truth 
saying, or saying the truth. For, as it was supposed 
among the heathen that such persons spoke by the in- 
spiration of their god, consequently what they said must 
be true. However, our translators might have used a 
term here that would not have been so creditable to 
this Pythoness ; for, what she said concerning the apos- 
tles excepted, she certainly could not be supposed to 
tell the truth, while her inspiration came from him who 
is the father of lies. But Satan will sometimes con- 
668] himself under the guise of truth, that he may the 
more effectually deceive. See below. 

Verse 17. These men are the servants, §c.] It is 
astonishing how such a testimony could be given in 
such a case; every syllable of it ¢rwe, and at the same 
time full, clear, and distinct. But mark the deep de- 
sign and artifice of this evil spirit: 1. He well knew 
that the Jewish law abhorred all magic, incantations, 


magical rites, and dealings with familiar spirits ; he | 


therefore bears what was in itself a true testimony to 
the apostles, that by it he may destroy their credit, and 
ruin their usefulness. The Jews, by this testimony, 
would be led at once to believe that the apostles were 
in compact with these demons, and that the miracles 
they wrought were done by the agency of these wicked 
spirits, and that the whole was the effect of magic ; 
and this, of course, would harden their hearts against 
the preaching of the Gospel. 2. The Grnrixes, find- 
ing that their own demon bore testimony to the apos- 
tles, would naturally consider that the whole was one 
system; that they had nothing to learn, nothing to 
correct; and thus the preaching of the apostles must 
be useless to them. In such a predicament as this, 


their dispossessing this woman of her familiar spirit, 
and that in the most incontestable manner; for what 
could have saved the credit of Moses and Aaron, when 
the magicians of Egypt turned their rods into serpents, 
had not Aaron’s rod devoured theirs? And what could 
have saved the credit of these apostles but the casting 
out of this spirit of divination, with which, otherwise, 
both Jews and Gentiles would have believed them in 
compact ? 

Verse 18. Paul, being grieved] Probably for the 
reasons assigned above. 

Turned—to the spirit] Not to the woman; she 
was only the organ by which the spirit acted. 

I command thee, in the name of Jesus] Jesus is the 
Saviour; Satan is Abaddonand Apollyon, the destroyer. 
The sovereign Saviour says to the destroyer, Come 
out of her; and he came out in the same hour. Every 
circumstance of this case proves it to have been a reai 
possession. We have already had several opportuni- 
ties of remarking the great aceuracy of St. Luke in 
his accounts of demoniacs: his education as a physi- 
cian gave him advantages to detect imposture of this 
kind where it subsisted ; but he sees none in this case. 
He speaks of the spirit and the damsel as distinct per- 
sons. ‘The damsel had a spirit of divination. Paul 
turned to the spurt, and said, I command THEE to 
come out of HER; and he came out in the same hour. 
Had not St. Luke considered this as a real case of 
diabolic possession, he has made use of the most im- 
proper language he could choose; language and forms 
of speech calculated to deceive all his readers, and 
cause them to believe a lie. But it is impossible that 
the holy apostle could do so, because he was a good 
man; and it is not likely he could be deceived by a 
parcel of charlatans, because he was a wise man; and 
it would be absurd to suppose that, while he was under 
the influence of the Holy Spirit, he could be imposed 
on by the cunning of even the devil himself. 

Verse 19. When her masters saw] It appears she 
was maintained by some men, who received a certain 
pay from every person whose fortune she told, or to 
whom she made any discovery of stolen goods, §c., ὅτ. 

The hope of their gains was gone] Ἢ ελπις, This 
hope ; viz. the spirit. So completely was this spirit 
cast out that the girl could divine no more; and yer 
she continued a heathen still, for we do not hear a wore 
of her conversion. Had she been converted, got bap- 
tized, and been associated with the apostles, the familv 


nothing could have saved the eredit of the apostles but | of Lydia, &c., there would have been some show ΟἹ 


816 


1 


Paul and Silas are beaten 


“ei δὲ 4057. 20 And brought them to the 
Olymp. magi yi 
ie ΠΝ gistrates, saying, These men, 


being Jews, *do exceedingly 
trouble our city, 

21 And teach customs, which are not law- 
ful for us to receive, neither to observe, being 
Romans. 

22 And the multitude rose up together 
against them: and the magistrates rent off their 


5] Kings xviii. 17; chap. xvi. 6. 


reason to believe that there had been no possession in 
the case, and that the spiri¢ of divination coming out 
of her meant no more than that, through scruple of 
conscience, she had left off her imposing arts, and 
would no longer continue to pretend to do what she 
knew she could not perform. But she still continued 
with her masters, though now utterly unable to disclose 
any thing relative to futurity ! 

Drew them into the market-place] This was the 
place of public resort, and, by bringing them here, they 
might hope to excite a general clamour against them ; 
and probably those who are here called τοὺς apyorrac, 
the rulers, were civil magistrates, who kept offices in 
such public places, for the preservation of the peace 
of the city. But these words, the rulers, are suspect- 
ed to be an interpolation by some critics: I think on 
no good ground. 

Verse 20. Brought them to the magistrates] Στρα- 
τηγοις, The commanders of the army, who, very likely, 
as this city was a Roman colony, possessed the sove- 
reign authority. The civil magistrates, therefore, 
having heard the case, as we shall soon find, in which 
it was pretended that the safety of the state was in- 
volved, would naturally refer the business to the deci- 
sion of those who had the supreme command. 

Exceedingly trouble our city] They are destroying 
the public peace, and endangering the public safety. 

Verse 21. And teach customs] Ἐθη, Religious 
opinions, and religious rites. 

Which are not lawful for us to receive] The Romans 
were very jealous of their national worship. Servius, 
on the following lines of Virgil, has given us correct 
information on this point; and has confirmed what 
several other writers have advanced :— 


Rex Evandrus ait: Non hac solemnia nobis 


Vana superslitio, veterumque ignara deorum, 
Imposuit. Alin. viii. v. 185, ἄς 


King Evander said :—It is not vain superstition, 
ignorant of the ancient worship of the gods, which has 
imposed these rites on us. Duo dicit, says Servius: 
non ideo Herculem colimus ; aut quia omnem religionem 
veram putamus; aut guia deos ignoramus antiquos. 
Cautum enim fuerat, et apud Athenienses, et apud 
Romanos; ne quis Novas introduceret RELIGIONES : 
unde et Socrates damnatus est: et Chaldei et Judai 
sunt urbe depulsi. 

“ He says two things 


CHAP. XVI. 


: we do not worship Hercules | distended !” 


and cast into an wmner prison. 


A.M. cir. 4057. 
5 =i ΤΣ 53. 


an CC ovr: 1. 


clothes, *and commanded to 
beat them. 

23 And when they had laid 
many stripes upon them, they cast them into 
prison, charging the jailor to keep them 
safely : 

24 Who, having received such a charge, 
thrust them into the inner prison, and made 
their feet fast in the stocks. 


a2 Cor. vi. 5; xi. 23, 25; 1 Thess. ii. 2. 


we ignorant of the ancient gods. Great care was 
taken, both among the Athenians and Romans, that no 
one should introduce any new religion. It was on 
this account that Socrates was condemned, and on this 
account the Chaldeans and the Jews were banished 
from Rome.” 

Cicero, De Legibus, lib. ii. c. 8, says: Separatim 
nemo habessit deos; neve Novos; sed nec ADVENAS. 
nisi publicé aDsciros, PRivaTim colunto. ‘ No person 
shall have any separate gods, nor new ones; nor shall 
he privately worship any strange gods, unless they be 
publicly allowed.”” The whole chapter is curious. Τὶ 
was on such laws as these that the people of Philippi 
pleaded against the apostles. These men bring new 
gods, new worship, new rites; we are Romans, and 
the laws forbid us to worship any new or strange god. 
unless publicly allowed. 

Verse 22. The multitude rose up together] There 
was a general outery against them; and the magis- 
trates tore off their clothes, and delivered them to the 
mob, commanding the lictors, or beadles, to beat them 
with rods, ῥαβδιζειν. This was the Roman custom of 
treating criminals, as Grotius has well remarked. 

Verse 23. Laid many stripes upon them] The Jews 
never gave more than thirty-nine stripes to any crimi- 
nal; but the Romans had no law relative to this: they 
gave as many as they chose; and the apostles had, 
undoubtedly, the fullest measure. And perhaps St. 
Paul refers to this, where he says, 2 Cor. xi. 23: ev 
πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλοντως, in stripes beyond measure or 
moderation. 

Verse 24. The inner prison} Probably what we 
would call the dungeon; the darkest and most secure 
cell. 

Made their feet fast in the stocks.| The τὸ ξυλον, 
which we here translate stocks, is supposed to mean 
two large pieces of wood, pierced with holes like our 
stocks, and fitted to each other, that, when the legs 
were in, they could not be drawn out. The holes 
being pierced at different distances, the legs might be 
separated or divaricated to a great extent, which must 
produce extreme pain. It is this circumstance to 
which it is supposed Prudentius refers, in speaking of 
the torments of St. Vincent :— 


Lignoque plantas inserit, 
Divaricatis cruribus. 


“ They placed his feet in the stocks, his legs greatly 
If the apostles were treated in this way, 


because we believe every religion to be true; nor are | lying on the bare ground with their flayed backs, what. 


Vou. 1. {6} 


817 


Paul and Silas are delivered THE 


A.M. cir. 4057. 95 9 And at midnight Paul 
A. D. cir. 53. 4 5 
An. Olymp. and Silas prayed, and sang 


ir. CVI. 1. : 
a praises unto God: and the pri- 


soners heard them. 

26 » And suddenly there was a gteat earth- 
quake, so that the foundations of the prison 
were shaken: and immediately ° all the doors 
were opened, and every one’s bands were 
loosed. 

27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking 
out of his sleep, and seeing the prison-doors 


ACTS. from prison by a miracle. 


. Μ. cir. 4057, 
A. Ὁ. cir. 53. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVIIL. 1. 


open, he drew out his sword, 4 
and would have killed himself, 
supposing that the prisoners had 
been fled. 

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, 
Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 

29 Then he called for a light, and sprang 1n, 
and came trembling, and fell down before 
Paul and Silas, 

30 And brought them out, and said, ἃ Sirs, 
what must I do to be saved ? 


b Chap. iv. 31. © Chap. v. 19; xii. 7, 10. 


agony must they have suffered! However, they could 
sing praises notwithstanding. 

Verse 25. At midnight Paul and Silas—sang 
praises| ‘Though these holy men felt much, and had 
reason to fear more, yet they are undismayed, and even 
happy in their sufferings: they were so fully satisfied 
that they were right, and had done their duty, that there 
was no room for regret or self-reproach. At the same 
time, they had such consolations from God as could 
render any circumstances not only tolerable, but de- 
lightful. They prayed, first, for grace to support them, 
and for pardon and salvation for their persecutors ; and 
then, secondly, sang praises to God, who had called 
them to such a state of salvation, and had accounted 
them worthy to suffer shame for the testimony of Je- 
sus. And, although they were in the inner prison, 
they sang so loud and so heartily that the prisoners 
heard them. 

Verse 26. There was a great earthquake] Thus 
God bore a miraculous testimony of approbation to his 
servants; and, by the earthquake, and loosing the 
bonds of the prisoners, showed, in a symbolical way, 
the nature of that religion which they preached : while 
it shakes and terrifies the guilty, it proclaims deliver- 
ance to the captives, and the opening of the prison-doors 
to them that are bound; and sets at liberty them that 
are bruised. 4 

Every one’s bands were loosed.| And yet so emi- 
nently did God’s providence conduct every thing, that 
not one of the prisoners made his escape, though the 
doors were open, and his bolts off! 

Verse 27. The keeper of the prison—would have 
killed himself] Vvery jailor was made responsible for 
his prisoner, under the same penalty to which the pri- 
soner himself was exposed. The jailor, awaking, and 
finding the prison-doors open, taking it for granted that 
all the prisoners had made their escape, and that he 
must lose his life on the account, chose rather to die 
by his own hand than by that of others. For it was 
customary among the heathens, when they found death 
inevitable, to take away their own lives. This custom 
was applauded by their philosophers, and sanctioned 
by some of their greatest men. 

Verse 28. Do thyself no harm] As it was now dark, 
deing midnight, St. Paul must have had a Divine in- 

z:mation of what the jailor was going to do; and, to 
prevent it, cried out aloud, Do thyself no harm, for 
we are all here 
818 


4 Luke 111. 10; chap. 11. 37; ix. 6. 


Verse 29. He called for alight] That he might see 
how things stood, and whether the words of Paul were 
true; for on this his personal safety depended. 

Came trembling] ‘Terrified by the earthquake, and 
feeling the danger to which his own life was exposed. 

Fell down before Paul and Silas] The persons 
whom a few hours before he, according to his office, 
treated with so much asperity, if not cruelty, as some 
have supposed ; though, by the way, it does not appear 
that he exceeded his orders in his treatment of the 
apostles. 

Verse 30. Brought them out] Of the dungeon in 
which they were confined. 

What must I do to be saved 2] Whether this regard 
personal or eternal safety, it is a question the most in- 
teresting to man. But it is not likely that the jailor 
referred here to his personal safety. He had seen, 
notwithstanding the prison doors had been miraculously 
opened, and the bonds of the prisoners all loosed, that 
not one of them had escaped: hence he could not feel 
himself in danger of losing his life on this account ; and 
consequently it cannot be his personal safety about 
which he inquires. He could not but have known that 
these apostles had been preaching among the people 
what they called the doctrine of salvation; and he 
knew that for expelling a demon they were delivered 
into his custody: the Spirit of God had now convinced 
his heart that he was lost, and needed salvation; and 
therefore his earnest inquiry is how he should obtain 
it. The answer of the apostles to the jailor shows that 
his inquiry was not about his personal safety ; as his 
believing on Jesus Christ could have had no effect upon 
that, in his present circumstances. Men who dispute 
against this sense of the word are not aware that the 
Spirit of God can teach any thing to a heart, which the 
head of a person has not previously learned. There- 
fore, they say it was impossible that a heathen could 
make such an inquiry in reference to his eternal siate ; 
because he could know nothing about it. On this 
ground, how impertinent would the answer of the apos- 
tles have been: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be put in a stale of PERSONAL SAFETY, and 
thy family! I contend that neither he nor his family 
were in any danger, as long as not one prisoner had 
escaped; he had, therefore, nothing from this quarter 
to fear; and, on the ground against which I contend, 
his own question would have been as .mpertinent ar 
i the apostles’ answer. 
( 


52* ) 


The jailor and his family baptized. 


ἊῬ οἰ δῇ 4057. 31 And they said, ° Believe 
fin. Oly. on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
cir. 


thou shalt be saved, and thy 


house. 

32 And they spake unto him the word of 
the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 

33 And he took them the same hour of the 
night, and washed their stripes; and was bap- 
tized, he and all his, straightway. 

34 And when he had brought them into his 
house, ‘he set meat before them, and rejoiced, 
believing in God with all his house. 


6 John iii. 16, 36; vi. 47; 1 John vy. 10. 


Verse 31. Believe on the Lord Jesus] Receive the 
religion of Christ, which we preach, and let thy 
household also receive it, and ye shall be all placed in 
the sure way to final salvation. 

Verse 32. And they spake unto him the word of 
-he Lord| Thus, by teaching him and all that were in 
his house the doctrine of the Lord, they plainly pointed 
out to them the way of salvation. And it appears 
that he and his whole family, who were capable of re- 
ceiving instructions, embraced this doctrine, and 
showed the sincerity of their faith by immediately 
receiving baptism. And, by the way, if he and all his 
were baptized straightway, παραχρημα, immediately, 
instantly, at that very time, dum ipsa res agitur, it is 
by no means likely that there was any immersion in 
the case; indeed, all the circumstances of the case, 
the dead of the night, the general agitation, the neces- 
sity of despatch, and the words of the text, all disprove 
it. The apostles, therefore, had another method of 
administering baptism besides immersion, which, if 
practised according to the Jewish formalities, must 
have required considerable time, and not a little pub- 
licity. As the Jews were accustomed to receive 
whole families of heathens, young and old, as_prose- 
lytes, by baptism, so here the apostles received whole 
families, those of Lydia and the jailor, by the same 
rite. It is therefore pretty evident that we have in 
this chapter very presumptive proofs: 1. That dap- 
tism was administered without immersion, as in the 
case of the jailor and his family ; and 2. That chil- 
dren were also received into the Church in this way ; 
for we can scarcely suppose that the whole families 
of Lydia and the jailor had no children in them; and, 
if they had, it is not likely that they should be omitted; 
for the Jewish practice was invariably to receive the 
heathen children with their proselyted parents. 

Verse 33. Washed their stripes] Ἑλουσεν azo των 
πληγων, He washed from the stripes: i. e. he washed 
the blood from the wounds; and this would not re- 
quire putting them into a pool, or bath, as some have 
ridiculously imagined. 

Verse 34. He set meat before them] They were 
sufficiently exhausted, and needed refreshment; nor 
had the apostles any such inherent miraculous power 
as could prevent them from suffering through hunger, 
or enable them to heal their own wounds. As they 

A 


CHAP. XVI. The apostles urged to leave the prison. 


35 % And when it was day, 4, M. De th 83 ~ ig 
the magistrates sent the serjeants, preg Ol 
cir, CC iil 


saying, Let those men go. - --- 
36 Aud the keeper of the prison told this 
saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to 
let you go: now therefore depart, and go in 
peace. 

37 But Paul said unto them, They have 
beaten us openly uncondemned, £ being Romans, 
and have cast us into prison; and now do 
they thrust us out privily? nay, verily; but 
let them come themselves and fetch us out. 


f Luke ν. 29; xix. 6.—s Chap. xxii. 25. 


were the instruments of bringing health to his soul, 
he became the instrument of health to their bodies. 
Genuine faith in Christ will always be accompanied 
with benevolence and humanity, and every fruit that 
such dispositions can produce. The jailor believed— 
brought them into his house—washed their stripes— 
and set meat before them. 

Verse 35. And the magistrates sent the serjeants] 
The original word, ῥαβδουχους, means the lictors, per- 
sons who carried before the consul the fasces, which 
was a hatchet, round the handle of which was a bundle 
of rods tied. Why the magistrates should have sent 
an order to dismiss the apostles, whom they had so 
barbarously used the preceding evening, we cannot 
tell, unless we receive the reading of the Codex 
Beze as genuine, viz. Ἥμερας de yevouevnc, συνηλθον 
ol ςρατηγοι ext To αὐτο εἰς THY ayopar, καὶ ἀαναμνησϑεντες 
TOV σείσμον TOY yeyovora, εφοβηθησαν, καὶ ἀπεςειλαν τοὺς 
ῥαβδουχους k.7.2. And when it was day, the magis- 
trates came ΕΠ into the court, AND REMEMBERING 
THE EARTHQUAKE THAT HAD HAPPENED, they were afraid, 
and they sent the serjeants, &c. The Itala version 
of this same MS. has the same reading: so has also 
the margin of the later Syriac. If this MS. be cor- 
rect, the cause of the dismissal of the apostles is at 
once evident: the earthquake had alarmed the magis- 
trates ; and, taking it for granted that this was a 
token of the Divine displeasure against them for their 
unprincipled conduct towards those good men, they 
wished to get as quietly rid of the business as they 
could, and therefore sent to dismiss the apostles. 
Whether this reading be genuine or not, it is likely 
that it gives the true cause of the magistrates’ conduct. 

Verse 37. They have beaten us openly—being Ro- 
mans] St. Paul well knew the Roman laws; and on 
their violation by the magistrates he pleads. The 
Valerian law forbade any Roman citizen to be bound. 
The Porcian law forbade any to be beaten with rods. 
“ Porcia lex virgas ab omnium civium Romanorum 
corpore amoyit.” And by the same law the liberty of 
a Roman citizen was never put in the power of the 
lictor. “ Porcia lex libertatem civium lictori eripuit.” 
See Cicero, Orat. pro Rabirio. Hence, as the same 
author observes, In Verrem, Orat. 5: “ Facinus est 
vinciri civem Romanum, scelus verderari.” It is a 
transgression of the law to bind a Roman citizen: it 

819 


The apustles leave the prison 


A.M cir. 4057. 38 And the serjeants told 
> Ὁ. οἷν. 53. 
An. Olymp. these words unto the ma- 


cir. CCVIIL1. 
--  -  -- gistrates: 


they heard that 


and they feared, 
when they were Ro- 
mans. 


39 And they came and besought them, and 


h Matt. vill. 34. 


THE ACTS. 


und enter the house of Lydia 


brought them out, and “desired 4,M, cit. 4057 
them to depart out of the city. An. Olymp. 

40 And they went out of the piper esas 
prison, ‘and entered into the house of Lydia 
and when they had seen the brethren, they 
comforted them, and departed. 


i Verse 14. 


is wickedness to scourge him. And the illegality of 
the proceedings of these magistrates was farther evi- 
dent in their condemning and punishing them unheard. 
This was a gross violation of a common maxim in the 
Roman law. Causa cognita, possunt multi absolvi; 
incognita, nemo condemnari potest. Cicero. “ Many 
who are accused of evil may be absolved, when the 
eause is heard; but unheard, no man can be con- 
demned.” Every principle of the law of nature and 
the law of nations was violated in the treatment these 
holy men met with from the unprincipled magistrates 
of this city. 

Let them come themselves and fetch us out.| The 
apostles were determined that the magistrates should 
be humbled for their illegal proceedings ; and that the 
people at large might see that they had been unjustly 
condemned, and that the majesty of the Roman people 
was insulted by the treatment they had received. 

Verse 38. They feared when they heard—they were 
Romans.] They feared, because the Roman law was 
so constituted that an insult offered to a citizen was 
deemed an insult to the whole Roman people. There 
is a remarkable addition here, both in the Greek and 
Latin of the Codex Beze. It is as follows: “ And 
when they were come with many of their friends to 
the prison, they besought them to go out, saying: 
We were ignorant of your circumstances, that ye 
were righteous men. And, leading them out, they 
besought them, saying, Depart from this city, lest they 
again make an insurrection against you, and clamour 
against you.” 

Verse 40. Entered into the house of Lydia] This 
was the place of their residence while at Philippi: 
see ver. 15. 


They comforted them, and departed.| The magis- 
trates were sufficiently humbled, and the public at 
large, hearing of this circumstance, must be satisfied of 
the innocency of the apostles. They, therefore, after 
staying a reasonable time at the house of Lydia, and 
exhorting the brethren, departed ; having as yet to go 
farther into Macedonia, and to preach the Gospel in 
the most polished city in the world, the city of Athens. 
See the succeeding chapter. 


Great and lasting good was done by this visit to 
Philippi: a Church was there founded, and the mem- 
bers of it did credit to their profession. To them the 
apostle, who had suffered so much for their sakes, was 
exceedingly dear; and they evidenced this by their 
contributions to his support in the times of his neces- 
sity. They sent him money twice to Thessalonica, 
Phil. iv. 16, and once to Corinth, 2 Cor. xi. 9, and 
long afterwards, when he was prisoner in Rome, Phil. 
iv. 9, 14, 18. About five or six years after this, St. 
Paul visited Philippi on his way to Jerusalem ; and 
he wrote his epistle to them about ten years after his 
first journey thither. The first members of the Church 
of Christ in this place were Lydia and her family ; 
and the next in all probability were the jailor and Ais 
family. These doubtless became the instruments of 
bringing many more to the faith; for the false impri- 
sonment and public acquittal of the apostles by the 
magistrates must have made their cause popular; and 
thus the means which were used to prevent the sowing 
of the seed of life in this city became the means by 
which it was sown and established. Thus the wrath 
of man praised God; and the remainder of it he did 
restrain. Never were these words more exactly ful- 
filled than on this oceasion. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


Paul and his company, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, come to Thessalonica, where they preach 


the Gospel to the Jews, several of whom believe, 1-4. 


Others raise a mob, and bring Jason, who had 


received the apostles, before the magistrates, who, having taken bail of him and his companions, dismiss 


them, 5-9. 
receive the Gospel, 10-12. 


he preaches to the Jews, 14-17. 


nians, 21. 


Paul and Silas are sent away by night unto Berea, where they preach to the Jews, who gladly 
Certain Jews from Thessalonica, hearing that the Bereans had recewed the 
Gospel, come thither and raise up a persecution, 13. 


Paul is sent away by the brethren to Athens, where 


He is encountered by the Epicureans and Stoics, who bring him to the 
Areopagus, and desire him to give a full explanation of his doctrine, 18-20. 


The character of the Athe- 


Paul preaches to them, and gives a general view of the essential principles of theology, 22-31 


Some mock, some hesitate, and some believe, and, among the latter, Dionysius and Damaris, 32-34. 


820 


1 


Paul and Silas preach to CHAP. XVII. the Jews at Thessalonica. 
a ἢ μπῶ OW when they had passed | 4 ὁ And some of them believed, sie ττξίς 
a. through Amphipolis and} and consorted with Paul and An. Olymp. | 


Apollonia, they came to Thessa- 
lonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. 

2 And Paul, as his manner was, * went in 
unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned 
with them out of the Scriptures, 

3 Opening and alleging, » that Christ must 
needs have suffered, and risen again from 
the dead ; and that this Jesus, * whom I preach 
unto you, is Christ. 


° Silas; and of the devout 
Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief 
women not a few. 

5 But the Jews which believed not, moved 
with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows 
of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and 
set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the 
house of f Jason, and sought to bring them out 
to the people. 


Luke iv. 16; chap. ix. 20; xiii. 5, 14; xiv. 1; xvi. 13; xix. 8. 
> Luke xxiv. 26,46; chap. xvill. 28; Gal. ii. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVII. 

Verse 1. Passed through Amphipolis] This city 
was the metropolis of the first division of Macedonia, 
as made by Paulus Amilius: see the note on chap. 
xvi. 10. It was builded by Cimon, the Athenian ge- 
neral, who sent 10,000 Athenians thither as a colony. 
Tt stood in an island in the river Strymon, and had its 
name of Amphipolis because included between the two 
grand branches of that river where they empty them- 
selves into the sea, the river being on both sides of 
the city. 

Apollonia] This was another city of Macedonia, 
between Amphipolis and Thessalonica. It does not ap- 
pear that St. Paul stopped at any of these cities: and 
they are only mentioned by the historian as places 
through which the apostles passed on their way to 
Thessalonica. It is very likely that in these cities 
there were no Jews; and that might have been the 
reason why the apostles did not preach the Gospel 
there, for we find them almost constantly beginning 
with the Jews ; and the Hellenist Jews, living among 
the Gentiles, became the medium through which the 
Gospel of Christ was conveyed to the heathen world. 

Thessalonica] This was a celebrated city of Mace- 
donia, situated on what was called the Thermaic Gulf. 
According to Stephanus Byzantinus, it was embel- 
lished and enlarged by Philip, king of Macedon, who 
called it Thessalonica, the victory of Thessalia, on ac- 
count of the victory he obtained there over the Thes- 
salians; but, prior to this, it was called Therme. 
But Strabo, Tzetzes, and Zonaras, say that it was 
called Thessalonica, from Thessalonica, wife of Cassan- 
der, and daughter of Philip. It is now in possession 
of the Turks, and is called Salonichi, which is a mere 
corruption of the original name. 

A synagogue of the Jews.) ‘H ovvaywyn, THe syna- 
gogue; for the article here must be considered as 
emphatic, there probably being no other synagogue in 
any other city in Macedonia. The Jews in different 
parts had other places of worship called proseuchas, 
as we have seen, chap. xvi. 13. At Thessalonica 
alone they appear to have had a synagogue. 

Verse 2. As his manner was] He constantly offer- 


ed salvation first to the Jews; and for this purpose | 
attended their Sabbath-days’ meetings at their syna- | 


gogues. 


Verse 3. Opening and alleging] Παρατιθεμνος,. 
1 


© Or, whom, said he, I preach.—4 Chap. xxviii. 24. 
xv. 22, 27, 32, 40.——! Rom. xvi. 21. 


© Chap. 


Proving by citations. His method seems to have 
been this: Ist. He collected the scriptures that 
spoke of the Messiah. 2d. He applied these to Jesus 
Christ, showing that in him all these scriptures were 
fulfilled, and that he was the Saviour of whom they 
were in expectation. He showed also that the Christ, 
or Messiah, must needs suffer—that this was predict- 
ed, and was an essential mark of the true Messiah. 
By proving this point, he corrected their false notion 
of a triumphant Messiah, and thus removed the scan- 
dal of the cross. 

Verse 4. The devout Greeks] That is, Gentiles 
who were proselytes to the Jewish religion, so far as 
to renounce idolatry, and live a moral life, but proba- 
bly had not received circumcision. 

Verse 5. The Jews which believed not, moved with 
envy, took unto them] Instead of this sentence, the 
most correct MSS. and versions read simply, προσλα- 
Bouevor de οἱ Ἰουδαιοι. But the Jews taking, &c., leay- 
ing out the words, ζηλώσαντες, ἀπειθουντες, which believ- 
ed not, moved with envy: these words do not appear 
to be genuine; there is the strongest evidence against 
them, and they should be omitted. 

Certain lewd fellows of the baser sort] This is not 
a very intelligible translation. The original is, τῶν 
ἀγοραίων τινας avdpag πονήηρους. The word ayopatoc, 
which we translate the Jaser sort, is by Hesychius 
explained, of ev ἀγορᾷ αναςρεφομενοι, those who trans- 
act business in courts of justice. The same word is 
used by the Jews in Hebrew letters to signify judges ; 
and Ὁ Ow MIN WIN agorioth shel goyim, signifies 
judges of the Gentiles. These were probably a low 
kind of lawyers, what we would call pettifoggers, or 
attorneys without principle, who gave advice for a 
trifle, and fomented disputes and litigations among 
the people. The Jtala version of the Coder Beze 
calls them quosdam forenses, certain lawyers. As the 
Jews, from their small number, could not easily raise 
| up a mob, they cunningly employed those unprincipled 
!men, who probably had a certain degree of juridical 
/eredit and authority, to denounce the apostles as se- 
| ditiovs men; and this was, very likely, the reason why 
they employed those in preference to any others. 
| They were such as always attended forensic litiga- 
tions, waiting for a job, and willing to defend any side 
of a question for money. They were wicked men of 
the forensic tribe. 


821 


Paw and Silas, being persecuted, 


ASS 4057. 6 And when they found them 
. Ὁ. err. 53. 4 
An. Olymp. not, they drew Jason and certain 


ir. CCVIIL. 1. 
ae brethren unto the rulers of the 


city, crying, © These that have turned the 
world upside down are come hither also ; 

7 Whom Jason hath received: and these 
all do contrary to the decrees of Cesar, ἢ say- 
ing that there is another king, one Jesus. 

8 And they troubled the people and the rulers 
of the city, when they heard these things. 


THE ACTS. 


depart, by night, unto Berea. 


9 And when they had taken 4-M cir. 4057. 
: A. Ὁ. cir. 53. 
security of Jason, and of the ἀπ. Olymp. 
cir. ΟΟΥ̓́ΠΙ. ; 
other, they let them go. pera sts 
10 And ‘the brethren immediately sent away 
Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who, 
coming thither, went into the synagogue of the 
Jews. 
11 These were more noble than those in 
Thessalonica, in that they received the word 
with all readiness of mind, and * searched the 


Ε Chap. xvi. 20.—Luke xxiii. 2; John xix. 12; 1 Peter 
ἈΠ 15: 


iChap. ix. 25; ver. 14. kTsa. xxxiv. 16; Luke xvi. 29; 


John ν. 39. 


Gathered a company, and set all the city on an up- 
roar} And, after having made this sedition and dis- 
turbance, charged the whole on the peaceable and in- 
nocent apostles! This is precisely the same way 
uhat persecution against the truth and followers of 
Christ is still carried on. Some wicked man in the 
parish gets a wicked attorney and a constable to head 
a mob, which they themselves have raised ; and, hav- 
ing committed a number of outrages, abusing men and 
women, haul the minister of Christ to some magistrate 
who knows as little of his office as he cares for the 
Gospel; they there charge the outrages which them- 
selves have committed on the preacher and his peace- 
able hearers ; and thespeacemaker, appointed by a good 
king, according to the wise and excellent regulations 
of a sound constitution, forgetting whose minister he 
is, neither administers justice nor maintains truth ; 
but, espousing the part of the mob, assumes, ex officio, 
the character of a persecutor. The preacher is im- 
prisoned, his hearers fined for listening to that Gospel 
which has not only made them wise unto salvation, 
but also peaceable and orderly citizens, and which 
would have had the same effect on the unprincipled 
magistrate, the parish ’squire, and the mod, had they 
heard it with the same reverence and respect. Had 
I not witnessed such scenes, and such prostitution” of 
justice, I could not have described them. 

Assaulted the house of Jason} ‘This was the place 
where the apostles lodged; and therefore his goods 
were clear spoil, and his person fair game. This is 
a case which frequently occurs where the Gospel is 
preached in its spirit and power. And, even in this 
most favoured kingdom, the most scandalous excesses 
of this kind have been committed, and a justice of the 
peace has been found to sanction the proceedings; and, 
when an appeal has been made to the laws, a grand jury 
has been found capable of throwing out the true bill! 

Verse 6. These that have turned the world upside 
down are come hither also| The very character our 
forefathers had for preaching that Gospel, in every 
part of the land, by which the nation has been illumi- 
nated, the mob disciplined into regularity and order, 
and the kingdom established in. the hands of the best 
of monarchs. 

Verse 7. These all do contrary to the decrees of 
Cesar] Persecutors always strive to affect the lives 
of the objects of their hatred, by accusing them of se- 
dition, or plots against the state. 

822 


That there is another king, one Jesus.] How male- 
volent was this saying! The apostles proclaimed 
Jesus as king—that is true ; but never once insinuated 
that his kingdom was of this world. The reverse 
they always maintained. 

Verse 8. And they troubled the people and the rulers] 
It is evident that there was no disposition in either the 
people or the rulers to persecute the apostles. But 
these wicked Jews, by means of the unprincipled, 
wicked lawyers, those lewd fellows of the baser sort, 
threw the subject into the form of Jaw, making it a 
state question, in which form the rulers were obliged 
to notice it; but they showed their unwillingness to 
proceed in a matter which they saw proceeded from 
malice, by letting Jason and his companions go off 
on dail. 

Verse 9. Taken security] Λαβοντες to ἵκανον, Hav- 
ing taken what was sufficient, or satisfactory. Suffi- 
cient for the present, to prove that the apostles were 
upright, peaceable, and loyal men; and that Jason and 
his friends were the like, and would be, at any time, 
forthcoming to answer for their conduct. Perhaps 


this is the sense of the phrase in the text. 


Verse 10. Sent away Paul and Silas by nighi] 
Fearing some farther machinations of the Jews and 
their associates. 

Berea} This was another city of Macedonia, on 
the same gulf with Thessalonica; and not far from 
Pella, the birth place of Alexander the Great. 

Verse 11. These were more noble than those in 
Thessalonica] Hoav evyevecepor, Were of a better race, 
extraction, or birth, than those at Thessalonica ; but 
the word refers more to their conduct, as a proof of 
their better disposition, than to their birth, or any pe- 
culiar lineal nobility. It was a maxim among the 
Jews, that “none was of a noble spirit who did not 
employ himself in the study of the law.” It appears 
that the Bereans were a better educated and more po- 
lished people than those at Thessalonica; in conse- 
quence far from persecuting: 1. They heard the doc- 
trine of the Gospel attentively. 2. They received 
this doctrine with readiness of mind: when the evi- 
dence of its truth appeared to them sufficiently con- 
vincing, they had too much dignity of mind to refuse 
their assent, and too much ingenuousness to conceal 
their approbation. 3. They searched the Scriptures, 
i.e. of the Old Testament, to see whether these things 
were so; to see whether the promises and types cor- 

1 


Paul is sent by the brethren 


A.M. cir. 4057. 


‘Dd. tr. ΠΝ Scriptures daily, whether those 


things were so. 

en'ooviit, is Therefore many of them 
believed; also of honourable women which 
were Greeks, and of men, not a few. 

13 Ἵ But when the Jews of Thessalonica 
had knowledge that the word of God was 
preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither 
also, and strirred up the people. 

14 'And then immediately the brethren sent 


' Matt. x. 23.——™ Chap. xviii. 5. 


responded with the alleged fulfilment in the person, 
works, and sufferings of Jesus Christ. 4. They con- 
tinued in this work; they searched the Scriptures 
daily, whether those things were so. 

Verse 12. Therefore many of them believed] From 
the manner in which they heard, received, and exa- 
mined the word preached to them, it was not likely 
they could be deceived. And, as it was the truth that 
was proclaimed to them, it is no wonder that they ap- 
prehended, believed, and embraced it. 

Of honourable women which were Greeks] Proba- 
bly mere heathens are meant; and these were some 
of the chief families in the place. Thus we find that 
the preaching of Paul at Berea was made the instru- 
ment of converting both Jews and Gentiles. 

Yerse 13. The Jews of Thessalonica—stirred up 
the people.| With what implacable malice did these 
men persecute the Gospel! And in the same spirit 
they continue to the present day, though it is evidently 
the sole cause of their wretchedness. 

Verse 14. To go as it were to the sea] This 
passage is generally understood to mean that the dis- 
ciples took Paul towards the sea, as if he had intended 
to embark, and return to Troas, but with the real de- 
sign to go to Athens. But it is more likely that his 
conductors, in order to his greater safety, left the pub- 
lic or more frequented road, and took him coastwise 
to Athens. Or, by taking a vessel at that part of the 
sea nearest to Berea, they might have coasted it to 
Athens, which was quite a possible case ; and, as we 
do not hear of his stopping at any place on his journey 
to preach, it is very probable that he went by sea to 
this city. Though sleights and feints may be allow- 
able in cases of life and death, yet there does not ap- 
pear an absolute necessity for any in this case. And, 
as the text does not necessarily point any out, so we 
need not have recourse to any. I take it for granted, 
therefore, that Paul went by sea to Athens. 

Suas and Timotheus abode there still.| The per- 
secution, it seems, was directed principally against 
Paul: Lo! he stayeth his rough wind in the day of 
his east wind. Silas and Timotheus, holy men, were 


left behind to water the seed which Paul had planted. | 


Verse 15. Brought him unto Athens] This was 
one of the most celebrated cities in the world, whether 
we consider its antiquity, its learning, its political 
consequence, or the valour of its inhabitants. This 
zity, which was the capital of Attica, and the seat of 
the Grecian empire, was founded by Cecrops, about 


CHAP. XVII. 


from Berea to the city of Athens. 


α A.M. cir. 4057. 
A. Ὁ. cir. 53. 
An. sie 
cir. CC 


away Paul to go as it were to th 

a: but Silas and ‘Timotheus 
abode there still. —— 

15 And they that conducted Paul τοὶ 
him unto Athens : and ™ receiving a command- 
ment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to 
him with all speed, they departed. 

16 Ἵ Now while Paul waited 4- ra 
for them at Athens, " his spirit 


San eee 
: HEX. τ. CCVII 
was stirred in him, when he saw 


22 Pet. ii. 8. 


A. M. 2447, before Christ 1557, and was called by 
him Cecropia. About thirteen or fourteen hundred 
years before Christ, in the reign either of Brechtheus, 
or Erichthonius, it was called Athens, from Αθηνη, a 
name of Minerva, to whom it was dedicated, and who 
was always considered the protectress of the city. The 
whole city at first was built upon a hill or rock, in the 
midst of a spacious plain; but, in process of time, the 
whole plain was covered with buildings, which were 
called the lower city; while the ancient was called 
Acropolis, or the upper city. In its most flourishing 
state this city was not less than one hundred and se- 
venty-eight stadia, or twenty-two Roman miles in cir- 
cumference. The buildings of Athens were the most 
superb, and best executed, in the world; but every 
thing is now in a state of ruin. Mr. Stuart, in his 
three folio vols. of the Antiquities of Athens, has given 
correct representations of those that remain, with many 
geographical notices of much importance. The great- 
est men that ever lived, scholars, lawyers, statesmen, 
and warriors, were Athenians. Its institutions, laws, 
and literature, were its own unrivalled boast, and the 
envy of the world. The city still exists; the Acro- 
polis in a state of comparative repair. It is now in 
the hands of the Greeks ; but the Turks, who held it 
till lately, have turned the celebrated Parthenon, or 
temple of Minerva, into a mosque. The inhabitants 
are reckoned at about one thousand. Christianity, 
planted here by St. Paul, still subsists; and about two- 
thirds of the inhabitants of Athens are Christians, who 
have several churches or oratories here ; and it is the 
residence of a Greek bishop, who is a metropolitan. 
He who considers the ancient glory of this city, whe- 
ther in its heathen or Christian antiquity, cannot but 
sigh over its present state. 

Verse 16. He saw the city wholly given to idola- 
try.] Κατειδωλον, Full of idols, as the margin has 
it, and very properly. Whoever examines the remains 
of this city, as represented by Mr. Stuart in his Anti- 
quities, already referred to, will be satisfied of the truth 
of St. Luke’s remark: it was full of idols. Bishop 
Pearce produces a most apposite quotation from Pau- 
sanias, Which confirms the observation : Οὐκ ἣν ἀλλαχον 
There was no place where so 
Paus. in Attic. cap. 


Tocavra Wew etdwiha. 
many idols were to be seen. 
xvii. 24. 

Perronivs, who was contemporary with St. Paul, 
in his Satyr. cap. xvii., makes Quartilla say of Athens: 
Utique nostra regio tam PRESENTIBUS PLENA EST 

823 


Paul disputes with the Jews, 


A.M. cir. 4058. 4}, ity ° i 
ieee the city ° wholly given to 
An. Olymp. idolatry. 


ou COV ® 1.) ‘Therefore disputed he in 


the synagogue with the Jews, and with the 
devout persons, and in the market daily with 
them that met with him. 

18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicu- 
reans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And 


© Or, full of idols.——P Or, base fellow. 


NUMINIBUS, ut facilius possis DEUM quam HOMINEM 1η- 
venire. Our region is so full of deities that you may 
more frequently meet with a god than a man. 

Verse 17. Disputed he in the synagogue with the 
Jews| Proving that Jesus was the Messiah: and 
with the devout persons, probably heathens, proselyted 
to the Jewish religion. And in the market: I sup- 
pose the ayopa here means some such place as our 
exchange, where people of business usually met, and 
where the philosophers conversed and reasoned. The 
agora was probably like the Roman forum, and like 
places of public resort in all countries, where people 
of leisure assembled to converse, hear the news, &c. 

Verse 18. Certain philosophers of the Epicureans] 
These were the followers of Epicurus, who acknow- 
ledged no gods except in name, and absolutely denied 
that they exercised any government over the world or 
its inhabitants; and that the chief good consisted in 
the gratification of the appetites of sense. These points 
the Epicureans certainly held ; but it is not clear that 
Epicurus himself maintained such doctrines. 

And of the Stoics| ‘These did not deny the exist- 
ence of the gods; but they held that all human affairs 
were governed by fate. They did not believe that any 
good was received from the hands of their gods ; and 
considered, as Seneca asserts, that any good and wise 
man was equal to Jupiter himself. Both these sects 
agreed in denying the resurrection of the body ; and 
the former did not believe in the immortality of the soul. 

Epicurus, the founder of the Epicwrean sect, was 
born at Athens, about A. M. 3663, before Christ 341. 

Zeno, the founder of the Stoic sect, was born in the 
isle of Cyprus, about thirty years before Christ. His 
disciples were called Stoics from the Zroa, a famous 
portico at Athens, where they studied. Besides these 
two sects, there were two others which were famous 
at this time; viz. the Academics and the Peripatetics. 
The founder of the first was the celebrated Prato ; 
and the founder of the second, the no less famous 
Aristorie. These sects professed a much purer doc- 
trine than the Epicureans and Stoics ; and it does not 
appear that they opposed the apostles, nor did they 
enter into public disputations with them. Against the 
doctrines taught by the Epicureans and Stoics, several 
parts of St. Paul’s discourse, in the following verses, 
are directly pointed. 

What will this babbler σαν ἢ The word σπερμο- 
Aoyoc, which we translate babddler, signifies, literally, 
a collector of seeds, and is the “name of a small bird 
that lives by picking up seeds on the road.” The epi- 
thet became applied to persons who collected the say- 

824 


THE ACTS. 


the Epicureans, and the Stowcs 


some said, What will this » bab- acta. rer 
bler say ? other some, He seem- An. Olymp. 
eth to be a setter forth of strange St Sa 
gods; because he preached unto them Jesus, 
and the resurrection. 

19 And they took him, and brought him 
unto 1 Areopagus, saying, May we know what 
this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is ? 


9Or, Mars’ hill. It was the highest court in Athens. 


ings of others, without order or method, and detailed 
them among their companions in the same way. ‘The 
application of the term to prating, empty, impertinent 
persons, was natural and easy, and hence it was con- 
sidered a term of reproach and contempt, and was 
sometimes used to signify the vilest sort of men. 

A setter forth of strange gods] Zevav δαιμονίων, 
Of strange or foreign demons. ‘That this was strictly 
forbidden, both at Rome and Athens, see on chap. 
Xvi. 21. 

There was a difference, in the heathen theology, 
between θεος, god, and δαίμων, demon: the Geor, were 
such as were gods by nature: the δαιμονία, were men 
who were deified. This distinction seems to be in the 
mind of these philosophers when they said that the 
apostles seemed to be setters forth of strange demons, 
because they preached unto them Jesus, whom they 
showed to be a man, suffering and dying, but after- 
wards raised to the throne of God. ‘This would appear 
to them tantamount with the deification of heroes, ὅτ.» 
who had been thus honoured for their especial ser- 
vices to mankind. Horace expresses this in two lines, 
2 Epist. i. 5 :— 

Romulus, et Liber pater, et cum Castore Pollua, 

Post ingentia facta, deorum in templa recepti. 


“ Romulus, father Bacchus, with Castor and Pol- 
lux, for their eminent services, have been received 
into the temples of the gods.” 


Verse 19. They took him, and brought him unto 
Areopagus| The Areopagus was a fill not far from 
the Acropolis, already described, where the supreme 
court of justice was held ; one of the most sacred and 
reputable courts that had ever existed in the Gentile 
world. It had its name, Apecoc πάγος, Areopagus, or 
the Hill of Mars, or Ares, from the circumstance, 
according to poetic fiction, of Mars being tried there, 
by a court of twelve gods, for the murder of Halirrho- 
thius, son of Neptune: the meaning of which is, that 
Ares, a Thessalian prince, having slain Halirrhothius, 
the son of a neighbouring prince, for having violated 
his daughter Alcippe, was here tried by twelve judges, 
by whom he was honourably acquitted: in the Athe- 
nian laws the death of the ravisher was the regular 
forfeiture for his crime. The justice administered in 
this court was so strict and impartial, that, it was ge- 
nerally allowed, both the plaintiff and defendant depart- 
ed satisfied with the decision. ‘ Innocence, when 
summoned before it, appeared without apprehension ; 
and the guilty, convicted and condemned, retired with- 
out daring to murmur.” The place in which the judges 

1 


Paul 1s required to give 


A.M. cir. 4058 20 For thou bringest certain 
Oly strange things to our ears: we 
cir. MeCVIIL 2. 8 8 


would know, 
these things ‘ mean. 

21 (For all the Athenians, and strangers 
which were there, spent their time in nothing 
else, but either to tell or to hear some new 
thing.) 

22 Ἵ Then Paul stood in the midst of 


therefore, what 


τ Chap. ii. 12.——* Or, the court of the Areopagites. 


CHAP. XVII. 


an account of Jus doctrine 


5 Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men 4; eo oe 
of Athens, I perceive that in An. Olym 
; P cir. CCVIIL 2. 


all things ye are too supersti- 
tious. 

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your " de- 
votions, I found an altar with this inscription, 
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom 
therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare 
I unto you. 


t Or, gods that ye worship ; 2 Thess. ii. 4. 


sat was uncovered; and they held their sittings by 
night, to the end that nothing might distract their minds 
from the great business on which they were to decide; 
and that the sight of the accused might not affect them 
either with pity or aversion. In reference to this, all 
pleaders were strictly forbidden to use any means what- 
ever to excite either pity or aversion, or to affect the 
passions ; every thing being confined to simple rela- 
tion, or statement of facts. When the two parties 
were produced before the court, they were placed 
between the bleeding members of victims slain on the 
occasion, and were obliged to take an oath, accom- 
panied by horrible imprecations on themselves and 
families, that they would testify nothing but truth. 
These parties called to witness the eumenides, or fu- 
ries, the punishers of the perjured in the infernal world; 
and, to make the greater impression on the mind of the 
party swearing, the temple dedicated to these infernal 
deities was contiguous to the court, so that they ap- 
peared as if witnessing the oaths and recording the 
appeal made to themselves. When the case was fully 
heard, the judges gave their decision by throwing down 
their flint pebbles, on two boards or tables, one of which 
was for the condemnation, the other for the acquittal, 
of the person in question. 

Verse 20. Thou bringest—strange things to our 
ears] The doctrine of the apostles was different from 
any they had ever heard: it was wholly spiritual and 
divine ; thus it was strange: it was contrary to their 
customs and manners; and thus it was strange also. 
As it spoke much of the exaltation and glory of Jesus 
Christ, they supposed him to be a setter forth of 
strange gods: and, therefore, on the authority of the 
laws, which forbade the introduction of any new deities, 
or modes of worship, he was called before the Are- 
opagus. 

Verse 21. All the Athenians and strangers which 
were there] As Athens was renowned for its wisdom 
and learning, it became a place of public resort for 
philosophers and students from different parts of the 
then civilized world. The flux of students was in 
consequence great; and these, having much leisure 
time, would necessarily be curious to know what was 
passing in the world, and would frequently assemble 
together, in places of public resort, to meet with stran- 
gers just come to the city; and either, as St. Luke 
says, to tell or hear some new thing. 


κατα THY ἀγοραν, εἰ TL AeyeTal νεωτερον ; inquiring, in 
the place of public resort, if there are any News. We 
find, likewise, that when Thucydides, iii. 38, had said, 
μετα καινοτητος μεν Aoyov ἀπατασῦαι apicot, Ye are 
excellent in suffering yourselves to be decewed by No- 
veLTY of speech, the old scholiast makes this remark 
upon it, (almost in the words of St. Luke,) tavra πρὸς 
τους AOnvatec αἰνιττεταῖς οὐδὲν Tt μελετωντας, πλὴν Aeyew 
τι καὶ akoveww καίνον; He here blames the Athenians, 
who made it their only business to tell and hear some- 
thing that was New.”—Bp. Pearce. This is a strik- 
ing feature of the city of London in the present day. 
The itch for news, which generally argues a worldly, 
shallow, or unsettled mind, is wonderfully prevalent : 
even ministers of the Gospel, negligent of their sacred 
function, are become in this sense Athenians; so that 
the book of God is neither read nor studied with half 
the avidity and spirit as a newspaper. ‘These persons, 
forgetful not only of their calling, but of the very 
spirit of the Gospel, read the account of a battle with 
the most violent emotions; and, provided the victory 
falls to their favourite side, they exult and triumph in 
proportion to the number of thousands that have been 
slain! It is no wonder if such become political 
preachers, and their sermons be no better than husks 
for swine. To such the hungry sheep look up, and 
are not fed. God pity such miserable Athenians, and 
direct them to a more suitable employment ! 

Verse 22. Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill} 
That is, in the midst of the judges, who sat in the 
Areopagus. 

Ye are too superstitious.| Κατα παντα ὡς δεισιδαι- 
kovecepove ὑμας θεωρω;; I perceive that in all respects 
ye are greatly addicted to religious practices ; and, as 
a religious people, you will candidly hear what I have 
got to say in behalf of that worship which I practise 
and recommend. See farther observations at the end 
of the chapter. 

Verse 23. Beheld your devotions] Σεβασματα, The 


| objects of your worship; the different images of their 


instruments, altars, &c., 


“ The Athenian writers give the same account of | 


their fellow citizens. Demostuenes, in his reply to 


gods which they held in religious veneration, sacrificial 
&e. 

To THE UNKNOWN Gop.] ATNQ=TQ GEG. That 
there was an altar at Athens thus inscribed, we can 
not doubt after such a testimony; though St. Jerome 
questions it in part; for he says St. Paul found the 
inscription in the plural number, but, because he would 
not appear to acknowledge a plurality of gods, he 
| quoted it in the singular: Verum, quia Paulus non 


Epist. Philippi,represents the Athenians as πυνθανομενοι, | pluribus Diis indigebat ignotis, sed uno tantum ignoto 


1 


825 


Paul, having seen an altar 


Ae ein a 24 "God that made the world 
An. Olymp. and all things therein, seeing that 


ir. CCVIIL. 2. : 
oN eS" he is ¥ Lord of heaven and earth, 


w dwelleth not in temples made with hands ; 


THE ACTS. 


dedicated to the unknown God, 


25 Neither is worshipped with ἃς ΜῸ οἷν. 4058 
men’s hands, *as though he re Olymp. 


9 ; ir. CCVIII. 2. 
needed any thing, seeing yhe τ 


giveth to all life, and breath, and all things ; 


uChapter xiv. 15.——v¥ Matthew xi. 25. w Chapter vii. 48. 
x Psa. 1. 8. 
Deo, singulari verbo usus est. Epist. ad Magn. This 


is a most foolish saying: had Paul done so, how much 
would such a begging of the question have prejudiced 
his defence in the minds of his intelligent judges! 
Cicumenius intimates that St. Paul does not give the 
whole of the inscription which this famous altar bore ; 
and which he says was the following : Θεοῖς σίας καὶ 
Evporye καὶ Λιβυης, Θεῳ ayvacw καὶ ξενῳ, To the 
gods of Asia, and Europe, and Africa: T0 THE UN- 
KNOWN and strange Gop. Several eminent men sup- 
pose that this wnknown god was the God of the Jews ; 
and, as his name ΓΤ was considered by the Jews as 
ineffable, the Θεὸς ayvwcoc may be considered as 
che anonymous god; the god whose name was not 
known, and must not be pronounced. That there was 
such a god acknowledged at Athens we have full 
proof. Lucian. in his Philopatris, cap. xill. p. 769, 
uses this form of an oath: vy τὸν ayvwcov tov ev Αθη- 
vac, I swear by the uNkKNowN Gop at Aruens. And 
again, cap. Xxix. 180: ἥμεις de τον ev Αθηναις αγνωςον 
εφευροντες καὶ προσκυνήσαντες, χειρας εἰς ουὐρανον EKTEL- 
ναντες, τουτῳ εὐχαριςήσομεν ὡς καταξιωθεντες, &e. We 
have found out the UNKNowN god at AtTHENS—and 
worshipped him with our hands stretched up to heaven ; 
and we will give thanks unto him, as being thought 
worthy to be subject to this power. Bp. Pearce pro- 
perly asks, Is it likely that Lucian, speaking thus, 
(whether in jest or in earnest,) should not have had 
some notion of there being at Athens an altar inscribed 
to the unknown God? Philostratus, in vit. Apollon. 
vi. 3, notices the same thing, though he appears to 
refer to several altars thus inscribed : καὶ tavta AO 7 - 
νῃσι, οὗ Kal ayvacov Oewv βωμοι ἱδρυνται, And 
this at ATHENS, where there are ALTARS even to the 
UNKNOWN Gops. Pausanias, in Attic. cap. i. p. 4, 
edit. Kuhn., says that at Athens there are βωμοι Θεων 
τῶν ονομαζομενων ayvocov, altars of gods which are 
called, The UNKNOWN ones. Minutius Felix says of 
the Romans, Aras extruunt etiam ignotis numinibus. 
“They even build altars to UNKNOWN DIVINITIES.” 
And Tertullian, contra Marcion, says, Jnvenio plane 
Diis ignotis aras prostitutas : sed Attica idolatria est. 
“J find altars allotted to the worship of unknown 
gods: but this is an Attic idolatry.” Now, though 
in these last passages, both gods and altars are spoken 
of in the plural number ; yet it is reasonable to sup- 
pose that, on each, or upon some one of them, the in- 
scription ayvocw Θεῳ, To the unknown god, was act- 
ually found. The thing had subsisted long, and had 
got from Athens to Rome in the days of Tertullian 
and Minutius Felix. See Bp. Pearce and Dr. Cud- 
worth, to whose researches this note is much indebted. 

Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship] There is 
here a fine paronomasia, or play on the words. The 
apostle tells them that (on their system) they were a 
very religious people—that they had an altar inscrib- 

826 


y Gen. ii. 7; Num. xvi. 22; Job xii. 10; xxvii.3; xxxiii.4; Isa 
xlii. 5; lvii.16; Zech. xii. 1. 


ed, ayvacw Θεῳ, to the unknown God: him therefore, 
says he, whom, ayvavrec, ye unknowingly worship, I 
proclaim to you. Assuming it as a truth, that, as the 
true God was not known by them, and that there was 
an altar dedicated to the unknown god, his God was 
that god whose nature and operations he now pro- 
ceeded to declare. By this fine turn he eluded the 
force of that law which made it a capital offence to 
introduce any new god into the state, and of the 
breach of which he was charged, ver. 18; and thus 
he showed that he was bringing neither new god nor 
new worship among them; but only explaining the 
worship of one already acknowledged by the state, 
though not as yet known. 

Verse 24. God that made the world, §c.] Though 
the Epicureans held that the world was not made by 
God, but was the effect of a fortuitous concourse of 
atoms, yet this opinion was not popular ; and the Sto- 
ics held the contrary: St. Paul assumes, as an ac- 
knowledged truth, that there was a God who made 
the world and all things. 2. That this God could 
not be confined within temples made with hands, as 
he was the Lord or governor of heaven and earth. 
3. That, by fair consequence, the gods whom they 
worshipped, which were shut wp in their temples 
could not be this God; and they must be 1655 than 
the places in which they were contained. This was 
a strong, decisive stroke against the whole system of 
the Grecian idolatry. 

Verse 25. Neither is worshipped with men’s hands] 
This is an indirect stroke against making of images, 
and offering of sacrifices: he is not worshipped with 
human hands, as if he needed any thing, or required to 
be represented under a particular form or attitude ; 
nor has he required victims for his support ; for it is 
impossible that he should need any thing who him- 
self gives being, form, and life, to all creatures. 

Giveth—life, and breath, and all things] These 
words are elegantly introduced by St. Paul: God 
gives life, because he is the fountain of it: he gives 
breath, the faculty of breathing or respiration, by which 
this life is preserved; and though breathing, or respi- 
ration, be the act of the animal, yet the zvoyv, the 
faculty of breathing, and extracting from the atmo- 
sphere what serves as a pabulum of life, is given by the 
influence of God; and the continued power thus to 
respire, and extract that pure oxygen gas which is so 
evident a support of animal life, is as much the con- 
tinued gift of God as life itself is. But, as much 
more is necessary to keep the animal machine in a 
state of repair, God gives the ta παντα, all the other 
things which are requisite for this great and important 
purpose, that the end for which life was given may be 
fully answered. St. Paul also teaches that Divine 
worship is not enacted and established for Gop, but 
for the use of his creatures: he needs nothing that 

1 


takes occasion from this CHAP. 


wes ee ig 26 And hath made of one blood 
An. Olymp. all nations of men for to dwell 


ir. CCVILL 2. 
cit. COVII-. on all the face of the earth; and 


hath determined the times before appoint- 
ed, and the 5 bounds of their habitation ; 
27 * That they should seek the Lord, if 


Deut. xxxii. 8 —— Rom. i. 20.—» Chap. xiv. 17. 


man can give him; for man has nothing but what he 
has received from the hand of his Maker. 

Verse 26. Hath made of one blood] In AB, some 
others, with the Coptic, Aithiopic, Vulgate, Itala, 
Clement, and Bede, the word aijaroc, blood, is omitted. 
He hath made of one (meaning Adam) all nations of 
men; but αἷμα, blood, is often used by the best writers 
for race, stock, kindred : so Homer, Iliad, vi. ver. 211: | 


Ταυτῆς Tot γενεῆς Te Kat aluatoc evyouat εἰναι. 
1 glory im bemg of that same race and blood. 
So Virgil, Agn. viii. ver. 142, says :— 
Sic genus amborum scindit se sancuine ab uno. 
Thus, from one stock, do both our stems divide. 


See many examples of this form in Kypke. The 
Athenians had a foolish notion that they were self- 
produced, and were the aboriginals of mankind. Lu- 
cian ridicules this opinion, Αθηναίοι φασι τοὺς πρωτους 
ανθρωπους εκ THE ATTLKNG avaduval, Kabarep τα λαχανα. 
The Athenians say that the first men sprung up in 
Attica, like radishes. Lue. Philo-pseud. 3. 

To dwell on all the face of the earth} God in his 
wisdom produced the whole human race from one 
man; and, having in his providence scattered them 
over the face of the earth, by showing them that they 
sprang from one common source, has precluded all 
those contentious wars and bloodshed which would 
necessarily have taken place among the nations of the 
world, as each in its folly might have arrogated to 
itself a higher and more excellent origin than another. 

And hath determined the times before appointed] 
Instead of προτεταγμενοὺς Katpoue, the times before ap- 
pointed, ABDE, and more than forty others, with 
both the Syriac, all the Arabic, the Coptic. Aithiome, 
MS. Slavonian, Vulgate, and Itala, read προστεταγ- 
μενους Katpove, the appointed times. ‘The difference 
between the two words is this : προτασσειν signifies to 
place before others ; but xpoczaccsw is to command, 
decree, appoint. The προστεταγμενοι xarpor, are the 
constituted or decreed times; that is, the times ap- 
pointed by his providence, on which the several fami- 
lies should go to those countries where his wisdom 
designed they should dwell. See Gen. x.; and see 
Pearce and Rosenmiiller. 

And the bounds of their habitation] Every family 
being appointed to a particular place, that their pos- | 


terity might possess it for the purposes for which infi- | 
nite wisdom and goodness gave them their being, and 
the place of their abode. Every nation had its lot 
thus appointed by God, as truly as the Israelites had 
the land of Canaan. But the removal of the Jews 
from their own land shows that a people may forfeit 
nelr original inheritance ; and thus the Canaanites \ 
1 


}evil to any man. 
| presence from him, and then he necessarily perisheth.’ 
| This is philosophical and correct. 


XVII. to proclaim the true God 


A.M. cir. 4058 
A. D. cir. 54. 


An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVIIT. 2. 


haply they might feel after him, 
and find him, " though he be not 
far from every one of us: 

28 For ° in him we live, and move, and have 
our being; “as certain also of your own poets 
have said, For we are also his offspring. 


© Col. i. 17; Heb. i. 3——* Tit. i. 12. 


have been supplanted by the Jews; the Jews by the 
Saracens ; the Saracens by the Turks; the Greeks 
by the Romans; the Romans by the Goths and Van- 
dals; and so of others. See the notes on Gen. xi. 

Verse 27. That they should seek the Lord| ‘This 
is a conclusion drawn from the preceding statement. 
God, who is infinitely great and self-sufficient, has 
manifested himself as the maker of the world, the cre- 
ator, preserver, and governor of men. He has assigned 
them their portion, and dispensed to them their habita- 
tions, and the various blessings of his providence, to 
the end that they should seek him in all his works. 

Feel after him] Ψηλαφησειαν avrov, That they might 
grope after him, as a person does his way who is blind 
or blindfolded. The Gentiles, who had not a revela- 
tion, must grope after God, as the principle of spiritual 
life, that they might find him to be a Spirit, and the 
source of all intellectual happiness; and the apostle 
seems to state that none need despair of finding this 
fountain of goodness, because he is not far from every 
one of us. 

Verse 28. For in him we live, and move, and have 
our being] He is the very source of our exislence: 
the principle of life comes from him: the principle of 
motion, also, comes from him; one of the most difficult 
things in nature to be properly apprehended ; and a 
strong proof of the continual presence and energy of 
the Deity. 

And have our being] Kat ἐσμεν, And we are: we 
live in him, move in him, and are in him. Without 
him we not only can do nothing, but without him we 
are nothing. We are, i. e. we continue to be, because 
of his continued, present, all-pervading, and supporting 
energy. There is a remarkable saying in Synopsis 
Sohar, p. 104. ‘The holy blessed God never does 
He only withdraws his gracious 


As certain also of your own poets] Probably he 
means not only Aratus, in whose poem, entitled Phe- 
nomena, the words quoted by St. Paul are to be found 
literatim, tov yap καὶ yevoc ecuev; but also Cleanthus, 
in whose Hymn to Jupiter the same words (Ex cov 
yap yevoc ἐσμενὴ oceur. But the sentiment is found in 


| several others, being very common among the more 


enlightened philosophers. By saying your own poets, 


|he does not mean poets born at Athens, but merely 


Grecian poets, Aratus and Cleanthus being chief. 

We are also his offspring.| Tov yap και yevoc ἐσμεν. 
The Phenomena of Aratus, in which these words are 
found, begins thus :-— 


Ex Διος ἀρχωμεσθα, Tov οὐδεποτ᾽ avdpec ewpev 
Appntos* pecar de Διος πασαι μεν ayviat, 
827 


Paul teaches the doctrines of the 


A ἩΜῈ ΘΝ eri 29 Forasmuch then as we are 
. D. cir. 54. : τ 
An. Olymp. the offspring of God, ° we ought 


ir, ΟΟΥ̓́ΠΙ. 2. sags 5 
Sr COVII 3. not to think that the Godhead is 


like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by 
art and man’s device. 

30 And fthe times of this ignorance God 
winked at; but now commandeth all men 
every where to repent: 

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the 
which * he will judge the world in righteous- 
ness by that man whom he hath ordained ; 


eTsa. xl. 18.——f Chap. xiv. 16; Rom. iii. 25.——s Luke xxiv. 
47; Tit. 11. 11, 12; 1 Pet. i. 14; iv. 3. 


THE ACTS. 


resurrection and a future judgment. 


whereof he hath ‘ given assurance ἃς δ, cir. 4058. 
unto all men, in that *he hath 
raised him from the dead. 


A. D. cir. 54. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVIIL 2. 


32 9 And when they heard of the resurrec- 


tion of the dead, some mocked: and others 


said, We will hear thee again of this matter. 

33 So Paul departed from among them. 

84 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and 
believed: among the which was Dionysius 
the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, 
and others with them. 


hChap. x. 42; Romans ii. 16; xiv. 10——'Or, offered faith. 
k Chapter 11. 24. 


Taca δ' ανθρωπων ἀγοραι" pecn δὲ θαλασσα, 

Και λιμενες" παντὴ de Διος κεχρήμεθα παντες" 

ΤΟΥ͂ ΓᾺΡ ΚΑΙ ΤΈΝΟΣ ἘΣΜΕΝ: ὁ δ᾽ ἡπιος ανθρωποισι 
Δεξια σημαίνει. kK. τ. 2. 


With Jove we must begin; nor from him rove ; 
Him always praise, for all is full of Jove ! 

He fills all places where mankind resort, 

The wide-spread sea, with every shelt’ring port. 
Jove’s presence fills all space, upholds this ball ; 
All need his aid; his power sustains us all. 

For we his offspring are; and he in love 

Points out to man his labour from above : 

Where signs unerring show when best the soil, 

By well-timed culture, shall repay our toil, &., &c. 


Aratus was a Cilician, one of St. Paul’s own 
countrymen, and with his writings St. Paul was un- 
doubtedly well acquainted, though he had flourished 
about 300 years before that time. 

Verse 29. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring 
of God, 4.1 This inference of the apostle was very 
strong and conclusive ; and his argument runs thus : 
“Tf we are the offspring of God, he cannot be like 
those images of gold, silver, and stone, which are 
formed by the art and device of man; for the parent 
must resemble his offspring. Seeing, therefore, that 
we are living and intelligent beings, He from whom we 
have derived that being must be diving and intelligent. 
Tt is necessary, also, that the object of religious wor- 
ship should be much more excellent than the worship- 
per; but a man is, by innumerable degrees, more 
excellent than an wnage made out of gold, silver, or 
stone ; and yet it would be impious to worship a man: 
how much more so to worship these images as gods ! 
Every man in the Areopagus must have felt the power 
of this conclusion; and, taking it for granted that they 
had felt it, he proceeds :— 

Verse 30. The times of this ignorance God winked 
at) He who has an indisputable right to demand the 
worship of all his creatures has mercifully overlooked 
those acts of idolatry which have disgraced the world 
and debased man; but now, as he has condescended 
to give a revelation of himself, he commands, as the 
sovereign, all men every where, over every part of his 
dominions, to repent, μετανοεῖν, to change their views, 
designs, and practices; because he hath appointed a 

828 


day in which he will judge the world in righteousness ; 
and, as justice will then be done, no sinner, no perse- 
vering idolater, shall escape punishment. 

The word ὑπεριδεῖν, which we translate, to wink at, 
signifies simply do look over; and seems to be here 
used in the sense of passing by, not particularly no- 
ticing it. So God overlooked, or passed by, the times 
of heathenish ignorance: as he had not given them 
the talent of Divine revelation, so he did not require 
the improvement of that talent; but now, as he had 
given them that revelation, he would no longer over- 
look, or pass by, their ignorance or its fruits. 

Verse 31. He hath appointed a day| He has fixed 
the time in which he will judge the world, though he 
has not revealed this time to man. 

By that man whom he hath ordained] He has also 
appointed the judge, by whom the inhabitants of the 
earth are to be tried. 

Whereof he hath given assurance] Wicw παρασχὼν 
πασιν, Having given to all this indubitable proof, that 
Jesus Christ shall judge the world, by raising him from 
the dead. The sense of the argument is this: ‘“ Jesus 
Christ, whom we preach as the Saviour of men, has 
repeatedly told his followers that he would judge the 
world ; and has described to us, at large, the whole of 
the proceedings of that awful time, Matt. xxv. 31, &c.; 
John v. 25. Though he was put to death by the 
Jews, and thus he became a victim for sin, yet God 
raised him from the dead. By raising him from the 
dead, God has set his seal to the doctrines he has 
taught : one of these doctrines is, that he shall judge 
the world ; his resurrection, established by the most 
incontrovertible evidence, is therefore a proof, an in- 
contestable proof, that he shall judge the world, ac- 
cording to his own declaration.” 

Verse 32. When they heard of the resurrection, &c.| 
Paul undoubtedly had not finished his discourse : it 
is likely that he was about to have proclaimed salva- 
tion through Christ crucified ; but, on hearing of the 
resurrection of the body, the assembly instantly broke 
up; the Epicureans mocking, syAevafov, began to 
laugh; and the Stoics saying they would take another 
opportunity to hear him on that subject. And thus 
the assembly became dissolved before the apostle had 
time to finish his discourse, or to draw all the conclu- 
sions he had designed from the premises he had laid 
down. St. Stephen’s discourse was interrupted ir a 

1 


Additional observations on the 


similar manner. 
there. 

Verse 33. So Paul departed from among them.] 
He could not be convicted of having done any thing 
contrary to the law; and, when the assembly broke 
up, he was permitted to go about his own business. 

Verse 34. Certain men clave unto him] Became 
affectionately united to him, and believed the doctrines 
he had preached. 

Dionysius the Areopagite] There can be no doubt 
that this man was one of the judges of this great court, 
but whether the president or otherwise we cannot 
tell. Humanly speaking, his conversion must have 
been an acquisition of considerable importance to the 
Christian religion; for no person was a judge in the 
Areopagus who had not borne the office of archon, or 
chief governor of the city; and none bore the office 
of judge in this court who was not of the highest 
reputation among the people for his intelligence and 
exemplary conduct. In some of the popish writers we 
find a vast deal of groundless conjecture concerning 
Dionysius, who, they say, was first bishop of Athens, 
and raised to that dignity by Paul himself; that he was 
a martyr for the truth; that Damaris was his wife, &c., 
&c., concerning which the judicious Calmet says, Tout 
celaest de peu d’ autorité. “Allthishas little foundation.” 


See chap. vii. 54, and the note 


1. In addition to what has been said in the notes 
on this subject, I may add, the original word δεισιδαι- 
uovecepoc, from δειδω, I fear, and δαίμων, a demon, 
signifies, “greatly addicted to the worship of the 
invisible powers ;” for, as the word δαίμων signifies 
either a good or evil spirit, and δείδω, I fear, signifies 
not only to fear in general, but also to pay religious 
reverence, the word must be here taken in its best sense ; 
and so undoubtedly St. Paul intended it should; and 
so, doubtless, his audience understood him; for it 
would have been very imprudent to have charged them 
with superstition, which must have been extremely 
trritating, in the very commencement of a discourse 
in which he was to defend himself, and prove the 
truth of the Christian religion. He stated a fact, ac- 
knowledged by the best Greek writers ; and he reasoned 
from that fact. The fact was—that the Athenians 
were the most religious people in Greece, or, in other 
words, the most idolatrous: that there were in that 
city more altars, temples, sacrifices, and religious 
services, than in any other place. And independently 
of the authorities which may be quoted in support of 
this assertion, we may at once perceive the probability 
of it from the consideration that Athens was the grand 
university of Greece : that here philosophy and every 
thing relating to the worship of the gods was taught ; 
and that religious services to the deities must be abun- 
dant. Look at our own universities of Oxford and 
Cambridge ; here are more prayers, more religious 
acts and services, than in any other places in the nation, 
and very properly so. These were founded to be 
seminaries of learning and religion; and their very 
statutes suppose religion to be essential to learning ; 
and their founders were in general religious characters, 
and endowed them for religious purposes. These, 
therefore, are not superstitious services ; for, as super- 
stition signifies “unnecessary fears or scruples in 

1 


CHAP. XVII. religious disposition of the Athenians 


religion ; observance of unnecessary and uncommanded 
rites or practices,”—JoHNson, it cannot be said of 
those services which are founded on the positive com- 
mand of God, for the more effectual help to religious 
feelings, or as a preventive of immoral practices. I 
consider the Athenians, therefore, acting in conformity 
to their own Jaws and religious institutions ; and Paul 
grants that they were much addicted to religious per- 
formances: this he pays as a compliment, and then 
takes occasion to show that their religion was defect- 
ive; they had not a right object of devotion; they 
did not know the true God; the true God was to them 
the unknown God; and this an altar in their own city 
acknowledged. He therefore began to declare that 
glorious Being to them whom they ignorantly wor- 
shipped. As they were greatly addicted to religious 
services, and acknowledged that there was a Being to 
them unknown, and to whom they thought it neces- 
sary to erect an altar, they must, consistently with 
their character as a religious people and with their 
own concession in the erection «f this altar, hear 
quietly, patiently, and candidly, a discourse on that 
God whose being they acknowledged, but whose nature 
they did not know. Thus St. Paul, by acknowledg- 
ing their religious disposition, and seizing the fact of 
the altar being inscribed to the unknown God, as- 
sumed a right which not a philosopher, orator, or 
judge in the Areopagus could dispute, of bringing the 
whole subject of Christianity before them, as he was 
now brought to his trial, and put on his defence. The 
whole of this fine advantage, this grand stroke of rhe- 
torical prudence, is lost from the whole account, by 
our translation, ye are in all things too superstitious, 
thus causing the defendant to commence his discourse 
with a charge which would have roused the indigna- 
tion of the Greeks, and precluded the possibility of 
their hearing any thing he had to say in defence of 
his conduct. 

2. That the original word, on the right interpreta- 
tion of which I have laid so much stress, is taken ina 
good sense, and signifies religious worship and reve- 
rence, I shall show by several proofs; some of which 
may be seen in Mr. Parkhurst, under the word 
Δεισιδαιμονια, which Suidas explains by εὐλαβεια περι 
το Θεῖον, reverence towards the Deity. And Hesychius, 
by φοβοθεῖα, the fear of God. “In this good sense it 
is often used by Diodorus Siculus. Herodotus says of 
Orpheus, he led men, etc δεισιδαιμονίαν, to be religious ; 
and exhorted them, ext τὸ evaeBew, to piety; where 
it is manifest that δεισιδαιμονία must mean religion, 
and not superstition. But, what is more to the present 
purpose, the word is used by Josephus, not only where 
a heathen ealls the pagan religion δεισιδαιμονίας, (Antiq. 
lib. xix. cap. 5. s. 3,) or where the Jewish religion is 
spoken of by this name, in several edicts that were 
made in its favour by the Romans, (as in Antiq. lib 
xiv. cap. 10, s. 13, 14, 16, 18, 19,) but also where 
the historian is expressing his own thoughts in his own 
words: thus, of King Manasseh, after his repentance 
and restoration, he says, ἐσπουδαζεν macy περι αὐτὸν 
(Qcov) τῃ δεισιδαιμον ᾳ χρῆσθαι, he endeavoured to 
behave in the MosT RELIGIOUS manner towards God.— 
Antiq. lib. x. cap. 3, s. 2. And, speaking of a riot 
that happened among the Jews on oceasion of a Ro- 

829 


Observations on Paul’s 


man soldier’s burning the book of the law, he observes 
that the Jews were drawn together on this occasion, 
τῃ δεισιδαιμονίᾳ, by their religion, as if it had been. by 
an engine; ὀργάνῳ twt.—De Bell. lib. 11. cap. 12, 
s. 2.” It would be easy to multiply examples of this 
use of the word; but the reader may refer, if neces- 
sary, to Wetstein, Pearce, and others. 

3. That the Athenians were reputed, in this respect, 
a devout people, the following quotations may prove. 
Pausanias, in Attic. cap. xvii. p. 39, edit. MKuhn., 
says that the Athenians were not only more humane, 
αλλα καὶ ες Oeove εὐσεβεῖν, but more devout towards 
the gods; and again he says, δηλα τὲ evapywc, door 
Theov τι ἑτερων EVvoEBELaC μετεςίν, it appears plainly 
how much they exceed others in the worship of the 
gods; and, in cap. xxiv. p. 56, he says, A@jvacoce 
περισσοτερον Tl, ἡ τοις αλλοις, ες Ta Bera ect σπουδης; 
that the Athenians are abundantly more solicitous 
about Divine matters than others. And Josephus seals 
this testimony by the assertion, contr. Apion, li. 10: 
Αθηναίους ευσεβεςατους τῶν Ἕλληνων παντες λεγοῦσι ; 
Every body says that the Athenians are the most 
religious people of all the Greeks.—See Bp. Pearce. 
From all these authorities it is palpable that St. Paul 
must have used the term in the sense for which 1 
have contended. 

4. Τὴ the preceding notes, I have taken for granted 
that Paul was brought to the Areopagus to be tried 
on the charge of setting forth strange gods. Bp. 
Warburton denies that he was brought before the 
Areopagus on any charge whatever ; and that he was 
taken there that the judges might hear him explain his 
doctrine, and not to defend himself against a charge 
which he does not once notice in the whole of his 
discourse. But there is one circumstance that the 
bishop has not noticed, viz. that St. Paul was not 
permitted to finish his discourse, and therefore could 
not come to those particular parts of the charge 
brought against him which the bishop thinks he must 
have taken up most pointedly, had he been accused, 
and brought there to make his defence. The truth is, 
we have little more than the apostle’s exordium, as he 
was evidently interrupted in the prosecution of his 
defence. As to the supposition that he was brought 
by philosophers to the Areopagus, that they might the 
better hear him explain his doctrine, it appears to have 
little ground; for they might have heard him to as 
great advantage in any other place: nor does it appear 
that this court was ever used, except for the solemn 
purposes of justice. But the question, whether Paul 
was brought to the Areopagus that he might be tried 
by the judges of that court, Bishop Pearce answers 
with his usual judgment and discrimination. He 
observes: 1. “ We are told that one effect of his 
preaching was, that he converted Dionysius the Areo- 
pagite, ver. 34; and this seems to show that he, who 
was a judge of that court, was present, and, if so, pro- 
bably other judges were present also. 2. If they who 
brought Paul to Areopagus wanted only to satisfy 
their curiosity, they had an opportunity of doing that 
in the market, rnentioned ver. 17. | Why then did they 
remove him to another place? 3. When it is said 
that they brought Paul to Areopagus, it is said that 
they look him, ἐπιλαβομενοι avrot, or, rather, they laid 

830 


THE ACTS. 


preaching in the Areopagus 


hold on him, as the Greek word is translated, Luke 
XXili. 26, and xx. 20, 26, and as it ought to have 
been here, in chap. xxi. 30, 33, and especially in this 
latter verse. 4. It is observable that Paul, in his 
whole discourse at the Areopagus, did not make the 
least attempt to move the passions of his audience, as 
he did when speaking to Felix, chap. xxiv. 25, and 
to Agrippa, chap. xxvi. 29; but he used plain and 
grave reasoning to convince his hearers of the sound- 
ness of his doctrine. 

“ Now, we are told by Quinctilian, in Inst. Orat. 
ii. 16, that Athenis actor movere affectus vetabatur: 
the actor was forbidden to endeavour to excite the 
passions. And again, in vi. 1, that Athenis affectus 
movere etiam per preconem prohibebatur orator: 
among the Athenians, the orator was prohibited by 
the public crier to move the passions of his auditory. 
And this is confirmed by Pfilostratus in prom. lib. 
i. de Vit. Sophist. ; and by Atheneus, in Deipnosoph. 
xiii. 6. If, therefore, it was strictly forbidden at 
Athens to move the affections of the courts of justice, 
especially in that of the Areopagus, we see a good 
reason why Paul made no attempt in that way; and, 
at the same time, we learn how improperly the 
painters have done all they could, when they repre- 
sent Paul speaking at Athens, endeavouring both 
by his looks and gestures to raise those several pas- 
sions in his hearers which their faces are meant to 
express.” 

I have only to add here, that, though St. Paul did 
not endeavour to excite any passions in his address at 
the Areopagus, yet each sect of the philosophers would 
feel themselves powerfully affected by every thing in 
his discourse which tended to show the emptiness or 
falsity of their doctrines ; and, though he attempted to 
move no passions, yet, from these considerations, their 
passions would be strongly moved. And this is the 
idea which the inimitable Raphael took up in his cele- 
brated cartoon on this subject, and which his best 
copier, Mr. Thomas Holloway, has not only engraved 
to the life, but has also described in language only in- 
ferior to the cartoon itself; and, as it affords no mean 
comment on the preceding discourse, my readers will 
be pleased to find it here. 

By the cartoons of Raphael, we are to understand 
certain Seripture pieces painted by Raphael d’Urbino, 
and now preserved in the palace at Hampton court 
They are allowed to be the chefs d’ceuvre in their kind. 
They have been often engraved, but never so as to give 
an adequate representation of the matchless originals, 
till Mr. Thomas Holloway, who has completely seized 
the spirit of the artist, undertook this most laborious 
work, in which he has been wholly engaged for seve- 
ral years; and in which he has, for some time past, 
associated with himself Messrs. Slann and Webd, two 
excellent artists, who had formerly been his own pupils. 
The cartoon to which I have referred has been some 
time finished, and delivered to the subscribers; and 
with it that elegant description, from which the follow- 
ing is a copious extract :— 

‘“‘ The eye no sooner glances on this celebrated car- 
toon than it is immediately struck with the command- 
ing attitude of the speaker, and the various emotions 
excited in his hearers. 

A 


Observations on I aul’s 


“ The interest which the first appearance of St. Paul 
at Athens had occasioned, was not calculated to sub- 
side on a sudden; his doctrines were too new, and his 
zeal too ardent. From the multitude it ascended to 
the philosophers. The Epicureans and Stoics parti- 
cularly assailed him. Antecedently to the scene de- 
scribed in the picture, among the various characters 
already encountered by the apostle, many undoubtedly, 
in their speculations upon Divine subjects, had often 
imagined a sublimer religion than that commonly ac- 
knowledged: such, therefore, would make it their 
business to hear him again. Others, to whom truth 
was of less value than the idle amusement of vain dis- 
quisition, felt no other motive than curiosity. By far 


the greater part, however, obstinately bigoted to their’ 


particular tenets, and abhorring innovation, regarded 
him as impious, or a mere babbler: these also wished 
to hear him again, but with no other than the insidious 
view, that, by a more regular and explicit profession of 
his doctrines, he might expose his own absurdities, or 
render himself obnoxious to the state. The drapery 
accords with the majesty of the figure; and the light 
is so managed, especially on the arms and hands, as 
greatly to assist the energy of the action. 

“The painter has proceeded, from the warmth of 
full conviction, through various gradations, to the ex- 
tremes of malignant prejudice, and invincible bigotry. 

“In the foreground, on the right, is Dionysius, who 
is recorded to have embraced the new religion. With 
the utmost fervour in his countenance, and with a kind 
of sympathetie action and unconscious eagerness, he 
advances a step nearer. His eye is fixed on the apos- 
tle: he longs to tell him his conversion, already per- 
haps preceded by conviction wrought in his mind by 
the reasonings of the sacred teacher on previous occa- 
sions, in the synagogue, and in the forum or market- 
place. He appears not only touched with the doctrine 
he receives, but expresses an evident attachment to his 
instrueter : he would become his host and protector. 

“This figure is altogether admirable. The grace- 
fulness of the drapery and of the hair; the masculine 
beauty of the features; the perspective drawing of the 
arms; the life and sentiment of the hands, the right 
one especially, are inimitable. 

“ Behind is Damaris, mentioned with him as a fel- 
low believer. This is the only female in the compo- 
sition; but the painter has fully availed himself of the 
character, in assisting his principle of contrast; an 
excellence found in all the works of Raphael. Her 
discreet distance, her modest deportment, her pious and 
diffident eye, discovering a degree of awe, the decorum 
and arrangement of her train, all interest the mind in 
her favour. 

“ Next to these, but at some distance, is a Stoic. 
The first survey of this figure conveys the nature of his 
peculiar philosophy—dignity and austerity. Raphael 
has well understood what he meant in this instance to 
illustrate. His head is sunk in his breast; his arms 
are mechanically folded; his eyes, almost shut, glance 
wwards the ground: he is absorbed in reflection. In 
spite of his stoicism, discomposure and perplexity in- 
vade his soul, mixed with a degree of haughty morti- 
fication. 

“ Sir Joshua Reynclds has observed that ‘ the same 

1 


CHAP. XVII. 


preaching in the Areopagus 


idea is continued through the whole figure, even to the 
drapery, which is so closely muffled about him that even 
his hands are not seen ;’ and that, ‘ by this happy cor- 
respondence between the expression of the countenance 
and the disposition of the parts, the figure appears to 
think from head to foot.’ 

“Behind the Stoic are two young men, well con- 
trasted in expression: anger in the elder, and in the 
other, youthful pride, half abashed, are finely diseri- 
minated. 

“ Beyond, in the same continued half circle with the 
Stoic, is perhaps exhibited the most astonishing con- 
trast ever imagined; that of inexorable sternness, and 
complete placidity. 

“ Of the two figures, the first is denominated a Cy 
nic, who, disappointed in his expectation of the ridi- 
culous appearance which he conceived the apostle, when 
confronted, would make among them, abandons his mind 
to rage. His formidable forehead concentrates its 
whole expression: with a fixed frown and threatening 
eye, he surveys the object of his indignation. He 
alone would engage to confute him, or punish his te- 
merity. His eager impatience and irritation are not 
discovered in his features only ; he raises his heel from 
the ground, and leans with a firmer pressure on his 
crutch, which seems to bend beneath him. 

“Pass from him to the more polished Epicurean. 
This figure exhibits perfect repose of body and mind : 
no passions agitate the one ; no action discomposes the 
other. His hands, judiciously concealed beneath beau- 
tiful drapery, shows there can be no possible motion or 
employment for them. His feet seem to sleep upon 
the ground. His countenance, which is highly pleasing, 
and full of natural gentleness, expresses only a smile 
of pity at the fancied errors of the apostle, mingled 
with delight derived from his eloquence. He waits, 
with an inclined head, in passive and serene expecta- 
tion. If a shrewd intelligence is discovered in his 
eyes, it is too gentle to disturb the general expression 
of tranquillity. 

“Behind are two other young men: the first dis- 
covers a degree of superciliousness with his vexation ; 
his companion is more disgusted, and more morose. 

“These, and the two young figures previously de- 
scribed, are not introduced merely to fill up the group ; 
they may be intended as pupils to the philosophers 
before them, though by some considered as young 
Romans, who have introduced themselves from ennui 
or curiosity. 

“ Beyond is a character in whose mind the force of 
truth and eloquence appears to have produced convic- 
tion; but pride, vanity, or self-interest, impel him to 
dissemble. His finger, placed upon the upper lip, 
shows that he has imposed silence upon himself. 

“Tn the centre is seated a group from the academy. 
The skill of Raphael in this instance is eminent. These 
figures are not only thrown into shade, to prevent their 
interference with the principal figure ; but, from their 
posture, they contribute to its elevation, and at the same 
time vary the line of the standing group. 

(ΤῈ seems as if the old philosopher in profile, on the 
left, had offered some observations on the apostle’s ad- 
dress; and that he was eagerly listening to the reply 
of his sage friend, in whose features we behold more 

831 


Paul departs from Athens, 


of the spirit of mild philosophy. The action of his 
fingers denotes his habit of reasoning, and regularity 
of argument. The middle figure behind appears to be 
watching the effect which his remarks would produce. 

“The action of the young man, pointing to the 
apostle, characterizes the keen susceptibility and im- 
petuosity of his age. His countenance expresses dis- 
gust, approaching to horror. The other young man 
turns his head round, as though complaining of unrea- 
sonable interruption. The drapery of both the front 
figures in this group is finely drawn: the opening 
action of the knees in the one is beautifully followed 
and described by the folds ; in the other, the compres- 
sion, in consequence of the bent attitude, is equally 
executed ; the turn of the head gives grace and variety 
to the figure. 

“The head introduced beyond, and rather apart, is 
intended to break the two answering lines of the dark 
contour of the apostle’s drapery, and the building in the 
background. 

“Tn the group placed behind the apostle, the mind 
is astonished at the new character of composition. 
The finest light imaginable is thrown upon the sitting 
figure ; and, as necessary, a mass of shade is cast upon 
the two others. 

“Tt is difficult to ascertain what or whom Raphael 
meant by that corpulent and haughty personage wear- 
ing the cap. His expression, however, is evident: 
malice and vexation are depicted in his countenance ; 


THE ACTS. 


and comes to Corinth 


his stride, and the action of his hand, are character- 
istic of his temperament. 

“The figure standing behind is supposed to be a 
magician. His dark hair and beard, which seem to 
have been neglected, and the keen mysterious gaze of 
his eye, certainly exhibit a mind addicted to unusual 
studies. Under him, the only remaining figure is one 
who listens with malignant attention, as though intend- 
ing to report every thing. He has the aspect of a 
spy. His eye is full of danger to the apostle ; and he 
crouches below that he may not be disturbed by com- 
munication. 

“Tf this figure be considered with reference to Dio- 
nysius, it may be remarked that Raphael has not only 
contrasted his characters, but even the two ends of his 
picture. By this means the greatest possible force is 
given to the subject. At the first survey, the subor- 
dinate contrasts may escape the eye, but these greater 
oppositions must have their effect. 

“When, from this detailed display of the cartoon 
the eye again glances over the whole subject, including 
the dignity of the architecture; the propriety of the 
statue of Mars, which faces his temple; the happy 
management of the landscape, with the two conversa- 
tion figures; the result must be an acknowledgment 
that in this one effort of art is combined all that is great 
in drawing, in expression, and in composition.”— 
Holloway’s description of Raphael’s Cartoon of Paul 
preaching at Athens. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


Paul, leaving Athens, comes to Corinth, meets with Aquila and Priscilla, and labours with them at tent- 


making, 1-3. He preaches, and proves that Jesus was the Christ, 4, 5. 


and he purposes to go to the Gentiles, 6. 


The Jews oppose and blaspheme 3 


Justus, Crispus, and several of the Corinthians believe, 7, 8. 


Paul has a vision, by which he is greatly comforted,9, 10. He continues there a year and six months, 11. 
Gallio being deputy of Achaia, the Jews make insurrection against Paul, and bring him before the deputy, 


who dismisses the cause; whereupon the Jews commit a variety of outrages, 12-17. 
and from thence to Ephesus, where he preaches, 18-20. 


Antioch, Galatia, and Phrygia, 21-23. 


A.M. cir. 4058. ἡ 
fone 751: AFTER these things Paul 
An. Olymp. departed from Athens, and 


cir. ΟΟΥ̓́ΠΙ. 2. ὃ 
Sa came to) Δ ΟΤΙΠΊΠ : 


41 Cor.i.2; Rom. xvi. 3; 


Paul sails to Syria, 
He leaves Ephesus—goes to Caesarea, visits 


Account of Apollos and his preaching, 24-28. 


2 And found a certain Jew Wenner 
named * Aquila, born in Pontus, An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVIII. 2. 


lately come from Italy with his 


1 Cor. xvi. 19; 2 Tim. iv. 19. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII. 

Verse 1. Paul departed from Athens] How long 
he stayed here, we cannot tell; it is probable it could 
not be less than three months ; but, finding that the 
Gospel made little progress among the Athenians, he 
resolved to go to Corinth. 

CoriNnTH was situated on the isthmus that connects 
Peloponnesus to Attica; and was the capital of all 
Achaia, or Peloponnesus. It was most advantage- 
ously situated for trade; for, by its two ports, the 
Lecheum and Cenchree, it commanded the commerce 
both of the Jonian and Agean Sea. It was destroyed 
by the Romans under Mummius, about one hundred 
and forty-six years before Christ, in their wars with 
Attica; but was rebuilt by Julius Cesar, and became 

832 


one of the most considerable cities of Greece. Like 
other kingdoms and states, it has undergone a variety 
of revolutions: from the oppressive and destructive 
government of the Turks it has been lately restored to 
that of the Greeks; but it is greatly reduced, its whole 
population amounting only to between thirteen and four- 
teen thousand souls. It is about 46 miles east of 
Athens, and 342 S. W. of Constantinople. Its public 
buildings were very superb ; and there the order called 
the Corinthian Order, in architecture, took its rise. 
Verse 2. A certain Jew named Aquila] Some have 
supposed that this Aquila was the same with the On- 
kelos, mentioned by the Jews. See the article in 
Wolfius, Bibl. Hebr. vol. ii. p. 1147. We have na 
evidence that this Jew and his wife were at this time 
1 


Paul engages m tent-making. CHAP 
A. Mi cir. 4058. wife Priscilla; (because that 
An. 0 


lymp. Claudius had commanded all 
UL. 2. 
Jews to depart from Rome :) 
and came unto them. 

3 And because he was of the same craft, he 
abode with them, ἢ and wrought: for by their 
occupation they were tent-makers. 


cir. CC 


bChap. xx. 34; ] Cor. iv. 12; 1 Thess. ii. 9; 2 Thess. iii. 8. 
© Chap. xvii. 2.——# Chap. xvii. 14, 15. 


converted to the Christian religion. Their conversion 
was most likely the fruit of St. Paul’s lodging with 
them—Pontus. See the note on chap. il. 9. 

Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from 
Rome] This edict of the Roman emperor is not men- 
tioned by Josephus; but it is probably the same to 
which Suetonius refers in his life of Claudius; where 
he says, Judeos, impulsore Chresto, assidue tumultu- 
antes Roma expulit. “He expelled the Jews from 
Rome, as they were making continual insurrections, 
under their leader Chrestus.” Who this Chrestus was 
we cannot tell; probably Suetonius meant Christ ; but 
this I confess does not appear to me likely. There 
might have been a Jew of the name of Chrestus, who 
had made some disturbances, and, in consequence, 
Claudius thought proper to banish all Jews from the 
city. But how could he intend Christ, who was never 
at Rome? nor did any one ever personate him in that 
city ; and it is evident he could not refer to any spirit- 
ual influence exerted by Christ on the minds of the 
people. Indeed he speaks of Chrestus as being the 
person who was the cause of the disturbances. It is 
no fictitious name, no name of an absent person, nor 
of a sect ; but of one who was well known by the dis- 
turbanees which he occasioned, and for which it is 
likely he suffered, and those of his nation were ex- 
pelled. This decree, which was made, not by the 
senate, but by the emperor himself, continued only in 
force during his life, if so long; for in a short time 
after this Rome again abounded with Jews. 

Verse 3. He abode with them, and wrought] Bp. 
Pearce observes that it was a custom among the Jews, 
even of such as had a better education than ordinary, 
which was Paul’s case, chap. xxii. 3, to learn a trade, 
that, wherever they were, they might provide for 
themselves in case of necessity. And though Paul, 
in some cases, lived on the bounty of his converts, yet 
he chose not to do so at Ephesus, chap. xx. 34; nor 
at Corinth or other places, 1 Cor. iv. 12; 2 Cor. ix. 
8,9; 1 Thess. iii. 8; and this Paul did for a reason 
which he gives in 2 Cor. xi. 9-12. While he was 
at Corinth he was supplied, when his own labour did 
not procure him enough, “ by the brethren which came 
to him there from Macedonia.” It appears that the 


apostle had his lodging with Aquila and Priscilla; | 


and probably a portion of the profits of the business, 
after his board was deducted. It was evidently no 
reproach for a man, at ¢hat time, to unite public teach- 
ing with an honest useful trade. And why should it 
be so now ? 
thorough knowledge of the Gospel way of salvation, 
explain that way to his less informed neighbours, though 
Vou 1. ( 53 \ 


May not a man who has acquired a 


SVL: He preaches in a synagogue 


A. M. cir. 4058, 
A. D. cir. 54. 


An. Olymp. 
cir. ΟΟΥ̓́ΠΙ. 2. 


4 ° And he reasoned in the syna- 
gogue every Sabbath, and persuad- 
ed the Jews and the Greeks. SS 

5 And ¢4when Silas and Timotheus were 
come from Macedonia, Paul was ° pressed in 
the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus 
£ was Christ. 


eJob xxxii. 18; chapter xvii. 3; verse 28——‘Or, is the 
Christ. 


he be a tent-maker, (what perhaps we would call a 
house-carpenter,) or a shoemaker, or any thing else ? 
Even many of those who consider it a cardinal sin for 
a mechanic to preach the Gospel, are providing for 
themselves and their families in the same way. How 
many of the clergy, and other ministers, are farmers, 
graziers, schoolmasters, and sleeping partners in differ- 
ent trades and commercial concerns! A tent-maker, 
}in his place, is as useful as any of these. Do not 
ridicule the mechanic because he preaches the Gospel 
to the salvation of his neighbours, lest some one should 
say, in a language which you glory to have learned 
and which the mechanic has not, Mutato nomine, de 
TE fabula narratur. 

There are different opinions concerning what is 
meant here by the σκηνοποίος, which we translate tent- 
maker. Some think it means a maker of those small 
portable tents, formed of skins, which soldiers and 
travellers usually carried with them on their journeys ; 
others suppose that these tents were made of linen 
cloth. Some think that the trade of St. Paul was 
making hangings or curtains, such as were used at the 
theatres ; others think the σκηνοποίος was a sort of wm- 
brella-maker ; others, a weaver, &c., &c. In short, 
we know not what the trade was. I have generally 
preferred the notion of a carpenter, or faber lignarius. 
Whatever it was, it was an honest, useful calling, and 
Paul got his bread by it. 

Verse 4. He reasoned in the synagogue every Sab- 
bath] Discoursed at large concerning Jesus as the 
Messiah, proving this point from their own Scriptures, 
collated with the facts of our Lord’s life, &c. 

And persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.] Many, 
both Jews and proselytes, were convinced of the truth 
of his doctrine. Among his converts was Epenetus, 
the first fruit of his labour in Achaia, Rom. xvi. 5; 
and the family of Stephanas was the next; and then 
Crispus and Caius, or Gaius ; all of whom the apostle 
himself baptized, 1 Cor. i. 14-16. See on ver. 8. 

Verse 5. When Silas and Timotheus were come} 
We have seen, chap. xvii. 13, that when Paul was 
obliged to leave Berea, because of the persecution 
raised up against him in that place, he left Silas and 
Timotheus behind; to whom he afterwards sent word 
to rejoin him at Athens with all speed. It appears. 
'from 1 Thess. iii. 10, that, on Timothy’s coming to 
Athens, Paul immediately sent him, and probably Silas 
'with him, to comfort and establish the Church at 
Thessalonica. How long they laboured here is un- 
certain, but they did not rejoin him till some time 
after he came to Corinth. It appears that he was 
| greatly rejoiced at the account which Timothy brought 

833 


The Jews oppose, and Paul 


A.M cir. 4058. 6 And &when they opposed 
An. Olymp. themselves, and blasphemed, * he 


cir. CCVIIL. 2. > : : 
ss shook Azs raiment, and said unto 


them, * Your blood be upon your own heads ; 
ΚΤ am clean: ' from henceforth I will go unto 
the Gentiles. 

7 And he departed thence, and entered into a 


THE ACTS. 


purposes to go to the Gentues 


certain man’s house, named Justus, 4,M. cir. 4058 
one that worshipped God, whose An. Olymp. 
ἧς cir. CCVIII. 2. 
house joined hard tothesynagogue, ς΄ ~ 
8 ™And Crispus, the chief ruler of the 
synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his 
house ; and many of the Corinthians hearing 
believed, and were baptized. 


& Chap. xiii. 45; 1 Pet. iv. 4. 4 Neh. v. 13; Matt. x. 14; 
chap. ΧΙ]. 51——* Lev. xx. 9,11, 12; 2Sam.i. 16; Ezek. xviii. 


13; xxxili, 4——k Ezek. iii. 18, 19; xxxiii. 9; chap. xx. 26 
1 Chap. xiii. 46; xxviii. 28.——™] Cor. i. 14. 


of the Church at Thessaloniea ; and it must have been 
immediately after this that he wrote his first epistle to 
that Church, which is probably the first, in order of 
time, of all his epistles. 

Paul was pressed in spirit] Svveryeto τῳ πνευματι, 
or he was constrained by the Spirit of God, in an ex- 
traordinary manner, to testify to the Jews that Jesus 
was the Christ. Instead of τῷ πνεύματι, in the spirit, 
To Aoyw, in the word or doctrine, is the reading of 
ABDE, three others; both the Syriac, Coptic, Vul- 
gate, Basil, Chrysostom, and others. Griesbach has 
received this reading into the text, and Bp. Pearce 
thus paraphrases the verse: “ And when Silas and 
Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul set him- 
self, together with them, wholly to the word; i. e. he 
was fully employed, now that he had their assistance, 
in preaching the Gospel, called the word in chap. iv. 
4; xvi. 6,32,and xvii. 11. St. Luke seems to have 
intended to express here something relating to St. 
Paul which was the consequence of the coming of 
Silas and Timotheus; and that was rather labouring 
with them more abundantly in preaching the word 
than his being “pressed in spirit.” This appears to 
be the true sense of the word, and that τῳ λόγῳ is the 
genuine reading there can be no doubt. Συνείχετο, 
which we translate pressed, and which the Vulgate 
translates instabat, Bp. Pearce thinks should be trans- 
lated wna cum illis instabat, he earnestly strove toge- 
ther with them, τῷ λόγῳ, in preaching the word. The 
true sense is given by Calmet, Paul s’employoit ἃ 
précher encore avec plus d’ardeur, Paul was employed 
with more ardour in preaching, and testifying to the 
Jews that Jesus was the Christ. From this time we 
hear no more of Silas ; probably he died in Macedonia. 

Verse 6. When they opposed) Αντιτασσομενων, Sys- 
tematically opposing ; putting themselves in warlike 
order against him: so the word implies. 

And blasphemed] This is precisely the way in 
which they still act. They have no arguments against 
Jesus being the Messiah; but, having made a cove- 
nant with unbelief, as soon as they are pressed on this 
point, they rail and blaspheme.—See the Tela ignea 
Satana, by Wagenseil. 

He shook his raiment] This was an action similar 
to that of shaking the dust off the feet ; see on Matt. 
x. 14. See a parallel act, and it8 signification, in 
Nehem. v. 13: Also I sHoox my wap, and said, So 
shall God SHAKE every man FROM HIS HOUSE and FROM 
his Lapour; even thus shall he be SHAKEN οὔτ and 
EMPTIED. St. Paul’s act on this occasion seems to 
have been the same with this of Nehemiah, and with 

834 


the same signification; and it is likely that he was 
led by a Divine impulse to do it—thus signifying the 
shaking and emptying out of this disobedient people, 
which took place about sixteen years afterwards. 

Your blood be upon your own heads] That is, ye 
alone are the cause of the destruction that is coming 
upon yourselves and upon your country. 

Iam clean] Καθαρος eyo, | am pure or innocent of 
your death and ruin. 1 have proposed to you the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ—the only means by which ye 
can be saved, and ye have utterly rejected it. I shall 
labour no more with you; and, from henceforth, shall 
confine my labours to the Gentiles. St. Paul must 
refer to the Jews and Gentiles of Corinth particularly ; 
for he preached to the Jews occasionally in other 
places ; see chap. xix. 8, 9; and several were brought 
to the knowledge of the truth. But it seems as if the 
Jews from this time systematically opposed the Gospel 
of Christ ; and yet, general tenders of this salvation 
were made to them wherever the apostles came ; and 
when they rejected them, the word was sent to the 
Gentiles; see chap. xix. 8, 9. 

Pure from blood, or pure from guilt, is commonly 
expressed by kafapoc; thus Heliodorus, lib. i. p. 49: 
Erg devpo διετελεσα καθαραν ἐμαυτὴν απὸ σῆς ὁμιλιας 
φυλαττεσα, Until now I have lived, preserving myself 
pure: and Alciphron, lib. i. epist. 7, ad. fin. : Oude 
μίαναι AvOpw τας χειρας, ἃς ἡ ϑαλαττα εκ παιδος εἰς δευρο 
καϑαρας αδικηματων εφυλαξε, Nor to stain with pollu- 
tion the hands which a seafaring life has kept froma 
child until now pure from miquity. 

Verse 7. And he devarted thence] From his former 
lodging, or that quarter of the city where he had dwelt 
before with Aquila and Priscilla ; and went to lodge 
with Justus, apparently a proselyte of the gate. This 
person is called Titus, and Titus Justus, in several 
MSS. and versions. 

Verse 8. Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue] 
This person held an office of considerable consequence ; 
and therefore his conversion to Christianity must have 
been very galling to the Jews. It belonged to the 
chief or ruler of the synagogue to preside in all the 
assemblies, interpret the law, decide concerning things 
lawful and unlawful, punish the refractory, excommu- 
nicate the rebellious, solemnize marriages, and issue 
divorces. It is likely that, on the conversion of Cris- 
pus, Sosthenes was chosen to succeed him. 

Many of the Corinthians} Those to whom the sa- 
cred historian refers were probably Gentiles, and were 
the fruits of the apostle’s labours after he had ceased 
to preach among the Jews. 

( 595 0 


Paul has a vision, by which 
oe Ne 7 Then » spake the Lord to 

An, ΟἹ ΝᾺ Paul in the night by a vision, Be 
ir CONNE® not afraid, but speak, and hold 
not thy peace : 

10 ° For I am with thee, and no man shall 
set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much 
people in this city. 

11 And he ? continued there a year and six 
months, teaching the word of God among 
hem. 


Ὁ Chap. xxiii. 11—® Jer. i. 18, 19 ; Matt. xxviii. 20. 


CHAP. 


XVIII. 


12 And when Gallio was 4-,M; οἷν 4050. 
the deputy of Achaia, the Jews pan Cum. 
made insurrection with one ac- -- 
cord against Paul, and brought him to the 
judgment seat, 

13 Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to 
worship God contrary to the law. 

14 And when Paul was now about to open 
his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, ‘If it 
were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, 


he is greatly comforted. 


P Gr. sat there ——4 Chap. xxiii. 29; xxv. 11, 19. 


Verse 9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night 
by a vision] It is likely that Paul was at this time 
much discouraged by the violent opposition of the Jews, 
and probably was in danger of his life; see ver. 10; 
and might have been entertaining serious thoughts of 
ceasing to preach, or leaving Corinth. To prevent 
this, and comfort him, God was pleased to give him 
this vision. 

Be not afraid) That this comfort and assurance 
were necessary himself shows us in his first epistle to 
these Corinthians, chap. ii. 3: I was with you in 
weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 

Verse 10. No man shall set on thee] Kar ovdere 
επιθησεται cot, No man shall be permitted to lay vio- 
lent hands upon thee. Τ is very likely that the Jews 
had conspired his death ; and his preservation was an 
act of the especial interposition of Divine Providence. 

I have much people in this city.| Ev ry moder ταύτῃ, 
In this very city: there are many here who have not 
resisted my Spirit, and consequently are now under its 
teachings, and are ready to embrace my Gospel as 
soon as thou shalt declare it unto them. 

Verse 11. He continued there a year and six 
months| He was now confident that he was under the 
especial protection of God, and therefore continued 
teaching the word, tov λογον, the doctrine of God. It 
is very likely, that it was during his stay here that he 
wrote his first epistle to the Thessalonians, and the 
second not long after; and some think that the epistle 
to the Galatians was written during his stay at Corinth. 

Verse 12. When Gallio was the deputy of Achaia] 
The Romans comprehended, under the name of Achaia, 
all that part of Greece which lay between Thessaly and 
the southernmost coasts of Peloponnesus. Pausanias, 
in Aétic. vii. 16, says that the Romans were accus- 
tomed to send a governor into that country, and that 
they called him the governor of Achaia, not of Greece; 
because the Acheans, when they subdued Greece, were 
the Jeaders in all the Grecian affairs: see also Sueto- 
nius, in his life of Claudius, cap. xxv., and Dio Cas- 
sius, lx. 24. Edit. Reimari. 

Deputy] Ανθυπατεύοντος, serving the office of Av- 
θυπατος, or deputy : see the note on cliap. xiii. ver. 7. 

Gallio] This deputy, or proconsul, was eldest brother 
to the celebrated Lucius Anneus Seneca, the stoic 
philosopher, preceptor of Nero, and who is so well 
known among the learned by his works. The name 
of Gallio, was at first Marcus Anneus Novatus ; but, 


naving been adopted in the family of Gallio, he took | 
1 


the name of Lucius Junius Gallio. He, and Anneus 
Mela his brother, father of the poet Lucan, shared in 
the disgrace of their brother Seneca; and by this 
tyrant, Nero, whose early years were so promising, 
the three brothers were put to death; see Tacitus, 
Annal. lib. xv. 70, and xvi. 17. It was to this Gallio 
that Seneca dedicates his book De Ird. Seneca 
describes him as a man of the most amiable mind and 
manners: “ Quem nemo non parum amat, etiam qui 
amare plus non potest; nemo mortalium uni tam dul- 
cis est, quam hic omnibus : cum interim tanta naturalis 
boni vis est, uti artem simulationemque non redoleat :” 
vide Senec. Prefat. ad Natural. Quest. 4. He was 
of the sweetest disposition, affable to all, and beloved 
by every man. 

Statius, Sylvar. lib. ii. 7. ver. 30, Ode on the 
Birthday of Lucan, says not a little in his favour, in 
a very few words :— 


LInucanum potes imputare terris ; 
Hoc plus quam Senecam dedisse mundo, 
Aut dulcem generasse Gallionem. 


You may consider nature as having made greater 
efforts in producing Lucan, than it has done in pro- 
ducing Seneca, or even the amiable Gauuio. 

And brought him to the judgment seat} They had 
no power to punish any person in the Roman pro- 
vinces, and therefore were obliged to bring their com- 
plaint before the Roman governor. The powers that 
be are ordained of God. Tad the Jews possessed the 
power here, Paul had been put to death! 

Verse 13. Persuadeth men to worship God contrary 
to the law.] This accusation was very insidious. The 
Jews had permission by the Romans to worship their 
own God in their own way: this the laws allowed. 
The Roman worship was also established by the law. 
The Jews probably intended to accuse Paul of aet- 
ing contrary to both laws. ‘“ He is not a Jew, for he 
does not admit of circumcision; he is not a Gentile, 
for he preaches against the worship of the gods. He 
is setting up a worship of his own, in opposition to all 
laws, and persuading many people to join with him: 
he is therefore a most dangerous man, and should be 
put to death.” 

Verse 14. Paul was now “Aout to open his mouth} 
He was about to enter on tis 72fence; but Gallio, 
perceiving that the prosecution was ‘rough envy and 
malice, would not put Paul to any fartne, ‘rouble, but 
determined the matter as follows. 

835 


Gallio refuses to hear the charges 


A. M. cir. 4059. 
A. D. cir. 55. 
An. Olymp. 

cir. CCVIII. 3. 


O ye Jews, reason would that I 
should bear with you : 

15 But if it be a question of 
words and names, and of your law, look 
ye toit; for I will be no judge of such 
matters. 


THE ACTS. 


of the Jews against Paul. 


16 And he drave them from A.M. cir. 4059. 
: A. Ὁ. ctr. 55. 
the judgment seat. An, Olymp. 
1 Thenyallthes@reckestook. “= COP * 
τ Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, 
and beat him before the judgment seat. And 
Gallio cared for none of those things. 


T] Corinthians, 


chap. i. 1. 


If it were a matter of wrong] Adixnua, Of injus- 
tice ; any thing contrary to the rights of the subject. 

Or wicked lewdness| ‘Padtovpynua tovnpov, Destruc- 
tive mischief. (See the note on chap. xiii. 10, where 
the word is explained.) Something by which the sub- 
ject is grievously wronged ; were it any crime against 
society or against the state ; 

Reason would that I should bear with you.] Kara 
Aoyov av ηνεσχομην ὕμων, According to reason, or the 
merit of the case, I should patiently hear you. 

Verse 15. But if it be a question of words] Περι 
λογου, Concerning doctrine and names—whether the 
person called Jesws be the person you call the Messiah. 
And of your law—any particular nicety, concerning 
that Jaw which is peculiar to yourselves: Look ye to 
it—settle the business among yourselves; the Roman 
government does not meddle with such matters; and 
I will not take upon me to decide in a case that does 
not concern my office. As if he had said: “ The 
Roman laws give religious liberty to Jews and Greeks; 
but, if controversies arise among you on these subjects, 
decide them among yourselves, or dispute about them 
as much as you please.” A better answer could not 
be given by man; and it was highly becoming the 
acknowledged meekness, gentleness, and benevolence 
of this amiable man. He concluded that the state had 
no right to control any man’s religious opinion; that 
was between the olject of his worship and his own 
conscience ; and therefore he was not authorized to 
intermeddle with subjects of this nature, which the law 
left to every man’s private judgment. Had all the 
tulers of the people in every country acted as this 
sensible and benevolent Roman, laws against liberty 
of conscience, concerning religious persecution, would 
not be found to be, as they now are, blots and dis- 
graces on the statute books of almost all the civilized 
nations of Europe. 

Verse 16. And he drave them from the judgment 
seat.| He saw that their accusation was both frivolous 
and vexatious, and he ordered them to depart, and the 
assembly to disperse. The word απηλασεν, which we 
translate he drave, does not signify here any act of 
violence on the part of Gallio or the Roman officers, 
but simply an authoritative dismission. 

Verse 17. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes] 
As this man is termed the chief ruler of the synagogue, 
it is probable that he had lately succeeded Crispus in 
that office, see ver. 8; and that he was known either 
to have embraced Christianity, or to have favoured the 
cause of St. Paul. He is supposed to be the same 
person whom St Paul associates with himself in the 
first epistle to the Corinthians, chap. i. 1. Crispus 
might have been removed from his presidency in the 
Synagogue as soon as the Jews found he had embraced 

836 


Christianity, and Sosthenes appointed in his place. 
And, as he seems to have speedily embraced the same 
doctrine, the Jews would be the more enraged, and 
their malice be directed strongly against hum, when 
they found that the proconsul would not support them 
in their opposition to Paul. 

But why should the Greeks beat Sosthenes? i 
have in the above note proceeded on the supposition 
that this outrage was committed by the Jews; and 
my reason for it is this: Οἱ Ἕλληνες, the Greeks, is 
omitted by AB, two of the oldest and most authentic 
MSS. in the world: they are omitted also by the 
Coptic and Vulgate, Chrysostom, and Bede. Instead 
of Ol Ἕλληνες, three MSS., one of the eleventh, and 
two of the thirteenth century, have Isdaro., the Jews ; 
and it is much more likely that the Jews beat one of 
their own rulers, through envy at his conversion, than 
that the Greeks should do so; unless we allow, which 
is very probable, (if Ἕλληνες, Greeks, be the true read- 
ing,) that these Hellenes were Jews, born in a Greek 
country, and speaking the Greek language. 

And Gallio cared for none of those things.) Και 
οὐδὲν τουτων τῳ Tardive euedev. And Gallio did not 
concern himself, did not intermeddle with any of these 
things. As he found that it was a business that con- 
cerned their own religion, and that the contention was 
among themselves, and that they were abusing one of 
their own sect only, he did not choose to interfere. 
He, like the rest of the Romans, considered the Jews 
a most despicable people, and worthy of no regard ; 
and their present conduct had no tendency to cause 
him to form a different opinion of them from that which 
he and his countrymen had previously entertained. 
It is not very likely, however, that Gallio saw this 
outrage ; for, though it was before the judgment seat, 
it probably did not take place till Gallio had left the 
court; and, though he might be told of it, he left the 
matter to the dictors, and would not interfere. 

The conduct of Gallio has been, in this case, greatly 
censured ; and I think with manifest injustice. In 
the business brought before his tribunal, no man could 
have followed a more prudent or equitable course. 
His whole conduct showed that it was his opinion, that 
the civil magistrate had nothing to do with religious 
opinions or the concerns of conscience, in matters 
where the safety of the state was not implicated. 
He therefore refused to make the subject a matter of 
legal discussion. Nay, he went much farther; he 
would not even interfere to prevent either the Jews 
or the apostles from making proselytes. Though the 
complaint against the apostles was, that they were 
teaching men to worship God contrary to the law ; see 
the note on ver. 15, yet, even in this case, he did not 
think it right to exert the secular power to restrain the 

1 


Paul comes to Ephsesus, 


<a 18 9 And Paul after this tar- 
An. Olymp. ried there yet a good while; and 


ir. CCVIIL 4. ς 
ee then took his leave of the bre- 


thren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with 
him Priscilla and Aquila; having * shorn his 


5 Num. vi. 18; chap. xxi. 24. 


free discussion and teaching of matters which con- 
cerned the rights of conscience in things pertaining to 
the worship of the gods. As to his not preventing the 
tumult which took place, we may say, if he did see 
it, which is not quite evident, that he well knew that 
this could rise to no serious amount ; and the Jictors, 
and other minor officers, were there in sufficient force 
to prevent any serious riot, and it was their business 
to see that the public peace was not broken; besides, 
as a heathen, he might have no objection to permit this 
people to pursue a line of conduct by which they were 
sure to bring themselves and their religion into con- 
tempt. These wicked Jews could not disprove the 
apostle’s doctrine, either by argument or Scripture ; 
and they had recourse to manual logic, which was an 
indisputable proof of the badness of their own cause, 
and the strength of that of their opponents. 

But in consequence of this conduct Gallio has been 
represented as a man perfectly careless and uncon- 
cerned about religion in general; and therefore has 
been considered as a proper type or representative of 
even professed Christians, who are not decided in their 
religious opinions or conduct. As a heathen, Gallio 
certainly was careless about both Judaism and Chris- 
tianity. The latter he had probably never heard of 
but by the cause now before his judgment seat ; and, 
from any thing he could see of the other, through the 
medium of its professors, he certainly could entertain 


no favourable opinion of it: therefore in neither case | 


was he to blame. But the words, cared for none of those 
things, are both misunderstood and misapplied: we 
have already seen that they only mean that he would 


not intermeddle in a controversy which did not belong | 


to his province ; and sufficient reasons have been al- 
leged why he should act as he did. It is granted 
that many preachers take this for a text, and preach 
useful sermons for the conviction of the wndecided 
and /ukewarm ; and it is to be deplored that there are 
so many undecided and careless people in the world, 
and especially in reference to what concerns their 
eternal interests. But is it not to be lamented, also, 
that there should be preachers of God’s holy word who 
attempt to explain passages of Scripture which they 
do not understand? For he who preaches on Gallio 
cared for none of those things, in the way in which 
the passage has, through mismanagement, been popu- 
larly understood, either does not understand it, or he 
wilfally perverts the meaning. 

Verse 18. And Paul—tarried there yet a good 
while] The persecuting Jews plainly saw, from the 
manner in which the proconsul had conducted this 
business, that they could have no hope of raising a 
siate persecution against the apostles; and the laws 
provided so amply fer the personal safety of every 
Roman citizen that they were afraid to proceed any 

1 


CHAP. XVIII. 


and reasons with the Jews 


head in t Cenchrea: for he had ae cir, 4060. 
. D. cir. 56 
Be antl movil 
19 And he came to Ephesus, ——— 
and left them there: but he himself entered into 
the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. 


tRom. xvi. 1. 


farther in their violence. It could not be unknown 
that Paul was possessed of the right of Roman citizen- 
ship; and therefore his person was sacred as long as 
he did nothing contrary to the laws. 

It is probable that at this time Paul stayed, on the 
whole, at Corinth, about two years. 

Having shorn his head in Cenchrea} But who was 
it that shore his head? Paul or Aquila? Some 
think the latter, who had bound himself by the Naza- 
rite vow, probably before he became a Christian ; and, 
being under that vow, his conscience would not per- 
mit him to disregard it. There is nothing in the text 
that absolutely obliges us to understand this action as 
belonging to St. Paul. It seems to have been the 
act of Aquila alone ; and therefore both Paul and Pri- 
scilla are mentioned before Aquila; and it is natural 
to refer the vow to the latter. Yet there are certainly 
some weighty reasons why the vow should be referred 
to St. Paul, and not to Aquila; and interpreters are 
greatly divided on the subject. Chrysostom, Isidore 
of Seville, Grotius, Hammond, Zegerus, Erasmus, 
Baronius, Pearce, Wesley, and others, refer the vow 
to Aquila——Jerome, Augustin, Bede, Calmet, Dodd, 
Rosenmiiller, and others, refer it to St. Paul. Each 
party has its strong reasons—the matter is doubtful— 
the bare letter of the text determines nothing: yet I 
cannot help leaning to the latter opinion. Perhaps it 
was from feeling the difficulty of deciding which was 
under the vow that the Althiopic and two Latin ver- 
sions, instead of κείραμενος, having shaved, in the sin- 
gular, appear to have read κειίραμενοι, they shaved ; 
and thus put both Paul and Aguila under the vow. 

Cenchrea. This was a port on the east side of the 
isthmus of Corinth, opposite to the Lecheum, which 
was the other port on the west. And it is likely that 
it was at Cenchrea that St. Paul took shipping for 
Syria, as it would be more convenient for him, and a 
shorter passage to embark at Cenchrea, in order to 
go by the Algean Sea to Syria, than to embark at the 
Lecheum, and sail down into the Mediterranean. This 
isthmus is generally described now as dividing the 
Gulf of Lepanto, on the west, from the Gulf of Engza, 
or Eginaon, on the east. 

Verse 19. He came to Ephesus] Where it appears he 
spent but one Sabbath. It is supposed that Paul left 
Aquila and Priscilla at this place, and that he went on 
alone to Jerusalem; for it is certain they were at Ephesus 
when Apollos arrived there. See verses 24 and 26. 

Epuesvs was, at the time in which St. Paul visited 
it, one of the most flourishing cities of Asia Minor. 
It was situated in that part anciently called Tonia, but 
now Natolia. It abounded with the most eminent 
orators, philosophers, &c., in the world; and was 
adorned with the most splendid buildings. Here was 
that famous temple of Diana, reputed one of the seven 

837 


: 


Paul visits several Churches, 


A.M. cir. 4060. 20 When they desired him to 
. Ὁ. cir. 56. τ ἢ 
An. Olymp. tarry longer time with them, he 


cir. CCVIII. 4. 
a“ consented not; 


21 But bade them farewell, saying, "I 
must by all means keep this feast that cometh 
in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto 
you, ‘if God will. And he sailed from 
Ephesus. 


THE ACTS. 


strengthening the disciples 


22 And when he had landed 4-M. cir. 4060 
A. D. cir. 56. 
at Czsarea, and gone up, and An. Olymp. 
saluted the Church, he went aaa ΙΝ 
down to Antioch. 

23 And after he had spent some time there, 
he departed, and went over all the country of 
’ Galatia and Phrygia in order, * strengthen 
ing all the disciples. 


uChap. xix. 21; xx. 16. Y¥1 Cor. iv. 19; Heb.vi. 3; James 


iv. 15.——w Gal. i. 2; iv. 14——* Chap. xiv. 22; xv. 32, 41. 


wonders of the world. his city is now under the 
dominion of the Turks, and is in a state of almost en- 
tire ruin. The temple of Minerva, which had long 
served as a Christian church, is now so completely 
ruined that its site cannot be easily determined ; though 
some ruins of the walls are still standing, with five or 
six marble columns, forty feet in length, and seven in 
diameter, all of one piece. It still has a good har- 
bour, and is about forty miles from Smyrna. In 
Chandler’s Travels in Asia Minor, some curious infor- 
mation is given concerning this once eminent city. 
His account concludes thus: “The Ephesians are 
now a few Greek peasants, living in extreme wretch- 
edness, dependence, and insensibility : the representa- 
tive of an illustrious people, and inhabiting the wrecks 
of their greatness: some beneath the vaults of the 
Stadium, once the crowded scene of their diversions ; 
and some live by the abrupt precipice, in the sepul- 
chres which received the ashes of their ancestors. 
Such are the present citizens of Ephesus ; and such is 
the condition to which that renowned city has been 
gradually reduced. Its streets are obscured and over- 
grown; a herd of goats was driven to it for shelter 
from the sun at noon; and a noisy flight of crows 
from the quarries seemed to insult its silence. We 
heard the partridge call in the area of the theatre, and 
of the Stadium. The glorious pomp of its heathen 
worship is no longer remembered ; and Christianity, 
which was there nursed by apostles, and fostered by 
general councils, until it increased to fulness of stature, 
barely lingers on, in an existence hardly visible.” 
Travels in Asia Minor. p. 130. Reader! This city 
was once the capital of Asia Minor: and its ruins 
alone prove that it has existed: and it was one of 
those seven Churches to which a letter was expressly 
dictated by Jesus Christ himself! Ephesus is pro- 
perly no more! and the Church of Ephesus is blotted 
out of the map of Christianity! Be silent and adore. 

Verse 21. I must—keep this feast] Most likely 
the passover, at which he wished to attend for the 
purpose of seeing many of his friends, and having the 
most favourable opportunity to preach the Gospel to 
thousands who would attend at Jerusalem on that occa- 
sion. The whole of this clause, I must by all means 
keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem, is wanting 
in ABE, six others; with the Coptic, Ethiopic, Ar- 
menian, and Vulgate. Griesbach leaves it in the text, 
with the mark of doubtfulness ; and Professor White, 
in his Crisews, says, probabiliter delenda. Without 
this clause the verse will read thus: But he bade them 
farewell, saying, I will return again unto you, if God 

838 


wil. And this he did before the expiration of that 
same year, chap. xix. 1, and spent three years with 
them, chap. xx. 31, extending and establishing the 
Church at that place. 

Verse 22. Landed at Cesarea] This must haye 
been Cesarea in Palestine. 

Gone up] ‘To Jerusalem, though the name is not 
mentioned: but this is a common form of speech in 
the evangelists, Jerusalem being always meant when 
this expression was used ; for the word ἀναβαίνω, to 
go up, is often used absolutely, to signify, to go to Je- 
rusalem: 6. g. Go ye up unto this feast ; [Go not uP 
yet, John-vii. 8. But when his brethren were GONE 
up, then went he also up unto the feast, verse 10. 
There were certain Greeks—that came uP to worship, 
John xii. 20. St. Paul himself uses a similar form 
of expression. There are yet but twelve days since 
I went up to Jerusalem, for to worship, Acts xxiv 
11. So all parts of England are spoken of as being 
below London : so we talk of going wp to London; and 
people in London talk of going down to the country. 

Saluted the Church| That is, the Church at Je- 
rusalem, called emphatically tHe Cuurcu, because it 
was the rirst Chureh—the Moruer, or AposToLic 
Church; and from it all other Christian Churches 
proceeded : those in Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, 
Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, ὅθ. Therefore, even this 
last was only a daughter Church, when in its purest 
state. 

Went down to Antioch.] That is, Antioch in Syria, 
as the word is generally to be understood when with- 
out addition; so Cesarea is always to be understood 
Cesarea in Palestine, when without the addition of 
Philippi. 

Verse 23. Went over all the country of Galatia 
and Phrygia] Both were provinces of Asia Minor : 
see on chap. il. 10. 

In order] Καθεξης, A word peculiar to St. Luke : 
see his Gospel, chap. i. 3; viii. 1; and his history 
of the Acts, chap. iii. 24; xi. 4, and the place above; 
the only places where this word occurs in the New 
Testament. It properly signifies, in order, distinctly, 
particularly; from κατα, according to, and ἕξη, order, 
as opposed to confusion, indistinctness, &c. If St. 
Paul went up to Jerusalem at this time, which we are 
left to infer, for Luke has not expressed it, (ver. 22, 
it was his fourth journey thither ; and this is generally 
supposed to have been the twenty-first year after his 
conversion. His first journey is mentioned chap. ix 
26; his second, chap. xi. 30; his third, chap. xv. 4, 
and his fourth, chap. xviii. 22, the place above. 

1 


Apollos is instructed by CHAP. 


AM. $i 4060. 24 9 YAnd a certain Jew 
An. Olymp. named Apollos, born at Alex- 


ew. CCVIL. 4. Υ 
-- andria, an eloquent man, and 


mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 
25 This man was instructed in the way of 
the Lord; and being * fervent in the spirit, 
he spake and taught diligently the things of 
the Lord, *knowing only the baptism of 
John. . ; 

26 And he began to speak boldly in the 
synagogue : whom when Aquila and Priscilla 


XVII. Aquiia and Priscilla. 

had heard, they took him unto ae 

them, and expounded unto him enh mp. 
cir. 


il. 4. 


the way of God more perfectly. 

27 And when he was disposed to pass into 
Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the dis- 
ciples to receive him: who, when he was 
come, ἢ helped them much which had believed 
through grace : 

28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and 
that publicly, 5 showing by the Scriptures that 
Jesus “was Christ. 


=Rom. xii. 11. 


¥1 Cor. i.12; iii. 5, 6; iv. 6; Tit. iii. 13. 
@ Chap. xix. 3. 


© Chapter ix. 22; xvii. 3; verse 5——4 Or, 
is the Christ. 


51 Cor. iii. 6. 


Verse 24. A certain Jew named Apollos] One 
MS., with the Coptic and Armenian, calls him Apelles ; 
and the Codex Beza@, Apollonius. It is strange that 
we should find a Jew, not only with a Roman name, 
as Aguila, an eagle ; but with the name of one of the 
false gods, as Apollos or Apollo in the text. Query: 
Whether the parents of this man were not originally 
Gentiles, but converted to Judaism after their son 
Apollo (for so we should write the word) had been 
born and named. 

Born at Alexandria] This was a celebrated city 
of Egypt, built by Alexander the Great, from whom 
it took its name. It was seated on the Mediterranean 
Sea, between the Lake Mareotis and the beautiful har- 
bour formed by the Isle of Pharos, about twelve miles 
west of the Canopic branch of the Nile, in lat. 31°. 
10’. N. This city was built under the direction of 
Dinocrates, the celebrated architect of the temple of 
Diana at Ephesus. It was in this city that Ptolemy 
Soter founded the famous academy called the Museum, 
in which a society of learned men devoted themselves 
to philosophical studies. Some of the most celebrated | 
schools of antiquity flourished here ; and here was the 
Tower of Pharos, esteemed one of the seven wonders 

«οὐ the world. Alexandria was taken by the French, | 
July 4, 1798, under the command of Bonaparte; | 
and was surrendered to the English under General, 
now Lord, Hutchinson, in 1801. And, in consequence 
of the treaty of peace between France and England, 
it was restored to the Turks. Near this place was 
the celebrated obelisk, called Cleopatra’s Needle; and | 
the no less famous column, called Pompey’s Pillar. 
This city exhibits but very slender remains of its an- 
cient splendour. 

An eloquent man] Having strong rhetorical pow- 
ers; highly cultivated, no doubt, in the Alexandrian 
schools. 

Mighty in the Scriptures} Thoroughly acquainted 
with the law and prophets; and well skilled in the 
Jewish method of interpreting them. 

Verse 25. This man was instructed in the way of 
the Lord| Karnynuevoc; He was catechized, initiated, 
in the way, the doctrine, of Jesus as the Christ. 

Being fervent in the spirit) Being full of zeal to | 
propagate the truth of God, he taught diligently, 
ἀκριβως accurately, (so the word should be translated,) 
the things of Christ as far as he could know them, 

1 


through the ministry of John the Baptist; for it ap- 
pears he knew nothing more of Christ than what John 
preached. Some suppose we should read οὐκ, not, 
before axpiBwc, correctly, or accurately, because it is 
said that Aquila and Priscilla expounded the way of 
the Lord, axpiBecepov, more perfectly, rather more ac- 
curately ; but of this emendation there is not the slight- 
est necessity ; for surely it is possible for a man to 
teach accurately what he knows; and it is possible 
that another, who possesses more information on the 
subject than the former, may teach him more accu- 
rately, or give him a larger portion of knowledge. 
Apollo knew the baptism of John ; but he knew nothing 
farther of Jesus Christ than that baptism taught ; but, 
as far as he knew, he taught accurately. Aquila and 
Priscilla were acquainted with the whole doctrine of 
the Gospel: the doctrine of Christ dying for our sins, 
and rising again for our justification ; and in ¢his they 
instructed Apollo ; and this was more accurate inform- 
ation than what he had before received, through the 
medium of John’s ministry. 

Verse 26. They look him unto them] This elo- 
quent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, who was 
even a public teacher, was not ashamed to be indebted 
to the instructions of a Christian woman, in matters 
that not only concerned his own salvation, but also the 
work of the ministry, in which he was engaged. It 
is disgraceful to a man to be ignorant, when he may 
acquire wisdom ; but it is no disgrace to acquire wis- 
dom from the meanest person or thing. The adage is 
good: Despise not advice, even of the meanest: the 
gaggling of geese preserved the Roman state. 

Verse 27. When he was disposed to pass into 
Achaia] There is a yery long and important addition 
here in the Codex Beza, of which the following is a 
translation: But certain Corinthians, who sojourned 
at Ephesus, and heard him, entreated him to pass over 
with them to their own country. Then, when he had 
given his consent, the Ephesians wrote to the disciples 
at Corinth, that they should receive this man. Who, 
when he was come, ἄς. The same addition is found 
in the later Syriac, and in the J/ala version in the 
Codex Beze. 

Which had believed through grace.| These words 
may either refer to Apollo, or to the people at Corinth. 
Tt was through grace that they had believed ; and it was 
through grace that Apollo was enabled to help themmuch 

839 


Observations on the manner wn 


The words δια τῆς χαρίτος, through grace, are want- 
ing in the Codex Beze, the later Syriac, the Vulgate, 
one copy of the Jéala, and in some of the fathers.— 
But this omission might have been the effect of care- 
lessness in the writers of those copies from which the 
foreroing were taken: the words convey the same 
idea that is expressed by St. Paul, 1 Cor. iii. 6: 
Paul planted, and Apollos watered; but God gave 
the increase. Though this eminent man became the 
instrument of mightily helping the believers in Corinth, 
yet he was also the innocent cause of a sort of schism 
among them. For some, taken by his commanding 
eloquence, began to range themselves on his side, and 
prefer him to all other teachers. This evil St. Paul 
reprehends and corrects in his first epistle to the Co- 
tinthians. St. Jerome says that Apollo became bishop 
of Corinth. 

Verse 28. He mightily convinced the Jews| Evrovac 
διακατηλεγχετο; He vehemently confuted the Jews ; 
and that publicly, not in private conferences, but in 
his public preaching: showing by the scriptures of 
the Old Testament, which the Jews received as di- 
vinely inspired, that Jesus, who had lately appeared 
among them, and whom they had crucified, was the 
Christ, the promised Messiah, and that there was sal- 
vation in none other ; and that they must receive him 
as the Messiah, in order to escape the wrath to come. 
This they refused to do; and we know the conse- 
quence. Their city was sacked, their temple burnt, 
their whole civil and religious polity subverted, more 
than a million of themselves killed, and the rest scat- 
tered over the face of the earth. 


1. Tue Christian religion did not hide itself in 
corners and obscure places at first, in order, privately, 
to get strength, before it dared to show itself publicly. 
Error, conscious of its weakness, and that its preten- 
sions cannot bear examination, is obliged to observe 
such a cautious procedure. With what caution, cir- 
cumspection, and privacy, did Mohammed propose his 
new religion! He formed a party by little and little, 
in the most private manner, before he ventured to ex- 
hibit his pretensions openly. Not so Christianity: it 
showed itself in the most public manner, not only in 
the teaching of Christ, but also in that of the apostles. 
Even after the crucifixion of our Lord, the apostles 
and believers went to the temple, the most public place ; 
and in the most public manner taught and worked mi- 
tacles. JrrusaLeM, the seat of the doctors, the judge 
of religion, was the first place in which, by the com- 
mand of their Lord, the disciples preached Christ cru- 
cified. "They were, therefore, not afraid to have their 
cause tried by the most rigid test of Scripture; and 
in the very place, too, where that Scripture was best 
understood. 

2. When the same apostles carried this Gospel to 
heathen countries, did they go to the villages, among 
the less informed or comparatively ignorant Greeks, 
in order to form a party, and shield themselves by 
getting the multitude on their side? No! They went 

840 


THE ACTS. ~ which Christianity was propagated 


to Cesarea, to Antioch, to Thessalonica, to ATHENS 
to Corinru, to Epuesus; to the very places where 
learning flourished most, where sciences were best cul- 
tivated, where imposture was most likely to be detect- 
ed, and where the secular power existed in the most 
despotic manner, and could at once have crushed them 
to nothing could they have been proved to be impostors, 
or had they not been under the immediate protection 
of Heaven! Hence it is evident that these holy men 
feared no rational investigation of their doctrines, for 
they taught them in the face of the most celebrated 
schools in the universe ! 


3. They preached Christ crucified in JerusaLEm, 
where it was the most solemn interest of the Jews to 
disprove their doctrine, that they might exculpate them- 
selves from the murder of Jesus Christ. They preach- 
ed the same Christ, and the vanity of idolatry, in Athens, 
in Corinth, and in Ephesus, where idolatry existed in 
the plenitude of its power; and where all its interests 
required it to make the most desperate and formidable 
stand against those innovators. What but the fullest 
confidence of the truth of what they preached, the 
fullest conviction of the Divinity of their doctrine, and 
the supernatual influence of God upon their souls, could 
ever have induced these men to preach Christ crucified, 
either at Jerusalem, or at Athens? I seruple not to 
assert that the bold, public manner in which the apos- 
tles preached the Gospel, among the Jews and Greeks, 
is a most incontestable proof of the conviction they had 
of its truth; and the success with which they were 
favoured is a demonstration that what they preached 
as truth God proved to be the truth, by stretching forth 
his hand to heal, and causing signs and wonders to be 
wrought in the name of the holy child Jesus. This is 
an additional proof of the sincerity of the apostles, and 
of the truth of Christianity. If Paul and Peter, Bar- 
nabas and Silas, had not had the fullest persuasion that 
their doctrine was of God, they would never have ven- 
tured to propose it before the Senhedrin in JerusaLem, 
the Ziterati of Corintu, and the Stoics and inexorable 
judges of the Areopagus at ATHENS. 

4. We may be surprised to find that, even among” 
the Jews as well as the Gentiles, there were persons 
who used curious arts. Those were inexcusable ; these 
were to be pitied. Blind as every man is by nature, 
yet he is conscious that without supernatural assistance 
he can neither secure the good he needs, nor avoid the 
evil he fears: therefore, he endeavours to associate 
to himself the influence of supernatural agents, in order 
to preserve him in safety, and make him happy. Thus 
forsaking and forgetting the fountain of living water, 
he hews out to himself czsterns that can hold no water. 
The existence of magical arts and incantations, whether 
real or pretended, prove the general belief of the exist- 
ence of a spiritual world, and man’s consciousness of 
his own weakness, and his need of supernatural help. 
When shall the eye be directed solely to Him from 
whom alone true help can come, by whom evil is ban- 
ished, and happiness restored ! 


1 


Certain disciples at Ephesus had 


CHAP. XIX. 


not heard of the Holy Ghost 


CHAPTER XIX. 


Paul, coming to Ephesus, finds certain disciples who had not recewed the gift of the Holy Ghost, knowing 


only the baptism of John, but receive it through the imposition of his hands, 1-7. 


months in the synagogues, 8. 
school of Tyrannus for two years, 9, 10. 


18-20. 


He preaches for three 


Many being hardened, he leaves the synagogues, and teaches daily in the 
He works many miracles, 11, 12. 
exorcist Jews, and the seven sons of Sceva, 13-17. 


Account of the vagabond 
Many are converted, and burn their magical books 


Paul purposes to pass through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, and afterwards to 


Rome ; but, having sent Timotheus and Erastus to Macedonia, continues a little longer in Asia, 21, 22. 
Demetrius, a silversmith of Ephesus, raises an uproar against Paul, which, after some tumultuous pro- 


ceedings, is appeased by the town clerk, 23-41. 


A. M. cir. 4060. : ie 
ΓΕ eae ND it came to pass, that, while 
An. Pines * Apollos was at Corinth, 


. CCVIL 
a“ * Paul having passed through the 


> upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding 
certain disciples, 

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the 
Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said 
unto him, ° We have not so much as heard 
whether there be any Holy Ghost. 


3 And he said unto them, Unto. 4,™, “ix. 4060. 
what then were ye baptized? And An Olymp. 


: ; sir. COVILL 4. 
they said, ἃ Unto John’s baptism. ““—-—"> 


4 Then said Paul, “ John verily baptized 
with the baptism of repentance, saying unto 
the people, that they should believe on him 
which should come after him, that is, on Christ 
Jesus. 

5 When they heard this, they were bap- 


81 Cor. i. 12; iii. 5,6—>1 Mae. iii. 37; vi. 1—® Chap. 


viii. 16; see 1 Sam. iii. 7. 


4 Chap. xviii. 25. 


© Matt. ii. 11; John i. 15, 27, 


30: chap.i; 
5; xi. 16; xiii. 24, 25. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XIX. 

Verse 1. And it came to pass—while Apollos was 
at Corinth] The Codex Beze begins this chapter differ- 
ently. But when Paul was desirous, according to 
his own counsel, to go to Jerusalem, the Spirit com- 
manded him to return into Asia: then, passing through 
the upper parts, he came to Ephesus. This addition 
is also found in the Latin or Itala part of the same 
ΜΕ... and in the margin of the later Syriac. 

Paul having passed through the upper coasts! That 
is, through those parts of Asia Minor that lay eastward 
of Ephesus, such as Galatia, Phrygia, and probably 


that these are called the upper coasts. See their situa- 
tion on the map. 

Verse 2. Have ye recewed the Holy Ghost] It is 
likely that these were Asiatic Jews, who, having been 
at Jerusalem about twenty-six years before this, had 
heard the preaching of John, and received his baptism, 
believing in the coming Christ, whom John had pro- 
claimed; but it appears that till this time they had 


got no farther instruction in the Christian religion. | 


Paul, perceiving this, asked them if they had received 
the Holy Ghost since they believed? For it was the 
common privilege of the disciples of Christ to receive, 
not only the ordinary graces, but also the extraordinary 
gifts of the Holy Spirit; and thus the disciples of 
Christ differed from those of John, and of all others. 
John baptized with water; Jesus baptized with the 
Holy Ghost. And to this day the genuine disciples 
of Christ are distinguished from all false religionists, 
and from nominal Christians, by being made partakers 
of this Spirit, which enlightens their minds, and con- 
vinces of sin, righteousness, and judgment; quiekens 
their souls, witnesses to their conscience that they are 
the children of God, and purifies their hearts. Those 
who have not received these blessings from the Holy 
- 1 


Spirit, whatever their profession may be, know nothing 
better than John’s baptism: good, excellent in its kind, 
but ineffectual to the salvation of those who live under 
the meridian of Christianity. 

We have not so much as heard whether, &e.| That 


| is, they had not heard that there were particular gifts 


and graces of the Holy Spirit to be received. They 
could not mean that they had not heard of the Holy 
Spirit ; for John, in his baptism, announced Christ as 
about to baptize with the Holy Ghost, Matt. iii. 11; 
Luke iii. 16 ; but they simply meant that they had not 


| heard that this Spirit, in his gifts, had been given to 
Lycaonia and Lydia; and itis in reference to Ephesus 


or received by any one. 

Verse 4. That they should believe on him which 
should come after| John baptized them with the bap- 
tism of repentance ; this was common to all the baptisms 
administered by the Jews to proselytes ; but telling 
them that they should believe on him who was coming, 
was peculiar to John’s baptism. 

Verse 5. When they heard this, &e.] As there is 
no evidence in the New Testament of persons being 
rebaptized, unless this be one, many criticisms have 
been hazarded to prove that these persons were not 
rebaptized. Lseenoneed of this. To be a Christian, 
a man must be baptized in the Christian faith: these 
persons had not been baptized into that faith, and there- 
fore were not Christians: they felt this, and were im 
mediately baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus 
This is a plain case; but let one instance be produced 
of a person being, rebaptized, who had before been bap- 
tized in.the name of the holy Trinity, or even in the_ 
name of Jesus alone. In my view, it is an awful thing — 
to iterate baptism when it had been before -essentially 
performed: by “ essentially performed,” I mean, admi- 
nistered by sprinkling, washing, or plunging, by or in 
water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, being 
invoked at the time. Whoever has had this has the 

841 


Paul preaches in the school of 


A. M. cir. 4060. tized fin the name of the Lord 
A. D. cir. 56. 


An. Olymp. 
cir. CCVIII. 4 


Jesus. 

6 And when Paul had £ laid 
his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on 
them; and "they spake with tongues, and 
prophesied. 

7 And all the men were about twelve. 

8 Ἴ΄ And he went into the synagogue, and 
spake boldly for the space of three months, 
disputing and persuading the things * concern- 
ing the kingdom of God. 

9 But ! when divers were hardened, and be- 


THE ACTS. 


Tyrannus, and works muracles. 


lieved not, but spake evil ™of 4, ae ane 406 
that way before the multitude, he Απ. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 1. 


departed from them, and sepa- 
rated the disciples, disputing daily in the 
school of one Tyrannus. 

10 And ™this continued by the space ot 
two years; so that all they which dwelt in 
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both 
Jews and Greeks. 

11 And ° God wrought special miracles by 
the hands of Paul: 

12 ?So that from his body were brought 


£ Chap. vill. 16.—= Chap. ee 6; viii. 17— Chap. 11. 4; x. 46. 
Chap. : xvii. 2; xviii. 4. hap. 1. 3; xxviil. 23—12 Ὁ Tim. 
1.15; 2 Pet. ii. 2; Jude 10. 


m See chap. ix. 2; xxii. 4; xxiv. 14; ver. 23. 1 See chap. 
xx. /3]. © Mark xvi. 20; chap. xiv. 3. P Chap. v. 15; see 
2 Kings iv. 29. 


essence of baptism, as far as that ean be conferred 
by man ; and it matters not at what period of his life 
he has had it; it is a substantial baptism, and by it the 
person has been fully consecrated to the holy and 
blessed Trinity ; and there should not be an iteration 
of this consecration on any account whatever. It is 
totally contrary to the canon law; it is contrary to the 
decisions of the best divines; it is contrary to the 
practice of the purest ages-of the Church of God; it 
is contrary to the New Testament, and tends to bring 
this sacred ordinance into disrepute. 

Verse 6. They spake with tongues, and prophesied. | 
They received the miraculous gift of different lan- 
guages ; and in those languages they taught to the peo- 
ple the great doctrines of the Christian religion ; for 
this appears to be the meaning of the word προεφητευον, 
prophesied, as it is used vee. 

Verse 8. Spake boldly—three months] We have 
often remarked that St. Paul, in every place, made his 
first offers of salvation to the Jews ; and it was only 
when they rejected it, that he turned to the Gentiles ; 
see chap. xviii. 6. And the same line of conduct he 
pursues here: he goes to the school of Tyrannus, at 
least a public place, to which all might resort, when 
they obstinately rejected the Gospel in the synagogue. 

Disputing and persuading] Atareyouevoc, καὶ πει- 
Gov, Holding conversations with them, in order to per- 
suade them of the truth of the doctrine of Christ. 

Verse 9. When divers were hardened] Twec, When 
some of them were hardened ; several no doubt felt the 
power of Divine truth, and yielded consent. Our term 
divers, one of the most éald in our language, has too 
general a meaning for this place. 

Behold the effect of the word of God! It is a savour 
of life unto life, or death unto death, according as it is 
received or rejected. The twelve men mentioned 
above received it affectionately, and they were made 
partakers of the Holy Ghost; the others were harden- 
ed, for they refused to believe; and they calumniated 
the doctrine, and became Satan’s preachers among the 
multitude, to prejudice them against Christ and his 
religion. 

Separated the disciples! Paul, and those converted 
under his ministry, had doubtless been in the habit of 
attending public worship in the synagogue; but, on 

842 


the persecuting conduct of these Jews, he and his con- 
verts wholly withdrew from the synagogue, and took a 
place for themselves; and constantly afterwards held 
their own meetings at a school room, which they hired 
no doubt for the purpose. 

The school of one Tyrannus.] For σχολῃ, the school, 
one MS. has ovvaywyy, the synagogue ; and, for Ty- 
rannus, some have T'yrannios. Some have considered 
the original word as being an epithet, rather than the 
name of a person; and think that a prince or nobleman 
is intended, because τύραννος, tyrant, is taken in this 
sense: but this is a most unlikely conjecture. It ap- 
pears that the person in question was a schoolmaster, 
and that he dent or hired his room to the apostles ; and 
that they preached daily in it toas many, both Jews and 
Gentiles, as chose to attend. It is very likely that 
Tyrannus was a Jew, and was at least well affected 
to the Christian cause ; for we have many proofs that 
individuals among them kept schools for the instruction 
of their youth; besides the schools or academies kept 
by the more celebrated rabbins. See Schoettgen and 
Vitringa. The school of Tyrannus might have been 
such a place as Eweter Hall, and such like places for 
public and especially for extraordinary religious meet- 
ings in London. 

Verse 10. By the space of two years] The school- 
house of Tyrannus was his regular chapel; and it is 
likely that in it he taught Christianity, as Tyrannus 
taught languages or sciences. 

All they—in Asia heard the word] Meaning, pro- 
bably, the Proconsular Asia, for the extent of which 
see the note on chap. xvi. 6. 

Jews and Greeks.| For, although he ceased preach- 
ing in the synagogues of the Jews, yet they continued 
to hear him in the school of Tyrannus. But it is 
likely that Paul did not confine himself to this place, 
but went about through the different towns and vil- 
lages ; without which, how could αἱ Asia have heard 
the word? By Greeks, we are to understand, not only 
the proselytes of the gate, but the heathens in general. 

Verse 11. God wrought special miracles] Δυνάμεις 
Te ov τας Tvyovcac, Miracles of no ordinary kind, i. e. 
extraordinary miracles. 

Verse 12. Handkerchiefs or aprons] Σουδαρια ἡ 
σιμικινθια, Probably the sudaria were a sort of hand 

1 


Account of the sons of Sceva, 


ἊΝ unto the sick handkerchiefs or 
An. Olymp. aprons, and the diseases departed 
cir, CCIX. 1. Ξ δ τὰ 

from them, and the evil spirits 
went out of them. 

13 72 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, 
exorcists, "took upon them to call over them 
which had evil spirits the name of the Lord 
Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, whom 
Paul preacheth. 


CHAP. XIX. 


vagabond Jewish exorcasts 


14 And there were seven sons yg hea ee 
of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief Δα, Olymp. 
cir. CCIX.1. 


of the priests, which did so. es 
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, 
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who 
are ye? 
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit 
was, leaped on them, and overcame them, and 
prevailed against them, so that they fled out 


4 Matt. xii. 27. 


® See Mark ix. 38; Luke ix. 49. 


kerchiefs, which, in travelling, were always carried in 
the hand, for the convenience of wiping the face ; and 
the simikinthia were either the sashes or girdles that 
went about the loins. These, borrowed from the apos- 
tle, and applied to the bodies of the diseased, became the 
means, in the hand of God, of their restoration to health. 

The diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits 
went out of them.) Here, there is a most evident dis- 


tinction made between the diseases and the evil spirits: | 


hence they were not one and the same thing. 

Verse 13. Certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists] 
Τίνες απὸ των περιερχομενων Ἰουδαίων εξορκιςων; Cer- 
tain of the Jews who went about practising exorcisms. 
Vagabond has a very bad acceptation among us ; but, 
literally, vagabundus signifies a wanderer, one that has 
no settled place of abode. These, like all their coun- 
trymen, in all places, went about to get their bread in 
what way they could; making trial of every thing by 
which they could have the prospect of gain. Finding 
that Paul cast out demons through the name of Jesus, 
they thought, by using the same, they might produce 
the same effects; and, if they could, they knew it 
would be to them an ample source of revenue; for 
demoniacs abounded in the land. 

Verse 14. Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and 
chief of the priests] The original Ἰουδαίου apytepewc, 
signifies a Jewish high priest; but it is not probable 
that any sons, much less seven sons of a Jewish high 
priest, should be strolling exorcists: it is therefore 
likely that vioc Σκευα τινος ἱερεως, the sons of Skeva, a 
certain priest, as it stands in the Codex Bez, is the 
true reading. The whole verse in that MS. reads 
thus: Among them were also the sons of Skeva, a 
priest, who wished to do the same: for they were 
accustomed to exorcise such persons. 
in to the demoniac, they began to invoke that Name, 
saying, We command thee by Jesus, whom Paul 
preacheth, to go out. And the evil spirit answered, 
and said unto them, Jesus I know, ὅς. It has been 


often remarked that in our Lord’s time there were many | 
of the Jews that professed to cast out demons ; and per- | 


haps to this our Lord alludes, Matt. xii. 27. See the 
note there. 

Josephus, in speaking of the wisdom of Solomon, 
says that he had that skill by which demons are ex- 
pelled; and that he left behind him the manner of using 
exorcisms, by which they are cast out; and that those 
arts were known among his countrymen down to his 
own time; and then gives us the following relation : 
“J have seen a certain man of my own country, whose 

1 


And entering | 


name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demo- 
niaes, in the presence of Vespasian, his sons, his cap- 
tains, and the whole multitude of his soldiers. The 
manner of the cure was this: He put a ring, that had 
a root of one of those sorts mentioned by Solomon, to 
the nostrils of the demoniac, after which he drew out 
the demon through his nostrils; and, when the man 
fell down, immediately he adjured him to return into 
him no more, making still mention of Solomon, and 
reciting the incantations that he had composed. And 
when Eleazar would persuade the spectators that he 
had such power, he set at a little distance a cup of 
water, and commanded the demon, as he went out of 
the man, to overturn it; and, when this was done, the 
skill and wisdom of Solomon were showed very mani- 
festly.” Joseph. AntiQ. book viii. cap. 2, sect. 5 
Whiston’s edition. 

That there were such incantations among ‘he Jews 
we know well, and that there are still such found, and 
that they are attributed to Solomon ; but that they are 
his remains to be proved; and could this even be done, 
a point remains which can never be proved, viz. that 
those curious arts were a part of that wisdom which 
he received from God, as Josephus intimates. Indeed, 
the whole of the above account gives the strongest sus- 
picion of its being a trick by the Jewish juggler, which 
neither Josephus nor the emperor could detect; but 
the ring, the root, the cup of water, the spell, &e.; 
all indicate imposture. Magicians among the Jews 
were termed ow ‘Sy2 badley shem, Masters of the 
Name, that is, the name of Jehovah 77 by a certain 
pronunciation of which they believed the most wonder- 
ful miracles could be wrought. There were several 
among them who pretended to this knowledge ; and, 
when they could not deny the miracles of our Lord, 
they attributed them to his knowledge of the true pro- 
/nuneiation of this most sacred name. 

Verse 15. Jesus I know, and Paul I know] In the 
answer of the demoniac, the verb is varied : τὸν Incovv 
γινώσκω, καὶ Tov Tavaov επιςαμαι" ὑμεῖς de τινες (τινος) 
ese. I acknowledge Jesus, and am acquainted with 
Paul ; but of whom are ye? Ye belong to neither ; ye 
| have no authority. And he soon gave them full proof 

of this. This distinction is observed in my old MS. 
| Bible: ¥ habe Knowe Jesu, anv ¥ wote Poule ; forsothe 
| tpbo ben gee. 
Verse 16. And the man in whom the evil sprit 
was, &c.] Thus we find that one man was more power- 
‘ful than these seven brothers; so that he stripped 


| them of their upper garments, and beat and wounded 


843 


Magicians, sorcerers, ὅ:0., are THE ACTS. converted, and burn ther books. 
AM, wer of that house naked ἀπά [" confessed, and showed their 4,™, eit. 4061. 
ἈΠΟ πῆρ: wounded. deeds. An. Olymp. 

cir. ΣΦΕ , ; aa 
—————— _ 17 And this was known to all]! 19 Many of them also which μοι Oe, 


the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephe- 
sus; and ‘fear fell on them all, and the name 
of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 

18 And many that believed came, and 


used curious arts brought their books together, 
and burned them before all men: and they 
counted the price of them, and found it fifty 
thousand pieces of silver. 


8 Luke i. 65; vil. 16; chap. ii. 43; v. 5, 11. 


t Matt. ili. 6. 


the whole! Was not this a proof that he derived his 
strength from the evil spirit that dwelt in him 1 

Verse 17. The name of the Lord Jesus was mag- 
nified.| They saw that there was a sovereign power 
in the name of Jesus, which could not be imitated by 
these lying exorcists: they therefore reverenced this 
name, and despised those pretenders. 

Hexorcisms or adjurations of evil spirits were very 
frequent in the primitive Church: the name of Jesus 
was that alone which was used. The primitive fathers 
speak strong and decisive words concerning the power 
of this name; and how demons were tormented and 


expelled by it, not only from individuals, but from the | 


temples themselves. Exorcists formed a distinct class 
in the Church; hence we read of presbyiers, deacons, 
exorcists, lectors, and door-keepers. The adjuration 
was commonly used over the calechwmens, before 
they were admitted to baptism. Gregory of Nazian- 
zen, and Cyril of Jerusalem speak much of this rite. 

—See my Succession of Sacred Lnteraiwre, under 
Cyril, and Grecory Nazianzen; and see Suicer, 
under εξορκίσμος. 

Verse 19. Which used curious arts| Ta περίεργα. 
From the use of this word in the Greek writers, we 
know that it signified magical arts, sorceries, incanta- 
tions, &e. Hphesus abounded with these. Dio Cas- 
sius, speaking of the Emperor Adrian, says, Ὁ Adpc- 
avoc περιεργοτατος nV και μαντείαις και μαγγανειαις 
παντοδαπαῖς ἐχρητο. “ Adrian was eaceedingly addicted 
to curious arts, and practised divination and magic.” 
These practices prevailed in all nations of the earth. 

Brought their books together} The Edecva γράμματα, 
or Elphesian characters, are celebrated in antiquity ; 
they appear to have been amulets, inscribed with 
strange characters, which were carried about the body 
for the purpose of curing diseases, expelling demons, 
and preserving from evils of different kinds. The 
books brought together on this occasion were such 
as taught the science, manner of formation, use, &c., 
of these charms. 

Suidas, under Egeova γράμματα, Ephesvan letters, 
gives us the following account : “ Certain obscure in- 
cantations.—When Milesius and Ephesius wrestled at 
the Olympie games, Milesius could not prevail, be- 
cause his antagonist had the E’phesian letters bound to 
his heels ; when this was discovered, and the letters 
taken away, it is reported that Milesius threw him 
thirty times.” 

The information given by Hesychius is still more 
curious: Ἐφεσέα γραμματα. ἣν μεν mada ς΄" ὑςε- 
pov δὲ προσεθεσαν τινες ἀπατεωνες καὶ αλλα᾿ φασι δὲ των 
TpwTwv Ta ονόοματα, Tade> ΑΣΚΙ͂ΟΝ, KATASKION, ΛΙΞ, 
TETPAZ, AAMNAMENEYS, AISION: Anjou de, τὸ 

844 


μὲν Acktov, σκοτος᾽ τὸ de Kata σκίον, φως᾽ τὸ de 
Av&, yn τετραξ δε, ἐνιαυτος' Δαμναμενεῦς δε, ἡλιος" 
Atotov δε, αληθες. Ταυτα ουν ἱερα ect καὶ ἁγια. “The 
Hphesian letters or characters were formerly sia, but 
certain deceivers added others afterwards; and their 
names, according to report, were these: AsK1on, Ka- 


| TASKION, Lix, Trrrax, Damnamenevs, and ΑἸΒΙΟΝ. 
| It is evident that Askion signifies Darkness ; Katas- 


kion, Lieur; Liz, the Earru; Tetraz, the Yrar; 
Damnameneus, the Sun; and Azsion, Truru. These 
are holy and sacred things.” The same account may 
be seen in Clemens Alexandrinus, Strom. lib. v. cap. 
8, where he attempts to give the etymology of these 
different terms. These words served, no doubt, as the 
keys to different spells and incantations; and were 
used in order to the attainment of a great variety of 
ends. The Adrazvas of the Basilidians, in the second 
century, were formed on the basis of the Ephesian 
letters; for those instruments of incantation, several 
of which are now before me, are inscribed with a num- 
ber of words and characters equally as unintelligible 
as the above, and in many cases more so. 

When it is said they brought their books together, 
we are to understand the books which treated of these 
curious arts ; such as the Edeova ypaypara, or Ephesian 
characters. 

And burned them before all] These must have been 
thoroughly convinced of the truth of Christianity, and 
of the unlawfulness of their own arts. 

Fifty thousand pieces of silver.) Some think that 
the ἀργυρίον, which we translate piece of stlver, means 
a shekel, as that word is used Matt. xxvi. 15, where 
see the note; 50,000 shekels, at 3s., according to 
Dean Prideaux’s valuation, (which is that followed 
throughout this work,) would amount to 7,500]. 

But, as this was a Roman and not a Jewish coun- 
try, we may rationally suppose that the Jewish coin 
was not here current; and that the ἀργύριον, or silver 
coin, mentioned by St. Luke, must have been either 
Greek or Roman; and it is very likely that the ses- 
tertius is meant, which was always a_ silver coin, 
about the value, according to Arbuthnot, of twopence, 
or 1d. 39¢4., which answers to the fourth part of a de- 
narius, rated by the same author at 73d. Allowing 
this to be the coin intended, the 50,000 sestertii would 
amount to 403]. 12s. 11d. 

The Vulgate reads, denariorum quanquaginta milli- 
um, fifty thousand denarii, which, at 7}d., will amovnt 
to 1,614/. 115. Sd. The reading of the Jtala version 
of the Codex Beze is very singular, Denariorum ses- 
tertia ducenta. *“* Two hundred sesterces of denarii ;” 
which may signify no more than “two hundred ses- 
tertii of Roman money :” for in this sense denarvus is 

1 


Demetrius, a silversmith, and 


AM. cir. 4061. 20 * So mightily grew the word 
An. Olymp: of God, and prevailed. 

ae 21 TY After these things were 

A.M, cir 4063. ended, Paul ¥ purposed in the 


aa ia spirit, when he had passed 
cir. CCIX. 3. é 
—————— through Macedonia and Achaia, 
to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been 
there, * I must also see Rome. 

22 So he sent into Macedonia two of ¥ them 


CHAP. XIX. 


his craftsmen, oppose Paul 


that ministered unto him, Timo 4.,™, cir. 4063 

theus and 5 Erastus; but he him- — An. Olymp. 
A 2 cir. ΟΟΙΧ. 3 

self stayed in Asia for a season, —————— 

23 And "the same time there arose no sma:, 
stir about ἢ that way. 

24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a 
silversmith, which made silver shrines for 
Diana, brought © no small gain unto the crafts- 
men; 


* Chap. 
XX. 


vi. 7; xii. 24. ¥ Rom. xv. 25; Gal. ii. 1. τ Chap. 
22, * Chap. xviii. 21; xxili.11; Rom. xv. 24-28, 


certainly used by Cicero, Orat. pro Quint. ; where 
ad denarium solvere, means to pay in Roman money, 
an expression similar to our word sterling. This sum 
would amount to no more than 1]. 12s. 34d. But 
that which is computed from the sestertius is the most 
probable amount. 

Verse 20. So mightily grew the word of God, and 
prevailed.| The Codex Beze reads this verse thus : 
“So mightily grew the word of the Lord, and prevail- 
ed; and the faith of God increased and multiplied.” 
It is probable that it was about this time that St. Paul 
had that conflict which he mentions, 1 Cor. xy.: If Z, 
after the manner of men, have fought with wild beasts 
at Ephesus, ἄς. See the note there. It means 
some severe trials not here mentioned, unless we may 


suppose him to refer to the ferocious insurrection head- | 


ed by Demetrius, mentioned at the end of this chapter. 

Verse 21. Paul purposed in the spirit, &c.] Pre- 
viously to this he appears to have concerted a journey 
to Macedonia, and a visit to Corinth, the capital of 
Achaia, where he seems to have spent a considerable 
time, probably the whole winter of A. D. 58; see 
1 Cor. xvi. 5, 6; and afterwards to go to Jerusalem; 
but it is likely that he did not leave Ephesus till after 
pentecost, A. D. 59. (1 Cor. xvi. 8.) And he re- 
solved, if possible, to see Rome, which had been the 
object of his wishes for a considerable time. See 
Rom. i. 10, 13; xvi. 23. 

Tt is generally believed that, during this period, 
while at Ephesus, he wrote his first epistle to the Co- 
rinthians. He had heard that some strange disorders 
had entered into that Church :—1. That there were 
divisions among them; some extolling Paul, beyond 
all others; some, Peter; others, Apollos. 2. He had 
karned from Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, 
whom he saw at Ephesus, 1 Cor. xvi. 17; vii. 1, that 


several abuses had crept into their religious assem- | 
3. That even the Christians went to law with | 


blies. 
each other, and that before the heathens. And, 4. 
That a person professing Christianity in that city, had 
formed a matrimonial contract with his step-mother. 
It was to remedy those disorders that he wrote his 
first epistle to the Corinthians, in which he strongly 
reprehends all the above evils. 

Verse 22. So he sent into Macedonia] He desired 
Timothy to go as far as Corinth, 1 Cor. iv. 18, and 
after that to return to him at Ephesus, 1 Cor. xvi. 11; 
put he himself continued in Asia some time longer ; 


probably to make collections for the poor saints in Je-| his Antiq. Expliq. Suppl. vol. ii. plate 33. 


1 


2 Rom. xvi. 23 ; 2 Tim. iv. 20—2 Cor. i. 
© Chap. xvi.-16, 19. 


y¥ Chap. xiii. 5. 
8.—» See chap. ix. 2. 


rusalem. /rastus, mentioned here for the first time, 
appears to have been the chamberlain, οἰκονόμος, either 
of Ephesus or Corinth; see Rom. xvi. 23. He was 
one of St. Paul’s companions, and is mentioned as 
being left by the apostle at Corinth, 2 Tim. iv. 20. 

Verse 23. No small stir about that way.] | Con- 
cerning the Gospel, which the apostles preached ; and 
which is termed iis way, chap. ix. 2, where see the 
note. 

Verse 24. Silver shrines for Diana] It is generally 
known that the temple of Diana at Ephesus was 
deemed one of the seven wonders of the world, and 
was a most superb building. It appears that the silver 
shrines mentioned here were small portable representa- 
tions of this temple, which were bought by strangers 
as matters of curiosily, and probably of devotion. If 
we can suppose them to have been exact models of this 
famous temple, representing the whole exterior of its 
magnificent workmanship, which is possible, they would 
be held in high estimation, and probably become a sort 
of substitute for the temple itself, to worshippers of this 
goddess who lived in distant parts of Greece. The 
temple of Diana was raised at the expense of all Asia 
Minor, and yet was two hundred and twenty years in 
building, before it was brought to its sum of perfection. 
It was in length 425 feet, by 220 in breadth; and was 
beautified by 127 columns, which were made at the 
expense of so many ings; and was adorned with the 
most beautiful statues. To procure himself an ever- 
lasting fame, Erostratus burned it to the ground the 
same night on which Alexander the Great was born. 
It is reported that Alexander offered to make it as 
magnificent as it was before, provided he might put 
his name on the front; but this was refused. It was 
afterwards rebuilt and adorned, but Nero plundered it 
of all its riches. This grand building remains almost 
entire to the present day, and is now turned into a 
Turkish mosque. See an account of it in Montfaucon 
Antiq. Expliq. vol. ii., with a beautiful drawing on 
plate vi., No. 20. See also Stuart’s Athens. There 
were also pieces of silver struck with a representa- 
tion of the temple of Minerva on one side: many 
coins occur in the reigns of the first Roman emperors, 
where temples, with idols in the porch, appear on the 
reverse ; and several may be seen in Musecws, in the 
reigns of Trajan, Adrian, Antoninus Pius, ὅθ. A beau- 
tiful representation of the temple of Diana at Ephesus 
may be seen on a medal engraved by Montfaucon, in 
It has 
845 


THE 


A great mob is raised, and 


A. M cir. 4063. 25 Whom he called together 
An. Olymp. with the workmen of like occupa- 


mOCIx. 3! . Eee: 
a e’™ tion, and said, Sirs, ye know that 


by this craft we have our wealth. 

26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone 
at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, 
this Paul hath persuaded and turned away 
much people, saying that “they be no gods, 
which are made with hands : 


ACTS. Ephesus filled with confusion. 


27 So that not only this our pie 2% 
craft is in danger to be set at An. Olymp. 
nought ; but also that the temple ee 
of the great goddess Diana should be despised, 
and her magnificence should be destroyed, 
whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. 

28 And when they heard these sayings, 
they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, 
Great 7s Diana of the Ephesians. 


4 Psa. exv. 4 ; Isa. xliv. 


10-20; Jer. x. 3. 


eight Doric columns in front, which Pliny says were 
sixly feet in length. In the entrance, the figure of 
Diana is represented with a sort of tower upon her 
head ; her arms are supported by two staves; at her 
feet are represented two stags, with their backs to- 
wards each other. ‘The sun is represented on the 
right side of her head, and the moon as a crescent on 
the left. On each side and at the bottom of this tem- 
ple are the words, πρωτων σιας ἙΦεσιων. Some think 
that the medals here referred to are the same that are 
meant by the silver shrines made by Demetrius and 
his craftsmen. See the note on ver. 27. 

Brought no small gain] There were many made, 
many sold, and probably at considerable prices. 

Verse 25. By this craft we have our wealth.| The 
word εὐπορία not only signifies wealth, but also abun- 
dance. It was amost lucrative trade ; and he plainly 
saw that, if the apostles were permitted to go on thus 
preaching, the worship of Diana itself would be de- 
stroyed ; and, consequently, all the gain that he and 
his fellows derived from it would be brought to nought. 

Verse 26. This Paul hath persuaded and turned 
away much people] From the mouth of this heathen 
we have, in one sentence, a most pleasing account of 
the success with which God had blessed the labours 
of the apostles: not only at Ephesus, but almost 
throughout all Asia, they had persuaded and converted 
much people ; for they had insisted that they could be 
no gods which are made with hands; and this the 
common sense of the people must at once perceive. 

Verse 27. The temple of the great goddess Diana] 
From a number of representations of the Ephesian 
goddess Diana, which still remain, we find that she 
was widely different from Diana the huntress. She is 
represented in some statues all covered over with 
breasts, from the shoulders down to the feet ; in others 
she is thus represented, from the breast to the bottom 
of the abdomen, the thighs and legs being covered 
with the heads of different animals. From this it is 
evident that, under this name and form, nature, the 
nourisher and supporter of all things, was worshipped : 
the sun and moon, being grand agents, in all natural 
productions, were properly introduced as her attri- 
butes or symbols. Because she was the representative 
of universal nature, she was called, in opposition to 
Diana the huntress and goddess of chastity, the GREAT 
goddess Diana; not only worshipped in Asia, but 
throughout the whole world ; both the Greeks and the 
Romans unanimously conjoining in her worship. 

Several statues of this Fphesian Diana still remain; 

816 


and some beautiful ones are represented by Mont- 
faucon, in his Antig. Explig. vol. i. book iii. cap. 15, 
plates 46, 47, 48. From this father of antiquaries, 
much information on this subject may be derived. 
He observes that the original statue of Diana of 
Ephesus, which was in that noble temple, esteemed 
one of the wonders of the world, was made of ivory, 
as Pliny says; but Vitruvius says it was made of 
cedar; and others, of the wood of the vine. The 
images of this goddess are divided into several bands, 
or compartments ; so that they appear swathed from 
the breasts to the feet. On the head is generally 
represented a large tower, two stories high. A kind 
of festoon of flowers and fruit descends from her 
shoulders ; in the void places of the festoon a crad is 
often represented, and sometimes crowned by two 
geni or victories. The arms are generally extended, 
or stretched a little out from the sides; and on each 
one or two fons. Below the festoon, between the two 
first bands, there are a great number of paps: hence 
she has been styled by some of the ancients, Muiiz- 
mammia, and roAvuacoc, the goddess with the multi- 
tude of paps: on one figure I count nineteen. Between 
the second and third bands, dirds are represented , 
between the third and fourth, a human head with tri- 
tons ; between the fourth and fifth, heads of oxen 
Most of the zmages of this goddess are represented as 
swathed nearly to the ancles, about which the folds of 
her robe appear. Though there is a general resemblance 
in all the images of the Ephesian Diana, yet some have 
more figures or symbols, some less: these symbols are 
generally paps, human figures, oven, lions, stags, grif- 
fins, sphinaes, reptiles, bees, branches of trees, and roses. 

That nature is intended by this goddess is evident 
from the inscription on two of those represented by 
Montfaucon: παναίολος φυσις παντων μητηρ, Nature, 
full of varied creatures, and mother of all things. Τὶ 
is evident that this Diana was a composition of several 
deities : her crown of turrets belongs to Cybele, the 
mother of the gods; the dions were sacred to her also; 
the fruits and oxen are symbols of Ceres ; the griffins 
were sacred to Apollo ; and the deer or slags to Diana. 
The crab being placed within the festoon of flowers 
evidently refers to the northern tropic Cancer; and. 
the crab being crowned in that quarter may refer to 
the sun having accomplished his course, and begun 
to return with an increase of light, heat, &c. The 
paps, or breasts, as has already been observed, show 


her to be the nurse of all things; and the different 
animals and vegetables represented on those images 
1 


CHAP. 


29 And the whole city was | 
filled with confusion: and having 
caught ° Gaius and f Aristarchus, | 
men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, 
they rushed with one accord into the theatre. 

30 And when Paul would have entered in 
unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. 

31 And certain of the chief of Asia, which 
were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him 
that he would not adventure himself into the 
theatre, 

32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some 


The Jews wcrease the tumult 


cir. 


Ϊ 


ΧΙΧ. 


another: for the assembly was 4,™. cir. 4068, 
confused; and the more -part Pegi 
knew not wherefore they were ————— 
come together. 

33 And they drew Alexander out of the 
multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And 
s Alexander beckoned with the hand, and 


through enmity to Paul. 


would have made his defence unto the people. 


34 But when they knew that he was a Jew, 
all with one voice about the space of two 
hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephe- 
sians. 


© Rom. xvi. 23; 1 Cor. i. 14.—f Ch. xx. 4; xxvii. 2; Col. iv. 10; 


Philem. 24.—s 1 Tim. i. 20; 2 Tim. iv. 14, —» Chap. xii. 17. 


point out nature as the supporter of the animal and 

vegetable world : the moon and tritons show her in- | 
fluence on the sea; and the sun her influence on the 

earth. All these things considered, it is no wonder | 
that this goddess was called at Ephesus the Great | 
Diana, and that she was worshipped, not only in that | 
city, but in all the world. In the worship of this 

deity, and in the construction of her images, the hea- 

thens seem to have consulted common sense and rea- 

son in rather an unusual manner. But we must ob- 

serve, also, that among the Greeks and Romans they 

had two classes of deities : the Dit Majores, and the 

Dii Minores: the great gods, and the minor gods. 

The latter were innumerable ; but the former, among 

whom was Diana, were only twelve—Jupiter, Nep- 

tune, Apollo, Mars, Mercury, and Vulcan; Juno, 

Vesta, Ceres, Diana, Venus, and Minerva. These 

twelve were adored through the whole Gentile world, 

under a variety of names. 

Verse 29. The whole city was filled with confusion] 
Thus we find the peace of the whole city was dis- 
turbed, not by an apostle preaching the Gospel of* 
Christ, but by one interested, unprincipled knave, who 
did not even plead conscience for what he was doing ; 
but that it was by this craft he and his fellows got 
their wealth, and he was afraid to lose it. 

Rushed—into the theatre.| The theatres, being very 
spacious and convenient places, were often used for 
popular assemblies and public deliberation, especially 
in matters which regarded the safety of the state. 
There are several proofs of this in ancient authors. 
So Tacitus, Hist. ii. 80, speaking concerning Vespa- 
sian, says: Andtiochensium theatrum ingressus, ubi 
illis consultare mos est, concurrentes et in adulationem 
effusos alloguitur. ‘* Having entered into the theatre 
of the Antiochians, where it was the custom to hold 
consultations, the people running together, and being 
profuse in flattery, he addressed them.” Frontinus, 
in Stratagem. lib. iil. cap. 2, speaking of a public 
meeting at the theatre at Agrigentum, observes, uz ex 
more Grecorum locus consultation prebebatur ; which, 
according to the custom of the Greeks, is the place 
for public deliberation. See several examples in Kypke. 

Verse 31. Certain of the chief of Asia] Τίνες των 
Actapyav ; Some of the Asiarchs. The Asiarchs were 
those to whom the care and regulation of the public 

1 


games were intrusted: they were a sort of high priests, 
and were always persons of considerable riches and 
influence. These could not have been Christians ; 
but they were what the sacred text states them to have 
been, avrw φιλοι, his friends ; and foreseeing that Paul 
would be exposed to great danger if he went into the 
theatre, amidst such a tumultuous assembly, they sent 
a message to him, entreating him not to go into dan- 
ger so apparent. Query: Did he not go, and fight 
with these wild beasts at Ephesus? 1 Cor. xv. 32. 

Verse 32. Some—cried one thing, and some another] 
This is an admirable description of a tumultuous mob, 
gathered together without law or reason; getting their 
passions inflamed, and looking for an opportunity to 
commit outrages, without why or wherefore—principle 
or object. 

For the assembly was confused] Ἢ exxanoia; The 
same word which we translate church ; and thus we 
find that it signifies any assembly, good or bad, lawful, 
or unlawful; and that only the circumstances of the 
case can determine the precise nature of the assembly 
to which this word is applied. 

Verse 33. They drew Alexander out of the multi- 
tude, the Jews putting him forward] From this and 
the following verses it is pretty evident that this 
Alexander was brought forward on this occasion by 
the Jews, that he might make an oration to the multi- 
tude, in order to exculpate the Jews, who were often 
by the heathens confounded with the Christians ; and 
cast the whole blame of the uproar upon Paul and his 
party. And he was probably chosen because he was 
an able speaker; and when he beckoned with his 
hand, to gain an audience, the Greeks, knowing that 
he was a Jew, and consequently as much opposed to 
the worship of Diana as Paul was, would not hear 
him; and therefore, to drown his apology, τῷ dyno, 
for the people, viz. the Jews, they vociferated for 
the space of two hours, Great is Diana of the Ephe- 
sians! There does not seem any just ground from 
the text to suppose that this Alexander was a Chris- 
tian; or that he was about to make an apology for 
the Christians: it is generally believed that he is the 
same with Alexander the coppersmith, of whom St. 
Paul speaks, 2 Tim. iv. 14, and whom, with Philetus, 
he was obliged to excommunicate, 1 Tim. i. 20. By 
the Jews putting him forward, we axe to understand 

847 


THE 


Tho town-clerk delivers 
A.M. cir. 4063. 
A.D. cir. 59. 


An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 3. 


35 And when the town-clerk 
had appeased the people, he said, 
Ye men of Ephesus, what man 
is there that knoweth not how that the city 
of the Ephesians is ‘ a worshipper of the great 
goddess Diana, and of the zmage which fell 
down from Jupiter ? 

36 Seeing then that these things can- 
not be spoken against, ye ought to 


ΤΟΥ, the temple-keeper. 


ACTS. an address to the mob. 
be quiet, and to do nothing A.M. cir. 4063. 
rashly. An. Olymp. 


37 For ye have brought hither oe 


these men, which are neither robbers of 
churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. 
38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the crafts- 
men which are with him, have a matter against 
any man, ‘the law is open, and there are 
deputies : let them implead one another. 


ΚΟΥ, the court days are kept. 


their earnestness to get him to undertake their defence, 
and criminate, as much as possible, St. Paul and his 
companions, and the Christian cause in general; which 
he would no doubt have done, without vindicating the 
worship of Diana, which, as a Jew, he would not dare 
to attempt. 

Verse 35. When the town-clerk] Ὁγραμματευς, Lite- 


rally, the scribe. The Syriac hasJA194S04 }.5.} 


reisha damedinato, the chief or prince of the city. The 
later Syriac has, the scribe of the city. Some think 
that the word recorder would do better here than town- 
clerk ; and indeed it is evident that a magistrate of 
considerable authority and influence is intended—the 
mayor or sovereign of the city. 


Ye men of Ephesus] The speech of this man may 
be thus analyzed: 1. He states that there was no need 
of a public declaration that the Ephesians were wor- 
shippers of Diana; this every person knew, and 
nobody attempted to contest it, ver. 35,36. 2. That 
the persons accused were not guilty of any public 
offence, nor of any breach of the laws of the city, 37. 
3. That, if they were, this was not a legal method 
of prosecuting them, 38, 39. 4. That they them- 
selves, by this tumultuous meeting, had exposed them- 
selves to the censure of the law, and were in danger of 
being called into question for it, ver. 40. See Dodd. 

Is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana] The 
word vewkopoc, neocoros, which we translate worship- 
per, signified at first, among the ancient Greeks, no 
more than sweeper of the temple, and answered nearly 
to our sexton: in process of time, the care of the 
temple was intrusted to this person: at length the 
neocori became persons of great consequence, and were 
those who offered sacrifices for the life of the emperor. 
Whole cities took this appellation, as appears on many 
ancient coins and medals; and Ephesus is supposed 
to have been the first that assumed this title. At this 
time, it was commonly known as belonging to this 
city. ‘“ What man is there that knoweth not that 
the city of the Ephesians is the Neocoros of the 
great goddess Diana?” As if he had said: “ The 
whole city is devoted to her worship: it is reputed 
an honour to our highest characters even to sweep 
her temple, and open and shut her doors. Besides, 
we offer to her the highest sacrifices; and are in- 
trusted with the religious service that pertains to the 
emperor’s safety.” 

Of the image which fell down from Jupiter 2] The 
original image of the Hphesian Diana (see on ver. 27) 

848 


was supposed to have descended from heaven ; which 
intimates that it was so old that no person knew 
either its maker or the time in which it was formed 
and it was the interest of the priests to persuade the 
people that this image had been sent to them as a 
present from Jupiter himself. Several images and 
sacred things were supposed, among the heathens, to 
be presents immediately from heaven. Euripides 
states the image of Diana of Tauri to be of this kind ; 
and calls it διοπετες ayadya, the image fa.en ‘rom 
Jupiter. Numa pretended that the ancilia, or sacred 
shields, had come from heaven. In imitation of these, 
many of the Italian papists believe that the shrine of 
our lady of Loretto was also a Divine gift to their 
country. ‘St. Isidore, of Damietta, says that the hea- 
then, in order to induce the people to believe that such 
images came from heaven, either banished or slew the 
artists that had formed them, that there might be no 
evidence of the time in which, or the persons by whom, 
they were made: this point secured, it was easy to 
persuade the credulous multitude that they had been 
sent from heaven. The story of the Palladium, on 
which the safety of Troy was said to depend, is well 
known. It was an image of Minerva, and also sup- 
posed to have descended from Jupiter. 

Verse 37. These men—are neither robbers of 
churches| Ἱεροσυλους ; Spoilers of sacred places. As 
his design evidently was to appease and conciliate the 
people, he fixed first on a most incontrovertible fact: 
These men have not spoiled your temples ; nor is there 
any evidence that they have even blasphemed your god- 
dess. The apostles acted as prudent men should : 
they endeavoured to enlighten the minds of the multi- 
tude, that the absurdity of their gross errors might be 
the more apparent; for, when they should know the 
truth, it was likely that they would at once abandon 
such gross falsehood. 

Verse 38. If Demetrius—have a matter against 
any man\ If it be any breach of law, in reference to 
Demetrius and the artists, the law 1s open, ἀγοραιοι 
ἄγονται, these are the terms of law, public courts, 
times of sessions or assize ; or, rather, the judges are 
now sitting : so the words may be understood. And 
there are deputies, ἀνθυπατοι, proconsuls, appointed 
to guard the peace of the state, and to support every 
honest man in his right: let them implead one another; 
let the one party bring forward his action of assault or 
trespass, and the other put in his defence: the laws 
are equal and impartial, and justice will be done to 
him who is wronged. 

1 


The town-clerk allays the 


A. M. cir. 4063. ifvei Ϊ i = 
‘ieee 6 (2? Butifye inquire any thing con 
An. Olymp. cerning other matters, it shall be 


ir. CCIX. 3. Uae we 
"determined in a ‘lawful assembly. 


40 For we are in danger to be called in 
question ™ for this day’s uproar, there being 


! Or, ordinary.——® Ver, 29, 32; Psa. xxxiv. 19. 


Verse 39. But if ye inquire any thing concerning 
other matters) In which the safety of the state, or 
the national worship, is concerned, know that such a 
matter is not the business of the mob; it must be 
heard and determined in a lawful assembly, ev ty 
evvouw ἐκκλησίᾳ, one legally constituted, and properly 
authorized to hear and determine on the subject. 

Verse 40. For we are in danger, g§c.] Popular 
commotions were always dreaded by the Roman 
government ; and so they should by all governments ; 
for, when might has nothing to direct its operations 
but passion, how destructive must these operations 
be! One of the Roman laws made all such commo- 
tions of the people capital offences against those who 
raised them. Qui cetum et concursus fecerit, caprte 
puniatur: “ He who raises a mob shall forfeit his 
life.” If such a law existed at Ephesus—and it pro- 
bably did, from this reference to it in the words of 
the town-clerk or recorder—then Demetrius must 
feel himself in great personal danger; and that his 
own life lay now at the merey of those whom he had 
accused, concerning whom he had raised such an outery, 
and against whom nothing disorderly could be proved. 

Verse 41. He dismissed the assembly.| Τὴν ἐκκλησιαν. 
Another proof that the word ἐκκλησία, which we gene- 
rally translate church, signifies an assembly of any 
kind, good or bad, legal or illegal. 


1. How forcible are right words! From the con- 
duct of this prudent, sensible man, we may learn how 
much influence persons of this character may have, 
even over the unbridled multitude. But, where the 
civil power associates.itself with the lawless might of 


CHAP. XX. 


ferment and disperses the mob. 
A. Μ. cir. 4063 
no cause plang. He may Δ Diet. 4 
ive an account of this con- An. Olymp. 
§ cir. CCIX. 3. 


course. Ege denies ας Εἰ 
41 And when he had thus spoken, "he 
dismissed the assembly. 


1 Job v. 13; Psa. Ixv. 7. 


would destroy others, and at last destroy themselves. 
Law and justice are from God; and the civil power, by 
which they are supported and administered, should bi 
respected by all who regard the safety of their persons 
or property. 

2. Though the ministry of St. Paul was greatly 
blessed at Ephesus, and his preaching appears to have 
been very popular, yet this sunshine was soon dark- 
ened: peace with the world cannot last long ; the 
way of the Lord will always be opposed by those who 
love their own ways. 


3. How few would make an oufward profession of 
religion, were there no gain connected withit! And 
yet, as one justly observes, religion is rendered gain- 
ful only by some external part of it. For this very 
reason, the external part of religion is always on the 
increase, and none can find fault with it without 
raising storms and tempests; while the internal part 
wastes and decays, no man laying it to heart. De- 
metrius and his fellows would have made no stir for 
their worship, had not the apostle’s preaching tended 
to discredit that by which they got their wealth. Most 
of the outeries that have been made against all revivals 
of religion—revivals by which the Chureh has been 
called back to its primitive principles and purity, have 
arisen out of self-interest. The ery of, the Church is 
in danger, has been echoed only by those who found 
their secular interest at stake ; and knew that reforma- 
tion must unmask them, and show that the slothful 
and wicked servants could no longer be permitted to 
live on the revenues of that Church which they dis- 
graced by their lives, and corrupted by their false doc- 


trines. He that eats the Church’s bread should do the 
Church’s work: and he that will not work should not 
be permitted to eat. 


the many, THERE must be confusion and every evil 
work. What a blessing to the community is the civil 
law! Were it not for this, the unthinking multitude 


CHAPTER XX. 


Pui retires to Macedonia, 1. He goes into Greece, where he tarries three months ; and, purposing to sau 
to Syria, he returns through Macedonia, 2,3. Several persons accompany him into Asia, and then go 
before and tarry for him at Troas,4, 5. Paul and Luke sail from Philippi, and in five days reach 
Troas, where they meet their brethren from Asia, and abide there seven days, 6. On the first day of the 
week, the disciples coming together to break bread, Paul preaching to them, and continuing his speech till 
midnight, a young man of the name of Eutychus, being in a deep sleep, fell from the third loft and was 
killed, 7-9. Paul restores him to life, resumes his discourse, and continuing αὐ till daybreak, then de- 
parts, 10-12. Luke and his companions sail to Assos, whither Paul comes by land, 13. He embarks 
with them at Assos, comes to Mitylene, 14. Sails thence, and passes by Chios, arrives at Samos, tarries 
at Trogyllium, and comes to Miletus, 15. Purposing to get as soon as possible to Jerusalem, he sends 
from Miletus, and calls the elders of the Church of Ephesus, to whom he preaches a most affecting sermon, 
gives them the most solemn exhortations, kneels down and prays with them, takes a very affecting leave of 
them, and sets sail for Caesarea, in order to go to Jerusalem, 16-38. 


Vou. I. ( 54) 849 


Paul goes through Macedonia, 


A. M. cir. 4063. 
A. D. cir. 59. 
An. Olymp. 

cir. OCIX. 3. 


AND after the uproar was 

ceased, Paul called unto him 
the disciples, and embraced them, 
and * departed for to go into Macedonia. 


A. M.cir. 4064. 2 And when he had gone over 
A. Ὁ. cir. 60. Ε 
An. Olymp. those parts, and had given them 
vir CCIX. 4 ΠΟΙ exhortation, he came into 
Greece, 


8 And there abode three months. And 


Cor. xvi. 5; 1 Tim.i. 3——> Chap. ix. 23 ; xxiii. 12; xxv. 


a] 
3; 2 Cor. xi. 26— ¢Chap. xix. 29; xxvii. 2; Col. iv. 10. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XX. 

Verse 1. After the uproar was ceased| The tu- 
mult excited by Demetrius apparently induced Paul to 
leave Ephesus sooner than he had intended. He had 
written to the Corinthians that he should leave that 
place after pentecost, 1 Cor. xvi. 8; but it is very 
probable that he left it sooner. 

Verse 2. He came into Greece] Exe τὴν Ἕλλαδα, 
Into Hellas, Greece properly so called, the regions 
between Thessaly and Propontis, and the country of 
Achaia. He did not, however, go there immediately : 
he passed through Macedonia, ver. 1, in which he in- 
forms us, 2 Cor. vii. 5, 6, 7, that he suffered much, 
both from believers and infidels ; but was greatly com- 
forted by the arrival of Titus, who gave him a very 
flattering account of the prosperous state of the Church 
at Corinth. A short time after this, being still in 
Macedonia, he sent Titus back to Corinth, 2 Cor. viii. 
16, 17, and sent by him the second epistle which he 
wrote to that Church, as Theodoret and others sup- 
pose. Some time after, he visited Corinth himself, 
according to his promise, 1 Cor. xvi. 5. This was 
his third voyage to that city, 2 Cor. xii. 14; xiii. 1. 
What he did there at this time cannot be distinctly 
known; but, according to St. Augustin, he ordered 
every thing relative to the holy eucharist, and the 
proper manner in which it was to be received. See 
Calmet. 

Verse 3. Abode three months] Partly, as we may 
suppose, at Corinth, at Athens, and in Achaia; from 
which place he is supposed to have sent his epistle 
to the Romans, because he continued longer here than 
at any other place, and mentions several of the Co- 
rinthians in his salutations to the believers of Rome. 

When the Jews laid wait for him] Paul had de- 
cermined to go by sea to Syria, and from thence to 
Jerusalem. This was the first object of his journey ; 
and this was the readiest road he could take ; but, 
hearing that the Jews had lard wazt for him, probably 
fo attack his ship on the voyage, seize his person, sell 
him for a slave, and take the money which he was 
carrying to the poor saints at Jerusalem, he resolved 
to go as much of the journey as he conveniently could, 
by land. ‘Therefore, he returned through Macedonia, 
and from thence to Troas, where he embarked to sail 
for Syria, on his way to Jerusalem. The whole of his 
journey is detailed in this and the following chapter. 
See also the map. 

Verse 4. And there accompanied him] Rather, 

850 


THE ACTS. 


and comes unto Greece 


*when the Jews laid wat for 4, ci. 4064 
him, as he was about to sail into An. Olymp. 
Syria, he purposed to retum eae 
through Macedonia. 

4 And there accompanied him into Asia, So- 
pater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians 
© Aristarchus and Secundus; and ὃ Gaius of 
Derbe, and “ Timotheus; and of Asia, * Ty- 
chicus and 5 Trophimus. 


4 Chap. xix. 29. © Chap. xvi. 1. 
2 Tim. iv. 12; Tit. iii. 12. 


f Eph. vi. 21; Col. iv.7; 
= Chap. xxi. 29; 2 Tim. iv. 20. 


says Bishop Pearce, there followed him as far as to 
Asia; for they were not in his company till he set 
sail from Philippi, and came to them at Troas, in Asia, 
whither they had gone before, and where they tarried 
for him, ver. 5. 

Into Asia] Αχρι τῆς Actac; These words are want- 
ing in two MSS., Erpen, the Aithiopic, Coptic, and 
Vulgate. Some think that they embarrass this place; 
for how these could accompany him into Asia, and go 
before him, and tarry for him at Troas, ver. 6, is not 
so very cleat; unless we suppose, what I have glanced 
at in the table of contents, that they came with him 
to Asia; but, he tarrying a short time, they proceeded 
on their journey, and stopped for him at Troas, where 
he shortly after rejoined them. Mr. Wakefield gets 
rid of the difficulty by reading the verse thus: Now 
Sopater of Berea accompanied him; but Aristarchus 
and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Tim- 
othy of Lystra, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia, 
went before, and tarried for us at Troas. 

Sopater of Berea] Sopater seems to be the same 
as Sosipater, whom St. Paul mentions as his kinsman, 
Rom. xvi. 31. ADE, more than twenty others, with 
the Coptic, Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, 
Vulgate, Itala, Theophylact, Origen, and Bede, add 
Πύυρῥου, Sopater the son or Pyrruus. Griesbach has 
received this into his text. 

Aristarchus of Thessalonica] This person occurs 
in chap xix. 29, and is mentioned there as a Mace- 
donian. He attended Paul in his journey to Rome, 
chap. xxvii. 2, and was his fellow labourer, Philem. ver. 
24, and his fellow prisoner, Col. iv. 10,11. Secundus 
is mentioned nowhere but in this place. 

Gaius of Derbe| This is supposed to be the same 
who is mentioned chap. xix. 26, and who is there 
called a man of Macedonia, of which some suppose he 
was a native, but descended from a family that came 
from Derbe ; but as Gaius, or Caius, was a very com- 
mon name, these might have been two distinct per- 
sons. One of this name was baptized by St. Paul at 
Corinth, 1 Cor. i. 14, and entertained him as his host 
while he abode there, Rom. xvi. 23, and was probably 
the same to whom St. John directs his third epistle. 

And Timotheus] Of Lystra, is added by the Sy- 
riac. This was the same person of whom mention is 
made, chap. xvi. 1, and to whom St. Paul wrote the 
two epistles which are still extant; and who was a 
native of Lystra, as we learn from the above place. 
Tt was on this evidence, probably, that the ancient 

(5) 


Eutychus falls from the third loft, 


A. M. cir. 4064. Ἶ ; i 
4 ee 5 These going before tarried 
An. ΟἹ mp. for us at Troas. 
cir. CCLX. 4 


6 And we sailed away from 
Philippi after ἢ the days of unleavened bread, 
and came unto them ‘to Troas in five days; 
where we abode seven days. 

7 § And upon * the first day of the week, 
when the disciples came together !to break 
bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to de- 
part on the morrow; and continued his speech 
until midnight. 


4 Exod. xii. 14, 15; xxiii. 15. "Chap. xvi. 8; 2 Cor. ii. 12; 
2 Tim. iv. 13.—* 1 Cor. xvi. 2; Rey. i. 10. 


Syriac translator added, of Lystra, to the text. This 
reading is not supported by any MSS. 

Tychicus—of Asia] This person was high in the 
confidence of St. Paul. He styles him a beloved bro- 
ther, and faithful minister in the Lord, whom he sent 
to the Ephesians, that he might know their affairs, 
and comfort their hearts, Eph. vi. 21,22. He sent 
him for the same purpose, and with the same commen- 
dations, to the Colossians, Col. iv. 7, 8. Paul seems 
also to have designed him to superintend the Church 
at Crete in the absence of Titus; see Tit. iii. 12. 
He seems to have been the most intimate and confi- 
dential friend that Paul had. 

Trophimus.| Was an Ephesian ; and both he and 
Tychicus are called Ἐφεσιοι, Ephesians, instead of 
Actavot, Asiatics, in the Codex Beze, both Greek and 
Latin, and in the Sahidic. He accompanied Paul 
from Ephesus into Greece, as we see here; and from 
thence to Jerusalem, chap. xxi. 29. He had, no doubt, 
travelled with him on other journeys, for we find, by 
2 Tim. iv. 20, that he was obliged to leave him sick 
at Miletus, being then, as it is likely, on his return to 
his own kindred at Ephesus. 

Verse 5. Tarried for us at Troas.) See the pre- 
ceding verse. Troas was a small town in Phrygia 
Minor, in the province called the Troad: see chap. 
xvi. 8. 

Verse 6. Days of unleavened bread] 'The seven 
days of the passover, in which they ate unleavened 
bread. See the account of this festival in the notes 
on Exod. xii. It is evident, from the manner in 
which St. Luke writes here, that he had not been 
with St. Paul since the time he accompanied him to 
Philippi, chap. xvi. 10-12; but he now embarks at 
Philippi with the apostle, and accompanies him to 
Troas, and continues with him through the rest of 
his journey. 

To Troas in five days] So long they were making 
this voyage from Philippi, being obliged to keep always 
by the coast, and in sight of the land; for the mag- 
netic needle was not yet known. See the situation of 
these places upon the map. 

Verse 7. Upon the first day of the week] What 
was called κυρίακη, the Lord’s day, the Christian Sab- 
bath, in which they commemorated the resurrection of 
our Lord ; and which, among all Christians, afterwards 
took the place of the Jewish Sabbath. 

1 


CHAP. XX. 


and is restored to life by Paul. 

i A. M. cir. 4064, 
8 And there were many lights “,' othe i 
πὶ ἴῃ the upper chamber, where An. Anes 
cir. CCIX. 4, 


they were gathered together. ------ 

9 And there sat in ἃ window a certain young 
man, named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep 
sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he 
sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the 
third loft, and was taken up dead. 

10 And Paul went down, and " fell on him; 
and embracing him said, ° Trouble not your 
selves; for his life is in him. 


"Chap. Ἢ 42,40; 1 Cor. x.16; xi. 20, &o-—™ Chep. iy kee 
1 Kings xvii. 21; 2 Kings i iv. 34. © Matt. ix. 24. 


To break bread] To break LNo μοὶ eucas 


ristia, the eucharist, as the Syriae has it; intimating, 
by this, that they were accustomed to receive the holy 
sacrament on each Lord’s day. It is likely that, be- 
sides this, they received a common meal together. 
Some think the ἀγάπη, or love feast, is intended 

Continued his speech until midnight.) At what 
time he began to preach we cannot tell, but we hear 
when he concluded. He preached during the whole 
night, for he did not leave off till the break of the next 
day, ver. 11, though about midnight his discourse was 
interrupted by the fall of Eutychus. As this was about 
the time of pentecost, and we may suppose about the 
beginning of May, as Troas was in about 40 degrees 
of north latitude, the sun set there at seven P. M. and 
rose at five A. M., so that the night was about eight 
hours long ; and taking all the interruptions together, 
and they could not have amounted to more than two 
hours, and taking no account of the preceding day’s 
work, Paul must have preached a sermon not less 
than six hours long. But it is likely that a good 
part of this time was employed in hearing and answer- 
ing questions ; for διελέγετο, and διαλεγομένου, may be 
thus understood. 

Verse 8. Upper chamber] It was in an upper 
chamber in the temple that the primitive disciples were 
accustomed to meet : on that account, they might have 
preferred an upper chamber whenever they could meet 
with it. The pious Quesnel] supposes that the smoke, 
issuing from the many lamps in this upper chamber, 
was the cause of Eutychus falling asleep; and this, 
he says, the apostle mentions, in charity, to excuse 
the young man’s appearing negligent. 

Verse 9. There sat ina window] This was pro- 
bably an opening in the wall, to let in light and air, 
for there was no glazing at that time ; and it is likely 
that Eutychus fell backward through it, down to the 
cround, on the outside ; there being nothing to prevent 
his falling out, when he had once lost the power to 
take care of himself, by getting into a deep sleep. 

Verse 10. And Paul—fell on him] Ezerecev avtw, 
Stretched himself upon him, in the same manner as 
Elisha did onthe Shunammite’s son, 2 Kings iv.33-35; 
though the action of lying on him, in order to commu- 
nicate warmth to the flesh, might not have been con 
tinued so long as in the above instance; nor indeed 

851 


Paw sends to Ephesus THE 


Aydt gle, “a 11 When he therefore was 
An. Olymp. come up again, and had broken 
cir. CCIX. 4. 


bread, and eaten, and talked a 
long while, even till break of day, so he de- 
parted. 

12 And they brought the young man alive, 
and were not a little comforted. 

13 § And we went before to sl.ip, and sailed 
unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: 
for so had he appointed, minding himself to go 
afoot. 

14 And when he met with us at Assos, we 
took him in, and came to Mitylene. 

15 And we sailed thence, and came the 
next day over against Chios; and the next 


ACTS. for the elders of the Church 


day we arrived at Samos, and 4.™. cir. 4064, 


4 3 A. D. cir. 60. 
tarried at ‘Trogyllium; and eee 
the next day we came to Mi- ithe le 
letus. 


16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephe- 
sus, because he would not spend the time in 
Asia: for ? he hasted, if it were possible for 
him, 4 ἴο be at Jerusalem * the day of pente- 
cost. 

17 {| And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, 
and called the elders of the Church. 

18 And when they were come to him, he 
said unto them, Ye know, ‘from the first day 
that I came into Asia, after what manner J 
have been with you at all seasons. 


PChap. xviii. 21; xix. 21; xxi. 4, 12—dqChap. xxiv. 17. 


rChap. ii. }; 1 Cor. xvi. 8—=Chap. xviii. 19; xix. 1, 10. 


was it necessary, as the natural warmth had not yet 
left the body of Eutychus; but the son of the Shu- 
nammite had been some time dead. 

Verse 11. Had broken bread] Had taken some 
refreshment, in order to their journey. 

And talked a long while| ‘OjuAncac, Having fami- 
liarly conversed, for this is the import of the word, 
which is very different from the διελέγετο, of the seventh 
verse, and the d:aAeyouevov, of the ninth ; which imply 
solemn, grave discourse. 

Verse 13. Sailed unto assos| Assos, according to 
Pausanias, Eliac. ii. 4, and Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxxvi. 
27, was a maritime town of Asia, in the Toad. 
Strabo and Stephanus place it in Mysia. Τὶ was also 
called Apollonia, according to Pliny, Ib. lib. v. 30. 
The passage by sea to this place was much longer 
than by land; and therefore St. Paul chose to go by 
land, while the others went by sea. 

Intending to take in Paul] AvadapBavew, To take 
him in acain; for it appears he had already been 
aboard that same vessel: probably the same that had 
carried them from Philippi to Troas, ver. 6. 

Verse 14. Came to Mitylene.| This wasa seaport 
town in the isle of Lesbos : see its place in the map. 

Verse 15. Over against Chios] This was a very 
celebrated island between Lesbos and Samos, famous in 
antiquity for its extraordinary wines. At this island 
the apostle did not touch. 

Arrived at Samos| This was another island of the 
Ffigean Sea, or Archipelago. It does not appear that 
they landed at Samos: they passed close by it, and 
anchored at Trogyllium. This was a promontory of 
Tonia, which gave name to some small islands in the 
vicinity of Samos: Τῆς de Τρωγιλίου προκειται νησίον 
ὁμωνυμον : before Trogyllium is situated an island of 
the same name. ϑέγαδο, lib. xiv. p. 635. Pliny also 
mentions this place, Hist. Nat. lib. ν. cap. 31. Near 
this place was the mouth of the famous river Meander. 

Came to Miletus.| A celebrated city in the province 
of Caria, about twelve or fifteen leagues from Mphe- 
sus, according to Calmet. Miletus is famous for being 
the birthplace of ‘I’hales, one of the seven wise men 
of Greece, and founder of the Zonic sect of philoso- 

852 


phers. Anaximander was also born here, and several 
other eminent men. The Turks, who lately possessed 
it, call it Melas. 

Verse 16. To sail by Ephesus] Not to touch there 
at this time. 

To be at Jerusalem the day of pentecost.| That 
he might have the opportunity of preaching the king- 
dom of God to multitudes of Jews from different places, 
who would come up to Jerusalem at that feast; and 
then he no doubt expected to see there a renewal of 
that day of pentecost in which the Spirit was poured 
out on the disciples, and in consequence of which so 
many were converted to God. 

Verse 17. He sent to Ephesus, and called the elders 
of the Church.| These are called ἐπίσκοποι, bishops, 
ver. 28. By the πρεσβυτεροι, preshyters or elders, 
here, we are to understand all that were in authority 
in the Church, whether they were ἐπίσκοποι, bishops or 
overseers, or seniors in years, knowledge, and ewperi- 
ence. The πρεσβύτεροι, or elders, were probably the 
first order in the Church; an order which was not so 
properly constituted, but which rose out of the state of 
things. From these presbuteroi the episcopoi, over- 
seers or superintendents, were selected. Those who 
were eldest in years, Christian knowledge, and expe- 
rience, would naturally be preferred to all others, as 
overseers of the Church of Christ. From the Greek 
word tpecBvrepoc, comes the Latin presbyterus, 
the English presbyter, the French prestre, and our 
own term priest; and all, when traced up to their ori- 
ginal, signify merely an elderly or aged person ; though 
it soon became the name of an office, rather than of a 
state of years. Now, as these elders are called επισ- 
κοποι, bishops, in ver. 28, we may take it for granted 
that they were the same order; or, rather, that these 
superintendents of the Church were indifferently called 
either presbyters or bishops. 

As he had not time to call at Ephesus, he thought 
it best to have a general convocation of the heads of 
that Church, to meet him at Miletus, that he might 
give them the instructions mentioned in the succeeding 
parts of this chapter. 

Verse 18. After what manner I have been with you] 

1 


Paui’s discourse to the elders 


A.M. cir. 4064. 19 Serving the Lord with all 
. D. cir. 60, 5 G . 
An. Olymp. humility of mind, and with many 


ir. CCIX. 4. , 
a. tears and temptations, which be- 


Tell me * by the lying in wait of the Jews : 

20 And how “I kept back nothing that was 
profitable unto you, but have showed you, and 
have taught you publicly, and from house to 
house, 

21 * Testifying both to the Jews, and also 
to the Greeks, τ repentance toward God, and 
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 

22 And now, behold, *I go bound in the 


t Ver. 3. «Ver. 27. 
Luke xxiy. 47 ; chap. ii. 38. 
4,11; 1 Thess. iii. 3. 


¥ Chap. xviii. 5. 
x Chap. xix. 21. 


ν Mark i. 15; 
¥ Chap. xxi. 


The Codex Beze adds here, for three years, and even 
more, Which reading might have been borrowed from 
ver. 31, though the time assigned by it is too long. 

Verse 19. Serving the Lord with all humility, δες. 
This relates not only to his zealous and faithful per- 
formance of his apostolic functions, but also to his pri- 
vate walk as a Christian; and shows with what care- 
fulness this apostle himself was obliged to walk, in 
order to have his calling and election, as a Christian, 
ratified and made firm. 

Verse 20. I kept back nothing] Notwithstanding 
the dangers to which he was exposed, and the temp- 
tations he must have had to suppress those truths that 
were less acceptable to the unrenewed nature of man, 
or to the particular prejudices of the Jews and the 
Gentiles, he fully and faithfully, at all hazards, declar- 
ed what he terms, ver. 27, the whole counsel of God. 
“ Behold here,” says the judicious and pious Calmet, 
‘the model of a good shepherd—full of doctrine and 
zeal: he communicates with profusion, and yet with 
discretion, without jealousy and without fear, what God 
had put in his heart, and what charity inspires. A 
good shepherd, says St. Bernard, should always have 
abundance of bread in his scrip, and his deg under 
command. His dog is his zeal, which he must lead, 
order, and moderate ; his scrip full of bread is his mind 
full of useful knowledge; and he should ever be in 
readiness to give nourishment to his flock.” He who 
will quarrel with this sentiment, because of the wn- 
couthness of the simile, needs pity, and deserves cen- 
sure. 

Verse 21. Testify both to—Jews and—Greeks] 
He always began with the Jews; and, in this case, 
he had preached to them alone for three months, chap. 
xix. 8-10, and only left their synagogues when he 
found, through their obstinacy, he could do them no 
good. 

Repentance toward God, &e.| As all had sinned 
against God, so all should humble themselves before 
him against whom they have sinned; but humiliation 
is no atonement for sin; therefore repentance is in- 
sufficient, unless faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ae- 
company it. 
soul for pardoning mercy ; but can never be consider- 

1 


CHAP. XX. 


of the Church of Ephesus 


Ti _ A.M. cir. 4064 
spirit unto Jerusalem, not know- 4, cir. or 


ing the things that shall befall An. Olymp. 
cir, CCIX. 4. 
me there : 5:3: τα seammiete 

23 Save that ¥ the Holy Ghost witnesseth in 
every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions 
2 abide me. 

24 But *none of these things move me; 
neither count I my life dear unto myself, ἢ so 
that I might finish my course with joy, “ and 
the ministry ὁ which I have received of the 


Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace 
of God. 


_ * Or, wait for me——= Chap. xxi. 13; Rom. viii. 35; 2 Cor. 
iv. 16. 62 Tim. iv. 7. © Chapter i. 17; 2 Cor. iv. 1. 
4Gal. i. 1; Tit. i. 3. 


ed as making compensation for past acts of transgres- 
sion. This repentance and faiih were necessary to 
the salvation both of Jews and Gentiles; for all had 
sinned, and come short of God’s glory. The Jews 
must repent, who had sinned so much, and so long, 
against light and knowledge. The Gentiles must 
repent, whose scandalous lives were a reproach to 
man. Faith in Jesus Christ was also indispensably 
necessary ; for a Jew might repent, be sorry for his 
sin, and suppose that, by a proper discharge of his 
religious duty, and bringing proper sacrifices, he could 
conciliate the favour of God: No, this will not do; 
nothing but faith in Jesus Christ, as the end of the 
law, and the great and only vicarious sacrifice, will 
do; hence he testified to them the necessity of faith in 
this Messiah. The Gentiles might repent of their 
profligate lives, turn to the true God, and renounce all 
idolatry: this is well, but it is not sufficient: they 
also have sinned, and their present amendment and 
faith can make no atonement for what is past; there- 
fore, they also must believe on the Lord Jesus, who 
died for their sins, and rose again for their justification. 

Verse 22. Igo bound in the spirit] Δεδεμενος τῷ 
mvevuatt—Wither meaning the strong influence of the 
Divine Spirit upon his mind, or the strong propensity 
in his own will, wish, and desire, to visit Jerusalem ; 
and in this sense dee, to bind, is sometimes used. 
But it appears more consistent with the mind of the 
apostle, and with that influence under which we find that 
he constantly acted, to refer it to the influence of the 
Holy Ghost; io tov πνεύματος, being under the power of 
that Spirit ; as if he had said: “ I have now no choice 
—God has not left me either to the advices of friends, 
or to my own prudence : the Spirit of God obliges me 
to go to Jerusalem, and yet does not intimate to me 
what peculiar trials shall befall me there: I have only 
the general intimation that, in every city where I pro- 
claim the Gospel, bonds and afflictions await me.” 
This sense of the word Kypke has largely defended 
in his note here. 

Verse 24. None of these things move me] Ovdevog 
λογον ποιοῦμαι; I consider them as nothing; I value 


Repentance disposes and prepares the | them not a straw; they weigh not with me. 


Neither count I my life dear) I am not my own; 
853 ᾿ 


Paul’s discourse to the elders 


ἌΝ Po eee 25 And now, behold, ° I know 
An. Olymp. that ye all, among whom I have 


ir. CCX. 4 : : 
ἔς gone preaching the kingdom of 


God, shall see my face no more. 
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, 
that I am pure from the blood of all men. 
27 For 51 have not shunned to declare 


THE ACTS. 


of the Church of Ephesus. 


h A.M. cir. 4064. 
unto you all "the counsel of Ae Dao: 
God. Bo ee 


j ir. CCLX. 4. 
28 i Take heed therefore unto Buea ss 


yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which 
the Holy Ghost * hath made you overseers, to 
feed the Church of God, } which he hath pur- 
chased ™ with his own blood. 


© Ver. 38; Rom. xv. 23—fChap. xviii. 6; 2 Cor. vii. 2. 
& Ver. 20.—— Luke vii. 30; Johnxv. ἴδ; Eph. i. 11.------ἰ 1 Tim. 


iv. 16; 1 Pet. v.2.—* 1 Cor. xii.28.——! Eph. i. 7, 14; Col. i. 14; 
Heb. ix. 12; 1 Pet. i. 19; Rev. v. 9——™See Heb. ix. 14. 


my life and being are the Lord’s; he requires me to 
employ them in his service; I act under his direction, 
and am not anxious about the issue. 

Finish my course with joy] Tov dpouov μου, My 
ministerial function. We have already met with this 
word in application to the same subject, chap. xili. 25, 
where see the note. And the apostle here adds, by 
way of explanation, καὶ τὴν διακονίαν, even that minis- 
try which I have received of the Lord. The words 
μετα xapac, with joy, are omitted by ABD, some others ; 
the Syriac, Erpen, Coptic, Sahidic, ALthiopic, Vul- 
gale, and some of the fathers. If we consider them 
as genuine, they may imply thus much: that the apos- 
tle wished to fulfil his ministry in such a way as might 
meet with the Divine approbation; for nothing could 
give him joy that did not please and glorify God. 

To testify| Διαμαρτυρασθαι, Earnestly, solemnly, 
and strenuously to assert, vindicate, and prove the 
Gospel of the grace of God, not only to be in itself 
what it professes to be, but to be also the power of 
God for salvation to every one that believes. 

Verse 25. Ye all—shall see my face no more.] This 
probably refers simply to the persons who were now 
present ; concerning whom he might have had a Di- 
vine intimation, that they should not be found in life 
when he should come that way again. Or it may refer 
only to Ephesus and Miletus. From the dangers to 
which he was exposed, it was, humanly speaking, un- 
likely that he should ever return; and this may be all 
that is implied: but that he did revisit those parts, 
though probably not Miletus or Ephesus, appears 
likely from Phil. i. 25-27; ii. 24; Philemon 22; 
Heb. xiii. 19-23. But in all these places he speaks 
witha measure of uncertainty: he had not an absolute 
evidence that he should not return; but, in his own 
mind, it was a matter of uncertainty. The Holy Spirit 
did not think proper to give him a direct revelation on 
this point. 

Verse 26. Iam pure from the blood of all] If any 
man, Jew or Gentile, perish in his sins, his blood shall 
be upon him; he, alone, shall be accessary to his own 
perdition. Tam blameless, because I have fully shown 
to both the way to escape from every evil. 

Verse 27. Ihave not shunned to declare] Ov υπεςει- 
λαμην, I have not suppressed or concealed any thing, 
through fear or favour, that might be beneficial to your 
souls. This is properly the meaning of the original 
word. See the note on ver. 20. 

All the counsel of God.] All that God has deter- 
mined and revealed concerning the salvation of man— 
the whole doctrine of Christ crucified, with repentance 
towards God, and faith in Jesus as the Messiah and 

854 


great atoning Priest. In Isa. ix. 6, Jesus Christ is 
called the wonderful counsellor, y)V $ bo Pelé Yoéts, 
which the Septuagint translate μεγάλης βουλης ἀγγελος" 
The messenger of the great counsel. To this the 
apostle may have referred, as we well know that this 
version was constantly under his eye. Declaring 
therefore to them the whole counsel of God, πασην τὴν 
βουλην του Θεου, the whole of that counsel or design 
of God, was, in effect, declaring the whole that con- 
cerned the Lord Jesus, who was the messenger of this 
counsel. 

Verse 28. Made you overseers] E@eto extoxorove, 
Appointed you bishops ; for so we translate the ori- 
ginal word in most places where it occurs: but over- 
seers, or inspectors, is much more proper, from ert, 
over, and σκέπτομαι, Tlook. ‘The persons who examine 
into the spiritual state of the flock of God, and take 
care to lead them in and out, and to find them pasture 
are termed episcopoi, or superintendents. The office 
of a bishop is from God; a true pastor only can fulfil 
this office : it is an office of most awful responsibility ; 
few there are who can fill it; and, of those who oc- 
cupy this high and awful place, perhaps we may say 
there are fewer still who discharge the duties of it. 
There are, however, through the good providence of 
God, Christian bishops, who, while they are honoured 
by the calling, do credit to the sacred function. And 
the annals of our Church can boast of at least as many 
of this class of men, who have served their God and 
their generation, as of any other order, in the propor- 
tion which this order bears to others in the Church of 
Christ. That bishop and presbyter, or elder, were at 
this time of the same order, and that the word was in- 
differently used of both, see noticed on ver. 17. 

Feed the Church of God] This verse has been the 
subject of much controversy, particularly in reference 
to the term cov, of Gop, in this place ; and concern- 
ing it there is great dissension among the MSS. and 
versions. Three readings exist in them, in reference 
to which critics and commentators have been much 
divided; viz. ἐκκλησίαν του Θεου, the Church of Gop ;— 
του Κυρίου. of the Lorp ;—Kupiov καὶ Θεου, of the Lorp 
and Gop. From the collections of Wetstein and 
Griesbach, it appears that but few MSS., and none of 
them very ancient, have the word Ocov, of Gov; with 
these only the Vudgate, and the later Syriac in the text, 
agree. Kupiov, of the Lorp, is the reading of ACDE, 
several others, the Sahidic, Coptic, later Syriac in the 
margin, Armenian, JEthiopic, and some of the fathers. 
Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ, of the Lorv and of Gon, is the read- 
ing of the great majority; though the most ancient 
are for Κυρίου, of the Lorp: on this ground Gevesbach 

1 


Paul commends his brethren to 


A.M. cir. 4064. 


CHAP. XX. 


29 For I know this, that after] by the space of three years I 


God, and the word of lus grace 


A. M. cir. 4064 


A. D. cir. 60. ν ¢ A. Ὁ. cir, 60. 
An, Olymp; my departing "shall grievous}ceased not to warn every one An Olymp, 
clr. AAA. 4. 


cir. CCIX. 4. ‘i 
—————. wolves enter in among you, not 


sparing the flock 

30 Also ° of your own selves shall men 
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away 
disciples after them. 

31 Therefore watch, and remember, that 


© Matt. vii. 15; 2 Pet. ii. 1. 
P Chap. xix. 10. 


©) Tim. i. 20; 1 John ii. 19. 
4 Heb. xiii. 9. 


night and day with tears. jae 

32 And now, brethren, I commend you to 
God, and “to the word of his grace, which is 
able tto build you up, and to give you *an 
inheritance among all them which are sanc- 
tified. 


τ Chap. ix. 31—* Chap. xxvi. 11; Eph. i. 18; Col. i. 125 iii 
24; Heb. ix. 15; 1 Pet. 1. 4. 


has admitted this reading into the text, and put Κυρίον 
kat Θεοῦ in the margin, as being next in authority. 

Mr. Wakefield, who was a professed and consci- 
entious Unitarian, decides for tov Oeov, of Gon, as the 
true reading ; but, instead of translating τοῦ cdiov αἱ- 
ματος, with his own blood, he translates, by his own Son, 
and brings some passages from the Greek and Roman 
writers to show that α μα and sanguis are used to sig- 
nify son, or near relative; and, were this the only 
place where purchasing with his own blood occurred, 
we might receive this saying; but, as the redemption 
of man is, throughout the New Testament, attributed 
<o the sacrificial death of Christ, it is not likely that 
this very unusual meaning should apply here. At all 
events, we have here a proof that the Church was 
purchased by the blood of Christ; and, as to his God- 
head, it is sufficiently established in many other places. 
When we grant that the greater evidence appears to 
be in favour of rou Κυρίου, feed the Church of the Lord, 
which he has purchased with his own blood, we must 
maintain that, had not this Lord been Gop, his blood 
could have been no purchase for the souls of a lost 
world. 

Verse 29. After my departing] Referring, most 
likely, to his death ; for few of these evils took place 
during his life. 

Grievous wolves] Persons professing to be teachers ; 
Judaizing Christians, who, instead of feeding the flock, 
would feed themselves, even to the oppression and ruin 
of the Church. 

Verse 30. Also of your own selves, §c.] From out 
of your own assembly shall men arise, speaking per- 
verse things, teaching for truth what is erroneous in 
itself, and perversive of the genuine doctrine of Christ 
>rucified. 

To draw away disciples] To make schisms or rents 
in the Church, in order to get a party to themselves. 
See, here, the cause of divisions in the Church :— 
1. The superintendents lose the life of God, neglect 

he souls of the people, become greedy of gain, and, 
by secular extortions, oppress the people. 2. The 
members of the Church, thus neglected, oppressed, and 
irritated, get their minds alienated from their rapacious 
pastors. 3. Men of sinister views take advantage of 
this state of distraction, foment discord, preach up the 
necessity of division, and thus the people become 
separated from the great body, and associate with those 
who profess to care for their souls, and who disclaim 
all secular views. In this state of distraction, it is a 
high proof of God’s love to his heritage, if one be found 
who, possessing the true apostolic doctrine and spirit, 
1 


rises up to call men back to the primitive truth, and 
restore the primitive discipline. How soon the griev- 
ous wolves and perverse teachers arose in the Churches 
of Asia Minor, the first chapters of the Apocalypse 
inform us. The Nicolaitans had nearly ruined the 
Church of Ephesus, Rev. ii. 2,6. The same sect, 
with other false teachers, infested the Church of Per- 
gamos, and preached there the doctrine of Balaam. 
Ibid. ii. 14, 15. A false prophetess seduced the 
Church of Thyatira, Ib. ii. 20. ΑἸ] these Churches 
were in Asia Minor, and probably bishops or ministers 
from each were present at this convocation. 

Verse 31. Therefore watch, and remember] The 
only way to abide in the truth is to watch against evil. 
and for good; and to keep in mind the heavenly doc- 
trines originally received. Unwatchfulness and for- 
getfulness are two grand inlets to apostasy. 

By the space of three years| Tprettav. The Greek 
word here does not necessarily mean three whole years : 
it may be months more or less. In chap. xix. 8 and 
10, we have an account of his spending two years and 
three months among them; probably this is all that is 
intended. One MS., perceiving that the time of three 
years was not completed, inserts διετίαν, ihe space of 
two years. 

Verse 32. I commend you to God| Instead of τῷ 
Θεῳ, to Gop, several MSS. have τῷ Κυρίῳ, to the 
Lorp; neither reading makes any difference in the 
sense. 

And to the word of his grace] The doctrine of sal- 
vation by Christ Jesus. 

Which is able to build you up| The foundation is 
Jesus Christ; God is the great master-builder; the 
doctrine of his grace, or mercy, points out the order 
and manner, as well as the extent, &c., of this build- 
ing. Let us observe the order of these things :— 
1. The soul of man, which was formerly the habitation 
of God, is now ina state of ruin. 2. The ruins of 
this soul must be repaired, that it may again become 
a habitation of God through the Spirit. 3. Jesus 
Christ is the only foundation on which this house can 
be rebuilded. 4. The doctrine of God’s grace is the 
model, or plan, according to which the building can be 
raised. 5. When re-edified, each is to be a lively 
temple of the Lord, made inwardly pure and outwardly 
righteous, and thus prepared for a state of bliss. 
6. Being made children of God, by faith in Christ 
Jesus, and sanctified by his Spirit, they have a right 
to the heavenly inheritance ; for only the children of 
the family can possess the celestial estate. Thus we 
find they must be saved by grace, and be made thereby 

855 


Paul finishes his discourse, and takes 


A. M. cir. 4064. 
A. Ὁ. cir. 60. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4. 


33 tI have coveted no man’s 
silver, or gold, or apparel. 

34 Yea, ye yourselves know, 
"that these hands have ministered unto my 
necessities, and to them that were with me. 

35 I have showed you all things, ἡ how that 
so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and 
to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how 
he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 


THE ACTS. 


an affectionate leave of his brethren 


36 4 And when he had thus A Ee ace 
. . Cir. . 
spoken, he τ kneeled down, and ἀπ. Olymp. 
prayed with them all. UCC 

37 And they all wept sore, and * fell on 
Paul’s neck, and kissed him; 

38 Sorrowing most of all for the words 
Υ which he spake, that they should see his face 
no more. And they accompanied him unto 
the ship. 


t] Sam. xii. 3; 1 Cor. ix. 12; 2 Cor. vii. 2; xi. 9; xii. 
17. “Chap. xvili. 3; 1 Cor. iv. 12; 1 Thess. ii. 9; 2 Thess. 
111. 8. 


ἡ Rom. xv. 1; 1 Cor. ix. 12; 2 Cor. xi. 9, 12; xii. 13; Eph. 
iv. 28; 1 Thess. iv. 11; v. 14; 2 Thess. iii. 8. w Chap. vii. 
60; xxi. 5. x Gen. xlv. 14; xlvi. 29. y Ver. 25. 


children of God; be sanctified by his Spirit ; and, then, 
being prepared for, they are removed, in due time, into 
the heavenly inheritance. 

Verse 33. 7 have coveted no man’s silver, &c.] 
And from this circumstance they would be able to dis- 
cover the grievous wolves, and the perverters; for 
these had nothing but their own interests in view ; 
whereas the genuine disciples of Christ neither coveted 
nor had worldly possessions. St. Paul’s account of 
his own disinterestedness is very similar to that given 
by Samuel of his, 1 Sam. xii. 3-5. 

Verse 34. These hands have ministered, &c.] It 
was neither “ sim nor discredit” for the apostle to work 
io maintain himself, when the circumstances of the 
Church were such that it could not support him. Still 
many eminent ministers of God are obliged to support 
themselves and their families, at least in part, in the 
same way, while indefatigably testifying the Gospel 
of the grace of God. Whatever it may be to the 
people, it is no cause of reproach to the minister, to be 
obliged thus to employ himself. 

Verse 35. I have showed you all things] The pre- 
position κατα is to be understood before wavra; and 
the clause should be read thus—J have showed you 1N 
all things, &e. 

It 1s more blessed to give than to receive.] That is, 
the giver is more happy than the receiver. Where, 
or on what occasion, our Lord spake these words we 
know not, as they do not exist in any of the four 
evangelists. But that our Lord did speak them, St. 
Paul’s evidence is quite sufficient to prove. The sen- 
timent is worthy of Christ. A truly generous mind, 
in affluence, rejoices in opportunities to do good, and 
feels happy in having such opportunities. A man of 
an independent spirit, when reduced to poverty, finds 
it a severe trial to be obliged to live on the bounty of 
another, and feels pain in receiving what the other 
feels a happiness in communicating. Let, therefore, 
the man who is able to give feel himself the obliged 
person, and think how much pain the feeling heart of 
his supplicant must endure, in being obliged to forego 
his native independence, in soliciting and receiving the 
bounty of another. I am not speaking of common beg- 
gars; these have got their minds already depraved, 
and their native independence reduced, by sin and idle- 
ness, to servility. 

Verse 36. He kneeled down and prayed] Kneeling 
is the proper posture of a supplicant, it argues at 
once both Aumility and submission ; and he who prays 

856 


to God should endeavour to feel the utmost measures 
of both. 

Verse 37. Fell on Paul’s neck] Leaned their heads 
against his shoulders, and kissed his neck. This was 
not an unusual custom in the east. 

Verse 38. That they should see his face no more] 
This was a most solemn meeting, and a most affecting 
parting. The man who had first pointed out to them 
the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom they had been brought 
into so glorious a state of salvation, is now going away, 
in all likelihood, to be seen no more till the day in 
which the quick and dead shall stand before the throne 
of judgment. Such a scene, and its correspondent 
feelings, are more easily imagined than described. 


1. As the disciples are stated to have come together 
on the first day of the week, we may learn from this 
that, ever since the apostolic times, the Lord’s day, now 
the Christian Sabbath, was set apart for relgious ex- 
ercises; such as the preaching of God’s holy word, 
and celebrating the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. 
Besides its being the day on which our blessed Lord 
rose from the dead, the practice of the apostles and 
the primitive Church is an additional reason why we 
should religiously celebrate this first day of the week. 
They who, professing-the Christian religion, still pre- 
fer the Jewish Sabbath, have little to support them in 
the New Testament. How prone is man to affect to 
be wise above what is written, while he is, in almost 
every respect, delow the teaching so plainly laid down 
in the Divine word. 

2. The charge of St. Paul to the pastors of the 
Church of Christ at Ephesus and Miletus contains 
much that is interesting to every Christian minister :-— 
1. If he be sent of God at all, he is sent to feed the 
flock. 2. But, in order to feed them, he must have 
the bread of life. 3. This bread he must distribute in 
its due season, that each may have that portion that is 
suitable to time, place. and state. 4. While he is 
feeding others, he should take care to have his own 
soul fed: itis possible for a minister to be the instru- 
ment of feeding others, and yet starve himself. 5. If 
Jesus Christ intrust to his care the souls he has boughi 
by his own blood, what an awful account will he have 
to give in the day of judgment, if any of them perish 
through his neglect! Though the sinner, dying in 
his sins, has his own blood upon his head, yet, if the 
watchman has not faithfully warned him, his blood will 
be required at the watehman’s hand. Let him who is 

1 


Paul sails from Miletus, touches at 


concerned read Hzekiel, chap. xxxiii. 3, 4, 5, and think 
of the account which he is shortly to give unto God. 

3. Tenderness and sympathy are not inconsistent 
with the highest state of grace. Paul warns his 
hearers day and night with tears. His hearers now 
weep sore at the departure of their beloved pastor. 


CHAP. XXI. 


several places, anu comes to Tyre. 


They who can give up a Christian minister with in- 
difference, have either profited little under that min- 
istry, or they have backslidden from the grace of God. 
The pastors should love as fathers, the converts as 
children; and all feel themselves one family, under 
that great head, Christ Jesus. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


Paul and his company sail from Miletus, and come to Coos, Rhodes, and Patara,1. Finding a Phenician 
ship at Patara, they go on board, sail past Cyprus, and land at Tyre, 2,3. Here they find disciples, and 
stay seven days, and are kindly entertained, 4,5. Having bade the disciples farewell, they take ship and 
sail to Plolemais, salute the brethren, stay with them one day, come to Caesarea, and lodge with Philip, one 
of the seven deacons, 6-9. Here they tarry a considerable time, and Agabus the prophet forelells Paul’s 
persecution at Jerusalem, 10,11. The disciples endeavour to dissuade him from going; but he is reso- 
lute, and he and his company depart, 12-16. They are kindly received by James and the elders, who 
advise Paul, because of the Jews, to show his respect for the law of Moses, by purifying himself, with 
certain others that were under a vow ; with which advice he complies, 17-26. Some of the Asiatic Jews, 
finding him in the temple, raise an insurrection against him, and would have killed him had he not been 


rescued by the chief captain, who orders him to be bound and carried into the castle, 27-36. Paul 
requests liberty to address the people, and is permitted, 37-40. 

A.M. cir. 4064. ; Τ ; A. M. cir. 4064. 
ΤῊΣ ae ND it came to pass, that after] 3 Now when we had discover- Αἰ Ὁ Cr. δῦ, 
An. Olymp. we were gotten from them, |ed Cyprus, we left it on the left eos 

clr. «4% 


cir. CCIX. 4. : 
- and had launched, * we came with 


a straight course unto Coos, and the day fol- 
lowing unto Rhodes, and from thence unto 
Patara : 

2 And finding a ship sailing over unto Phe- 
nicia, we went aboard, and set forth. 


a Chap. xx. 3, 15-17. 


hand, and sailed unto Syria, and . ὁ 
landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to 
unlade her burden. 

4 And finding disciples, we tarried there 
seven days: who said to Paul through the 
Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. 


> Ver. 12; chap. xx. 23. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXI. 

Verse 1. Came with a straight course] Having 
had, as is necessarily implied, wind and tide in their 
favour. 

Coos] An island in the Archipelago, or Agean 
Sea, one of those called the Sporades. It was famous 
for the worship of A®sculapius and Juno; and for 
being the birthplace of Hippocrates, the mest emi- 
nent of physicians, and Apelles, the most celebrated 
of painters. 

Rhodes} Another island in the same sea, celebrated 
for its Colossus, which was one of the seven wonders 
of the world. This was a brazen statue of Apollo, so 
high that ships in full sail could pass between its legs. 
It was the work of Chares, a pupil of Lysippus, who 
spent twelve years in making it. It was 106 feet 
high, and so great that few people could fathom its 
thumb. It was thrown down by an earthquake about 
224 years before Christ, after having stood sixty-six 
years. When the Saracens took possession of this 
island, they sold this prostrate image to a Jew, who 
loaded 900 camels with the brass of it; this was about 
A.D. 660, nearly 900 years after it had been thrown 
down. 

Patara] One of the chief seaport towns of 
Syria. 

Verse 2. Phenicia] A part of Syria. See the note 
on chap. Xi. 

1 


Verse 3. Cyprus] See the note on chap. iv. 36, 
and see the track of this journey on the map. 

Tyre] A city of Phenicia, one of the most cele- 
brated maritime towns in the world. See the notes on 
chap. xil. 20; Matt. xi. 21. 

There the ship was to unlade her burden.] The 
freight that she had taken in at Ephesus she was to 
unlade at Tyre ; to which place she was bound. 

Verse 4. Who said to Paul through the Spirit] 
We cannot understand this as a command from the 
Holy Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem, else Paul must 
have been highly criminal to have disobeyed it. 
Through the Spirit, must either refer to their own 
great earnestness to dissuade him from taking a jour- 
ney which they plainly saw would be injurious to himn— 
and so Bp. Pearce understands this place; or, if it 
refer to the Holy Spirit, it must mean that if he re- 
garded his personal safety he must not, at this time, 
go up to Jerusalem. The Spirit foretold Paul’s per- 
secutions, but does not appear to have forbidden his 
journey ; and Paul was persuaded that, in acting as 
he was about to do, whatever personal risk he ran, he 
should bring more glory to God, by going to Jerusa- 
lem, than by tarrying at Tyre or elsewhere. The 
purport of this Divine communication was, “If thou 
go up to Jerusalem the Jews will persecute thee ; and 
thou wilt be imprisoned, &c.” As he was apprized 
of this, he might have desisted, for the whole was 

857 


Paul sails from Tyre, stops at 


A. Mi cir, 4064. 5 And when we had accom- 
An. Olymp. plished those days, we departed 


ir. CCIX. 4. 
ae and went our way; and they 


all brought us on our way, with wives 
and children, till we were out of the city: 
and ° we kneeled down on the shore, and 
prayed. 

6 And when we had taken our leave one of 
another, we took ship; and they returned 
4home again. 

7 And when we had finished owr course 
from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted 
the brethren, and abode with them one day. 

8 And the next day we that were of Paul’s 
company departed, and came unto Casarea : 


© Chap. xx. 36.—4 John i. 11. © Eph. iv. 11; 2 Tim. iv. 5. 
fChap. vi. 5; viii. 26, 40, 


conditional: Paul might or might not go to Jerusa- 
lem ; if he did go, he would be persecuted, and be in 
danger of losing his life. The Holy Spirit neither 
commanded him to go, nor forbade him; the whole 
was conditional; and he was left to the free exercise 
of his own judgment and conscience. This was a 
similar case to that of David in Keilah, 1 Sam. xxiii. 
9-13. David prevented the threatened evil by leaving 
Keilah : Paul fell into it by going to Jerusalem. 

Verse 5. When we had accomplished those days] 
That is, the seven days mentioned in the preceding 
verse. 

And they all brought us on our way, with wives 
and children] It is not likely that Paul, Silas, Luke, 
&c., had either wives or children with them; and it 
is more natural to suppose that the brethren of Tyre, 
with their wives and children are those that are 
meant; these, through affection to the apostles, ac- 
companied them from their homes to the ship; and 
the coming out of the husbands, wives, and children, 
shows what a general and affectionate interest the 
preaching and private conversation of these holy men 
had excited. 

Kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.| As God 
fills heaven and earth, so he may be worshipped every 
where: as well, when circumstances require it, on the 
seashore as in the temple. We have already seen, 
in the case of Lydia, that the Jews had proseuchas 
by the river sides, &c.; and an observation in Tertul- 
lian seems to intimate that they preferred such places, 
and in the open air offered their petitions to God by 
the seashore: Omissis templis, per omne littus, quo- 
cumque in aperto aliquando jam preces ad celum 
mittunt.  Tertul. de Jejunio. 

Verse 6. Taken—leave] ἈΑσπασαμενοι; Having 
gwen each other the kiss of peace, as was the constant 
“stom of the Jews and primitive Christians. 

They returned home] That is, the men, their 
wives, and their children. 

Verse 7. We came to Ptolemais] This was a sea- 
port town of Galilee, not far from Mount Carmel, 
between Tyre and Cwsarea, where the river Belus 

858 


THE ACTS. 


Piolemais, and comes to Cesarea. 


and we entered into the house 4. ΝΜ. cir. 4064. 

oe ἢ A. Ὁ. cir. 60. 
of Philip © the evangelist, which An. Olymp. 
was one of the seven; and abode eel cal 
with him. 

9 And the same man had four daughters, 
virgins, ® which did prophesy. 

10 4 And as we tarried there many days, 
there came down from Judea a certain pro- 
phet, named ἃ Agabus. 

11 And when he was come unto us, he took 
Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and 
feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, ' So 
shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that 
owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into 
the hands of the Gentiles. 


£ Joel ii. 28 ; chap. ii. 17. Chap. xi. 28.——1 Ver. 33; chap. 
xx. 23. 


empties itself into the sea. It was at first called 
Accho, (and this is the reading of the Syriac and 
Arabic,) and belonged to the tribe of Asher, Judges 
i. 315 it was enlarged and beautified by the first of 
the Egyptian Ptolemies, from whom it was called 
Ptolemais. This place terminated St. Paul’s voyage; 
and this is what is expressed in the text: And we 
came from Tyre to Plolemais, where our voyage ended. 
See the Greek text. 

Verse 8. We that were of Paul’s company] Oi περι 
tov Ilavaov' This clause is wanting in ABCE, and 
many others; the Syriac, Coptic, Vulgate, Arme- 
nian, ὅτ. 

Came unto Cesarea] This was Cesarea of Pales- 
ine, already sufficiently described. See on chap 
vil. 40. 

Philip the evangelist} One of the seyen deacons 
who seems to have settled here after he had baptized 
the eunuch. See on chap. viii. 40. 

Verse 9. Four daughters, virgins, which did pro- 
phesy.| Probably these were no more than teachers 
in the Church: for we have already seen that this is 
a frequent meaning of the word prophesy ; and this is 
undoubtedly one thing intended by the prophecy of 
Joel, quoted chapter ii. 17, 18, of this book. If 
Philip’s daughters might be prophetesses, why not 
teachers 2 

Verse 10. Agabus.] See the note on chap. xi. 28. 

Verse 11. Took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own 
hands, ὅς.) This was no doubt a prophet, in the 
commonly received sense of the term; and his mode 
of acting was like that of the ancient prophets, who 
often accompanied their predictions with significant 
emblems. Jeremiah was commanded to bury his 
girdle by the river Euphrates, to mark out the cap- 
tivity of the Jews. Jer. xiii. 4. For more examples 
of this figurative or symbolical prophesying, see Jer. 
XXvil. 2, 3; xxvili. 4; Isa. xx.; Ezek. iv., xii., &c. 

Into the hands of the Gentiles.| That is, the Ro- 
mans, for the Jews had not, properly speaking, the 
power of life and death. And, as Agabus said he 
should be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, he 

1 


Paul leaves Caesarea, 


A.M. cir. 4064. 12 And when we heard these 
earn things, both we, and they of that 


᾿ place, besought him not to go up 
to Jerusalem. 

13 Then Paul answered, * What mean ye to 
weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready, 
not to be bound only, but also to die at Jeru- 
salem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 

14 And when he would not be persuaded, 
we ceased, saying, 'The will of the Lord be 
done. 

15 And after those days we took up our 
carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 

16 There went with us also certain of the 
disciples of Czsarea, and brought with them 
one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with 
whom we should lodge. 

17 Ἵ ™And when we were come to Jerusa- 


CHAP. XXI. 


and comes to Jerusavem 


lem, the brethren received us 4 we ite 
gladly. An. Olymp. 


18 And the day following, Paul (Ce ee 


went in with us unto "James; and all the 
elders were present. 

19 And when he had saluted them, ° he 
declared particularly what things God had 
wrought among the Gentiles ” by his ministry 

20 And when they heard it, they glorified 
the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, 
brother, how many thousands. of Jews there 
are which believe; and they are all 4% zeal- 
ous of the law : 

21 And they are informed of thee, that thou 
teachest all the Jews which are among the 
Gentiles, to forsake Moses, saying that * they 
ought not to circumcise their children, neither 
to walk after the customs. 


& Chap. xx. 24. 1 Matt. vi. 10; xxvi. 42; Luke xi. 2; xxii. 
42,——™ Chap. xv. 4" Chap. xv. 13; Gal. i. 19; ii. 9. 


° Chap. xv. 4, 12; Rom. xv. 18, 19.——PChap. i. 17; xx. 24. 
4Chap. xxii. 3; Rom. x. 2; Gal. i. 14—— Gal. ii. 3; v. 1. 


showed thereby that they would attempt to destroy his 
life. This prediction of Agabus was literally fulfilled: 
see ver. 33. 

Verse 12. Besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.] 
For they all understood the prophecy to be conditional 
and contingent; and that it was in Paul’s power to 
turn the scale. 

Verse 13. Iam ready, not to be bound only] He 
was resolute and determined ; but was under no con- 
straining necessity. See the note on ver. 4. 

Verse 14. The will of the Lord be done.| May 
that which is most for his glory take place! They 
plainly saw from the prophecy what would take place, 
if Paul went to Jerusalem ; and every one saw that he 
had power to go, or not to go. 

Verse 15. Took up our carriages] Axooxevacapevor; 
We made ourselves ready; packed up our things ; got 
our baggage in order. This is what the text means. 

Verse 16. And brought with them one Mnason, &c.] 
11 is not very likely that they would bring a man with 
them with whom they were to Jodge in Jerusalem ; 


therefore, the text should perhaps be read as Bp. | 
Patrick proposes: There went with us certain of the | 


disciples of Cesarea, bringing us to one Mnason, with 
whom we were tolodge. ‘This is most likely, as the 
text will bear this translation. But it is possible that 
Mnason, formerly of Cyprus, now an inhabitant of 
Jerusalem, might have been down at Cesarea, met 
the disciples, and invited them to lodge with him 
while they were at Jerusalem; and, having transacted 
his business at Caesarea, might now accompany them 
to Jerusalem. His being an old disciple may either 
refer to his having been a very early convert, probably 
one of those on the day of pentecost, or to his being 
now an old man. 

Verse 18. Went in with us unto James] This 
was James the Less, son of Mary, and cousin to our 
Lord. 


He appears to have been bishop of the Church | 
I 


in Jerusalem, and perhaps the only apostle who con- 
tinued in that city. We have already seen what a 
very important character he sustained in the council. 
See chap. xv. 13. 

All the elders were present.] It appears that they 
had been convened about matters of serious and im- 
portant moment; and some think it was relative to 
Paul himself, of whose arrival they had heard, and 
well knew how many of those that believed were dis- 
affected towards him. 

Verse 19. Declared particularly, 4.1 He no 


| doubt had heard that they were prejudiced against 


him; and, by declaring what God had done by him 
among the Gentiles, showed how groundless this pre- 
judice was: for, were he a bad man, or doing any 
thing that he should not do, God would not have made 
him such a singular instrument of so much good. 
Verse 20. How many thousands] Tocat μυριαδες ; 
How many myriads, how many times 10,000. This 


| intimates that there had been a most extraordinary and 


rapid work even among the Jews; but what is here 
spoken is not to be confined to the Jews of Jerusalem, 
but to all that had come from different parts of the 
land to be present at this pentecost. 

They are all zealous of the law] The Jewish 
economy was not yet destroyed; nor had God as yet 
signified that the whole of its observances were done 
away. He continued to tolerate that dispensation, 
which was to be in a certain measure in force till the 
destruction of Jerusalem; and from that period it was 
impossible for them to observe their own ritual. Thus 
God abolished the Mosaic dispensation, by rendering, 
in the course of his providence, the observance of it 
impossible. 

Verse 21. Thou teachest—to forsake Moses, &c.] 
From any thing that appears in the course of this 
book to the contrary, this information was incorrect : 
we do not find Paul preaching thus to the Jews. It 

859 


On the advice of the brethren, 


wo ar 22 What is it therefore? the 
An. Olymp. multitude must needs come to- 


ir. CCIX. 4. Ἶ ς 
ee gether: for they will hear that 


thou art come. 

23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: 
We have four men which have a vow on 
them ; 

24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, 
and be at charges with them, that they may 
‘shave their heads: and all may know that 
those things, whereof they were informed con- 


THE ACTS. 


Paul purifies himself in the temple 


« 
cerning thee, are nothing; but A.M, ci. 404 
that thou thyself also walkest An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4. 
orderly, and keepest the law. aaa 
25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, 
‘we have written and concluded that they 
observe no such thing, save only that they keep 
themselves from things offered to idols, and 
from blood, and from strangled, and from for- 
nication. 
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next 
day purifying himself with them ἃ entered into 


s Num. vi. 2,13, 18; chap. xviil. 18. 


t Chap. xv. 20, 29. 


ἃ Chap. xxiv. 18. 


is true that, in his epistles, some of which had been 
written Jefore this time, he showed that circumcision 
and uncircumcision were equally unavailable for the 
salvation, of the soul, and that by the deeds of the 
law no man could be justified; but he had not yet 
said to any Jew, forsake Moses, and do not circumcise 
jour children. We told them that Jesus Christ had 
delivered them from the yoke of the law; but they 
had, as yet, liberty to wear that yoke, if they pleased. 
He had shown them that their ceremonies were use- 
less but not destructive ; that they were only dan- 
gerous when they depended on them for salvation. 
This is the sum of what Paul had taught on this 
subject. 

Verse 22. The multitude must needs come together] 
Whether this refers to a regular convocation of the 
Church, or to a tumult that would infallibly take place 
when it was heard that the apostle was come, we 
cannot pretend to say; but it is evident that James 
and the elders wished some prudent steps to be taken, 
in order to prevent an eyil that they had too much 
reason to fear. 

Verse 23. We have four men which have a vow] 
From the shaving of the head, mentioned immediately 
after, it is evident that the four men in question were 
under the vow of Nazariteship; and that the days of 
their vow were nearly at an end, as they were about 
to shave their heads ; for, during the time of the Na- 
-arileship, the hair was permitted to grow, and only 
shaven off at the termination of the vow. Among the 
Jews, it was common to make vows to God on extra- 
ordinary occasions; and that of the Nazarile appears 
to have been one of the most common; and it was 
permitted by their law for any person to perform this 
vow by proay. See the law produced in my note on 
Num. vi. 21. “It was also customary for the richer 
sort to bestow their charity on the poorer sort for this 
purpose ; for Josephus, Ant. lib. xix. cap. 6, sec. 1, 
observes that Agrippa, on his being advanced from a 
prison to a throne, by the Emperor Claudius, came to 
Jerusalem ; and there, among other instances of his 
religious thankfulness shown in the temple, Ναζαραίων 
ξυρασῦαι διεταξε μαλα συχνους, he ordered very many 
Nazarites to be shaven, he furnishing them with money 
ror the expenses of that, and of the sacrifices necessa- 
rily attending it.” See Bp. Pearce. 

Verse 24. Beat charges with them] Or, rather, de 
at charges for them: help them to bear the expense 

860 


of that vow. Eight lambs, four rams, besides oil, 
flour, &c., were the expenses on this oceasion. See 
the notes on Num. vi. 

Thou—walkest orderly and keepest the law.|_ Per- 
haps this advice meant no more than, Show them, by 
such means as are now in thy power, that thou art not 
an enemy to Moses; that thou dost still consider the 
law to be holy, and the commandment holy, just, and 
good. Paul did so, and bore the expenses of those 
who, from a scruple of conscience, had made a vow, 
and perhaps were not well able to bear the expense 
attending it. Had they done this in order to acquire 
justification through the law, Paul could not have as- 
sisted them in any measure with a clear conscience ; 
but, as he did assist them, it is a proof that they had 
not taken this vow on them for this purpose. Indeed, 
vows rather referred to a sense of obligation, and the 
gratitude due to God for mercies already received, 
than to the procuring of future favours of any kind. 
Besides, God had not yet fully shown that the law 
was abolished, as has already been remarked : he tole- 
rated it till the time that the iniquity of the Jews was 
filled up; and then, by the destruction of Jerusalem, 
he swept every rite and ceremony of the Jewish law 
away, with the besom of destruction. 

Verse 25. As touching the Gentiles] See the notes 
on chap. xv., and the additional observations at the 
end of that chapter. 

Verse 26. To signify the accomplishment, &c.| 
Διαγγελλων, Declaring the accomplishment, &c. As 
this declaration was made to the priest, the sense of 
the passage is the following, if we suppose Paul to 
have made an offering for himself, as well as the four 
men: ‘ The next day, Paul, taking the four men, be- 
gan to purify, set himself apart, or consecrate himself 
with them; entering into the temple, he publicly de- 
clared to the priests that he would observe the sepa- 
ration of a Nazarite, and continue it for seven days, 
at the end of which he would bring an offering for 
himself and the other four men, according to what the 
law prescribed in that case.” But it is likely that 
Paul made no offering for himself, but was merely at 
the expense of theirs. However we may consider 
this subject, it is exceedingly difficult to account for 
the conduct of James and the elders, and of Paul on 
this occasion. There seems to have been something 
in this transaction which we do not fully understand. 
See the note on Num. vi. 21. 

1 


The Jews of Asia raise a tumult, 


Ay Bieta the temple, ¥ to signify the ac- 
An. Olymp. complishment of the days of 


ir, CCIX, 4. - : 3 % 
= purification, until that an offering 


should be offered for every one of them. 

27 Ἵ And when the seven days were almost 
ended, ¥ the Jews which were of Asia, when 
they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the 
people, and * laid hands on him, 

28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is 
the man, ¥ that teacheth all men every where 
against the people, and the law, and this place: 


Num. vi. 13. — Chap. xxiv. 18.——* Chap. xxvi. 21. 


“ Besides their typical and religious use, sacrifices 
were also intended for the support of the state and 
civil government ; inasmuch as the ministers of state 
were chiefly maintained by them: so that the allot- 
ments to the priests out of the sacrifices may be con- 
sidered as designed, like the civil-list money in other 
nations, for the immediate support of the crown and 
the officers of state. On these principles we are able 
to account for Paul’s sacrificing, as we are informed 
he did, after the commencement of the Christian dis- 
pensation ; an action which has been severely cen- 
sured by some as the greatest error of his life: hereby 
he not only gave, say they, too much countenance to 
the Jews in their superstitious adherence to the law of 
Moses, after it was abrogated by Christ, but his offer- 
ing these typical sacrifices, after the antitype of them 
was accomplished in the sacrifice of Christ, was a vir- 
tual denial of Christ, and of the virtue of his sacrifice, 
which superseded all others. Paul’s long trouble, 
which began immediately after this affair, some have 
looked upon as a judgment of God upon him for this 
great offence. But, if this action were really so cri- 
minal as some suppose, one cannot enough wonder that 
so good and so wise a man as Paul was should be guilty 
of it; and that the Apostle James and the other Chris- 
tian elders should all advise him to it, ver. 18, 23, 24. 
It is likewise strange that we find no censure ever 
passed on this action by any of the sacred writers ; 
not even by Paul himself, who appears so ready, on 
other occasions, to acknowledge and humble himself 
for his errors and failings : on the contrary he reflects 
with comfort on his having complied with the customs 
of the Jews in order to remove their prejudices against 
him and his ministry, and against the Gospel which 
he preached, and to win them over to embrace it: 
‘Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain 
the Jews; and this I do for the Gospel’s sake.’— 
1 Cor. ix. 20, 23. 

«ΤῸ elucidate this point, we are to consider that 
there was a political as well as a typical use of sacri- 
fices ; and that, though the typical ceased upon the 
sacrifice of Christ, yet the political continued till God 
in his providence broke up the Jewish state and polity 
about forty years after our Saviour’s death. ΤῊ] that 
time it was not merely lawful, but matter of duty, for 
good subjects to pay the dues which were appointed by 
law for the support of the government and magistracy. 

1 


CHAP. XXI. 


aad seize upon Paul. 


and farther, brought Greeks also AM. att 
1 An. Olymp. 
into the temple, and hath polluted Ae 


this holy place. ---- - 

29 (For they had seen before with him in 
the city 5 Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they 
supposed that Paul had brought into the 
temple.) 

30 And *all the city was moved, and the 
people ran together: and they took Paul, and 
drew him out of the temple: and forthwith 
the doors were shut. 


¥ Chap. xxiv. 5, 6——* Chap. xx. 4.——* Chap. xxvi. 21. 


Now, of this kind was the sacrifice which Paul offer- 
ed; and in this view they were paid by Christians 
dwelling in Judea, as well as by those who still ad- 
hered to the Jewish religion. So that, upon the 
whole, this action, for which Paul has been so much 
censured, probably amounts to nothing more than pay- 
ing the tribute due to the magistrate by law, which the 
apostle enjoins upon all other Christians in all other 
nations, Rom. xiii. 6.”—Jennings’ Jewish Antiquities, 
p- 17. 

Verse 27. The Jews which were of Asia] These 
pursued him with the most deliberate and persevering 
malice in every place; and it appears that it was 
through them that the false reports were sent to and 
circulated through Jerusalem. 

Verse 28. Thisis the man that teacheth, §c.] As 
much as if they had said: This is the man concern- 
ing whom we wrote to you; who in every place en- 
deayours to prejudice the Gentiles against the Jews, 
against the Mosaic law, and against the temple and its 
services. 

Brought Greeks also into the temple] This was 
a most deliberate and malicious untruth: Paul could 
accomplish no purpose by bringing any Greek or 
Gentile into the temple; and their having seen Tro- 
phimus, an Ephesian, with him, in the city only, was 
no ground on which to raise a slander that must so 
materially affect both their lives. Josephus informs 
us, War, lib. v. cap. 5, sec. 2, that on the wall which 
separated the court of the Gentiles from that of the 
Israelites was an inscription in Greek and Latin 
letters, which stated that no stranger was permitted 
to come within the holy place on pain of death. With 
such a prohibition as this before his eyes, was it likely 
that St. Paul would enter into the temple in company 
with an uncircumcised Greek? The calumny refutes 
itself. 

Verse 30. They took Paul] They tumultuously 
seized on him; and drew him out of the temple, out 
of the court of the Israelites, where he was worship- 
ping: and—the doors were shut; the doors of the 
court of the Gentiles, probably to prevent Paul from 
getting any succour from his friends in the city; for 
their whole proceedings show that they purposed to 
murder him: they brought him out of the court of the 
Israelites, that court being peculiarly holy, that it 
might not be defiled by his blood; and they shut the 

861 


THE 


aul is rescued from the 


ες “064, 81 And as they went about to 
An. See lull him, tidings came unto the 
cir. CCIX. 


chief captain of the band, that all 
Jerusalem was in an uproar. 

32 > Who immediately took soldiers and 
centurions, and ran down unto them: and when 
they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, 
they left beating of Paul. 

33 Then the chief captain came near, and 
took him, and “ commanded him to be bound 
with two chains ; and demanded who he was, 
and what he had done. 

34 And some cried one thing, some another, 
among the multitude : and when he could not 
μέσα the certainty for the tumult, he com- 


ACTS. mob by the chief captain 


manded him to be carried into 4: eps Gee 
the castle. An. Olymp. 

35 And when he came upon Eo 
the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the 
soldiers for the violence of the people. 

36 For the multitude of the people followed 
after, crying, ἃ Away with him. 

37 Ἵ And as Paul was to be led into the castle, 
he said unto the chief captain, May I speak 
unto thee ? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? 

38 © Art not thou that Egyptian, A. a cir. 4059. 
which before these days madest iS ona 
an uproar, and leddest out into ™ COD 1. 
the wilderness four thousand men that were 
murderers ? 


> Chap. xxiii. 27; xxiv. 7. © Ver. 11; chap. xx. 23. 


4 Luke xxiii. 18; John xix. 15; ch. xxii. 22. © See ch. v.36 


court of the Gentiles, that they might have the oppor- 
tunity unmolested of killing him in that place ; for the 
court of the Gentiles was reckoned to be less holy than 
than that of the Israelites. 

Verse 31. The chief captain of the band] The Ro- 
nan tribune, who had a troop of soldiers under him, 
which lodged in general in the castle of Antonia, 
which was built at the angle where the northern and 
western porticoes of the outer court of the temple were 
joined together. This castle was built by John Hyr- 
eanus, high priest of the Jews: it was at first called 
Baris, and was the royal residence of the Asmoneans, 
as long as they reigned in Jerusalem. It was beau- 
tified by Herod the Great, and called Antonia, in 
honour of his friend Mark Antony. By this castle 
the temple was commanded, as it stood on higher 
ground. Josephus describes this castle, War, b. v. 
chap. 5, see. 8, “as having four towers, from one of 
which the whole temple was overlooked ; and that 
one of the towers was joined to the porticoes of the 
temple, and had a double pair of stairs from it, by which 
soldiers in the garrison were used to come down with 
their arms to the porticoes, on the festival days, to 
keep the people quiet ; for, as the temple was a guard 
to the city, so this castle was a guard to the temple.” 
“Tt seems, therefore,” says Bp. Pearce, “to me 
very plain, that the place where the Jews were about 
to kill Paul was the court of the Gentiles, the porti- 
coes being there; and that the chief captain came 
down there to his rescue.” The name of this chief 
captain, or tribune, was Claudius Lysias, as we learn 
from chap. xxiii. 26. 

Verse 32. Ran down unto them] Ran down the 
stairs to the porticoes mentioned above. 

Verse 33. And took him] With great violence, ac- 
cording to chap. xxiv. 7, probably meaning an armed 
force. 

To be bound with two chains] 'To be bound between 
two soldiers ; his right hand chained to the left hand 
of the one, and his left hand to the right of the other. 
See the note on chap. xii. 6. 

Verse 35. And when he came upon the stairs] 
{uose mentioned in the note on ver. 31. 

862 


| 


Verse 36. 
despatch him ; 
in the mouth of a Jewish mob. 
18, and John xix. 15. 

Verse 37. Canst thow speak Greek?] Claudius 
Lysias was not a Roman; he had, as himself informs 
us, purchased his citizenship of Rome with a great 
sum of money; (see chap. xxii. 28 ;) and it is very 
likely that he was but imperfectly acquainted with the 
Latin tongue ; and the tumult that was now made, and 
the discordant noise, prevented him from clearly ap- 
prehending what was said ; and, as he wished to know 
the merit of the cause, he accosted Paul with, Ἑλλη- 
vist γινωσκείς, Dost thou understand Greek? And 
when he found that he did understand it, he proceeded 
to question him as below. 

Verse 38. Art not thou that Egyptian, gc.| The 
history to which Claudius Lysias refers is taken from 
Josephus, Ant. lib. xx. cap. 7, sec. 6, and War, lib. 
11. cap. 13, sec. 5, and is in substance as follows: An 
Egyptian, whose name is not known, pretended to bea 
prophet, and told his followers that the walls of Jeru- 
salem would fall down before them, if they would 
assist him in making an attack on the city. He had 
address enough to raise a rabble of 30,000 men, and 
with these advanced as far as the Mount of Olives; 
but Felix, the Roman governor, came suddenly upon 
him, with a large body of Roman troops. both infantry 
and cavalry: the mob was speedily dispersed, four 
hundred killed, two hundred taken prisoners, and the 
Egyptian himself, with some of his most faithfui 
friends, escaped; of whom no account was ever after- 
wards heard. As Lysias found such an outery made 
against Paul, he supposed that he must be some egre- 
gious malefactor, and probably that Egyptian who had 
escaped, as related above. Learned men agree that 
St. Luke refers to the same fact of which Josephus 
speaks ; but there is a considerable difference between 
the numbers in Josephus, and those in Luke : the for- 
mer having 30,000, the latter only 4000. The small 
number of killed and prisoners, only 600 in all, accord- 
ing to Josephus, leads us to suspect that his num- 
ber is greatly exaggerated ; as 600 in killed and pri- 

1 


Away with him.| That is, Kill him ; 
for so much this phrase always means 
See on Luke xxiii. 


Paul obtains permission 


A.M. cir. 4064. 39 But Paul said, ‘I am a 


A. D. cir. 60. : 
Aue man which am a Jew of Tarsus, 
—_——_ a city in Cilicia, a citizen of 
no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me 
to speak unto the people. 
40 And when he had given him license, 


€ Chap. ix. 11; xxii. 3. 


soners of a mob of 30,000, routed by regular infantry 
and cavalry, is no kind of proportion; but it is a suf- 
ficient proportion to a mob of 4000. Dean Aldridge 
has supposed that the number in Josephus was ori- 
ginally 4000, but that ancient copyists mistaking the 
Greek A delta, four, for A lambda, thirty, wrote 30,000, 
instead of 4000. See Havercamp’s edition, vol. ii. p. 
177. There is another way of reconciling the two 
historians, which is this : When this Egyptian impos- 
tor at first began to make great boasts and large pro- 
mises, a multitude of people, to the amount at least of 
30,000, weary of the Roman yoke, from which he pro- 
mised them deliverance, readily arranged themselves 
under his banners. As he performed nothing that he 
promised, 26,000 of these had melted away before he 
reached Mount Olivet: this remnant the Romans at- 
tacked and dispersed. Josephus speaks of the number 
he had in the beginning; St. Luke, of those that he 
had when he arrived at Mount Olivet. 

That were murderers?) Σικαρίων: Sicarit,assassins : 
they derived their name from sica, a sort of crooked 
knife, which they concealed under their garments, and 
privately stabbed the objects of their malice. Josephus. 

Verse 39. I amaman which am a Jew] A peri- 
phrasis for, J am a Jew. See the note on chap. vii. 2. 

Of Tarsus—no mean city] In the notes on chap. 
ix. 11, I have shown that Tarsus was a city of con- 
siderable importance, and in some measure a rival to 
Rome and Athens; and that, because of the services 
rendered to the Romans by the inhabitants, Julius 
Cesar endowed them with all the rights and privileges 
of Roman citizens. When St. Paul calls it no mean 
cuy, he speaks a language that was common to those 
who have had occasion to speak of Tarsus. Xeno- 
PHoN, Cyri Anabas. i., calls it, πολιν μεγαλὴν καὶ 
εὐδαίμονα, a great and flourishing city. JosepHus, 
Ant. lib. i. cap. 6, sec. 6, says that it was zap’ αὐτοῖς 
των πολεων ἡ αξιολογωτατὴ μητροπολις ovca, the metro- 
polis and most renowned city among them (the Cili- 
cians.) And Ammianus Marce..inus, xiv. 8, says, 
Cilicam Tarsus nobilitat, urbs perspicabilis: “ 'Tar- 
sus, a very respectable city, adorns Cilicia.” 

Verse 40. Paul stood on the stairs) Where he was 


CHAP. XXII. 


to address the people 


Paul stood on the stairs, and 4... cir. 4064. 


‘ A. Ὁ. cir. 60. 
® beckoned with the hand An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4. 
unto the* people? “And” when, —————"——— 
there was made ἃ great silence, he 


spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, 
saying, 


& Chap. xii. 17. 
out of the reach of the mob, and was surrounded by 
the Roman soldiers. 

Beckoned with the hand) Waving the hand, which 
was the sign that he was about to address the people. 
So Ὑ ποι, says of Turnus, when he wished, by single 
combat between himself and Aineas, to put an end to 
the war:— 


Significatque manu, et magno simul incipit ore : 
Parcite jam, Rutuli; et vos tela inhibete, Latini. 


He beckoned with his hand, and cried out with 
a loud voice, 

Desist, ye Rutulians; and, ye Latins, cease from 
throwing your javelins. 

He spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue] What 
was called then the Hebrew, viz. the Chaldewo-Syriac ; 
very well expressed by the Codex Beza@, τῃ wig δια- 
λεκτῳ, in their own dialect. 

Never was there a more unnatural division than 
that in this chapter: it ends with a single comma! 
The best division would have been at the end of the 
25th verse. 


Paux’s embarkation at Tyre is very remarkable. 
The simple manner in which he was escorted to the 
ship by the disciples of Tyre, men, women, and chil- 
dren, and their affectionate and pious parting, kneeling 
down on the shore and commending each other to 
God, are both impressive and edifying. Nothing but 
Christianity could have produced such a spirit in per- 
sons who now, perhaps for the first time, saw each 
other in the flesh. Every true Christian is a child of 
God; and, consequently, all children of God have a 
spiritual affinity. They are all partakers of the same 
Spirit, are united to the same Head, are actuated with 
the same hope, and are going to the same heaven. 
These love one another with pure hearts fervently ; 
and these alone are capable of disinterested and last- 
ing friendship. Though this kind of friendship cannot 
fail, yet it may err; and with officious affection en- 
deavour to prevent us from bearing a necessary and 
most honourable cross. See verses 12,13. It should, 
therefore, be kept within Scrip/ural hounds 


CHAPTER XXII. 


Paul, in Ms address to the people, gives an account of his birth and education, 1-3. 
Christianity, 4, 5. And of his miraculous conversion, aud call to the apostleship, 6-21. 


His prejudices against 
The Jews, hear- 


ing him say that God had sent him to preach the Gospel to the Geniiles, become exceedingly outrageous, 


and clamour for his life, 22, 23. 


pleading his privilege as a Roman citizen, escapes the torture, 24-29. 
brings Paul before the chief priests and their council, 30. 
1 


The chief captain orders him to be examined by scourging ; but he, 


The next day the chief captain 


863 


Paul, in his address, THE 


A.M. cir. 4064. EN, * brethren, and fathers, 
A. D. cir. 60. - 
An. Olymp. hear ye my defence, which 


cir. CCLX. 4. 
ἘΠΕ ΤΥ make now unto you. 


2 (And when they heard that he spake in 
the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the 
more silence: and he saith,) 

3 "1 am verily a man which am a Jew, 
born in Tarsus, @ c2ty in Cilicia, yet brought 
up in this city ° at the feet of ὁ Gamaliel, and 
taught ° according to the perfect manner of 
the law of the fathers, and ‘ was zealous to- 


ACTS. giwes an account of himself. 
ward God 8 Η A. Μ. cir. 4064 
jy Sas pyegallyaregthis A, N. cmieey 
day. An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4, 


4 And I persecuted this way 
unto the death, binding and delivering into 
prisons both men and women ; 

5 As also the high priest doth bear me wit- 
ness, and ἶ all the estate of the elders: * from 
whom also I received letters unto the bre- 
thren, and went to Damascus, to bring ther 
which were there, bound unto Jerusalem, for 
to be punished. 


aChap. vii. 2.——» Chap. xxi. 39; 2 Cor. xi. 22; Phil. iii. 5. 
© Deut. xxxili. 3; 2 Kings iv. 38; Luke x. 39.—4 Chap. v. 34. 
© Chap. xxvi. 5——f Chap. xxi. 20; Gal. i. 14. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXII. 

Verse 1. Men, brethren, and fathers) A Hebrew 
form of expression for brethren and fathers: for two 
classes only are addressed. See the note on chap. 
Vil. 2. 

Hear ye my defence] Mov τὴς απολογιας, This 
apology of mine; in this sense the word apology was 
anciently understood: hence the Apologies of the 
primitive fathers, i. e. their defences of the Christian 
religion. And this is its proper literal meaning; but 
it is now used only as implying an excuse for improper 


conduct. That this is an abuse of the term requires 
no proof. 
Verse 2. When they heard that he spake i the 


Hebrew tongue] He had probably been traduced by 
the Jews of Asia as a mere Gentile, distinguished only 
by his virulence against the Jewish religion; which 
viralence proceeded from his malice and ignorance. 

Verse 3. 7 am verily a man which am a Jew] A 
periphrasis for, Jam really a Jew : and his mentioning 
this adds weight to the conjecture in the preceding 
note. He shows that he could not be ignorant of the 
Jewish religion, as he had had the best instructer in it 
which Jerusalem could produce. 

Yet brought up, ¢c.] Bp. Pearce proposes that this 


rerse should be thus read and translated: but brought 


up in this city; instructed at the feet of Gamaliel, 
according to the most exact manner, being exceedingly 
zealous for the law of our fathers, as ye all are this day. 

Born in Tarsus}. See the notes on chap. ix. 11, 
and xxi. 39. 

Feet of Gamaliel] See a full account of this man 
in the note on chap. v. 34. 

It has been generally supposed that the phrase, 
brought up at the feet, is a reference to the Jewish 
custom, viz. that the disciples of the rabbins sat on 
low seats, or on the ground, whilst the rabbin himself 
occupied a lofty chair. But we rather learn, from 
Jewish authority, that the disciples of the rabbins 
stood before their teachers, as Vitringa has proved in 
his treatise De Synag. Vet. lib. i. p. 1, cap. 7. Kypke, 
therefore, contends that παρα τοὺς zodac, at the feet. 
means the same as πλησίον, near, or before, which is 
not an unfrequent mode of speech among both sacred 
and profane writers. Thus, in chap. iv. 35,37; chap. 
V. 2, ἐτέθουν παρα τοὺς ποδας των arosoAwy, they laid it 


864 


& Rom. x. 2.——)Chap. viii. 3; xxvi. 9, 10 1; Phil. iii. 6; 
1 Tim. i. 13.— Luke xxii. 66; chap. iv. &——* Chap. ix. 2; 
xxvi. 10, 12. 


at the apostles’ feet, means only, they brought it to the 
apostles. So in 2 Maccab. iv. 7, παρα ποδας ηδὴ τον 
ἅδην ὁρωντες κείμενον, they saw death already lying at 
their feet ; that is, as the Syriac translator has pro- 
perly rendered it, they saw death immediately before 
them. So Themistius, Or. 27, p. 341, who adds the 
term by which the phrase is explained, ecu καὶ πλησίον 
aee τῳ δυναμενῳ AauBaverv, ante pedes id semper et 
prope est, illi qui accipere potest. Also Lucian, De 
Conscr. Hist. p. 669, ὧν παρα rodac οἱ eheyyor. The 
refutation of which is at hand. The same kind of 
form occurs in the Hebrew, Exod. xi. 8: All the 
people that are at thy feet, 3 beragleica, i. e. who 
are with thee,under thy command, 2 Sam. xv.16. And 
the king went out, and all his household, youn beraglaw, 
at his feet ; that is, with him, in his company. See 
Kypke. The phrase is used in the same sense among 
the Hindoos: Ilearned this at my father’s feet—instead 
of, I learned it of my father. Iwas taught at the feet 
of such a teacher—my teacher's feet say so; meaning, 
simply, such and such persons taught me. 

According to the perfect manner] ‘That is, accord 
ing to that strict interpretation of the law, and espe- 
cially the traditions of the elders, for which the Phari- 
sees were remarkable. That it is Pharisaism that 
the apostle has in view, when he says he was taught 
according to, axpi3evav, the most exact manner, is evi 
dent; and hence, in chap. xxvi. 5, he calls Pharisaism 
ἀκριβεςατην, the most exact system; and, under it, he 
was zealous towards God; scrupulously exact in every 
part of his duty, accompanying this with reverence to 
the supreme Being, and deep concern for his honour 
and glory. 

Verse 4. I persecuted this way] Ταύτην τὴν ddov , 
This doctrine, this way of worshipping God, and arriy 
ing at a state of blessedness. See on chap. ix. 2. 

Binding and delivering into prisons} See on chap. 
Wills 3/3) 1X2 

Verse 5. The high priest doth bear me witness, &c.| 
He probably referred to the letters of authority which 
he had received from the high priest, and the whole 
estate of the elders, παν το xpecBureptov, the whole of 
the presbytery, that is, the sanhedrin ; and it is likely, 
that he had those letters to produce. This zeal of 
his against Christianity was an ample proof of his 
sincerity as a Pharisaical Jew. 

1 


Paul gives an account of his 


A.M. cir. 4064. ye 
eae κι. Θὲ And. it came to pass, that, 
An. Olymp. as I made my journey, and was 


cir. CCIX. 4. Ν 
ἜΘ 5: ‘Come nigh unto Damascus about 


noon, suddenly there shone from heaven 
a great light round about me. 

7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a 
voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why perse- 
cutest thou me? 

8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? 
And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, 
whom thou persecutest. 

9 And ™ they that were with me saw indeed 
the light, and were afraid; but they heard 
not the voice of him that spake to me. 

10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord 7 
And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into 
Iamascus; and there it shall be told thee of 
all things which are appointed for thee to do. 

11 And when I could not see for the glory 
of that light, being led by the hand of them 
that were with me, I came into Damascus. 

12 And ® one Ananias, a devout man accord- 
ing to the law, ° having a good repo-s cf all 
the ? Jews which dwelt there, 

13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto 
me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the 


CHAP. 


XXII. 


conversign, and other matters. 


same hour I looked up upon him. SoM ΕΝΝ ὍΣ 
14 And he said, The God of An. Olymp. 
cir. CCLX. 4. 
our fathers * hath chosen thee, ————— 
that thou shouldest know his will, and * see 
t that Just One, and ἃ shouldest hear the voice 
of his mouth. 

15 ἡ For thou shalt be his witness unto all 
men of ¥ what thou hast seen and heard. 

16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and 
be baptized, * and wash away thy sins, 7 calling 
on the name of the Lord. 

17 And “it came to pass, that, when I was 
come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed 
in the temple, I was in a trance; 

18 And * saw him saying unto me, ἢ Make 
haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem " 
for they will not receive thy testimony conceri- 
ing me. 

19 And I said, Lord, * they know that I 
imprisoned and ‘beat in every synagogue 
them that believed on thee: 

20 “ And when the blood of thy martyr Ste- 
pen was shed, I also was standing by, and 
fconsenting unto his death, and kept the rai- 
ment of them that slew him. 

21 And he said unto me, Depart: 5 for I 


1Chap. ix. 3; xxvi. 12, 13——™Chap. ix. 7; Dan. x. 7. 
= Chap. ix. 17. © Chap. x. 22.——? 1 Tim. iii. 7——9 Chap. iii. 
13; v. 30—" Chap. ix. 15; xxvi. 16.—=* 1 Cor. ix. 1; xv. 8. 
t Chap. iil. 14; vii. 52. 4] Cor. xi.23; Gal. 1.12. ν Chap. 
xxiii. 11.——vw Chap. iv. 20 ; xxvi. 16——* Ch. 11. 38; Heb. x. 22. 


Verses 6-13. As I made my journey, &c.] See 
the whole of this account, and all the particular cir- 
cumstances, considered at large in the notes on chap. 
ix. 1, &c., and the observations at the conclusion of 
that chapter. 

Verse 14. And see that Just One] The Lord Jesus, 
called the Just One, in opposition to the Jews, who 
erucified him as a malefactor: see the note on chap. 
vii. 52. This is an additional proof that Jesus Christ 
did actually appear unto Saul of Tarsus. 

Verse 15. Thou shalt be his witness unto all] Thou 
shalt proclaim Chris: crucified, both to Jews and 
Gentiles. 

Verse 16. Arise, and be baptized] Take now the 
profession of Christ’s faith most solemnly upon thee, 
by being baptized in the name of Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. 

Wash away thy sims, &c.] Let this washing of thy 
body represent to thee the washing away of thy sins: 
and know that this washing away of sin can be re- 
cetved only by invoking the name of the Lord. 

Verse 17. When I was come again to Jerusalem] 
lt is likely that he refers to the first journey to Jeru- 
salem, about three years after his conversion, chap. ix. 
25, 26, and Gal. i. 18. 


y Chap. ix. 14; Rom. x. 13. z Chap. ix. 26; 2 Cor. xii. 2. 
a Ver. 14 Matt. x. 14. © Ver, 4. —4 Matt. x. 17. ©Ch. 
vii. 58.— Luke xi. 48; chap. viii. 1; Rom. i. 32.—gs Chap. 
ix. 15; xiii. 2, 46,47; xviii.6; xxvi. 17; Rom. i.5; xi. 13; xv. 
16; Gal. i. 15,16; 11. 7,8 : Eph. iii. 7,8; 1 Tim. ii.7 ; 2 Tim.1. 11. 


tioned any where else, unless it be that to which him- 
self refers in 2 Cor. xii. 2—4, when he conceived him- 
self transported to the third heaven; and, if the case 
be the same, the appearance of Jesus Christ to him, 
and the command given, are circumstances related only 
in this place. 

Verse 19. I imprisoned and beat in every syna- 
gogue| This shows what an active instrument Saul 
of Tarsus was, in the hands of this persecuting priest- 
hood, and how very generally the followers of Christ 
were persecuted, and how difficult it was at this time 
to profess Christianity. 

Verse 20. When the blood of thy mariyr Slephen 
was shed| See on chap. vii. 58; vili. 1. All these 
things Paul alleged as reasons why he could not expect 
to be received by the Christians ; for how could they 
suppose that such a persecutor could be converted ? 

Verse 21. J will send thee far hence unto the Gen- 
tiles.| This was the particular appointment of St. 
Paul : he was the apostle of the Gentiles ; for, though 
he preached frequently to the Jews, yet to preach the 
Gospel to the Gentiles, and to write for the conversion 
and establishment of the Gentile world, were his pecu- 
liar destination. Hence we find him and his compa- 
nions travelling every where ; through Judea, Pheni- 


I was ina trance] This circumstance is not men-| cia, Arabia, Syria, Cilicia, Pisidia, Lycaoma, Pam- 


Vor I ( 455°") 


865 


The people become furious, 


A.M. cir. 4064 7.}}} send thee far hence unto the 

A. Ὁ. cir. 60. 

An. Olymp. Gentiles. 
ieee * ge) And they gave him au- 
dience unto this word, and then lifted up their 
voices, and said, " Away with such a fellow 
from the earth: for it is not fit that ‘he 
should live. 

23 And as they cried out, and cast off thezr 
clothes, and threw dust into the air, 

24 The chief captain commanded him to be 
brought into the castle, and bade that he 
should be examined by scourging; that he 
might know wherefore they cried. so against 
him. 


» Chap. xxi. 36—* Chap. xxv. 24. 


THE ACTS. 


and seek to destroy Paul. 


25 And as they bound him A.M. ei. 4064. 
- 5 . D. cir. 60. 
with thongs, Paul said unto the An. Olymp. 


i ~ cir. CCIX. 4. 
centurion that stood by, Is it me Sees 


lawful for you to scourge a man that is a 
Roman, and uncondemned ? 

26 When the centurion heard that, he went 
and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed 
what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. 

27 Then the chief captain came, and said 
unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He 
said, Yea. 

28 And the chief captain answered, With a 
great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul 
said, But I was free born. 


k Chap. xvi. 37. 


phylia, Galatia, Phrygia, Macedonia, Greece, Asia, 
the Isles of the Mediterranean Sea, the Isles of the 
“Egean Sea, Italy, and some add Spain and even 
Britain. This was the diocess of this primitive bishop : 
none of the apostles travelled, none preached, none 
laboured as this man; and, we may add, none was so 
greatly owned of God. The epistles of Peter, John, 
James, and Jude, are great and excellent; but, when 
compared with those of Paul, however glorious they 
may be, they have no glory comparatively, by reason 
of that glory which excelleth. Next to Jesus Christ, 
St. Paul is the glory of the Christian Church. Jesus 
is the foundation; Paul, the master-builder. 

Verse 22. They gave him audience unto this word] 
Namely, that God had sent him to the Gentiles: not 
that they refused to preach the Jaw to the Gentiles, 
and make them proselytes ; for this they were fond of 
doing, so that our Lord says, they compassed sea and 
‘and to make a proselyte; but they understood the 
apostle as stating that God had rejected them, and 
called the Gentiles to be his peculiar people in their 
place ; and this they could not bear. 

Away with such a fellow] According to the law 
of Moses, he who attempted to seduce the people to 
any strange worship was to be stoned, Deut. xiii. 15. 
The Jews wished to insinuate that the apostle was 
guilty of this crime, and that therefore he should be 
stoned, or put to death. 

Verse 23. Cast off their clothes] Bishop Pearce 
supposes that shaking their upper garments is all that 
is meant here; and that it was an ancient custom for 
men to do so when highly pleased or greatly irritated ; 
but it is likely that some of them were now actually 
throwing off their clothes, in owler to prepare to 
stone Paul. 

Threw dust into the air] In sign of contempt, and 
by way of evecration. Shimei acted so, in order to 
express his contempt of David, 2 Sam. xvi. 13, where 
it is said, he cursed him as he went, and threw stones 
at him; or, as the margin, he dusted him with dust. 
Their throwing dust in the air was also expressive 
of extraordinary rage and vindictive malice. The 
apostle, being guarded by the Roman soldiers, was out 
of the power of the mob; and their throwing dust in 

866 


the air not only showed their rage, but also their ver- 
ation that they could not get the apostle into their 
power. It is still used as a token of hostility and de- 
fiance. M. Denon, (Travels in Egypt, vol. i. p. 98,) 
on coming down the Nile to Cairo, stopped at the an- 
cient city of Antinoé, to examine its ruins. “ Being 
desirous of obtaining a view of the whole of these ruins, 
we ascended a little hill, and soon perceived the in- 
habitants of the modern village assembling behind an 
opposite eminence: scarcely had we come over against 
them than, supposing our intentions to be hostile, they 
called out for assistance, and threw dust into the air, 
in token of defiance. The alarm spread, and they be- 
gan firing upon us.” 

Verse 24. Examined by scourging] As the chief 
captain did not understand the Hebrew language, he 
was ignorant of the charge brought against Paul, and 
ignorant also of the defence which the apostle had 
made; and, as he saw that they grew more and more 
outrageous, he supposed that Paul must have given 
them the highest provocation ; and therefore he deter- 
mined to put him to the torture, in order to find out 
the nature of his crime. The practice of putting people 
to the rack, in order to make them confess, has, to the 
disgrace of human nature, existed in all countries. 

Verse 25. And as they bound him, &c.] They 
were going to tie him to a post, that they might 
scourge him. 

Ts it lawful, §c.] The Roman law absolutely for- 
bade the dinding of a Roman citizen. See the note 
on chap. xvi. 37. 

Verse 28. With a great sum obtained I this free 
dom] So it appears that the freedom, even of Rome, 
might be purchased, and that it was sold at a very 
high price. 

But T was free born.] It has been generally be 
lieved that the inhabitants of Tarsus, born in that city. 
had the same rights and privileges as Roman citizens, 
in consequence of a charter or grant from Julius Cesar. 
Calmet disputes this, because Tarsus was a free not a 
colonial city ; and he supposes that Paul’s father might 
have been rewarded with the freedom of Rome for 
some military services, and that it was in consequence 
of this that Paul was born free. But that the city of 

( 55* " 


Paul secures his privilege as a 


a 29 "Then straightway they de- 
An. ay parted from him which should have 
εἶν. CCIX. 4 


‘examined him: and the chief cap- 

tain also was afraid, after he knew that he was 

a Roman, and because he had bound him. 
30 Ἵ On the morrow, because he would have 


1 Or, tortured him.——™ Chap. xxi. 35; xxiii. 10, 28; xxv. 26. 


Tarsus had such privileges appears extremely probable. 
In chap. xxi. 39, Paul says he was born at Tarsus in 
Cilicia, and in this chap., ver. 28, he says he was 
free born; and, at ver. 26, he calls himself a Roman, 
as he does also chap. xvi. 37. From whence it has 
been concluded, with every show of reason, that Tar- 
sus, though no Roman colony, yet had this privilege 
granted to it, that its natives should be citizens of 
Rome. Purny, in Hist. Nat. lib. v. 27, tells us that 
Tarsus was a free city. And Appian, De Bello Civil. 
lib. v. p. 1077, edit. Tollii, says that Antony, Tapseac 
ελευθερους ἠφίει, Kat atedetc φορων, made the people of 
Tarsus free, and discharged them from paying tribute. 
Dio Cassius, lib. xlvii. p. 508, edit. Reimar, farther 
tells us, Adeo Cesari priori, et ejus gratia etiam pos- 
teriori, favebant Tursenses, ut urbem suam pro Tarso 
JuLiopouin vocaverint: “ that, for the affection which 


the people of Tarsus bore to Julius Cesar, and after- | 


wards to Augustus, the former caused their city to be 
called Juliopolis.” The Greek text is as follows :— 
οὕτω προσφιλως τῳ Καισαρι προτέρῳ, καὶ δι᾽ ekewov τῷ 
δευτέρῳ, οἱ Ταρσεις evyov, ὧςε καὶ Ἰουλιοπολιν σφας an’ 


To which I add, that Puixo, de 


αὐτου μετονομᾶσαι. 


Virt. vol. ii. p. 587, edit. Mang., makes Agrippa say | 


to Caligula, φίλων eviwy πατριδὰς ὅλας τὴς Ῥωμαΐκης 


ἡξίωσας πολιτειας" You have made whole countries, to . 
and, as he understood that the cause of their enmity 
These testimonies | 
are of weight sufficient to show that Paul, by being | 


which your friends belong, to be citizens of Rome. 
See the note on chap. xxi. 39. 


born at Tarsus, might have been free born, and a Ro- 
man. See Bishop Pearce on Acts xvi. 37. 

Verse 29. After he knew that he was a Roman] 
He who was going to scourge him durst not proceed to 
the torture when Paul declared himself to be a Roman. 
A passage from Cicero, Orat. pro Verr. Act. ii. lib. 
γ. 64, throws the fullest light on this place: Ille, quis- 


quis erat, quem tu in crucem rapiebas, qui tibi esset 


ignotus, cum civem se Romanum esse diceret, apud te 
Pretorem, si non effugium, ne moram quidem mortis 


mentione atque usurpatione civitatis assequi potuit? | 


“Whosoever he might be whom thou wert hurrying 
to the rack, were he even unknown to thee, if he said 
mat he was a Roman citizen, he would necessarily ob- 
tain from thee, the Prator, by the simple mention of 
Rome, if not an escape, yet at least a delay of his 
punishment.’ The whole of the sixty-fourth and sixty- 
fifth sections of this oration, which speak so pointedly 
on this subject, are worthy of consideration. Of this 
privilege he farther says, Ib. in cap. lvii., Illa vox et 
exclamatio, Civis Romanus sum, gue sepe multis in 
ultimis terris opem inter barbaros et salutem tulit, §c. 
That exclamation, J am a Roman citizen, which often- 
times has brought assistance and safety, even among 
barbarians, in the remotest parts of the earth, &c. 
1 


CHAP. XXII. 


Roman, and escapes being scourged. 

τῇ ᾿ - AM. οἷν. 4064. 
known the ™certainty where Ra ee 
fore he was accused of the Jews, An. Olymp. 


7 J cir. CCIX. 4. 
he loosed him from his bands, —————— 


and commanded the "chief priests and all 
their council to appear; and brought Paul 
down, and set him before them. 


8 Matt. xxvi. 3, 59; xxvii. 1, 2, 12; Psa. exxv. 3. 


Puvurarcn likewise, in his Life of Pompey, (vol. 
iii. p. 445, edit. Bryan,) says, concerning the beha 
viour of the pirates, when they had taken any Roman 
prisoner, Exewvo de nv ὑβριςικωτατον x. τ. 2. what was the 
most contumelious was this; when any of those whom 
they had made captives cried out, Ρωμαῖος εἰναι, THAT 
HE WAS A Roman, and told them his name, they pre 
tended to be surprised, and be ina fright, and smote 
upon their thighs, and fell down (on their knees) ta 
him, beseeching him to pardon them! It is no wonder 
then that the torturer desisted, when Paul cried out 
that he was a Roman; and that the chief captain was 
alarmed, because he had bound him. 

Verse 30. He—commanded—all their council to 
appear] Instead of ελθειν, to come, which we trans- 
late, 10 appear, συνελθειν, to assemble, or meet together, 
is the reading of ACE, nearly twenty others, the 
Athiopic, Arabic, Vulgate, Chrysostom, and Theophy- 
lact: this reading Griesbach has received into the 
text; and it is most probably the true one: as the 
chief captain wished to know the certainty of the mat- 
ter, he desired the Jewish council, or Sanhedrin, to 
assemble, and examine the business thoroughly, that 
he might know of what the apostle was accused; as 
the law would not permit him to proceed against a Ro- 
man in any judicial way, but on the clearest evidence; 


was something that concerned their religion, he con- 
sidered the Sanhedrin to be the most proper judge, 
and therefore commanded them ¢o asseméle ; and there 
is no doubt that he himself, and a sufficient number of 


| soldiers, took care to attend, as the person of Paul 


could not be safe in the hands of persons so prejudiced, 
unprincipled, and enraged. 

This chapter should end with the twenty-ninth verse, 
and the following should begin with the thirtieth; this 
is the most natural division, and is followed by some 
_of the most correct editions of the original text. 


1. In his address to the council, Paul asserts that 
he is a Jew, born of and among Jews; and that he had 
a regular Jewish education; and he takes care to ob- 
serve that he had early imbibed all the prejudices pe- 
culiar to his countrymen, and had given the fullest proof 
of this in his persecution of the Christians. Thus, his 
assertions, concerning the wnprofilableness of the legal 
ceremonies, could neither be attributed to ignorance nor 
indifference. Had a Gentile, no matter how learned 
or eminent, taught thus, his whole teaching would have 
been attributed to ignorance, prejudice, and envy. God. 
therefore, in his endless mercy, made use of a most 
eminent, learned, and bigoted Jew, to demonstrate the 
nullity of the whole Jewish system, and show the ne- 
i cessity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

867 


THE 


2. At th2 close of this chapter, Dr. Dodd has the 
following j.dicious remark :—“ As unrighteous as it 
was in the Roman officer, on this popular clamour, to 
attempt putting this holy apostle to the torture, so rea- 
sonable was St. Paul’s plea, as a Roman citizen, to 
decline that suffering. It is a prudence worthy the 
imitation of the bravest of men, not to throw themselves 
into unnecessary difficulties. True courage widely dif- 
fers from rash and heedless temerity ; nor are we under 


Paul, beginning his defence, 15 


ACTS. smitten by the high priest’s order 

any obligation, as Christians, to give up our civil pri- 
vileges, which ought to be esteemed as the gifts of 
God, to every insolent and turbulent invader. In a 
thousand circumstances, gratitude to God, and duty to 
men, will oblige us to insist upon them ; and a generous 
concern for those who may come after us should engage 
us to labour to transmit them to posterity improved 
rather than impaired.” This should be an article in 
the creed of every genuine Briton. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


Paul defending himself before the high priest, he commands, him to be smitten on the mouth, 1, 2. 


Paul 


sharply reproves him, and, being reproved for this by one ty the attendants, accounts for his conduct, 3-5. 
Seeing thatthe assembly was composed of Pharisees and Sadducees, and that he could expect no justice 
from his judges, he asserts that it was for his belief in the resurrection that he was called in question, on 


which the Pharisees declare in his favour, 6-9. 


tain of the guard, 16-22. 


A great dissension arises, and the chief captain, fearing 
lest Paul should be pulled to pieces, brings him into the castle, 10. 
More than forty persons conspire his death, 12-15. 


He is comforted by a dream, 11. 
Paul’s sister’s son, hearing of it, informs the cap- 


He sends Paul by night, under a strong escort of horse and foot, to Cesarea, 
to Felix, and with him a letter, stating the circumstances of the case, 23-33. 


They arrive at Caesarea, 


and Felix promises him a hearing when his accusers shall come down, 34, 35. 


A. M. cir. 4064. Τ - 
hee το AND Paul, earnestly beholding 
An. Olymp. the counsel, said, Men and 


i ES brethren, 21 have lived in all 


good conscience before God until this day. 

2 And the high priest, Ananias, commanded 
them that stood by him ἢ to smite him on the 
mouth. 


aChap. xxiv. 16; 1 Cor. iv. 4; 2 Cor. i. 12; iv. 2; 2 Tim. 1.3; 
Heb. xiii. 18. 


3 Then said Paul unto him, A, Me eis, ee 
God shall smite thee, thou whited An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4. 


wall: for sittest thou to judge 
me after the law, and “ commandest me to be 
smitten contrary to the law ? 

4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou 
God’s high priest? 


81 Kings xxii. 24; Jer. xx.2; John xviii. 22. 


© Ley. xix. 35; 
Deut. xxv. 1, 2; John vii. 51. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII. 

Verse 1. I have lived in all good conscience] Some 
people seem to have been unnecessarily stumbled with 
this expression. What does the apostle mean by it? 
Why, that, while he was a Jew, he was one from prin- 
siple of conscience ; that what he did, while he con- 
vinued Jew, he did from the same principle; that, when 
God opened his eyes to see the nature of Christianity, 
he became a Christian, because God persuaded his con- 
science that it was right for him to become one ; that, 
in a word, he was sincere through the whole course of 
his religious life, and his conduct had borne the most 
unequivocal proofs of it. The apostle means, therefore, 
that there was no part of his life in which he acted as 
a dishonest or hypocritical man ; and that he was now 
as fully determined to maintain his profession of Chris- 
tianity as he ever was to maintain that of Judaism, pre- 
viously to his acquaintance with the Christian religion. 

Verse 2. The high priest, Ananias] There was a 
high priest of this name, who was sent a prisoner to 
Rome by Quadratus, governor of Syria, to give an 
account of the part he took in the quarrel between the 
Jews and the Samaritans; see Joseph. Antiq. lib. xx. 
cap. 6, s 8; but whether he ever returned again to 
Jerusalem, says Dr. Lightfoot, is uncertain ; still more 
uncertain whether he was ever restored to the office 

868 


of high priest; and most uncertain of all whether he 
filled the chair when Paul pleaded his cause, which was 
some years after Felix was settled in the government. 
But Krebs has proved that this very Ananias, on being 
examined at Rome, was found innocent, returned to 
Jerusalem, and was restored to the high priesthood ; 
see Joseph. Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 9, 5. 2; but of his 


death I find nothing certain. See Krebs on this place, 
(Observat. in Noy. Testament. ὃ Flavio Josepho,) 
who successfully controverts the opinion of Dr. Light- 
foot, mentioned at the beginning of this note. There 
was one Ananias, who is said to have perished in a 
tumult raised by his own son about five years after 
this time; see Jos. Antiq. lib. x. cap. 9. War, lib. 
ii. cap. 17. 

To smite him on the mouth.| Because he professed 
to have a good conscience, while believing on Jesus 
Christ, and propagating his doctrine. 

Verse 3. God shall smite thee, thou whited wall] 
Thou hypocrite ! who sittest on the seat of judgment, 
pretending to hear and seriously weigh the defence of 
an accused person, who must in justice and equity be 
presumed to be innocent till he is proved to be guilty ; 
and, instead of acting according to the law, com- 
mandest me to be smitten contrary to the law, which 
always has the person of the prisoner under its pro- 

1 


Paul sets the Pharisees and CHAP. 


A a 5 Then said Paul, “I wist not, 
An. ty brethren, that he was the high 
cir. CC 


————— priest: for it is written, * Thou 
shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. 

6 Ἵ But when Paul perceived that the one 
part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, 
he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, 
fT am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: § of 
the hope and resurrection of the dead I am 
called in question. 

7 And when he had so said, there arose a 


4 Chap. xxiv. 17.—* Exod. xxii. 28; Eccles. x. 20; 2 Pet. ii. 
10 ; Jude 8— Chap. xxvi.5; Phil. iii. 5.—6 Chap. xxiv, 15,21; 
GMERaRT OY αν ee ream Solis: 


tection ; nor ever suffers any penalty to be inflicted 
but what is prescribed as the just punishment for the 
offence. Asif he had said: “ Thinkest thou that God 
will suffer such an insult on his laws, on justice, and 
on humanity, to pass unpunished t” 

Verse 5. I wist not, brethren, that he was the high 
priest] After all the learned labour that has been spent 
on this subject, the simple meaning appears plainly to 
oe this :— 

St. Paul did not know that Ananias was high priest; 
he had been long absent from Jerusalem; political 
changes were frequent; the high priesthood was no 
longer in succession, and was frequently bought and 
sold; the Romans put down one high priest, and raised 
up another, as political reasons dictated. As the per- 
son of Ananias might have been wholly unknown to 
him, as the hearing was very sudden, and there was 
scarcely any time to consult the formalities of justice, 
it seems very probable that St. Paul, if he ever had 
known the person of Ananias, had forgotten him; and 
as, in a council or meeting of this kind, the presence 
of the high priest was not indispensably necessary, he 
did not know that the person who presided was not the 
sagan, or high priest’s deputy, or some other person 
put in the seat for the time being. I therefore under- 
stand the words above in their most obvious and literal 
sense. He knew not who the person was, and God’s 
Spirit suddenly led him to denounce the Divine dis- 
pleasure against him. 

Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy peo- 
ple.| If I had known he was the high priest, I should 
not have publicly pronounced this execration; for 
respect is due to his person for the sake of his dffice. | 
I do not see that Paul intimates that he had done any | 
thing through inadvertence ; nor does he here confess 
any fault; he states two facts :—1. That he did not 
know him to be the high priest. 2. That such a 
one, or any ruler of the people, should be reverenced. 
But he neither recalled or made an apology for his 
words: he had not committed a trespass, and he did | 
not acknowledge one. We must beware how we 
attribute either to him in the case before us. 

Verse 6. I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee) | 
Instead of Φαρισαιον, of a Pharisee, ABC, some others, 
with the Syriac and Vulgate, have Φαρισαίων, of the | 


Pharisees ; which, if acknowledged to be the genuine | 
reading, would alter the sense thus, J am a Pharisee, 
1 


XXIII.  Sadducees into mutual oppositim. 
dissension between the Pharisees 4- iss be οὐ 
and the Sadducees: and the = oie πο 


multitude was divided. ---- 

8 » For the Sadducees say that there is no 
resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the 
Pharisees confess both. 

9 And there arose a great cry: and the 
scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, 
and strove, saying, ‘ We find no evil in this 
man: but *if a spirit or an angel hath spoken 
to him, ‘let us not fight against God. 


xxvi. 6 ; xxviii. 20.— Matt. xxii. 23 ; Mark xii. 18; Luke xx. 27. 
i Ch. xxv. 25; xxvi. 31——* Ch. xxii. 7, 17, 18——!Ch. ν. 39. 


and a disciple of the Pharisees, for so the word son is 
frequently understood. 

Of the hope and resurrection] Concerning the hope 
of the resurrection, the xa, and, being here redundant; 
indeed, it is omitted by the Syriac, all the Aradic, and 
ABthiopic. St. Paul had preached the resurrection of 
the dead, on the foundation and evidence of the resur- 
rection of Christ. For this, he and the apostles were, 
some time before, imprisoned by the high priest and 
elders, chap. iv. 1-3, and v. 17, because they preached, 
THRouGH Jesus, the resurrection of the dead. This 
they could not bear; for, if Jesus Christ rose from 
the dead, their malice and wickedness, in putting him 
to death, were incontrovertibly established. 

Verse 7. And the multitude was divided] St. Paul, 
perceiving the assembly to consist of Sadducees and 
Pharisees, and finding he was not to expect any 
justice, thought it best thus to divide the council, by 
introducing a question on which the Pharisees and 
Sadducees were at issue. He did so; and the Pha- 
risees immediately espoused his side of the question, 
because in opposition to the Sadducees, whom they 
abhorred, as irreligious men. 

Verse 8. The Sadducees say that there is no resur- 
rection] It is strange, since these denied a future 
state, that they observed the ordinances of the law; 
for they also believed the five books of Moses to be a 
revelation from God: yet they had nothing in view 
but temporal good; and they understood the promises 
in the law as referring to these things alone. In 
order, therefore, to procure them, they watched, fasted, 
prayed, &c., and all this they did that they might ob- 
tain happiness in the present life. See the account of 
the Pharisees and Sadducees, Matt. iii. 7, and xvi. 1. 

Verse 9. The scribes—arose, and strove] Ateuaxovto, 
They contended forcibly—they came to an open rup- 
ture with the Sadducees; and, in order to support 
their own party against them, they even admitted as 
truth St. Paul’s account of his miraculous conversion, 
and therefore they said, if a spirit or an angel hath 
spoken to him, ἄς. He had previously mentioned 


that Jesus Christ had appeared to him, when on his 


way to Damascus; and, though they might not be 

ready to admit the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection, 

yet they could, consistently with their own principles, 

allow that the soul of Christ might appear to him ; 

and they immediately caught at this, as furnishing a 
869 


The Jews lay wait to kill Paul: 


SM ait ate 10 Ἵ And when there arose a 
An. Olymp. great dissension, the chief cap- 


ir. ΟΟΙΧ. 4. a : 
aS. tain, fearing lest Paul should 


have been pulled in pieces of them, command- 
ed the soldiers to go down, and to take him by 
force from among them, and to bring jam into 
the castle. 

11 And ™the night following the Lord stood 
by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: 
for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, 
so must thou bear witness also at Rome. 

12 Ἵ And when it was day, “certain of the 
Jews banded together, and bound themselves 
°under a curse, saying that they would neither 
eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 

13 And they were more than forty which had 
made this conspiracy. 

14 And they came to the chief priests and 
elders, and said, We have bound ourselves 
under a great curse, that we will eat nothing 
until we have slain Paul. 

15 Now therefore ye, with the council, sig- 
nify to the chief captain that he bring him 
down unto you to-morrow, as though ye would 


THE ACTS. 


the chief captain 15 nformed of 2t. 


i Ϊ Ϊ A.M. cir. 4064. 
inquire something more perfectly Δ “Go, 
concerning him: and we, or ever An. Olymp. 


: . CCIX. 4. 
he come near, are ready to kill ee aee 


him. 

16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of 
their lying in wait, he went and entered into 
the castle, and told Paul. 

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions 
unto Aim, and said, Bring this young man unto 
the chief captain ; for he hath a certain thing 
to tell him. 

18 So he took him, and brought him to the 
chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner call- 
ed me unto fim, and prayed me to bring 
this young man unto thee, who hath some- 
thing to say unto thee. 

19 Then the chief captain took him by the 
hand, and went with him aside privately, and 
asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? 

20 And he said, » The Jews have agreed to 
desire thee that thou wouldest bring down 
Paul to-morrow into the council, as though 
they would inquire somewhat of him more 
perfectly. 


m Chap. xviii. 9; xxvii. 23, 24. o Ver. 21, 30; chap. xxv. 3. 


ὁ Or, with an oath of execration. p Ver. 12. 


strong proof against the doctrine of the Sadducees, 
who neither believed in angel nor spirit, while the 
Pharisees confessed both. 

Let us not fight against God.| These words are 
wanting in ABCEH, several others, with the Copitic, 
Ethiopic, Armenian, later Syriac, Vulgate, and some 
of the fathers. 

Verse 10. The chief captain—commanded the sol- 


diers to go down] It appears that the chief captain | 


was present during these transactions, and that he had 
a body of soldiers in readiness in the castle of Antonia ; 
and it was from ¢his that he commanded them to come 
down, for the rescue and preservation of Paul. 

Verse 11. Be of good cheer, Paul] It is no won- 
der if, with all these trials and difficulties, St. Paul 
was much dejected in mind; and especially as he had 
not any direct intimation from God what the end of 
the present trials would be: to comfort him and 
strengthen his faith, God gave him this vision. 

So must thou bear witness also at Rome.] This 
was pleasing intelligence to Paul, who had long de- 
sired to see that city, and preach the Gospel of Christ 
there. He appears to have had an intimation that he 
should see it; but how, he could not tell; and this 
vision satisfied him that he should be sent thither by 
God himself. This would settle every fear and scruple 
concerning the issue of the present persecution. 

Verse 12. That they would neither eat nor drink, 
ἄς. These forty Jews were no doubt of the class 
of the stcarii mentioned before, (similar to those after- 
wards called assassins,) a class of fierce zealots, who 

870 


took justice into their own hand; and who thought 
they had a right to despatch all those who, according 
to their views, were not orthodox in their religious 
principles. If these were, in their bad way, conscien- 
tious men, must they not all perish through hunger, as 
God put it out of their power to accomplish their vow ? 
No: for the doctrine of sacerdotal absolution was held 
among the Jews as among the Papists: hence it is 
said, in Hieros. Avodah Zarah, fol. 40: “He that 
hath made a vow not to eat any thing, wo to him, if 
he eat; and wo to him, if he do not eat. If he eat, 
he sinneth against his vow; and if he do not eat, he 
sinneth against his life.” What must such a man do 
in this case? Let him go to the wise men, and they 
will loose him from his vow, as it is written, Prov. 
xii. 18: “ The tongue of the wise is health.’ When 
vows were so easily dispensed with, they might be 
readily multiplied. . See Lightfoot. 

Verse 15. And we, or ever he come near, are ready 
to kill him.| We shall lie in weight, and despatch him 
before he can reach the chief captain. The plan was 
well and deeply laid; and nothing but an especial 
providence could have saved Paul. 

Verse 16. Paul’s sister's son] This is all we know 
of Paul’s family. And we know not how this young 
man got to Jerusalem; the family, no doubt, still 
resided at Tarsus. 

Verse 17. Bring this young man unto the chief 
captain} Though St. Paul had the most positive 
assurance from Divine authority that he should be 
preserved, yet he knew that the Divine providence 

1 


The cluef captain sends Paul 


A. M. cir. 4064. 
A. Ὁ. cir, 60. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX 4 


CHAP. 


21 But do not thou yield unto 
them: for there lie in wait for 
him, of them, more than forty 
men, which have bound themselves with an 
oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till 
they have killed him: and now are they 
ready, looking for a promise from thee. 

22 So the chief captain then let the young 
man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no 
man that thou hast showed these things to me. 

23 9 And he called unto him two centurions, 
saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go 
to Cesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, 
and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour 
of the night ; 

24 And provide them beasts, that they may 
set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the 
governor. 

25 And he wrote a letter after this manner : 

26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent 
governor Felix sendeth greeting. 


© Ca. xxi. 33; xxiv. 7—* Ch. xxii. 30.——* Ch. xviii. 15; xxv. 


acts by reasonable and prudent means; and that, if 
he neglected to use the means in his power, he could 
not expect God’s providence to work in his behalf. 
He who will not help himself, according to the means 
and power he possesses, has neither reason nor reve- 
lation to assure him that he shall receive any assist- 
ance from God. 

Verse 23. Two hundred soldiers] Στρατίωτας, In- 
fantry or foot soldiers. 

Horsemen threescore and ten] There was always 
a certain number of horse, or cavalry, attached to the 
foot. 

Spearmen] δΔεξιολαβους, Persons who held a spear 
or javelin in their hand; from ev ry δεξίᾳ λαβειν taking 
or holding a thing in the right hand. But the Codex 
Alexandrinus reads δεξιοβολους, from defta, the right 
hand, and βαλλειν, to cast or dart, persons who threw 
javelins. But both words seem to mean nearly the 
same thing. 

The third hour of the night] About nine o'clock 
P. M., for the greater seerecy, and to elude the cun- 
ning, active malice of the Jews. 

Verse 24. Provide them beasts] One for Paul, 
and some others for his immediate keepers. 

Felix the governor.) This Felix was a freed man 
of the Emperor Claudius, and brother of Pallas, chief 
favourite of the emperor. Tacitus calls him Antonius 
Felix; and gives us to understand that he governed 
with all the authority of a king, and the baseness and 
insolence of a quondam slave. 1) libertis Antonius 
Felix per omnem sevitiam ac libidinem jus regium 
servilt ingenio exercuit. Hist. v.9. He had, accord- 
ing to Suetonius, in his life of Claudius, chap. 28, three 
queens to his wives; that is, he was married thrice, 
and each time to the daughter or niece of a king. 

1 


ΧΧΗΙΙ. 


27 4 This man was taken of An six. Seal 
the Jews, and should have been 
killed of them: then came I with 
an army, and rescued him, having understood 
that he was a Roman. 

28 ™And when I would have known the 
cause wherefore they accused him, I brought 
him forth into their council : 

29 Whom I perceived to be accused * of 
questions of their law, ‘but to have nothing 
laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. 

30 And “when it was told me how that the 
Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway 
to thee, and * gave commandment to his ac- 
cusers also to say before thee what they had 
against him. Farewell. 

31 Then the, soldiers, as it was commanded 
them, took Paul, and brought jim by night to 
Antipatris. 

32 On the morrow they left the horsemen 
to go with him, and returned to the castle : 


unto Feux the governor. 


cr. 


« Ver, 20——* Ch. xxiv. 5; xxv. 6. 


19.— Chap. xxvi. 31. 


Drusilla, the sister of Agrippa, was his wife at this time; 
see chap. xxiv. 22. He was an unrighteous governor ; 
a base, mercenary, and bad man: see chap. xxiv. 2. 

Verse 25. He wrote a letter after this manner] It 
appears that this was not only the substance of the 
letter, but the letter itself: the whole of it is so per- 
fectly formal as to prove this; and in this simple 
manner are all the letters of the ancients formed. 
In this also we have an additional proof of ‘St. Luke’s 
accuracy. 

Verse 30. I sent straightway to thee] As the pro- 
per person before whom this business should ultimately 
come, and by whom it should be decided. 

Farewell.) Epjwoo, Be in good health. 

Verse 31. Antipatris.} This place, according to 
Josephus, Antiq. lib. xiii. cap. 23, was anciently called 
Capharsaba, and is supposed to be the same which, in 
1 Maceab. vii. 31, is called Capharsalama, or Car- 
phasalama. It was rebuilt by Herod the Great, and 
denominated Antipatrts, in honour of his father Anti 
pater. It was situated between Joppa and Cesarea, on 
the road from Jerusalem to this latter city. Josephus 
says it was fifty stadia from Joppa. ‘The distance be- 
tween Jerusalem and Casarea was about seventy miles. 

Verse 32. On the morrow they left the horsemen] 
Being now so far from Jerusalem, they considered 
Paul in a state of safety from the Jews, and that the 
seventy horse would be a sufficient guard; the four 
hundred foot, therefore, returned to Jerusalem, and 
the horse went on to Caesarea with Paul. We need 
not suppose that all this troop did reach Antipatris on 
the sante night in which they left Jerusalem; there- 
fore, instead of, they brought him by night to Anti- 
patris, we may understand the text thus—Then the 
soldiers took Paul by night, and brought him to Anti 

871 


General observations on 


A.M. cir. 4064. 88 Who, when they came to 
An. Olymp. | Cwsarea, and delivered the epistle 


ir. CCLX. 4. 
ae. to the governor, presented Paul 


also before him. 
34 And when the governor had read the let- 
ter, he asked of what province he was. And 


w Chap. xxi. 39.——* Chap. xxiv. 1, 10; xxv. 16, 


THE ACTS. 


the twenty-third chapter 


when he understood that he was 4. M.cir. 4064 
aa A. D. cir. 60. 
of © Cilicia ; fin, Olymp, 
35 11 will hear thee, said he, ἢ 
when thine accusers are also come. And he 
commanded him to be kept in ¥ Herod’s judg- 


ment-hall. 


y Matt. xxvii. 27. 


patris. And the thirty-second verse need not to be 
understood as if the foot reached the castle of An- 
tonia the next day, (though all this was possible,) but 
that, having reached Antipatris, and refreshed them- 
selves, they set out the same day, on their march to 
Jerusalem ; on the morrow they returned, that is, they 
began their march back again to the castle. See on 
chap. xxiv. 1. 

Verse 33. Who] That is, the seventy horsemen 
mentioned above. 

Verse 35. I will hear thee] δΔιακουσομαι cov; 1 
will give thee a fair, full, and attentive hearing when 
thy accusers are come; in whose presence thou shalt 
be permitted to defend thyself. 

In Herod's judgment-hall.| Ev tw πραιτωριω, In 
Herod’s pretorium, so called because it was built by 
Herod the Great. The pretorium was the place where 
the Roman pretor had his residence ; and it is pro- 
baLle that, in or near this place, there was a sort of 
guard room, where state prisoners were kept. Paul 
was lodged here till his accusers should arrive. 


Oy the preceeding chapter many useful observations 
may be made. 

1. Paul, while acting contrary to the Gospel of 
Christ, pleaded conscience as his guide. Conscience 
is generally allowed to be the rule of human actions ; 
but it cannot be a right rule, unless it be well informed. 
While it is unenlightened it may be a guide to the 
perdition of its professor, and the cause of the ruin 
of others. That conscience can alone be trusted in 
which the light of God’s Spirit and God’s truth dwells. 
An ill-informed conscience may burn even the saints 
‘or God's sake ! 

2. No circumstance in which a man can be placed 
can excuse him from showing respect and reverence 
to the authorities which God, in the course of his 
providence, has instituted for the benefit of civil or 
religious society. All such authorities come originally 
from God, and can never lose any of their rights on 
account of the persons who are invested with them. 
An evil can never be of use, and a good may be abused ; 
but it loses not its character, essential qualities, or 
usefulness, because of this abuse. 

3. Paul availed himself of the discordant sentiments 
of his judges, who had agreed to show him no justice, 
mat he might rid himself out of their hands. To take 
advantage ‘of the sentiments and dispositions of an 
audience, without deceiving it, and to raise dissension 
between the enemies of the truth, is an innocent arti- 
fice, when truth itself is not violated and when error 
is exposed thereby to public view. 

4. The Pharisees and Sadducees strove together. 

872 


God frequently raises up defenders of the principles 
of truth, even among those who, in practice, are its 
decided enemies. ‘ Though,” says one, “I do not 
like the truth, yet will I defend it.” A man clothea 
with sovereign authority, vicious in his heart, and im- 
moral in his life, fostered those principles of truth ana 
righteousness by which error was banished from these 
lands, and pure and undefiled religion established among 
us for many generations. 

5. The providence of God, and his management of 
the world, are in many respects great mysteries ; but, 
as far as we are individually concerned, all is plain. 
Paul had the fullest assurance, from the mouth of 
Christ himself, that he should see Rome ; and, conse- 
quently, that he should be extricated from all his pre- 
sent difficulties. Why then did he not quietly sit 
still, when his nephew informed him that forty men 
had conspired to murder him? Because he knew that 
God made use of the prudence with which he has en- 
dowed man as an agent in that very providence by 
which he is supported; and that to neglect the na- 
tural means of safety with which God provides us is 
to tempt and dishonour him, and induce him in judg- 
ment to use those means against us, which, in his 
mercy, he had designed for our comfort and salvation. 
Prudence is well associated even with an apostolical 
spirit. Every being that God has formed, he designs 
should accomplish those functions for which he has 
endowed it with the requisite powers. 

6. Claudius Lysias sent Paul to Felix. “In the 
generality of human events,” says one, “we do not 
often distinguish the designs of God from those of 
men. The design of Lysias, in preserving Paul from 
the rage of the Jews, was to render his own conduct 
free from exception: the design of God was, that he 
might bring Paul safely to Rome, that he might attack 
idolatry in its strongest fort, and there establish the 
Christian faith.” God governs the world, and works 
by proper means; and counterworks οὐδ or sinister 
devices, so as ultimately to accomplish the purposes of 
his will, and cause all things to work together for good 
to them that love Him. 

7. Felix acted prudently when he would not even 
hear St. Paul till he had his accusers face to face. 
How many false judgments, evil surmises, and un- 
charitable censures would be avoided, did men always 
adopt this reasonable plan! Hear either side of a com- 
plaint separately, and the evil seems very great ; hear 
both together, and the evil is generally lessened by one 
half. Audi et alleram partem—hear the other side, 
says a heathen: remember, if you have an ear for 
the first complainant, you have one also for the 
second. 


Tertullus, an orator, accuses 


CHAP. XXIV. 


Paul before Felix 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


After five days, Ananias the high priest, the elders, and one Tertullus, an orator, come to Caesarea to accuse 


Paul, 1. 


The oration of Tertullus,2-—9. Paul’s defence, 10-21. Felix, having heard his defence, proposes 


to leave the final determination of it till Claudius Lysias should come down; and, in the mean time, or- 


ders Paul to be treated with humanity and respect, 22, 23. 
cerning the faith of Christ; and Felix is greatly affected, 24, 25. 


Felix, and Drusilla his wife, hear Paul con- 
On the expectation of obtaining 


money for his liberation, Felix keeps Paul in prison, 26, and being superseded in the government of Ju- 
dea by Porcius Festus, in order to please the Jews, he leaves Paul bound, 27. 


ott pee ΔΝ) after a five days, » Ananias 
An. Olyinp. the high priest descended 


cir. CCIX. 4. 5 - : 
ae. «with the elders, and with a certain 


orator named 'Tertullus, who informed the go- 
vernor against Paul. 

2 And when he was called forth, Tertullus 
began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by 
thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very 


Δ᾽ Chap. xxi. 27——» Chap. xxiii. 2, 30, 35; xxv. 2—+* Luke 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV. 

Verse 1. After five days] These days are to be 
reckoned from the time in which Paul was appre- 
hended at Jerusalem, and twelve days after he had 
arrived in that city ; see ver. 11. Calmet reckons the 
days thus :—St. Luke says that Paul was appre- 
hended at Jerusalem when the seven days of his vow 
were nearly ended, chap. xxi. 27 ; that is, at the end 
of the fifth day after his arrival. The next day, 
which was the sixth, he was presented before the San- 


hedrin. The night following, he was taken to Anti- 
patris. The next day, the seventh, he arrived at 
Cesarea. Five days afterwards, that is, the twelfth 


day after his arrival at Jerusalem, the high priest and 
the elders, with Tertullus, came down to accuse him 
before Felix.—But see the note on chap. xxiii. 32. 


A certain orator named Tertullus] This was pro- | 
Ρ 


bably a Roman proselyte to Judaism; yet he speaks 
every where as a Jew. Roman orators, advocates, 
&c., were found in different provinces of the Roman 


empire ; and they, in general, spoke both the Greek | 
and Latin languages ; and, being well acquainted with | 
the Roman laws and customs, were no doubt very | 


useful. Luitprandus supposed that this Tertullus was 
the same with him who was colleague with Pliny the 
younger, in the consulate, in the year of Rome, 852; 
who is mentioned by Pliny, Epist. v. 15. Of this 
there is no satisfactory proof, 

Verse 2. Tertullus began to accuse him] There 


are three parts in this oration of Tertullus:—1. The | 


exordium. 2. The proposition. 3. The conclusion. 
The exordium contains the praise of Felix and his 
administration, merely for the purpose of conciliating 
his esteem, 2—4. The proposition is contained in 
ver. 5. The narration and conclusion, in ver. 6-8. 

By thee we enjoy great quietness} As bad a go- 
vernor as Felix most certainly was, he rendered some 
services to Judea. 
fested with robbers; and a very formidable banditti 


The country had long been in-| 


worthy deeds are done unto this 4M. cir, 4064. 
; Ν . D. cir. 60. 
nation by thy providence, An. Olymp. 
ὰ ν cir. CCIX. 4. 
3 We accept it always, and in all —————— 
places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. 
4 Notwithstanding, that I be not farther 
tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou would- 
est hear us of thy clemency a few words. 
5 © For we have found this man a pestilent 


xxiii. 2; chap. vi. 13; xvi. 20; xvii.6; xxi. 28; 1 Pet. ii. 12, 15. 


He also suppressed the sedition raised by an Egyptian 
impostor, who had seduced 30,000 men ; see on chap. 
xxi. 38. He had also quelled a very afflictive dis- 
turbance which took place between the Syrians and 
the Jews of Cesarea. On this ground Tertullus said, 
By thee we enjoy great quietness; and illustrious 
deeds are done to this nation by thy prudent adminis- 
tration. This was all true ; but, notwithstanding this, 
he is well known from his own historians, and from 
Josephus, to have been not only a very bad man, but 
also a very bad governor. He was mercenary, op- 
pressive, and cruel; and of all these the Jews brought 
proofs to Nero, before whom they accused him ; and, 
had it not been for the interest and influence of his 
brother Pallas, he had been certainly ruined. 

Verse 3. We accept it always, and in all places} 
We have at all times a grateful sense of thy beneficent 
administration, and we talk of it in all places, not only 
before thy face, but behind thy back. 

Verse 4. That I be not farther tedious unto thee] 
That I may neither trespass on thy time, by dwelling 
longer on this subject, nor on thy modesty, by thus 
enumerating thy beneficent deeds. 

Hear us of thy clemency) Give us this farther 
proof of thy kindness, by hearkening to our present 
complaint. The whole of this exordium was artful 
enough, though it was lame. The orator had cer- 
tainly a very Jad cause, of which he endeavoured to 
make the dest. Felix was a bad man and bad go- 
vernor; and yet he must praise him, to conciliate his 
esteem. Paul was a very good man, and nothing amiss 
could be proved against him; and yet he must en- 
deavour to blacken him as much as possible, in order 
to please his unprincipled and wicked employers. His 
oration has been blamed as weak, lame, and imperfect ; 
and yet, perhaps, few, with so bad a cause, could have 
made better of it. » 

Verse 5. For we have found this man, §c.] Here 
the proposition of the orator commences. He accuses 


of this kind, under one Eliezar, he entirely suppressed. Paul, and his accusation includes four particulars :— 
Joseph. Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 6; Bell. lib. ii. cap. 99. 1. He isa pest, λοίμος ; an exceedingly bad and wicked 
1 873 


THE 


Felix, the governor, authorizes 


A.M. cir. 4064. feJlow, and a mover of sedition 
A. D. cir. 60. 
An. Olymp. among all the Jews throughout 


ir. CCIX. 4. " 
Rae the sworldywsandi 5 ringleader of 


the sect of the Nazarenes : 

6 4 Who also hath gone about to profane the 
temple: whom we took and would * have 
judged according to our law: 

7 ‘ But the chief captain Lysias came upon 
us, and with great violence took him away out 
of our hands, 


ACTS. Paul to answer for himself. 


8 & Commanding his accusers 4.,.™. cir. 4064 
Ber A. Ὁ. cir. 60. 
to come unto thee: by examining An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4. 
of whom thyself mayest take ——~———— 
knowledge of all these things, whereof we 
accuse him. 
9 And the Jews also assented, saying that 
these things were so. 
10 Ἵ Then Paul, after that the governor 
had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, 
Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of 


4 Chap. xxi. 28. 6 John xviii. 31. 


{ Chap. xxi. 33.—s Chap. xxiii. 30. 


man. 2. He excites disturbances and seditions against 
the Jews. 3. He is the chief of the sect of the Na- 
zarenes, who are a very bad people, and should not 
be tolerated. 4. He has endeavoured to pollute and 
profane the temple, and we took him in the fact. 

A pestilent fellow] The word λοιμος, pestis—the 
plague or pestilence, is used by both Greek and Ro- 
man authors to signify a very bad and profligate man ; 
we have weakened the force of the word by translating 
the substantive adjectively. Tertullus did not say 
that Paul was a pestilent fellow, but he said that he 
was the very pestilence itself. As in that of Martial, 
xi. 92 :--- 


Non vitiosus homo es, Zojle, sed vitium. 


“ Thou art not a viczous man, Ὁ Zojlus, but thou 

art vice itself.” 

The words λοίμος, and pestis, are thus frequently 
used.—See Wetstein, Bp. Pearce, and Kypke. 

A mover of sedition] Instead of ςασιν, sedition, 
ABE, several others, with the Coptic, Vulgate, Chry- 
sostom, Theophylact, and C&cumenius, read cacetc, 
commotions, which is probably the true reading. 

Among all the Jews] Bp. Pearce contends that 
the words should be understood thus—one that stirreth 
up tumults acainst all the Jews; for, if they be un- 
derstood otherwise, Tertullus may be considered as 
accusing his countrymen, as if they, at Paul’s instiga- 
tion, were forward to make insurrections every where. 
On the contrary, he wishes to represent them as a 
persecuted and distressed people, by means of Paul and 
his Nazarenes. 

A ringleader] ἹΠρωτοστατην. This is a military 
phrase, and signifies the officer who stands on the right 
of the first rank ; the captain of the front rank of the 
sect of the Nazarenes; τῆς Tov ναζωραίων aipecewc, 
of the heresy of the Nazarenes. This word is used 
six times by St. Luke; viz. in this verse, and in ver. 
14, and in chap. v. 17; xv. 5; xxvi. 5; and xxviii. 
22; but in none of them does it appear necessarily to 
include that bad sense which we generally assign to 
the word heresy.—See the note.on chap. v. 17, where 
the subject is largely considered ; and see farther on 
ver. 14. 

Verse 6. Hath gone about to profane the temple] 
This was a heavy charge, if it could have been sub- 
stantiated, because the Jews were permitted by the 
Romans to put any person to death who profaned 
their temple. This charge was founded on the gross 

874 


calumny mentioned, chap. xxi. 28, 29; for, as they 
had seen Trophimus, an Ephesian, with Paul in the 
city, they pretended that he had brought him into the 
temple. 

Would have judged according to our law) He 
pretended that they would have tried the case fairly, 
had not the chief captain taken him violently out of 
their hands ; whereas, had not Lysias interfered, they 
would have murdered him on the spot. 

Verse 7. With great violence] Meta πολλης Brac, 
I rather think, means with an armed force. Tertullus 
intimates that Lysias interfered contrary to law, and 
brought soldiers to support him in his infringement on 
their constitution. This is what he seems to say and 
complain of ; for the Jews were vexed with Lysias for 
rescuing the apostle from their hands. 

Verse 8. Commanding his accusers to come, &c.] 
Here Tertullus closes his opening and statement of the 
case ; and now he proceeds to call and examine his 
witnesses ; and they were no doubt examined one by 
one, though St. Luke sums the whole up in one word— 
The Jews also assented, saying, that these things were 
so. Whoever considers the plan of Tertullus’s speech, 
will perceive that it was both judicious and artful. 
Let us take a view of the whole :—1. He praises 
Felix to conciliate his favour. 2. He generally states 
the great blessings of his administration. 3. He states 
that the Jews, throughout the whole land, felt them- 
selves under the greatest obligations to him, and ex- 
tolled his prudent and beneficent management of the 
public affairs every where. 4. That the prisoner 
before him was a very bad man; a disturber of the 
public peace; a demagogue of a dangerous party ; 
and so lost to all sense of religion as to attempt to 
profane the temple! 5. That, though he should have 
been punished on the spot, yet, as they were ordered 
by the chief captain to appear before him, and show 
the reason why they had seized on Paul at Jerusalem, 
they were accordingly come ; and, having now exhi- 
bited their charges, he would, 6. proceed to examine 
witnesses, who would prove all these things to the 
satisfaction of the governor. 7. He then called his 
witnesses, and their testimony confirmed and substan- 
tiated the charges. No bad cause was ever more 
judiciously and cunningly managed. 

Verse 10. Then Paul—answered|] The apostle’s 
defence consists of two parts :—1. The exordium, 
which has for its object the praise of his judge, whose 
qualifications to discern and decide on a question of 

1 


Paul defends himself against 


A.M. cir. 4064. 
A. Ὁ. εἰν. 60. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCIX. 4. 


many years* a judge unto this 
nation, I do the more cheerfully 
answer for myself : 

11 Because that thou mayest understand, 
that there are yet but twelve days since I went 
up to Jerusalem ἢ for to worship. 

12 ‘ And they neither found me in the tem- 
ple disputing with any man, neither raising up the 
people, neither in the synagogues nor in the city: 

43 Neither can they prove the things where- 
of they now accuse me. 


*A_D.53, Feliz made procurator over Judea ; ver. 17.——» Ch, 
xxi. 26.——! Chap. xxv. 8; xxviii. 17——* See Amos viii. 14; 
chap. ix. 2. 


this nature he fully allows; and expects, from this 
circumstance, to have a favourable hearing. 2. The 
tractation, which consists of two parts: I. ReruraTion: 
1. of the charge of polluting the temple ; 2. of stirring 
up sedition; 3. of being a leader of any sect who 
had a different worship from the God of their fathers. 
II. Arrirmation: 1. that he had lived so as to pre- 
serve a good conscience towards God, and towards 
men; 2. that so far from polluting the temple, he had 
been purified in it, and was found thus worshipping 
according to the law of God; 3. that what Ter- 
tullus and his companions had witnessed was per- 
fectly false ; and he defied them to produce a single 
proof, and appeals to those who had been witnesses 
of his conduct in Jerusalem, who should have been 
there could they have proved any thing against him. 

Thou hast been of many years a judge] Cumanus 
and Felix were, for a time, joint governors of Judea ; 
but, after the condemnation of Cumanus, the govern- 
ment fell entirely into the hands of Felix; and from 
Josephus we learn that this was now the sixth or 
seventh year of his administration, which might be 
ealled many years, when the very frequent removals 
of the governors of the provinces are considered.— 
See Jos. Antiq. lib. xx. 7, and see the margin. 

A judge—Kpiryy, the same here in signification as 
the Hebrew ΩΦ shophet. which means a ruler or 
governor. ‘This was the title of the ancient governors 
of Israel. 

The more cheerfully] Ev@vuorepov, With a better 
heart or courage, because, as thy long residence among 
us has brought thee to a thorough acquaintance with 
our customs, I may expect a proper decision in my 
favour, my cause being perfectly sound. 

Verse 11. There are yet but twelve days] This is 
his reply to their charge of sedition ; the improbabi- 
lity of which is shown from the short time he had 
spent in Jerusalem, quite insufficient to organize a se- 
dition of any kind; nor coulda single proof be furnish- 
ea that he had attempted to seduce any man, or un- 
hinge any person from his allegiance by subtle dispu- 
tations, either in the temple, the synagogues, or the 
city. So that this charge necessarily fell to the 
ground, selt-contuted, unless they could bring substan- 

1al proof against him, which he challenges them to do. 

Verse 14. That after the way which they call 

1 


CHAP. 


XXIV. 


14 But this I confess unto 4; ™: cir 4064. 
thee, that after *the way which An. Olymp. 

. cir. CCIX. 4. 
they call heresy, so worship | —~———— 
the 1 God of my fathers, believing all things 
which are written in ™the law and in the 
prophets : 

15 And ® have hope toward God, which they 
themselves also allow, ° that there shall be a 
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and 
unjust. 

16 And Pherein do I exercise myself, to 


the accusations of Tertullus 


12 Tim. i. 3— Chap. xxvi. 22 ; xxviii. 23-——® Chap. xxiii. 
6; xxvi. 6, 7; xxviii. 20. ©Dan. xii. 2; John y. 28, 29. 
P Chap. xxiii. 1. 


heresy} See the explanation of this word in the note 
on chap. v. 17, and see before, ver. 5, where what is 
here translated heresy, is there rendered sect. At this 
time the word had no bad acceptation, in reference to 
religious opinions. The Pharisees themselves, the 
most respectable body among the Jews, are called a 
sect; for Paul, defending himself before Agrippa, says 
that he lived a Pharisee according to the strictest 
αἵρεσιν, sect, or heresy of their religion. And Jose- 
phus, who was a Pharisee, speaks, τῆς τῶν Φαρισαιὼν 
alpecewc, of the heresy or sect of the Pharisees. Lire, 
chap. xxxviii. Therefore it is evident that the word 
heresy had no dad meaning among the Jews ; it meant 
simply a religious sect. Why then did they use it by 
way of degradation to St. Paul? This seems to have 
been the capse. They had already two accredited 
sects in the land, the Pharisees and Sadducees : the 
interests of each of these were pretty well balanced, 
and each had a part in the government, for the coun- 
cil, or Sanhedrin, was composed both of Sadducees 
and Pharisees: see chap. xxiii. 6. They were afraid 
that the Christians, whom they called Nazarenes, 
should form a new sect, and divide the interests of both 
the preceding ; and what they feared, that they charged 
them with; and, on this account, the Christians had 
both the Pharisees and the Sadducees for their ene- 
mies. They had charged Jesus Christ with plotting 
against the state, and endeavouring to raise seditions ; 
and they charged his followers with the same. This 
they deemed a proper engine to bring a jealous govern- 
ment into action. 

So worship I the God of my fathers] I bring in 
no new object of worship; no new religious creed. 
I believe all things as they profess to believe ; and 
acknowledge the Law and the Prophets as divinely 
inspired books ; and have never, in the smallest mea- 
sure, detracted from the authority or authenticity of 
either. 

Verse 15. And have hope toward God, §c.] I not 
only do not hold any thing by which the general creed 
of this people might be altered, in reference to tne 
present state; but, also, I hold nothing different from 
their belief in reference to a future state; for, if I 
maintain the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, 
it is what themselves allow. 

Verse 16. And herein do I exercise myself] And 

R°5 


Fel puts off the farther THE 


A.M. cir. 4064. have always a conscience void 

A. D. cir. 60. 

An. Olymp. of offence toward God, and to- 

eir. CCIX. 4. 
τόξου ιν 707, MME 

17 Now after many years 1 1 came to bring 
alms to my nation, and offerings. 

18 * Whereupon certain Jews from Asia 
found me purified in the temple, neither with 
multitude, nor with tumult. 

19 Who ought to have been here be- 
fore thee, and object, if they had aught 
against me. 

20 Or else let these same here say, if they 
have found any evil doing in me, while I stood 
before the council, 


aChap. xi. 29, 30; xx. 16; Rom. xv. 25; 2 Cor. vill. 4; Gal. 11. 
10,— Chap. xxi. 26, 27; xxvi. 21. 


ACTS. 


consideration of the case. 


21 Except it be for this one 4M. cir. 4064 

5 a Ξ A.D. cir. 60. 
voice, that I cried standing among An. Olymp. 

cir. CCIX. 4. 
them, * Touching the resurrec- 
tion of the dead I am called in question by 
you this day. 

22 9 And when Felix heard these things, 
having more perfect knowledge of that way, 
he deferred them, and said, When ἃ Lysias the 
chief captain shall come down I will know 
the uttermost of your matter. 

23 And he commanded a centurion to keep 
Paul, and to let him have liberty, and ¥ that 
he should forbid none of his acquaintance to 
minister or come unto him. 


sChap. xxii. 30; xxv. 10. ‘Chap. xxiii. 6; xxviii. 20. 
u Ver. 7.-——¥ Chap. xxvii. 3; xxviii. 16. 


this very tenet is a pledge for my good behaviour ; 
for as I believe there will be a resurrection, both of 
the just and wnjust, and that every man shall be judg- 


ed for the deeds done in the body, so I exercise myself 


day and night, that I may have a conscience void of 
offence toward God and toward men. 

Toward God\ In entertaining no opinion contrary 
to Ais truth; and in offering no worship contrary to 
his dignity, purity, and excellence. 

Toward men.] In doing nothing to them that I 
would not, on a change of circumstances, they should 
do to me ; and in withholding nothing by which I might 
comfort and serve them. 

Verse 17. Now, after many years, §c.] And as 
a full proof that I act according to the dictates of this 
Divine and beneficent creed, though I have been many 
years absent from my own country, and my political 
relatien to it is almost necessarily dissolved, yet, far 
from coming to disturb the peace of society, or to in- 
jure any person, I have brought ams ¢o my nation, 
the fruits of my own earning and influence among a 
foreign people, and orrerines to my God and his 
temple, proving hereby my attachment to my country, 
and my reverence for the worship of my country’s God. 

Verse 18. Found me purified in the temple] And 
the Jews of Asia, who stirred up the persecution 
against me in Jerusalem, found me purified in the tem- 
ple, regularly performing the religious vow into which 
T had entered; giving no cause for suspicion; for I 
made no dumult, nor had I any number of people with 
me, by whom f could have accomplished any seditious 
purpose. , 

Verse 20. Any evil doing in me while I stood be- 
fore the council] The Jews of Asia, the most com- 
petent witnesses, though my declared enemies, and 
they who stirred up the persecution against me, should 
have been here: why are they kept back? Because 
they could prove nothing against me. Let these, 
therefore, who are here, depose, if they have found 
any evil in me, or proved against me, by my most virulent 
adversaries, when examined before them in their coun- 
cil at Jerusalem. 


Sadducees who belong to that council, and who de- 
ny the resurrection of the dead, may indeed blame me 
for professing my faith in this doctrine; but, as this 
is a doctrine credited by the nation in general, and as 
there can be nothing criminal in such a belief, and 
they can bring no accusation against me relative to 
any thing else, this, of course, is the sum of all the 
charges to which I am called to answer before you 
this day. 

Verse 22. And when Felix heard these things] 
There is considerable difficulty in this verse. Trans- 
lators greatly vary concerning the sense; and the 
MSS. themselves read variously. Mr. Wakefield’s 
translation appears to be as proper as most: Now Fe- 
lix, upon hearing these things, put them off by saying, 
When Lysias the captain is come down, after I have 
gained amore exact knowledge of this doctrine, I will 
inquire fully into your business. 

Calmet’s translation is nearly to the same sense :— 

Felix, having heard these things, put them off to 
another time, saying, When I shall have acquired a 
more accurate knowledge of this sect, and when the 
tribune Lysias shall have come from Jerusalem, I will 
judge of your business. 

And this mode of interpretation is rendered the more 
likely from the circumstance, that, previously to the 
coming down of Lysias, Felix had sent for Paul, con- 
cerning the faith of Christ; and this he appears to 
have done, that he might be the better qualified to 
judge of the business, when it should come again be 
fore him. See on verse 20. 

Verse 23. He commanded a centurion to keep Paul} 
He gave him into the custody of a captain, by whom 
he was most likely to be well used: and to let him 
have liberty ; he freed him from the chains with which 
he was bound to the soldiers, his keepers. See on 
chap. xxi. 33. And that he should forbid none of has 
acquaintance, των war, of his own people, his fellow 
apostles, and the Christians in general, to minister or 
come unto him; to turnish him with any of the conve- 
niences and comforts of life, and visit him as often as 
they pleased. This was an ample proof that Felix 


Verse 21. Except it be for this one voice] The! found no evil in him; and he would certainly have 


876 


1 


Paul preaches before Felix CHAP. 
ee 24 7 And after certain days, 
An. Olymp. when Felix came with his wife 
cir. CCIX. 4. 


Drusilla, which was a Jewess, 
he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning 
the faith in Christ. 

25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, 


w Exodus, 


dismissed him but for two reasons: 1. He wanted to 
please the Jews, who, he knew, could depose grievous 
things against his administration. 2. He hoped to 
get money from the apostle, or his friends, as the pur- 
chase of his liberty. 

Verse 24. His wife Drusilla] We have already 
seen that Felix was thrice married: two of his wives 
were named Drusilla; one was a Roman, the niece 
or grand-daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, mention- 
ed by Tacitus, lib. v. cap. 9. The other, the person 
in the text, was a Jewess, daughter to Herod Agrippa 
the Great. See chap. xii. 1, ἄς. When she was 
but six years of age, she was affianced to Epiphanes, 
son of Antiochus, king of Comagene, who had promis- 
ed to embrace Judaism on her account; but, as he did 
not keep his word, her brother Agrippa (mentioned 
chap. xxv. 13) refused to ratify the marriage. About 
the year of our Lord 53, he married her to Azizus, 
king of the Emesenes, who received her on condition 
of being circumcised. Felix having seen her, fell 
desperately in love with her, and by means of a pre- 
tended Jewish magician, a native of Cyprus, persuaded 
her to leave her husband; on which Felix took her 
to wife. She appears, on the whole, to have been a 
person of indifferent character; though one of the 
finest women of that age. It is said that she, and a 
son she had by Felix, were consumed in an eruption 
of Mount Vesuvius. See Josephus, Antiq. lib. xx. 
cap. 7, and see Calmet and Rosenmiiller. 

Heard him concerning the faith in Christ.] For the 
purpose mentioned in the note on ver. 21, that he 
might be the more accurately instructed in the doc- 
trines, views, &c., of the Christians. 

Verse 25. As he reasoned of righteousness] Δικαι- 
osvvnc; The principles and requisitions of justice and 
right, between God and man; and between man and 
his fellows, in all relations and connections of life. 

Temperance] Eykparevac, Chastity ; self-gavernment 
or moderation with regard to a man’s appetites, pas- 
sions, and propensities of all kinds. 

And judgment to come] Κριματος tov μελλοντος ; 
The day of retribution, in which the unjust, intempe- 
rate, and incontinent, must give account of all the 
deeds done in the body. This discourse of St. Paul 
was most solemnly and pointedly adapted to the state 
of the person to whom it was addressed. Felix was 
tyrannous and oppressive in his government; lived 
under the power of avarice and unbridled appetites ; 
and his incontinence, intemperance, and injustice, 
appear fully in depriving the king of Emesa of his 
wife, and in his conduct towards St. Paul, and the 
motives by which that conduct was regulated. And as 
to Drusilla, who had forsaken the husband of her youth, 
and forgotten the covenant of her God, and become 

1 


XXIV. and lus wife Drusilla 
: A. Μ. cir. 

temperance, and judgment to ne 

come, Felix trembled, and an- An. Olymp. 

cir. CCIX. 4. 


swered, Go thy way for this 
time; when I have a convenient season, I wilt 
call for thee. 

26 Ἵ He hoped also that Ὁ money should 


chap. xxiii. 8. 


the willing companion of this bad man, she was worthy 
of the strongest reprehension ; and Paul’s reasoning on 
righteousness, temperance, and judgment, was not less 
applicable to her than to her unprincipled paramour. 

Felix trembled] ‘The reason of Felix’s fear,” says 
Bp. Pearce, “seems to have been, lest Drusilla, who 
was a Jewess, and knew that what she had done was 
against the law of Moses, might be influenced by Paul's 
discourse, and Felix’s happiness with her disturbed. 
What is said of Felix, ver. 26, seems to show that he 
had no remorse of conscience for what he had done.” 
On the head of Drusilla’s scruples, he had little to fear ; 
the king of Emesa, her husband, had been dead about 
three years before this; and as to Jewish scruples, she 
could be little affected by them: she had already acted 
in opposition to the Jewish law, and she is said to have 
turned heathen for the sake of Felix. We may there- 
fore hope that Felix felt regret for the iniquities of his 
life ; and that his conscience was neither so seared nor 
so hardened, as not to receive and retain some gracious 
impressions from such a discourse, delivered by tle 
authority, and accompanied with the influence, of the 
Spirit of God. His frequently sending for the apostle, 
to speak with him in private, is a proof that he wished 
to receive farther instructions in a matter in which he 
was so deeply interested; though he certainly was not 
without motives of a baser kind; for he hoped to get 
money for the liberation of the apostle. 

Go thy way for this time] His conscience had 
received as much terror and alarm as it was capable of 
bearing ; and probably he wished to hide, by privacy, 
the confusion and dismay which, by this time, were 
fully evident in his countenance. 

Verse 26. He hoped also that money should have been 
given him] Bp. Pearce asks, “ How could St. Luke 
know this?” To which I answer: From the report of 
St. Paul, with whom Felix had frequent conferences, 
and to whom he undoubtedly expressed this wish. 
We may see, here, the most unprincipled avarice, in 
Felix, united to injustice. Paul had proved before him 
his innocence of the charges brought against him by 
the Jews. They had retired in confusion when he had 
finished his defence. Had Felix been influenced by 
the common principles of justice, Paul had been imme- 
diately discharged; but he detained him on the hope 
of a ransom. He saw that Paul was a respectable 
character; that he had opulent friends; that he was 
at the head of a very numerous sect, to whom he was 
deservedly dear; and he took it, therefore, for grantea 
that a considerable sum of money would be given for 
his enlargement. Felix was a freed man of the 
Emperor Claudius; consequently, had once been a 
slave. The streain rises not above its source: the 
meanness of the s/ave is still apparent, and it 1s now 

877 


Observations on the 


A. M. cir. 4064. 


, on ΟἹ i il, th 
ie rameiten. have been given him of Paul, that 
An. Olymp. 


aor he might loose him: wherefore 
ir. CCIX. 4. : 

~_ss he sent for him the oftener, and 
communed with him. 


THE ACTS. 


preceding chapter 


27 But after two yzars, Porcius 4-,M, ci. 4066. 
Festus came into Felix’ room: ἀπ. Olymp. 
and Felix, * willing to show the “~ ase 
Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. 


x Exod. xxiii. 2; chap. 


insufferable, being added to the authority and influence 
of the governor. Low-bred men should never be 
intrusted with the administration of public affairs. 

Verse 27. After two years] That is, from the time 
that Paul came prisoner to Caesarea. 

Porcius Festus| This man was put into the govern- 
ment of Judea about A. D. 60, the sixth or seventh 
year of Nero. In the succeeding chapter we shall see 
the part that he took in the affairs of St. Paul. 

Willing to show the Jews a pleasure] As he had 
not got the money which he expected, he hoped to be 
able to prevent the compiaints of the Jews against his 
government, by leaving Paul, in some measure, in their 
hands. For it was customary for governors, &c., when 
they left, or were removed from a particular district or 
province, to do some public, beneficent act, in order to 
make themselves popular. But Felix gained nothing 
by this: the Jews pursued him with their complaints 
against his administration, even to the throne of the 
emperor. Josephus states the matter thus: ‘“ Now 
when Porcius Festus was sent as successor to Felix, 
by Nero, the principal of the Jewish inhabitants of 
Cesarea went up to Rome, to accuse Felix. And he 
certainly would have been brought to punishment, had 
not Nero yielded to the importunate solicitations of his 
brother Pallas, who was at that time in the highest 
yeputation with the emperor.”—Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 9. 
Thus, like the dog in the fable, by snatching at the 
shadow, he lost the substance. He hoped for money 
from the apostle, and got none; he sought to conci- 
liate the friendship of the Jews, and miscarried. 
Honesty is the best policy: he that fears God need 
fear nothing else. Justice and truth never deceive 
their possessor. 


1. Envy and malice are indefatigable, and torment 
themselves in order to torment and ruin others. That 
a high priest, says pious Quesnel, should ever be in- 
duced to leave the holy city, and the functions of reli- 
gion, to become the accuser of an innocent person ; this 


xii. 3; xxv. 9, 14. 


could be no other than the effect of a terrible derelic- 
tion, and the punishment of the abuse of sacred things. 

2. Tertullus begins his speech with flatlery, against 
which every judge should have a shut ear; and then 
he proceeds to calumny and detraction. These gene- 
rally sueceed each other. He who flatters you, will in 
course calumniate you for receiving his flattery. When 
a man is conscious of the uprightness of his cause, he 
must know that to attempt to support it by any thing 
but truth tends directly to debase it. 

3. The resurrection of the body was the grand ob- 
ject of the genuine Christian’s hope; but the ancient 
Christians only hoped for a blessed resurrection on the 
ground of reconciliation to God through the death of 
his Son. In vain is our hope of glory, if we have not 
got a meeiness for it. And who is fit for this state of 
blessedness, but he whose iniquity is forgiven, whose 
sin is covered, and whose heart is purified from deceit 
and guile! 

4. We could applaud the lenity shown to St. Paul 
by Felix, did not his own conduct render his motives 
for this lenity very suspicious. ‘To think no evil, 
where no evil seems,” is the duty of a Christian; but 
to refuse to see it, where it most evidently appears, is 
an imposition on the understanding itself. 

5. Justice, temperance, and a future judgment, the 
subjects of St. Paul’s discourse to Felix and Drusilla, 
do not concern an iniquitous judge alone; they are 
subjects which should affect and interest every Chris- 
tian ; subjects which the eye should carefully examine. 
and which the heart should ever feel. Justice respects 
our conduct in life, particularly in reference to others : 
temperance, the state and government of our souls, in 
reference to God. He who does not exercise himself 
in these has neither the form nor the power of godli- 
ness; and consequently must be overwhelmed with the 
shower of Divine wrath in the day of God’s appearing. 
Many of those called Christians, have not less reason 
to tremble at a display of these truths than this 
heathen. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


Porcius Festus being appointed governor of Judea, instead of Felix, the Jews beseech him to have Paw 
brought up to Jerusalem, that he might be tried there ; they lying in wait to kill him on the way, 1-3. 
Festus refuses, and desires those who could prove any thing against him, to go with him to Caesarea, 4, 5. 
Festus, having tarried at Jerusalem about ten days, returns to Cesarea, and the next day Paul is brought 


to his trial, and the Jews of Jerusalem bring many 
fends himself, 6-8. 
lem, and be tried there, 9. 


groundless charges against him, against which he de 
In order to please the Jews, Festus asks Paul if he be willing to go up to Jerusa 
Paul refuses, and appeals to Cesar, and Festus admits the appeal, 10-13 


King Agrippa, and Bernice his wife, come to Caesarea to visit Festus, and are informed by hum of the 


accusations against Paul, his late trial, and his appeal from them to Cesar, 14-21. 
kear Paul, and a hearing is appointed for the following day, 22. 
and chief men of the city deing assembled, Paul is brought forth, 23. 


875 


Agrippa desires to 

Agrippa, Bernice, the principal officers 

Festus opens the business with 
1 


The Jews clamour against Paut, 


CHAP. XXV. 


who rs brought bejore Festus. 


generally stating the accusations against Paul, his trial on these accusations, the groundless and frivolous 
nature of the charges, his own conviction of his innocence, and his desire that the matter might be heard 
by the king himself, that he might have something specifically to write to the emperor, to whom he was 


about to send Paul, agreeably to his appeal, 24-27. 


Aap, μὲ OW when Festus was come 
An. Olymp. into the province, after three 


cir. CCX. 2. 
———— days he ascended from Czsarea 


to Jerusalem. 

2 * Then the high priest and the chief of the 
Jews informed him against Paul, and besought 
him, 

3 And desired favour against him, that he 
would send for him to Jerusalem, ἢ laying 
wait in the way to kill him. 

4 But Festus answered, that Paul should be 
kept at Cesarea, and that he himself would 
depart shortly thether 


a Chap. xxiv. 1; ver. 15.——» Chap. xxiii. 12, 15. 
xviii. 14; ver. 18. 


© Chap. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXV. 

Verse 1. Now when Festus was come into the pro- 
vince] By the province is meant Judea; for, after 
the death of Herod Agrippa, Claudius thought it im- 
prudent to trust the government in the hands of his son 
Agrippa, who was then but seventeen years of age ; 
therefore Cuspius Fadus was sent to be procurator. 
And when afterwards Claudius had given to Agrippa 
the tetrarchatt of Philip, that of Batanea and Abila, 
he nevertheless kept the province of Judea more im- 
mediately in his own hands, and governed it by procu- 
‘ators sent from Rome. Joseph. Ant. lib. xx. cap. 7, 
sec. 1. Felix being removed, Porcius Festus is sent 
in his place ; and having come to Caesarea, where the 
Roman governor generally had his residence, after he 
had tarried three days, he went up to Jerusalem, to 
acquaint himself with the nature and complexion of the 
ecclesiastical government of the Jews; no doubt, for 
the purpose of the better administration of justice among 
them. 

Verse 2. The high priest—informed him against 
Paul| They supposed that as Felix, to please them, 
on the resignation of his government, had left Paul 
bound, so Festus, on the assumption of it, would, to 
please them, deliver him into their hand; but, as they 
wished this to be done under the colour of justice, they 
exhibited a number of charges against Paul, which 
they hoped would appear to Festus a sufficient reason 
why a new trial should be granted ; and he be sent to 
Jerusalem to take this trial. Their motive is*men- 
tioned in the succeeding verse. 

Verse 4. Festus answered, that Paul should be kept 
at Cesarea] It is truly astonishing that Festus should 
refuse this favour to the heads of the Jewish nation, 
which, to those who were not in the secret, must ap- 
pear so very reasonable; and especially as, on his 


coming to the government, it might be considered an | 
act that was likely to make him popular ; and he could | 
But God | plaints against Paul] 


have no interest in denying their request. 


5 Let them therefore, said he, 4M. 4066. 
which amon ou are able, An. Olymp. 
5 Y > Gir. CCK 2. 


go down with me, and accuse 
this man, °if there be any wickedness in 
him. 

6 And when he had tarried among them 
‘more than ten days, he went down unto 
Cesarea; and the next day, sitting on the 
judgment seat, commanded Paul to be brought. 

7 And when he was come, the Jews which 
came down from Jerusalem stood round about, 
ὁ and laid many and grievous complaints against 
Paul, which they could not prove. 


4Qr, as some copies read, no more than eight or ten days, 
¢ Mark xv. 3; Luke xxiii. 2, 10; chap. xxiv. 5, 13. 


and he disposed the heart of Festus to act as he did; 
and thus disappointed the malice of the Jews, and ful- 
filled his own gracious design. 

He—would depart shortly] So had the providence 
of God disposed matters that Festus was obliged to 
return speedily to Caesarea; and thus had not time to 
preside in such a trial at Jerusalem. And this reason 
must appear sufficient to the Jews; and especially as 
he gave them all liberty to come and appear against 
him, who were able to prove the alleged charges. 

Verse 5. Let them—which among you are able] 
Qi δυνατοι, Those who have authority ; for so is this 
word often used by good Greek authors, and by Jose- 
phus. Festus seems to have said: “I have heard 
clamours from the multitude relative to this man; but 
on such clamours no accusation should be founded : 
yourselves have only the voice of the multitude as the 
foundation of the request which you now make. I 
cannot take up accusations which may affect the life 
of a Roman citizen on such pretences. Are there any 
respectable men among you; men in office and autho- 
rity, whose character is a pledge for the truth of their 
depositions, who can prove any thing against him? If 
so, let these come down to Cesarea, and the cause 
shall be tried before me ; and thus we shall know whe- 
ther he be a malefactor or not.” 

Verse 6. When he had tarried—more than ten days| 
The strangeness of this mode of expression suggests 
the thought that our printed text is not quite correct in 
this place ; and this suspicion is confirmed by an exa- 
mination of MSS. and versions : ἥμερας ov πλείους ὀκτῶ 
ἢ dexa, NoT more than EIGHT OR ten days, is the read- 
ing of ABC, several others of great respectability, with 
the Coptic, Armenian, and Vulgate. Griesbach admits 
this reading into the text: and of it Professor White 
says, Lectio indubie genuina: “This is doubtless the 
senuine reading.” 

Verse 7. The Jews—laid many and grievous com- 
As they must have perceived 


had told Paul that he should testify of him at Rome ; | that the Roman governors would not intermeddle witb 


1 


879 


Paul’s appeal to Cesar THE 


SoM ci sA066. 8 Ἵ While he answered for 
An. Olymp. himself, Neither against the law 
cir. CCX 


““_ of the Jews, neither against the 
temple, nor yet against Cesar, have I offended 
any thing at all. 

9 But Festus, ¢ willing to do the Jews a plea- 
sure, answered Paul, and said, ἢ Wilt thou go 
up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these 
things before me? 

10 Then said Paul, I stand at Cesar’s judg- 
ment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the 


€ Chap. vi. 13; xxiv. 12; xxviii. 17——sChapter xxiv. 27. 
Ver. 20. 


questions of their law, &c., they no doubt invented 
some new charges, such as sedition, treason, &c., in 
order to render the mind of the governor evil affected 
towards Paul; but their malicious designs were de- 
feated, for assertion would not go for proof before a 
Roman tribunal: this court required proof, and the 
blood-thirsty persecutors of the apostle could produce 
none. 

Verse 8. While he answered for himself] In this 
instance St. Luke gives only a general account, both 
of the accusations and of St. Paul’s defence. But, 
from the words in this verse, the charges appear to 
have been threefold: 1. That he had broken the law. 
2. That he had defiled the temple. 3. That he dealt 
in treasonable practices: to all of which he no doubt 
answered particularly ; though we have nothing far- 
ther here than this, Neither against the law of the 
Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Cesar, 
have i offended any thing at all. 

Verse 9. Willing to do the Jews a pleasure] This 
was merely to please them, and conciliate their esteem ; 
for he knew that, as Paul was a Roman citizen, he 
could not oblige him to take a new trial at Jerusalem. 

Verse 10. I stand at Cesar’s judgment seat] Every 
procurator represented the person of the emperor in 
the province over which he presided; and, as the seat 
of government was at Cesarea, and Paul was now 
before the tribunal on which the emperor’s represent- 
ative sat, he could say, with the strictest propriety, 
that he stood before Cesar’s judgment seat, where, as 
a freeman of Rome, he should be tried. 

As thou very well knowest.| The record of this 
trial before Felix was undoubtedly left for the inspec- 
tion of Festus; for, as he left the prisoner to his suc- 
cessor, he must also leave the charges against him, 
and the trial which he had undergone. Besides, Fes- 
tus must be assured of his innocence, from the trial 
through which he had just now passed. 

Verse 11. For if I be an offender} If it can be 
proved that I have broken the laws, so as to expose 
me to capital punishment, I do not wish to save my 
life by subterfuges; I am before the only competent 
tribunal; here my business should be ultimately de- 
cided. 

No man may deliver me unto them] The words 
of the apostle are very strong and appropriate. The 
Jews asked as a favour, yap, from Festus, that he 

880 


ACTS. ts admitted by Festus. 


Jews have I done no wrong, as 4,™: cit. 4096. 
thou very well knowest. An. Olymp. 

11 ‘For if I be an offender, ae a ag 
or have committed any thing worthy of death, 
I refuse not to die: but if there be none of 
those things whereof these accuse me, no man 
may deliver me unto them. *I appeal unto 
Cesar. 

12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with 


the council, answered, Hast thou appealed 
unto Cesar? unto Cesar shalt thou go. 


iVer. 25; chap. xviii. 14; xxiii. 29; xxvi. 3] Chap. xxvi. 
32; xxviii. 19. 


would send Paul to Jerusalem, ver. 3. Festus, will- 
ing to do the Jews χαριν, this favour, asked Paul if 
he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged, ver. 
9. Paul says, I have done nothing amiss, either 
against the Jews or against Cesar; therefore no man 
pe δυναται avtoig χαρίσασθαι, can make a PRESENT 
of me to them; that is, favour them so far as to put 
my life into their hands, and thus gratify them by my 
death. Festus, in his address to Agrippa, ver. 16, 
admits this, and uses the same form of speech: It is 
not the custom of the Romans, χαρίζεσθαι, gratui- 
tously to give up any one, gc. Much of the beauty of 
this passage is lost by not attending to the original 
words. See on ver. 16. 

I appeal unto Cesar.| <A freeman of Rome, who 
had been tried for a crime, and sentence passed on him, 
had aright to appeal to the emperor, if he conceived 
the sentence to be unjust; but, even before the sen- 
tence was pronounced, he had the privilege of an ap- 
peal, in criminal cases, if he conceived that the judge 
was doing any thing contrary to the laws. ANTE sen- 
tentiam appellari potest in criminali negotio, si gudex 
contra leges hoc faciat.—Grotivs. 

An appeal to the emperor was highly respected. 
The Julian law condemned those magistrates, and 
others having authority, as violaters of the public peace, 
who had put to death, tortured, scourged, imprisoned, 
or condemned any Roman citizen who had appealed to 
Cesar. Lege Julia de vi publica damnatur, qui aliqua 
‘potestate preditus, Civem Romanum ad Imperatorem 
appellantem necarit, necarive jusseril, torserit, verbe- 
raverit, condemnaverit, in publica vincula duct jusserit. 
Pauli Recept. Sent. lib. v. t. 26. 

This law was so very sacred and imperative, that, 
in the persecution under Trajan, Pliny would not at- 
tempt to put to death Roman citizens who were proved 
to have turned Christians ; hence, in his letter to Tra- 
jan, lib. x. Ep. 97, he says, Fuerunt ali similis amen- 
tie, quos, quia cives Romani erant, annotavi in urbem 
remittendos. ‘ There were others guilty of similar 
folly, whom, finding them to be Roman citizens, I have 
determined to send to the city.” Very likely these 
had appealed to Cesar. 

Verse 12. Conferred with the council] From this 
circumstance, we may learn that the appeal of Paul to 
Cesar was conditional; else Festus could not have 
deliberated with his council whether it should be grant- 

1 


Festus states the cause of 


A. M. cir. 4066. ὶ 
Adare 13 7 And afler certain days 
An. Olymp. King Agrippa and Bernice came 


cir. CCX. 2. 
—____——. unto Cesarea to salute Festus. 


14 And when they had been there many 
days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the 
king, saying, ' There is a certain man left in 
bonds by Felix : 


τ Chap. xxiv. 27.—— Ver. 2, 3. 


CHAP. XXV. 


Paul to King Agruppa. 


A. M. cir. 4066. 
when I was A. D. cir. 62. 


An, Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 2 


15 ™ About whorn, 
at Jerusalem, the chief priests and 
the elders of the Jews informed 
me, desiring to have judgment against him. 

16 "To whom I answered, It is not the 
manner of the Romans to deliver any man to 
die, before that he which is accused have the 


8 Ver. 4,5. 


ed; for he had no power to refuse to admit such an 
appeal. We may, therefore, understand Paul thus : 
“T now stand before a tribunal where I ought to be 
judged ; if thou refuse to hear and try this cause, ra- 
ther than go to Jerusalem, I appeal to Cesar.” Fes- 
tus, therefore, consulted with the council, whether he 
should proceed to try the cause, or send Paul to Rome; 
and it appears that the majority were of opinion that 
he should be sent to Cesar. 

Hast thou appealed unto Cesar, ὅς. Rather, 
Thou hast appealed unto Cesar, and to Caesar thou 
shalt go. The Jews were disappointed of their hope ; 
and Festus got his hand creditably drawn out of a 
business with which he was likely to have been greatly 
embarrassed. 

Verse 13. King Agrippa] This was the son of 
Herod Agrippa, who is mentioned chap. xii. 1. Upon 
the death of his father’s youngest brother, Herod, he 
succeeded him in the kingdom of Chalcis, by the favour 
of the Emperor Claudius: Jos. Antiq. lib. xx. eap. 4, 
s. 2; and Bell. lib. ii. cap. 12, s. 1. Afterwards, 
Claudius removed him from that kingdom to a larger 
one, giving him the tetrarchy of Philip, which contained 
Trachonitis, Batanea, and Gaulonitis. He gave him, 
likewise, the tetrarchy of Lysanias, and the province 
which Varus had governed. Jos. Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 
6, s. 1; Bell. lib. ii. cap. 12, 5. 8. Nero made a 
farther addition, and gave him four cities, Adi/a, Julias 
in Perea, Tarichea and Tiberias in Galilee: Jos. 
Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 7, 5. 4; Bell. lib. ii. cap 13,s. 2. 
Claudius gave him the power of appointing the high 
priest among the Jews; Joseph. Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 
1, s. 3; and instances of his exercising this power may 
be seen in Joseph. Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 7, 5. 8, 11. 
This king was strongly attached to the Romans, and 
did every thing in his power to prevent the Jews 
from rebelling against them; and, when he could not 
prevail, he united his troops to those of Titus, and 
assisted in the siege of Jerusalem: he survived the 
ruin of his country several years. See Bishop Pearce 
and Calmet. 

Bernice, or, as she is sometimes called, Berenice, 
was sister of this Agrippa, and of the Drusilla men- 
aoned chap. xxiv. She was at first married to her 
uncle Herod, king of Chaleis, Jos. Antiq. lib. xix. cap. 
9,s. 1; and, on his death, went to live with her brother 
Agrippa, with whom she was violently suspected to 
tead an incestuous life. Juvenal, as usual, mentions 
this in the broadest manner—Sat. vi. ver. 155 :— 


Deinde adamas notissmus, οἱ Berenices 

In digito factus pretiosior : hunc dedit olim 

Barbarus inceste, dedit hune Agrippa sorori. 
Vou. 1. ( 56 


“ Next, a most valuable diamond, rendered more pre- 
cious by being put on the finger of Berenice; a bar- 
barian gave it to this incestuous woman formerly ; and 
Agrippa gave this to his sister.” Josephus mentions 
the report of her having criminal conversation with 
her brother Agrippa, ¢nung extaxovonc, dre τἀδελφῳ 
συνῃει. To shield herself from this scandal, she per- 
suaded Polemo, king of Cilicia, to embrace the Jewish 
religion, and marry her; this he was induced to do on 
account of her great riches ; but she soon left him, and 
he revolted to heathenism: see Jos. Antiq. lib. xx. 
cap. 7, 5. 3. After this, she lived often with her 
brother, and her life was by no means ereditable ; she 
had, however, address to ingratiate herself with Titus 
Vespasian, and there were even rumours of her becom- 
ing empress propterque insignem regine Berenices 
amorem, cui etiam nuptias pollicitus ferebatur.—Suet. 
in Vit. Titi. Whick was prevented by the murmurs of the 
Roman people: Berenicen statim ab urbe dimisit, 
invitus invitam.—lIbid. Tacitus also, Hist. lib. ii. 
cap. 1, speaks of her love intrigue with Titus. From 
all accounts she must have been a woman of great ad- 
dress ; and, upon the whole, an exceptionable character. 

Verse 14. Declared Paul’s cause unto the king} 
Festus knew that Agrippa was better acquainted with 
such matters than he was; and he wished, in some 
sort, to make him a party in this business. 

Verse 15. Desiring to have judgment against him.} 
Instead of δικην, judgment, καταδίκην, condemnation, 
sentence of death, is the reading of ABC, and several 
others, which is probably genuine. This is evidently 
the meaning of the place, whichever reading we pre- 
fer. Nothing could satisfy these men but the death 
of the apostle. It was not justice they wanted, but 
his destruction. 

Verse 16. Jt is not the manner of the Romans to 
deliver any man to die] Χαριζεσθαι twa ἀνθρωπον, 
To MAKE A PRESENT of any man; gratuitously to give 
up the life of any man, through favour or caprice 
Here is a reference to the subject discussed on ver. 11. 

Before that he which is accused have the accusers 
face to face, &e.] For this righteous procedure the 
Roman laws were celebrated over the civilized world. 
Appian, in his Hist. Roman., says : ov πατριον σφισιν 
ἀκριτοὺς καταδικαζεσθαι. It is not their custom to con- 
demn men before they have been heard. And Putwo De 
Presid. Rom., says: τοτὲ yap κοινοὺς ἑαυτους παρεχον- 
τες δικαςας εξ ἰσου, καὶ των KaTHYOPwY καὶ απολογουμε- 
νων akovopevol, μηδενος akpiTov προκαταγινώσκειν αἀξιουν- 
τες, EBpaBevov ovte προς εχθραν, ovre προς χαριν, αλϑα 
προς τὴν φυσιν τῆς αληθειας, Ta δοξαντα εἰναι δικαία. 
“ For then, by giving sentence in common, and hearing 
impartially both plaintiff and defendant, not thinking 

881 


Agrippa desires to hear Paul, 


A.M. cir, 4086. “accusers face to face, and have 
. D. cir. 62. 3 
‘An. Olymp. _ license to answer for himself, con- 


Se cerning the crime laid against him. 


17 Therefore, when they were come hither, 
° without any delay, on the morrow I sat on 
the judgment seat, and commanded the man 
to be brought forth. 

18 Against whom, when the accusers stood 
up, they brought none accusation of such things 
as I supposed. 

19 ° But had certain questions against him 
of there own superstition, and of one Jesus, 
which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be 
alive. 

20 And because 11 doubted of such manner 


THE ACTS. 


who is brought before him. 


of questions, T asked him whether - ΔΙ, cit. 4066. 
he would go to Jerusalem, and ἀπ. Olymp. 
there be judged of these matters. a ΟΣ Ἐν 

21 But when Paul had appealed to be re 
served unto the *hearing of Augustus, I com- 
manded him to be kept till I might send him 
to Cesar. 

22 Then * Agrippa said unto Festus, I would 
also hear the man myself. To-morrow, said 
he, thou shalt hear him. 

23 9 And on the morrow, when Agrippa 
was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and 
was entered into the place of hearing, with the 
chief captains, and principal men of the city, at 
Festus’ commandment Paul was brought forth. 


° Ver. 6—? Chap. xviii. 15; xxiii. 29. 4 Or, I was doubt- 


ful how to inquire hereof: ΤΟΥ, judgment. See ch. ix. 15. 


it right to condemn any person unheard, they decided 
as appeared to them to be just; without either enmity 
or favour, but according to the merits of the case.”— 
See Bp. Pearce. England can boast such laws, not 
only in her statute books, but in constant operation in 
all her courts of justice. Even the king himself, were 
he so inclined, could not imprison nor punish a man 
without the regular procedure of the law; and twelve 
honest men, before whom the evidence has been ad- 
duced, the case argued, and the law laid down and 
explained, are ultimately to judge whether the man be 
guilty or not guilty. Here, in this favoured country, 
are no arbitrary imprisonments—no  Bastiles—no 
lettres de cachet. Lex facit Regem: the law makes 
the king, says Bracton, and the king is the grand exe- 
cutor and guardian of the laws—laws, in the eyes of 
which the character, property, and life of every sub- 
ject are sacred. 

Verse 18. They brought none accusation of such 
things as I supposed] It was natural for Festus, at 
the first view of things, to suppose that Paul must be 
guilty of some very atrocious crime. When he found 
that he had been twice snatched from the hands of the 
Jews; that he had been brought to Cesarea, as a pri- 
soner, two years before; that he had been tried once 
before the Sanhedrin, and once before the governor of 
the province ; that he had now lain two years in bonds; 
and that the high priest and all the heads of the Jewish 
nation had united in accusing him, and whose con- 
demnation they loudly demanded ; when, I say, he con- 
sidered all this, it was natural for him to suppose the 
apostle to be some flagitious wretch ; but when he had 
tried the case, and heard their accusations and his de- 
fence, how surprised was he to find that scarcely any 
thing that amounted to a crime was laid to his charge ; 
and that nothing that was laid to his charge could be 
proved ! 

Verse 19. Questions—of thew own superstition] 
Mepe τῆς ἰδιας δεισιδαιμονίας; Questions concerning ther 
own religion. Superstition meant something as bad 
among the Romans as it does among us; and is it 
likely that Festus, only a procurator, should thus speak 

882 


to Agrippa, a KING, concerning his own religion? He 
could not have done so without offering the highest 
insult. The word δεισιδαιμονία must therefore simply 
mean religion—the national creed, and the national 
worship, as I have at large proved it to mean, in the 
observations at the end of chap. xvii. 

And of one Jesus, which was dead, §c.] In this 
way does this poor heathen speak of the death and 
resurrection of Christ: There are many who profess 
Christianity that do τοῦ appear to be much farther en- 
lightened. 

Verse 20. I doubted of such manner of questions} 
Such as, whether he had broken their law, defiled their 
temple ; or whether this Jesus, who was dead, was 
again raised to life. 

Verse 21. Unto the hearing of Augustus] Exc τὴν 
του LeBasov διαγνωσιν To the discrimination of the 
emperor. For, although σεβαςος is usually translated 
Augustus, and the Roman emperors generally assum- 
ed this epithet, which signifies no more than the 
venerable, the august, yet here it seems to be used 
merely to express the emperor, without any reference 
to any of his attributes or titles. 

Verse 22. I would also hear the man myself] A 
spirit of curiosity, similar to that of Herod, Luke 
xxiii. 8. 

As Herod, the father of this Agrippa, had been so 
active an instrument in endeavouring to destroy Chris- 
tianity, having killed James, and was about to have 
put Peter to death also, had not God sent him to his 
own place, there is no doubt that Agrippa had heard 
much about Christianity ; and as to St. Paul, his con- 
version was so very remarkable that his name, in con- 
nection with Christianity, was known, not only through- 
out Judea, but through all Asia Minor and Greece. 
Agrippa, therefore, might naturally wish to see and 
hear a man of whom he had heard so much. 

Verse 23. With great pomp] Mera πολλης φαντασια,, 
With much phantasy, great splendour, great parade, 
superb attendance or splendid retinue: in this sense 
the Greek word is used by the best writers. Wetstein 
has very jnstly remarked, that these children of Herod 

{δ ἢ 


Festus acknowledges that Paul CHAP. 


A.M. cir. 4056. 24 And Festus said, King 
. Ὁ. cir. 62. - 
An. Olymp. Agrippa, and all men which are 


cir. CCX. 2. ; 
— here present with us, ye see 


this man, about whom tall the multitude of 
the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusa- 
lem, and also here, crying, that he ought ἃ not 
to live any longer. 

25 But when I found that * he had com- 
mitted nothing worthy of death, τ and that 
he himself hath appealed to Augustus, 


4 Chap. xxii. 22. 


Ver. 2, 3, 7. 


the Great made this pompous appearance in that very 
city where, a few years before, their father, for his 
PRIDE, Was smitten of God, and eaten up by worms! 
How seldom do the living lay any of God’s judgments 
to heart ! 

The place of hearing] A sort of audience chamber, 
in the palace of Festus. This was not a ¢rial of Paul; 
there were no Jews present to accuse him, and he 
could not be tried but at Rome, as he had appealed to 
Cesar. These grandees wished to hear the man 
speak of his religion, and in his own defence, through 
a principle of curiosity. 

Verse 26. I have no certain thing to write] No- 
thing alleged against him has been substantiated. 

Unto my Lord] The title Κυρίος, Dominus, Lord, 
both Augustus and Tiberius had absolutely refused ; 
and forbade, even by public edicts, the application of 
it to themselves. Tiberius himself was accustomed 
to say that he was lord only of his slaves, emperor or 
general of the troops, and prince of the senate. See 
Suetonius, in his life of this prince. The succeeding 
emperors were not so modest ; they affected the title. 
Nero, the then emperor, would have it; and Pliny the 
younger is continually giving it to Trajan in his letters. 

Verse 27. For it seemeth to me unreasonable, §c.] 
Every reader must feel the awkward situation in which 
Festus stood. He was about to send a prisoner to 
Rome, to appear before Nero, though he had not one 
charge to support against him; and yet he must be 
sent, for he had appealed to Cesar. He hoped there- 
fore that Agrippa, who was of the Jewish religion, 
would be able to discern more particularly the merits 
of this case ; and might, after hearing Paul, direct him 
how to draw up those letters, which, on sending the 
prisoner, must be transmitted to the emperor. 

This chapter ends as exceptionably as the twenty- 
first. It should have begun at ver. 13, and have been 


XXVI. λαὰ done nothing worthy of death. 
rT have determined to send pre τὰ 
him. An. Olymp. 


3 ir. CCX. 2. 
26 Of whom I have no certain ἢ Ὁ 


thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore, I have 
brought him forth before you, and specially 
before thee, O King Agrippa, that, after exami- 
nation had, I might have somewhat to. write. 

27 For it seemeth to me unreasonable to 
send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the 
crimes laid against him. 


¥ Chap. xxiii. 9, 29; xxvi. 31.——¥ Ver. 11, 12. 


continued to the end of the twenty-sixth chapter, or 
both chapters have been united in one. 


1. From St. Paul’s appeal to Cesar, we see that it 
is lawful to avail ourselves, even in the cause of God, 
of those civil privileges with which his mercy has 
blessed us. It is often better to fall into the hands of 
the heathen than into the hands of those who, from 
mistaken views of religion, have their hearts filled with 
bitter persecuting zeal. ‘Those who can murder a man, 
pretendedly for God’s sake, because he does not think 
exactly with them on ceremonial or speculative points 
of divinity, have no portion of that religion which came 
down from God. 

2. The Jews endeavoured by every means to deny 
the resurrection of our Lord; and it seems to have 
been one part of their accusation against Paul, that 
he asserted that the man, Jesus, whom they had eruci- 
fied, was risen from the dead. On this subject, a pious 
writer observes : “ What a train of errors and mise- 
ries does one single instance of deceit draw after it; 
and what a judgment upon those, who, by corrupting 
the guards of the sepulchre, the witnesses of the resur- 
rection of our Lord, have kept their whole nation in 
infidelity!” Thus it often happens in the worl that 
one bad counsel, one single lie or calumny, once es- 
tablished, is the source of infinite evils. 

3. The grand maxim of the Roman law and govern- 
ment, to condemn no man unheard, and to confront 
the accusers with the accused, should be a sacred max- 
im with every magistrate and minister, and among all 
private Christians. How many harsh judgments and 
uncharitable censures would this prevent! Conscien- 
tiously practised in all Christian societies, detraction, 
calumny, tale-bearing, whispering, backbiting, misun- 
derstandings, with every unbrotherly affection, would 
necessarily be banished from the Church of God. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


Paul answers for himself before Agrippa, to whom he pays a true compliment, in order lo secure a favoura 
ble hearing, 1-3 ; gives an account of his education from his youth up, 4, 5; shows that the Jews perse- 
cuted him for his maintaining the hope of the resurrection, 6-8 ; states his persecution of the Christians, 
9-11; gives an account of his miraculous conversion, 12-15 ; and of his call to the ministry, 16-18. 


His obedience to that call, and his success in preaching the doctrine of Christ crucified, 19-23. 


While 


he is thus speaking, Festus interrupts him, and declares him to be mad through his abundant learning, 24 ; 
wich charge he modestly refutes with inimitable address, and appeals to King Agrippa for the truth and 
1 


883 


Paul’s defence of himself 


correctness of his speech, 25-27. 
28. 
they all pronounce him innocent, 30—32. 


A. Μ. cir. 4066. : 2 
ne "THEN Agrippa said unto Paul, 
‘An. Olymp. Thou art permitted to speak 
cir. CCX. 2. 


for thyself. *Then Paul stretch- 
ed forth the hand, and answered for himself : 

2 I thnk myself happy, King Agrippa, be- 
cause I shall diswer for myself this day be- 
fore thee, ἢ touching all.the things whereof I 
am accused of the Jews: 

3 Especially because I know thee to be ex 
pert in all customs and questions which are 
among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee 
to hear me patiently. 

4 My manner of life from my youth, which 
was at the first among mine own nation at 
Jerusalem, know all the Jews ; 


THE ACTS. 


before King Agrippa 


On which, Agrippa confesses himself almost converted to Christianity, 
Paul’s affectionate and elegant address to him on this declaration, 29. 


The council breaks up, and 


5 Which knew me from the 4, ἮΝ, cir. 4066 
beginning, if they would testify, 
that after °the most  straitest 
sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 

6 4 And now I stand and am judged for the 
hope of © the promise made of God unto our 
fathers : 

7 Unto which promise ‘ our twelve tribes, 
instantly serving God & day ἢ and night, ᾿ hope 
to come. For which hope’s sake, King 
Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. 

8 Why should it be thought a thing in- 
credible with you, that God should raise the 
dead ? 

9 ΕΤ verily thought with myself, that I ought 


aChap. xxiv. 10; Prov. xviii. 13; John vii. 51—> Chap. 
xxv. 10. ©Chap. xxii. 3; xxiii. 6; xxiv. 15,22; Phil. 111. 
5.—4 Chap. xxi eGen. ili. 15; xxii. 18; xxvi. 4; 
xlix. 10; Deut. . 15; 2 Samuel vii. 12; Psa. exxxii. 11; 
Isa. iv. 2; vii. 14; ix. 6; xl. 10; Jer. xxiii. 5; xxxiii. 14, 


“ 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXVI. 

Verse 1. Then Paul stretched forth the hand] 
This act, as we have already seen on chap. xxi. 40, was 
merely to gain attention; it was no rhetorical flourish, 
nor designed for one. From knowing, partly by de- 
scriptions, and partly by ancient statues, how orators 
and others who address a concourse of people stood, 
we can easily conceive the attitude of St. Paul. When 
the right hand was stretched out, the left remained 
under the cloak, which being thrown off the right 
shoulder, to give the arm the fuller liberty, it then 
rested on the left: under these circumstances, the 
hand could be stretched out gracefully, but was con- 
fined to no one attitude, though the third and fourth 
fingers were generally clenched. 

Verse 2. [think myself happy] As if he had said, 
This is a peculiarly fortunate circumstance in my fa- 
your, that [ am called to make my defence before a 
judge so intelligent, and so well acquainted with the 
laws and customs of our country. It may be necessa- 
ry just to observe that this Agrippa was king of Tra- 
chonitis, a region which lay on the north of Palestine, 
on the east side of Jordan, and south of Damascus. 
For his possessions, see on chap. xxv. 13. 

Verse 4. My manner of life, §c.| The apostle 
means to state that, though born in Tarsus, he had a 
regular Jewish education, having been sent up to Je- 
rusalem for that purpose; but at what age does not 


appear ; probably about twelve, for at this age the | 


male children were probably brought to the annual so- 
lemnities. See on Luke ii. 41. 

Verse 5. Afler the most straitest sect] That is, 
tne Pharisees ; who were reputed the strictest m their 
doctrines, and in their moral practices, of all the sects 
then among the Jews. 
Sadducees, and Essenes. 

884 


| 


| 


15, 16; Ezekiel xxxiv. 23; xxxvii. 24; Dan. ix. 24; Mice. 
vii. 20; chapter xiii. 32; Romans xv. 8; Titus ii. 13. 
fJames i. 1—2 Gr. night and day— Luke ii. 37; 1 Tim. 
v. 5; 1 Thess. iii. 10—i Phil. iii. 11—*John xvi. 2; 
1 Tim. i. 13. 


Verse 6. For the hope of the promise] This does 
not appear to mean, the hope of the Messiah, as some 
have imagined, but the hope of the resurrection of the 
dead, to which the apostle referred in chap. xxiii. 6, 
where he says to the Jewish council, (from which ‘he 
Roman governor took him,) of the hope and resurrec- 
tion of the dead I am called in question: see the notes 
there. And here he says, I stand and am judged for 
the hope of the promise, &c., and to which, he says, 
ver. 7, the twelve tribes hope to come. The Messiah 
had come, and was gone again, as Paul well. knew; 
and what is here meant is something which the Jews 
hoped to come to, or attain ; not what was to come to 
them; and this singular observation excludes the Mes- 
siah from being meant. It was the resurrection of all 
men from the dead which Paul’s words signified ; and 
this the Jews had been taught to hope for, by many 
passages in the Old Testament. I shall only add, 
that when, in the next verse, this hope of the promise 
is mentioned as what the Jews did then hope, καταντη- 
cat, 10 come to, it is the very same word which Paul, 
in Phil. iii. 11, uses to express the same thing: If by 
any means, (says he) καταντήησω, I might attain to, the 
resurrection of the dead. Bp. Pearce. 

Verse 8. That God should raise the dead?\| As 
Agrippa believed in the trae God, and knew that one 
of his attributes was omnipotence, he could not be- 
lieve that the resurrection of the dead was an wm- 
possible thing; and to this belief of his the apostle 
appeals ; and the more especially, because the Saddu- 
cees denied the doctrine of the resurrection, though 
they professed to believe in the same God. Two attri- 
butes of God stood pledged to produce this resurrec- 
tion: his truth, on which his promise was founded : 


The sects were the Pharisees, | and his power, by which the thing could be easily af 


fected, as that power is unlimited. 
1 


Paul gives an account 
A.M. cir. 4066. ; 
‘AD cw. 62, °° do many things contrary to 


An. Oly mp. 


the name of Jesus of Naza- 
cir. CCX. 2. 


eth. 

10 ' Which thing I also did in Jerusalem : 
and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, 
having received authority ™ from the chief 
priests; and when they were put to death, I 
gave my voice against them. 

11 5 And I punished them oft in every syn- 
agogue, and compelled them to blaspheme ; 
and being exceedingly mad against them, I 
persecuted them even unto strange cities. 

12 ° Whereupon as I went to Damascus 
with authority and commission from the chief 
priests, 

13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a 
light from heaven, above the brightness of the 

1 Chap. viii. 3; Gal. i. 13.——™Chap. ix. 14, 21; xxii. 5. 


4 Chap. xxii. 19. © Chap. ix. 3; xxii. 6——P Chap. xxii. 15. 
4 Chap. xxii. 21. 


Some of the best critics think this verse should be 
read thus: What! should it be thought a thing incre- 
dible with you, if God should raise the dead? 

Verse 10. Many of the saints] From what is said 
in this verse, it seems that Paul, before his conversion, 
was invested with much power: he imprisoned the 
Christians; punished many in various synagogues ; 
zompelled them to blaspheme—to renounce, and, per- 
haps, to execrate Christ, in order to save their lives; 
and save his voice, exerted all his influence and au- 
thority, against them, in order that they might be put 
to death ; and from this it would seem that there were 
other persons put to death besides St. Stephen, though 
their names are not mentioned. 

Verse 11. Being eaceedingly mad against them] 
Only a madman will persecute another because of his 
differing from him in religious opinion ; and the fiercest 
persecutor is he who should be deemed the most furi- 
ous madman. 

Unto strange cities.] Places out of the jurisdiction 
of the Jews, such as Damascus, which he immediately 
mentions. 

Verse 12. Whereupon as Iwent to Damascus] See 
the whole account of the conversion of Saul of Tar- 
sus explained at large, in the notes on chap. ix. 2, &e. 

Verse 16. But rise, §c.] The particulars men- 
tioned here, and in the two following verses, are not 
given in chap. ix., nor in chap. xxii., where he gives 
an account of his conversion. He has detailed the 
different circumstances of that important event, as he 
saw it necessary; and perhaps there were several 
others which then took place, that he had no oppor- 
tunity of mentioning, because there was nothing in 
succeeding occurrences which rendered it necessary 
to produce them. 

To make thee a minister] Ὕπηρετην, An under- 
rower ; that is, one who is under the guidance and 
authority of another; an assistant, or servant. So 
Paul was to act solely under the authority of Jesus 


CHAP. XXVI. 


of his miraculous conversvwn. 


sun, shining round about me and Αι δῖ 4066. 
them which journeyed with me. — An. Olymp. 
14 And when we were all fallen 7" °°%*_ 
to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, 
and saying, in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, 
why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee 
to kick against the pricks. 
15 And TI said, Who art thou, Lord? And 
he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I 
have appeared unto thee for this purpose, ? to 
make thee a minister and a witness both of 
these things which thou hast seen, and of those 
things in the which I will appear unto thee ; 
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from 
the Gentiles, 4 unto whom now I send thee, 
18 * To open their eyes, and * to turn them 


risa. xxxv. 5; xlii. 7; Luke i, 79; John viii. 12; 2 Cor. iv. 
4; Eph. i. 18; 1 Thess. v. 5.——*2 Cor. vi.14; Eph. iv. 18; 
v. 8; Col. i. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 9, 25. 


Christ ; and tug hard at the oar, in order to bring the 
vessel, through the tempestuous ocean, to the safe 
harbour. See the concluding observations on John, 
chap. vi. 

And a witness] Μαρτυρα, A martyr. Though this 
word literally means a witness, yet we apply it only to 
such persons as have borne testimony to the truth of 
God at the hazard and expense of their lives. In this 
sense, also, ancient history states St. Paul to have been 
a witness ; for it is said he was beheaded at Rome, by 
the command of Nero. 

In the which I will appear] Here Christ gives him to 
understand that he should have farther communications 
from himself; and this may refer either to those inter- 
positions of Divine Providence by which he was so 
often rescued from destruction, or to those encourage- 
ments which he received in dreams, visions, trances, 
&c., or tothat general inspiration under which he was 
enabled to apprehend and reveal the secret things of 
God, for the edification of the Church. To all of 
which may be added that astonishing power by which 
he was so often enabled to work miracles for the con- 
firmation of the truth. 

Verse 17. Delivering thee from the people] From 
the Jews—and from the Gentiles, put here in opposi- 
tion to the Jews ; and both meaning mankind at large, 
wheresoever the providence of God might send him. 
But he was to be delivered from the malice of the 
Jews, that he might be sent with salvation to the 
Gentiles. 

Verse 18. To open their eyes] ‘To be the instru- 
ment of informing their understanding in the things 
of God. 

To turn them from darkness to light) From hea- 
thenism and superstition to the knowledge and worship 
of the true God. 

From the power of Satan unto God] Tne εξουσιας 
tov Σατανα, From the authority and domination of 
Satan; for as the kingdom of darkness is his king~ 

885 


Paul states the doctrines 


A. Mi cir. 408. from darkness to light, and from 
An. Olymp. the power of Satan unto God, 


ir. CCX. 2. ἢ ὃ 
ΟΞΕΘ ΘΟ |. + that they may receive forgive- 


ness of sins, and “inheritance among them 
which are ἡ sanctified by faith that is in me. 

19 Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not 
disobedient unto the heavenly vision : 

20 But “ showed first unto them of Damas- 
cus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the 
coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that 
they should repent and turn to God, and do 
* works meet for repentance. 


THE ACTS. 


which he had preached. 


21 For these causes ¥ the Jews ΑΝ cit. 4086 
caught me in the temple, and An. Olymp. 
went about to kill me. Sere 

22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I 
continue unto this day, witnessing both to 
small and great; saying none other things 
than those 7 which the prophets and * Moses 


|did say should come: 


23 » That Christ should suffer, and *° that he 
should be the first that should rise from the 
dead, and “should show light unto the people, 
and to the Gentiles. 


tLuke i. 77. ἃ Eph. i. 11; Col. 1. 12. v Chap. xx. 32. 
¥ Chap. ix. 20, 22, 29 xi. 26; xlil., xiv., xvi., XVil., XVili., X1X., 
XXK., XX1. x Matt. 111. 8 ——y Chap. xxi. 30, 31. 


dom, so those who live in this darkness are under his 
dominion ; and he has authority and right over them. 
The blessed Gospel of Christ is the means of bring- 
ing the soul from this state of spiritual darkness and 
wretchedness to the light and liberty of the children 
of God; and thus they are brought from under the 
power and authority of Satan, to be under the power 
and authority of Gon. 

That they may receive forgiveness of sins] That 
all their sins may be pardoned, and their souls βᾶπο- 
tified ; for nothing less is implied in the phrase, αφεσις 
ἁμαρτίων, which signifies the taking away or removal 
of sins. 

And inheritance] By remission of sins, i. e. the 
removal of the guilt and pollution of sin, they become 
children of God ; and, if children, then heirs ; for the 
children of the heavenly family shall alone possess the 
heavenly estate. And as the inheritance is said to be 
among them that are SANCTIFIED, this is a farther proof 
that adecic duaptiwv signifies, not only the forgiveness 
of sins, but also the purification of the heart. 

By faith that is in me.) By believing on Christ 
Jesus, as dying for their offences, and rising again for 
their justification. Thus we see that not only this 
salvation comes through Christ, but that it is to be 
received by faith; and, consequently, neither by the 
merit of works, nor by that of suffering. 

Verse 19. I was not disobedient unto the heavenly 
vision] This, Ὁ Agrippa, was the cause of my con- 
version from my prejudices and mal-practices against 
the doctrine of Christ. The vision was from heaven ; 
I received it as such, and began to preach the faith 
which I had before persecuted. 

Verse 20. But showed first unto them of Damascus] 
He appears to have preached at Damascus, and in the 
neighbouring parts of Arabia Deserta, for about three 
years ; and afterwards he went up to Jerusalem. See 
Gal. i. 17, 18; and see the note on chap. ix. 23. 

That they should repent] Be deeply humbled for 
weir past iniquities, and turn to God as their Judge 
and Saviour, avoiding all zdolatry and all sin; and 
thus do works meet for repentance ; that is, show by 
their conduct that they had contrite hearts, and that 
they sincerely sought salvation from God alone. For 

886 


z Luke xxiv. 27, 44; chap. xxiv. 14; xxviii. 23; Rom. iii. 21. 
a John v. 46——> Luke xxiv. 26, 46. ©] Cor. xv. 20; Col. i. 
18; Rev. i. 5——4 Luke ii. 32. 


the meaning of the word repentance, see the note on 
Matt. iii. 2. 

Verse 21. For these causes the Jews—went about 
to kill me.]| These causes may be reduced to four 
heads :—1. He had maintained the resurrection of the 
dead. 2. The resurrection of Christ, whom they had 
crucified and slain. 3. That this Jesus was the pro- 
mised Messiah. 4. He had offered salvation to the 
Gentiles as well as to the Jews. He does not mention 
the accusation of having defiled the temple, nor of dis- 
loyalty to the Roman government ; probably, because 
his adversaries had abandoned these charges at his 
preceding trial before Festus: see chap. xxv. 8; and 
see Calmet. 

Verse 22. Having—obtained help of God| Accord- 
ing to the gracious promise made to him: see ver. 17. 

Witnessing both to small and great] Preaching 
before kings, rulers, priests, and peasants; fearing no 
evil, though ever surrounded with evils ; nor slacken- 
ing in my duty, notwithstanding the opposition I have 
met with both from Jews and Gentiles. And these 
continual interpositions of God show me that I have 
not mistaken my call, and encourage me to go forward 
in my work. 

Verse 23. That Christ should suffer] That the 
Christ, or Messiah, should suffer. This, though fully 
revealed in the prophets, the prejudices of the Jews 
would not permit them to receive: they expected 
their Messiah to be a glorious secular prince ; and, to 
reconcile the fifty-third of Isaiah with their system, 
they formed the childish notion of two Messiahs— 
Messiah ben David, who should reign, conquer, ana 
triumph ; and Messiah ben Ephraim, who should suffer 
and be put to death. A distinction which has not the 
smallest foundation in the whole Bible. 

As the apostle says he preached none other things 
than those which Moses and the prophets said should 
come, therefore he understood that both Moses and the 
prophets spoke of the resurrection of the dead, as well 
as of the passion and resurrection of Christ. If this 
be so, the favourite system of a learned bishop cannot 
be true; viz. that the doctrine of the immortality of 
the soul was unknown to the ancient Jews. 

That he should be the first thai should rise from 

1 


CHAP. 


Festus, with a loud voice, 


A ΜΝ. cir. 4066. ? 
A. D. cir. 62. 24 


An. Olymp. 
cir. ccx. 2. 


Ἵ And as he thus spake 
for himself, Festus said with a 
loud voice, Paul, ° thou art beside 
thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. 

25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble 
Festus; but speak forth the words of truth 
and soberness. 


42 Kings ix. 11; John x. 20; 1 Cor. i. 23; ii. 13, 14; iv. 10. 


XXVI. 


26 For the king knoweth of 4, cir. 4066 
: . Ὁ. cir. 62. 
these things, before whom also An. Cio 
cir. CCX. 2. 
I speak freely: for I am persuad- ————. 
ed that ‘none of these things are hidden from 
him; for this thing was not done in a corner. 
27 King Agrippa, believest thou the pro- 
phets ? I know that thou believest. 


charges Paul with madness. 


f Luke xxiv. 19; John vii. 4; xviii. 20. 


the dead] That is, that he should be the first who 
should rise from the dead so as to die no more; and 
to give, in his own person, the proof of the resurrec- 
tion of the human body, no more to return under the 
empire of death. In no other sense ean Jesus Christ 
be said to be the first that rose again from the dead ; 
for Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite. A dead 
man, put into the sepulchre of the Prophet Elisha, was 
restored to life as soon as he touched the prophet’s 
bones. Christ himself had raised the widow’s son at 
Nain; and he had also raised Lazarus, and several 
others. All these died again; but the human nature 
of our Lord was raised from the dead, and can die no 
more. ‘Thus he was the first who rose again from the 
dead to return no more into the empire of death. 

And should show light unto the people] Should give 
the true knowledge of the law and the prophets to the 
Jews ; for these are meant by the term people, as in 
ver. 17. And to the Gentiles, who had no revelation, 
and who sat in the valley of the shadow of death: 
these also, through Christ, should be brought to the 
knowledge of the truth, and be made a glorious Church, 
without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. That the 
Messiah should be the ἐσ λέ both of the Jews and Gen- 
tiles, the prophets had clearly foretold: see Isa. ]x. 1: 
Arise and shine, or be wluminated, for thy LiGuT is 
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 
And again, Isa. xlix. 6: I will give thee for a LiGuT 
to the Gentites, that thou mayest be my salvation 
unto the ends of the earth. With such sayings as 
these Agrippa was well acquainted, from his education 
as a Jew. 

Verse 24. Paul, thou art beside thyself] ** Thou 
art mad, Paul!” “Thy great learning hath turned 
thee into a madman.” As we sometimes say, thou 
art cracked, and thy brain is turned. By the ra πολλα 
ypaupara it is likely that Festus meant no more than 
this, that Paul had got such a vast variety of know- 
ledge, that his brain was overcharged with it: for, in 
this speech, Paul makes no particular show of what we 
eall learning ; for he quotes none of their celebrated 
authors, as he did on other occasions ; see chap. xvii. 
28. But he here spoke of spiritual things, of which 
Festus, as a Roman heathen, could have no concep- 
tion ; and this would lead him to conclude that Paul 
was actually deranged. This is not an uncommon 
ease with many professing Christianity ; who, when a 
man speaks on experimental religion, on the life of 
God in the sonl of man—of the knowledge of salva- 
tion, by the reiaission of sins—of the witness of the 
Spirit, &c., &e., things essential to that Christianity 
by which the soul is saved, are ready to ery out, Thou 
art mad: he is an enthusiast; that is, a religious 

1 


madman; one who is not worthy to be regarded; and 
yet, strange to tell, these very persons who thus ery 
out are surprised that Festus should have supposed 
that Paul was beside himself ! 

Verse 25. I am not mad, most noble Festus} This 
most sensible, appropriate, and modest answer, was the 
fullest proof he could give of his sound sense and dis- 
cretion. The title, Kpatice, most noble, or most ea- 
cellent, which he gives to Festus, shows at once that 
he was far above indulging any sentiment of anger or 
displeasure at Festus, though he had called him a 
madman; and it shows farther that, with the strictest 
conscientiousness, even an apostle may give tilles of 
respect to men in power, which taken /iterally, imply 
much more than the persons deserve to whom they are 
applied. Κρατιςος, which implies most excellent, was 
merely a ¢itle which belonged to the office of Festus. 
St. Paul hereby acknowledges him as the governor ; 
while, perhaps, moral excellence of any kind could with 
no propriety be attributed to him. 

Speak forth the words of truth and soberness.] 
Αληθειας καὶ σωφροσυνης, Words of truth and of mental 
soundness. The very terms used by the apostle would 
at once convince Festus that he was mistaken. The 
σωφροσυνη of the apostle was elegantly opposed to the 
μανια of the governor: the one signifying mental de- 
rangement, the other mental sanity. Never was an 
answer, on the spur of the moment, more happily 
conceived. 

Verse 26. Before whom also I speak freely] This 
is a farther judicious apology for himself and his dis- 
course. As if he had said: Conscious that the king 
understands all these subjects well, being fully versed 
in the law and the prophets, I have used the utmost 
freedom of speech, and have mentioned the tenets of 
my religion in their own appropriate terms. 

This thing was not done in a corner.| The preach- 
ing, miracles, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus 
Christ, were most public and notorious; and of them 
Agrippa could not be ignorant ; and indeed it appears, 
from his own answer, that he was not, but was now 
more fully persuaded of the truth than ever, and almost 
led to embrace Christianity. 

Verse 27. Believest thou the prophets?| Waving 
made his elegant compliment and vindication to Festus, 
he turns to Agrippa; and, with this strong appeal to 
his religious feeling, says, Believest thou the prophets ? 
—and immediately anticipates his reply, and, with great 
address, speaks for him, I know that thou believest. 
The inference from this belief necessarily was: “ As 
thou believest the prophets, and I have proved that the 
prophets have spoken about Christ, as suffering and 
triumphing over death, and that all they say of the 

887 


Agrippa is almost persuaded 


A.M. cir. 4066. 
i 2. 


+ Mocix. 4065. 28 Then Agrippa said unto 


Paul, Almost thou persuadest 
i ~Sme to be a Christian: 

29 And Paul said, =I would to God, that 
not only thou, but also all that hear me this 
day, were both almost, and altogether such as 
I am, except these bonds. 

30 4 And when he had thus spoken, the 
king rose up, and the governor, and Ber- 


THE ACTS. 


to embrace Christianity 


τ “1 A. Μ. cir. 4066. 
nice, and they that sat with Fag aa 
them : ‘An. Olymp. 


31 And when they were gone pee COR ag 


aside, they talked between themselves, say- 
ing, » This man doeth nothing worthy of 
death or of bonds. 

32 Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This 
man might have been set at liberty, ‘if he 
had not appealed unto Cesar. 


£1 Cor. vii. 7. 


4 Chap. xxiii. 9,29; xxv. 25——i Chap. xxv. 11. 


Messiah has been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, then 
thou must acknowledge that my doctrine is true.” 

Verse 28. Almost thou persuadest me to be a Chris- 
tian.] Ev odtyw μὲ πειθεις Xpiccavov γενεσθαι. This 
declaration was almost the necessary consequence of 
the apostle’s reasoning, and Agrippa’s faith. If he 
believed the prophets, see ver. 22 and 23, and believ- 
ed that Paul’s application of their words to Christ 
Jesus was correct, he must acknowledge the truth of 
the Christian religion ; but he might choose whether he 
would embrace and confess this truth, or not. However, 
the sudden appeal to his religious faith extorts from 
him the declaration, Thou hast nearly persuaded me 
to embrace Christianity. How it could have entered 
into the mind of any man, who carefully considered the 
circumstances of the case, to suppose that these words 
of Agrippa are spoken ironically, is to me unaccounta- 
ble. Every circumstance in the case proves them to 
have been the genuine effusion of a heart persuaded of 
the truth; and only prevented from fully acknowledging 
it by secular considerations. 

Verse 29. J would to God, &c.] Ἐνξαιμὴν av τῳ 
Θεῳ, και ev ολίγῳ Kat ev πολλῳ---ϑὸ fully am I per- 
suaded of the infinite excellence of Christianity, and 
so truly happy am 1 in possession of it, that 7 most 
ardently wish that not only thou, but this whole coun- 
cil, were not only almost, but altogether, such as I am, 
these CHAINS excepted. 'Thus, while his heart glows 
with affection for their best interests, he wishes that 
they might enjoy all his blessings, if possible, without 
being obliged to bear any cross on the account. His 
holding up his chain, which was probably now detached 
from the soldier’s arm, and wrapped about his own, 
must have made a powerful impression on the minds 
of his audience. Indeed, it appears they could bear 

‘the scene no longer; the king was overwhelmed, and 
rose up instantly, and so did the rest of the council, 
and went immediately aside ; and, after a very short 
conference among themselves, they unanimously pro- 
nounced him innocent; and his last word, των δεσμων, 
Bonps! and the action with which it was accompanied, 
had made such a deep impression upon their hearts 
that they conclude their judgment with that very iden- 
tical word δεσμων. Would to God, says the apostle, 
that all who hear me this day were altogether such as 
as I am, except these Bonps! 'The whole council say 

This man hath done nothing worthy of death nor 
or bonds! Aecuwv, BONDS, is echoed by them from the 
last words of the apostle ; as we may plainly perceive 
that. seeing such an innocent and eminent man suffer- 

888 


ing such indignity had made a deep impression upon 
their hearts. Alas! why should such a man be in 
B-0-N-D-s ! 

Verse 32. Then said Agrippa, §c.] The king 
himself, who had participated in the strongest emotions 
on the occasion, feels himself prompted to wish the 
apostle’s immediate liberation ; but this was now ren- 
dered impracticable, because he had appealed to Cesar ; 
the appeal was no doubt registered, and the business 
must now proceed to a ful] hearing. Bp. Pearce con- 
jectures, with great probability, that Agrippa, on his 
return to Rome, represented Paul’s case so fayour- 
ably to the emperor, or his ministers of state, that he 
was soon set at liberty there, as may be concluded 
from chap. xxviii. 30, that he dwelt two whole years 
in his own hired place; and to the same cause it seems 
to have been owing that Julius, who had the care of 
Paul as a prisoner in the ship, treated him courteously , 
see chap. xxvii. 3, 43. And the same may be gathered 
from chap. xxviii. 14, 16. So that this defence of 
the apostle before Agrippa, Bernice, Festus, &c., was 
ultimately serviceable to his important cause. 


1. Tue conversion of Saul was a wonderful work 
of the Spirit of God; and, as we have already seen, 
a strong proof of the truth of Christianity; and the 
apostle himself frequently appeals to it as such. 

2. His mission to the Gentiles was as extraordinary 
as the calling of the Gentiles itself. very thing is 
supernatural in a work of grace; for, because nature 
cannot produce the effects, the grace of God, which 
implies the co-operation of his omniscience, omnipo- 
tence, and endless mercy, undertakes to perform the 
otherwise impossible task. 

3. From the commission of St. Paul, we see the 
state in which the Gentile world was, previously to the 
preaching of the Gospel. 

1. Their eyes are represented as closed; their un- 
derstanding was darkened; and they had no right 
apprehension of spiritual or eternal things. 

2. They were in a state of darkness; living with- 
out the knowledge of the true God, in a region where 
nothing but ignorance prevailed. 

3. They were under the dominion and authority of 
Satan; they were his vassals, and he claimed them 
as his rght. 

4. They were in a state of guitimess ; living, in 
almost every respect, in opposition to the dictates even 
of nature itself. 

5. They were polluted; not only irregular and 

1 


Paul is delivered to Juhus, 


abominable in their Jives, but also impure and unholy 
in their hearts. Thus far their state. 

Behold what the grace of the Gospel is to do for 
these Gentiles, in order to redeem them from this 
state :— 

1. It opens their eyes; gives them an understanding, 
whereby they may discern the truth; and, without 
this illumination from above, the truth of God ean 
never be properly apprehended. 

2. It turns them from the darkness to the light; a 
fine metaphor, taken from the act of a blind man, who 
is continually turning his eyes towards the light, and 
rolling his eyes upwards towards the sun, and in all 
directions, that he may collect as many of the seattered 
rays as he can, in order to form distinct vision. In 
this way the Gentiles appeared to be, in vain, search- 
ing after the light, till the Gospel came, and turned 
their eyes to the Sun of righteousness. 

3. They are brought from under the dondage and 
slavery of sin and Satan, to be put under the obedience 
of Jesus Christ. So that Christ and his grace as 
truly and as fully rule and govern them as sin and 
Satan did formerly. This is a proof that the change 
is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of 
the Lord. 


CHAP. XXVII. 


| the sinner from his sins. 


a centurion, to be taken to Rome 


4. He pardons their sin, so that they are no longer 
liable to endless perdition. 

5. He sanctifies their nature, so that they are ca 
pable of loving and serving him fervently with pure 
hearts ; and are thus rendered fit for the enjoyment of 
the inheritance among the saints in light. 

Such a salvation, from such a bondage, does the 
Gospel of Christ offer to the Gentiles—to a lost world. 
It is with extreme difficulty that any person can be 
persuaded that he needs a similar work of grace on 
his heart to that which was necessary for the conver- 
sion of the Gentiles. We may rest assured that no 
man is a Christian merely by birth or education. It 
Christianity implies the life of God in the soul of man 
—the remission of sins—the thorough purification of 
the heart, producing that holiness without which none 
can see the Lord, then it is evident that God alone 
can do this work, and that neither birth nor education 
can bestow it. By birth, every man is sinful; by 
practice, every man is a transgressor; for all have 
sinned. God alone, by faith in Christ Jesus, can save 
Reader, has God saved thee 
from this state of wretchedness, and brought thee 
“into the glorious liberty of his children?” Let thy 
conscience answer for itself. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


It being determined that Paul should be sent to Rome, he is delivered to Julius, a centurion, 1. 


They em- 


bark in a ship of Adramyttium, and come the next day to Sidon, 2, 3. They sail thence, and pass Cyprus 


Cilicia, and Pamphylia, and come to Myra, 4, 5. 


a disastrous voyage, 9-11. 


They are transferred there to a ship of Alexandria 
going to Italy ; sail past Cnidus, Crete, Salmone, and come to the Fair Havens, 6-8. 


Paul predicts 


They sail from the Fair Havens, in order to reach Crete, and winter there ; 


but, having a comparatively favourable wind, they sail past Crete, and meet with a tempest, and are brought 
into extreme peril and distress, 12-20. Paul’s exhortation and prediction of the loss of the ship, 21-26 
After having been tossed about in the Adriatic Sea, for many days, they are at last shipwrecked on the 
island of Melita; and the whole crew, consisting of two hundred and seventy-six persons, escape safe to 


land, on broken fragments of the ship, 27-44. 


A.M. cit. 4066. A ND when " it was determined 
An. Olymp. that we should sail into Italy, 


ir. CCX. 2. P 4 
sae ESS. they delivered Paul and certain 


other prisoners unto one named Julius, a cen- 
turion of Augustus’ band. 


a Chap. xxv. 12, 25. 


NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII. 

Verse 1. And when it was determined, §c.] That 
is, when the governor had given orders to carry Paul 
to Rome, according to his appeal ; together with other 
prisoners who were bound for the same place. 

We should sail] By this it is evident that St. Luke 
was with Paul; and it is on this account that he was 
enabled to give such a circumstantial account of the 
voyage. 

Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.|  Lipsius 
has found the name of this cohort on an ancient 
marble ; see Lips. in Tacit. Hist. lib. ii. The same 
cohort is mentioned by Swetonius, in his life of 
Nero, 20. 


Verse 2. A ship of Adramyttium] There were | by the mob, and was in 
1 


i i 1 A.M. cir. 4066 
2 And entering into a ship of ree 
Adramyttium, we launched, ἀπ. Olymp. 

i cir. CCX. 2. 
meaning to sail by the coasts of —————_ 
Asia; one ὃ Aristarchus, a Macedonian of 
Thessalonica, being with us. 


> Chap. xix. 29. 


several places of this name; and in different MSS. 
the name is variously written. The port in question 
appears to have been a place in Mysia, in Asia Minor. 
And the abbé Vertot, in his history of the Knights of 
Malta, says it is now called Mehedia. Others think 
it was a city and seaport of Africa, whence the ship 
mentioned above had been fitted out; but it is more 
probable that the city and seaport here meant is 
that on the coast of the Augean Sea, opposite Mity- 
lene, and not far from Pergamos. See its situation 
on the map. 

Aristarchus, a Macedonian] We have seen this 
person with St. Paul at Ephesus, during the disturb- 
ances there, chap. xix. 29, where he had been seized 
great personal danger. He 
889 


Paul, in sailing for Italy, 


A.M, cir. 4066. 3 And the next day we touch- 
A. D. cir. 62. i 3 
An. Olymp. ed at Sidon. And Julius ° cour- 


ir. CCX. 2 
eel teously entreated Paul, and gave 


him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh 
himself. 

4 And when we had launched from thence, 
we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds 
were contrary. 

5 And when we had sailed over the sea of 
Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a 
city of Lycia. 

6 And there the centurion found a ship of 
Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us 
therein. 

7 And whenwe had sailed slowly many days, 


€ Ch. xxiv. 23; xxviii. 16.——4 Or, Candy.— The fast was on the 


THE ACTS. 


touches at Myra, in Lycta 


and scarce were come over 4. ™. cir. 4060 
: ᾿ Ν A. D. cir. 62. 

against Cnidus, the wind not 

suffering us, we sailed under 

4 Crete, over against Salmone ; 

8 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place 
which is calied the Fair Havens; nigh where- 
unto was the city of Lasea. 

9 Now when much time was spent, and tvhen 
sailing was now dangerous, ° because the fast 
was now already past, Paul admonished 
them, 

10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that 
this voyage will be with ‘ hurt and much dam- 
age, not only of the lading and ship, but also 
of our lives. 


tenth day of the seventh month, Lev. xxiii. 27,29. Or, injury. 


afterwards attended Paul to Macedonia, and returned 
with him to Asia, chap. xx. 4. Now, accompanying 
him to Rome, he was there a fellow prisoner with 
him, Col. iv. 10, and is mentioned in St. Paul’s 
epistle to Philemon, ver. 24, who was probably their 
common friend.—Dodd. Luke and Aristarchus were 
certainly not prisoners at this time, and seem to have 
zone with St. Paul merely as his companions, through 
affection to him, and love for the cause of Christianity. 
How Aristarchus became his fellow prisoner, as is 
stated Col. iv. 10, we cannot tell, but it could not 
have been at this time. 

Verse 3. Touched at Sidon] For some account 
of this place, see the notes on Matt. xi. 21; and 
Acts xii. 20. 

Julius courteously entreated Paul| At the conclu- 
sion of the preceding chapter, it has been intimated 
that the kind treatment which Paul received, both 
from Julius and at Rome, was owing to the impression 
made on the minds of Agrippa and Festus, relative 
to his innocence. It appears that Julius permitted 
him to go ashore, and visit the Christians which were 
then at Sidon, without using any extraordinary precau- 
tions to prevent his escape. He was probably accom- 
panied with the soldier to whose arm he was chained ; 
and it is reasonable to conclude that this soldier would 
fare well on St. Paul’s account. 

Verse 4. We sailed under Cyprus] 
iv. 36. 

Verse 5. Pamphylia| See on chap. ii. 10. 

Myra, a city of Lycia.| The name of this city is 
written variously in the MSS., Myra, Murrha, Smyra, 
and Smyrna. Grotius conjectures that all these names 
are corrupted, and that it should be written Limyra, 
which is the name both of a river and city in Lycia. 
It is certain that, in common conversation, the first 
syllable, Zi, might be readily dropped, and then Myra, 
the word in the text, would remain. Strabo men- 
tions both Myra and Limyra, lib. xiv. p. 666. The 
former, he says, is twenty stadia from the sea, ert 
ueTewpov Aodov, upon a high hill: the latter, he says, 
is the name of a river; and twenty stadia up this 

890 


See on chap. 


river is the town Limyra itself. These places were 
not far distant, and one of them is certainly meant. 

Verse 6. A ship of Alexandria] It appears, from 
ver. 38, that this ship was laden with wheat, which 
she was carrying from Alexandria to Rome. We 
know that the Romans imported much corn from 
Egypt, together with different articles of Persian and 
Indian merchandise. 

Verse 7. Sailed slowly many days] Partly because 
the wind was contrary, and partly because the vessel 
was heavy laden. 

Over against Cnidus| This was a city or promon 
tory of Asia, opposite to Crete, at one corner of the 
peninsula of Caria. Some think that this was an 
island between Crete and a promontory of the same 
name. 

Over against Salmone] We have already seen that 
the island formerly called Crete is now called Candia ; 
and Salmone or Sammon, or Samonium, now called 
Cape Salamon, or Salamina, was a promontory on the 
eastern coast of that island. 

Verse 8. The Fair Havens} This port still re- 
mains, and is known by the same name; it was situ- 
ated towards the northern extremity of the island. 

Was the city of Lasea.) There is no city of this 
name now remaining: the Codex Alexandrinus reads 
Αλασσα, Alassa; probably Lysia, near the port of 
Gortyna, to the eastward. 

Verse 9. Sailing was now dangerous, because the 
fast was now already past} It is generally allowed 
that the fast mentioned here was that of the great day 
of atonement which was always celebrated on the tenth 
day of the seventh month, which would answer to the 
latter end of our September; see Ley. xvi. 29; xxiii. 
27, &e. Asthis was about the time of the autumnal 
equinox, when the Mediterranean Sea was sufficiently 
tempestuous, we may suppose this feast alone to be 
intended. To sail after this feast was proverbially 
dangerous among the ancient Jews. See proofs in 
Schoetigen. 

Verse 10. I perceive that this voyage will be with 
hurt, §c.] Paul might either have had this intimation 


He and his company meet CHAP. 


A.M. cir. 4066. Dias . 
ΕΝ 11 Nevertheless the centurion 
An. Olymp. believed the master and the 


cir. CCX. 2. 5 
———— owner of the ship, more than 


those things which were spoken by Paul. 

12 4 And because the haven was not com- 
modious to winter in, the more part advised 
to depart thence also, if by any means they 
might attain to Pheenice, and there to winter ; 


XXVII. with the tempestuous Euroclydon. 


which is a haven of Crete, and 4. cir. 4066 
lieth toward the south-west and An. Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 2, 
north-west. eee 
13 And when the south wind blew softly, 
supposing that they had obtained their purpose, 
loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 
14 But not long after there δ arose against 


it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 


ΚΟΥ, beat ; 


Psa. ἵν. 8. 


from the Spirit of God, or from his own knowledge of 
the state of this sea after the autumnal equinox, and 
therefore gave them this prudent warning. 

Verse 11. The centurion believed the master] Tw 
xuBepryty, the pilot; and owner of the ship, τῳ ναυκληρῳ, 
the captain and proprietor. This latter had the com- 
mand of the ship and the crew; the pilot had the guid- 
ance of the vessel along those dangerous coasts, under 
the direction of the captain; and the centurion had the 
power to cause them to proceed on their voyage, or to 
go into port, as he pleased ; as he had other state pri- 
soners on board; and probably the ship itself was 
freighted for government. Paul told them, if they 
proceeded, they would be in danger of shipwreck ; the 
pilot and captain said there was no danger; and the 
centurion, believing them, commanded the vessel to 
proceed on her voyage. It is likely that they were 
now in the port called the Fair Havens. 

Verse 12. Might attain to Phenice] It appears 
that the Fair Havens were at the eastern end of the 
island, and they wished to reach Phenice, which lay 
farther towards the west. 

Toward the south-west and north-west.] Κατα λιβα 
καὶ kata ywpov. The libs certainly means the south- 
west, called lids, from Libya, from which it blows to- 
wards the Aigean Sea. The chorus, or caurus, means 
a north-west wind. Virgil mentions this, Geor. iii. 
ver. 356. 


Semper hyems, semper spirantes frigora cauri. 


“Jt is always winter; and the cauri, the north- 
westers, ever blowing cold.” 


Dr. Shaw lays down this, and other winds, in a Greek 
compass, on his map; in which he represents the drift- 
ing of St. Paul’s vessel from Crete, till it was wrecked 
at the island of Melita. Travels, p. 331, 4to. edit. 

Verse 13. When the south wind blew softly) Though 
this wind was not very favourable, yet, because it blew 
softly, they supposed they might be able to make their 
passage. 

They sailed close by Crete.| Kept as near the coast 
as they could. See the track on the map. 

Verse 14. A tempestuous wind, called Eurocly- 
don.| Interpreters have been greatly perplexed with 
this word ; and the ancient copyists not less so, as the 
word is variously written in the MSS. and versions. 
Dr. Shaw supposes it to be one of thase tempestuous 
winds called /evanters, which blow in all directions, 
from N. E. round by the Εἰ. toS. E. The eurocly- 
don, from the circumstances which attended it, he says, 

1 


“seems to have varied very little from the true east 
point ; for, as the ship could not bear, αντοφθαᾶμειν, 
loof up, against it, ver. 15, but they were obliged to 
let her drive, we cannot conceive, as there are no re- 
markable currents in that part of the sea, and as the 
rudder could be of little use, that it could take any 
other course than as the winds directed it. Accord- 
ingly, in the description of the storm, we find that the 
vessel was first of all under ihe island Clauda, ver. 
16, which is a little to the southward of the parallel 
of that part of the coast of Crete from whence it may 
be supposed to have been driven; then it was tossed 
along the bottom of the Gulf of Adria, ver. 27, and 
afterwards broken to pieces, ver. 41, at Melita, which 
is a little to the northward of the parallel above men- 
tioned; so that the direction and course of this parti- 
cular ewroclydon seems to have been first at east by 
north, and afterwards, pretty nearly east by south.” 
These winds, called now Jevanters, and formerly, it 
appears, ewroclydon, were no determinate winds, blow- 
ing always from one point of the compass : euroclydon 
was probably then, what devanter is now, the name 
of any tempestuous wind in that sea, blowing from the 
north-east round by east to the south-east; and there 
fore St. Luke says, there rose against it (i. e. the ves- 
sel) a tempestuous wind called euroclydon; which 
manner of speaking shows that he no more considered 
it to be confined to any one particular point of the com 
pass, than our sailors do their levanter. Dr. Shaw 
derives ευροκλυδων from evpov κλυδων, an eastern tem 
pest, which is the very meaning affixed to a levanter 
at the present day. 

The reading of the Codex Alexandrinus is evpaxv. 
λων, the north-east wind, which is the same with the 
euro-aquilo of the Vulgate. This reading is approved 
by several eminent critics; but Dr. Shaw, in the place 
referred to above, has proved it to be insupportable. 

Dr. Shaw mentions a custom which he has several 
times seen practised by the Mohammedans in these 
levanters :—After having tied to the mast, or ensign 
staff, some apposite passage from the Koran, they col- 
lect money, sacrifice a sheep, and throw them both 
into the sea. This custom, he observes, was practised 
some thousand years ago by the Greeks: thus Aris- 
tophanes :— 


Apv’, apva μελαιναν, παιδες, εξενεγκατε" 
Τυῴφως yap εκβαινειν παρασκευαζεται. 
Ran. Act. iii. 5. 2, ver. 871. 
A lamb! boys, sacrifice a black lamb immediately 


For a tempest is about to burst forth. 
891 


They are in danger of shipwreck, THE 


A. M. cir. 4066. 
A. D. cir. 62. 
An. Olymp. 
eir. CCX. 2. 


15 And when the ship was 
caught, and could not bear up 
into the wind, ' we let her drive. 
16 And running under a certain island which 


h Psa. exxvii. 1, 2— i Jonah i. 13. 


ACTS. and undergird their vessel 


M. cir. 4066. 
. D. cir. 62 


An. Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 2. 


is called Clauda, we had much ee 
work to come by the boat : 

17 Which *when they had 
taken up, they used helps, undergirding the 


k Jonah i. 15. 


Virgil refers to the same custom :— 


Sic fulus, meritos aris mactavit honores : 
Taurum Neptuno, taurum tibi, pulcher Apollo ; 
Nigram hyemi pecudem, zephyris felicibus albam. 
En. iil. ver. 118. 
Thus he spake, and then sacrificed on the altars the 
proper eucharistic victims :— 
A bull to Neptune, and a bull to thee, O beautiful 
Apollo ; 
A black sheep to the north wind, and a white sheep 
to the west. 
And again :— 
Tres Eryci vitutos, et tempestatibus agnam, 
Cedere deinde jubet. fin v. ver. 772. 
Then he commanded three calves to be sacrificed to 
Eryx, and a lamb to the tempests. 
In the days of the Prophet Jonah the mariners in this 
sea were accustomed to do the same. Then they offer- 
ed a sacrifice to the Lord, and vowed vows ; Jonah 
i. 16. See Shaw’s Travels, 4to. edit. p. 329-333. 
The heathens supposed that these tempests were 
cecasioned by evil spirits: and they sacrificed a black 
sheep in order to drive the demon away. See the an- 
cient Scholiast on Aristophanes, in the place cited above. 
Sir George Staunton (Embassy to China, vol. ii. p. 
403) mentions a similar custom among the Chinese, 
and gives an instance of it when the yachts and barges 
of the embassy were crossing the Yellow River :— 
“The amazing velocity with which the Yellow 
River runs at the place where the yacht and barges 
of the embassy were to cross it rendered, according to 
the notions of the Chinese erews, a sacrifice neces- 
sary to the spirit of the river, in order to insure a safe 
passage over it. For this purpose, the master, sur- 
rounded by the crew of the yacht, assembled upon the 
forecastle ; and, holding as a victim in his hand a cock, 
wrung off his head, which committing to the stream, 
he consecrated the vessel with the blood spouting from 
the body, by sprinkling it upon the deck, the masts, the 
anchors, and the doors of the apartments; and stuck 
upon them a few of the feathers of the bird. Several 
bowls of meat were then brought forward, and ranged 
in a line across the deck. Before these were placed 
a cup of oil, one filled with tea, one with some ardent 
spirit, and a fourth with salt; the captain making, at 
the same time, three profound inclinations of his body, 
with hands uplifted, and muttering a few words, as if 
of solicitation to the deity. The loo, or brazen drum, 
was beaten in the meantime forcibly ; lighted matches 
were held towards heaven; papers, covered with tin or 
silver leaf, were burnt; and crackers fired off in great 
abundance by the erew. The captain afterwards made 
libations to the river, by emptying into it, from the 
vessel’s prow, the several cups of liquids; and con- | 


cluded with throwing in also that which held the salt. | 
892 


All the ceremonies being over, and the bowls of meat 
removed, the people feasted on it in the steerage, and 
launched afterwards, with confidence, the yacht into 
the current. Assoon as she had reached the opposite 
shore, the captain returned thanks to heaven, with three 
inclinations of the body. 

“ Besides the daily offering and adoration at the altar 
erected on the left or honourable side of the cabin in 
every Chinese vessel, the solemn sacrifices above de- 
scribed are made to obtain the benefit of a fair wind, 
or to avert any impending danger. The particular spot 
upon the forecastle, where the principal ceremonies 
are performed, is not willingly suffered to be occupied 
or defiled by any person on board.” 

Verse 15. And when the ship was caught] Svvap- 
πασϑεντος δὲ tov πλοιου. The ship was violently hur- 
ried away before this strong levanter; so that it was 
impossible for her, ἀντοφθαλμεῖν, to face the wind, to 
turn her prow to it, so as to shake it out, as I have 
heard sailors say, and have seen them successfully 
perform in violent tempests and squalls. 

We let her drive.| We were obliged to let her go 
right before this tempestuous wind, whithersoever it 
might drive her. , 

Verse 16. A certain island—called Clauda] Called 
also Gaudos ; situated at the south-western extremity 
of the island of Crete, and now called Gozo, according 
to Dr. Shaw. 

Much work to come by the boat] It was likely to 
have been washed overboard; or, if the boat was in 
tow, at the stern of the vessel, which is probable, they 
found it very difficult to save it from being staved, or 
broken to pieces. 

Verse 17. Undergirding the ship] This method has 
been used even in modern times. It is called frapping 
the ship. A stout cable is slipped under the vessel at 
the prow, which they can conduct to any part of the 
ship’s kee] ; and then fasten the two ends on the deck, 
to keep the planks from starting: as many rounds as 
they please may be thus taken about the vessel. An 
instance of this kind is mentioned in Lord Anson’s 
Voyage round the World. Speaking of a Spanish 
man-of-war in a storm: “They were obliged to throw 
overboard all their upper-deck guns, and take six turns 
of the cable round the ship, to prevent her opening.” — 
P. 24, 4to. edit. The same was done by a British 
line-of-battle ship in 1763, on her passage from India 
to the Cape of Good Hope. 

The quicksands| Ev¢ τὴν ovptw, Into the syrt. 
There were two famous syrts, or quicksands, on the 
African coast; one called the syrtis major, lying near 
the coast of Cyrene; and the other, the syrtis minor, 
not far from Tripoli. Both these, like our Goodwin 
Sands, were proverbial for their multitude of ship- 
wrecks. From the direction in which this vessel was 
driven, it is not at all likely that they were in danger 

1 


Paul encourages them, but CHAP. 


Ae Ship; and, ᾿ fearing lest they 
An. ok should fall into the quicksands, 
cir. CCX. 2. 


strake sail, and so were driven. 

18 And we being exceedingly tossed with 
a tempest, the next day they lightened the 
ship ; 

19 And the third day ! we cast out with our 
own hands the tackling of the ship. 

20 And when neither sun nor stars in many 
days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, 
all hope that we should be saved was then 
taken away. 

21 % But after long abstinence, Paul stood 
forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye 
should have hearkened unto me, and not have 


1 Jonah i. 5.——™ Chap. xxiii. 11——" Dan. vi. 16; Rom. i. 9; 


of drifting on any of these syrts, as the vessel does not 
appear to have been driven near the African coast 
through the whole of her voyage. And as to what is 
said, ver. 27, of their being driven up and down in 
Adria, διαφερομενων ev τῷ Adpia, it must mean their 
being tossed about near to Sicily, the sea of which is 
called Adria, according to the old Scholiast upon 
Dionysius’s Periegesis, ver. 85: τὸ Σικελικὸν tovro τὸ 
πελαγος Adptav καλουσι tney call this Sicilian sea 
Adria. We are therefore to consider that the appre- 
hension, expressed in ver. 17, is to be taken generally : 
they were afraid of falling into some shoals, not know- 
mg in what part of the sea they then were; for they 
had seen neither sun nor stars for many days ; and they 
had no compass, and consequently could not tell in what 
direction they were now driving. It is wrong there- 


fore to mark the course of this voyage, as if the vessel | 


had been driven across the whole of the Mediterranean, 
down to the African coast, and near to the syrts, or 
shoal banks; to which there is scarcely any reason to 
believe she had once approximated during the whole 
of this dangerous voyage. 

Strake sail] Χαλασαντες τὸ σκεῦος. 
means is difficult to say. 
sail, that is entirely out of the question, in such cir- 
cumstances as they were ; whenit is evident they could 
carry no sail at all, and must have gone under bare 
poles. Some think that lowering the yards, and taking 
down the top-mast, is what is intended ; but in such a 
perilous situation this would have been of little service. 
Others think, letting go their main or sheet anchor, is 
what is meant; but this seems without foundation, as 
it would have been foolishness in the extreme to have 
hoped to ride out the storm in such a sea. Passing 
by a variety of meanings, I suppose cutting away, or 
by some means letting down the mast, is the action 
intended to be expressed here ; and this would be the 
most likely means of saving the vessel from foundering. 

Verse 18. Lightened the ship] Of what, we know 
not; but it was probably cumbrous wares, by which the 
deck was thronged, and which were prejudicial to the 
due trim of the vessel. 

Verse 19. The tackling of the ship.) 

1 


What this 


Την 


As to striking or slackening | 


XXVII. 


loosed from Crete, and to have ἃς δ cir. 4066. 
gained this harm and loss. Compra 

22 And now I exhort you ae 
to be of good cheer: for there shall be no 
loss of any man’s life among you, but of 
the ship. 

23 ™For there stood by me this night, the 
angel of God, whose I am, and ® whom 
I serve, 

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be 
brought before Cesar: and, lo, God hath given 
thee all them that sail with thee. 

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: ° for 
I believe God, that it shall be even as it was 
told me. 


predicts the loss of the ship. 


2 Tim. i. 3. © Luke i. 45; Rom. iv. 20, 21; 2 Tim. i. 12. 


σκευὴν; All supernumerary anchors, 
gage, &c. 

Verse 20. Neither sun nor stars in many days 
appeared] And consequently they could make no 
observation ; and, having no magnetical needle, could 
not tell in what direction they were going. 

Verse 21. After long abstinence| ἸΤολλης de ασιτιας 
ὑπαρχουσης. Mr. Wakefield connects this with the 
preceding verse, and translates it thus: Especially as 
there was a great scarcity of provisions. But this by 
no means can agree with what is said, ver. 34-38. 
The vessel was a corn vessel; and they had not as yet 
thrown the wheat into the sea, see ver. 38. And we 
find they had food sufficient to eat, but were discou- 
raged, and so utterly hopeless of life that they had no 
appetite for food: besides, the storm was so great that 
it is not likely they could dress any thing. 
| Have gained this harm and loss.) It seems strange 
to talk of gaining a loss, but it is a correct rendering 
of the original, κερδησαι, which expresses the idea of 
| acquisition, whether of good or evil.. Those who wish 
/it, may see this use of the term well illustrated by 
Bp. Pearce, in his note on this verse. The harm was 
damage to the vessel; the loss was that of the mer- 
chandise, furniture, &c. 

Verse 22. There shall be no loss of—tife] This 
must be joyous news to those from whom all hope that 

they should be saved was taken away: ver. 20. 

Verse 23. The—God, whose I am, and whom I 
serve] This Divine communication was intended to give 

| credit to the apostle and to his doctrine ; and, in such 
oe ee circumstances, to speak so confidently, when 
every appearance was against him, argued the fullest 
persuasion of the truth of what he spoke ; and the ful- 
filment, so exactly coinciding with the prediction, must 
have shown these heathens that the God whom Paul 
served must be widely different from theirs. 

Verse 24. God hath given thee all them that sat. 
with thee.| Two hundred and seventy-six souls saved 
for the sake of one man! This was a strong proof of 
God’s approbation of Paul; and must at least have 
shown to Julius the centurion that his priscner was an 
injured and innocent man. 

893 


cables, bag- 


After long abstinence they take 


Δ. Μ. cir. 4066. 
A. D. cir. 62. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 2. 


26 Howbeit Ρ we must be cast 
upon a certain island. 

27 But when the fourteenth 
night was come, as we were driven up and 
down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen 
deemed that they drew near to some country; 

28 And sounded, and found it twenty fa- 
thoms: and when they had gone a little far- 
ther, they sounded again, and found 7¢ fifteen 
fathoms. 

29 Then fearing lest they should have fallen 
upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the 
stern, and wished for the day. 

30 And as the shipmen were about to flee 
out of the ship, when they had let down the 
boat into the sea, under colour as though they 
would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 

31 Paul said to the centurion and to the 
soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye 
cannot be saved. 


P Chap. xxvii. 1. 4] Kings i. 52; Matt. x. 30; Luke xii. 
7; xxi. 18. r] Sam. ix. 13; Matt. xv. 36; Mark viii. 6; 


THE ACTS. 


meat, and are greatly encouraged 


32 Then the soldiers cut off the 4. M, cir. 4066 
ropes of the boat, andlet her fal’ off An. Olymp’ 

33 Andwhile the day was coming Bega 
on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, 
This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tar- 
ried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 

34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat; 
for this is for your health: for 2 there shall 
not a hair fall from the head of any of you. 

35 And when he had thus spoken, he took 
bread, and τ gave thanks to God in presence of 
them all: and when he had broken ἐΐ, he be- 
gan to eat. 

36 Then were they all of good cheer, and 
they also took some meat. 

37 And we were in all in the ship two hun- 
dred threescore and sixteen * souls. 

38 And when they had eaten enough, they 
lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat 
into the sea. 


John vi. 11; 1 Tim. iv. 3, 4——* Chap. ii. 41; vii. 14; Rom 
xill. 1; 1 Pet. iii. 20. 


Verse 26. We must be cast upon a certain island.] 
The angel which gave him this information did not 
tell him the name of the island. It turned out to be 
Melita, on which, by the violence of the storm, they 
were wrecked some days after. 

Verse 27. Driven up and down in Adria] See the 
note on yer. 17. 

Deemed that they drew near to some couniry| They 
judged so, either by the smell of land, which those used 
to the sea can perceive at a considerable distance, or 
by the agitation of the sea, rippling of the tide, flight 
of sea-birds, &e. 

Verse 28. And sounded] Βολίσαντες, Heaving the 
lead. 

Twenly fathoms] Opyviac εἰκοσι, About forty yards 
m depth. The opywa is thus defined by the Etymo- 
logicon: Σημαίνει τὴν extacw τῶ» χείρων, συν τῷ πλατει 
τοῦ ςηθους" It signifies the extent of the arms, together 
with the breadth of the breast. This is exactly the 
quantum of our fathom. 

Verse 29. Cast four anchors out of the stern] By 
this time the storm must have been considerably abated : 
though the agitation of the sea could not have subsided 
much. The anchors were cast out of the stern to 
prevent the vessel from drifting ashore, as they found 
that, the farther they stood in, the shallower the water 
grew; therefore they dropped the anchor astern, as 
even one ship’s length might be of much consequence. 

Verse 30. The shipmen] The sailors—let down the 
boat. Having lowered the boat from the deck into the 
sea, they pretended that it was necessary to carry 
some anchors ahead, to keep her from being carried in 
a dangerous direction by the tide, but with the real 
design to make for shore, and so leave the prisoners 
and the passengers to their fate. This was timely 
noticed by the pious and prudent apostle ; who, while 

894 


simply depending on the promise of God, was watch- 
ing for the safety and comfort of all. 

Verse 31. Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot 
be saved.| God, who has promised to save your lives, 
promises this on the condition that ye make use of 
every means he has put in your power to help your- 
selves. While, therefore, ye are using these means, 
expect the co-operation of God. If these sailors, who 
only understand how to work the ship, leave it, ye 
cannot escape. Therefore prevent their present de- 
sign. On the economy of Divine Providence, see the 
notes on chap. XXiil. 

Verse 32. The solders cut off the ropes] These 
were probably the only persons who dared to have 
opposed the will of the sadors: this very circumstance 
is an additional proof of the accuracy of St. Luke. 

Verse 33. While the day was coming on] It was 
then apparently about day-break. 

This day is the fourteenth day that ye have—con- 
tinued fasting] Ye have not had one regular meal 
for these fourteen days past. Indeed we may take it 
for granted that, during the whole of the storm, very 
little was eaten by any man: for what appetite could 
men have for food, who every moment had death 
before their eyes ? 

Verse 34. A hair fall from the head] A proverbial 
expression for, ye shall neither lose your lives nor 
suffer any hurt in your bodies, if ye follow my advice. 

Verse 35. Gave thanks to God] Who had provided 
the food, and preserved their lives and health to par- 
take of it. Some think that he celebrated the holy 
eucharist here: but this is by no means likely: he 
would not celebrate such a mystery among ungodly 
sailors and soldiers, Jews and heathens; nor was 
there any necessity for such a measure. 

Verse 38. They lightened the ship] They hoped 

1 


Paul and the crew shipwrecked, CHAP. 


A.M. cir. 4066. F . 
Done 99 And when it was day, they 
An. Olymp. knew not the land: but they dis- 


cir. CCX. 2. ᾿ Ν 
——_—""_ covered a certain creek with a 


shore, into the which they were minded, if it 
were possible, to thrust in the ship. 

40 And when they had ttaken up the an- 
chors, they committed themselves unto the sea, 
and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up 
the mainsail to the wind, and made toward 
shore. 

41 And falling into a place where two seas 
met, “ they ran the ship aground ; and the fore- 
part stuck fast, and remained unmovable, but 


XXVII. but all escape safe to land. 
: ith A. M. cir. 4006 
the hinder part was broken with 4, Ὗς cir. 406 
the violence of the waves. An. Olymp. 
cir. CCX, 2. 


42 And the soldiers’ counsel 
was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them 
should swim out and escape. 

43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, 
kept them from their purpose; and com- 
manded that they which could swim should 
cast themselves first into the sea, and get to 
land : 

44 And the rest, some on boards, and some 
on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came 
to pass ἡ that they escaped all safe to land. 


' Or, cut the anchors, they left them in the sea, &c. 


«2 Cor. xi. 25.——* Ver. 22. 


that, by casting out the lading, the ship would draw 
less water ; in consequence of which, they could get 
nearer the shore. 


Verse 39. They knew not the land] And therefore 
knew neither the nature of the coast, nor where the 
proper port lay. 

A—creck with a shore] Κολπον, Sinum,a bay, with 
a shore; a neck of land perhaps on either side, run- 
ning out into the sea, and this little bay or gulf be- 
tween them ; though some think it was a tongue of 
land. running out into the sea, having the sea on both 
sides, at the point of which these two seas met, ver. 41. 
There is such a place as this in the island of Malta, 
where, tradition says, Paul was shipwrecked; and 
which is called /a Cale de St. Paul. See Calmet. 


Verse 40. Taken up the anchors] Weighed all the 
anchors that they had cast out of the stern. Some 
think the meaning of the word is, they slipped their 
eables; and so left the anchors in the sea. This 
opinion is expressed in the margin. 

Loosed the rudder bands| Or, the bands of the 
rudders ; for large vessels in ancient times had éwo or 
more rudders, one at the side, and another at the 
stern, and sometimes one at the prow. The bands, 
ζευκτηρίας, were some kind of fastenings, by which the 
tudders were hoisted some way out of the water ; for, 
as they could be of no use in the storm, and, should 
there come fair weather, the vessel could not do with- 
out them, this was a prudent way of securing them 
from being broken to pieces by the agitation of the 
waves. These bands being loosed, the rudders would 
fall down into their proper places, and serve to steer 
the vessel into the creek which they now had in view. 

Hoised up the mainsail] Αρτέμονα is not the main- 
sail, (which would have been quite improper on such 
a> occasion,) but the 210, or triangular sail which is 
suspended from the foremast to the bowsprit ; with this 
they might hope both to steer and carry in the ship. 

Verse 41. Where two seas met] The tide running 
down from each side of the tongue of land, mentioned 
ver. 39, and meeting at the point. 

Ran the shi» aground] In striving to cross at this 
point of land, they had not taken a sufficiency of sea- 
room, and therefore ran aground. 


The forepart stuck fast] Got into the sands; and, 


perhaps the shore here was very /old or steep, so that 
the stem of the vessel might be immersed in the quick- 
sands, which would soon close round it, while the stern, 
violently agitated with the surge, would soon be broken 
to pieces. It is extremely difficult to find the true 
meaning of several of the nautical terms used in this 
chapter. I have given that which appeared to me to 
be the most likely ; but cannot absolutely say that I 
have everywhere hit the true meaning. 

Verse 42. The soldiers’? counsel was to kill the 
prisoners] What blood-thirsty, cowardly villains must 
these have been! Though, through the providence 
of God, those poor men had escaped a watery grave, 
and had borne all the anxiety and distresses of this 
disastrous voyage, as well as the others, now that 
there is a likelihood of all getting safe to land that 
could swim, lest these should swim to shore, and so 
escape, those men, whose trade was in human blood, 
desired to have them massacred!’ We have not many 
traits in the histories of the most barbarous nations 
that can be a proper counterpart to this quintessence 
of humano-diabolie cruelty. 

Verse 43. Willing to save Paul, §c.] Had one 
fallen, for the reasons those eruel and dastardly sol- 
diers gave, so must all the rest. The centurion saw 
that Paul was not only an innocent, but an extraordi- 
nary and divine man; and therefore, for his sake, he 
prevented the massacre; and, unloosing every man’s 
bonds, he commanded those that could to swim ashore 
and escape. It is likely that all the soldiers escaped 
in this way, for it was one part of the Roman military 
discipline to teach the soldiers to swim. 

Verse 44. And the rest] That could not swim: 
some on boards, planks, spars, &c., got safe to land ; 
manifestly by an especial providence of God; for how 
otherwise could the sick, the aged, the terrified, besides 
women and children, (of which, we may naturally sup- 
pose, there were some,) though on planks, get safe to 
shore ’—where still the waves were violent, ver. 41, 
and they without either skill or power to steer their 
unsafe flotillas to the land? It was (in this case, most 


| evidently) God whe brought them to the haven where 


they would be. 


1. Paut had appealed to Cesar; and he must go to 
Rome to have his cause heard. God admitted of thi 
895 


taut and the rest of the crew 


appeal, and told his servant that he should testify of 
him at Rome ; and yet every thing seemed to conspire 
together to prevent this appeal, and the testimony 
which the apostle was to bear to the truth of the 
Christian religion. The Jews laid wait for his life ; 
and when he had escaped out of ¢heir hands, and from 
their territories, then the winds and the sea seemed to 
combine to effect his destruction. And God suffered 
all this malice of men, and war of elements, to fight 
against his servant, and yet overruled and counter- 
worked the whole, so as to promote his own glory, and 
bring honour to his apostle. Had it not been for this 
malice of the Jews, Festus, Felix, Agrippa, Berenice, 
and many Roman nobles and officers, had probably 
never heard the Gospel of Christ. And, had it not 
been for Paul’s tempestuous voyage, the 276 souls that 
sailed with him could not have had such displays of 
the power and wisdom of the Christians’ God as must 
have struck them with reverence, and probably was 
the cause of the conversion of many. Had the voyage 
been smooth and prosperous, there would have been no 
occasion for such striking interferences of God; and, 
had it not been for the shipwreck, probably the inha- 
bitants of Malta would not so soon have heard of the 
Christian religion. God serves his will by every oc- 
currence, and presses every thing into the service of 
his own cause. This is a remark which we have 
often occasion to make, and which is ever in place. 


THE ACTS. 


received kindly at Melita 


We may leave the government of the world, and the 
government of the Church, most confidently to God, 
hitherto he has done all things well; and his wisdom, 
power, goodness, and truth, are still the same. 

2. In considering the dangers of a sea voyage, we 
may well say, with pious Quesnel, To what perils do 
persons expose themselves, either to raise a fortune, 
or to gain a livelihood! How few are there who 
would expose themselves to the same for the sake of 
God! They commit themselves to the mercy of the 
waves ; they trust their lives to a plank and toa pilot; 
and yet it is often with great difficulty that they can 
trust themselves to the providence of God, whose 
knowledge, power, and goodness, are infinite; and 
the visible effects of which they have so many times 
experienced. 

3. What assurance soever we may have of the will 
of God, yet we must ποῖ forget human means. -The 
life of all the persons in this ship was given to St. 
Paul; yet he does not, on that account, expect a visi- 
ble miracle, but depends upon the blessing which God 
will give to the care and endeavours of men. 

4. God fulfils his promises, and conceals his al- 
mighty power, under such means and endeavours as 
seem altogether human and natural. Had the crew of 
this vessel neglected any means in their own power, 
their death would have been the consequence of their 
inaction and infidelity. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


St. Paul, and the rest of the crew, getting safely ashore, find that the island on which they were shipwrecked 
is called Melita, 1. They are received with great hospitality by the inhabitants, 2. A viper comes out 
of the bundle of sticks, laid on the fire, and seizes on Paul’s hand, 3. The people, seeing this, suppose 
him to be a murderer, and thus pursued by Divine vengeance, 4. Having shook it off his hand, without 
receiving any damage, they change their minds, and suppose him to be a god, 5, 6. Publius, the governor 
of the island, receives them courteously, and Paul miraculously heals his father, who was ill of a fever, 
g§c., 7, 8. He heals several others also, who honour them much, and give them presents, 9, 10. After 
three months’ stay, they embark in a ship of Alexandria, land at Syracuse, stay there three days, sail 
thence, pass the straits of Rhegium, and land at Puteoli; find some Christians there, tarry seven days, 
and set forward for Rome, 11-14. They are met at Appii Forum by some Christians, and Paul is 
greatly encouraged, 15. They come to Rome, and Julius delivers his prisoners to the captain of the 
guard, who permits Paul to dwell by himself, only attended by the soldier that kept him, 16. Paul calls 
the chief Jews together, and states his case to them, 17-20. They desire to hear him concerning the 
faith of Christ, 21, 22; and, having appointed unto him a day, he expounds to them the kingdom of 
Christ, 23. Some believe, and some disbelieve ; and Paul informs them that, because of their unbelief 
and disobedience, the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, 24-29. Paul dwells two years in his own 
hired house, preaching the kingdom of God, 30, 31. 


A.M. cir. 4066. b A.M. cir. 4066, 
sa ET ND when they were escaped,; 2 And the barbarous people rae. 
An. Olymp. then they knew that *the | showed us no little kindness: for λα. Olymp. 


cir. CCX. 2. cir. CCX. 2. 


island was called Melita. they kindled a fire, and received 


a Chap. xxvii. 26. b Rom. i. 14; 1 Cor. xiv. 11; Col. iii. 11. 
NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII. 

Verse 1. They knew that the island was called Me- 
lita.| There were two islands of this name: one in the 
Adriatic Gulf, or Gulf of Venice, on the coast of Ilyri- 
cum, and near to Epidaurus; the other in the Medi- 
terranean Sea, between Sicily and Africa, and now 
called Malia. It is about fifty miles from the coast 

896 


of Sicily ; twenty miles long, and twelve miles in its 
greatest breadth; and about sixty miles in circumfer- 
ence. It is one immense rock of white, soft freestone, 
with about one foot depth of earth on an average, and 
most of this has been brought from Sicily! It pro- 
duces cotton, excellent fruits, and fine honey; from 
which it appears the island originally had its name ; 
1 


CHAP. 


A.M cir. 4068. us every one, because of the 


A. D. cir. 62. uy 
An. Olymp. present rain, and because of the 
cold. 


cir. CCX. 2. 
3 9 And when Paul had gathered a bundle 


© 2 Corinthians 


A vtper comes out of the fuel, 


for μελι, meli, and in the genitive case, peAcroc, meli- 
tos, signifies honey. Others suppose that it derived 
its name from the Phenicians, who established a 
colony in it, and made it a place of refuge, when they 
extended their traffic to the ocean, because it was fur- 
nished with excellent harbours: (on the E. and W. 
shores :) hence, in their tongue, it would be called 
το 2 Meliteh, escape or refuge, from 04> malat, to 
escape. 

The Pheacians were probably the first inhabitants 
of this island: they were expelled by the Phenicians; 
the Pheenicians by the Greeks; the Greeks by the 
Carthaginians ; the Carthaginians by the Romans, 
who possessed it in the time of the apostle; the Ro- 
mans by the Goths; the Goths by the Saracens; the 
Saracens by the Sicilians, under Roger, earl of Sicily, 
in 1190. Charles V., emperor of Germany, took pos- 
session of it by his conquest of Naples and Sicily ; and 
he gave it in 1525 to the knights of Rhodes, who are 
also called the knights of St. John of Jerusalem. In 
1798, this island surrendered to the French, under 
Bonaparte, and in 1800, after a blockade of two 
years, the island being reduced by famine, surrendered 
to the British, under whose dominion it still remains 
(1814.) Every thing considered, there can be little 
doubt that this is the Melita at which St. Paul was 
wrecked, and not at that other island in the Adriatic, 
or Venitian Gulf, as high up northward as Illyrieum. 
The following reasons make this greatly evident: 1. 
Tradition has unvaryingly asserted this as the place of 
the apostle’s shipwreck. 2. The island in the Veni- 
tian Gulf, in favour of which Mr. Bryant so learnedly 
contends, is totally out of the track in which the euro- 
clydon must have driven the vessel. 3. It is said, in 
ver. 11 of this chapter, that another ship of Alexan- 
dria, bound, as we must suppose, for Italy, and very 
probably carrying wheat thither, as St. Paul’s vessel 
did, (chap. xxvii. 38,) had been driven out of its course 
of sailing, by stress of weather, up to the Illyricum 
Melita, and had been for that cause obliged to winter 
in the isle. Now this is a supposition which, as I 
think, is too much of a supposition to be made. 4. 
Tn St. Paul’s voyage to Italy from Melita, on board 
the Alexandrian ship that had wintered there, he and 
his companions landed at Syracuse, ver 12, 13, and 
from thence went to Rhegium. But if it had been the 
Illyrican Melita, the proper course of the ship would 
have been, first to Rhegium, before it reached Syracuse, 
and needed not to have gone to Syracuse at all; 
whereas, in a voyage from the present Malta to Italy, 
it was necessary to reach Syracuse, in Sicily, before 
the ship could arrive at Rhegium in Italy. See the 


tracted the two last arguments. 
That Malta was possessed by the Phenicians, be- 


| σφι ὁμογλωσσους" 


XXVIII. 


: : A. Μ. cir. 4066, 
of sticks, and laid them on the cD oe 
fire, there came a viper out of 


An. pe 

εἶ cir. 2. 

the heat, © and fastened on his —————— 
hand. 


and seizes upon Paul’s hand. 


chap. xi. 26. 


notwithstanding all the political vicissitudes through 
which the island has passed, bears sufficient evidence 
of its Punic origin. In the year 1761, neara place 
called Ben Ghisa, in this island, a sepulchral cave was 
discovered, in which was a square stone with an in- 
scription in Punic or Phenician characters, on which 
Sir Wm. Drummond has ‘written a learned essay, 
(London, Valpy, 1810, 4to.,) which he supposes marks 
the burial place, at least of the ashes, of the famous 
Carthaginian general, Hannibal. I shall give this in- 
scription in Samaritan characters, as being the present 
form of the ancient Punic, with Sir Wm. Drummond’s 
translation :— 


ZAVISK NSP Ὁ WS ASK 
“BA τὰ A249 FPA 

“OYA APS Sie ATT 3S 
324-49 29 2V 


Chadar Beth 6lam kabar Chanibaal 
Nakeh becaleth haveh, rach- 

m daeh Am beshuth Chanib- 

dal ben Bar-melec. 


“The inner chamber of the sanctuary of the sepulchre 
of Hannibal, 
Illustrious in the consummation of calamity 
He was beloved ; 
The people lament, when arrayed 
In order of battle, 
Hannibal the son of Bar-Melec.” 


As this is a curious piece, and one of the largest 
remains of the Punic language now in existence, and 
as it helps to ascertain the ancient inhabitants of this 
island, 1 thought it not improper to insert it here. 
For the illustration of this and several other points of 
Punic antiquity, I must refer the curious reader to the 
essay itself. 

Verse 2. The barbarous people] We have already 
seen that this island was peopled by the Phenicians, 
or Carthaginians, as Bochart has proved, Phaleg. chap... 
xxvi. ; and their ancient language was no doubt in use 
among them at that time, though mingled with some 
Greek and Latin terms; and this language must have 
been unintelligible to the Romans and the Greeks. 
With these, as well as with other nations, it was cus- 
tomary to call those βαρβαροι, barbarians, whose lan- 
guage they did not understand. St. Paul himself 
speaks after this manner in 1 Cor. xiv. 11: If I know 
not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that 


| speaketh a BARBARIAN, and he that speaketh shall be 
| @ BARBARIAN unto me. 
map; and see Bp. Pearce, from whom I have ex- | 


Thus Herodotus also, lib. ii. 
158, says, Βαρβαρους παντας Atyurriot καλεουσι τοὺς μη 
The Egyptians call all those BARBA- 
ΒΙΑΝΒ who have not the same language with themselves. 


fore the Romans conquered it, Bochart has largely | And Ovid, when among the Getes, says, in Trist 
proved, and indeed rne language to the present day, | ver. 10 :— 


Vor. I. C*?aT"y) 


897 


THE 


A great mob is raised, and 


A.M. cir. 4066. 4 And when the barbarians saw 
An. Olymp. the venomous beast hang on his 


sir. COX. 2. : 
Se thand they said among them- 


selves, No doubt this man is a murderer, 
whom, though he hath escaped the sea, ¢ yet 
vengeance suffereth not to live. 


4 Gen. ix. 6. 


ACTS. Ephesus filled with confusion. 


5 And he shook off the beast 4-M. cir. 4066. 
A. D. cir. 62. 
into the fire, and “ felt no harm. An. Olymp. 

6 Howbeit they looked when gene 
he should have swollen, or fallen down dead 
suddenly: but after they had looked a great 
while, and saw no harm come to him, they 


e Mark xvi. 18; Lukex. 19. 


Barsarus hic ego sum, quia non INTELLIGOR wll. 


“ Here I am a barbarian, for no person understands 
me.” 


Various etymologies have been given of this word. 
I think that of Bp. Pearce the best. The Greeks who 
traded with the Phenicians, formed this word from 
their observing that the Phenicians were generally 
called by the name of their parent, with the word 73 
bar, prefixed to that name; as we find in the New 
Testament men called Bar-Jesus, Bar-Tholomeus, 
Bar-Jonas, Bar-Timeus, &c. Hence the Greeks called 
them βαρ-βαροι, meaning the men who are called Bar 
Bar, or have no other names than what begin with 
Bar. And because the Greeks did not understand 
the language of the Pheenicians, they first, and the 
Romans in imitation of them, gave the name of Bar- 
barians to all such as talked in a language to which 
they were strangers.” No other etymology need be 
attempted ; this is its own proof; and the Bar-melec 
in the preceding epitaph is, at least, collateral evidence. 
The word barbarian is therefore no term of reproach 
in itself; and was not so used by ancient authors, 
however fashionable it may be to use it so now. 

Because of the present rain and—of the cold.] 
This must have been sometime in October ; and, when 
we consider the time of the year, the tempesiuousness 
of the weather, and their escaping to shore on planks, 
spars, §c., wet of course to the skin, they must have 
been very cold, and have needed all the kindness that 
these well disposed people showed them. In some 
parts of Christianized Kurope, the inhabitants would 
have attended on the beach, and knocked the survivors 
on the head, that they might convert the wreck to their 
own use! This barbarous people did not act in this 
way : they joined hands with God to make these suf- 
ferers live. 

Verse 3. There came a viper out of the heat] We 
may naturally suppose that there had been fuel laid 
before on the fire, and that the viper was in this fuel, 
and that it had been revived by the heat; and, when 
St. Paul laid his bundle on the fire, the viper was then 
in a state to lay hold on his hand. 

Verse 4. The venomous beast] To θηρίον, The ve- 
nomous animal; for θηρία isa general name among the 
Greek writers for serpents, vipers, scorpions, wasps, 
and such like creatures. Though the viper fastened 
on Paul’s hand, it does not appear that it really διέ 
him; but the Maltese supposed that it had, because 
they saw it fasten on his hand. 

Vengeance suffereth not to live.) These heathens 
had a general knowledge of retributive justice ; and 
they thought that the stinging of the serpent was a 
proof that Paul was a murderer. There is a passage 

898 


in Bamidbar Rabba, fol. 239, that casts some light on 
this place. ‘“ Although the Sanhedrin is ceased, yet 
are not the four deaths ceased. For he that deserves 
stoning either falls from his house, or a wild beast tears 
and devours him. He that deserves burning either 
falls into the fire, or a serpent bites him. He that de- 
serves cutting off with the sword is either betrayed into 
the power of a heathen kingdom, or the robbers break in 
upon him. He that deserves strangling is either suffo- 
cated in the water, or dies of a quinsy.” See Lightfoot. 

As these people were heathens, it is not likely that 
they had any correct notion of the justice of the ¢rue 
God ; and therefore it is most probable that they used 
the word δικη, not to express the quality or attribute 
of any being, but the goddess Diké, or vindictive Jus- 
tice, herself, who is represented as punishing the ini- 
quities of men. 

Hesiod makes a goddess of what the Maltese called 
Atkn, or Justice :— 

H δε te παρθενος est AIKH, Διος exyeyauia, 

Kudvy τ᾽ αἰδοιη τε θεοῖς, of Ολυμπον ἐχουσιν" 

Και ρ᾽ ὁποτ᾽ av τίς μιν βλαπτῃ σκολίως ονοταζων. 

Αὐτικα παρ Διὶ πατρι καθεζομενη Κρονίωνι 

Typver ανθρωπὼν αδικον νοον" 

Hesiod. Opera, ver. 954. 

Justice, unspotted maid, derived from Jove, 

Renown’d and reverenced by the gods above: 

When mortals violate her sacred laws, 

When judges hear the bribe and not the cause, 

Close by her parent god, behold her stand, 

And urge the punishment their sins demand. 

Coxe. 


Verse 5. Shook off the beast into the fire, and felt 
no harm.| ‘This is a presumptive evidence that the 
viper did not dite St. Paul: it fastened on his hand, 
but had no power to injure him. 

Verse 6. When he should have swollen] Πιμπρασθαι, 
When he should have been inflamed : by means of an 
acrid poison introduced into the blood, it is soon coagu- 
lated ; and, in consequence, the extremities of the ves- 
sels become obstructed, strong inflammation takes 
place, and all the parts become most painfully swollen. 

Lucan, ix. v. 791, gives a terrible account of this 
effect of the bite of a serpent :— 


uli rubor igneus ora 
Succendit, tendrtque cutem, pereunte figura 
Miscens cuncta tumor jam toto corpore major : 
Humanumque egressa modum super omnia membra 
Effflatur sanies late tollente veneno. 
Ipse latet penitus, congesto corpore mersus 3 
Nec lorica tenet distenti corporis auctum. 
And straight a sudden flame began to spread, 
And paint his visage with a glowing red. 
Corr?) 


Paul miraculuously heals 


A.M. cir. 4066. changed their minds, and ‘ said 
An. Olymp. that he was a god. 
cir, CCX 


7 Ἵ In the same quarters were 
possessions of the chief man of the island, 
whose name was Publius; who received us, 
and lodged us three days courteously. 

8 And it came to pass, that the father of 
Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux : 
to whom Paul entered in, and £ prayed, and 
hJaid his hands on him, and healed him. 


€Ch. xiv. 11.——* James v. 14, 15.——» Mark vi.5; vii. 32; xvi. 
18; Luke iv. 40; chap. xix. 11,12; 1 Cor. xii. 9, 28. 


Nought but an undistinguish’d mass is seen ; 

While the fair human form lies lost within, 

The puffy poison spreads and heaves around, 

Till all the man is in the monster drown’d. 
Rowe. 


See other examples, in the notes on Num. xxi. 6. 

Verse 6. Said that he was a god.) As Hercules 
was one of the gods of the Phenicians, and was wor- 
shipped in Malta under the epithet of Αλεξίκακος, the 
dispeller of evil, they probably thought that Paul was 
Hercules; and the more so, because Hercules was 
famous for having destroyed, in his youth, two ser- 
pents that attacked him in his cradle. 

Verse 7. The chief man of the island] The term 
πρωτος, CHIEF, used here by St. Luke, was the ancient 
title of the governor of this island, as is evident from 
an inscription found in Malta, which runs thus :— 


With swift expansion swells the bloated skin, 


A. K. vioc, κυρ. immevc. ῥωμ. πρωτος Μελιταιων" 


Lucius Caius, son of Quirinus, a Roman knight, 
cHIEF of the Melitese. See Bochart, Phaleg. and 
Chan. vol. i. chap. 498, &c., and Grotius. This title 
is another proof of the accuracy of St. Luke, who 
uses the very epithet by which the Roman governor 
of that island was distinguished. 

Verse 8. The father of Publius lay sick] Πύυρετοις 
καὶ δυσεντεριᾳ; Of a fever and dysentery ; perhaps a 
cholera morbus. 

Paul—prayed| That God would exert his power ; 
and laid his hands on him, as the means which God 
ordinarily used to convey the energy of the Holy Spi- 
rit, and healed him; God having conveyed the healing 
power by this means. In such a disorder as that 
mentioned here by St. Luke, where the bowels were 
in a state of inflammation, and a general fever aiding 
the dysentery in its work of death, nothing less than a 
miracle could have made an instantaneous cure in the 
patient. Such a cure was wrought, and even the 
heathens saw that it was the hand of God. 

Verse 9. Others—which had diseases] Luke was a 
physician; yet we do not find him engaging in these 
cures. As a medical man, he might have been of use 
to the father of Publius; but he is not even consulted 
onthe occasion. Paul enters in to him, prays for him, 
lays his hands on him, and he is healed. «The other 
diseased persons who are mentioned in this verse were 
doubtless healed in the same way. 

1 


CHAP. XXVIII. 


the govenor’s fathes 


ὃ A. M. cir. 4066, 
9 So when this was done, ‘op ae 


others also, which had diseases An. Clem, 
ε a cir. CCX. 2. 
in the island, came, and were 
healed : 

10 Who also honoured us with many ‘ ho- 
nours; and when we departed they laded us 
with such things as were necessary. 


ΕΘΗ τι 
we departed in *a ship ὁ - π. mp. 
Ρ Ρ cir. CC 5 


exandria, which had wintered : 


iMatt. xv.6; 1 Vim. v. 17——*Chapter xxvii. 6; 1 Cor. 


vill. 4. 


Verse 10. Honoured us with many honours] The 
word τιμὴ, as Bishop Pearce has remarked, is often 
used to signify a pecuniary recompense, or present. 
The Greek word seems to be thus used in 1 Tim. v. 
17. Let the elders which rule well be accounted 
worthy of double Honour, τίμης, Which St. Chrysostom, 
on the place, explains thus: τὴν των ἀναγκαίων yopy- 
yiav' a supplying them with all necessary things. 
Diodorus Siculus, and Xenophon, used the word in the 
same way. In the sense of a pecuniary recompense, 
or price, paid for any thing, the word τιμὴ is met with 
in 1 Cor. vi. 20; and vii. 23. And in the Septuagint, 
Num. xxii. 17, compared with ver. 18; Psa. viii. 5, 
and xlix. 12; Proy. iii. 9. Bp. Pearce. 

Such things as were necessary.] They had before 
given them many presents, and now they gave them a 
good sea stock; all that was necessary for their pas- 
sage. 

Verse 11. After three months] Supposing that 
they had reached Malta about the end of October, as 
we have already seen, then it appears that they left it 
about the end of January, or the beginning of February ; 
and, though in the depth of winter, not the worst time 
for sailing, even in those seas, the wind being then 
generally more steady; and, on the whole, the passage 
more safe. 

Whose sign was Castor and Pollux.] These were 
two fabulous semi-deities, reported to be the sons of Ju- 
piter and Leda, who were afterwards translated to the 
heavens, and made the constellation called Gemini, or 
the Twins. . This constellation was deemed propitious 
to mariners ; and, as it was customary to have the 
images of their gods both on the head and stern of 
their ships, we may suppose that this Alexandrian ship 
had these on either her prow or stern, and that these 
gave name to the ship. We, who profess to bea 
Christian people, follow the same heathen custom : 
we have our ships called the Castor, the Jupiter, the 
Minerva, the Leda, (the mother of Castor and Pollux,} 
with a multitude of other demon gods and goddesses ; 
so that, were ancient Romans or Grecians to visit our 
navy, they would be led to suppose that, after the lapse 
of more than 2000 years, their old religion had con- 
tinued unaltered ! 

Virgil speaks of a vessel called the Tiger. Auneid, 
x. ver. 166 :— 


Massicus erata princeps secat equora TicRi 
899 


Paul and his company sail from 


A.M. cir. 4067. 
A. D. cir. 63. 
An. Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 3 


in the isle, whose sign was Cas- 
tor and Pollux. 

12 And landing at Syracuse, 
we tarried there three days. 

13 And from thence we fetched a compass, 
and came to Rhegium: and after one day the 


THE ACTS. 


Syracuse, and land at Puteote. 


south wind blew, and we came ng te ΩΤ. 
the next day to Puteoli : An. Olymp. 

14. Where we found bre- i: CO*:3_ 
thren, !and were desired to tarry with 
them seven days: and so we went toward 
Rome. 


1 Chap. x. 23 5 


xvi. 15. 


“ Massicus, chief, cuts the waves in the brazen- 
beaked Ticrr.” 


Of another called the Chimera. 
223 :— 


Ingentemque Gyas ingenti mole CHIMHRAM. 


fn. v. ver. 118, 


« Gyas the vast Chimera’s bulk commands.” 


And of another called the Centaur. Amn. v. ver. 
122, 155, 157 :— 


CENTAURO invehitur magna. 

“ Sergestus, in the great Centaur, took the leading 
place.” 

Besides these names, they had their tutelary gods 
ἀν the ship, from whom they expected succour; and 
sometimes they had their images on the stern; and 
when they got safely to the end of their voyage, they 
were accustomed to crown these images with garlands : 
thus Virgil, Geor. i. ver. 304 :— 

Puppisus et lett naute imposuere CORONAS. 

“ The joyous sailors place garlands on their sterns.” 


Several ancient fables appear to have arisen out of 
the names of ships. Jupiter is fabled to have carried 
off Europa, across the sea, in the shape of a bull ; 
and to have carried away Ganymede, in the shape of 
an eagle. That is, these persons were carried away, 
one in a ship called Taurus, or Bull; and the other 
in one denominated Aguila, the Eagle. Why not 
Taurus, as well as Tigris? and why not Aguila, as 
well as Chimera 2—which names did belong to ships, 
as we find from the above quotations. 

Verse 12. Landing at Syracuse] In order to go 
to Rome from Malta, their readiest course was to keep 
pretty close to the eastern coast of Sicily, in order to 
pass through the straits of Rhegium and get into the 
Tyrrhenian Sea. 

Syracuse is one of the most famous cities of an- 
tiquity : it is the capital of the island of Sicily, and 
was built about 730 years before the Christian era. 
ΤΆ lies 72 miles S. by E. of Messina, and about 112 
of Palermo. Long. 15°. 30’. W., lat. 37°. 17’. N. 
Tn its ancient state, it was about 22 English miles in 
circumference ; and was highly celebrated for the 
martial spirit of its inhabitants. This was the birth- 
place of the illustrious Archimedes; who, when the 
city was besieged by the Romans, under Marcellus, 
about 212 years before Christ, defended the place 
with his powerful engines against all the valour and 
power of the assailants. He beat their galleys to 
pieces by huge stones projected from his machines ; 
and by hooks, chains, and levers, from the walls, | 
weighed the ships out of the water, and, whirling 
them round, dashed them in pieces against each other, 


or sunk them to the bottom: several, also, he is said | 
900 


to have destroyed by his burning glasses. When the 
city was taken by treachery, Archimedes was found 
intensely engaged in the demonstration of a problem. 
A Roman soldier coming up, and presenting his dagger 
to his throat, he cried, ‘ Stop, soldier, or thou wilt 
spoil my diagram!” The brute was unmoved, and 
murdered him on the spot. ν᾿ 

This city was almost totally destroyed by an earth- 
quake in 1693: its present population amounts to but 
about 18,000. Christianity, in some form or other, 
has existed here ever since St. Paul spent the three 
days in it, mentioned in the text. 

Verse 13. We fetched a compass] ‘OGev περιελθοντες, 
Whence we coasted about. This will appear evident, 
when the coast of Sicily is viewed on any correct map, 
of a tolerably large scale. 

Rhegium] <A city and promontory in Calabria, in - 
Italy, opposite to Sicily. It is now called Reggio. 
It had its name, Ῥηγίον, Rhegium, from the Greek 
Ῥηγνυμι, to break off; because it appears to have 
been broken off from Sicily. 

The south wind blew] This was the fairest wind 
they could have from Syracuse, to reach the straits 
of Rhegium. 

The next day to Puteoli} This place, now com- 
monly called Pozzuoli, is an ancient town of Naples 
in the Terra di Lavoro ; and is supposed to have been 
founded by the Samians, about 470 years before 
Christ. Within this city are several warm baths, very 
highly celebrated ; and from these, and its springs in 
general, it seems to have had its ancient name Puteoli, 
from Purtet, wells or pits; though some derive it 
from putor, a stench, or bad smell, because of the 
sulphureous exhalations from its warm waters. Varro 
gives both these etymologies, lib. iv. de Ling. Lat. 
cap. 5. It is famous for its temple of Jupiter Serapis, 
which is built, not according to the Grecian or Ro- 
man manner, but according to the Asiatic. Near 
this place are the remains of Cicero’s villa, which 
are of great extent. The town contains, at present, 
about 10,000 inhabitants. Long. 14°. 40’. E., lat. 
41°. 50’. N. 

Verse 14. Where we found brethren] That is, 
Christians ; for there had been many in Italy con- 
verted to the faith of Christ, some considerable time 
before this, as appears from St. Paul’s epistle to the 
Romans, written some years before this voyage. 

We went toward Rome.| One of the most cele- 
brated cities in the universe, the capital of Italy, and 
once of the whole world ; situated on the river Tiber, 
410 miles SSE. of Vienna; 606 SE. of Paris ; 730 
E. by N. of Madrid; 760 W. of Constantinople ; 
and 780 SE. of London. Long. 12°. 55’. E., lat. 
41°.54’.N. This famous city was founded by Romu- 

1 


They travel from Puteoli, CHAP. 


ge ae 15 And from thence, when the 
An. Olymp. ᾿ brethren heard of us, ™ they came 


cir. CCX. 3. Ἃ 
——————— to meet us as far as Appii 


Forum, and the Three Taverns: whom, when 
Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. 


πὸ Chap. xv. 3; Rom. i. 10. 


XXVIII. and come to Rome 
16 And when we came to 4 jf ae 


Rome, the centurion delivered An. Page 

: ὃ cir. CCX. 3. 
the prisoners to the captain of 
the guard: but "Paul was suffered to dwell 
by himself with a soldier that kept him. 


"Chap. xxiv. 25; xxvii. 3. 


lus, at the end of the seventh Olympiad, A. M. 3251 ; 
of the flood, 1595; and 753 years before the Christian 
era. The history of this city must be sought for in 
works written expressly on the subject, of which there 
are many. Modern Rome is greatly inferior to an- 
cient Rome in every respect. Its population, taken 
in 1709, amounted to 138,569 souls only ; among 
whom were 40 bishops, 2686 priests, 3359 monks, 
1814 nuns, 893 courtezans, between 8 and 9000 
Jews, and 14 Moors. This city, which once tyran- 
nized over the world by its arms, and over the whole 
Christian world by its popes, is now reduced to a very 
low state among the governments of Europe, by whom 
it is supported, for it has no power sufficient for its 
own defence. 

Verse 15. When the brethren heard of us] By 
whom the Gospel was planted at Rome is not known: 
it does not appear that any apostle was employed in 
this work. It was probably carried thither by some 
of those who were converted to God at the day of 
pentecost; for there were then at Jerusalem, not only 
devout men, proselytes to the Jewish religion, from 
every nation under heaven, Acts ii. 5, but there were 
strangers of Rome also, ver. 10. And it is most rea- 
sonable to believe, as we know of no other origin, that 
it was by these Christianity was planted at Rome. 

As far as Appii Forum] About 52 miles from 
Rome; a long way to come on purpose to meet the 
apostle! The Appit Forum, or Market of Appius, 
was a town on the Appian way, a road paved from 
Rome to Campania, by the consul Appius Claudius. 
It was near the sea, and was a famous resort for 
sailors, pedlers, ἅς. Horace, lib. i. Satyr. 5, ver. 3, 
mentions this place on his journey from Rome to 
Brundusium :— 


Inde Forum Appi 
Differtum nautis, cauponibus atque malignis. 


“To Forum Appii thence we steer, a place 
Stuff’d with rank doatmen, and with vintners base.” 


This town is now called Cesarilla de S. Maria. 


And the Three Taverns] This was another place 
on the same road, and about 33 miles from Rome. 
Some of the Roman Christians had come as far as 
Appii Forum; others, to the Three Taverns. Bp. 
Pearce remarks, there are some ruins in that place 
which are now called Tre Taverne; and this place 
Cicero mentions in his epistles to Atticus, lib. ii. 11. 
Ab Appi Foro hora quarta: dederam aliam paulo ante 
m Tribus Tabernis. “ὁ Dated at ten in the morning, 
from Appii Forum. I sent off another (epistle) a little 
before, from the Three Taverns.” 

Zosimus, lib. 2, mentions τρία καπηλεῖα, the three 
taverns, or victualling houses, where the Emperor 


Severus was strangled by the treason of Mazximinus 
Herculeus, and his son Mazentius. See Lightfoot. 

The word taberna, from trabs, a beam, signifies any 
building formed of timber; such as those we call 
booths. sheds, &c.. which are formed of beams, planks, 
boards, and the like; and therefore we may consider 
it as implying, either a temporary residence, or some 
mean building, such as a cotlage, ὅς. And in this 
sense Horace evidently uses it, Carm. lib. i. Od. iv. 
ver. 13 :— 


Pallida mors e@quo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas 
Regumque turres. 


“ With equal pace, impartial Fate 
Knocks at the palace as the cotlage gate.” 
Francis. 


This place, at first, was probably a place for booths 
or sheds, three of which were remarkable; other 
houses became associated with them in process of 
time, and the whole place denominated Tres Taberna, 
from the three first remarkable booths set up there. 
It appears to have been a large town in the fourth 
century, as Optatus mentions Felix a Tribus Tabernis, 
Felix of the Three Taverns, as one of the Christian 
bishops. 

Thanked God, and took courage.| He had longed 
to see Rome ; (see Rom. i. 9-15 ;) and, finding him- 
self brought through so many calamities, and now so 
near the place that he was met by a part of that 
Church to which, some years before, he had written 
an epistle, he gave thanks to God, who had preserved 
him; and ¢éook fresh courage, in the prospect of 
bearing there a testimony for his Lord and Master. 

Verse 16. The captain of the guard) Στρατοπεδαρχῃ. 
This word properly means the commander of a camp 
but it signifies the prefect, or commander of the pre: 
torian cohorts, or emperor's guards. 

Tacitus (Annal. lib. iv. cap. 2) informs us that, in 
the reign of Tiberius, Sejanus, who was then prefect 
of these troops, did, in order to accomplish his ambi- 
tious designs, cause them to be assembled from their 
quarters in the city, and stationed in a fortified camp 
near it; so that their commander is with peculiar 
propriety styled by St. Luke στρατοπεδαρχης, the 
commander of the camp. For the arrival of St. Paur 
at Rome was in the seventh year of Nero; and it is 
certain, from Suetonius, (in Tiber. cap. 37,) that the 
custom of keeping the pretorian soldiers in a camp, 
near the city, was retained by the emperors succeed- 
ing Tiberius ; for the historian observes that Claudius, 
at his accession to the empire, was received into the 
camp, in castra delatus est, namely, of the pretorian 
cohorts; and so Tacitus says of Nero, An. lib. xii. 
cap. 69, that on the same occasion, tdlatus castris, he 
| was brought into the camp. Dr. Doddridge observes 

901 


Paul calls the chief of the Jews 


A M. cir. 4067. 


A. D. cir. 63. 17 Ἵ And it came to pass, ° that 


after three days Paul called the 
or O&** chief of the Jews together: and 
when they were come together, he said unto 
them, Men and brethren, ? though I have com- 
mitted nothing against the people, or customs 
of our fathers, yet 4 was I delivered prisoner 
from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 

18 Who, *when they had examined me, 
would have let me go, because there was no 
cause of death in me. 

19 But when the Jews spake against τέ, “1 
was constrained to appeal unto Cesar: not 
that I had aught to accuse my nation of. 

20 For this cause, therefore, have I called 
for you, to see you, and to speak with you: 


THE ACTS. 


σε, ether, and states has case to them 


because that tfor the hope of 4.,™. cir. 4067. 
Z ἦ A. Ὁ. cir. 63. 
Israel 1 am bound with “this ἀπ. Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 3. 


chain. eee el ae 

21 And they said unto him, We neither re- 
ceived letters out of Judea concerning thee, 
neither any of the brethren that came showed 
or spake any harm of thee. 

22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou 
thinkest : for as concerning this sect, we know 
that every where Vit is spoken against. 

23 Ἵ And when they had appointed him a 
day, there came many to him into his lodging ; 
* to whom he expounded and testified the 
kingdom of God, persuading them concerning 
Jesus, * both out of the law of Moses, and out 
of the prophets, from morning till evening. 


ο Chap. xxv. 8, 10; Psa. exii. 5. P Chap. xxiv. 12, 13 ; xxv. 8. 
4 Chap. xxi. 33.—" Chap. xxii. 24; xxiv. 10; xxv. 8; xxvi. 31. 
® Chap. xxv. 11.—* Chap. xxvi. 6, 7. ἃ Chap. xxvi. 29; Eph. 


iii. 1; iv. 1; vi. 20; 2Tim.i.16; ii.9; Phil. 10, 13. ¥ Luke ii. 
34; chap. xxiv. 5,14; 1 Pet. ii. 12; iv. 14——w Luke xxiv. 27; 
chap. xvii. 3; xix. 8——* See on chap. xxvi. 6, 22. 


that it was customary for prisoners who were brought 
to Rome to be delivered to this officer, who had the 
charge of the state prisoners, as appears from the 
instance of Agrippa, who was taken into custody by 
Macro, the pretorian prefect, who succeeded Sejanus ; 
(Joseph. Ant. lib. xviii. cap. 7. sec. 6;) and from 
Trajan’s order to Pliny, when two were in commission, 
Plin. lib. x. ep. 65. Vincius mitti ad prefectos 
pretorii mez debet: he should be sent bound to the 
prefects of my guards. The person who now had 
that office was the noted Afran us Burrhus; but both 
before and after him it was held by two: Tacit. An. 
lib. xii. sec. 42; lib. xiv. sec. 51. See Parkhurst. 

Burrhus was a principal instrument in raising Nero 
to the throne ; and had considerable influence in re- 
pressing many of the vicious inclinations of that bad 
prince. With many others, he was put to death by 
the inhuman Nero. Burrhus is praised by the histo- 
rians for moderation and love of justice. His treatment 
of St. Paul is no mean proof of this. Calmet. 

With a soldier that kept him.] That is, the soldier 
to whom he was chained, as has been related before, 
chap. xii. 6. 

Verse 17. Paul called the chief of the Jews toge- 
her] We have already seen, in chap. xviii. 2, that 
Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome ; 
see the note there: but it seems they were permitted 
to return very soon; and, from this verse, it appears 
that there were then chiefs, probably of synagogues, 
dwelling at Rome. 

I have committed nothing] Lest they should have 
heard and received malicious reports against him, he 
thought it best to state his own case. 

Verse 20. For the hope of Israel Iam bound, ὅδε. 
As if he had said: This, and this alone, is the cause 
of my being delivered into the hands of the Romans; 
Thave proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah; have main- 
tained that though he was crucified by the Jews, yet 
he rose again from the dead; and, through him, I have 
preached the general resurrection of mankind : this all 
Israel professes to hope for; and yet it is on this ac- 

902 


count that the Jews persecute me. Both the Messiah 
and the resurrection might be said to be the hope of 
Israel; and it is hard to tell which of them is here 
meant: see chap. xxiii. 6; xxiv. 15,21; and xxvi. 6. 
It is certain that, although the Jews believed in the 
general resurrection, yet they did not credit it in the 
manner in which Paul preached it; for he laid the 
foundation of the general resurrection on the resurrec- 
tion of Christ. 

Verse 21. We neither recewed letters, 4.1 This 
is very strange, and shows us that the Jews knew their 
cause to be hopeless, and therefore did not send it for- 
ward to Rome. They wished for an opportunity to 
kill Paul; and, when they were frustrated by his ap- 
peal to the emperor, they permitted the business to 
drop. Calmet supposes they had not time to send , 
but this supposition does not appear to be sufficiently 
solid: they might have sent long before Paul sailed : 
and they might have written officially by the vessel ir. 
which the centurion and the prisoners were embarked. 
But their case was hopeless ; and they could not augur 
any good to themselves from making a formal com- 
plaint against the apostle at the emperor’s throne. 

Verse 22. For as concerning this sect] See the 
note on chap. xxiv. 14. A saying of Justin Martyr 
casts some light on this saying of the Jews: he asserts 
that the Jews not only cursed them in their synagogues, 
but they sent out chosen men from Jerusalem, to ac- 
quaint the world, and particularly the Jews everywhere, 
that the Christians were an atheistical and wicked 
sect, which should be detested and abhorred by al! 
mankind. Justin Martyr, Dial. p. 234. 

Verse 23. To whom he expounded—the kingdom 
of God] To whom he showed that the reign of the 
Messiah was to be a spiritual reign; and that Jesus, 
whom the Jewish rulers had lately crucified, was the 
true Messiah, who should rule in this spiritual king- 
dom. These two points were probably those on which 
he expatiated from morning to evening, proving both 
out of the law and out of the prophets. How easily 
Jesus, as the Messiah, and his spiritual kingdom, might 

1 


Effects of his preaching at Rome, 


A, Meir. 4067. 24 And some believed the 
ΑΒΗ στο things which were spoken, and 
cw. 


.- some believed not. 

25 And when they agreed not among 
themselves, they departed, after that Paul 
had spoken one word, Well spake the 
poly Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our 
fathers, 

26 Saying, 7 Go unto this people, and say, 
Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not under- 
stand ; and seeing ye shall see, and not per- 
ceive : 

27 For the heart of this people is waxed 
gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and 
their eyes have they closed; lest they should 
see with thei eyes, and hear with their ears, 


CHAP. XXVIII. 


where he dwelt two whole years 


and understand with their heart, 4, ΜΙ cir. 4067. 
and should be converted, and 1 An. Olymp. 
cir. CCX. 3. 


should heal them. :εξεδθ λκίς ας." 
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the 
salvation of God is sent * unto the Gentiles, 
and that they will hear it. 
29 And when he had said these words, the 
Jews departed, and had great reasoning among 
themselves. 


30 Ἵ And Paul dwelt two whole Δ ΔΙ, cir. 4069 
years in his own hired house, and An. Olymp. 


2 Ἂ : cir. ΟΟΣΙ. 1. 
received all that came in unto him, --.ὄ 


31 » Preaching the kingdom of God, and teach- 
ing those things which concern the Lord Jesus 
Christ, with all confidence, °no man forbid 
ding him. 


y Chap. xiv. 4; xvil. 4; xix. 9. Isa. vi. 9; Jer. v. 21; 
Ezek. xii. 2; Matt. xiii. 14,15; Mark iv. 12; Luke viii. 10; 
John xii. 40; Rom. xi. 8. 


a Matt. xxi. 41, 43; chap. xiii. 46, 47; xviii. 6; xxii. 21; xxvi. 
17, 18; Rom. xi. 11——> Chap. iv. 31; Eph. vi. 19.——* Chap. 
xvi. 18; 2 Tim. ii. 8, 9. 


be proved from the law of Moses, any person may be 
satisfied, by consulting the notes written on those books. 
As to the prophets, their predictions are so clear, and 
their prophecies so obviously fulfilled in the person, 
preaching, miracles, passion, and death of Jesus Christ, 
that it is utterly impossible, with any show of reason, 
to apply them to any other. 

Verse 24. Some believed, §c.] His message was 
there treated as his Gospel is to the present day : some 
believe, and are converted ; others continue in obstinate 
aabelief, and perish. Could the Jews then have cre- 
dited the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom, 
they would have found little difficulty to receive Jesus 
Christ as the Messtau. 

Multitudes of those now called Christians can more 
easily credit Jesus as the Messiah than believe the spirit- 
ual nature of his kingdom. The cross is the great stum- 
bling block : millions expect Jesus and his kingdom who 
cannot be persuaded that the cross is the way tothe crown. 

Verse 25. Agreed not among themselves} It seems 
that a controversy arose between the Jews themselves, 
in consequence of some delieving, and others disbeliev- 
ing; and the two parties contested fogether ; and, in 
respect to the unbelieving party, the apostle quoted the 
following passage from Isa. vi. 9. 

Verse 26. Hearing ye shall hear, §c.] See the 
notes on Matt. xiii. 14, and John xii. 39, 40. 

Verse 28. The salvation of God is sent unto the 
Gentiles] St. Paul had spoken to this effect twice 
before, chap. xiii. 46, and chap. xviii. 6, where see 
the notes; but here he uses a firmer tone, being out of 
the Jewish territories, and under the protection of the 
emperor. By the salvation of God, all the blessings 
of the kingdom of Christ are intended. This salva- 
tion God could have sent unto the Gentiles, independ- 
ently of the Jewish disobedience ; but He waited till 
they had rejected it, and then reprobate? them, and 
elected the Gentiles. Thus the elect became reprobate, 
and the reprobate elect. 


They will hear it.) That is, they will obey it; 


tor axovery signifies, not only to hear, but also do obey. | 


1 


Verse 29. And had great reasoning among them- 
selves.| The believers contending with the unbelievers ; 
and thus we may suppose that the cause of truth gained 
ground. For contentions about the truth and authen- 
ticity of the religion of Christ infallibly end in the tri- 
umph and extension of that religion. 

Verse 30. Paul dwelt two whole years in lus own 
hired house] As a state prisoner, he might have had 
an apartment in the common prison; but peculiar 
favour was showed him, and he was permitted to dwell 
alone, with the soldier that guarded him, ver. 16. 
Finding now an opportunity of preaching the Gospel, 
he hired a house for the purpose, and paid for it, St. 
Chrysostom observes, by the fruits of his own labour. 
Here he received all that came unto him, and preach- 
ed the Gospel with glorious success ; so that his bonds 
became the means of spreading the truth, and he became 
celebrated even in the palace of Nero, Phil. i. 12, 13; 
and’ we find that there were several saints, even in 
Cesar’s household, Phil. iv. 22, which were, no 
doubt, the fruits of the apostle’s ministry. It is said 
that during his two years’ residence here he became 
acquainted with Seneca, the philosopher, between whom 
and the apostle an epistolary correspondence took place. 
In an ancient MS. of Seneca’s epistles in my own pos- 
session, these letters are extant, and are in number four- 
teen and have a prologue tothem written by St. Jerome. 
That they are very ancient cannot be doubted; but 
learned men have long ago agreed that they are neither 
worthy of Paul nor of Seneca. 

While he was in captivity, the Church at Philippi, 
to which he was exceedingly dear, sent him some pe- 
cuniary assistance by the hands of their minister, Epa- 
phroditus, who, it appears, risked his life in the service 
of the apostle, and was taken with a dangerous malady. 
When he got well, he returned to Philippi, and, it is 
supposed, carried with him that epistle which is still 
extant; and from it we learn that Timothy was then 
at Rome with Paul, and that he had the prospect of 
being shortly delivered from his captivity. See Phil. 
i. 12,13. ii. 255 iv. 15, 16, 18, &c. 

903 


General observations on the 


Verse 31. Preaching the kingdom of God] Showing 
the spiritual nature of the true Church, under the reign 
of the Messiah. For an explanation of this phrase, 
see the note on Matt. ili. 2. 

Those things which concern the Lord] The Re- 
deemer of the world was to be represented as the Lorp ; 
as Jesus; and as the Curist. As the Lord, ὁ Κυριος, 
the sole potentate, upholding all things by the word of 
his power; governing the world and the Church; having 
all things under his control, and all his enemies under 
his feet; in short, the maker and upholder of all things, 
and the judge of all men. As Jesus—the Saviour ; 
he who saves, delivers, and preserves; and especially 
he who saves his people from their sins. For the ex- 
planation of the word Jesus, see the note on John i. 17. 
As Christ—the same as Messiah; both signifying the 
Anointep : he who was appointed by the Lord to this 
great and glorious work; who had the Spirit without 
measure, and who anoints, communicates the gifts 
and graces of that Spirit to all true believers. St. 
Paul taught the things which concerned or belonged to 
the Lord Jesus Christ. He proved him to be the 
Messiah foretold by the prophets, and expected by the 
Jews; he spoke of what he does as the Lord, what he 
does as Jesus, and what he does as Christ. These 
contain the sum and substance of all that is called the 
Gospel of Christ. Yet, the things which concern the 
Lord Jesus Christ, necessarily include the whole ac- 
count of his incarnation, preaching in Judea, miracles, 
persecutions, passion, death, burial, resurrection, ascen- 
ston, intercession, and his sending down the gifts and 
graces of the Holy Spirit. These were the subjects 
on which the apostle preached for two whole years, 
during his imprisonment at Rome. 

With all confidence] Παρῥησιας, Liberty of speech; 
perfect freedom to say all he pleased, and when he 
pleased. He had the fullest toleration from the Ro- 
man government to preach as he pleased, and what 
he pleased; and the unbelieving Jews had no power 
to prevent him. 

It is supposed that it was during this residence at 
Rome that he converted Onesimus, and sent him back 
to his master Philemon, with the epistle which is still 
extant. And it is from ver. 23 and 24, of that epistle, 
that we learn that Paul had then with him Epaphras, 
Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. 

Here St. Luke’s account of Paul’s travels and suffer- 
ings ends ; and itis probable that this history was written 
soon after the end ofthe éwo years mentioned in ver. 30. 

That the apostle visited many places after this, suf- 
fered much in the great cause of Christianity, and 
preached the Gospel of Jesus with amazing success, 
is generally believed. How he came to be liberated 
we are not told ; but it is likely that, having been kept 
in this sort of confinement for about two years, and 
none appearing against him, he was released by the 
imperial order, 

Concerning the time, place, and manner of his death, 
we have little certainty. It is commonly believed 
that, when a generai persecution was raised against 
the Christians by Nero, about A. D. 64, under pre- 
tence that they had set Rome on fire, both St. Paul 
and St. Peter then sealed the truth with their blood; 


THE ACTS. 


book of the Acts of the Apostles. 


former being beheaded, either in A. D. 64 or 65, and 
buried in the Via Ostiensis. Eusrsius, Hist. Eccles. 
lib. ii. cap. 25, intimates that the tombs of these two 
apostles, with their inscriptions, were extant in his 
time ; and quotes as his authority a holy man of the 
name of Caius, who wrote against the sect of the 
Cataphrygians, who has asserted this, as from his per- 
sonal knowledge. See Eusebius, by Reading, vol. i. 
p. 83; and see Dr. Lardner, in his life of this apostle, 
who examines this account with his usual perspicuity 
and candour. Other writers have been more particu- 
Jar concerning his death: they say that it was not by 
the command of Nero that he was martyred, but by 
that of the prefects of the city, Nero being then ab- 
sent; that he was beheaded at Ague Salvia, about 
three miles from Rome, on Feb. 22; that he could 
not be crucified, as Peter was, because he was a free- 
man of the city of Rome. But there is great uncer- 
tainty on these subjects, so that we cannot positively 
rely on any account that even the ancients have trans- 
mitted to us concerning the death of this apostle ; and 
much less on the accounts given by the moderns ; and 
least of all on those which are to be found in the Mar- 
tyrologists. Whether Paul ever returned after this 
to Rome has not yet been satisfactorily proved. It is 
probable that he did, and suffered death there, as stated 
above ; but still we have no certainty. 


Tuere are several subscriptions to this book in dif- 
ferent manuscripts: these are the principal.—The 
Acts of the Apostles—The Acts of the holy Apostles 
—The end of the Acts of the holy Apostles, written 
by Luke the Evangelist, and fellow traveller of the 
ulustrious Apostle Paul—By the holy Apostle and 
Evangelist Luke, ὅτ. ὅτε. 

The versions are not less various in their sud- 
scriptions. 

The end of the Acts, that is, the History of the holy 
Apostles. —Syriac. 

Under the auspices and help of God, the book of the 
Acts of the pure Apostles is finished ; whom we hum- 
bly supplicate to obtain us mercy by all their prayers. 
Amen. And may praise be ascribed to God, the Lord 
of the universe !—AraBic. 

This (book) of the Acts of the Apostles, which has 
been by many translated into the Roman tongue, 1s 
translated from the Roman and Greek tongue into the 
Ablthiopic.—ASTHI0PIC. 

On the nature and importance of the Acts of the 
Apostles, see what is said in the preface to this book. 
To which may be added the following observations, 
taken from the conclusion of Dr. Dodd’s Commentary. 

“The plainness and simplicity of the narration are 
strong circumstances in its favour; the writer appears 
to have been very honest and impartial, and to have 
set down, very fairly, the objections which were made 
to Christianity, both by Jews and heathens, and the 
reflections which enemies cast upon it, and upon the 
first preachers of it. He has likewise, with a just and 
honest freedom, mentioned the wealinesses, faults, and 
prejudices, both of the apostles and their converts. 
There is a great and remarkable harmony between the 
occasional hints dispersed up and down in St. Paul’s 


the latter being crueified with his head downward ; the | epistles, and the facts recorded in this history; inso 


904 


1 


Concluding observations 


much as that it is generally acknowledged that the 
history of the Acts is the best clew to guide us in the 
studying of the epistles written by that apostle. The 
other parts of the New Testament do likewise agree 
with this history, and give great confirmation to it; for 
the doctrines and principles are every where uniformly 
the same; the conclusions of the gospels contain a 
brief account of those things which are more particu- 
larly related in the beginning of the Acts. And there 
are frequent intimations, in other parts of the gospels, 
that such an effusion of the Spirit was expected ; and 
that with a view to the very design which the apostles 
and primitive Christians are said to have carried on, 
by virtue of that extraordinary effusion which Christ 
poured out upon his disciples after his ascension ; and, 
finally, the epistles of the other apostles, as well as 
those of St. Paul, plainly suppose such things to have 
happened as are related in the Acts of the Apostles ; 
so that the history of the Acts is one of the most im- 
portant parts of the sacred history, for neither the gos- 
pels nor epistles could have been so clearly understood 
without it; but by the help of it the whole scheme of 
the Christian revelation is set before us in an easy and 
manifest view. 

“ Even the incidental things mentioned by St. Luke 
are so exactly agreeable to all the accounts which re- 
main of the best ancient historians, among the Jews 
and heathens, that no person who had forged such a 
history, in later ages, could have had that external 
confirmation, but would have betrayed himself by al- 
luding to some customs or opinions since sprung up ; 
or by misrepresenting some circumstance, or using 
some phrase or expression not then in use. The plea 
of forgery, therefore, in later ages, cannot be allowed; 
and for a man to have published a history of such 
things so early as St. Luke wrote ; (that is, while some 
of the apostles and many other persons were alive 
who were concerned in the transactions which he has 
recorded ;) if his account had not been punctually true, 
could have been only to have exposed himself to an 
easy confutation and certain infamy. 

“ As, therefore, the Acts of the Apostles are in them- 
selves consistent and uniform, the incidental things 
agreeable to the best ancient historians which have 
come down to us, and the main facts supported and 
confirmed by the other books of the New Testament, 
and by the unanimous testimony of so many of the 
ancient fathers, we may, I think, very fairly, and with 
great justness, conclude that, if any history of former 
times deserves credit, the Acts of the Apostles ought 
to be received and credited ; and, if the history of the 
Acts of the Apostles be true, Christianity cannot be 
false: for a doctrine so good in itself, and attended 
with so many miraculous and Divine testimonies, has 
all the possible marks of a true revelation.” 

On St. Paut’s character and conduct, see the obser- 
vations at the end of chap. ix., where the subject is 
particularly considered. 

The book of the Acts is not only a history of the 
Church, the most ancient and most impartial, as it is 
the most authentic extant ; but it is also a history of 
God’s grace and providence. The manner in which 
he has exerted himself in favour of Christianity, and 
of the persons who were originally employed to dis- 


CHAP. XXVIII. 


on the evangelical history. 


seminate its doctrines, shows us the highest marks of 
the Divine approbation. Had not that cause been of 
God, could he have so signally interposed in its be- 
half? Would he have wrought such a series of mira- 
cles for its propagation and support ? And would all its 
genuine professors have submitted to sustain the loss 
of all things, had not his own Spirit, by its consola- 
tions in their hearts, given them to feel that his favour 
was better than life 1 

That the hardships suffered by the primitive apos- 
tles and Christians were great, the facts themselves 
related in this book sufficiently declare: that their 
consolation and happiness were abundant, the cheerful 
manner in which they met and sustained those hard- 
ships demonstrates. He who cordially embraced Chris- 
tianity found himself no loser by it; if he lost earthly 
good in consequence, it was infinitely overbalanced by 
the spiritual good which he received. Paul himself, 
who suffered most, had this compensated by super- 
abounding happiness. Wherever the Gospel comes, 
it finds nothing but darkness, sin, and misery ; wher- 
ever it is received, it communicates light, holiness, 
and felicity. Reader, magnify thy God and Saviour, 
who hath ealled thee to such a state of salvation. 
Should thou neglect it, how grievous must thy punish- 
ment be! Not only receive its doctrines, as a system 
of wisdom and goodness, but receive them as motives 
of conduct, and as a rule of life; and show thy con- 
scientious belief of them, by holding the truth in right- 
eousness, and thus adorn these doctrines of God thy 
Saviour in all things.—Amen. 

I have often with pleasure, and with great advantage 
to my subject, quoted Dr. Lardner, whose elaborate 
works in defence of Divine revelation are really be- 
yond all praise. The conclusion of his Credibility of 
the Gospel History is peculiarly appropriate ; and the 
introduction of it here can need no apology. I hope, 
with him, I may also say :-— 

“ T have now performed what I undertook, and have 
shown that the account given by the sacred writers of 
persons and things is confirmed by other ancient au- 
thors of the best note. There is nothing in the books 
of the New Testament unsuitable to the age in which 
they are supposed to have been written. There 
appears in these writers a knowledge of the affairs of 
those times, not to be found in authors of later ages. 
We are hereby assured that the books of the New 
Testament are genuine, and that they were written by 
persons who lived at or near the time of those events 
of which they have given the history. 

“ Any one may he sensible how hard it is for the 
most learned, acute, and cautious man, to write a book 
in the character of some person of an earlier age ; and 
not betray his own time by some mistake about the 
affairs of the age in which he pretends to place him- 
self; or by allusions to customs or principles since 
sprung up; or by some phrase or expression not then 
in use. It is no easy thing to escape all these dan- 
gers inthe smallest performance, though it be a treatise 
of theory or speculation: these hazards are greatly 
increased when the work is of any length; and espe- 
cially if it be historical, and be concerned with cha- 
racters and customs. It is yet more difficult to carry 
on such a design in a work consisting of several piecea 

905 


THE 


Concluding observations 


written, to all appearance, by several persons. Many 
indeed are desirous to deceive, but all hate to be de- 
ceived; and therefore, though attempts have been 
made to impose upon the world in this way, they have 
never, or very rarely, succeeded ; but have been de- 
tected and exposed by the skill and vigilance of those 
who have been concerned for the truth. 

“The volume of the New Testament consists of 
several pieces: these are ascribed to eight several 
persons ; and there are the strongest appearances that 
they were not all written by any one hand, but by as 
many persons as they are ascribed to. ‘There are 
lesser differences in the relations of some facts, and 
such seeming contradictions as would never have hap- 
pened if these books had been all the work of one per- 
son, or of several who wrote in concert. There are 
as many peculiarities of temper and style as there are 
names of writers; divers of which show no depth of 
genius nor compass of knowledge. Here are repre- 
sentations of titles, posts, behaviour of persons of higher 
and lower rank, in many parts of the world; persons 
are introduced, and their characters are set in a full 
light ; here is a history of things done in several cities 
and countries ; and there are allusions to a vast variety 
of customs and tenets, of persons of several nations, 
sects, and religions. The whole is written without 
affectation, with the greatest simplicity and plainness, 
and is confirmed by other ancient writers of unques- 
tionable authority. If it be difficult for a person of 
learning and experience to compose a small treatise 
concerning matters of speculation, with the characters 
of a more early age than that in which he writes, it is 
next to impossible that such a work of considerable 
length, consisting of several pieces, with a great vari- 
ety of historical facts, representations of characters, 
principles, and customs of several nations, and distant 
countries, of persons of ranks and degrees, of many 
interests and parties, should be performed by eight 
several persons, the most of them unlearned, without 
any appearance of concert. 

“6 1 might perhaps call this argument a demonstra- 
tion, if that term had not been often misapplied by men 
of warm imagination, and been bestowed upon reason- 
ings that have but a small degree of probability. But 
though it should not be a strict demonstration that 
these writings are genuine, or though it be not abso- 
lutely impossible, in the nature of the thing, that the 
books of the New Testament should have been com- 
posed in a later age than that to which they are as- 
signed, and of which they have innumerable characters, 
yet, I think, it is in the highest degree improbable, and 
altogether incredible. 

“Tf the books of the New Testament were written 
by persons who lived before the destruction of Jeru- 
salem, that is, if they were written at the time in 
which they are said to have been written, the things 
related in them are true. If they had not been mat- 
ter of fact, they would not have been credited by any 
persons near that time, and in those parts of the world 
in which they are said to have been done, but would 
have been treated as the most notorious lies and false- 
hoods. Suppose three or four books should now ap- 
pear amongst us, in the language most generally un- 
derstood, giving an account of many remarkable and 

906 


ACTS. on the evangelical hastery 
extraordinary events, which had happened in some 
kingdom of Hurope, and in the most noted cities of 
the countries next adjoining to it; some of them said 
to have happened between sixty and seventy years ago, 
others between twenty and thirty, others nearer our 
own time ; would they not be looked upon as the most 
manifest and ridiculous forgeries and impostures that 
ever were contrived? Would great numbers of per- 
sons in those very places, change their religious prin 
ciples and practices upon the credit of things reported 
to be publicly done, which no man ever heard of be- 
fore? Or, rather, is it possible that such a design as 
this would be conceived by any sober and serious per- 
sons, or even the most wild and extravagant? If the 
history of the New Testament be credible, the Chris- 
tian religion is true. If the :hings that were related 
to have been done by Jesu:, and by his followers, by 
virtue of powers derived from him, do not prove a per- 
son to come from God, and that his doctrine is true 
and divine, nothing can. And as Jesus does here, in 
the circumstances of his birth, life, sufferings, and after 
exaltation, and in the success of his doctrine, answer 
the description of the great person promised and fore- 
told in the Old Testament, he is at the same time 
showed to be the Messiah. 

« From the agreement of the writers of the New 
Testament with other ancient writers, we are not 
only assured that these books are genuine, but also 
that they are come down to us pure and uncorrupted, 
without any considerable interpolations or alterations. 
If such had been made in them, there would have ap- 
peared some smaller differences at least between them 
and other ancient writings. 

“There has been in all ages a wicked propensity in 
mankind to advance their own notions and fancies by 
deceits and forgeries: they have been practised by 
heathens, Jews, and Christians, in support of imaginary 
historical facts, religious schemes and practices, and 
political interests. With these views some whole books 
have been forged, and passages inserted into others of 
undoubted authority. Many of the Christian writers 
of the second and third centuries, and of the following 
ages, appear to have had false notions concerning the 
state of Judea between the nativity of Jesus and the 
destruction of Jerusalem ; and concerning many other 
things occasionally mentioned in the New Testament. 
The consent of the best ancient writers with those of 
the New Testament is a proof that these books are 
still untouched, and that they have not been new mo- 
delled and altered by Christians of later times, in con- 
formity to their own peculiar sentiments. 

“This may be reckoned an argument that the gene- 
rality of Christians had a very high veneration for 
these books; or else that the several sects among 
them have had an eye upon each other, that no alter- 
ations might be made in those writings to which they 
have all appealed. It is also an argument that the Di 
vine providence has all along watched over and guarded 
these books, (a very fit object of especial care,) which 
contain the best of principles, were apparently written 
with the best views, and have in them inimitable cha- 
racters of truth and simplicity..—See Dr. Lardner’s 
Works, vol. i. p. 419. 

Let him answer these arguments who can.—A. C 

1 


ADVERTISMENT 
TO THE FOLLOWING 


CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES TO THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 


WITH 


Some additional observations on Luke wii. 1 


HE Chronology of the New Testament being, in some sort, completed in the book of the Acts, | have 
judged it necessary to lay before the reader a series of tables, which might enable him to judge more 
readily of the facts laid down in the evangelical and apostolical histories ; and of such transactions of the dif- 
ferent heathen governments as took place during the period through which these tables extend, and which had 
less or more influence on the infant cause of Christianity. 

Taste J.—Contains all the important epochs which have been used by the different civilized nations of the 
earth ; extending from the sixth year before the nativity of our Lord, according to the vulgar era. to A. D. 100; 
in which, Ist, the reigns of the Roman emperors are included, together with—2, the governors of the Jews 
under the Romans ; 3, the kings of the Parthians ; 4, the governors of Syria; and 5, the Jewish high priests ; 
and, to make this complete, I have added—1, the Epact ; 2, Easter term ; 3, Jewish Passover ; 4, Dominical 
Letters ; 5, years of the Solar Cycle; 6, ditto of the Jewish Cycle; 7, Golden Number ; and 8, the years of 
the Dionysian period. 

Taste I].—Contains the Fasti Consulares, or years and names of the Roman consuls, which are indispen 
sably necessary to ascertain the dates of several transactions in the Roman, Jewish, and Christian history. 

Taste I[J.—Contains a chronological arrangement of important events, during the period of the above 106 
years; in which every occurrence of moment, whether among the Jews, Christians, or Romans, is faithfully 
noted ; the whole calculated to throw light on the connected history of those times and nations. For a 
particular description of the eras above mentioned, the reader is requested to refer to page vi. of the preface to 
St. Matthew’s Gospel. As these tables are so plain in themselves as to require very little illustration, and the 
epochs are so fully explained in the preface already referred to, I need say nothing farther of them in this 
place ; but, as some doubts have been entertained concerning the correctness of a chronological statement in the 
Gospel of Luke, chap. iii. ver. 1, I think it necessary to enter into a more particular consideration of that 
subject than is contained in my notes on that place. 


CuronoLocers are generally agreed that our Lord was born four years before the commencement of what 
is termed the vutcar era of his nativity; that is, in the 749th year from the building of Rome, according to 
Varro. Herod the Great died about the 751st year of Rome, two years before the present vulgar era, accord 
ing to the most accurate chronologers : therefore, our common computation must be four years too late. ΤΙ 
is universally agreed that Augustus reigned till A. D. 14, according to the common reckoning ; therefore, the 
30th year of Christ's age must correspond to the 12th year after the death of Augustus ; or, which is the 
same, to the 12th year of the sole reign of Tiberius Cesar; and, as according to the general custom of the 
Jews a person was not deemed qualified to enter on the public work of the ministry before he was 30 years of 
age, (though some did it at 25,) it may be safely stated that the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius coincided 
with the 30th year of the Baptist’s age ; and therefore it must have coincided also with the 30th year of our 
Lord’s age : as the latter was born only six months after the former. 

But here a question of great importance, and apparent difficulty, arises : if, as the greatest chronologers agree, 
Christ’s 30th year was the same with the 12th year after the death of Augustus, how then can A. D. 26, 
which appears in these notes in the margin of Luke, chap. iii. 1, be called both the 12th and 15th year of 
the reign of Tiberius? There are several ways of solving this difficulty ; but I need refer only to the follow- 
ing, which is sufficiently obvious: on August 28, A. D. 11, Augustus associated Tiberius with himself in the 
full government of the empire ; or, as Vellius Paterculus expresses it, ut equum οἱ jus in omnibus provinciis 
exercitibusque esset, quam erat ipst: “that he might have equal power with himself in all the provinces and 
inall the armies of the empire.” Now, this accounts exactly for the three years of difference which appear 
to exist between the statement of St. Luke, and the computation of modern chronologists: the former reckon- 
ing from the time in which Tiberius was associated in the empire with Augustus; the latter, from the death of 
Angustus, when Tiberius became sole emperor. For, as Tiberius was associated with Augustus on August 

1 907 


ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON LUKE, chap. iii., ver. 1. 


28 A.D. 11, and Augustus died August 19, A. D. 14, it appears that the time in which the two emperors 
reigned conjointly was exactly two years and three hundred and fifty-six days, or three years all but nine days. 
That St. Luke reckoned the years of Tiberius from the above period, as many others certainly did, and not 
from the death of Augustus, is exceedingly probable; because, taken thus, all his dates agree and a person 
who has been so careful as St. Luke evidently was to fix the dates of the most important transactions he 
relates, by several chronological data, (as I have had occasion more than once to remark in the notes on his 
Gospel and the Acts,) could not be guilty of such an oversight as this would be, had he dated from the death 
of Augustus, every candid reader must allow. Besides, he uses a term which may be fairly thus explained, 
Luke ili. 1: Ev erec de πεντεκαιδεκατῳ τῆς ἡγεμονιας TiBepiov ; In the fifteenth year of the GOVERNMENT of 
Tiberius ; a term which is applied, not only by the sacred writers, but also by the best Greek authors, to signify 
government in general, whether administered by king, emperor, deputy, toparch, pretor, or any other; and that 
the word should be understood of government in this general way, and not of that which is restricted to a 
basileus, imperator, or monarch, who reigns alone, not dividing the empire with any, and consequently being 
accountable to none, is rendered extremely probable by this use of the term in the very next word in this sen- 
tence: Pontius Pilate being GOVERNOR, ἡγεμονευοντος, (executing the office of governor,) of Judea; who cer- 
tainly was not monarch of Judea, but a deputy of the Roman emperor. As Pilate, therefore, governed by the 
authority of Augustus, so Tiberius reigned in conjoint power with Augustus himself; and therefore the term 
ἡγεμονία, government, and ἡγεμονευω, to exercise or execute the office of a governor, is with equal propriety 
attributed both to Tiberius, in his conjoint authority with Augustus, and to Pontius Pilate or any other governor, 
acting under the imperial authority. It would be easy to multiply examples here to show that the word may 
be as well understood of a conjoint or deputy governor, as of an emperor or monarch. ‘To all this might be 
added the consideration that Tiberius must be reputed and called emperor, by all the Roman people, as well 
during the time he was associated with Augustus as after he became sole monarch. And would it not be 
natural for them in speaking on the subject to say, Tiberius is now in the first, second, or third year of his 
reign, even while Augustus was yet living? Nor could they speak any other language with propriety. Itis 
true that, after the death of Augustus, the Roman historians generally attribute the whole forty-four years of 
the reign of Augustus (the latter three of which he had reigned conjointly with Tiberius) to Augustus himself, 
and Gate the reign of Tiberius from the death of his predecessor; and this they do merely for distinction’s 
sake: but we may safely state that no man who lived in the time of the conjoint reign of these emperors, as 
Luke did, would write in any other way concerning the reign of the surviving emperor than Luke has done. 

The chronology of very few facts in the whole compass of ancient history can be ascertained with greater 
accuracy than that of Herod’s death. Josephus, in his Jewish Antiquities, lib. xiv. cap. 14, s. 5, has fixed 
the time when Herod was named king by the Romans with so great precision as to inform us who were the 
Roman consuls that were in office at the period of this monarch’s accession to the throne. His words are: 
Ὁ μεν οὕτως την βασιλείαν παραλαμβάνει, τυχὼν αὐτῆς επί THE ἑκατοςῆς Kat ογδοηκοςῆς καὶ TETAapTHS Ολυμπίιαδος, 
ὑπατευοντὸς Tatov Δομετιου Καλουίνου το δευτερον, καὶ Ταίου Aciviov ἸΤωλίωνος. ‘* And thus he (Herod) received 
the kingdom, having obtained it in the one hundred and eighty-fourth Olympiad, when Caius Domitus Calvinus 
was consul the second time, and Caius Asinius Pollio the first time.” Now it is certain that these consuls 
were in office A. U. C. 714, according to the computation of Varro, which was that used by the Romans in 
the celebration of their secular games ; and, consequently this year must have been the same with the thirty- 
ninth before the commencement of the vulgar era of Christ’s nativity, according to the chronological table of 
Archbishop Usher, unquestionably one of the most accurate chronologers of modern times. ‘Therefore, as 
Josephus, Antiq. lib. xvii. cap. 8. s. 1, and Bell. lib. i. cap. 33, sec. 8, as well as other historians, has 
assigned the length of the reign of Herod the Great to be thirty-seven years, it is certain that the death of this 
king must have happened about the 751st year of Rome, that is to say, about two years after Christ’s birth, 
and in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of Augustus Cesar, if we reckon the years of his reign from the 
battle of Actium, at which time the government of the Triumviri was abolished, and that of emperors properly 
commenced. It is also certain, from most indisputable evidence collected from the whole body of the Roman 
and Greek historians, that Augustus Cesar died forty-four years after the battle of Actium, and consequently, 
the twelfth year of Tiberius’s sole reign must have been twenty-eight years after the death of Herod ; for 16 
(the years that Augustus reigned after Herod’s death) -+-12 = 28. It therefore follows, from the tables of 
Roman consuls, which have been carefully preserved in the Chronicon of Eusebius, that there was an interval 
of sixty-five years between the commencement of Herod’s reign and that of Christ’s public ministry ; conse- 
quently there is every evidence necessary to prove that St. Luke did reckon the years of Tiberius’s reign from 
the time that this monarch was associated with Augustus in the empire. 

By all this it appears that the time of which Luke speaks was properly the fifteenth year of the reign of 
Tiberius, though only the twelfth after the death of Augustus. And that as Herod did not die, as chronologers 
generally agree, till the 751st year of Rome, which was the second year of our Lord, therefore, the whole 
account of the murder of the innocents, as given by St. Matthew, chap. ii., is perfectly consistent. This being 
the real state of the case, it seems exceedingly strange that learned men should have made objections to the 
verity of St. Luke’s history on this account ; and that some, to the disgrace of criticism, should have had the 
weakness or bigotry to pronounce, on such untenable ground, the evangelical history of the genealogy of our 
Lord to be spurious! But wisdom is justified of her children. 

908 i 


and Chronological Facts 


TABLE I. 


Table of remarkable Eras, 


—_—_—_—_———— - 


il lal 
6 2|8 
ΞΞ Β “Ὁ 
2 3.5} Zin 
3s ils |3 | 2/3 
PET 


| 
| 
| 
| 


5503, 5497 5487 | 4705/3999 
5504/5498] 5488/4706 | 4000 
5505} 5499 | 5489 | 4707 400] 
5506] 5500) 5490 | 4708 | 4002 

7 | 5501/5491 | 4709/4003 
5508] 5502/5492 | 4710/4004 
5509/5503) 5493 |4711|4005 
5510. 5504 5494 |4712| 4006 
5511] 5505] 5495/4713 4007 
5512/5506) 5496) 4714/4008 
5513] 5507|5497|4715 4009 
5514|5508) 5498 | 4716/4010 
5515/5509) 5499| 4717/4011 
5516}5510| 5500/4718 |4012 
5517|5511/5501 | 4719/4013 
5518] 5512) 5502) 4720/4014 
5519} 5513/5503) 4721/4015 
5520]5514|5504)| 4720 4016 
5521/5515|5505| 4723 4017 
5522|5516| 5506} 4724 |4018 
5523|5517|5507| 4725 4019 
5524 5518͵5508 4726 4020 
5525,5519͵55009 4727402] 
5526] 5520) 5510 | 4728 4022 
5527|5521)5511| 4729/4023 
5528] 5522/5512) 4730/4024 
5529 5523/5513) 473] 4025 
8530]559245514 4732 4026 
5531 5525.5515,4733 4097 
553255265516 4734. 4028 
5533) 5527|5517 4735. 4029 
3534. 5528|5518. 4736| 4030 
55355529.55194737 403] 
5536) 5530/5520) 4738.4032 
5537 | 5531/5521 4739.4033 
5538, 5532/5522) 4740 |4034 
5539} 5533) 5523) 474] 4035 
5540, 5534! 5524 | 4742/4036 
5541 5535 5525 4743 4037 
5542) 5536/5526 | 4744/4038 
5543) 5537 5527 4745/4039 
5544) 5538/5528) 4746/4040 
5515. 5539 |5529| 4747/4041 
5546/ 5540/5530! 474814042 


CXCIII. 
3 


4 
CXCVIL. 
Ὁ 
4 
CXCVIIL 


4 
CXCIX. 


Q 
Q 


Q 
eBwng 


Q 


a 
wQnwnG 


Erna of the Olympiads. 


2 


3 


Ὁ 


3 


2 
3 


2 


moO 


¢ 
mWNORww 


4 
CXCIV. 


al 


= 
= 


= 
= 


= 


Year from the building of 
Rome. 


| Year of the era of the Seleachiz. 
| Year of the Cesarean era of Antioch 


758}< 
759 
τοῦ 319,55 
7601 320156 
762)321|57 
763}322/58 
764| 323/59 
765|324|60 
766|325|61 
767|326)|62 
768/327|63 
769| 328) 64 
770)\329)/65 
771 |330) 66 
772/331 | 67 
773|332|68 
774|333|69 
775|334|70 
776/335|71 
777|336|72 
778) 337|73 
779} 338 |74 
780)339)|75 
781| 340/76 
782|341 |77 
783|342|78 
784|343|79 
785/344 |80 
786} 345/81 
787|346|82 
788}347|83 
789/348 | 84 
790/349 |85 
7914350|86 


Year of the Julian era. 


Year of the Spanish era. 


40} 33 
4134 
4235 
4336 
4437 
4538 
46/39 
47/40 
4841] 
40,49 
50/43 
51} 44 
52/45 
53/46 
54] 47 
55/48 
56/49 
57|50 
58/51 
5952 
60/53 
61/54 
62/55 
63/56 
64/57 
6558 
66/59 
7 | 60 
68} 61 
69}62 
70/63 
71/64 
72165 
73/66 
74/67 
75|68 
76/69 
77|70 
771 
79/72 
80/73 
8174 


82)75 
83|76 


Year before, or from, the birth of 
Christ. 


| 
᾿ 


f, the Vulgar era 
hrist’s nativity. 


Year before, or οἱ 
οἵ 


ROMAN 
EMPERORS. 


A.D. 


31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36) 25 
371 
38! 2 


Augustus Cesar. 


The years of this|37 


emperor’s reign are 
counted from the 
battle of Actium, 
fought 31 years be- 
fore the commence- 
ment of the Christian 
era. 


Tiberius and 1 
Augustus, con- 2 
jointly. 3 

Tiberius _ reigns 


alone after the death 
of Augustus. This 
emperor reigned 224 
years after the death 
of his predecessor; 
and three years con- 
jointly with him; 
making, inthe whole, 
25: years ; which 
appears to be the 


computation follow- 


ed by St. Luke, ch. 
iii. 1, who dates from 
the time in which 
Tiberius was asso- 
ciated in the empire 
with Augustus. 


Caligula Cesar. 


GOVERNORS 
of 
THE JEWS. 


KINGS 
of the 
PARTHIANS. 


35 Herod the|32 Phraates 
36 Great. |331V. This 
34 monarch 

1 Archelaus. |35 commenc- 
2 This king|36edhisreign 
3 wasbanish-|37 37 years 
4 ed A.D. 6,|38 before the 
5 after which|/39 Christian 
6 Judea be-|40 era. 

7 camea Ro-/41 

8 man prov. [42 

1 Coponius, 148 


HIGH PRIESTS 
of 
THE JEWS. 


GOVERNORS 
of 
SYRIA 


Matthias. 
1 Joazar. 


Varus. 


CBIaurwow 


Saturninus I. 
Quirinius or} Bleazar, Jesus 


2 governor or|44 Cyrenius. |Joazar, 1 year. 
3 procurator|45 2 Ananus. 

4 ofthe Jews|46 3 or Annas. 
1 Marius [47 4 

2 Ambivius.|48 1Silanus. | 5 

3 49 2 6 

1 Annius 1 Phraataces| 3 7 

2 Rufus. 1 Orodes IL.) 4 8 

1 Valerius 1 VononusI.| 5 9 

2 Gratus. | 2 6 10 

3 3 1 Piso. ll 

4 1 Artabanus} 2 12 

5 2111. He| 1 Saturninus| 13 

6 3was de-| 2 II. 14 

7 4 throned by| 3 15 

8 5 Tiridates, | 1 Pomponius| 16 

9 6A. Ὁ. 36,| 2  Flaccus. Ismael. 
10 7 who reign-| 3 1 Eleazar. 
ll 8 ed in fis 4 2 Simon. 

1 Pontius Pi-| 9 stead. Ar-| 5 3 Caiaphas 
2 late. 10 tabanus 6 4 was high 
3 11 νγὰβ re-| 7 δ priest 9 
4 12 stored in| 8 6 years. 

5 13 the same| 9 7 

6 14 year, and/|10 8 

τ 15 Tiridates [11 9 

8 16 banished. : Jonathan. 

9 17 1 Lucius 1 Theophilus. 
10 18 2 Vitellius.| 2 

1 19 3 3 
12 20 4 4 

1 Marcellus, |21 1 Turpilianus! 5 


3 
S| 
il] 
Ξ 5 
a 
2/6 
é 
" 
528] 15 
520 510 
530] 17 
531} 18 
532|*19 
17]. ὦ 
2] 52 
8] 8 
4] 4 
5] *5 
6) 6 
mdz 
8] *8 
9] 9 
10] 10 
11/*11 
2] 12 
13] *13 
14] 14 
15] 15 
16|*16 
17) 17 
18] 18 
19|*19 
20] 1 
21; 2 
22) 3 
23] 4 
24) *5 
25] 6 
26) 7 
27| *8 
28] 9 
29) 10 
30/*11 
31} 12 
32)*13 
33) 14 
34] 15 
351516 
36] 17 
37] 18 
38}*19 
39} 1 


Years. 


| Year of the Jewish Cycle of nineteen 
Year of the Solar Cycle. 


* * 
- πο 
ζὉ - ΘΦ) Οὐ Ὁ WH 


Mar.24| Mar.25| 12 
Apr. 12) Apr. 13} 23 
1 5.4 
Mar.21| Mar.28|15 
Apr. 9 Apr. 10/26 


: 4 

§ i a i 
Sil i 

ἶ 

C ἸΑργυ. 1 4 
BA | Mar.21 15 
G |Apr. 9 26 
F ar.29 7 
E |Apr.17 18 
DC 5 29 
B |Mar.25 ll 
A |Apr. 13 22 
G 2 3 
FE |Mar.22 14 
D |Apr.10 25 
Cc ar.30 6 
B Apr. 18 17 
AG 7 28 
I’ |Mar.27 9 
FE {Apr.15 20 
D 4 1 
CB | Mar.24 12 
A |Apr.12 23 
G 1 4 
F |Mar.21 15 
ED |Apr. 9 26 
Cc ar.29 7 
B | Apr.17 18 
A 5 29 
GF |Mar.25 1] 
E |Apr.13 22 
D 2 3 
C |Mar.22 14 
BA |Apr. 10 25 
G ar.30 6 
F |Apr.18 17 
E 7 28 
DC |Mar.27 9 
B | Apr. 15| Apr. 17 90 
A 4 91 
G 

FE 

dD 

σ 

Β 

AG |Mar.29 1) 7 
F |Apr.17 21/18 
E 5 6/29 


909 


and Chronological Facts, 


TABLE I. 


Table of remarkable Eras, 


9 {18 10}1008 3 
91 Ady 01 τάν 


Ξε 


88 Βηθθαυ 1 ὅ [28 98 OGT|LG1|OB1|P6E|SE8 & 980 |Z6LF|F LSS ]}#8SS| 069 


L 
9 19 68 ‘All ΤΕ “086. umuogT 1 18 [98 617 951|661|8 08 088] “AXOO 980} }16}}} 299 8896] 6896 
PLIIISIVW|2stVA| VAS |S [Sx [18 08 @ [08 #8 8119 2 1|85 1668 888 Ῥ F80P|06LF|3L6¢12869|88SS 
€ |p δ ΘΕ 1 |b 08 62 “WSO ΒΉ27, Τὸ |6L 88 LIT|PSLILST| 68 |ZEB € €80F|68LF| L499] 1899] L899 
261 άγ ε1 τἄγ] @ |€ [61χ} 8 [62 8ζ OL |8z 28 9IT|Eal|9a1|068| 18 δ ZS80F| 88LF] OLS¢ 0899 9800 
IT/OELVM|SSIVW| A |S |St |S [8 LB 6 μὰ 18 ΟΤΤ ΘΟ 9. ΤΊ688 [088 “AIXOO [180Ρ]} ΔΒ») 0999 60 196} 9896 
622 ς 91 [Lt] [LL 9% 8. [92 08 PIT] 121] P21 888 [628 Ῥ ΟΒΟΡ] ΒΑΡ 8999 8299 Fass 
81|8 Δι ἄγ} Υ 8291 [61χ}92 95 L |Sh 6L ETT/O@1| 521} 88 [828 8 GLOF|S8LF|L9S¢|LLG¢| 8890 
L 1ε θδ᾽ 1011] A [291 81 jez a 9 tL 82 Φ11|611|2 1988 [168 ὃ 8L0F| ῬΒΔΡ 9900 0} 60 σθ06 
9211 ᾿άψ!θ Adv} O 95 ῬΙΆ[2Ι [Τὰ δῶ μεθα ‘sreaf gs ey, LL ΤΤΤ] 8111 1988 978] ἽΠΙΧΟΌ |LLOF) €8Lb\S9S¢) S199) 1866 
ST GLP | TSIPW| MA 9261 [915]8 2 Bz ua} ‘unsndsan F 2. 9, OTT|LIT| 021} F8s|Sz8 [ 9LOF|ZBLF| P9S9| PLS] 0896 
Ῥ Ιὰ Ι “WL ΠΡΟ]ΟΙ [61 Jon 1% ‘syyuom = gL SL GOT|OTI|6IT|E8e| P28 € GLOF| IBLF] 99S |ELSS| 6LGS 
8691 τάγ 51 τάν] Ὁ |ealtts|PT [Τὰ 0% γη819 ‘snyjang % |OL bL 801/SIT|STI|a8e|ee8 fa FLOP OBLF|Z9SS|GLGS| BLSS 
SL9SIVM|FOAVM| Υ [22/01 [ΕἸχ0. L ΘΙ ‘skep 06 ‘OYJ 1 [09 el LOT|PIIILTT|18E]Ze8] ἽΠΧΟΟ |SLOP/6LLF] 19691290 216 6 
I [01 i Ὁ 126 [61 [69 | ‘waresnior g |‘snueionyy 81 "βίμπιοια G “Ῥῳ)ρ.) 1 [89 δι 90T|ELT|9TT}088] 128 P BLOP|BLLE|09G¢|0L9¢|9L9¢ 
Οδ]61 τάν [01 «ἀν! (Τ᾽ |02|8x |TTx|89 |youononys ¢ | snturory 7 LI 8 FI [19 TL SOL|GIT|STI|6L8]0¢8 8 TLOP|LLLE|GS9¢ 6090 6269 
6 [0818 102 1011} Ὁ [6112 [01 [19 | -ap om wm F ΒΏ] Ὁ oI δ 81 [09 OL FOL TIT] FIT |828|618 z OLOF|9LLE| 8596/8999] Ῥ 06 
86 Ὁ ἰὼ A |8{}9x |6 [99] ὋΣ ΠὙ 8 [10 Ὃ 1 T ΟἹ δἼΜμΟΓ 559.) at [9 [09 [Ξ0ΤΟΙ ΕΠ ΔΕ 818 ἸΧΟΟ 600} 021 ἀθ00 2969 ξ199 
LI|&s 81 ἄγ! OV 21|94. |8* [99] we ures z g PI ξ 11 [09 89 Φ01|601|211|94 8218 Ψ 890} ῬΔΔΡ 9969 909 6} 260 
aie OFTEN) A [Oh JL [Fo] sviyneyw T a7 ΕἾ z ot [9 [190 ‘| torlgot}t1t}sze}9t8 Εις |L90p/e2z7|¢¢¢¢|cage! 1160 
9611 πὰγ 01 ᾿άγ] Ὁ |at/e« 19 |69 8 51] “smuqy 1 6 [29 99 OOT|LOTIOLL|FLE|ST8 δ 990} SLLb| FSSS|P9S¢|0LSS 
PIG ΘΙ 26 111) Gd |FIle [6κ |z9 ‘snsor [ὍΙπααο ὦ ΤΙ} 5 ΓΟ 11 8. [19 99 66 [901|601|8 4 Ὲ }}18] “XOO |S90F| 22} 6908 999. 0990 
ξ 9 ὃ 51 61} 1 1 19 ‘susor SIWWOG | ΟἹ 8 L [09 $9 86 |SOT|S01}aLe]€T8 Ῥ ῬΘΟΡ OLLE|2Sgg|z99¢|89S¢ 
δ 91 τάγ ει “ἀγ] 9 [51 61.}8 jog | ‘semeuy 6 L 9 |6¢ £9 L6 |POT|LOT| τ 8518 € €90F| 69LF| 1996 1999} 1900 
{{|96 18} [92 18}}} Ὑ [1181 |sx [664 ‘ydosor Τ 8 8 9 4 [89 0 96 [Β01|901)0 18 118 δ 290F| 89LF|0S¢¢] 09SS| 9090 
6)0L Φ 8 [01}21Ὰ]1 [86 ξ L Ἵ ς % Is 19 66. [Ζ01|901|6 98} 018} “XTIOO [1905] 94} ] 6Ρ6 9} 6990 S9g¢ 
81|81 τάν [21 τάν] od |6 jor [61.}19 ὃ 9 9 Ῥ 8 |9¢ 09 ¥6 |TOT|FOT|89e|608 [ ΟΘΟΡ 99 Ὁ ΒΡΘ 9 8999 Ῥθ6 6 
L 108 18 θά ΠΝ @ 18 [91 |81 jos ‘joewsy Τ 9 ¢ £ 5 [99 θ9 £6 [001] 501|198 808 ξ 6S0F|S9LP|LPGg| Δο 99 6090 
92)}Ὁ1 τάγ 6 “4 A 12 |ptxlZt 96 ΟἹ Ῥ P NAT ὦ “ASOD O49AT 1 |PS 89 0 [06 [201]998 108 ὅ ΒΘ} F9LF|9FSG|9SSS|z9Ss 
9{|9Φ ΤῈ} ἴσαις Ὁ 9 ΙΕῚ [9x 0 |snIeIpeny δ [᾿Βηβθϑοολ g | smpnvjgQ 1 ΕΤ leo LS 16 |86 {101|998]908] “ITIADD. |L90b| 892}Ὁ} ΘΡ9 9) 9090) Togs 
VIG I Va |S [Ξ1 |ST 86 8 sMpiut ς |syyuourmays Ὁ BL [66 99 06 [16 |OOL|#9E|S08 Ῥ 9GOF| GOLP|FFSS|PSSS| 0960 
Ε6 81 «ἄγε ᾿άγ] 9 |h ᾿{ΠᾺ]}Ρ1 [69 4 |-ON snrey 1 |]]snuouo, 1 Ῥ II [16 ος 68 196 66 [698 }}Ὁ08 8 gor] 94 Ὁ] ΒΡ Ο 8009 6660 
BL 6SIBW\FSIVM| A [8 jot {8|χ}14 9 L € ξ ot [09 φο 88 [96 [86 [298 808 ὅ F901] 09LF| abso 969 8060 
19 ¥ W | Ι6 [6] jos 9 9 |parojsox g |'snupung Ὁ G |6r eg |28 |F6 [186 [198]208] ΠΛΦΟ  [890}} 602 }} 1069 1660 2660 
06) 16 οὐ «ἅν 101 [8x | TLx|6r Ψ G | snzinjoy 1] spy, 1 8 |sr ec 98 [86 196 |09¢|108 ¥ ΦΟΌΡ ΒΟ ΟΡΟ 9 0960 9000 
6 ᾿ξ ἐΘ ΘΙ] V ΙΒ6]|2 OL [ΒΡ 8 Ῥ | snuvpm, p |epuaay % L |Lb {1g |98 [26 [96 |6se|o08 ξ Τρ» 9} 0860 6066 9000 
8601 Le 8. |42)9% [6 [Lh δ & [Ῥϑιογϑοα] snewoqT, Τ 9 [νᾧ og |¥8 [10 |¥6 [8068]661 δ ΟΡ 901 Βδ 99 ΒΡ69 PSS¢ 
LT εἶ 81 ᾿ᾶγ] 9 95|5 |βχ lop | ᾿ΒΌΠΙΒΕΥ Τ G |opsnzirjong | “snpny ὦ 4 |ch 6h 88 106 |€6 |LSE/86L| “IADOO |6hOF/SSLF|LEgc|LPS¢| 8960 
9 ΟΕ ΤΌΤ} GH |Ss|h |L [ον € | snusuoy Τ frounsioyseg | smdsng 1 b |p 8P 68 108 [26 |9CE}L6L Ῥ BhOP|PSLP| ΘΕ 9 9} 99, 0066 
SG i ἄγ 01 πᾶν) ἃ ῬΖ εχ 19 [Ὁν ὃ € δυυθριθλ 7 9 & |er Ly 18. [88 |16 |Sce|96L 8 ΔΡΟΡ ΒΟ ῬΊ Sess |ShSg] T9cs 
ῬΤΊ 9. ἀΌ}} SSP) Ὁ 82 5 [Gx ler | ueyjyeuoe 7 | ‘suse z GG Ὁ & [ὃν 9 08 [18 [06 |PSE|S6L δ ΘΨΟΡ 02 Fes | Pres 0000 
δ. θ᾽ ie V [601 JF [6Ρ Ι᾿Βυιθηγιθο eZ} ΒΠΠΙΛΊΤ | ia } | “800 snipnyjg τ ΤΡ |op [Ρ64 |98 [68 [896|061 “AOD |SFOF|ISLh 6PSS 
Ὁ 21 ἄγ ε1 ᾿άγ] qo |1zl6txle |1Ὁ “UO Τ ‘sn 8 ἘΠ ἘΣ € > |0F ῬΡ 82 [98 [88 |ace|e6L i PrOV|OSLE ΒΡ66 
ΤΙ ΘΟ ΤΌ 96 IPM! CM [0681 [6 κ [0] ᾿βαθυοι ~urTidiny, g [5 ΠΟΘΙ 50 ΒΗ) Ο ΟΠ % | ‘avsag νηπδηρ αὶ 68 ΒΡ LL 178 [18 [168]664] € ΛΙΘΌ [ἘΡΟΡΊΟΡΑΡ LVSS 
a eis ‘a‘Vi‘a‘y 
3 ἐ 2 3 ξ 
g|s i 3 Ξ a o|¢ 5: 5. Ὁ 3 | Ξ Ξ 
ΤΣ ὃ ε 2128] 3 Ξ ‘SMGf AHL VIUAS "SNVIHDUVd | ‘SMal SH ὅς Ξ 2|2)82]2 Bs. — Ξ9 Ξ 23 ἘΞ 
Higgs 1 3 (glee) 218 so yo ainyo yo ‘SuOugdaWa oe) 2 le lslegie (fel 8 883 13} ἘΣ 
Ξ Ξ Ξ Ί ΞΙΞ | 2|% | susaanonm | suonugaon | soniy SYONUTAOD ΝΥΙΧΟῊ Be ee  γ5.ξ}.23}.8..Ὲ5 2 ΒΡ 5 ls ὡς 
“| 2 ΠἸ |e] Be oe eal yilealee le ΞΕ be 3 
Ἑ "Ὡς Py Ss § Ee ἢ Ρ & A ‘s = 5 Ἕ 


910 


and Chronological Facts, 


TABLE I. 


Table of remarkable Eras, 


ΠΡΟ ΘΙ [ςς τὸ AL 


TT|2o48 AL Ss ἀθ 
62|Z1 ς 

810. Ady |LT Ady 
L | (ese 061 
9291 «ἄγ dy 
οι ἐφ το ISIE 
Ῥ]Ρν I 

ΒΟ] 61 τᾶν |a1 Ady 


Lore 


Easter 
Jewish Passover. 


θ- 


Dominical Letter, or Letters | ABadoBqQomngA 


3 
ὃ 
F 
2 
3 
i 
~ 


“stIVUOUT BATA] JO PRasUT Uaa712y7 UTLIUOD “a “1 ᾿ΒΙΌΘΑ 689] 10 ‘ormIsTfoquia 918} paxyard ore Aay) YoryAr ΟἹ sajoAo oarjoadser oy) 


9 100 WIod ΟἹ eases Ay) nq fseuIeS o1duLé]O 971 Jo uoMINsUT ayy eoUTs pasdeja 01] pry sree 100] sou AULT OS 718} ‘ 
ἸΠΘΙΘΉΤΡ ey) Jo ΞΙΒΘΑ͂ ot) ur ρογτοχάτποο o10m sperdurA[Q aayjoadsar 9η1 yey) τιθοτα 10τι op ‘sperduis{Q ey) 10 B19 911 Surureju0D wumyjoo oy 


SPIOA\ JOYJO πτ το § 


ΟἹ ‘skep ct pur g¢ [001] [FOL [881|9ΡΤΊΒΡΙ 
6 ‘syjuou g ‘siwoX % [68 £0L = | LET|PRTILPT 
*JSA0ISOYD 8 GT Ρϑυδϑιθα τίνα, 1 [86 BOL [9Ε1|ῈΡΤΊΟΡῚ 
Aq papaaa 1 6 [26 ΤΟΙ BIGHT 
‘wn4anT Τὸ [96 oot ΡΠ ΡΡΙ 
οἵ [66 66 OPLEPI 
PL [16 86 ΘΕΤ ΦΡῚ 
ΕἸ [86 10 set | TPT 
ποι 5Π1, ὅ ZL [16 96 LEL|OPT 
Jysniooeg | Il |16 C6 9ET|GET 
6 Ot |06 +6 CET|BEL 
8 6 |68 £6 PETILEL 
L 8 [588 26 ΒΕΤΊΘΕῚ 
9 L [18 16 ZEL|SEL 
9 9 |98 06 IST |PEL 
¥ 4 |ss 68 OST EET 
Ῥ 108 88 621 \ZET 
“Tesxey wero £ €8 L8 
ES ‘a‘v\-a-y 
i ΖΗ 
Ξ 3 ἕξ 
= " δ 
ξ] Ιἢ se |ἐ]εἸΐ 
= 8 Ὁ a - 
δι ἐ Ἑ “SMGS ΤῊ, ‘VIUAS “SNYIHLUYd | “SMA SEL “‘SuOUaa Wa f. 4 Ξ A ἕξ 
58} 3 jo jo ono p ἘΠῚ 2 ie 3 |oz 
2 3 8 | Sisatid HOTH | SYONYTAOD SONIW SYONNTAOD ΝΥΙΧΟῊ pe A τ 5 5 
7 \s a μα 5 
3 a ‘3 8 ἢ i ἃ 
3 sit 


olbless 
ILP\eo8 
Oy) 198 


806/68 
LOP|S8P8 
90P| LES 


SOP)9P8) TIITAXOO 


ῬΟΡ SPS 
£0P| FPS 
GOP EPS 


ΤΡ ΡΒ] MAXOO 


00) [V8 
66/068 
868) 688 
16/88 
968) LE8 


uilding of 
Rome. 


Year of the era of the Seleucide. 
Year from the bi 


ud 

£ 

δ 
60/08] "ΧΙΧΟΟ 

v 

£ 


δ 


v 
£ 
& 


Ῥ 

Ε 

z 
TAXOO 

Ῥ 


Era of the Olympiads. 


POP O1Sh!Z6Es|z09S 
£01F| GOSF| L6S9/ 109 
GOTP| 808F | 06S |009S 
ΤΟΥΤῚ ΔΟΒΡ 68S) 66S¢ 
ΟΟΤΡ ΘΟΒΡ 88S 8600 
660% | SO8F| L8SS |L6S¢ 
860P ῬΟΒΡ 9800 9090 
LGOF| E08F|S8SS|S6S¢ 
960F| GORE) ΒΟ | PGSS 
S6OF| TO8F)/ ESS | E6S¢ 
PGOF| OO8F|Z8SS|Z6SS 
£60) | 66LF/ 1889) 16S 
GG6OF| 86LF | 08ES Οῦ9 0 
160 | L6LF|6LES| 6899 
0604 | 96LP 829° | B89 
680} S6LF/LLGS| LESS 
880} F6LF/9LES|98SS 


3 3 |3 
s |g [Ξ |p 
gileis /§ 
&igeialjé 
ξ8} 5 |#| 
ΒΡ] 3. | a> |Ξ}Ὁ 
2 15 3 
slate ᾿ς 

ἀρ τὰν [ἢ 
β δ ἤν 


Jo 1vaf ay} yey) "ΘΊΟΌΘΡ “910 .40 reUM] Ystaer oy} JO 781}1 UT 0518 pur ‘sread τιθογθτητι Jo 910 ΛῸ πθτ091.) 10 “IaquINNT Uapfoy 911 SuruyejuoD uumMjoo oy) τ systtojse 911, 4 'Ν 


Ῥϑοποῖπιποῦ sperduA[O aanoodsaa ayy yorya ur sivas 
[Β19)ῈΠ100 are Aoy) Yoryar {τι syoode 
1 Ur S[eieuMU uRWOY 901, Ἔ ‘N 


ee 
c2|ztady|or‘ady) aa 


609s 
To9s 
009S 
668S 
8090 
2066 
96S¢ 
9609 
bess, 
£66¢ 
GOSS 


S6€|9E8) €°AXOO |L80b/€6L|SL9¢9/S8S9) 1000 


Year of the Constantinopolitan era 
of the wok 


911 


Table of Remarkable Eras TABLE I. and Roman Consuls 


“1K [μι Ξ 
— ic} oO 
εἰ ms | ἃ s 8 Ξ Ξ Ξ 2 μι 
=z = ah|so|]5o ° era 
a aS So} om] ym] > ore 
26 (ee, | so) Se pee 65 51}. he 
ge | 32) 25/22 |oe|es| 88 ROMAN CONSULS. 
8. : = aa 
ἘΞ | PS | we] ZS (E81 °8] Be 
ΞῚ ea eae See eS || eS 
ΒΕ. 8 )88| £/ 28) Ὡ| 3° 
aq GQ R i? 
3999 | 3755 | 742 | 746 | 747 | 748 | B. C. 6] P. Lelius Balbus, and C. Antistius Vetus 
4000 | 3756 | 743 | 747 | 748 | 749 5 | Imp. C. Julius Cesar Octay. Augustus XII., and L. Corn. Sulla 
4001 | 3757 | 744 | 748 | 749 | 750 4 C. Calvisius Sabinus, and L. Passienus Rufus 
4002 | 3758 | 745 | 749 | 750 | 751 3 | L. Cornelius Lentulus, and M. Valerius Messalinus 
4003 | 3759 | 746 | 750 | 751 | 752 2] Imp.C. Julius Cesar Octav. Augustus XIII, and C. Canin. Gallus 
4004 | 3760 | 747 | 751 | 752 | 753 1} Cossus Comelius Lentulus, and L. Calpurnius Piso 
4005 | 3761 | 748 | 752 | 753 | 754 | A. D. 1 Caius Julius Czsar, and M. 4milius Paulus 
4006 | 3762 | 749 | 753 | 754 | 755 2] P. Vinicius, and P. Alfenius Varus 
4007 | 3763 | 750 | 754 | 755 | 756 3 | L. #lius Lamia and M. Servilius 
4008 | 3764 | 751 | 755 | 756 | 757 4 Sex. #lius Catus, and C. Sentius Saturninus 
4009 | 3765 | 752 | 756 | 757 | 758 5 | L. Valerius Messala Volusus, and Cn. Cornelius Cinna Magnus 
4010 | 3766 | 753 | 757 | 758 | 759 6 | M. Amilius Lepidus, and L. Aruntius 
4011 | 3767 | 754 | 758 | 759 | 760 Ἶ A. Licinius Nerva Silianus, and Q. Cecilius Metellus Criticus Silanus 
4012 | 3768 | 755 | 759 | 760 | 761 8 | M. Furius Camillus, and Sex. Nonius Quintilianus 
4013 | 3769 | 756 | 760 | 761 | 762 9 | Q. Sulpicius Camerinus, and Οὐ. Pompeius Sabinus 
4014 | 3770 | 757 | 761 | 762 | 763 10 P. Cornelius Dolabella, and C. Junius Silanus 
4015 | 3771 | 758 | 762 | 763 | 764 11 M. Aimilius Lepidus, and T. Statilius Taurus 
4016 | 3772 | 759 | 763 | 764 | 765 12 | Germanicus Cesar, and C. Fonteius Capito 
4017 | 3773 | 760 | 764 | 765 | 766 13 | C. Silius, and L. Munacius Plancus 
4018 | 3774 | 761 | 765 | 766 | 767 14 | Sex. Pompeius, and Sex. Apuleius 
4019 | 3775 | 762 | 766 | 767 | 768 15 | Drusus Cesar, and C. Norbanus Flaccus 
4020 | 3776 | 763 | 767 | 768 | 769 16 T. Statilius Sisenna Taurus, and L. Seribonius Libo 
4021 | 3777 | 764 | 768 | 769 | 770 17 | C. Cecilius Rufus, and L. Pomponius Flaccus Grecinus 
4022 | 3778 | 765 | 769 | 770 | 771 18 | Tiberius Aug. ΠΠ., and Germanicus Cesar II. 
4023 | 3779 | 766 | 770 | 771 | 772 19 M. Junius Silanus, and L. Norbanus Balbus 
4024 | 3780 | 767 | 771 | 772 | 773 20 | M. Valerius Messala, and M. Aurelius Cotta II. 
4025 | 3781 | 768 | 772 | 773 | 774 21 | Tiberius Aug. IV., and Drusus Cesar II. 
4026 | 3782 | 769 | 773 | 774 | 775 22 Ὁ. Sulpitius Galba, and Q. Haterius Agrippa 
4027 | 3783 | 770 | 774 | 775 | 776 23 | C. Asinius Pollio, and L. Antistius Vetus 
4028 | 3784 | 771 | 775 | 776 | 777 24} Serv. Cornelius Cethegus, and L. Viselius Varro 
4029 | 3785 | 772 | 776 | 777 | 778 25 | M. Asinius Agrippa, and Cossus Cornelius Lentulus 
4030 | 3786 | 773 | 777 | 778 | 779 26} C. Calvisius Sabinus, and Cn. Corn. Lentulus Getulicus 
4031 | 3787 | 774 | 778 | 779 | 780 27 | M. Licinius Crassus Fragi, and L. Calpurnius Piso 
4032 | 3788 | 775 | 779 | 780 | 781 28 | Ap. Junius Silanus, and Silius Nerva 
4033 | 3789 | 776 | 780 | 781 | 782 29 L. Rubellius Geminus, and C. Fusius or Rufius Geminus ‘ 
4034 | 3790 | 777 | 781 | 782 | 783 30 | L. Cassius Longinus, and M. Vinicius 
4035 | 3791 | 778 | 782 | 783 | 784 31} Tiberius Aug. V., and #lius Sejanus 
4036 | 3792 | 779 | 783 | 784 | 785 32 Cn. Domitius Ahenobardus, and M. Furius Camillus Scribonianus 
4037 | 3793 | 780 | 784 | 785 | 786 33 L. Sulpicius Galba, and L. Com. Sylla Felix 
4038 | 3794 | 781 | 785 | 786 | 787 34 Paulus Fabius Persicus, and L. Vitellius 
4039 | 3795 | 782 | 786 | 787 | 788 35 C. Cestius Gallus, and M. Servilius Nonianus or Monianus 
4040 | 3796 | 783 | 787 | 788 | 789 36 | Sex. Papinius Allenius, and Q. Plautius 
4041 | 3797 | 784 | 788 | 789 | 790 37 | Cn. Acerronius Proculus, and Caius Petronius Pontius Nigrinus 
4042 | 3798 | 785 | 789 | 790 | 791 38 M. Aquilius Julianus, and P. Nonius Asprenas 
4043 | 3799 | 786 | 790 | 791 | 792 39 | Caius Aug. IL, and L. Apronius Cesianus 
4044 | 3800 | 787 | 791 | 792 | 793 40 | Caius Aug. III., and L. Gellius Poplicola 
4045 | 3801 | 788 | 792 | 793 | 794 41 | Caius Aug. IV., and Cn. Sentius Saturninus 
4046 | 3802 | 789 | 793 | 794 | 795 42 | Tib. Claudius Aug. II., and Caius Cecina Largus 
4047 | 3803 | 790 | 794 | 795 | 796 43 | Tib. Claudius Aug. ΠΠ., and L. Vitellius IT. 
4048 | 3804 | 791 | 795 | 796 | 797 44 | L. Quinctius Crispinus II., and Marcus Statilius Taurus 
4049 | 3805 | 792 | 796 | 797 | 798 45 M. Vinicius II., and Taurus Statilius Corvinus 
4050 | 3806 | 793 | 797 | 798 | 799 46 | P. Valerius Asiaticus II., and M. Junius Silanus 
4051 | 3807 | 794 | 798 | 799 | 800 47 | τὶν. Claud. Aug. IV., and L. Vitellins III. 
4052 | 3808 | 795 | 799 | 800 | 801 48 Aulus Vitellius, and Q. Vipsanius Publicola 
4053 | 3809 | 796 | 800 | 80] | 802 49 A. Pompeius Longinus Gallus, and Q. Veranius 
4054 | 3810 | 797 | 801 | 802 | 803 50 C. Antistius Vetus, and M. Suillius Nervilianus 
4055 | 8811 | 798 | 802 | 803 | 804 51 Tib. Claudius Aug. V., and Serv. Corn. Orfitus 
4056 | 3812 | 799 | 803 | 804 | 805 52 | Publ. Corn. Sylla Faustus, and Lucius Salvius Otho Titianus 
4057 | 3813 | 800 | 804 | 805 | 806 53 | Decimus Junius Silanus, and Quintus Haterius Antoninus 
4058 | 3814 | 801 | 805 | 806 | 807 54 | ΜΝ. Acinius Marcellus, and Manius Acilius Aviola 
4059 | 3815 | 802 | 806 | 807 | 808 55 Nero Aug., and L. Antistius Vetus 
4060 | 3816 | 803 | 807 | 808 | 809 56 | Q. Volusius Saturninus, and P. Cornelius Scipio 
4061 | 3817 | 804 | 808 | 809 | 810 57 | Nero Aug. IL, and L. Calpurnius Piso 
4062 | 3818 | 805 | 809 | 810 | 811 58 | Nero Aug. III., and Valerius Messala 
4063 | 3319 | 806 | 810 | 811 | 812 59 | L. Vipstanus Apronianus, and L. Fonteius Capito 
4064 | 3320 | 807 | 811 | 812 | 813 60 | Nero Aug. IV.,and Cossus Cornelius Lentulus 
4065 | 3321 | 808 | 812 | 813 | 814 61 | C. Cesonius Petus, and C. Petronius Turpilianus 
4066 | 3822 | 809 | 813 | 814 | 815 62 P. Marius Celsus, and L. Acinius Gallus 
4067 | 3523 | 810 | 814 | 815 | 816 63 | C. Memmius Regulus, and L. Verginius Rufus 
4068 | 3824 | 811 | 815 | 816 | 817 64 | ΓΟ Lecanius Bassus, and M. Licinius Crassus 
4069 | 3825 | 812 | 816 | 817 | 818 65 | A. Licinius Nerva Silanus, and M. Vestinius Atticus 
4070 | 3826 | 813 | 817 | 818 | 819 66 | 6. Lucius Telesinus, and C. Suetonius Paulinus 
4071 | 3827 | 814 | 818 | 819 | 820 67 C. Fonteius Capito IL, and C. Julius Rufus 
4072 | 3828 | 815 | 819 | 820 | 821 68 | ©. Silius Italicus, and M. Galerius Trachalus 
4073 | 3829 | 816 | 820 | 821 | 822 69 | Serv. Sulpicius Galba Aug. IL, and T. Vinius Rufinus 
4074 | 3830 | 817 | 821 | 822 | 823 70 Titus Fl. Vespasianus Aug. II., and Titus Caesar 
4075 | 3831 | 818 | 822 | 823 | 824 71 | Flav. Vespasianus Aug. III., and M. Cocceius Nerva 


912 1 


Table of Remarkable Eras 


943 Jo Bie αὐμοῦβῃ, 
ῬΠΟΔΑ ou} 

Jo 1wad yworugqey 
“ΤΟΊΟΙΩ STIGUA ΟἽ 801 
~plooor oWloY jorwa x 

“snunuoly 0} 
Ulp10998 OWMOY jo 2eO x 
Oyj Jo πο χ 


urpio908 ΘΟΙΟῊ 10 rea x 


3s 
-2= 
ξξ 
oo 
_—™ 

: 
ke 
Qo 
Ἐξ 
36 
ΞΕ 
ΕΣ 
og 


“B19 ἀπ 510 TESA 


TABLE Il. 


and Roman Consuls 


ROMAN CONSULS. 


Vespasianus Aug. IV., and Titus Cesar IL. 

Domitianus Cesar IL., and M. Valerius Messalinus 

Vespasianus Aug. V., and Titus Cesar LIT. 

Vespasianus Aug. VI., and Titus Cesar IV. 

Vespasianus Aug. VII., and Titus Caesar V. 

Vespasianus Aug. VIIL., and Titus Cesar VI. 

L. Ceionius Commodus, and Decimus Novius Priscus 

Vespasianus Aug. [X., and Titus Cesar VII. 

Titus Aug. VIIL, and Domitianus Cesar VII. 

Lucius Flavius Silva Nonius Bassus, and Asinius Pollio Verracosus 
Domitianus Aug. VIII., and T. Flavius Sabinus 

Domitianus Aug. IX., and Q. Petilius Rufus II. 

Domitianus Aug. 
Domitianus Aug. 
Domitianus Aug. 
Domitianus Aug. 
Domitianus Aug. 
T. Aurelius Fulvus ΠῚ, and A. Sempronius Attratinus 
Domitianus Aug. XV., and M. Cocceins Nerva II. 

M. Ulpius Trajanus, and M. Acilius Glabrio 

Domitianus Aug. XVI., and Q. Volusius Saturninus 
Pompeius Collega, and Comelius Priscus 

L. Nonius Torquat. Asprenas, and T. Sex. Magius Lateranus 
Domitianus Aug. XVIL., and ‘T. Flavius Clemens 

C. Antistius Vetus, and C. Manlius Valens 

Nerva Aug. III., and L. Verginius Rufus III. 

Nerva Aug. IV., and M. Ulpius Trajanus Cesar II. 

A. Cornelius Palma, and C. Socius Senecio 

Trajanus Aug. ΠΙ., and M. Corn. Fronto II. 


X., and Sabinus 

XI., and T. Aurelius Fulvus or Fulvius 
XII, and Ser. Corn. Dolabella Metellianus 
XIIL., and A. Volusius Saturninus 

XIV., and L. Minucius Rufus 


APPENDIX TO TABLE II. 


LIST OF THE YEARS IN WHICH THE CONSULS WERE EITHER CHANGED BEFORE THE END OF THEIR TERM, OR 
DIED WHILE IN OFFICE; TOGETHER WITH THE NAMES OF THE CONSULS WHO SUCCEEDED. 


A 


8. Lucius Apronius and Aul. Vibius Habitus, July 1. 
9. M. Papius Mutilus and Q. Poppzus Secundus, July 1. 
10. Serv. Gori Lent. Maluginensis, July 1. 
11. L. Cass. Hangin, July 1. 
12. C. Visellius Varro, July 1. 
16. P. Pomponius Grecinus, July 1. 
18. 1». Seius Tubero and C. Rubellius Blandus. 
22. M. Coce. Nerva and C. Vibius Rufinus. 
23. Q. Jun. Blesus succeeded to Pollio, July 1. 


26. Q. Marcius Barea and T. Rustius Nummus Gallus, July 1. 


29. Aulus Plautius and L. Nonius Aspremas, July 1. 
30. C. Cassius Longinus and L. Nevius Surdinus, July 1. 


31. Faust. Corn. Sylla and Sex. Tidius or Sextidius Catull., 
May 9; L. Fulcinius Trio, July 1; Pub. Memmius Re- 


gulus, October 1. 


32. A. Vitellius succeeded to M. Furius Camillus Scribo- 


nianus, July 1. 
33. L. Salvius Otho succeeded to Galba, July 1. 
37 Ὁ. Caligula Imp. and Tiber. Claudius, July 1. 


39. M. Sanquinius succeeded to Caius, Feb. 1; Cn. Domi- 
tius Corbulo, July 1; Domitius Africanus, or Afer, 


August 31. 
41. Q. Pomponius Secundus succeeded Caius, January 7. 
44. Manius Amilius Lepidus succeeded Crispinus II. 
46. Velleius Rufus and Ostorius Scapula. 


uD: 
7. P. Corn. Lent. Scipio and T. Qu. Crisp. Valerianus, July 1. 


A. D. 
. L. Vitellius, July 1. 
49. 
. C. Minutius Fundanns and C. Vettennius Severus, δι 


L. Memmius Pollio and Q. Allius Maximus, May 1. 


1; Titus Flavius Vespasianus, Nov. 1. 


. L. Annwus Seneca and Trebellius Maximus, July 1. 
. Anicius Cerealis succeeded Vestinius, July 1. 
. Salvins Otho Aug. and L. Salv. Otho Titianus, Jan. 15; 


L. Verginius Rufus and Vopiscus Pompeius Sylvanus, 
March 1: Titus Arrius Antoninus and P. Marius Celsus 
II. May 1; C. Fabius Valens and Aulus Alienus Cacina, 
Sept. 1; Roscius Regulus sueceeded Cexcina, Oct. 31 ; 
Cn. Cexcilius Simplex and C. Quintius Atticus, No’ 1. 


70. M. Licinius Mutianus and Publius Valerius Asiaticus, 


July 1; L. Annius Bassus and C. Cxcina Patus, Nov. 1. 


71. Flav. Domitianus Cesar [. and Cn. Pedius Castus, 


March 1. 


. Domitianus Cesar III. sueceeded Titus, July 1. 
. Domitianus Cesar, IV. and M. Licinius Mutianus III. 


July 1 


. Domitianus Cxsar V.and T. Plautius Sylvanus IL. July 1. 
. Domitianns Cwsar VI. and Cn. Jul. Agricola, July 1. 
. M. Titius Frugi and Vitius Vinius or Vinidianus Julia- 


nus, July 1. 


. C. Valer. Messalinus succeeded Rufus. 
. L. Serg. Paullus succeeded Lateranus. 
. Cornelius Tacitus succeeded Rufus. 


Vou. 1. 


( 58 ) 


913 


TABLE ΠῚ. 


CHRONOLOGY OF REMARKABLE EVENTS 


A. M. JA.U.C.| B. C. 


3999 


4000 


4001 


4002 


4003 


4006 
4007 


4008 


4009 
4010 


4011 


4012 


748 


749 


750 


751 


755 
756 


761 


wnd 


6 


EXTENDING FROM A.M. 3999 TO A. D. 100. 


Tiberius (afterwards emperor) is invested by Augustus with the tribunitian power for 
five years; and soon after he retired to Rhodes. 

Miraculous conception of John Baptist. 

Caius Cesar, son of the emperor, the first who had the title of Princeps Juventutts, 
Prince of the Youth. He was at this time fifteen years of age. 

Miraculous conception of Jesus Curist. 

Birth of John Baptist. 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, at Bethlehem in Judea. 

Wise men from the east, being guided by a star, come and worship the rew-born 
King of the Jews. 

Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders all the male children of Bethlehem and its 
vicinity, under two years of age, to be put to death, in crder to destroy Jesus 
Christ, who was providentially carried into Egypt before this cruel edict was put 
into execution. 

Death of Herod the Great, in the 37th year of his reign. He is succeeded by his 
son, Archelaus. 

Death of Malthace, mother of Archelaus, king of Judea. 


Death of Lucius, one of the sons of Augustus. 

Death of Caius Cesar, son of Augustus, in consequence of a wound he had received 
in Armenia. 

Augustus Cesar is called Dominus, Lord, by the people ; with which title he is dis- 
pleased, and publicly forbade it by an edict. 

About this time the celebrated Pollio died at his country house in Tusculum, aged 


eighty. 

Augustus Cesar, who had, ten years before, been appointed to the government of the 
Roman empire, has the same conferred upon him for ten years more. 

Tiberius returns from Rhodes to Rome, and is adopted by Augustus. 

Tiberius receives again the tribunitian power. 

Cinna, grandson to Pompey, is charged with being the chief of a conspiracy against 
the emperor, and afterwards pardoned. 

The temple of Janus, after it had been closed ever since B. C. 8, is opened again on 
account of fresh disturbances in Germany. 

Tiberius subdues the Caninetali, the Attuarii, the Bructeri, and the Cherusci, Ger- 
mans, who had revolted from the Romans. 

Augustus, that he might raise a tax in Ita.y accepts of the proconsular power. 

Tiberius extends his conquests to the Elbe, upcn which the Germans sue for peace, 
which is granted them. 


Revolt of the Pannonians and Dalmatians, against whom Tiberius and Germanicus 
are sent. 

The Jews and Samaritans complain to Augustus of the tyranny of Archelaus. 

Archelaus, king of Judea, deposed ; and his dominions reduced into the form of a 
Roman province, and annexed to Syria. Coponius was the first governor of Judea. 

About this time Judas of Galilee arose, and drew away much people after him; but 
he, and as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. Acts v. 37. 

The Pannonians are again brought under subjection to the Romans. 

Jesus Christ, twelve years of age, disputes with the doctors in the temple, who are 
astonished at his understanding and answers. 

914 58* 


4014 


4015 


4016 
4017 


4018 


4019 


4020 


4021 


4022 


4023 


763 


764 


765 
766 


767 


768 


769 


770 


771 


772 


TABLE III. Contenued. 


Ovip banished by Augustus to Tomos in Pontus. 

Baton, the Dalmatian general, surrenders the town of Anduba to Germanicus, which 
puts an end to the Dalmatian war. 

Memorable defeat of the Romans under P. Quintilius Varus, governor of Germany, 
by Arminius, chief of the revolted Germans. 

Tiberius marches against the Germans; and, in the course of this and the following 
year, reduces the Germans again under the Roman yoke; upon which a profound 
peace takes place in the whole Roman world. 

Tiberius, in consequence of his very important’ services, is made by Augustus his 
colleague in the empire, both in the civil and military government, August 28. 

Imperial edict against diviners and astrologers. 

Augustus Cesar is again appointed emperor for ten years longer, the last prorogation 
expiring the end of this year. 

Death of Augustus Cesar, (in the consulship of Sextus Pompeius and Sextus Apuleius,) 
at Nola, August 19, being 76 years of age all but 35 days. 

There are four epochs from which historians date the years of this emperor’s reign. 
The first is that of the second year of the Julian era, or the 709th of Rome, when, 
after the death of Julius Cesar, coming from Macedonia into Italy, he took upon 
him the rank of emperor, without making any change in the republic, and assem- 
bled by private authority some veteran soldiers. The second epoch is the third year 
of the Julian era, or the 711th of Rome, when, after the death of the two consuls, 
Hirtius and Pansa, he entered into the consulate with Q. Pedius, Sept. 22; or 
when, on the 27th of November following, he was declared triumvir with Mark 
Antony, and Aimilius Lepidus. The third epoch is the 3d of September, A. U. C. 
723, and the 15th of the Julian era, that is to say, on the day of the battle of 
Actium. The fourth epoch is the following year, when, after the death of Antony 
and Cleopatra, he entered triumphantly into Alexandria, the 29th of August, or 
the first day of the Egyptian era. Thus Augustus, according to the first epoch, 
reigned fifty-eight years, five months, and four days. This is the epoch which 
Josephus appears to have followed. According to the second epoch, Augustus 
reigned fifty-five years, ten months, and twenty-eight days, if we reckon from the 
time he was first made consul ; or fifty-five years, eight months, and twenty-two 
days, from his becoming one of the triumviri. Τί is from one of these two periods 
that Suetonius, Eusebius, Epiphanius, and some others, compute the fifty-six years 
which they assign to this emperor. But the most common mode of computing the 
years of the reign of Augustus is from the batile of Actium, from which time he 
lived and reigned forty-four years all but thirteen days. 

Tiberius Nero Cesar succeeds Augustus in the empire, August 19. 

Death of Julia, daughter of Augustus, in the sixteenth year of her exile. She was 

banished by her father, on the charge of vicious and irregular conduct. 


15 | Extraordinary overflowing of the Tiber, by which several houses are destroyed, and 


lives lost. 

Achaia and Macedonia become provinces to Cesar, having been governed before by 
proconsuls. 

War in Germany. Arminius makes the Cherusci take up arms against Germanicus. 
Drawn battle between the Romans and Germans. 


16 | Battle of Idistavisus gained by the Romans over the Germans under Arminius. 


Second battle gained by Germanicus over Arminius, in the neighbourhood of the Elbe. 

The Angrivarians submit to the Romans. 

Expedition of Germanicus against the Cattans and Marsians, who immediately submit 

Conspiracy of Drusus Libo against Tiberius discovered ; upon which the conspirator 
kills himself. 


17 |Triumph of Germanicus over the Cheruscans, the Cattans, the Angrivarians, and 


other nations between the Rhine and the Elbe, May 26. 

Terrible earthquake in Asia, which overthrew twelve celebrated cities : among these 
was Sardis, which suffered the most. 

Death of Titus Livy, the historian, at Padua; and of Ovid in his exile in Scythia. 


18 |About this time Rhascupolis, called also Rhascoporis, and Rhescuporis, king of Thrace, 


is deprived of his kingdom, and banished. 

About this time a new island made its appearance in the Archipelago, Pliny ii. 87. 

Expedition of Germanicus into the east. 

Zeno, the son of Polemon, ascends the throne of Armenia, through the favour of 
Germanicus. 

The kingdoms of Cappadocia and Commagena reduced into the form of Roman pro- 
vinces. Q. Veranius is made governor of the former, and Q. Serveus of the latter. 


19 |Death of Germanicus. He is buried at Antioch. 


Rhascupolis put to death at Alexandria. 
Death of Arminius, general of the Germans, in the 37th year of his age. 
Maroboduus, king of the Lombards, dethroned. 


20 |Death of Sallust, the emperor’s minister. He was grandson of a sister of Sallust, the 


historian. 
1 915 


4026 


4027 
4028 
4030 


4031 


4032 
4033 


4034 
4035 


4036 
4037 


4038 
4039 
4040 


4041 


4042 
4043 


4044 
4045 


4046 
4047 


4048 


790 


791 
792 


793 
794 


795 
796 


797 


TABLE III. Continued. 


23 
24 


26 


30 
31 


co 8 


eo co 


38 
39 


40 
41 


42 
43 


44 


Revolt in Gaul. 

Sacrovir, chief of the Eduans, defeated by Silius, which puts an end to the Gallic war. 

First African war under Tacfarinas, which commenced A. U. C. 770, finished this year, 
to the advantage of the Romans. ‘Tacfarinas is driven into the deserts by Blesus 
the governor. 

Maluginensis removed from the government of Asia, on account of his being priest of 
Jupiter. 

Pompey’s theatre destroyed by fire about this time, and rebuilt by Tiberius. 

Death of Junia, niece of Cato, sister of Brutus,and wife of Cassius. She had survived 
the battle of Philippi sixty-three years. 

Death of Lucilius Longus, the emperor’s most particular friend. 

The Pantomimes expelled Italy. 

The second war of Tacfarinas ended by Dolabella, in which Tacfarinas is slain. 

Thrace, agitated by commotions, is reduced to submission by Poppeus Sabinus 

The emperor’s final departure from Rome. 

John Baptist began to baptize in Judea, about this time. 

Pontius Pilate made governor of Judea, which office he held for ten years. 

In the fifteenth year of the principalily of Tiberius Cesar, which was the twelfth of 
his monarchy, Jesus Christ, thirty years of age, is baptized by John in Jordan, and 
enters upon his public ministry. 

Fifty thousand men are said to have been killed by the fall of an amphitheatre at Fidena. 

Great fire in Rome, which consumed all the quarter of Mount Ceelius. 

John Baptist beheaded about this time, by order of Herod Antipas. 

Revolt of the Frisians, which is soon terminated. 

The Jews, by the permission of Pontius Pilate, crucify Jesus Christ; who, on the 
third day after his crucifixion, rises from the dead; and forty days after his resur- 
rection ascends up into heaven. 

Miserable death of Judas the traitor. 

Peter’s sermon on the day of pentecost, by means of which three thousand persons 
are converted to Christianity. 

Ananias and his wife Sapphira suddenly struck dead for their hypocrisy. 

Death of Nero, eldest son of Germanicus. 

Stephen stoned to death by the Jews. 


-|A great persecution of the followers of Christ at Jerusalem takes place after the 


martyrdom of Stephen. 

An angel sends Philip to baptize the Acthiopian eunuch. 

Galba, afterwards emperor, 15 consul this year. 

Death of Drusus, son of Germanicus. 

Conversion of Saun of Tarsus, afterwards called Paut. 

The number of the followers of Christ greatly increases. 

At Lydda, Peter cures Eneas of the palsy ; and at Joppa, restores Tabitha to life. 

Troubles and revolutions among the Parthians and Armenians. 

Commotions in Cappadocia, which are soon quelled by the Romans. 

Fire at Rome, which destroyed part of the circus, and the quarter of Mount Aventine. 

Tiberius declares himself friendly to the Christians, and wishes to enrol Christ among 
the gods; but is opposed by the senate. 

Death of Tiberius Nero Cesar, on the 16th or 26th of March, in the seventy-eighth © 
year of his age, after having reigned 22 years, six months, and 26 days, if we 
reckon from the death of Augustus; and 25 years, six months, and 15 days, from 
the time when he was first associated in the empire with Augustus. He is suc- 
ceeded by Caius Caligula. 

Antiochus again put in possession of the kingdom of Commagena, which had been 
reduced into a Roman province by Germanicus. 

Disgrace and death of Pilate, governor of Judea. 

Vespasian, afterwards emperor, was edile in this year; i. 6. a magistrate, who had the 
eare of the public buildings of the city. : 

Getulicus and Lepidus put to death upon suspicion of a conspiracy against the 
emperor. 

The conversion of Cornelius, the centurion, happened about this time. 

The Emperor Caligula slain on the fourth day of the Palatine games. He is succeeded 
by his uncle, Claudius Cesar. 

Seneca banished to the island of Corsica. 

War of the Romans against the Germans and Moors. 

Mauritania reduced into a Roman province. 

The followers of Jesus first called Curistians at Antioch. 

Claudius yanquishes the Britons in several battles, and at his return to Rome is 
honoured with a triumph. 

Dearth in Rome, occasioned by Messalina and the freedmen monopolizing and raising 
the price of the necessaries of life. 

Vespasian fought thirty battles with the Britons, took twenty of their towns, subdued 
two of the British nations, and possessed himself of the Isle of Wight. 

916 1 


- 


ΡΝ 


TABLE III. Continued 


, A.M. |A.U.C.| A. D. 
4048 797 44 |James, the brother of John, put to death by Herod. 
4049 798 45 |An eclipse of the sun on the birthday of the Emperor Claudius. To prevent the 
superstitious drawing thence any inauspicious omens concerning him, he caused 
; notice to be posted up some time before it happened, giving a physical explanation ᾽ 
of the phenomenon. 
The dreadful famine foretold by Agabus rages in Judea, Acts xi. 27, 28. 

; 4050 799 46 |Asinius Gallus, half-brother to Drusus, son of Tiberius, conspires against the emperor, 
and is banished. 

Thrace, which had hitherto its own kings, is made a Roman province. 

About this time a new island makes its appearance in the Algean Sea. It is named 
Therasia by Seneca. 

4051 800 47 |The emperor takes upon himself the title of Censor. 

Secular games celebrated at Rome, in honour of the 800th year of Rome. 

Claudius adds three new letters to the Roman alphabet, the names of two of which 
only remain: the Molic digamma, which answers to our v; and the antisigma, 
which answers to a p and an s joined together. 

Many of the greatest men in Rome are put to death by Claudius, to gratify the 
revenge and coyetousness of Messalina, his wife. 

Commotions in the east, and in Germany. 

Incursions of the Cauci into Lower Germany. Corbulo reduces them to subjection. 

Celebrated canal cut between the Rhine and the Maese. 

4052 801 48 |Claudius by a census is said to find 6,900,000 citizens in Rome. 

The Gauls admitted into the senate, and to the dignities of the empire 

L. Salvius Otho, the Emperor Otho’s father, made patrician. 

4053 802 49 |Herod Agrippa, king of the Jews, eaten up of worms: Acts xii. 23. 

Seneca recalled from banishment, and made preceptor to Agrippa’s son 

4054 803 50 |Cologne founded by Agrippina. 

The Catti defeated by Pomponius. 

4055 804 51 {Great dearth in the Roman empire. 

The Britons, making incursions into the Roman settlements, are vanquished by 
P. Ostorius Seapula. 

4056 805 52 |The Jews expelled Rome by Claudius. 

Caractacus, the British king, is defeated, made prisoner, and carried to Rome. 

The aqueduct at Rome, begun by Caligula fourteen years before, finished this year by 
Claudius. 

4057 806 53 |Nero’s marriage with Octavia. 

Claudius Felix made governor of Judea in the room of Ventidius Cumanus. 

4058 807 54 |Caius Tiberius Claudius Nero Cesar, the Roman emperor, poisoned by the Empress 
Agrippina, after a reign of thirteen years, eight months, and twenty-one days; and 
is succeeded in the empire by Nero Cesar, his wife’s son. 

Paul preaches at Athens. 

Death of Azizus, king of the Emesenians. 


4059 808 55 | Britannicus, son of Claudius Cesar by Messalina, poisoned by the emperor his brother. 
War of the Romans against the Parthians. 
4061 810 | 57 |Apollos, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, preaches at Corinth, Acts 
Xviii. 24. 
4062 811 58 |Artaxata, the capital of Armenia, burnt by Corbulo. 


‘Ligrunocerta taken by Corbulo. 

Armenia totally subdued by Corbulo, and given by Nero to Tigranes, great-grandson 
of Archelaus, formerly king of Cappadocia. 

Nero puts his mother Agrippina to death. 

Death of Domitius Afer, the orator. 

Laodicea, one of the most famous cities in Asia, destroyed by an earthquake. 

4064 813 60 |The pantomimes recalled by Nero. 

Appearance of a comet, with which the vulgar are greatly alarmed. 

hie ay of Puteoli, or Pozzuolo, obtains from Nero the title of August or Imperial 

olony. 

4065 814 61 |The Britons forma league to recover their independence. They take advantage of the 
absence of Suetonius Paulinus, their governor, to take up arms against the Romans. 

Beadicea, the British queen, defeats the Romans, killing 70,000 in various places ; 
but the Britons are at last defeated by Suetonius, the Roman general, with the loss 
of 80,000. 

Pedanius Secundus, prefect of Rome, assassinated by one of his slaves. 

King Agrippa confers the high priesthood on Jsrael, the son of Phabius. 

4066 815 62 |Death of Mark the evangelist. He is said to have been buried at Alexandria 

St. Paul sent in bonds to Rome. He is shipwrecked at Malta. 

Nero puts his empress, Octavia, to death. 

Aulus Persius Flaccus, the poet, dies in the thirtieth year of his age. 

4067 816 63 |On the fifth of February, a violent earthquake happened in Campania, which destroyed 

great part of the city of Pompeii, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and did conside- 

rable damage to Herculaneum. 

1 917 


4063 


D 
_ 
wo 
a 
o 


TABLE III. Continued. 


4068 


4069 


4070 


4071 


4072 


A.U.C.| A. D. 


816 


817 


818 


819 


820 


821 


64 


"65 


66 


67 


68 


69 


63 |About this time Nero reduced the Cottian Alps into a Roman province, after the 


death of King Cottius. 

The Parthians vanquished by the Romans under Corbulo. Tiridates, king of Parthia, 
lays down his crown at the foot of Nero’s statue. 

James, the brother of our Lord, is, according to Eusebius, thrown down from a pin- 
nacle of the temple, and stoned ; and a fuller, striking him on the head with a elub, 
kills him. ‘ 

The emperor sends two centurions up the Nile, in order to explore its source; but 
the centurions failed in their expedition, being stopped by the cataracts and marshy 

rounds. 

Great fire in Rome, by which upwards of two-thirds of this great city was consumed. 

Nero, charging the late conflagration of the city upon the Christians, persecutes them 
with all manner of cruelties and torments. 

The Jews revolt from the Romans, and pelt their governor, Florus, with stones, which 
begins the first Jewish war. 

Several great men conspire against the emperor ; but the plot is discovered. 

Death of Seneca and Lucan. 

Campania wasted by an epidemical sickness, and great tempests. 

Great fire at Lyons, which nearly consumed the whole city. Nero made the inhabit- 
ants of this city a present of four millions of sesterces, (about thirty-two thousand 
pounds sterling,) towards repairing their losses. 

Tiridates receives the crown of Armenia from the hands of Nero. 

Vespasian sent by Nero to make war against the Jews. 

Disturbances in Cesarea between the Jews and the idolaters who inhabited that city. 

Sedition in Jerusalem, occasioned by Florus. This may be considered the proper 
commencement of the Jewish war. It took place, according to Josephus, on the 
sivteenth day of the month Artemisius, which, according to Scaliger’s calculation, 
corresponds to our May. 

The Jews of Cesarea slain, to the number of twenty thousand. 

All Syria filled with slaughter by the battles between the Jews and the Syrians. 

Cypros and Macherontum taken by the Jews from the Romans. 

Jerusalem besieged by Cestius Gallus. 

The Christians leave Jerusalem, and fly to Pella in Celosyria. 

Vespasian invades Judea with an army of 60,000 men, and carries fire and sword 
wherever he goes ; immense numbers of Jews are slain in the various sieges. 

St. Peter and St. Paul put to death about this time. 

Jotapata taken by the Romans after a siege of forty-six days. 

Japha taken by the Romans. 

Eleven thousand six hundred Samaritans, that had assembled on the top of Mount 
Gerizim, slain by order of Vespasian. 

Joppa taken and destroyed by the Romans. 

Tarichea taken by the Romans; and nearly 40,000 persons, who had taken refuge in 
it, slain. 

Death of Corbulo. 

Dreadful calamities in Jerusalem, occasioned by the Zealots, who divide themselves 
into two different parties, and murder one another by thousands, committing the 
most horrid cruelties. 

The Emperor Nero, on account of his great cruelty and injustice, is obliged to fly from 
Rome to the house of Phaon, one of his freedmen, about four miles from Rome, 
where he kills himself ; upon which the senate declares Galba emperor. 

On the kalends of January, the images of Galba, in Germany, are thrown down; and 
on the third day-Vztelliws is saluted emperor by the army; and on the fifteenth day 
of the same month Galba is slain by the partisans of Otho, seven months after the 
death of Nero; upon which Otho is proclaimed emperor. 

Civil war betwixt Vitellius and Otho. 

Engagement in an island in the Po, betwixt the troops of Otho and Vitellius, wherein 
the latter have the advantage. 

Battle of Bedriacum, in which Otho’s army is defeated ; upon which Otho kills him- 
self, after a reign of three months. He is succeeded by Vitellius. 

Dolabella put to death by order of Vitellius. 

Civil war betwixt Vitellius and Vespasian. 


Cremona sacked by Primus. 

Junius Blesus poisoned by order of Vitellius. 

Vespasian acknowledged emperor by a great part of Italy, and all the western 
provinces, 

The capitol besieged and taken by Vitellius’ soldiers. 

The temple of Jupiter Capitolinus destroyed by fire. 

Vitellius is killed, after a reign of eight months and a few days, and Vespasian suc- 
ceeds him in the empire. 

|The Batavians, under Civilis, revolt from the Romans, over whom they obtain two 
great victories. , 

918 1 


σ᾽ 


A.M. |A.U.C.| A. Ὁ. 


4074 


4075 


4076 


4077 
4078 


4079 


4080 
4081 


4082 
4083 


4084 


4085 
4087 


4088 


4089 


4090 


4092 


4093 


823 


824 
825 


826 
827 


828 


829 
830 


831 
832 


833 


834 
836 


837 


838 


839 


841 


842 


— eee 


TABLE III. Continued. 


---. 


70 |Vespasian orders the capitol to be rebuilt, the first stone of which was laid on the 


89 


218: of June. 


Titus, son of Vespasian, sent by the emperor to besiege Jerusalem. { 
The Jewish temple burnt, notwithstanding the endeavours of Titus to preserve it. 
Jerusalem taken, Sept. 7, and destroyed by Titus, which ends the Jewish war. Jo- 
sephus reckons that not less than eleven hundred thousand persons perished in this 
If to this number be added all that 
were killed in the several battles fought out of Jerusalem, and in the taking of the 
several towns which the Romans stormed, it will be found that the Jews lost, in 
the whole course of the war, one million three hundred and fifty-seven thousand six 
hundred and sixty men. ‘The number of prisoners during the war, according to the 


siege, by fire, sword, misery, and famine. 


same historian, amounted to ninety-seven thousand ! 


See on Matt. xxiv. 31. 


Magnificent triumph of Vespasian for his victories over the Jews. : ; 
Peace being re-established in the world, the temple of Janus is shut. This is the sixth 


time of its being shut according to Orosius. 
Commagena is made a Roman province. 


Vologeses, king.of Parthia, molested by the Alans, a Scythian people, who overrun 


Media and Armenia. 


Rhodes, Samos, and the neighbouring islands, formed into a province, under the 


name of Cyclades, or island province. 


Vespasian, who had made his son Titus his colleague in the censorship, celebrates 
with him the ceremony of closing the lustrum; and of numbering the Roman 


citizens. 


Dedication of the temple of Peace. Vespasian places in it the golden vessels belong- 
ing to the temple of Jerusalem, and a great number of the finest performances of the 


best painters and sculptors. 


Nero’s colossus, erected by his order at the entrance of the golden palace, is dedicated 
y. ξ Ρ 


to Apollo, or the sun, by Vespasian. 


Three cities in the island of Cyprus destroyed by an earthquake. 3 
Dreadful plague in Rome, through which ten thousand persons are said to have died 


in one day. 
Agricola appointed governor of Britain. 


Vespasian dies, after a reign of nine years, eleven months, and twenty-four days; and 


is succeeded in the Roman empire by his son Titus. 


Dreadful eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which devastated a considerable part of 


Campania. 


Death of the elder Pliny, who was suffocated by the smoke and ashes from the moun- 
tain, while employed in examining this dreadful phenomenon. 


Dreadful pestilence. 


Terrible fire at Rome, which raged with great violence for three days and three nights. 
Many of the public buildings were destroyed, among which were the pantheon, the 
Octavian library, and the capitol, which had not been lon rebuilt. 

Dedication of the amphitheatre begun by Vespasian and finished by Titus. 

Titus dies on Sept. 13, after a reign of two years, two months, and twenty days; and 
is succeeded in the Roman empire by his brother Domitian. 

Domitian’s expedition against the Catti, a people of Germany. The emperor returns 
without having seen the enemy, and causes triumphal honours to be decreed him. 
It is supposed that about this time he received the surname of Germanicus. 

Sabinus is made colleague with Domitian in the consulate; his prenomen is not 
known, but he is supposed to be the same with Oppius Sabinus, who lost his life 


soon after in the Dacian war. 


The Caledonians defeated by Agricola, with the loss of 10,000 men. The ornaments 


of triumph are decreed the victor. 


The fleet of Agricola sailed round Great Britain; before this cireumnavigation was 
made the Romans were not sure that Britain was an island. 

Domitian orders the nativity of all the great men in Rome to be cast; and such as 
were said to be born for empire, he destroyed. 


Philosophers banished from Rome by Domitian. 


The Nasamonians revolt from the Romans, but are subdued by Flaccus. 

Fulvius is made colleague with the emperor this year in the consulate ; his prenomen 
is not known. This Fulvius is supposed to be either T. Aurelius Fulvius, or 
Fulvius, the grandfather of the Emperor Titus Antoninus. 


Institution of the Capitoline games. 


The Dacian war began this year, according to Eusebius. 


The Dacians enter the Roman provinces, and make great depredations ; but are at 


last completely overthrown by Julianus. 


The secular games celebrated at Rome this year, not because it was the termination 
of an even century from the building of the city, but through the mere caprice of 


the emperor. 
Domitian banished the astrologers from Rome. 


1 


919 


4096 


4097 


1098 


4099 


4100 


4101 


4102 


4103 


4104 


848 


849 


850 


851 


852 
853 


92 


93 


94 


96 


97 


98 


99 
100 


TABLE ΠΙ|. Continued. 


The Marcomans, &c., having defeated the emperor, the latter makes peace with 
Decebalus, king of the Dacians, and allows him a yearly pension, which is never 
demanded. He assumes the surname of Dacicus. Ν 

Domitian changes the names of the months of September and October, and calls them 
Germanicus and Domitianus ; which continued only during his life. ee 

About this time the temple of Janus is again shut. 

Cornelia, chief of the vestals, accused by the emperor of incontinence, is buried alive. 

About this time happened the revolt of L. Antonius, who commanded on the Upper 
Rhine. He is defeated and killed. 

The kingdom of Chalcis united to the Roman empire. 

Death of Agricola, the governor of Britain, on the 23d of August, in the year when 
Collega and Priscus were consuls. 

The Sarmatians revolt, but are scon quelled by Domitian; in consequence of which 
he carries a laurel crown to the capitol, and consecrates it to Jupiter. ‘ 
Philosophers and scientific men banished Rome by an order of the senate. Epictetus, 

the famous stoic philosopher, was among the number of the exiles. 

Commencement of the second persecution against the Christians. 

About this time St. John was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, near the Latin 
gate at Rome ; but, being miraculously preserved, is afterwards banished to Patmos, 
where he is supposed to have written his Revelation some time in the course of this 
or the following year. 

'Acilius Glabrio, who had been consul A. U. C. 844, is put to death by order of the 

| emperor. 

Domitian killed in his palace by some of his freedmen, after a tyrannical reign of 
fifteen years and five days. He was the last of the twelve Cesars, and is succeeded 
in the empire by Nerva. 

(Death of Virginius, the consul, in the 83d year of his age. Tacitus, who was at this 

time consul by subrogation, pronounces his funeral oration. E 

Trajan, who commanded the army in Lower Germany, adopted by Nerva. 

Nerva dies, Jan. 21, after having reigned one year, four months, and eight days, and 
is succeeded in the empire by ‘Trajan, a Spaniard. 

The Chamavians and Angrivarians defeat the Bructerians, with the loss of 60,000 men 

Trajan, who was in Germany when he was proclaimed emperor, enters Rome without 
the least parade. 

Adrian, afterwards emperor, married to Sabina, daughter of Trajan’s nephew. 

The death of St. John, the apostle and evangelist, is generally supposed to have 
happened about this time. 


Finished corrééting for a new edition, Noy. 4th, 1831.—A. Ὁ. 


148500. Ἢ 


63-18-87 32188 MC 


END OF VOLUME 1. 
920 1 


E}EGroup 


TC 


